Hong Kong: Cherish LegCo election: EAC The Electoral Affairs Commission today appealed to citizens to cherish the Legislative Council General Election and not to interfere or influence elections with violence. In a statement responding to media enquiries on the polling and counting procedures for the 2020 LegCo election, the commission said elections are important constitutional arrangements and the public should carry on the long-standing good election culture. The statement noted preparations for the 2020 LegCo election, to be held in September, are in full swing. The commission issued the guidelines on the upcoming LegCo election and subsequent by-elections in June and will adopt various polling and counting arrangements. Among others, Presiding Officers, as far as practicable, will arrange for elderly, pregnant and disabled electors to sit inside the polling station and wait for collecting their ballot papers with their positions in the queue properly marked. On preventing tendered votes, according to the law, when issuing a ballot paper to an elector, the polling staff will draw a line in the copy of the elector register across that elector's name and identity document number. To enhance the transparency of issuing ballot papers, the polling staff will draw the line under the concerned electors observation, while at the same time cover up the other entries in the register copy to protect electors' personal data. If polling stations have enough space, the Registration & Electoral Office will allow more election agents and polling agents appointed by candidates or the candidates themselves in to observe the issuing of ballot papers. The electoral staff recruited for each election come from different bureaus and departments. They often do not know each other and can play the role of mutual monitoring at the polling and counting stations. Additionally, for this years Legislative Council General Election, recording facilities will be installed in each counting station and the central counting station, including the counting zone. The arrangement aims to maintain a safe environment for members of the public and staff inside the counting stations as well as for record purposes. For the suggestion to install closed-circuit television to record the polling stations actual situation, the commission said that an important principle of the electoral system is the votes anonymity and confidentiality. The electoral system has been trusted by the public for a long time. Therefore any important changes must have sufficient reasons to avoid weakening peoples confidence in the electoral system. The commission reiterated that it is not a law enforcement agency and has no right to enforce the law. Maintaining law and order is Polices responsibility. Candidates who believe they are targeted and the elections fairness is affected can make an election petition to query the election result. This story has been published on: 2020-07-04. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. 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 Artsakh FM Masis Mayilian met Saturday his Armenian counterpart Zohrab Mnatsakanyan, who was in Stepanakert on a working visit. During the meeting, the parties raised a number of issues on the current stage of the peaceful settlement of the Azerbaijani-Karabakh conflict. Zohrab Mnatsakanyan presented the results of a video conference held with the participation of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs and the Azerbaijani FM. In this regard, the parties highlighted the importance of implementing practical steps aimed at reducing risks and strengthening stability to ensure the irreversibility of the peace process. The FMs noted the unacceptability of provocative statements voiced by the Azerbaijani authorities, noting that such rhetoric endangers the peace process and prevents the formation of a climate of trust. The two highlighted the need for the full participation of official Stepanakert in the talks to increase the effectiveness of the peace process. The meeting also continued in an expanded format with the participation of the Artsakh MFA leadership and Armenian MFA delegation. Canada 'riding roughshod' over rule of law: John Lee John Lee says Canada's decision to suspend its extradition treaty with Hong Kong is an attack on the rule of law. Photo: RTHK Secretary for Security John Lee on Saturday blasted Canada for suspending its extradition treaty with Hong Kong, accusing Ottawa of riding roughshod over the rule of law. Canada had on Friday announced it is suspending its extradition treaty with Hong Kong due to concerns over the new national security law here. It is also halting the export of sensitive military items to the territory, while Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the authorities are looking at 'additional measures' including those pertaining to immigration. Lee told a radio programme Canada needs to give a detailed explanation of its extradition decision to the international community. He said one or two fugitives are transferred between the two places every year all pertaining to serious crimes. But Lee said he could understand if Canada was worried that its agents could face arrest. Speaking on the same programme, Secretary for Justice Teresa Cheng also slammed the Canadian move, saying there is a good chance that the decision violates international law. Cheng said the suspension would strike a blow to the rule of law, and added that she was disappointed by, and regrets Ottawas decision. She said if Ottawa was hoping to affect Chinas national security, that is an attempt to interfere in the countrys internal affairs. However, Democratic Party lawmaker James To says the suspension of the extradition agreement underlines how seriously the Canadian government takes the threat to Hong Kongs judicial independence in the wake of the national security law. To pointed out that the existing extradition agreement already contains many safeguards against, for example, political persecution, but apparently the Canadian authorities have concluded that even these arent adequate. The total suspension is a very clear signal to Hong Kong government that our legal system the independence of [our] judiciary is voted upon with no confidence by at least one government, that is, the Canadian government. That is a very serious matter, he said. Myanmar jade mine victims buried in mass graves Volunteers carry coffins containing bodies of victims following a landslide at a mining site in Hpakant, Kachin State. Photo: Reuters Dozens more jade miners killed in a landslide in northern Myanmar will be buried on Saturday, a local official said, after 77 others were interred in a mass grave on Friday following one of the worst mining accidents in the countrys history. More than 170 people, many of them migrants seeking their fortune in the jade-rich Hpakant area of Kachin state, died on Thursday after mining waste collapsed into a lake, triggering a surge of mud and water. The miners were collecting stones in Hpakant - the centre of Myanmars secretive billion-dollar jade industry when the wave crashed onto them, entombing them under a layer of mud. Thar Lin Maung, a local official from the information ministry, said on Saturday 171 bodies had been pulled out but more were continuing to float to the surface. He said the 77 buried on Friday had been identified and 39 would be interred on Saturday. Volunteers carried plywood coffins and placed them into a mass grave carved out by diggers close to the mine site. Many other bodies, battered and stripped of their clothing by the force of the wave that hit them, still have not been identified. Myanmar supplies 90% of the worlds jade, the vast majority of which is exported to neighbouring China, which borders Kachin state. Deadly landslides and other accidents are common in the mines, which draw impoverished workers from across Myanmar. The countrys leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, on Friday blamed the disaster on joblessness in the country, lamenting in a Facebook Live broadcast that informal workers had to go to the mines for lack of other employment. The government announced the formation of a committee to investigate the disaster. However, activists say little has changed in the industry despite a pledge from Suu Kyi's government to clean it up when she took power in 2016. (Reuters) If you have some time on your hands during the pandemic, you should consider taking up one of the 12 easiest second languages to learn for English speakers. While for centuries, knowing one language has generally been sufficient, today, post globalization, being able to speak just one tongue is no longer enough. As someone who has grown up in Pakistan, I have been speaking two languages ever since I was a child. In my country, English is a mandatory language for multiple reasons. While the British may have left over 70 years ago, their impact still remains in the country, while learning English is also a prerequisite for anyone who wants to perhaps move abroad in search of better education and jobs. When your native language is only common in perhaps two countries in the entire world, learning a second language is a must for any chance of success. [caption id="attachment_570122" align="aligncenter" width="400"] Most Common Second Language in Europe Maxx-Studio/Shutterstock.com[/caption] As an avid traveler, English has aided me significantly in being able to converse with people of various nationalities and ethnicities. And this should come as no surprise, as English is the most widely spoken language in the entire world. This may lead to people whose native language is English wondering why they are being expected to learn another language. Well, there are still dozens of countries out there where English is not a common language, and the majority of people do not speak it. If you know another global language, such as perhaps French or Spanish, you will have a much easier time communicating with people across the world, as speaking the local language leads to quicker acceptance. And if that's not enough, being able to speak a second language enhances both your memory as well as listening skills, and helps keep your mind sharp even in old age. In an age where many major countries are essentially melting pots, learning a second language will surely help. This is why many people in Europe also speak second languages, more of which can be learnt about in the 6 most common second languages in Europe. Story continues While learning a second language is highly recommended when one is a child, due to a child being able to master multiple languages fluently, there is no reason why you cannot do the same in adulthood. Nowadays, there are a myriad options to learn a second language, including apps and websites which have millions of users such as Duolingo, Babbel and Rosetta Stone (NYSE:RST). While some of these apps are free, others require a paid subscription and have been credited with helping millions around the globe learn new languages. It is also pertinent to mention here that there will soon be a time when learning new languages will become a hobby for some, rather than a necessity. And funnily enough, this time might be just around the corner. As technology advances, products are being developed and launched which can translate different languages in real time. Google is just one of the companies pioneering this research and as our understanding of how to develop such product grows, you can be certain that these products will eliminate the need of spending hundreds, if not thousands, of hours learning various languages. At Insider Monkey we scour multiple sources to uncover the next great investment idea. For example, we take a look at lists like the 10 PayPal alternatives for international payments to identify emerging companies that are likely to deliver 1000% gains in the coming years. We interview hedge fund managers and ask them about their best ideas. We read hedge fund investor letters and listen to stock pitches at hedge fund conferences. For example we are checking out stocks recommended/scorned by legendary Bill Miller. Our best call in 2020 was shorting the market in February before the coronavirus pandemic rocked the financial markets. You can subscribe to our free daily newsletter on our homepage. To determine our list, we have relied initially on the Foreign Service Institute's recommendation of the easiest languages to learn for English speakers, based on the number of hours that you need to invest for each language. Where the languages have a similar number of hours, we have referred to other websites such as Babbel and CNN, to rank the languages. If you want to compare our list to an older version of the same, you should take a look at our 12 easiest new languages to learn for English speakers article. So let's take a look at the languages that you should consider picking up as a native English speaker, starting with number 12: 12. Indonesian While it's not the easiest language to learn for English speakers, 900 dedicated hours will enable to gain some level of proficiency. [caption id="attachment_587118" align="aligncenter" width="400"] Top 21 Strongest Most Powerful Military Nations in the World in 2017 Pixabay/Public Domain[/caption] 11. German According to the Foreign Service Institute, German is the only language which an English speaker can master after dedicating around 750 words. The German for matchbox is Streichholzschachtel, so you can image this won't be a walk in the park. [caption id="attachment_578398" align="aligncenter" width="400"] Pixabay/Public Domain[/caption] 10. Romanian While it may not be a very common language outside of Romania, mainly being spoken in Moldova and parts of Serbia, one of the reasons for learning Romanian is the fact that many Romanian language films have been critically appreciated. [caption id="attachment_615734" align="aligncenter" width="400"] Pixabay/Public Domain[/caption] 9. Danish 6 million people globally speak Danish, and is derived from East Norse. If you learn one of the Nordic languages, you will find it easier to learn the others as well as they are all quite similar and open up the wonderful world of Scandinavia to you. [caption id="attachment_607711" align="aligncenter" width="400"] Pixabay/Public Domain[/caption] 8. Swedish As I mentioned, the Nordic languages are quite similar and Swedish, like Danish, is derived from East Norse as well. [caption id="attachment_593371" align="aligncenter" width="400"] Pixabay/Public Domain[/caption] 7. Norwegian I find it hard to believe that there could be a country more beautiful than Norway, and to be able to truly explore the country, learning Norwegian would be quite handy. [caption id="attachment_578394" align="aligncenter" width="400"] Pixabay/Public Domain[/caption] 6. Dutch Dutch is one of the most popular languages in Europe outside of the main languages (Spanish, French, Italian and German) and boasts 22 million speakers, with 5 million speaking it as a second language. If you speak English and have learnt some German as well, you should be able to learn Dutch fairly quickly as both of the languages form a great stepping stone for learning Dutch. [caption id="attachment_580941" align="aligncenter" width="400"] Pixabay/Public Domain[/caption] 5. Afrikaans Afrikaans has been derived from the Dutch language and is spoken widely in South Africa. Since its derived from Dutch, it makes sense that their rankings would be similar on the list of easiest second languages to learn for English speakers. [caption id="attachment_579599" align="aligncenter" width="400"] Pixabay/Public Domain[/caption] 4. French Learning French won't just help in France, where the people are particularly disdainful towards tourists who don't bother to learn at least the basics in French, but is also popular in Belgium, Monaco, Luxembourg and Switzerland as a native language. [caption id="attachment_563208" align="aligncenter" width="400"] Pixabay/Public Domain[/caption] 3. Portuguese You may thing that it is only spoken in Portugal but Portuguese is actually the sixth most spoken language globally with over 240 million speakers. Thus, learning the language has the potential to open around 240 million doors. [caption id="attachment_562734" align="aligncenter" width="400"] Pixabay/Public Domain[/caption] 2. Italian If you've read the book 'The Broker' by John Grisham, you'll have realized like I did that Italian actually seems to be quite similar to English and hence, will be an easy second language to learn, not to mention the vast benefits of knowing Italian such as appreciating some of the finest artists in history. [caption id="attachment_586513" align="aligncenter" width="400"] Pixabay/Public Domain[/caption] 1. Spanish Topping the list of the 12 easiest languages to learn for English speakers is of course, Spanish. After Chinese and English, it is the most spoken language in the world with over 400 million speakers. Since both languages use the Roman alphabet, the common ground has already been built. Further, a vast number of words in English have an associated word in Spanish, thereby making it much easier to learn. [caption id="attachment_581436" align="alignnone" width="400"] Pixabay/Public Domain[/caption] Disclosure: None. Easiest Second Languages to Learn for English Speakers is originally published at Insider Monkey. Madison Cawthorn spent the hours after polls closed in North Carolina last week "in disbelief." The 24-year-old real estate investor, a political newcomer, was trouncing his Republican primary opponent in the runoff race for the U.S. House seat vacated by Mark Meadows, who stepped down to become President Donald Trump's chief of staff. Trump had backed Cawthorn's 62-year-old opponent, Lynda Bennett, and recorded a robocall for her. But soon, Cawthorn was declared the winner, according to The Associated Press. And it wasn't close. "I kept the Spartan reserve because I just didn't believe [I had won] until the AP called it," he told NBC News in an interview. "I didn't believe it." Ever since, Cawthorn said, it has felt "like I'm drinking from a fire hose," participating in more than 60 interviews following the surprise victory. He is eager to improve the Republican messaging he feels is out of touch with his generation and, as a late-wave millennial, to be a voice for Generation Z, or "zoomers," in Congress. He is fully aware that his staunchly conservative political views on health care, abortion rights and gun rights make him somewhat of an outlier among his peers, though he believes Gen Z may end up more conservative than millennials. Pew Research Center polling has shown a similar share of millennials and "zoomers" agree on issues of race, gender and the environment, while those in Gen Z who identify as Republicans or Republican-leaning believe the government should have a more active role than older Republican-identifying Americans. "I do believe that I'm the response to the millennial generation, the first wave of it, because, overwhelmingly [that] generation is exceedingly liberal," he said, adding, "I look forward to being able to lead a new generation of patriots coming up." In November, he'll face Morris Davis, a Democratic candidate and an Air Force veteran who was the top prosecutor at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. North Carolina's 11th Congressional District is considered to be under safe GOP control, meaning the results put him on a fast track to becoming the youngest member of Congress since the earliest years of the Republic. He is set to turn the required minimum age of 25 in August. Story continues GOP primary candidate Madison Cawthorn participates in a debate at the Haywood County Courthouse in Waynesville, N.C. (Stephen Smith / via AP file) Cawthorn's personal story played into his campaign's message, and influences his worldview, he said. In 2014, he was nearly killed in a car crash and was left partially paralyzed and in a wheelchair. He said the ordeal "really taught me empathy." "Especially coming from my generation, we're so used to this intersectionality that happens" in society, he said, adding, "I'm more willing to take a second to consider someone else's upbringing or their perspective because I know that we're not all alike, and I know what it's like for someone to not consider my viewpoint from where I am in my background." He said Republicans need to change their messaging on issues such as immigration and health care not because the party is on the wrong side of those policy debates, but because the appeals don't "necessarily make people feel good about them or they don't explain to people why this does good." On health care specifically, Cawthorn said Republicans for years spoke of repealing and replacing the Affordable Care Act, "but I'm a pretty politically astute person, I have no idea what they wanted to replace Obamacare with. I have no idea." Republicans need to use social media "to explain our message of conservatism in a better light," he said. Cawthorn's surprise win also marked a rare defeat for a Trump-backed GOP primary candidate. But while he didn't have Trump's endorsement, Cawthorn ran on a pro-Trump platform while talking up his status as a Washington outsider. "I'm really not looking to work with any caucus or anything," he said. "I don't want to be loyal to some caucus chair. I want to be loyal to the people of west North Carolina alone." He's already made one important D.C. contact the president whose candidate he beat. As Cawthorn was driving home with his fiance, Cristina Bayardelle, from his campaign victory party, he got a call from an unknown number, he said. It was the Air Force One switchboard, and Cawthorn was being connected to the president, whose "signature voice" came booming through the car speakers. "And he said [the victory] was tremendous, beautiful, using all the great adjectives he always uses, and it was a fun, fun phone call," Cawthorn said. "Him and I, I'll have his support in the fall and I explained to him that this was not a referendum on him at all, we just ran a better campaign but 99 percent of my voters will be voting for him." The jet flew to Sardinia's Cagliari Elmas airport on Wednesday. CNN/Reuters/CCTV Five Americans who attempted to enter Italy after flying on a private jet to the island of Sardinia were rejected because of the EU's coronavirus restrictions. The EU has opened its borders to some countries, but the US has been excluded due to its high coronavirus rates. The travellers eventually flew out of the airport 14 hours after they first landed, CNN reported. But local officials seemed to regret the rule's implications, claiming it could make the region look bad. Italy was once the worst-hit country but appears to have controlled its outbreak, while the US is still dealing with virus peaks. Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. Five Americans were denied entry to Italy after flying from Colorado due to the European Union's ban on American visitors due to the US's high volume of coronavirus cases. The Americans attempted to land in Cagliari Elmas airport on the island of Sardinia on Wednesday, CNN reported. A police spokesperson said they had to leave and did so 14 hours after landing, according to CNN. Related: Flight attendants explain how COVID-19 affected their jobs But while applying the EU law, regional officials appeared to regret the effect for Americans. Flight durations from Colorado to Italy start at approximately 15 hours. Gianni Cessa, the tourism head for the Sardinia region, said that he went to the airport "out of a sense of solidarity" with them. Sardinia tourism head Gianni Chessa met with the travellers out of "solidarity." Screenshot/TGV Videolina/L'Unione Sarda "Rules must be respected, but there needs to be some common sense," he said, The Associated Press reported. And Christian Salinas, Sardinia's governor, said that such stories that come have "inflicted grave damage to the international touristic credibility of our island and our sense of hospitality," according to Italian media reports translated by the AP. Salinas had previously argued in favor of testing visitors to the island, which relies heavily on tourism, instead of banning them. The travellers flew on towards Birmingham, England, CNN reported. Story continues But passengers from the US still have to quarantine for two weeks in the UK, which has left the EU, and it is not clear if the travellers disembarked from their plane there, according to CNN. Local newspaper L'Unione Sarda reported that the group also included visitors from the UK, Italy, and New Zealand who would have been allowed entry, but decided not to in "solidarity" with their American companions. Eleven people were on board in total, CNN reported. The EU opened up to international travellers from 15 select countries outside of the bloc on Wednesday, but the US was excluded. Sardinia. Michele Columbu Three EU diplomats told NBC News on Thursday that US coronavirus cases were too high to even be considered for that list with one saying: "The US was never going to make it. Just look at their coronavirus situation." Italy was once the world's worst-hit country, dealing a devastating outbreak before the virus had taken hold in many other countries, overwhelming the health service forcing doctors to make decisions over whose lives to save. The country has seen more than 241,000 and more than 34,000, and was forced to implement the first a strict lockdown in the West to try and stop the virus is spreading. A worker sanitizes the Piazza dei Miracoli near to the Tower of Pisa in Pisa, Italy, on March 17 2020. Laura Lezza/Getty Images But now, like most of Europe, its outbreak has been mostly brought under control, with those restrictions now eased. Its new daily cases are now around 200, compared to more than 5,000 cases a day in March. Deaths are around 20, down from more than 700 a day in March. In comparison, the US has seen more than 2.7 million cases and more than 129,000 deaths, and many states and regions are currently experiencing their peaks for both cases and deaths. Read the original article on Business Insider Tokyo (AFP) - At least two people were feared dead and 13 others went missing in western Japan Saturday as record heavy rain triggered massive floods and landslides, forcing authorities to issue evacuation orders for more than 76,000 residents. The nation's weather agency downgraded rain warnings by one notch from the highest emergency level in Kumamoto and Kagoshima on Kyushu island, but Prime Minister Shinzo Abe urged local people to be "on maximum alert". Abe ordered 10,000 troops on stand-by for immediate deployment to join rescue and recovery operations, pledging the central government would "do its best to take emergency measures, prioritising people's lives". Two people were found "in cardio-respiratory arrest" and another was missing in landslides in Kumamoto, said Naosaka Miyahara, a disaster management official for the prefecture, using a term often used in Japan before a doctor certifies death. "At one point in the morning, 13 people were unaccounted for but the figures are changing as we are still struggling to sort out the situation," Miyahara told AFP. Public broadcaster NHK said about 100 people had been stranded as roads were cut off by floods and landslides. Television footage showed vehicles swamped at car parks near a flooding river, while several bridges were washed away. "I can't evacuate as a road turned into a river. It's so scary," a female resident told NHK. Aerial footage showed a resident being lifted with a rope from a roof to a military helicopter as an entire town was awash with muddy water. A massive landslide destroyed several houses with rescuers searching for missing people through half-buried windows. "We have issued evacuation orders after record heavy rain," said Toshiaki Mizukami, another official for Kumamoto prefecture. "We strongly urge people to take action to protect their lives as it's still raining quite heavily," he told AFP. Story continues Kyodo News said 76,600 residents in Kumamoto and Kagoshima were ordered to evacuate their homes. Some train services have been suspended in the region, while more than 8,000 households lost power. Japan is currently in its rainy season, which often causes floods and landslides and prompts local authorities to issue evacuation orders. Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell in 2005. Joe Schildhorn/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images In a column for The Spectator US edition, Alan Dershowitz poured scorn on the evidence of two women featured in the hit Netflix documentary about disgraced financier, Jeffrey Epstein, "Filthy Rich." Maxwell, a British heiress and longtime girlfriend of Jeffrey Epstein, has been arrested by the FBI. The grand jury indictment accuses Maxwell of grooming young girls, engaging in sexual acts with them, and lying about her involvement with Epstein in sworn statements. Epstein, a registered sex offender, died by suicide in jail last August while facing charges related to the exploitation of dozens of young girls. Dershowitz argued that there are several defense strategies available to Maxwell. "Stay tuned. The case against Ghislaine Maxwell is far from over," he wrote. Visit Insider's homepage for more stories. Related: 6 times Trump contradicted coronavirus public officials The celebrity attorney and Harvard law professor Alan Dershowitz said Ghislaine Maxwell, the former girlfriend of Jeffrey Epstein, who is accused of aiding his sex crimes, has the right to be presumed innocent. Writing in a column for The Spectator US edition, the renowned lawyer, who has previously represented Epstein, said: "Many in the public however, will presume her guilty because of the portrayal of her in the Netflix series about Jeffrey Epstein." But no one should believe anything they saw in that series, because it was based largely on the accounts of two women with histories of making dubious accusations," he said. Alan Dershowitz. Mario Tama/Getty Images The two women are some of the more than 20 women who have come forward to accuse Epstein, some also named Maxwell. In the article, Dershowitz names Virginia Roberts Giuffre, who has alleged she was groomed by Epstein and Maxwell as a teenager to have sex with both of them and famous men like the UK's Prince Andrew. She also claims she had sex with Dershowitz on several occasions, allegations the 81-year-old vehemently denies. Story continues She sued Dershowitz in 2019 after he called her a "serial perjurer," a "serial liar" and a "serial prostitute," and he filed a counter-suit, saying he had never met her. Jeffrey Epstein. Associated Press The other woman he lists is Sarah Ransome, who said she tried to escape from Epstein's private island and that Epstein "was literally sexually abusing us all day long." Dershowitz said that Ransome claimed to the New York Post in 2016 that she had sex tapes of Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump while calling them "pedophiles" and that Hillary Clinton ordered the CIA to kill her and to destroy her tape. He claimed that she later admitted to making up the story. New Yorker reporter Connie Bruck claimed in a July 2019 article that Ransome told her she had "invented the tapes to draw attention to Epstein's behavior, and to make him believe that she had 'evidence that would come out if he harmed me.'" Dershowitz wrote: "So everyone should keep an open mind about Maxwell as they should about others who have been accused by Epstein's alleged victims." Audrey Strauss, the acting US attorney for the Southern District of New York, announcing charges against Maxwell on Thursday. REUTERS/Lucas Jackson Dershowitz was part of Epststein's legal team in 2008, when Epstein pled guilty after he was accused of sexually abusing underage girls. The plea deal struck resulted in Epstein spending just 13 months in a county jail. But he was again arrested in July 2019 on the sex trafficking charges. The Netflix documentary referenced by Dershowitz was released in May 2020, long after the charges were brought against Epstein, and after Epstein's death. Epstein killed himself in jail in August 2019. Business Insider reached out to Netflix for comment but did not immediately receive a response on Saturday. Maxwell was arrested by FBI agents on Thursday, who had been tracking her as part of Epstein's case. She was arrested 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. Donald Trump with his then-girlfriend Melania Knauss, Jeffrey Epstein, and Ghislaine Maxwell at the Mar-a-Lago club, Palm Beach, Florida in February 2000. Davidoff Studios/Getty Images After Epstein's death, Maxwell's arrest could mean that new details about the case emerge, and that high-profile figures, like Prince Andrew, who have been accused as part of it, come under a new spotlight. Dershowitz said that Maxwell's lawyers could defend her using factual arguments, could be covered by Epstein's 2008 plea deal, and could argue that "the Statute of Limitations have expired on these 20-plus year allegations." They may also argue that Maxwell is protected by Epstein's original plea deal that expressly included Maxwell as someone who received immunity," he said. "So stay tuned. The case against Ghislaine Maxwell is far from over." Read the original article on Business Insider Click here to read the full article. Key Point: America wanted its hands on the Soviet-built MiG-15. So what is a capitalist superpower to do but offer a lot of cold, hard, cash? Korea, 1953. The United States latest fighter jet, the F-86 Sabre is getting blown out of the sky. Despite being touted as the most advanced fighter in the world, American pilots cant keep up. Theyre being outgunned and outmaneuvered by a pipsqueak of a jetthe MiG-15. The Russian Connection In 1950, the MiG-15 appeared in the skies over Korea. The MiG-15 preformed better than the F-86 did in a dogfightit could accelerate faster and was more maneuverable when flying over 10,000 feet, or about 3,000 meters. In addition, the little jet had two 23 millimeters guns, and one massive 37 millimeter cannon that wreaked havoc on the F-86 and the bombers they were escorting. When the MiG-15 appeared on the Korean Peninsula, there was rampant speculation that the Soviet Union had donated airframesand Russian pilotsto the North Korean communist cause. These rumors were not unfounded. Some United Nations prisoners of war told stories of contact with Russian pilots during their time in captivity. Some American fighter pilots had also heard chatter between MiG-15 pilots while in the airin Russian. In any case, the United Nations, and the U.S. Air Force especially, were hurting. What they needed was to study an enemy MiG-15 in person to get a better feel for the jet and its capabilities. Operation Moolah On the 26th and 27th of April 1953, a bomber group flew over targets in North Korea. The bombers carried a unique payload. Rather than bombs, they carried over a million leaflets that were written in Russian, Chinese, and Korean. They offered a monetary reward to any Communist pilot who would deliver a MiG-15 or other Soviet-made jet plane to the UNC forces in Korea. The first pilot to defect with a Soviet jet was promised a $50,000 bonus, though all defectors with jets were to be given a base reward of $50,000, political asylum, resettlement in a non-communist country, and anonymity if desired. The U.S. Air Force primarily hoped to get their hands on a MiG-15, and secondarily hoped that their reward offer would sow division between the tri-national group of pilots that were downing American jets. Story continues It workedsomewhat. Bombs Away After the leaflet dispersal, MiG-15s were scarce. One American general wrote that the Reds first reaction to it was to ground all MiGs for eight days. It might have been because of the weather, or because they wanted time to screen out the politically unreliable pilots. Most likely it was the latter, though bad weather was certainly a factor. According to some sources, the Russians may have had more to fear from Operation Moolah than the Chinese or Koreans did. After the leaflet drops, a radio jammer somewhere in North Korea jammed the radio component of the Moolah campaignbut just in Russian. The Koreans quickly caught on though. On May 27th, Kim Il-sung sent a message to the North Korean Air Force, encouraging pilots to be strong in the face of the enemy and do their utmost to protect their airframes. Defector On September 21st of the same year, No Kum-sok flew his MiG-15 from an airbase outside of Pyongyang to South Korea. No was hustled to Seoul, and MiG-15 was transported out of the country. He claimed to have not heard of the reward. Though Operation Moolah was ultimately unsuccessful, Nos defection out of disgust with the North Korean communist regime gave the United States a great deal of information of Soviet jet designs. Interestingly, No said that rather than a financial reward, which North Korean and Chinese pilots would have difficulty with conceptually, citizenship and freedom would have appealed more. Either way, American pilots suffered fewer losses after Nos defection. 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. This first appeared in 2020 and is being reposted due to reader interest. Image: Wikimedia. 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 Click here to read the full article. Click here to read the full article. This Independence Day, more than any in living memory, it is vitally important that we reflect upon that greatest of all anti-slavery documents, the Declaration of Independence. That document in turn launched the greatest abolitionist movement in human history: the United States of America. The United States was not founded as a regime of institutionalized racism, tribalism, or injustice. Intrinsic to the founding principles of this country, America institutionalized freedom, institutionalized opportunity, and institutionalized justice. We need only remember. And we should. It might be the only thing that prevents our country from further descent into violent chaos and the tyranny that typically follows. Slavery is old. Slavery is older than human history, stretching back thousands of years to prehistoric times, before written historical records were kept. Slavery has taken different forms among different people in different places around the globe, existing at one time or anotheroften for long periods of timeon every continent. Sometimes slavery has resulted from war, sometimes from religious persecution, sometimes from debt. Skin color has been important in some kinds of slavery, not so much in others. When the sciences of shipbuilding and sailing became advanced enough for the reliable transportation of cargo, transoceanic trade in slaves became big business. It was the first time large numbers of slaves were sold and sent to distant lands, where they lived among people strikingly different from themselves. Much ugliness and injustice dwells in the stories of the slave trade. It is heart-wrenching to learn human beings were treated as mere property, owned, controlled, used, bought and sold by others. Injustice is colorblind. Amid the growth of the international slave tradesand in the context of the much older story of slavery itselfone group of people, far from being morally perfect, dared to declare a universal, true moral idea: that all men are created equal in terms of inalienable natural rights to life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness. Story continues And these imperfect people set for themselves an ambitious goal for which there was no historical model: to create a new nation upon that idea. The idea was enshrined forever in the Americas Declaration of Independence, and memorialized in Lincolns famous speech at the Gettysburg cemetery. The American idea is perfect. Every human being, regardless of looks, language, or religious beliefswhether rich or poor or in betweendoes possess, by nature, a morally rightful claim to his or her own freedom, to whatever he or she rightfully owns, equal to all other human beings. We know that injustices are wrongwe know that slavery is wrongprecisely because we know that the American idea is right. To live up to the American idea means abandoning slavery and all forms of tribalism in our public policies. No dividing citizens into groups, granting special government-dispersed powers, perks, favors, and crony subsidies to some while placing special burdens on others. No turning our backs on the natural rights of some. No stealing from others. No giving to the politically privileged and the politically preferred what they have not earned. In the early decades of our republic, many Americans made big strides toward their goal. They treated slavery like a cancer: prohibiting the supply of slaves from Africa; prohibiting the spread of slavery to new federal territories; confining slavery to where it existed in the original states. Between the Declaration of Independence and 1800, a mere 24 years, half of those original states abolished domestic slavery. Never before had a people declared their own independence upon a universal moral idea that applies to all human beings, everywhere, always. Never before had so much been done to constrain and eliminate slavery so quickly. The American Founding was the greatest anti-slavery movement in human history, hands down. That was not the end of the tragic story, of course. Changes in technology, new business opportunities, the importation of19th-century European philosophy and science, and rigid biblical theologies, sparked new economic interests in slavery while convincing Southern slavers that they were right. Through a terrible, bloody Civil War, Americans abolished slavery by way of a constitutional amendment, only a few more than four score and seven years after the Declaration of Independence. The American idea requires equal protection of the laws for the equal individual rights of each and every citizen. Period. Let us embrace our own beautiful founding idea. Let us show the world, by example, what institutionalized freedom, institutionalized opportunity, and institutionalized justice look like. All we need do is live up to our own standard in our policies and our practices. All we have to do is remember and reflect upon the true ideas contained in our own Declaration of Independence. This article by Thomas Krannawitter first appeared in The Daily Signal on July 2, 2020. Image: A woman cycles with U.S. flags on Independence Day on Venice Beach in Los Angeles, California July 4, 2014. The holiday marks the signing of the Declaration of independence from the British on July 4, 1776. REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson. Click here to read the full article. Click here to read the full article. Here's What You Need To Remember: The only possible way for a German nuclear victory was if the United States had no Manhattan Project of its own. It is a common theme in science fiction and "what if" or alternative history stories: the swastika banner of the Third Reich flies over the White House. Typically these stories are vague on how Germany was able to achieve victory over the United States, and usually, it involves some superweapons such as the atomic bomb. Yet, even with such a weapon Germany likely couldn't have successfully invaded the United States. Invading a country doesn't guarantee success. Just ask Napoleon about invading Russia, because Hitler wasn't the only unsuccessful despot who thought he could take on the Russian bear only to end up in the inevitable retreat back across the steppes! The Teutonic Knights, the Poles, the Swedes, and others found out that this is biting off more than most can chew, and that only involved marching an army across vast open spaces keyword being vast, of course. The British Isles have been even trickier. No power has successfully invaded since 1066 when William the Conqueror defeated Harold II, the last crowned Anglo-Saxon king of England. And that only involves crossing the English Channel or the North Sea. But without control of the skies, the UK couldn't be invaded. The United States presents some bigger issues. While there was an invasion by the British during the War of 1812, which did result in the burning of the White House, the British came from Canada, and more importantly, largely controlled the sea routes. Germany never controlled the seas, nor could it. So unless Great Britain and the Soviet Union were "knocked out" of the war, the best Hitler could have likely hoped for was a negotiated peace. While Germany did land a handful of sabotage agents via U-Boat, there was simply no way of bringing an army across the sea. Story continues To mount a successful invasion would have required a forward staging base such as how the U.S. Army was able to deploy not from America but from Great Britain. In the First World War, it is true that Germany tried to bring Mexico into the war, and there have been debates about whether Germany could have mounted an invasion through the hypothetical southern ally, but it still would have needed to get the men across the Atlantic. Then there is the fact that any invading force could have faced an army many times the size of its own. Even if Germany could have gotten enough men to America it is doubtful it could feed them. The main problem would have been supplies and the German Army could barely get enough supplies to the front during its invasion of the Soviet Union. Moreover, American resistance would be in a word, "fierce." As Humphrey Bogart's character Rick says in the movie Casablanca to the German Major Strasser, "there are certain sections of New York, Major, that I wouldn't advise you to try to invade." Super Weapons The only hope Germany might have had was to beat America to the atomic bomb, but there is a debate as to whether it could have even developed such a weapon. The PBS series NOVA noted that Germany did devote huge amounts of resources to build rockets, jet planes and other forms of deadly military technology, but its leaders didn't really try to develop an atomic bomb. In a terrifying "what-if" scenario, the Germans could have possibly developed such a weapon. Recent studies have shown that the Germans had the ability to develop such a "superweapon," but would it have resulted in a Germany victory isn't as clear. It could have destroyed Moscow for sure, and it is likely the Nazis might have used it on London to knock out the UK. But Germany lacked the bombers to reach New York or Washington, D.C. and while it could have possibly deployed the weapon via U-Boat it is still unlikely that would have broken the American resolve. Instead, America might have put every effort into the nuclear annihilation of Germany. The only possible way for a German nuclear victory was if the United States had no Manhattan Project of its own. In that scenario then perhaps the U.S. comes to the peace table. But that's still not technically an invasion. For that to be possible would have required a very different "what-if" and the only possibility would require a very different chain of events, perhaps one that involved British Fascist Leader Sir Oswald Mosley achieving power in the UK, and joining Nazi Germany in a war against the Soviet Union before turning its attention to the "decadent capitalists" in America. In such a case an invasion from Canada would have been possible, but that would have been as much a British invasion as a German one. Failing that, it would take a sci-fi twist involving aliens, time travelers or near-supernatural powers for any German mounted invasion to have succeeded. 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 earlier this year and is being republished due to reader interest. Image: Wikimedia 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 Click here to read the full article. Getty Images 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. (Getty Images) A Black Lives Matter protest in front of the Stone Mountain Confederate Memorial 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. 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. Story continues 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. Read more Spike Lee says Confederate statues need to come the f*** down Trump threatens protesters who threw paint on statue with prison Arguments break out by Abraham Lincoln statue in DC Whipping post on display in Delaware public square finally removed A worker at a health club in Phoenix keeps the bar clean, but facilities in Arizona could soon be closing again - AP The coronavirus-blighted southern US state of Arizona reported a record number of daily deaths as the country passed 50,000 cases in a day for the first time. Hospitalisations rose in more than a dozen states and intensive care units in Houston, Texas, one of the worst-affected cities, were running out of room. Florida reported more than 10,000 new cases on Thursday, the biggest one-day increase in the state since the pandemic started. Despite several days of record cases across the US, the White House rallied around efforts to get the economy moving again. Donald Trump celebrated a report showing the economy created jobs at a record rate in June as more restaurants, bars and retail businesses reopened. Following the announcement of 4.8 million jobs, President Trump said: "Today's announcement proves that our economy is roaring back." Arizona reported 4,900 new cases and 88 deaths, both daily records. The state's 1,495 intensive care unit beds were at 89 per cent capacity, and the number of ventilators in use at hospitals also hit a record high of 795. Doug Ducey, the state's Republican governor, reversed reopening plans, shutting all bars, gyms, cinemas and water parks. Mike Pence, speaking in Arizona yesterday, said a national order forcing people to wear masks was unnecessary - AP He said: "We can't be under any illusion that this virus is going to go away on its own. Our expectation is that next week our numbers will be worse. It will take several weeks for the mitigation that we have put in place, and are putting in place, to take effect." The US has so far reported more than 128,000 coronavirus-related deaths, nearly a quarter of the global total. Mr Trump has blamed the surge in cases on increased testing, but there has also been a rise in the percentage of positive tests, and hospitalisations. At least 21 states have recently taken steps to pause or roll back reopening as the virus spreads in the south and west. California's governor, Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, closed bars, banned indoor dining, and imposed other restrictions in areas affecting 70 per cent of the state's population. He said: "The spread of this virus continues at a rate that is particularly concerning." Story continues Texas again topped its previous daily record with 8,076 new cases. South Carolina reported 24 more coronavirus deaths, a daily record for the state. Tennessee and Alaska also had record numbers of new cases. Eric Holcomb, Indiana's Republican governor, halted his state's phased reopening until at least mid-July. He said: "We just have to accept the fact that again this virus is on the prowl and it's moving even within our borders." Mike Pence, the vice-president, said he and Mr Trump backed state governors in pausing reopening, but believed a national order forcing people to wear masks was unnecessary. Mr Pence also said he believed schools could reopen in the autumn. Some states have issued their own orders to wear masks in public. On Thursday, Kansas and Texas became the latest to do so. In Houston, Dr Joseph Varon, chief medical officer at United Memorial Medical Center, said: "In the last three weeks, I have seen more admissions and sicker patients than in the previous 10 weeks. It's been an exponential increase on the severity of illness and on the number of cases that we admit. Sooner or later, within the next two weeks, we're going to be at full house." Sylvester Turner, Houston's mayor, said: "There is a severe and uncontrolled spread between our families, friends, and communities, and we need to slow it down so that it doesn't overwhelm our healthcare delivery system." On Thursday night, the Governor of Texas made it mandatory for all Texans to wear a face covering of some kind while out in public. Greg Abbott said the order applied to all counties in Texas with 20 or more confirmed cases. Meanwhile, the US National Institutes of Health said it was optimistic that Mr Trump's Operation Warp Speed, aimed at producing a vaccine, would generate a safe and effective one by the end of the year, and meet a target of 300 million doses by early 2021. Dr Francis Collins, its director, said: "That's really a stretch goal, but it's the right goal for the American people." Some investors rely on dividends for growing their wealth, and if you're one of those dividend sleuths, you might be intrigued to know that AVEVA Group plc (LON:AVV) is about to go ex-dividend in just four days. Investors can purchase shares before the 9th of July in order to be eligible for this dividend, which will be paid on the 11th of August. AVEVA Group's upcoming dividend is UK0.29 a share, following on from the last 12 months, when the company distributed a total of UK0.45 per share to shareholders. Calculating the last year's worth of payments shows that AVEVA Group has a trailing yield of 1.1% on the current share price of 41.01. Dividends are a major contributor to investment returns for long term holders, but only if the dividend continues to be paid. So we need to investigate whether AVEVA Group can afford its dividend, and if the dividend could grow. See our latest analysis for AVEVA Group Dividends are usually paid out of company profits, so if a company pays out more than it earned then its dividend is usually at greater risk of being cut. Last year AVEVA Group paid out 103% of its profits as dividends to shareholders, suggesting the dividend is not well covered by earnings. Yet cash flows are even more important than profits for assessing a dividend, so we need to see if the company generated enough cash to pay its distribution. It paid out more than half (70%) of its free cash flow in the past year, which is within an average range for most companies. It's good to see that while AVEVA Group's dividends were not covered by profits, at least they are affordable from a cash perspective. Still, if the company repeatedly paid a dividend greater than its profits, we'd be concerned. Very few companies are able to sustainably pay dividends larger than their reported earnings. Click here to see the company's payout ratio, plus analyst estimates of its future dividends. LSE:AVV Historic Dividend July 4th 2020 Have Earnings And Dividends Been Growing? Story continues Businesses with strong growth prospects usually make the best dividend payers, because it's easier to grow dividends when earnings per share are improving. Investors love dividends, so if earnings fall and the dividend is reduced, expect a stock to be sold off heavily at the same time. That's why it's comforting to see AVEVA Group's earnings have been skyrocketing, up 106% per annum for the past three years. Many investors will assess a company's dividend performance by evaluating how much the dividend payments have changed over time. In the past two years, AVEVA Group has increased its dividend at approximately 28% a year on average. Both per-share earnings and dividends have both been growing rapidly in recent times, which is great to see. The Bottom Line Is AVEVA Group worth buying for its dividend? Growing earnings per share and a normal cashflow payout ratio is an ok combination, but we're concerned that the company is paying out such a high percentage of its income as dividends. Overall, it's hard to get excited about AVEVA Group from a dividend perspective. With that being said, if dividends aren't your biggest concern with AVEVA Group, you should know about the other risks facing this business. To help with this, we've discovered 1 warning sign for AVEVA Group that you should be aware of before investing in their shares. We wouldn't recommend just buying the first dividend stock you see, though. Here's a list of interesting dividend stocks with a greater than 2% yield and an upcoming dividend. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned. Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team@simplywallst.com. Hamilton, Frozen II, Mission: Impossible - Fallout. There are some huge new titles debuting on UK streaming platforms this week. Perhaps the most high profile new titles on show this week are the Disney+ releases, with the streaming debut of the animated sequel smash Frozen II, as well as a filmed version of Lin Manuel-Mirandas American history musical Hamilton. Also up this week are the heart-stopping Mission Impossible: Fallout and more laidback, stylish The Man From U.N.C.L.E., the former a rollicking actioner that brings Tom Cruise ever closer to finally doing a stunt in space, the latter a showcase of nice suits, short tempers and large deltoids (all a good thing). So, for your weekend offering, here is a selection of the best new titles for each streaming platform, by platform: Please note that a subscription will be required to watch. Disney+ Frozen II (2019) Frozen II. (2019 Disney. All Rights Reserved.) Just as parents had finally convinced their kids to stop singing Let It Go, the sequel to Frozen, the 2013 animated mega-hit from Jennifer Lee and Chris Buck, finally came around. Focusing on a secret history of Elsa and Annas kingdom, the film draws on the spiritual and environmentalist anime of Hayao Miyazaki as the group discovers a clash between the natural world and the civilisation they represent. Read more: Explaining the hype behind Hamilton It certainly feels more ambitious than its predecessor in this regard, proving almost fully willing to tear everything down that the first Frozen idolised as the characters mature. That, and the songs are pretty catchy - the standout being Idina Menzel performing Show Yourself, which could be considered the sister song to Let It Go. Its all realised with fluid and often rather gorgeous animation, playing with both astonishing photorealism as well as pretty abstraction as Elsa journeys out into the unknown. In a rather nice touch, Disney+ has also just launched a 6-part docu-series called Into The Unknown: Making Frozen II, which makes an ideal accompaniment to the film, discussing cut content as well as the day-to-day pressures of the films animators. Story continues Frozen II is also available to stream on Now TV and Sky Cinema. Also new on Disney+ this week: Hamilton Netflix Mission Impossible: Fallout (2018) (Credit: Paramount) The latest in a series of films that is becoming increasingly close to feeling like some kind of action movie Russian Roulette for Tom Cruise, Mission Impossible: Fallout might be the seriess new peak. A near perfect synthesis of spycraft, impact fully choreographed action scenes and stunts, and Cruises insatiable death wish, this continuation of Cruise and Quarries previous collaboration Rogue Nation sees him butt heads with old foes and frenemies alike, with Sean Harris and Rebecca Ferguson returning as the diabolical Solomon Lane and formidable double agent Ilsa Faust respectively. Also joining the stacked cast is a moustachioed Henry Cavill, whose imposing physique brings entertaining heft to every punch and scowl. This latest impossible mission is a true white knuckle ride, building up to the mighty crescendo of a helicopter dogfight in which Cruise is both stuntman and cameraman, one that will have even the most weathered action fan sweating. Also new on Netflix this week: The Truman Show, The Green Mile Amazon Prime The Man From U.N.C.L.E. (2015) The Man From U.N.C.L.E. (Warner Bros.) As someone who has never been too enthused by the works of Guy Ritchie, his 2015 effort The Man From U.N.C.L.E. is the closest Ive come to understanding the directors brash, in-your-face appeal. Based on the TV series of the same name and based in the same time period of the Cold War post-Cuban Missle Crisis, the films strengths lie in its decadence, old-school espionage and charming animosity and (occasionally homoerotic) chemistry between leads Armie Hammer, Henry Cavill (who rarely gets to be this charming), and Alicia Vikander. The setup feels appropriately retro: smarmy CIA agent Napoleon Solo (Cavill) and short-tempered Russian assassin Illya Kuryakin hate each other, but have to work together to kill an extremely good looking arms dealer played by Elizabeth Debicki. The patchy and bloated scripting may leave something to be desired but the appeal here is mostly visual, Ritchie at his best when he dials back his often overwrought stylistic tics and simply lets his three beautiful leads show off their comic timing while wearing stylish costumes. Also new on Amazon Prime this week: Star Trek, Secretary Shudder Heathers (1989) From left to right, Shannen Doherty, Lisanne Falk, Kim Walker and Winona Ryder on set of the film 'Heathers', 1988. (Photo by New World Pictures/Getty Images) Frequently said of Michael Lehmans dark high school satire is that it absolutely wouldnt get made today. This rings true, but its also undeniable how prophetic it is, from its violent cynicism to its disdain for just about everything the mainstream, particularly its more earnest contemporaries in the genre of high school movie. Taking place in the affluently white vicinity of Westerburg High School, the film revolves around the sardonic and acerbic Veronica Sawyer (Winona Rider), who becomes tired of running with "The Heathers, an elite clique of popular girls comprised of Heather Chandler (Kim Walker), the envious Heather Duke (Shannen Doherty), and cowardly Heather McNamara (Lisanne Falk). Veronica becomes morbidly fascinated with J.D. (Christian Slater), who intends to defy the social pecking order in the most direct way possible: murder! The films has a palpable disdain for Reaganite culture, defined by a falsely sunny view of American life and pining for the nuclear family, and that cynicism would come to define an entire generation of high school dramas that followed from Mean Girls to the very literal hellscape of Buffy The Vampire Slayers Sunnydale High. Also new on Shudder this week: Grand Piano, A Perfect Getaway Mubi Wheel of Time (2003) 10/12/2003. Dalai Lama meets Tibetain's Community in Geoges V hotel in Paris. (Photo by Arnaud BRUNET/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images) Perhaps partly due to his parts in things like The Mandalorian or cameos in Parks and Recreation, both of which make use of his idiosyncratic monotone, people have come to readily perceive Werner Herzog as some kind of comical nihilist. This couldnt be further from the truth the German filmmakers documentarian interests more than proving the opposite, from his study of loneliness in the upcoming Family Romance, LLC to Mubis latest curation, Wheel of Time. Both films display one of Herzogs most foremost interests: human rituals and the pursuit of empathy. Of course, coming to fully understand a spiritual practice and the enlightenment it pursues through observation alone is something of a futile effort, but Herzogs examination of a Tibetan Buddhist initiation rite, taking place in 2002 in India in the Dalai Lamas presence, is a genuinely profound experience. Also new on MUBI this week: 8 1/2, The Invincibles New to streaming in July New on Netflix in July New on Sky Cinema and NOW TV in July New on Disney+ in July New on Amazon Prime Video in July British American Tobacco p.l.c. (LON:BATS) stock is about to trade ex-dividend in four days. This means that investors who purchase shares on or after the 9th of July will not receive the dividend, which will be paid on the 19th of August. British American Tobacco's next dividend payment will be UK0.53 per share, on the back of last year when the company paid a total of UK2.03 to shareholders. Based on the last year's worth of payments, British American Tobacco stock has a trailing yield of around 6.9% on the current share price of 30.605. If you buy this business for its dividend, you should have an idea of whether British American Tobacco's dividend is reliable and sustainable. So we need to check whether the dividend payments are covered, and if earnings are growing. Check out our latest analysis for British American Tobacco Dividends are typically paid from company earnings. If a company pays more in dividends than it earned in profit, then the dividend could be unsustainable. Its dividend payout ratio is 81% of profit, which means the company is paying out a majority of its earnings. The relatively limited profit reinvestment could slow the rate of future earnings growth. We'd be concerned if earnings began to decline. Yet cash flow is typically more important than profit for assessing dividend sustainability, so we should always check if the company generated enough cash to afford its dividend. Over the last year it paid out 56% of its free cash flow as dividends, within the usual range for most companies. It's encouraging to see that the dividend is covered by both profit and cash flow. This generally suggests the dividend is sustainable, as long as earnings don't drop precipitously. Click here to see the company's payout ratio, plus analyst estimates of its future dividends. LSE:BATS Historic Dividend July 4th 2020 Have Earnings And Dividends Been Growing? Stocks in companies that generate sustainable earnings growth often make the best dividend prospects, as it is easier to lift the dividend when earnings are rising. If business enters a downturn and the dividend is cut, the company could see its value fall precipitously. With that in mind, we're encouraged by the steady growth at British American Tobacco, with earnings per share up 8.4% on average over the last five years. While earnings have been growing at a credible rate, the company is paying out a majority of its earnings to shareholders. If management lifts the payout ratio further, we'd take this as a tacit signal that the company's growth prospects are slowing. Story continues Many investors will assess a company's dividend performance by evaluating how much the dividend payments have changed over time. British American Tobacco has delivered 8.9% dividend growth per year on average over the past ten years. We're glad to see dividends rising alongside earnings over a number of years, which may be a sign the company intends to share the growth with shareholders. To Sum It Up Is British American Tobacco worth buying for its dividend? Earnings per share growth has been unremarkable, and while the company is paying out a majority of its earnings and cash flow in the form of dividends, the dividend payments don't appear excessive. While it does have some good things going for it, we're a bit ambivalent and it would take more to convince us of British American Tobacco's dividend merits. If you're not too concerned about British American Tobacco's ability to pay dividends, you should still be mindful of some of the other risks that this business faces. Every company has risks, and we've spotted 2 warning signs for British American Tobacco you should know about. We wouldn't recommend just buying the first dividend stock you see, though. Here's a list of interesting dividend stocks with a greater than 2% yield and an upcoming dividend. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned. Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team@simplywallst.com. It is not uncommon to see companies perform well in the years after insiders buy shares. The flip side of that is that there are more than a few examples of insiders dumping stock prior to a period of weak performance. So before you buy or sell Biglari Holdings Inc. (NYSE:BH.A), you may well want to know whether insiders have been buying or selling. What Is Insider Selling? Most investors know that it is quite permissible for company leaders, such as directors of the board, to buy and sell stock in the company. However, such insiders must disclose their trading activities, and not trade on inside information. We don't think shareholders should simply follow insider transactions. But equally, we would consider it foolish to ignore insider transactions altogether. For example, a Columbia University study found that 'insiders are more likely to engage in open market purchases of their own companys stock when the firm is about to reveal new agreements with customers and suppliers'. Check out our latest analysis for Biglari Holdings The Last 12 Months Of Insider Transactions At Biglari Holdings The Chairman & CEO Sardar Biglari made the biggest insider purchase in the last 12 months. That single transaction was for US$1.0m worth of shares at a price of US$546 each. That means that even when the share price was higher than US$332 (the recent price), an insider wanted to purchase shares. It's very possible they regret the purchase, but it's more likely they are bullish about the company. We always take careful note of the price insiders pay when purchasing shares. Generally speaking, it catches our eye when an insider has purchased shares at above current prices, as it suggests they believed the shares were worth buying, even at a higher price. The only individual insider to buy over the last year was Sardar Biglari. Sardar Biglari purchased 4.47k shares over the year. The average price per share was US$544. You can see a visual depiction of insider transactions (by individuals) over the last 12 months, below. By clicking on the graph below, you can see the precise details of each insider transaction! Story continues NYSE:BH.A Insider Trading Volume July 4th 2020 Biglari Holdings is not the only stock that insiders are buying. For those who like to find winning investments this free list of growing companies with recent insider purchasing, could be just the ticket. Does Biglari Holdings Boast High Insider Ownership? Many investors like to check how much of a company is owned by insiders. I reckon it's a good sign if insiders own a significant number of shares in the company. Our information indicates that Biglari Holdings insiders own about US$860k worth of shares. It's always possible we are missing something but from our data, it looks like insider ownership is minimal. So What Does This Data Suggest About Biglari Holdings Insiders? It doesn't really mean much that no insider has traded Biglari Holdings shares in the last quarter. However, our analysis of transactions over the last year is heartening. While we have no worries about the insider transactions, we'd be more comfortable if they owned more Biglari Holdings stock. In addition to knowing about insider transactions going on, it's beneficial to identify the risks facing Biglari Holdings. To that end, you should learn about the 2 warning signs we've spotted with Biglari Holdings (including 1 which makes us a bit uncomfortable). Of course Biglari Holdings may not be the best stock to buy. So you may wish to see this free collection of high quality companies. For the purposes of this article, insiders are those individuals who report their transactions to the relevant regulatory body. We currently account for open market transactions and private dispositions, but not derivative transactions. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned. Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team@simplywallst.com. On a rainy Saturday at the end of May outside the Wan Chai subway station in Hong Kong, HSBC's Asia-Pacific chief executive Peter Wong Tung-shun added his name to a petition in support of the Chinese legislature's plan to enact a national security law for the city. The photograph of Wong, wearing a face mask and clad in his weekend casuals, was shared on the bank's account on China's popular Weibo social media network, setting off an uproar in Washington and London. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo chided the bank for its "corporate kowtow" to Beijing, while HSBC's 12th largest shareholder Aviva Investors Trust Services said it's "uneasy" about the bank's action. The furore highlights the tightrope that multinational companies must walk in an increasingly polarised world when it comes to China, even for a century-old bank that traces its roots to Hong Kong and Shanghai during British colonial days. It's particularly alarming for HSBC, operating 170 outlets in more than 50 cities - the biggest overseas lender - in mainland China, which claims Asia as the biggest regional contributor to its operating income. "That interconnectivity of East and West is a huge part of their franchise strength," said Fahed Kunwar, who recommends investors "sell" the bank, at the stock brokerage Redburn (Europe). "Really, the issues right now are very, very threatening to them. They're kind of caught in a geopolitical tug of war between the US and China." Peter Wong Tung-shun, HSBC's Asia-Pacific CEO, signs a petition in support of the national security law. Photo: SCMP Handout alt=Peter Wong Tung-shun, HSBC's Asia-Pacific CEO, signs a petition in support of the national security law. Photo: SCMP Handout The run-up to HSBC publicly supporting the law showed the pressure Beijing can exert " both directly or through surrogates " on Western companies seeking the right to do business in the world's second-biggest economy and the sometimes uncomfortably close intermingling of politics and business in the mainland. Story continues Wong, who has run the bank's Asia-Pacific business since 2010, is one of the 124 members of Hong Kong's delegation to the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), an advisory body to the Chinese legislature that includes Communist Party cadres and non-members, business leaders, the press, religious leaders and representatives from Hong Kong and Macau. On May 22, the day after the Chinese legislature said it would introduce a security law to quell attempts at secession and subversion in the restive city, more than 80 members of the Hong Kong delegation gathered in the Chinese capital. Wong, a CPPCC delegate since 2018, did not travel to Beijing, adhering with travel restrictions during the coronavirus pandemic. Led by the city's former Chief Secretary Henry Tang Ying-yen, they declared at a press conference on state broadcaster CCTV that "all the CPPCC members in Hong Kong firmly endorse and support" a draft resolution by the National People's Congress, China's top legislative body, for the security law. Vandals set fire to an HSBC branch in Wan Chai on January 1 during an anti-government protest organised by the Civil Human Rights Front. Photo: Dickson Lee alt=Vandals set fire to an HSBC branch in Wan Chai on January 1 during an anti-government protest organised by the Civil Human Rights Front. Photo: Dickson Lee Hong Kong's government " led by Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor " put on a full-court press for the city's biggest businesses to publicly come out in favour of the law, and it soon became clear that Wong, as a member of the top political advisory body to Beijing, had to publicly offer his support, according to a person familiar with the bank's thinking. That left HSBC with almost no choice as one of three lenders authorised to issue currency notes in the city, but to come out in favour of the measure, the person said. Wong, who is not a Communist Party member, soon learned that all members " even those who had not attended " were expected to publicly express their support for the legislation, the person said. It was unclear if the missive came directly from Beijing's liaison office in Hong Kong or through the committee itself, but the office wanted CPPCC delegates to provide evidence that they had signed the petition, the person said. Peter Wong showing off the new HK$1,000 bank note issued by HSBC on December 5, 2018. Photo: HSBC alt=Peter Wong showing off the new HK$1,000 bank note issued by HSBC on December 5, 2018. Photo: HSBC Like many of its banking rivals, HSBC has tried to avoid political battles in the past. The first two acronyms of the bank's name and brand reflect its root in Hong Kong and Shanghai, established in the two cities 155 years ago in March. In those days, Wong would have been known as a taipan, a colonial-era term for the most prominent captains of industry. Still, bank executives often lived by the principle that the lender considered itself a "guest" in whichever country it operated in and would act as such. The shifting winds recently, however, made it increasingly difficult for HSBC to avoid being viewed as taking a side in political matters, particularly as a row intensifies between Beijing and Washington DC, analysts and company insiders said. Even as the national security law was adopted this week, the US Congress passed legislation that would impose sanctions on foreign banks that engage in "significant transactions" with officials deemed to have impeded Hong Kong's autonomy, including making it more difficult for those banks to engage in foreign exchange transactions involving US dollars. US President Donald Trump has not said whether he will sign the bill into law. "HSBC has built an enviable history of success at the centre of this nodal structure," he said. "With changes in the status quo increasingly possible, HSBC has to ask itself existential questions around its global footprint and positioning." The success of the bank continues to be tied to Asia decades after it moved its headquarters to London in 1993. Asia " with Hong Kong at the centre " is now the lender's biggest profit driver following the evolution of the company's strategy since 2010. The bank will become even more dependent on the region under chief executive Noel Quinn's latest strategy pivot. On Friday, HSBC said it had hired about 100 wealth managers for a new digital wealth planning and insurance service through its mainland life insurance joint venture and would start a new fintech company to support its China businesses, its latest new investments in the mainland. The threat became clearer as Beijing's political surrogates called out the bank for failing to fall in line in the national security controversy, while Chinese media suggested its franchise in China could be in jeopardy. On May 29, Leung Chun-ying, the former Hong Kong Chief Executive and vice-chairman of the CPPCC, blasted HSBC on his Facebook page for its silence on the security law more than a week after it was announced. "Neither China nor Hong Kong owes HSBC," Leung said in a fiery post. "HSBC's business in China can be replaced by banking in China or other countries overnight." He called on the Hong Kong government, businesses in the mainland and the city and members of the CPPCC, to "protect" themselves and not be held hostage like Huawei Technologies Company and to let HSBC "know which side their bread is buttered." It was the latest in a flood of online criticism HSBC has endured since it was revealed last year that the bank had provided information to US prosecutors as part of an inquiry into Huawei, which later led to the arrest of Meng Wanzhou, the chief financial officer of the telecommunications company and its founder's daughter. Hong Kong national security law official English version: The bank went on a charm offensive in Beijing last summer, quietly telling Chinese officials at the time that it had no choice but to comply because it had an obligation under US financial regulations to do so, according to bankers familiar with the matter. That campaign did not stop the online vitriol. On June 19, the bank pushed back at what it said were "groundless" rumours about the future of its mainland China business, saying in a social media post that China remained "an important strategic market" for the lender and it would continue to invest in its mainland business. To say there was a lot riding on Wong's signature would not be an understatement. Dressed in a pink striped polo shirt and sand-coloured trousers with an umbrella in his hand, Wong, with a photographer in tow, signed a petition in support of the national security law outside the Wan Chai subway station on May 30. An arsonist setting one of HSBC's iconic lion statues on fire after an anti-government protest in Hong Kong on January 1, 2020. Photo: AFP alt=An arsonist setting one of HSBC's iconic lion statues on fire after an anti-government protest in Hong Kong on January 1, 2020. Photo: AFP The petition drive was organised by the United Front Supporting National Security Legislation, a Beijing-loyalist group, and reportedly includes signatures from nearly 3 million people. The city's chief executive Lam was photographed when she added her signature two days earlier. The photograph of Wong's signing, complete with a close-up of his name in long hand, was distributed on June 3 on HSBC's account on Weibo, the dominant social media network in mainland China with more than 430 million monthly active users in 2018, along with a carefully worded statement in Chinese. "We respect and support laws and regulations that will enable Hong Kong to recover and rebuild the economy and, at the same time, maintain the principle of 'one country, two systems'," HSBC said on Weibo, reiterating that its stance is consistent with its membership in the Hong Kong Association of Banks (HKAB), enunciated on May 26. Peter Wong officiating the opening of HSBC's Beijing sub-branch on April 28, 2005. Photo: SCMP alt=Peter Wong officiating the opening of HSBC's Beijing sub-branch on April 28, 2005. Photo: SCMP The writing on the wall became clear for HSBC when the city's government " including all of its agencies " pressed major employers in Hong Kong to publicly support the national security bill, the person said. The proof in the pudding will be "what [the law] says, how it is implemented and how it is administered and applied," the executive said, ahead of the text of the law being made public. Since the law was announced, Jardine Matheson Group, the owner of the Mandarin Oriental hotel, Swire Pacific, the parent of the city's de facto flagship carrier, and Li Ka-shing, one of Asia's richest men, all made public statements of support, along with the city's major developers. In a June 16 internal memorandum, Greg Guyett, HSBC's co-head of global banking and markets in London offered his colleagues advice on what he had been telling clients: Hong Kong has been a "critical bridge" between East and West "through calm and through difficult geopolitical decisions". Despite the hubbub in political circles, investors have said little publicly about the company's decision. Of more than two dozen of HSBC's biggest investors contacted by the Post, nearly all declined to comment about the decision, saying either they did not discuss individual holdings or they bought its shares as part of an index of stocks. I'm afraid @HSBC & @StanChart banks should hang their heads in shame. The decisions to back illegal actions of Chinese Communist Party in Hong Kong is a direct challenge to democracy & rules-based int'nal order. They're testing the resolve of UK govt. Will @DominicRaab intervene? https://t.co/qgp9z6jBDY " Stephen Kinnock (@SKinnock) June 5, 2020 Aviva Investors Fund Services, which owned 0.4 per cent of HSBC as of May 28, was one of the few to speak out, questioning HSBC's decision to support the law without knowing how it would be applied. Asset manager Federated Hermes also said this week it was engaging with the bank on behalf of institutional investors to "fully understand" the bank's position. The question for HSBC may come down to whether customers and investors decide to vote with their feet. If HSBC wants to continue doing business in the West, it will be scrutinised in accordance with Western values, particularly when it comes to human rights and democracy, said Prem Sikka, the chairman of accounting and finance at the University of Sheffield's Management School. "They have decided, in some ways, that Western sentiments matter less and their profits matter more," said Sikka, adding that he is considering moving his current account from HSBC after decades with the bank. 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. A protester wears a mask and holds a homemade sign that says "Defund the Police" at a demonstration on June 19, 2020, in New York City. Ira L. Black/Corbis via Getty Images 7 cities around the US have collectively cut $1.19 billion from their police budgets since the death of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer. New York and Los Angeles have made by far the biggest cuts, at $1 billion and $150 million. Many more considering taking similar action. Visit Insider's homepage for more stories. US cities have already cut at least $1.187 billion from their police budgets since George Floyd was killed by a Minneapolis police officer in May, prompting renewed protests across the country. Floyd's death forced attention on the disproportionate number of Black people killed by the police and the high numbers of fatal shootings by US police compared to in other countries. Protesters and activists have rallied around calls to "defund the police," which typically means reducing police budgets and reassigning money to areas like housing and education. Organizers say this will reduce police violence and help communities, and also address the roots of problems that police deal with. Since Floyd's death, many cities around the US have pledged to rethink their policing, already committing to reducing police budgets and allocating the money for other areas of the community, including efforts to recover from the coronavirus pandemic. Other cities across the country are considering the move. Business Insider identified seven which have already announced cuts. New York cut $1 billion New York's City Council and Mayor Bill de Blasio agreed on a budget that cuts the New York Police Department's budget by $1 billion, and pledges to invest the money in youth, housing and community services. The department's budget was around $6 billion in 2019. Protesters with a banner calling for the NYPD to be defunded in June 2020. Erik McGregor/LightRocket via Getty Lawmakers in the city claimed the cuts didn't go far enough, with Comptroller Scott Stringer calling them a "bait and switch and a paper-thin excuse for reform." City leaders supported the move, with the City Council's speaker and majority leader issuing a joint statement with leaders from the State Democratic Conference, Black, Latino and Asian Caucus, and other groups. Story continues It said this "unprecedented reduction" would "not only limit the scope of the NYPD, but also show our commitment towards moving away from the failed policing policies of the past." Los Angeles cut $150 million The Los Angeles City Council voted to cut the LAPD's budget by $150 million, with most of that coming from funds to pay police overtime. The department has a budget of nearly $2 billion. Protesters in Los Angeles. Warrick Page/Getty Images Councilman Curren Price, a Democrat who endorsed the budget cut, said two-thirds of the figure that was cut would be given to supports, like services for Black, Latino, and disenfranchised communities, such as hiring programs and summer youth jobs. The City Council's resolution said that "We need to rethink what it is that makes people safer and makes communities stronger," Time reported. "We cannot just look at the police in isolation. There is no doubt that communities of color suffer disproportionately from negative interactions with the police." Oakland, California cut $14.6 million Oakland City Council cut the city's police budget by $14.6 million. Some council members also formed a task force to explore eventually cutting the budget in half, which would be a reduction of $150 million, the San Francisco Chronicle reported. Boston, Massachusetts cut $12m Councilors voted for a budget that reallocates $12 million from the department's $60 million overtime budget to social initiatives. Eight out of the city's 13 councilors signed a letter that calls for deeper cuts, matching the call from activists who want a 10% cut to the police's $414 million budget, the Boston Herald reported. Berkeley, California cut $9.2 million Berkeley City Council cut $9.2 million from its police budget, a reduction of 12%. Jesse Arreguin, the California city's mayor, said that the "overwhelming message" from the public is that "we do need to defund the police and we need to reinvest money from our police department budget into other community priorities, including expanding mental health, outreach and treatment, services for our homeless, housing and services that specifically address the needs of our Black and brown communities," the East Bay Times reported. Protesters in New York. Hollis Johnson San Leandro, California cut $1.7 million The city's council was one of the first in the country to vote to alter its police budget after Floyd's death. Mayor Pauline Russo Cutter said, "It was a result of what our community was saying and what's happening in the country," The Mercury News reported. Hartford, Connecticut cut $1m Hartford's City Council voted to cut $1 million from its police department's budget, a move supported by Mayor Luke Bronin. The money is going to public services, including housing and childcare. Bronin said: "While I disagree deeply with the calls to 'abolish' or drastically defund the police, we are committed to reform and reimagining policing, and that's reflected in this budget," NBC Connecticut reported. Read the original article on Insider CNN 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. 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. Read more Attacks on American journalists have become severe and dangerous GS-5734 is antiviral drug developed by Gilead Sciences, possible covid 19 cure. Photo: Getty The European Commission (EC) granted conditional approval for the use of Gilead's (GILD) antiviral drug remdesivir in severe COVID-19 patients, making it the first medicine authorised by the body for treatment against the virus. Remdesivir is an anti-viral drug that was developed for use against ebola. It has been approved for use in COVID-19 patients by the US and the UK, among other countries, after data suggested it can cut recovery time by about four days. However, there is no clinical trial data as yet to suggest it improves survival chances. It costs around 430 ($536.81) for a treatment course of six doses. Stella Kyriakides, EC commissioner for health and food safety, said the EC is determined to respond quickly whenever new treatments become available. We will leave no stone unturned in our efforts to secure efficient treatments or vaccine against the coronavirus. READ MORE: Pfizer spurs new hope in vaccine race as NYC pulls back on dining plans US pharmaceutical giant Gilead explained that under the ECs new authorisation, remdesivir can be used for COVID-19 patients aged 12 years and older and weighing at least 40 kg, with pneumonia requiring supplemental oxygen. It added that it is continuing with clinical trials to evaluate the medicines safety and efficacy. This includes studies of the drug in combination with anti-inflammatory medicines and in special populations including paediatric patients. It is also researching the possibilities of using the drug in earlier stages of COVID-19. Meanwhile, the UK said it has enough stocks of remdesivir, after the US bought nearly all the manufacturing stock for the next three months. The Department of Health said it had secured supplies of remdesivir in advance and had enough to treat every NHS patient who needs it. It comes after the US Department of Health and Human Services (HSS) said it had secured more than 500,000 treatment courses of remdesivir for American hospitals. This represents 100% of the US pharmaceutical firm Gileads projected production for July (94,200 treatment courses), 90% of production in August (174,900 treatment courses), and 90% of production in September (232,800 treatment courses), alongside an allocation for clinical trials. A staff member wears a face mask as she serves customers at the The Shy Horse pub and restaurant in Chessington, Greater London on July 4, 2020, on the first day of a major relaxation of lockdown restrictions during the novel coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic. Credit: Getty. The hospitality sector is warning of 73bn ($91bn) worth of sale losses this year due to the coronavirus outbreak. The stark forecast comes ahead of the opening of pubs and restaurants this weekend. Trade body UKHospitality says the combination of lost tourism, weak consumer spending and operating constraints due to social distancing will cause the industry to lose almost half of its usual 133bn annual sales, according to a report in The Telegraph. Despite the easing of lockdown restrictions, less than a fifth of Brits are planning to return to food and drink venues soon, according to a report by RBC Capital Markets. Only two in five respondents plan to return to pubs, cafes and restaurants before August and more than half of drinkers and diners expect to go out less than they did before the pandemic. The change in consumer habits means UKHospitality is expecting sales in July to be 65% lower than in 2019, improving to a 35% reduction in sales for the remaining five months of the year. READ MORE: Coronavirus: Supermarket price war as unemployment rises During the height of UK lockdown sales dropped 90% in March and April. The treasury has also been hit hard, losing some 20bn in VAT and other taxes from hospitality firms. Kate Nicholls, chief executive of UKHospitality, told The Telegraph: The size of the loss over the last few months dwarfs any of the opportunities that pubs and restaurants got for reopening and resuming revenues. It underlines the importance of the government not moving straight from rescue to recovery and making sure that these businesses are supported so that they can play their part when that recovery comes for them. Photo: Getty UK manufacturers are set to export surplus medical ventilators produced to treat COVID-19 patients. Some 14,000 machines were manufactured following Boris Johnson's "ventilator challenge" call to action in mid-March. More than 5,000 companies offered their support and over 7,500 members of staff were involved in the manufacturing process. But most of the ventilators were not needed because demand peaked at 3,301 medical ventilator beds in April, way below the UK's pre-pandemic capacity of almost 9,000. British industry were urged to produce up to 30,000 devices by government, based on early scientific modelling from coronavirus data in China. The target was later revised to 18,000 and the cabinet office said on Friday that production had now stopped altogether. The leading model, produced by the specialist firm Penlon, has now received approval for export, Whitehall confirmed. During the production push the UK's ventilator supply rose to 25,000 but the additional machines were not needed. READ MORE: UK buys 400m stake in failed space startup The Governments strategy involved procuring devices from overseas, scaling up the production of existing devices and calling on manufacturers who did not make ventilators, to help design and build new models. Dr Tom Clutton-Brock, director of the medical devices testing and evaluation centre, which tested the devices, said: Designing, manufacturing and testing ventilators usually takes years. So its outstanding the progress which has been made in a space of months. Having tested all of these devices, its impressive that several new models met the regulators requirements. These models would all have been clinically usable as pandemic ventilators and could have supported large numbers of critically ill patients. A number of UK manufacturers were involved in designing ventilators but these designs were not progressed to mass production due to reduced demand. These included the Dyson/TTP CoVent, the Babcock Zephyr+, the Cambridge Consultants Veloci-Vent and the Swagelok Piran Vent, which were all deemed clinically usable. SUFFOLK COUNTY, NY Police are warning residents about a dangerous new trend that could prove deadly pills marked as oxycodone that are actually fentanyl. According to Suffolk County police, during a recent narcotics investigations, detectives seized pills purported to be oxycodone that were in actuality comprised of fentanyl. The counterfeit pills had the markings of 30 mg. oxycodone and were meant for sale in the illegal narcotics market, police said. Fentanyl, police said, is a Schedule II opioid analgesic that is up to 1,000 times more potent than morphine; ingestion may result in overdose and death. Those buying the pills might be unable to distinguish between the counterfeit pills and authentic, prescription oxycodone, police said. "The Suffolk County Police Department is committed to bringing to justice the dealers who destroy not only the lives of the addicted but of their families as well," a release said. To report drug activity anonymously, call 631-852-NARC. It's the second time in recent months that authorities have issued a warning about dangerous drugs on the street in Suffolk County. In late May, Suffolk County District Attorney Tim Sini said cocaine laced with potentially fatal levels of fentanyl could be on the market in Suffolk County; the DA issued an urgent public safety alert about the "deadly drug cocktail." Sini spoke out to warn residents about the possible heightened risk of overdose for drug users due to the fentanyl-laced cocaine after receiving intelligence that the "poison" might be available locally. "My office is investigating whether the presence of a deadly mixture of fentanyl-laced cocaine is responsible for causing overdoses in Suffolk County," Sini said, before Memorial Day. "We are issuing a 'buyer beware' notice for the holiday weekend and the upcoming weeks. If you use cocaine, you are playing Russian roulette with your life." Story continues The White House's high intensity frug trafficking areas/New York/New Jersey program issued a report stating that law enforcement in Troy, NY, was investigating 19 overdoses, three of which were fatal, in less than 48 hours involving fentanyl-laced cocaine, Sini said. Additional overdoses in the surrounding areas were also being investigated for any links to the fentanyl-laced cocaine in Troy, he said. "These reports have led to a heightened concern that this deadly drug cocktail could be on the streets in Suffolk County," Sini said. "The coronavirus pandemic has resulted in a shortage of the supply of cocaine in our area. As a result, dealers are becoming desperate and greedy for profits, so we believe they may be deceiving their customers and selling them fentanyl, which is cheaper and more readily available." In May, Sini announced that the district attorney's office and the Suffolk County Police Department arrested and charged 15 individuals for their alleged involvement in a multi-million dollar drug trafficking ring. The evidence in that case revealed that the individuals were marking up the price of cocaine because of the supply shortage due to the pandemic, Sini said. "Preliminary statistics show a 16 percent increase in fatal and non-fatal overdoses year-to-date as compared to 2019 in Suffolk County, so we are already seeing an increase," Sini said. "We do not want to lose even more lives to this poison." Prevention advocates agreed that the pandemic sparked an uptick in overdoses. "We are seeing the same anecdotal evidence of an upswing in overdoses," Dr. Jeffrey Reynolds, president and chief executive officer of the Family and Children's Association in Mineola, said. "Fear, anxiety, depression combined with canceled treatment appointments and a disrupted drug supply have created a perfect storm. There are lots of folks struggling under the weight of a substance use pandemic that's been overshadowed by COVID-19 and while we've been focused on an emergent problem, addiction has only deepened. Street prices have increased, supply has shifted and desperate drug users staving off withdrawal symptoms are taking chances and mixing substances they wouldn't have before. Many are funding their way to online support groups, but too many are suffering alone." This article originally appeared on the North Fork Patch (Reuters) - COVID-19 vaccine candidates will enter late-stage clinical studies by the end of the month, with others beginning in August, September and October, the U.S. government's top infectious diseases expert said on Thursday. The news comes as Moderna Inc , which is at the forefront of the country's vaccine development efforts, reiterated earlier in the day that a late-stage trial with 30,000 volunteers would begin this month. "We may be able to at least know whether we are dealing with a safe and effective vaccine by the early winter, late winter, (or) beginning of 2021," Dr. Anthony Fauci, head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said in an interview to JAMA Network. Earlier on Thursday, Dr. Francis Collins, the director of the U.S. National Institutes of Health, said the Trump administration's vaccine-acceleration program could generate a safe and effective COVID-19 vaccine by year-end. (Reporting by Manojna Maddipatla in Bengaluru; Editing by Aditya Soni) A deadly rabbit virus nicknamed "bunny ebola" is spreading across the southwest US, killing thousands of wild and pet rabbits. Outbreaks of the rare and highly contagious virus have been reported in seven states across America's Sun Belt, including Arizona, California and Texas. The disease, RHDV2, has been referred to as "bunny ebola" by veterinarians because it replicates the severe bleeding and organ failure the ebola virus causes in humans. In many cases the virus is only detected after an animal dies and its nose leaks blood. The US Department of Agriculture confirmed cases of the RHDV2 in Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, and Texas beginning in April. Officials fear this outbreak will be difficult to contain - Neil Mcintyre It is the fourth time the deadly virus has been found in the US since the first case of RHDV2 was first detected in China around 35 years ago. However this outbreak represents the first time the virus is known to have spread beyond pet rabbits to wild rabbits, hares and even pikas in North America, prompting concern over how officials can effectively contain it. "The fact that this is in multiple counties and rabbitries, that's why this is so concerning," Eric Stewart, from the American Rabbit Breeders Association, told the Veterinary Information Network. "And then to hear it's burning through the wild rabbit populations, that, of course, furthers our concerns that much more." The first known US case of the virus was among pet rabbits in Ohio in 2018. A second outbreak appeared in the San Juan Islands in Washington state last summer and in February, it was identified in a dozen rabbits at a veterinary hospital in New York City. Officials are unsure of the source of this latest outbreak. "We still have no idea where it originated," Ralph Zimmerman, New Mexico's state veterinarian, told the Cut. "It's snowballed and moved like mad." "We had one guy with 200 rabbits, and he lost them all between a Friday afternoon and Sunday evening," he said. "It just went through and killed everything." Story continues Around 500 animals are thought to have been infected in the state in the last four months, prompting officials to introduce a depopulation policy. But officials fear the highly contagious nature of the virus will make this outbreak difficult to bring under control. The virus spreads easily through blood, urine, and faeces and its incubation period can be as little as two days. It has a very high death rate, with officials in the southwest US estimating the virus has proven fatal in around 90 per cent of infected animals. The small numbers of rabbits that do survive continue to pose a threat as they can continue to spread the virus for at least 42 days, according to the House Rabbit Association. The virus does not pose a threat to humans but can be transferred to rabbits by hair, shoes and clothing. There is no known cure of the virus and veterinarians in the US have to go through a lengthy process with the USDA to import vaccines from Europe. Click here to read the full article. Joseph Nye, Jr., Do Morals Matter? Presidents and Foreign Policy from FDR to Trump (Oxford, UK: University Press, 2019), 254 pp., $24.95. PANICS ABOUT national decline cycle through American history, symbiotic with periods of national overconfidence. The late 1980s and early 1990s were characterized by overblown fears about the resurgence of Japan and Germany. Running for president in 1992, former Massachusetts senator Paul Tsongas quipped that, The Cold War is over; Japan won. In popular novels like Rising Sun (1992) by Michael Crichton and Debt of Honor (1994) by Tom Clancy, Japan is portrayed as embodying a ruthless way of conducting business that injures America. Ross Perots running mate in 1996, Pat Choate, wrote a book in 1990: How Japans Lobbyists in the United States Manipulate Americas Political and Economic System. It caused a stir in Washington. Clyde Prestowitz had one subtitled, How America Is Surrendering Its Future to Japan and How to Win It Back. There was even a popular volume by George Friedman called, The Coming War with Japan. This anxiety about Japan was given its most credible and scholarly support in Paul Kennedys The Rise and Fall of the Great Powers. He argued that the United States was succumbing to imperial overstretch, a helpful term he introduced into the discourse. The United States finances were deteriorating because of its excessive military commitments, he wrote. Japan, conversely, would be perhaps the supreme world power in the twenty-first century. Just how powerful, economically, will Japan be in the early twenty-first century? Kennedy asked. Barring large-scale war, or ecological war, or a return to a 1930s-style world slump and protectionism, the consensus answer seems to be: much more powerful. The argument resonated with the reading public to a remarkable degree. Rise and Fall had an initial print run of nine thousand, but soon after it was published, almost a quarter-million copies were in print. It was a stunning success for a nearly seven-hundred-page book that examined five hundred years of global military history. The New York Times understatedly called it an unexpected bestseller, as Rise and Fall reached number six on the Times bestselling hardcover list, behind works by George Burns, Lee Iacocca and, of course, Donald J. Trump. Story continues But the consensus answer Kennedy relied upon was wrong, as Japans economic bubble burst in 1991, leading to an economic decline that lasted the entire decade. These days Japan doesnt merit entry into discussions about the great powers, lagging behind such competitors as China, Russia, and India. The land of the rising sun didnt rise. Norwegian historian Geir Lundestad observed in the journal Cold War History in 2000 that Kennedys thesis about imperial overstretch was validit just applied not to America but to the Soviet Union, which Kennedy had called in his book a country of almost supernatural strength. The supposedly supernatural country ceased to exist within four years of Kennedys calculation. Kennedy wasnt alone in forecasting American decline in the late 1980s and early 1990s, of course. Decline has been on everyones mind, and the arguments of the declinists have stimulated lively public debate, Samuel Huntington observed in a late 1988 issue of Foreign Affairs. Harvard political scientist Joseph Nye was one of the rare observers who correctly understood the varied lasting sources of American power. In his 1989 book, Bound to Lead, he wrote that, American leadership is likely to continue well into the next century. He surveyed the countrys many strengthseconomic, military, territorial, technological, culturaland envisaged the United States to be the worlds sole great power for decades to come. In his 2005 book Soft Power (he coined that useful phrase to describe non-traditional sources of power), Nye was similarly bullish about the prospects for the United States, even as he rued the George W. Bush administrations destructive impact on the countrys international standing. As late as 2015, in Is the American Century Over?, Nye was optimistic about the possibilities for American power. He served in various capacities in the administrations of Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton, and Barack Obama, remaining positive about Americas future throughout. Nye was never a triumphalist who believed American power was infinite. 2002 marked the height of the countrys post-Cold War hubris, both in terms of policy and the public debate. That year, President George W. Bush grouped Iran, Iraq, and North Korea as an axis of evil, and then-Under Secretary of State John Bolton warned that the United States wanted to go beyond the axis of evil to target Cuba, Libya, and Syria. Paul Kennedy, by this time converted to fantasies of American predominance, wrote that, Americas spectacular position in the world in military, economic, technological and cultural terms may be equaled by a wisdom in the executive and the Congress, and a judiciousness in the people for the decades to come. Nye didnt participate in this disastrous tornado of arrogance. In 2002s The Paradox of American Power, he wrote that American power is not eternal, and that on some key issues, military power cannot produce success and its use can sometimes be counterproductive. He forecast the rise of Asian markets that would eventually outweigh the American economy. And yet the book was written with the understanding that, by traditional measures of hard power, compared to other nations, America will remain number one. Similarly, even as Is the American Century Over? argued for the countrys bright future, Nye was careful to suggest that American hegemony was limited, calling it half-hegemony. But half-hegemony is more than none. ALL THIS makes it disconcerting to read Nyes new book. A different, more pessimistic Nye is hereone that doesnt acknowledge any kind of American hegemony at all. An International Affairs article he wrote in 2019 that contains some of the material included in this book was revealingly called, The Rise and Fall of American Hegemony from Wilson to Trump. It noted that, unipolarity proved deceptive in terms of controlling events in world politics. It contributed to a hubris that led not only to the overextension of American ambitions in the invasion of Iraq but also to political efforts by Russia and China to foil American diplomacy. That sentiment explains why Nyes latest book, Do Morals Matter?, has a more subdued tone than his previous works. He still believes that, China will narrow the gap, but barring unforeseen surprises, the United States is likely to remain the largest country in overall power. But now he emphasizes that, hegemony and unipolarity after 1989 were always illusions. Those illusions have been stripped and we have less preponderance and a more complex world. For Nye, the Iraq War and other military misadventures werent the only culprits in weakening America. Instead, the emergence of Trump and xenophobic conservatism have done as much to damage the countrys powers sources as any foreign actors, he believes. Though a longtime Democrat, Nye is resolutely fair-minded and bipartisan throughout this book, praising actions taken by Republican presidents from Dwight D. Eisenhower to George W. Bush. Indeed, he gives the elder Bush and Eisenhower the highest marks of all postwar presidentsabove all Democrats, including Harry Truman. But Trump has finally shaken Nyes resolute faith in American prospects. The president and the self-destructive xenophobia he embodies seem to Nye more responsible than anything else for reducing American prowess. This book concludes with the warning that, the future success of American foreign policy may be threatened more by the rise of nativist politics that narrow our moral vision at home than by the rise and decline of other powers abroad. But, in fact, that narrow vision has already impeded the success of American foreign policy, as Nye implicitly concedes. The book outlines the case for the importance of considering morality in foreign affairs. The entire project of this book seems unusual in the age of Trump. Indeed, the title stands out when the president advertises his imperviousness to standards that previous leaders at least pretended the country were guided by. Anachronistic, unintentionally sad urgings recur here. Good moral reasoning, Nye writes, should be three-dimensional, weighing and balancing the intention, the means, and the consequences of presidents decisions. The argument is thoughtful, deliberate, and compelling; it is utterly irrelevant to the United States government right now. Nye continues, a moral foreign policy is not a matter of intentions versus consequences but must involve both as well the means that were used. That reasonable maxim seems misplaced in the era where the U.S. president has tweeted, To Iranian President Rouhani: NEVER, EVER THREATEN THE UNITED STATES AGAIN OR YOU WILL SUFFER CONSEQUENCES THE LIKES OF WHICH FEW THROUGHOUT HISTORY HAVE EVER SUFFERED BEFORE. WE ARE NO LONGER A COUNTRY THAT WILL STAND FOR YOUR DEMENTED WORDS OF VIOLENCE & DEATH. BE CAUTIOUS! The contrast between Nyes sober deliberations and the reality of contemporary U.S. foreign policymaking is jarring. Nye quotes the editors of the Wall Street Journal lamenting that President Trump praised Saudi Arabia in absolving its leaders for murdering dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi. We are aware of no President, not even such ruthless pragmatists as Richard Nixon or Lyndon Johnson, who would have written a public statement like this without so much as a grace note about Americas abiding values and principles, they wrote. Grace isnt a Trump thing. Elsewhere, Nye observes that Trumps speeches lacked the embrace of democracy and human rights that had been espoused by every president since Carter and Reagan. This absence is consistent with Trumps contempt for ethical behavior in family life (he cheated on all three of his wives), business, and politics. When youre a star, they let you do it, Trump memorably shared with Billy Bush in the Access Hollywood tape. You can do anything. Anything. Trump doesnt eschew morals in foreign policy because he believes in an amoral realpolitik; he believes in amoral realpolitik because he eschews morals. As Nye points out, Americas promotion of human rights and humane values in rhetoric (consistently) and in practice (less often) was a source of its global power. The countrys standing has plummeted in opinion polls in most of the world, destroying the goodwill engendered by Barack Obamas ascension to the presidency following the similarly unpopular George W. Bush. Approval ratings abroad are hardly the sole marker of a successful foreign policy, but they are not irrelevant eithersoft power is indeed a form of power. Its just one that the United States voluntarily relinquished in 2016. OBSOLESCENCE ASIDE, Nyes book is thought-provoking and innovative. There is surprisingly little scholarly research on the place of ethics in foreign policymaking. Nye quotes George F. Kennans famous warning in his book American Diplomacy about the perils of a legalistic-moralistic approach to international affairs. Nye correctly notes that declaring policymaking to be beyond ethical considerations is itself an ethical consideration, and not a particularly persuasive one. But, in fact, realists disagree about the place of morality in foreign affairs. In the same book where he cautioned about Americas self-righteousness, Kennan wrote that, it is a curious thing, but it is true, that the legalistic approach to world affairs, rooted as it unquestionably is in a desire to do away with war and violence, makes violence more enduring, more terrible, and more destructive to political stability than did the older motives of national interest. For Kennan, countries that pursue policies based on their respective national interests have more modest ambitions and are less prone to military crusades than countries swept up by popular passions. And indeed, thirty-five years after he wrote American Diplomacy, Kennan wrote an essay in Foreign Affairs clarifying that he hadnt meant by his memorable formulation that there is no room for the application of moral principle and that all must be left to the workings of expediency, national egoism and cynicism. Still, although the sentiment isnt universal, some realists do indeed believe that nations should pursue their interests heedless of morality. Conversely, Nye seeks to establish a framework to evaluate presidential foreign policy on the basis of their ethics. Do Morals Matter? begins with a short history of morals in American foreign policy. For many in the United States, American exceptionalism represents chauvinist pride and moral superiority, but for others it simply means patriotism based on shared civic ideals combined with cooperative internationalism, he writes. There is another, rarer perspective, to which Huntington (and others) subscribed. Another Harvard professor fond of three-word book titles that asked rhetorical questions, Huntington argued in his final book, Who Are We?, that America was distinct because of an Anglo-Protestant culture that generated the American creed. But Huntington wasnt a chauvinist, and he was skeptical of Americas supposed moral superiority. Still, in describing the main currents in American political thought, Nyes binary is perhaps appropriate enough. As should be clear from his descriptions in his dichotomy, Nye believes in fortuitous exceptionalism. This, he believes, is the wellspring of Wilsonian liberalism. Unlike many other liberal internationalists, Nye has always acknowledged the limits of Wilsonianismof the prospects of America remaking the world in its image. He favorably quotes Tufts University political scientist Tony Smith, who since the Iraq War has written several penetrating studies about the ease with which unchecked liberalism can morph into a form of imperialism. However, as a good liberal, Nye still possesses a healthy respect for the Princeton president. Where Wilson succeeded was not as a foreign policy leader, but as what we now call a thought leader, he writes. Kennan, like other realists, had scorned Wilsons utopianism, but he rethought that assessment in 1989the magical year in Europe when six countries declared independence from the Soviet Union and seemed to embark upon paths to democracy. I begin today in the light of just what has happened in the last few years to think that Wilson was way ahead of his time, he admitted to New York senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan. Wilsons ideas about self-determination and collective security were brilliant, appropriate to the twentieth century. But they were implemented disastrously and discredited in the minds of the disillusioned American public for a generation. Nye holds the outdated view that America was strongly isolationist in the 1920sa myth which scholars such as Warren I. Cohen and Akira Ariye have dispelled. Despite opting out of the League of Nations, America spearheaded various diplomatic initiatives throughout the decade, particularly around disarmament. Still, Nye is correct that it became clear to American leaders during the 1940s that the country needed to intervene in Europe and Asia to a greater degree than it ever had. He is also correct that the American order after 1945 was neither global nor always very liberal, contrary to the hymns delivered by people like David Brooks and Robert Kagan. After this brief survey of American foreign-policy moralism, Nye devotes an important chapter to establishing the principles of a moral foreign policy. Evincing a sophisticated blend of realism and idealism, he advocates for his three-dimensional ethical framework. Judgements based on good intentions alone are simply one-dimensional ethics, he writes. Otherwise, Jimmy Carter would be considered the greatest foreign-policy president. Similarly, means and consequences are important but not the sole components of judging morality. Nye gives credence to Max Webers famous essay elucidating the need for policymakers to be more concerned with the outcomes of their decisions than with their moral purity. Nye makes two persuasive arguments that separate him from realists. Firstly, he argues that realists take ethical shortcuts in arguing that existing in a dangerous world where survival is not guaranteed absolves states of their sins. Survival comes first, but that is not the end of the list of values, he writes. Most of international politics is not about survival. In addition, he suggests that American policymakers have duties to people beyond the countrys borders. He understands that cosmopolitanism does not override duties to put ones nation first, but one can be a strong inclusive nationalist and a moderate globalist at the same time. Do Morals Matter? designs an ethical scorecard with which to evaluate the morality of presidential policymaking. Under the category of intentions, he includes moral vision and prudence, the latter which asks the important question of whether a leader had the contextual intelligence to wisely balance the values pursued and the risks imposed on others. Under means, he includes the use of force and liberal concerns, such as respect for institutions and human rights. Under consequences, he includes fiduciary, cosmopolitan, and educational, the latter of which measures whether a leader respected the truth and built credibility. In addition to its inventiveness, Nyes schema is valuable for its comprehensiveness and sophistication. For instance, by including the importance of a leader taking actions in his nations interests (this is what he means by fiduciary), Nye develops a more realistic and complex way of thinking about ethical policymaking than simplistic evaluators who prioritize only national aggrandizement devoid of morality or, conversely, of humanitarianism devoid of prudence. But this nine-point checklist weighs its criteria equally, and in doing so gives the mistaken impression that each consideration is as important as all others. So while George H.W. Bush famously lacked what he called the vision thing, that hardly seems like an ethical failing akin to, say, lying about the intelligence communitys certainty regarding Iraq developing weapons of mass destruction. Bush seniors blurry vision inhibited imaginative diplomacy. The young Bushs approach led to the deaths of thousands of Americans, hundreds of thousands of Iraqis, and the squandering of American power and resources. But those two flaws are equally weighed in Nyes scorecard. THE BULK of Do Morals Matter? judges the leadership of American presidents, from FDR to Trump. After brief overviews of each leaders consequential decisions, Nye grades them with his scorecard, leading to some surprising reviews. Franklin D. Roosevelt, the best foreign-policy leader America has had, loses points for repeatedly and unnecessarily lying to the public, interning Japanese-Americans, and doing little to save European Jews from destruction. Similarly, Harry Truman, another president seen by most historians as impressive on foreign policy, is chided for using nuclear weapons against Japan. On the positive side, Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, and Bill Clinton receive higher ethical grades than their accomplishments seem to warrant. Ford and Carter are praised for telling the truth to the American public and restoring faith in the countrys institutions. These are good indications of how ethical presidents are not necessarily the best presidents, something Nye concedes. Less ambitious presidents in Do Morals Matter? are rewarded for their restraint and modesty, while more ambitious leaderseven successful ones, like FDR and Trumanreceive demerits for their inevitable mistakes. It is important to remember the importance of nondecisions, he writes about Obama. The basement-dwelling presidents are given their due for whatever accomplishments they reached. Though one of Nyes least ethical leaders, lbj receives some good words as, apart from Vietnam, he was a good trustee of American interests in many aspects of foreign policy. And then there is Trump. Nye is generous, in my view, calling him original for his innovative skills in political communication, analogizing them to FDR s fireside chats on radio and John F. Kennedys open press conferences on television. The better analogy would be if FDR took to the radio to threaten foreign leaders, domestic critics, and ordinary citizens, and if JFK yelled into the television cameras most of the time. Nye says Trump is clearly smart, but what is actually clear is that the presidents smarts dont extend to an interest (let alone expertise) in policy or even, say, in reading a book. Nye suggests that Trumps policies have continued the realist theme about the limits of multilateral institutions and global commerce. But while all realists acknowledge these limits, few seek to unilaterally, spontaneously destroy these institutions at the cost of Americas reputation with its allies. Even with his compliments, Nye gives Trump poor ratings, although I would have awarded even worse. Americas reputation, legitimacy, and soft powerleading advantages it retained over the Soviet Union and which it needs over China todaywill not recover from Trump for at least a generation, if ever. The bloated military has gotten more bloated, relations with China have been wrecked, the stellar nuclear deal with Iran has been shredded, and the menace of climate change has been worsened. The final third of Do Morals Matter? reflects on the brief history course Nye has delivered, discerning several lessons. Imperial swagger and hubris did not pass the test, but provision of global public goods by the largest state had important moral consequences, he writes. This is an important point, one that I think diminishes presidents like Ford and Carter. Building lasting international institutions, facilitating peace, or rebuilding countries, from the United Nations to Northern Ireland to a reunified Germany, has long-term benefits by legitimizing American power and improving lives simultaneously. Institutions have their expiration date, and the post-Cold War environment would look different had nato not expanded in Eastern Europe, or, better, had it retracted. But international order, such as it exists, is vital for America to prosper and remain secure, and institutions help make that happen. From Eisenhowers use of the CIA to overthrow governments in Guatemala and Iran to Clintons bombing of Serbia without UN sanctions, the United States has not hesitated to violate international law when it wanted to accomplish certain objectives. Still, prior to 2016, American presidents in most instances supported international institutions and sought their extension, Nye observes. Conversely, an obsession with credibility doomed some American leaders. One thing that mystifies political scientists is why great countries waste so much effort and power to defend or conquer small states on the periphery. Johnson, Nixon, and George W. Bush believed that an America which accepted small losses or displayed hesitations about using force would be fatally wounded. But there is more respect to be won in the opinion of this world by a resolute and courageous liquidation of unsound positions than by the most stubborn pursuit of extravagant and unpromising objectives, as Kennan told the U.S. Senate in 1966. America seems determined to learn this again in Afghanistan. TOWARD THE end of the book, Nye reflects on the challenges for a future moral foreign policy. He notes that China will be the great challenge to America in the coming decades, but also observes that the United States is well-positioned in that competition, with hysteria being a greater danger to America. Similarly, non-governmental actors will play a larger role in world politics, with advances in technology leading to changes in everything from climate change to terrorism. Here, too, the United States could be injured not by foreigners but by the countrys own dysfunction, weakening international alliances and discouraging cooperation. For all Nyes reasonability, we are living in unreasonable times. Future leaders may try to emulate Trumps unpredictability and scorn for basic decency. The presidents nearly universal adoration among Republican Party voters will encourage elected officials to try and replicate the sources of his uncanny political success. That could mean good things for the GOP. It means terrible things for anyone hoping for the United States to be a moral force in the world. Nyes book asks, Do Morals Matter? They do. Just not now. Maybe in the future. Maybe not. Jordan Michael Smith is the author of Humanity: How Jimmy Carter Lost An Election And Transformed The Post-Presidency and a former speechwriter for New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio. Image: Reuters. Click here to read the full article. Click here to read the full article. It was an ominous July for the Republican presidential candidate. The media stood in uniform opposition to his candidacy. The Democrats had nominated a liberal, but one who struck many voters as sufficiently experienced and likable. A Gallup poll showed the Democrat leading 55-38 percent, and pundits confidently predicted the end of a Republican era amid fatigue and scandal. But four months later, Republican George H. W. Bush trounced Democrat Michael Dukakis in the 1988 presidential election, earning 53 percent of the popular vote to Dukakiss 46 percent, and winning the electoral college 426-111. What can look like a settled race often is not. Proving this twice, Bush went on to achieve the highest popularity in the history of presidential polling after victory in the 1991 Gulf War but lost to Bill Clinton the next year. One key to Bushs success was convincing voters he had the fight in him to succeed Ronald Reagan. Bush got tough, including by having his campaign criticize his opponent for giving a weekend furlough to a convicted murderer who used the break from prison to kidnap and rape a woman, and stab her boyfriend. Earlier in the year, Bush ridiculed left-wing CBS News anchor Dan Rather on live TV. Tactics like these succeeded in redefining the race. President Donald Trump is in worse shape than Bush, not because of the deficit in polls, but because of a prolonged losing streak, including for factors beyond his control. Some say that the coronavirus pandemic and more recent radical wave and demands for social justice simply dont play to Trumps advantages. But there is more to it than that. Beltway Republicans should be terrified by the upset primary victory of Lauren Boebert in Colorado, where she defeated five-term Congressman Scott Tipton. A key part of Boeberts campaign was criticizing the governments decision to flatten the economy as part of the reaction to the coronavirus crisis. Story continues Across America, among many conservatives, there is smoldering rage at the inability of Beltway Republicans to protect them against the authoritarianism and anti-American radicalism of recent months. The fact that this is dismissed or ridiculed by the media does not make it less significant, as Boeberts victory demonstrates. It doesnt take a constitutional lawyer to understand that orders by governors, mayors, and unelected public health tyrants to close churches and ban peaceful protests seeking to reopen the economy were unconstitutional. It just requires the ability to read the First Amendment. While authorities can use moral suasion to encourage people to stay home, they cannot order it. Where were Beltway Republicans when, for example, the cops in Raleigh tweeted that Protesting is a non-essential activity and arrested decent people for asserting their rights? Worse still are the frequently law-breaking protests and riots staged by Black Lives Matter, a radical group that advocates violent revolution and killing police. Republican Senator Mitt Romney of Utah marched with group, and Republican Senator Mike Braun of Indiana said he supports them. (To his great credit, Vice President Pence has refused to be frog marched into parroting the groups mantra.) Tied inextricably to this wave of intimidation is the Orwellian attempt to cancel or fire anyone who has committed a thoughtcrime against the McCarthyite zeitgeist blowing through our culture, including just for saying things like all lives matter. Radicals also claim falsely that America is a racist nation and are trying to redefine our history to crush the very idea of America. Where are Beltway Republicans as thugs engage in this effort and destroy our great heritage? Republican Senators James Lankford (Oklahoma) and Ron Johnson (Wisconsin) have proposed to eliminate Columbus Day as a holiday to appease the mob. Republicans who control the Senate Armed Services Committee gave in to a demand by Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Massachusetts) to rename military bases named after confederate officers. They are joined in their zeal to appease by Rep. Mike Garcia (R-California). Will our soldiers soon be reporting to Fort Hillary? Meanwhile, amid this insanity, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Kentucky) tweeted a condescending missive to embrace wearing face masks. That some Republicans support this practice and others do not is less relevant than the tone-deaf scold itself, which came after months of proof that our political class knows less than nothing about defending America from foreign pandemic. The White House and Trumps campaign are convinced the election will center on jobs, China, and law and order, each of which favors Trump over his opponent. They are right on the first two, but law and order, does not capture the third element. That most important element is reminding voters that Trump is the man to defend them and the American way against the mob. At times that means stopping violent protesters from looting, blocking traffic, terrorizing decent people, and destroying statues. But it also means defending the Constitution from those effecting tyranny under the banner of public health, defending beleaguered big city cops, and using the full power of the federal government to undermine the woke mobs sweeping our culture and economy. As part of this, Trump should criticize weak Beltway Republicans who have proven once again they are useless in a crisis. They are increasingly likely to lose big anyway and Trump may be more effective in clarifying and defending the idea of America with a Democratic Congress as a foil, as opposed to one with a threadbare and largely pointless Republican majority in one house. Unshackled from the need to legislate, Trump and an energetic minority of fighters can have a decent shot at defining and defending the American way. That is his ticket to reelection. Christian Whiton, a senior fellow at the Center for the National Interest, is the author of Smart Power: Between Diplomacy and War. He was a State Department senior advisor during the George W. Bush and Trump administrations. Click here to read the full article. Click here to read the full article. Editors Note: As the world commemorates the seventieth 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. Prediction is a dangerous business at the best of times. In the context of inter-Korean relations, this is especially true. Notwithstanding the high hopes of 2018 when no fewer than three historical summit meetingsin Panmunjom, Singapore, and Pyongyangheralded to many the prospect of a genuine peace regime on the Korean peninsula, developments this June have extinguished, for now at least, earlier optimistic assumptions of lasting inter-Korean reconciliation. The Norths decision to blow up the joint liaison mission in Kaesong and the ratcheting up of its vituperative rhetoric against its enemy neighbor to the South suggest that genuine, lasting peace is increasingly elusive and that the risk of conflict is increasing, not diminishing. June has been a time of surprises and the intensification of peninsular tensions in the past. Some seventy years ago, Kim Il-sungs June 25 lightning military attack across the DMZ came perilously close to defeating the government of Syngman Rhee in the South and forced South Korean and U.S. forces into the narrow Pusan enclave at the foot of the peninsula. Only a U.S.-led United Nations police action to resist aggression and the tactical brilliance of General MacArthurs September 1950 landing of U.S. forces at Incheon helped to turn the tide of battle, contributing eventually (after many months of fluctuating battle lines and reversals on both sides) to a military stalemate and the armistice that still determines the standoff between the two Koreas. Story continues North Korea today is not about to invade the South. The threats of military force from Kim Yo-jong, the sister of Kim Jong-un, or the warning from Ri Son-gwon, the Norths foreign minister, that it will end any prospect of future talks with the United States unless it receives something substantial from the United States are, most likely, intended to put pressure on President Moon Jae-in in the South to find a way of relaxing economic sanctions against the North by lobbying President Donald Trump to re-engage with the North and offer significant concessions to break the deadlock that has persisted since the failure of the Hanoi summit in February 2019. The problem for the North is that Trump is not listening. With his poll numbers plummeting because of his inability to respond coherently to the coronavirus crisis and the Black Lives Matter movement, the president is suffering from an acute case of Alliance Attention Deficit Syndrome, reluctant to risk his dwindling political capital by engaging seriously on Korean matters and more inclined to punish Seoul for failing to accede meekly to the United States brutal demand for a four-fold increase in South Korean Host-Nation Support for U.S. forces. Particularly troubling is Trumps apparent eagerness to channel his inner Neville Chamberlain. Speaking at a West Point commencement ceremony just a few weeks ago, the President in a startling statement noted, "It is not the duty of U.S. troops to solve ancient conflicts in faraway lands that many people have never heard of." It is unclear which conflicts Trump has in mind, but the danger of this isolationist message is that it weakens alliance deterrence and sends a worrying signal that the United States is giving up on its overseas commitments. Seventy years ago, then-Secretary of State Dean Acheson sent a similarly destabilizing message in his January 1950 National Press Club speech which inadvertently gave Pyongyang a green light to act with impunity by suggesting that the defensive perimeter of U.S. commitments in East Asia did not include Korea. The risk today is that a North which feels ignored and not taken seriously will be minded to increase pressure on the South until it gets the attention it craves. This could take the form of maritime provocations near the disputed Northern Limit Line in the West Sea, the re-construction of guard posts in the DMZ, sporadic artillery shelling, more missile launches or (less plausibly) a seventh nuclear test. If Pyongyangs impatience persists and it misperceives the U.S. as unresponsive, it may be tempted to provoke in a manner that could rapidly escalate the conflict, with all the associated risks given the Norths de facto nuclear status. History reminds us of the importance of taking your adversary seriously and the dangers of inconsistent signaling and misperception. To have a hope of recovering the momentum for peace in the face of the Norths petulant brinkmanship, the United States and South Korea will need publicly to reinforce their alliance resolve and deterrence capabilities and commit to responding proportionately but carefully to any direct provocations from the North while also considering partial concessions that might incentivize Kim Jong-un to back away from further fruitless disruption. Dr. John Nilsson-Wright is concurrently Korea Foundation Korea Fellow and Senior Fellow for Northeast Asia at Chatham House; he is also Senior Lecturer in Japanese Politics and International Relations at the University of Cambridge and an Official Fellow at Darwin College, Cambridge. You can follow him on Twitter @JnilssonWright. Image: Reuters Click here to read the full article. Kimberly Guilfoyle and Donald Trump Jr. are seen at a Ted Cruz Rally at the Lone Star Convention Center on October 3, 2018 in Conroe, Texas. Bob Levey/Getty Images for Left/Right TV Former Fox News host Kimberly Guilfoyle has tested positive for COVID-19, multiple media outlets reported. Guilfoyle is currently dating President Donald Trump's eldest son Donald Trump Jr. and is a frequent surrogate and senior adviser for the Trump 2020 campaign. Guilfoyle reportedly tested positive in South Dakota before she was slated to attend Trump's Independence Day fireworks celebration at the Mount Rushmore National Memorial. She is currently self-isolating and will cancel all upcoming events. Trump Jr. has tested negative for the disease but will self-isolate and cancel scheduled events as well as a precautionary measure. The former Fox News host tested positive for coronavirus after attending two Trump rallies in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and Phoenix, Arizona, both of which had no social distancing or mask requirements. Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. Kimberly Guilfoyle, the former Fox News host and a senior adviser to the Trump campaign, has tested positive for the novel coronavirus, a person familiar with her condition told The New York Times. Guilfoyle is currently dating President Donald Trump's eldest son Donald Trump Jr. and is a frequent surrogate for the president on the 2020 campaign trail. She is also the national chairwoman of the Trump Victory Finance Committee and oversees fundraising for the president's reelection campaign. CNN reported that Guilfoyle tested positive in South Dakota before she was slated to attend Trump's Independence Day fireworks celebration at the Mount Rushmore National Memorial. According to The Times, Guilfoyle and Trump Jr. did not travel on Air Force One, and she was reportedly the only person in the group who tested positive. "After testing positive, Kimberly was immediately isolated to limit any exposure," Sergio Gor, the chief of staff for the Trump Victory Finance Committee, told CNN. "She's doing well, and will be retested to ensure the diagnosis is correct since she's asymptomatic, but as a precaution will cancel all upcoming events." Story continues Gor added that Trump Jr. has tested negative for the disease but is self isolating and also canceling all public events as a precautionary measure. A source told CNN that Guilfoyle has not recently been in contact with the president, but she attended his rally last month in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where she stood backstage. She was also in Phoenix, Arizona, for Trump's event with Students for Trump. Both events were indoors, there was no social distancing, and masks were not required. Read the original article on Business Insider It looks like Telecom Plus PLC (LON:TEP) is about to go ex-dividend in the next four days. You can purchase shares before the 9th of July in order to receive the dividend, which the company will pay on the 31st of July. Telecom Plus's upcoming dividend is UK0.30 a share, following on from the last 12 months, when the company distributed a total of UK0.60 per share to shareholders. Last year's total dividend payments show that Telecom Plus has a trailing yield of 4.0% on the current share price of 14.92. We love seeing companies pay a dividend, but it's also important to be sure that laying the golden eggs isn't going to kill our golden goose! So we need to investigate whether Telecom Plus can afford its dividend, and if the dividend could grow. See our latest analysis for Telecom Plus Dividends are typically paid from company earnings. If a company pays more in dividends than it earned in profit, then the dividend could be unsustainable. Telecom Plus distributed an unsustainably high 124% of its profit as dividends to shareholders last year. Without more sustainable payment behaviour, the dividend looks precarious. Yet cash flow is typically more important than profit for assessing dividend sustainability, so we should always check if the company generated enough cash to afford its dividend. Telecom Plus paid out more free cash flow than it generated - 147%, to be precise - last year, which we think is concerningly high. It's hard to consistently pay out more cash than you generate without either borrowing or using company cash, so we'd wonder how the company justifies this payout level. Cash is slightly more important than profit from a dividend perspective, but given Telecom Plus's payments were not well covered by either earnings or cash flow, we are concerned about the sustainability of this dividend. Click here to see the company's payout ratio, plus analyst estimates of its future dividends. Story continues LSE:TEP Historic Dividend July 4th 2020 Have Earnings And Dividends Been Growing? Companies with consistently growing earnings per share generally make the best dividend stocks, as they usually find it easier to grow dividends per share. If earnings decline and the company is forced to cut its dividend, investors could watch the value of their investment go up in smoke. With that in mind, we're encouraged by the steady growth at Telecom Plus, with earnings per share up 2.5% on average over the last five years. With limited earnings growth and paying out a concerningly high percentage of its earnings, the prospects of future dividend growth don't look so bright here. Many investors will assess a company's dividend performance by evaluating how much the dividend payments have changed over time. Telecom Plus has delivered 11% dividend growth per year on average over the past ten years. It's encouraging to see the company lifting dividends while earnings are growing, suggesting at least some corporate interest in rewarding shareholders. To Sum It Up Should investors buy Telecom Plus for the upcoming dividend? The dividends are not well covered by either income or free cash flow, although at least earnings per share are slowly increasing. It's not the most attractive proposition from a dividend perspective, and we'd probably give this one a miss for now. With that being said, if you're still considering Telecom Plus as an investment, you'll find it beneficial to know what risks this stock is facing. Every company has risks, and we've spotted 3 warning signs for Telecom Plus (of which 1 is significant!) you should know about. If you're in the market for dividend stocks, we recommend checking our list of top dividend stocks with a greater than 2% yield and an upcoming dividend. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned. Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team@simplywallst.com. 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. Dr Anthony Fauci is director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases - AP Photo/Alex Brandon A mutation of coronavirus able to spread more easily may have emerged, Americas top infectious disease expert has warned as Texas made mask-wearing in public mandatory. Dr Anthony Fauci, who sits on the White House coronavirus task force, said there is data to suggest the existence of a new mutation of Covid-19 which is more transmissible. He cautioned that scientists are still trying to confirm its existence and it does not appear to be more damaging for people who catch that version. However the potential existence of a mutation which spreads more easily is a cause for concern as the United States grapples with record highs of new daily coronavirus cases. Texas, one of the states seeing a surge in both case numbers and hospitalisations, announced new restrictions ordering the use of face masks in certain situations. Texans in counties with 20 or more Covid-19 cases - the vast majority of the state - must have their nose and mouth covered in outdoor public spaces or a building open to the public. Some exceptions were listed included for children who are under 10 years old or people who are exercising, eating or drinking outdoors. Greg Abbott, the Republican governor of Texas, said that if the state wanted to make sure businesses can stay open - a call heard often from the White House - it was vital to stop the viruss spread. The move comes with a recent flurry of senior Republicans urging Americans to wear face masks in public as the virus surges in the country. Mitch McConnell, the top Republican in the Senate, and Steven Mnuchin, the Treasury secretary, issued public calls for people to do so in recent days. Donald Trump also said he was all for masks and joked that he looked like the Lone Ranger when wearing one in a recent interview, adopting a less critical tone than at times in the past. Yet his plan last night to attend a July 4 celebration at Mount Rushmore, where four past presidents are carved into a cliff in South Dakota, came in for criticism. Story continues The event, due to feature a fireworks display, was expected to be attended by 7,500 people. Face masks were going to be handed out but attendees were not required to socially distance themselves from others. Kristi Noem, the state's Republican governor, told Fox News that social distancing would not be needed at the event so people can enjoy the freedoms and liberties in this country". Dr Fauci made his comments about a new mutation of Covid-19 during an appearance on a podcast run by The Journal of the American Medical Association. 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, Dr Fauci said. 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. Dr Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, added that confirmation was still being sought and that very good scientists continued to work on the issue. Viruses naturally mutate and scientists have previously found evidence of minor mutations of Covid-19 which have not changed its ability to spread or harm people. The World Health Organisation has gathered samples taken from across the world and is monitoring more than 60,000 different genetic sequences of coronavirus. In America some 55,000 new cases of Covid-19 were confirmed on Thursday, yet again a record high. That is around 20,000 more cases than the first peak in April. Now 36 of the 50 US states are seeing cases rise, according to a CNN tracker. The surge has seen parts of the country that had been reopening go into reverse. ZAMBOANGA, Philippines (AP) The Philippine president flew to the countrys volatile south on Friday to plead with military forces not to retaliate following the fatal police shootings of four soldiers, including two officers, in violence the army chief called a rubout. President Rodrigo Duterte pledged an impartial government investigation of Mondays violence in southern Jolo town and promised in a late-night address to military commanders, including army generals, that anyone found guilty will be punished. Do you want to kill five to six policemen there in the station? What good will it do? said the blunt-speaking Duterte, who wore a face mask to protect against the coronavirus. Duterte asked commanders to ensure their forces remain calm and added that police, like government troops, perform a vital role in maintaining law and order. He cited a Muslim rebel leader, Nur Misuari, whom he appointed as a special envoy to the Organization of Islamic Conference despite his involvement in past rebel attacks that killed many soldiers. Why is he there? Duterte asked. Thats the reality of it all. You have enemies that you cannot kill because you can still use them. ... We need the police out there. An initial police report said the four soldiers were killed in a misencounter with a group of police officers. The army has said its two officers and two enlisted men were on a mission against Abu Sayyaf militants, including suspected suicide bombers, when they were flagged down and later fatally shot by police even after the soldiers identified themselves. Army chief Lt. Gen. Gilbert Gapay angrily condemned the police report as a fabrication, citing security videos and witnesses accounts which he said showed that there was no exchange of fire. The police later changed the term misencounter to a shooting incident. It was murder. ... It was a rubout, Gapay said Tuesday at a Manila airbase where the bodies of three of the soldiers were flown. Story continues The initial police report said Jolo police were on patrol with drug agents in the towns Bus-Bus village when they spotted an SUV with four armed male persons whom they stopped. The four were directed to drive to the Jolo police station for verification but when they arrived there, the said persons fled, the report said. An army officer with knowledge of what happened told The Associated Press that while being tailed by a van of policemen, the soldiers stopped and one of the officers, Maj. Marvin Indammog, got out of the SUV with his hands up, apparently to indicate he had no hostile intent. But the police opened fire and killed the four soldiers, who were in casual clothes, for still unexplained reasons, said the army officer, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the delicate nature of what transpired. Indammogs team was helping track the militants with surveillance equipment in a covert operation when he and his men were gunned down, the officer said. The violence reflects the often-complicated conditions under which the campaign against the Abu Sayyaf and its allied foreign and local militants has been waged by the military, with backing from the police, for about three decades. The on and off offensives have considerably weakened the Abu Sayyaf, which is listed by the U.S. and the Philippines as a terrorist group, but it remains a national security threat. Habits are hard to break, but don't tell that to the coronavirus. Around the world, people are working, exercising, eating and, yes, drinking differently in our new coronavirus-infected world of masks and isolation. In the craft beer world, state shutdowns have cratered taproom sales, made some ingredients difficult to find and have shaken even the most established brands. But the ripple effect may spread even wider in the $29 billion craft beer industry, right down to the kind of beer that's brewed. With trends already pointing to growing popularity of lighter, easy-drinking alcoholic drinks in recent years session beers, hard seltzers and, yes, even the old school lagers and Pilsners that probably gave your grandpa his first buzz could the hop-heavy, belly-bomb IPAs lose their cool? 'Don't tell my wine snob friends': Why Americans are buying more boxed wine during COVID-19 I'm pausing it: McDonald's pauses reopenings due to spike in COVID-19 cases In this topsy-turvy new environment we live in, no one really knows where tastes could land for good. But Sean Galie, founder and head brewer of Lower Forge Brewery in Medford, New Jersey, is thinking like many others: drinkable is in. "I think any crushable or session style is going to kill it during this pandemic summer. There is a huge difference between drinking big ABV beers in a night bar scene or with a huge dinner out and having a nice ... lager while taking a break from Zoom meetings working at home," Galie says. Our team of USA TODAY Network reporters checked in with beer-makers across our region everywhere from Delaware and Maryland to New Jersey and New York about what this summer could offer craft beer fans. Jason Goldstein, owner of Icarus Brewing in Lakewood, tries to navigate the uncertainty of the industry during Covid-19 For many brewers, this down time has given them an opportunity to brew beers that take longer to make, like lagers and Pilsners. Over at Icarus Brewing in Lakewood, New Jersey, founder and head brewer Jason Goldstein says one bright note of the coronavirus slowdown was that it gave him the opportunity to focus on his lagers, an in-house favorite. Story continues "As soon as our tanks started opening up from our limited production, we started filling them with lagers, which take longer to ferment out and condition, a luxury we havent always had," he says, adding that the new wave of lagers have been selling well, especially the 7.1% ABV American imperial Pilsner dubbed Pound of Feathers. Whether its a suburban brewery 70 miles south of New York City like Icarus or a small farm brewery like 1812 Brewery in rural Cumberland, Maryland, brewers are using the slowdown to experiment ... differently. After years of craft brewery experimentation focusing much of their time on thick IPAs and stouts, things are changing for some. "At the beginning of the pandemic, we didnt know how long it would be until we were able to have people back out to buy beer or distribute to restaurants and bars. So we decided to brew some beers that could sit longer than usual, we brewed an imperial stout that is now aging in a whiskey barrel as well as our new Summer Pilsner," says 1812 Brewery's Becky McClarran. "Lagers and Pilsners are lighter drinking and easier for someone new to craft beers to get into," she adds. "There have been some crazy new beer styles created the last few years, I think people are enjoying going back to a crisp, easy drink that isnt packed with hops." 1812 Brewery is located in Cumberland, a hilly and scenic town in western Maryland. Or as Torie Fisher, owner of Backward Flag Brewing Co. in Forked River, New Jersey, puts it: "People are getting a little burned out on all the complex hops bombs and pastry stouts." Flounder Brewing Co. in Hillsborough, New Jersey, is preparing for that day. A brewery where the beer list is usually filled with ales and stouts, they are preparing a new location. And with the new space will come new toys. "We love a good clean lager so much that we are investing in lagering tanks when we move to our new location," says Jeremy "Flounder" Lees, brewery president. Jeremy Lees holds up blueprints with wife Melissa at the future home of Flounder Brewing. Even breweries built on hearty IPAs, like Milton, Delaware's Dogfish Head Brewery, have stretched their offerings in recent years to include lighter brands. Session sour SeaQuench Ale and Slightly Mighty, a 95-calorie IPA built as a craft version of Michelob Ultra, are newer additions. Another low-calorie Dogfish beer, the yoga-themed Belgian-style white ale Namaste, dates back to 2009. "In the last five years, we have seen more and more craft beer lovers especially those Millennial drinkers searching for lighter, more sessionable, better-for-you offerings," says Dogfish founder Sam Calagione. With shelves filled with "watery industrial light lagers" to service those drinkers at the time, Dogfish turned to better ingredients, flavor and complexity to earn customers. Four-time Olympian long-distance runner Shalane Flanagan curated the new Dogfish Head Run Club. And more is on the way. "At both our Tasting Room & Kitchen in Milton and Rehoboth brewpub, we are constantly brewing off-centered ales that run the full spectrum of beer styles, including some lagers and Pilsners," Calagione added. "That said, theres no telling what innovation we will discover and release next." Even so, IPAs are still leading in popularity. That has not changed, says Adam Benesch, co-founder at Union Craft Brewing in Baltimore. "IPAs are still king of craft beer, but there are definitely people interested in lagers and Pilsners," he says, "Styles that are less aggressive and more subtle, where you're able to drink three or four instead of just one or two." Andy Cook, who owns Swiftwater Brewing Co., a farm brewery built in an old Rochester, New York, motorcycle garage, has been waiting for the "chuggable" lager comeback for quite a while. "Theres a lot of us in the beer industry that have said for five or more years, 'Oh, you know lagers are gonna come back this year.' A lot of brewers said lagers are gonna be the next IPA and I've never thought that was gonna happen. But I have seen a steady increase in people interested in them. So that's pretty cool," he says. Owner/brewer Andy Cook inside his tasting room at Swiftwater Brewing in the South Wedge. Cook has seen more acceptance of lagers in recent years nationwide and in his own sales. As some tire of ales, maybe it is true that everything old is new again. "Lagers had a bad rap for a while. People thought, 'Oh, it's just pale, fizzy, crappy stuff.' In the '70s and '80s, a lot of it was driven by the race to the bottom, where it was like who can make halfway decent tasting beer with the absolute cheapest ingredients?" he says. "Now, it seems like the quality of the product has gone up all over and were all trying to use better ingredients." For Galie at New Jersey's Lower Forge Brewery, it's not just lagers or Pilsners that are selling well, but any lighter beer including shandies and sessions. Every lighter beer release since March has sold out quicker than expected, he says, and their curbside pickups for their lighter offerings (Strawberry Shandy, Grapefruit Radler, session IPAs) almost resembled normal sales. He has no doubt that trend to continue through the summer. "It's something you can enjoy over a longer period of time without feeling too rough. And when a lot of people still tele-commuting or working remotely, you can enjoy something with that eternal Skype meeting without suddenly getting in trouble," he jokes. Alicia Notarianni contributed to this report. Got a tip? Contact Ryan Cormier of The News Journal at rcormier@delawareonline.com or (302) 324-2863. Follow him on Facebook (@ryancormier), Twitter (@ryancormier) and Instagram (@ryancormier). This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Could coronavirus help the reemergence of lager and Pilsner beers? Photograph: Kevin Mohatt/Reuters One of the three white police officers who stopped Elijah McClain in Colorado was fired over photos showing colleagues re-enacting the chokehold used on the Black man before he died last year, authorities said on Friday. After getting a text message with the images, he replied: haha. Police stopped McClain as he walked down the street last August for being suspicious, and the Aurora officer Jason Rosenblatt tried to use a chokehold on the 23-year-old but couldnt because of his position, so another officer did, a report from prosecutors said. Related: 'He was inspired by everything': friends and family pay tribute to Elijah McClain Two months later, Rosenblatt received the photos from three fellow officers who smiled as they mimicked a chokehold near where McClain was stopped, which had become a public memorial. A visibly shaken Vanessa Wilson, interim police chief, assailed the four officers involved with the photos, saying their explanation was that they were trying to cheer up a friend by sending that photo. We are ashamed, we are sickened, and we are angry, Wilson said. The officers may not have committed a crime, but the photographs are a crime against humanity and decency, she added. After an internal investigation, Wilson fired Rosenblatt and two of the officers who appeared in the photos for conduct unbecoming of an officer. The officer who re-enacted the chokehold in the photos resigned this week. The Aurora Police Association, the union for officers, called it a rush to judgment. It said on Facebook that the investigation took nine days, while a standard internal affairs case takes months. McClains death got new attention following recent nationwide protests over police brutality and racial injustice, and several police agencies have taken swift action to punish and in some cases charge officers, including those involved in George Floyds death on 25 May in Minneapolis. Facing increasing pressure, Colorados Democratic governor, Jared Polis, last week ordered the state attorney general to reopen McClains case after prosecutors last year cleared the officers who confronted him. Story continues Two officers, including the one that put McClain in a chokehold, are still on the force as authorities look into possible criminal charges. Federal officials also are looking into a possible civil rights investigation. Word of the photos emerged soon after Poliss announcement. Aurora police launched an investigation last week after another officer reported the photos. The fact that three on-duty, in-uniform police officers thought that it was appropriate to re-enact the murder, jokingly, shows that the department is rotten to the core, said Mari Newman, the McClain familys lawyer, who saw the photos before they were publicly released. Elijahs mother, Sheneen McClain, also saw them. For her, it was just devastating to see that people were mocking the murder of her son, Newman added. Last weekend police used pepper spray to break up a peaceful violin vigil honoring McClain. Geoffrey Berman was unexpectedly dismissed as United States attorney for the Southern District of New York last month - JUSTIN LANE/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock The prosecutor locked in a tussle to get Prince Andrew to give evidence about Jeffrey Epstein for much of this year will appear before a congressional committee this week, potentially throwing new light on the matter. Geoffrey Berman was the US attorney for the Southern District of New York, the unit leading the Epstein investigation, until last month when he was controversially sacked by the Trump administration for reasons that remain unclear. Mr Berman will appear before the House of Representatives Judiciary Committee on Thursday and is expected to face hours of questioning from members, offering an insight into his work and unexpected dismissal. The testimony will be given behind closed doors, meaning the public cannot watch along with proceedings, but it is not uncommon for newsworthy comments to find their way into the press via leaks. Prince Andrew and Ghislaine Maxwell - Stewart Mark / Camera Press Mr Berman had been the public face of the Epstein case and repeatedly clashed in public with the Duke of York, accusing him of not co-operating with their investigations. Back in January Mr Berman accused Prince Andrew of giving the FBI zero co-operation as it probed his friendship with Epstein, the late New York billionaire accused of sexually abusing underage girls. Mr Berman made similar comments again later in the year. The Duke of Yorks legal team has always argued that he is willing to speak to investigators and has repeatedly offered to do so, suggesting Mr Bermans claims were misleading. The exact trigger for Mr Bermans dismissal remains a mystery which Democrats on Capitol Hill are now investigating. Charges against Ghislaine Maxwell, who is accused of trafficking underage victims for Epstein, were announced by Mr Bermans deputy days after she stepped into the role following his removal. The timing of Mr Bermans dismissal, his thoughts on the Trump administrations motives for the sacking and the nature of his disagreement with Prince Andrew could all be topics for questions from the congressmen. Click here to read the full article. Key Point: The F-35 is very advanced. However, newer technologies keep coming along and the military is already looking to what comes next. The Air Force is making progress with its sixth-generation aircraft initiative, called Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD). It had been largely conceptual for years, but Air Force officials now say current prototyping and demonstrations are informing which technologies the service will invest in for the future. Air Force officials have said that an analysis of alternatives has been completed and that work on requirements is underway. Work includes various modeling and efforts to explore crucial hardware and software technologies. Digital engineering continues to be a significant element of the current progress, as explained last year by Air Force Acquisition Executive William Roper. As he explains it, it brings what could be called a two-fold advantage. It enables weapons developers to assess technologies, material configurations, and aircraft models without needing to build all of themall while paradoxically enabling builders to bend metal and start building prototypes earlier than would otherwise be possible. The Air Force Research Laboratory has been working with the acquisition community on digital engineering techniques, often explored through modeling and simulation, for many years. Current work on a futuristic sixth-generation fighterto come after and fly alongside upgraded F-35sincludes the development of stealthy drone fighters, hypersonic flight, lasers, new precision weaponry and advanced AI able organize targeting data in milliseconds. While all of these things are of course key parts of the equation, the Air Force Penetrating Counter Air/NGAD program is equally focused on information exchange itself as a defining element of future war. Such an approach, looking beyond isolated systems and weapons themselves, envisions expansive networked combat with war platforms operating as nodes in a larger warfare system of weapons and sensors working together in real time. Story continues The NGAD program, which traces its history to the Air Forces Air Superiority 2030 Flight Plan, envisions the possibility of a family of capabilities. A senior Air Force official explained that this study began by examining more than 650 different ideas for sixth-generation combat, which were then narrowed down to merely a few. Northrop Grumman, Lockheed Martins Skunk Works and Boeings Phantom Works are all among a handful of industry developers already working on prototype sixth-generation planes and advanced technologiesintended to align with key elements of the Air Force vision. The Air Force itself, while not yet decided upon a particular platform or fixed set of new technologies, is moving quickly beyond the conceptual realm into the active exploration of weapons, sensors, technologies and networks. Next-generation stealth technology is also, of course, a large focus of the technical equation. Newer radar-absorbing coating materials, improved IR suppressants or thermal signature management, evolved radar-eluding configurations and acoustic reduction technologies offer a window into current areas of developmental focus. A 2013 Essay by the NATO Parliamentary Assembly Science and Technology Committee discusses the evolution of advanced heat reduction technologies built into the skin of an aircraft. To become low-observable in multiple spectrums, advanced skins manage a planes heat distribution to foil radar, infrared, and thermal detection systems. These skins do this by distorting or eliminating heat distribution to restructure its thermal shape. They may also be able to heat up or cool down all parts of an aircrafts surface to perfectly match the surrounding atmosphere, making it virtually undetectable, the report, titled The Future of Combat Aircraft: Toward a 6th Generation Aircraft, writes. Kris Osborn is the new Defense Editor for the National Interest. Osborn previously served at the Pentagon as a Highly Qualified Expert with the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the ArmyAcquisition, Logistics & Technology. Osborn has also worked as an anchor and on-air military specialist at national TV networks. He has appeared as a guest military expert on Fox News, MSNBC, The Military Channel, and The History Channel. He also has a Masters Degree in Comparative Literature from Columbia University. This first appeared in 2020 and is being reposted due to reader interest. Image: Reuters. 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 Click here to read the full article. The death of George Floyd, an unarmed Black man accused of using a counterfeit $20 bill to buy cigarettes in Minneapolis, sparked an avalanche of protests across the nation. Video accounts show that Floyd cried out at least 16 times, saying I cant breathe, while now-charged Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin pressed his knee into his neck for about eight minutes, as three other officers stood by without intervention. Meanwhile, one of the three officers involved said, Hes talking. Hes fine, media outlets reported. Now, a group of clinicians and scientists are speaking out against the repeated claims that just because someone can speak, they can still breathe. The professionals are calling the myth a medical misconception and warn against relying on speech as a sign of adequate respiration especially when [its] used to propagate injustice or violence, according to a letter published June 25 in the Annals of Internal Medicine. The belief that a persons ability to speak precludes the possibility of suffocation is not true and can have fatal consequences, the group wrote. The use of incorrect physiologic statements to justify the force leading to the deaths of Eric Garner and George Floyd is unacceptable. According to our oath as clinicians, it is our responsibility to the public to aggressively correct such misconceptions to prevent further deaths. The group of medical experts said they believe the origin of the pernicious myth may have stemmed from first-aid training for choking, which teaches that the inability to talk is a sign someone might have an object blocking their airways. But the concept is not that simple, the experts say; its possible to inhale enough air to be able to speak, but not breathe. This is because each inhale brings oxygen into the upper airway, trachea and bronchi the region where speech is generated but the small amount of air needed to talk does not facilitate necessary gas exchanges in the lungs needed to prevent organ damage from hypoxemia, the group said. Story continues It is therefore not surprising that such a person as George Floyd may have been able to both generate the sentence I cant breathe and still experience severe air hunger (that is, dyspnea) and decompensate into a state of respiratory failure, the group said. This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it. An ordinary breath requires about 400 to 600 milliliters ( mL) of air, while each syllable of speech uses about 50 mL, the medical professionals calculated. Thus, stating I cant breathe would require 150 mL of gas George Floyd could have uttered those syllables repeatedly with small breaths that filled only the trachea and bronchi but brought no air to the alveoli [tiny air sacs in the lungs], where actual gas exchange happens, the group said. Whats more, the state Floyd was in is considered the most uncomfortable and emotionally distressing quality of dyspnea, they added. Studies on war and torture victims revealed that suffocation was a stronger predictor of posttraumatic stress disorder than other forms of torture such as being hanged by the wrists, electrical torture and beating of the soles of the feet. The persistent use of malignant platitudes in the face of another persons suffering is disturbing, the group wrote. At best, it represents the thoughtless use of heuristic shortcuts; at worst, it indicates deep gaps in empathy, toxic cognitive biases or malicious intent. So, when local, state and national leaders claim, If you can say you cant breathe, youre breathing, as the Mississippi mayor wrote on Twitter the day after Floyd died, the myth that a speaking person is a breathing one is spread irresponsibly, the group said. Similar arguments were made after the death of Eric Garner who also cried out I cant breathe in 2014 moments before he died in Staten Island after New York City police officer Daniel Pantaleo put him in a chokehold while arresting him. 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. FILE - This March 22, 2019, file photo shows Mount Rushmore in Keystone, S.D. President Donald Trump will begin his Independence Day weekend on Friday with a patriotic display of fireworks at Mount Rushmore National Memorial before a crowd of thousands. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski, File) PHOTO:AP Photo/David Zalubowski, File Trump's Rushmore Trip Draws Fireworks By The Associated Press SIOUX FALLS - President Donald Trump will begin his Independence Day weekend on Friday with a patriotic display of fireworks at Mount Rushmore before a crowd of thousands, but even in a part of the country where many remain supportive of the president, the event has drawn controversy and protests. Trump is expected to speak at the event, which has issued 7,500 tickets to watch fireworks that he previewed on Thursday as a display like few people have seen. 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. But concern about the coronavirus risk and wildfire danger from the fireworks, along with protests from Native American groups, will also greet the president. 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. The Republican mayor of the largest city near the monument, Rapid City, said he is watching for a spike in cases after the event, the Rapid City Journal reported. Were going to have thousands of people, shoulder to shoulder at these events 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, Rapid City Mayor Steve Allender said. 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. Some Native American groups are using Trump's visit to protest the Mount Rushmore memorial itself, pointing out that the Black Hills were taken from the Lakota people against treaty agreements. Protests are expected in Keystone, the small town near the monument. Chase Iron Eyes, a spokesman for the Oglala Sioux president, said protesters would like to make their voice heard at the memorial itself, but it's not clear they'll be able to get close. 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. But several people who once oversaw fire danger at the national memorial have said setting off fireworks over the forest is 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 Trump's help. The president brushed aside fire concerns earlier this year, saying, What can burn? It's stone. The National Park Service studied the potential effect of the fireworks for this year and found they would be safe, though it noted that in a dry year, a large fire was a risk. Organizers are monitoring the fire conditions and were to decide Friday if the fireworks are safe. 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. Pediatricians say schools should strive to bring kids back to classrooms. Teachers unions are on the verge of revolt, in fear of infections. Local school districts are struggling with everything from technology to staging schools for socially distanced learning. And Education Secretary Betsy DeVos is largely on the sidelines, saying the coronavirus back-to-school planning is a state and local issue. No wonder parents across America are freaking out. The CDC issued additional guidance this week on safely reopening schools, with infections spiking in the South and West. Some education leaders fear the guidelines are being disregarded, casting doubt anew on how the new school year will even be able to launch. Yet the beginning of the school year is nearing and worried parents are wondering if they will be able to count on in-person classes resuming by the time they must return to work, inextricably tying school reopenings to the revival of the economy. In Virginia, Fairfax Countys teachers unions say teachers arent comfortable returning to schools and are encouraging members to state their preference for online learning until more information about face-to-face instruction is available. In Texas, the governor is now requiring face masks in public spaces in counties with 20 or more Covid-19 cases but his order didn't mention schools. Arizona has delayed schools reopening date until mid-August as cases surge. From social distancing to health checks, the list of concerns is seemingly endless as school districts draft their plans, many of which are still in the development stages. Those concerns are only intensifying as Covid-19 cases begin to skyrocket. "There are no plans for most of these places, said Lily Eskelsen Garcia, president of the National Education Association, the nations largest union. People are panicked and parents should be panicked. Teachers increasingly are on edge and leaning on unions for help. I'm being bombarded with, How the hell are we going to do this? said Eskelsen Garcia. We're worried that school districts will give in to a politician or some business that wants their workers freed up to come back and work in a factory somewhere, and that then they will be forced to open unsafe schools. Story continues Overall, a combined 54 percent of American voters said they are somewhat uncomfortable or very uncomfortable with reopening K-12 schools for the beginning of the coming school year, according to the latest POLITICO/Morning Consult poll that assessed the nations mood about students returning to day cares and schools shut down by the pandemic. Some districts are offering either virtual learning or in-person learning that almost totally disregards CDC guidelines because social distancing wont be possible and students might not be wearing masks, said Daniel A. Domenech, executive director of a school superintendents association. A lot of states along the Southern belt are just planning to move ahead with, all students, all come, and to me, that is going to be a horror, he said. He pointed to the surge in cases after states have reopened for business as usual. Except in the case of schools, its not going to be adults getting infected, its going to be children, and its going to be the adults that work with those children, he said. FILE - In this Feb. 27, 2020, file photo, Education Secretary Betsy DeVos pauses as she testifies during a hearing of a House Appropriations Sub-Committee on the fiscal year 2021 budget on Capitol Hill in Washington. The Trump administration is barring most international students and all students who entered the U.S. illegally from receiving emergency college grants approved by Congress as part of a $2.2 trillion coronavirus rescue package. DeVos issued the restriction in new guidelines released Tuesday, April 21, 2020, telling colleges how to distribute more than $6 billion in grants meant to help students cover unexpected costs triggered by the pandemic. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File) The patchwork of approaches across the country will leave many kids at a disadvantage. Eskelsen Garcia said there is no national response to this, good or bad. But she added that the infection rate data, needed for making decisions, will be different in localities across the country and DeVos help never goes to a good place. DeVos' lack of reopening guidance has prompted some congressional skepticism. A bipartisan pair of House members, Republican Van Taylor of Texas and Democrat Josh Harder of California urged DeVos last week to issue guidance and training to educators on how to reopen schools. They havent heard back. We sent a bipartisan letter to her asking for guidance and weve gotten radio silence in response, Harder said in a statement. Teachers and parents need to know what the fall is going to look like and how were going to keep our kids safe. We need answers. But Jeanne Allen, the founder and chief executive of the Center for Education Reform, said, The most important federal guidance is what health authorities have to say, and other than that, I think the Department should simply be available to respond to questions, provide ideas or examples from what they are learning and seeing around the country, and distribute funds. DeVos spokesperson Angela Morabito said state and local authorities will take the lead on reopening guidance and the department continues to issue guidance and resources to help them make the next best decisions. That may be just as well for public education leaders and advocates who have spent the last couple of months battling DeVos, a school choice advocate, over emergency relief for private school kids and teachers. Maybe not having guidance from them isnt such a bad idea, Domenech said. A review of 100 districts by the Center on Reinventing Public Education found that most are in the planning process, shooting for an early July release of their reopening plans. How well districts set clear expectations, anticipate and solve problems, and strategically deploy resources will determine whether schools allow learning gaps between students to grow wider, researchers wrote. In Virginia, three unions representing Fairfax County Public Schools employees say theyre concerned about the public school systems developing plans to restart classes for the coming year. The countys model calls for either providing students 100 percent virtual, online learning or part-time, face to face instruction in school buildings. Our educators are overwhelmingly not comfortable returning to schools. They fear for their lives, the lives of their students and the lives of their families, said Tina Williams, the president of the Fairfax County Federation of Teachers, last week. Kimberly Adams, president of the Fairfax Education Association, said the community should not return to in-person learning until a vaccine or treatment is widely available for Covid-19. Ongoing outbreaks are already beginning to upend school reopening plans. Arizona Gov. Greg Ducey used an executive order this week to bar schools from reopening for in-person classes until mid-August, though the states elementary and high schools can still reopen before then for distance learning. The Texas State Teachers Association has said GOP Gov. Greg Abbott is in too big of a hurry to reopen schools and theyve been calling on the state to mandate that everyone should wear a mask and be screened for Covid-19 symptoms on school campuses, among other things. On Thursday, Abbot issued an executive order requiring face masks in public spaces in counties with 20 or more Covid-19 cases, with few exceptions, according to his office. It's unclear if schools will be included. We are 100-percent concerned everywhere, said Eskelsen Garcia. Theres nowhere where people are just breathing a sigh of relief and this is all over. Hillary Clinton Getty Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said her administration could have saved more lives and modeled "more responsible behavior" during the coronavirus pandemic. "I know I would have done a better job," Clinton told a Hollywood Reporter podcast on Friday. Her comments come amid mounting case totals in the US. The nation reported its highest number of daily coronavirus cases on Friday: more than 56,000. Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. Hillary Clinton isn't relieved to be outside the Oval Office right now. "I will tell you, it's frustrating to be on the sidelines in a pandemic," the former secretary of state and 2016 Democratic presidential nominee told The Hollywood Reporter's "Awards Chatter" podcast on Friday. She added that her administration would have been more successful at handling the coronavirus outbreak in the US. "We wouldn't have been able to stop the pandemic at our borders the way that Trump claimed in the beginning, but we sure could have done a better job saving lives, modeling better, more responsible behavior," Clinton said. "I don't think we necessarily should have had as deep an economic assault on livelihoods and jobs as we have. So I know I would have done a better job." The US's initial response to the pandemic was hampered by testing delays, restrictive testing criteria, a lack of airport screenings, and a shortage of medical supplies. Advice from federal agencies has also been steadily plagued by inconsistencies. In January, President Trump insisted the outbreak was "totally under control." The next month, he said the virus would "go away" by April. But 18 of the 30 states that started reopening as of May 7 were still seeing daily new cases rise, according to data from the New York Times. Some public-health experts believe this allowed the outbreak to swell even further. Story continues Over the last week, the US has recorded its highest numbers of coronavirus cases to date: around 47,000 daily cases, on average. Friday marked the peak of the outbreak so far, with more than 56,000 cases. New cases are now rising in the majority of states. The nation's death count has almost reached 130,000. Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump before a presidential debate at Washington University in St. Louis, on October 9, 2016. AP In recent weeks, public-health experts have amplified their call for a nationwide mask mandate to reduce coronavirus transmission. At least 21 states have instituted a statewide mask mandate so far, but the specifics differ state to state and some cities and counties have implemented their own policies. "More attention and commitment to a national directive and national policy for face masks is critically important," Dr. Howard Koh, former assistant secretary for health under President Obama, told Business Insider. "We have 50 states going in 50 different directions." In a recent interview with The Wall Street Journal, Trump said that he believed some Americans wear face masks to show their disapproval of him. The president has repeatedly been photographed without a mask at public events. But Dr. Theo Vos, a professor at the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME), told Business Insider that mask-wearing has "quite a potential to make a substantial dent in this epidemic." IHME's coronavirus models, which are often cited by the White House, predict another 50,000 coronavirus deaths from July to October in the US. The researchers found that nearly half of those deaths could be prevented if 95% of the US population wore masks. Read the original article on Business Insider Click here to read the full article. Key Point: U.S. naval escorts for British shipping clashed with Nazi German submarines. America was not at war, but American sailors were dying when American-owned ships were torpedoed by German submarines. In 1941, few Americans knew of the destroyers USS Niblack, USS Greer, USS Kearny, and USS Reuben James, but these and other American warships were fighting a grim naval war months before the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. American warships fought this undeclared war in the bitterly cold waters of the North Atlantic. They often struggled through brutal sub-zero temperatures and rapid, violent weather changes. Heavy storms were common; storms developed so quickly that it was often impossible to predict them. In the winter, ice sometimes almost a yard thick covered the convoy ships and threatened to capsize them. Ships sank and sailors died within minutes in the icy water. On November 5, 1940, Franklin D. Roosevelt was elected to an unprecedented third term as president of the United States. This victory gave him the political clout to openly support Great Britain in her struggle against Germany, but by the spring of 1941, the British were in desperate straits both economically and militarily. Under Roosevelts order, the United States began using its warships to provide limited escort to merchant ships sailing for Britain, especially ships carrying weapons that America supplied through the Lend-Lease Act, which Roosevelt signed into law on March 11, 1941. The first skirmish in what became the undeclared naval war between the United States and Germany took place on April 10, 1941, when the destroyer USS Niblack, on patrol in the North Atlantic, intercepted an SOS from the Dutch freighter SS Saleier. The SOS reported the Saleier was torpedoed and sinking rapidly. The freighters latitude and longitude placed her 441 nautical miles from Reykjavik, Iceland. The Niblack, ordered to her assistance, sailed all night. The next morning her lookouts spotted three small lifeboats. Before attempting to pick up survivors, the Niblackcircled the lifeboats while conducting a sound search for German submarines. The crew of the Saleier, nine officers and 51 men, survived, but at 8:40 am, as the last of them were taken aboard the Niblack, sound contact was made with an undersea object. Story continues D.L. Ryan, commander of Destroyer Division 13, with which the Niblack served, described in his report what happened next: This contact was about two points abaft the starboard beam and if it were a submarine, it was rapidly approaching a position for attack. With safety of ship, crew, and survivors in mind, decision was made to attack instantly Accordingly the ship went ahead at full speed and turned to an intercepting course. When it was estimated the ship should be over the submarine (if one were present) time depth charges were dropped at ten second intervals, and then the ship proceeded to clear the area at 28 knots on course North without further investigation. The Niblack arrived at Reykjavik on April 12. The Saleiers crew was handed over to British authorities. It was later learned that the German submarine, U-52, was not hurt by the depth charges, if indeed the object was the U-52, which later proved extremely unlikely. The Niblack was the first U.S. Navy warship to use its weapons against Germany since World War I. On May 21, 1941, the unarmed and clearly marked 5,000-ton American freighter Robin Moor, sailing from New York to various African ports, was stopped by the German submarine U-69 about 700 miles off the west coast of Africa. The ship carried a 38-man crew and eight passengers, four men, three women, and one child, all of whom were ordered to abandon the freighter, which was then sunk by the U-69. The Robin Moor was the first American merchant ship sunk by German submarines prior to U.S. entry into World War II. The other American-owned merchant ships sunk had been under Panamanian registry and, thus, flew the Panamanian flag. A full-scale war between the United States and Germany loomed closer when, on June 14, Roosevelt froze Axis funds in the United States and, on June 16, he ordered German consulates closed and all German diplomats expelled. Branding Germany an outlaw nation, he told the U.S. Congress on June 20: I am bringing to the attention of the Congress the ruthless sinking of an American ship, the Robin Moor, in the Atlantic Ocean Roosevelt climaxed his report with: We are not yielding and we do not propose to yield. The American War Effort Increases On the same day Roosevelt was reporting on the Robin Moor, the battleship USS Texas, the last coal-fired American battleship, which was launched May 18, 1912, and which served in World War I, was stalked by the German submarine U-203, a state-of-the art Type VIIc submarine almost 29 years younger than the battleship she was chasing. No exchange of hostile fire took place, but the submarine was apparently unable to catch the zigzagging battleship, which was southwest of Iceland. In June 1941, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill asked Roosevelt to send American troops to Iceland to replace the British garrison there, thus freeing the British soldiers to fight elsewhere. Roosevelt agreed, and on July 1, 1941, the United States and Iceland reached an agreement allowing U.S. Marines to enter Iceland in order to prevent a German invasion. Four thousand Marines were ready for duty in Iceland, which was then a sovereign state under the government of Denmark. It was critical to beleaguered Britain that Iceland not be occupied by Germany. Because of this, Britain had occupied Iceland over a year earlier, on May 10, 1940. Roosevelts decision to send Marines to Iceland heightened the risk of war with Germany. The convoy carrying the Marines anchored in Reykjavik harbor on July 7. The support of the American people for Roosevelts action remained steady throughout the year. Historian Richard R. Lingeman points out: The country was overwhelmingly in favor of aiding England in late 1941. Asked [by a Gallup poll] which was more important: that the United States stay out of the war or that Germany be defeated, sixty-eight percent said it was more important Germany be defeated. While no one died when the Robin Moor sank, this was not true on August 18, when two torpedoes from the submarine U-38 slammed into the Iceland-bound U.S.-Panamanian freighter SS Longtaker. The unescorted and unarmed ship sank within a minute of being torpedoed. Twenty-four of the freighters 27-man crew perished. On September 4, 1941, the destroyer USS Greer was about 175 miles southwest of Iceland when a British patrol plane reported a submarine, later identified as the U-652. The submarine was 10 miles dead ahead. The Greer made sound contact with the U-boat and followed it. The British plane dropped four depth charges, then, for whatever reason, turned away. For more than three hours, the Greer tracked the submarine, repeatedly radioing its position to the British, but there was no British attack. Suddenly, the U-652 changed course and closed on the Greer. Every man on the destroyer was at his battle station when the lookouts sighted an impulse bubblea big globule of air that was raised when a submarine fired a torpedo. The U-652 had fired without raising her periscope, aiming with her sound equipment. Within a minute, Greer lookouts sighted the bubbling wake of the first of two torpedoes; it was about 100 yards astern. By then, the destroyer had begun to wheel and was steaming toward the spot where the lookouts observed the impulse bubble. Once the Greer was over the position, the destroyer dropped eight depth charges, but its sound man heard the submarine apparently moving away. Two minutes after the Greer dropped her depth charges, the second torpedo was sighted 500 yards off her starboard bow. It did not strike the Greer. After this, the destroyer lost contact with the submarine but continued searching. She picked up the submarine again that afternoon, closed, then attacked with depth charges, dropping 11. Nevertheless, the U-652 survived. By late afternoon, Greer lost contact with the submarine after a three-hour search, and then continued to Iceland. The USS Greer was the first American warship to be attacked in the undeclared naval war. The next day, September 5, a German plane bombed and sank the American merchant ship Steel Seafarer in the Red Sea during its voyage from New York through the Suez Canal. A U.S. flag had been prominently painted on the side of the ship. U-Boats: Rattlesnakes of the Atlantic During Roosevelts September 11, 1941, radio speech to the American public, his 18th fireside chat with the nation, he called the attack on the Greer an act of piracy and then continued: When you see a rattlesnake poised to strike, you do not wait until he has struck before you crush him. These Nazi submarines and raiders are the rattlesnakes of the Atlantic Roosevelts bottom line was blunt: Our vessels and planes will protect all merchant shipsnot only American ships but ships of any flagengaged in commerce in our defensive waters. They will protect them from submarines; they will protect them from surface raiders. The German attacks continued. On September 11, the same day Roosevelt made his fireside chat, a speech that became known as his Shoot on Sight Speech, the U.S-Panamanian freighter Montana, carrying lumber from Wilmington, North Carolina, to Reykjavik, was sunk by the German submarine U-105. Eighteen of her 25-man crew died. On September 17, five American destroyers began escorting convoy HX150 from Halifax. This was the first time the United States Navy escorted an eastbound British transatlantic convoy. On September 20, the U.S.-Panamanian freighter Pink Star, carrying general cargo from New York to Liverpool, was sunk by U-552. Thirteen out of the crew of 35 men died. On September 26, the U.S.-Panamanian oil tanker I.C. White was sunk by U-66 while sailing from Curacao, an island in the southern Caribbean, to Cape Town, South Africa. Three men died in this attack. The tanker was unescorted, unarmed, and fully lit. On October 9, Roosevelt began his efforts to have the U.S. Neutrality Acts changed to allow for the arming of merchant ships. So far, all the ships that had been torpedoed were merchantmen, but that was about to change. On October 16, 1941, the destroyer USS Kearny was part of an emergency rescue mission. Convoy SC-48, a 52-ship slow convoy moving through bad weather, was under attack by a submarine wolfpack. The convoy defenses were reinforced by five U.S. destroyers, Greer, Kearny, Plunkett, Livermore, and Decatur, but the rescuers made the mistake of bringing their ships too close to those they were trying to protect. The wolfpack, taking advantage of this error, closed to torpedo range and fired salvo after salvo without interruption. Conditions were made worse for the destroyers when their captains ordered the firing of star shells and flares. The light that was generated dazzled the lookouts and greatly reduced their night vision, which, in turn, made it easier for the U-boats to strike again and again. In the resulting turmoil, the Kearny veered away to avoid colliding with a Canadian corvette and in doing so became a perfect target for the U-568. The submarine fired a spread of torpedoes, one of which struck the Kearny. Ensign Harry Lyman, a Kearny survivor, later reported: The U-boat fired three torpedoes at us. One went off the bow, one went off stern and the third hit us on the starboard side at the forward engine room. Lyman also reported hearing a terrible roar as the warhead tore through the Kearnys armor. The resulting explosion killed seven men stationed in the forward boiler room. The force also ripped through the deck, destroying the starboard wing of the bridge. It slammed the forward stack back and cut the siren cord so that the siren could not be shut off. Four other men disappeared, probably blown overboard. In total, 11 men died and 22 were injured. The ship managed to limp to Hvalfjordur, Iceland. She arrived on October 19, escorted by the Greer. A cavernous hole and twisted, misshapen plating disfigured her starboard side below and aft of the bridge. After the repair ship USS Vulcan patched the hole, the Kearny left Iceland on December 24, for Boston and permanent repairs. The Kearny was the first U.S. Navy casualty in the undeclared war in the Atlantic. They Cant Do This to Us Two American ships were sunk during the attack on Convoy SC-48. On October 16, the Anglo-American Oil Co. tanker W.C. Teagle was sunk, and on October 17, the U.S.-Panama freighter Bold Venture was lost. The Teagle, carrying 15,000 tons of fuel oil and flying the British flag, was on a voyage from Aruba to Sydney, Nova Scotia, and then on to Swansea; she was torpedoed and sunk by submarine U-558. Though published figures vary slightly, it appears that 41 men on the ship died. Nine survivors were rescued by the British destroyer HMS Broadwater. However, all but one of these men died when the Broadwater was sunk the next day. The Bold Venture, which had left from Baltimore and was sailing for Liverpool with a cargo of cotton, iron, steel, copper, and wood, also suffered casualties. On October 19, the U.S. freighter SS Lehigh was sunk. The Lehigh, sailing from Bilbao, Spain, to Africa was torpedoed by the U-126. The 4,983-ton freighter was unarmed, unescorted, and clearly marked as American. No one died in this attack. Sam Hakam, the radio operator on the SS Lehigh described what happened. The torpedo struck without warning. There was a loud explosion followed by a towering plume of smoke and debris. My first reaction was, This is just like you see it in the movies. Utter astonishment and disbelief followed. Jimmy, the fireman on the 4 to 8 watch, stood on deck shouting, They cant do this to us, over and over He had reason to shout. It was October 19, 1941. We were not in the war yet. Although there had been no declaration of war, the United States was at war. The oiler SS Salinas, sailing about 700 miles east of Greenland, was torpedoed on October 30. There were no casualties, and the damaged ship managed to make it safely to port. The Sinking of the Reuben James On October 23, 1941, the USS Reuben James sailed from Argentia, Newfoundland, with four other destroyers of the U.S. Escort Group 4.1.3. Its task was to escort convoy HX156. The Reuben James had been positioned directly between an ammunition ship in the convoy and the known position of a German U-boat wolfpack. At 8:34 am, she was hit by a torpedo from submarine U-552. The torpedo ignited the ammunition in the forward magazine. The resulting explosion tore the ship in two. The forward section sank immediately, taking all hands there into the icy water. As the stern sank, the ships depth charges exploded and killed survivors in the water. At that moment, Chief Machinists Mate William H. Bergstresser became the doomed ships commander. He was the only survivor among the Reuben Jamess 20 officers and chief petty officers. The destroyer carried a crew of 144, of which only 44 survived. Aside from the friends and relatives of the dead sailors, few Americans appeared to be deeply moved. Political activist and balladeer Woody Guthrie composed The Sinking of the Reuben James, a stirring and patriotic song, commemorating the tragedy. The Nazis had invaded the Soviet Union on June 22, 1941, just over four months before the Reuben James went down. An ardent leftist, Guthrie had been composing and singing antiwar ballads for some time. Hitlers attack on the Soviet Union reversed all that. Great Britain and Soviet Russia were abruptly uncomfortable allies against Nazi Germany. Guthrie and other leftists made what conservatives and anticommunists ridiculed as the great flip flop. The peace songs quickly vanished. Guthrie immediately composed a series of patriotic win-the-war ballads that were recorded and released soon after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Probably the most famous of these was The Sinking of the Reuben James. Whatever the reason for its writing, the song was certainly a patriotic call to arms: Have you heard of the ship called the good Reuben James? Manned by hard fighting men both of honor and fame She flew the Stars and Stripes of the land of the free But tonight shes in her grave at the bottom of the sea. Chorus: Tell me what were their names, tell me what were their names? Did you have a friend on the good Reuben James? The Undeclared War Ends, the Official War Begins The United States continued moving closer to war with Germany. A November 5, 1941, Gallup poll indicated that 81 percent of the American public favored arming merchant ships and 61 percent favored allowing these ships to enter war zones. On November 6, the German blockade runner Odenwald, carrying a cargo of rubber from Japan, was captured in the Atlantic near the equator. She was taken by the cruiser USS Omaha and the destroyer USS Somers. While Roosevelt was successful in pushing through changes to the Neutrality Acts, the U.S. Congress remained hesitant. The new rules specified that merchant ships could be armed and that U.S. ships could enter both combat zones and belligerent ports. The Senate approved the revision on November 7, and the House of Representatives reluctantly agreed on November 13. Senate approval was 50-37, and House approval was 212-194. Nevertheless, on November 11, 1941, the submarine U-561 sank the 5,592-ton Panamanian freighter Meridian, and then the 2,939-ton Panamanian freighter Crusader on November 14. Both ships were part of convoy SC-53. On December 2, 1941, the German submarine U-43 fired a torpedo at the unarmed and unescorted oil tanker SS Astral, which was traveling from Aruba to Lisbon, Portugal. The tanker was clearly marked as American; flags were painted on its sides. The torpedo missed, and the tanker began zigzagging in a desperate effort to survive. It was to no avail. The U-43 hunted her through the night and at 9:24 the next morning sent two torpedoes into her, one astern and one amidships. The tanker, carrying a crew of 37 men and 78,200 barrels of gasoline and kerosene, exploded and sank within minutes. There were no survivors. Gasoline and kerosene burned for an hour on the water after the ship went down. That same day the U.S. merchant ship SS Dunboyne received the first Naval Armed Guard crew. The last American merchant ship sunk in the undeclared war was the unarmed SS Sagadahoc, which was stopped in the South Atlantic on December 3 by the submarine U-124. The German commander, deciding the ship carried contraband, ordered its 35-man crew into lifeboats. The Sagadahoc was then sunk. However, one sailor failed to leave the ship and went down with her. He was probably the last sailor to die in the unofficial war in the Atlantic. The undeclared naval war between the United States and Germany was coming to an end. Four days after the Sagadahoc was sunk, the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor. On December 11, 1941, Germany and Italy declared war on the United States. This article by Herb Kugel first appeared in the Warfare History Network on August 19, 2016. Image: A SB2U Vindicator scout bomber from USS Ranger flies anti-submarine patrol over Convoy WS-12, en route to Cape Town, November 27, 1941. The convoy was one of many escorted by the US Navy on "Neutrality Patrol", before the US officially entered the war. U.S. Navy. 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 Click here to read the full article. Click here to read the full article. Key Point: The DPRK supplied missile components to Iranfor a rocket that Tehran claims is peaceful. Birds of a Feather Iran and North Korea enjoy surprisingly close relations when it come to arms and weapons. Iran imports a lot of DPRK techlong range artillery, tanks, the list goes on. One of Irans more recent arms import is the Simorgh missile. The relatively new Iranian Space Agency has been testing various long-range missiles since the agencys inception in 2004. These missiles typically used engines from another long-range Iranian rocket, the Shaham-3. In 2008, Iran joined the small club of countries that have successfully put a satellite into orbit using domestically-designed rockets. The Simorgh missile is relatively small for a rocket intended to launch satellites. It has four-rocket engines and is supposed to use Scud missile technology from around the 1960s. Though the Simorgh is ostensibly a part of Irans space program, it could be adapted for use in long-range ballistic missiles. Satellites are all well and good, and usually used for peaceful purposes. What is worrying about Irans satellite launch is not the satellites themselves, but the rocket technology that went into getting Irans satellites airborne. Foreign Aid The United States intelligence community has concluded that the DPRK supplied Iran with design data, stage separation technology, and booster equipment that was used for designing the Simorgh. This conclusion is based on intel reports that assert rocket parts were seen leaving North Korea for Iran and show how the DPRK and Iran remain intertwined via arms deals. Ballistic Hopes and Dreams The Simorgh can only transport smaller payloads into Earths lower orbit. Its estimated payload capability is under 100 kilograms, or around 220 pounds. A nuclear warhead weighs in the 500 to 1,000 kilo range, or about 1,100-2,200 pounds. Not exactly a big threat. Range is also an issue. The Simorgh can reach approximately 500 kilometers in altitude, nowhere near the 10,000+ kilometers necessary to put the continental United States within range. Furthermore, for the Simorgh to be a functional ICBM, it would need not only to roughly double its maximum altitude to around 1,000 kilometers, it would also need to survive reentry into Earths atmosphere. Story continues Reentry is one of the most hazardous parts of an ICBM trajectory. The high speeds at which an ICBM enters the Earths atmosphere generates a huge amount of heat that an ICBM needs to be properly shielded against. Not only that, but onboard targeting and navigational instruments have to survive the intensely turbulent reentry. Postscript Yes, Iran says that putting satellites into orbit is for peaceful purposes, but putting a satellite into space has more than one purpose. A 2017 intelligence analysis said that progress in Irans space program could shorten a pathway to an ICBM because space launch vehicles (SLV) use inherently similar technologies. The report explained that the Simorgh could serve as a test bed for developing ICBM technologies. Perhaps Tehrans intentions are not so pure after all. 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. This article first appeared earlier this year and is reprinted due to reader interest. Image: Reuters 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 Click here to read the full article. Click here to read the full article. Here's What You Need To Remember: Irans missile collection is quite remarkable and draws on lessons gained during the Iran-Iraq war. During that conflict, Tehran learned that its cheaper and easier to have a strong defense (many varied missiles) than a strong offense, such as airplanes that are expensive, require lots of maintenance, and could result in pilot deaths. Missiles are an essential tool of the Iranian regime. They are used for power projection, particularly towards Irans neighbors, or for anti-access/area-denial closer to home, in particular over the Strait of Hormuz and the Persian Gulf. Tehrans missile collection is among the most diverse in the Middle East because Iran relies on modifications to Soviet/Russian and Chinese designsalthough there are some domestic improvements thrown into the mix. Iran has thousands of short and medium-range missiles, and could very likely hit targets as far away as eastern Africa, Eastern and Southern Europe, Russia, India, and western China. Here are some of their most potent designs. Fateh-110 The Fateh-110 development program started in the mid-1990s. Testing continued through the late 1990s and early 2000s, with serial production commencing around 2003. It has a range of about 210 kilometers (about 130 miles), with a suspected 500 kilogram (approximately 1,100 pounds) warhead. It is road-mobile when installed on mobile launchers, which were likely modified from other launch platforms to handle the Fateh-110. Iran claims it has the ability to mass produce the Fateh-110. It has also been rumored that Hezbollah was supplied with some number of Fathe-110s from Iran, though this is difficult to confirm, as Israel destroyed a large inventory of Hezbollah munitions in strikes during 2007. Shahab-1 Closer to home, the Shahab-1 is essentially a variant of the Russian SS-1 Scud missile, which is itself similar to the Nazi-developed V-2 Rocket that terrorized Britain during the Second World War. Like the SS-1 Scud, it is liquid-fueled, and has a range of about 330 kilometers, or just over 200 miles. Story continues The Iranian Shahab-1 originated during the 1980s conflict with Iraq. Iran needed something with greater reach than provided by available artillery and wasnt willing to risk its fleet of aircraft. (Many of Irans airframes wereand still arevintage American planes, so servicing them with spare parts is problematic.) Iran turned to Libya and Syria for missiles, launchers, and transporters. After the war with Iraq, Iran wanted a domestic production capability and turned to North Korea for expertise. Today, Iran possesses a variety of Shahab-1 variants with differing ranges, payloads, and accuracies. Sejjil The Sejjil series of missiles are among Irans most capable they have a range of 2,000 kilometers (around 1,250 miles) and a warhead in the 500-1,000 kilogram range (about 1,100 to 2,200 pounds). The Sejjil is speculated to be a domestic Iranian design, in contrast to most of Irans missile arsenal, which is wholly or partially based on other countries designs. One of the advantages of the Sejjil missile is its fuel typesolid-propellant instead of liquid. This is advantageous due to solid fuel rockets greater robustness and speed of deployment. In contrast to liquid-fueled missiles that require a greater deal of preparations and specific launch conditions. (For instance, historically liquid fuel has to be kept quite cool, resulting in a large energy requirement.) If paired with a mobile launcher, the Sejjil would be a large, powerful, and rapidly-deployable threat. Armed to the Teeth Irans missile collection is quite remarkable and draws on lessons gained during the Iran-Iraq war. During that conflict, Tehran learned that its cheaper and easier to have a strong defense (many varied missiles) than a strong offense, such as airplanes that are expensive, require lots of maintenance, and could result in pilot deaths. 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. 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 Click here to read the full article. Click here to read the full article. The average amount of time spent by the average consumer on streaming video has nearly doubled from 2017 to 2020, and has reached close to seven hours. Also, the adoption rate of pay-TV has dropped, in that three-year period from 75 percent to 62 percent. That's according to Set-top Box Innovations and Trends, a new report issued this week by Parks Associates. In addition, nearly three-quarters of broadband-equipped households in the U.S. subscribe to at least one streaming service, and nearly half subscribe to two or more. Parks also found that the top three streaming services in the U.S. are Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and Hulu, while Disney+ and Apple TV+, both of which launched last November, have joined the top five. Parks also listed CBS All Access, Crackle, Fubo TV, BHO Not, Philo, Pluto TV, and Sling TV as "additional services of note." "The set-top box does have a role in this market, but it will have to adapt," Dr. Kenneth Wacks, Contributing Analyst, Parks Associates, said as part of the release. "For one, it can serve as the device to aggregate the variety of different services coming into the households and present them in a personalized and attractive UI for an improved consumer experience. They can also integrate other use cases and innovations, such as voice control and smart home controls, to expand the set-top's role in the home." A separate Parks study, released at the end of June, found that eight percent of broadband households in the U.S. have sampled at least one streaming service since the start of the coronavirus pandemic. Of those, nearly 50 percent subscribed to Disney+, while 27 percent subscribed to Apple TV+. Disney+, as of the company's most recent earnings report in April, had over 50 million subscribers, a number likely to increase by the time of the next report later this month. And this week, Verizon announced that it's offering a free year of both Disney+ and Hulu to new customers signing up for a Fios Gigabit connection. Story continues The industry is working on new hybrid content strategies as a result of production halts, Steve Nason, Research Director, Parks Associates, said in the release. Major players like AT&T for Warner Brothers and Comcast for Universal Studios are greatly concerned about the delays in content production on the launches of new services, like HBO Max and Peacock. Free trials will bring in new subscribers at the launch, and roughly seven in ten have subscribed to at least one OTT service they have trialed. OTT services need to be creative in building an engaging service, but during this time of heavy video consumption, OTT services have the opportunity like never before to win over new video consumers and retain them as long-term subscribers. With cord-cutting accelerating, it seems a good bet that the percentage of broadband households who subscribe to cable will continue to shrink towards the 50 percent mark. Stephen Silver, a technology writer for The National Interest, is a journalist, essayist and film critic, who is also a contributor to Philly Voice, Philadelphia Weekly, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Living Life Fearless, Backstage magazine, Broad Street Review and Splice Today. The co-founder of the Philadelphia Film Critics Circle, Stephen lives in suburban Philadelphia with his wife and two sons. Follow him on Twitter at @StephenSilver. Click here to read the full article. Being of service, I learned, is one of the best ways out of a depression. (Yun Yao / For The Times) I dont believe in love at first sight. I dont even believe in like at first sight. I do believe you can meet someone and instantly get a hint. For me, it's an involuntary interior voice that pops up and says, "Yeah, I could like this woman. At least thats how it was when I met Olivia. She was a history teacher at Glendale High, and I was to be her substitute for the day. She was taking one of her classes on a field trip, and I would teach the rest. Olivia was writing out a lesson plan for me as I walked into her room. She looked up from her desk and gave me a beautiful smile, and I got one of the biggest hints of my life. Olivia liked the way I handled her classes, so I became her regular sub. Once when she was going to miss several days in a row, she called me at home to go over what I needed to accomplish while she was gone. After the work conversation was done, I asked her to dinner. She said yes. So began my eight years and 12 days of Olivia. I am an avid hiker, and Olivia soon joined me on my Sierra Club Friday night hikes in the Santa Monica Mountains our weekly ritual, followed by frozen yogurt. It became one of the highlights of my life. Im an amateur astronomer, and when I pointed out Jupiter to Olivia one night she enthusiastically responded, Oh, wow! and told me she'd always wanted to learn more about the night sky. I began pointing out the constellations. My involuntary voice went off again, and this time it was way more than a hint. (What can I say? Im attracted to people with a healthy sense of wonder.) We went to movies, plays and parties together, but for a long time only as good friends. There were past wounds and disappointments that made her reluctant to move things to the next level. I so enjoyed her company that I hung in there. We became best friends and then eventually she asked to stay with me one night. I slowly but surely fell in love with her. **** She had the surgery, the chemo and the radiation. But the breast cancer had been discovered too late. Story continues Eight years and 12 days after our first dinner together I sat at the edge of a hospital bed and watched her die. It was the worst day of my life. I spiraled into depression. I would sit at home at night, stunned to find myself alone. I once broke out crying while washing the dishes. My friends found ways to keep me busy. They gave me books to read on grief and often called to talk. One of the books warned that people sometimes deal with grief by getting lost in work. The author suggested that this method of grieving was just a postponement of the pain and not the cure. But I disagreed. I thought: But what if its the right job? What if its work that can help with the grief? I thought about this idea for a few days and then applied for a job as an usher at the Hollywood Bowl. Music. Lots of music. That's what I needed. And I got the job. Every night, week after week, I would be bathed in humankinds greatest invention. It occurred to me that the Bowl had to be filled with positive feelings. I mean, whos unhappy about a night at the Hollywood Bowl? So I would stand at the bottom of an aisle in my white shirt and black tie, ready to be of assistance. Normally, I'd be at the Bowl on the Fourth of July for an evening of rousing music and fireworks. The virus has taken all that away for now. I miss spending my evenings helping people find their way. I really liked that part of the job. Being of service, I learned, is one of the best ways out of a depression. It really did help. But it was the music that did the major work for me. Mozarts concertos made me swoon with their beauty. Beethovens "Ode to Joy" lifted me up. In concert one night, Bob Marleys son sang to me that Every little thing gonna be alright. James Taylor and Carole King both reminded me about the importance of having a friend. Van Morrison offered up some tough love. He told me: Youve got to roll with the punches ... that's the only way to go. It was during one of these concerts that I had the breakthrough revelation that changed everything and began my true healing. The most basic fact about my experience with Olivia flooded into my brain. When Olivia knew she was going to die, she decided to spend more time with me. The author has written eight novels, including, "Company of Thieves." He lives in Los Angeles. Straight, gay, bisexual, transgender or nonbinary: L.A. Affairs chronicles the search for love in and around Los Angeles and we want to hear your story. You must allow your name to be published, and the story you tell has to be true. We pay $300 for each essay we publish. Email us at LAAffairs@latimes.com. You can find submission guidelines here. A nurse at a drive-up COVID-19 testing station in Washington holds a swab used to take a sample from a person's nose. (Ted S. Warren / Associated Press) To the editor: David Lazarus brings up the important point in his column about pharmaceutical industry profiteering during the COVID-19 pandemic that the early development of remdesivir, an antiviral originally developed to treat hepatitis C, was taxpayer-funded. In a letter published in this newspaper in 2016, I raised a similar point about another Gilead antiviral, Solvadi, suggesting that the pharmaceutical companies should be taxed to cover the development costs currently borne by taxpayers. With the pivot away from sponsoring basic science research, the pharmaceutical industry is essentially choking off innovation by overly relying on others to make basic discoveries. I hope that people with influence realize that since the success of capitalism is rooted in scientific progress and innovation, well-run companies should plow back some of their profits into basic research and development. Jonathan Kaunitz, MD, Santa Monica .. To the editor: This is surely a case of heads I win, tails you lose. U.S. taxpayers gave $70.5 million to Gilead to develop a drug for which they will now kindly charge COVID-19 patients $3,000 per dose. How much clearer can it become that instead of allowing corporations to suck up our taxes and subsequently charge us for the favor, we need a public healthcare system based not on profit but entirely on making care available to everyone? Curing COVID-19 isn't optional, not if we ever hope to get back to normal. Yet how many infected Americans can afford to pay $3,000? Candida Pugh, Oakland .. To the editor: At a time when nearly 130,000 Americans have died of COVID-19, Gilead has the opportunity to be the first knight in shining armor by giving (yes, giving) this drug to the sick until further notice. Just imagine: History would show that Gilead stepped forward and believed in people over profits. Instead, with at least $70.5 million received from taxpayers to develop remdesivir, Gilead is proving that the pharmaceutical sector is about money over goodwill. Conrad Angel Corral, Cathedral City President Trump speaks to a group of young Republicans at Dream City Church in Phoenix on June 23. (Associated Press) To the editor: Why might Republicans have abided weakening their party by ceding its control to President Trump? It's not just that he excels at manipulating the GOP's core constituency. ("Sick of Trump? Blame our weak political parties," Opinion, June 30) More important is Trump's unmatched ability to keep the Democrats befuddled and off-balance so much so as to preclude them from settling on a nominee until deep into the primaries, or even crafting a convincing campaign message. Privately, most of my GOP friends readily concede that Trump is the antithesis of the capable, composed and prudent leader needed to guide our country to a sustainable future beyond the next election day. But while he so adroitly antagonizes and weakens the opposition party, Republicans will indulge him as the antidote to their own party's weaknesses. Strange, since 2016 I haven't heard anyone braying about American exceptionalism. P. Jane Weil, Sacramento .. To the editor: As a longtime reader, I pay particular attention to your conservative columnists and never miss one of Jonah Goldberg's columns. Recently, he unloaded a whopper that Vice President Hubert Humphrey obtained the 1968 Democratic nomination over Sen. Eugene McCarthy, despite the latter's substantially better showing in the primaries, because "the party mattered." Methinks that in addition to failing to mention how limited the primary system was in 1968, Goldberg conveniently forgot about another event which abruptly ended in Los Angeles that year, one that made it clear a large swath of Democrats were hungry for an alternative to McCarthy. Blaise Jackson, Escondido .. To the editor: With all the unpresidential behavior, name-calling and worst of all, lack of competence for the job, I wonder if even very loyal Trump supports like Vice President Mike Pence, Atty. Gen. William Barr and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell are tired of lying and making excuses for him. Matthew D. Kerster, Gardena Altavista, VA (24517) Today Partly cloudy skies. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 72F. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph.. Tonight Partly cloudy skies. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 72F. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph. A statue of Abraham Lincoln yes, Lincoln is under siege in Washington, D.C., and if you learned about it by watching Fox News, you would think that was the totality of the story: another sacred American hero degraded by a rash attempt to cleanse history. But God is in the details, here, and in more ways than one. The statue at issue is the Emancipation Memorial in Lincoln Square and it shows the 16th president standing over a kneeling slave, his shackles broken. A race set free and the country at peace, reads the inscription. Lincoln rests from his labors. Those who want to remove the edifice feel that the image of a slave on bended knee, the very picture of humble gratitude, is demeaning. It reinforces the myth of the patient Negro, waiting for the heroic white mans deliverance and suggests that having assumed the power to enslave, the white man alone then had the power to free. It also appears to suggest that Lincoln freed the slaves all by himself, diminishing the contribution of the slaves themselves and thousands of abolitionist crusaders Black and white, political and religious not to mention the soldiers, including the roughly 200,000 Black soldiers, two-thirds of them former slaves, who donned blue Union uniforms and joined the fight. Then, too, it inflates Lincolns own sense of purpose. For while he stood firmly against slavery, he did not believe in equality, and his efforts to end the Souths peculiar institution were hesitant at best. Ambivalent on emancipation As late as the summer of 1862, when he began writing the proclamation, Lincoln remained ambivalent about its legality the proclamation was, in essence, an executive order its constitutionality, the slaves were recognized as property and freeing them could be seen as an illegal seizure, and, perhaps most of all, its practicality. What if it led to a scorched earth wholesale slaughter? When, in September of that year, shortly after the battle of Antietam, Lincoln finally issued what is known as the preliminary Emancipation Proclamation (the final proclamation was not signed until Jan. 1, 1863), it is more threat than act, one which would have required only that the rebel states put down their arms, rejoin the Union and adopt a gradual plan to abolish slavery, with no mandated timetable. Story continues The Emancipation Memorial in Washington, D.C. Indeed, three months later, when, in his December 1862 annual address to Congress, Lincoln finally sets a date for a compensated end to slavery in the rebel states, that date, 1900, is 38 years off and he follows on with an offer of federal funding for a plan to ship the newly freed colored persons to Haiti or Liberia. All of this is not to suggest that Lincoln deserves no credit for emancipation. But I believe that he would have bristled at the statue, even at his long-established honorific as The Great Emancipator. That notion first came in the decades after the wars conclusion and was informed both by the circumstances of his death assassinated on Good Friday, he came to be seen as a martyr to the cause, with all manner of Christian symbolism transferred to his memory and the need to make sense of the war, to give all the suffering and death some shred of moral purpose that the preservation of the Union appeared to lack. A divine conviction over slavery Early in September 1862, just days before that preliminary proclamation would be issued, a group of Chicago clergymen visited Lincoln at the White House. They had come to press him on emancipation, believing that the Union army campaigns recent failures were signs of divine displeasure from the God of the weak and downtrodden, who was furious because of Lincolns failure to act now on the moral sin of slavery. Lincoln mocks their pleas by declaring all the ways in which freeing the slaves would be dangerous, illegal and ultimately pointless. Tear down racism, hold up history: Use Confederate statues and names to educate But as the disappointed ministers prepared to depart, Lincoln became more defensive and philosophical. Acknowledging that slavery is at the root of the rebellion, or at least its sin qua non he urged them to not misunderstand me and suggested that they first consider the merits of his stated war goal of the preservation of the Union. Perhaps recognizing that to be an insufficient cause to these men of the pulpit, Lincoln added that he had not decided against a proclamation of liberty to the slaves, but merely held it under advisement and all of this while his draft of the very proclamation the clergymen desired lay in the presidents desk drawer. Finally, Lincoln asked for forgiveness if he had injured his visitors feelings and, cryptically, for a man many consider having been an agnostic, offered that whatever shall appear to be Gods will, I will do. Democrats, learn from bitter GOP lesson: Speak up on violence and tearing down statues. It was not the expression of a religious awakening on Lincolns part, but more a recognition of his failures to assert his will over the nations circumstances. After all, his election had triggered a war of incalculable suffering, one which in 1862 appeared to be far from over. Given that, it would be understandable to conclude that human agency must ultimately accede to some eternal, unknowable, plan. Was God on the side of emancipation? When, on Jan. 1, 1863, Lincoln signed the final draft of his proclamation, the nation would find out. The Great Emancipator? No. Lincoln would have referenced a favorite line from Hamlet. Theres a divinity that shapes our ends, rough-hew them how we will. Todd Brewster is the author of Lincolns Gamble: The Tumultuous Six Months that Gave America the Emancipation Proclamation and Changed the Course of the Civil War. Follow him on Twitter: @ToddBrewster You can read diverse opinions from our Board of Contributors and other writers on the Opinion front page, on Twitter @usatodayopinion and in our daily Opinion newsletter. To respond to a column, submit a comment to letters@usatoday.com. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Even Lincoln would have objected to statue and 'Great Emancipator' title Click here to read the full article. The early months of 1942 were dark days for the United States Asiatic Fleet. Much smaller than the Pacific Fleet, and equipped with mostly outdated surface ships, the fleet was in no way capable of winning a serious confrontation with the Imperial Japanese Navy. Being based in the Philippines, however, meant that Admiral Thomas C. Harts Asiatic Fleet stood directly in the path of Japans southward expansion. Japanese bombers demolished the Cavite Navy Yard near Manila just days after the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor. Much of Americas land-based airpower that was to support the naval units had also been wiped out. With the loss of the main operating facility and the Philippine defenses crumbling in the face of a Japanese invasion, most of Harts surface units were able to escape south to the Netherlands East Indies. The ships, unfortunately, were to fare no better in Dutch waters. In February, the beleaguered Allies decided to combine naval forces in Southeastern Asia. American, British, Dutch, and Australian (ABDA) warships formed into a hastily assembled fleet only to be soundly defeated in three battlesFlores Sea (February 4), Badoeng Strait (February 19/20), and Java Sea (February 27). By March, most of the Allied surface forces had been swept aside, American land forces were backed into a small corner in the Philippines, and Singapore, the large British base in Malaya, was under a Japanese flag. Imperial forces were now streaming unchecked into the Netherlands East Indies. Submarines of the Early Pacific War During the first, difficult months of the Pacific conflict, American submarines represented the only formidable offensive weapon available to the Asiatic Fleet. Starting the war with 29 boats, the fleet was a mix of smaller, outdated vessels and newer fleet subs. The underwater craft were as prepared as could be for combat, having had trained under wartime conditions for several weeks prior to the start of hostilities. Story continues With the loss of the Philippines, the submarines were forced to operate from meager facilities. Supplies and spare parts were limited, with many of the latter having been lost during the Cavite raid. Several submarine tenders provided a moving base that shifted among various locations, sometimes staying just ahead of the Japanese. The U.S. submarine force in the Pacific was mostly deployed with the aim of stopping Japanese invasion fleets, and December 1941 found many of the subs roaming the waters around the Philippines. The force then shifted south, eventually setting up camp in Australia. In early 1942, the boats conducted a variety of operations. Many were arrayed in the defense of the Netherlands East Indies, while some were called upon for special missions to the American fortress island of Corregidor near Manila Bay. During these early operations, Asiatic submarines both sustained losses and sank some enemy shipping. In the first four months of hostilities, the Sealion, Shark, and Perch were lost to enemy action, while the S-36 ran aground and was scuttled. During the same timeframe, the submarines were credited with sinking 10 Japanese ships. The Seawolf Lieutenant Commander Fred Warder and his submarine Seawolf (SS-197) were in the thick of action from the start of the Pacific War. Warder had been with the boat since he put her into commission on December 1, 1939, at the Portsmouth, New Hampshire, Navy Yard. Displacing 2,350 tons, Seawolf was the last of the four Sargo-class vessels to be completed. Warders boat had a crew of approximately 55 officers and enlisted men, stretched 311 feet, and could make 20 knots on the surface and just under nine submerged. She carried 24 torpedoes; four torpedo tubes pointed forward and an equal number were at the stern. After a workup in the Atlantic and Caribbean, the vessel reported to San Diego to become part of the Pacific Fleet. In the fall of 1940, Seawolf was assigned to the Asiatic Fleet and traveled west to Manila, where she was in port when the war started. Warder hastily put to sea on December 8, leaving the harbor before Japanese planes plastered Cavite two days later. On his first war patrol, Warder took his boat into the waters off the northeast coast of the Philippines but came up empty after spending 18 days at sea, in spite of a daring attack on a Japanese ship in Aparri Harbor on the northern coast of Luzon. Warder then left the Philippines on December 31 bound for Australia. Considered the submarines second war patrol, no enemy ships were sighted during the voyage. Seawolfs third war patrol was a special mission. She pulled out of Darwin on January 16 loaded with .50-caliber machine-gun ammunition bound for Corregidor. While en route she came across a Japanese convoy but could not gain a favorable firing position because of foul weather. She arrived at the embattled island on January 27 and promptly discharged her cargo. She took aboard 16 torpedoes, an assortment of submarine spare parts, and 25 passengers for the trip out. Warder was not going back to Australia but instead set a course for Surabaya, Java. The Battle of Java Sea The mid-afternoon of February 15 found Seawolf once again underway. Slowly moving on the surface out of Surabaya, the submarine was joined by a patrol vessel that guided her through nearby minefields. By 5:00 pm, the submarine was proceeding alone in a northerly direction at 17 knots on her fourth war patrol. Most of the voyage was spent in the waters around Java, where the American submarine fleet was again being called on to try to slow approaching Japanese invasion forces. On February 19, Seawolf crossed paths with Japanese ships near the island of Bali, directly east of Java. Warder maneuvered his boat to attack and fired torpedoes at two transports. He scored no hits, but underwent a harsh depth charging for his effort. Seawolf again found Japanese ships near Bali on February 25 in the Badung Strait. Her skipper fired torpedoes at a transport and destroyer; he reported seeing one torpedo squarely hit the transport, and the sonar operator reported two explosions on the destroyer. Warder rigged for a depth charging, believing that he sank one or both enemy vessels. Postwar records, however, report no Japanese ships sunk during this encounter. In spite of his skill and determination, Fred Warder so far had no results to show for his efforts. The American submarine forces effort to forestall the Japanese invasion of Java had failed and, during the last days of February, Allied surface ships were defeated in the Battle of Java Sea. The Japanese began to land troops on the island almost immediately. Twelve American submarines remained in the area to do whatever damage possible to Japanese shipping. Seawolf and Pike (SS-173) were directed to patrol south of Java in search of Japanese carriers thought to be operating in the area. Neither submarine was able to find the enemy flattops. The Imminent Invasion of Christmas Island By late March, Warder and Seawolf were nearing the end of their long patrol, and just in time, too, for the arduous voyage was beginning to take its toll on the crew. Many of the sailors had not seen topside for much of the patrol. Nerves were frayed and tempers stretched. With supplies of cigarettes running low, some of the men resorted to smoking coffee grounds wrapped in toilet paper. Warder was to have one more encounter with the enemy. On March 14, 1942, Japanese Imperial General Headquarters issued orders for the occupation of Christmas Island. Situated almost 200 miles straight south of the west end of Java, the tiny landmass in the Indian Ocean was under British control. The island was rich in phosphates, a much-needed material for the Japanese war machine. In the last days of March, a small force of Japanese ships set sail from Bantam Bay, Java, on a course for Christmas Island. The fleet consisted of three light cruisers, eight destroyers, an oiler, and two transports. Embarked on the latter were the 850 troops of the occupation force. Flying his flag on the light cruiser Naka, Rear Admiral Shoji Nishimura was in command of the operation. Another American submarine had picked up the Japanese invasion fleet and radioed a contact report while Seawolf was operating near Sunda Strait off the west end of Java. Late in the day on March 27, Warder received a coded message directing him to proceed to Christmas Island and then return to port in Australia. Surfaced at the time for a nighttime battery recharge and running on diesel power, Warder increased speed to 14 knots and began the journey south. The submarine stayed on the surface for speed until just after 6:00 am when she dove and ran at periscope depth for the balance of the day. During the journey, Warder studied his navigation charts of the area, plotting possible routes that the Japanese might use to close on the island. Seawolf returned to the surface early in the evening. At exactly midnight, after traveling 190 miles that day, lookouts spotted Christmas Island 25 miles off the starboard bow. Fred Warders submarine and Admiral Nishimuras ships were on a collision course. Seawolf cautiously approached Christmas Island during the first hour of March 29. Commenced steering various courses to round island to starboard at eight miles, Warder later wrote in his log. Sky is overcast, but moon is providing excellent visibility. The skipper wanted to carefully look over the island to determine whether or not it was still in friendly hands and to check for possible Japanese landing sites. A Target-Rich Environment At 6:18 am, Seawolf dove to periscope depth near the northwest point of the island. The next area to be reconnoitered was Flying Fish Cove, a small inlet positioned on the north side of the island. It was here that Warder spotted a ship that appeared to be partially sunk. Peering through the periscope, he could make out a gray hull and yellow smoke stack on the vessel. He estimated the ship at 8,000 tons. Warder nosed the submarine closer, eventually closing to about three miles off the entrance of the cove. No other shipping in cove, Warder noted. No activity apparent in settlement or on dock. Seawolf pulled back and ventured to the southern part of the island. At 2:15 pm on March 30, a large seaplane was sighted flying over the northern part of the island at an altitude of about 1,500 feet. Whether it was friend or foe was not known. The plane apparently did not see the submerged submarine. After spending the day submerged and carefully surveying the island, Warder brought his submarine to the surface just before 8:00 pm. There was no sign of the Japanese. I have now decided that [Flying Fish] Cove is only practical place for landing attempt, he concluded. Other possibilities are impractical due to deep water close to shore, cliffs and rocks, wooded banks, heavy swells, and small landing areas. The skipper decided to patrol along an 11-mile-long line that was 61/2 miles off the entrance to the cove. Although an occasional light rain squall passed through the area, the night was mostly well illuminated by moonlight, providing good conditions for the lookouts. Warder felt it was a perfect position to intercept any Japanese ships that might be approaching the island. His hunch would soon be proven right. Just after 6:00 am on March 31, Seawolf, still on the surface from her evening battery charge, slowly came to a stop. Listening intently, the sonar man reported enemy ships pinging somewhere off the port side. Warder had just ordered Seawolf to submerge when a searchlight suddenly appeared off the starboard beam. The sonar man soon reported pinging in all directions and then the sound of a ships screws approaching fasta single Japanese destroyer was bearing down on the submarine from 3,000 yards away. Warder commenced evasive maneuvers and ordered the vessel down to 200 feet; two depth charges exploded as the submarine dove. A few minutes later, a determined string of 10 depth charges exploded with a thunderous roar. Thankfully, the underwater barrage was briefonly about half an hour. Just before 7:00 am the next day, Warder ordered periscope depth so that he could take a look. He found the sea loaded with Japanese shipsa target-rich environment. Scanning the area, Warder found a destroyer about 6,000 yards away, two transports about 8,000 yards off the port side, and a light cruiser 7,000 yards in the same direction. A second light cruiser was slightly farther away to starboard. As fast as Warder yelled out the bearing of each sighting, a young ensign worked hectically to write down all of the contact information. As the morning progressed, Warder eventually sighted all three of the Japanese light cruisers, four destroyers, and the two transports. Using the silhouettes in his identification book, Warder noted that two of the light cruisers were of the Natori type, while the other one looked to be of the Jintsu class. There was no question that the Japanese invasion was well under way. Perfect Conditions For an Attack Warder decided to head first for the cruiser on the port side. These birds are all just milling around except the APs [transports] are headed for the cove and are too far west of me to get at them, he recalled. A short time later he changed course to see if he could catch one of the transports. It doesnt look like we can get him, he quickly determined. Focus then shifted back to the cruisers, which seemed to be patrolling off the entrance of the cove. Carefully studying the enemy vessels, Warder noted that all of their seaplane catapults were empty; the seaplanes were apparently off supporting the landing operation. He noted the long clipper bow with a chrysanthemum or flaming-sun figurehead on the Jintsu-class cruiser. Based on the number of messages that were being flashed to other ships, the vessel appeared to be the flagship. Warders identification and assumptions were correct: the Jintsu-class cruiser was in fact Admiral Nishimuras flagship Naka. When Seawolf increased speed to close on the cruiser, it turned away, so Warder decided to edge closer to the entrance of the cove. There were now four ships, two destroyers, and two light cruisers, all pinging at once; apparently the Japanese could not find the submarine. Surface of water is nicely rumpled, with occasional whitecaps, Warder wrote of the ideal conditions to hide his periscope. In the minutes before 8:00 am, two distant explosions were heard and two seaplanes were spotted flying over the cove. Warder temporarily submerged to 120 feet to move closer to the cove before again coming up to periscope depth. Over the course of the next hour, Seawolf silently stalked the Naka, occasionally repositioning after the cruiser turned away from the submarine on several occasions. The Seawolfs Attack Shortly before 9:00 am, it was finally time for the Seawolf to attack. The speed of the submarine slowed to 21/2 knots as Warder made a final observation through the periscope. He noted that the target was 1,400 yards away and moving at a speed of 15 knots. It looked as if the Naka was slowly turning toward him, so Warder gave the order to open the outer torpedo doors. Manning the firing controls, Henry Bringelman chimed up to say that everything was ready on his end. At exactly 8:48 am, four torpedoes left the forward tubes of Seawolf in a firing sequence that lasted exactly one minute. Set to run at a depth of 10 feet, the fish were aimed at the cruisers bow, stern, foremast, and mainmast. Warder took one last look before going deep. I can [sic] see smoke from torpedo tracks drifting across field of vision, he later wrote of the moment. Observed men to be running and shouting on cruiser quarterdeck and measured range as 700 yards. Seawolf increased to full speed, turned sharply to the right, and began a plunge down to 120 feet. All the submariners could now do was wait to hear the results of their attack and brace themselves for the enemys response. It seemed like a year to me, Warder wrote of the waiting. The commanding officer soon clearly heard an explosion. A number of people insist there were two explosions. I only heard one. The propeller noises from the cruiser seemed to stop. Seawolfs crew believed that they bagged a good target. However, postwar analysis does not support any Japanese ships being damaged or sunk in the area on that particular day. It is possible that the torpedoes may have malfunctioned or exploded prematurely. Were Going to Have One Helluva Time Within a few minutes of diving, there was a string of eight nearby explosions thought to be depth charges, prompting Warder to take the boat down to 200 feet. As he descended the ladder from the conning tower into the control room, the hatch was closed and tightly sealed above him. But the dive did not go without problems. Couldnt open flood valve against sea pressure, he logged. Shifting to hand power, crewmen were able to open the valve, but blew a gasket in the process. It did not bode well for what was certain to be a determined Japanese counterattack. Were going to have one helluva time, predicted Warder. A ship moving at high speed was heard to approach the submarine from the starboard beam. At almost the same time the sonar operator reported a series of minor, distant explosions. Five more depth charges then went off some distance away. A minute later, seven more exploded much closer off the stern. The enemy was getting the range. For the next 71/2 hours, a cat-and-mouse game ensued. Every time a pump runs, they come in on us, Warder lamented about the subs inability to hide. We pump until somebody starts for us; then we stop. Trim pump makes an awful racket, due to air-binding and high discharge pressure. With each explosion, Seawolf shook and shuttered, sending cork and paint chips sailing through the stale interior air. Occasionally the lights dimmed. Chief Radioman Joseph Eckberg sat in the radio shack listening as the depth charges came closer and closer off the starboard side. He thought it was impossible that one would not be a direct hit. The heavy pounding totaled 25 depth charges. The submarine survived, but the depth charging started to take a toll on Seawolf. Among the first problems was an engine lube oil cooler that went out. Saltwater is slowly filling the engine sumps due to leaky overboard circulating water valves, Warder reported. Two gyro repeaters went out; radio transmitter went haywire; value wheels flew around the engine rooms. Cable tubes in the conning tower were beginning to leak as did one of the stern torpedo tubes, and the crew worked hard to keep the damage from causing even further problems. Everybody carried bilge water to sanitary tanks to keep electrical machinery from being damaged, Warder recalled. The submarine slowly turned to the northwest, away from the ships above. Recuperation During the mid-afternoon hours, Seawolf appeared to have successfully slipped away from her Japanese hunters. Warder, however, remained very cautious. He alternated between staying deep and coming up to periscope depth for a quick look. A scan just after 3:00 pm found no Japanese ships in the immediate area. Rain was spotted forming to the west of Christmas Island and a squall or cloud of smoke seemed to be hovering over Flying Fish Cove. At 7:49 pm, Seawolf surfaced to begin her nightly battery charge. Once topside, the crew found the deck shelter light burning. It was quickly disconnected and would remain so for the remainder of the voyage. The ships bell was also found to be broken, perhaps a casualty of the depth charging. Warder, unsure if the Japanese were still in the area, transmitted a contact report and then pointed the ship east to pass north of the island. He noted, Decided to obtain a position ten miles east of Christmas by 5:00 am so as to approach it in the moons shadow and dive just behind Northeast Point about 6:00 am for a look around in the cove. Later that evening, Seawolf crash-dived when a lookout sighted two torpedo tracks approaching the starboard side. The sonar operator, however, was unable to pick up any accompanying noises, so it is probable that there were no actual torpedoes. I had observed similar phenomenons [sic] the night before in this general area; definite streaks of refuse material probably washed off the island by the spring tide and drifting to the northwest in the prevailing current, Warder concluded. About half an hour before midnight, Seawolf received a congratulatory radio message from headquarters for the good days work. It helped a lot, Warder recalled. We were feeling pretty well beaten down, so we put it on the bulletin board. He attached a handwritten note personally thanking the crew for their hard work and devotion, also adding that he hoped to be with them on the next patrol. The skipper had just drifted to sleep when the officer of the deck announced that a ship had been sighted about 10 miles away off the northern coast of the island. After intently studying the vessel through a powerful telescope, the officer of the deck concluded that it was an Asasio-type destroyer. Seawolf drifted to a halt as lookouts kept a careful eye on the enemy vessel that eventually turned away. A later sighting of a light cruiser convinced Warder to modify his original plan. He would now move 20 miles east of the island and attack the Japanese ships in the afternoon. Another Attack by the Seawolf However, the submarine was running low on torpedoes. Only one torpedo remained forward, but it had an air leak that amounted to 500 pounds per day and had previously been taken out of the tube as a safety precaution. We have five torpedoes remaining aft which are in good shape, we think, Warder noted, hopefully. With plenty of targets in the area, he would have to make his last shots count. The plan for an afternoon attack was abandoned when Seawolf encountered the silhouette of a light cruiser at 3:35 am. Ship sighted is slowly circling, Warder wrote in the log. The Japanese warship appeared to be unaware of the surfaced submarine. About half an hour after the initial sighting, the vessel began a slow turn that put it on a heading directly toward Seawolf. The range at the time of sighting was about 6,000 yards, but the ship was closing at a speed of about 11 knots. Warder took his boat to periscope depth and began maneuvering for a stern shot. He identified the target as a Natori-class light cruiser, making it either the Natori or Nagara. After more than half an hour of maneuvering, Warder was satisfied that he had a good firing set up. When the range to the target ship was down to about 1,700 yards, a spread of three torpedoes left Seawolfs stern tubes. Set to run at a depth of 10 feet, the three underwater missiles streaked toward the unsuspecting cruiser. A terrific explosion shook the sub after only a minute. Staying at the periscope, Warder strained to the see the results of his attack in the dark. Moon is obscured and observation becoming more difficult, he reported. I did not see him use his searchlight, nor did I see flames. He did, however, see what appeared to be heavy, black smoke. Warder believed Seawolf was making the Japanese invasion of Christmas Island a costly undertaking. The speed of the light cruiser seemed to be slowing and her screws were thought to have stopped. At the same time that the warship disappeared from sight, sonar reported high-speed screws. Another light cruiser soon came into sight. This is other Natori, which has come out from Northeast Point, Warder concluded. The sonar man estimated her speed at 30 knots. Only one torpedo was loaded in the stern tubes; the other remaining torpedo aft was not able to be made ready to fire due to a problematic angle setter. With the target zigzagging at high speed and unable to fire a spread, Warder decided not to attack. He ordered the boat down to 150 feet as four depth charges exploded at some distance. The sound man reported many screws and three ships pinging, but none were close. The deep dive did not last long; Warder brought Seawolf back to periscope depth and caught a fleeting glimpse of the light cruiser disappearing over the horizon. No other ships were visible. The crew secured from battle stations just as the morning light began to show. For a second time in two days, the crew of the Seawolf had executed a daring attack against an enemy warship, and Lt. Cmdr. Warder once again believed that he had seriously damaged or sunk a light cruiser. Postwar analysis, however, again did not record any Japanese ship being damaged or sunk at that time or place. Striking the Naka Seawolf spent the bulk of April 1 stalking various targets. Throughout the day Warder kept a careful eye on the two light cruisers and four destroyers that occasionally came into view, even noting the comings and goings of the cruisers floatplanes. He was, however, unable to gain a favorable attack position for most of the daytime hours. As we would close one of them for attack, they would move somewhere else, he recalled. It was most maddening. Flying Fish Cove remained the center of enemy activity. By late afternoon, it looked as though the Japanese were getting ready to leave the area; apparently the landings had been a success. The two transports were building up steam in the cove in preparation for departure and many of the Japanese warships were making wide sweeps of the area. Warder decided to focus on Nishimuras flagship, the Naka. He was convinced that he was attacking a different light cruiser than the one he had hit the day before. To aid in his analysis, he pulled out and studied the 1939 edition of Janes Fighting Ships. It noted that not all of the Jintsu-class cruisers had clipper bows. When periscope went up for firing observation, I had the feeling there was something vastly different about the bow, Warder wrote. At no time during approach did I comment on the figurehead which yesterdays Jintsu possessed; nor did it ever come to my observation. On the day preceding, this figurehead distracted me at every observation. When four destroyers took up a rectangular formation around the light cruiser, Seawolfs skipper knew it was time for an attack. All four destroyers were pinging, trying to locate any nearby enemy submarines, a final sweep before the departure of the transports. Seawolf turned to bring her stern tubes to bear. At the same time the Naka made an unexpected zig toward the submarine. This is where he made his mistake, Warder said of the firing setup. At 5:02 pm, the last two aft torpedoes left the stern tubes of Seawolf. Given the four nearby destroyers, Warder was not taking any chances. He immediately ordered a turn to starboard to make a getaway and a depth of 200 feet. A violent explosion was heard as the submarine started her descent, sounding as if one of the torpedoes had found its mark. Sound did not hear this fellows propellers again and I feel sure we got him, Warder concluded. Judging by rapidity with which Natori sank this morning I do not think these [light cruisers] can take much. Seawolfs efforts had finally paid off. An observer in a nearby Japanese destroyer saw a torpedo track racing toward the Naka. He then saw the light cruiser make a sharp turn, but it was too late. A single torpedo slammed into the starboard side of the flagship. The Japanese Pursuit The Japanese were not going to take the attack lightly. Some secondary explosions, presumably from the torpedo hits, were heard as the submarine tried to silently escape to the west. The men of the Seawolf were in for a long evening. They gave us hell until near midnight, Warder later wrote of the night. The depth charging started with three explosions, at a safe distance, that occurred at the same time the torpedoes were heard to hit the Naka. Trapped together in the Seawolfs seven compartments, crewmen braced for the worst. The air was stale and foul. When the air conditioning was turned off to reduce noise, the heat and humidity became almost unbearable. Crewmen and machinery alike dripped with sweat. Many sailors could do nothing more than sprawl out on their bunks and wait. The nauseating stench was only getting worse. People seemed to be moving in slow motion. Chief Pharmacists Mate Frank Loaiza passed out saline tablets, but they did not seem to help. Finally, the misery ended. With the last depth charge having fallen an hour earlier, Warder believed that he had given the Japanese the slip and ordered periscope depth at 7:00 pm. But something went terribly wrong during the ascent. The forward trim tank had been incorrectly adjusted and, instead of a gentle rise, the submarine suddenly started shooting up to the surface. The top of the submarines conning tower broke the surface, creating a very visible spray of water; Seawolf was broaching. Warder immediately ordered an emergency dive and the boat began to descend, but not before attracting the enemys attention. The Japanese seemed to be right on top of the sub. The first of a string of depth charges detonated at 7:33 pm. The explosions were closetoo close for comfort. With Seawolf rapidly plunging to 200 feet, most of the remaining 18 depth charges were ineffective. However, battery power started to run dangerously low, so the submarine had to get away from her pursuersand fast. We stopped everything except the gyro and an IC motor generator early in the evening, Warder remembered. What walking was done was done quietly; talking was only in whispers. If the submarine could not make it to the surface for charging soon, the crew might never see the light of day again. It sounded as if the main body of the Japanese fleet had moved out of the area, leaving one destroyer behind to keep the submarine down. A sleeper stayed right over us, whom we couldnt even hear in our sound gear, but he was listening to us. Every now and then he would drop one to four [depth charges] from a Y gun, putting on no speed whatsoever. Moving at a low rate of speed, Seawolf slipped away from her stalker. There was not enough battery left for any more use of speed so we can only thank God for getting away. Good management on my part had nothing to do with it, Warder confessed. The sound of a ship pinging somewhere off the starboard quarter could still be heard when Seawolf went to periscope depth just after 10:00 pm. A scan of the area, however, showed no ships. Out of functioning torpedoes and with his crew near exhaustion, Lt. Cmdr. Warder set a course for Fremantle, Australia. At half past midnight, Seawolf surfaced and headed west at full speed, making the much-needed battery recharge along the way. Defeat on Christmas Island The Battle of Christmas Island was over. The Japanese invasion was unopposed on land as the small garrison made up of mostly Indian soldiers surrendered almost immediately. A U.S. Navy communique issued on April 4, 1942, told of an American submarine sinking a Japanese light cruiser near the island and most likely sending a second one to the bottom. Although hit by only one torpedo, the flagship Naka sustained serious damage. She was towed by the Natori back to Java before proceeding under her own power to Singapore for temporary repairs. The light cruiser eventually traveled back to Japan for permanent repairs before returning to the war zone in 1943, only to be sunk by American carrier-based aircraft near Truk on February 18, 1944. Although he survived Seawolfs attack on Naka, Admiral Nishimura would die during the Battle of Leyte Gulf. The fact that a larger score eluded Fred Warder and his men off Christmas Island was not due to a lack of daring leadership and hard work. Perhaps a victim of faulty torpedoesa chronic problem during the early years of the warWarder went on to complete seven war patrols with the Seawolf before being sent to command the U.S. Navys submarine school in New London, Connecticut. He earned the reputation of being a skilled and courageous submariner. Postwar records credit him with sinking six Japanese warships. He eventually attained the rank of admiral. Seawolf was not so lucky. She completed 14 war patrols, sinking 27 and damaging 13 enemy ships, accounting for a total of 108,600 tons sunk and 69,600 tons of ships damaged. But, on September 21, 1944, with Lt. Cmdr. A.L. Bontier in command, she left Brisbane, Australia, on her 15th war patrol, making a brief stop at Manus Island to pick up supplies and Army personnel for delivery to Samar. On October 3, Seawolf exchanged signals with the submarine Narwhal and was never heard from again. It is probable that Seawolf was mistakenly sunk near Morotai Island on October 3 by an American destroyer escort and aircraft that were hunting for a Japanese submarine thought to be in the area. The entire crew of 79, and the 17 Army personnel, were lost with the boat. As the Navys Silent Service tribute says, Seawolf remains at sea on eternal patrol. The heroism of the brave men who served aboard herand the more than 3,300 submariners who perished during the waris untarnished by the passage of time. This article originally appeared on the Warfare History Network. Image: Wikimedia 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 Click here to read the full article. President Trump speaks Friday night at Mt. Rushmore in South Dakota. (Alex Brandon / Associated Press) President Trump used an elaborate fireworks display and Air Force One flyover at Mt. Rushmore on Friday night to rally his base, ushering in Fourth of July celebrations a day early with accusations that a "new far-left fascism" is part of a merciless campaign to wipe out our history. The combative address in South Dakota, using one of the more dramatic and historical backdrops of his presidency, came as Trump trails badly behind Joe Biden in public opinion polls amid a rapidly spreading pandemic, high unemployment and a national reexamination of the role of racism in American history, policing and culture. Trump has indicated repeatedly sometimes employing racist rhetoric or dog whistles that he believes his best hope at victory lies in rallying his largely white voting base around the idea that demands for change amount to an attack on American values and culture. In Friday's speech, he aimed exclusively at those voters, making few concessions to the usual July Fourth traditions of national unity. "Make no mistake," Trump told several thousand people, packed tightly into the amphitheater near the monument, mostly without masks, chanting "USA" as they cheered him on, "this left-wing cultural revolution is designed to overthrow the American Revolution." The goal of the opposition, he said, "is not a better America. Their goal is to end America. "They," he said, without ever specifying who he meant were infiltrating American institutions, including schools, indoctrinating school children to hate their country. Although he made a point of lauding the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and other Black figures, he focused on the nation's founders, calling the American Revolution "the culmination of thousands of years of Western civilization," emphasizing the country's links to European culture. They think the American people are weak and soft and submissive," Trump said of his unnamed critics. "But no, the American people are strong and proud, and they will never allow our history and culture to be taken from them. Story continues Trump repeatedly promised to defend historical monuments and statues, but avoided any mention of the statues that have been the focus of the most debate those of Confederate leaders, which he has called for preserving, even as cities and states take steps to remove them. Whether Trump's denunciations of "cancel culture" and his vows to protect American statues and monuments will connect with a wider group of voters is questionable. He largely avoided talking about topics that voters say are at the top of their concerns, such as the rapidly spreading coronavirus. But as Trump spoke, his campaign confirmed that Kimberly Guilfoyle, a top campaign surrogate and Donald Trump Jr.'s girlfriend, had tested positive for the virus. The campaign said Donald Jr. had tested negative. Neither of them were in attendance after cancelling public events. Trump's speech was consistent with his response to Black Lives Matter protests around the country. He has emphasized a "law and order" message that casts demonstrators as violent and lawless. The speech at Mt. Rushmore was heavy on all of those themes, promising to crack down on protesters and echoing many of his campaign addresses with an affirmation of gun rights, a call against abortions and appeals to God and the flag. Trump's focus on the culture wars has baffled even some strategists in his own party. Not only are the pandemic and its economic effects upending American life, but polls also show that an increasing number of Americans of all races are eager to confront racism, a reality reflected in the number of large corporations that have embraced at least some of the Black Lives Matter message. A notable example came Friday just a few miles from the White House as the Washington Redskins announced that after decades of criticism, the team would review its name after new pressure from Fedex, which holds the naming rights to its stadium, and Nike, which stopped selling team apparel on Thursday. Trump has voiced his opposition to a name change for years and has been eager in recent weeks to fight those he calls "politically correct," a motivating force in his 2016 victory. He has spoken repeatedly against removing Confederate monuments and threatened Tuesday to veto a $740-billion defense bill if it included a provision to remove the names of Confederate leaders from 10 military bases. In leveling the veto threat over Twitter, he used one of his favorite slurs, "Pocahontas," to refer to the provision's Democratic sponsor, Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren. The location of Trump's speech added to his defiant message. Federal officials stopped holding Fourth of July fireworks at Mt. Rushmore 11 years ago out of concern for the fragile environment and the risk of wildfires in the Black Hills. In addition to those environmental concerns, public health officials in his own administration have cautioned against mass gatherings like this one, which came roughly two weeks after Trump held a rally in Tulsa, Okla., that raised similar concerns, despite attendance numbers that failed to live up to his campaign's expectations. The announced crowd of 7,500 at Mt. Rushmore came from around the country, Republican Gov. Kristi Noem said as she introduced Trump. Trump seemed most eager to confront the budding movement on the left to reconsider the Mt. Rushmore monument itself, which memorializes presidents Washington, Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Lincoln. Historians have pointed not only to Washington's and Jefferson's status as slaveholders, but also to the racist and anti-Semitic past of the monument's creator, Gutzon Borglum. Several tribal leaders and members also protested Trump's visit to the monument, which sits on land that they view as sacred and stolen. Even among critics of the monument and its creator, there's little support for the idea of removing the iconic sculpture. But the attention from some scholars and activists gave Trump an opening to cast his opponents as enemies of the country's most respected presidents. I am here as your president to proclaim before the country, before the world: This monument will never be desecrated," he said to loud cheers. "These heroes will never be disgraced. Their legacy will never ever be destroyed. Istanbuls Hagia Sophia site has stood as empires rose and fell around it, as rulers and statesmen came and went, as creeds flourished and withered. Now the 1,500-year-old former cathedral and then mosque is at the center of a modern struggle between Turkeys secular roots and its presidents Islamist aspirations. The battle over who, if anybody, can pray in the UNESCO World Heritage site reflects a larger one playing out across a society split between secularism and religious conservatism. On Thursday, Turkeys Council of State heard arguments by lawyers for the Association for the Protection of Historic Monuments and the Environment, a group asking for the Hagia Sophia to be reverted from a museum to a mosque. The association is pressing for an annulment of the 1935 decision that turned the iconic structure into a museum, where religious services or group prayers would not be held. A decision is expected within two weeks. If the court decides in the NGOs favor, it will be the latest in a long line of twists and turns for Hagia Sophia, which has long dominated Istanbuls skyline, a symbol of the citys status as a bridge between the East and the West, and the Muslim and the Christian worlds. Constructed as a church, after it was completed in 537 the Hagia Sophia was immediately central to early Christianity and its vast cathedral dome was hailed as a marvel. In 1453, when the Ottomans conquered the city previously known as Constantinople, it became a mosque. Fast forward some 500 years and it was converted into a museum soon after the foundation of modern and secular Turkey. Image: Byzantine-era monument of Hagia Sophia or Ayasofya is seen in Istanbul (Murad Sezer / Reuters) Today, it is one of the countrys most popular attractions, with millions visiting every year. But Turkeys hardline Islamist President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has set his sights on the building. In a campaign speech ahead of local elections last year, he said it had been a very big mistake to turn it into a museum. Ziya Meral, a member of Turkeys Christian community believed to number around 100,000, says that turning it into a mosque and allowing only Muslims to pray would feel exclusivist. Story continues For Meral, it is the buildings mixture of its Christian roots and Arabic scriptures that holds extraordinary meaning for all Turks. Whenever I went into Hagia Sophia, I always felt like I was stepping into history or a heritage in this land that I related to, Meral, who is a senior associate fellow at the London-based Royal United Services Institute, said during a phone interview. But Im also stepping into a synthetism of culture that I carry within my body, within my life habits, within my world view, that somehow that sacred space brings it all together. Hagia Sophias mixture of religions and societies is what made it so symbolic for Turkey, a country that has wrestled with being both predominantly Muslim but was founded in the early 20th century on secular beliefs of separating religion and state. The move has caught the attention of many abroad, including in the United States. We urge the government of Turkey to continue to maintain the Hagia Sophia as a museum, as an exemplar of its commitment to respect Turkeys diverse faith traditions and history, and to ensure it remains accessible to all, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said recently. In spite of pressure from longtime allies like the U.S., Erdogan and his Justice and Development Party, or AK Party, have insistently pushed the balance ever more in favor of religion in Turkey. He has worked to make mosques even more part of public life than what Turkish history has already provided. One of the most controversial is still under construction in the citys central square which served as the center of anti-government protests in 2013. Erdogan, and the Turkish association in the court case, certainly have supporters. Onur Erim, a Muslim Turk who heads a consulting firm in Istanbul, is in favor of bringing Muslim prayers back into Hagia Sophia and said he would go to pray there himself. He believed that despite the building being a museum, it is also still a mosque -- just one that does not hold Muslim prayers. Image: People visit the Byzantine-era Hagia Sophia, one of Istanbul's main tourist attractions in the historic Sultanahmet district of Istanbul (Emrah Gurel / AP) As such, he did not think much would needed to be done if a court decision allowed for Muslim prayers to return, but some analysts have suggested that curtains could be used to cover precious Byzantine Christian mosaics and other art. He said, over a phone call, that from his understanding, the Quran does not allow for a building to serve as both a church and a mosque. When you conquer some place thats it, you get all the rights to it, said Erim, who worked for the former AK Party mayor of the capital Ankara. To me, opening up the Hagia Sophia mosque is a big issue. It goes beyond the AK Party, it goes beyond Erdogan, it goes beyond any party in Turkey or any kind of political viewpoint. In response Meral said that Istanbul had been conquered and "there's nothing for Turks to prove about the strength of their country, the strength of their defense, their military and their position in the region." However, there may be more than religious devotion behind the move to convert it into a mosque, says Berk Esen, an assistant professor of international relations at Bilkent University in the capital Ankara. For one thing, the debate diverts attention from more pressing concerns for many Turks, such as the rising unemployment amid a pandemic in a country with one of the largest outbreaks in its region. Going against the wishes of Western leaders, like Pompeo, and pushing such a cultural wedge issue could also allow Erdogan to build on his populist, conservative image, but it would not gain him many voters, Esen argued. Erdogan is increasingly coming across as a leader whos out of touch with contemporary times, with contemporary issues, Esen said during a phone interview. For Meral, the mere politicization of Hagia Sophia is what he said saddens him. It captures a unique history, why pull that into politics? he said. Does this actually add something? Activists and members of different tribes from the region block the road to the Mount Rushmore National Monument as they protest in Keystone, South Dakota on July 3, 2020. ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty In the hours leading up to President Trump's speech at Mount Rushmore Friday night, a group of protesters blocked the road to the national monument. The protesters were mainly comprised of Native Americans, angered at the staging of the political event in an area sacred to them. The Supreme Court ruled in 1980 that the Black Hills where Mount Rushmore resides was unlawfully taken from the Sioux people. Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. A group of mainly Native American protesters blocked the road leading up to Mount Rushmore for three hours before President Donald Trump gave a speech at the national monument Friday night. Related: The rise and fall of Donald Trump's $365 million airline When they refused to disband, the protesters faced off with the South Dakota National Guard, which shot close-range shells at their feet and sprayed some protesters with pepper spray, according to the Sioux Falls Argus Leader. By 7 p.m., 15 protesters who refused to leave the road had been arrested. Protesters face off with the South Dakota National Guard near Mount Rushmore on Friday July 3, 2020. ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Trump went on to give a divisive speech at Mount Rushmore, saying the country was under siege by "far-left" fascists waging "a merciless campaign to wipe out our history, defame our heroes, erase our values and indoctrinate our children." The Black Hills, where Mount Rushmore is located, is a sacred area for local Native Americans, and a contested space. The Supreme Court in 1980 ruled that the United States had illegally taken the land from the Sioux tribe in a deal brokered in 1873. The Mount Rushmore carvings were completed in 1941. Photos from the scene show some protesters suffering from pepper spray to the eyes. ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Jeff Ostler, a historian at the University of Oregon, told ABC News that the federal government had offered the Sioux people a settlement of $1 billion for taking the land. The tribe has refused, saying they will only accept their land back. Some of the protesters on Friday held signs reading "Protect SoDak's First People," "You Are On Stolen Land," and "Dismantle White Supremacy," according to the Associated Press. Story continues Hehakaho Waste, a spiritual elder with the Oglala Sioux tribe, told the AP: "The president needs to open his eyes. We're people, too, and it was our land first." A total of 15 people were arrested after refusing to leave the road. ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Read the original article on Business Insider Click here to read the full article. On July 28, 1943, Luftwaffe Oberleutnant Erwin Clausen shot down another two B-17 Flying Fortresses to add to the two he had shot down the previous day. There were 15 other Focke-Wulf FW-190 pilots that claimed downing a bomber in defense of the aircraft works at Kassel and Oschersleben. It is believed that this was the first time that the Luftwaffes single-engined fighters had been able to employ under-wing rockets against the American bombers. The following day, as 15 groups of B-17s attacked targets on the Baltic coast, it was the weather that provided the best cover for the bombers. The Luftwaffe response was relatively weak with only four Jagdgruppen FW-190s sent up to oppose the bomber force. The Focke-Wulf group was credited with four of the 12 claimed to have been shot down, which agreed with what the Americans stated they had lost. The next day the B-17s were headed for a second strike against the aircraft factories in Kassel. On this occasion, the Luftwaffe reacted stronger than before. Among the planes sent up, there were at least five Focke-Wulf FW-190 units. The Focke-Wulfs of Jagdgeschwader 1 did not engage the bombers until after they had left the target area and were about to recross into Dutch territory. At that point, they would be under the protection of Allied fighters that would escort them back to the United Kingdom. Despite this development, the pilots of JG1 were able to claim six B-17s and two enemy fighters destroyed. The successes came at a high price: the loss of seven aircraft. Among the pilots killed were two Staffelkapitane and the campaigns then-leading FW-190 four-engine bomber ace, Oberfeldwebel Hans Laun of 1.JG 1, who was shot down near Arnhem, Netherlands. The Focke-Wulf FW-190 was widely believed to be the best fighter aircraft of World War II. As the war went on the FW-190 was manufactured in no fewer than 40 different models. The appearance of the new aircraft over France in 1941 was a rude surprise to the Allied air forces. The FW-190 was in service for the entire war, replacing a number of other aircraft including the Junkers Ju-87 Stuka dive bomber. Possibly the planes biggest influence on the Allies was that it served to spur on greater advances in technology and aircraft design to counter the threat of the FW-190. Story continues The Focke-Wulf FW-190 not only was a superb daytime fighter but was also used extensively as a night fighter, interceptor, and ground attack aircraft on the Eastern, Western, and Italian Fronts. The introduction of the FW-190 changed the capability of the Luftwaffes combat operations. This was especially the case with the introduction of the FW-190D in 1944. This new model offered superior handling with a top speed of more than 400 miles per hour. During the first two years of World War II, the Messerschmitt Me-109 was the preeminent German fighter plane, there was simply nothing else. But in 1941, during cross-Channel aerial warfare between the Royal Air Force and the Luftwaffe, a new challenger entered the fight on the German side. The Me-109 from that point forward would have a new partner in the air war. Design History of the Fw-190 The development of the FW-190 began with a contract in 1937 from the Reichsluftfahrtministerium for a new single-seat fighter. The new plane was designed by Focke-Wulf engineer Kurt Tank, a German aeronautical engineer and test pilot. He was chief engineer in Focke-Wulfs design department from 1931 to 1945. He was not only responsible for the development of the FW-190, but also the Focke-Wulf Ta-152 fighter-interceptor and the FW-200 Condor. The FW-190 was first developed as two different models, one using the water-cooled inline Daimler-Benz DB 601 engine and the other using the BMW 139 aircooled radial. The BMW 139 was selected for development in summer of 1938. The first prototype flew on June 1, 1939. The BMW 139 produced 1,550 horsepower, attaining a speed of 370 miles per hour. As the prototype was refined, the BMW 139 was replaced by the BMW 801, which was heavier but had greater potential for future development. Although the engine did have some problems to overcome, the FW-190 showed excellent handling characteristics and its wide undercarriage made takeoffs and landings less hazardous. Powered by the new BMW engine, which produced 1,600 horsepower, the FW-190A-1 was armed with four wing-mounted 7.92mm MG17 machine guns. First impressions of the new BMW 801 engine were not good. The new twin row, 14 cylinder, air-cooled radial engine gave us nothing but misery. Whatever could possibly go wrong with it, did. We hardly dared to leave the immediate vicinity of the airfield with our six prototype machines, reported one pilot. This criticism of the new plane is sometimes credited with saving the FW-190 project from cancellation. Eventually, the problems were sufficiently corrected for the plane to be cleared for service in July 1941. One of the major changes made by Tank and his designers was in the FW-190s armament. They replaced the inboard MG17s with two 20mm FF cannons. The modified fighter now had the designation of FW-190 A-2 and took the Royal Air Force completely unawares with descriptions of the plane being discounted by British intelligence. In June 1942, a fortuitous event occurred for the Allies. A Luftwaffe pilot accidentally presented an intact FW-190A fighter to his enemies. Oberleutnant Armin Faber landed on what he thought was a Luftwaffe airfield on the Cotentin Peninsula that turned out to be the RAF airfield at Pembrey, Wales. As he slowly taxied to a stop, Faber was intensely surprised when someone jumped on the wing and pointed a pistol at his head. The pilot was so despondent that he attempted suicide. The RAF quickly took advantage of its windfall by transporting the aircraft to the Royal Aircraft Establishment at Farnborough. The airframe and engine were dismantled and thoroughly analyzed before being reassembled. After being test flown the plane was delivered to the Air Fighting Development Unit at Duxford, Cambridgeshire, where it was put through intensive performance trials and flown competitively against several Allied fighter types. The AFDU trials had proven what the RAF already knew, that the FW-190 was an outstanding development in fighter aircraft but was far from unbeatable. The detailed examination of the FW-190 had a huge influence on fighter development in Britain. It resulted directly in the specification F.2/43 to which was designed the Hawker Fury, which incorporated numerous features directly copied from the FW-190A and F.19/43, which produced the Folland Fd.118 fighter project. There could be no higher praise than to have ones enemies copy one of your designs. The FW-190A was one of the best models that could have come into the possession of the Allies. The FW-190A1 used the BMW 801C, 1600 horsepower engine, which powered a three-bladed variable pitch propeller that could attain a top speed of 388 miles per hour. The wide-track landing gear folded in toward the fuselage, which was extra strong to accommodate future weight growth and offered good stability on the ground. The FW-190A1 carried four rifle-caliber machine guns, two in the cowling and two in the wing roots, all of which were fired through the propeller arc. The event that resulted in the capture of the Focke-Wulf most likely contributed to saving the lives of countless RAF pilots. In 1943, the Luftwaffe was in need of a fighter with better high-altitude performance. The answer to this need was the long-nosed D model or Dora. The first production model was the FW-190 D-9 which attained production status in the early summer of 1944. The new planes purpose would be to face the Allied bombers, particularly the American Boeing B-29 Superfortress, which was known to be coming into service. The FW-190 D was the first production FW-190 to use a liquid-cooled engine and was a very good high-altitude interceptor equal to the North American P-51 Mustang or Supermarine Spitfire MK XIV without the altitude limitations of the FW-190 A. Deliveries of the FW-190D-9 began in August 1944. The first mission of the new fighter was to provide top cover for Messerschmitt Me-262 jet fighters during takeoff when they were most vulnerable. The prevailing opinion among the FW-190D-9 pilots was that it was the best Luftwaffe propeller-driven fighter of the entire war and was more than a match for the P-51 Mustang. The D Model was the stepping stone that led to the high-altitude Focke-Wulf Ta 152. In honor of Tank, the FW-190s designation was changed to Tank, or Ta-152. The inline engine fighter was going to be the top version of the now famous fighter, but delays prevented them being manufactured in adequate numbers. In the final chaotic year of the Third Reich only a few Ta-152Hs and possibly a few Ta-152Cs got into combat. The Bomber Killer The FW-190 first saw action over the English Channel in 1941. In February 1942, it was providing cover for the German battlecruisers Scharnhorst and Gneisinau and the heavy cruiser Prinz Eugen as they tried to reach northern German ports. In one engagement, the 190s destroyed all six attacking Royal Navy Fairey Swordfish torpedo bombers. The new fighter was a shock to the RAF, faster and more agile than the Spitfire. The FW-190 was a stout opponent in a dogfight with its extremely heavy armament. The FW-190 pilots tended to work in pairs, giving each other good tactical support in battle. The excellent visibility provided by the planes cockpit assisted the pilots in supporting one another. As time went on, the FW-190 became a terror to Allied aircraft in every region where the Luftwaffe was active. It inflicted huge losses on B-17 Flying Fortress and Consolidated B-24 Liberator bomber crews, and was almost impossible to stop until the long-range P-51 Mustang came into service in 1944 and began escorting bombers to their targets. One of the more important roles played by the FW-190s was in the defense of the Reich, a strategic defensive aerial campaign. The Luftwaffe had set up a chain of fighter bases in northwestern Europe. These stretched from the Bay of Biscay to the Kattegat. By late summer 1942, the American Eighth Air Force was beginning to make its first forays into northern France. The first attack by the Eighth took place on January 27, 1943. Despite all the time, effort, and resources put in by both sides, the first fighting in the defense of the Reich was inconclusive. The FW-190s first attack was on several Liberators of the 44th Bomb Group. Two of the Liberators went down into the shallows between the Dutch coast and the offshore island of Terschelling. One source suggests that one of the bombers was lost as a result of a mid-air collision with a battle damaged FW-190, which tore off the B-24s port wing and tail assembly. This action, like many of the claims made by pilots during the 27-month campaign, was never confirmed. If anything, this problem worsened as the number of aircraft involved in the never-ending air battles in the skies over Germany grew from dozens to the hundreds and eventually thousands. The first month of the air campaign ended with the raid on Wilhelmshaven on February 26, 1943. In this phase of the campaign, the fighting ended in favor of the Luftwaffe, which downed 15 heavy bombers from the U.S. Eighth Air Force while it suffered seven pilots killed and one wounded. On March 4, the FW-190s played a major role in attacking a group of B-17s whose target was the marshaling yards at Hamm in North Rhine-Westphalia. Four of the five bombers were shot down in the Eighth Air Forces first appearance over the Ruhr, Germanys industrial heartland. On April 17, the Eighth Air Force returned to Bremen, but this time its target was the citys Focke-Wulf aircraft factories. These were producing the very FW-190 fighters that the Americans were fighting in the air. During this raid the Americans lost 16 B-17s with 10 falling to the FW-190s. These losses were at least part of the reason that the Eighth Air Force did not reappear over the Reich for nearly a month. The attacks of June 25 brought to an end the first half of the fighting in the air campaign of 1943. The opening rounds of the campaign had produced only mixed results. The overriding factor for this period was the absence of a fighter escort for the bomber formations. The final outcome was still far from certain. In the second half of 1943, the Eighth Air Force suffered catastrophic casualties, but the defenders losses would begin to escalate as the year wore on. In this period, the U.S. Army Air Forces lost 87 bombers and had more than 500 damaged mostly due to Luftwaffe attacks, many of which involved FW-190s. The air campaign would soon become a different arena of battle entirely. The arrival of U.S. escort fighters in ever increasing numbers would dramatically change the situation. The Luftwaffe pilots would no longer have the luxury of remaining unmolested beyond the range of the bombers defensive fire and then deciding how to deliver the attack. Protected by their fighters, the bombers would be much more difficult to approach, and kills would become more difficult to achieve with losses inevitably becoming much higher. The number of fighters escorting Eighth Air Force bombers was truly alarming to the Germans. The number would eventually exceed 500. One method which the Luftwaffe began to develop to counter the increased number of enemy fighters was to have the Me-109s keep the enemy fighters occupied while the FW-190s attacked the bombers. The Luftwaffe also transferred many of its most successful pilots closer to Germany to defend the Reich in the most critical campaign of the European air war. By the end of 1942, the FW-190 was fighting in North Africa, on the Eastern Front, and in Western Europe. In the Soviet Union, the FW-190 was effective in low-flying ground attacks on vehicle convoys and tanks. In this theater, the FW-190 carried 250- and 500-pound bombs, either of which could knock out a tank. One major issue on the Eastern Front was keeping the FW-190s and other aircraft supplied. This was at a time when many of the planes were flying up to eight sorties a day. On the Eastern Front, the FW-190s reliable air-cooled engine and wide-track landing gear were well suited for service in the extremely harsh conditions. Operations on the Eastern Front led to a number of changes that resulted in the FW-190F fighter-bomber designed with a special emphasis on ground attack. This particular version carried 794 pounds of armor, which included sections of steel plate located behind the pilots head, on the lower engine cowling, and in the wheel well doors. The F-8 version turned out to be the most important model of the F series. Frontline units, using kits supplied by the factory, could adapt these aircraft to carry various combinations of heavy cannons, bombs, rockets, and even torpedoes. As the war went on, the different models of the FW-190 were in almost constant contact with enemy bombers. This led to improvements in the form of more cannons and underwing rockets. Later, bomb racks were fitted to the FW-190 airframe under the fuselage and under the wings to broaden the capability of the fighter for attacking ground targets. By the end of the war, German fighter airfields were forced back closer to Berlin for fear of being bombed, which resulted in the FW-190 becoming more of a ground attack and support aircraft as German air power dwindled in the final days of the war. In spite of this situation, the beleaguered German air crews fought on with their FW-190s despite mounting losses. The Allied bombing campaign reduced the number of FW-190s, and the added issue of pilot attrition only made the situation for the Luftwaffe much worse. In the end, the FW-190 had played its role well in defeat as the war came to a close. 20,000 FW-190s Built By the end of the war, more than 20,000 FW-190s had been built for the Luftwaffe. At peak production, 22 FW-190s were being produced daily. When hostilities ended in Europe, the Luftwaffe had more than 1,600 FW-190s, of which more than 800 were ground-attack variants. After the war, Tank, the primary developer of the FW-190, negotiated with the United Kingdom, the Nationalist government of China, and the Soviet Union for his services. However, negotiations with all three countries proved to be unsuccessful. He later accepted an offer from Argentina to work at its Aeronautical Institute under the pseudonym Dr. Pedro Matthies. Tank spent two decades designing aircraft abroad, including work in India, before returning to Germany in the late 1960s to work as a consultant for Messerschmitt-Bolkow-Blohm. The heavy demand for his services was a testament to his genius as an aircraft designer. Originally Published in 2017. This article by William F. Floyd, Jr. originally appeared on the Warfare History Network. Image: DAYTON, Ohio -- Focke-Wulf Fw 190D-9 at the National Museum of the United States Air Force. (U.S. Air Force photo) 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 Click here to read the full article. Click here to read the full article. Key Point: Allied airpower, limited fuel, and the cracking of the Enigma code kept the Tirpitz from inflicting serious damage. The Tirpitz was the follow-on sistership of the notorious Bismarck, a monster battleship designed from the get-go to vastly exceed the tonnage-limitations stipulated by the Washington Naval treaty Nazi Germany was still supposedly adhering to in the early 1930s. However, once World War II broke out, the comparatively small German Navy struggled to make use of its battleships, as each was vulnerable to air attack and too valuable to risk. Bismarcks only operation deployment in May 1941 ended in a blaze of glory as she sank the British battlecruiser Hood, before being crippled by antiquated Swordfish torpedo bombers and subsequently sunk while attempting to escape to France. The Tirpitz displaced slightly more than Bismarck at 58,000 tons when fully loaded with fuel and ammunition, and had four huge turrets named Anton, Bruno, Caser and Dora that each mounted twin 380mm C/34 guns, which could be directed at targets over 22 miles away using fire control radars. Twelve faster-firing 150-millimeter guns and sixteen 105-millimeter flaks gun comprised her secondary armament, and numerous smaller, rapid-firing 20- and 37-millimeter cannons provide close air defense. Tirpitzs turrets and main armor belt were 360 and 320 millimeters thick, respectively. Despite the massive armor and armament, she could still accelerate up to 35 miles per hour at flank speed. Hitler personally attended the vessels launch at Wilhelmshaven on April 1, 1939, but it took almost two more years before the behemoth was finally commissioned on February 25, 1941. By then, the Royal Air Force had already launched four separate air strikes using Hampden, Wellington and Whitley bombersnone of which came close to hitting the battleship. After trials, training, a brief stint in the Balticand dodging two more British bombing raids at Kielon January 14 the Tirpitz set off for Norway, where she evaded six British air raids on January 29. The new plan by German high command was to use the mega-battleship to ravage British Arctic convoys delivering desperately needed military aid to the Soviet Union. Story continues This plan utterly failed for several reasons. First, the huge battleships sporadic operations rapidly guzzled through available limited fuel oil supplies. Furthermore, the Kriegsmarine was also desperately short on smaller destroyers needed to escort its capital ship. Above all, the Allies had cracked the Enigma code the German Navy was using to transmit orders to the Tirpitz. In March 1942, Tirpitz was finally assigned to raid Arctic convoy PQ-12 based on intelligence which failed to note the presence of two escorting capital ships and a nearby aircraft carrier. The forewarned Royal Navy rerouted the convoy and got the jump on the Tirpitz on March 9 with an attack executed by the twelve Fairey Albacore torpedo bombers from the carrier HMS Victorious. The battleship managed to dodge the torpedoes, shot down two Albacores, and hi-tailed back to Trondheim, having guzzled 9,000 tons of fuel with little to show from it. RAF bombers then bombed Tirpitz three more times in March and April 142, losing twelve bombers without inflicting any damage. Ironically, the Tirpitzs deadliest engagement was one she never fired a shot in. Late in June 1942 she sortied from Trondheim on a mission to attack the 35-ship convoy PQ-17. However, she was promptly attacked by Soviet submarine K-21, which missed with a spread of four torpedoes (they may have prematurely detonated). Tirpitz fled back to port again. But the Royal Navy, convinced she was still inbound, foolishly ordered PQ-17 to scatter. In a prolonged ordeal, twenty-four of the isolated ships were then picked off one by bomber and U-Boat attacks. In fact, the Tirpitz only once fired her massive guns at a surface target on September 8, 1943, raid (Operation Zitronella) on a Norwegian weather station on Spitsbergen island. She discharged fifty-two 380-millimeter shells at the lightly armed garrison, which mustered only two small 3 guns and two Bofors anti-aircraft cannons. The Norwegians lost nine killed and thirty-one captured. For this truly momentous engagement, Tirpitzs crew received 400 Iron Crosses, deepening a rivalry with the battlecruiser Scarnhorsts crew, which received less than half as many. However, Scharnhorst herself was sunk in a surface engagement on December 26, 1943, bringing an end to German capital ship sorties for the remainder of the war. Attack of the Mini-Subs Amidst the Tirpitzs non-engagements, the battleship received a major overhaul in Trondheim. While there, on October 31, 1942, a fishing boat named the Archer approached her, crossing the Trondheim Fjord. Tied underneath her hull were two Chariot Mark 1 human torpedoes. These were two-seat underwater craft controlled via a pretzel-shaped maneuvering surface and propelled by an electric motor. Each carried a 600-pound detachable torpex warhead. Unfortunately, rough weather pried the Chariots loose before Archer was in range, foiling the raid. Eleven months later in September 1943, the Royal Navy submariners were backthis time in a half-dozen X-class mini-submarines. These 30-ton vessels had crews of three and could manage roughly six knots. Inauspiciously, submarines X-8 and X-9 were lost in transit, the latter with all her crew. Then X-10 had to abort mission due to mechanical difficulties. But all three of the submarines assigned to target Tirpitz made into the harbor, slipping through the anti-submarine nets while they were parted to admit a German boat. X-5 was spotted 200 meters away and destroyed by 105-millimeter gunfire. But X-6 and X-7 both managed to lay their 4,400-pound Amatol timed explosive charges underneath the Tirpitz. Both crews subsequently were forced to abandon ship. The two explosions jammed the Dora turret off its runners, ruptured steam lines, power cables and fuel tanks, buckled bulkheads, tossed both Ar-196 scout floatplanes into the water and let in 1,500 tons of water. For the next six months, the Tirpitz was out of action undergoing repairs. The Royal Navys Fleet Air Arm had a warm reception in store for the Tirpitzas detailed in a companion article. Sebastien Roblin holds a Masters Degree in Conflict Resolution from Georgetown University and served as a university instructor for the Peace Corps in China. He has also worked in education, editing, and refugee resettlement in France and the United States. He currently writes on security and military history for War Is Boring. Image: Creative Commons. 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 Click here to read the full article. Click here to read the full article. In October 1939, illuminated by the northern lights, the German submarine U-47 threaded its way through sunken barriers and slipped into the British anchorage at Scapa Flow, a 125.3-square-mile natural port off the northern coast of Scotland, in the Orkney Islands. Penetrating the anchorage had long been an unrealized German dream, one that U-boats had attempted twice in World War I; both times they had failed. One U-boat had been rammed and run aground and the second destroyed with all hands. But now, at last, a German submarine slid quietly across its surface. U-47 and its 31-year-old captain, Gunther Prien, moved across the anchorage from the east where they had entered and then turned toward the north, searching for targets. Prien was surprised at how few British ships were in the area. He had expected hundreds and was unaware that Sir Charles Forbes, commander in chief of the British Home Fleet, had become concerned by German aircraft recently spotted in the area and had ordered most of the fleet to disperse. Finally, a lookout on U-47s bridge spotted a small cluster of ships including the 1914 battleship Royal Oak silhouetted against the northern lights. Unknown to Prien and the crew of U-47, the 29,000-ton Royal Oak had just returned to Scapa Flow after a battering from storms in the North Atlantic. Some of her smaller caliber guns had been rendered inoperable by flooding and many of her life rafts had been seriously damaged. Because of her condition, Forbes had decided to keep the Royal Oak in Scapa Flow to provide added antiaircraft fire if needed. In the darkness, U-47 slid toward the big ship. The Royal Oak, like Scapa Flow itself, was a veteran of World War I, but by the outbreak of World War II, the 25-year-old ship was no longer considered fit for modern combat. She had been launched in 1914, had seen battle in 1916 at Jutland, and had later served as part of Britains Atlantic, Home, and Mediterranean Fleets. Story continues At the end of World War I, Royal Oak had also served as escort to several German vessels that had surrendered and were interned at Scapa Flow, which had been used by ships since prehistory. In 1904, in response to the German naval action, British naval planners had decided a northern base was needed to control access to the North Sea. Scapa Flow was chosen, and the area was reinforced with minefields, artillery, and concrete barriers. Primarily because of its distance from German airfields, Scapa Flow was again selected as a main British naval base when World War II broke out. By then, however, the defenses built earlier and during World War I had fallen into disrepair and new block ships were sunk in an attempt to block the Flows three entrances. Navigable channels remained, however. German Commander of Submarines Commodore Karl Donitz, who had commanded a submarine in World War I and who had developed the German Rudeltaktik (wolf pack) submarine attack tactic while a British POW, decided early in the outbreak of hostilities to attack the Flow. Such an attack, he realized, could, if successful, force the British Home Fleet out of Scapa Flow, thus lessening the British hold on the area and allowing greater German access to the North Atlantic and the convoys that sailed there with supplies for the United Kingdom. Such an attack would also be seen as an act of vengeance for the ships of the German High Seas Fleet that had surrendered at the end of World War I andlike those escorted by the Royal Oakhad then scuttled themselves in Scapa Flow. In addition, Donitz believed, the propaganda value of the attack and its effect on British morale were inestimable. In a single attack, Germany could bring the war to Britain and show the British that even their home waters were not safe from German aggression. Donitz was aided in his planning by aerial reconnaissance photographs taken by German aeronautics pioneer Siegfried Knemeyer, who received an Iron Cross for the mission that supplied the photos. (Knemeyers flight may have been the aircraft that had moved Forbes to scatter the fleet.) Donitz also handpicked U-boat Kapitanleutnant Gunther Prien as commander of the actual attack. Prien was a loyal member of the Nazi Party and had in fact been called the most Nazified U-boat captain. He had been at sea in the Merchant Marine and the German Navy since he turned 21 and, by the end of the war, would be credited with sinking or seriously damaging 40 Allied ships. At the time of the Scapa Flow mission, however, he had been in command of U-boats for less than a year. The Scapa Flow attack was only his second patrol of the war. The proposed raid was scheduled for the night of October 13-14, 1939, when the tides would be high and the night moonless. U-47 approached the British base a little after midnight through the narrow approaches of Kirk Sound, the most easterly of the three entrances to Scapa Flow. Staying on the surface, Prien first sailed toward the southeast across the Flow and toward the island of Hoy before realizing a navigational error had the submarine heading toward some dangerous shoals. Prien turned to the north, spotting what appeared to be several ships anchored in that area. (Fifty-one ships18 of which were combat vesselswere reported to be in Scapa Flow at the time.) It was absolutely dead calm in there, Prien later said. The entire bay was alight because of bright northern lights. Sailing north between the sunken block ships Seriano and Numidian, U-47 grounded itself temporarily on a cable strung across the channel from the Seriano and was briefly caught in the headlights of a taxi onshore, but no alarm was raised in either incident. As U-47 moved north, a lookout on the bridge spotted the Royal Oak about 4,400 yards to the north and correctly identified the ship as a battleship of the Revenge class. Mostly hidden behind her was a second ship, only the bow of which was visible to U-47. (Prien misidentified that second ship as a battlecruiser of the Renown class, but it was later determined to be the World War I seaplane tender Pegasus.) The submarine quietly approached the Royal Oak and fired a three-torpedo spread, then turned quickly to escape. One of the three torpedoes struck the Royal Oaks bow at 12:58 am, and the dull thud and muffled explosions of its detonation confused the sailors onboard. Most thought the cause was an internal problem on the ship, perhaps in the paint locker. The hit caused little damage other than severing the Royal Oaks starboard anchor chain. When Prien realized there was no surface or air reaction to his attack, he fired a torpedo from his rear tube, but this torpedo also missed the battleship. He then turned U-47 back to the north and fired another array of three torpedoes, hitting the Royal Oak amidships at 1:06 am. There was a bang and the next moment the Royal Oak blew up, Prien said. The view was indescribable. (Kept secret by the German naval command when it jubilantly announced the attack was that several of the torpedoes fired by Prien failed to strike the Royal Oak or to detonate because of long-standing problems with their depth steering and magnetic detonator systems. These problems continued to bedevil the German submariners.) The Royal Oak heeled over from the force of the explosions, and its gun barrels shifted with the heel, pulling the ship even more quickly onto her side. All her lights went out as the power failed. Water poured in through the gaping hole in her side and through the hatches, which were all open at the time, standard practice for a ship in port. Men asleep in their bunks or just lying there were trapped by the speed of the deluge. In minutes the Royal Oak was going down, and those few men who had been able to get on deck were in the freezing water swimming through a thick oil slick. It was so cold that I was told that it was colder than the inside of a fridge, one survivor later said. Meanwhile, U-47 turned away to the east and slipped out of Scapa Flow by the same channel it had used to enter the British anchorage. The Royal Oak continued to take on water and finally disappeared below the waves at 1:29 am, only 13 minutes after U-47s second successful hit. After the sinking, Prien and his crew reached the German North Sea port of Wilhelmshaven on October 17 and were immediately greeted as heroes. Hitler sent his personal airplane to ferry the crew to Berlin, where each man aboard U-47 was awarded the Iron Cross Second Class. Prien received the Knights Cross of the Iron Cross, Germanys highest military award. It was the first time the award had been made to a German submarine officer. Prien was later nicknamed the Bull of Scapa Flow, and his crew at one point decorated U-47 s conning tower with the painted image of a snorting bull, which later became the emblem of the 7th U-boat Flotilla. Prien also found himself in demand for radio and newspaper interviews, and his autobiography, ghost-written by a German journalist, was published the following year. Of those men in the water who attempted the half-mile swim to the nearest shore, only a handful survived. Many more were rescued by the tender Daisy 2, which had been tied up for the night to Royal Oaks port side. When the Royal Oak was hit and began to list, Daisy 2s commander, John Gatt, quickly cut his ship clear, snapped on his floodlights, and began picking up survivors, managing to pull 386 men from the cold water, including the Royal Oak s commander, Captain William Benn. Rescue efforts continued until nearly 4 am. Out of the Royal Oak s complement of 1,234 men and boys, 833 were killed that night or died later of their injuries. Among that number were 126 boy sailors, young men under the age of 18 who were stationed on the ship. I was a very lucky man [to survive], said survivor Bert Peacock, who was 17 years old at the time of the attack. Immediately after the sinking, there was confusionand sometimes wild speculationas to what had caused the sinking. It was only when divers descended to the wreck and discovered the remains of a German torpedo that the cause was confirmed as having been a U-boat attack. That confirmation was nonetheless followed by additional speculation including a rumor that a local German spy had paddled out into Scapa Flow and led the U-boat into the harbor, a rumor that was labeled nonsense by the authorities. Winston Churchill, then First Lord of the Admiralty, announced the attack to the House of Commons, calling it a remarkable exploit of professional skill and daringan indication of the more gentlemanly attitude taken by both sides at that stage of the war. Six months later, the commander of a German heavy cruiser sank a British destroyer off the coast of Norway, stayed on the scene to rescue 31 British seamen, congratulated them on putting up a good fight, and then recommended the British captain for a Victoria Cross. It is said to be the only time in British history that the award was given on the recommendation of an enemy. In his announcement to the Commons, Churchill said the sinking of the Royal Oak would have only a minor effect on British naval readiness and answered questions including several as to why so many boy sailors were aboard the Royal Oak. Three days after the U-47attack, four Luftwaffe Junkers Ju-88 bombers also raided Scapa Flow in what was one of the first bombing attacks on Britain during the war. The attack badly damaged the battleship HMS Iron Duke, and one German bomber was shot down by an antiaircraft battery during the attack. There exists an underlying and as yet unresolved mystery about the attack. When Captain Prien reported on Scapa Flow, he stated that he had sunk the Royal Oak and that he had also torpedoed a second ship that night, a ship he identified as the battlecruiser HMS Repulse. The Repulse, however, had left Scapa Flow earlier in the day. Researchers have suggested that U-47 may have instead hit HMS Iron Duke, the British Atlantic Fleets flagship, the same ship later attacked by the four Ju-88 bombers. When those planes arrived at Scapa Flow on October 17, the Iron Duke already lay beached on Hoy Island and was reported to have a large hole in her bow. The British Admiralty, however, never confirmed that HMS Iron Duke had been hit by a torpedo, possibly because it was considered too sensitive to report that the fleets flagship had been attacked by a German submarine inside a British anchorage. A Board of Enquiry held shortly after the Royal Oak sinking found that there were 11 possible submarine routes into Scapa Flow still open. It also uncovered information that junior officers at the base had complained that Scapa Flow was not safe but that senior officers had chosen to ignore these views. Admiral Sir Wilfred French, commander of the Orkney and Shetland Isles, was eventually held responsible for what had happened and was put on the retired list despite his insistence prior to the Royal Oak sinking that Scapa Flow needed additional safeguards. History has labeled the blame put on French as unjust. In addition, when it became public knowledge that 126 of the 163 boy sailors on the ship had been killeda fatality rate of 77 percentit became generally accepted in the British Navy that the centuries-old practice of allowing young men under the age of 18 to serve on warships should be discontinued in all but the most exceptional circumstances. In Germany the raid was celebrated as a triumph, and Commodore Donitz was promoted to rear admiral. The sinking of the Royal Oak, which was the first of the five Royal Navy battleships and battlecruisers sunk in World War II, while having little effect on the naval superiority of the British, did establish, as Admiral Donitz had envisioned, that the anchorage British planners had considered impregnable was in fact vulnerable, and it gave a solid body blow to British morale. The German Navy had shown it was capable of bringing the war home to Britain. In the very last days of the war, Donitz was named the last president of Germany, replacing German Fuhrer Adolph Hitler after the latter killed himself on April 30, 1945. Scapa Flow, which was capable of holding the entire Grand Fleet, was temporarily abandoned until its defenses could be improved, but it eventually became the main British naval base of the war. New block ships were sunk, booms and mines were placed over the main entrances, coast defenses and antiaircraft batteries were installed, and Churchill ordered the construction of a series of causeways to block the eastern approaches to Scapa Flow. They were built by Italian prisoners of war being held in Orkney. In the months following the attack on the Royal Oak, Captain Prien and his crew continued to prove themselves one of Germanys top U-boats. On their sixth patrol in June 1940, for example, they sank eight ships for a total of 51,483 tons of Allied shipping lost. U-47 was last heard from in March 1941. A radio message was received from her on the morning of March 7, sent from the North Atlantic near the Rockall Banks, west of Scotland. It was her last message. She is presumed to have been sunk there by the British destroyer HMS Wolverine and lost with all handsincluding her commander, Gunther Prien. Today the Royal Oak, still lying beneath the waters of Scapa Flow, is a recognized war grave, and each year on October 14, a team of Royal Navy divers descends to the wreck. There they fly the Royal Ensign from her overturned hull. 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 Click here to read the full article. Gov. Gavin Newsom wears a protective mask on his face while speaking to reporters at Miss Ollie's restaurant during the coronavirus outbreak in Oakland, Calif on June 9, 2020. (Jeff Chiu/AP) In April, Plumas County barber Steve Betts became one of the first Californians to face a criminal penalty for violating coronavirus health orders when he refused to close his two shops. After local sheriffs deputies warned him twice, they cited him on their third visit. Now, due back in court in August, he faces six months in jail and a $1,000 fine for each day he refused to shut down, he said. It just sucks, but at the same time Im not sorry I did it, said Betts, whose businesses have since been legally allowed to open. For them to just shut us down for no good reason other than (Gov. Gavin) Newsom ... it was more or less just games being played. Wednesday, as hospitalizations and positive tests for the virus skyrocket in many parts of the state, Newsom announced that it was once again closing time for bars, restaurants and other high-traffic businesses in 19 counties. And this time, he wasnt playing games, though he acknowledged the challenge was real. Enforcement is a difficult one, and I am not naive about that ... not Pollyannish about it, Newsom said. Unlike past orders, when the governor largely stressed civic duty as the motivating force for compliance and left enforcement decisions in the hands of local governments, he turned up rhetoric on possible state crackdowns. He announced strike teams from agencies that license barbers and bars, and the California Highway Patrol one of the only California law enforcement agencies directly controlled by the state. We have I think a responsibility ... to go after people who are thumbing their noses, being aggressive, being reticent, Newsom said. But exactly what would additional enforcement in California mean? It is not entirely clear, and it has raised questions for local law enforcement, who have grappled from the start of the pandemic on their role. While some law enforcement leaders have been stalwart in enforcing health orders, others have flat out refused. The variety of responses highlights the local nature of policing and creates a quandary for state leaders who agree a unified message is vital to focus public attention. Story continues When it comes to something like this where its public-health related, that is new territory for law enforcement, said Ed Obayashi, a Plumas County deputy and statewide law enforcement legal consultant. The novel coronavirus, he said, is like any other situation where we have discretion. We have discretion on minor violations of the law. Some local law enforcement officials, even in places hit hard by the virus, said they are doing fine without state help, and question whether intervention is needed. Its always better to have the local entities approach the local businesses or people here, said Imperial County Sheriff Raymond Loera. Imperial County, in the southeast corner of the state, has seen an extreme outbreak in recent days and has had to transfer more than 500 patients to hospitals in other counties because of overload. But Loera said that while he is uncertain why the virus has hit his region so hard, it is not because of local businesses lack of compliance or local law enforcements reluctance to enforce rules. Loera said his county borders both Mexico and Arizona, which lifted restrictions much earlier and has since seen a massive rise in cases, and sees large amounts of traffic from both. It is also one of the poorest counties in the state, and is majority Latino a demographic hit hard by the pandemic. Wednesday evening, the county increased its shutdown orders to include in-person church services and parks. Still, only one bar on the Arizona border refused to close until deputies visited, Loera said. We responded and they complied, he said. None of this has been very confrontational. Now, Loera is uncertain what the new state efforts will mean. He and other local law enforcement leaders throughout California said they were not informed of the state effort prior to the public announcement. I anticipate that because we are one of the higher areas [for cases], that they will be here or very close, he said. And we need to know what they are doing. In San Bernardino County, also on the list of counties being watched by the state, Jodi Miller, spokesperson for the Sheriffs Department, said her agency also has not faced compliance problems from local businesses. Thats really never been an issue for us, Miller said. Weve been able to educate and get voluntary compliance. Ingrid Braun, the Mono County sheriff, whose county is not on the state watch list, said she believes that local authorities are best suited to handle enforcement because they know their communities, which are often tightly knit. Braun said that her county has also not seen mass defiance of orders, and like Imperial, had only a single bar that refused to close until deputies cited it. Braun said she doesnt write citations for health code violations such as not wearing a mask, but instead looks for more serious charges such as trespassing if a non-masked patron refuses to leave an establishment. Braun said the state plan raised concerns from her because it might involve sending in people from out of the area, potentially exposing them to the virus or carrying it in. Its not like you are sending them into a firefight where lives are at stake, Braun said. These are more theoretical lives ... and you are jeopardizing their lives by sending them in. But other agencies have taken a different tack, refusing to enforce orders. Sheriffs in counties including Sacramento, Riverside and Los Angeles have said they didnt intend to enforce restrictions, and balked at Newsoms past orders. It is time to reflect on decisions we have made under the pretext of this pandemic: Such as why we were forced to let over 1,100 inmates out of Sacramentos COVID-free jail into a community where the law-abiding are still locked down? wrote Sacramento Sheriff Scott Jones on Facebook on May 6. It is time to recognize that We the People have willingly acquiesced to loss of freedoms, loss of income, and loss of social connection for the greater good, but now we are ready to responsibly get back to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. State Sen. Richard Pan (D-Sacramento) this week proposed a bill that would keep the addresses of public health directors private, because some have faced threats based on unpopular health orders. Pan said sheriffs need to be active in backing public health orders because they represent authority in their communities, but thinks some dont for political reasons. Across the county, masks and business closures have become political causes, with President Trump notably refusing to wear a mask. Weve politicized our public health response, said Pan. You have sheriffs willing basically to not enforce the law. Some charge that politics are at play on all sides. The new guidance does not include churches, except to discourage singing and chanting. Houses of worship became flashpoints of defiance in California, including protests and the filing of lawsuits, after Newsom stopped in-person services for a time this spring. While those types of gatherings still violate health orders in many places, Newsom has been largely silent about them, while highlighting the dangers of gathering with family and friends. Harmeet Dhillon, a lawyer who sued the administration about past closure orders, said via email Wednesday that the situational ethics on what kinds of protests and businesses are acceptable in California have given the orders little credibility. Brian Ferguson, spokesman for the state Office of Emergency Services, which is coordinating the strike teams, said many of those involved have been focused on enforcement since the start of the pandemic, and the effort is meant to coordinate the work of multiple agencies not expand it. This is really aimed at folks who are openly defiant, he said. Ferguson said that businesses were the target of the effort, but didnt rule out enforcement of the states mandate for mask-wearing in public spaces which has yet to be legally enforced on a large scale. He added that outreach to local agencies, is happening right now. But some see the tough talk as little more than that an attempt by Newsom to scare compliance as the state teeters on the brink of an uncontrolled outbreak. Really I think his agenda is to get the publics attention because all of these things ultimately hinge on voluntary compliance, said Jack Pitney, a professor of government at Claremont McKenna College. There just arent enough law enforcement [officers] in California to force people to behave responsibly. MANASSAS, VA A caravan of vehicles left Manassas late Saturday morning on their way to Charlottesville, with the goal of building unity among Virginians against hate and violence. The caravan was originally scheduled to be a three-day march, starting in Manassas, that would finish in Charlottesville on the three-year anniversary of the killing of a counter-protester at the Unite the Right rally. The event, Unity March Against Hate, was switched from a three-day walk to a car caravan for the safety of the participants due to the coronavirus pandemic. Organizers rescheduled the event to occur on the Fourth of July. Jamie Beletz, a disabled veteran, initially planned to do the march on his own. But when groups and individuals learned about his plans, they wanted to join him. "I got tired of hearing people insulting people because of the color of their skin or their sexual preference," Beletz told Patch Saturday. "There are still hate groups here in Prince William County and in Virginia. We want to let them know we don't appreciate it." Even though the Prince William Board of County Supervisors now has a Democratic majority, Beletz said there are still vestiges of former board Chairman Corey Stewart, who led efforts to rid the county of undocumented immigrants during his 13 years in office. "We need to send a message that says there are those of us who are unified against hate speech and violence," said Beletz, who expected as many as 100 vehicles to join the caravan once it reaches Charlottesville. Aeshah Sheikh, a co-organizer of the event and Prince William County activist, said she joined the effort after she learned of Beletz's idea "to bring unity into this county and this state and this country." After leaving Manassas, the Unity March Against Hate caravan of vehicles headed to Gainesville where they met up with several other drivers who had signed up to participate in the caravan to Charlottesville. Story continues A caravan of vehicles left Manassas late Saturday morning on their way to Charlottesville as part of a campaign to fight hateful ideologies. (Mark Hand/Patch) Kenny Boddye (D), Occoquan district supervisor on the Prince William County board, participated in the event to show his solidarity with the fight for racial justice. "Part of this is a commemoration of the fact that we still need to face white supremacy in all its forms," Boddye said in an interview with Patch. As originally conceived, Boddye noted, the event was supposed to be an anniversary march to Charlottesville in honor of Heather Heyer who was killed at the August 2017 white nationalist rally and the death of two Virginia state troopers who died in a helicopter crash in Albemarle County while monitoring the rally. "It's important that we show that white supremacy has no home in Virginia and it especially has no home in the Manassas and Prince William area," said Boddye, who defeated incumbent Republican Supervisor Ruth Anderson last November in a close race. "Between Prince William County and Manassas and Manassas Park, we are the most diverse region in the commonwealth. One in four people is an immigrant." Prince William County needs to be proactive in showing that its values are inclusion and standing unequivocally against white supremacy and white nationalism, he said. In Prince William County, the school board voted last month to rename Stonewall Jackson High School near Manassas as Unity Reed High School to honor Arthur Reed, a long-time security assistant at the school, and Stonewall Middle School as Unity Braxton Middle to honor Celestine and Carroll Braxton, a local educator and her veteran husband. Although the Prince William Board of County Supervisors has not instructed staff to begin a review of other public facilities and roads in the county that have Confederate names, Boddye said the board could soon issue an official directive to begin the process. The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors approved a motion last month to begin the process of inventorying all public places in the county that have Confederate names as a step toward renaming them. This includes all monuments, street names, recreation centers and parks, as well as all county buildings and properties. The Prince William County board tipped in favor of the Democrats last fall, but politics in the county could swing back in favor of Republicans, Boddye noted. "Instead of all these old, backwards ways of commemorating Confederates and only promoting the few as opposed to the whole," he said, "we hope that by showing what governance looks like from that perspective, we will win more people over and people will realize that we were being held back by that old ideology." This article originally appeared on the Manassas Patch Click here to read the full article. Key Point: These tanks were a stopgap before the introduction of the M1 Abrams. But when called for duty, they did their job and rushed Saddam's forces. Though originally designed in the 1950s, the M60 was used in the Gulf War by the Marine Corpsand destroyed hundreds of Iraqi tanks. Main Battle Tank The M60 was intended to be the United States first Main Battle Tank, which could meet operational requirements at both the tactical and strategic level. The MBT concept was designed to combine the firepower of a heavy tank with the mobility of what was then termed a medium tank. The MBT doctrine required high mobility, good armor, and adequate firepower. The M60 was given a 105 millimeter main gun, a significant upgrade from the preceding M48s 90 millimeter gun (though later M48s were also equipped with a 105 millimeter gun as well). The original M60 was quickly designed and produced as an emergency fix. At the time, in the late 1950s and early 1960s, the United States saw Soviet tank advancementsparticularly the T-54/55 familyas overshadowing American armor capabilities. Initial production M60s were rushed to West Germany and to South Korea. The M60 was intended to use new composite armor made of silica glass that could better withstand hits than standard all-steel rolled homogenous armor. While the armor panelling was better able to resist initial hits than steel, the paneling became severely degraded and secondary hits easily penetrated the armoring. Designers therefore still opted for an all-steel construction, making the M60 the last American tank to be protected by all-steel armor. Before the introduction of the M1 Abrams tank in the early 1980s, the United States M60s were upgraded to the A3 standard. Turret armor thickness was increased, and flammable hydraulic fluid in the turret was exchanged for a non-flammable alternative. After the full introduction of the M1 Abrams, a large number of surplus American M60 tanks of various builds were sold to American allies in the Middle East. Story continues Gulf War In combat with the United States, M60s were lethal. During the 1991 Gulf War, heavily upgraded Marine M60s lead the push towards Kuwait International Airport and devastated Iraqi armor. During the tank battlethe largest in Marine Corps historyhundreds of Iraqi T-55s and T-62s were destroyed, including a high number of the then-dominant Soviet-designed T-72s as well as a number of armored personnel carriers and trucks. After the Gulf War, the M60A3s in Marine Corps service were exchanged for M1A1 Abrams tanks and officially retired from U.S. service. Israeli & Turkish M60s Israel received a number of M60 tanks from the Untied States that saw combat in the 1982 Lebanon War. These Israeli tanks, dubbed Magach, were outfitted with explosive-reactive armor (ERA) to better protect against anti-tank missiles that had devastated Israeli armor during the 1972 Yom Kippur War. The Magachs were also outfitted with improved tracks to better handle rocky terrain and a thermal sleeve for the main gun, which improved accuracy during extended firing. Israel sold an upgrade package to Turkey in 2002, delivering upgraded M60s in the mid-2000s based on their own Magach tanks. The Turkish M60s, called Sabra, have an updated 120 millimeter main gun, explosive-reactive armor, and the sturdy treads from Israels Merkava main battle tank. Legacy The M60 had a very long run for the United States first main battle tankall-steel no less. Though upgraded several times during its service life, probably the most important part of a tank is its crew. It appears that the M60 had excellent crews. 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. This first appeared in 2020 and is being reposted due to reader interest. Image: Wikimedia 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 Click here to read the full article. The vast project is threatening regional stability The plane from Egypt packed with a cache of weapons was meant to arrive in Somalia in May. But the two thousand Kalashnikovs, rocket launchers, sniper rifles, pistols and mortars never touched down. They were stopped, a senior Somali official told The Sunday Telegraph, because of fears in Mogadishu of Somalia being publicly drawn into a growing row between two of Africas superpowers. Egypt has been the dominant power on the Nile for thousands of years. But the balance of power is about to shift far upstream. In the next few weeks, when the rainy season arrives, Ethiopia will start to fill up a vast reservoir with the waters of the Blue Nile, one of the great rivers two main tributaries. One of Africa's largest infrastructure projects will effectively give Ethiopia the power to turn off the taps in Egypt - and could force neighbouring countries to pick a side. For nearly a decade, Ethiopia has been constructing a one-mile-long wall of cement almost twice the height of the Statue of Liberty. The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, as it is known, straddles the Blue Nile, only a few miles from the border with Sudan. The mega project is almost complete. It will be the largest hydroelectric dam in Africa, capable of holding 72-billion cubic metres of water and doubling the countrys unstable energy supply. For Ethiopia, the dam is a national wonder a statement of a people treated cruelly for the last century emerging onto the world stage, and a stepping stone towards industrialisation. The 3.8bn needed for the project has been raised without international help through private donations and government bonds. Ethiopian civil servants have even been asked to pay part of their salary towards the construction. But for Egypt, whose 100 million people live almost entirely off the freshwater from the river, the dam poses an existential threat according to Egypts Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sameh Shoukry. Egyptian officials say that even a small reduction in the Niles waters could worsen already bad droughts and wreak on the countrys rich agriculture sector and water supply. Story continues Sudan, the other downstream country, stands to benefit from the cheap electricity and the flood control the dam will provide. Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi meets with Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali in Cairo Talks between the three countries over how the dam should be filled and managed have failed to resolve these fundamental differences. In February, a US-backed round of talks ended with Ethiopia walking out at the crucial moment. The talks came close to reaching a deal but broke down over detailed legal issues of drought management and international treaties. Ethiopia felt these would damage its sovereignty. Now Ethiopia is planning to fill it with or without an agreement. In recent weeks, this has prompted analysts and diplomats to issue unprecedented warnings that a peaceful resolution must be found immediately. Their concerns are well-founded. In the past, Egyptian officials have made thinly veiled threats of military action, saying that Egypt would use all means available to protect its water security. Powerful actors close to the government have gone further, saying the Egyptian people will call for war if Ethiopia tries to starve the country. The Ethiopian Prime Minister and Nobel Peace Prize winner Abiy Ahmed has responded in kind. Last year he said that No force can stop Ethiopia from building the dam and that the country would marshal millions of men to defend it. Somalia has its own complex security issues. A suicide car bomber drove into a checkpoint outside the port in Mogadishu on Friday Despite the rhetoric, the chances of outright war between Egypt and Ethiopia are slim. With some 1,000 miles of Sudanese desert separating the two powers, Ethiopia looks invulnerable to land attacks. Airstrikes on the dam are a more feasible military option for Egypt. However, this would have devastating effects on regional security and would win Cairo few long term benefits. If Egypt launched strikes against the dam, what long term advantage would it gain? Even if that strike was highly destructive, Ethiopia would just start building another dam on the Blue Nile. Then in ten years, Egypt would face the same problem but this time it would not be consulted at all, says William Davidson, Senior Analyst at the International Crisis Group, an NGO based in Brussels. Ethiopia's Foreign Minister Gedu Andargachew declared that his country will go ahead and start filling the $4.6 billion Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam A new round of African Union mediated talks is currently underway. Last week, Egypts foreign minister warned that if the United Nations failed to intervene in the dispute, there was a risk of conflict. The latest talks represent the culmination of months of brinkmanship, said Adam Taylor from the Africa-focused risk consultancy, Sofala Partners. But it still seems difficult to imagine how either Egypt or Ethiopia could publicly cede ground without losing face. It is unclear who will back down first. If no deal is found, tensions in the fragile region will continue to rise with the waters. The plane load of weapons, detailed in several documents leaked to the Sunday Telegraph, will stay in Egypt - for now. A 15-year-old girl was injured in a shooting at the South Shore Plaza mall in Braintree, Massachusetts, officials said. Braintree police said she suffered non-life threatening injuries, and two male suspects were taken into custody in relation to the shooting, which took place at about 4:45 p.m. After initially saying they were responding to an "active shooter," the Braintree Police Department said it now believes it was a targeted shooting. This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it. Special agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives assisted Braintree police in the response to the scene. MORE: 4 people hospitalized after shooting at Alabama mall The Braintree Police Department said via Twitter that the stores were put under lockdown. In a follow-up tweet, the agency said the suspect or suspects were "believed to have fled the mall on foot" and urged neighbors to shelter in place and report suspicious activity. The shelter-in-place orders were lifted after the two suspects were taken into custody. PHOTO: ATF Boston said it was responding to an 'active shooter' at South Shore Plaza mall in Braintree, Mass., on July 3, 2020. (WCVB) A witness inside the mall described the chaos to Boston ABC affiliate WCVB, saying he heard "six gunshots." "Everything was acting normal, day to day, I was on the upstairs location near Sears, as I was walking toward Sears, I was on the second level I saw people start going to the railing, looking down to the first floor and then we just heard six gunshots one after another, then it went silent," he said. "I didn't see any shooter or anything like that. And then it all became chaos, the mall, everybody trying to find an exit." Braintree is located about 25 minutes south of downtown Boston. 15-year-old girl shot at Massachusetts mall; 2 in custody originally appeared on abcnews.go.com By Alicja Ptak WARSAW (Reuters) - Polish President Andrzej Duda suggested on Friday that Germany was trying to meddle in the presidential election after a German-owned tabloid newspaper reported on a pardon that he granted to a man who had served his sentence in a paedophilia case. Duda, a conservative who faces a neck-and-neck race against a centrist opponent in a presidential runoff election on July 12, was angered by reporting by the Polish tabloid Fakt. "Does Axel Springer, a company of German descent that owns the Fakt newspaper, want to influence the Polish presidential election?" Duda, an ally of the ruling Law and Justice party (PiS), said during a campaign rally in the western town of Boleslawiec. "Do the Germans want to choose the president in Poland?" he said. The case, in which the pardon was granted in March, was initially reported by the Rzeczpospolita daily, but Fakt followed up with more details on Thursday. Justice Minister Zbigniew Ziobro, who also serves as prosecutor general, confirmed the pardon was related to a paedophilia case but said it consisted only of lifting a restraining order and the man had served out his entire sentence. Duda had applied the law of pardon following a request of a victim who was now an adult, added Ziobro, who was shown speaking by Polish state TVP. According to Fakt the man finished serving his sentence five years ago. Earlier on Friday, Duda's re-election campaign spokesman, called on the German ambassador to Berlin to talk to the owners of Fakt. "We do not want this kind of foreign interference in the electoral process," spokesman Adam Bielan told public radio PR1. The German embassy referred questions to the German ministry of foreign affairs, which declined to comment. Fakt denied meddling in the election, saying in a statement published on its website that it is run by Polish journalists and editors. PiS has long accused foreign-owned media outlets of meddling in Poland's affairs. Duda's spokespeople could not be reached for comment. (Reporting by Alicja Ptak, Additional reporting by Thomas Escritt in Berlin; Editing by Frances Kerry) The Duke stepped back from public duties after a disastrous interview about his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein on Newsnight - Getty Images The arrest of Ghislaine Maxwell will see the spotlight of public scrutiny turn once again on the Duke of York, who became embroiled in the Jeffrey Epstein scandal by virtue of their friendship. The Duke has already faced serious questions over his friendship with Epstein, but has so far been accused by US prosecutors of failing to provide a suitable level of cooperation. He has always denied allegations made by Virginia Roberts Guiffre, who claims they had sex on three separate occasions including when she was 17. Ms Maxwells 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. It comes after years of uncomfortable speculation for the Duke, who stepped back from his official royal duties in November following a disastrous Newsnight interview about his friendship with the late Epstein. Addressing his friendship with Ms Maxwell, who introduced him to Epstein in 1999, he disclosed he had previously invited her to events including a "straightforward shooting weekend" at Sandringham and to Princess Beatrice's 18th birthday party at Windsor Castle. Asked if the pair had discussed Epstein when they met at Buckingham Palace in the summer, he replied; No, actually - funnily enough, no, not at all. There wasn't anything to discuss about him because he wasn't in the news, you know, it was just ... we had moved on." Shortly after the Newsnight interview, he issued a statement admitting the issue of his former friendship with Epstein had become a major disruption to his work and patronages, saying: Therefore, I have asked Her Majesty if I may step back from public duties for the foreseeable future, and she has given her permission. Royal-watchers have noted he has since appeared to be attempting to rebuild his reputation, photographed at home in Royal Lodge during lockdown packing boxes for charity. Story continues Hopes of a full return to public life now rely on finally putting his association with Epstein and accusation from Ms Roberts Giuffre to rest. A source close to the Dukes working group on Thursday night said he continued to try to cooperate with the US Department of Justice, despite their public claims to the contrary. 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, they said. On what he should do now, Nigel Cawthorne, author of recent biography Prince Andrew, Epstein and the Palace, said: The prince should take a very deep breath, swallow his ego, and follow humbly the advice of the experts who are advising him to the letter no ifs and no buts." U.S. Army officials at Fort Hood today said that there is no evidence that a male soldier who killed himself this week to avoid police capture sexually assaulted 20-year-old Spc. Vanessa Guillen, who has been missing from the Texas post since April. During a news conference, Army Criminal Investigation Command Special Agent Damon Phelps named the now-deceased soldier as Spc. Aaron David Robinson, who was assigned to A. Company, 3rd Cavalry Regiment at the time Guillen, a fellow 3rd Cavalry soldier, disappeared April 22. Read Next: Military COVID-19 Cases Spike 41% in June, With Upticks in Hotspot States Before the event, Natalie Khawam, an attorney representing Guillen's family, announced that CID officials told her that Robinson had murdered her in the unit armory on the day of her disappearance. "The murderer sexually harassed her and then killed her," the Whistleblower Law Firm attorney, told Military.com in a statement. "We believe he murdered her because he was going to report him. "This gruesome murder should never have happened." Law enforcement officials attempted to make contact with Robinson, 20, on Tuesday in Killeen, Texas, but he displayed a weapon and took his own life, Phelps said during the news conference. "We are still investigating their interactions, but at this point, there is no credible information of reports that Spc. Robinson sexually harassed Spc. Guillen," Phelps said. Phelps would not comment on the allegations made by Khawam that Robinson murdered her because it is still an ongoing investigation. Officials did not identify a civilian woman they arrested Tuesday in connection with Guillen's disappearance, described earlier as the estranged wife of a former soldier. She remains in custody in the Bell County Jail awaiting charges by civilian authorities. Fort Hood officials said that the human remains discovered recently have not been identified. They did not confirm details cited by Khawam about where specifically remains were found and what condition they were in. Story continues Army officials said on Tuesday that they found partial human remains near the Leon River about 30 miles outside Fort Hood. The remains have been sent to a forensic anthropologist for analysis, though no official confirmation on the identity of the remains has been completed. "Our agents are working very closely with the Armed Forces Medical Examiner to expedite identification of the remains," Phelps said. "We will release information on those remains as soon as we can and after notification is made with the next of kin." Army officials also stressed repeatedly at the news conference that there is "no credible information" that Guillen was the victim of sexual harassment or assault. "The criminal investigation has not found any connection between sexual harassment and Vanessa's disappearance," Maj. Scott Efflandt, deputy commanding general of III Corps and Fort Hood, said. "However, all sexual harassment allegations are being investigated, as they are in every other instance." At Efflandt's request, Army Forces Command ordered a seven-member inspector general team to Fort Hood to review the Sexual Harassment/Assault Response and Prevention Program, (SHARP). The inspection will assess whether the command climate at Hood is supportive of soldiers reporting sexual harassment and seek to identify any potential systemic issues within the program at Hood, Efflandt said. Phelps said investigators are aware Guillen's family members made statements early on to the media concerning sexual harassment allegations. He acknowledged that agents uncovered statements on May 7 that could be considered sexual harassment. "After subsequent investigation, another allegation of verbal harassment involving the same individual was discovered. However subsequent interviews have failed to [confirm] this allegation," Phelps said. "Nevertheless, we are still investigating." -- Matthew Cox can be reached at matthew.cox@military.com. Related: Army Investigating Fort Hood Sexual Assault Program After Soldier's Disappearance Go Nakamura/Getty Democratic officials angry at Texas Gov. Greg Abbotts handling of surging coronavirus numbers in the state this week had one lackluster place to voice their frustrations about the rapidly escalating public health crisis killing their constituents: a Zoom press conference. While some states followed the advice of public health experts, Texas did not, Dallas-area State Rep. Toni Rose said from a webcam on Wednesday, a photograph of the Texas Capitol superimposed behind her. It was certainly not the first time Democrats in the state had inveighed against a pandemic approach criticized by some as too reckless, and followed months of power struggles between local and state leaders in Texas over lockdowns, masks, and more. But the politics of the COVID-19 situation in the stateDemocrats yelling into the void, at least until Gov. Greg Abbott ordered mask use in hot zones across the state Thursdayhad already given way to hard numbers, not just of cases, but also of hospitalizations, with the states medical system suddenly under pressure that seemed unthinkable even a few weeks ago. If rates [of infection] continue to increase 50 percent week over week, you can only do that for so long, said Dr. David Lakey, vice chancellor for health affairs and chief medical officer at the University of Texas system and a member of the Texas Medical Association COVID-19 Task Force. He added that chief medical officers across the state, at least this week, are really busy, but theyre managing it. The fear, he explained, is what next week, or the week after, will look like. And while beds, ventilators, and ICU rooms are holding up overall so far, theyre starting to see some challenges in staff, like respiratory therapists and nurses. As those challenges rise with the climbing hospitalizations, staffers have gotten sick or been forced to quarantine after exposures. And the numbers are getting more ominous. Texas broke another record for daily new cases on Tuesday, at 8,076 infections, according to state data. The previous record, on Monday, was 6,975. Days earlier, the record was 5,996. On June 16, the state broke the 4,000-mark for the first time. Story continues As Democratic State Rep. Trey Martinez Fischer, who represents San Antonio, said during the press conference, Gov. Greg Abbott gambled with Texas lives with an aggressive reopening, and we have lost. After a slew of mayors and judges tried to drag their feet on the governors swift reopening plan earlier this spring, the states attorney general sent letters to leaders in Dallas, Austin, and San Antonio warning that rules stricter than the states might be met with legal action. As the surges worsened across the state, though, Abbott gave his tacit consent for local officials to impose masking requirements on businesses, and urged individual Texans to mask up. If People Die, People Die: Texas COVID Hot Spots Keep Getting Worse This week, Abbott went much further, shutting down bars statewide and suspending elective medical procedures in eight counties. Bar owners who previously said they supported Abbotts reopening turned against the governor, with some protesting in front of the state Capitol holding signs that read Bar Lives Matter. And on Thursday, Abbott made a remarkable turnaround, ordering residents to wear face masks in all counties with at least 20 COVID-19 cases, and empowering local authorities to break up gatherings of more than 10 people. But conversations with health experts and medical professionals in the state suggested the emerging crisis at medical facilities in Texas was already deeply advanced. Texas Medical Center, the worlds largest medical complex, indicated last Thursday that its base intensive care capacity hit 100 percent and that it was on pace to exceed an unsustainable surge capacity of intensive care beds by July 6, The Houston Chronicle reported this week. Last week, the Texas Childrens Hospital in Houston began admitting adult patients because of the surge, according to the paper. Internal communications at Houston hospitals revealed a lack of space and therapeutic drugs as the regions medical facilities worked to treat more than 3,000 COVID-19 patients, including about 800 in intensive care, NBC News and Propublica reported Wednesday. Meanwhile, as of Tuesday, about 75 percent of Tarrant Countys intensive care unit beds were occupied, The Fort Worth Star-Telegram first reported. At recent hospitalization growth rates, facilities in Tarrant and Dallas counties could reach their surge capacities in as few as four weeks, according to Rajesh Nandy, an associate professor of biostatistics and epidemiology in the University of North Texass School of Public Health. The simplest way to look at is this: Lets say the trend doesnt change, and hospital capacity stays the same as it is currently. Under those assumptions, it would be two to three weeks before theyre operating at max capacity, Nandy, whose team has studied local and national COVID-19 data since the pandemic began, told The Daily Beast on Wednesday. It probably would be three to four weeks when wed be overloaded even with surge capacities. At that point, wed have to consider creating new facilities at convention centers. Despite those warnings, Dallas-area hospitals have repeatedly said they dont need to prepare a pop-up facility at a nearby convention center, with the chair of the Texas Medical Associations board of trustees telling the newspaper that there are a number of safety valves that could be pushed. Still, said Nandy: Our health-care system will be overwhelmed if it continues like this. And ragged, frustrated medical providers all over the state have said theyre anxious about the days to come. We are in an entirely different place now than what we were just four weeks ago, said Dr. Pritesh Gandhi, an Austin-based primary care doctor and the associate chief medical officer at Peoples Community Clinic, which serves uninsured and underinsured Central Texans. In the last few days, our clinic has seen three or four times as many patients for drive-through testing than we had weeks ago, and its reflective of massive community spread. Gandhi, a Democratic candidate for Texas 10th Congressional District, called the medical communitys efforts to provide care for Texans during the past month of surges extraordinarily challenging and said it has been complicated by failures at both the federal and state level. Were testing more, having more positives, having more symptomatic patients, doing more drive-through testing, Gandhi told The Daily Beast on Wednesday. Staff are getting sick, just like anywhere else. Gandhi, and the group of Democratic state representatives who held the press conference, decried an undercurrent of science denialism and hostility towards public health perhaps best embodied by an interview Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick gave to Fox News hours earlier. He said Dr. Anthony Fauci, the top infectious disease expert in the countryand the face of the federal response to the pandemicwas wrong every time on every issue. He doesnt know what hes talking about! Patrick told Fox News on Tuesday evening. I dont need his advice anymore. Dr. Lakeya former commissioner of the Texas Department of State Health Services who was appointed by former Texas Gov. Rick Perrywas more forgiving of Abbott than others in the state. He said he doesnt envy those, like the governor, whove had to navigate the middle ground between complete statewide shutdowns and complete light-switch openings. Its a very fraught time in public health, said Lakey. No one has a crystal ball. Theres no perfect plan. You make your plan, and then you have to be ready to adjust your plan, said Lakey. Thats not a sign of failure, its a sign that youre looking at the data and trying to make the best decision. But both Rose and Rep. Donna Howard, who represents Austin, said their constituents would likely benefit from a second statewide shutdown, and that Abbotts decisions had been deeply damaging. Martinez-Fischer emphasized that stay-at-home orders were a tool that should never have been taken out of local hands. We know that it worked before, said Howard. That contained the spread before. We have to do what we have to do here, and unfortunately shutting down may be our only option. Whether or not thats true, it remains unclear if Abbott would do it, as hes said closing down Texas again will always be the last option. Then again, many public health experts question whether it would be necessary. As Lakey noted: Its no longer March. Those trying to battle the crisis in Texas have the benefit of months of nationwide observation, studies about intubation, clinical trials, and promising therapeutic treatments like Remdesivir. And the mask order could help turn the tide. We have learned from that experience and are bringing those lessons to the response, said Lakey. Still, he and others point to the myriad unknowns in the coming days, from July 4 weekend celebrations to college students possibly returning to campuses in just a few weeks. As Gandhi said on Wednesday, Were angry and were exhausted because of the incompetence. It didnt have to be like this. 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. Customers comply with the mandatory face mask order at The Spot, a popular restaurant and bar on the boardwalk in Galveston Beach. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times) As COVID-19 infections spiked in South Texas, officials closed beaches and the governor ordered the wearing of masks, but crowds still descended on Galveston's restaurants and Pleasure Pier amusement park on Friday. At The Spot, a popular three-story beachfront restaurant on Seawall Boulevard, signs warned that patrons had to wear masks or the business could be fined $1,000. Staff patrolled the parking lot, making sure several dozen customers waiting in line were social distancing. Nearby, police warned passersby they faced $250 fines for not masking up. Some listened, some didn't. This was Texas and much of America in the strange, scary, defiant age of the virus. Skies were sunny and people needing escape pushed the limits on a breezy holiday weekend. Mask-less children darted toward a roller coaster while health officials cautioned that infections could spiral further upward those were the conflicting images of a nation. Jimmy, center, and Rachel Kinder, right, brought their daughter Arabella, 5, to the Pleasure Pier on Galveston Island. "The whole mask thing should be a personal choice," Jimmy Kinder says. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times) I dont really see too much sense in it, said Randy Clark, 49, who was visiting from North Texas with a dozen relatives. Theres no continuity to the rules. They closed the beaches and canceled the light show, but you can still go in a restaurant or the Pleasure Pier. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott resisted requiring masks until Friday, after Houston a metro area that's home to almost 7 million people less than an hour's drive from the island had become a national hot spot with hospitals full of COVID-19 patients. Galveston officials waited until Friday to announce beach closings, blocking parking along Seawall and canceling the annual fireworks show. Galveston County leaders relented a bit on Friday by allowing foot traffic on Bolivar Peninsula. In the Galveston area, about 14% of those tested had the virus this week, up from 0.6% in May, when Abbott allowed businesses to start reopening, according to Dr. Philip Keiser, Galveston County's health director. Right after the reopening, people came down to Galveston and were not paying much attention to the rules about social distancing and wearing masks at bars and restaurants, he said. "People were just gathered around, acting like it was a big party. Story continues Nila White, 20, left, and Brooklin Lafong, 22, stay busy making cocktails to go at The Spot, a popular restaurant and bar in Galveston, Texas. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times) The average age of those testing positive dropped from 60 in April to 29 last week, Keiser said. One of the biggest hot spots in the county is an inland area on Galveston Island where service workers live. The business owners are in a terrible situation: They need to stay open to make money, but they dont want their employees to get infected. The problem is, there are chokepoints: Is there a line going in? Is there a way to keep people from gathering as they move through the establishment? Keiser planned to mostly stay home on the Fourth of July, except for a drive down Seawall, just to see what it looks like. At the Pleasure Pier, tables were full at Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. restaurant and families were flowing onto the rides and into the souvenir shop. They passed a Duck Tour boat about to depart with a dozen people aboard, all masked, with seats in between. Businesses need to stay open or theyre just going to shut down, said the tour boats captain, Raymond Smith, a father of eight who wore a shark mask. What do you do, cower in your house and dont feed your children? Visiting from San Diego with their mother Shadley Pastor, Gemma Pastor, 7, left, and Sykora Pastor, 9, look at their live pet crabs they bought at Galveston Beach, along with their cousin Macie Hartz, 9, of Texas. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times) Jimmy and Rachel Kinder bought T-shirts and mermaid toys for their 5-year-old daughter Arabella at the Pleasure Pier before leaving to grab lunch at the Rainforest Cafe just before the mask order took effect. Rachel Kinder, 27, a stay-at-home mom, had a mask around her neck. Her husband did not. The whole mask thing should be a personal choice, said Jimmy Kinder, 29, a welder from Tulsa, Okla., whod recently been working in East Texas. It doesnt make sense to close the beach and have the pier open you can distance a lot better there. Kinder agreed with President Trump that people should have the right to choose not to wear masks, but he said he disagreed with the way the president had downplayed the severity of the pandemic. I probably should be more worried, he said. Raymond Smith, owner of Duck Tours on Galveston Beach, wears a shark scarf around his face, as he waits for customers. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times) Shadley Pastor, 40, a Houston native, was visiting with her two young daughters from San Diego. She noticed a sharp contrast between residents response to the pandemic. Its more strict in San Diego, more masking even my kids noticed it, said Pastor, a stay-at-home mom, as she walked Seawall with 9-year-old Sykora and 7-year-old Gemma. Over at The Spot, Graham Gemoets, 50, of Houston was finishing lunch with his husband and said he wished officials had announced pandemic restrictions sooner. "It just wasn't handled very well," he said. The couple usually rent out their second home on the island through Airbnb, but have seen a slew of cancellations. Gemoets' catering business has also been decimated by the pandemic. On Friday, they were dismayed to hear fellow diners curse out someone busing tables for taking too long to clean (they left her a tip). With bikinis and T-shirts hanging in the window, Elad Amsalem looks through the front of his store, Beach Break Surf Shop, while waiting for customers on Friday. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times) "People don't realize all the background work, having to wipe down tables and testing," Gemoets said. The Spot's owner, Dennis Byrd, said hes instituting new protections every day for patrons and staff, including two weeks' paid leave for any employee with symptoms. I feel like Ive converted my restaurant into an airport, said Byrd, 40. Despite the new pandemic orders, Byrd said business was steady. He also owns two hotels, which were 75% occupied for the holiday weekend, typical of the island now. He said the mask and beach closure orders were helpful, but he wasnt sure how officials would prevent crowds from forming over the weekend, especially along Seawall. Violating the beach closure carries a $500 fine, but Galveston is known for its raucous parties, beach weddings, open-air bars, biker rallies and Go Topless Jeep Weekend. They say theres going to be no loitering, but how are you going to enforce that? Byrd said. Were going to find out. For the record: 7:01 PM, Jul. 03, 2020: A previous version of this article said the Houston metro areas population is 4 million. It is nearly 7 million. Click here to read the full article. CHUKOTKA, A Russian region marginally larger than Texas, lies some three miles from the Alaskan coast. This startling proximity illustrates a fact of enormous significance for relations between the worlds two major nuclear powers, though one that is practically ignored by Americans from Main Street to Capitol Hill. Besides its largely peaceful borders with Canada and Mexico, the United States has a third neighborRussia. The U.S.-Russian relationship has long been overshadowed by cycles of engagement and confrontation, culminating in the twentieth century with a Cold War that lasted over four decades. At the turn of the millennium, Americans no longer thought of Russia as a serious adversary. Indeed, they no longer thought of Russia much at all. In recent years, Russia has come roaring back into headlines thanks to its invasion of Ukraine in 2014, and its intrusion into the 2016 U.S. presidential election. More recently, Russia has been elevated to the status of a great-power competitor, right alongside Chinawhich it calls a strategic partnerin the foreign-policy and national-security outlook now dominant in Washington. And the Russia preoccupation goes well beyond the U.S. government. No cable news debate, no investigative article, no district-level town hall meeting, can escape at least some mention of Russia and its role in the world, including right here at home. Yet for many Americans, Russia itself remains psychologically far away. Russia is uniquely inscrutable. It is too close for comfort, meddling where it does not belong, and at the same time too distant to really matter. U.S.-Russia relations, we are often advised, would best serve the U.S. national interest if Russia could be compelled to back off, to withdraw all influence from Europe and the Middle Eastto politely disappear from the future scene after acknowledging its regrettable history of wrongdoing. Russia will not disappear, of course, and so it is essential to develop a revised approach to U.S.-Russia relations. Instead of friend or foe, its time for Russia to be viewed as the third neighbor of the United States. In an interconnected international environment, geography can matter less than psychology. Very often strategy begins in psychology, and what the United States needs in relation to Russia is the psychology of a neighbor. Story continues Neighbors are rarely strangers to the irritations of proximity, which can include bristling resentment at perceived violations as well as hot and cold varieties of conflict. They are prone to complain about one another and to bicker over shared spaces and resources. Neighbors also know one another, and benefit from that knowledge. Although some neighborhoods are conflict zones, all neighbors have a vested interest in having their neighborhood not be a conflict zoneand in having their neighborhood prosper. The obvious mutual advantages of a good neighborhood and of neighborly relations are by no means a guarantee of either. Both require constant attention, work, and no small amount of compromise. Sometimes the best that can be attained is a degree of partnership amid tension. An American third neighbor strategy toward Russia should rest on several pillars. The first requires knowing Russia far better, as well as developing a nuanced awareness of its history, and of the patterns and perceptions that have shaped the U.S.-Russian relationship over time. What matters here is not merely the story of conflict or the story of cooperation, but the story of conflict-and-cooperation, going back to the 1930s. This story furnishes key policy lessons while endowing those who study it with a feel for context and a realistic set of expectations. It shapes communication by honing the essential ability to behave respectfully and to conduct difficult conversations without abandoning ones own principles. The second pillar is a keen understanding of what each neighbor wants or believes is its entitled lot. What are the U.S. and Russian national interests at stake within this relationship? They are seldom found in either perfect, clean convergence or in divergence, and managing the U.S.-Russian relationship involves an interplay of common and unlike interests, overlaid with interpretations of international order unique to the United States and unique to Russia. Diplomatic relations between Moscow and Washington are burdened by the antithetical domestic political cultures of Russia and the United States. Even a single historical eventthe Second World War, for examplecan be interpreted very, very differently in both countries. Centuries of history have left each neighbor similarly ambitious but almost never ambitious about international order in the same way. Finally, a new U.S.-Russia strategy should balance resilience toward Russian intrusions with an acceptance of, and engagement with, Russia as a near neighbor in world affairs. A formidable military force capable of global power projection, Russia will pursue its interests vigorously in the future. For American foreign policy to succeed in general, a functional, working relationship with Russia is crucial. U.S.-Russian relations are thus integral to American global interests, and to the kind of wider international neighborhood the United States intends to inhabit and to foster. THE PAST hundred years have witnessed recurring conflict between Russia and the United States. As Americans became increasingly skeptical toward tsarist autocracy in the nineteenth century, high hopes were attached to Russias early moves toward liberation, including the revolutions of 1905 and 1917. But the Bolshevik takeover in November 1917, and its unfolding aftermath of civil war, collectivization, class warfare, repression, and famine, were glaring affronts to American values. The United States did not recognize the Soviet government until 1933. Six years later, the Nazi-Soviet Pact put Moscow and Washington at odds, though not precisely at war. An alliance of necessity during the later war years resulted in a shared victory in 1945 that in turn precipitated renewed conflict. To their pre-existing ideological differences, Washington and Moscow added the impossible challenge of reconciling competing visions for postwar Europe, starting with an occupied and divided Germany. Distrust arose quickly, and neither side was comfortable with the influence wielded by the other. Stalemate in Europe solidified when the Soviet Union tested an atomic bomb in 1949, touching off a full-fledged arms race in warheads, aircraft, missiles, and eventually even manned rocket ships. Circles of tension rippled out in multiple domainsmilitary, political, ideological, and in espionage, the Cold War domain par excellence. In the fall of 1962 and then again in the early 1980s, tensions threatened to spiral into outright war. Though cooler heads and dumb luck prevented direct U.S.-Soviet military confrontation on those terrifying occasions, Moscow and Washington could not be prevented from waging proxy wars, from Korea to Afghanistan, and Vietnam to Central America. These Cold War expeditions into the third world reflected the original failure, in 1945, to create a fully and mutually accepted security architecture in Europe, whose stability could be the basis for balancing competing interests elsewhere around the globe. Nonetheless, running through and beneath these recurring episodes of conflict is a compelling history of U.S.-Russia cooperation. Tsar Alexander II supported the Union in the Civil War, sent a fleet to San Francisco to defend that vital port city from a potential British-French blockade, and even anticipated Lincolns emancipation of enslaved African Americans with his own liberation of Russian serfs in 1861. Teddy Roosevelt helped to broker the peace that ended the Russo-Japanese war in 1905, known to history as the Treaty of Portsmouth, New Hampshirea location Roosevelt chose to escape the summer heat in Washington, DC. For a few years in the 1930s, the United States and the Soviet Union agreed on the malevolence of Nazi Germany, a precursor of sorts to the World War II alliance, which Stalin betrayed by signing a nonaggression pact with Hitler in 1939. In 1941 and 1942, American food and materiel kept the Soviet Union in the fight, and the U.S. invasion of North Africa in 1942 and then of Europe enabled the Soviets to break the back of the Nazi war machine on the Eastern front. Cooperation on security and economic issues came more naturally after the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991: between Presidents Bill Clinton and Boris Yeltsin, Presidents George W. Bush and Vladimir Putin, Presidents Barack Obama and Dmitry Medvedev. The extensive history of U.S.-Russian cooperation shows the potential in this relationship for conflict resolution as well as advancing common interests, not just for establishing the occasional marriage of convenience. Precisely because the histories of cooperation and conflict run side by side, Washington and Moscow have at times been willing to cooperate even while enmeshed in conflict with one another. This was a key dynamic of the Cold War: the space race gave rise to Apollo-Soyuz and its offspring, the International Space Station; fears of environmental catastrophe spawned the first agreements on limiting nuclear testing; even the Potsdam Conference, which in 1945 ended up frustrating Moscow and Washington alike, held off direct conflict at a moment when Soviet superiority in conventional forces and a U.S. monopoly on nuclear weapons raised tensions to a fever pitch. What Potsdam left unfinished was later taken up in Helsinki. The Helsinki Final Act of 1975 emerged out of grueling diplomatic labor, conducted over several years. Helsinki diplomacy contains ironic lessons. By the early 1970s, the United States and the Soviet Union each saw the other as an enduring power that could not be defeated in direct confrontation. Hence, the two countries approached one another as neighbors, and engaged in actual diplomacy. A close look at U.S.-Russian relations after 1991 reveals cooperation coexisting with conflictat least in Russias perception of matters. Russia always opposed NATO enlargement. It opposed the Kosovo War. It opposed the Iraq War launched in 2003. Then, the United States opposed the Russia-Georgia War of 2008. None of this precluded an overall reset of relations in 2009, allowing for agreements on arms control and even joint activities in support of common objectives in Afghanistan. Cooperation-amid-conflict can be theoretically and morally unsatisfying. It is unstable by definition, driven more by the necessity to cope than the desire to win. But given the massive nuclear arsenals of Russia and the United States as well as their sprawling global equities, it has proven its worth. At its best, the tension inherent to cooperation-amid-conflict has been an aid to the diplomatic imagination. It has inhibited zero-sum thinking and prevented worst-case scenarios from being realized. WERE THE United States to pay serious attention to the interests of its Russian neighbor, what would it find? For post-Soviet Russia, the United States has been a serious problem. While Americans took satisfaction in the Cold Wars end, their lives were little changed. By contrast, life in Russia was radically transformed. Viewed from Russia, the United States government exploited the ensuing power vacuum to extend an American systemat times by invitation (NATO enlargement) and at times through force (the Kosovo War, the Iraq War). Russia felt disadvantaged by this arrangement and under Putin has pushed back. In an encapsulation attributed to Putin himself, Russia has been rising from its knees, economically and technologically. Later, Moscow advanced a far more assertive political and military posture worldwide. Russian interests stem from a historically rooted and widely accepted view that the security of the state itself is paramount, because without it, there can be no safety, freedom, or prosperity for Russian families and individuals. This is certainly the premise of Putins avowedly statist regime. As a consequence, Moscow seeks to push problems onto the periphery and maximize leverageby persuasion if possible and by coercion if necessary. (Washington is not so different on the issue of leverage.) Better conflict in Georgia, Ukraine, or Syria than at home. Better to impose terms on the international order than to have the international order impose terms on you. Russias goal is not to defeat or replace the United States; Russia lacks the requisite power, and knows it. The goal is to contain the United States and to check its power within a fluid, transactional, and multipolar international order. This is not the international order Russia wants to create. It is the order Moscow believes to be already in existence, and within which it is destined to operate. U.S. interests (where Russia is concerned) are somewhat more diffuse. Immediately after the Cold War, the United States attempted to integrate Russia into an international order defined by democracy and market capitalism, but this project never gelled. Once Russia revealed itself to be an actor outside the script the United States had attempted to write for it, conflict ensued. The United States lamented Russias drive to push instability to its periphery, at first in the post-Soviet space. An aspirational containment, which was incapable of reversing Russian advances into Moldova, Georgia, and Ukraine, then confronted Russias challenge to the integrity of the NATO alliance in Europe, and its efforts to alter the regional order in the Middle East, empowering Iran and imperiling Israel. In line with this renewed containment imperative, the United States has drawn a line in the sand on democracy, resisting and deterring intrusions (cyber or otherwise) into its domestic politics and into the domestic politics of U.S. allies. If Russia is not the only source of this problem, it is the foreign country most willing to employ the many disruptive tools at its disposal. Despite the divergence in worldview, Russia and the United States are neighbors not only in some overlapping global interests, and not just in the shared space of international contests, running the gamut from diplomatic spats to armed conflict. Like any neighbors sensible of themselves and their surroundings, Moscow and Washington also share a basic interest in limiting the costs of adversityespecially those cases which threaten to bring the two into direct confrontation. The COVID-19 pandemic, for example, has forced both sides to reckon with the vast unanticipated costs of public-health responses, social-support programs, and reinvestment in devastated economiesdespite differences in the pandemics timeline and scope of its impact in the two countries. In the years ahead, both sides will also need to re-evaluate spending priorities and to rethink the meaning of national security. While this process may or may not yield opportunities for cooperation between the United States and Russia, it will certainly cast the costs of the current conflict in a new light. The Ukraine crisis has already forced much greater U.S. defense expenditures in the European theater, while U.S./EU sanctions have slowed the Russian economy. More severe sanctions could be devastating to Russia, and anything resembling war between Russia and a NATO member state would be immensely costly to both sides. The breakdown in arms control between Moscow and Washington risks profligate spending on a new arms race. As in the Cold War, unconstrained competition between Moscow and Washington is potentially ruinous for both sides. The dangers are most acute and most obvious in the military sphere. An accident, a misread signal, or an excess of bravado could lead to an escalatory spiral. Precisely because each country has a nuclear arsenal capable of practically obliterating the other, there is almost zero chance of one side emerging victorious. Not for nothing is uniformed military deconfliction one of the few functional channels of U.S.-Russian dialogue at present. The challenge of the U.S.-Russian relationship is that the overall interests of the two sides cannot be easily harmonized, and neither side is much inclined to prioritize limited areas of cooperation or compatibility over deeply felt differences. Too much conciliation and one side perceives itself as the loser. Too much tension and both sides lose, and potentially lose everything. Even if there is a median, it is unlikely to be a happy one. DOES THE difficulty of finding compromise amid incompatible interests necessarily condemn neighbors to conflict? Not necessarily. Neighbors have the option of being clear with one another about their interests and red lines; each has the option of acquiring sufficiently deep knowledge of the other to understand disputes in their full context. In the best case, U.S. strategy towards its Russian neighbor would reflect the sum total of U.S. interests, balanced against the risks of opposing interests Russia considers vital and against the potential gains of cooperation, limited as they may be. Faced with a multiplicity of ongoing direct and proxy confrontations with Moscow, Washington must consistently advocate and actively defend its own vital interests. It should clearly communicate its redlines to Russia: the security of NATO member states; political and economic stability in Europe, as well as Israel, Japan, and other regional allies security; American democratic politics unharmed by outside meddling. Having communicated these redlines, the United States must be willing to enforce them in ways that will be taken seriously by Russia. This may be sanctions or diplomacy but can at other times include adjustments in military force posture or even use of kinetic, cyber, or other coercive measures. Anything less risks eroding the deterrent logic of American redlines for Moscow. Containing the costs of conflict between neighbors is a broader interest Americans must simultaneously pursue. At home, this means resisting any tendency to inflate threats emanating from Russia, as was common during the Cold War, when the Soviet Union was in fact a far more formidable enemy than todays Russia could ever be. Externally, it entails consistent, regular diplomatic engagement with Russia, starting with heads of state and the national-security bureaucracy from political to working levels. Remarkably, there has not been such engagement between the two countries since 2011. For de-escalation or diminution of tension to be possible at all, it must be shown to be desirable in the first place. As long as the leading official and public voices of both sides insist on an outcome to the current conflict that resembles Americas victory in the Cold War, or that of the Soviet Union over Nazi Germany, there can be no effective containment of the costs of conflict or the risks of escalation. It is here that the history of cooperation-amid-conflict over more than a century can be drawn upon, in both countries, for practical examples and for inspiration. A successful American strategy will be sufficiently guided by an awareness of Russian interests and perspectives to recognize where added pressure may be warranted, and when the better path may be either compromise or outright line-drawing, recalling Robert Frosts hoary maxim that good fences make for good neighbors. Washington should eschew moralizing about Russia as a many-tentacled malign creature or as some twenty-first-century incarnation of the Evil Empire. Rather, it should take careful note of Russian interests and do its best to formulate predictions of Russian behavior on the basis of these interests. Russia will go to considerable lengths, for example, to block any further enlargement of NATO and to build up its leverage in the Middle East. With trade, diplomatic, and humanitarian contacts so eroded, Moscow sees little to lose in the U.S.-Russian relationship, and so will be more likely to intrude into domestic American politics to increase social friction and deepen internal cleavages in the United States. At the same time, Russias sluggish and vulnerable economy could limit its capacity for bold, costly international advances in the future, including major military power projection beyond its immediate post-Soviet periphery. Little of the foregoing portends disaster for the United States. The challenges from Russia can be handled, but only if they are first understood. Doing so demands substantially more, and more sustained, national investment in Russian expertise than Americans have made since the end of the Cold War. As the United States has embraced a posture of increased conflict with Russiafirst in defense of the liberal international order and more recently under the banner of great power competitiona generation and a half of young Americans have encountered dwindling opportunities to study Russia. A U.S.-Russian relationship in which one side speaks one language and the other speaks two languages will not benefit the United States. This shortcoming of preparedness can be reversed at relatively modest cost, less than the cost of producing and maintaining a single new nuclear missile, though it will take a decade or more for the improvement in U.S. academic expertise and policy analytical capacity to register fully. As in the Cold War, American strategy should seek to shape the image of the United States held by our Russian neighbor. Resources stripped from cultural diplomacy and people-to-people engagement during recent years of intentional mutual isolation must be restored. The dismal view of the United States shared by most Russians stems to a large degree from Kremlin propaganda, but younger Russians are increasingly indifferent to state-controlled television, and would surely welcome expanded opportunities for travel or even virtual exchange with Americans. These contacts can be focused on partnership in areas of obvious common interest, including climate change, the Arctic, space exploration, pandemic disease and disaster response, and the common aspirations of ordinary people on both sides for greater security and prosperity in their individual lives. U.S. policymakers, experts, and journalists must stop relegating Russia to Churchills caricature of riddle-mystery-enigma or to that of a Cold War bete noir. Both are cliched, and neither is helpful. Instead, Americans should not hide Russia behind an iron curtain or bottle it up behind a wall of its own making. Washington should make the psychological shift to seeing Russia as the third neighbor now. Already Russia is actively pursuing closer alignment with China while asserting its interests globally. This makes Russia a critical variable for U.S. foreign policy, from Latin America to the Middle East and from Europe to East Asia. Russia has the potential to augment a growing U.S.-China rivalry, either by aiding China or by exploiting collisions when they occur. Yet were it so inclined, Russia could help contain or at least complicate Chinas rise to regional hegemony in Asia or, down the road, to global hegemony. As the United States contemplates Russia as the third neighbor, it will have much to learn from its relationships with the two familiar neighbors, Mexico and Canada. Canada and Mexico lack Russias long history of invasions from east and west, and they avoid the kind of crusading, expeditionary foreign policy that is second nature for both Russians and Americans. Yet in the relationships among Canada, Mexico, and the United States are all the ingredients of competition and conflict. They have still managed to find their way to a stability in relations that helps each more than it harms them. Extreme, destabilizing policies are generally held in check; close ties and mutual understanding are cultivated. None of this happens by accident. It is the achievement of leaders and societies that recognize the realities of a common neighborhood. Russia will never be irrelevant to American interests. Nor can it be made subservient to them. Moscow cannot be bludgeoned into compliance with anyone elses values or notions of world order, and Russians will not accept involuntary isolation from the Euro-Atlantic civilization of which they have always been a part, and which they have helped to shape and preserve. For Americans, Russia should be made less foreign, with all the irritations and all the benefits of connection. However unavoidable, conflict should be contained and balanced against cooperation. Russia, our third neighbor, must be a country with which the United States can manage to live. Matthew Rojansky is Director of the Kennan Institute at the Wilson Center. Michael C. Kimmage is a professor and department chair of history at Catholic University of America. Image: Reuters. Click here to read the full article. Three Aurora, Colorado, police officers were fired Friday for taking part in a disrespectful selfie-photo session near the memorial site for Elijah McClain, who died after being in a police chokehold, the interim chief said. The officers involved in the photos, which show three of them smiling as one is in a mock chokehold, were identified by interim Chief Vanessa Wilson of the Aurora Police Department as Jason Rosenblatt, Erica Marrero and Kyle Dittrich. A fourth officer, Jaron Jones, resigned Tuesday. Chief Wilson terminated Erica Marrero, Kyle Dittrich, and Jason Rosenblatt. Former employee, Jaron Jones, resigned on June 30th, 2020 prior to the pre-disciplinary hearing. (Aurora Police) "We are ashamed, we're sickened and we're angered," she said Friday. "I am disgusted to my core." Rosenblatt, the only one of the four also involved in the encounter with McClain, was not seen in two group selfies released by the department. But he responded "ha-ha" when he received them by group text, authorities said. Wilson indicated a fifth officer also received the photos by text but may have done nothing wrong. She said the officers have said "they were trying to cheer up a friend by sending that photo." But she said she doesn't believe the story. One of the photos shows Jones in the center of two officers, using a mock chokehold on Dittrich, with Marrero to his right. "They reenacted the carotid control hold, which was what was administered on Elijah," Wilson said. She said the photos were taken Oct. 20 "outside of the location where there was a memorial set up for Elijah." The chief said she found out about the images about eight days ago. Chief Wilson terminated Erica Marrero, Kyle Dittrich, and Jason Rosenblatt. Former employee, Jaron Jones, resigned on June 30th, 2020 prior to the pre-disciplinary hearing. (Aurora Police) Demonstrators on Friday took to the streets of Aurora, outside Denver, where McClain's mother was expected to speak. The Aurora Police Association criticized the chief for firing Rosenblatt despite his lack of direct participation. And it said the officers have been denied fair hearings. "All of these steps ordered by Interim Chief Wilson were violations of the officer's due process rights," it said on Facebook. "By her actions today, Interim Chief Wilson has demonstrated that she is unfit for the position that she currently holds." Officers confronted McClain, 23, on Aug. 24 on a report of a suspicious person wearing a ski mask. Video recorded him saying that he's an introvert and was heading home. Officers put him in a chokehold and he went into cardiac arrest before dying at a hospital on Aug. 27. The three officers involved in his death were removed from street duty. WASHINGTON On the eve of Independence Day, President Donald Trump used a speech before Mount Rushmore on Friday to condemn protesters across the country for attacking monuments while announcing he would sign an executive order to establish a "National Garden of American Heroes." "Our Nation is witnessing a merciless campaign to wipe out our history, defame our heroes, erase our values and indoctrinate our children," Trump told a crowd of more than 7,000 people before the national monument in South Dakota. "Angry mobs are trying to tear down statues of our founders, deface our most sacred memorials and unleash a wave of violent crime in our cities." Trumps remarks came as federal statues across the country have been targeted for removal by protesters following the death of George Floyd, a Black Minneapolis man who was killed when a white police officer pinned him to the ground with a knee to his neck for nearly nine minutes. Trump's July 4th: Trump will host a scaled-back July 4th party at White House as coronavirus cases spike Statues of historical figures, including presidents Andrew Jackson, George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt as well as Robert E. Lee and Christopher Columbus have been targeted in cities across the country. The president said he would establish a National Garden of American Heroes," which he described as a "vast outdoor park that will feature the statues of the greatest Americans who ever lived. The order, released by the White House on Friday night, said the park will feature statues including several American presidents as well as historical figures including Susan B. Anthony, Daniel Boone, Davy Crockett, Frederick Douglass, Amelia Earhart, Benjamin Franklin, Billy Graham, Martin Luther King, Harriet Tubman and others. A task force under the Department of the Interior will determine the site of the park, according to the order. It is expected to be open to the public in time for the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 2026. Story continues Kimberly Guilfoyle: Donald Trump Jr.'s girlfriend and campaign official, tests positive for coronavirus Late last month Trump signed an executive order for violators to be prosecuted to the fullest extent under the Veterans Memorial Preservation Act, which states that anyone who vandalizes or destroys a monument, memorial or statue can be sentenced to prison for up to 10 years. The order also puts state and local law enforcement agencies on notice that they could lose federal support if they fail to protect such monuments. US President Donald Trump arrives for the Independence Day events at Mount Rushmore National Memorial in Keystone, South Dakota, July 3, 2020. The president delivered his speech before some 7,500 people in the shadow of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln, whose heads are etched into Mount Rushmore. Both Washington and Jefferson were slave-owners. "This monument will never be desecrated, these heroes will never be defaced, their legacy will never be destroyed, their achievements will never be forgotten, and Mount Rushmore will stand forever as an eternal tribute to our forefathers and to our freedom," Trump said. The event, billed as an official White House event, appeared to echo the president's campaign rhetoric, underscoring the social and racial divisions across the country. What statues Trump wants: Billy Graham, Harriet Tubman and Frederick Douglass among others "Make no mistake, this left-wing cultural revolution is designed to overthrow the American revolution," Trump said. "They think the American people are weak and soft and submissive. 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," he said. Before Trump's arrival, police used pepper spray and arrested protesters for blocking a highway leading up to the monument. Protesters argue that the land in which the monument lies on - Black Hills - was seized from the Lakota Sioux by the U.S. government in the 1800s and Trump's administration opposes the interests of Native Americans and other minority groups. Statue to be moved: Theodore Roosevelt statue to be removed from Natural History museum; Trump calls move 'ridiculous' Today has been a proud day to be Lakota," said Nick Tilsen of the NDN Collective. "We shut down Mount Rushmore. We put this place in lockdown for three hours and we did it in a good way. We got this power from our ancestors. The fireworks that followed Trump's speech are the first at Mount Rushmore in more than a decade after a ban was imposed over environmental concerns. Environmentalists say the fireworks could set off wildfires in dry brush in nearby forests. However, local officials have said the risk is low. Others have raised concerns over the potential spread of the coronavirus. Republican South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem said this week that social distancing wouldn't be enforced among the thousands expected to turn out. Before the president took the stage, Kimberly Guilfoyle, the girlfriend of Donald Trump Jr. and a top campaign surrogate, tested positive for COVID-19 on Friday before the event, according to Sergio Gor, chief of staff pf the Trump Victory Finance committee. Gor said that Guilfoyle was "doing well and will be retested to ensure the diagnosis is correct since shes asymptomatic." He added that she would cancel upcoming events and Donald Trump Jr tested negative but would also self-isolate as a precaution. Confederate statue : 'We hear your voices': Jacksonville takes down 122-year-old Confederate monument on historic day in Florida's largest city Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, warned earlier this week that new coronavirus infections could increase to 100,000 a day if the nation doesnt get its surge of cases under control. Trump's Mount Rushmore speech kicks of a weekend of events honoring America's founding. The president is scheduled to view the annual fireworks show from the White House and deliver an address on Saturday. Contributing: Makenzie Huber and Erin Bormett, Sioux Falls Argus Leader This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Fourth of July: Trump condemns removal of statues at Mount Rushmore Click here to read the full article. Here we go again. The Trump administration is mired in a fresh battle over intelligence reports and Russia. The latest controversy is centered on the reports that a GRU unit authorized bounties to the Taliban to target American soldiers. The reaction in America to the revelation was instantaneous and swift. Rep. Liz Cheney, who appears to be trying to distance herself from Trump, demanded that the White House explain why nothing was done. The Lincoln Project ran an advertisement with a Russian voiceover calling Trump an agent of the Kremlin. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other leading Democrats demanded that fresh sanctions be imposed on Moscow. Trumps response was to declare that the mutiny on the bounties was a deep state hoax aided by the New York Times. It was the Russia investigation all over again. He declared on Twitter, The Russia Bounty story is just another made up by Fake News tale that is told only to damage me and the Republican Party. The secret source probably does not even exist, just like the story itself. If the discredited @nytimes has a source, reveal it. Just another HOAX! The administration was blindsided by the initial story. But now its begun to fight back. Yet another memo has been leaked towhere else?the New York Times. It was recently composed and seeks to defend the administration. The National Intelligence Council has drafted a two-and-half-page document dated July 1 that says the CIA and the National Counterterrorism Center had medium confidence that a GRU unit was handing out bounties to the Taliban. It seeks to emphasize the uncertainties, doubts, and general haze surrounding any accusations of Russian perfidy in Afghanistan. But the new memo apparently wants to shift the burden of proof on the bounty issue from the administration to its accusers. So, what does it all add up to? The truth is that, more often than not, intelligence reports serve as a form of war by other means. Intelligence is never foolproof. The CIA went into convulsions when it was headed by George H.W. Bush and he authorized the creation of a Team B to analyze its assessments of Soviet behavior and weapons buildup. More recently, the Iraq War became a gigantic debacle for the CIA as George Tenet sought, as far as possible, to accommodate the desires of vice-president Dick Cheney. To say that the intelligence was cooked would be to insult chefs everywhere. It was broiled to a crisp as the CIA created a record of Saddam Husseins weapons of mass destruction program. To act as though the CIA is some sacrosanct temple of intelligence purity defies the historical record. Story continues At the same time, the brouhaha over the bounties plays into the larger narrative of Trump as unwilling to confront Moscow. It would be idle to dispute that Russia wants payback for the humiliation and suffering that America inflicted upon it during the 1980s, when Washington sent Stinger missiles and other weaponry to drive Moscow out of Afghanistan. But Trumps critics are alleging that he lacks the cojones to respond to any Russian aggression, large or small. His failure to focus on the issue, we are told, was no accident. Still, Trump doesnt focus on any foreign policy issue, whether its North Korea, Venezuela, Taiwan, Libya or Syria. Hes basically indifferent to the rest of the world. The notion that he would listen to briefers, let alone actually read official documents submitted to him defies credulity. This isnt a line of defense that administration officials appear eager to embrace: This president, I'll tell you, is the most informed person on Planet Earth when it comes to the threats that we face," White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany declared on Tuesday. But as former national security adviser John Bolton observes in his new memoirs, I didn't think these briefings were terribly useful, and neither did the intelligence community, since much of the time was spent listening to Trump rather than Trump listening to the briefers." The larger issue is that Trump has never made a sustained case for improving relations with Russia. Hes talked about it. Hes met with Vladimir Putin. He muses about expanding the G-7. But he takes no practical action. In fact, his own administration is staffed with officials who dont share his views, including Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who is a well-known Russia hawk. So is National Security Adviser Robert C. OBrien. When it comes to Russia policy, Trump has unequivocally failed both abroad and at home. He has not improved relations with Moscow. Nor has he made an effective case that improving relations with it would benefit America. The bounty story has not delivered a political knockout blow to Trump, but it has wounded him. The upsurge of anger over the bounty issue demonstrates that if Trump loses the election this fall, the GOP would promptly return to its openly hostile stance, denouncing Joe Biden for being soft on Russia. Jacob Heilbrunn is editor of The National Interest. Image: Reuters. Click here to read the full article. Istanbul (AFP) - Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Friday rejected criticism over his willingness to convert Istanbul's famed Hagia Sophia landmark into a mosque despite international and domestic concern. "Charges against our country over Hagia Sophia are a direct attack on our right to sovereignty," Erdogan said. Turkey's highest administrative court is considering whether the emblematic site and former cathedral can be redesignated as a mosque, prompting US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Wednesday to urge Turkey to keep the site in its current status as a museum. The Council of State convened on Thursday to evaluate the case brought by an association to change the museum's status. The court, known as Danistay in Turkish, must announce its decision within 15 days. Hagia Sophia was first constructed as a cathedral 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 led to anger among Christians and tensions between historic foes and uneasy NATO allies Ankara and Athens, which closely monitors Byzantine heritage in Turkey. Erdogan said last year it had been a "very big mistake" to convert the Hagia Sophia into a museum. OneWeb's satellite operations centre. Photo: Sarah L. Voisin/The Washington Post via Getty Images The UK government announced it will invest $500m (400m) and take a significant equity share in OneWeb, a British company which develops satellite technology, as part of a consortium which also includes Indias Bharti Global. The consortium won a bidding war for the company, which went bankrupt earlier this year while trying to develop a space network to deliver broadband. Back in March, OneWeb said it was laying off the majority of its staff while it seeks a buyer and filing for bankruptcy protection in the US, blaming the coronavirus pandemic for its collapse. The government explained that the deal is part of its ambitions to join the first rank of space nations, along with our commitment to making the UK a world leader in science, research and development. READ MORE: OneWeb blames coronavirus as it files for bankruptcy protection in the US Business secretary Alok Sharma said Our access to a global fleet of satellites has the potential to connect millions of people worldwide to broadband, many for the first time, and the deal presents the opportunity to further develop our strong advanced manufacturing base right here in the UK. UK Ministers hope the deal will compensate for the loss of access to the EUs Galileo programme in the wake of Brexit, according to a PA Media report. Officials said the deal would put the UK at the cutting-edge of the latest advances in space technology and enable OneWeb to complete the construction of a constellation of Low Earth orbit satellites providing enhanced broadband among other services. Meanwhile Bharti Group is the owner of Bharti Airtel in India, which has an extensive mobile broadband networks and enterprise business. OneWeb said this will act as a testing ground for its products. Adrian Steckel, OneWeb CEO, said: This successful outcome for OneWeb underscores the confidence in our business... 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 agreement is subject to US court approval and regulatory clearances and is expected to close before the end of the year. READ MORE: Space startup CEO: 'You need regulation' of space there isn't 'a cop up there' UK police forces have carried out thousands of arrest warrants after requests from EU countries. - Getty Images Britain carried out more than eight times as many European Arrest Warrants than were executed on its behalf by EU police forces in the last decade and arrested more suspects than any other EU country for four years in a row. Tory MPs said that the justice deficit meant the EU should drop demands in Brexit negotiations over a new extradition treaty for a role for the European Court of Justice (ECJ) and a UK pledge to stay in the European Convention on Human Rights. The UK will leave the European Arrest Warrant system (EAW) at the end of the Brexit transition period on December 31. British and EU negotiators will resume talks over a replacement treaty when trade negotiations resume in London on Monday. Since the European Arrest Warrant came into force in the UK, we have surrendered over 10,000 individuals to face trial or serve sentences in EU Member States, a Home Office spokesperson said. That is why we are seeking fast track extradition arrangements based on the EUs existing agreement with [non-EU countries] Norway and Iceland. I can tell you we are not far from an agreement but we have some fundamental problems for the operationality and implementation of this objective because in some areas we need a clear reference to the Court of Justice, Michel Barnier told the Sunday Telegraph. When the interpretation of the EU law is concerned, we must and we will refer to the Court of Justice, the EUs chief negotiator said. The EU is going to have to swallow its pride on this one. Quite clearly the UK contribution to the EAW system is considerably more than any of the EU member states, said David Jones, a former minister at the Department for Exiting the European Union. It does highlight how important the UK is to the system of criminal law enforcement in the EU. So it is clearly in Brussels interest to replicate the EAW with something that doesnt require ECJ oversight, the MP for Clwyd West said. Story continues David Frost, the UK's chief negotiator, and Michel Barnier will meet in London for talks next week. - AFP British negotiators are also seeking additional safeguards in the new treaty, which are not part of the EAW agreement. These include giving judges the power to refuse EU extradition requests if there had not yet been a decision to charge or try the wanted suspect to prevent long periods of pre-trial detention or if the UK courts think the cost of an arrest outweighs the seriousness of the offence. Failure to agree a replacement deal by January 1 will mean the UK falls back on 1956 rules for extradition which are far slower. During the financial years 2009-2020, 16,300 people were arrested in the UK on behalf of authorities in EU countries. 11,461, 391 of them British nationals, were ultimately extradited. Over the same period 1,956 were arrested by EU forces carrying out UK-issued warrants, according to British figures. 1,674, including 728 British suspects, were surrendered to the UK. European Commission analysis published this week found that British police arrested 1,294 suspects under the streamlined extradition system in 2018, which is the latest year for which comparative date is available. No other EU country executed as many warrants. Spain arrested 1,022 suspects, France 572, the Netherlands 746, Romania 719, Italy 435 , Poland 368, Bulgaria 278 and Malta just 10. The UK also arrested more suspects than any of the remaining 27 member states in 2017, 2016 and 2015. In 2018, 873 suspects were extradited from Britain, a figure only beaten by Germany, which surrendered 1,240 suspects. Berlin has not submitted numbers for how many EAWs it carried out for the last four years to Brussels. The UK issued 176 warrants in 2018 and 185 suspects were extradited to the UK that year. Germany issued 3,783 warrants over the same period. 114 of the offences, the majority, were for theft or criminal damage but they also included including human trafficking, firearms, drugs and sexual offences and crimes resulting in deaths. The EAW replaced bilateral extradition agreements between EU countries with a much faster streamlined system that involved the judiciary directly rather than politicians. It was agreed, with British support, two months after 9/11. Brexiteers later argued that carrying out arrests on the orders of foreign magistrates was an affront to national sovereignty. The EAW made it easier to extradite suspects from EU countries that have constitutions forbidding the surrender of their nationals such as Germany and Austria. Those countries, and Slovenia, said they would not extradite suspects to Britain during the transition period because it was legally no longer an EU member state after Brexit on January 31. The UK wants countries who refuse to extradite their citizens to non-EU countries on constitutional grounds to commit to enforcing a sentence or prosecute a case themselves. Photograph: Rex/Shutterstock For all the ominous twists of Donald Trumps presidency, his placement on the US supreme court of two deeply conservative justices, Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh, inspired a special kind of foreboding for many liberals. With three conservatives already sitting on the court, the creation by Trump of a seemingly impregnable, five-vote conservative supreme court majority appeared to pose a generational threat to essential American rights and freedoms. Related: John Roberts is now supreme court's swing vote to conservatives' disdain But as the first full term with the two Trump supremes draws to a close, a curious development has taken hold. Last month, the court handed down a trio of rulings that clashed directly with Trumps agenda on the hot-button issues of abortion, immigration and LGBTQ+ rights angering the president, tentatively pleasing progressives and leaving many court watchers to scratch their heads. There never was any doubt about the kind of supreme court that Trump and his sponsors set out to build. But suddenly there is doubt everywhere about how close or far their project has come to success. Ive referred to this past month at the supreme court as Blue June, said Josh Blackman, a conservative court analyst and professor at the South Texas College of Law. It seems as if almost all the big cases went to the left, and its made conservatives blue that is, sad. First Gorsuch wrote an opinion destroying the Trump administrations argument that a 1964 law prohibiting employment discrimination because of sex does not apply to homosexual or transgender employees. Today, we must decide whether an employer can fire someone simply for being homosexual or transgender, Gorsuch wrote. The answer is clear. Then Chief Justice John Roberts, a George W Bush appointee, found that the government had failed to make its case for ending a program protecting so-called Dreamers undocumented immigrants who arrived to the US as children. Story continues Do you get the impression that the Supreme Court doesnt like me? Trump tweeted after the decision was released. Neil Gorsuch, left, and Brett Kavanaugh were nominated by Donald Trump but Gorsuch at least has not proved as reliable as the president hoped. Photograph: Mario Tama/Getty Images Roberts struck again later in the month, vacating a Louisiana anti-abortion law on the grounds that the supreme court had vacated an identical law in Texas just four years earlier, before the arrival of Gorsuch and Kavanaugh. Roberts defection eliminated the law in a narrow 5-4 ruling. Daniel Goldberg, legal director at the progressive Alliance For Justice, called the victory on abortion surprising, but not because it demonstrated some unforeseen liberal bent on the part of the justices. You know what surprises me, is that it wasnt 9-0, said Goldberg. What does it say that four justices were completely willing to ignore precedent just four years old? The response to these decisions just epitomizes how extreme the conservative legal movement is in this country. Legal analysts cautioned the recent unexpected rulings were not signs of real moderation, and they said the court had moved unmistakably to the right under Trump. Gorsuch and Kavanaugh were willing to expose about 700,000 Dreamers to deportation, and both justices argued in favor of upholding the Louisiana abortion law, which was seen as posing an existential threat to the landmark Roe v Wade decision. Even in tipping that case to the left, Roberts emphasized that he was not doing so on the merits. He has been consistently not supportive of abortion rights, said Gillian Metzger, a professor of constitutional law at Columbia University, of Roberts. I would not read into his decision any signal that, if confronted with a new kind of abortion measure, or even potentially if confronted with an effort to really rethink reproductive rights generally, that Roberts would necessarily be a very sympathetic respondent. The court has advanced other conservative causes this term, expanding presidential power and challenging the separation of church and state by releasing public funding for religious schools. In one case, the four most conservative justices, including Gorsuch and Kavanaugh, ruled in favor of forcibly reopening California churches, against the will of state officials, in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic, so that Christians could celebrate Pentecost. Again, with Roberts defection, they were overruled. Multiple analysts said Trumps failure, despite having a sympathetic court, to deliver on his promises to dismantle Barack Obamas healthcare law and roll back abortion rights, could lie partly with flaws in his own administrations legal strategies. In a series of cases, Trump lawyers have advanced arguments that Roberts has found to be pretextual or beside the point, as when administration lawyers said they wanted to include a question about citizenship on the US census because they wanted better data to ensure protection of voting rights. Roberts, whose light touch as the presiding officer in Trumps impeachment trial just seven months ago was seen as aiding Trumps expeditious acquittal, doubted the argument. Reasoned decision-making calls for an explanation for agency action, he wrote. What was provided here was more of a distraction. A demonstrator holds a Pride flag in front of the US supreme court after it ruled that LGBTQ people cannot be fired based on sexual orientation. Photograph: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images A similar objection not to say exasperation was detectable in Roberts recent ruling to leave in place the Dreamers program. Lawyers defending immigrants in the case said the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) was trying to pretend that it might want to keep the program, but its hands were tied because parts of the program had been thrown out in court. Again, Roberts detected a note of disingenuousness. An agency must defend its actions based on the reasons it gave when it acted, he wrote. This is not the case for cutting corners to allow DHS to rely upon reasons absent from its original decision. You see Roberts much more willing to push back on that side of the Trump administration, and so I would say thats been a shift, said Metzger. Over time the Trump administration is losing a little bit of the benefit of the doubt. Rulings remaining in the current term there are eight outstanding cases could include powerful conservative decisions that could yet erase any memory of the courts recent moderation. Related: Don't be fooled. The US supreme court hasn't suddenly become leftwing | Nathan Robinson In Trump v Mazars USA, the court is expected to rule on whether financial and accounting firms that have worked with Trump must hand over tax records subpoenaed by Congress, in what analysts say is a major test for the balance of powers in the US system of government. Although Trump v Mazars is about the tax records, its actually about a more basic constitutional principle, which is whether or not Congress can take meaningful oversight of the executive branch, said Metzger. And if Congress cannot do that, then we really are moving much more towards an authoritarian presidential regime. Just a few months after the last ruling of the term is issued, a much larger ruling will be handed down, with much broader implications, by some 140 million voters in the November presidential elections. If Democrat Joe Biden can defeat Trump, he appears likely to have the opportunity to appoint at least two justices, with the octogenarian liberal justices, Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Stephen Breyer, nearing retirement. The Democrats would have to win the Senate too to ensure a smooth confirmation process and preserve the courts current ideological balance. If the Democrats have the Senate, I think its very likely that Ginsburg retires immediately and Breyer retires the next year, two back-to-back, said Blackman. That wouldnt affect the composition of the court, unless Justice [Clarence] Thomas becomes ill, so I think the court would more or less stay the same for a while. But if they win a strong majority, Democrats could attempt to pass reforms to bring the court more in line with the popular will, by adding seats to the court or imposing time limits on justices. Whatever the election outcome, the last court term of Trumps first term seems likely to be noted for its unpredictable twists. This is a very strange term, said Blackman. I dont remember one quite like it. 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 An overnight protest on a closed Washington state freeway ended with two women in the hospital after a motorist barreled into the crowd, according to Washington State Patrol. For weeks, law enforcement authorities have warned pedestrian protesters not to use the highways as the setting for protests. "The freeway is simply not a safe place...We feared something like this would happen," said Captain Ron Mead, commander of Washington State Patrol field operations for District 2, at a press conference Saturday morning. MORE: Seattle police clear CHOP zone, make arrests after mayor's executive order A 27-year-old man from Seattle is accused of driving his car onto the closed I-5, going around the vehicles that were supporting the protesters, and striking the pedestrians standing in the shoulder of the road, said Mead. "We don't know exactly where the vehicle came on, but we suspect he came on, on the wrong way of a ramp and entered the southbound lane of I-5, he did not come through on one of the closure lanes we had posted," said Mead. Interstate 5 between SR 520 and I-90 was closed multiple times in the last 24 hours due to protests. PHOTO: Caution tape is shown near a sign with the names of victims of police violence, Saturday, June 20, 2020, at the Capitol Hill Occupied Protest zone in Seattle. It is unknown who put the tape in place. (Ted S. Warren/AP) A 32-year-old woman from Bellingham and a 24-year-old woman from Seattle were hit and taken to a nearby hospital. The younger woman is in critical condition after suffering life-threatening injuries while the other victim is in stable condition. The unidentified driver stopped the all-white sedan and was taken into custody for questioning. Mead said the driver passed a sobriety test and there's no indication that the car was stolen. This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it. "At the very least, he is looking at vehicle assault charges, felony hit-and-run, but those could be upgraded depending on the progress of the investigation," said Mead, adding, "We don't know if it's a targeted attack, but that remains the focus of our investigation." Mead said police have made efforts to keep cars and pedestrian separated during protests in order "to try and avoid this." Story continues "As a result, my hope is the protesters will reconsider their desire to be on the interstate. I cannot guarantee their safety, plain and simple," said Mead. Police are asking anyone with information to contact the Washington State Police. Vehicle strikes multiple protesters in Washington, 2 people sent to hospital originally appeared on abcnews.go.com CARACAS (Reuters) - Venezuela's chief prosecutor on Friday announced arrest warrants for members of the central bank's ad hoc board of directors, appointed by opposition leader Juan Guaido, for several crimes, including treason. The announcement from Chief Prosecutor Tarek Saab came a day after a London court recognized Guaido as Venezuela's interim president, as part of a legal dispute over whether Guaido or President Nicolas Maduro should control $1 billion of the country's gold stored in London. Saab said the orders of apprehension were requested for the crimes of treason, usurpation of functions and association to commit crimes. He added that all those involved lived outside the country, and did not rule out international actions to carry out the arrests. Apart from Ricardo Villasmil, president of the ad hoc board, the prosecutor also included Guaido's representative in London, Vanessa Neumann, as well as three other collaborators of the opposition leader. Saab alleged that Guaido and his collaborators seek to "strip" Venezuela of its wealth in the legal battle over Venezuela's gold reserves. The opposition, meanwhile, says Maduro wants gold to pay his allies. Over the past two years, Maduro's government has removed some 30 tonnes of gold from its reserves in Venezuela to sell abroad for much-needed hard currency. 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. Guaido, the National Assembly speaker who was recognized as Venezuelas legitimate president by dozens of Western countries after invoking the constitution to assume the role in January 2019, has not succeeded in ousting Maduro, accused of rigging his 2018 re-election. Maduro, who has overseen an economic collapse in the once-prosperous OPEC nation and is accused of corruption and human rights violations, calls Guaido a U.S. puppet. (Reporting by Vivian Sequera in Caracas; Writing by Sarah Kinosian; Editing by Matthew Lewis) Click here to read the full article. THE WORLD first took notice of Beijings prowess in artificial intelligence (AI) in late 2017, when BBC reporter John Sudworth, hiding in a remote southwestern city, was located by Chinas CCTV system in just seven minutes. At the time, it was a shocking demonstration of power. Today, companies like YITU Technology and Megvii, leaders in facial recognition technology, have compressed those seven minutes into mere seconds. What makes those companies so advanced, and what powers not only Chinas surveillance state but also its broader economic development, is not simply its AI capability, but rather the math power underlying it. The race for AI supremacy has become perhaps the most visible aspect of the great power competition between America and China. The worlds dominant AI power will have the ability to shape global finance, commerce, telecommunications, warfighting, and computing. President Donald Trump recognized this last February by signing an executive order, the American AI Initiative, designed to protect U.S. leadership in key AI technologies. In just a few years, American corporations, universities, think tanks, and the government have devoted hundreds of policy papers and projects to addressing this challenge. Yet forget about AI itself. Its all about the math, and America is failing to train enough citizens in the right kinds of mathematics to remain dominant. AI IS not simply a black box that will grow if unlimited funds are poured into it. Dozens of think tank projects and government reports wont mean anything if Americans cant maintain mastery over the fundamental mathematics that underpin AI. Calls for billions of dollars in related investments wont add up without the abstract math ability needed to transform the economy or military. What we call AI is in fact a suite of various algorithms and distinctive developments that draw heavily from advanced mathematics and statistics. Take deep neural networks, which have understandably become a CIO/CTO buzzword, as an example. These are not artificial brains. They are stacks of information-transforming modules that learn by repeatedly computing a chain of what are known as gradients (something rarely taught in high school calculus), which are the backbone of a family of algorithms known as backpropagation. Story continues Similar dissections can be made for all of machine learning, which is a study of how to program computers to learn a task rather than execute a rigid pre-coded one. The ability to rapidly classify massive amounts of data, identify patterns, predict outcomes, and self-learn, all comes down to ever more sophisticated algorithms paired with increasingly powerful computational power and a commensurate amount of data. From iPhones to Summitthe worlds most powerful supercomputer, located at the Oak Ridge National Laband from Google to Facebook, these computing platforms and programs use incredibly complex mathematical calculations to do everything from model nuclear detonations to provide web search results. And contrary to what some prominent AI advocateslike Kai-fu Lee, author of the AI Superpowersargue, its not simply all about data. Lee is famous for saying that, today, data is the oil of the early twentieth century, and that China, which has the most data, is the new Saudi Arabia. Yet without the right type of math, and those who can creatively develop it, all the data in the world will only take you so farand certainly not far enough into the future AI advocates boldly envision. That is why cutting-edge mathematics focuses, among other things, on being able to work with partial information loss and sparse data, or to discard useless information that is collected along with the core data. No matter how you slice it, the world runs on ones and zerosand on the white boards where the algorithms that manipulate them are thrashed out. Yet one cant simply jump into creating more powerful and elegant algorithms; it takes years of patient training in ever more complex math. Unfortunately, American secondary school and university students are not mastering the fundamental math that prepares them to move into the type of advanced fields, such as statistical theory and differential geometry, that makes AI possible. American fifteen-year-olds scored thirty-fifth in math on the OECDs 2018 Program for International Student Assessment testswell below the OECD average. Even at the college level, not having mastered the basics needed for rigorous training in abstract problem solving, American students are often mostly taught to memorize algorithms and insert them when needed. This failure to train students capable of advanced mathematics means fewer and fewer U.S. citizens are moving on to advanced degrees in math and science. In 2017, over 64 percent of PhD candidates and nearly 70 percent of Masters students in U.S. computer science programs were foreign nationals, and fully half of doctoral degrees in mathematics that year were awarded to non-U.S. citizens, according to the National Science Foundation. Chinese and Indian students account for the bulk of these, in large part because the most advanced training in American universities still outstrips that in their home countries, though the gap is closing with respect to China. Yet that also means that the majority of those being prepared by U.S. universities to open new frontiers in computer science and abstract math are not Americans. Some of these non-citizens will stay here. But many will return home to help grow their countries burgeoning tech industries. There are good reasons to argue that U.S. visa restrictions on skilled workers should be eased, tempting more of those foreign nationals to stay in the United States after their studies have been completed. But the bottom line is that not enough American citizens are choosing to major in advanced math, which has corresponding implications for everythingfrom foreign competition to Silicon Valleys startup culture, from national security concerns to whether or not U.S. corporations consider themselves American. AMERICAS SELF-INFLICTED math wounds matter because the Chinese Communist Party has made global AI dominance a national goal by 2030, and is leveraging its resources to make it so. Indeed, the world now sees the battle over AI as a battle between China and the United States. Under General Secretary Xi Jinping, China has invested heavily in AI-related technologies, making it a core focus for the modernization of Chinese industry. This effort underpins Beijings Made in China 2025 initiative, which seeks to make the country dominant in most high-tech processes. Chinas AI market is now estimated to be worth around $3.5 billion, and Beijing has set a goal by 2030 of a one trillion yuan AI market ($142 billion). The government has pledged the equivalent of $2.1 billion to build an AI industrial park outside Beijing, among other major investments. Leading the effort is Huawei, which has established AI research laboratories in London and Singapore, unveiled a new generation of AI processor chips, and laid out an all scenario AI strategy. Much of Chinas spending is directed towards facial and voice recognition technologies like those of Megvii and SenseTime, along with natural language processing. The focus on these particular technologies is purpose-driven: Beijing is using its countrys facility in applied mathematics and AI, whether honed in America or at home, to create a digital surveillance state that is unrivaled in history. For example, a new law requires all individuals registering new mobile phone numbers to have a facial scan. The worlds most advanced algorithms are being used to aid in monitoring and controlling Chinese society and bolster the countrys security services. Some of this is already plainly visible. Beijing is notoriously creating a social credit system based on facial recognition and other technologies that rewards or penalizes certain behaviorjaywalking, credit unworthiness, insufficient patriotism, and the likeso as to shape individuals private and public behavior. The two far western provinces of Xinjiang and Tibet have become virtual police states within China, as their Uighur Muslim and Buddhist Tibetan populations are ceaselessly monitored and controlled through the application of facial recognition and forced DNA collection. Chinas AI focus has global security implications as well, given Beijings military-civil fusion policy which mandates that all high-tech advancements be made available to the Chinese armed forces for incorporation in weapons systems. Just as insidiously, Beijing is reportedly recruiting the countrys smartest high school students to train them as AI weapons scientists. A recent National Science Foundation report noted that Chinese government policies do not share U.S. values of science ethics, raising concerns over U.S.-trained Chinese scientists employing advanced research that benefits the CCP s surveillance state and military. Even as Chinas AI industry works to catch up to its American counterpart in terms of talent, the country is investing in its mathematical ability. Chinese students ranked number one in the world in math (as well as science and reading) in the latest pisa tests. While there is good reason to doubt the veracity of at least some of the Chinese scores, there is no question that China is focusing heavily on STEM education, outstripping America and European nations. The recently announced Strong Base Plan will recruit the countrys top students to study mathematics, as well as physics, chemistry, and biology, among other fields. Moreover, China is just as aggressively buying leading mathematicians abroad. The Thousand Talents program attracts both native and foreign researchers in key fields back to China. These individuals bring with them the fruits of their labors in U.S. universities, corporations, and research institutes, and transfers them to Chinese public and private research institutes. According to the Asia Times David Goldman, Huawei alone employs 50,000 foreigners, many of them highly-trained engineers lured away by huge salaries and bonuses. It is little surprise then that Chinas mathematical capability is letting the country challenge America for AI dominance. From the U.S. chief technology officer to the Boston Consulting Group, a diversity of voices are warning that Chinas aggressive public and private investment in AI is threatening Americas lead, along with the siphoning off of knowledge originated in the United States. As one leader of a small San Francisco-based AI firm recently complained, If I dont employ Chinese nationals, then I lose half my engineering staff. But I have no idea if those whom I employ are security risks or not. THE SPECTER of two global technological systems emergingone Chinese, one American, one open and one closedis a theme of much contemporary concern. Beijing is exporting its technologies of control across the globe, primarily to repressive regimes in Asia and Africa, but also to democratic states like Great Britain. Already over a dozen countries are using Chinese surveillance technology, while nearly three dozen are being trained in CCP models of censorship, according to Freedom House. The increasing global ubiquity of surveillance cameras means that only the nature of the political regime and society employing them gives a modicum of hope for some level of protection of individual rights and for ameliorating government or corporate abuse of power. Facing Americas slipping competitiveness in this field, foreign governments and companies will likely be pushed to let advanced Chinese systems into their societies, with the commensurate shaping of a repressive or intrusive AI-driven technological environment, not to mention the possible passing of national and personal information to China. And despite the assurances of Chinese companies that they do not share the information they collect with the Chinese government, Beijings national security, cybersecurity, and national intelligence laws mandate that private corporations in China cooperate with authorities when ordered to, including with providing private data. While investors like Kai-fu Lee see China quickly catching up to the United States in AI, few comment on the math ability that drives such development. This, combined with Chinas lead in developing 5G networks, and its government-funded attempts to become a leader in semiconductor chip production, means it is possible to envision a future where not only do U.S. companies become mere consumers of Chinese technology, surrendering their ability to shape the digital economy, but so does the U.S. government, leading to a collapse in its ability to maintain the global military balance of power. The best way to prevent this is by focusing on the basics. America needs a major all-of-society push to increase the number of U.S. students being trained in both the fundamentals of math and in the more advanced, rigorous, and creative mathematics. Leadership in implementing this effort will have to come from the U.S. government and leading technology companies, and through the funding of ambitious programs. A few ideas come to mind: talent-spotting schemes, the establishment of math centers, and a modern successor to the post-Sputnik National Defense Education Act, which would provide math scholarships to promising students along with guaranteed employment in either public or private enterprises. Assuming such an approach leads to an increase in Americans math abilities, there will then have to be a national reckoning about the unwillingness of private American corporations to protect their intellectual property from China, as well as a push to keep U.S.-trained mathematicians and engineers at home instead of selling their services abroad through programs like Chinas Thousand Talents plan. Winning the AI competition begins by acknowledging how poorly we do in attracting and training Americans in math at all levels. Without getting serious about the remedy, the AI race may be lost as clearly as two plus two equals four. Michael R. Auslin is the Payson J. Treat Distinguished Research Fellow at Stanford Universitys Hoover Institution and the author of Asias New Geopolitics: Essays on Reshaping the Indo-Pacific. Anonymous is involved in the tech industry. Image: Reuters. Click here to read the full article. Polarized is a weekly series featuring Americans from all 50 states sharing their views on the 2020 elections. Click here if you would like to be a part of this project Jay Copan may very well be President Donald Trumps worst nightmare, as he describes himself. The 68-year-old grandfather is a registered independent voter in North Carolina, a swing state that voted for former Barack Obama in 2008, then went to Trump in 2016. Though Copan is a registered independent, he considers himself socially and fiscally conservative. I have voted in 12 presidential elections, and 10 of those times I have voted for the Republican candidate, he says in a recent interview with The Independent. The last Democrat I voted for was Jimmy Carter in 1976. I voted for Trump in 2016, and I absolutely will not be voting for him in 2020, Copan says. I havent voted for a Democrat since 1976 but Ill be voting for Joe Biden in 2020. Trumps slow response to the coronavirus pandemic and his lack of leadership surrounding racial tensions in the US after the police-involved killing of George Floyd ultimately led Copan to decide he will vote against the Republican incumbent in the upcoming elections, he explains. (Photo courtesy Jay Copan) Trump was perfectly placed to earn Copans vote in the 2020 elections, had he somehow managed to control his more impulsive and erratic behaviour. There are a list of policies the independent voter says he supported that the president espoused along the campaign trail and later implemented throughout his first years in office. For starters, Copan is a fan of the presidents tax cuts. He also supports the administrations reduced regulations on business and its similar agenda towards energy policy. Copan also says he supported the presidents list of potential Supreme Court justices which Trump released along the 2016 campaign trail (he has since vowed to stick to a similar list in 2020) as well as his nominees for the lower courts. Story continues As a fiscal and social conservative, I could support many of these policies even though many other people do not, Copan says. But at the end of the day, his lack of leadership outweighs any policies I could support. Copan says his disdain for Trump has been brewing almost since day one of his presidency but the beginning of the end came when he continued to hurl attacks at former senator John McCain after assuming the Oval Office. Its outrageous, the voter says, recalling all of the times Trump has hurled incendiary comments at the former senator, a Vietnam War veteran who endured torture as a prisoner in Vietnam and passed away from brain cancer. I consider McCain a true American hero, Copan says. Every day, the comments [Trump] would make would just be unbelievable I couldnt believe he would say these things. The drama he would create is unnecessary. Copan says he has his grandchildren to think about when he casts his vote at the ballot box on election day: Donald Trump is a sociopath, a bully, a misogynist, a pathological liar. I cannot explain that kind of behaviour to my grandchildren. Copan says he decided in recent months to become more politically engaged as part of his effort to rid the country of Trump in 2020 he has joined a growing group called Republican Voters Against Trump and started speaking out publicly against the president. Click here to read more of The Independents series, Polarized: Voices From Across America Whats more, Copan believes there are others like him. There are a tremendous number of North Carolinians who regret having voted for Trump in 2016, he says. You see many of these people involved with Lincoln Project, and Republican Voters Against Trump. He didnt win North Carolina by that much, and Obama won North Carolina. We are clearly a purple state. Copan concludes: I believe we have enough independents and Republicans who are going to vote for Biden in 2020 and turn North Carolina blue. Click here to read the full article. Key Point: These submarines are small and able to go into shallower waters. Hence, they would be perfect for commando operations. Though small and non-nuclear, Pakistans submarine fleet would excel at coastal defense in Pakistans littoral watersand inserting Special Service Teams, Pakistans Navy Seals. Agosta- and Agosta 90B-class Pakistan operates five French-designed Agosta-class submarines. The first of these hulls were initially built for the South African Navy, but were sold to Pakistan in the late 1970s and early 1980s after a United Nations arms embargo prevented their delivery. The Agosta-class is a relatively small diesel-electric submarine design with a crew complement of just 54 sailors and 5 officers. In the late 1990s and early 2000s, France revisited the Agosta-class design and built the improved Agosta-class, also known as Agosta 90B-class, in consultation with the Pakistani Navy. A high level of automation within the sub reduced the crew to just 36, despite the larger size and higher complexity of the design. Stronger hull materials were used during the hulls construction which increased the Agosta 90B-class maximum dive depth. Higher-capacity batteries were also installed, increasing the range of the sub, and acoustic improvements were also incorporated into the propulsion system, reducing the submarines acoustic signature. Standard diesel-electric submarines use periscope-like snorkels to provide air to onboard diesel generators that recharge their batteries. Newer designs, including the Agosta 90B-class, are equipped with air-independent propulsion systems that can provide power without needing air from the surface. The Agosta 90B-class AIP system provides auxiliary power to the sub that can be used for propulsion, onboard electrical systems, or recharging the subs batteriesallowing the Agosta 90B-class to be submerged three times longer than the preceding Agosta-class. Story continues Both classes have four standard 533 millimeter torpedo tubes that provide anti-submarine and anti-surface capabilities. Additionally, both the Agosta- and Agosta 90B-class can fire French-developed Exocet anti-ship missiles via their torpedo tubes. The Exocet has a range of around 70 kilometers, or about 45 miles, giving both classes a more discrete and stand-off anti-ship capability, as the missile is fired from depth in a watertight container that brings the missile to the surface. In addition, Pakistan has several interesting submarines that are on the smaller side. Cosmos-class Pakistan also operates a small fleet of Italian-designed midget submarines, the Cosmos-class. The Cosmos are also diesel-electric and serve primarily as delivery vehicles for Pakistans Special Service Group, their Navy SEAL-equivalent. Though not primarily intended for attacking surface vessels, the Cosmos-class is capable of firing standard 533 millimeter torpedoes in addition to carrying two Special Service Teams. Mystery Sub Pakistans newest submarine is also quite small, and likely intended for the Special Service Group in much the same role as the Cosmos-class.. The submarine, provisionally called the X-class, is about 55 feet long and 7 or 8 feet wide. Though it reportedly does not often leave its dock, satellite imagery shows that repair, maintenance, and construction is ongoing. There had also been reports that Turkey was partnering with Pakistan to co-develop a midget submarine to replace the Cosmos-class, though if anything came to fruition from that project is unclear. Small but Strong Though Pakistans navy is not particularly large, it may not matter. Pakistan doesnt have a terribly large coast to defend. If their latest X-class sub ever comes to fruition, the Special Service Teams would likely be pleased. 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 This first appeared in 2020 and is being reposted due to reader interest. Image: Reuters 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 Click here to read the full article. Click here to read the full article. Here's What You Need To Remember: Fortunately for the world as a whole no one ever had the chance to give this plan an actual go. There have been numerous discussions regarding how NATO could have defeated the Soviet Union and its Warsaw Pact allies in a World War III that fortunately never occurred. As the National Interest has previously noted, crucial to NATO's strategic mission was to prevent the destruction of the alliance by military force. That required four wartime goals of gaining and maintaining air superiority, keeping sea lines of communication open to North America, maintaining the territorial integrity of West Germany and avoiding the use of nuclear weapons. The failure of any of those four goals meant the war likely couldn't be won. According to a secret plan, the use of nuclear weapons was apparently a key consideration to crush NATO in seven days and ensure a Soviet/Warsaw Pact victory. The possible scenario was part of a top-secret military simulation exercise that was developed in 1979 to determine how much from NATO could be gained in a short space of time. Nuclear bombing along with a rapid invasion were determined to be crucial to any such attack. While never put into actual practice, the files were only released by the Polish government following the former Soviet bloc country's national election in 2005. The Daily Express newspaper reported this was done in order to "draw a line under the country's Communist past" and to "educate the Polish public about the old regime." The plan was known as the "Seven Days to the River Rhine," and was formulated even as U.S. President Jimmy Carter and Soviet Premier Leonid Brezhnev were discussing detente. The plan's map highlighted how much of Europe could have been laid to waste, as the then German capital of Bonn, as well as Frankfurt, Cologne, Stuttgart, Munich, and Hamburg would have also been targeted. In addition, Brussels, the political headquarters of NATO, as well as cities in Denmark, the Netherlands, and northern Italy would have also been in the Soviet's crosshairs; while it was expected that NATO might have responded by destroying Prague and Warsaw. Story continues Notable in the plan is that France would have been spared such an attack as it was not a member of NATO's integrated structure. The UK too wouldn't have faced nuclear annihilation. With Austria and Yugoslavia remaining neutral, it would have created what the plan describes as an "invasion funnel" where the bulk of any frontline ground combat would have been in Germany. The goal of the plan was always to reach the Rhine in the shortest amount of time possiblemaking a NATO victory almost impossible. To ensure that France wouldn't respond, a second wave called for a push to the Spanish border in another seven daysa truly ambitious plan if there ever was one. Not all of the Warsaw Pact nations were on board with the seemingly-overreaching attack plan however. Czechoslovakia's military suggested it was far too optimistic. While the goal of the simulation was to avoid total nuclear annihilation and to be in the stronger position when peace was agreed upon, it failed to take into account a tactical nuclear response from France or other factors that could have slowed down even a determined Soviet juggernaut. Such an ambitious plan to strike into Germany and rush to the Rhine was part of the plot of the James Bond film Octopussy, but in the film even other leaders in the Kremlin described it as "madness." Fortunately for the world as a whole no one ever had the chance to give this plan an actual go. 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 in May 2020 and is being republished due to reader interest. Image: Reuters 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 Click here to read the full article. Environmentalist Miriam Seger surveys an area where Joshua trees are facing extinction due to climate change and wildfires. (Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times) To hear local leaders tell it, the proposed listing of western Joshua trees as an endangered species would be an economic catastrophe for the high desert Town of Yucca Valley. It would place an onerous regulatory burden on property owners, they say, at a time when they are being pinched by declining revenue due to the COVID-19 pandemic and a state mandate to install a $375-million sewer system on parcels where the trees grow, as some residents put it, like weeds. But state wildlife authorities have recommended that Joshua trees be considered for listing. The recommendation was based on a review of a petition submitted by the Center for Biological Diversity, which argues that the trees are facing the risk of extinction after years of development, drought and more frequent wildfires due to climate change. And therein lies the pickle for the town of 21,000 residents along California 62 about 25 miles north of Palm Springs. On Monday, Assemblyman Chad Mayes (I-Yucca Valley) added a new wrinkle to the controversy on behalf of his constituents: He introduced a hastily crafted emergency bill that would amend the California Endangered Species Act to make it easier to take a threatened or endangered species found to be causing significant economic hardship or impacting critical infrastructure such as a sewer system. An area in Joshua Tre, CA where Joshua trees are facing extinction due to climate change and wildfires. (Jason Armond/Los Angeles Times) Mayes is especially interested in changing regulations that grant temporary protection to Joshua trees or any other species in the process of being considered for listing. If the tree is just a candidate for listing, Mayes said in an interview, it doesnt seem fair to make our struggling desert communities pay a heavy price for the international problem of climate change. We are supposed to follow the best available science when it comes to climate change, which is a very real threat, he added. But if it poses a severe threat to a local economy, then its time for elected officials to step up and help out. To become law, however, his bill would require striking a compromise with environmentalists, then winning a two-thirds vote in the Senate and Assembly and the governors signature before this years legislative session adjourns on Aug. 31. Story continues But environmentalists are vehemently opposed to the idea of attempting to hammer out fundamental changes to the state Endangered Species Act within a matter of weeks. This bill is a broad-brushed attack on one of Californias bedrock environmental laws, said Brendan Cummings, conservation director of the Center for Biological Diversity and a resident of the nearby community of Joshua Tree. It would apply to any future species that becomes a candidate for listing. Beyond that, it is unnecessary, he added. Thats because there are mechanisms under existing law that would allow a property owner or any other entity to expeditiously find a pathway to permits needed for their projects to go forward with minimal modifications. From left; environmentalists Brendan Cummings, Miriam Seger and Geary Hund in an area where Joshua trees are facing extinction due to climate change. (Jason Armond/Los Angeles Times) The California Fish and Game Commission on Aug. 20 is expected to decide whether to consider the centers petition to list the trees. A final decision by the five-member panel is expected sometime next year. If the trees are listed, the law requires state wildlife managers to devise a recovery plan for them, which could limit development across thousands of acres of Southern Californias desert real estate. About 40% of the western Joshua trees range is on private land where state endangered species law would apply, according to the petition, and includes the cities of Palmdale, Lancaster, Hesperia, Victorville and Yucca Valley. The Yucca Valley Town Council denounced the petition as overreach because the trees are already protected under many city and county ordinances, and within the nearby 800,000-acre Joshua Tree National Park. Mayes said he worries whether the sewer system project could be completed without taking out some of these Joshua trees. Then theres Monica Zimarik, president of the Joshua Tree Gateway Assn. of Realtors, who warned in a widely published statement, While the beautiful Joshua tree is our associations namesake and we want to protect them for many generations not at the expense of homeowner rights and future generations' ability to purchase affordable housing. Brendan Cummings in an area where Joshua trees are facing extinction due to climate change. (Jason Armond/Los Angeles Times) Environmentalists point out that recent scientific studies predict the trees could become functionally extinct in California by the end of the century. The trees are failing to reproduce at hotter, drier lower elevations, scientists say. Prolonged droughts, which are expected to occur with greater frequency over the coming decades, will lead to higher death rates for mature trees. Exotic grasses feeding off nitrogen-laden smog wafting in from the Los Angeles area are leaving existing Joshua tree woodlands vulnerable to wildfires. In May, a wind-driven wildfire believed triggered by a carelessly tossed cigarette burned more than a third of a prized 623-acre conservation area just east of Yucca Valley that is home to desert tortoises, prairie falcons, bobcats and 10,000 Joshua trees. On a recent weekday morning, Cummings was among a group of environmentalists searching for signs of recovery amid hundreds of singed trees and splotches of charred cactus creosote bushes that covered the area like leopard spots. This land was once a flagship of conservation in this desert community, he said. Now, it is a heartbreaking reminder that Joshua trees cant escape threats to their existence even in a protected area. Independence Day is a time to celebrate our country, but with patriotic sentiment at perhaps an all-time low, this years holiday is also an opportunity for us to remember how excruciatingly lucky we are to be American citizens. With nothing but bad news filling our screens in recent months, love of country has become anything but an article of faith. When Gallup first started asking Americans how proud they were of their country months before the 9/11 attacks, 87 percent claimed to be extremely or very proud and only 2 percent said they were only a little proud or not at all proud. Gallup recently released this years American-pride poll, and the results are concerning to say the least: The extremely/very proud cohort has fallen to an all-time low of 63 percent, while the only a little proud/not all proud group has swelled from 12 percent to 21 percent in the last year. The media seized on the poll to you guessed it blame President Trump. The Washington Post ran an opinion piece with the headline, Trump Promised National Pride. A New Poll Proves Hes Delivered National Shame. CNN ran an analysis piece under the headline, Proud to be an American? Not so much anymore. The common thread in these and other pieces was that they sounded more triumphal than sad, as though the decline in patriotic sentiment was good because it reflected poorly on Trump. President Trump has undoubtedly caused many Americans to feel less patriotic, but the truth is that patriotism has been waning for years. Love of country shouldnt be a partisan issue, but the Gallup poll revealed that 88 percent of Republicans said they were very or extremely proud to be American, compared to just 42 percent of Democrats. College graduates, people of color, and young people were the least proud to be American, according to the survey. In March 2017, 43 percent of respondents in their twenties said they were extremely proud to be American. Today, that figure stands at just 20 percent. Story continues We tend to take our beautiful country for granted, focusing on its problems rather than its blessings, but millions of aspiring migrants around the world understand what a comparatively excellent place to live America is. In 2018, more than 23 million foreign nationals applied to take part in our green-card lottery. Every country has its problems, and we certainly have our fair share. Freedom of speech is under attack here like never before. Discrimination is still a problem. But these are issues that are by no means unique to us. Mark Twain once defined patriotism as supporting your country all the time and your government when it deserves it. Americans have historically come together during times of crisis, but this isnt happening now, in part because many on the left dont subscribe to Twains maxim. Some are still so outraged that 62 million Americans voted for Donald Trump that they now view our country as an irredeemably tarnished place. Those folks would do well to recognize that America is a lot bigger than the presidency. Elections matter, but presidents come and go; our country endures. As the 19th century House speaker and secretary of state James Blaine once said, There is no Republican, no Democrat, on the Fourth of July all are Americans. All feel that their country is greater than party. I never appreciated our country more than when I was serving it as a diplomat overseas. When you visit other countries, theyre novel and appealing in some ways. But the more time you spend, particularly in dysfunctional global hot spots, of which there are unfortunately many, the more you realize that our problems are comparatively quite manageable. Don Parrish, a friend of mine from Illinois who is considered one of the worlds most-traveled people, is often asked to name his favorite country or place. His answer is always the same: There is no country like the United States. The more one travels, the more one appreciates ones home. As we prepare to celebrate Americas 244th birthday, those of us who remain proudly patriotic must redouble our efforts to convert friends, colleagues, and relatives who have grown disillusioned with our troubled-but-still-magisterial country. Because in the end, no nation can thrive if too many of its citizens no longer love it. More from National Review Click here to read the full article. Here's What You Need To Remember: Though never a spectacular plane, XP-55 Ascender was interesting to look atbut not to fly. That it never entered production is probably for the best. In 1939, the Army put out a call for tenders, asking aircraft manufacturers to design an airframe that was superior to existing planes with a focus on speed and the pilots line of sight. It also specified that radical and unconventional aircraft designs would be allowedthankfully for the Curtiss-Wright XP-55 Ascender. The Ascender used a pusher-style propeller located at the rear that pushed rather than pulled the airframe. One of its more unique features was that it had a lever in the cockpit for ditching the propeller in case the pilot needed to bail from the plane. Due to the pushed design, the plane was jokingly called the Ass-ender. The pusher design was an odd choice. Due to the engine being in the rear of the plane, cooling was an issue. Overheating was apparently a problem if the Ascender spent too much time taxiing before takeoff. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the XP-55 Ascender suffered from poor handling characteristics. It stalled with little to no warning and needed a great deal of altitude to recover. On the Ascenders first flight, it flipped onto its back, falling for over 10,000 feet before recovering. The plane was in essence a flying wing, as it had only very minimal vertical control surfaces on the outside of the wings and the rear of the fuselage with which to maneuver. During testing, it was discovered that the XP-55 Ascender required very long runways to take off. The two winglets or canards on the nose of the plane were an attempt to improve the takeoff flight characteristics of the plane and were attached to mimic the angle of the planes flaps during takeoff. A ladder was stored in the cockpit behind the pilots seat, which telescoped inward and outward to help entering and exiting the awkward plane. Story continues Entering the Jet Age The performance was disappointing. Its contemporary airframes were faster and handled better, partially dooming the Ascenders development. The other factor was the jet engine. When the XP-55 Ascender was still in the testing and prototype stage in 1944, jet engines were already recognized as the future of aerial warfare. Though turboprops are capable in their own right, jet engines easily surpass turboprops in performance. A turboprop will struggle to reach Mach 1, whereas a jet-powered airplane can exceed Mach 2. The XP-55 Ascenderand propeller-driven airframes writ largewere over. Though never a spectacular plane, XP-55 Ascender was interesting to look atbut not to fly. That it never entered production is probably for the best. 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: Wikipedia. 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 Click here to read the full article. Travelers, some in protective gear, walk through a mostly empty John F. Kennedy Airport on April 16, 2020 in New York City. Spencer Platt/Getty Images Some restrictions on nonessential travel are being lifted as governors ease lockdown orders. But 17 governors have put statewide travel restrictions in place. Some require 14-day quarantines for travelers or a recent negative COVID-19 test. Many states have begun to reopen outdoor tourist attractions, but many indoor ones remain closed or limit visitor capacity. Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. State lockdown orders may be less stringent than they were a month or two ago, but summer travel plans aren't a go everywhere yet. In Alaska and Maine, visitors are required to present a recent negative COVID-19 test. Fifteen states, meanwhile, require self-quarantines for incoming travelers: Connecticut, Florida, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Kansas, Maine, Nebraska, North Dakota, New Mexico, New York, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, and Rhode Island. Their rules differ, however, depending on where the travelers are coming from (certain countries or states) and what mode of transportation they're taking (airplane or car). Related: Flight attendants explain how COVID-19 affected their jobs New York also directs anyone leaving the state to self-quarantine for two weeks when they arrive at their destination. Arizona, meanwhile, tells travelers not to go to Navajo Nation, which is seeing record per-capita coronavirus cases. Utah also urges caution for travelers going to the part of Navajo Nation in the southeastern area of that state. Although California doesn't have statewide travel restrictions in place, the San Francisco Bay Area still restricts nonessential travel. The map below shows state-by-state travel restrictions and where tourist destinations are open. Blue represents areas that don't have any restrictions in place, while red represents places with statewide travel rules. In the yellow states, restrictions vary by region. This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it. A list of state-by-state travel restrictions Many states' previous stay-at-home orders prohibited nonessential travel and reserved hotels for essential workers. In Delaware, for example, hotels were only allowed to serve essential workers or vulnerable citizens with no other place to stay from April 6 through May 15. In addition, most states temporarily closed tourist attractions that would ordinarily draw crowds. Story continues Here are the 17 states with travel restrictions in place. (States not mentioned below don't have any state-wide policies.) Alaska: Anyone who comes into the state must produce documentation of a negative COVID-19 test taken 72 hours to five days prior to their departure. Arizona: Directs travelers to avoid passing through Navajo Nation, which is experiencing a large outbreak. Connecticut: Travelers from states with positive COVID-19 rates of at least 10 cases per 100,000 residents must self-quarantine for 14 days. Florida: People traveling to the state from New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut are required to self-quarantine for 14 days. Hawaii: People who travel to any of the islands must self-quarantine for 14 days. Idaho: A 14-day self-quarantine is encouraged for incoming travelers from another country or an area outside Idaho with substantially higher community spread or case rates. Illinois: Requires 14-day self-quarantines for people coming from China, Iran, and Italy. Kansas: Travelers from Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Florida, Illinois, Louisiana, or New York must quarantine for 14 days. Maine: Requires travelers from everywhere except New Hampshire and Vermont to either undergo a 14-day self-quarantine or present a recent negative COVID-19 test. Nebraska: Directs all incoming international travelers to self-quarantine for 14 days. North Dakota: Directs all incoming international travelers to self-quarantine for 14 days. New Jersey: Individuals who travel from Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Idaho, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Nevada, South Carolina, Texas, and Utah are required to self-quarantine for 14 days. New Mexico: Requires all incoming visitors to self-isolate for at least 14 days. New York: Individuals who travel from Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Idaho, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Nevada, South Carolina, Texas, and Utah are required to self-quarantine for 14 days. The state also requires anyone leaving to self-isolate at their destination. Oklahoma: Mandates that individuals traveling from Connecticut, Louisiana, New Jersey, New York, or Washington self-quarantine for 14 days Pennsylvania: Requires travelers from areas with "significant community spread" to self-quarantine for 14 days. Rhode Island: Requires travelers from areas with "significant community spread" to self-quarantine for 14 days. US federal policy requires all residents who have visited Brazil, China, Iran, the United Kingdom, Ireland, or Western Europe during the previous 14 days to return to the country through one of 13 airports where the government is doing additional screening procedures. The Reading Public Museum in Reading, Pennsylvania starts to reopen to small groups who have memberships, on June 12, 2020. Ben Hasty/MediaNews Group/Reading Eagle via Getty Images Which tourist attractions are open? Different types of tourist attractions bring varying levels of risk. In general, the four risk factors to avoid are enclosed spaces, crowds, close contact with others, and situations that make social distancing difficult. So uncrowded hiking trails and beaches are less dangerous than, say, an interactive museum. For that reason, many states have already reopened outdoor tourist destinations. Alabama, Florida, Minnesota, and Missouri have reopened outdoor concert venues, for example, though they're limiting capacity so that visitors can maintain social distance. Arkansas, Idaho, South Carolina, and Tennessee have opened water parks. Most states have opened beaches, though some, like California and Florida, are mostly letting localities decide. Washington, DC allows outdoor tourist attractions like historical monuments to be open as well, though indoor ones remain closed. As for indoor destinations like museums, restaurants, zoos, aquariums some states have left it to counties to decide what to reopen (that's the case in Texas, for example). Others, such as California still have blanket bans on indoor museums and other recreational venues. Museums are reopening, however, in Alaska, Hawaii, Minnesota, New Hampshire, Ohio, and South Carolina. Under most stay-at-home orders, restaurants were allowed to sell food for takeout and delivery. Now, many states allow restaurants to host dine-in customers, with restrictions. Some states limit diners to outdoor seating, cap the number of patrons inside a space to 25% or 50% of its full capacity, or keep dine-in experiences reservation-only. In Nebraska, for example, restaurants can operate at half capacity. Read the original article on Business Insider Vietnamese citizens brought home safely from South Asian nations Nearly 200 Vietnamese citizens from Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan and Maldives were brought home safe and sound on July 2-3. Vietnamese citizens in Sri Lanka perform boarding procedures at the airport. (Photo: Baoquocte.vn) 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 near future, based on the pandemic developments at home and abroad, the citizens aspirations, and quarantine capacity in localities. Dbanj legal team lead by Nigerian human rights activist and lawyer Mike Ozekhome (SAN) has sued Seyitan Babatayo for damages running into billions of Naira. The back and forth between Dbanj and Seyitan continues as another dimension of the rape saga comes to light. Earlier today, it was reported that the Nigerian Police denied arresting Seyitan Babatayo and keeping her in custody illegally. Then there was a thread on Twitter by Sega which insinuated Seyitan and Dbanj opted for an out-of-court settlement. Barely 24 hours after the previous news, Mike Ozekhomes Chambers which represents Dbanj have slammed Seyitan with a lawsuit of defamation which would cost her N1.5 billion as damages for libel. This was discovered in a legal document from a Federal High Court in Abuja. According to reports and eyewitnesses, a number of staff members were injured in the incident but did not disclosed their identity even as he begged for anonymity. Some of the injured staff and those who inhaled carbon monoxide have been rushed to the Federal Teaching Hospital Gombe for medical attention. However, sources confirm that the inferno did not extend to the vault and other important areas. So far no life was lost but due to the smoke, some were taken to the Federal Teaching Hospital Gombe for resuscitation. It majorly the office of the controller that was affected destroying documents but it didnt extend to the vault, the source stated. Meanwhile a tweet by the Central Bank of Nigeria has denied loss of lives adding that the incident was caused by electrical fault. Today, a minor fire incident was reported at our Gombe branch. The fire which started from an electrical fault and partially destroyed some furniture in the Branch Controllers office, was promptly put out. There was no injury and no record or other asset of the Bank was affected, said the tweet Click to signup for FREE news updates, latest information and hottest gists everyday Advertise on NigerianEye.com to reach thousands of our daily readers Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu said this on Friday during a televised briefing at Alausa Ikeja. He said the worship centres are to remain shut until further notice. Sanwo-Olu also reiterated that all restrictions applying to mass gatherings will remain in force. He said, Places of worship will remain CLOSED in Lagos State, until further notice. All Social and Events Centers, and Social Clubs, will also remain closed, for now. All bars, day and night clubs, cinemas, games arcades, beaches, and beach fronts, gyms and spas continue to remain CLOSED. Eateries and restaurants are to continue to open as normal for takeout only. In-dining is still Prohibited. Details later Click to signup for FREE news updates, latest information and hottest gists everyday Advertise on NigerianEye.com to reach thousands of our daily readers The Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, made this known in a televised press briefing on Friday. He, however, clarified that though schools would be reopened for the transitional classes on August 3, students in Senior Secondary School three and Technical School three would resume first. He added that pupils in primary schools and Junior Secondary School three students would resume to school a week or two weeks after the SSS3 students resumption. The governor asked school authorities in the transitional classes to ensure adequate preparation for resumption ahead of August 3. He said, Tertiary institutions will remain closed. We continue to support online teaching during this period. However, students in the transitional classes who have mandatory public examinations ahead of them will be permitted to resume for revision classes and examinations. The commencement date for this will be from Monday, August 3rd. All educational establishments are to follow the guidelines for the reopening. We just finished a very serious with stakeholders in the educational sector for the reopening. SSS3 and TECH three students are to start; for JSS3, and primary six they will wait for about a week or two before resumption. This permitted opening will for only day schooling. No boarding activities are permitted during this time. School authorities are expected to prepare well from now till August 3. Click to signup for FREE news updates, latest information and hottest gists everyday Advertise on NigerianEye.com to reach thousands of our daily readers A communique issued in Abuja on Wednesday had stated that the political group was formed by 30 prominent Nigerian activists, professionals and academics, with the aim of mobilising Nigerians ahead of the 2023 general elections. Falana, whose name was mentioned as part of the 30 members, said in a statement on Friday that neither was he ever consulted on the formation of the group nor did he ever attend the meeting where the forum was launched. However, commending the motivation behind the formation, Falana said he was in support of all efforts aimed at creating an alternative platform with the potential of lifting the long-suffering people of Nigeria from economic and political stupor. He added, I also recognise the fact that some of the promoters of the NCF are people who are motivated by the common good. Many of them have made profound sacrifices to make Nigeria a better place to live. In this light I commend what appears to be the genuine motive of the organisers of the National Consultative Forum. However, I observe that my name has been mentioned as one of the pillars behind this initiative. While I appreciate the concern of the leadership of the new group to enlist my support, I wish to say that at no time have I been consulted neither did I attend the meeting where the forum was launched. I appreciate the almost desperate situation progressive Nigerians find themselves in the bid to save Nigeria from what looks like an imminent shipwreck. This might have informed the haste with which many honest and dedicated hands find themselves. He said his clarification should not be conceived as opposition to all honest efforts designed to rescue Nigeria from the claws of abject poverty and increasing loss of hope I wish to add that there are several efforts I have been involved lately and I believe there is a growing perspective that all efforts should be harmonised for maximum impact, he added. A former President of the Nigerian Bar Association, Mr Olisa Agbakoba, whose name was also mentioned among the promoters of the group, had earlier on Thursday distanced himself from it. Agbakoba and Falana were listed as a member alongside a former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Ghali Naabba; a former Deputy Governor of the Central Bank, Dr Obadiah Mailafia, Col. Abubakar Umar (retd.), Mrs Obigeli Ezekwesili and others. Click to signup for FREE news updates, latest information and hottest gists everyday Advertise on NigerianEye.com to reach thousands of our daily readers Akeredolu who tested positive to the pandemic on Wednesday and had since gone on isolation said he would work from home. The governor denied that government activities have been grounded as a result of his COVID-19 status Speaking through his information and Orientation commissioner Donald Ojogo in Akure, the governor said that the deputy governor is a threat to good governance in the state. According to him Mr. Governor will not be advised to hand over to his deputy, it is not done because there is no reason for that. The deputy governor has since left our party and has since left governance, even though he has not left government. You cannot hand over government to someone who has left governance, or handover the rein of government to someone who attempted to pull down the government. ln any case, those of us in government and belief strongly in this government see the deputy governor as the greatest threat to good governance in Ondo state and you cant attempt to handover to people like that. Agboola Ajayi is the greatest threat to this government. I dont know-how and we got into this, what we witnessed in 1983, the level of treachery that was deployed against late Adekunle Ajasin. Except for those who have the opportunity to witness what we are seeing in Ondo state, one may be tempted to say that was the height or nothing could surpass the level of treachery but what we are seeing today represents the fact what Omoboriowo did in 1983 was a child play compare to what Agboola Ajayi is doing now. You dont rock a boat that has taken you across the ocean, so it is a non-issue and we are not even considering handing over to Agboola Ajayi and I know as a matter of fact that no one who believes in good governance in the state will even advise Akeredolu to hand over to his deputy. What would be the compelling reason when governance is not grounded He has created an unusual scenario upon which he wanted to climb to his next political ladder and we have already seen as misadventures, we cannot toy with what we have built over the years, we cannot risk it and attempt to hand over to someone who has exhibited a mindless level of betrayal and an unquestionable level of treachery. This is not done and unthinkable, undebatable and if that is the reason he has been sponsoring write-ups to say there is likely to be a vacuum, the governor must hand over to him, hes only joking. It is not going to happen because the governor is hale and hearty. COVID -19 is not a death sentence and the governor is strong enough to work. For the deputy to insinuate, incite or instigate people to be stirring the water to say that the government should hand over to him, confirms our fears in the last ten months that Agboola Ajayi has been striving to take over power through the backdoor and God will not allow him. But in a swift reaction, the deputy governor speaking through his Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Babatope Okeowo stated that with precedents he is unbothered if his boss makes him acting governor adding that he does not see that happening considering that they had parted ways politically. The constitution is so explicit about it that when the President or the Governor is incapacitated, the vice or the deputy takes over but in this case, the governor is not incapacitated. It is only when he is incapacitated that the doctrine of necessity will have come into play. For now, there is no need for any anxiety about the governors state of health. He has said that he will be treating files while in isolation. That means governance wont be affected. And you know the political situation in Ondo State now. Both the governor and the deputy governor are in different political camps, so we dont expect it and we are not bothered about it because before now the governor had sidelined the deputy governor in the day to day running of the activities of the government. There is nothing unusual in what he did. In the constitution, he ought to have transmitted letter but when you look at it from the political angle, the governor will not do it and we are not bothered. We are bothered because we know we are in different political parties. So, since he is not incapacitated, there is no need for the doctrine of necessity and we are not bothered with that. He further stated that Do you know that when YarAdua was sick he didnt transmit letter giving power to Jonathan until the National Assembly invoked the doctrine of necessity to make him acting president. Even when President Buhari was sick, the Attorney General of the Federation said he can work from anywhere as President. The late Abba Kyari was the one taking files to him in London where he was recuperating. Click to signup for FREE news updates, latest information and hottest gists everyday Advertise on NigerianEye.com to reach thousands of our daily readers Home | News | General | Major shakeup in police as IGP orders redeployment of AIGs, CPs - IGP Adamu has ordered for the posting and redeployment of some senior police officers - Five commissioners of police were redeployed to different states across the country - Adamu, however, charged the officers to bring their wealth of experience to bear in their new places of assignment PAY ATTENTION: Click See First under the Following tab to see Legit.ng News on your Facebook News Feed There was a major shake-up in the Nigeria Police Force on Friday, July 3, as the Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, ordered the immediate posting and redeployment of senior police officers. Legit.ng reports that the news was broken in a tweet from the official Twitter handle of the Nigerian Police Force (NPF). This is following President Muhammadu Buhari's approval for the re-organization of the force. According to the tweet, the police boss ordered the following five new police zonal commands to be posted: Alleged N2bn agric loan scam: Court restrains Ebonyi govt from probing former SSG The Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Adamu Source: Original 1. AIG Zone 13 Ukpo-Dunukofia (Awka) AIG Dan-Mallam Mohammed, fdc 2. AIG Zone 14 Katsina AIG Rabiu Yusuf 3. AIG Zone 15 Maiduguri AIG Lawal Ado 4. AIG Zone 16 Yenagoa AIG Austine I. Agbonlahor, fdc 5. AIG Zone 17 Akure AIG David Oyebanji Folawiyo, mni The list of officers redeployed are: 1. AIG Adeleye Olusola Oyebade, mni to the Department of Research. 2. AIG Ibrahim A. Lamorde, mni to Planning and Directorate of Intelligence, FHQ, Abuja. The IGP while noting that postings/redeployments were with immediate effect, charged the officers to ensure that policing is brought closer to the people. He also directed the senior officers to work with relevant stakeholders to tackle crime and improve on policing services across the country. The police chief also urged the affected officers to bring their wealth of experience to bear in their new places of assignment. Retention of military chiefs is a disservice to Nigeria - Group tells Buhari PAY ATTENTION: Get the Latest Nigerian News Anywhere 24/7. Spend less on the Internet! Meanwhile, Legit.ng reported that the creation of five new zonal commands and restructuring of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) was on Wednesday, May 27, approved by President Buhari. This was disclosed in a statement signed by the inspector-general of police, who explained that the new structure for the force is expected to fully integrate intelligence-led policing strategy and community policing. The five newly created commands are Ondo/Ekiti command, Enugu/Anambra/Ebonyi Command, Balyelsa/Rivers command, Katsina,/Kaduna command, and Yobe/Borno command. IGP decorates newly promoted Commissioners of Police | Legit TV [embedded content] CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM: General Loading... Home | News | General | Is this really necessary? This girl was banned from school because she wore Black Lives Matter shirt - Journei Brockman, a six-year-old student, was on Friday, June 26, kicked out of school for wearing Black Lives Matter shirt - The school said that they do not agree with the shirt and its imprint encourages racism in the school - The student's mother, Denval Brockman, said that she does not see any wrong in making her child wear what she believes in PAY ATTENTION: Click See First under the Following tab to see Legit.ng News on your Facebook News Feed! A mother in Russellville, Ark, Deval Brockman, has said that her six-year-old daughter, Journei Brockman, was banned from daycare because she put on a shirt with the imprint Black Lives Matter. Journei has been a student of His Kids Preschool for six months before the incident happened, The Hill reports. However, on Friday, June 26, she was told not to come back to school. Deval said that a school official called her on Thursday, June 29, that she did agree with the shirt, saying she should not wear such to school again. 11-year-old girl loses case on use of hijab in public schools After reporting the issue to state officials, Denval was told that there is nothing wrong with the shirt except it contains profane words. A collage of Journei and her mother. Photo source: The Hill Source: UGC 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. The six-year-old went back to the school the following day with another shirt bearing an image of a raised fist. That was the day she was told her daughter was no longer wanted in the school. An official in the school reportedly said that the shirt encourages racism in the school. Denval said that the shirt is not political because what it promotes is everywhere in the news. We feel a childcare environment is not a place for a parents political views to be addressed or played out, regardless of race, Patricia Brown, director of the school said. Lebanese government suspends issuance of working visas to Nigerians, gives reason Meanwhile, Legit.ng earlier reported that following the death of George Floyd, many people have organised protests to demand racial equality across the world. However, one protest organised by an eight-year-old, Nolan Davis, in Missouri captured the attention of many as hundreds of children showed up. PAY ATTENTION: Download our mobile app to enjoy the latest news update The children matched the streets chanting the phrase that has now become famous, Black Lives Matter. "We are the children, the mighty mighty children. Here to tell you, Black lives matter!" chanted the children as they matched down in Kirkwood. The children marched down the sidewalks in the company of their parents on Saturday, June 27. Although their voices were not as loud, their dedication and determination were admired by many. George Floyd: I was also arrested, handcuffed wrongly - Nigerian in Minneapolis | Legit TV COVID-19 task force raises alarm over refusal by infected people to stay in isolation [embedded content] CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM: General Loading... Home | News | General | Breaking: PDP disqualifies 2 Ondo governorship aspirants - Two Ondo PDP aspirants have been disqualified from the governorship race - This was disclosed by Yakubu Dogara, the chairman of the screening committee - Eight aspirants of the party were screened by the opposition party on Thursday, July 2 The hopes of two Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) aspirants jostling to clinch the gubernatorial ticket were dashed on Friday, July 3, as they got disqualified. According to The Nation, Yakubu Dogara, former speaker of the House of Representatives and the chairman of the screening panel disclosed this at the end of the exercise. The chairman of the screening committee explained that the disqualified candidates feel unsatisfied they can go to the appeal panel This is coming a day after PDP screened its aspirants including Agboola Ajayi, Eyitayo Jegede, Boluwaji Kunlere, Eddy Olafeso, Ben Banji Okunomo, Bode Ayorinde, Otunba Bamidele Akingboye, Godday Erewa and Sola Ebiseni on Thursday, July 2. Kogi State governorship election results: Who won? PDP screening panel disqualifies 2 Ondo governorship aspirants Source: Twitter PAY ATTENTION: Install our latest app for Android, read best news on Nigerias #1 news app Earlier, Legit.ng reported that the chairman of the PDP screening committee for the Ondo state governorship election, has assured the party's aspirants of equal and impartial treatment. Shortly after the aspirants were screened in Abuja, Dogara assured the aspirants that the committee was out for justice. He noted that aspirants will be assessed strictly based on the documents they submitted. In a related development, the PDP has advised Agboola Ajayi, Ondo state deputy governor, to resign from office, having left the APC, the party on which platform he was elected. The PDP spokesperson for the southwest zone, Ayo Fadaka, said the honourable thing for Ajayi to do is to resign. Fadaka said on Channels TV that Ajayi "should do what he thinks is honourable by resigning if he feels he could no longer cooperate with" Governor Rotimi Akeredolu. Battle of hot contenders: Top 5 candidates who may win Imo governorship election Fadaka said it is up to Governor Akeredolu and the APC to make an appraisal of whether they still have a running mate in Ajayi as deputy governor since his defection to the PDP. In other news, the deputy governor of Ondo, has been given a waiver by the PDP to contest for the forthcoming gubernatorial poll. The waiver from the opposition party was contained in a statement signed by the PDP's national chairman, Prince Uche Secondus. According to the national working committee of the PDP, Ajayi has satisfied the relevant provisions of the partys constitution to get the waiver. APC ward lifts Oshiomhole's suspension | Legit TV [embedded content] CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM: General Loading... Home | News | General | COVID-19: He is a threat to my administration - Akeredolu vows not to handover to his deputy - Governor Rotimi Akeredolu of Ondo state has vowed not to hand over to his deputy, Agboola Ajayi - According to Akeredolu, there was no reason for him to transmit power for Ajayi tobe in acting capacity - Recall that the governor announced that he tested positive for the coronavirus infection PAY ATTENTION: Click See First under the Following tab to see Legit.ng News on your Facebook News Feed In spite of testing positive for coronavirus, the governor of Ondo state, Rotimi Akeredolu has vowed not to transmit power to Agboola Ajayi, his deputy governor in an acting capacity. Akeredolu who is in isolation and undergoing treatment at home said there was no reason for him to hand over to the deputy governor, The Nation reports. The governor speaking through Donald Ojogo, the state commissioner for information and orientation, described Ajayi as the greatest threat to his administration, adding that the deputy governor since left the APC and governance. Edo election 2020: Three APC chieftains drag Obaseki to court over alleged certificate forgery Akeredolu went on to note that he could not hand over to someone who attempted to pull down his administration. While explaining that he is not even considering handing over to Ajayi, the governor also noted that he can't transfer the rein of government to a person who has exhibited mindless level of betrayal and an unquestionable level of treachery. Governor Rotimi Akeredolu and his deputy, Agboola Ajayi Source: UGC He said: Those of us in government and believe strongly in this government see the deputy governor as the greatest threat to good governance in Ondo state and you cant attempt to handover to people like that. Agboola Ajayi is the greatest threat to this government. This is not done and unthinkable, undebatable and if that is the reason he has been sponsoring write ups to say there is likely to be vacuum, the governor must hand over to him, hes only joking, it is not going to happen because the governor is hale and hearty." Alleged N2bn agric loan scam: Court restrains Ebonyi govt from probing former SSG Recall that Governor Akeredolu announced that he tested positive for the coronavirus infection on Tuesday, June 30, via a video shared on his official and verified Twitter account. Akeredolu said as, at the time of receiving his test result, he is asymptomatic and has since gone into self-isolation. He called for prayers from the people of the state saying "your continued prayers over my well being are most appreciated". PAY ATTENTION: Install our latest app for Android, read the best news on Nigerias #1 news app Earlier, Legit.ng reported that a government official who pleaded anonymity on Thursday, July 2, confirmed that the wife of the Ondo state governor, Betty Akeredolu, tested positive for COVID -19. The official said the samples of the First Lady which was collected two days ago and one of the security aides of the governor returned positive. Don't arrest him - Court stops police, DSS from arresting Ugochinyere In a related development, Ondo political fraternity was thrown into mourning following the death of the state commissioner of health, Wahab Adegbenro, who died of COVID-19 on Thursday, July 2. It was reported that Adegbenro battled COVID-19 infection for some days but efforts of the state health operatives proved futile as the commissioner later gave up the ghost. Source from the government quarters claimed that the late commissioner died at the Federal Medical Center, Owo, after spending about ten days at the hospital. Slum Chronicles: Even Coronavirus is scared of us - slum dwellers | Legit TV [embedded content] CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM: General Loading... Home | News | General | Gay rights activists Bisi Alimi and his partner spotted in loved-up photo - Controversial gay man Bisi Alimi recently shared a cute photo on his Instagram page - Alimi and his partner were seen cuddled up in the photo - Some of his followers were seen reacting in the comment section PAY ATTENTION: Click See First under the Following tab to see Legit.ng News on your Facebook News Feed! Controversial Nigerian gay man Bisi Alimi recently left some of his followers gushing after he took to his social media page with a cute photo. Alimi rocked an afro wig and was also seen wearing subtle makeup. He leaned into his partner as they both posed for the camera. In the caption that accompanied the post, the gay man teasingly noted that some years ago he caught his partner cheating with a different version of himself. According to him, prayers and fasting helped them settle the situation. Gay rights activists Bisi Alimi and his partner. Photo: Instagram/@bisialimi Source: Instagram "4yrs ago, I caught my husband cheating on me with @msposhp, but I thank god for prayers and fasting. If not for sis @obehinoir and our Daddy GO. To god the glory," Alimis caption read. Music star Naira Marley tops Billboard chart, he celebrates Check out the post below: PAY ATTENTION: Read best news on Nigeria's #1 news app PAY ATTENTION: Get your daily relationship tips and advice on Africa Love Aid group Upon sharing the photo, followers were seen in the comment section passing remarks. Read what some of them had to say below: lanreworld: "Hahahahaha Im sure its also cos you paid your tithe regularly." ernstpollak: "How on earth could he cheat on such a gorgeous hot wife." lady.arilyn: "The fact I read the caption and I knew what you talking about." xxiviii_abj: "The caption made my heart skip a beat first." vaughan_star: "He is too faithful to cheat." sheikhayates: "I was ready to go fight @msposhp until saw the profile." Some months ago, Legit.ng reported that the gay rights activist took to social media to open up about a conversation he had with his parents amid the coronavirus pandemic. Alimi revealed that he asked them how they wished to die. Proudly a cosmetic surgery baby - Tonto Dikeh says as she shares throwback photo According to Alimi, the question was is in view of how coronavirus had spread across the world. Alimi who admitted it was a hard conversation to have, urged people to remain in their homes as the virus is real. PAY ATTENTION: Do you have news to share? Contact Legit.ng instantly Homosexuals in Nollywood: Myth or Reality? | Legit TV [embedded content] CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM: General Loading... Home | News | General | Breaking: Top emir suspended by northern governor - The emir of Misau Alhaji Ahmad Suleiman has been suspended by the Bauchi state government - The emir's suspension was announced on Friday, July 3, by the state government - The monarch was suspended over a communal clash which occurred in his domain PAY ATTENTION: Click See First under the Following tab to see Legit.ng News on your Facebook News Feed! The Bauchi state government on Friday, July 3, announced the suspension of the emir of Misau, Alhaji Ahmad Suleiman. The emir was suspended over a violent clash between farmers and herders in his domain that led to the deaths of nine people, The Nation reported. The monarch was suspended over a crisis in his domain which led to the deaths of nine people. Photo credits: Tribune Source: UGC The Bauchi state governor, Bala Mohammed, has also set up a 13-man investigative panel to identify the cause of the communal clash. Meanwhile, following the rise in insecurity across the country, suspected herdsmen have again attacked Benue state killing at least nine farmers in Agatu local government area on Sunday, June 14. Governor Bello insists Kogi state remains COVID-19-free, lifts lockdown According to The Nation, Suleiman Usman Alilu, the chairman of the LGA, confirmed farmers were killed. The chairman explained that the herdsmen stormed Adana village as early as about 5:30 am when residents were just getting up. Alilu went further to note that immediately when he got the call that Adana community was under attack, he called Lt. Col. Paul Hemba, the chief security adviser to the governor and commander of the military contingent in Agatu. Kate Anene, the police spokesperson in Benue state also confirmed the attack on Agatu community. In another report, the House of Representatives has urged the federal government to stop the entry of foreign herdsmen into Nigeria. This was contained in a motion brought to the lower chambers of the National Assembly by the minority leader in the House of Representatives, Honourable Ndudi Elumelu. Contributing to the motion, lawmakers stated that herdsmen have been on a rampage, destroying farmlands and killing innocent Nigerians. Alleged N2bn agric loan scam: Court restrains Ebonyi govt from probing former SSG They also noted that they are aware that security agencies have consistently said the herdsmen come from neighbouring African countries. The motion was, thereafter, unanimously adopted by the House. Armed herdsmen have caused havoc in various parts of Nigeria in recent times. Three months ago, the apex Igbo socio-cultural group, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, wrote a letter to the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Mohammed Adamu, over the movement of herdsmen with AK-47 rifles in the southeast region. PAY ATTENTION: Install our latest app for Android, read best news on Nigerias #1 news app Lamido Sanusi: Kano residents divided over dethronement, installation of new Emir| Legit TV [embedded content] CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM: General Loading... Home | News | General | NNPC COO Venture, Ewubare, resigns Kindly Share This Story: Mr Roland Ewubare By Michael Eboh One of the few senior officials of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) from the south-south region, Mr Roland Ewubare, the Chief Operating Officer, Ventures and Business Development, Friday, resigned his appointment from the corporation. According to a source at the NNPC, Ewubare tendered his resignation on Thursday, after the launch of the Ajaokuta-Kaduna-Kano pipeline. However, the source said the Group Managing Director of the NNPC, Mallam Mele Kyari, had been unable to brief President Muhammadu Buhari on his resignation. According to the source, Kyari is not sure if Buhari would approve of his resignation, especially as his tenure is expected to elapse by this year. The source said Ewubare was scheduled to be disengaged along with some senior NNPC officials in 2019, after the retirement of the immediate past Group Managing Director of the NNPC, late Dr. Maikanti Baru, but because of his closeness with Kyari, he escaped the sack. The source added that his resignation might be as a result of the fact that it was part of the agreement reached in 2019, that he would resign honourably at the end of his five-year tenure. However, reports have quoted Ewubare as saying that he had to resign so as to reunite with his family in the United States. Ewubare was appointed Chief Operating Officer (COO) Ventures & Business Development of the NNPC in March 2020. Prior to that, he was COO, Upstream, a position he held from June 2019 to March 2020. He was also former General Manager, National Petroleum Investment Management Services, the investment subsidiary of the NNPC, and he held the post between August 2017 and July 2019. Vanguard Kindly Share This Story: CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM: General Loading... Home | News | General | Edo 2020: Im still in the race NCP Flag-bearer Kindly Share This Story: Heads to Court Pastor Peters Osawaru Omoragbon, the gubernatorial candidate under the National Conscience Party (NCP) in the forthcoming governorship election in Edo State has declared that he is still in the race, even as the party has headed to court. In a release to press, he showed displeasure as his name was omitted as the governorship candidate under the NCP by INEC in their list of prospective candidates in the forthcoming governorship election in Edo State. First, let it be made known that the list is Provisional and not Final. Even, if INEC releases the final list by omitting my name, we shall continue with our electioneering campaign with other candidates, for we are currently in Court challenging INEC. This may not be different if the name of my Party and mine are not on the Ballot on September 19, 2020, Omoragbon stated. Recalling a brief historical perspective, Omoragbon noted; After the 1999 general elections that brought in Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, the National Conscience (NC) as it was then called, applied to INEC in 2002 for registration as a Party under Late Chief Abel Guobadi, but the application was denied. Chief Gani Fawehinmi went from the High Court up to the Supreme Court to challenge the actions of INEC and on November 8, 2002, in a landmark judgement, the Supreme Court in a unanimous decision voided 12 of the 13 guidelines used by INEC to register political parties, describing them as Unconstitutional. That action initiated by NCP and won at the Supreme Court gave rise to the possibilities for the existence of all the parties. CPC would not have existed as a registered party that merged to form APC if NCP has not won the battle for multipartyism in Nigeria, he said. Continuing, he asserted that Osunbor won the Edo State election in 2007, before Adams Oshiomole resorted to the Court to claim his mandate in 2008. My good people of Edo State, we have transversed this path before 18 years ago. This is not alien to us. Our Party was a product of a legal struggle and a movement. We are back again to the trenches. We have challenged INECs current decision to omit our Partys name from the political parties fielding candidates for the Edo State elections, he added. If the National Conscience Party had not gone to court in 2002 and was denied registration without first applying to INEC, there would have been no locus standi for our going to court in the first place. This action is not mine alone but also of leadership of the Party led by the national Chairman Mallam Tanko Yunusa. My campaign is continuing in earnest. We shall advance our Peoples Program under the TEN CARE PROGRAM of the Party Manifestoes vigorously and vehemently. We shall not retreat, nor shall we surrender our struggle, Omoragbon concluded. Vanguard Kindly Share This Story: CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM: General Loading... Home | News | General | Black Wall Street set to create over 6 million jobs for Africans through its Economic War Kindly Share This Story: The Black Wall Street says it is ready to create over six million jobs for Africans through its Economic War. This was disclosed by the leader of Africas first Economic War, Charles N Lambert, in episode 10 of the Economic War live show on Black Wall Street channels. Now, the question of whether Economic war creates job opportunities for the society is a very vital question that needs to be answered. According to Lambert, it does create jobs and one of the avenues The Black Wall Street has come up with to create jobs for Africans in this time of unemployment trend and Economic War is through the Switch Now campaign. By picking different sectors of Africas products. The switch now campaign is targeted at diverting the over $203 billion on capital flight to Africa, retaining this money in Africa, making Africans buy African products, supporting African Businesses! In a simple term, Switch Campaign champions Africa for Africa. An Economic War, is a commerce-driven, orchestrated attempt, to balance altered trade deficit for a region. This is done by simply ensuring that money leaving the continent is controlled, to avoid the haemorrhage of funds and capital flight. The Economic War is focused on fighting for Africas Economic Independence, Economic Emancipation and as its first kind, Lambert refers to it as Africas first economic revolution. He explains revolution as an attempt to try and change the status quo. Furthermore, he said that if Africa can change its political status quo, gain political independence, we can also gain Economic independence, save the continent from being economically extremely poor and stop being dependent on foreign nations, thereby creating job opportunities for the unemployed. During the episode 9 of the Black Wall Streets Economic War Show, Lambert had stated that it is the private sectors, citizens that create jobs and even the ones that the governments have. To prove that government doesnt create jobs in the society, a video was shown from MSNBC economic news analysis that at a time when the American government shutdown, 304,000 jobs were created by private sectors, which was well above expectations. Lambert in episode 10 of the show, reveals that the reason economic war must be won and why Africans must take it seriously is that it creates job opportunities. History has it that Americas response to World War II was the most extraordinary mobilization of an idle economy in the history of the world. During the war 17 million new civilian jobs were created, industrial productivity increased by 96 percent, and corporate profits after taxes doubled. The war brought full employment and a fairer distribution of income. Blacks and women entered the workforce for the first time, they begain to form individual corporations. Wages increased; so did savings. All these happened because the Americans fought an economic war with full force after the world war. It is no exaggeration to say that America won the war abroad and peace at home at the same time. No doubt the historical conditions of Americas economic surge during World War II were because individuals created jobs, employed people who had no jobs anymore. Historians, economists, and politicians have long wondered why this remarkable social and economic mobilization of latent human and physical resources required a war. The answer, I think, is partly ideological. The economic war was like a wave coming over that conservative coalition; the old ideological constraints collapsed and private organizations, government outlays powered a recovery. Trumps administration also took on this lead, waging economic war with countries like China despite all the money they have, they still do not want to take chances. If Americans with all the powers they have are fighting Economic war, Africans must also join the fight to sustain our economy because economic war does not only create jobs but strengthens our economic pillars. Lambert urges that every economic move made in Africa must be towards creating jobs for the unemployed. It is also believed that every Continent in the World, apart from Africa, has engaged and continues to engage in economic wars to ensure that their citizens and economies are on a positive and progressive position. To win the Economic war, to sustain our economy, grow the economy, to make sure excess money does not leave Africa, the Black Wall Street is calling on Africans to join the Switch Campaign using its platform called the redirect mall. The Switch campaign enables Africans to sell and buy African products instead of importing. This is to save the continent from losing over $203 billion on capital flights annually. The Redirect Mall is an online Mall dedicated to fighting the Economic War. It is a place where Africans can buy African products in bulk. The Redirect Mall is to make sure Africans have easy access to goods produced by manufacturing companies in the continent. With the switch Campaign through redirect mall, Africans can trap the resources and invest in African corporations to create more jobs for the people. And do not forget that the Economic War is targeted at creating over six million jobs for Africans. You can join the economic war by buying made in African products available on redirectmall.com as well as follow the show on Mondays and Thursdays 3pm EAT on Facebook live and charleslambertcorridor.com Vanguard Nigeria News Kindly Share This Story: CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM: General Loading... Home | News | General | Old Mutual partners Lagos to drive virtual learning Kindly Share This Story: By Cynthia Alo Following the introduction of virtual learning by the Lagos State Ministry of Education in response to the shutdown of schools due to COVID-19 pandemic, Old Mutual Nigeria Limited, the Nigerian subsidiary of the worlds leading insurance group, has partnered with the state government to provide comprehensive material and financial support. According to the insurance firm, the support is coming at an appropriate time when the global pandemic has accelerated the need to adopt virtual learning to enable students to stay on track with their education. The partnership will see Old Mutual partnering with the state across the education ecosystem through digital and some traditional means of education, which include support for Math on the Ministrys digital platform Roducate to providing radio sets for more traditional forms of engagement. In addition, the firm will be launching a financial education series for teachers across Lagos state public schools to boost their capacity to impart financial literacy for students and to help them build financial security for themselves. The firm revealed the partnership when members of its Executive Management Team, including the Managing Director, Old Mutual Nigeria Life Assurance Company Limited, Mr Olusegun Omosehin; the Managing Director, Old Mutual General Insurance Company Nigeria Limited, Mr Olalekan Oyinlade; Executive Head, Marketing, Old Mutual Nigeria, Alero Ladipo, met with Lagos States Honourable Commissioner for Education, Mrs Folashade Adefisayo at the Ministrys Secretariat in Lagos. In her remarks, the Commissioner said; We have adopted virtual classes including leveraging mass media platforms like radio and television as well as popular digital platforms to ensure that school children even in the remote areas learn while schools are shut. We appreciate the ingenious support from Old Mutual Nigeria to sustain the government activities around education in the state. These supports mean a lot because we are very excited that people, organisations and groups are now supporting the government to drive virtual learning and push simple devices to as many of our students as possible. With this singular act by Old Mutual, a child is going to learn, grow, and will never forget Old Mutual and those who made his or her education a reality, she said. Also commenting on the support, Managing Director, Old Mutual Nigeria Life Assurance Company Limited, Mr. Omosehin said; For us, it is a fulfilment of one of the values we hold very dear at Old Mutual. As an institution, there are five pillars of responsibilities; one of which is the responsibility to our people and the community where we operate. This step is in alignment with these principles that are very dear to us. We are happy to partner with the Lagos State Government, particularly in the quest to drive virtual learning among school children. The Lagos State Government has been very proactive in providing education, and as an organisation, we understand that the children have a chance at a better future when provided with requisite and global standard learnings at a very early age. This support provides a good opportunity for us to give back to the community to help educate the young minds who are going to contribute to the future growth of our society, he added. Vanguard Kindly Share This Story: CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM: General Loading... Home | News | General | Ooni of Ife adopts, gives scholarship to 17-year-old boy who drew his portrait with just a pencil (photos) - Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, has adopted 17-year-old Samuel who drew his portraits and tagged him on Twitter - The king also gave a full scholarship to him that will cover his education to the university level - To ensure that he is not jobless after his education, the Ooni said he would employ him PAY ATTENTION: Click See First under the Following tab to see Legit.ng News on your Facebook News Feed! Adeyeye Ogunwusi, the Ooni of Ife, has adopted as his own a 17-year-old boy who artistically drew his portrait with just a pencil. In a post he made on Thursday, June 26, the monarch said that he would pay the boys tuition fee up to the university level and give him a job when he graduates. I got tagged on Twitter a few months back from a young man who made a brilliant pencil drawing of myself, in my appreciation for his art I invited him to my palace, Ooni said. Meet Nigerian woman saving the earth from destruction, various harms (photo) The monarch added that it is a fact that if all work together irrespective of their social status, there will be access to socio-economic opportunities for all. Ooni of Ife said when he met Samuel's mother, a corn seller, she demonstrated an incredible heart of motherhood. He said helping the artist is part of his plan to help young Nigerians in achieving great heights in life. Oba Adeyeye said that he would continue to render such help to those who need it whenever he comes across them. A collage of the king and Samuel. Photo source: Instagram/Ooni of Ife Source: UGC PAY ATTENTION: Download our mobile app to enjoy the latest news update Meanwhile, Legit.ng earlier reported that the Ooni of Ife gave the Lagos government three locally made motorized fumigators in the fight against the pandemic in the state. Added to those is a large drone sprinkler that could be used for wide aerial fumigation. He did the formal presentation of the donations to the state governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu. How I lost my 2 kids while away on a job that paid N40 - Nollywood actor recounts During the presentation, the monarch said that he was inspired to give because of the great ways world leaders have been dealing with the deadly virus. In other news, a young Dandora boy named Ian Otieno who collected plastics for sale with a dream of owning just a bicycle was offered full education scholarship by one Kennedy Odede, founder of Shining Hope for Communities. "l am in class 6 at James Gichuru Primary in Dandora. With the schools closed I am using this opportunity to go to the dumpsite and collect as much plastics as I can. I am trying to fund my dream of owning a bicycle," the boy said. HEART OF GOLD: Williams gets sponsor for varsity education | Legit TV [embedded content] CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM: General Loading... Home | News | General | Hajj 2020: Your money is safe with us, Elegushi tells Lagos intending pilgrims Kindly Share This Story: Following the ban on international hajj this year by Saudi Arabia, the Lagos state Commissioner for Home Affairs, Prince Anofiu Elegushi has told intending pilgrims to differ their 2020 hajj plans till next year, stating that their money is safe with the government. Prince Elegushi stated this during a one-day sensitization programme on the future of year 2020 Hajj operation, held at the Lagos State Secretariat, Alausa, Ikeja, recently. Present at the programme were intending Pilgrims, Ulamas (Islamic scholars) and other stakeholders. While justifying the necessity for the cancellation, the Commissioner praised the Saudi authority for taking such a bold and difficult decision in order to curb the spread of Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic that is ravaging the entire world, considering the large number of people that would have performed the pilgrimage in Makkah and Madinah. Elegushi affirmed that if the exercise were to hold despite the pandemic, pilgrims would be made to face a lot of stringent conditions and restrictions which would be difficult for them to bear and deny many of the opportunities. He stressed that it is better to wait till the next hajj when it is hoped that the pandemic would have been totally defeated. The Commissioner said as a government that is responsible to its people, no pilgrims would be denied his/her legitimate right to seek refund of the hajj fare already paid. He, however, advised that it is better for them to leave the money with the government and differ the exercise till 2021 when they would be considered on a first-come, first-served basis, otherwise, they would start all over again. He urged those who are yet to complete their payment to do so quickly so as to secure their place in the record of the Muslim Pilgrims Welfare Board. While urging them not to change their intention, Elegushi emphasised that it might not be easy for anybody seeking refund to re-coop the money between now and November 2020 when the year 2021 hajj operation will begin. He, however, assured them that their money is very safe with the state government Narrating the efforts already put in place by the state government before the pandemic struck, Elegushi said that he led some officials to Saudi Arabia to secure a befitting and conducive accommodation for her pilgrims nearer to the Haram in order to make the exercise comfortable for them. He added that amongst other preparations made by the state towards ensuring stress-free pilgrimage exercise in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia was the provision of free health care service as well as an increment in the number of health service providers outside NAHCON arrangements. While answering questions on the possibility of increment in year 2021 hajj fare, Elegushi remarked that it is the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) that fixes hajj fare and not the state government. He, however, noted that one of the aims of the current Chairman of NAHCON, Alhaji Zhikrullah Hassan, was to secure reduction in the hajj fare so as to make it affordable for intending pilgrims. He assured them that instead of increasing, government is working towards ensuring reductions, all things being equal. On medical screening, Elegushi answered that all the intending pilgrims would be made to do a fresh screening when the time comes. He said that between now and the next hajj operation, the health condition of everybody would have changed one way or the other because of our environment. Therefore it is necessary and mandatory for everyone to do another medical test to ascertain their current health status. While assuring that the intending pilgrims are free to retrieve their international passport for any other usage, the Commissioner urged them to fill a form to document their deferment of year 2020 hajj to 2021. In her goodwill message, the Permanent Secretary, Mrs. Adebunmi Adekanye corroborated the Hon. Commissioner by appealing to the intending pilgrims and Lagosians, in general, to believe that COVID-19 pandemic is real and join efforts of government in fighting the scourge by always observing all the protocols which include regular handwashing with water and soap, wearing of face mask, avoiding large crowd, maintain social distancing and avoiding handshake. Vanguard Nigeria News Kindly Share This Story: CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM: General Loading... Home | News | General | Edo 2020: No PDP aspirant will be unjustly disqualified Dogara Kindly Share This Story: The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Screening Committee for the Ondo State governorship election has assured the party aspirants that none of them would be unjustly disqualified. The Chairman of the Committee and immediate past Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rep. Yakubu Dogara, gave the assurance while speaking with newsmen shortly after screening the aspirants in Abuja. Dogara assured the aspirants that the committee was out for justice; and justice would be served. Justice is indivisible. What is justice for one has to be justice to the other? We are sure that at the end of the day the party will be proud of the exercise that we have done. Nobody will be unjustifiably denied clearance for any reason. For anyone who is qualified. As a matter of fact, is it not even our responsibility to clear them, it is the documents they have presented before us that will clear them. As far as we are a concerned, once you have your papers and records intact, you are good to go. So, the assurance is that we are out for justice and we will ensure that justice is served to the end, he said. Dogara said though the committee had screened all the aspirants, it would be adjourned till Friday 1 p.m. before taking its final position on the exercise. He said that the committee recognised the responsibility bestowed on it and would do a thorough job. This is in view of the fact that developments in politics no longer support the case of whimsical screening exercise any longer. You have seen it, some people have won elections and lost elections on the account of defective screening that was done by the officials of their party. So, we are aware of that and we are holding each of the aspirants to account for the information given to the party and the documents that they have submitted, he said. Dogara commended members of the committee for their patience for the exercise that lasted for about 12 hours. When asked to comment on a large number of aspirants for the poll, he said no political party in a true democracy would restrain its interested members from participating in an election. Even if they are 50 aspirants let them come, it is their constitutional rights. The party cannot prevent that. Nobody can regulate the provisions of the constitution. In as much as they are members of the party and they want to run for this office, no one has the power to circumscribe the provisions of the constitution regarding their rights to vile for any office, except if they are defective in terms of requirements of the law or the party. But, as long as they are qualified, no one can guard their rights to contest for any office. No political party should do that, he said. The aspirants included the incumbent Deputy Governor of the state, Dr. Agboola Ajayi; Eyitayo Jegede; Sen. Boluwaji Kunlere; Dr. Eddy Olafeso; Ben Okunomo; Bode Ayorinde; Otunba Bamidele Akingboye; Mr. Godday Erewa; and Mr. Sola Ebiseeni. NAN Vanguard Kindly Share This Story: CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM: General Loading... Home | News | General | 2023: What counts against Igbo Presidency Kindly Share This Story: By Chioma Gabriel, Editor Special Features Just recently, the governors of the southeast and other political leaders in the region including the Ohanaeze Ndigbo met in Enugu where they discussed a myriad of problems confronting the Igbo including security and economic issues. They feared southeast could be under siege following recent movement of youths from the northern states despite the Covid-19 pandemic lock-down. The meeting however ended with a loud silence on politics of 2023. Barely three days after taking a position on regional security and an instruction to the Houses of Assembly to expedite work on the bill to give the initiative a legal backing, the governors reverted to working with the Inspector General of Police on community policing which was their initial position. The Igbo man seems to be battling with decisive indecision, discordant concord and absolute confusion. Although Buhari has spent only a year into his second term in office, issues of 2023 are already creeping up in the polity. Subtle campaigns for 2023 presidency have begun and the agitation for presidency to move to the south has begun. The southwest is gearing up for another turn in the presidency with a complete disregard for the southeast and yet, the governors and political leaders would meet and keep mum on the issue. Indeed, the controversy over which region should produce the next president in 2023 is already an issue and every zone of the country seems to have interest in the issue. The north plans to keep the presidency after the two terms of President Muhammadu Buhari. Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), is gearing up with some people saying that he has an alliance with the ruling APC for power to return to the west through him in 2023. There are also Prof Yemi Osinbajo, the current vice-president; Ekiti State Governor, Kayode Fayemi, and former Ogun State governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun who are among those touted to have interests in the highest office in the country. There is also governor Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti State. These are from the southwest. The South-south also seems to be interested in the position, on the premise that its son, Jonathan, was not given the opportunity to serve for two terms like others. The Southeast zone, the only zone in the southern region that is yet to produce a president should be eyeing the position but it seems lacklustre about it. Whenever the issue of presidency of Igbo extraction comes up, it becomes difficult to decide whether the southeast wants Igbo presidency, restructuring or Biafra. Known for their individualism, most political leaders in the southeast are driven by selfish tendencies and this has affected the people over the years. Will a president of Igbo extraction be realised when the people are not united and cannot speak with one voice and on top of it, they are perceived to play bad politics? Apart from former Anambra governor, Mr Peter Obi who genuinely selflessly fights for the Igbo cause and Senators Ike Ekweremadu and Enyinnaya Abaribe, many other politicians seem to have nothing to write home about. Politicians of the APC appear to be under the illusion that after Buhari would have completed his tenure in 2023, power would be handed over to the Igbo. But that is not the way politics is played in Nigeria or anywhere else. The southeast has missed so many chances. The people seem to be groping in the dark since the return to democracy in 1999. Some believe that Dr Alex Ekwueme was betrayed at the PDP Jos convention when Dr. Olusegun Obasanjo was brought out of prison and imposed as PDPs presidential candidate. Others believe that it was akin to what they did to Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe in the first republic when after he won an election in Lagos, the table suddenly turned and he was betrayed overnight. Aside the great Dr Azikiwe and Dr Alex Ekwueme, the present crop of Igbo political leaders appear weak and lacking in what it takes to negotiate profitably for their people. Most clearly seek selfish interests. Buhari 2nd term It should be recalled that before Buhari won a second term in office, a powerful delegation of Igbo APC leaders led by Ogbonnaya Onu, Minister of Science and Technology had endorsed him for another term in office. They said the President did enough to merit a second term. That delegation comprised former Deputy Governor of Imo State, Eze Madumere, who represented Rochas Okorocha before the duo fell out; serving members of APC in the last national assembly, former governors, the former ministers from the south-east, members of the then national working committee and national executive committee of the APC. They had endorsed Buhari without negotiating the terms of endorsement. Many tagged them naive. There was no question of what Buhari would do for Ndigbo during his second term. The delegation was happy that the president received them. That was not the first time Igbo leaders would play daft. Since 1999, the southeast has been all out for the PDP. It supported former President Jonathan to the moon and back in 2015 but Jonathan lost the election. The south-east also lost. Then the Pharaoh who did not know Joseph came into power and the fate of the south-east deteriorated from playing third and fourth fiddle to playing no fiddle at all. That has been the situation till date. To make matters worse, the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, tend to be making things more impossible for the Igbo. Due to the activities of this group, many would not trust the Igbo and would rather not have anything to do with the people. Of course, nothing was wrong with endorsing President Buhari for another term in office but what is there for the Igbo leaders in APC? What were their terms for supporting Buhari? He won another term in office and recently marked one year in office in his second term. Will he address the Igbo question? Will he care to do that when he knows that aside the APC members, majority of the Igbo did not vote for him? Disregarding the Igbo The presidential request for an approval of the senate for a loan of 22.7 billion dollars from Chinas Exim bank recently received the nod of the upper legislative chamber. The loan, according to President Buhari, would be invested in the improvement of infrastructure in the country. He said the loan was to ensure the prompt implementation of projects under the borrowing plan with specific emphasis on infrastructure, agriculture, health, education, water supply, growth and employment generation, poverty reduction through social safety nets programmes, governance and financial management reforms among others. Details of the loan, when they were made public, revealed that the Southeast zone was excluded from the projects it is intended for. None of the projects captured in the loan for execution when it is eventually received falls within the zone, just as other zones will enjoy a measure of succour from it. Available details indicate that Southwest will get $200,000,000.00 while south-South, excluding Edo State, will get $4,270,000,000.00. North West will get $6,372,000,000.00, Northeast will get $300,000,000.00 while North Central will get $6,531,000,000 while $5,853,900,000.00 is reserved for general expenses. This has set the Southeast zone grumbling. The authorities appear indifferent to the Igbo question. Each time an issue about the Igbo comes up; the people will be talked down on. In the midst of these, the self-serving nature of the Igbo has not helped matters. They work for their individual pockets. If the Igbo APC leaders who endorsed Buhari believed he would hand over to the southeast, did they discuss that with him? Or were they happy that the South East has the least number of states in Nigeria, the least number of Senators, least number of House of Reps members, the least number of State Houses of Assembly members, least number of Ministers at the federal level, least revenue allocation, least federal presence or investment, least local governments, least wards and the least of everything in Nigeria? The endorsers had commended Buhari on efforts he was making to ensure there is development in the south-east. Railways were mapped out across states in Nigeria and south-east got none. The south-east was never given any position of consequence in the present administration. What projects have been cited in Igboland to create jobs? What developmental programmes have been considered for the South East? Or dont Ndigbo have the resources and manpower to lead the nation? With the slow pace of work on the 2nd Niger Bridge, will it be completed soon or would 2nd Niger Bridge be used for another campaign in 2023? In the past, it used to be Hausa, Yoruba, Igbo but now, its Hausa, Yoruba, South-South, then Igbo. Now, everybody denigrates, disregards and talks down on the Igbo and freely threatens them. They have slipped from being one of Nigerias largest and significant ethnic groups. After Azikiwe and Alex Ekwueme, the political influence of the Igbo has ceased to exist. The Igbo still remain a defeated people since the past civil war despite the no victor, no vanquished disposition. Not long ago, General Yakubu Gowon, Nigerias wartime Head of State, said he does not have any problem if power shifts to the Igbo for the 2023 Presidency as long as doing so would enhance peace. Answering a question on the agitation by south easterners that the Igbo should produce the nations President in 2023, Gowon said, If doing so will bring peace, it should be done; if the people so desire. The General added that, There was a time the PDP started rotational presidency, if that was continued, maybe the Igbo would have produced a President but that didnt happen. If that can be done now, I dont have a problem with it. Anybody can govern. There are many people in Nigeria, if God gives them and they will govern with the fear of God and love for Nigerians, we will make the desired progress. This statement by Gowon was later construed to mean that the Igbo have hired Gowon to campaign for Igbo presidency which Ohanaeze denied. Selfishness The pronounced disunity and infighting among the Igbo would make it difficult for them to make any kind of progress in politics. The southeast APC leaders never showcased what Buhari promised the Igbo and from all indications, in the next 20 years, an Igbo man may not rule Nigeria. Other major ethnic groups have schemed to dominate political power. When the pro-Biafra agitators started, the idea was to bring the Igbo question to the fore-front and many supported them but along the line, it was clear the agitation became a personal business enterprise. . Many believe the whole thing was mismanaged. Today followers of IPOB have done nothing about the herdsmen invasion of the southeast. This is where they ought to have been very effective because foreigners have invaded Igboland and IPOB has done nothing about it. Presidency of 2023 As 2023 approaches, nationalities across Nigeria are once again strategizing and negotiating into the heart of the party under which platform they hope to realise their dreams. The Igbo whose position have remained precarious in the Nigerian political landscape dont seem to be doing anything. They have not started talking seriously about 2023. They have taken it for granted that power should be transmitted to the Igbo. Just like the delegation that met Buhari, the Igbo endorsed Jonathan in 2011. At the end of the day, Jonathan did nothing for them. He did not construct a single road in Igboland. If anything, he rolled back the Igbo presidency. Hence a politician like Chief Paul Unongo dared to say that Jonathan was the realisation of Igbo presidency. From PDP to APC, the Igbo have been missing chances. It should be recalled that by the time Jonathan was warming up for another term in office, he made a million promises which he hoped would be fulfilled in his second term. To support him, former Anambra governor, Mr Peter Obi decamped from All Progressive Grand Alliance, APGA, to the PDP. And for Jonathans second term in office, Igbo leaders made up of then Secretary to the Federal Government, Chief Anyim Pius Anyim; Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu; then Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Emeka Ihedioha; Senator Hope Uzodinma; then Minister of Labour & Productivity, Emeka Wogu; then National Publicity Secretary PDP, Mr Olisa Metuh; Mr Ifeanyi Ubah and former Governor Peter Obi stormed Dover Hotel at Lekki Phase 1 Lagos to woo Ndigbo Lagos for President Goodluck Jonathans 2015 presidential bid. At Dover Hotel, they met eminent and prominent Igbo leaders, namely then President General Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Chief Gary Enwo-Igariwey; President Ndigbo Lagos, Professor Anya. O. Anya; President Aka Ikenga, Chief Goddy Uwazurike; former Chairman Diamond Bank, Chief Pascal Dozie; former Governor of Lagos State, Rear Admiral Ndubuisi Kanu(rtd); former President of Nigerian Stock Exchange, Dr Raymond Obieri; Eze Ndigbo of Ikeja, Eze Uche Dimgba and then President Ohanaeze Ndigbo Lagos, Fabian Onwughalu and many other eminent Igbos in Lagos. They campaigned support for Jonathans second term in office. But Jonathan lost the election. The Igbo have been nowhere since then. Or dont Ndigbo have the resources and manpower to lead the nation? Unless the people are united, 2023 will be an illusion because the reckoning system has changed . Igbo must succeed Buhari Ohanaeze Ohanaeze Ndigbo recently renewed its quest for Nigerias citizen of Igbo extraction to succeed Buhari in 2023. The groups Spokesman, Chuks Ibegbu said the demand for South East to produce the next occupant of the topmost office in the land was in the spirit of equity, justice and fair play as the move would strengthen unity and promote a sense of belonging. Ibegbu said Ohanaeze would not relent in promoting issues that engender unity and development, as the current advocacy falls within the precincts. He urged all political stakeholders nationwide to ensure the presidency was zoned to Igboland in 2023 as an indication of the seriousness in the claim of one Nigeria. According to Ibegbu : In 1999, the ticket was Olusegun Obasanjo versus Olu Falae; In 2007, it was the late YarAdua versus Muhammadu Buhari; and in 2019, it was Buhari versus Abubakar Atiku. So in 2023, it should be Igbo versus Igbo. With this arrangement, Nigerians can then make their choice among the array of Igbo candidates. He also assured that Ohanaeze Ndigbo is fully committed to the restructuring of Nigeria, adding that such would be the ultimate panacea to its multifarious challenges. Its turn of Igbo Presidency in 2023, Yakasai Alhaji Tanko Yakasai was amongst those that declared unequivocally that it should be the turn of the Igbo to produce the next President of Nigeria in 2023. Yakasai based his declaration on the logic that other regions and zones in the country, except the Igbo of the South-east. Yakasai, in an interview said: Nigeria had three major blocks. Two of these three namely, the North and the West have had the opportunity of producing the President. Therefore, Igbos have a good argument because out of the three siblings, two have already succeeded at producing the President but the Igbos have not. They (the Igbo) deserve the sympathy of all Nigerians for them to get it in 2023 or later. My opinion is that this is not a matter that one will lie down and think that it will come to him. Effort is needed. How do you go about it? This can only be done by persuasion to convince other Nigerians about the need for an Igbo to emerge the President of Nigeria. I for one I am in support of it. I did it before in the era of NPN (National Party of Nigeria) when we had the arrangement that the next president after late President Shehu Shagari would come from the East. We would have settled this problem long ago if not for the military intervention. So, I spoke in support of Igbo presidency. I did not want to fix a date because I am not in position to do that. I said that the Igbo should go out and lobby other Nigerians and try to get their concern and support to produce the president in 2023 and where they are not able to do that in 2023 they will put a trajectory for them to produce the President next time. Ambassador George Obiozor In his own reaction to the Igbo question, former ambassador to the United States, George Obiozor said: The Igbo thing is not about the Igbo being president. Who told you that if an Igbo man becomes president, there will be no more problems? If the Igbo man is partial, if the Igbo man is parochial, if the Igbo man is biased, then the people will also vote against him. What Nigeria needs is a great leader, a good leader. In fact, Nigeria has reached a point where the leadership of the country is not determined by where you come from but your ability in terms of what you can offer to the country, what you can do. If a leader is good, you dont even ask where he comes from. Countries that have good leaders dont even bother about where the leaders come from. But when a country has a problem such as we have and nothing is being done as quickly as possible as a response to the national crisis, then what do you think the people would do? Everything is lopsided in Nigeria. Take a look yourself at any institution you like and examine the level of equity in it. Look at the issue of federal revenue allocation. Look at the issue of revenue from oil and how it is shared. The details will shock you. Go and find the list of appointments in Nigeria in different areas. The list will shock you. Go and see even the list of retirements in Nigeria in some of the agencies. The list will shock you. So, the issue we are talking about is emanating from the failure of leadership and insensitivity in the way we do things. Every zone has six states but South-East has five. Is that good? And if they speak ,youd say they are talking about marginalisation. A just leader will not leave things that way. If that visible difference is not marginalisation, then what is it? It affects everything else: revenue sharing, membership in the federal house, membership in the senate and everything affecting the south east. When the people are complaining, a good leader should look into what is going on and redress injustice whether it is real or imagined. The average Igbo knows he is suffering because the civil war of over 50 years ago never ended. There is no doubt that the war didnt end. It continued in other ways. People are asking what Igbos want in Nigeria and I tell you, Igbos want justice. People who ask what Igbos want are so prejudiced and narrow-minded. What the Igbos want is unity but not unity of slaves and masters. The leaders are failing the people, they are not speaking with one voice. People are putting the blame on them but you have to see that even these are victims of the system. And what voice are you looking for? A people cannot speak with one voice when they have been intimidated and frightened as the people of South East. The South-East people have been frightened by the system. How can they control what they didnt create?? The Igbo and their leaders are victims of the system they find themselves. That is the lopsidedness of the federal system. The citizens of South-East are in near-permanent disadvantage. So, you have to look at the situation in a wholistic way. Igbo are treated as conquered people Mbazulike Amaechi First Republic politician, Chief Mbazulike Amaechi had this to say: More than any other race in Nigeria, the South-East, the Igbo have been dealt with especially since the end of the civil war. They were treated at all times as a conquered people. The Igbo have been treated as slaves. During the Shagari era, the South-East got a reprieve. But simply because of a feeling that the South-East might get into power, they staged a military coup and took over the government. Everybody knew it at that time. So, the Igbos have been treated as slaves in this country and it is time to put a stop to it because the other areas are beginning to sympathise with Igbos. Look, if we dont come to terms with the Igbo question, there will be a terrible implosion or explosion. The people are collectively suffering. They are collectively being punitively treated?They are victims. Even those who go to Abuja to collect hand-outs are all victims. They are suffering together. Our problems started from not having free, fair and credible electionsMaria Okwor An associate of Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe in the second republic and leader of the Igbo Women Assembly, Maria Okwor had this to say: What we had in the past worked better for us. Im talking about regions and the time people like Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe and Awolowo held sway. Every region developed at its own pace and contributed to the centre. Now, reverse is the case. They just gave you anything they liked from the centre. This presidential system that we operate today, I have always maintained that it is too wasteful and encourages corruption. See what is happening in our country: imposition of candidates and leadership failure. Nigeria has not got it right with leadership. Nigerians are not allowed to choose the people they want to lead them. They just impose people on the electorate and when they assume office, they dont care about anybody except themselves, their families and friends. Some will even tell you that whether you vote or not, a winner must emerge. We have been battling with square pegs in round holes. That is the origin of our problems. The South-East is on the spot. The situation is dicey. Igbo cannot continue being slaves in this country. Vanguard Kindly Share This Story: CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM: General Loading... Home | News | General | N2.5bn Fraud: Court Jails Union Bank Hackers METRON2.5bn fraud: Union Bank hackers to cool off in prisonPublished on July 3, 2020By Wale Odunsi The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has secured the conviction of one Abass Mohammed and a Bureau De Change (BDC) operator, Ibrahim Saidu Jogal.. They connived to hack into the Flexcube database of Union Bank and stole N2,550,000,000. EFCC spokesman, Dele Oyewale, in a statement on Friday, said it received a petition on the theft. Investigation showed that the money was credited into the accounts of mostly BDC operators, including one Jaxmine BDC, Gona BDC and Great Well Communication. Mohammed sourced for the account details of Jaxmine BDC from one of his friends, Lawal Ubah, who was a signatory to the account. He subsequently gave the details to one Salisu Liman (aka Zico), the ring leader of the syndicate. The sum of N450million was then credited into the account, EFCC noted. The sum of N79million was transferred from the account of Jaxmine BDC into the account of Digare BDC owned by Jogal for the purpose of buying $500,000. Further investigations revealed that Jogal only paid $80,000 to Mohammed and kept the balance of $420,000. The gang was arraigned before Justice K. A. Jose of the Lagos State High Court sitting in Igbosere, on three-count charges bordering on conspiracy, retention and use of proceeds of criminal conduct. The offenses were contrary to Section 331(1)(b) of the Criminal Laws No. 11, Vol 44 of Lagos State 2011. The accused pleaded not guilty to the charges, paving the way for the commencement of their trial. EFCC presented three witnesses Vincent Agwu, a Union Bank official, and two investigators, Joseph Nkeson and Aliyu Abubakar. Several documents were tendered in court by the prosecution. Justice Jose found the defendants guilty on counts two and three, and discharged them on count one, which bordered on conspiracy to defraud. Mohammed was sentenced to one year in prison. Jose ordered that the sum of $37,000 and $7,000 recovered from him be handed over to Union Bank. He also directed that a car seized from him be sold and the proceeds given to Union Bank. On Jogal, the judge observed that he showed no contrition, and failed to pay back a substantial sum of the money traced to him. Jogal was sentenced to three years in prison. Justice Jose ordered that the sum of $220,000 and another $200,000 earlier recovered from him be given to Union Bank. The judge also ordered that his property, whose title documents he gave to the EFCC, be sold and the proceeds handed over to the financial institution. Advertisements CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM: General Loading... Home | News | General | Tests conducted on US president as Donald Trump Jr's girlfriend tests positive for coronavirus - Kimberly who is girlfriend to Donald Trump Jnr received her positive tests results on Friday, July 3 - She is the latest member of Trump's inner circle to contract the virus - The senior fundraiser for Donald Trumps re-election campaign had travelled with him to South Dakota but did not attend the event after getting the positive tests results - Tests results on Trump and his eldest son turned out to be negative PAY ATTENTION: Click See First under the Following tab to see Legit.ng News on your Facebook News Feed! Kimberly Guilfoyle who is the girlfriend to Donald Trump's eldest son has tested positive for coronavirus. Guilfoyle tested positive for the virus on Friday, July 3, before attending an event with the US president. Kimberly who is a former Fox News television personality and a senior fundraiser for Donald Trumps re-election campaign becomes the latest member of Trump's inner circle to contract the virus. Kano begins house-to-house sample collection for Covid-19 test, relaxes lockdown on these days Kimberly Guilfoyle, who is a senior fundraiser for Donald Trumps re-election campaign has tested positive for COVID-19. Photo: Getty Images. Source: UGC Kimberly who is a former Fox News television personality and a senior fundraiser for Donald Trumps re-election campaign becomes the latest member of Trump's inner circle to contract the virus. According to the New York Times, the senior fundraiser for Donald Trumps re-election campaign had travelled with him to South Dakota but did not attend the event after getting the positive tests results. Tests were conducted on the US president and his son which later turned out to be negative. ABC News reported that Kimberly a close aide to Trump was asymptomatic. The news also comes as the US is experiencing a huge spike in coronavirus cases and at a time when Trump is receiving criticism on his response to the coronavirus crisis. According to The Guardian, the virus has killed over 120,000 Americans. As COVID-19 continues to cause job loss in the United States, a lot of people have been processing unemployment benefits. Beautiful family photos of Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala's family break the internet The same was the case in Kentucky on Wednesday, June 17, as hundreds of people lined up outside a temporary unemployment benefits office in the state capitol in Frankfort. According to NBC News, those that lost their jobs were there to speak to a representative in person in hope of claiming their unemployment benefits. PAY ATTENTION: Install our latest app for Android, read best news on Nigerias #1 news app Around 44 million Americans were reported to have filed for first-time unemployment benefits since the coronavirus pandemic hit. Covid-19: Traders tell legit tv about the most demanded items | Legit TV [embedded content] CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM: General Loading... Home | News | General | Edo election: Atiku sends powerful message to Wike on new appointment - Atiku Abubakar has reacted to Governor Wikes new appointment by the PDP - Ahead of the Edo governorship election scheduled for September, the party appointed Wike as the chairman of the campaign council - In his congratulatory message, Atiku said he was confident Wike and other members of the council will work hard to ensure Governor Obaseki wins the election PAY ATTENTION: Click See First under the Following tab to see Legit.ng News on your Facebook News Feed! As the Edo state gubernatorial election draws nearer, former vice president, Atiku Abubakar, has sent a congratulatory message to Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State on his new appointment. Wike was appointed by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as the chairman of Edo state governorship election national campaign council while Governor Ahmadu Fintiri of Adamawa will be supporting him as vice-chairman. Atiku expressed optimism that Wike, Fintiri and other members of the council will do a very good job in making sure the party cruises to victory in the coming election. Edo election 2020: Three APC chieftains drag Obaseki to court over alleged certificate forgery "I am confident that your leadership, supported by Governor Ahmadu Fintiri, the vice-chairman, and other members of the PDP #Edo2020 Council will work assiduously for the victory of Governor Obaseki, and set Edo State on the path of even greater development," Atiku's post on Twitter read. Atiku said he is confident that Wike's leadership, supported by Governor Ahmadu Fintiri will bring victory to the PDP Source: Twitter Read the tweet below: Many of his followers were not to please with the congratulatory message as they questioned his motive. King Henry wrote: "Shameless post. Wike has muscled these men and made dem boy boy...Just imagine such nonsense from Atiku, no self respect again...Just see where his name even came under, member...God no go shame us ooo." Replying to Atiku's tweet, @Chalzameh1 wrote: "All na Wash to make Governor Wike spend the refund wey Buhari give am. Trust Wike, Chishi no go comot... Governor Obaseki will loose from all indications. His Boys said so..." @seun_obalola is wondering if the post is Atiku's way of patronising Wike to spend Rivers state money on Edo election. Edo 2020: Primary election will be transparent and fair - APC assures Obaseki @UGOsaintcristo said politicians will not stop surprising him. He asked if Wike's appointment is some sort of achievement. As the political battle in Edo state gets more intense, Governor Wike earlier took a swipe at the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Osagie Ize-Iyamu. The Rivers governor said on Wednesday, July 1, that Ize-Iyamu was rejected by the people of Edo state in 2016 because they saw he would not be a good governor. PAY ATTENTION: Install our latest app for Android, read the best news on Nigerias #1 news app Recall that Ize-Iyamu contested on the platform of the PDP against Obaseki who was then in the APC in 2016. Now the tables have turned as both men have switched parties. Like Obaseki, Like Ambode: 3 Governors who fell out with their political godfather | Legit TV [embedded content] CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM: General Loading... Home | News | General | FCE Abeokuta shuts down as health worker dies of COVID-19, 2 test positive - The Federal College of Education in Abeokuta, Ogun state, has lost one of its workers to COVID-19 - Following the death, the management has shut down the college to stop further spread of the virus - Two other workers who tested positive are in isolation where they are receiving treatment PAY ATTENTION: Click See First under the Following tab to see Legit.ng News on your Facebook News Feed! A health worker who contracted the deadly COVID-19 has died in Abeokuta. Following the death, the Federal College of Education, Osiele, Abeokuta, Ogun state capital, has been shut down. Two other workers at the medical centre have also tested positive for coronavirus and are currently in isolation, undergoing treatment, The Cable reports. This was disclosed in a statement by the registrar of the institution, Adedayo Adebayo, on Friday, July 3. A report carried out attributed the cause of death of one of the medical personnel that transited to immortality lately to complications that arose from COVID-19, he said. Alleged N2bn agric loan scam: Court restrains Ebonyi govt from probing former SSG According to him, the management took the decision to shut down the college to contain the spread of the virus. FCE Abeokuta was shut following the death of a health worker who contracted COVID-19 Source: UGC Adebayo advised those who came in contact with the affected workers in recent times to go for COVID-19 test so as to know their health status and seek necessary medical intervention. The management condoles with the bereaved family and the college community and prays that God grants all the succour to bear the irreparable loss," he added. Adebayo also said the college management is praying for the speedy and total recovery of the affected staff. Meanwhile, despite the coronavirus ravaging the world, some people still find ways of coping in these trying times and making themselves happy. A hilarious video was shared on Twitter on Thursday, July 2, showing two patients busting serious dance moves in the hospital. One of the men had his arm in a sling and the other was using a walker to get around. Although both patients, who were seen wearing face masks, had injuries, it did not stop them from enjoying themselves. Meet Nigerian woman saving the earth from destruction, various harms (photo) The post was shared by social media user @BlackLwendo, who did not reveal when or where the clip was filmed. PAY ATTENTION: Install our latest app for Android, read best news on Nigerias #1 news app The post garnered a lot of reactions from tweeps who were of the opinion that coronavirus has got nothing on both men. In other news, Nigerian film boss, Jason Njoku, has warned those who have already recovered from the virus about the troubles that they could face after. The Iroko TV boss used his mother as an example seeing as she was a COVID-19 survivor. Jason shared a link on Twitter about what recovery could look like for many survivors and he mentioned how his mother was still very far from back to normal despite leaving the hospital 15 weeks ago. Many Nigerians still don't believe Coronavirus exists - NOA DG | Legit TV Kano begins house-to-house sample collection for Covid-19 test, relaxes lockdown on these days [embedded content] CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM: General Loading... Home | News | General | COVID-19: Goodluck Jonathan Donates Palliatives To 20 States (List) The Goodluck Jonathan Foundation (GJF) has presented items to 20 states in its ongoing distribution of palliatives since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic says Ms Gloria Dede, Head of the Bayelsa Office of the foundation. According to her efforts are on the way to ensure that items get to other states of the country in the bid to ameliorate the hardship Nigerians are facing in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.. States listed to have benefitted include Anambra, Abia, Adamawa, Bauchi, Benue, Bayelsa, Cross River and Delta States. Others are Edo, Ekiti, Kebbi, Taraba, Zamfara, Sokoto, Oyo, Imo, Ebonyi, Enugu, Rivers and Akwa Ibom. Dede who stated this on Friday while presenting some items to the Bayelsa State Government disclosed that the recent exercise is the second phase of distribution, as the organisation had earlier made an outreach to some Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) camps in the Federal Capital Terretory (FCT) in April this year. She explained that the gesture was to complement the COVID 19 response efforts of the various state governments. Ms Dede said: Food items such as rice and beans, sanitizers and other sanitary materials have been shared to Internally Displaced Persons Camps (IDPs) in the FCT and 20 other states. The COVID- 19 pandemic has brought about a devastating impact on economies and governance around the world, thereby affecting the lives and livelihood of millions of citizens. For us, at the Goodluck Jonathan Foundation, our gesture today is a way of complementing the efforts of different state governments by providing these palliatives to help cushion the economic impact in many homes. This presentation is an ongoing process and we are determined to cover other states in the country. So far, we covered 20 state and some IDPs in the FCT. For Bayelsa we are giving a token of 1,000 5kg bags of rice and beans to the state government as a way of complimenting their COVID- 19 response strategy The Bayelsa State, Governor, Senator Douye Diri, who was represented by his Chief Staff, Chief Benson Agadaga thanked the Foundation for its support. He stated that, Bayelsa State aligns with the mission and vision of the Goodluck Jonathan Foundation as it in tandem with the prosperity agenda of the present administration. We look forward to partnering with your Foundation in more areas so that we can build a peaceful prosperous and inclusive Bayelsa Agadaga added. Advertisements CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM: General Loading... In a statement in Awka today, the government praised Mr Patrick Okigbo III, founder of Nextier, a consulting firm in Abuja, who has just been named one of the 12 professionals selected worldwide to serve for one year as Senior Fellows at John Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, and Dr Chidubem Obi, who has emerged the best overall student in Russias oldest and most prestigious medical school. The people and government of Anambra State felicitate with these worthy ambassadors and their families, as their prodigious achievements align with the vision of the state administration to make Anambra State and its people synonymous with international competitiveness and excellence, the Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment, C. Don Adinuba, quoted Governor Willie Obiano as saying in a statement in Awka today. By winning the 2020 Harvard senior fellowship, according the statement, Okigbo, a member of the Anambra State Vision 2070 set up to develop a strategic plan to make the state a fully developed place within 50 years like Taiwan and Dubai in the United Arab Emirates, is clearly stepping into the shoes of transformational leaders like Lee Kuan Yew, who led Singapores legendary leapfrogging from the status of a typical Third World country in 1965 to a fully developed one in just 30 years. Okigbo hails from Ojoto in Idemili South Local Government Area, and hails from the same family as Dr Pius Okigbo, Africas most decorated economist; Christopher Okigbo, regarded by top literary scholars like Professor Michael JC Echeruo as the most verbally exciting African poet writing in English; Professor Bede Okigbo, a globally renowned plant pathologist and geneticist who led the famous Biafran Army during the Nigerian Civil war; Chief Lawrence Okigbo, an internationally reputable forestry researcher and author; Professor Charles Okigbo, a leading mass communication researcher in the United States; as well as Professor Raphael Okigbo of Nnamdi Azikiwe University in Awka, who was last year declared the cited Nigerian science scholar, according to Google Scholar. Patrick Okigbo III attended the University of Nigeria at Nsukka, Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia, in the United States and the London School of Economics. As for Dr Obi, who is from Ifitedunu in Dunukofia Local Government Area, said Commissioner Adinuba, we are delighted that he did not just emerge the best medical student in a university established since 1758, but also scored a grade point of 5.0, the first time an African has earned the highest point possible in the school. Truly, the Anambra brand of excellence in all ramifications is emerging faster than some people may realize. Click to signup for FREE news updates, latest information and hottest gists everyday Advertise on NigerianEye.com to reach thousands of our daily readers Home | News | General | President Buhari reacts to report of a Nigerian man who returned missing money in Japan - President Buhari has a special message for an illustrious son of the country, Ikenna Nweke - Presidency said the Nigerian leader sent warm greetings and commendations to the Nigerian man living in Japan for doing the country proud - Nweke found and returned a missing wallet containing a huge amount of money and he also turned down a reward PAY ATTENTION: Click See First under the Following tab to see Legit.ng News on your Facebook News Feed! President Muhammadu Buhari has commended a Nigerian man based in Japan for presenting a good image of the country abroad. Presidential aide, Bashir Ahmad, conveyed the Nigerian leader's good words and warm greetings to Ikenna Nweke in a tweet on Saturday, July 4. According to the tweet, President Buhari is elated that Nweke returned a missing wallet and also turned down a reward from the Japanese authorities. The Nigerian leader is known to appreciate and reward sincere Nigerians who distinguish themselves. Nigerian man with 2 wives laments hardship under Buhari's administration, says he wants a 3rd wife He considers them an epitome of the anti-corruption stand upon which his government campaigned and won two elections. The story of Nweke's heroic deed was first publicised by the federal government through the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM). President Buhari is known to reward Nigerians that show integrity in their daily lives like Nweke (right). Photo credit: Twitter, Friendly News Online Source: UGC NIDCOM praised the good virtue of Nweke, a Nigerian man presently based in Japan, who returned a lost wallet that contained a huge sum of money and a credit card. Abike Dabiri-Erewa in a statement on Sunday, June 28, said Ikennas character is the true representation of Nigerians all over the world. The NIDCOM boss added that the good deeds of Nigerians are far more than the few negative ones tainting the image of the country. PAY ATTENTION: Install our latest app for Android, read the best news on Nigerias #1 news app Ikenna is an indigene of Amauzari in Isiala Mbano local government in Imo state. Senate president Lawan, others visit Orji Kalu after release from Kuje prison (photos) He relocated to Japan in 2013 with the help of a Japanese government-sponsored scholarship programme. Legit.ng notes that Nweke's action could not have come at a better time than when Nigeria is being painted in poor light by the actions of cyber fraudsters like Hushpupi. Hushpupi and another cyber fraudster, Woodberry were recently extradited to the United States by the Dubai police to face charges for scams. Airport cleaner who returned millions gets new apartment | Legit TV [embedded content] CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM: General Loading... Home | News | General | Governor Akeredolu gets 21-day ultimatum to hand over to deputy Ajayi - Deputy governor of Ondo state, Ajayi, wants to rule the state while Akeredolu is in isolation battling coronavirus infection - Ajayi says Akeredolu should do the needful in the next 21 days in line with the constitution - Ondo state governor, Akeredolu, has said he had no intention of handing over to his deputy who recently decamped to an opposition party PAY ATTENTION: Click See First under the Following tab to see Legit.ng News on your Facebook News Feed! Ondo state governor, Rotimi Akeredolu has been urged to hand over the affairs of the state to his deputy, Agboola Ajayi. Akeredolu is in isolation receiving treatment for coronavirus infection and his deputy, with whom he is having a long-running battle, wants to rule in his stead. The governor has said he would not hand over to Ajayi. Daily Sun reports that Ajayi, in his reply to the governor's comment, issued a 21-day ultimatum to Akeredolu to obey the provisions of the constitution as required by his legal profession. Edo election 2020: Three APC chieftains drag Obaseki to court over alleged certificate forgery Ordinarily, one expects Mr Governor to bring to bear on governance his background as a lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, (SAN). "But it is rather surprising and worrisome that the Governor has chosen the part of perversin of justice, by allowing his close aides to go astray in a matter of constitutionality," a statement by Ajayi's spokesperson, Allen Sowore read. Governor Akeredolu is seeking another four-year term in office in Ondo elections later this year but he is at odds with his deputy, Ajayi. Source: UGC Legit.ng reported earlier that despite testing positive for coronavirus, Governor Akeredolu vowed not to transmit power to Ajayi, his deputy governor in an acting capacity. Akeredolu, who is in isolation and undergoing treatment at home said there was no reason for him to hand over to the deputy governor. PAY ATTENTION: Install our latest app for Android, read the best news on Nigerias #1 news app The governor, speaking through Donald Ojogo, the state commissioner for information and orientation, described Ajayi as the greatest threat to his administration. Alleged N2bn agric loan scam: Court restrains Ebonyi govt from probing former SSG He added that the deputy governor has since left the APC and governance. Governor Akeredolu announced that he has tested positive for the coronavirus infection on Tuesday, June 30, via a video shared on his official and verified Twitter account. Akeredolu said at the time of receiving his test result, he was asymptomatic but had since gone into self-isolation. Like Obaseki, Like Ambode: 3 Governors who fell out with their political godfather | Legit TV [embedded content] CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM: General Loading... Home | News | General | How this white woman gave me confidence at work in the UK - Nigerian man reveals (photo) - A Nigerian nurse in the UK, Abdulmalik Jibrin Mohammed, has celebrated the white woman, Daniela Lopes Duarte, who mentored him - Abdulmalik said that when he started working in the UK and was shy, the woman bolstered his confidence - The Nigerian man, therefore, wished Daniela a happy birthday as he appreciated her kind act PAY ATTENTION: Click See First under the Following tab to see Legit.ng News on your Facebook News Feed! A Nigerian man who is a staff nurse at AMU Queen Elizabeth Hospital Woolwich, Abdulmalik Jibrin Mohammed, has praised a white woman from Portugal who welcomed him at work in the UK. He said that Daniela Lopes Duarte encouraged him with inspiring words when she saw that he was shy and not comfortable at work when he got to the United Kingdom. Abdulmalik said after the encounter, he was more confident at work, and his determination to be better also grew. On his LinkedIn page, he asked people to wish the Portuguese lady a lovely birthday. Nigerian man with 2 wives laments hardship under Buhari's administration, says he wants a 3rd wife A collage of the Nigerian man and Lopes. Photo source: LinkedIn/Abdulmalik Source: UGC Meanwhile, Legit.ng earlier reported that the federal government through the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM) praised the good virtue of Ikenna Nweke, a Nigerian in Japan who returned a lost wallet that contained a huge sum of money and a credit card. Abike Dabiri-Erewa in a statement on Sunday, June 28, said Ikennas character is the true representation of Nigerians all over the world. The NIDCOM boss added that the good deeds of Nigerians are far more than the few negative ones tainting the image of the country. Ikenna is a PhD student at the University of Tsukuba, Japan and he carries out the responsibility of a teaching assistant. He found the wallet as he was ascending the staircase on the way to get things for his wife at Tsukuba centre. Ikenna is an indigene of Amauzari in Isiala Mbano local government in Imo state. He relocated to Japan in 2013 with the help of a Japanese government-sponsored scholarship programme. How I lost my 2 kids while away on a job that paid N40 - Nollywood actor recounts In other news, Evangelist Adekunbi Akin-Taylor, the owner of Charlie Marie Group of Schools, Likosi in Sagamu, Ogun state, lightened the burden of many parents. The proprietor gave out palliatives to 27 of her workers and 100 parents whose children are her students. She said that some of her students come to school really hungry and giving out the relief materials was her own way of contributing to their parents' welfare in this trying time. PAY ATTENTION: Download our mobile app to enjoy the latest news update It should be noted that each package contained rice, beans, indomie, oil, salt, biscuit, sweet, and garri. She said she paid her workers full salary in March and 60% and 70% in April and May respectively. Olajumoke Amos, a parent, thanked the proprietor for taking care of their needs, saying that despite the fact the woman is not in the country, she still extended her love to them. Beautiful family photos of Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala's family break the internet Politicians should stop traveling abroad for medical checkup | Legit TV [embedded content] CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM: General Loading... Home | News | General | Tension as scientists raise alarm on new virus in China found in Chinese pigs - Chinese scientists have found a deadly virus in pigs in China as they studied different viruses from 2011 to 2018 - The scientists advised that those who work in the swine industry need to be closely monitored to prevent another outbreak - According to them, a lot of people who share proximity with pig farms are at greater risk of contracting the virus PAY ATTENTION: Click See First under the Following tab to see Legit.ng News on your Facebook News Feed! Scientists have alerted the public of a new flu virus resident in Chinese pigs, saying it has become even more infectious and dangerous to humans and needs to be closely monitored so it does not become another pandemic. Reuters, however, reports that the study by the scientists said the virus threat is not imminent. The discovery was made when a team of researchers assessed influenza viruses found in pigs from 2011 to 2018. Kano begins house-to-house sample collection for Covid-19 test, relaxes lockdown on these days They found a G4 strain of H1N1 which has all the features of being a pandemic. The paper of the study was published by the US Journal, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS). It was also discovered that people who work on pig farms have a high amount of the virus in their bloodstreams, adding that it is important to monitor workers in the swine industry. A picture showing scientists testing pigs for likely viruses. Photo source: Reuters Source: UGC There was also the fear associated with the risk of the virus affecting Chinese regions where many live closely with farms, slaughterhouses, and wet markets. It should be noted that in 2009, China restricted international flights so that the outbreak of avian H1N1 does not affect other countries. Meanwhile, Legit.ng earlier reported that just minutes before dying, a 26-year-old coronavirus patient documented his last moments in a selfie video he sent to his father on Friday night, June 26. If you have fever, its more likely due to malaria than COVID-19 - PTF coordinator says, begs private hospitals not to reject patients of other diseases PAY ATTENTION: Download our mobile app to enjoy the latest news The video showed him saying that he could not breathe as the ventilator was taken off him by doctors. By Sunday, June 28, the video had become a massive sensation online. In the clip, the man also accused health officials of earlier ignoring his call for oxygen for three hours. The deceaseds dad did the final rites for his son on Saturday, June 27. They have removed ventilator My heart has stopped and only lungs are working, but I am unable to breathe, daddy. Bye daddy, bye all, bye daddy, he said. The hospital, however, dismissed the allegation the deceased made, saying that he was at a very medically bad state that he could not sense the supply of oxygen being given to him. Hantavirus vs Coronavirus: 5 quick facts you should know | Legit TV Retention of military chiefs is a disservice to Nigeria - Group tells Buhari [embedded content] CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM: General Loading... Home | News | General | This is what will happen to Nigerian women who keep using bleaching cream - Nigerian expert reveals - Professor Ernest Orji of OAUTHC has greatly condemned the use of bleaching cream by Nigerian women - The professor said its use does so much damage to the skin that it makes the user prone to cancer - Orji asked women to be self-satisfied with their natural skin and beauty PAY ATTENTION: Click See First under the Following tab to see Legit.ng News on your Facebook News Feed! Professor Ernest Orji of the department of gynaecology in Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Complex (OAUTHC), Ile-Ife, has said that women who bleach their skins are at greater risk of having cancer of the kidney and infertility. He made this revelation in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday, June 30 in Ile-Ife. Orji said that everybody has what he called flora which serves as skin protection against cancer. He added that lead is one component contained in bleaching cream which is injurious to the skin. Nigerian man with 2 wives laments hardship under Buhari's administration, says he wants a 3rd wife People, especially, women should desist from using a bleaching cream, because it always has adverse effects on them by causing them infertility in their later years, he said. An illustrative picture showing two hands trying to apply some cream. Photo source: The Nation Source: UGC The gynaecologist, therefore, advised Nigerians to always be contented with their natural skin colour, saying many diseases come from self-indulgence. Meanwhile, Legit.ng earlier reported that social media was recently set abuzz after a video surfaced online and showed the extreme process a Nigerian beauty expert employed in whitening a womans skin. In the disturbing video, the client was immersed into a bubbling bath, while the skin beauty expert scrapped layers off her dark skin. Many had criticised the process employed in bleaching the skin and submitted that the client was exposing herself to cancer. PAY ATTENTION: Download our mobile app to enjoy the latest news In other news, scientists alerted the public of a new flu virus resident in Chinese pigs, saying it has become even more infectious and dangerous to humans and needs to be closely monitored so it does not become another pandemic. If you have fever, its more likely due to malaria than COVID-19 - PTF coordinator says, begs private hospitals not to reject patients of other diseases It was, however, gathered that the study by the scientists said the virus threat is not imminent. The discovery was made when a team of researchers assessed influenza viruses found in pigs from 2011 to 2018. They found a G4 strain of H1N1 which has all the features of being a pandemic. The paper of the study was published by the US Journal, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. It was also discovered that people who work on pig farms have a high amount of the virus in their bloodstreams, adding that it is important to monitor workers in the swine industry. Should the government ban bleaching creams? | Legit TV [embedded content] CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM: General Loading... Home | News | General | COVID-19: Ortom advises contacts to self-isolate as he confirms wife, SSG positive Kindly Share This Story: Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue State has confirmed that his wife, Dr. Mrs. Eunice Ortom and Secretary to the State Government, SSG, Prof. Anthony Ijohor tested positive for COVID-19. The Governor in a press briefing Saturday urged people he had contact with in the last 2 weeks to self-isolate. He also confirmed his Chief of Staff, Hon. Terwase Orbunde and the state Head of Service, Mrs. Veronica Onyeke among others as having tested positive for the virus. Governor Ortom who announced that though he tested negative, the first family had decided to go into total isolation including himself. He urged people of the state to go for testing to ascertain their status and take necessary action. One lesson that I want Benue people to appreciate and understand is that everybody has to make himself available for testing. The more you test, the more you know your status; when you know that you are positive, then you can subject yourself to treatment. When asked if government was considering another lockdown, the Governor said the state Action Committee on COVID-19 would sit early next week to review the situation with a view to considering the next line of action. While noting that testing positive for the virus was not a death sentence, the Governor urged people of the state to take preventive protocols seriously in order to help stop the spread of the pandemic. The Governors wife had earlier issued a statement she personally signed confirming her status and one of her sons, even as she called on anybody she might have come in contact with to go into self-isolation and subsequent testing. While I have taken the responsibility to personally call everyone I can recall having had recent contact with to go for testing, I advise anyone who has had close contact with me in the last 2 weeks and the public to go for screening and testing, she stated. Vanguard News Nigeria Kindly Share This Story: CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM: General Loading... Home | News | General | NSTIF: Ngige got presidential approval to suspend MD, others, Ministry insists Kindly Share This Story: Dr Chris Ngige By Victor Young, Abuja The Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment dismissed claims by the Nigeria Employers Consultative Association, NECA, that the suspension of the management of Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund, NSITF, violated the disciplinary procedure approved by the President. Recall that President Buhari had approved the immediate, compulsory, and indefinite suspension from Office of the Managing Director/Chief Executive of NSITF Mr Adebayo Somefun, among other top management staff of the fund. Also suspended from office are three executive directors, Mr Jasper Ikedi Azuatalam, Executive Director, Finance and Investment, Mrs Olukemi Nelson, Executive Director, Operations, and Alhaji Tijani Darazo Sulaiman, Executive Director, Administration. Other management staff suspended are the General Manager, Administration/Human Resources/Maintenance, the General Manager, Finance, Mr Lawan Tahir, Mr Chris Esedebe, General Manager, Claims and Compensation, Mr Olodotun A. Adegbite, Deputy General Manager, Investment and Treasury Management, Mr Emmanuel Enyinnaya Sike, Deputy General Manager, Finance and Accounts, Mrs Olutoyin O. Arokoyo, Deputy General Manager/Acting Head, Legal, Ms Dorathy Zajeme Tukura, Deputy General Manager, Administration, Mrs Victoria Ayantuga, Assistant General Manager, Internal Audit. According to the ministry, the supervisory Minister, Senator Chris Ngige indeed got presidential approval to suspend the affected officers because nobody could have turned blind eyes to the massive breaches the suspended management team was indulged in. NECA had Friday a letter to the Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige, through its Director-General, Dr.Timothy Olawale, among others, claimed abuse of due process in the suspension. In the said letter, Olawale referred to the presidential procedure released by the Secretary to Government of the Federation, put in place to stem the arbitrary removal of Chief Executives of government and to ensure stability in the system. But the Labour Ministry in a statement by the Deputy Director, Press and Publicity, Charles Akpan, debunked Olawales claim. The Ministry stated unequivocally that the removal of the NSITF management followed due process, as the Federal Government hundred per cent owned the parastatal, insisting that the Honourable Minister of Labour and Employment acted in line with the Constitution, Public Service Rules and NSITF Act. According to the statement, the NSITF Act empowers the Minister to recommend fit and proper persons to Mr President for appointment for the post of chairman, Managing Director and three Executive Directors to manage the day to day affairs of the agency. The statement noted that the suspension of the management became imperative after the preliminary investigation on allegations of corruption against the NSITF top officials, established prima facie infractions on the extant financial regulations and procurement Act and other acts of gross misconduct. According to the statement Some of the infractions uncovered include N3.4 billion squandered on non-existent staff training split into about 196 different consultancy contracts in order to evade the Ministerial Tenders Board and Federal Executive Council, FEC, approval. Non-existent unexecuted N2.3 billion was documented and paid while N1.1 billion is awaiting payment without any job done, all totalling N3.4 billion. Same goes for projects of construction of 14 Zonal/ Regional offices in 14 states running into billions of naira- a policy issue being done without Board or Ministerial knowledge not to talk of Approval. This was done in 2019 by the MD and his three-man Executive. Some of the projects are duplications and hence waste of funds, yet you are in the Board supposedly supervising. The statement maintained that the Ministry operated within the law in suspending NSITF management and assured NECA that the Board would be expected to play her role in this matter with her members purged of their already jaundiced stand. NECA does not have the full facts nor do they know that the Secretary to Federal Government, SGF, conveyed the Presidential approval to the Hon. Minister of Labour and Employment for full implementation. If a Minister observes there are financial breaches earlier reported and gross misconduct he does not need to go back to a Board that has been complaining to the same Minister. We hope that NECA does not expect the Minister to fold his hands like his predecessor who watched helplessly when the last Board Chair in cahoot with the two NECA representatives, MD and officials looted N48 billion from the Fund and are being tried as of date by the EFCC. NECA leadership should have been more restrained and responsive to the mantra of this administration like their NLC counterparts as the NSITF is a Federal Government Parastatal operating within the realm of the Constitution, Public Service rules and the NSITF Act, which empowers the Minister to recommend a fit and proper person to Mr President for the appointment for the post of Chairman, Managing Director and the three Executive Directors for the day to day management of the agency. The stamens revealed that these breaches in question started since 2016 to 2019 and were not limited to 2018/2019 as NECA claimed, stressing Whilst the Ministry does not intend to go into a media altercation with a Social partner, NECA, the DG does well to emulate the NLC who liaised with the Ministry to be adequately briefed and were satisfied after the briefing, moreso when they had also received brief from their person on the Board. The spokesman of the Labour Ministry lamented Olawale as representative of NECA on the Board sat there when the suspended MD of NSITF and some members of his Executive lavished N3.4 billion on non-existent Staff training split into about 196 different consultancy contracts in order to evade the Ministerial tenders Board and Federal Executive Council, FEC, approvals. The President on the recommendation of the Minister also have powers to disciplinesuspend or even remove totally depending on the circumstances of each situation. Vanguard Kindly Share This Story: CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM: General Loading... Home | News | General | Lee Harvey Oswald: The man who assassinated United States President John F. Kennedy Today in the history section on Edujandon.com we will be taking about Lee Harvey Oswald, the man who murdered US President John F. Kennedy on November 22, 1963. Born in New Orleans in 1939, Oswalds father died of a heart attack two months before he was born. After living off and on in orphanages as a boy, he moved with his mother to New York at age 12, where he was sent to a youth detention center for truancy. It was during this time that he became interested in Socialism. After moving back to New Orleans, Oswald joined the Marines in 1956, where he earned a sharpshooter qualification, and discovered Marxism. Upon receiving an early honorable discharge from the Marines in 1959, he defected to the Soviet Union for two and a half years, where he was denied citizenship, but allowed to stay in the countryand was monitored by the KGB. Upon learning that Oswald had wanted to defect, the Marines downgraded his 1959 discharge from honorable to undesirable in 1962. Later that year, Oswald returned to Texas with his Soviet wife and young daughter. One year later, Oswald would purchase, by mail, a rifle with telescopic sight and a .38 revolver. That year, he allegedly attempted to shoot retired United States Major General Edwin A. Walker who had been a staunch critic of Communism. Later in 1963, Oswald was denied passage to Cuba and the U.S.S.R. during a trip to Mexico City. He returned to Texas and started a job at the Texas School Book Depository in Dallas. In an interview with Frontline, investigative journalist Gerald Posner said Oswalds hatred wasnt for Kennedy. What he did hate was the system and what Kennedy stood for, Posner tells the PBS show. He despised America. He despised capitalism. When he eventually had the opportunity to strike against Kennedy, it was that symbol of the system that he was going after. According to the official investigation, Oswald acted alone, firing three bullets from a sixth-floor window at the southeast corner of the Book Depository. Kennedy was struck once in the upper back and once in the head, and slumped over onto his wife, First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy. Texas Governor John B. Connally Jr., who was also in the limo with his wife, was shot once in the back. He recovered from his injuries. After killing Tippit, Oswald was arrested a few minutes later in the back of a movie theater. The man is 24-year-old Lee Oswald, espouser of leftist causes, an active member of the Fair Play for Cuba Committee, an avowed admirer of Russia and of Cubas Fidel Castro, a man who once lived in Russia, Dan Rather reported on CBS News at the time. During his interrogation, Oswald denied any guilt. I didnt shoot anybody, no sir Im just a patsy, he told reporters. The first lady and Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson, who had been three cars behind Kennedy in the motorcade, returned to Air Force One at Dallas Love Field with Kennedys body, in a bronze casket. Johnson was sworn in at 2:38 p.m. as the 36th president of the United States while aboard the airplane prior to takeoff. Jacqueline Kennedy, still in a pink suit splattered with blood, stood at Johnsons side. An autopsy on Kennedys body was performed at Bethesda Naval Hospital in Maryland. This is a sad time for all people. We have suffered a loss that cannot be weighed, Johnson said in his first public statement as president. For me, it is a deep personal tragedy. I know that the world shares the sorrow that Mrs. Kennedy and her family bear. I will do my best. That is all I can do. I ask for your helpand Gods, On November 23, 1963, Johnson declared November 25 a national day of mourning. On Sunday morning, November 24, in front of the press, Oswald was being led to be transferred to the county jail from Dallas Police Headquarters. The Dallas police were extremely worried for the safety of their prisoner, KRLD radio reporter Bob Huffaker, who was there, told CBS News. We knew that Oswald was the most hated suspect of the 20th century. Ruby shot Oswald point-blank in the stomach with a small-caliber pistol. Oswald died at Parkland Hospital, where Kennedy had died two days earlier. Ruby was indicted on November 26 and convicted of murdering Oswald and sentenced to death by electric chair. The ruling was overturned on appeal, but Ruby died of a pulmonary embolism stemming from lung cancer in 1967, before a new trial could take place. The Presidents Commission on the Assassination of President Kennedyknown as the Warren Commissionconcluded the shots which killed President Kennedy and wounded Governor Connally were fired from the sixth-floor window at the southeast corner of the Texas School Book Depository. It also said, The shots which killed President Kennedy and wounded Governor Connally were fired by Lee Harvey Oswald. Despite the official finding, many believe Oswald didnt act alone, or that other conspiratorsfrom the world of organized crime to the CIA to Cuban exilesare responsible for Kennedys assassination. A 2017 poll by FiveThirtyEight, found just 33 percent of Americans believe Oswald alone killed Kennedy. Some 30,000 never-before-seen or un-redacted documents were released to the public by the National Archives in 2017 and 2018, with another release set for October 2021. Now over to you, do you think he acted alone? Advertisements CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM: General Loading... In a statement captioned Buhari, APC, killing Nigerians with Taxes, Secondus screams..says investors are running away, which was signed by his Special Adviser on Media, Ike Abonyi, in Abuja, on Saturday, Secondus said, the president and his party cared less about the plight of Nigerians. The PDP chairman lamented that while other World leaders were raising Stimulus in the form of palliatives to cushion the biting effects of COVID-19 on their citizens, General Buhari was busy heaping more burden on the populace with his endless taxes and tariffs. Secondus was quoted as saying , This action is strangulating the nations economy, killing small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and causing investors flight to other neighbouring countries where business environment is conducive and friendly. I find it laughable and contradictory that a regime that multiples the peoples taxes and hikes prices indiscriminately at this pandemic period is talking of lifting some Nigerians out of poverty with such draconian and insensitive policies that earned the country the ignoble title of capital of the world poor under the watch of President Buhari. He listed some of the taxes this regime foisted on the Nigerian people that has increased their hardship to include, fuel hike, Electricity tariff, bank charges, and increased Value Added Tax, VAT among others. He further said, In September 2019, this government hiked VAT to rate payable in Nigeria from 5 to 7.5%; after January 2016 introduction of N50 stamp duty by the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN; again in September 2019 it imposed charges on cash deposits and withdrawals above N500,000 for individuals and N3m for corporate accounts. After February 2016, 45 per cent increase in electricity tariffs with a claim that it will result in a better power supply services, the regime has just announced another upward review of Electricity tariffs from July 1st, 2020 with power supply getting worse than ever. The main opposition leader said nothing underscores the insensitivity of this regime to the welfare of its citizens than that they keep loading the people with more and more burden. He said that from all corners of this land, Nigerians are groaning, amid glaring insecurity, businesses are folding up and relocating as they are weighed down under the hardship arising from incessant taxation, levies and hike in prices of essential items. Click to signup for FREE news updates, latest information and hottest gists everyday Advertise on NigerianEye.com to reach thousands of our daily readers Home | News | General | Willian, Giroud score as Chelsea embarrass Watford in Premier League tie - Chelsea vs Watford's Premier League game ended 3-0 in favor of the Blues - Olivier Giroud, Ross Barkley and Willian scored the three goals for Chelsea - Lampard and his men are now occupying fifth position on the Premier League table Chelsea on Saturday, July 4, kept alive their hopes of making the top four in the Premier League after beating visiting Watford 3-0 in an entertaining tie at Stamford Bridge. The Blues knew before the start of the match that a win is what they need to help their quest of making the top four after Manchester United recorded big victory in their own game. Mason Mount had the first chance to give Chelsea the lead in the 4th minute when he got a superb pass from N'Golo Kante, but he was unable to beat Ben Foster. Frenchman Olivier Giroud netted the first goal for Chelsea in the 28th minute after getting a perfect delivery from Ross Barkley. Ronaldo Delima tops list of highest goalscorers at 21 for club and country (see where Messi and Ronaldo are) Brazilian star Willian scored the second goal for Chelsea in the 43rd minute after Etienne Capoue conceded a penalty for pushing Christian Pulisic in which the referee had no choice than to blow. PAY ATTENTION: Click See First under the Following tab to see Legit.ng News on your Facebook News Feed! Chelsea vs Watford: Willian nets penalty as Blues record 3-0 win in EPL tie (photo: Getty) Source: Getty Images Ross Barkley finally got a reward for his hard work by scoring the third goal for Chelsea in the 90th minute after getting an assist from Cesar Azpilicueta as the Blues won 3-0. Earlier, Legit.ng had reported how Brazilian play maker Willian recently put pen to paper to extend his contract at the club until the end of July, however his future is still unclear. Reports have it that Pedro may likely join Roma next season, but reports that Willian's attempt to move to a Chinese club has stalled. Former Real Madrid star reveals how Mourinho almost 'killed' Ronaldo despite scoring a hat-trick GOAL are reporting that with the failed discussion of the Brazilian and the unnamed Chinese club, Chelsea are looking to retain Willain who is poised to become the clubs longest serving Brazilian. Willian earlier disclosed that the Blues are not going about change their mind of giving him more than a 2-year contract as against the 3-year deal he wants. Despite claiming his career at the Blues remain uncertain, Willian signed a short-term extension so he can see out the remainder of the campaign as the Premier League season is due to run at least into July. Rashidi Yekini is irreplaceable in Super Eagles Abdul Sule | Legit TV [embedded content] CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM: General Loading... Home | News | General | Bello speaks on Appeal Court judgments affirming him as Kogi governor - Governor Yahaya Bello has reacted to the affirmation of his re-election by the Court of Appeal - The Kogi state governor said the judgment was a validation of the historic mandate given to him by Kogites - The governor also thanked his supporters in the state for their support and prayers PAY ATTENTION: Click See First under the Following tab to see Legit.ng News on your Facebook News Feed! Alhaji Yahaya Bello, has described the judgments of the Court of Appeal upholding his election for a second term in office as Kogi state governor as an affirmation of his landmark victory in the polls on last year November. The appellate court affirmed Bello's re-election on Saturday, July 4 in landmark judgements totalling four in number. The appeals were filed by the Action Peoples Party (APP), the Democratic Peoples Party (DPP), the Social Democratic Party (SDP) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) respectively against the corresponding judgments of the Kogi State elections petitions tribunal. Edo election 2020: Three APC chieftains drag Obaseki to court over alleged certificate forgery Governor Bello also thanked his supporters for their support. Photo credit: Lugard House Source: Twitter The tribunal had last month dismissed the petitions against the governor and his party, the All Progressives Congress (APC). In a statement by Onogwu Muhammed, spokesman to the governor, Governor Bello said the 4 judgments by the court of appeal were validations of the historic mandate given to him by Kogi people, adding that greater impetus has been given to his drive to do even more for the state and her people. The governor lauded the 5-man panel which heard the matter while thanking his supporters for their support and prayers. The rule of law once again came to the defence of democracy by affirming the collective will of the people of Kogi state which was expressed in such decisive fashion on the 16th of November, 2019, he said. While calling on all Kogi indigenes to join his administration in moving the state forward, Governor Bello reiterated his resolve to continue working for the unity of Kogi state by running an all-inclusive administration characterised by open-door policies, and visionary developmental milestones. Covid-19: What Pastor Sam Adeyemi said about governments lifting lockdown PAY ATTENTION: Install our latest app for Android, read the best news on Nigerias #1 news app Legit.ng had earlier reported that the election of Bello as Kogi state governor was affirmed by the Court of Appeal on Saturday, July 4. PDP's Musa Wada was also penalized for wasting the time of the court with his appeal. Wada was, therefore, ordered to pay N100,000 each to Governor Bello, the APC and the Independent National Electoral Commission, who were listed as respondents in the appeal of the opposition party's candidate. I sold my house to run for governorship election | Legit TV [embedded content] CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM: General Loading... Home | News | General | NSITF: Ngige overreaching himself, disobeying statutory laws - Group tells President Buhari - The recent controversy in the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF) has been in the news recently - The issue has attracted the attention of the Civil Society Groups for Good Governance - The foremost civil society group has asked President Muhammadu Buhari to call Dr Chris Ngige to order PAY ATTENTION: Click See First under the Following tab to see Legit.ng News on your Facebook News Feed! A group, Civil Society Groups for Good Governance (CSGGG) has condemned the recent controversy in the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF), accusing the minister of labour and employment, Dr Chris Ngige of circumventing President Muhammadu Buhari. On Thursday, July 2, media reports suggested President Buhari had approved the indefinite suspension of the managing director/chief executive of the NSITF, Adebayo Somefun. The report also said the president approved the suspension of four directors of the agency - Jasper Ikedi Azuatalam, Olukemi Nelson and Alhaji Tijani Darazo Sulaiman. Edo election 2020: Three APC chieftains drag Obaseki to court over alleged certificate forgery In a swift rebuttal, the management of NSITF in a statement said that President Buhari did not suspend any management staff and accused Ngige of overreaching himself. Dr Ngige is under fire for his role in the NSITF controversy. Photo credit: Presidency Source: UGC We note that the ministers action is against President Buharis directive through the secretary to the government of the federation that stated clearly that no minister should suspend or sack any head of an agency appointed by President Muhammadu Buhari," part of the statement read. Briefing journalists on Saturday, July 4 in Abuja, the convener of CSGGG, Comrade Ogakwu Dominic, described the minister's action as an unpatriotic act. His words: Due process has to be followed in this process. You can not dismiss people without giving them a fair hearing. Whatever committee set-up should be independent, not man-Fridays of the minister. The minister is taking advantage of his position. We call on President Muhammadu Buhari to intervene and give the NSITF management the opportunity to defend themselves and not be forced out of office. Retention of military chiefs is a disservice to Nigeria - Group tells Buhari According to him, the present management of NSITF has performed creditably well within three years to improve on what they met on ground. He added that the management structure at the NSITF should be returned to the status quo ante to further enrich Nigeria on the culture of performance and excellence. He said the present management of the NSITF has consolidated on the achievements of the previous administration while improving upon existing systems. The industrial relations atmosphere which was hostile and explosive before they assumed office due to low staff morale is now generally peaceful. The backlog of staff salaries owed were cleared and all allowances and arrears wed from year 2012 have been paid up to date. The management has also implemented public procurement guidelines to promote transparency of procurement operations. Also, a total of 225 trainings were carried out, while 4,987 staff have been trained nationwide and there have been robust monitoring and evaluation of regions and branches with the provision of vital working tools for staff, he added, Beautiful family photos of Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala's family break the internet Dominic noted that Ngige crossed the line with his proclamation, stressing that the recent position of Boss Mustapha, secretary to the government of the federation, bars cabinet ministers from removing heads of agencies and parastatals they supervise. Ngige's action, which does not have the backing of the president, has now brought to fore the minister's disobedience to statutory laws, he noted. The group called on President Buhari to intervene in the controversy in order not to allow lawless appointees rubbish and embarrass his administration. PAY ATTENTION: Install our latest app for Android, read best news on Nigerias #1 news app Meanwhile, the appointment of 12 non-career ambassadors have been renewed by President Buhari. A presidential spokesperson, Femi Adesina, in a statement on Thursday, July 2, said, the appointments were made following recent complaints that some states were not captured in the earlier appointment of 41 non-career ambassadors. Kaduna, Gombe and others named among 32 states that may find it difficult to pay salaries after Covid-19 Whos the better leader between President Buhari and Dr. Goodluck Jonathan? | Legit TV [embedded content] CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM: General Loading... Home | News | General | Breaking: President Buhari makes new important appointment - President Buhari has picked a new executive scribe for the Nigerian Christian Pilgrims Commission - Reverend Pam from Plateau state is the man chosen by the Nigerian leader for the position - 60-year-old Pam was the former chairman of a similar body in his native Plateau state PAY ATTENTION: Click See First under the Following tab to see Legit.ng News on your Facebook News Feed! President Muhammadu Buhari has appointed Reverend Yakubu Pam as the Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Christian Pilgrims Commission. The appointment was announced by the Twitter handle of the Nigerian Presidency late on Saturday, July 4. According to the presidency, Reverend Pam's appointment takes effect from Friday, June 26, 2020. Before his appointment, Pam chaired the Plateau State Christian Pilgrims Board. In a following statement by President Buhari's media aide, Femi Adesina, the Nigerian leader urged the Executive Secretary to sustain his reconciliatory pre-disposition in his new position. Governor Bello insists Kogi state remains COVID-19-free, lifts lockdown Reverend Pam was born on February 20, 1960 in Gyel, Jos South LGA of Plateau state and he holds a first degree in Christian Education. Adesina explains that as an ordained Minister, Rev Pam brings to the position more than 30 years of leadership experience in the Christian community, coupled with a deep understanding of promoting inter-religious harmony and conflict resolution in the northern parts of the country. 60-year-old Reverend Pam will hold his new position as executive secretary of Nigerian Christian Pilgrims Commission for the next five years. Photo credit: Daily Independent. Source: UGC The cleric has held many leadership positions in the Church, including Chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) of Northern Nigeria (which includes the 19 Northern States and Abuja) from 2016 to date, Vice President, Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria, 2013 to date and District Superintendent, Jos mainland Assemblies of Nigeria, 2010 to date. He also served as Chairman, Plateau State Inter-Religious Council; and Chairman, Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) Committee, Plateau state. PAY ATTENTION: Install our latest app for Android, read the best news on Nigerias #1 news app Tragedy averted as fire outbreak hits Presidential Villa His appointment took effect from June 26 and will last for a period of five years. In a similar but separate vein, Legit.ng reported also that President Buhari on Wednesday, July 1, requested the Senate to screen and confirm 41 non-career and one career ambassadors for an immediate appointment. Buharis letter of request was read on the floor at plenary by the Senate president, Ahmad Lawan. Among the nominees were Debo Adesina (Oyo), ex-minister of state for defence, Ademola Seriki (Lagos) and Dare Sunday Awoniyi (Kogi). 5 years after, Nigerians speak about Buhari's administration | Legit TV [embedded content] CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM: General Loading... Officials at Chennai Customs, however, told that they clear the goods of big companies because they have their own logistic facilities Chennai: With China-origin consignments being held up at Customs clearance point, exporters and businessmen in the MSME sector are worried about the consequences for them. Raja M. Shanmugham, president of the Tiruppur Exporters Association (TEA), told Deccan Chronicle that manufacturing has stalled in Tirupur due to the stalemate. "We are an industry worth Rs 2000 to 2500 crore per month. If the delay in clearing Chinese products continues, it will create huge problems for exporters here because there is no viable alternative to Chinese raw material. K.E. Raghunathan, former president of the All India Manufacturers Organisation (AIMO), said. "This is a double-whammy. The majority of Chinese goods arriving in India are pre-paid. So our capital is blocked in these consignments. Though customs officials say that they started the process of clearing the goods, only consignments from big corporate companies are being cleared. Small and medium importers are still waiting," he said. Officials at Chennai Customs, however, told Deccan Chronicle that they clear the goods of big companies because they have their own logistic facilities. The delay has hit the industry at a time when Tamil Nadu is considered as the engine of the MSME sector in the country. According to the state MSME department, Tamil Nadu has 15.07 per cent of MSMEs in the country with 6.89 lakh registered units producing over 8,000 products for a total investment of more than Rs.32,008 crore. Home | News | General | Kano abducted kids: Ganduje inaugurate cttee to implement probe report Kindly Share This Story: Abdullahi Ganduje By Bashir Bello Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje of Kano State has on Saturday inaugurated a committee to implement report on the probe into the abduction of some kids in 2019 from the state and sold in far away Anambra State. Recall that, after the disturbing scenario leading to the abduction of about nine children, the Governor was said to have launched a Judicial Commission of Inquiry on 31st October 2019, which was given 4 weeks to critically look into the incident with a view to unravelling the circumstances that led to the perpetuation of that crime, where the children were abducted and taken to. The inquiry commission led by the retired Judge, Justice Wada Abubakar Umar Rano, had February this year completed its investigation and submitted its findings to the state government. A statement by Governors Chief Press Secretary, Abba Anwar made available to newsmen in the state on Saturday, however, revealed that Governor Ganduje inaugurated Justice Wada Abubakar Umar Rano to implement the Inquiry commission report. Anwar quoted the Governor as saying, After we received the report of the Judicial Commission of Inquiry, we understood that the recommendations as important as they are should best be implemented by those who made the suggestions. There are no better persons to implement these recommendations than you, who made the recommendations. There is a difference between your former Commission of Inquiry and this Implementation Committee. Your first Committee was time-bound. And this one is without any limited time. He further explained that Crime being a continuous process, your work should also be a continuous process. Because we want to rest assured that this report will not be dumped, is part of the major reasons why we are revolving you for this assignment. The then Commission of Inquiry was given the mandate of looking into such cases of missing persons from the year 2010 to 2019. When Kano 9 children were found in far away Anambra state. Justice Wada Umar Rano was mandated to Chair the Commission. The Implementation Committee membership was drawn from both public and private organisations and civil society groups. Vanguard Kindly Share This Story: CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM: General Loading... Home | World | Africa | UK gave MDC 2005 deadline to remove ZANU PF The United States of America gave the opposition MDC 2005 as the deadline to remove ZANU PF or risk being irrelevant. In a decalssified letter that has gone viral on social media, one Geoffrey William Hoon says, "If the MDC does not win the Presidential election or the 2005 parliamentary elections there will be no prospect of getting into power at any other time as ZANU PF will get even tougher with the opposition." Read the full letter below: CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM: Africa Loading... Home | World | Africa | The Politics of Cyber Security: A State of Anarchy? "Man is by nature a political animal" Aristotle. The realm of electronic communication, viz-a-viz cyberspace has taken a complex turn into a murky, treacherous, if sometimes not a total ridiculously over-hyped arena of hyperventilating, hysterical nincompoops! Ok fine! They are not all mad. Just that THE journos also got wind of the cyberspace threats and have hyped it up quite dramatically and in fashions that tend to be quite biased. Come on! "we've been having it!" as Vodacom's famous advert of the dictator used to proudly pronounce. The Internet was initially created with inherent frailties. For goodness sake, this was initially used by a bunch of collaborators (No! l am not talking about any Zimbabwean military personnel here!). The US military through DARPA and a couple of universities created the inter-network as a resiliency focused communications mechanism which was initially used for resource sharing. Politics the word is taken from the Greek word "polis", meaning the state or community as a whole. The concept of the "polis" was an ideal state and/or community propounded by the Platos and Aristotles of this world. Human nature being human nature, suffers from a serious dichotomy. Wherein the first nature of a human is to be inherently "good" and trusting, its instinct and possibly societal instilled or base premise teaches the human to be self preservative. Now let us turn to security. Having to self preserve, the human tends to think and act, whether as an individual or as a group who shares any interests, with foremost regard to his own interest - self perpetuation being the foremost. Who Are We? Selfinterest presumes the idea of a "self" that is, a conception of who one is and what their purpose is. In many economic applications, the maximand is clear. It is reasonable to assume households want to maximize their consumer surplus and producers their profits, although these assumptions are not always entirely uncontroversial. In the political sphere, the choice of what is to be maximized is much less evident: depending on context, honor, glory, reputation, respect, income, power, durability in office, and "good of the country" being all plausible. How we evaluate different social states and judge whether they advance our "interests" depend crucially on how we define ourselves. We might view ourselves as a member of a social class ("middle class"), ethnic group ("white/black majority"), religion ("evangelical"), nation ("global citizen"), demographic cohort ("baby boomer"), profession ("educator"), or a myriad other possible identities. Interests, in fact, are "one form of idea" as according to Beland and Cox. In international law, a parallel discussion pits "legal realists" who argue that behavior among states is determined exclusively or largely by national interests against scholars who see a significant role for norms of justice or law (Howse 2013; Goldsmith and Posner 2005). International relations thus has contending general theories or theoretical perspectives. Realism, also known as political realism, is a view of international politics that stresses its competitive and conflictual side. It is usually contrasted with idealism or liberalism, which tends to emphasize cooperation. Realists consider the principal actors in the international arena to be states, which are concerned with their own security, act in pursuit of their own national interests, and struggle for power. Realists' emphasize on power and self-interest and often harbor skepticism regarding the relevance of ethical norms to relations among states. Realist' see national politics as the realm of authority and law, whereas they feel international politics, is a sphere without justice, characterized by active or potential conflict among states. International relations realists emphasize the constraints imposed on politics by the nature of human beings, whom they consider egoistic, and by the absence of international government. Together these factors contribute to a conflict-based paradigm of international relations, in which the key actors are states, in which power and security become the main issues, and in which there is little place for morality. Twentieth-century classical realism has today been largely replaced by neorealism, which is an attempt to construct a more scientific approach to the study of international relations. "Realists, and especially today's neorealists, consider the absence of government, literally anarchy, to be the primary determinant of international political outcomes. The lack of a common rule-making and enforcing authority means, they argue, that the international arena is essentially a self-help system. Each state is responsible for its own survival and is free to define its own interests and to pursue power. Anarchy thus leads to a situation in which power has the overriding role in shaping interstate relations." Insofar as realists envision the world of states as anarchic, they likewise view security as a central issue. To attain security, states try to increase their power and engage in power-balancing for the purpose of deterring potential aggressors. Wars are fought to prevent competing nations from becoming militarily stronger. In talking about "interests" we are talking about predispositions embracing goals, values, desires, expectations, and other orientations and inclinations that lead a person to act in one way rather than another. In everyday life we tend to think of interests in a spatial way: as areas of concern that we wish to preserve or enlarge or as positions that we wish to protect or achieve. We live "in" our interests, often see others as "encroaching" on them, and readily engage in defenses or attacks designed to sustain or improve our position. The flow of politics is intimately connected with this way of positioning ourselves. The Stuxnet attack on Iran by the USA and Israel is an example of states that share a common personal, military and economic interests (the two nations also share strong ties, as an overwhelming majority of Israelis have relatives and friends in the United States with whom they maintain close contact. In fact, the number of phone calls between Israel and the United States ranks as one of the highest per capita in the world.) ganging up against a perceived threat. The US. and Israeli governments intended Stuxnet as a tool to derail, or at least delay, the Iranian program to develop nuclear weapons. The Bush and Obama administrations "believed" that if Iran were on the verge of developing atomic weapons, Israel would launch air strikes against Iranian nuclear facilities in a move that could have set off a regional war. Operation Olympic Games was seen as a nonviolent alternative. The Israeli experts are said to have built a replica of the Iranian Natanz facility in their Negev Nuclear Research Center in Dimona, a plant referred in 1986 by The Sunday Times as a strategic plant for the Israeli intelligence. "The target of the attack was to modify the operation of high-frequency power drives made by Vacon and Fararo Paya. These drives were controlling the centrifuges that were enriching uranium." Ralph Langner ventures to call the Stuxnet attack "History's first field experiment in cyber-physical weapon technology". It should therefore be a priority for cyber defenders to understand the techniques and tactics employed by the joint USA/Israeli and Siemens threat actors equally well, if not better. While the attack was highly specific, attack tactics and technology are not; they are generic and can be used against other targets as well. One can read the very detailed technical details of the attack in a paper by Ralph Langner, a German expert on industrial control systems. The anarchic state of Cyber weapons proliferation and their wanton disposal, release or unintended loss to the public domain brings another dimension about interests that l will talk about as we proceed. Retired General Michael Hayden a former head of the National Security Agency and was CIA director under George W. Bush said this about Stuxnet: "This was a good idea, alright? But I also admit this was a really big idea too. The rest of the world is looking at this and saying, "Clearly someone has legitimated this kind of activity as acceptable international conduct." The whole world is watching." The role played by commercial entities as was done by the vendor Siemens also brings to fore the collusion and/or coalition of groups with common beliefs and interests despite possible negative commercial implications this may have. We have seen the Kaspersky, Cisco, HP, Lenovo, Huawei accusations of back door and exflitration sagas. The NY Times reported an intense collaboration of researchers from the Idaho National Laboratory at Idaho Falls and experts from Siemens. Inside the Idaho National Laboratory, US experts tested the Siemens PLC systems to discover security vulnerabilities to be exploited in Stuxnet attack. Siemens only confirmed that its support was a routine effort to improve the resilience of its solutions against cyber attacks. Assuming that these tactics and weapons would not be utilized by follow -up attackers is as naive as the foul-cry now generally exhibited by the USA and its allies about alleged Russian, North Korean or Chinese attacks on its infrastructure. It is known that roughly 30 nations employ offensive Cyber programs, including North Korea, Iran, Syria, and Tunisia. It should be taken for granted that every serious Cyber warrior will copy techniques and tactics used in history's first true Cyber weapon and use other generally available tools and techniques. The Ukrainian power grid attack and the Georgian attacks - which were a precursor to "invasion" by the conventional Russian forces shows how far the stakes have been raised in the Cyber Warfare Domain. NATO's article 5 officially declaring cyberspace a warfare domain and confirming that a Cyber attack on any of its allies would be considered as an act of war also raises the stakes and intensifies the "arms" race. The anarchy is still in the "missing" consensus on the rules of engagement on Cyber War. The Geneva convention has always been the de-facto reference to rules of engagement and when a set of common interest groups decides on a solo set of rules, anarchy manifests in the international arena. The crux is sometimes in the "evidence" of perpetrator. Cyber threat actors have long been able to hide behind false identities and cover all trace and origination of illegal activity. We have seen the level of sophistication of these cyber-attacks increase exponentially in recent times, and so it will prove a considerable challenge for NATO to prove and defend on its new set of regulations against the wave of next-generation hackers, who are now armed with highly advanced and targeted tools. In this whole murk and anarchy, comes the roles of propaganda. "A lie told once remains a lie but a lie told a thousand times becomes the truth" Joseph Goebbels. In true Goebbels style, the media has trumpeted a narrative that depicts some nation states as the nemesis. One is even reminded of an interview made to Russian Federation President Vladimir Putin by Megyn Kelly and the exchange just showed the general lack of understanding of "hacking" and cyber security technical matters by the hyperventilating media. The interview took place in St. Petersburg in June 2016, after Kelly had moderated the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, "Putin's signature event." Clips were played from the event that showed Kelly asking Putin in front of 4,000 guests about Russia's role in the hacking of the 2016 U.S. presidential election. Did Russia hack the U.S. election, she asked, pointing out that U.S. intelligence agencies had found ample evidence, "fingerprints," that it had meddled. "What fingerprints, hoof prints, horn prints?," he answered dismissively. "What are you talking about? It could come from your home IP address, as if your daughter carried out the attack." The DNC hacks can be said to be one of those tales even conspiracy theorists would not have dreamed of. Who hacked who and when and why isn't anyone asking why a whole Minister of State has an unsecured "private" server and all the other technical details cyber security professionals should be looking into? The matter of "interests" comes starkly to the fore once again and narrative after interest serving narrative is served to the regurgitating public. Headlines like: "In Ukraine, a Malware Expert Who Could Blow the Whistle on Russian Hacking" The New York Times. "Russian government hackers penetrated DNC, stole opposition research on Trump" The Washington Post. "What Russia's DNC Hack Tells Us About Hillary Clinton's Private Email Server" Forbes. The New York times would give the Russian motive as "Initially, many analysts believed that Russia's goal was to sow confusion and undermine Americans' faith in their government a common Russian tactic rather than to steer the election's outcome." Goebbels principles of propaganda parts 6 and 13 are just a classical example of how information dissemination has been used as a tool to manipulate the environment to suit one's interests. Principle 6 says: "To be perceived, propaganda must evoke the interest of an audience and must be transmitted through an attention-getting communications medium." Questions arise as to who has control of what medium? Would one say the Americans have the conventional media the CNNs, NY times, Foxes and similar? One then wonders who has control or slipped information to Wikileaks? Who stands to gain from a trove of damaging if not revealing emails? Whose interests are served when a WMD (forgive my exaggerations! - just excitement) type cyber weapons as is contained in the CIA Vault 7 leaks? Propaganda principle 13 says: "Propaganda must be carefully timed (1.) The communication must reach the audience ahead of competing propaganda (2.) A propaganda campaign must begin at the optimum moment." Russia has been quoted many times talking of asymmetrical warfare. I do not insinuate anything, l merely am asking questions! There are countless other acts between nations; including but not limited to the Australian communications, metal detection and mining technology firm Codan, whose metal detector blueprints are alleged to have been stolen by Chinese hackers to sell as cheap imitations into Africa. Once again Micheal Hayden is heard saying China's efforts against Australia had been primarily focused on "the theft of information, and really by and large the theft of information for commercial profit", activities which he said go beyond acceptable state-on-state espionage. The duplicity in the answer from a man who participated the worlds first Cyber-physical attack on a nation state is quite disingenuous! However the matter of anarchic tendency for "self-interest" without concern for ethics in the international arena is quite stark. NBC news flighted an article about A Ukrainian group calling itself Cyber Hunta which is said to have released more than a gigabyte of emails and other material from the office of one of Vladimir Putin's top aides, Vladislav Surkov, that show Russia's fingerprints all over the separatist movement in Ukraine. The true question starts to be: What is lie and what is truth in the Cyber security and warfare domains? Who is doing what to whom and to serve what interests? In order to understand the day-to-day political dynamics of organizations and groupings, it is also necessary to explore the detailed processes through which people engage in politics. For this purpose, it is useful to return to Aristotle's idea that politics stems from a diversity of interests, and trace how this diversity gives rise to the "wheeling and dealing," negotiation, and other processes of coalition building and mutual influence that shape so much of organizational/groups life. State/organization's politics is most clearly manifest in the conflicts and power plays that sometimes occupy center stage, and more fundamentally, politics occurs on an ongoing basis, often in a way that is invisible to all but those directly involved. We can analyze politics in a systematic way by focusing on relations between interests, conflict, and power. Organizational politics arise when people think differently and want to act differently. This diversity creates a tension that must be resolved through political means. There are many ways in which this can be done: autocratically ("We'll do it this way"); bureaucratically ("We're supposed to do it this way"); technocratically ("It's best to do it this way"); or democratically ("How shall we do it?"). In each case the choice between alternative paths of action usually hinges on the power relations between the actors involved. Divergent interests give rise to conflicts, visible and invisible, that are resolved or perpetuated by various kinds of power play. With man being a political animal who tends to look out for his interests and naturally self preserves. The rules of engagement in the cyberspace and particularly cyber security have never had more need to be defined, lest the state of anarchy perpetuates. CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM: Africa Loading... Ruvheneko Parirenyatwa is now a public figure and celebrated name in Zimbabwean media. While Ruvheneko has scored high profile jobs with high profile responsibilities in the Zimbabwean media circles, she has failed to keep any of these jobs and has failed to excel at these responsibilities. Ruvheneko Parirenyatwa rose to popularity as a member of the Acie Lumumba chaired Harare Provincial Youth Council. Ruvheneko served on ZiFM and hosted the controversial interview which gave prominence to one Evan Mawarire of the fly by night This flag movement which failed to live upto expectation. Ruvheneko was unceremoniously demoted through a promotion at ZiFM stereo after a disastrous stint as the host of the platform and programs manager at the station. Ruvheneko left the station with 200 000 USD lawsuit on her back and the media reports that she had to beg her way out of the lawsuit. The stint at ZiFM had the public questioning whether Ruvheneko was the Queen of the airwaves replacing the legendary Tsitsi Mawarire or she was a Cabinet Minister's kid who just got lucky. The debate raged on until Ruvheneko scored another gig on radio at Capitalk FM. Ruvheneko handled the Capitalk gig fairly well until August 2018, when she was again fired for unprofessional conduct together with Napoleon Nyanhi. Ruvheneko scored another big title, big gig, big responsibility as director corporate communications at the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation. The story of her life, Ruvheneko was again fired from the post. The Question then arises, is Ruvheneko good at what she does or she rides on privilege? While David Parirenyatwa might no longer be the Minister of health he remains a Politburo member of ZANU PF which gives him adequate power and influence to secure jobs for his daughter if need be. A question also arises as to how Ruvheneko gets these high profile jobs? Is it that she is a highly qualified journalist or she is privileged? How many other highly qualified journalists do we have in the country who hold better qualifications than Ruvheneko? Are they failing to score same high profile jobs or are they just not holders of high profile surnames? Ruvheneko Parirenyatwa is now fired from ZBC, she stands as probably the most fired local journalist or media personality. Is it that Ruvheneko is hard headed and not fit for the local media space? Clearly you cannot have problems with 3 employers and find fault in all of them without finding fault in self. While Ruvheneko might be viewed as a people's darling and people's champion like Acie Lumumba would call himself, she still hasn't proven herself as an employer's champion. Employers have let go of Ruvheneko, bringing into question how they hired her in the first place. Was she head hunted or is there a case for ZACC to investigate? Ruvheneko Parirenyatwa has scored high profile jobs ahead of Veterans such as Robert Mukondiwa, Elias Mambo, and several others. Recently Ruvheneko was said to be mixed up with the Ozias Bvute crew, the MetBank Crew which seems to have its hands in every major financial scandal to rock Zimbabwe. If the rumours are true then her moral standing is questionable at best, therefore disqualifying her as a white hat or Olivia Pope type of girl in the Zimbabwean media. Maybe, just maybe, Ruvheneko Parirenyatwa is overrated, and lucky because of the surname she carries, and the money circles she hangs around. It would be important if not interesting that Ruvheneko is has changed high profile jobs while other highly qualified journalists and media practitioners are relegated to the corridors of freelancing and consultancy. Home | World | Africa | Khupe, Chamisa lock horns over chief whips MDC-T leader Thokozani Khupe and his MDC Alliance rival Nelson Chamisa have opened a new battlefront in their war for the control of the opposition party following their appointment of different set of chief whips in Parliament. Since the death of its much-loved founding leader, Morgan Tsvangirai, in February 2018, Khupe and Chamisa have been involved in a fierce tussle for control of the country's main opposition party. This comes as the major theatre of action for the senseless bloodletting has been the courts after the Supreme Court's recent judgment upheld last year's ruling by the High Court which nullified Chamisa's ascendancy to the leadership of the party. However, buoyed by a series of court victories - including the recent High Court ruling that pronounced her as the legitimate occupant of the MDC's highly symbolic Morgan Richard Tsvangirai House headquarters - Khupe has taken her battle to Parliament where she has so far recalled 21 legislators. Khupe has also gone further to appoint new chief whips and leader of the opposition in Parliament to replace Chamisa's appointees whom she has recalled. MDC-T deputy spokesperson, who also doubles as Khupe's spokesperson, Khaliphani Phugeni, told the Daily News yesterday that while the party had not appointed a leader in Parliament, "Paurina Mpariwa is the chief whip in the National Assembly while in the Senate we have Tichinani Mavetera". But, in a counter-move, that could open floodgates for more recalls, Chamisa made new appointments. MDC Alliance secretary-general Chalton Hwende formerly wrote to National Assembly Speaker Jacob Mudenda on Wednesday to inform Parliament of the new development. "Please be advised that our party, the MDC Alliance has appointed the following members as the party leadership in Parliament: Hon Lynette Karenyi (acting leader of opposition in Parliament), Hon Erick Murai (acting chief whip; Lower House), Hon Jasmine Toffa (acting deputy chief whip: Lower House)," Hwende said. Mudenda refused to comment on the development saying "these are matters that have been placed before the courts hence they are subjudice. So, I cannot comment now". The courts have given the Chamisa camp temporary relief for its MPs not to be replaced by Khupe after some of them challenged their recalls. Before the recalls, the MDC Alliance chief whip in the National Assembly was Prosper Mutseyami (Chikanga-Dangamvura), who was deputised by Nomathemba Ndlovu (proportional representative). In the Senate, the chief whip was Lilian Timveos (Midlands) with Herbert Sinampande (Matabeleland North) as her deputy. All of them have long been recalled after MDC-T secretary-general, Douglas Mwonzora wrote to the august House indicating that they had ceased representing the party's interests, pursuant to a provision of the Constitution. On Wednesday, Senate President Mabel Chinomona announced that eight Senators had also been recalled for the same reason. The nine were Meliwe Phuthi (Matabeleland South) Helen Zivira (Bulawayo), Siphiwe Ncube (Bulawayo), Phyllis Ndlovu (Matabeleland North), Keresencia Chabuka (Manicaland), Herbert Sinampande (Matabeleland North) Gideon Shoko (Bulawayo) and Tapfumanei Wunganayi (Mashonaland East). Last week, Khupe recalled nine members of the National Assembly - including Amos Chibaya (Mkoba), Murisi Zwizwai (Harare Central) and Happymore Chidziva (Highfield West). Others are proportionate representatives Bacilia Majaya, Macharairwa Mugidho, Virginia Muradzikwa, Annah Myambo, Francisca Ncube and Nomathemba Ndlovu. This brings to 21, the number of MPs that have so far been recalled by MDC-T after the Supreme Court conferred legitimacy to the opposition party led by Khupe. Meanwhile, yesterday Local Government minister July Moyo recalled four MDC Alliance councillors in Harare after receiving a letter from Mwonzora that they no longer represented the interests of the MDC-T. In a letter to Harare City Council town clerk dated June 26, Moyo said the party had informed him that councillors Denford Ngadziore (Ward 16), Grisot Mandere (Ward 44), Jaions Kautsa (Ward 37) and Tonderai Chakeredza (Ward 31) had been expelled from the MDC . "In terms of Section 278(1) of the Constitution of Zimbabwe as read with Section 129 (1)(k), Ward 16, Ward 44, Ward 37 and Ward 31 of Harare City Council are now vacant. "In terms of Section 121 of the Electoral Act, please inform the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission of the vacancies," Moyo wrote. CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM: Africa Loading... Home | World | Africa | Fresh cracks rock Mnangagwa's Zanu-PF A STORM is brewing in Zanu-PF over the ruling party's newly-launched war veterans' wing - pitting many former freedom fighters against their national spokesperson Douglas Mahiya. This comes as there are widening fissures in the former liberation movement, which was split in the middle during the last years in office of the country's late ex-president Robert Mugabe - who was unexpectedly toppled from power by a stunning and popular military coup in November 2017. The launch of the war veterans' league follows the resolutions that were made at Zanu-PF's December 2019 annual conference, which moved to adopt the ex-combatants' wing as an integral organ of the party. Enquiries by the Daily News yesterday showed that the war veterans' wing is widely seen as crucial in the ruling party's problematic succession matrix. Now, a tag team made up of the Zimbabwe National Liberation War Veterans Association (ZNLWVA) and war collaborators is accusing the under-fire Mahiya of "unilaterally" launching the wing without further consultations with key stakeholders. Zimbabwe National Liberation War Veterans Association, secretary-general Victor Matemadanda This comes after Mahiya launched the Mashonaland Central war veterans' wing last month, where he presided over appointments into the body - allegedly without consulting his colleagues. "We are extremely surprised to note that Mahiya decided to rush to launch the league even before the party's constitution has been amended to accommodate that and without consulting veterans of the liberation struggle. "The league formation was just rushed through the politburo, central committee and (2019 Zanu-PF) conference (in Goromonzi) without consulting stakeholders. "Provinces were expecting Mahiya to come to them to explain and update them on the modalities of conference resolutions on the league," agitated war veterans' chairpersons drawn from the country's 10 provinces said yesterday. "Ever since the period of the conference, Mahiya has not addressed veterans of the liberation struggle in any of the 10 provinces, yet he rushes to launch the league. "One wonders whose interests he is serving, also given the calibre of the people pushing him. "The war veterans demanded the party to reverse the appointments which were made during the (Mashonaland Central) meeting," the chairpersons said further. "The party procedures are that such occasions are handled by the commissariat department. The absence of the commissariat department on such a crucial occasion raises a lot of questions," they added. ZNLWVA secretary-general Victor Matemadanda - who doubles up as Zanu-PF national political commissar - confirmed that the party's commissariat department was responsible for managing such exercises. "I don't know who organised that meeting because the issue of party structures is under the commissariat department and we should have known that there is a meeting to launch the war veterans' league. "I don't know what really happened. Maybe he (Mahiya) has a special permission to do that," the guarded Matemadanda told the Daily News yesterday. On his part, the vice chairperson of the Zimbabwe Liberation War Collaborators (Ziliwaco), Josephine Gandiya, accused Mahiya of allegedly disrespecting President Emmerson Mnangagwa by not following the ruling party's procedures in the establishment of the former freedom fighters league. "Mahiya was told by the president when we met him last year that he must work with all associations. We are surprised to hear that he has launched the league in Mashonaland Central without consulting anyone. "We have nothing to do with Mahiya's purported launch. He is forming his own league which has nothing to do with the real war veterans. "Mahiya is working against the president. As an association, our duty is to second people who are going to be part of the war veterans' league. "In our view, the league has not been launched. We totally dismiss what Mahiya did," Gandiya told the Daily News yesterday. Contacted for his view, Mahiya refused to comment. However, he got backing from Zanu-PF secretary for administration - Obert Mpofu - who hailed him for having launched the war veterans' wing in Mashonaland Central. "I also want to acknowledge the strides taken by the secretary of war veterans wing comrade Mahiya - in conjunction with the Mashonaland Central politburo members, central committee members and honourable ministers from that province - for the restructuring of the war veterans committee at the historic Atlanta farm in Muzarabani, of which (Richard) Chirongwe was appointed as the interim chairperson," Mpofu said. During Mugabe's last few years in power, Mnangagwa was involved in a hammer and tongs war with the Generation 40 (G40) faction which had coalesced around the nonagenarian's erratic wife Grace. The vicious brawling took a nasty turn when Mnangagwa was allegedly poisoned by his rivals during one of Mugabe's highly-divisive youth interface rallies in Gwanda in 2017. Mnangagwa's fate was eventually sealed on November 6, 2017 when Mugabe fired his long-time lieutenant a few days after the then VP's allies had booed the irascible Grace during a tense rally at White City Stadium in Bulawayo. However, tables were dramatically turned on Mugabe when the military rolled in their tanks on November 15 of that year and deposed the long-ruling geriatric from power - which saw a number of alleged G40 kingpins fleeing into self-imposed exile soon afterwards. But despite Mnangagwa's ascendancy to power, some ambitious bigwigs in the former liberation movement continue to stand accused of plotting to unseat the new Zanu-PF leader. This comes as political analysts have said a proposed new law which seeks to empower Mnangagwa to handpick his deputies could see him deciding who takes over after him, both as Zanu-PF's and the country's new leader. Parliament has just held public hearings across the country, ahead of Constitutional Amendment Number 2 Bill being debated in the august House - where it is expected to sail through as Zanu-PF enjoys a super majority. At the same time, critics say the Bill - which seeks to introduce at least 27 amendments to the Constitution, including dropping the presidential election running mate clause - is retrogressive. The running mate clause was supposed to become operational from the fast-approaching 2023 general elections, which Mnangagwa has already indicated he will participate in. The Bill also intends to amend the country's supreme law to give Mnangagwa the power to appoint the prosecutor-general, extend the terms of retiring judges, increase the women's quota in Parliament by 10 years, create a youth quota in the National Assembly, and appoint more non-constituency ministers, among other things. CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM: Africa Loading... Home | World | Africa | Workers steal pistols from ZRP armoury TWO employees at the Zimbabwe Republic Police National Armaments workshop have appeared in court on allegations of conniving with two fellow employees to steal five pistols. Nhawu Jongwe and Wellington Nata were not asked to plead to allegations of theft when they appeared before Harare magistrate Barbra Mateko. The two were remanded to September 3. It is alleged that the two, who are stationed at national armaments, Morris Depot in Harare, connived and teamed up with two other workmates Charles Mabhiza - who has since appeared in court on the charge - and Liberty Musindo - who is on the run - and stole the firearms at their workplace. It is said on June 19, the officer-in-charge at national armaments, chief inspector Madenyika discovered that some pistols were missing from the armoury and carried out a stock-take. He discovered that four CZ and Tokarev pistols were missing. Investigations were done, leading to the arrest of Mabhiza which led to the recovery of two CZ pistols. It is said Mabhiza then implicated the two as his accomplices. The pistols were valued at US$4 000 and the two recovered are valued at US$1 600. Prosecutor Sabastian Mutizirwa appeared for the State. CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM: Africa Loading... Home | World | Africa | Zimra dismisses strike rumour, but border traffic too slow The Zimbabwe Revenue Authority has dismissed claims by some people that operations had come to a stand still with customs officers on a go slow. There was anxiety among importers and exporters for the better part of the day with the news of a job action filtering through social media. In a statement today, Zimra dismissed the news as misleading. "There have been misleading reports that Zimra employees at Beitbridge border post have engaged in a strike," said the organisation. "Employees have reported to duty as normal. There is no strike. "We would want to assure the transacting public that the Authority continues to provide uninterrupted service as the Borders". Truckers have spent more than three days at the border because of the go slow. A trucker who left Johannesburg on Monday was still at the border by late Friday. CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM: Africa Loading... Home | World | Africa | Plot to assasinate Tendai Biti MDC Vice President Tendai Biti has reported that unnamed persons in the government are plotting to assassinate him. In a sensational claim posted on Twitter, Biti said, "The desperate regime is now plotting #assassinations .We don't die of man. We will die because it is his time. For the record, we are not afraid of you. You can kill, torture, arrest, rape, and abduct us but we will not stop until Zimbabwe is free. Until Change, democracy and Transformation." This is not the first time that Biti has claimed assassination attempts. The desperate regime is now plotting #assassinations .We dont die of man.We will die because it is his time .For the record,we are not afraid of you .You can kill,torture,arrest,rape & abduct us but we will not stop until Zimbabwe is free.Until Change,democracy & Transformation TENDAI BITI (@BitiTendai) July 4, 2020 In 2018 he said former army commander and current vice-president Constantino Chiwenga was behind the assassination plot. "We have also received very confidential reports that General Chiwenga has issued an order for the assassination of President Nelson Chamisa and myself. We don't accept that," Biti told the media then. "We know that it is in these periods of delay and uncertainty that merchants of chaos, that bishops of electoral fraud will do their own things. So, we are calling upon ZEC to immediately comply with the law and start making formal declarations at constituencies as is required by the law." CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM: Africa Loading... Home | World | Africa | Chamisa told to dump the name MDC Constitutional Law Expert and former Advisor to the late Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai, Alex Magaisa, has advised the Nelson Chamisa-led MDC Alliance to dump the brand MDC because it was now tainted. Writing on his Big Saturday Read, Magaisa said, "There are moments in life when courage is defined by the ability and willingness to drop what you love the most because it no longer serves your interests. You have to be prepared to leave it because it has become toxic and counterproductive. It is my respectful submission that despite the sentimental value; despite the weight of history and residual asset value, the MDC brand has now accumulated toxic baggage in quantities that have polluted the political ecosystem so that political life is now imperilled." The law expert said time has come for MDC members to agree that the name was no longer serving its purpose. "Some people might see walking away from the existing brand as a weakness; as a form of capitulation. It is not. There is another way to look at it as freedom; that the progressive forces of the MDC family are liberating themselves from the shackles of a much-loved brand which has sadly now run its course and is no longer fit for purpose. "The MDC Alliance has always championed the cause of change. But maybe now more than ever before, it is time for the party to look into the mirror and ask itself some hard questions." CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM: Africa Loading... Bollywood mourns the passing of choreographer Saroj Khan who shaped the career of an entire generation of stars Veteran choreographer Saroj Khan, who choreographed some of the most iconic dance numbers in Bollywood, is no more. The 71-year-old was keeping unwell for some time and was admitted to the hospital for breathlessness before losing her life to cardiac arrest. Fondly referred to as Masterji, Saroj Khan was just three years old when she was introduced to dance. Under the tutelage of dance director B. Sohanlal, Saroj Khan nursed her talent and went on to work as an assistant choreographer for several years. Her first independent work was Geeta Mera Naam, although she came to the fore after she choreographed Sridevi in the iconic dance number Hawa Hawai in Mr. India. She defined a generation of heroines. Certainly #MrIndia would not have been same film without #SarojKhan. You had to see her dance as she rehearsed with SriDevi. She was mesmerising. And what energy! You could shoot all night, yet she smiled and danced constantly fresh (sic), mourned Mr. Indias director Shekhar Kapur. Saroj Khan not only produced some of the most legendary dancescapes in Bollywood but also moulded the grace in Madhuri Dixit Nene to make her the unparalleled dancing diva she is known as. Missing the lady who taught her nuances of adaa and bhaav in films such as Karma, Tezaab, Ram Lakhan, Tridev, Khalnayak, Beta, Raja, Devdas, Gulaab Gang and finally in last years release Kalank, Madhuri took to social media to post a tearful eulogy. 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. #RIPSarojji (sic), she wrote. In addition to Madhuri Dixit Nene, Khans legacy also survives with the filmmaker Subhash Ghais leading ladies. She was instrumental in grooming Ghais heroines such as Meenakshi Seshadri, Manisha Koirala, and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan for films ranging from Hero to Saudagar, to Taal. Absolutely my personal loss. She was an integral part of our Mukta Arts family She was my strong partner in grooming stars like Madhuri, Meenakshi, Manisha and Aishwarya. Master of masters. Saroj Khan will live in the history of choreography for Indian cinema indeed. Bye JAAN. RIP (sic), wrote a devastated Subhash Ghai. Shah Rukh Khan recalls the choreographer as his first genuine teacher in the industry. Saroj Khan taught me for hours how to do the dip for film dancing. One of the most caring, loving, and inspiring persona I have ever met. I will miss you Sarojji. May Allah bless her soul. Thank you for looking after me, said Khan. Telugu filmmakers recalled their association with Saroj Khan in admiring tones. Great lineage! Film-maker Mani Shankar said, Saroj Khan and I shared a great bonding. She choreographed all the songs in my film, Tango Charlie, starring Ajay Devgn and Bobby Doel, and also in Mukhbiir. Her creativity was grounded and the best part was that she reflected the essence of the lyrics in her dance moves. Once, I remember, she was very strict with Tanishaa Mukerji, making her rehearse several times. I asked Saroj Khan to go easy on her, but she said that she had also worked with Tanishas mother Tanuja, and would not rest until Tanisha got it to perfection. Sometimes, she would sit in a chair on the sets with half-closed eyes; we would think that she was sleeping, but she would actually be watching. In Minister of Finance, Professor Mthuli Ncube, Zimbabwe has Charles Dickens unsavoury Oliver Twist characters; Fagin, a conniving career criminal; Bill Sikes, a brutal professional burglar brought up in Fagin's gang; Mr. Bumble, the pompous, self-important beadle; and last but not least Jack Dawkins, the Artful Dodger, the cleverest of Fagin's pickpockets; all rolled into one. How else can one explain that in practice Zimbabwe's economy is shrinking but in Finance Minister Ncube's reports it is booming in giant leaps and bounds! "For February and March, Treasury managed to collect revenue of ZW$3,895 billion and ZW$6,103 billion, respectively," reported The Independent. "In February, Treasury recorded a budget surplus of ZW$64,435 million while in March it incurred a deficit of ZW$910,498 million." I am not an economist, but one does not need a university degree in anything to know there is something dodgy here! In just one month treasury increased collected revenue from ZW$3,895 billion to ZW$6,103 billion an increase of 57%. Most people agree that Zimbabwe's economy is in total economic meltdown. Increased government revenue would suggest the economy is growing. A growth of 10% is the norm and 20% maximum. Zimbabwe's 57% must be a world record! If government had a surplus of February, increased its revenue by a staggering 57% then how is it possible that instead of an increased budget surplus it recorded a deficit! It is impossible to audit government books because the figures grow and shrink, appear out of nowhere and disappear into thin air, it is all hocus pocus! No wonder mismanagement and corruption are rampant. The country's Auditor General's reports have uncovered millions of dollars unaccounted for but this is only the ears of the hippo the rest of the animal has remained hidden in the muddy waters of hocus pocus figures. "I can say for my own part that I cannot be ready to support the idea of budget support to Zimbabwe," EU ambassador to Zimbabwe Timo Olkkonen said the other day. "A new debt relief plan that has been given to a number of countries, where actually what is happening now is, there is a bit of a relief period of servicing debt has been granted to a number of countries," explained the ambassador. "And in Africa, so that they are not servicing their debts, that excludes Zimbabwe for the natural reason that Zimbabwe is not servicing its debts. So, you can't have a moratorium on servicing debts when you are not servicing your debts in the first place." The EU, IMF, WB and most other national, international financial institutions and investors have stopped doing business with Zimbabwe because the country is a pariah state ruled by corrupt, incompetent and vote rigging thugs. Zimbabwe's Minister of Finance, Professor Mthuli Ncube, the financial guru of the regime is comparable to Charles Dickens' Artful Dodger; you will be lucky to get away with all your fingers as for the watch, ring, purse, etc. they are gone! No wonder no one wants to do business in Zimbabwe! Home | World | Africa | Jonathan Moyo faces extradition from Kenya? Former minister Professor Jonathan Moyo may have to flee Kenya to avoid extradition to Zimbabwe on fraud and related charges involving the alleged diversion of US$244 575 from the Zimbabwe Manpower Development Fund (Zimdef). He is believed to be living in Kenya with his wife, Beatrice Ambiyo, who is of Kenyan origin. After waiting more than 30 months for the former minister to return, Government is seeking the assistance of the Kenyan authorities to bring Prof Moyo to court on the 14 counts of fraud, money laundering, criminal abuse of office, and corruptly concealing personal interest to a principal. The Kenyans have been assured that Prof Moyo will face the criminal corruption-related charges already listed should he return or be returned to Zimbabwe. He is accused of defrauding Zimdef of over US$244 575 and misallocating other funds for purposes not covered by the Zimdef regulations. He is jointly charged with four others Godfrey Gandawa, Fredrick Mandizvidza, Shepherd Honzeri and Nicholas Mapute. This week the Prosecutor General's office wrote to Kenya, seeking mutual legal assistance to bring the former minister to face the Zimbabwean courts Chief Law officer Mr. Chris Mutangadura processed the papers based on a sworn affidavit by Acting Deputy Prosecutor-General Mr. Nelson Mutsonziwa. The prosecution premised its request on the Extradition (Designated Countries) Order of 1990 which designated Kenya as one of the nations to which the Government can seek legal mutual assistance in extradition cases. According to the request, the Prosecutor-General has since prepared indictment papers for the trial of Prof Moyo and his accomplices in the High Court, but he is nowhere to be found. "The matter requires urgent attention as the accused have a constitutional right to be prosecuted within a reasonable time whilst State witnesses who are available ought to testify before any supervening events curtail their adduction of evidence," said the formal request. "I therefore humbly request the competent authorities of the Republic of Kenya to treat this matter as urgent and give it priority that the authorities' circumstances permit," reads the request. "The accused will not be prosecuted for any offence other than fraud, based only upon the facts stated in this request. This request is not being pursued for political reasons or any ulterior purpose. The Republic of Zimbabwe also undertakes to render assistance to the Republic of Kenya in any criminal matter," read the letter. While Zimbabwe does not have an extradition agreement with Kenya, the Minister of Home Affairs can designate any country listed in the Extradition Order of 1990. Prof Moyo was arrested by Zacc in 2017. He swiftly applied to the Constitutional Court, arguing his rights had been violated, submitting that Zacc had no arresting powers, and that police Sergeant Munyaradzi Chacha, who was on secondment to Zacc, had no powers to arrest him by virtue of the secondment. The Constitutional Court ruled that the minister deserved no preferential treatment and that he should, like anyone else, follow the normal criminal procedure of arrest and appear before a magistrate. It was found that he had jumped the gun by approaching the Constitutional Court instead of challenging his arrest at the lower court; the secondment of police officers to the Zacc did not strip them of their arresting powers, the court ruled. CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM: Africa Loading... Home | World | Africa | Zimbabwe Covid-19 cases now at 625 CONFIRMED cases of Covid-19 rose to 625 on Friday after 7 more Zimbabweans returning from South Africa and Botswana tested positive. Eight new cases were confirmed on Friday, six of which are from South Africa, one form Botswana and the other one is a locally transmitted case. According to ZBC, to date, the country has registered 176 recoveries and seven deaths since the disease was first recorded in the country. 75 485 tests have been conducted to date. The Acting Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Health and Child care, Dr Gibson Mhlanga said: "We want to emphasise to the people of Zimbabwe that this virus is real and people should strictly adhere to the set preventative measures, let's wear our masks let's practice social distancing and safe hygiene use of hand sanitisers, avoid handshakes and we also have people who are jumping the borders let's report them," said Dr Mhlanga. CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM: Africa Loading... A REPORT by one daily on May 17, 2020 stated that there were some hardliners on both sides of the MDC feud who were working hard to scuttle negotiations for the extraordinary congress suggested by the Supreme Court judgment. Senator Morgen Komichi rightly pointed out that the standing committee of the 2014 structures, the organ that plays a key role in planning the congress, had not met. I praised his position that respects the MDC constitution as the MDC-T 2014 structures was and still is the correct organ that is supposed to plan an extraordinary congress suggested by the Supreme Court following a MDC-T 2014 national council resolution. Anything other than that is child's play. I am once again kindly reminding him now that he is in charge of preparing for the congress, that so far, under the leadership of MDCT acting leader Thokozani Khupe, the planning that has taken place does not constitute constitutionalism and rule of law as expressed in the Supreme Court judgment. Komichi still has 30 days to undo all the unconstitutional processes done to date to bring back the extraordinary congress on track, and the sooner you involve the legitimate stakeholders, the better. It is public knowledge that the majority of the members of the MDC-T 2014 national council wrote to the leadership, and their request for a meeting to be held was acknowledged by the temporarily reinstated secretary-general of the 2014 MDC-T party, but the request was shoved aside by Douglas Mwonzora. As the leader now in charge of the process, Komichi has to ensure that the request by the majority is addressed, otherwise a congress that lives to constitutionalism and abides by the Supreme Court judgment will not be possible by July 31, 2020, which is the deadline given by the Supreme Court before the mooted judgment becomes water under the bridge and the factions revert to their pre-March 31, 2020 status. If one person Elias Mashavire got us to this, do not underestimate the existence of another Elias Mashavire among the majority of the appropriate 2014 MDCT structures who are aggrieved by the unconstitutional conduct under Khupe's leadership, which was at variance with the Supreme Court judgment. In carrying out his mandate, Komichi must not rely on other people for advice, people such as Mwonzora who, if media reports are to be believed, is chameleonic in character. In interviews he held with the media following the appointment of Elias Mudzuri and Nelson Chamisa as vice-presidents, Mwonzora was very unequivocal to say that due process had been taken to ensure the appointments were in line with the party constitution, but after the Supreme Court judgment, he loudly said he had advised against the appointments. Just last month, Mwonzora has made contradictory statements regarding the extension of the mooted extraordinary congress dates. He is reported to have said postponing the extraordinary congress would not be in violation of the Supreme Court judgment that the special congress be held within 90 days from the date of the ruling, saying :"When the ruling was handed down, the Chief Justice (Luke Malaba) made a blanket extension of time limits by six weeks. The three months deadline was set to expire on July 31, 2020, but there is a six weeks period we were given, meaning that the extraordinary congress will have to be held by not later than September 15. We are, therefore, working on a date between now and then." But behind the others' back, Mwonzora told one daily: "The Supreme Court sets clear deadlines for this event. We have developed the roadmap to the congress. The correct interpretation of the Supreme Court judgment means that the congress must be held by July 31. Any extensions outside the timelines given by the Supreme Court can expose us to unnecessary legal challenges". Mwonzora has proved to be economic with the truth. After he and others were led to a prayer meeting at the graveside of the late party founder Morgan Tsvangirai by Khupe to ask for the late founding MDC President's powers to win court cases and unite their faction, Mwonzora professed ignorance of the visit when he was contacted by a journalist. Perhaps he had been surprised by the call as he had not anticipated that members of the entourage would have communicated the visit to the media, and momentarily forgot that there had been video footage taken of the event, which would later go viral, leaving him with egg on his face. It becomes very difficult to trust Mwonzora, who could not full support your claim that you used to tell him about spying on Advocate Chamisa, which has left you with egg on your face. Some of the country's politicians have praised South Africa's President, Cyril Ramaphosa for hosting South Africa's inaugural public-Presidential virtual symposium. On Tuesday evening, Ramaphosa engaged with members of the public on a one on one basis on issues such as COVID-19, Gender Based Violence, economy and the country's lockdown regulations amongst others. "What President Ramaphosa did is something which President Mnangagwa should emulate, in fact the whole of Africa should follow the same narrative. Members of the executive should engage with the public from a grass root level as this will help them in knowing what is really happening. President Mnangagwa is surrounded by people who are feeding him with the wrong information he has to organise a public symposium and engage with members of the public. He has to know what is actually happening on the ground, he shouldn't rely on hearsay," said Linda Masarira, leader of the opposition LEAD party. Another leader of the opposition, UDA party, Dr. Daniel Shumba who is a former army colonel and member of the Central Committee of the ruling ZANU-PF, acceded to the notion of holding a public symposium, "indeed, it is important for a President to publicly engage with citizens, and pronounce and share a national vision. President Ramaphosa is spot on," said Dr. Shumba. However, the UDA leader also cited that although social media is now the new normal of engaging with the public there was need for the country to reduce its data costs for the benefit of the masses. "Social media if managed well, is an effective means of communication, however, Zimbabwe still needs to properly regulate and reduce the high extortionate cost levels of data," added Dr. Shumba. However, Leopold Munhende a political journalist with newzimbabwe.com argued that it was a necessity for President Mnangagwa to engage with the public especially during this time of COVID-19. "Mnangagwa should speak. We do not know the stage at which we are now because the police and army are behaving in a haphazard manner. We do not know who is allowed in town and who is not anymore and state security is taking advantage of this to abuse people's rights," said Munhende. For Dr. Nkululeko Sibanda a political analyst and the spokesperson of Mr. Nelson Chamisa, leader of the MDC Alliance, there is no need for President Mnangagwa to host a public symposium, "the masses don't take Mnangagwa seriously or as someone who is serious about his job." Three months ago, Zororo Makamba, a multimedia journalist became the first casualty of COVID-19 in the southern African country. Before he passed on, members of his family complained about ill-treatment, stigma and victimization which the 30-year-old encountered when he was at the Wilkins Hospital. Although the city's Mayor refuted the claims, many people infected with COVID-19 have been complaining about the same issues. Dr. Lazarus Kajawu who is a clinical psychologist also commented on the challenges being faced by people infected with COVID-19. "You hear people talking about a COVID-19 patient. This is absolute stigmatisation. Instead, people should refer to these patients as a person infected with COVID-19 to distinguish the person from the virus. Secondly, if someone goes for testing, many people avoid these people as if they already have the condition. This might be despite the fact that they tested negative. People need to change this mental set. People need correct information about the transmission of COVID-19. People need to understand that those who test positive for COVID-19 are not careless people but it's a condition that can affect anybody. The condition has no barriers with respect to social status, race or anything. People then need to be assured of what they need to do, that is good hygiene, social distancing, hand washing and wearing of face masks. Dr. Kajawu also gave out some insight to those that might test positive for COVID-19 on how to avoid getting into depression. "It is important to remain focused on doing what is right, depression thrives where people concentrate on negative aspects of life. People should focus more on good things that come along with the condition. Some people will come to realize they have had time to look back at their lives, and discover what they need to change, or retain. It is also important to discipline one's cognition. You need to distract yourself from concentrating on negative things about COVID-19. It is important to focus on the positive steps one needs to take against spreading the virus and the importance of staying healthy. One should maintain contact with significant others through electronic media to reduce the feeling of isolation. It is important to take this situation as a phase that surely will pass," said Dr. Kajawu. Counselling psychologist, Dr. Justice Marwisa, also noted the challenges being faced by people infected with COVID-19. "Stigma thrives on ignorance as we have experienced in the past for instance, with HIV and other issues. The best strategy to counter the stigma is to inform, inform, inform on accurate information on COVID-19 as this will go a long way in countering stigma related to COVID-19 positive cases. Moreso, disclosure of one's COVID-19 status, should be done with thought and care so that unnecessary alarm and stigma can be managed. Information is key in countering negative backlash. However, keeping sane during self isolation has a lot to do with managing your self talk. Deliberately infusing oneself with positive messages and taking the necessary physical health care. Being COVID-19 positive is not a death sentence. The recovery rates are extremely high. Moreso, best solutions for avoiding sliding into depression during this pandemic include, opening up to close friends and family about your fears, anxiety, and concerns, let it out and don't ruminate. Furthermore, get information, manage anxiety disorder and panic attacks through practical exercises for example deep breathing exercises also seek counselling and avoid bottling emotions," said Dr. Marwisa. Tradition is prison with majority opinion, just because your ancestors did it doesn't mean its not incredibly flawed. Some great mind made that great observation, what brutal truth. Traditional farming methods is rural Zimbabwe are now beset with many challenges, the major one being that of short rain seasons and diminishing rainfalls. Weary soils plus erratic rains empty national silos and looming hunger. Government has assured people that no one will starve, that means channeling resources and shelving other projects in order to prioritise food aid to vulnerable groups. A noble idea indeed, thumbs up. However, in order to promote self reliance and help boost national reserves, government has come up with a new, intensive and certainly productive farming method. 'Pfumvunza', CA, is a 'don't waste inputs' type of farming. No ploughing with oxen, only holes on the selected piece of land, all inputs availed through the Presidential inputs scheme. The crop care is plant based, with a known plant population and expected yield. Carter Blanche and random dolling out of inputs with no follow up and accountability has been found unproductive. Area Agritex officers are on the ground (talk of boots on the ground) showing people how its done. Mr Chikorowondo, the Agritex Officer who covers Chinehasha and Chidewu is a workaholic. His middle name should be 'Mr Ever Busy'. Never tired of explaining and giving answers to repeat questions. Recently he was at Chinehasha Secondary School showing villagers how Pfumvudza works, precisely explaining its matrix and demystifying the seemingly complex methodologies. Observing social distancing, the villagers who included business centre professionals, sat and listened with undivided attention. Occasionally nodding to indicate information was sinking well and noted. Without a note book and pen I looked less serious, but determined. The rest were seasoned farmers vowed to dig the holes. Maize only on this plot, no jugo beans and pumpkins, in this programme, such plants are weeds. Do your mixed farming somewhere, in these holes its maize only. Mr Chikorowondo is on the ground, unceasingly pointing to the ground, more holes please! Food to the people, food to the nation. Let's make Zimbabwe great again, embrace Pfumvudza. Thomas Tondo Murisa. Chinehasha. Home | World | Africa | Cracks in Khupe's camp Cracks have emerged in the Thokozani Khupe camp, with the recently reinstated MDC-T national organising secretary, Abednico Bhebhe the recently reinstated MDC-T secretary-general Douglas Mwonzora of sidelining him in the running of party affairs. "I notice with disenchantment how your office has failed, omitted or just neglected to send me notice of sittings of the standing committee, for the entire period stretching up to this moment from the delivery of the Supreme Court judgment. "Your failure, omission or neglect has consigned me to whims of the rumour mill, getting information either a few minutes before or after the meeting and with no formal briefing of the proceedings. "As you well know, just like my colleagues which you favour with such courtesy, I am entitled and I demand as such, appropriate notice given on time to allow my effective participation," Bhebhe said in a recent letter to Mwonzora. "The current opportunistic practices are just untenable and I do not accept that, not even for a split of a second. "As secretary-general, your office is responsible for sending out invitations to members whose attendance on various party committees is prescribed by the constitution. "My attendance at sittings of the standing committee, as the national organising secretary cannot, and has never been a matter of the pleasure of your office," Bhebhe added. "Your failure, omission or neglect to do so has and continues to prejudice the party of the checks and balances the constitution sought to strike by placing various roles in the hands of a plurality of separate individuals. "For the record, this misguided attempt to tamper with my agency in the direction of party affairs is superfluous and I reserve the right to assert my interests in this regard through the courts of law. "I reserve the right to take appropriate steps to assert the exercise of my rights and obligations as the national organising secretary through meetings of party organs to which I must receive proper notice from your office," Bhebhe said further. Mwonzora was not reachable for comment yesterday. CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM: Africa Loading... 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. Katrina shared some snaps, showing things around her house and scenic vistas outside her window Katrina Kaif, who has been quarantining with her sister Isabelle Kaif at her Mumbai residence, seems to be making the most of her time. She has been keeping her fans updated with her activities through social media. The Dhoom 3 actress has now taken to photography. And her subjects are the often-forgotten small things that crop up in our lives. Katrina shared some snaps, showing things around her house and scenic vistas outside her window. From her books and her guitar to the cloudy sky and a small green patch, Katrina has captured them all beautifully. She took to Instagram to share these pictures along with a selfie and a photo of her sister Isabelle Kaif. I hope you liked my pictures. I took all of them from home. There is beauty all around if we look., she posted. The Bharat actress has also been cooking, cleaning, working from home on her beauty brand, and learning to play musical instruments. In addition to housing changes, the college has redesigned its dining hall experience to allow for social distancing. Tables designed to seat six or more will seat one or two, and dining hall capacity will be limited. Sweet Briar College spokesperson Dana Poleski said the college is exploring the option of adding some seating to an area outside its dining hall. Face coverings will be required in shared spaces on campus, additional sanitizing stations will be on campus and the college will conduct regular testing during the fall semester. Woo said the college is working with Quest Diagnostics to discuss options and determine a testing plan for the fall semester. Making the campus COVID-19 ready by adding sanitizing stations, face masks, hygiene signage and testing Woo said, comes with a $1 million price tag. The college also is encouraging students to remain on campus for the entirety of the fall semester, to reduce the possibility of students leaving and returning to campus after potentially being exposed to the virus. Even with all these changes, Waters said she doesn't think the campus dynamic will change that much. Classes have always been small and students have always utilized the campus' ample space, so she's hopeful that these guidelines won't affect the day-to-day feel of campus. Liberty University will spend all of the more than $15 million the institution received in federal coronavirus aid on emergency grants for residential students. More than 14,000 residential students were enrolled at Liberty last year. Eligible students will receive between $280 and $2,465 in assistance. The size of the grant will be based on an individual students cost of attendance, according to a news release from the university. When we first learned of the CARES Act funds, there was no question among the administration that the entirety of the funds would go directly to our students, Liberty President Jerry Falwell Jr. said in a statement issued Wednesday night, referring to the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, a sweeping $2 trillion relief package aimed at stabilizing the economy. When we were forced to transition to all online learning, many of our students incurred unexpected costs and some did not make full use of on-campus services for which they paid. We also know that many students and their families are struggling right now with job loss and other pandemic- related expenses, Falwell said. These emergency grants help students address their financial challenges and help them plan for their futures. 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. 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 dtat. 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. 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. During the last 24 hours, 14,335 patients have been discharged, taking the cumulative figure to 3,94,226. New Delhi: India on Saturday detected 22,771 fresh cases of novel coronavirus, the highest in a single day so far, taking the total number of cases to 6,48, 315. The country has also registered 442 new deaths, with overall fatalities soaring to 18, 655. The total number of the recovered people continues to increase steadily, with the recovery rate now standing at 60.81 per cent. During the last 24 hours, 14,335 patients have been discharged, taking the cumulative figure to 3,94,226. There are 2,35,433 active cases under medical supervision. During the last 24 hours 2,42,383 samples have been tested, pushing the total number of tests conducted to 95,40,132. Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu continue to report very high numbers. The Delhi on Saturday recorded 2,505 fresh cases, stretching its total to 97,200. In addition, 55 new deaths were registered in the city as overall fatalities crossed 3,000. In a bid to check rising COVID infections in the state, all flights to Kolkata from high prevalence six cities Pune, Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Nagpur and Ahmedabad will remain suspended from July 6 till July 19 at the request of West Bengal government. West Bengal so far has 20,488 coronavirus cases. With novel coronavirus cases in India on a sharp rise and number of deaths too increasing, Union health ministry has revised its clinical management protocol and asked doctors to treat COVID-19 patients with investigational therapies that include Remdesivir, Convalescent Plasma, Tocilizumab and Hydroxychloroquine (HCQ). Since these drugs are available in limited numbers at present, the ministry has said they should only be used in a defined sub-group of patients. While recommending a five-day course of Remdesivir for hospitalized patients, the ministry said that the drug is only for restricted emergency use on patients with moderate disease who are on oxygen support. It cannot be administered to pregnant or lactating women, children below the age of 12, patients with severe renal impairment. The ministry has advised early use of HCQ in the disease course to achieve meaningful effects and should be avoided in patients with severe diseases. Similarly, Tocilizumab can be given to patients with moderate infection with progressively increasing oxygen requirements. In its revised home isolation guidelines, the health ministry has allowed mild, very mild and asymptomatically patients to be declared fit after 10 days instead of usual 14 days if they do not develop fever after Day 3 or show any other major signs of COVID-19. The J.D. Power 2020 U.S. Initial Quality Study was released recently. It took people by surprise as Tesla TSLA vehicles ranked the last among the 32 major brands in its annual quality study. J.D. Power relies on customer reporting and its study is considered an industry benchmark for quality. It surveys the owners of the vehicles and then ranks the cars in terms of the number of problems reported per 100 vehicles (PP100). The lower the score, the higher the quality. The latest results were based on responses from 87,282 buyers and lessees of new 2020 model-year vehicles during their first 90 days of ownership. Kia & Dodge Grab the First Spot If you are a Dodge or Kia driver, theres some good news for you! Kia and Fiat Chryslers FCAU Dodge brand tied for the first place with scores of 136 PP100. It's the first time one of the Big Three Detroit automakers occupied the numero uno position. In fact, Fiat Chryslers overall performance was better than the industry average for the first time in the studys history. The Dodge Durango and Dodge Charger models both ranked very high in their respective segments. Fiat Chryslers RAM pickup grabbed the third spot this year, after ranking 21st last year. The company currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here. Tesla Bottoms the Survey If you are a Tesla fan, you will be disappointed as Elon Musks company ranked last in the closely watched survey of customers satisfaction conducted by J.D. Power. While the EV maker is viewed as a leader in automotive technology, Tesla car owners reported more problems than any other auto brands included in the study. Tesla lagged the auto industry in quality, receiving an initial score of 250 PP100. In other words, Tesla cars suffered 250 problems per 100 vehicles. This is well above the industry average of 166 PP100. The surveyed Tesla owners had issues with build quality and problems like paint defects, poorly fitting body panels, etc. Story continues But hold on, theres a caveat! While this is the first time Tesla was profiled by J.D. Power, the firm was not officially ranked among the other brands because it did not fulfill the ranking criteria. Doug Betts, president of the automotive division at J.D. Power said: Unlike other manufacturers, Tesla doesnt grant us permission to survey its owners in 15 states where it is required. However, we were able to collect a large enough sample of surveys from owners in the other 35 states and, from that base, we calculated Teslas score. Nonetheless, the red-hot EV maker has been struggling with quality issues. According to CNBC reports in July 2019, Tesla employees were cutting corners on Model 3 production to meet Musks aggressive output goals. Tesla is currently facing major production issues with the current Model Y as well. The defects reportedly cover a variety of areas, including paint and trim issues, seat indentations, along with a loose seat belt. Moreover, the firm is under investigation by the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration for touch screen failures on Teslas Model S vehicles. On a slightly positive note, Dave Sargent, vice president of automotive quality at J.D. Power, stated: It's important to note that the primary reason for Tesla's lowest score is not EV-related aspects of the vehicle they perform well here. Key Takeaways Overall, Hyundai was placed as the top overall automaker in the study, as its seven models ranked highest in their respective segments. The models include Genesis G70, Hyundai Tucson, Hyundai Veloster, Kia Forte, Kia Sedona, Kia Sorento and Kia Soul. General Motors GM took the second spot with six top-ranked vehicles in their respective segments. The models include Cadillac CT5, Cadillac CT6, Cadillac Escalade, Cadillac XT4, Chevrolet Malibu and Chevrolet Sonic. BMW AG BAMXF retained the third slot with three high-ranked models namely BMW 8 Series, BMW X6 and MINI Cooper in their respective segments. Ford F took the fourth position with three top-ranked models Ford Mustang, Ford Ranger and Ford Super Duty. Unfortunately, Japan-based brands did not witness much improvement compared with Korean and domestic brands. Nissan NSANY was in the fifth spot with three top-ranked models namely Nissan Armada, Nissan Maxima and Nissan Murano. Toyota TM grabbed the sixth spot, with two top-ranked models Lexus GX and Toyota Tundra. Mitsubishi, Lexus and Nissan were the only Japan-based brands to rank above the industry average. Other Tidbits Overall, domestic brands including Dodge, GMC, RAM, Chevrolet, Jeep, Cadillac and Buick fared better in this years study than the foreign counterparts. Most premium brands lagged the industry average. As premium brands are equipped with complex technologies, the odds of having issues increase. Genesis, Lexus and Cadillac are the only premium brands that outperformed the industry average. In fact, Genesis was the highest-ranked premium brand in its segment for the fourth consecutive year. Chevrolet Sonic took the title of the Highest Initial Quality Model with a score of 103 PP100. Per the survey, issues related to infotainment were one of the major causes of problems, as cited by new vehicle owners. Top complaints included touch screens, built-in voice recognition and navigation systems, Android Auto/Apple CarPlay connectivity, as well as Bluetooth issues. Kia Sedona and Toyota Tundra were ranked the highest in minivan and large light duty pickup segments, respectively. Ford Ranger and Ford Super Duty took top slots in midsize and large heavy duty pickup, respectively. Meanwhile, Land Rover owned by Indias Tata Motors since 2008 was the second-worst performer after Tesla. General Motors Yantai Dongyue 2 plant in China received the Platinum Plant Quality Award for producing vehicles with the fewest defects or malfunctions. Fiat Chryslers Toluca plant in Mexico and Toyotas TMMT plant in Turkey received the Gold Plant Quality Award for the Americas and Europe/Africa regions, respectively. Looking for Stocks with Skyrocketing Upside? Zacks has just released a Special Report on the booming investment opportunities of legal marijuana. Ignited by new referendums and legislation, this industry is expected to blast from an already robust $6.7 billion to $20.2 billion in 2021. Early investors stand to make a killing, but you have to be ready to act and know just where to look. See the pot trades we're targeting>> 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 Ford Motor Company (F) : Free Stock Analysis Report Nissan Motor Co. (NSANY) : Free Stock Analysis Report Toyota Motor Corporation (TM) : Free Stock Analysis Report General Motors Company (GM) : Free Stock Analysis Report Tesla, Inc. (TSLA) : Free Stock Analysis Report Fiat Chrysler Automobiles N.V. (FCAU) : Free Stock Analysis Report Bayerische Motoren Werke AG (BAMXF) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research KARACHI, Pakistan (AP) Militants attacked the stock exchange in the Pakistani city of Karachi on Monday, killing at least three people two guards and a policeman, according to police. Special police forces deployed to the scene of the attack and in a swift operation secured the building, killing all four gunmen. A third security guard was reported to be in critical condition following the assault. There were no reports of any wounded among the brokers and employees inside the exchange and a separatist militant group from a neighboring province later claimed responsibility for the attack. The attackers were armed with grenades and automatic rifles, police said. They launched the attack by opening fire at the entrance gate of the Pakistan Stock Exchange in the southern port city, the country's financial center. Heavily armed special forces quickly surrounded the building located in the heart of Karachi's financial district, where the Pakistan State Bank is located, as well as the headquarters of several national and international financial institutions. Local television stations broadcast images of police in full body armor surrounding the building but still staying outside the high-walled compound of the stock exchange. Rizwan Ahmend, a police official at the scene, said that after opening fire, the gunmen entered the stock exchange grounds. He said that after the attack was over, food supplies were found on the bodies of the gunmen, indicating they may have planned a long siege, which police quickly thwarted. Inside the stock exchange, broker Yaqub Memon told The Associated Press that he and others were huddled inside their offices while the attack was underway. As the firing ended and the gunmen were killed, police gathered all the employees and brokers in a single room while security forces went floor by floor to ensure that no explosives had been left behind, he said. Shazia Jehan, a police spokesman, said the bomb disposal team was also called to the stock exchange to clear the building of any explosive devises. Story continues Later, the Baluchistan Liberation Army, claimed responsibility for the attack. The group has been waging an insurgency for years, demanding independence for Pakistan's gas-rich southwestern Baluchistan province, which borders the southern Sindh province, where Karachi is the provincial capital. The group also circulated to the media a photograph of four men in full body armor and camouflage outfits, saying they were the militants who attacked the stock exchange. At a news conference later Monday, Maj. Gen Omar Ahmed Bokhari who overseas the paramilitary Rangers force, which took part in the operation, accused neighboring India of aiding the attackers, by allegedly activating sleeper cells that Pakistan claims Indian intelligence has planted throughout the country. India and Pakistan routinely exchange allegations of using militant groups to attack the other country. The two nuclear-armed neighbors have fought three wars, two of them over the disputed Himalayan mountain region of Kashmir, which is divided between the two but coveted by both in its entirety. The Baluchistan Liberation Army, which Pakistan says has found safe across the border in Afghanistan, has carried out several attacks in Karachi in recent years, including an attack on the Chinese Consulate in November 2018 that killed two people. Gen. Bukhari said Monday's attack bore the same hallmarks as the Chinese Consulate attack, with the level of coordination and a large ammunition stockpile found at the scene. Pakistani police and Rangers found more than a dozen hand grenades, boxes of ammunition and several automatic rifles that the attackers had brought to the stock exchange. The Arabian Sea port of Gwadar is located in Baluchistan, and is part of Chinas multi-billion dollar one-road project linking south and Central Asia to China. The Baluchistan militant group has opposed the one-road project, including a highway connecting the Gwadar port to the Chinese border. The Karachi stock exchange is Pakistans largest and oldest stock exchange, incorporated today with the exchanges in Islamabad and Lahore. ____ Associated Press writer Kathy Gannon in Islamabad contributed to this report. The hideout was unearthed during the course of a joint search operation by police and the Rashtriya Rifles. Srinagar: A militant was killed in an encounter with security forces in Jammu and Kashmir's Kulgam district on Saturday, police said. Security forces launched a cordon and search operation in the Arrah area of Kulgam in south Kashmir following specific information about the presence of militants there, a police official said. He said as the forces were conducting the searches in the area, militants fired upon them. The forces retaliated, ensuing an encounter in which a militant was killed, the official said. He said the operation is on and further details are awaited. Meanwhile, a terrorist hideout was busted in a remote village in Rajouri district of Jammu and Kashmir on Saturday, leading to the recovery of a huge cache of arms and ammunition, officials said. The hideout was unearthed during the course of a joint search operation by police and the Rashtriya Rifles in Dardasan village of the Thanamandi area, the officials said. They said the recoveries made from the hideout included two Chinese pistols with two magazines, an Under Barrel Grenade Launcher (UBGL) with 11 rifle grenades, 14 magazines of AK assault rifle with 920 rounds and a Chinese hand grenade. A large quantity of material used in the making of Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs), including batteries and wires, was also seized from the hideout, the officials said. However, no one was arrested in connection with the recovery so far. Washington, PA (15301) Today Rain. Low 56F. Winds NW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall near an inch.. Tonight Rain. Low 56F. Winds NW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall near an inch. What a fantastic interview. One of the best celebrity interviews I've read. Ruth Negga and @EmmaDabiri talking Audre Lorde, Frederick Douglass, W. E. B. Dubois and there's even some Foucault. No fluff, all https://t.co/WvLBs9nUxV Theresa O'Keefe (@Theresa_OKeefe) July 4, 2020 In early June I was approached by @OrrCollins to write a piece of @IrishTimesMag. I had another suggestion; I would guest edit a special edition centring black writers; an opportunity to broaden the range of perspectives we hear from, not just for this issue but going forward pic.twitter.com/QNULCBqD13 Emma Dabiri (@EmmaDabiri) July 3, 2020 interviewed actress Ruth Negga this week to discuss the ongoing, global conversations and activism concerning racism in a special issue of the Irish Times concerning Black lives.A brief summary:- Ruth is based in L.A. now, and Emma in London, having both grown up mixed-race in Ireland. Emma comes from a Nigerian family, whereas Ruth is Ethiopian, of the Tigrayan people. Ruth grew up in Limerick, and Emma in Dublin (after spending her early life in Atlanta, Georgia). They talk over videocall.- Emma details that Ruth has been a revelation for her and has sought an interview for some time. She had never seen a Black Irish woman on screen prior to Ruth. Talks about Ruth's many roles - including a recent production of Hamlet in Dublin which ended just prior to lockdown. She played the titular role.- Representations of Africa in Ireland were extremely limited, people often taking Band Aid's 'Do They Know It's Christmas' to be gospel about the entire continent.- Ruth talks on Emperor Haile Selassie of Ethiopia and his address to the League of Nations in 1936 to warn of the quickly incoming fascist regime. She also mentions that another speech of his in the 60s provided the lyrics to 'War' by Bob Marley. Emma says it is clear how interested Ruth is in Black history.- They bond over a shared love of Malcolm X which they have both held from an early age. They identify this 'obsession' as having a lack of representation around them, so they used his words to provide a feeling of connection to their Black identity.- Ruth mentions Toni Morrison, Maya Angelou, and Spike Lee as significant for her.- Says that Black Irish kids need to define their identity for themselves, refrain from being categorized simply, and embrace all parts of their culture. Uses a Foucault quote to underline this.- Ruth says her family was established and respected in Limerick and so she doesn't feel she experienced racism. She never felt 'uncomfortable' because she had strong family bonds to protect her, describing Ireland as 'very welcoming' and that she easily got jobs after school. Emma says she cannot relate to this, and that in places like Ireland, the cities tend to feel more racist than more rural towns because you don't have these community bubbles of protection throughout that smaller places offer (if you are part of a family like Ruth's). Ruth says it was worse being both Black and Irish when she moved to London. She was 'shaken' by the murder of Stephen Lawrence.- Ruth calls 'colourblind' people patronizing and erasing. Talks about the mental health impact of people belitting your identity in that way, especially as a child. Mentions the 'double consciousness' written about by W.E.B. Du Bois.- Says that the Black Panthers were only shocking to White people, because they didn't understand the necessity of them. She hopes we are currently experiencing a similar watershed moment. She wants to see more Black crew members, and on all roles behind the scenes of things as well as represented on camera. It's important to invest in Black storytelling not just because it's financially viable, but it helps people come to terms with their own history that has been stolen from them.- They discuss Black abolitionist Frederick Douglass who visited Limerick and drew comparisons to how the Irish were treated by the English and the situation in America.- Emma listens to 'War' by Bob Marley when the interview ends. The world is in transition between a lead-acid battery past, and a future in which lithium-ion batteries are poised to supplant lead-acid batteries and to displace increasing volumes of transportation fuels. But will this years Covid-19 pandemic affect this transition? Todays article explores the impact the pandemic is having on the battery sector. Lead-Acid Versus Lithium-Ion In a previous article Lead-Acid Batteries Are On A Path To Extinction I speculated that falling costs and better performance from lithium-ion batteries posed an existential threat to the 160-year reign of the lead-acid battery. A trade association for lead-acid battery manufacturers responded to that article, essentially arguing that future battery demand would be so great that it would ensure that lead-acid batteries would still have an important role to play. I subsequently examined the environmental pros and cons of these two battery types. One of the case studies in that article was Exide Technologies, a lead-acid battery manufacturing company. Exide had been in trouble with regulators previously over pollution from plants in Tennessee and California. Now it seems that a combination of legal liabilities and stresses on its business from the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic has pushed Exide into Chapter 11 bankruptcy for the third time in 20 years. Its not quite extinction, but the company is going to have to sell off North American operations in order to survive. Exides struggles will likely benefit the lithium-ion sector. Covid-19 Impact on Lithium-Ion Sector Meanwhile, the pandemic hasnt left the lithium battery sector untouched. Although lithium batteries are used in many important medical devices including the ventilators that have been critical during this pandemic the largest area of growth has been in electric vehicles (EVs). But Wood Mackenzie recently projected that global EV sales will fall 43% this year due to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. Monthly EV sales in China did fall by 39% in Q1 2020, but the International Energy Agency (IEA) is more optimistic about numbers for the full year. In its Global EV Outlook 2020, the IEA projects that the Covid-19 pandemic will cause a 15% contraction this year in the passenger car market, but they expect sales for passenger and commercial light-duty EVs will remain broadly at 2019 levels. They do add that a second wave of the pandemic or slower-than-expected recovery could cause a worse outcome. Related: Exxon Is Big Oils Outlier In The Post-Pandemic World China, which dominates global lithium-ion battery production, has seen its biggest lithium-ion manufacturers, Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. Ltd (CATL) and BYD, curtail production due to lack of workers and access to raw materials. Industry Experts Weigh In To better gauge the impact of the pandemic on the battery space, I spoke with several industry contacts. Lampros Bisalas is the CEO of Greek-based Systems Sunlight, which specializes in the development and production of lead-acid and lithium-ion batteries and energy storage systems. Mr. Bisalas said that many customers in the industrial sector had ceased operations, which caused a 70% drop in demand for new orders. He expects the market to recover gradually. Nevertheless, he added that Sunlight continues to invest heavily in technology and R&D for technologies in the energy storage sector. The company is currently investing $10 million in a North Carolina facility and $3 million in a new R&D Center based in Athens, focused on lithium technologies. The company is also expanding operations in Europe through M&A activity. He added: The recovery has been steady but slow with many investors still trying to identify how the pandemic will develop in the coming months. The continuous uncertainty will affect the industry for the coming months with only the absolute needs being served (with an estimation that the market will be at -50% demand for the year 2020). We see demand and this has been shown after lock downs started to be lifted and orders started pouring in. Governments try to help, and the focus in green energy will help investors recognize the importance batteries have and the long-term benefit from such green investments. I also spoke to Tim Karimov, President of California-based lithium-ion battery supplier OneCharge, and Alex Pisarev, the CEO of OneCharge about the impact they are seeing from the Covid-19. Related: Oil Price Crash Leads To Sharp Contraction In Gulf Economies Mr. Karimov said that despite opinions that the market for industrial EVs will contract 20 to 40% year-over-year, OneCharge hasnt seen any slowdown in sales of lithium-ion batteries over the past few months. He added: We are cautiously optimistic about OneCharge revenue growth this year, but it is already clear that the lithium-ion segment share is growing much faster that we expected at the start of 2020. The need for the most efficient and safe power solution with a proven ROI puts more pressure on Operations Managers to take action and switch to the tried and tested (by the early adopters) lithium-ion technology. Mr. Pisarev stated that even though lithium-ion technology is now ubiquitous in our lives, industrial applications are still lagging behind because many users arent aware of the efficiency improvements from switching to lithium-ion batteries. However, thats one reason he is optimistic about the market this year, as he believes we are in the midst of a rapid shift. He cited Tesla One Million Miles Battery, which is being developed in partnership with Chinas CATL as another lithium-ion breakthrough that will help drive the market: We may not be sure of how exactly the markets will develop in the next months, he said, but one thing is clear lithium-ion will continue to replace inferior lead-acid batteries at an increasing speed. Systems Sunlights Lampros Bisalas agrees that the future looks bright, stating The energy storage market continues to be propelled by disruptive and innovative technologies. The future is expected to be strong with high growth and continuous disruption by new technologies, AI, Machine Learning and cloud-based solutions which will accelerate the integration of batteries into currently served Internal Combustion applications. So perhaps the current crisis will merely be a temporary blip in contrast to the blistering growth of the lithium-ion battery space in recent years. By Robert Rapier More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: The COVID-induced recession that has brought oil and gas prices down to levels that are painful enough for most if not all major producers. In Russia the crisis has hit the populace much more than it did the government after all, the former had in most cases no (currency) reserves to rely on as a safety buffer. Russian companies remain somewhere in the middle of the suffering scale, most have cut capital expenditure and postponed major projects a couple of years down the road. NOVATEK, a company hardly known to the Western world 5 years ago that has morphed into Russias prime LNG producer and exporter, has managed to avail itself of an oft-forgotten but still pertinent way of keeping the companys financials afloat government help. The Arctic LNG-2 project has been for some years already. In many ways it is a natural continuation of what NOVATEK has started out with Yamal LNG the liquefaction plant will be constructed in Arctic conditions, just across the Ob Bay on the western side of the Gydan Peninsula. Having amassed a noteworthy presence on the heretofore underutilized Gydan, NOVATEK can boast a massive resource base the base case feed will come from the Utrenneye field (sometimes also called Salmanovskoye), discovered in 1979 but due to Russias Arctic gas bounty thus far kept on the back burner as Gazprom rather focused on the Yamal peninsula. Utrenneyes reserves stand at 1.1 TCm and might be further buttressed by the 0.5 TCm Gydanskoye field and other assets in the vicinity thereof. So far everything seems in due order. Arctic LNG-2 will become the largest Russian project in the last 15 years, with an assumed project cost of $21 billion. It has already secured the involvement of several international oil and gas majors traditional ally Total has taken a 10% stake, along with CNPC, CNOOC and the Japanese JOGMEC/Mitsui consortium. Remarkably warm 2019/2020, COVID-related price depression and domestic Russian economic lassitude notwithstanding, Arctic LNG-2 has not witnessed any delays so far (in comparison with other future NOVATEK projects, as we will see below) the first 6.6MTpa train should be commissioned in 2023, followed by the equal-capacity second and third in 2024 and 2026. Related: Oil Price Crash Leads To Sharp Contraction In Gulf Economies Graph 1. Yamal LNG Exports by Continent in 2018-2020 (million tons LNG). Source: Thomson Reuters. Buoyed by the success of Yamal LNG (primarily in Europe, as can be seen from Graph 1), Arctic LNG-2 has also pulled in a plethora of buyers, too. Apart from the equity offtakers, NOVATEK has signed preliminary sales and purchase agreements with Vitol, Repsol, Saibu Gas, Petronet and others. Despite being non-binding in their character, these SPAs make good on NOVATEKs vow to have half of its production entitlement allocated to long-term partners before Arctic LNG-2 gets commissioned. With the concurrent development on two transshipment terminals depending on whether the cargoes sail towards Europe or Asia the Arc-7 class icebreaker carriers will deliver the Arctic LNG-2 volumes to Murmansk or Kamchatka NOVATEK seems well-set for the challenges of the upcoming decade. Yet here comes the interesting part. According to Russian media reports, the Russian government will aid NOVATEKs Arctic LNG-2 exposure by granting it 36 billion rubles ($0.5 billion) in 2020-2021. This is in addition to the Kremlin shouldering 25% of the Kamchatka LNG transshipment hub ($0.3 billion out of the estimated total of $1.2 billion) and financing a minor part of the Murmansk transshipment, too. Needless to say, Arctic LNG-2 stakeholders will avail themselves of traditional sweeteners like paying no export duty and being exempted from paying the mineral extraction tax for the first 12 years of production, to the extent that almost 40% of extraction costs will be taken over by the government. This would be perhaps understandable if NOVATEK were a state-owned company but nominally it is not the only lever the state has over it is Gazproms 10-percent stake (reality is much more nuanced). Some government help might not even be considered such due to its non-obvious nature. For instance, any incoming or outcoming LNG carrier would use the Northern Sea Route, the management of which lies within the competence of Russias nuclear-energy holding Rosatom. When Rosatom dredges the Arctic LNG-2 water area and the connecting access canal, governmental assistance to the project might be imperceptible. It needs to be said that NOVATEK has seen its 2019 profits tumble into negative territory in Q1 2020, compelling the Russian firm to cut capital expenditures for this year by 20%. Against such a background and with no other concurrent LNG projects from Russias oil majors, Russian authorities see NOVATEK as the only realistic pathway to fulfilling the stipulated goal of becoming a global top 3 LNG producer. In the dark corners of NOVATEKs operations remains the tacit agreement with the Russian government that Moscow would finance the companys grand projects provided it seeks to domesticate all costs related to them. For reasons beyond obvious this could not be fulfilled with Yamal LNG, yet has become something of an issue with Arctic LNG-2 equipment the modules for 3 trains that are to be sunk offshore using concrete gravity-based structures were to be produced in Russia, yet in the end it turned out that they will be built at McDermotts Qingdao plant in China. Now the only hope for enhanced localization lies in Siemens reported promise to produce compressors for the 3rd train in Russia which might explain the somewhat lenient deadline on its commissioning. While Arctic LNG-2 has been moving according to its initial plan, partially buoyed by the fact that the Russian government considers it a strategic project (recently included in a set of federal targeted programs that would use funds from the National Welfare Fund), the next step in NOVATEKs strategy, the 5 mtpa Obskiy LNG liquefaction terminal to the south of Yamal LNG, was postponed into 2024-2025. The main reason lies in the swath of difficulties the Russian firm has been experiencing in bringing its proprietary liquefaction technology Arctic Cascade into operation. Initially the issue was with the suppliers pipelines not designed for the low temperatures in the Yamal-Gydan region, however the extent of the delays has raised some issues regarding Arctic Cascades applicability for Obsky LNG. By Viktor Katona for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: 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 a 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. Related: Exxon Is Big Oils Outlier In The Post-Pandemic World 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. Aircraft taking off from Ronald Reagan National Airport in Arlington, Virginia. (Public domain CC0 image.) 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. Related: Saudi Arabia And Kuwait Restart Production At Huge Shared Oil Field 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. NASA is working on lunar bases that can travel on wheels, or even legs, increasing landing zone safety, provide equipment redundancy and improve the odds of making key discoveries. (Image courtesy of NASA.) 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 Oilprice.com: Nimu, on the Indus banks, is surrounded by the Zanskar range at an elevation of 10,300 ft, about 186 km short of Galwan Valley. New Delhi/Srinagar: Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who made a surprise visit to Leh on Friday, said in an address to soldiers deployed on China border that the era of expansionism is over and the valour shown by Indian soldiers at Galwan Valley on June 15 had told the world about Indias strength. In a warning to China, which was trying to change the Line of Actual Control (LAC) at Pangong Tso and Galwan Valley, the PM, without naming that country, said expansionism always hurt world peace and history was witness that expansionist powers had either been defeated or had to retreat. This is the era of development. The whole world has made up its mind against expansionism, Modi said, addressing the soldiers at Nimu, a forward Army base 35 km east of Ladakhs capital Leh. He said Indias enemies had seen the courage of the Armys Leh-based 14 Corps, also known as Fire and Fury Corps. Our enemies have seen your fire and also your fury, said the PM, wearing a 14 Corps cap. Citing the Gita shloka Veer Bhogya Vasundhara (The brave shall inherit the earth), which is also the motto of the Armys Rajputana Rifles, the PM said the weak can never initiate peace, as bravery is a pre-requisite. He said India was modernising its weapons, upgrading its infrastructure and enhancing its strength in land, sea, air and space warfare. Modis assertions are seen as a strong and direct message to Beijing after the June 15 clash with troops of Chinas Peoples Liberation Army, in which 20 Indian soldiers were killed in the strategic Galwan Valley. Modi made an unannounced visit to Ladakh Friday to get first-hand information about the LAC situation. He was accompanied by Chief of Defence Staff Gen. Bipin Rawat and Army Chief Gen. M.M. Naravane. He was briefed on military preparedness by top Army brass, including Northern Command chief Lt General YK Joshi in Nimu. Nimu, on the Indus banks, is surrounded by the Zanskar range at an elevation of 3,140 metres (10,300 ft), about 186 km short of Galwan Valley. The PM interacted with personnel of the Army, Air Force and ITBP. He also met Indian soldiers injured in the clash with Chinese soldiers on June 15 at the Leh Military Hospital. We will never bow to any power of the world, Mr Modi told the injured jawans. Modi also visited the Hall of Fame Museum, which is run by Indian Army in Leh. He paid tribute to the soldiers killed in action during Galwan Valley clash. Modis Leh visit is also seen as a message to his domestic critics who criticised his alleged weak approach towards China despite reports of its unrelenting aggression at the LAC and belligerence in the Galwan Valley. It is also a huge morale booster to the armed forces that the government and the people of the country are fully backing them. Addressing soldiers at Nimu, Modi paid glowing tributes to the 20 Indian soldiers killed in the Galwan Valley, saying tales of their bravery and valour were echoing in every part of the country. Your courage is higher than the heights where you are serving today Not only me, the entire nation believes in you. We all are proud of you, he said. Ladakh is the head of the country. This is the symbol of pride for 130 crore citizens of India. This land belongs to the people who are willing to make the ultimate sacrifice, said Modi. Seeing women Army officers in the front row, the PM said: I am looking at women soldiers in front of me. In the battlefield at the border, this view is inspiring. The government earlier announced that defence minister Rajnath Singh would visit Ladakh on Friday, but this was later cancelled, and the PM instead flew to Leh. British Covid-19 patient well enough to return home The British pilot, who is the most serious Covid-19 patient in Vietnam, has recovered and is now in good enough health to be flown back to the UK according to the Ministry of Health. Vietnamese doctors hold a consultation on the health of the British Covid-19 patient in Ho Chi Minh City on July 3 The information was announced at a Friday consultation, the sixth of this kind, on the pilots condition before he is discharged from hospital. According to head of the consultation, Doctor Nguyen Gia Binh, the 43-year-old pilot, who is staying at Cho Ray Hospital in HCM City, has improved well and can now walk and communicate well with others. Doctors reported that after over 100 days of treatment, the patient now has to use only two types of medicine to regulate blood pressure. He has lost over 20 kilos and weighs 81 kilos now. Speaking at the consultation, Luong Ngoc Khue, Head of the Health Ministry's Department of Medical Examination and Treatment concluded that the patient was now in good enough health to be flown back to the UK. "The patient will have nine more days to rehabilitate and practice necessary movements so that he can travel by air to the UK on July 12," the official said. "Cho Ray Hospital will co-operate with the insurance company and the British Embassy to prepare necessary procedures for the British pilot to return home." As of Saturday morning, the country has gone 79 straight days without virus community transmission, according to the National Steering Committee for Covid-19 Prevention and Control. Of the total 355 confirmed cases so far, 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, the committee reported. A case would be registered under the Drugs and Magic Remedies (Objectionable Advertisements) Act, 1954 if the company misleads people. Mumbai: The Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government on Friday said that Coronil, a drug manufactured by yoga guru Ramdevs Patanjali Ayurved Ltd, does not cure Covid-19. If Patanjali still tries to mislead the people and create confusion, action will be taken, said Maharashtra FDA minister Rajendra Shingne, adding that a case would be registered under the Drugs and Magic Remedies (Objectionable Advertisements) Act, 1954 against the Ayurveda Company. The FDA minister visited Patanjalis outlet in Marine Lines in South Mumbai and Dadar to check if the medicines were available there. I had personally visited two outlets of Patanjali. However, I found that the medicine has not arrived yet. The MVA government, however, said that the drug can be advertised as an immunity booster in Maharashtra. Shingne noted that the Union AYUSH Ministry, too, had clarified that Patanjali can sell Coronil only as an immunity booster. He said the people were getting confused due to the name of the drug corona + nil = Coronil and asked them to note that the medicine does not cure the disease. After the launch of Patanjalis 'Coronil and Swasari', the state government, last week, said that the sale of Coronil would not be allowed in Maharashtra. Baba Ramdev claimed that it had shown 100 per cent favourable results during clinical trials on Corona infected patients. Following this, Union Ministry of AYUSH took serious cognizance of the claim of Patanjali reported and said that the facts and details of the stated scientific study were not known to the ministry. Indian Army trashes trolls who questioned the PM's visit to forward areas in Ladakh Prime Minister Narendra Modi meets soldiers who were injured in the recent Galwan Valley clash with the Chinese Army, at Leh in Ladakh. (PTI) New Delhi: The Indian Army on Saturday termed as "malicious and unsubstantiated" criticism in some quarters about a medical facility in a military hospital in Leh where prime minister Narendra Modi interacted with soldiers injured in the Galwan Valley clashes. In a statement, the Army said, "It is unfortunate that aspersions are being cast on how our brave Armed Forces are treated. The armed forces give the best possible treatment to their personnel." Prime minister Modi made an unannounced visit to Ladakh on Friday, signalling India's firmness in dealing with the border row with China in several areas of the region. Modi also interacted with the soldiers who are undergoing treatment at the hospital, and told them that their bravery will be a source of inspiration for times to come. Following release of photographs of Modi's interaction with the injured soldiers, there were comments on Twitter that the facility did not look like a hospital as there were no medicine cabinet, IV (intravenous) stand, and other medical equipment. "There have been malicious and unsubstantiated accusations in some quarters regarding the status of the facility visited by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his visit to the General Hospital at Leh on July 3," the Army said. The Army further said: "It is clarified that the said facility is part of the crisis expansion capacity of 100 beds and is very much part of the General Hospital complex." It said the COVID-19 protocol had necessitated some wards of the hospital to be converted into isolation facilities. "Hence, this hall which otherwise was normally used as a Training Audio Video Hall was converted into a ward ever since the hospital was also designated as COVID-19 treatment hospital," it said. The Army said the "injured braves have been kept there since their arrival from Galwan to ensure quarantine from COVID areas. The Chief of Army Staff General M M Naravane and the Army Commander have also visited the injured braves in the same location." 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. As the number of dead from coronavirus shot up in Brazil, the popularity of far right President Jair Bolsonaro has remained unchanged. For his supporters, the president has done nothing wrong despite more than 63,000 deaths and 1.5 million infections. Bolsonaro originally dismissed the coronavirus as a "little flu" and his opposition to lockdowns and flouting of measures aimed at stifling the spread have provoked a hail of criticism from some. Local epidemiologists and the World Health Organization have expressed concern about the president's approach in a country that is second only to the United States in terms of total cases and deaths from the virus. Yet a poll by Datafolha at the end of June found that 32 percent of Brazilians thought Bolsonaro's government was "good or very good," a number that hasn't dropped since the start of the health crisis. "People are suffering a lot financially, and when Bolsonaro says: 'We can't stop Brazil from working,' he's speaking to people's despair," said Vinicius Valle, a political science researcher. He says most of the president's supporters recognize there's a health risk -- but with Brazil set for a record recession this year, many have been deeply resistant to the lockdown. However, today the people supporting Bolsonaro are not the same as those before the pandemic, said Valle, the co-author of a study on Bolsonarism published in June. "He's lost some points amongst those that supported him since the election. The faithful make up only 22 percent," he said. On the flip side, "he's gained some amongst the lower social classes thanks to the 600 reais ($112) emergency support" given to almost 60 million Brazilians. - 'A patriotic president' - Every Sunday in Sao Paulo and the capital Brasilia, Bolsonaro supporters hit the streets draped in the nation's flag to show their appreciation. And they seem to be singing from the same song sheet as the president. If there aren't many at the demonstration, they say, it's because the media has stoked fear and discouraged people from heading out. If the economy is crashing, that's the fault of state governors. "Bolsonaro has given money to the people and the states. But the state governors have mismanaged that money, rural hospitals are falling to pieces," said Neusa, who didn't want to give her full name. "There was no need to close down anything," added the 50-something taking part in a pro-Bolsonaro protest in Sao Paulo and holding a banner calling for the state governor Joao Doria to quit. Doria was quick to impose a lockdown at the start of the crisis, but the state, by far the largest in Brazil, has been the worst affected by the pandemic. "Bolsonaro is taking wise decisions" and has "competent ministers," according to another demonstrator, Lee Freitas. Two health ministers have left the job since the pandemic began after clashing with Bolsonaro over the country's approach to the crisis. "We support this management. We're delighted to have a patriotic president who is cheered everywhere he goes," added Freitas. Bolsonaro is well known for mingling with his supporters, even during lockdown when social distancing measures were in place -- and being ignored by those very groups. - Burying empty coffins - Coronavirus is a Chinese conspiracy for some Bolsonaro supporters. "It's the result of the strategy of certain media, linked to the left and Chinese communism, to demoralize conservative governments like the Brazilian and American governments," said demonstrator Alex Silva, 46. "How do you explain that the number of COVID-19 cases didn't explode in China," he added. Several conspiracy theories are circulating on social media. "But the most negationist false information circulating in Brazil, like the one claiming local authorities have buried empty coffins to inflate the (virus death) numbers, are not necessarily pushed by Bolsonarists, which shows that few people believe in it," said Valle, who believes the president's popularity ratings will drop soon enough. "Once the emergency aid ends, Bolsonaro's popularity should reduce to the 22 percent faithful who voted for him and continue to support him." The streets of Soho filled with merry drinkers in London on Saturday and the pubs of Manchester were packed as England's hospitality sector returned from a three-month coronavirus hiatus. "It feels amazing," said Leo Richard Bill, a soldier, after getting through the door of one of London's buzziest restaurants on the Thames River's popular south bank. "Its been what, like three months since... me and everyone else havent been able to get outside and have a good time. So yeah, it feels good to get amongst it," he said. Parts of London and other cities, deserted during lockdown, sprang to life as people dressed up and came out for "Super Saturday" -- the day England's hospitality sector reopened for the first time since March. "The boys are back in town," one young man happily shouted while manoeuvring his pint through lines of crammed tables on a closed-off London street. "At some point you've to get back out there," said Nick, a 38-year-old accountant, about the lingering dangers of an illness that has officially killed more people in Britain -- 44,198 -- than anywhere else in Europe. Many of the social distancing rules drilled in by ministers at daily televised briefings appeared to go out the window in Soho, where groups of people meandered between pubs and restaurants without a facemask in sight. "English people, when we are together we have a great time," Londoner Jeff Mason said. - 'I'm no killjoy' The government is still technically limiting how many Britons from various households can meet at a time. But officials acknowledge that the latest rules are only recommendations, and no one expects the police to start issuing fines. Rishi Sunak, the finance minister, urged Britons to "eat out to help out", noting that pubs and restaurants often employed younger people entering the jobs market for the first time. "This is really about social justice," said Sunak. That message did not appear to sit very well with Health Secretary Matt Hancock, who countered: "I'm no killjoy but the virus can still kill." Britain's devolved structure means the pubs of Northern Ireland opened on Friday, while the ones in Wales and Scotland will have to wait for about 10 more days. Government guidelines also insist on "minimum contact" between staff and customers, with table service only. Drinkers are supposed to give contact details in case of an outbreak, although a group can designate a single person who can then relay any bad news to the rest. - Worth the risk? - The first nationwide closure of pubs since the Great Plague of 1665 had seen beer sales slump to the lowest level on record last month. This pent-up demand could see pub takings soar nearly 75 percent to 210 million ($262 million) this weekend, the Centre for Economics and Business Research think-tank said. Yet while some pubs reopened the moment the restrictions were lifted shortly after dawn, others decided to sit out the first weekend. In the centre of Newcastle, northeast England, where pubs are normally packed at weekends, just one in three intended to open, the local council said. "We are genuinely concerned that this could be a day of total chaos for the pub trade," the owners of the popular Tyne Bar on the city's Quayside said in a tweet. "We've decided it's not worth the risk." - Don't blow it! - Prime Minister Boris Johnson has called on the public to use common sense. "My message is, let's not blow this now, folks," he told LBC radio. Johnson's handling of the entire crisis is coming under growing scrutiny, and his approval ratings have slumped in the past month. He has been forced to defend his decision to reopen pubs on a weekend instead of a Monday, when the crowds might have been smaller and owners better able to iron out any initial kinks. The emergency services have also warned the public not to overdo it. West Yorkshire Police Federation chief Brian Booth said local accident and emergency departments were "akin to a circus full of drunken clowns" before the outbreak. "We do not need this once again," he said. The Glens Falls area recently lost a larger-than-life character and arguably its most famous drummer, and the saddened drumming students Freddy Blood taught for decades lined up to pay tribute to him. Willie Wilcox, another renown Glens Falls drummer for his work with Meat Loaf, Utopia, Bette Midler and Hall & Oates, said he essentially owes his career to Blood, who died of pneumonia on June 6 in Florida at the age of 91. For me, he was like a father figure, Wilcox said last week from his Las Vegas home, adding that he was 13 when Bloods drumming and life lessons started. I had a wonderful dad, but once I started playing drums, I ate, slept and breathed music. I found what I wanted to become and I lived my life at Freddys. Harold Clutch Reiser, another protege of Bloods from the Saratoga Springs area, said all people need to do is check out his YouTube video called Cymbal-ism to know the impact Blood had on him. It features a 10-minute solo at the Wood Theater in Glens Falls on only a hi-hat cymbal and at the end it shows a picture of Blood with his trademark captains hat on. I attributed it to my great friend and mentor Freddy Blood, Reiser said, adding that unlike Wilcox, he took lessons from him while he was in his 20s. Reiser would later go on to play nationally and internationally with his Maynard Brothers Band on billings with blues greats like Taj Mahal and Jimmy Ray Vaughan, and he still plays in a Yes tribute band called Alice Frost. Ed Bethel, co-owner of Coopers Cave Ale Co. in Glens Falls, was taught by Blood as a teen for a couple of years, then started lessons again 50 years later after rekindling with him during a performance at Wallabees Jazz Bar downtown. He and Blood became good friends and would spend hours together listening to jazz and talking about music. I just loved it, he said. His famous protege Wilcox is the drummer on Meat Loafs epic Bat Out of Hell, toured with Hall & Oates, toured for 15 years and still plays in the Todd Rundgren-led band Utopia and was on Broadway with Bette Midler. He said he was so well prepared by Blood that when he went to the Berkeley School of Music, one professor asked him to fill in on gigs in his band when he couldnt play. Wilcox spoke fondly of his flamboyant mentor who later in life referred to himself as Captain Blood, wore a captains hat and drove a Rolls Royce. He talked about how when big name acts like Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Max Roach and Gene Krupa would come through town and play locally at Maceros restaurant, Blood would sometimes introduce them to his drum students through drum clinics. Roach visited Bloods studio, and Wilcox would later in life get to play with the drumming legend he met at 13. He essentially lived in Bloods Davis Street, Glens Falls, music shop that, he said, had the most extensive collection of drums outside of New York City. Hed work in the shop in exchange for lessons, and he told a story about wanting a new drum set on Christmas and how one of his assigned tasks on Christmas Eve was to polish up a Ludwig set that was ordered for a young boy. The next day I woke up and that set was underneath the tree, he said, saying his parents had bought it for him. Little did I know I was shining my own set! Now hes endorsed by Ludwig and gets free drums. Wilcox said Blood taught drumming technique, using countless books from famous drummers, but he also taught them how to experience the live drumming feel. He built a drum platform in his studio and had a giant sound system that hed use to crank out tunes on vinyl for students to drum along to simulate a live performance. Thats how a lot of us learned to play, he said. Wilcox, who has also written hits for other artists and currently works developing music for slot machines, also spoke about conversations with Blood that he still recalls that had nothing to do with drumming. He would say, Its not enough to be a great musician, you have to be a great person. You have to pay attention to hygiene and make sure your fingernails are cut and cleaned, he said, reminiscing. He not only taught me about music but supported me in becoming a more complete adult. Believing in yourself Bloods daughter Lisa McArthur fought back tears about his passing, but clearly relished telling stories about her time with him and how she simply always loved being in his presence. She recalled her dads stories from the drum shop and how he toured the world in the 1950s with Vinnie Falcone, who would go on to become Frank Sinatras musical director. She mentioned how Mamas and the Papas frontman John Phillips was a friend and how Krupa, the legendary drummer, would stop by to see him in Glens Falls. But McArthur said she doesnt have a musical bone in her body and Blood knew it and didnt try to make her play instruments or sing. He gave other advice, she said. We wouldnt talk music because I had no talent. He didnt waste his time, she said with a chuckle. He talked about faith and loving yourself and believing in yourself. The product of a second marriage that ended in divorce when she was 5, McArthur said she got less time with her dad than many kids do, and savored every second. Whether it was going to see him play in Lake George or seeing other bands play or even listening to him talk with other musicians for hours at Triads Music Center, she just liked being by his side, right until the end. When I was young, everyone knew who he was and everybody loved him. And I loved it, she said. I loved just hanging out with him because he was so much fun. She reminisced about how she was able to convince him to let her see Jaws in the theater when she was supposed to see the The Apple Dumpling Gang, and how he got her backstage to see Todd Rundgren and Wilcox when they played Albany in the early 80s. And she eagerly told about his heart and how hed give money to a homeless man in Saratoga Springs, despite not having much money himself. The end was tough, though, made worse by COVID-19 that forced her to see him only through glass at his nursing home in Florida. When he had to go to the hospital at the end, she said she was at least able to hug and hold him. But the last eight months sucked for him, she said through tears. It was his time though. Walmart and the son he didnt have After moving to Saratoga Springs, where he taught music at Skidmore College, Blood, while in his 70s, got a job as a greeter at Walmart there, which led to an unlikely pairing with 20-something Chad Koenig. A friend of Koenigs, who also worked at Walmart, introduced the two music-loving men to each other and that created a bond that would last until Bloods passing. Koenig is a bass and guitar player and self-described old soul who loves music history. He likes to play rock music, whereas Freddy loved jazz. But, he said, they both were music sponges and just clicked. And they became like family. Koenig, also a DJ and popular trivia night host known locally as Chad from Albany from an audience stint on the TVs David Letterman show, never knew either of his grandfathers, and Freddy filled that role for him. He recalled the first time he stepped foot into Bloods Division Street home to find every room stuffed with drums or a piano, or books about drums or sheet music. He said Blood slept on an old, uncomfortable couch because there was no room for a bed. To the untrained eye, it looked like a hoarders place, he said, but Freddy knew where everything was. He also said it was that first visit to his house when Blood sat down at a kit and showed off a little with hands flying, playing Metallicas heavy metal tune, One, which blew him away. I said, Holy crap, how did you do that? He said, I actually prefer the (Metallica) song Blackened, essentially showing his young new friend that hes much more than a jazz drummer. Koenig mimicked Bloods gruff, gravelly voice, told how he had never connected with an older person like that and how he absolutely loved him. The last time I saw him and he wasnt emotional and neither am I but I made sure to tell him I loved him. Those were the last words I said to him. Wilcox also talked about his love for Blood and how he really can be credited for his illustrious drumming career. He said he learned from Blood to follow a passion and work hard, adding that hes happy to be a guy from Glens Falls who chased what he loved to do and literally lived his dream. Thats why Freddy was so successful. He was doing something he loved and it wasnt work to him, he said. And perhaps the ultimate tribute to Blood came from Bethel, who said his house now looks like Bloods former Saratoga Springs apartment he used to eagerly visit, packed with jazz records and drums, including the last set Blood played on. That guy was one hip cat, he said. I loved him and I was sorry to see him go. Love 9 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 1 Although older adults have plenty of life experiences to share, a new study suggests that the older a person is, the less likely he or she is to share memories of their past experiences. And when they do share memories, they dont describe them in as much detail as younger people do. The new findings, published in the journal Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, support previous results from lab-based research suggesting that memory sharing declines with age. Most studies on memory take place in a laboratory setting, where participants are asked to memorize lists or recall and describe specific memories from the past. However, the University of Arizona study gathered its data by eavesdropping on older adults conversations in the wild. The UArizona team wanted to know how often older adults spontaneously bring up memories in the course of their daily conversations outside of a controlled laboratory setting. This study really gives us one of the first glimpses of people sharing these memories in their day-to-day life, said senior study author Matthew Grilli, an assistant professor in the UArizona Department of Psychology. For four days, the researchers monitored the daily conversations of 102 cognitively healthy older adults, ages 65 to 90. To do this, the researchers used the EAR or electronically activated recorder a smartphone app that recorded random samples of study participants conversations. Assessing cognition on a smartphone is sort of like having a mobile neuropsychologist, Grilli said. It follows you around and collects a bunch of data on your cognition, and that might give us a better chance not only to get a more precise estimate of your learning and memory, but also to be able to track changes in cognition over time. Being able to track those changes could help researchers better understand how cognition evolves in aging adults, as well as other populations, such as those with depression or risk factors for Alzheimers disease. One of the reasons were really interested in better tracking cognitive decline is because were learning that diseases like Alzheimers are impacting cognition probably decades before obvious symptoms arise, Grilli said. The idea that we can develop tools that can track change earlier is intriguing, and it will be important to see if smartphone apps can do that. Participants kept their phones on them for the duration of the study, and the EAR captured 30-second snippets every six to 18 minutes each day. The participants didnt know at which points the recordings started or ended. The team then analyzed the audio and counted the number of times participants shared autobiographical memories or memories about their past experiences. We found that the older individuals in our study shared fewer memories, said lead study author Aubrey Wank, a UArizona graduate student in psychology. Additionally, we found that the level of detail also decreased with older age as people were describing these memories. Its important for people to recall and share memories, Grilli said. Doing so can help them connect with others. It can also guide planning and decision-making and help people find meaning in other life events and circumstances. The reason memory sharing declines with age is not entirely clear, but it may be tied to age-related changes in the brain, Grilli and Wank said. There are a number of regions in the brain that seem to play an important role in how often we think about our personal past or future, Grilli said. These brain areas tend to show change with older age, and the idea is that because of these changes, older adults might reflect less on their personal past and future when theyre talking with other people. While this study focused only on older adults, future research might consider how that population compares with a younger sample, and if the audience to whom a person is speaking impacts how often memories are shared, Wank said. Source: University of Arizona Scindia on Thursday thundered the popular Bollywood line tiger abhi zinda hai. Bhopal: A day after senior BJP leader Jyotiraditya Scindia reminded his arch rivals, Kamal Nath and Digvijay Singh, of his return to centre stage of politics in Madhya Pradesh with a tiger analogy, the latter on Friday paid him back in the same coin by taking help of similar metaphors. Scindia, who pulled down the 15-month-old Kamal Nath government by switching over to BJP from Congress three months ago to avenge his marginalization in the grand old party, on Thursday thundered the popular Bollywood line tiger abhi zinda hai, taken from Salman Khan starrer Ek Tha Tiger, to send a reminder to the two Congress veterans that he has staged a strong comeback in state politics by getting lions share in the Shivraj Singh Chouhan ministry. Former chief minister Singh, however, retorted back by recounting his past favourite sport of hunting tigers when the wildlife Act had not come into force. Late Madhavrao Scindia (Scindias father) and I used to hunt tigers when there was no ban on hunting. After Indira Gandhi brought in the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, I started capturing tigers in my camera, Singh tweeted. In another tweet, he observed that a tiger was a territorial animal and presence of more than one tiger in a forest leads to territorial fights causing death of one of them. He was apparently reminding Scindia of the latters prospective adversary in ruling BJP, chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, who had presented a similar tiger analogy after he lost power in the 2018 Assembly elections in MP. Senior Congress leader Kamal Nath also took potshots at Scindia for his remarks by portraying him as a circus tiger. Tigers are found in two contrasting environments, in jungles and in circuses. Circus tigers lack the basic instinct of aggression as displayed by their jungle peers. Similarly, there are two kinds of horses, one used as a showpiece to bridge grooms and the other used in races," Nath remarked sarcastically. In another development, Scindia on Friday said he was surrounded by cheels (eagles, falcons) who were out to attack him. He, however, added that the prey birds chose to attack him because they found something in him. Meanwhile, fissures in BJP came to fore on Friday with supporters of some senior party leaders staging demonstrations at various places for not giving their leaders berths in state ministry in Thursday's expansion. The difference between then and now, she said, was that during the budget impasse, the state still had revenues flowing in, just no legal authority to spend it. But in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the near shutdown of the states economy that it forced, Illinois now isnt seeing anything close to the revenues it will need to fund the new budget. The financial impact of the pandemic started to appear in state revenues in April and May. Before then, Mendoza noted, Illinois was in relatively good shape with a nominally balanced budget in place and revenues coming in greater than expected. The state was even making progress on paying down its backlog of past-due bills. But that all changed in April after Gov. JB Pritzker extended the tax filing deadline to July 15, which took a big bite out of revenues the state normally would have seen that month. Meanwhile, the states unemployment rate shot up to an unprecedented 17.2 percent in April as employers throughout Illinois were forced to shut down or scale back operations due to the novel coronavirus. As of Wednesday, according to the comptrollers website, the bill backlog stood at $5.4 billion. But Mendoza said that figure doesnt tell the whole story because in order to keep the state running, it borrowed roughly $2.7 billion. The guardsmen aimed a few chemical devices emitting gray smoke to the ground but never fired tear gas or any other chemical directly at protesters. The action later returned to the east side where guardsmen forced the group behind the vans. Three or four deputies standing with the guardsmen used pepper spray on protesters. This reporter was behind law enforcement when this happened but later saw at least 10 protesters struggling as they rinsed the chemicals out of their faces. Three protesters who were pepper sprayed told the Journal that they were hit at close range. One woman said she was sprayed while she was trying to move away from the guardsmen. Two men said they got caught in between the vans and that the deputies pulled off protesters' gas masks and face coverings in order to spray them up close. One of the men admitted to grabbing a guardsman's shield. Law enforcement coming from the east later made their way onto the west side of the vans and two tow trucks came to take the vehicles away around 6:15 p.m. Police then gave a warning, saying that they will begin arrests in 30 minutes. Many protesters left and officers helped those with cars turn around and leave until there were just about 15 people prepared to be arrested. Confirmed cases are climbing in 40 states, and the U.S. set another record Friday with 52,300 newly reported infections, according to the tally kept by Johns Hopkins University. For the Mount Rushmore event, GOP Gov. Kristi Noem, a Trump ally, insisted social distancing wasnt necessary and masks were optional. Trump spent little time in his Mount Rushmore address reflecting on pandemic, which has killed more than 129,000 Americans. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention cautions that mass gatherings like the one scheduled for Washington present a high risk for spread of the virus. Yet Surgeon General Jerome Adams sidestepped when asked if he would caution a loved one against attending a large gathering. He said people should wear masks and otherwise make up their own mind. Support Local Journalism Your membership makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}} Trump has been aching to see the nation return to normalcy, and has been willing to push the envelope farther than many states and big city mayors are willing to go. Officials said they would hand out 300,000 face coverings to spectators at the National Mall. Interior Department Secretary David Bernhardt said visitors would be encouraged to wear masks and keep a six-foot distance from one another. But there was no indication masks would be mandatory. A driver of a mobile application-based taxi service has been arrested. Kolkata: A woman in her mid-forties was allegedly killed inside a moving taxi and the body dumped in a canal off the Eastern Metropolitan Bypass here, police said on Saturday. A driver of a mobile application-based taxi service has been arrested and the woman's body recovered from the canal, they added. During interrogation, the accused said he knew the victim and had taken a loan from her, a police officer said. On Friday afternoon, the accused picked up the woman, who worked as a domestic help, from Mudiyali in the Tollygunge police station area in his car. Following a heated argument between the two, the woman demanded repayment of the loan amount, the officer said. "Prima facie it seems that the man killed the woman by slitting her throat. He then went around the city in the car to find a suitable place to dump the body. He found a secluded place off the EM Bypass and dumped the body in the canal," he said. The woman's husband filed a missing complaint at the Tollygunge police station on Friday evening, the officer said. A probe has been launched and the vehicle seized, he added This is the third update of coverage that precedes President Trump's visit to the Black Hills and tonight's fireworks show at Mount Rushmore. About 150 protesters gathered by mid-afternoon, in some cases having heated exchanges with people driving up to Mount Rushmore, touting messages including treaty rights, Black Lives Matter, anti-Trump, and anti-KKK. Protesters are gathered near the checkpoint at Highways 16/244 where ticket holders are screened before continuing to Mount Rushmore. Support Local Journalism Your membership makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}} Law enforcement has declared the gathering as an unlawful assembly and are telling the protesters to move on or they will be arrested. President Trump, meanwhile, boarded Air Force One at Andrews Air Force Base at around 4 p.m. for the flight to Ellsworth Air Force Base near Rapid City. Heavily armed members of the Secret Service arrived shortly after 3 p.m. at Mount Rushmore. The day's program was scheduled to start at 4 p.m., while crowds continue to arrive. According to the Department of Defense, the day's events included a flyover which rumbled across Rapid City on its way to Mount Rushmore National Memorial as well an aerial salute to several cities that played roles in the American Revolution. Meanwhile, crowds continue to gather in Keystone while buses have been taking more people from Rapid City to Keystone. You must be logged in to react. Click any reaction to login. Love 8 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 7 PORT-AU-PRINCE/HAVANA (Reuters) Berthony Clermont shares a two-room flat without running water with 10 relatives in the Haitian capitals Cite Soleil slum, so when he fell ill with the novel coronavirus, they all did. I tried staying at home at the beginning but it was difficult to isolate myself as the house is too small, said the 45-year old. Mistrustful of the dilapidated public healthcare in Haitithe poorest country in the AmericasMr. Clermont and his family treated themselves at home with herbal teas. Mr. Clermonts plight is shared by many in Haiti and, more broadly, across the Caribbean and Latin America. Home to 654 million people, it is the most unequal region in the world, according to the United Nations. As governments in Europe and some parts of Asia have managed to stem the spread of coronavirus, Latin America and the Caribbean have emerged as one of the epicenters of the pandemic. With confirmed cases globally hitting the 10 million mark on Sunday, the region accounts for around a quarter of those. From Argentina to Mexico, nearly one in five of Latin Americas urban population lives in crowded slums, like Cite de Soleil. In such poor, densely packed neighborhoodswith little or no access to running water, sanitation and health facilitiesresidents struggle to follow even the basic hygiene guidelines that experts recommend to prevent contagion with the highly infectious virus. And, given a large informal labor sector and insufficient government welfare, many people cannot afford to quarantineeven when they are ill. Sauveur Desroches, 55, said that even after he started feeling sick with the virus, he kept working for four days at a construction site in Port au Prince. But then my body just gave way and I had to stay in bed, said Mr. Desroches, receiving treatment at an emergency COVID-19 facility set up in Cite Soleil by medical charity Doctors Without Borders (MSF). Crisis of Leadership The situation is deteriorating fast. The number of cases in Latin America and the Caribbean has more than tripled from 690,000 one month ago to around 2.5 million. In Brazil and Mexico, which make up more than half the regions population, governments went against scientific opinion and downplayed the threat of the virus, continuing to hold political rallies and resisting lockdowns. While some smaller countriessuch as Costa Rica, Cuba, Uruguay and Paraguayappear to have tamed their outbreaks by reacting more swiftly and comprehensively, these two regional heavyweights are hitting record numbers of daily cases. Their epidemic curves stand to rise even more sharply as both are planning to ease quarantine restrictions on their struggling economies. Carlos del Rio, a Mexican-born infectious disease expert with Emory University, said thatgiven very low levels of testing across the regionthe most worrying aspect was not the number of confirmed cases but the levels of mortality. Latin America has just 8% of the worlds population but it currently accounts for 45% of daily deaths, he told Reuters. What has lacked in many countries is leadership and a clear strategy. Europe had a much more energetic response. In a worst-case scenario, if restrictions are relaxed further, the COVID-19 death toll could climb to 340,476 people in Brazil and 151,433 people in Mexico by October, researchers from the University of Washingtons Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) warned this week. Unreported Cases Experts say the true scale of the virus spread in the region is likely much worse than reported as many countries have failed to implement rigorous testing programs for practical or ideological reasons. In Haiti, which has a population of around 11 million, the spread has outpaced its testing capacity so much that its coronavirus task force declared that symptoms were enough to diagnose COVID-19, the illness caused by virus. Many Haitians do not want to be tested because of the stigma attached to coronavirus and their distrust of authorities. Some believe the government is lying about the virus to garner aid funds and fear negligent treatment should they be hospitalized. While official data puts confirmed cases in Cite Soleil at 73, Mr. Clermont, who also works as a local community activist, reckons a majority of its around 250,000 inhabitants has contracted the virus. So far, Haiti has confirmed just 5,722 cases nationwide. There is a certain denial, said Erneau Mondesir, a doctor at the MSF facility. People were consequently failing to take precautions and arriving at hospital too late, when they were already critically ill, he said. Haiti is reliant on initiatives by foreign aid organizations given its shambolic healthcare system. While the situation there is extreme, healthcare coverage throughout much of Latin America and the Caribbean is patchy. Many are counting instead on natural remediesoften distributed in Haiti by priests of the Afro Caribbean Voodoo religion who are also treating patients in their temples. Without traditional medicine, those who live beyond the metropolitan areas would have serious problems, said Euvonie Georges Auguste, deputy leader of Haitis Voodoo confederation. The Robert E. Lee memorials retreat from downtown Roanoke most likely begins Monday. Roanoke City Council will consider a resolution to remove the memorial to the Confederate general, which has stood since 1960 in a plaza that also bears Lees name. A majority of the councils seven members have gone on record saying that they support removing the Lee memorial. That majority includes Mayor Sherman Lea, who said last month that the city must still follow the legal process for removing the Confederate monument. We are going to move on it as fast as we legally can, Lea said Thursday. That process got much easier this week. On Wednesday, a new state law went into effect that allows localities to remove monuments to the Confederacy or other wars, as long as a public comment period is held and other procedural steps are taken. The Roanoke City Council will take up its resolution Monday, its first meeting since the new law was enacted. If the resolution passes as expected, the council will schedule a public hearing on the matter for 7 p.m. Aug. 16, which adheres to the laws mandate that a local government give 30 days public notice of its intent. But Cooper did not deserve to be destroyed by the torch-bearing mobs. She is a human being who made a horrible mistake. Id even concede that mistake is too kind a description. She committed a crime. This, however, did not make her a monster, despite the gleeful campaign of the social media mobs to twist her into that caricature. She did not deserve to have her name and private information doxxed, her livelihood stripped from her, strangers calling for her to be raped or killed, all sorts of vile things being said that will reverberate forever on the internet. If you think that this is okay, and that we can define a person by one vile act, one captured moment, one unjustified, nauseating, selfish and, yes, racist act, then please be prepared to live each moment of your own lives as if a film crew were following you around. And thats not an idle threat, or empty suggestion. People are now walking around with their iPhones and other portable recording devices, playing gotcha with philosophical enemies. Im not talking about folks filming instances of criminal activity, or even trying to document what they think is a bad arrest or brutality on the part of the police (which, more times than not, is not). And in the end, it doesnt matter much whether he is a moral monster or an utter ignoramus. Or both. What he undeniably is is a man who has spent a lifetime oozing his way out of accountability. From his bone spurs to his broken marriages to his bankrupt casinos to his fraudulent university to his crooked charity to his failed meat company to his unpaid bills to the manifold debacles of his presidency, when has Trump ever had to stand up and take the weight? No, avoiding the weight is who he is, who he always will be. by Biju Veticad A letter from the major archbishop of the Syro-Malabar Church on the feast of St. Thomas. Father Jose: To face the imminent threat of the food crisis, priests like me are invited to go with the people to cultivate the land available in the parishes. No land should be left unused." Cochin (AsiaNews) - Cardinal George Alencherry, major archbishop of the Syro-Malabar Church, is urging the priests and faithful of the Church to be simple in their lifestyle. In the letter published on the occasion of the "Feast of the Syro-Malabar Church" on July 3, the cardinal urges everyone to abandon extravagance and luxury life. Every year on the feast of St. Thomas, founder of the Syro-Malabar Church, Cardinal Alecherry sends his message to all members. This year, in the particular context of Covid 19, the cardinal invited the bishops and parish priests not to spend anything on new initiatives. Existing ones must be suspended to be in tune with people who suffer from the economic crisis. Jose Mullakariyil, professor at St. Berchman's College in Changanacherry, Kerala, commented to AsiaNews that this letter comes in light of the economic crisis that the whole nation is suffering. Cardinal Alencherry's words are exactly in line with the fact that of Pope Francis has taught the whole world to simplicity. Jose confirms that the Cardinal's invitation is to contribute to rebuild society. To face the imminent threat of the food crisis, priests like me are invited to go with the people to cultivate the land available in the parishes. No land should be left unused. " The Kerala government recently invited everyone to spend time and energy to be self-sufficient in food production. While almost all industries are weakened or in absolute crisis, many people in India are returning to agriculture. The 75-year-old cardinal continues to remind everyone that charitable activities inspired by God's love must be the hallmark of a Christian. In Kerala alone, among all the states of India, more than 100,000 migrants have returned since the beginning of May. And most of them are jobless. The cardinal invites everyone to join the Kerala government to reintegrate these expatriates in better conditions. The cardinal's letter should be read in all parishes that celebrate mass on Sunday, according to government guidelines. Small toy figures are seen in front of diplayed Airbnb logo THE HAGUE (Reuters) - Airbnb on Friday accused the city of Amsterdam of acting illegally after it banned vacation rentals in its central old town, but said it wanted to work with authorities to ensure the survival of its home sharing business in the Dutch capital. The municipality announced on Thursday that it would ban all vacation rentals in three areas that make up Amsterdam's central canal ring, a UNESCO world heritage site. In the other neighbourhoods of the Dutch capital, vacation rentals will be allowed only with a special permit, and only for up to 30 days a year, to groups of no more than four people. Airbnb Netherlands said on Friday that it was "deeply concerned the proposals are illegal and violate the basic rights of local residents". "We remain eager to work with Amsterdam to support long-term solutions on home sharing - rather than short-term fixes that are confusing and damaging for residents and small businesses", the company said. Critics have long complained that the rise of Airbnb-style tourist rentals has torn the soul out of the centre of Europe's best-loved tourist cities, from Edinburgh to Barcelona. Airbnb said 95% of its listings in Amsterdam were outside the banned zone. Amsterdam's left-wing city council has been vocal about curbing mass tourism and what it describes as the nuisance caused by tourists in the old city centre. The city says one in 15 dwellings in Amsterdam as a whole shows up on online rental platforms and the rise of such rentals has "an increasing negative influence on the quality of life" in some Amsterdam neighbourhoods. (Reporting by Stephanie van den Berg; Editing by Kevin Liffey and Emelia Sithole-Matarise) SingSaver We give you the lowdown on how fixed deposits work, and round up the best fixed deposit offers in the market right now. Imagine if you could stash away all the money you received as gifts throughout the year, forget about it for a while, [] The post Best Fixed Deposits To Lock In Your Savings In Singapore (June 2021) appeared first on SingSaver Blog - We Compare, You Save. Fears of taking public transport amid the coronavirus pandemic have led to increased demand for bicycles, and while other products are struggling due to a lack of consumption, the boom has outstripped production capacity in China. In May, China exported 4.6 million bikes, up 11.4 per cent from a year earlier, reversing a decline of 19 per cent in April, according to China customs data. Chinas production of bikes in May increased by 44.6 per cent from a year earlier to 4.25 million units, according to the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, after having increased 27.5 per cent in April. Get the latest insights and analysis from our Global Impact newsletter on the big stories originating in China. Overall, production over the first five months of 2020 dropped just 1.8 per cent, with the latest figures helping wipe out losses from the first quarter. Orders from the US have exceeded our expectation Ge Lei Orders from the US have exceeded our expectation, said Ge Lei, who owns one of Chinas largest bicycle manufacturers which is still struggling to meet demand despite currently producing nearly 300,000 bikes a month its full capacity mainly for the American market. It seems no sport is easier to maintain social distancing than riding a bike, added Ge, who had planned to relocate his factory to Cambodia because of the China-US trade war but was forced to put the plan on hold due to the coronavirus outbreak at the start of the year. Its difficult to hire workers now, and also hard to book space on container ships. Arnold Kamler, chairman and CEO of Kent International, one of the largest importers of bikes in the United States, said that demand started surging from the second week of March when his sales jumped 30 per cent from a year earlier. A lot of people were afraid to get on public transport. They cancelled the full school year. All the kids are at home with nothing to do. And for the people with good office jobs, everybody is working from home, said Kamler, who added that in the second week of May, sales almost doubled from last year. Story continues You are at home with your children, what better activity can you do than riding a bicycle where you can have fun and still keep proper social distancing. That was what caused this demand. According to market research firm NPD, April sales for bikes and other accessories in the US grew 75 per cent to US$1 billion from the same period of last year and above the average of between US$550 and US$575 million. Kamler and other US bike importers are now running low on inventories after the pandemic disrupted supplies and logistics, with many shipping firms cutting back on their routes. Last year, most bikes sold in the US were made in China and Taiwan. When goods come in, we just unload them off the containers and ship them right out. Still its not enough Arnold Kamler Normally we try to keep six to seven weeks of supplies in our warehouses, but our inventory is wiped out. This year, when goods come in, we just unload them off the containers and ship them right out. Still its not enough, Kamler added. Shipments of bikes from China to the US declined 44 per cent and 34 per cent in March and April, respectively, from a year earlier before expanding by 6 per cent in May, according to trade database Panjiva. In Europe in June, bike sales rose eightfold in Italy from a year earlier, while sales grew more than fivefold in Spain and nearly seven times in Britain, according to AliExpress, a cross-border e-commerce platform founded by Alibaba Group. Alibaba is the owner of the South China Morning Post. But since the European market has an anti-dumping duty on bikes that are made in China, many manufacturers will ship parts to be assembled in Europe as long as the cost of the parts originating from China does not surpass 60 per cent of the total cost of the bike, according to Ge. In the US, half of the bikes imported from China, including those measuring from 12 inches to 24 inches, have been excluded from punitive tariffs of 25 per cent implemented last year as part of the US-China trade war, although the exclusion will expire on August 7. Its hard to read whether they will put tariffs back on. There is no way to guess what the Trump administration will do, Kamler said. 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 China manufacturers struggling to keep up with surge in global bike demand amid coronavirus fears first appeared on South China Morning Post For the latest news from the South China Morning Post download our mobile app. Copyright 2020. One of the worlds biggest bridges opened to traffic in China on Wednesday, connecting Shanghai one of the countrys wealthiest cities with its less developed neighbour across the Yangtze River in a powerful boost for the local economy. The 15 billion yuan (US$2.1 billion) Shanghai-Suzhou-Nantong Bridge will slash travel times between the affluent city and Nantong, an industrial city of 7.2 million people in the northern part of Jiangsu province in eastern China. The bridge, which took six years and four months to build, is 11,072 metres long with a main span of 1,092 metres, making it the worlds first combined bridge with a main span of more than 1,000 metres. It is made of 480,000 tonnes of steel and its main pylon, measured at 330 metres tall, is the tallest among all combined cable-stayed bridges in the world. Get the latest insights and analysis from our Global Impact newsletter on the big stories originating in China. The road-rail cable-stayed bridge with the world's longest span opened to traffic on Wednesday. Photo: Xinhua Economists said the bridge, which has a six-lane motorway on the upper deck and four railway tracks below, will help integrate northern Jiangsu province with the delta one of Chinas fastest growing regions. The new railway line between Shanghai and Nantong will reduce travel time from two hours to just over an hour. Commuters who use the motorway can now travel between Nantong and the city of Wuxi in just 40 minutes. Chen Wen, a Nanjing-based researcher who studies development of the Yangtze River Delta, said the new bridge had landmark significance in the revitalisation of the economy in central and northern Jiangsu. It will enable these regions to better integrate with Shanghai and tap into [Shanghais] resources, she told Jiangsu TV. This bridge has closed a gap in the railway network in eastern China that has been a snag for decades because of the Yangtze River. Now, the railway network reaches all the way to Shandong and even Beijing and Tianjin in the north and to Zhejiang and Fujian provinces in the south. Story continues So this bridge will give regional integration a push and help rejuvenate the economy of the coast areas [of these provinces], she added. Zeng Gang, director of the Centre for Modern Chinese City Studies at East China Normal University in Shanghai, said rail transport was less developed in northern Jiangsu because of its relatively flat terrain and frequent flooding. Northern Jiangsu has been relatively slow in urbanisation and industrial development, and growth of the agricultural sector was unstable, he said. Unlike their wealthy neighbours in the south, such as Suzhou and Wuxi, northern Jiangsu has a reputation of being relatively underdeveloped. Zeng said the new bridge would facilitate the movement of goods and people allowing the cities to complement each other in their development drives. Shanghai is strong in capital, human talents and management expertise, while Nantong has plenty of land and is rich in ecological resources. They can complement one another. Jiangsu has been keen to invest in railway projects in recent years as more people embraced rail transport especially high-speed trains, according to Zeng. Six high-speed railway lines, at a total investment of 180 billion yuan, are currently under construction in Jiangsu, with the majority in the northern parts of the province. Besides the Nantong-Shanghai line, which opened last Wednesday, three more lines are expected to become operational this year. Liu Zhibiao, a professor of Nanjing University Business School, said Shanghai had been less keen on railways in the past because the city had focused more on its own development. Previously, Shanghai wanted to keep its manufacturing industries and didnt want them to be lured by other cities, he said. Its strategy has now changed as it strives to become four centres meaning it wants to be the leader in global business, finance, trade and shipping. The Shanghai-Suzhou-Nantong Bridge is one of the infrastructure projects undertaken by the Chinese government to give the countrys slowing economy a push. Other mammoth projects have included the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge, which cost as much as 100 billion yuan to build, and the Beijing Daxing International Airport, the worlds largest, covering an area of 1.4 million square metres and with a price tag of 80 billion yuan. Zeng said that against the backdrop of a slowing economy and the Covid-19 pandemic, Beijing was expected to continue to pump billions into infrastructure building to stimulate the economy. It also hopes that private businesses will join in the spending spree to invest in not only traditional infrastructure but also areas like the digital economy or the so-called new infrastructure. This is why the infrastructure projects were the first to restart when the pandemic began to slow [in China]. 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 China unveils massive rail and vehicle bridge in boost for northern Jiangsu economy first appeared on South China Morning Post For the latest news from the South China Morning Post download our mobile app. Copyright 2020. Representatives of 30 organisations are calling on the Hong Kong government to allow residents stranded in India by the coronavirus pandemic to undergo home isolation when they arrive in the city, rather than being sent to quarantine camps. That came as the Department of Health announced on Friday air arrivals from low-risk areas could wait for their Covid-19 test results at home or in hotels if designated waiting facilities were full, as the number of inbound travellers at Hong Kong International Airport had substantially increased recently. But it is understood the new measure would not cover returnees from India, considered by the government to be a higher-risk country. Get the latest insights and analysis from our Global Impact newsletter on the big stories originating in China. Hong Kong recorded five more Covid-19 cases, all imported, on Friday. The latest additions brought the citys tally of infections to 1,247. The five cases involved people arriving from Pakistan, India, Kazakhstan, Britain and the Philippines. Representatives of various groups met the Indian consul general on Friday. Photo: Xiaomei Chen The 30 groups, which represent around 30,000 Hong Kong residents of Indian origin, met Indian Consul General Priyanka Chauhan on Friday to discuss the situation. Chauhan said she supported all options that would meet the governments public health priorities, and at the same time enhance the overall quarantine capacity available for returnees. I hope the Hong Kong government will implement its public health policies in a fair, transparent, equitable and objective manner, she said in a statement to the Post. The government will stop using a new public housing estate in Fo Tan as a quarantine centre, which had 1,739 flats and accounted for 80 per cent of the isolation facilities, by the end of July. It is building additional quarantine facilities, with construction at Pennys Bay camp on Lantau Island expected to be completed in phases between July and September. The project will provide around 1,500 quarantine units. Story continues There is a bottleneck for any returnees from India because they are not allowed to go for home quarantine, and the government does not have the capacity, said resident Kavita Khosa, who is assisting the Indian task force on returnees. Among those at the meeting was Sohan Goenka from the Hong Kong Indian Diamond Association who asked the government to allow home quarantine for residents. There are limited quarantine facilities and if the flights continue at this speed it could take many more months to bring Hong Kong residents home, he said. The task force also held a meeting with the Department of Health and Security Bureau in June to discuss the situation. Social enterprise boss and lawyer Khosa went to India in February on a business trip, hoping to return in a few weeks. She was left stranded there after the Indian government declared a nationwide lockdown in March. The 57-year-old flew to London in May where she spent two weeks in home quarantine, before returning to Hong Kong on June 3. As of Friday, 410 Covid-19 patients in Hong Kong had a travel history to Britain, with Pakistan coming in second at 112, then the United States at 88 and India with 53. Khosa said she believed quarantine treatment should apply equally whether one arrived from the United States or India. There are families who are separated, the elderly, the sick. We have received a letter from a mother who is suicidal and in deep mental distress due to being separated from her young children for the past five months. Are we waiting for a catastrophe? she said. Khosa said they had also received letters from people who had been evicted from their homes, and had their furniture thrown out onto the street, and from people who had lost their jobs for not reporting back to work. This is a humanitarian crisis. The Hong Kong government requires people who return from Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Nepal and South Africa to be quarantined for 14 days in government centres. The Department of Health said the government had been adopting a risk-and evidence-based approach in its control measures. It said the situation in India had worsened over the past two months, with the country having the fourth highest number of cases in the world. Among 142 imported cases recorded in Hong Kong from June 6 to July 3, 41 were imported from India while only three and two cases were imported from the United Kingdom and United States respectively, the spokesman said. He added that 3 per cent of the returnees from India since June 18 had tested positive for Covid-19. The department said it would monitor the situation and review the arrangement as necessary. India had seen 648,315 Covid-19 cases with 18,655 deaths, as of Saturday.The United States, Brazil and Russia make up the top three countries with the highest number of cases. The health department said it considered India as higher risk because of its relatively low testing rate per capita. It said the rate in the last two weeks of June was about 2,000 tests per million population. This is on a low side compared with a testing rate of about 6,500 in Hong Kong, 14,000 in the UK and 23,500 in the US in the past two weeks. The Hong Kong government arranged four chartered flights for residents from India in May and June, repatriating around 850 people. In addition, four private charters were arranged with the permission of Hong Kong authorities, with three landing in the city. The Post understands there are no further flights planned as yet. The Immigration Department said it had contacted 6,100 Hong Kong residents in India and 1,690 people had returned to the city. Considering the traffic restrictions still in place across India, and having regard to the quarantine arrangement for the returnees from designated countries assessed to be of higher risk and the capacities of relevant facilities, the government will assist them in returning to Hong Kong in an orderly manner in batches subject to the actual circumstances. Civic Party lawmaker Jeremy Tam Man-ho agreed that home quarantine should be allowed. The issue could give people a wrong impression that its racial discrimination, which I hope is not the intention of the government. We certainly do not want people to feel that way, he said. Additional reporting by Elizabeth Cheung More from South China Morning Post: This article Coronavirus: Indian groups in Hong Kong call for home stays for returnees, not quarantine camps first appeared on South China Morning Post For the latest news from the South China Morning Post download our mobile app. Copyright 2020. Two Hong Kong health experts have called for tighter Covid-19 testing arrangements for airline and cruise ship crews, after a pilot who returned from overseas was confirmed as having the coronavirus. The 54-year-old cargo pilot, who had been to Kazakhstan and Turkey, was among 11 imported cases recorded on Saturday. He was exempted under the current law from coronavirus testing and quarantine but went to a private doctor after his return and tested positive for the virus. The city has been hit by a surge of imported coronavirus cases recently. The latest imported cases which also involved people arriving from Pakistan, Indonesia, Egypt and the Philippines would bring the tally of infections to 1,258. Get the latest insights and analysis from our Global Impact newsletter on the big stories originating in China. Hong Kong has now gone three weeks without local transmission of Covid-19, with zero infections recorded on Saturday. Under the Prevention and Control of Disease Ordinance, aircraft crew members who need to commute to and from foreign places to perform their duties, as well as workers on goods vessels and passenger ships are exempt from compulsory quarantine arrangements. Saliva tests are not compulsory either. Dr David Hui Shu-cheong, a government adviser on the coronavirus pandemic, said some of these exemptions should be reviewed. We should at least collect deep throat saliva samples when crews arrive in Hong Kong, he said. Hui highlighted the case of nine cruise ship crew members who arrived in Hong Kong between June 21 and 23 and then left on a container vessel on June 24, with all of them testing positive for Covid-19 when they later arrived in Ningbo in mainland China. We should tighten the current exemptions as they might pose transmission threats to the local community, he added. Dr Leung Chi-chiu, chairman of the Medical Associations advisory committee on communicable diseases, agreed that tighter controls were needed for crew members given the global pandemic situation remained severe. Story continues I understand it might be difficult to carry out tests for all crews given some of them might only stay in the city for a few days before flying off, but for those based in Hong Kong, or who will stay for seven days or longer, they should take the saliva tests, he said. Leung also said airlines should ensure there was close medical surveillance of crews returning to Hong Kong, and workers ought to remain isolated at home for two weeks after their return if possible. The last recorded local infection was on June 13 and involved a 33-year-old Hong Kong man who lived in Luk Chuen House, a public housing block at the centre of a coronavirus cluster in Sha Tins Lek Yuen Estate. Although a 46-year-old Hongkonger was found to be infected with Covid-19 on Wednesday after her husband and son were confirmed positive the previous day after returning from the United States about two weeks earlier the case was not classed as local transmission. The patient possibly acquired the infection from her husband and son through home contact. The case is classified as epidemiologically linked with imported cases, the Centre for Health Protection said. Given the latest situation, the Department of Health announced on Friday that air arrivals from low-risk areas could wait for their Covid-19 test results at home or in hotels if designated waiting facilities were full, as the number of inbound travellers at the Hong Kong International Airport had substantially increased recently. It was understood the new measure would not cover returnees from India, considered by the government to be a higher-risk country. Representatives of 30 Indian groups have called on the government to allow residents stranded in India to undergo home isolation rather than being sent to quarantine camps when they arrive. Separately, a 59-year-old man tested preliminary positive for Covid-19 on Saturday night, after having a fever for days, according to a source. He was sent to Yan Chai Hospital for treatment. It was not clear if he had links to other cases. This article Coronavirus: pilots positive test sparks calls for review of Hong Kong exemptions for aircraft and ship crews first appeared on South China Morning Post For the latest news from the South China Morning Post download our mobile app. Copyright 2020. Judged in absentia after Riyadh's refusal to extradite them, they include two close collaborators of the Saudi crown prince, who denies all involvement in the journalists murder. Turkish investigators: Eliminated for criticizing the al-Saud regime. United Nations labels Saudi process a sham trial. Istanbul (AsiaNews / Agencies) - The trial for the brutal assassination of the Saudi journalist and activist Jamal Khashoggi opened yesterday. Twenty Saudi citizens are charged but are all being tried in absentia after Riyadh refused to extradite them to Turkey. They include two close associates of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (also known as MBS), who denies all involvement. On October 2, 2018, a Saudi death squad murdered Khashoggi inside the Riyadh consulate in Istanbul; his body was cut up into pieces, and the remains never found. The consular authorities had lured him to the building with the excuse of his having to fill out forms for his marriage to Hatice Cengiz, a Turkish citizen. Investigators, like most observers, claim that the Washington Post columnist was eliminated for his repeated criticisms of the al-Saud regime, particularly MBS, believed to be the country's true leader. Ahmed al-Assiri, a former deputy head of Saudi intelligence, is considered the material organizer of the assassination. A former Turkish consulate employee told the judges that on the day of Khashoggi's disappearance, he had been summoned to the consul's residence to turn on the barbecue oven. Returning to the building a few days later, Zekir Demir had found the marble around the grill had been cleaned with bleach. Riyadh has always denied all knowledge of the murder. Last year, the Saudi authorities sentenced eight people - never identified - for the incident; five of them were executed, the other three are in prison. The United Nations called it a sham trial. According to Agnes Callamard, UN rapporteur for extrajudicial killings, Khashoggi was the victim of a deliberate and premeditated execution for which the Saudi government is responsible. The next hearing in the Turkish trial will take place on 24 November. Given the lack of collaboration of the Saudis, for analysts this is a more political than judicial operation, to be included in the framework of the regional competition between Ankara and Riyadh. Filipino lawyer says he's been framed over Wirecard's missing billions The headquarters of Wirecard AG is seen in Aschheim near Munich By Karen Lema and Joe Brock MANILA/SINGAPORE (Reuters) - A Filipino lawyer embroiled in a multi-billion dollar fraud at Wirecard , Mark Tolentino, told Reuters that he was surprised to be linked to the German payments firm and that he was the "victim of a frame-up". Wirecard went bankrupt earlier this week after disclosing that $2.1 billion of cash supposed to be in bank accounts in the Philippines probably didn't exist. The revelation led to the arrest of its former chief executive and has triggered probes in Germany, Brussels and the Philippines as investigators try to determine what happened. In a phone interview with Reuters, Tolentino said he opened six bank accounts for a Singapore-based firm but did not know until the scandal broke that they were for Wirecard. He said the accounts never had more than a few hundred euros in them. "It seemed that all fingers were pointing to me to be the thief and manipulator of the missing money," he said. "I want to clear my name." "I am a victim of identity theft and fake news and frame up," Tolentino added. He declined to provide documents or other evidence to show how he had been duped. Tolentino, 39, has not been charged with any crime. Philippines Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra told Reuters that Tolentino would be questioned on Monday as part of its investigation. "He's the first to be invited to shed light on the matter," Guevarra said. The Philippine government has not said what its probe will focus on. Wirecard declined to comment. Tolentino said he opened six euro bank accounts in the name of his law firm, MKT Law, at the Bank of the Philippines Islands (BPI) and Banco de Oro Unibank (BDO) on behalf of Citadelle Corporate. Singapore company records show Citadelle Corporate is a business administration company based in Singapore. A Citadelle employee declined to comment by phone and an email address on the company's website was not active. Story continues BPI and BDO both say Wirecard was not a client of theirs and that documents purporting to show Wirecard had deposited funds with them were false. BPI said it had terminated one of its assistant managers for signing a false certificate of deposit while BDO said it had terminated a marketing officer for fabricating a bank certificate. Tolentino spent ten months in President Rodrigo Dutertes administration as an assistant secretary at the transport ministry before being sacked in 2018 for discussing a government project with the president's sister. In a statement from May 2018, the transport ministry said it, "welcomes and strongly supports the decision of the President to terminate the services of Mr. Tolentino as Assistant Secretary for Railways due to questionable dealings and unfairly involving the first family with matters regarding the Mindanao Railway Project. Tolentino said he did not discuss a government project with the president's sister and his dismissal was political. Since leaving government, he has returned to legal practice and also teaches business law at a local university. He described himself as an experienced litigation and trial attorney on his Facebook page. (Additional reporting by John Geddie and Neil Jerome Morales. Editing by Carmel Crimmins) H&M logo is seen on a shop in Riga By Anna Ringstrom and Niklas Pollard STOCKHOLM (Reuters) - H&M , the world's second-biggest fashion retailer, swung into a steep loss in its March-May quarter and said its recovery outlook was uncertain, although trade had resumed faster than feared as pandemic lockdowns ease and stores reopen. The biggest player Inditex , the owner of Zara, made its first loss in February-April. H&M's loss was the first in decades and possibly the first ever, a spokesman said. The Swedish group reported a pretax loss of 6.5 billion crowns (559.4 million), slightly below market expectations, against a year-ago 5.9 billion profit. Its shares slipped 2%, taking a year-to-date fall to 25%. H&M, which warned in April of the loss, gave no third-quarter earnings guidance. "It's incredibly uncertain how economies open up," CEO Helena Helmersson told Reuters. "With that, it's tremendously difficult to say how results will be. What's encouraging now is that the sales recovery is picking up in June." Helmersson said it was particularly hard to predict developments in the United States, H&M's biggest market after Germany. June sales fell a better-than-expected 25%, against a 50% second-quarter dive. H&M, however, warned of more price cuts in the third quarter to shift unsold spring and summer wear, after markdowns squeezed second-quarter margins. Helmersson said some, less seasonal surplus garments could probably be sold during autumn. On orders to suppliers for autumn ranges, she said flexibility was essential. "We will need to be careful not to buy too much a long time in advance. We need to wait as long as we can with purchases - to take the decisions as near the sales moment as possible," she said. H&M, which has been battling a years-long rise in inventories, slightly reduced stocks in the second quarter. It should also make savings with a decision to open fewer new stores this year than previously planned, and permanently close more. Of more than 5,000 stores worldwide, 7% remained temporarily shut against around 80% at the height of lockdowns. (Reporting by Anna Ringstrom and Niklas Pollard; editing by Barbara Lewis) Iranian rial currency notes are seen at a market in the holy Shi'ite city of Najaf DUBAI (Reuters) - Iranian Central Bank governor Abdolnaser Hemmati said he would defend Iran's ailing currency against speculation without injecting hard cash into the market, after the currency fell to historic lows this week. The rial currency sank to its lowest-ever level on Tuesday before recovering slightly, days after the U.N. nuclear watchdog increased diplomatic pressure on Iran by urging Tehran to stop denying it access to two suspected former nuclear sites. "For periods when we are experiencing short-term shocks in the economy, no committed and informed central bank would 'spray' its resources onto the market," Hemmati said in an Instagram posting late on Friday. Iranian officials say they have largely abandoned a policy of injecting large amounts of hard currency to support the rial since 2018, when it lost about 75 percent of its value after the United States withdrew from a landmark 2015 nuclear deal and re-imposed sanctions. "The central bank will certainly deal with speculative fluctuations, and the trend of the past three days has shown that strong market management will prevent instability and turmoil," Hemmati added, without elaborating. The rial has gained slightly against the U.S. dollar, trading on the unofficial market at around 192,000 per dollar on Friday, after falling to a historic low of 205,000 on Tuesday, according to foreign exchange websites including Bonbast.com. The official exchange rate is 42,000 rials per dollar and is used mostly for imports of state subsidised food and medicine. (Reporting by Dubai newsroom; Editing by Will Dunham) Safiyya Shaikh, left, had plotted to bomb St Paul's Cathedral, right, the Old Bailey was told. (Met Police/Isabel Infantes / EMPICS Entertainment) An Isis supporter who planned to destroy St Pauls Cathedral and kill herself and as many other people as possible has been sentenced to life with a minimum of 14 years in prison. Safiyya Amira Shaikh, a 37-year-old mother and Muslim convert from Hayes, west London, wanted to blow the landmark to the ground and hated the UK, the Old Bailey heard. Police said she wanted to leave a bomb at the cathedral and then detonate a suicide vest on the Tube. She had scoped out the building in support of the plot, which she had considered carrying out during Easter, but was foiled after revealing it to an undercover police officer on a messaging app. Shaikh, who was formerly known as Michelle Ramsden, admitted preparation of terrorist acts and dissemination of terrorist publications in February. Safiyya Amira Shaikh, 37, of Hayes, West London, appeared at the Old Bailey. (Elizabeth Cook/PA Images) She had told police she had doubts about the plot, and her defence said she would not have gone ahead with it, but in a phone call extract produced by the prosecution on Thursday she told an acquaintance she was going to go through with the plan. Mr Justice Sweeney, sentencing, said: I had already reached the sure conclusion in the original evidence that your claim of doubt to the police and others was a lie. Your intention had been and remained throughout strong. Shaikh, wearing a black hijab, showed little emotion at her sentence and smiled and raised her index finger recognised as an Isis salute as she was led from court. During the sentencing hearing, Alison Morgan QC said Shaikh was fully committed to violent extremism and stated that her intention was to kill herself and as many other people as possible. Screengrab from a video issued by the Metropolitan Police of Safiyya Shaikh scoping out St Paul's. (PA Images/Met Police) Shaikh had converted to Islam in 2007 after she was impressed by a local Muslim familys kindness but became disillusioned by what she considered to be mosques moderate Islam. She was willing to boast about extremist propaganda she had posted online which encouraged people to wage violence for Isis, Morgan said, and was referred to the governments Prevent anti-terror strategy in 2016. Story continues Shaikh began chatting with a man, unaware he was an undercover officer, on an encrypted messaging app in August and believed he could source a bomb for her. She said she desired martyrdom and identified St Pauls as a potential target for an attack, asking the officer if it was possible. The court heard Shaikh went to attend morning prayers at the cathedral in September 2019, staying there for about an hour. She found she got little attention from security during her visit and told the officer she believed it would be easy to carry out an attack. The court heard she wrote online: I would like bomb and shoot til death. But if that not possible I do other way. Belt or anything. I just want a lot to die. InshaAllah. 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. Is this possible.. And to get weapons. If I had choice I blow the church to ground. With kuffar in it. Shaikh has previous convictions for burglary and possessing heroin and had a history of depression, and she later told another undercover officer that she wanted Allah to forgive her, the court heard. Safiyya Amira Shaikh admitted the preparation of terrorist acts and dissemination of terrorist publications. (Metropolitan Police via AP) A pink backpack which Shaikh gave to an undercover officer to be converted into a bomb. (PA Images/Met Police) I want forgiveness for everything in my life that Ive done you know, she said. After she cancelled a meeting with an undercover officer at late notice, police raided her home in October. She said in an interview that she had doubts about the plot and added: I hated the UK I felt a lot of hate and anger I had hate for the police. Shaikh said she did not want to disappoint her two friends she conspired with about the attack. She was said to be distressed when, following her arrest, she was told they were actually officers. A text message sent by Safiyaa Shaikh to an undercover officer about her intentions to bomb St Paul's Cathedral. (PA Images/Met Police) Defence counsel Ben Newton said Shaikh led a life of pain and loneliness, suffered a truly traumatic childhood and made an effort to try and please people. She had travelled to Pakistan to marry against her will but cancelled it and was sent back to the UK in disgrace, Newton said. He added: She didnt want to blow up a church of people, she just wanted friends. There were clear indicators Safiyya Shaikh had cold feet and wouldnt go through with it, Newton told the court. Safiyya Shaikh seen on her way to a meeting with an undercover officer. (PA Images/Met Police) This particular terrorist act would never have actually happened, he said, adding there was no bomb, and there never would be. However, on Thursday, Morgan presented an extract of a phone call made by Shaikh from HMP Bronzefield last week, which the prosecutor said showed she wasnt having doubts. In the excerpt, read to court, Shaikh told an acquaintance I just feel like this is a lie and my solicitor, they advised me to do this. She said: I was going to go through with it, I wasnt getting cold feet, I wasnt having doubts. Shaikh pictured during her police interview. (PA Images/Met Police) Commander Richard Smith, head of the Metropolitan Polices Counter Terrorism Command, said: She loved watching graphic videos of terrorist killings and her mission was to inspire others to fight, even after she hoped to have died in a suicide attack. She was so serious about her propaganda work, she wanted to ensure it would continue even after she had died. Shaikh was clearly dangerous. She was spreading vile directives for mass murder across the world and also planning her own horrific terrorist attack on UK soil. Deepak Ohri, Chief Medical Officer (CMO) of Gautam Buddh Nagar, on Saturday tested positive for the coronavirus infection. He has been admitted to an isolation ward, according to a statement from the Gautam Budh Nagar administration. Ohri had developed influenza-like illness after which he was tested for COVID-19 and resulted in positive, Gautam Buddh Nagar officials said. "He has been admitted to an isolation ward for treatment. His condition is stable," District Surveillance Officer Sunil Dohare said. In his absence, senior doctor Nepal Singh will officiate as the chief medical officer, the officer said, adding the CMO's office has been sanitised as per protocols for COVID-19. Meanwhile,Gautam Buddh Nagar on Saturday recorded five more deaths due to COVID-19, while 83 more people,including the chief medical officer, were found positive for the infection in the district, official data showed. The death toll due to the novel coronavirus has now reached 28, while the tally of positive cases rose to 2,646, the highest for any district in the state, according to the data released by UP Health Department. The number of active cases came down to 972 from 1,005 on Friday, as 105 more patients were discharged after treatment, the data showed. So far, 1,646 patients have got discharged from hospitals in the district, it showed. The recovery rate improved to 62.20 per cent from 59.98 per cent on Friday. It was 61.60 per cent on Thursday, 64.47 per cent on Wednesday, 65.36 per cent on Tuesday and 64.76 per cent on Monday, according to official statistics. The mortality rate of positive patients grew to 1.05 per cent from 0.89 per cent on Friday, according to the statistics. On the other hand, 3,328 tests were carried out for COVID-19 across Gautam Buddh Nagar on Saturday, according to official data. Of the total tests, 20 were TrueNat, 1,512 were RTPCR and 1,796 were antigen-based testings, the data stated, adding that 1,488 surveillance teams were deployed for door-to-door screening in the district. Story continues Gautam Buddh Nagar currently has the second highest active cases of COVID-19 after adjoining Ghaziabad district (1,118) in the state. They are followed by Lucknow (490), Kanpur Nagar (328), Meerut (283), Varanasi (231), Aligarh (210), Bulandshahr (167) and Mathura (153), the data stated. From Friday to Saturday, 772 new COVID-19 cases were reported across districts in the state, while 560 patients got discharged from hospitals and 24 deaths were recorded during the 24-hour period, it showed. As of Saturday, there are 7,627 active COVID-19 cases in UP, while 18,154 patients have got discharged from hospitals and 773 deaths have been recorded so far, it added. There are 2,35,433 active cases across the country, while 18,655 deaths have been recorded and 3,94,227 patients have got discharged, according to a central government data updated till Saturday. SDP chief Chee Soon Juan, Peoples Voice Lim Tean and TheOnlineCitizen. (PHOTOS: Yahoo News Singapore , The Online Citizen Asia / Facebook) UPDATE: This story has been updated to say the SDP is complying but will be applying to cancel the correction order. SINGAPORE The POFMA Office has issued correction orders to the Facebook pages of the Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) and Peoples Voice (PV) for a false statement that the CEO of the Housing & Development Board had suggested Singapores population will increase to 10 million by 2030. The orders, on the instruction by the Alternate Authority for the Minister for National Development, were also issued to The Online Citizen Asia with respect to an article on its website and Facebook page, as well as the Facebook page of Sin Rak Sin Party. This is with regard to false statements of fact claiming that a statement made by Dr Cheong Koon Hean at the IPS-Nathan Lectures in 2018 suggested that our population would increase to 10 million by 2030. Dr Cheong made no statement suggesting that our population would increase to 10 million by 2030, said the POFMA (Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act) Office. The POFMA office said that the government has clarified on multiple occasions that Singapores total population is likely to be significantly below 6.9 million by 2030. In addition, the POFMA office issued a Targeted Correction Direction to Facebook to apply a correction notice on posts on its platform with a picture carrying the same falsehoods. This direction is issued to an internet intermediary, whose service was used to communicate a falsehood that affects public interest, and requires it to communicate a correction notice to its users in Singapore who can access the falsehood. Singapores population growth has been a subject of heated discussions by several political parties ahead of the upcoming General Election. During a televised debate on Wednesday, Minister for Foreign Affairs Vivian Balakrishnan and the representative for the ruling Peoples Action Party rebuked SDP chief Chee Soon Juan for his false statement that the government plans to increase the countrys population to 10 million. Story continues Dr Chee cited an article in the Straits Times which he claimed that Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Heng Swee Keat had stated the figure at a forum. The Prime Ministers Office issued a media release to say the government has not proposed, planned nor targeted for Singapore to increase its population to 10 million. Heng later addressed the same points in the PMO statement and said, As the Straits Times clarified this morning, I did not say that Singapore should plan to increase its population to 10 million people, nor did I mention the figure. The Workers Party chief Pritam Singh also spoke about the issue on Friday when he was asked by reporters about the exchange between Dr Balakrishnan and Dr Chee during a walkabout in Punggol. The WP candidate for Aljunied GRC in the GE questioned why the government had not clarified its position earlier. The SDP said on Sunday that it has to comply with the POFMA direction but will be applying to cancel the correction order. Yahoo News Singapore has reached out to the PV and Facebook for comment. Stay in the know on-the-go: Join Yahoo Singapore's Telegram channel at t.me/YahooSingapore Follow Yahoo News Singapores GE2020 coverage here. Related stories: GE2020: Dont settle for PAP-lite WP, the real thing is much better, PM Lee tells Sengkang voters GE2020: Promises made by PAP during GE2015 were simply forgotten PSP Francis Yuen Overheard during GE2020: Memorable quotes by party members, candidates GE2020: SDP, RP and SPP candidates pledge to become full-time MPs GE2020: Chan Chun Sing's comment on non-PAP coalition govt fear mongering opposition parties GE2020: Pritam Singh dismisses PAP's 'fearmongering' of alternative government GE2020: PAP candidates will return as grassroots advisers even if they lose, says WP's Marine Parade team leader Porsche is finally ready to offer a rear-wheel drive Taycan, but you probably cant buy it at least, not yet. As Autoblog reports, the company has unveiled a China-only version of the electric car that removes the front motor in favor of a RWD system that puts out 402HP with a 79.2kWh Performance Battery, or 469HP with the 93.4kW Performance Battery Plus. It wouldnt be as useful in adverse weather, but it costs about 20 percent less than the all-wheel drive Taycan 4S, theoretically putting US pricing around $85,000. The motor change theoretically helps with range. The 79.2kWh battery delivers an estimated range of 257 miles on the old NEDC testing cycle (versus 252 for the Taycan 4S), while the 93.4kWh pack boosts that claimed range to 304 miles. Wed expect lower ranges using the stricter WLTP or EPA tests, although Autoblog and others have said that Porsches figures can be conservative. The automaker didnt explain why the car was China-only upon announcement, although research chief Dr. Michael Steiner previously said the RWD model was for regions where the weather didnt necessitate AWD. Take heart, though, as Porsche said this version was still in consideration for the USA. It wouldnt be surprising to see the base Taycan reach the US and other countries. The machine could help Porsche better compete against EV brands like Tesla, whose Model S Performance starts at nearly $89,500. It might also be important in light of grim car markets during the pandemic. While EVs have faired relatively well in the current economic climate, pricing is clearly more of a concern than usual. Serpentine sprang a huge surprise to give trainer Aidan O'Brien a record eighth Epsom Derby on Saturday in front of deserted stands due to the coronavirus pandemic. Although trainers are permitted on course 50-year-old O'Brien was not there to experience history in the making and watched from the stables in Ireland. Serpentine led from start to finish to give Emmet McNamara his first win in the race at 25/1 leaving the better fancied horses toiling in his wake. O'Brien was typically humble about his achievement -- he had earlier won the Oaks with Love. "The big races it is incredibly satisfying when they do win," said O'Brien via Zoom. "They are so difficult to make them happen. "It is such a long road from the breeding process to the present time. "Everyone is so important and you never really expect anything. "You do your best and when it happens you accept the result." O'Brien said Serpentine's performance did not surprise him like it did those who had been able to watch on course -- a stunned silence greeted the winner as he passed the winning post. "I was always convinced of his ability and that he would stay and young Emmett gave him a cracking ride," said O'Brien, who could round off a memorable weekend even by his lofty standards with the French Derby/Oaks double on Sunday. McNamara had to pinch himself after passing the post especially as it was his first win since last October. "Surreal empty stands and I did not hear a sound from behind me all race," said the 30-year-old McNamara. "All I heard was the horse breathing. "I think I am about to wake up from doing a piece of work on the gallops! "I got a little bit of a freebie. "Aidan said go your own tempo give him a breather and then keep going. "He was right." - 'Roared the house down!' - McNamara, who comes from a racing family, had finished second in the Irish Derby last weekend but was more than delighted with the 'consolation' prize. "I had been saving myself," he joked about his win drought. As for his having to go into quarantine for 14 days when he returns to Ireland McNamara was not too concerned. "They can make it 14 weeks I won't notice! "I am not sure I would be able to do so at the family home as my father has probably roared the house down!" Two outsiders filled the other placings with 50/1 shot Khalifa Sat second and another of O'Brien's six runners Amhran Na Bfiann was third at 66/1. Khalifa Sat's jockey Tom Marquand could have been forgiven for giving a cheeky wink at second favourite English King's trainer Ed Walker. The 22-year-old had been replaced on him by the legendary Frankie Dettori because of the latter's greater experience. In the end English King was left floundering finishing fifth one place behind favourite Kameko. O'Brien's first choice jockey Ryan Moore finished sixth on his selection Mogul. It continued Moore's jinx since he took over as number one jockey in 2015 as this was the third Derby he had chosen the wrong horse finishing behind Wings of Eagles and Anthony Van Dyck. Putin Mocks Rainbow PRIDE Flag At US Embassy in Moscow, Signs New Anti-Gay Amendment Into Law Last week we reported on how the United States Embassy in Moscow defied Donald Trump by hanging a rainbow LGBT PRIDE flag on its building after Trump ordered embassies around the world not to do so. On Friday Russian President Vladimir Putin mocked the flag, suggesting it reflected on the orientation of the diplomats. Via reporter.am: During a televised video conference, a lawmaker told Putin that the US embassy had hung a rainbow flag on its facade for the first time to celebrate Pride month in June. Who works in this building? Putin asked the speaker, Senator Alexei Pushkov, to be told Americans. Let them celebrate. Theyve shown a certain something about the people who work there, he added with a smile. Members associated with Sorok Sorokov, a conventional Orthodox Christian group, videoed themselves wiping their feet and walking over a rainbow flag in front in the embassy building in protest. Putin also on Friday signed amendments to the constitution backed by way of a national vote that include a clause on marriage being between a man and a woman, aimed at preventing legalisation of gay unions. Shortly after Putin claimed that Russia does not discriminate against people on the basis of sexual orientation. He said a law he signed in 2013 to a storm of international condemnation was aimed only to prevent the foisting of LGBT information to children. The law has since been used as a pretext to ban gay pride events and jail LGBT activists in Russia. As far as pandemic-proof businesses go, a startup for barbershops isnt exactly the first thing that comes to mind -- unless you raised millions just days before barbershops were shut down across the country. Dave Salvant and Songe LaRon, co-founders of New York-based Squire, a back-end barbershop management tool for independent businesses they launched in 2016, raised a $34 million Series B led by CRV in early March (after raising $8 million in a Series A round led by Trinity Ventures in 2018). Days later, everything went to zero, LaRon recalls of their customer base: All barbershops closed. The cash quickly went from an opportunistic raise to needed capital. Squire waived all subscription fees, created a site for information called www.helpbarbershops.com and launched a way for patrons to buy online gift cards for their favorite shops. One barbershop sold more than $30,000 in just a few days. After weathering a hard few months, Squire is now enjoying high demand from barbershops preparing to reopen. The company provides cashless payment, a way to make appointments and is experimenting with a virtual waiting room, all features that barbershops post-pandemic are considering. It is currently live in 45 cities. During shelter-in-place, some of us have been forced to cut our own hair, as shown by virtual haircuts done over Zoom and even a VC-hosted haircut workshop. But a DIY session won't replace the intimacy of a barbershop. Barbershops have long served as gathering places for Black and African American communities as a place to chat, be vulnerable and complain. In recent years, the culture has moved more into mainstream conversation. Today, there is an entire talk show series, produced by LeBron James, where guests chat while getting a cut. In Atlanta, theres a singular Atlanta barbershop that serves as an informal gathering ground for the citys top politicians. "We learned it resonated with men from all walks of life, all races and ethnicities and was really kind of a universal experience. So we saw an opportunity for a tech company," LaRon said. Story continues Salvant and LaRon thought of barbershops as places of comfort long before they saw them as a place of business. Barbers are part-time therapists for guys, LaRon said in an interview with TechCrunch. Salvant and LaRon, friends and then-students at Columbia who were living in Harlem, saw barbershops grow in cultural relevance while the technology behind them remained largely untouched. Long wait times, cash-only and scheduling woes continued to be problems that they themselves faced every time they got their hair cut. Squire lets businesses schedule appointments, offer loyalty programs and install contactless and cashless payment. The team claims that barbershop operations are more complex than many other types of small businesses because there are multiple parties transacting, plus customers might check out different services from different barbers all within one service. Thats where Squire comes in -- to be a point of sale to manage those confusing transactions. Image Credits: Squire We don't want to replace that relationship a guy had with the barber, said Salvant. We just wanted to take away all the annoying things about it. Squire makes money by charging a monthly fee based on size and needs of the barbershop, ranging from $30 to $250 per month. A threat to Squires success are small and medium business payment infrastructure companies like Square. The co-founders were confident, noting that Squire is the only venture-backed business that exclusively tailors itself to barbershops, and thus will be the best solution for those businesses. Los Angeles-based Boulevard raised money in November for its salon and spa management software. But Squire thinks barbershop subculture is niche enough that salon technology doesn't do the job. Barbers want to partner with businesses that are as passionate as they are. They dont look at it as a job, they look at it as a life calling, LaRon said. The high bar is precisely why a healthy chunk of Squires early days were defined by LaRon and Salvant sitting in barbershop chairs and asking a lot of questions. In fact, Salvant says he got his hair cut by nearly 600 different barbers. Songe LaRon and Dave Salvant, the co-founders of Squire. Image Credits: Squire Part of them trusting you and you trust them happens if you sit down and get a haircut, Salvant said. By and large, the feedback the co-founder got from barbers was that they needed a solution for the entire shop, as opposed to Squires original product aimed at a customer or individual barber. It gave them the faith to go for a vertical solution versus assuming a horizontal solution such as Square would do the job. Reid Christian, an investor at Charles River Ventures (CRV) who was part of the Series B, said that he knew Squire would be a success when he experienced the product at Rust Belt Barbering in Buffalo, New York. Christian compared Squire to a Venmo-like experience with transactions. He estimates billions of dollars in mens grooming spend. When shops broadly reopen, Squire is in a good, timely spot to be adopted by the masses. For the co-founders, the incoming wave of interest was affirmed a long time ago. Last year, the duo attended the Connecticut Barber Expo. It was an aha moment, as they witnessed over 15,000 make the pilgrimage over to Connecticut to learn about the industry. Most people dont know about it, most people wouldnt believe it until they saw it, Salvant said. It serves as a reminder how powerful it is. The United States marked an unusually somber Independence Day on Saturday, with President Donald Trump bashing domestic opponents and China -- but praising the country's coronavirus response, despite a record surge in cases. Across the country, virus fears dampened or nixed Main Street parades, backyard barbecues and family reunions on a day when Americans typically celebrate their 1776 declaration of independence from Britain. Instead of adopting a unifying tone, Trump -- facing a tough re-election and eager to mobilize his political base -- railed against protesters demanding racial justice after unarmed African American George Floyd was killed by a white police officer. "We are now in the process of defeating the radical left, the Marxists, the anarchists, the agitators, the looters," Trump said. Anti-racism protesters who have marched in cities across America are "not interested in justice or healing. Their goal is demolition," he said. Speaking from the White House lawn, Trump addressed a crowd that included frontline health workers battling COVID-19, which has killed nearly 130,000 Americans. He accused China -- where the outbreak originated -- of a cover-up that allowed the illness to race across the globe, but hailed American "scientific brilliance." "We'll likely have a therapeutic and or vaccine solution long before the end of the year," he said. Some of the US leader's sharpest words were for the media, which he accused of a campaign to smear opponents as racists. "The more you lie, the more you slander, the more you try to demean and divide, the more we will work hard to tell the truth and we will win," Trump said, with four months to go until the election. - Summer bubble - Trump's divisive address came as popular beaches on both coasts -- normally packed on July 4th -- were closed as California and Florida suffer alarming surges in COVID-19 infections. Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti warned citizens to "assume everyone around you is infectious." Florida on Saturday marked a new daily high in confirmed virus cases at 11,458 -- far more than any other state. Miami Beach imposed a curfew and made mask-wearing mandatory in public, yet some Florida beaches remained open. The beach at New York's Coney Island was also open and crowded, with few wearing masks. Mark Ruiz came with his wife and two children, despite being "definitely worried" about the virus. "I just can't stay home on the Fourth of July, I got to take my kids out," he told AFP. "We can't be in a bubble all summer." Coney Island also hosted a special socially distanced version of the annual Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest -- won for the 13th year in a row by Joey Chestnut, who set a new world record downing 75 hot dogs in 10 minutes. Health officials have been bracing for a new spike in virus cases after this weekend, which they see as a potential tipping point for more infections. The US virus death toll is fast approaching 130,000, roughly one-quarter the world's total. - Fireworks canceled - Fireworks displays are typically a high point of the holiday, but an estimated 80 percent of the events have been canceled this year. Washington was hosting a fireworks show on the National Mall, and some said they were compelled to come at a moment when the US is both grappling with the virus and undergoing a historic reckoning on racism. "It's time for us to stop bragging that we are super special, that the world should follow, we need to look inside to see what's wrong with us. We never honestly asked ourselves about race in this country," 54-year-old Mary Byrne told AFP. Trump's challenger in November, Democrat Joe Biden, struck a sharply different tone on Saturday, tweeting: "Our nation was founded on a simple idea: We're all created equal. We've never lived up to it -- but we've never stopped trying. This Independence Day, let's not just celebrate those words, let's commit to finally fulfill them." Protests have continued in many US cities since Floyd's killing, and more than a score took place Saturday in Washington. A large waterspout formed next to a fish port off the coast of the Philippines on June 30. Razel Mae Gohilde who lives near the sea said she was amazed upon seeing it from her home in Masbate City. She said: "It was my first time to see that thing, It looks scary but the village officers told us there is nothing to worry about.'' Razel said the waterspout dissipated after a few minutes then they experienced strong winds and a bit of rain. Waterspouts are intense columns of swirling tornado clouds that form over a body of water. They are most commonly found in subtropical areas and disappear shortly after they come into contact with land. This prompted local officials to hold a news conference ahead of the Fourth of July weekend, sternly urging residents to continue practicing public health measures including social distancing and wearing masks. Its typical for elected officials to talk about this in unprecedented terms, but I think that term has lost its punching power. In the early stages, this was unprecedented. We didnt know how to live with or adapt to COVID-19, said Linn County Supervisor Ben Rogers. But now we know, and we can no longer plead ignorance to or ignore the science of what this virus is, how it spreads and the damage it can do to our economy, to our health, to our loved ones and to our childrens education, he continued. What is causing the increase in cases? Some experts indicate that more efficient and widespread testing has played a role in the climbing case count. Reynolds did praise Test Iowa efforts, and with nearly 321,000 individuals tested as of Friday, about 1 in 10 Iowans have been tested. Reynolds said new cases are concentrated among adults aged 18 to 40, as the rate of new cases among that age group has increased from 41 percent to 91 percent since June 14. Please log in to keep reading. Enjoy unlimited articles at one of our lowest prices ever. In a post on Friday, the restaurant announced it would temporarily close because an employee had tested positive for COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus. The restaurant announced it had contracted with cleaning company Pure Eco Solutions, which is to clean the restaurant on Monday. The Chasseur is planning to reopen on Wednesday, the post said. But the start of school is still another two months away, and it is impossible to predict how severe the spread of the virus will be in Iowa in late August, when students normally would be coming back to school. So school districts are planning for myriad contingencies. There is no state-required date by which districts must determine which plan to employ; Williamson said those decisions will be made at the district level. The unfortunate thing is its hard because there is no date. The virus isnt giving us a date we can work with, Williamson said. That is difficult, and I think its hard for administrators. The state also issued public health guidance for districts, but that was met with widespread condemnation from the education community. Among other items that upset educators, the guidance provided jointly by the state education and public health departments did not require or even recommend the use of face masks or shields for students or staff. Support Local Journalism Your membership makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}} Mike Beranek, president of the Iowa State Education Association, which represents roughly 40,000 public education workers, called the state re-opening guidance irresponsible, ambiguous and contradictory. Kimberly Guilfoyle, the girlfriend of Donald Trumps eldest son and a key fundraising official for the presidents re-election campaign, has tested positive for the coronavirus. The test result came back Friday shortly before she was set to attend a Fourth of July event at Mount Rushmore. Guilfoyle has no symptoms and was reportedly the only person in the group she was with to test positive. Donald Trump Jr. has tested negative so far. After testing positive, Kimberly was immediately isolated to limit any exposure, Sergio Gor, chief of staff for the Trump Victory Finance Committee, said. Shes doing well, and will be retested to ensure the diagnosis is correct since shes asymptomatic but as a precaution will cancel all upcoming events. Donald Trump Jr was tested negative, but as a precaution is also self-isolating and is canceling all public events. Guilfoyle and Trump Jr. will drive back from South Dakota to the East Coast, a source tells the New York Times. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Guilfoyle, who many in the Trump orbit see as a member of the First Family, has reportedly not had any recent contact with the president. She did attend the rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma, last month. Several campaign staff and Secret Service personnel have tested positive for the coronavirus since that rally. Herman Cain, the former Republican presidential hopeful who was also at the rally, was hospitalized with the coronavirus on Wednesday. Heres Kim Guilfoyle speaking at an indoor event in South Dakota, no masks in sight, that was also attended by Kristi Noem the day before it was announced Guilfoyle tested positive for Covid (video from Facebook) pic.twitter.com/UGafeRak2s Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) July 4, 2020 Advertisement Although Guilfoyle may not have had direct contact with the president in recent days, she was around a lot of his supporters. Guilfoyle had not traveled on Air Force One as she and Trump Jr. were in the upper Plains region hosting fundraisers over the past few days. Guilfoyle has been with a lot of the campaign donors recently, a source tells CNN. She was at an event in Montana that lasted from Tuesday until Thursday and another one in South Dakota from Thursday to Friday. Sources tell CNN Guilfoyle was not seen wearing a mask at either of the events. Earlier in the week, Trump Jr. published a meme on Facebook that implied homemade masks arent useful to help stop the spread of the coronavirus. People close to the president are regularly tested for the virus and Guilfoyle is now the third person who was possibly in close proximity to Trump to have contracted the coronavirus. A member of the Navy who serves as one of Trumps personal valets tested positive in May as did Vice President Mike Pences press secretary. For more of Slates news coverage, listen to What Next:TBD. We are sorry, but, the blog or user you are looking for can not be found. Checkout some of the blogs in our showcase. Eight $40,000 Ohio Sires Stakes contests for freshman trotters of both genders kicked off the holiday weekend at Northfield Park. Harness racing fans got their first glimpse of Ohios future stars with five divisions for fillies and three divisions for colts and geldings. As expected, Randy Bendis Swizzle Hanover captured the first division for fillies easily for Mike Wilder in 1:57.1. The daughter of Uncle Peter, out of Seducedbychocolate left the gate as the 5-2 choice and prevailed in the stretch over the determined Incomeorexpenses (Tyler Smith) and Celebrate With Me (Kurt Sugg). The victory was the first for Swizzle Hanover who previously scored two winning qualifiers at The Meadows on June 11 and 25. In the second OSS trotting filly division More Spirit (2-1) led from start to finish for driver Kurt Sugg and trainer Charlie Myrick. Bred by Dublin Valley Farm, the daughter of Southwind Spirit captured her first career start handily in 1:59.3, four lengths in front of Magic Credit Card (Aaron Merriman), with Miss Meringue (Anthony MacDonald) third. Owned by the Second Chance Stable, More Spirit is the first foal out of the Credit Winner mare Amor Deo. Herculisa lived up to her name as she posted an impressive 1:58.1 clocking in the third OSS filly trotting division with Brett Miller at the controls. Trained by Virgil Morgan, Jr., the My MVP lass left the gate at 4-5 odds and once on top, never looked back. Owned by the Jesmeral Stable, Herculisa bested formidable rivals in Merry Ann (Chris Page), who was second, and Momma Knows Best (Ronnie Wrenn, Jr.) third. The heavily favoured (3-5) Chip It In got up in the final strides for Ronnie Wrenn, Jr., to best the hard trying Trumpeter Swan (Brett Miller) to win the fourth OSS trotting filly division in 1:58.2. Chris Beaver trains the daughter of Break The Bank K for Beaver, Meola, Robinson and RBH Ventures. Beavers other trainee, 6-1 Ozma (Aaron Merriman) was a determined third. A Doll Face looked every bit the part of her name as she cruised to a 1:59.4 victory in the final OSS division for two-year-old trotting fillies. Trainer Kayne Kauffman was in the sulky behind the 8-5 daughter of Dontyouforgetit who is owned by Doug Millard. Irish Princess closed sharply for Aaron Merriman, while My Jazz (Anthony MacDonald) trotted solidly to be third. In the first of the three OSS colt trotting divisions it was all Spyder The Striker (7-2) taking home first prize in 1:56.3 for driver Aaron Merriman. Trained and co-owned by Chris Beaver for C. Beaver, L. Fleming and Vip Internet, the son of Uncle PeterElana-San Pellegrino looked much the best after having scored two winning qualifiersthe first at Delaware and the second at Northfield prior to this test. Admiral Allstar (9-2) was second for Kurt Sugg, while 5-1 Replica Hanover was third for Tyler Smith. In the second OSS trotting division for males, it was 3-5 Shouldaknownbetter (Chris Page), a Deep Chip gelding owned and trained Shane Arsenault, who made his second career victory in as many tries look effortless. Tango With Me was second for Ronnie Wrenn, Jr., while Street Gossip put forth an impressive effort for trainer-driver Roger Hughes, Jr., to nab third-place money. Shouldaknownbetterwho qualified at Woodbine on June 12 and then trotted to 1:57 in his pari-mutuel debutnow has $25,550 in career earnings. Perron proved to be much the best as the 6-5 favourite for driver Ronnie Wrenn, Jr., in the final OSS division for trotting colts and geldings, stopping the timer in 1:58.4. The son of My MVP is trained by Chris Beaver for Steve Stewart, Paul Kelly Racing, Black Creek Farm and V. Wagler and was making his pari-mutuel debut. Panzano got up to be second for Brett Miller with Fire Cross third for Kayne Kauffman. Ohio Sires Stakes action continues Saturday night, July 4 at Scioto Downs with one division for three-year-old pacing fillies. (Ohio Standardbred Development) In this week's Rewind Robert Smith takes a look back at the decade of the 1960s in the regular monthly feature titled Years Ago. This time period was truly the "coming out party" for the Province of Ontario. After years of political wrangling and countless roadblocks Ontario finally gained permission to legally hold nighttime racing. The first such meeting was held at London's Western Fair Raceway starting in May of 1961. Other items of interest pertaining to the 1960's are also included 1961 - London Turns On The Lights After decades of attempts by various groups and organizations to gain permission to stage nighttime racing in Ontario, the long-awaited first ever meeting took place at London's Western Fair Raceway. On the evening of May 17, 1961 the blessed event became history when the legendary local horseman Wm. Herbert was first across the finish line driving Adieu Herbert to victory in the night's first race. History was made to the delight of many. The opening meeting was a success and many area horsepeople who had previously been forced to travel much further afield to find racing were able to enjoy staying closer to home. The inaugural meeting lasted a total of six weeks and during that time a number of firsts were recorded. Penny Johnston recorded the inaugural meeting's fastest mile when Gary Campbell drove her to a winning time of 2:05 even in winning the closing night feature on June 24th. The purse of $2,000 for the two-heat Invitational event was considered a pretty good sum back then even though they went two heats. A trio of pictures from the early years at London are included in this week's "Who Is It?" shown below. 1963 - Peaches Atom Takes Closing Day Feature At Richelieu Peaches Atom and Dr. John Findley Peaches Atom and Dr. John Findley Sept. 15, 1963 - The Richelieu Park season closed on this Sunday afternoon to an unusually large and enthusiastic crowd. The afternoon's feature was aptly-named "The Au Revoir Trot" which attracted a field of the finest trotters racing anywhere, all in search of a slice of the $5,000 pie. The entrants included a variety of ages and also pitted mares against horses and geldings. The favourites as they went postward was the stable entry of Amulet Hanover and Sprite Kid from the stable of Roger White and owner Allan Leblanc of Quebec City. Also drawing a lot of interest was the three-year-old Choir Boy, a recent competitor in the Hambletonian. An unfortunate break at the start of the race cost the three-year-old and driver Keith Waples any chance at being a contender. Despite a fine showing by the favoured betting choices, the winner was the fine trotting mare Peaches Atom who was in the midst of her finest season ever. The seven-year-old mare scored her ninth victory in 17 starts which pushed her season's earnings over the $20,000 mark for the second consecutive campaign having earned just over $22,800 in 1962. With trainer and driver John Findley on the bike for owners McBurnie and Altman of Ottawa, Peaches Atom mounted a late challenge and collared Amulet Hanover (White) at the wire with a mile in 2:04 4/5. A number of smiling faces in the crowd included those who held a winning ticket worth $11.20. 1965 - Flaming Jet Is Sighted at Several Racetracks Flaming Jet appears in the winner's circle at Jackson Raceway with owners Mr. and Mrs. Glen Florence of Coldwater, Ohio and driver Ervin "Speedy" Samples Flaming Jet appears in the winner's circle at Jackson Raceway with owners Mr. and Mrs. Glen Florence of Coldwater, Ohio and driver Ervin "Speedy" Samples Standardbreds come in many shapes, sizes and colours but usually well within a certain range. The sight of a white or grey horse is often cause to take a second look but in general most of the pacers or trotters you see look a lot alike. Adjectives starting with the letter "B", i.e. - bay, brown or black describe a large portion of the standardbred population. However like all rules and perceptions, there are always exceptions. Back in the mid 1960's (as well as other infrequent times) there appeared a horse that is registered as "Pinto" or "PI". While extremely rare there have been a few over the years. Flaming Jet was sired by Directs Jet (listed as bay) and out of the mare Ruth H (no color listed in Sires & Dams Book). Oddly the offspring of this pair among others list four foals, all full brothers or sisters with one Pinto, two bays and one chestnut in colour. Flaming Jet in rein to Ervin Samples, an unusual looking pacer is shown in a 1965 winning effort at Jackson Raceway in Michigan. That season the four-year-old pinto mare was a five-time winner in 35 starts and took a new lifetime best of 2:07.2 while banking $3,266. From the payoffs shown on the picture she may have been a favourite but not THE favourite paying $26.40 to win. She raced at several Mid-West tracks in Ohio, Michigan and Illinois that season. Flaming Jet in rein to Ervin Samples, an unusual looking pacer is shown in a 1965 winning effort at Jackson Raceway in Michigan. That season the four-year-old pinto mare was a five-time winner in 35 starts and took a new lifetime best of 2:07.2 while banking $3,266. From the payoffs shown on the picture she may have been a favourite but not THE favourite paying $26.40 to win. She raced at several Mid-West tracks in Ohio, Michigan and Illinois that season. 1968 - Rare Walkover At London Most people have heard the term A one-horse race, usually meaning that one particular horse stands out in talent and based on past performance is fairly sure to win the race being discussed. Beyond that usage of the term there have been races contested by just one horse. They are rare but have taken place. Based on a certain set of circumstances and factors allowed by racing rules what is called a "walkover" can occur. A "walkover" results when only one horse in a specific stakes race shows up on the day of the race and he or she 'Walks' or 'Jogs' the prescribed distance to claim the total purse offered. On October 4, 1968 one such event took place at London's Western Fair Raceway. Deep Run Sugar, owned by Wm. O. "Ted" McLean of Goderich, Ont., won the Two-Year-Old Centennial Trot and the total purse of $3,228 jogging the mile in 2:35. Owner Ted McLean was in the sulky for this rather unusual happening. It was this filly's only start of the year on the trot. I guess you might say it was a "sweet" victory for Deep Run Sugar and her owners Wm. O. and Alma McLean. Raceways normally have conditions in place to take care of such an eventuality so it is perhaps interesting to note that this may have been the last walkover at a Canadian harness raceway. I am not at all certain if it was the last so if anyone in the reading audience knows of others please share your knowledge. (Thanks to Wm. Galvin's 1974 Fact Book for this information) Dominion Day Races A few days ago on July 1, Canadians proudly observed Canada Day. Originally known as Dominion Day, this holiday was at one time a very big day for harness racing as towns all across the land held a very special day of racing. Places such as Strathroy, Kingston, Orangeville and others in Ontario staged first class racing. Many places in other provinces also held their memorable race days. The day of celebration brought out the best available horses and horse people. Families often brought picnic lunches and gathered well before the first race started. The above scene shows a huge crowd gathered in front of the grandstand at Strathroy, Ontario waiting to place a bet. Dating back to 1919 races were held without fail on Dominion Day at Strathroy until the annual tradition was finally abandoned in the 1960's as times changed. Check out the suits and felt and straw hats. (London Free Press Photo - author's collection) Quote For The Week: An older gentleman went to the Dr. and when asked to describe his ailment he said, "I have no energy; all of my get up and go got up and left." Who Is It? Can you identify this Chap who was associated with the startup of night racing in London 1n 1961? Give it a try. Who Else Is It? You be the judge. Who are these three well-known gentlemen working high up at London? Name them if you can. Bonus Photo Who are these two seasoned veterans who were part of London's first year racing under the lights? You must be logged in to react. Click any reaction to login. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 The positivity-rate figure Hopkins includes in its daily reports is consistently higher than that of the state. The difference comes from the data used in the calculations. Maryland officials calculate the positivity rate as the number of positive tests divided by total testing volume over a seven-day period. Rather than the total testing volume, Hopkins uses the number of people tested, or the combination of new cases and people who tested negative. 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. I think its very sad businesses have to police people. It puts us in a bad position. It makes us play a political game. Thats not what business is about, Stafford said. Some shoppers oppose masks so much that theyve chosen to stop visiting the store altogether, Stafford said. As soon as the first mask order took effect on June 26, Paper Craft saw a noticeable downturn in business. Collings said she chose a less strict approach to masks because there are so many things that make it difficult to enforce. She used the medical exemption as an example. (People with medical conditions that are affected by masks, such as asthma, are allowed to go without one.) I dont know peoples medical history, nor do I want to. So its just totally outside of my realm as a business owner to ask and enforce something like that, Collings said. Stafford agreed. Personally, she doesnt wear a mask because of a medical condition. When someone comes in without a mask, I just assume they are exempt, she said. I dont want to tell everyone I have asthma, and I think most people probably feel the same, she said. Local unemployment is still higher than what had been typical before the COVID-19 pandemic led to an economic slowdown while measures were put in place to limit the spread of the disease caused by the novel coronavirus. Just 75 Carroll countians filed unemployment insurance claims the week ending March 14. The first case of COVID-19 in Carroll was announced March 13. By now, everyone (hopefully) knows theres a statewide mandate to wear a mask in certain public places. For those who choose not to comply with the state mandate, please dont act surprised when your fellow shoppers throw you a little side-eye or when a store manager warns you to wear a mask or be asked to leave. Were all adults here. If you choose not to comply with the statewide order, youre also choosing to deal with the consequences of that decision. If you suddenly decided you no longer needed to obey traffic laws, you would expect your fellow drivers to have some choice words for you the next time you blow through a red light (not to mention the expensive ticket youll eventually get). There were reports of how Google planned to add Chat and Meet functions directly on to Gmail earlier this year. Google Meet, the video conferencing app, has been incorporated into the Android and iOS Gmail apps already and Google Chat seems to be next in line. Google Meets has also been incorporated into the desktop version of Gmail as well. Decompiling the latest version of the Gmail app Google uploaded to the Play Store revealed lines of code that indicate the addition of this feature in the future (also known as an APK Insight). While it is also possible that Google might not roll this out at all, an APK Insight gives an idea as to what it might look like if it does. Google showed the Gmail mobile apps getting a bottom bar for quick access to both the mails and Google Meet a few weeks ago. And given that there are only two items on the bottom bar, it looked rather empty. The 2020.06 version of Gmail has the Meet integration, but also the onboarding strings for both Chats and Rooms. Chats is for one-on-one conversations and Rooms is meant for group meetings. There are introductory prompts that depend on whether you are using a consumer account or an enterprise account. This suggests that Google plans to push this new feature in Gmail to all users. The inbox_onboarding strings in the decompilation of whats new in Gmail point out more ways for you to connect and collaborate without switching apps. Googles main idea seems to be to create one app for all forms of communication. The integration of Google Meet is still being done in phases and looks less conspicuous if Google Chat was to join Gmail as well. Users should also be able to disable both Meet and Chats if they so desire on the smartphone apps and this ties it in with the features Gmail for web has - the existence of a single app for similar tasks (which in this case is communication). The consumer strings decompiled also suggest that Google is planning to bring in a free version of Google chat to free accounts soon. This ties in with the depreciation of the Google Hangouts feature for all users. Masks will be required for students and instructors. Enhanced cleaning protocols will be implemented. Face-to-face classes will be limited to no more than 50 students, and typically be much smaller. After Thanksgiving break, students will not return to campus to minimize the risk associated with students traveling home for the holiday. In a recent university survey, about 58% of responding faculty and graduate assistants said that they either agreed, or strongly agreed, that SIU should have students return to campus this fall if allowed under the states Restore Illinois plan. About 26% of the 744 respondents said they disagreed, or strongly disagreed, and about 17% responded neutrally. Craig Anz, an associate professor and interim director of School of Architecture, said he believes SIU's plan strikes the right balance. He said Pritzkers aggressive approach to the coronavirus early on has positioned Illinois to move through reopening phases. Welcoming students back "is in tune with that plan," he said. I grew up in an anti-gun family. My dad didnt like guns nor 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 where 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 handgun. A Smith & Wesson .357 magnum now sits on my nightstand next to me as I sleep. Rational? I think so. But at what risk? The other 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. Heres what is so promising about the Zoom-at-Claflin model. Not only are they providing scholarships for students to attend college, they are directly providing real world experiences and opportunities within Zoom and working with Claflins professors to develop case studies to better prepare students when interviewing with tech companies. Zoom is not alone. Last month, Netflix CEO Reed Hastings personally donated millions to both Spelman and Morehouse Colleges. And many of us remember Tech Giant, Robert F. Smiths announcement during his Morehouse commencement speech last year. Although Claflins alumni donation ratios are over 40%, much higher than other universities, its endowment, at $27 million is far short of other well-known HBCUs like Howard University, Spelman College and Morehouse College, with endowments of $688.6 million, $389.2 million, and $145 million respectively. Smaller HBCUs like Claflin should not be forgotten. Many of them deserve our attention and resources, which is why Zooms contribution to Claflin is critical. There are more than 100 HBCUs with more than 225,000 students that can benefit from long-lasting partnerships like the one between Zoom and Claflin. This is how we start to dismantle systems that cause young Blacks to fear for their lives when walking to school and jogging on public streets while dreaming of becoming the next Steve Jobs. Their lives and livelihoods matter. Democratic Reps. James E. Clyburn and Ro Khanna are from S.C. and California, respectively. Love 0 Funny 2 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Dickson sentenced her to time served of 54 days in jail. Shes prohibited from possessing ammunition and any firearm for the next three years. Brannon Jerome Rosamond, 23, of 411 Willow Road, Orangeburg, pleaded guilty to possession of less than 28 grams of marijuana and unlawful carrying of a handgun. Dickson sentenced him to time served. Ismael Jayquan-Kershaw Brown, 21, of 5981 Miley Hill Road, Ravenel, pleaded guilty to unlawful carrying of a handgun. Dickson sentenced him to six months in prison or a fine of $100. Jercoby Connell Davis, 30, of 36 Progressive Way, Denmark, pleaded guilty to unlawful carrying of a handgun. Dickson sentenced him to one year in prison or a $100 fine. Harold Douglas McCollum, 39, of 112 Aloha Drive, Cordova, pleaded guilty to first-offense possession of a controlled substance. Dickson sentenced him to six months in prison or a $100 fine. Jermiez Sinquan Ahaziah Bostick, 18, of 928 Dexter Street NE, Aiken, pleaded guilty to discharging a firearm into a dwelling and second-degree non-violent burglary. 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. Likewise we have secured a stockpile of N-95 masks and gowns in the event that we have an outbreak at some time. The South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control has mandated that ALL nursing home residents and employees receive a COVID test. When our residents and staff were recently tested, we had no cases on the campus. Only today were we informed of a single case and are taking the appropriate measures. The board and leadership of The Oaks have a sincere desire to see justice and fairness for people of all colors. We are all one race created by a supreme God who values each of us as precious. As such, we recognize that there are still instances of systemic racism and discrimination along with reminders of the past which cause pain to African Americans. We will do our part to make things better and hope to be a part of the conversation on how mutual respect can bring our society to a better tomorrow. COMMENTARY: Seeking justice for all As we approach this Fourth of July, we -- the heirs to the Declaration of Independence -- ar While Black Lives Matter ebbs and flows as a powerful force across the country, Trumps response to COVID-19 raises serious questions about his competence as a leader. You have to wonder about a guy who refuses to wear a face mask when Dr. Anthony Fauci, Americas best known medical expert and the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, not only wears one but recommends others do too. The deep divisions in the United States have parallels elsewhere but are probably not as severe in most other countries. In South Korea, right-wing politicos face a left-leaning government that arose after the Candlelight Revolution brought about the ouster and jailing of the conservative Park Geun-hye, but you dont hear Koreans complaining about measures to stop outbreaks of the coronavirus, which never quite gets under control. If rightist protesters no longer fill central Seoul waving Korean and American flags, as they did before COVID-19, they find a forum on YouTube and the internet. Rightists say the conservatives who form the opposition to the dominant Minjoo or Democratic Party are not fighting hard enough to challenge President Moon Jae-in and his aides and advisers, many of whom came of age in protests against Parks father, the long-ruling dictator Park Chung-hee. COMMENTARY: Keep communication open Keep the lines of communication open. God sent Hosea to Israel around 700 B.C. with this mes Will weeks of daily protests since the death of George Floyd give way to the annual Independence Day holiday? On Saturday the Fourth of July millions of Americans will unfurl the Stars and Stripes at a time when many of their fellow citizens are refusing to stand in its honor, instead taking a knee to protest the Republic for which it stands. Can Americans be protesters and patriots at the same time? Some say the demonstrations, often led by Black Lives Matter, are their own form of patriotism. Protesting has a long history of bringing about social change. Others see statues of Americas Founders falling and say the protesters are radicals trying to destroy their country. According to the latest Gallup Poll on national pride, patriotism appears to be on the wane. The number of Americans who say they are extremely or very proud to be Americans is the lowest since Gallup began asking the question in 2001. While two-thirds of Republicans say they are extremely proud, just 24 percent of Democrats agree. David Almasi, vice president of the conservative-leaning National Center for Public Policy Research, says now more so than ever is the right time to be celebrating the founding of America. COMMENTARY: Real men wear masks Guys, Ive got a message for you from all the immuno-compromised ladies (and gents) out here: 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 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. We're always interested in hearing about news in our community. Let us know what's going on! Submit Here Staff Reporter The Zimbabwe Daily Okavango Delta, Botswana More than 350 elephant carcasses have been spotted in Botswanas Okavango Delta in the past two months. To date, no-one knows why the animals are dying in Botswana. The southern African country has the worlds largest elephant population, estimated at 130 000. We have had a report of 356 dead elephants in the area north of the Okavango Delta, and we have confirmed 275 so far, we do not suspect poaching since the animals were found with tusks, said Cyril Taolo, acting director of the Department of Wildlife and National Parks - Advertisement - The department of Wildlife and National Parks said it was mobilising human personnel and aircraft to better understand the situation. Samples have been collected for analysis at labs in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Canada. Similar deaths were first reported in May when authorities found 12 carcasses in just a week in two villages in the northwest of the country. Like this: Like Loading... Staff Reporter The Zimbabwe Daily Harare, Zimbabwe Some of the countrys politicians have praised South Africas President, Cyril Ramaphosa for hosting South Africas inaugural public-Presidential virtual symposium. On Tuesday evening, Ramaphosa engaged with members of the public on a one on one basis on issues such as COVID-19, Gender Based Violence, economy and the countrys lockdown regulations amongst others. What President Ramaphosa did is something which President Mnangagwa should emulate, in fact the whole of Africa should follow the same narrative. Members of the executive should engage with the public from a grass root level as this will help them in knowing what is really happening. - Advertisement - President Mnangagwa is surrounded by people who are feeding him with the wrong information he has to organise a public symposium and engage with members of the public. He has to know what is actually happening on the ground, he shouldnt rely on hearsay, said Linda Masarira, leader of the opposition LEAD party. Another leader of the opposition, UDA party, Dr. Daniel Shumba who is a former army colonel and member of the Central Committee of the ruling ZANU-PF, acceded to the notion of holding a public symposium, indeed, it is important for a President to publicly engage with citizens, and pronounce and share a national vision. President Ramaphosa is spot on, said Dr. Shumba. However, the UDA leader also cited that although social media is now the new normal of engaging with the public there was need for the country to reduce its data costs for the benefit of the masses. Social media if managed well, is an effective means of communication, however, Zimbabwe still needs to properly regulate and reduce the high extortionate cost levels of data, added Dr. Shumba. However, Leopold Munhende a political journalist with newzimbabwe.com argued that it was a necessity for President Mnangagwa to engage with the public especially during this time of COVID-19. Mnangagwa should speak. We do not know the stage at which we are now because the police and army are behaving in a haphazard manner. We do not know who is allowed in town and who is not anymore and state security is taking advantage of this to abuse peoples rights, said Munhende. For Dr. Nkululeko Sibanda a political analyst and the spokesperson of Mr. Nelson Chamisa, leader of the MDC Alliance, there is no need for President Mnangagwa to host a public symposium, the masses dont take Mnangagwa seriously or as someone who is serious about his job. Like this: Like Loading... It is highly probable that this is one of the earliest surviving chairs made in an Annapolis cabinetmakers shop, Lovett said after looking at photographs. The attribution to John Anderson is very likely, given the splat [back of the chair], lobed ears on the crest rail [top], and crook-shaped arms, which is an English form and typical of Andersons work. Anderson would have seen similar crook-shaped arms during his training in England. I would date the chair to the late 1740s. Further investigation, and looking at the chair in person after pandemic concerns subside, can reveal more information. Staff Reporter The Zimbabwe Daily Windhoek, Namibia State owned airline, Air Namibia is facing the same fate of liquidation like the South African Airways (SAA). The state owned airline is in need of US$411 million to help it keep afloat. The airline, which operates two Airbus A330-200 planes, four Airbus A319-100 aircraft and four Embraer ERJ 135 jets, has over US$295 million in debt. Finance Minister Iipumbu Shiimi said it was important to have a national airline but said Air Namibias current model, including its new business plan, is neither sustainable nor affordable. - Advertisement - More than 7 billion Namibian dollars (US$411 million) is needed in the current financial year alone for the new business plan to be implemented. This makes it unaffordable as resources are needed for other priorities such as health, education, housing and sanitation, amongst others during these difficult times, said the Finance Minister. Like this: Like Loading... Staff Reporter The Zimbabwe Daily Harare, Zimbabwe -Three months ago, Zororo Makamba, a multimedia journalist became the first casualty of COVID-19 in the southern African country. Before he passed on, members of his family complained about ill treatment, stigma and victimization which the 30 year old encountered when he was at the Wilkins Hospital. Although the citys Mayor refuted the claims, many people infected with COVID-19 have been complaining about the same issues. Dr. Lazarus Kajawu who is a clinical psychologist also commented on the challenges being faced by people infected with COVID-19. - Advertisement - You hear people talking about a COVID-19 patient. This is absolute stigmatisation. Instead, people should refer to these patients as a person infected with COVID-19 to distinguish the person from the virus. Secondly, if someone goes for testing, many people avoid these people as if they already have the condition. This might be despite the fact that they tested negative. People need to change this mental set. People need correct information about the transmission of COVID-19. People need to understand that those who test positive for COVID-19 are not careless people but its a condition that can affect anybody. The condition has no barriers with respect to social status, race or anything. People then need to be assured of what they need to do, that is good hygiene, social distancing, hand washing and wearing of face masks. Dr. Kajawu also gave out some insight to those that might test positive for COVID-19 on how to avoid getting into depression. It is important to remain focused on doing what is right, depression thrives where people concentrate on negative aspects of life. People should focus more on good things that come along with the condition. Some people will come to realize they have had time to look back at their lives, and discover what they need to change, or retain. It is also important to discipline ones cognition. You need to distract yourself from concentrating on negative things about COVID-19. It is important to focus on the positive steps one needs to take against spreading the virus and the importance of staying healthy. One should maintain contact with significant others through electronic media to reduce the feeling of isolation. It is important to take this situation as a phase that surely will pass, said Dr. Kajawu. Counselling psychologist, Dr. Justice Marwisa, also noted the challenges being faced by people infected with COVID-19. Stigma thrives on ignorance as we have experienced in the past for instance, with HIV and other issues. The best strategy to counter the stigma is to inform, inform, inform on accurate information on COVID-19 as this will go a long way in countering stigma related to COVID-19 positive cases. Moreso, disclosure of ones COVID-19 status, should be done with thought and care so that unnecessary alarm and stigma can be managed. Information is key in countering negative backlash. However, keeping sane during self isolation has a lot to do with managing your self talk. Deliberately infusing oneself with positive messages and taking the necessary physical health care. Being COVID-19 positive is not a death sentence. The recovery rates are extremely high. Moreso, best solutions for avoiding sliding into depression during this pandemic include, opening up to close friends and family about your fears, anxiety, and concerns, let it out and dont ruminate. Furthermore, get information, manage anxiety disorder and panic attacks through practical exercises for example deep breathing exercises also seek counselling and avoid bottling emotions, said Dr. Marwisa. Like this: Like Loading... Protesters staged rival demonstrations Saturday in the southwest of France over the killing of a brown bear in the Pyrenees mountains last month. The rallies came as tensions rise between animal rights defenders and farmers who want their livestock protected from the animals. Around 2,000 agricultural trade unionists, farmers, livestock breeders, elected officials and hunters gathered at the Etang de Lers, a beauty spot in the region's national park. They were calling for an end to the release of bears in the area, which they say pose a serious threat to livestock. In the southwest city of Toulouse, around 150 people, supported by 14,000 petitioners, gathered to call for investigators to find and prosecute the killer of the bear. It was the second found dead this year in the Pyrenees, where they are a protected species. A protester holds a placard bearing a teddy bear and reading "Hunters = militia = murderers" in Ariege last month / AFP/File The demonstrators also called for the bear to be replaced to ensure the survival of the species. The brown bear has been reintroduced to the Pyrenees since it neared extinction in the 1990s, with animals brought in from Slovenia. The four-year-old bear killed last month was discovered on June 9 near a ski station by officials investigating complaints from local farmers about sheep killings. The bear, which weighed some 150-200 kilogrammes (330-440 pounds), died from gunshot wounds. The state has filed a complaint while animal rights group Sea Shepherd has offered a 45,000-euro reward for information on those responsible. The killing of a protected species is punishable by three years in jail and a fine of 150,000 euros ($170,000). - 'Every animal counts' - "We need to find the culprits, so that the case is not closed without further action," said Alain Marek, regional delegate of the country's Association for the Protection of Wild Animals. Alain Reynes, an organiser of the Toulouse demonstration, said that the state had to fulfil its commitment to protect the species under national and European Union conservation rules. French Environment Minister Elisabeth Borne posted a picture of the dead bear on Twitter last month and said the state would file a complaint / TWITTER ACCOUNT OF FRENCH MINISTER FOR ECOLOGICAL TRANSITION/AFP/File "It is fundamental to replace the animal killed," he told protesters at the rally. "Every animal counts." France had frozen its programme of reintroductions in January, citing "a favourable dynamic of the bear population", with about 50 recorded in the Pyrenees. Farmers, meanwhile, called for an end to the release of bears after a surge in livestock killings since last summer. In the Ariege region alone, the authorities recorded 565 claims for more than 1,100 dead or injured sheep in the first half of the year. The regional prefect of Occitania has set aside some 10 million euros this year to a fund set up to promote peaceful cohabitation between farmers and bears. Voters in the Dominican Republic are set to defy rising coronavirus infections on Sunday to choose a new president in an election that could end 16 years of unbroken rule by the center-left Dominican Liberation Party. Opposition candidate Luis Abinader is favorite, having taken a commanding lead in opinion polls despite being forced to abandon his campaign after he tested positive for COVID-19. Abinader, a 52-year-old businessman, had recovered sufficiently to close out his campaign at a rally on Wednesday. "Change is coming and the PLD is going," he promised a crowd of hundreds of his supporters, allowed to gather after the government eased a lockdown. A Gallup poll gives Abinader, from the opposition Modern Revolutionary Party (PRM) more than 53 percent of voter intentions, 20 points ahead of the ruling PLD party's Gonzalo Castillo. Another poll gives Abinader a slimmer 12 point margin. "The Dominican people should remember that a president is elected in one day, but the consequences last for four years," Castillo told a crowd of his supporters in the town of Monte Plata. - Odebrecht cloud - Corruption has been a key issue after protests in recent years over the involvement of local officials in the Latin America-wide Odebrecht graft scandal. The Brazilian construction giant has admitted to doling out $92 million in bribes in the Republic in exchange for winning public works contracts. Ruling PLD candidate Gonzalo Castillo (L) and Luis Abinader of the opposition PRM ahead of the presidential and legislative elections in the Dominican Republic / afp/AFP Castillo, a former public works minister, is standing for the PLD because outgoing president Danilo Medina cannot seek another term under the Republic's constitution. The Republic has a poor record on corruption, ranking 137th out of 180 countries on Transparency International's corruption index. Former president Leonel Fernandez, 66, trails in third place with 8.6 percent. Fernandez ruled for a total of three four-year terms between 1996 and 2012. Three other candidates are contesting the presidency from minor parties. The campaign is unlike any other in the tourist-magnet Caribbean republic's history, overshadowed by a health crisis that has hit the country's population of 10 million hard. The Republic -- which shares the Caribbean island of Hispaniola with Haiti -- has registered more than 34,000 infections from the coronavirus, with more than 800 deaths, according to an AFP tally. The pandemic forced Medina's government to declare a national lockdown, banning large public gatherings and shutting borders -- a massive economic blow to the region's top tourist destination. - Final drive - A state of emergency was lifted only this week as parties made a final drive for votes. The pandemic forced Medina's government to declare a national lockdown, banning large public gatherings -- and was only partially lifted for the election / Gonzalo Castillo's press office/AFP The election date has already been pushed back from May 17 but will go ahead "come what may" on Sunday, said the president of the Central Electoral Board, Julio Cesar Castanos. The authority's advice to voters is: "Put your mask on and get out and vote." Despite health protocols being put in place at polling stations, Health Minister Rafael Sanchez Cardenas said it would be "practically impossible" not to have fresh outbreaks of COVID-19. "We have to get beyond this line of 5th of July, hoping that there won't be an overflow of cases and that we will be able to respond," the minister said. The pandemic has already hit polling by the Republic's 600,000 overseas voters -- representing almost eight percent of the electoral roll. Most live in the United States, Spain and Puerto Rico, where polling has been taking place. However, expatriates in Italy and Panama have not been authorized to vote because of coronavirus restrictions in place there. Health protocols are in place at polling stations, but ministers warn a fresh COVID-19 outbreak is likely / AFP The Dominican Republic is one of the strongest growing economies in the region, recording on average 6.3 percent a year between 2013 and 2018, according to the World Bank. However, the pandemic risks pushing it back into poverty, the bank warned. Flights to the country resumed on Wednesday as borders reopened in the hope of salvaging tourism revenue. Despite the warning signs, the July 1 bankruptcy and subsequent closures sent shock waves rippling through the basin and state. The subsequent months would sow confusion and disappointment for the hundreds of coal miners, many stuck without a job and still owed wages and other benefits. As the months rolled by and the company slogged through bankruptcy court, some miners eventually transferred to work at a neighboring mine in the Powder River Basin. Others returned to the Eagle Butte or Belle Ayr mines after they reopened under new ownership in October. But a selection of miners decided to leave the industry altogether. For many workers, the months since the mines ground to a temporary halt have not been easy. But several have also demonstrated unparalleled resilience. The Star-Tribune spent the past week speaking with the miners left in the dark after the unprecedented bankruptcy that changed Wyoming one year ago. Back on their feet When Will Bruns received the news he broke down. The unusual tranquility actually attracted White Marsh resident Billy Wright and his son, Cameron, 8, to the edge of the harbor where they sat tearing pieces of bread and feeding the birds. Wright, 47, a face mask around his chin in the event he had to talk to anyone, said he typically feels unwelcome as a Black man among the throngs of people who clamor to the harbor for a normal Fourth of July. He has watched the fireworks in the past from several blocks away, never venturing closer. Elinores letters showed me that whatever you decide to do if youre not afraid of hard work you can do it. You need to look at the positive things in your life and not dwell on the negative, said Bloomfield. Its the core of Stewarts message. Each one of us has a frontier, added Bloomfield. For her, it was being a single parent, working and commuting across Nebraska to earn a Ph.D. all on a limited income. Stewarts westward journey from Oklahoma was not unlike that of many women homesteaders. The oldest of nine children, she was born into poverty in 1876 and didnt have the luxury of formal education. She made a bold move when the Enlarged Homestead Act of 1909 gave her the incentive to learn how to homestead, and she answered Clyde Stewarts ad for a young or middle-aged lady as companion and to assist with housework on Wyoming ranch. Thus she homesteaded on 160 acres adjacent to Clydes in Burntfork, and eight weeks later they were married. Darrels family finally came forward after Darrel says they saw Hart, who was the bishop in Cheyenne at the time, with a young boy at Harts mothers birthday party in the 1990s. When the family asked to talk to someone from the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph, they were greeted with a church official and two lawyers. The lawyers asked what they wanted. We felt like what we had experienced so far was significant and that after lots of thought we thought we probably should I think I looked at the vicar (general) and said, I think that our feeling is you will know what to do with this information and you will do the right thing, Darrel said. That was our hope. And he said, Oh, OK, thank you. One of the lawyers said, But youre not asking for money? John, who said Hart had not only abused him but had beaten him and left him bleeding in school hallways, said he came forward in the early 1990s because he was sick of the denials. He, too, went directly to the church, rather than to an attorney or the media. A lawyer for the Kansas City diocese called him and told him they would buy him a truck and pay for some counseling. Their attorney, he called me and said, Were going to give you this truck, but I think youre a fing liar, John remembered. To be able to grow my photography skills and knowledge through this experience is just going to be amazing, Kennedy said. Kennedy grew up hunting, hiking and riding horseback in the mountains, first in Gardiner, Montana, and then in Cody. He aims to incorporate his life experiences into his project. Ive always lived right on the edge of Yellowstone, he said. Support Local Journalism Your membership makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}} He took an introduction to photography class for fun at Northwest College, where he started as a wildlife management major. In the first couple weeks of class, he brought a high-end camera from the college on a four-day pack trip into the wilderness on horses. I had it with me, and that whole trip I just kind of learned how to use it, he said. And it was just amazing; I got some amazing pictures, and, from there, I just saw the potential and was just kind of obsessed with it. Hes continued to focus mainly on the outdoors to capture landscapes few see and to promote conservation being stewards of land, and just giving people a reason to care about taking care of stuff, he said. Hes always loved to explore remote, untouched areas of solitude. When stormwater is filtered through the Gutter Bins, all types of trash and debris are caught by the Mundus Bag and the only thing being recirculated into watersheds is clean water. With the Gutter Bins system, the city can dump the debris from the bags every three to four months. A lot of people have no idea that most of the stormwater in western communities flows straight from the streets to the rivers, Deurloo said. Deurloo explained that stormwater pollution contributes to the unprecedented rates of pollution being seen in the worlds oceans. In fact, stormwater pollution is one of the leading causes of water degradation in the world. The problems were having in our oceans are starting right in our backyard in the Laramie River weve gotta do something to stop that, Deurloo said. Putting a filtration system at street level allows us to capture that pollution at the point of entry into the stormwater network it keeps the stormwater network clear of debris but it also prevents pollution from reaching the local watershed, Deurloo explained. On June 5, the city of Laramie installed two of Frog Creeks Gutter Bin filtration systems at the intersections of First Street and Ivinson Avenue and Second Street and Grand Avenue. I described the minimalist truck-camper I was picturing, and my friend said, But what about a toilet? Wait. What? I told my husband I was in favor of roughing it, but no toilet? I think I heard that one correctly. So, do we need a larger truck to carry a larger RV with the luxury of an indoor toilet? This is sounding like our experiences with our daughters horse. When our previous small truck couldnt pull the horse trailer, we had to upgrade to a bigger truck. Then when she traded in for a bigger horse, it required a bigger trailer. Im worried where this hunt for a minimalist RV might lead us. I really just want a Volkswagen bus from the Sixties, flower decals and all. Back at the party for Sissy, people were recounting his days as a rodeo clown and soldier before he became a power plant operator and college teacher. You may know about Larry Sissy Goodwin, who wore square-dance ruffled dresses on his sturdy frame for deeply-felt reasons stemming from his childhood. His wife Vickie is as beatifically calm now as she was when he was getting beat up in bars for how he dressed. His children and grandchildren remembered him as much more than the man who wore dresses in his obituary. The presidents 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 thats 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? 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. Staff at the Education Facilities Company Ltd (EFCL) have reached their breaking point as they claim they have not been paid for two months. The situation has become so dire, employees said they are struggling just to make ends meet. As many municipalities have been doing, the Town Council first discussed adding outdoor seating to local eateries at its June 8 meeting. Restaurants in Maryland are allowed to provide seating both indoors and outdoors, but the state still has coronavirus-related safety precautions in place, such as patrons being seated at least 6 feet apart and employees wearing masks. Plus, there is evidence some customers dont yet feel comfortable eating inside amid others, even with social distancing. 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. CONSPIRACY theorists with too much time on their hands were the ones who created an issue over the arrival of 80 vials of Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine that came to the country last week for use by officials at the National Security Ministry. So said Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley yesterday at the Covid-19 media conference at the Diplomatic Centre in St Anns. LET them eat cake. This is a saying that clearly shows what is happening now in Trinidad and Tobago, how the insensitivity to our suffering citizens and clearly the incomprehension of the realities of the life that our population is facing by the lockdown restrictions and the pandemic are totally being mishandled by the Rowley Government at this time. They are out of touch with the common man. The towns tourism sector was dismayed by this weeks announcement that tourists would not be allowed to visit from Arizona starting on July 4, Hector Vazquez, president of Puerto Penascos Office of Conventions and Visitors, said on Friday. The Sononan governor had cited the explosion of COVID-19 cases in Arizona, and the upcoming holiday weekend, as the reasons for the temporary border closure. On Thursday, Puerto Penasco officials petitioned the governors office to allow a safe corridor from the Lukeville/Sonoyta border crossing to the popular beach town, Vazquez said. As early as Thursday night, some southbound travelers were turned away at a new checkpoint after the Lukeville crossing, even though the Sonora-U.S. border closure wasnt supposed to take effect until Saturday, Vazquez said. State and local officials are communicating the recent changes to those who are manning the border checkpoints, he said. Theres a bit of confusion, but we are already working on letting all the authorities involved know about it, he said. I am sure that soon everyone will know and there will be no more visitors that need to turn back. As out-of-state health-care workers arrive to help Tucson with the recent surge in coronavirus patients, Scott Speder worries about his son and the measures that could arise if the health crisis continues to worsen. The Arizona Department of Health Services activated crisis standard of care plans Monday to help hospitals increase bed capacity, share resources like ventilators and address critical staffing shortages in the fight against a virus thats killed more than 280 people in Pima County since late March. Most recent data provided by Pima County show that ICU beds were at 91% capacity as of Thursday. Statewide that total reached 91% Friday, a new record. Because of the July 4 holiday, the data for the county will not be updated again until Monday. If the crisis gets bad enough and resources scarce enough, the states plan provides guidelines for whats called triaging care, which can include determining which patients get critical care based on likelihood of survival. Thats the part of the plan that Speder, the father of an 8-year-old boy who has Down syndrome, cant reconcile. Speder and his wife, Pamela, first heard of triaged care when COVID-19 numbers were running high in New York City and staffing, hospital beds and resources were running low. Speder was sickened to think Matthew, in such a scenario, might not get the same attention as another child. To somehow decide who gets care and who doesnt is appalling, he said. All of our scores are different but thats not a measure of anything other than our diversity. As COVID-19 cases continue to rise throughout the state, businesses remain largely unregulated when it comes to handling positive cases of the coronavirus among employees. More than four months into the start of the global pandemic, Pima County businesses are not required to report that an employee has tested positive for the virus, nor are they required to inform the public or other employees. Coupled with limited contact tracing capabilities and stressful economic situations, restaurants, shops and other facilities arent playing by the same rules, often leaving employees and the public in the dark. While the health department can offer guidelines and suggestions, protocols and enforcement are dictated by the employers themselves. Over the past couple weeks, half a dozen restaurants like Flemings, Barrio Brewing Co., Bamboo Terrace, El Chinito Gordo and a location of Dutch Bros Coffee have publicly announced that theyve temporarily closed their doors due to coronavirus exposure. But other businesses are choosing to keep this information to themselves. The employer is not required to report or provide the information about test results of staff to the public or the Health Department. So, its not necessarily a helpful part of the work that we do, said Loni Anderson, division manager for consumer health and food safety at the Pima County Health Department. But when someone tests positive, their lab report gets sent to the state and county health department. We do contact the person and ask questions related to their employment and who theyre in contact with. But then again, not everybody in Tucson likes the Black Lives Matter movement or slogan. And its their right not to. Mrs. Romero has chosen to attack us, with the most gross slander, and once again further division in our community, Ross Kaplowitch said in a written statement. Mayor uses bully pulpit In an interview, Romero defended her posting about the permit and her using the white supremacist label. She said she heard about the racist memes Cesolini had posted in the morning and still had not got the permit canceled by the time she made the post in the afternoon. She also said she wanted to get the permit canceled urgently because the painting was to happen after 8 p.m. Thursday night. I dont know where she got that understanding, but it was never the plan of Cesolini and Kaplowitch. They always planned to paint the line the morning of Sunday, July 5, and the permit even says so. I was not going to sit around and let this happen, Romero said. I dont know why this has become a story about me when Im trying to take a stand on something that is divisive. When police spoke to Davis, he appeared to be slow and lethargic with shrunken pupils and he had difficulty responding to questions and the officer saw white residue on his nose, according to charging documents. The officer did a sobriety test, during which Davis said he had snorted scramble, a drug mix including heroin and fentanyl, while in Baltimore City earlier that day. Police wrote that he admitted the purpose of the trip was for drugs. After he showed signs of impairment in the sobriety test, police arrested and searched Davis. He was in possession of paraphernalia and crack cocaine, and an envelope of cash, according to the charging documents. These disparities may not have been intentional, she said. But I saw them occur on a regular basis nevertheless. The stacking provision in the initiative relates to the fact that prosecutors can seek longer sentences when someone is a repeat offender. But this seeks to change the definition of that. For example, take the case of an individual who committed three burglaries on three successive days. Current law allows prosecutors to claim the first two as prior offenses to argue for a longer prison term as a repeat offender. The initiative would allow defendants to be classified as a repeat offenders only if they were involved in prior burglaries for which they were tried and convicted. LaWall said what that also means is that there is no increased mandatory sentence for people who commit multiple crimes before the police catch up with them. In fact, she said, theres no enhanced penalty for those people who continue to commit crimes while out on bail or awaiting sentencing. A person who burglarizes 30 homes in a month is still eligible for probation so long as they keep committing these crimes before they are sentenced, she said. Democrats Jenny Durkan and Jay Inslee are responsible for the Seattle festival known as the Summer of Love. And the current stats on all of that love? Reported by the Washington Examiner on June 29, Seattle Police Chief Carmen Best told CNN that she was aware of three shootings and one murder . Weve also had some assaults, sexual assaults, a robbery, and a couple of arsons. Citizens were told that authorities were going to take action and bring the CHAZ/CHOP autonomous zone to an end, but the kids are still walking around in a stupor and playing government. A Japanese man has become the first person in the world to hold a master's degree in ninja studies, after completing a graduate course that involved learning basic martial arts and how to stealthily climb mountains. Genichi Mitsuhashi, 45, spent two years studying the history, traditions and fighting techniques of ninjas the mysterious covert agents of feudal Japan at the country's Mie University. Known for their secrecy and high levels of skill, ninjas were masters of espionage, sabotage, assassination and guerrilla warfare dating back to at least the 14th century. Yet Mitsuhashi said ninjas were also independent farmers, and he moved to the mountainous province of Iga, 220 miles from the Japanese capital Tokyo, to better understand how they lived. "Iga is where Ninja used to live. The climate of this area created the very nature of ninja," he said. Mitsuhashi grows his own rice and vegetables in Iga, where he runs a local inn. He also teaches martial arts and ninjutsu the art of the ninja at his own dojo. The following column is the opinion and analysis of the writer: I was working on a childrens book about the monuments on the National Mall when I dozed off a little after midnight and laid my weary head on my rendering of the Lincoln Memorial. In my dream, across the miles, far from Washington D.C., the granite faces on Rushmore, Americas most iconic quartet, paid me no attention as they fretted in the moonlight, lamenting the state of their aging Union. One fought for it, one wrote it into existence, one expanded it and another preserved it. The two white slaveowners, the reformer and the savior of the Union agreed on one thing. They all saw this coming. All of it. On Liberty Island in New York Harbor, the Goddess of Democracy, Liberty, stood alone on her pedestal, in pitch black darkness. The 112-foot mother of immigrants stared into the dark, as her torch lay discarded, cold, at her feet, the worlds beacon extinguished. She drummed her lips as she struggled to remember Emma Lazarus words, the credo that had been erased from inside her pedestal. yearning to breathe free. As her feet brushed against the unlocked manacles, she knew, Too many still struggle for breath. OPINION: Athletic Director Dave Heeke announced last week that basketball legend Ernie McCray will join the UA's Ring of Honor later this season. See what McCray has to say about the honor in our latest Letters to the Editor. GoViet, the Vietnamese version of the Indonesian on-demand multi-service platform Gojek, on Friday announced that it will unite its app and brand under Gojek to become Gojek Vietnam. Phung Duc Tuan, GoViets co-founder and chief operating officer, has been appointed as the general manager of Gojek Vietnam, according to GoViets announcement on Friday. Under the new brand, GoViet promised to give Vietnamese users better experience with the app, with a simpler, cleaner interface and upgraded features. Vietnamese users will also be able to use Gojeks services in Indonesia, Singapore and Thailand using a single mobile app. Gojeks Thai brand Get will also come under the Gojek brand. "Going forward, we can better serve the market and bring even greater business to each country by unifying tech and brands," Andrew Lee, head of international at Gojek, told the Nikkei Asian Review. "This has been in the making for many months. We started on the strategy to upgrade, to get to scale more efficiently, better serve the customers in these markets, since well into mid-last year." Gojek is Southeast Asias leading technology group founded in Indonesia in 2009 and a pioneer of the integrated super app model connecting users to over two million registered driver-partners and 500,000 merchants in over 200 cities across five countries including its homeland, Vietnam, Singapore, Thailand, and the Philippines. Since its launch in Vietnam in August 2018, the firm has been providing services including motorbike ride-hailing GoBike, logistics GoSend, and food delivery GoFood. Both Gojeks launches in Vietnam in 2018 and in Thailand one year later went under localized brand names GoViet and Get, respectively and used different apps, while the firm keeps its original brand identity in Singapore and the Philippines. Nadiem Makarim, founder of Gojek and now Indonesia's education minister, said at the time of the Vietnam launch that Gojek did not want to impose a foreign brand, instead wanting the subsidiary to "determine its own identity." This approach resulted in low interoperability between Gojek platforms, inflicting users to download separate apps when they traveled to the respective countries, the Nikkei Asian Review said. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! SEATTLE Boeing Co (BA.N) and suppliers set the final number of parts it would need for the 747 jumbo jet program at least a year ago, signaling the end for a plane that democratized global air travel in the 1970s but fell behind modern twin-engine aircraft, industry sources said on Friday. Boeings Queen of the Skies, the worlds most easily recognized jetliner with its humped fuselage and four engines, marked its 50-year flying anniversary in February 2019, clinging to life thanks to a cargo market boom fueled by online shopping. But the end for the program has been hanging in the air for years amid falling orders and pricing pressure. The coronavirus pandemic has also crushed passenger travel and demand for new jets. The last order for a passenger version came in 2017, when the U.S. government asked Boeing to repurpose two 747-8 jetliners for use as Air Force One by the U.S. president. Boeing declined to confirm that it was pulling the plug on the 747 program, first reported by Bloomberg News on Thursday. 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 said. We will continue to make the right decisions to keep the production line healthy and meet customer needs, he added. The end of the 747 would follow Airbus SEs (AIR.PA) phasing out of its A380 jumbo jet. In June, the last convoy of outsize parts for the worlds largest airliner crawled towards an assembly plant in southwest France. The death of the 747 program could also mean charges and layoffs for halting production at the mammoth wide-body plant outside Seattle. It could also have financial implications on newer programs such as the 787 Dreamliner and the latest model of 777, which would have to bear a larger share of the plants huge overhead if the 747 line went dark. One supplier source said he was not sure when Boeing made a formal decision to end the program but said the final number of ship sets as complete sets of parts are known was agreed to with the supply base at least a year ago. Boeing has also removed language from financial filings that said it would continue to evaluate the viability of the 747 program, which one industry source said was a tell-tale sign of its plans. The World Health Organization has updated its account of the early stages of the COVID crisis to say it was alerted by its own office in China, and not by China itself, to the first pneumonia cases in Wuhan. The United Nations health body has been accused by U.S. President Donald Trump of failing to provide the information needed to stem the pandemic and of being complacent towards Beijing, charges it denies. On April 9, WHO published an initial timeline of its communications, partly in response to criticism of its early response to the outbreak that has now claimed more than 521,000 lives worldwide. In that chronology, WHO had said only that the Wuhan municipal health commission in the province of Hubei had on December 31 reported cases of pneumonia. The UN health agency did not however specify who had notified it. WHO director Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told a press conference on April 20 the first report had come from China, without specifying whether the report had been sent by Chinese authorities or another source. But a new chronology, published this week by the Geneva-based institution, offers a more detailed version of events. It indicates that it was the WHO office in China that on December 31 notified its regional point of contact of a case of "viral pneumonia" after having found a declaration for the media on a Wuhan health commission website on the issue. The same day, WHO's epidemic information service picked up another news report transmitted by the international epidemiological surveillance network ProMed based in the United States about the same group of cases of pneumonia from unknown causes in Wuhan. After which, WHO asked the Chinese authorities on two occasions, on January 1 and January 2, for information about these cases, which they provided on January 3. WHO emergencies director Michael Ryan told a press conference on Friday that countries have 24-48 hours to officially verify an event and provide the agency with additional information about the nature or cause of an event. Ryan added that the Chinese authorities immediately contacted WHO's as soon as the agency asked to verify the report. U.S. President Donald Trump has announced that his country, the main financial contributor to WHO, will cut its bridges with the institution, which he accuses of being too close to China and of having poorly managed the pandemic. The WHO denies any complacency toward China. The Maya Academy of Advanced Cinematics (MAAC), a film training center located in Ho Chi Minh City, has apologized to the well-known American composer Christopher Wong for inviting a person allegedly pretending to be him to take part in a talk show in June. On June 20, the MAAC held an event on sound design at its headquarters in District 1, Ho Chi Minh City. The event's keynote speaker was sound designer Hau Nguyen while a person introduced as "Christopher Wong" was a guest speaker who appeared in the second part of the event. In a press release published on July 2, MAAC said they would like to correct a mistake regarding the name of the guest speaker. "We have just learned the name of the guest speaker who took part in the second part of the event is Huynh Hong Giang," read the press release. "This person is not the real Christopher Wong, who is renowned for composing many film scores in Vietnam but rarely appears in public," the announcement continued. Huynh Hong Giang, an alleged impostor of the American film music composer Christopher Wong, speaks at an event held at the Maya Academy of Advanced Cinematics (MAAC)'s headquarters on June 6, 2020 in a supplied photo. Wong is known in Vietnam for composing the scores for Vietnamese-American director Victor Vu's blockbuster films such as Mat biec (Dreamy Eyes) and Toi thay hoa vang tren co xanh (Yellow Flowers on the Green Grass). According to MAAC, during the event, when asked about the process of composing the film scores, Giang neither confirmed nor denied that he was indeed the composer behind such works. In fact, his way of communication gave the impression that he was apparently the celebrated American composer Christopher Wong. The situation confused the event's participants at the time. MAAC's director Dinh Tri Dung has officially apologized to Christopher Wong following the company's embarrassing mistake, the press release continued, adding Dung has talked privately with Wong to express his sincere regret to the musician. MAAC also extended an official invitation for Wong who lives in the U.S. to visit Ho Chi Minh City in the near future to share his knowledge and passion for film scoring. Follow MAAC's announcement and apology, Christopher Wong said he had felt rather shocked to know the alleged impostor could have some film directors deceived. The composer advised his colleagues in Vietnam to be more alert for such scams in the future. Christopher Wong, a self-claimed "secret film composer from Los Angeles," has been known for his many works in the Vietnamese film industry, mostly with director Victor Vu, for over the past ten years. He composed the scores for several celebrated Vietnamese films as Yellow Flowers on the Green Grass, Dreamy Eyes, and Passport to Love. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! Read what is in the news today. Politics Party General Secretary and State President Nguyen Phu Trong and Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc on Friday cabled messages of congratulations to U.S. President Donald Trump on the occasion of the United States 244th Independence Day on July 4. Society Deputy Prime Minister Truong Hoa Binh on Friday requested the Peoples Committee of Hanoi to direct functional agencies to focus on remedying consequences and expeditiously investigating the cause of a fire that broke out at a chemical warehouse in Long Bien District on June 30. The Central Highlands province of Dak Nong has reported three more patients who have contracted diphtheria, raising the local total number to 15 and the national tally to 26. The National Committee on Traffic Safety in collaboration with the Ministry of Education and Training on Friday launched a social program with the aim of presenting nearly two million helmets to first graders nationwide in the 2020-21 academic year. Officers at Long Binh Border Gate in the Mekong Delta province of An Giang have prevented seven Vietnamese women hailing from the southern province of Tay Ninh from illegally crossing the border to Cambodia on a taxi. The management board of the Hanoi Hai Phong Expressway, in collaboration with the Traffic Police Department under the Ministry of Public Security, has handled a case where a female driver drove a truck in reverse for more than one kilometer along the expressway on Friday morning. Police in Go Vap District, Ho Chi Minh City, are investigating a case where a group of people attacked a 25-year-old man in front of a shopping mall on Quang Trung Street over a conflict between the man and a co-worker, inflicting a head injury and causing him to be hospitalized on Friday late afternoon. Business GoViet, the Vietnamese version of the Indonesian on-demand multi-service platform Gojek, on Friday announced that it will unite its app and brand under Gojek to become Gojek Vietnam. Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has directed the Ministry of Transport to review and coordinate with relevant ministries and agencies to propose solutions to effectively exploit strengths and opportunities of the domestic shipbuilding industry after an article reported on the June 26, 2020 issue of the Tuoi Tre (Youth) daily newspaper. World news The coronavirus has infected almost 11.2 million people and killed more than 528,300 patients around the world as of Saturday morning, according to the Vietnamese Ministry of Health's statistics. Over 6.2 million people have been cleared of the virus. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! A nine-year-old boy in Ho Chi Minh City has survived having his heart punctured thanks to efforts from doctors at the Children's Hospital 2 in District 1. M.T.A., 9, was rushed to District 7 Hospital by his grandmother, who said she found A. lying immobile next to his mother with a pair of scissors on Thursday, according to doctors. The District 7 infirmary managed to resuscitate A. with emergency first-aid after he had gone into cardiac and respiratory arrest, before transferring the boy to Children's Hospital 2. Upon admitting A., the District 1-based hospital immediately activated code red alert and carried out a surgery on the boy, said Dr. Tran Thanh Tri, head of the general surgery department at Children's Hospital 2. The code red alert system is the process of coordination and emergency assistance between hospitals to provide emergency services for patients in critical situations that require the intervention of doctors and experienced experts from different specialties, according to the Vietnamese Ministry of Healths news site Suc khoe & Doi song (Health & Life). A. could have been on the verge of death from bleeding and compression of the heart if the doctors were late to intervene for just a few more seconds, according to Dr. Tri. During the operation, doctors found a puncture in the right ventricle near the coronary artery in A.s heart and sutured the hole. Currently, the little patients health has stabilized, and he has been transferred to the infirmary's cardiopulmonary resuscitation room. Children's Hospital 2 also reported the incident to the local police on the same day. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! The Civil Aviation Administration of Vietnam (CAAV) has slapped two women and a man with a one-year flight ban for altercations with cabin crew and violating regulations on aviation safety. Bui Thi Phuong C., 25, a woman from the northern province of Thai Nguyen, is banned from flying through July 3 next year and subject to strict security screening at airports for six months after her ban expires. C. was fined VND4 million (US$172) by the Northern Airports Authority last month for hurling her phone at the chief purser of a Vietjet flight from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City on June 19 after the flight attendant asked her to switch off the device for takeoff. Tran Trung Th., a 49-year-old man from Hanoi, was similarly punished for getting into an altercation with a flight attendant and other passengers aboard a Vietnam Airlines flight from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City on May 21. The other female passenger is N.T.B.T., 53, from Hanoi, who was aboard a Vietnam Airlines flight from the south-central province of Binh Dinh to Hanoi on June 2. T. took a life jacket from under her seat and tore its cover without a request from the cabin crew. She was fined by the Northern Airport Authority for her administrative violation on June 5, but failed to pay the fine before the deadline. The three passengers will not be allowed to board any flights in or departing from Vietnam until the end of July 3, 2021. Airport authorities are asked to closely monitor passengers identities to timely prevent them from flying during this 12-month period. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! Lets be clear, new French-US drama War of the Worlds bears very little resemblance to H.G. Wells classic sci-fi tale. But its at least more entertaining than a recent UK period miniseries of the same name. While the original became a panic-inciting radio play by Orson Welles in 1938, and a memorable 1953 film (and even a grand 1978 musical album), its now the loose inspiration for a new miniseries starring Gabriel Byrne, Elizabeth McGovern and Lea Drucker. Set in present-day France and London, simultaneous storylines of an alien invasion, make for a diluted, ensemble approach that feels like a nod to apocalypse and zombie genres. Astronomer Catherine (Lea Drucker) works at an observatory high in the icy French Alps, where strange signals picked up from outer space may be evidence of extra-terrestrial life. But as she tells a NATO meeting in Brussels, there is no way of knowing if they are friend or foe. In London, Bill, a lecturer in neuroscience, still burns a flame for his ex-wife Helen (Elizabeth McGovern) and endeavours to turn hero when a night of strange meteors wreaks havoc on the city. Other disparate characters include mother Sarah (Natasha Little) and her two teens Tom (Ty Tennant) and Emily (Daisy Edgar-Jones), whose blindness brings a heightened sense of hearing and the ability to hear alien doom approaching. Sarahs husband John (Stephen Campbell Moore) is stuck in Paris, hoping to reunite, while asylum seeker Kariem (Bayo Gbadamosi) is on the run inside a tanker. But everybodys lives are in upheaval and chaos when alien life reaches Earth with fatal impact. Its a fight to survive, in empty cityscapes that must have been challenging to film. While the Tom Cruise feature film was far from satisfying, I reluctantly feel it was more entertaining than the recent BBC series, and even more focussed than this. Its arguably a bit of a cheat to even call this War of the Worlds when the characters bear such little resemblance (the novel is the first-person narrative of both an unnamed protagonist in Surrey and of his younger brother in London). Writer Howard Overman (Misfits, Merlin, Hustle, New Tricks) brings a Walking Dead tone to the plot, while the co-production at least makes use of some alluring French vistas. Now released on SBS, one also has to ask whether the on-screen terror is greater than the real world reality we find ourselves in? At 2 hours this might have been a tighter arc, but at 8 episodes, and the need to sustain various plot threads, not all viewers will come out alive. War of the Worlds begins with a double episode 8:30pm Thursday on SBS. Related Dublin, July 03, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Europe Acne Market and Competitive Landscape - 2020" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. This research report provides comprehensive insights into the Acne pipeline, epidemiology, market valuations, drug sales, market forecast, drug forecasts, and market shares. This research analyzes and forecasts the Acne market size and drug sales. It also provides insights into Acne epidemiology and late stage pipeline. This research covers the following: Acne treatment options, Acne late stage clinical trials pipeline, Acne prevalence by countries, Acne market size and forecast by countries, key market events and trends, drug sales and forecast by countries, and market shares by countries. The research scope includes the countries Germany, France, Italy, Spain, UK, Europe (EU5 Countries). Research Scope Countries: Germany, France, Italy, Spain, UK, Europe Acne pipeline: Find out drugs in clinical trials for the treatment of Acne by development phase 3, phase 2, and phase 1, by pharmacological class and company Acne epidemiology: Find out the number of patients diagnosed (prevalence) with Acne by countries Acne drugs: Identify key drugs marketed and prescribed for Acne in the US, including trade name, molecule name, and company Acne drugs sales: Find out the sales value for Acne drugs by countries Acne market valuations: Find out the market size for Acne drugs in 2019 by countries. Find out how the market advanced from 2016 and forecast to 2024 Acne drugs market share: Find out the market shares for key drugs by countries Benefits of this Research Evaluate commercial market opportunities for Acne drugs Synthesize insights for business development & licensing Track market size, competitor drug sales, market shares in the Acne market Develop in-depth knowledge of competition and markets Analyze Acne drug sales data to update your brand planning trackers Develop tactics and strategies to take advantage of opportunities in the market Track Market Events and Trends and analyze key events in the Acne market Develop forecast models, healthcare frameworks, or economic models Answer key business questions; supports decision making in R&D to long term marketing strategies Key Topics Covered 1. Acne Treatment Options 2. Acne Pipeline Insights 2.1. Acne Phase 3 Clinical Trials 2.2. Acne Phase 2 Clinical Trials 2.3. Acne Phase 1 Clinical Trials 3. Acne Epidemiology Analysis by Countries 4. Germany Acne Market Insights 4.1. Marketed Drugs for Acne in Germany 4.2. Germany Acne Market Size & Forecast 4.3. Germany Acne Drugs Sales Forecast 4.4. Germany Acne Market Share Analysis 5. France Acne Market Insights 5.1. Marketed Drugs for Acne in France 5.2. France Acne Market Size & Forecast 5.3. France Acne Product Sales Forecast 5.4. France Acne Market Share Analysis 6. Italy Acne Market Insights 6.1. Marketed Drugs for Acne in Italy 6.2. Italy Acne Market Size & Forecast 6.3. Italy Acne Product Sales Forecast 6.4. Italy Acne Market Share Analysis 7. Spain Acne Market Insights 7.1. Marketed Drugs for Acne in Spain 7.2. Spain Acne Market Size & Forecast 7.3. Spain Acne Product Sales Forecast 7.4. Spain Acne Market Share Analysis 8. UK Acne Market Insights 8.1. Marketed Drugs for Acne in UK 8.2. UK Acne Market Size & Forecast 8.3. UK Acne Product Sales Forecast 8.4. UK Acne Market Share Analysis 9. Europe Acne Market Insights 9.1. Europe Acne Market Size & Forecast 9.2. Europe Acne Product Sales Forecast 9.3. Europe Acne Market Share Analysis 10. Research Methodology For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/x4or89 Story continues Research and Markets also offers Custom Research services providing focused, comprehensive and tailored research. CONTACT: CONTACT: ResearchAndMarkets.com Laura Wood, Senior Press 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 Dublin, July 03, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "DevOps Software Market - Forecasts from 2020 to 2025" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. The global DevOps software market was valued at US$3.832 billion in 2019 and is expected to continue showing a solid growth over the forecast period. The growth of DevOps software market is majorly being driven by growing competition across communication and technology industry. As this industry continues to become highly competitive, companies are increasing their focus on cost reduction. Higher than estimated costs associated with software development using other approaches, coupled with lower level of satisfaction of clients on account of poor quality of software developed, is drifting companies away from them towards DevOps, thus boosting the market growth. Rapid growth of cloud across the globe is another major factor shaping this growth. Companies and organizations across the globe require an scalable, secure and cost-effective solution to manage their data and workflow. Cloud solutions help companies and organizations reduce their operational cost by saving money on various fronts such as data center maintenance, power and cooling costs, and software licensing and upgrade expenses. Not just large enterprises, many SMEs (Small and Medium Enterprises) with low budget across the globe are also adopting cloud solutions on account of improved efficiency offered by them, and availability of a good number of players providing tailored solutions for diverse business needs. Since working on cloud requires solutions with shorter release (or upgrade) cycles so as to ensure that complete potential is being tapped, DevOps is becoming increasingly popular among software development companies, thus adding to the market growth. Continuous advancements in the field of Internet of Things (IoT) are increasing its adoption across the globe, and this is expected to remain another key driving factor for this market. Increasing number of connected devices across the globe and generation of trillions of GBs of data every day is increasing the demand for efficient big data solutions. Big data analytics tools have the capacity to handle huge and complex data sets efficiently and generate meaningful insights. Hadoop, for instance, is an open-source software ecosystem which has the provision for an immense data storage and high processing power with the ability to manage multiple tasks virtually from the IoT devices. Since working with IoT requires close collaboration between clients and software vendors, and continuous upgrade and maintenance of software, demand for DevOps is increasing among vendors, thus propelling the market growth. As spending by enterprises of all sizes into their IT infrastructure continues to increase, in order to upgrade it to a more robust and scalable one, we expect the demand for improved software development methodologies to increase over the projected period. Furthermore, since cloud, big data and IT security continue to account for a significantly large share of global IT spending last year, the demand for more efficient software development approaches is increasing, thus augmenting the market growth. North America holds a significant share in the global DevOps software market Geographically, the DevOps software market is segmented as North America, South America, Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (MEA), and Asia Pacific (APAC). To give a clearer view of these regional markets, these have been further segmented into countries which account for a significant market share. North America and Europe together account for a fairly large market share and market growth in these regions is expected to remain good over the forecast period. Availability of favourable technology infrastructure in these regions is one of the major factors supporting the market growth. Furthermore, since technology companies in many economies in these regions are known to show early adoption of new technologies, they have the early adopter benefit, and hold a fairly decent market share. Booming automation sector in these regions, coupled with presence of a good number of companies offering software solutions to customers in this sector, is driving with it the demand for DevOps software among them. The market growth in Asia Pacific is anticipated to remain solid over the projected period. Rapid growth of communication and technology industry in countries like China, Japan, India and South Korea among others is one of the major driving factor for the regional market. Evolving technology infrastructure these countries is poised to support the uptake of DevOps among technology companies in this region, thus boosting the market growth. Heavy inflow of investments by players across other industries is driving the demand for better software offerings among customers, thus bringing many new vendors into the market. South America and the Middle East and Africa account for a relatively small market share. However, market growth in these regions is expected to remain good over the forecast period as governments in these regions continue to focus on strengthening their technology infrastructure which aids in strengthening industrial sectors aligned to it. Recent outbreak of novel coronavirus has affected businesses worldwide. Since industries continue to witness a slump in growth, reducing costs has become even more necessary for enterprises. Players across communication and technology industry are implementing big cost cuts while delivering solutions to clients still remains a key focal point. This is expected to further drive the market growth across all major regions. Competitive Insights Prominent key market players in the DevOps software market include IBM, Microsoft Corporation, Hewlett-Packard, Broadcom and Red Hat, Inc. among others. These companies hold a noteworthy share in the market on account of their good brand image and quality of offerings. Many major players in the DevOps software market have been covered along with their relative competitive position and strategies. The report also mentions recent deals and investments of different market players over the last two years. Key Topics Covered 1. Introduction 1.1. Market Definition 1.2. Market Segmentation 2. Research Methodology 2.1. Research Data 2.2. Assumptions 3. Executive Summary 3.1. Research Highlights 4. Market Dynamics 4.1. Market Drivers 4.2. Market Restraints 4.3. Porters Five Forces Analysis 4.4. Lifecycle Analysis- Regional Snapshot 5. DevOps Software Market Analysis, By Deployment Model 5.1. Introduction 5.2. On-premise 5.3. Cloud 6. DevOps Software Market Analysis, By Enterprise Size 6.1. Introduction 6.2. Small 6.3. Medium 6.4. Large 7. DevOps Software Market Analysis, By End User 7.1. Introduction 7.2. Communication and Technology 7.3. Manufacturing 7.4. BFSI 7.5. Retail 7.6. Others 8. DevOps Software Market Analysis, By Geography 8.1. Introduction 8.2. North America 8.2.1. North America DevOps Software Market, By Deployment Model, 2019 to 2025 8.2.2. North America DevOps Software Market, By Enterprise Size, 2019 to 2025 8.2.3. North America DevOps Software Market, By End User, 2019 to 2025 8.2.4. By Country 8.2.4.1. USA 8.2.4.2. Canada 8.2.4.3. Mexico 8.3. South America 8.4. Europe 8.5. Middle East and Africa 8.6. Asia Pacific 9. Competitive Environment and Analysis 9.1. Major Players and Strategy Analysis 9.2. Emerging Players and Market Lucrativeness 9.3. Mergers, Acquisitions, Agreements, and Collaborations 9.4. Vendor Competitiveness Matrix 10. Company Profiles 10.1. IBM 10.2. Gradle Inc. 10.3. Atlassian 10.4. Docker Inc. 10.5. Puppet 10.6. Red Hat, Inc. 10.7. Raygun 10.8. Broadcom 10.9. Microsoft Corporation 10.10. Hewlett-Packard For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/7rekbi Story continues Research and Markets also offers Custom Research services providing focused, comprehensive and tailored research. CONTACT: CONTACT: ResearchAndMarkets.com Laura Wood, Senior Press 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 Logos of Peugeot and Fiat are seen in this illustration picture By Giulio Piovaccari MILAN (Reuters) - Fiat Chrysler (FCA) and PSA said on Friday they were sticking to the merger plan signed last year after a newspaper said the carmakers were looking at spinning off assets to cut a planned 5.5 billion euro (4.96 billion pounds) cash payout to FCA shareholders. A spokesman for FCA dismissed the report on possible changes to the dividend in Italian business daily Il Sole 24 Ore, while PSA said it remained "lucid in the face of the regular speculations to which this merger project is subject". It added it was implementing the binding agreement signed by the two companies in December. "The structure and terms of the merger are agreed and remain unchanged," the FCA spokesman said. Italian-American group FCA and France's PSA plan to finalise their merger by the first quarter of next year. Il Sole said FCA could conserve cash by handing shareholders assets in place of the special dividend, which has drawn criticism in Italy after the company agreed a 6.3 billion euro state-backed loan to help it through the coronavirus crisis. Il Sole said talks were at a very early stage and no decision had been taken, adding the aim was to keep the 5.5 billion euro value of the special dividend but to turn it from cash to assets. Accepting the state-backed loan may not legally bar FCA from paying the dividend, as it is not due until 2021 and would be paid by Dutch parent company Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV. However, Italian politicians have questioned the appropriateness of such a large cash payout during the crisis. Options being considered include spinning off the Sevel van business, a 50-50 joint venture between the two groups, which could be valued at between 2.5 and 3 billion euros, or FCA's Alfa Romeo and Maserati brands, Il Sole said. Spinning off Sevel could help address European Union concerns about competition in the van segment, but Il Sole said the option looked complicated as it would require PSA to transfer its 50% stake in the unit to FCA. Story continues Another option is scrapping a planned spin-off of PSA's controlling stake in parts maker Faurecia, Il Sole said. A source close to the matter said PSA could instead sell its Faurecia stake before the merger and keep the cash proceeds in the merged company. (Additional reporting by Gilles Guillaume and Sarah White in Paris; Editing by Alexander Smith and Mark Potter) 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. DGAP-News: HELMA Eigenheimbau AG / Key word(s): Dividend The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement. HELMA Eigenheimbau AG: AGM approves dividend of EUR 1.85 per share for 2019 Lehrte, July 3, 2020 - The Ordinary AGM of HELMA Eigenheimbau AG, which was held today in virtual form, followed the management's proposal and approved the payment of a dividend of EUR 1.85 per share for the 2019 financial year. Accordingly, with the distribution of almost 50 % of the net profit of HELMA Eigenheimbau AG as reported on the basis of financial accounting principles according to the German Commercial Code (HGB), the shareholders participate tangibly in the company's success. All other agenda items were also decided and approved. About HELMA Eigenheimbau AG: HELMA Eigenheimbau AG (HELMA) is one of the leading German building service providers offering the full service range. The focus is on the development, planning, sale, and construction management of individually planned detached houses built on customers' properties applying the traditional solid construction method ("brick on brick"). Through the HELMA Wohnungsbau GmbH subsidiary - which operates as a broadly diversified project and property developer - the possibility also exists in various metropolitan regions across Germany to acquire individual dream homes together with suitable land plots on a one-stop shop basis. Furthermore, HELMA Wohnungsbau GmbH realises high-quality semi-detached and terraced houses as well as apartment construction projects in sought-after locations. With the realisation of holiday houses and apartments at locations enjoying well-developed infrastructures - predominantly on the North Sea and Baltic Sea coasts - the HELMA Ferienimmobilien GmbH subsidiary also ranks among the leading companies in its market segment. Its offering addresses mainly private customers for their own use or as a capital investment. As a financing and home insurance broker, the Hausbau Finanz GmbH subsidiary completes the HELMA Group's product range. Since it was founded in 1980, HELMA has transferred well over 10,000 attractive residential and holiday properties to satisfied customers. More than 400 employees and specialist advisors ensure that meanwhile around 1,000 further properties are added annually. HELMA - we love to build for your life. Investor Relations Contact: Gerrit Janssen, Management Board Chairman / CEO Tel.: +49 (0)5132 8850 221 E-Mail: ir@helma.de 03.07.2020 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 In-depth Analysis and Data-driven Insights on the Impact of COVID-19 Included in this Global Nebulizer Market Report. The nebulizer market by revenue is expected to grow at a CAGR of over 7% during the period 20192025. New York, July 03, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Reportlinker.com announces the release of the report "Nebulizers Market - Global Outlook and Forecast 2020-2025" - https://www.reportlinker.com/p05918008/?utm_source=GNW The global nebulizer market is one of the steady growing segments in the global medical devices market. It is expected to grow at a healthy pace during the forecast period. This surge can be attributable to the growing prevalence of asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients, cystic fibrosis, and the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. The rising incidence of chronic respiratory diseases is increasing the demand for nebulizers at a significant rate over the past few years across the globe. According to the WHO, COPD is expected to emerge as the third leading cause of death across the world by 2025. The rise in COVID-19 cases across the globe has increased the demand for nebulizers. The devices usage to treat the coronavirus affected patients is growing during the COVID-19 pandemic. According to the WHO, more than 180 countries are affected by COVID-19. Italy, Spain, the UK, the US, China, France, Spain, Iran, Germany, the Netherlands, and Belgium accounted for more than 75% of the cases. With 20% to 40% and 5% to 15% of COVID-19 patients requiring hospitalization and intensive/emergency care, the demand for medical ventilators and nebulizers to deliver medication directly to the lungs is likely to grow phenomenally between 2020 and 2021. The following factors are likely to contribute to the growth of the nebulizer market during the forecast period: High Demand for Mesh Nebulizers COVID-19 Fueling Surge in Nebulizers Growing Popularity of Home Nebulization Favorable Patient Demographics The study considers the present scenario of the nebulizer market and its market dynamics for the period 2019?2025. It covers a detailed overview of several market growth enablers, restraints, and trends. The report offers both the demand and supply aspect of the market. It profiles and examines leading companies and other prominent ones operating in the market. Global Nebulizer Market Segmentation The global nebulizer market research report includes a detailed segmentation by products, portability, end-user, and geography. Jet nebulizers are widely drug delivery machines across the globe. The segment accounts for the largest market revenue. However, it is likely to decline on account of the growing popularity and adoption of mesh devices. An important driver, which is influencing their usage, is the effectiveness in delivering formulations that cannot be delivered with pressurized metered-dose and dry powder inhalers. However, these devices are incorporated with ventilators to synchronize aerosol delivery with inspiration, maintain constant tidal volume, and avoid drug waste. This factor has increased the usage of jet type in ICUs to treat critically ill patients. The tabletop devices segment is likely to retain its dominance; however, portable nebulizers are expected to grow at the highest CAGR during the forecast period. The usage of tabletop devices in emergency care and home healthcare settings is increasing their application world over. The resistance to change to the latest inhaling technology in the elderly population is helping to consolidate the segment. The tabletop segment is likely to witness an absolute growth of over 36% and an incremental growth of around $173.6 million during the forecast period. In 2019, the hospital segment accounted for a share of 54% in the global nebulizer market. The increase in the number of hospitals offering treatment to several patient groups requiring nebulizers. For decades, hospitals have been the first point of contact for emergencies from asthma, COPD, and other respiratory disorders. The rising geriatric population is fueling the hospital segment. Home healthcare settings are witnessing a high demand for nebulizers. The COVID-19 pandemic situation has changed the patient pathway for the treatment of diseases. Several COPD and asthma patients are diverted to home healthcare settings. To prevent the spread of the virus, the majority of the respiratory patients are diverted to home healthcare devices in developed countries. These factors are driving the demand for nebulizers across home healthcare settings. Segmentation by Products Jet Mesh Ultrasonic Segmentation by Portability Tabletop Portable Segmentation by End-user Hospitals Home Healthcare Others Insights by Geography The North American market is growing at a moderate rate. Although the region is expected to grow at a slower rate than other regions, the COVID-19 pandemic has fueled a surge in nebulizers in the region, especially in the US. The country will witness a positive growth as national health spending is projected to grow at an average annual rate of 5.4% for 20192028, reaching $6.2 trillion by 2028. North America experienced a large-scale adoption of nebulizers over the past decade. The rise in pollution rates, along with the growing number of cases related to respiratory troubles, even for neo-natal care, is one of the major reasons that has boosted the overall demand in North America. However, the COVID-19 pandemic situation has affected North America drastically. The number of people affected by COVID-19 is on the higher side; more than lakh people are affected by the coronavirus. A large number of people are admitted to emergency rooms and are on ventilators. Segmentation by Geography North America o US o Canada Europe o UK o Germany o France o Italy o Spain APAC o China o Japan o South Korea o Australia o India Latin America o Brazil o Mexico o Argentina Middle East & Africa o South Africa o Saudi Arabia o Turkey Insights by Vendors The global nebulizer market share is fragmented with the presence of several global, regional, and local vendors offering a wide range of devices. OMRON, Koninklijke Philips, Drive DeVilbiss International, PARI, Feellife Health, Besco Medical, and Rossmax International, and Ca-Mi are the key market players dominating the market. Although the large vendors dominate, they are witnessing heavy competition from regional and local companies from India, China, Italy, and Germany. Many regional vendors also are offering cost-effective nebulizers in Europe, APAC, and the Middle East & Africa regions. Prominent Vendors OMRON o Business Overview o Product Offerings o Key Strengths o Key Strategies o Key Opportunities Koninklijke Philips Drive Devilbiss Healthcare Besco Medical PARI Rossmax International Feellife Health CA-MI Other Prominent Vendors Liquide Medical Systems o Business Overview o Product Offerings Allied Healthcare Products Andreas Fahl Medizintechnik-Vertrieb AME Group Babybelle Big Eagle Bremed Well Swiss DR TRUST DELBio EP S.p.A ELMASLAR GROUP Flexicare Fazzini Hunkar Ecza ve Medikal K-JUMP HEALTH Little Doctor International MED2000 San-Up HELTMAN Medikal Jiangsu Dengguan Medical Treatment Instrument Medpack Swiss Group Microlife MTD Medical Technology and Devices Norditalia Group Promed Group Tai Yu International Manu Trimpeks Vega Technologies Wuhan W.E.O. Science & Technology Development Westmed Compass Health Brands Koo Medical Equipment NOUVAG Sunset Healthcare Solutions Morepen Laboratories Trudell Medical International KEY QUESTIONS ANSWERED: 1. What is the nebulizer market size and growth rate during the forecast period? 2. How is the growth of healthcare infrastructure supporting the growth trend of the nebulizer market in the North America region? 3. Which product/portability/end-user segment is generating the largest revenues for the market? 4. What are the factors leading to the growth of regional vendors in the nebulizer market? 5. What is the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the European nebulizer market? Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p05918008/?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 Acting Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey has called on police to investigate whether Nigel Farage has broken quarantine rules. The former Cabinet minister has written to the chief constable of the Kent constabulary questioning whether the Brexit Party leader had contravened coronavirus guidelines. The move followed the reopening of pubs across England on Saturday and a tweet from Mr Farage from a bar. Mr Farage insisted he had been back from a trip to the US for two weeks and had tested negative for Covid-19. To view this content, you'll need to update your privacy settings. Please click here to do so. Sir Ed wrote to chief constable Alan Pughsley, stating: I write out of concern that one of your local residents may have broken quarantine rules regarding international travel and is putting lives at risk with a wilful disregard for scientific and medical advice. Today (July 4 2020), Nigel Farage posted at 12.23pm on Twitter from a Kent pub declaring 12 oclock, first customer in. Love it. Previously, on June 20 2020, Mr Farage posted on Twitter from the United States a photograph of himself with the tweet: In the USA, only twenty four hours from Tulsa. It has been widely reported in the media that Mr Farage was attending a rally held in Tulsa, Oklahoma by President Trump on June 20 2020, and he was pictured there. At the rally there was scant regard for the safety of those attending or indeed for those who they may contact afterwards. Mr Farage, enjoying a pint back on Boxing day in Kent (Steve Parsons/PA) Regardless of whether Mr Farage should have been in the United States supporting President Trump or not, the dates from his posts on Twitter and the photographs of him at the rally suggest that he may be disregarding the quarantine rules that the Home Secretary has put in place. Those rules require 14 full days of isolation for anyone returning to the UK from overseas, but Mr Farage was pictured in the USA on the evening of June 20, which suggests he should have been at home in quarantine when he was in the pub. Story continues I write to ask you to immediately investigate this issue, establish the timeline of events for Mr Farages return to the UK and establish whether Mr Farage was in breach of his quarantine. It is vital that lives are not put at risk by breaches of quarantine. Mr Farage tweeted: To all those screaming and shouting about me going to the pub. I have been back from the USA for 2 weeks and I have been tested the result was negative. Sorry to disappoint you. Cheers! A powerful Afghan warlord accused of kidnapping and raping a political opponent and of committing rights abuses for decades has been given the country's highest military rank, a top official said Friday. Abdul Rashid Dostum, 66, was awarded the rank of marshal in a decree issued by President Ashraf Ghani, making him the only third such recipient in Afghan armed forces. "I congratulate you on achieving the highest military rank of the country," Abdullah Abdullah, who now heads a high-profile council tasked with holding peace talks with the Taliban, wrote on his Facebook page Friday. "Awarding the marshal rank is an appreciation to the thousands of mujahideen fighters who have been martyred and wounded over the years while defending the country." Ghani's office was unavailable for comment, but some Afghan media networks reported that Ghani had issued a decree conferring the title on Dostum. Dostum's spokesman welcomed the decision. "This promotion should have been done many years ago, but we welcome that it has finally been done," Bashir Ahmad Tayenj told AFP. Dostum had been vice president in Ghani's previous administration in 2014, but fell out with him and became an ally of Abdullah. Both Abdullah and Dostum denounced the result of a September 2019 election that saw Ghani re-elected amid claims of fraud. While Dostum called Ghani's victory a "coup", Abdullah bitterly opposed the win for months and even held a rival swearing-in ceremony as president on the same day when Ghani was formally sworn in for the second time. Ghani and Abdullah ended their dispute in May, paving the way for launching peace talks with the Taliban. In the political accord that ended Ghani and Abdullah's feud, it was agreed that Dostum be awarded the title of marshal. - 'Beastly crime' - Dostum, a burly Uzbek warlord, has been a powerful figure in Afghanistan's politics for decades. He has switched allegiances many times since joining the Afghan army in the 1970s -- fighting for the Soviets against the mujahideen, and then with the alliance that helped overthrow the Taliban. In Ghani's previous government, he had been vice president mostly in name only, having spent much of the time in exile in Turkey after being accused of kidnapping and raping Ahmad Eshchi, a political opponent, in 2016. The charges against him and his bodyguards in this case remain active. Eshchi's son Baktash Eshchi slammed Ghani and Abdullah when talks were on to promote Dostum. "Instead of this award to Abdul Rashid Dostum, why did you not recommend that he be brought to court as any other law-abiding citizen for his beastly crime against my elderly father?" Baktash Eshchi wrote on his Facebook page in May. Rights groups have also accused Dostum and his forces of committing widespread human rights abuses over decades, including killing thousands of Taliban prisoners in the aftermath of the US invasion in 2001. Dostum has denied these allegations. "All those people involved in Afghan conflict over the last four decades had armed militias, and human rights fell victim to the post-Taliban politics," said Kabul-based analyst Sayed Nasir Musawi. "None of those people have been held accountable." Over the years, Dostum has survived several attempts on his life, including one claimed by the Islamic State group in July 2018 in Kabul that killed 23 people, including a driver for AFP. Johnny Depps lawyers have failed in a bid to stop his ex-wife Amber Heard attending his High Court libel trial against The Sun until she is called to give evidence. The 57-year-old actor is suing the tabloids publisher, News Group Newspapers (NGN), and its executive editor Dan Wootton over an April 2018 article which referred to Mr Depp as a wife beater. The article related to allegations made against Mr Depp by actress Ms Heard, 34, that he was violent towards her during their marriage claims he strenuously denies. Amber Heard alleges that Johnny Depp was violent towards her during their marriage (Anthony Devlin/PA) The high-profile trial is due to start on Tuesday after a last-ditch attempt to throw the case out of court by NGNs legal team was refused earlier this week. The Hollywood stars lawyers applied on Friday for Ms Heard to be excluded from the trial until she gave evidence, arguing that her evidence would be more reliable if she was not present in court when Mr Depp was being cross-examined. But, in a court order published on Saturday, trial judge Mr Justice Nicol refused the application, saying that excluding her from the hearing would inhibit the defendants in the conduct of their defence. The judge noted that it was NGN and Mr Wootton not Ms Heard who was defending the claim, but said that they rely heavily on the information which Ms Heard can provide. He added: She (Ms Heard) will not be in a position to give instructions to (NGNs lawyers), but she can provide information on which the defendants may choose to act. There is a benefit to the defendants in her being able to do that near instantaneously in the course of Mr Depps cross-examination and, in my view, it would be unfair to the defendants to deprive them of that advantage. The last-minute application to exclude Ms Heard from the hearing before she gives evidence is the latest pre-trial skirmish in an increasingly bitter battle between the two legal teams. Story continues Last week, NGNs lawyers applied to strike out Mr Depps claim over the stars failure to disclose the Australia drugs texts sent between Mr Depp and his assistant, Nathan Holmes. The messages, sent in late February and early March 2015 shortly before an alleged incident in Australia between Mr Depp and Ms Heard, which she claims was a three-day ordeal of physical assaults demonstrated that Mr Depp was trying to get drugs during the Australia visit, Adam Wolanski QC said. Amber Heard and Johnny Depp married in Los Angeles in February 2015 (Jonathan Brady/PA) Mr Wolanski said the Hollywood star was in serious breach of a court order by not giving NGNs legal team the messages containing references to happy pills and whitey stuff, which he argued was profoundly damaging to his case. The barrister even accused Mr Depp and his lawyers of a systematic attempt to pervert the course of justice by deliberately withholding documents from NGN a claim Mr Depps barrister David Sherborne called outrageous. Mr Justice Nicol ruled on Monday that Mr Depp had breached an unless order requiring him to disclose documents from separate libel proceedings against Ms Heard in the US which include the text messages. However, in a further ruling on Thursday, the judge said he would grant Mr Depps application for relief from sanctions, meaning the trial will go ahead as planned. The judge said his decision was conditional on Mr Depp giving an undertaking that he will not seek sanctions against Ms Heard for allegedly breaching a court order, made during separate libel proceedings in the US, by providing The Suns legal team with evidence. The alleged incident in Australia is one of 14 separate allegations of domestic violence, between early 2013 and May 2016, that NGN relies on in its pleaded defence to Mr Depps claim. Johnny Depps former partner Winona Ryder is expected to give evidence (Yui Mok/PA) A three-week trial at the Royal Courts of Justice in London which was due to start in March, but was delayed because of the Covid-19 pandemic is due to begin on Tuesday, with Mr Depps former partners Vanessa Paradis and Winona Ryder among the witnesses expected to give evidence. The court has heard Mr Depp intends to travel from his home in France to London to give evidence, while Ms Heard is believed to have already travelled to the UK from California. The libel claim against NGN and Mr Wootton arises out of publication of an article in The Sun in April 2018, under the headline: Gone Potty How can JK Rowling be genuinely happy casting wife beater Johnny Depp in the new Fantastic Beasts film? Mr Depp has brought separate libel proceedings against Ms Heard in the US, which the court heard are set for trial next year. The pair met on the set of 2011 comedy The Rum Diary and married in Los Angeles in February 2015. In May 2016, Ms Heard obtained a restraining order against Mr Depp after accusing him of abuse, which he denied. The couple settled their divorce out of court in 2017, with Ms Heard donating her seven million US dollars (5.5 million) settlement to charity. Protesters gathered at the grounds of the University of the Philippines in Quezon City on Saturday, to rally against the anti-terrorism bill, a day after President Duterte signed it into law. The crowd, observing proper distancing and wearing face masks held placards that read Oust Duterte and Junk terror bill as they urged the government to scrap the controversial bill which allows the police to arrest suspicious individuals without a warrant, bypassing the judiciary system. Renato Reyes, Jr., Secretary-General of Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (BAYAN) said: It comes at the worst time. We are in the middle of a pandemic, the infections are going up, unemployment is so bad, the economic crisis is worsening and I think those are the reasons why they need this billto scare people, to terrorize people so that they wont be opposing the regime and demanding much-needed reforms from the regime. This is a legal sledgehammer that will have far-reaching effects on the people so generations to come will feel the effects of this kind of instrument in the same way that martial law had the scarring effect on generations of Filipinos after the dictatorship. A caring police chief threatened to jail any officers who destroyed a bee hive at their local station. The creatures sparked concern when they built their home outside the commander's office in Songkhla, southern Thailand. Footage shows the huge bee hive hanging down from the station's third floor balcony with a note stating the officer's order to keep the hive unharmed. However, station commander Police Colonel Saksaeng Meesaeng said he did not want to interfere with the bees' nature. Speaking yesterday (July 2) the police chief said: "The hive has become so much bigger compared to my first day here six months ago and it could have already produced so much honey. "However, I believed we should let the bees live their lives without interfering with them so I order my subordinates here to stay away from it or else they will be punished." ''Perhaps they will end up in jail themselves if they harm the bees.'' 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. 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. By Foo Yun Chee BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Poland's biggest refiner PKN Orlen is set to gain EU antitrust approval for its takeover of smaller rival Lotos after sweetening concessions aimed at allaying competition concerns, people familiar with the matter said. State-run PKN wants to buy at least 53% of Lotos, in which Poland holds a 53.19% stake. EU competition enforcers, however, are concerned that the deal may push up prices and reduce competition in Poland, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia and Slovakia. PKN last month offered to sell Lotos' stake in a joint venture with BP called LOTOS - Air BP Polska (LABP) and also pledged to supply jet fuel to LABP with the aim of creating a viable competitor, other sources had told Reuters. The company subsequently made some minor changes to the package after rivals and customers provided feedback to the European Commission, one of the people said. The EU executive, which has set a July 22 deadline for its decision, declined to comment. It is scheduled to brief national competition agencies on the deal on July 2. "We are in the final stage of negotiations with the Commission," said a PKN spokeswoman, declining to comment further. PKN's concessions submitted to the Commission last month included a promise to increase on a yearly basis the amount of jet fuel to be supplied to LABP, access to jet fuel storage capacity for three airports. It also offered to build a new jet fuel import terminal at an airport. The package covers the wholesale fuels market, retail supply of fuels and supply of jet fuel, bitumen and lubricants. (Reporting by Foo Yun Chee, additional reporting by Agnieszka Barteczko in Warsaw; editing by Marine Strauss and Louise Heavens) By Jonathan Barrett and Tom Westbrook SYDNEY/SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Many Hong Kong residents are scouring for new jobs and homes overseas, fearful that a new national security law imposed by Beijing will crush coveted rights not enjoyed on the mainland and herald a new authoritarian era for China's freeest city. Beijing bypassed the city's legislature to approve the law directly this week, heightening anxiety over its impact on the former British colony of 7.4 million people that is a global financial hub and gateway for capital flows in-and-out of China. Immigration lawyers and consultants, property agents and recruitment groups from Australia to Canada all told Reuters they were inundated with enquiries from Hong Kong residents. "Hong Kong demand for international real estate and residency programmes has rocketed over the past few weeks," said Georg Chmiel, executive chairman of international property portal Juwai IQI, in a statement to Reuters. "We see it in Malaysia, Australia, the UK, Thailand, Canada, Vietnam and the Philippines." Juwai does not disclose numbers of enquiries, but did say Australia was the top foreign real estate investment location for Hong Kong buyers in the first half of 2020. While leaving Hong Kong has traditionally been an alternative for the wealthy and foreign passport-holders, more middle- and working-class people are now also seeking options, especially where visas come cheaper. Lily Chong, a real estate agent in Western Australia who markets developments to investors in Asia, said enquiries from Hong Kong shot up more than 40% since mid-June and more than 140 potential buyers took part in an online forum last weekend. "After just a few days we have already closed one sale sight-unseen," added Chong, managing director of IQI Western Australia. After weathering often violent, mass anti-Beijing protests since last year, China says the new law is aimed at a small minority of troublemakers and will not erode the legal rights making Hong Kong such a popular financial centre. Story continues ECHOES OF 1997 EXODUS But critics believe it is aimed at quashing dissent and will inevitably erode freedoms under the "one country, two systems" formula agreed when Hong Kong returned to Chinese rule in 1997, an event that also sparked an exodus. The law punishes crimes of secession, subversion, terrorism and collusion with foreign forces with up to life in prison, and already within hours of its implementation, 10 people were arrested on Wednesday during disturbances. After a first rush of enquiries about overseas possibilities when China proposed the law on May 21, the volume has surged again over the past 10 days as its implementation happened. As well as Australia and former colonial ruler Britain, residents are seeking a new life in cheaper countries such as Vietnam and the Philippines. Hong Kong's financial rival Singapore is generating high interest too. Andrew McNeilis, managing director for Asia at recruitment firm Phaidon International, said his firm had seen strong demand from Hong Kongers for Singapore, while it was becoming harder to convince people to go the Chinese city. "The new security law may result in an exodus of local talent," agreed Victor Filamor, partner at executive search firm Stones International in Hong Kong, though he stressed it was too early to know the law's effects. Fuelling the scramble, Britain, Australia, the United States and Taiwan have all proposed measures to help accommodate Hong Kongers looking to resettle. The day the law came into force, Taiwan opened an office to help Hong Kongers who may wish to go there. Those looking to relocate to Canada are finding that Ottawa's strict coronavirus controls are making it particularly hard to get in, immigration lawyers told Reuters. Refugee claims from Hong Kong in the first three months of 2020 did, however, nearly triple to 25 compared to all of 2019, Canadian government data shows. Stung by the offers of help for Hong Kong's people, China has warned foreign governments against meddling. (Reporting By Jonathan Barrett in Sydney, Tom Westbrook and Anshuman Daga in Singapore, Julie Gordon in Ottawa; Writing by Anne Marie Roantree; Editing by Andrew Cawthorne) 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. Algeria on Friday received the skulls of 24 resistance fighters decapitated during France's colonial occupation of the North African country, and which had been stored for decades in a Paris museum. The return of the remains comes amid a global reexamination of the legacy of colonialism since the May killing of 46-year-old African American George Floyd by a white police officer sparked mass protests. UN human rights chief Michelle Bachelet has urged countries to make amends for "centuries of violence and discrimination". The skulls, once viewed as war trophies by French colonial officers, were flown into Algiers airport on a Hercules C-130 transport plane, escorted on arrival by Algerian fighter jets. To a 21-gun salute, President Abdelmadjid Tebboune and a military guard of honour gave them an official welcome, an AFP correspondent said. The remains, in coffins draped with the Algerian flag, were carried shoulder high out of the aircraft 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. Army chief of staff Said Chengriha delivered a speech denouncing colonialism as "despicable". "The heroes of the popular revolt have returned to the land where they sacrificed their lives," he said. One Algerian tweeted: "The city is incredibly silent as the sirens of boats echo across the port of Algiers in a great moment of emotion." 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, the 58th anniversary of Algeria's independence, the skulls will finally be laid to rest in the martyrs' section of the capital's El Alia cemetery, local media reported. - 'Heroes' - France's 132 years of colonial rule in Algeria, and the brutal eight-year war that ended it, have left a legacy of often prickly relations between the two countries. But the return of the remains has been seen as indicating a thaw in ties. The French presidency, in a statement to AFP, said the return of the remains was a gesture of "friendship" and 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". He called them "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. Among the remains were those of revolt leader Sheikh Bouzian, who was captured in 1849 by the French, shot and decapitated, and the skull of resistance leader Mohammed Lamjad ben Abdelmalek, also known as "Cherif Boubaghla" (the man with the mule). Historian Malika Rahal described them as "martyrs... returning home". "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," she tweeted. - 'Cardboard boxes' - Emmanuel Macron, the first French president to be born after the 1954-62 independence war in which 1.5 million Algerians 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. 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". A French court on Friday handed a 30-year prison sentence to a jihadist for crimes committed in Syria between 2013-15. Among his crimes was the overseeing the execution of two prisoners while a senior figure in the Islamic State extremist group. Tyler Vilus, 30, who was found guilty on all charges, was also accused of belonging to a terrorist group, heading a group of Islamic State fighters and "aggravated murder". Public prosecutor Guillaume Michelin earlier asked the court for a life sentence, with no possibility of parole for 22 years. Michelin said Vilus "hasn't changed one bit" since his time with the Islamic State. "All the steps in the accused's journey are interlocked with the construction of the caliphate," said the prosecutor, referring to the Islamist-ruled area that IS had at the time carved out in Syria and Iraq. "It is your responsibility to put a definite end to the bloodshed," he told the court. But the presiding judge said he wanted to give him "a glimmer of hope" so that he could "evolve," even though he could have been sentenced to life on being convicted of all charges. Investigators believed Vilus was part of the "Al-Muhajireen" (the immigrants) brigade, a squad that tortured and carried out summary executions, which he had denied. However the court found that Vilus supervised the executions as a member of the religious police in the north-eastern Syrian town Ash Shaddadi, close to the Iraqi border. In a 2015 video published by the Islamic State's media department, a man alleged to be Vilus is two metres away as two kneeling and blindfolded prisoners -- one belonging to the Free Syrian Army rebel fighters and the other a member of Bashar al-Assad's army -- are executed with a bullet to the head. His arrest and trial were seen as a major coup for the French security services, as Vilus is believed to have known many French jihadists in Syria. Gilead Sciences just nabbed another huge potential customer for its drug remdesivir. The European Commission said Friday it had granted its conditional approval for the use of the antiviral drug in severe COVID-19 patients. That makes it the region's first authorized therapy to treat the virus. The U.S. has already cleared it for emergency use. Gilead said Japan, Taiwan, India, Singapore and the UAE have also approved it as a COVID-19 therapy. Remdesivir is in high demand because it helped shorten hospital recovery times in a clinical trial. Administered intravenously, the drug is generally being used on patients sick enough to require hospitalization. Gilead has allocated nearly all of its supply to the U.S over the next three months. The Commission said it's in talks with Gilead to get doses for the 27 European Union countries. By Eileen Soreng and Rajendra Jadhav BENGALURU/MUMBAI (Reuters) - Physical gold discounts widened in China and India this week as a surge in coronavirus infections restricted buying, while the reopening of retail outlets in Singapore saw a slight pick up in demand for the precious metal. Indian dealers were offering a discount of up to $18 an ounce over official domestic prices this week, from last week's $13. The domestic price includes a 12.5% import tax and 3% sales tax. "All jewellery stores have still not opened in cities like Mumbai. Rising prices are making gold unaffordable for many consumers," said Prithviraj Kothari, managing director of RiddiSiddhi Bullions. Indian gold prices hit a record high of 48,589 rupees per 10 grams on Wednesday. Retail buyers are not going out shopping as coronavirus cases have been rising in the last few days, said a Mumbai-based dealer with a bullion importing bank. In China, discounts of $10-$20 an ounce were being offered compared with $10-$15 last week. "The market is still very quiet, prices are high and only the investment side is buying... Demand is not likely to pick up any time soon, unless things go back to normal," said Ronald Leung, chief dealer, Lee Cheong Gold Dealers in Hong Kong. Physical gold was sold at a discount of $0.50 an ounce to a premium of $0.50 an ounce versus the benchmark in Hong Kong, slipping from last week's premium of $0.50-$1.50. In Singapore, premiums of $0.80-$1.50 an ounce were being charged over the benchmark prices versus last week's $0.80. "Physical stores have reopened with health and safety measures in place, a big build up of pent up demand is heading to retail outlets in Singapore," said Spencer Campbell, director at SE Asia Consulting Pte Ltd. Thailand's gold shipments jumped 735% in May from a year earlier. In Japan, gold was sold anywhere between at par with the benchmark to a $0.50 premium. (Reporting by Eileen Soreng and Brijesh Patel in Bangalore, Rajendra Jadhav in Mumbai; editing by Emelia Sithole-Matarise) US President Donald Trump traveled to Keystone, South Dakota, on July 3 to visit Mount Rushmore for an Independence Day celebration. A military flyover and fireworks were among the planned events. Demonstrators were seen blocking Iron Mountain Road, leading up to Mount Rushmore, and were heard chanting anti-Trump and Black Lives Matter messages. Supporters of the regions First Nations people, the Sioux Nation, also known as Oceti Sakowin, were heard lobbying for land rights. The National Guard arrived to disperse protesters, with Storyful verified video showing confrontations between Trump supporters and protesters. Credit: Mel McGowan via Storyful 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 A man trying to dodge fireworks was hit squarely in the face during a birthday gathering in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, on July 2, footage posted to Twitter shows. This video, shared by Kaleb Little, shows the moment his brother-in-law, Ethan Powers, was hit with a small incendiary. Little told Storyful that Powers thought he was fast enough to dodge them and as you can see, he wasnt quite fast enough. Powers was uninjured apart from for a tiny bump between his eyes, Little said. Pennsylvania officials issued a warning ahead of the July 4th weekend asking locals to be careful when handling fireworks. Credit: Kaleb Little via Storyful FILE PHOTO: Medical staff from Global Response Management prepare to take samples from a patient suspected of contracting coronavirus disease (COVID-19) at an isolation area of a hospital installed at a migrant encampment in Matamoros MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Mexico posted a record daily tally of coronavirus infections on Thursday, as 6,741 cases carried the overall figure to 238,511, according to the health ministry. The new figure pushed Mexico past Iran to 10th place among nations with the largest number of cases, a Reuters tally showed. Mexico also recorded 679 more deaths, for a toll of 29,189 since the pandemic reached the country in late February. Deputy Health Minister Hugo Lopez-Gatell said authorities had begun examining records for causes of death linked to COVID-19, the respiratory illness caused by the virus. The official death toll could climb once such cases were identified, he told a news conference. Lopez-Gatell said he stood by recent comments to the Washington Post about deaths in Mexico City, which has been hit hard by the pandemic. He had told the newspaper that actual deaths in the capital could outnumber those reported by a factor of three. The government has often said the real number of infected people is probably significantly higher than the tally of confirmed cases. (Interactive graphic tracking global spread of coronavirus: https://tmsnrt.rs/3aIRuz7) (Reporting by Daina Beth Solomon; Editing by Clarence Fernandez) Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressing Indian troops in Ladakh. Photo: Associated Press We are living through historic times. Not in living memory has the world seen a global pandemic of this magnitude. COVID-19 has brought the world to a standstill, chilled economies, separated people and resulted in losses that no amount of recovery will ever compensate for. In these difficult times, India was faced with the expansionist agenda of the Chinese. The inscrutable Chinese are not pleasant neighbours and have a predilection for rogue countries like Pakistan and North Korea, finding it much easier to negotiate with their authoritarian regimes than with democratically elected leadership. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, since he burst onto the international scene, is a leader who attracts the admiration and envy of his peers. Let us move beyond geopolitics and evaluate the human interactions between these powerful individuals. In a recent debate, a senior journalist who had visited China at the time of PM Modis visit, recalled a particular instance, when there was a crowd of thousands who had gathered and were chanting Modi! Modi! Modi! The journalist noted that the inscrutable Xi had a shift in emotion, a flicker of something that revealed envy. Xi is no peoples man; he has climbed the totem poll of communist politics in China from his early days in the seventies when he was posted as a Communist Party Secretary in a small village. His machinations have centered on manoeuvring, exhausting and winning over his comrades, not so much as being a person of the people. He was never accountable to the Chinese people, only to the Communist party. Xi is a dynast. His father was a powerful Communist party leader who fell out of favour for a few years and was purged, only to be rehabilitated later. Xi is part of the set known as the Princelings, a crew of second generation heirs to the political legacy of their parents -- all powerful members of the Communist party, they are associated with nepotism and cronyism and actively lobby for each other. Story continues Significantly, XI disappeared for a few days before he took over the party leadership, cancelling meetings with American politician Hillary Clinton, amongst others. Rumour had it that during a meeting of the Princelings that turned violent Xi had been injured and had gone into a sulk. Just a little bit of entitled comrade-ship. In either case, Xi cannot stake claim to the organic popularity Modi enjoys amongst his people, his ascent has come through hard nosed lobbying and in no small measure to access. Modi, on the other hand, was the outsider, born to a humble family with no political connections. He has seen a far-from-ideal childhood and life. In his journey to the top office in the country he has won the affection of people around the country and is now in a position of public adulation that few leaders anywhere in the globe can aspire to. If Xi was a little jealous, he was only being human. The ruling Chinese Communist Party is authoritarian, but its elite politics decides that collective leadership is the way forward: this principle has seen the peaceful transfer of power in the past. Under Xi, this principle has faltered like never before, leading some China observers to comment that collective leadership is dead. Needless to mention, the crown sits heavy on Xis head, his compulsion to push the Middle Kingdom theory may also be seen as a strike for greatness that is denied to him by his elite gang of comrades and the world. On the other hand, Prime Minister Modi has used his six years in power to reach out to the world, from small nations in Africa to superpowers such as the United States. Is it any wonder then that France was quick to stand by India in the Galwan standoff, offering its unstinted support extending to its armed forces. This was unthinkable in the past: even during the dastardly terror attacks of 26/11 on Mumbai, we saw outpouring of grief and solidarity but not much else. It has been a leap to this stage, with countries offering their soldiers to stand with us shoulder to shoulder in this critical time. It is in this context that the prime ministers visit to Leh must be viewed, it was the visit at the height of his popularity and likeability, not only in India where he won a majority mandate yet again but also in the world. When Modi spoke from Leh, he spoke to the brave soldiers of the armed forces, the people of India and the world. Every one was listening. Advaita Kala is an author, screenwriter and a columnist. The views expressed in this article are the personal opinions of the author. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has praised his country's "shining success" in holding off the coronavirus epidemic, according to state-run KCNA news agency. But the border with China is to remain closed, suggesting that Pyongyang is worried about a second wave of the virus. North Korean state media showed Kim Jong-un, the chairman of the communist states Workers Party (KWP), addressing the politburo. According to the official Workers Daily (Rodong Sinmun,) Kim analysed six months of national emergency anti-epidemic work which had prevented inroads into the country by what he called the malignant contagious virus, avoiding the official designation of Covid-19, established by the World Health Organisation. Shining success was achieved by the far-sighted leadership of the Central Committee which had kept the virus in check, in spite of the worldwide health crisis. "Inattention and onlooking" Yet not all is well, Kim noted, sharply criticising inattention, onlooking and chronic attitude which are becoming prevalent among officials who were violating rules of the emergency anti-epidemic work. Pyongyangs health authorities have never published figures indicating the rate of contamination or the number of casualties caused by Covid-19. But the threat is bad enough for Kim to keep his country's 1,420 km border with China closed and the Supreme Leader has warned that lifting lockdown measures could result in an "unimaginable and irretrievable crisis". Malignant contagious disease He cautioned against any "self-complacency 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 between 40 and 60 cases a day, while China saw a surge of infections in Beijing last month. Kim's comments suggest that 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 or staff. Under the current rules, those arriving in North Korea must spend 30 days in strict quarantine. Diplomats and analysts believe the border could remain closed for the rest of the year. By Peter Szekely NEW YORK (Reuters) - A global pandemic could not stop Coney Island's venerable Fourth of July hot-dog eating competition from going ahead on Saturday, or its reigning men's and women's champions from setting new records in their respective divisions. In fact, men's winner Joey Chestnut said, moving the Nathan's Famous event to a climate-controlled indoor setting to keep the coronavirus from spreading among hundreds of spectators who would normally pack the often-sweltering boardwalk gave him edge he needed. "This is a crazy year and I'm happy to get a record," the 220-pound (100 kg) Chestnut told ESPN after the 10-minute eating frenzy at the Nathan's Famous hot dog mecca. The 36-year-old competitive eater from San Jose, California, came back from a slow start and rallied to down his record-setting 75th hot dog and bun at the buzzer. The 13-time "Mustard Belt" winner, whose intake included the 1,000th competitive dog of his career, topped his previous best 74 and left his four competitors far behind. As a safety measure, Nathan's Famous moved the annual Independence Day tradition inside under controlled conditions that included social distancing, masks for non-eaters and plastic partitions between contestants. In the women's division, returning champion Miki Sudo topped a field of five by devouring a record 48.5 Nathan's Famous hot dogs and buns. The 132-pounder (60 kg) from Torrington, Connecticut, easily beat her previous personal best 41 and shattered the previous women's record of 45. The Coney Island contest has been going on each July 4th since Nathan Handwerker opened his world renown seaside restaurant in 1916, according to Major League Eating, the stomach-centric sport's governing body. (Reporting by Peter Szekely; editing by Diane Craft) Covid-19 regulations in Kenya pose additional challenges to recovering drug addicts along the coastal areas, who say they are finding it difficult to access their methadone recovery programs due to an inter-county lockdown and dusk to dawn curfew. Mombasa County, which borders Kwale and Kilifi counties, is currently under inter-county lockdown after recording the highest numbers of coronavirus infections. The government imposed travel restrictions within coastal counties to curb the spread with only essential service providers are allowed to move around. This has proven to be problematic for Susan Wamboi, 38, a former prostitute and petty criminal who has been using drugs for 15 years. The mother of two led a life of crime in order to support her habit and her children, but she is currently enrolled in a recovery program to get her herself back on track. Coronavirus has changed everything, says Wamboi. Some of us are on a methadone program but we live or work in different counties; accessing those methadone centers has been a challenge, she adds. A former drug addict, Makame Mbwana, 36, from Mombasa, used to inject heroin for 15 years. He said he was jailed several times for abusing drugs and was considered a notorious criminal by the authorities. Most drug addicts want to stop abusing drugs, says Mbwana, but life remains uncertain for many after they finish their course of methadone at the harm reduction program. He says that former drug addicts are still perceived as bad people, even after they are accepted back into the community. Mbwana now works as a peer counselor, handing out clean needles so they avoid sharing and spreading disease. I am also sensitizing other drug addicts on effects of drug abuse, says Mbwana. The father of three says it he has not been able to secure permanent employment as people still consider him a criminal. Travelling to other counties to look for work is very difficult due to the inter-county lockdown. Story continues According to a survey conducted by the Reachout Center Trust, a rehabilitation center based in Mombasa, there are more than 100,000 drug users in the six counties of coast region. Mombasa county alone has more than 10,000 drug users, in part because the port has become a major drug trafficking hub for heroin. There has been a surge in the numbers of teens aged 15 to 18 abusing drugs in the region says Taib Abdulrahman, the executive director of Reachout Center Trust, adding that many are students who are at home due to the Covid-19 pandemic. We can only provide methadone services to 5,000 drug users at the moment-- we cant accommodate all in one place as Covid-19 guidelines prohibits social gatherings, he says. Doctor Abdi Noor, head of the anti-drug therapy department at Mewa hospital in Mombasa, says that most young people abusing drugs in the Mombasa region are unemployed, while others are students who are influenced by their peers. Noor says most of these young people abusing drugs are stigmatized by the society as they are perceived to be criminals. Currently we have over 1,500 recovering addicts on the methadone program these people are discriminated and stigmatized, says Abdhi. 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. After suicide attempts, fights erupting on board, and migrants jumping into the sea, charity SOS Mediterranee launched an emergency alert on Friday, demanding to be allowed to immediately disembark at a safe port. The humanitarian group, whose vessel the Ocean Viking has been at sea for over a week with 180 migrants aboard, said it could no longer guarantee the safety of the migrants or crew and called a state of emergency in an unprecedented step. The boat, which has been in limbo in the Mediterranean south of Sicily, has been waiting for over a week for permission from Italy or Malta to offload the migrants at a safe port. Tensions have risen in the past week, as witnessed by an AFP reporter aboard the boat, as migrants have become increasingly desperate to reach land. Others have become distraught not being able to telephone their families to let them know they were safe. A member of the crew, Ludovic, told AFP he had never witnessed such violence on board a rescue vessel, after a spate of fights between migrants and threats of suicide. "I don't feel safe," Ludovic said. "We have to find a port now, it's a question of safety." - Fights break out - SOS Mediterranee said in a statement it was not safe to keep migrants languishing on a boat after they had "endured a near-death experience on an unseaworthy dinghy in distress." The migrants, which include Pakistanis, North Africans, Eritreans, Nigerians and others, were picked up after fleeing Libya in four separate rescues by the Ocean Viking on June 25 and 30, after setting sail from Marseille on June 22. The migrants include 25 minors, most of whom are unaccompanied by adults, and two women, one of whom is pregnant. "After seven requests for a Place of Safety to the relevant maritime authorities within the past week and six suicide attempts by survivors within 24 hours, the Ocean Viking has declared a State of Emergency..." the group wrote. Early on Friday, a migrant tried to hang himself, the group said. Others exhibit "signs of extreme mental fatigue, depression and acute agitation which has erupted into several physical fights among the survivors on deck," SOS Mediterranee said. Meanwhile, two migrants had begun a hunger strike, said the group. On Friday afternoon, the charity asked for a medical evacuation for 44 Tunisians, Moroccans and Egyptians showing signs of "acute psychological distress" who were threatening to harm themselves and others. Italy responded with the telephone number of a psychologist, SOS Mediterranee said. - No answer - At times, all the members of the SOS Mediterranee rescue team have been on deck in order to calm tense situations. Now, some of the threats are being directed at the rescuers themselves. Rumours abound among the groups of migrants, including that the NGO is in cahoots with Italian authorities, earning money each day the migrants are kept on board. On Thursday, two migrants threw themselves into the Mediterranean, but were rescued. The charity group said it had received a negative response from Italy and Malta after its first request for a port, and no replies to its six subsequent requests. Nicholas Romaniuk, in charge of rescue operations on board, said there was no "legal or moral" reason to keep the migrants on board. "It's Malta who alerted us and gave us the position of one of the boats in distress and now they don't answer the phone," Romaniuk said. More than 100,000 migrants tried to cross the Mediterranean last year with more than 1,200 dying in the attempt, according to the International Organization for Migration. The arrival of summer and more favourable conditions at sea may lead to an increase of attempts to cross the Mediterranean with the hope of arriving in Europe. Pubs and restaurants have finally reopened in England following months of closure due to the coronavirus lockdown. The first pints were poured as restrictions were eased at 6am on so-called Super Saturday. Chancellor Rishi Sunak has welcomed the reopening of businesses, which included hairdressers. On a visit to The Bell & Crown in Chiswick, west London, he said: The hospitality sector is a vital part of our economy and crucial to peoples livelihoods Britains pubs and bars alone employ almost half a million people which is why its such good news that so many people are able to return to work this weekend, helping us all to enjoy summer safely. Read more: Pubs open in UK for Super Saturday, but Covid-19 could crash the party But the government has urged the public not to get carried away with the new freedoms. Prime minister Boris Johson warned on Friday night we are not out of the woods yet and added ministers will not hesitate in putting on the brakes and re-imposing restrictions in case of an outbreak. Health secretary Matt Hancock told the Daily Mail people were entitled to enjoy themselves at pubs but added: You could end up behind bars if you break the law. He also said he would not shirk from shutting pubs and restaurants again, and imposing local lockdowns if needed. Pubs in Wales and Scotland must remain closed until later this month as the devolved nations are lifting their own lockdown rules more slowly, but hotels, bars, restaurants and cafes in Northern Ireland reopened on Friday. In England, couples could also get married again and cinemas were also allowed to open on Saturday. Read more: Boris Johnson tells Britons to behave responsibly as pubs re-open I was at the house alone in my thoughts, and all the silence, thinking about him with that thing down his throat, Llano said. If I was able to be there, I would have been there probably 18 hours out of the day just sitting there by his side. By Tim Kelly TOKYO (Reuters) - If you've ever bought supermarket sushi, you may know the taste trauma that hit Kazuhiro Shimura one night. But "disappointing" tuna sparked an idea: he'd develop an artificial intelligence (AI) system to make sure your sashimi is always delicious. Shimura, a director at advertising firm Dentsu Group's <4324.T> Future Creative Center, came up with the concept for "Tuna Scope" AI as he chewed his raw dish while watching a television show on fish merchants who spend a decade mastering the skill of selecting high-quality tuna for sushi restaurants. Using a deep learning algorithm to crunch through grading data from merchants, Tuna Scope has now evolved into a smartphone app. Clients can download and use it anywhere, creating "a unified grading standard" for an industry that relies on local know-how, said Shimura, who is working with Japanese trading company Sojitz Corp <2768.T> to promote his technology. "That means people can be sure they are getting delicious tuna," Shimura told Reuters at fish merchant Misaki Megumi Suisan, which ships AI-certified tuna overseas. The highest quality fish - which can each weigh around 300 kilogrammes - have sold for more than $3 million (2.41 million pounds) in past tuna auctions. According to the Organization for the Promotion of Responsible Tuna Fisheries, around 2 million tons of tuna is consumed around the world annually, of which Japan accounts for a quarter. Since the start of coronavirus pandemic fish merchants from the Maldives, Spain, the United States, Taiwan and elsewhere have contacted Shimura about Tuna Scope because travel curbs mean they can't visit suppliers to check tuna quality, he said. At Misaki Megumi near Tokyo, one of the merchant's buyers Shingo Ishii held a smartphone with Tuna Scope over a tray of tuna tail sections on a metal tray as other workers used industrial saws to cut up frozen tuna shipped from around the world. The AI delivered a result within a few seconds. Story continues "I think this will become a common tool over the next 10 to 20 years," said Ishii, holding the smartphone over one of the tail sections. Ishii admitted to mixed feelings about a technology that could make his job easier, but threatened to make a skill passed down through generations obsolete. "To be frank, I think I can still beat the AI," he said. (Reporting by Tim Kelly; Editing by Kenneth Maxwell) Taiwan expelled two mainland Chinese journalists Friday after a talk show on their channel pushed for Beijing "unifying" with the self-ruled island, in the latest sign of deteriorating ties between the two rivals. The move comes after a spate of tit-for-tat expulsions of reporters between China and the United States, as the two superpowers spar over trade and the coronavirus pandemic. The reporters with China Southeast TV were ordered to leave by Friday for violating regulations covering mainland journalists, according to the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC), Taiwan's top China policy body. They "are suspected of violating the regulations and the authorities have decided not to extend (their permits)... they are scheduled to leave on July 3," MAC spokesman Chiu Chui-cheng told reporters. Ai Kezhu, one of the deported journalists involved in producing the shows, told local media at Taoyuan international airport before her departure Friday that they were puzzled by the order. "We have reported our activities in Taiwan and work content to relevant departments. We have done that in the past 12 years. We think it's very strange that there were no problems in the past but now there is this kind of situation," she said. The channel has routinely aired pro-Beijing content, but a recent series of shows produced in Taiwan provoked public anger for featuring guests especially vocal in their criticism of Taiwan's government and who pushed for Beijing "unifying" with the island. "If you enjoy the powers Taiwan has given to belittle and degrade our country and people... we have to ask you to leave because Taiwanese people will not welcome you," Chen Ting-fei, a lawmaker with the ruling Democratic Progressive Party, wrote on Facebook. - Rising tensions - Unlike authoritarian China, which only permits heavily censored state media and routinely harasses foreign reporters, democratic Taiwan has a rambunctious free press -- although mainland reporters work under heavier restrictions than other journalists. Some outlets are vocally pro-Beijing, others deeply critical. Beijing views Taiwan as its own territory and has vowed to one day seize it, by force if necessary. Tensions between the sides have grown since Tsai came to power in 2016, as she has refused to acknowledge Beijing's idea that the self-ruled democratic island is part of "one China". Tsai, who views Taiwan as de facto independent, won a landslide reelection in January in what was seen as a strong rebuke to Beijing's campaign to isolate the island. Beijing has ramped up diplomatic and economic pressure on Taiwan as well as increasing military drills near the island, including its military jets breaching Taiwan's air defence zone with unprecedented frequency in recent weeks. Protesters gathered in Keystone, South Dakota, on July 3, ahead of US President Donald Trumps visit to Mount Rushmore for an Independence Day celebration. Demonstrators were seen blocking Iron Mountain Road, leading up to Mount Rushmore, and were heard chanting anti-Trump and Black Lives Matter messages. Supporters of the regions First Nations people, the Sioux Nation, also known as Oceti Sakowin, were heard lobbying for land rights. The National Guard arrived to disperse protesters, with footage shared to social media showing confrontations between Trump supporters and protesters. This footage shows a confrontation at the scene. A man can be seen tearing up a sign, while a second man shouts white liberal guilt is a lie. Credit: @madeleinedupre via Storyful There has been unprecedented outrage in India against China since the Galwan Valley skirmish in the remote Ladakh region of the Himalayas. But the protests all over the country to boycott Chinese products are not unique to India. As I write this piece, more than a dozen countries are directly or indirectly demanding to cut off all trade ties with China. US Senator Rick Scott recently appealed that no one in America should buy products made in communist China. While India banned 59 Chinese apps, the US Defence Department declared 20 top Chinese companies, including Huawei and Hikvision, to have links to the Chinese military. Just a few days ago, Australian Prime MInister Scott Morrison had said that his government and institutions were being targeted by ongoing sophisticated state-based cyber hacks covering all levels of government as well as industry, political organizations, education, health, defense manufacturers, government contractors and critical infrastructure and accounting firms. Meanwhile, China launched a new security law that would dramatically curtailHong Kongs civil liberties, giving Beijing sweeping powers over Hong Kong security law. Chinas relationship with the world has changed dramatically since the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic in Wuhan resulting in human lives and global economies being ravaged. Since then China has been in panic mode attacking every neighboring country and threatening others. On January 20 this year, Indonesias military said that Chinese coast guard vessels and fishing boats had left disputed waters in the western reaches of the South China Sea. Jakarta summoned Chinas ambassador after the coast guard and fishing boats entered waters around the northern Natuna islands, where Indonesia has established an exclusive economic zone. On March 31, China rammed a Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force ship: the incident is the second in March to involve a Chinese fishing vessel in a collision. Story continues Earlier, Taiwans Coast Guard Administration reported that one of its vessels was struck by a Chinese fishing boat in the waters off the Kinmen islands. China has been criticised for using civilian fishing vessels as maritime militia to exercise administrative rights by fishing and conducting other activities in disputed waters. Territorial claimant states in the South China Sea, for instance, face illegal fishing activities by Chinese fishing vessels in their claimed waters regularly. On April 4, Vietnam protested Beijing's sinking of the South China Sea boat. A week later, on April 12, Taiwan said that the Chinese carrier group drilled close to the island. A Chinese naval flotilla, led by the countrys first aircraft carrier, passed by the eastern and southern coasts of Taiwan aimed at training for an invasion of Taiwan. Soon, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang dropped the word peaceful from the usual phrasing which was peaceful reunification with Taiwan. On April 17, Chinese and Malaysian ships in the South China Sea were engaged in an extended standoff. On April 22, the Philippines protested against Chinas declaration that a Manila-claimed region in the disputed South China Sea is Chinese territory, and its aiming of weapons control radar at a Filipino naval ship. On May 10, Australia raised concerns over China imposing punitive trade measures on Canberra for daring to ask for an inquiry into the origins of COVID-19. On May 31, in Hong Kong, China threatened businesses and workers using fear and pressure to drum up support for its increasingly hardline stance in the Asian financial capital, threatening its status as a global business centre. Why is the worlds most populous country, that was emerging as the undisputed superpower, so desperate to assert itself? Why would China go on the offensive with so many countries and on so many fronts that it would eventually become unmanageable for it to fight so many battles alone? Whats wrong with the CCPs line of thinking? The answer lies in Chinas hyper growth causing the nation to spin out of control of its leaders. China has become a ticking time bomb, facing many wars within, triggered by a number of internal ticking economic and demographic tinderboxes that threaten to bring on that which the Chinese people fear most -- chaos or luan. Today, the number of protests and riots in China has risen to nearly 100,000 annually. The Chinese countryside has become a slave labour camp and dumping ground for every imaginable pollutant. The rural peasantry is being sucked dry by corrupt government tax collectors. Corrupt local government officials seize land on behalf of developers, pocket the monies that are supposed to compensate villagers, and then enlist local gangsters to quell protests. In big cities, unpaid construction workers leap to their deaths, protesting for their wages that go callously unpaid. Meanwhile, on Chinas western grasslands, ethnic separatist tensions continue to smoulder over the ongoing Han-ification of the mostly Muslim population along the western frontier. Most alarmingly, Chinas people are getting old faster than it is getting rich. China is now facing a pension crisis. China is also a nation getting increasingly sick. Environmental pollution serves as a deadly catalyst for an explosion of myriad cancers and an epidemic of respiratory and heart diseases. Adding to these extreme pressures is an HIV/AIDS epidemic that may soon become the worst in the world. This epidemic began with the most scurrilous HIV/AIDS blood donor scandal on the planet. It is being rapidly fueled by rampant intravenous drug use, a late-blooming 1960s-style sexual revolution and the explosive reemergence of Chinas once-infamous flesh trade. On top of all these ticking bombs, China is at odds with the entire world. It has been blamed for letting the coronavirus spread globally by misinforming the planet and for causing over half a million deaths and pushing economies into an abyss sparking off a hunger pandemic. Chinese goods are lying at various ports. Supplies have exceeded demand. Now, coronavirus has erupted in Beijing, shutting down the commercial capital. Mildly put, China is in big trouble. It is quite possible that it is following Sun Tzus maxim from The Art of War, Appear weak, when strong and appear strong, when weak. No wonder, it is asserting itself by showing off strength in the sea, on land and in cyberspace, while actually being weak inside. Today, the ambitious, egotistical and totalitarian CCP (Communist Party of China) is attacking the free world. The CCP has become the political incarnation of the deadly coronavirus, infecting the world with illegal trade practices, arm twisting smaller nations, debt -- a.k.a death -- traps and sinister imperialist ambition. Soon, the world will have to do what the protestors in Hong Kong are doing: before the CCP becomes the existential risk for humanity. Period. Vivek Ranjan Agnihotri is an award-winning filmmaker and a bestselling author. He tweets at @vivekagnihotri Get the latest news! Subscribe to Yahoo India on Telegram For Dr. Tamirat Abegaz, the teaching process comes down to action. "I lead by doing. That makes me different," said Abegaz, assistant professor of cybersecurity at the University of North Georgia (UNG). "I want my students to see me doing something so they can follow what I'm doing and work with me." Abegaz has stayed busy in carrying out that mantra since joining UNG's faculty in 2015. He has worked all five GenCyber Warrior Academy summer events, an effort for which UNG has received more than $350,000 combined in National Security Agency (NSA) funding to host the academy for 40 students each year. Abegaz can recall UNG's first year of GenCyber Warrior Academy when the instructors were just him and Dr. Bryson Payne, professor of computer science and director of UNG's Center for Cyber Operations Education. Now multiple faculty members participate with the academy. Abegaz said the desire to improve their teaching and feedback from the NSA have elevated UNG's delivery of the GenCyber Warrior Academy. "Experience really matters," he said. "After five years, we've built trust with the NSA. They know that we are doing a great job." Abegaz also said staying on top of the current data and best practices is crucial in computer science and cybersecurity because the fields change so quickly. To that end, he earned the Global Information Assurance (GIAC) Certified Forensic Analyst and GIAC Certified Incident Handler certifications in fall 2019. At the time, he was one of about 9,300 certified forensic analysts in the world. "Currently, SANS' GIAC is the best digital forensics and incident response certification available," Abegaz said. "It is endorsed by practitioners in law enforcement and the private sector." Prior to joining UNG, Abegaz served in a variety of software development roles for African Union, Commercial, and National Bank of Ethiopia. Abegaz said he and his UNG colleagues go to industry conferences and ask computer science and cybersecurity professionals what they are looking for in interns and full-time employees. Abegaz and his colleagues come back to UNG and tailor classes to those suggestions so UNG graduates will be competitive for such jobs. Like many places, Slovenia has struggled to keep up with the demand for medical supplies because of COVID-19. This includes, but is not limited to, ventilators. Machines that help severely ill patients breathe. Several high-ranking Slovenian officials have been under scrutiny over recent events involving ventilators, including a contract to buy ventilators from a company with ties to prominent officials. The contract has since been canceled. But the fallout has continued. Hojs resigns in protest Interior Minister Ales Hojs has resigned as a show of protest over recent police raids. The raids were in connection with the investigation into the later abandoned deal for the ventilators. Among the sites raided was the home of Zdravko Pocivalsek. Pocivalskek, the minister of economic development and technology. He's been a key figure in Slovenia's struggle with the novel Coronavirus. Reuters reports that he's part of a team tasked with acquiring medical equipment. At one point, Pocivalsek was taken into police custody. Hojs, who says he wasn't notified in advance about the raids, is apparently very upset about the events. So much so that he has resigned from the Cabinet. He alleges that the raids were being politically motivated. Hojs also said that the acts were not 'in the service of the citizens.' According to ABC, Ales Hojs is not the only high-ranking Slovenian official to resign over the matter. One of Hojs' last acts as the minister of interior was accepting the resignation of Anton Travner. Travner was the director-general of the police. Apparently neither Hojs nor Travner were notified about the raids beforehand. Hojs and Pocivalsek are members of two different political parties Both Ales Hojs and Zdravko Pocivalsek are members of the current Cabinet led by Prime Minister Janez Jansa. Discuss this news on Eunomia Jansa took over the position earlier this year. It came following the resignation of Prime Minister Marjan Sarec. But it's not Jansa's first time as the prime minister. It's actually his third go-round in the position. Hojs was appointed as the minister of the interior after Jansa became the prime minister this year. During one of Jansa's previous tenures as the prime minister, Hojs was the minister of defense. He is a member of the Slovenska demokratska stranka. Also referred to as the Slovenia Democratic Party. The party promotes a conservative and populist platform. Pocivalsek been the minister of economic development and technology since 2014. Jansa is the third prime minister that he's held the post under. Following Sarec and Miro Cerar. Pocivalsek is a member of the Stranka modemega centra. Or the Modern Center Party, a center-left political party. The fight Armenian government led by Nikol Pashinyan wages against corruption resembles an endless political series, the main antagonists of which change with each new season. The presence of systemic corruption in Armenia is recognized by Pashinyan himself. Stably every six months, during extended meetings, he criticizes law enforcement agencies, expressing dissatisfaction with the pace of anti-corruption work. The prime minister does not cease to announce all new strategies, calling for an uncompromising fight against bribe takers and the introduction of new institutional structures. Corruption in Armenia is most pronounced in the police, education, public procurement and tendering. For a fee, internal affairs agencies can protect criminals, especially those associated with legislative or executive structures. Pashinyan is also hinting at this when he speaks of the hidden problems of corruption, which, for all their evidence, cannot be solved immediately. According to the prime minister, due to the malicious activities of some law enforcement officials, some corrupt officials manage to leave the republic, others - to destroy evidence in advance. Bribery in the field of education in Armenian society is considered a manifestation of soft corruption, because it is connected with the accreditation system of educational institutions, or directly with the educational process or admission to educational institutions, since the number of budget places in universities of the country is strictly limited. With regard to corruption in public procurement and the organization of tenders, it most clearly demonstrates the chronic problem of the Armenian economy - the deficit that is characteristic of all areas. Armenia does not have enough funds and resources, and the country's investment attractiveness is still low, due to the high corruption of the republic. Those who want to get rich on the development of the state budget, businessmen stand in line. In addition, Armenia is involved in a conflict with Azerbaijan, which the republics leadership is not in a hurry to resolve, citing the insurmountability of a number of issues of principle to itself. Pashinyans political argument is to form a complete denial by the public of any manifestations of corruption. According to Pashinyan, the root of evil lies in the people with whom you need to work, pursuing a personnel and social policy. As for the public, it should, first of all, engage in introspection and exclude from its everyday life any desire to resolve its pressing issues through bribes. In his policy, Pashinyan does not take into account the social environment, trying not to link corruption and semi-blockade living conditions of Armenian citizens. He is convinced that the nature of Armenian bribery is transparent and is connected, first of all, with the personal qualities of corrupt officials. The fight against corruption in Pashinyans view boils down to arrests and high-profile criminal cases, followed by lustration and personnel shifts. Therefore, the public is increasingly talking about the Pashinyan revolution in the context of an ordinary change of faces. As a result of the real fight against corruption, Pashinyan takes it under his patronage, defiantly expelling and lustering all those who are objectionable, leaving only those who express loyalty to him free. During his premiership, Pashinyan did not initiate a single sensible anti-corruption reform, but in Armenia they more often began to hear accusations of betrayal of politicians or senior officials of law enforcement agencies. Pashinyan never clarifies what the political "counterparts" betray him personally, the ideals of his revolution or the Armenia that he would like to see. The Pashinyan revolution has no end, respectively, and there is no end to his fight against corruption. He will fight with bribery indefinitely, because as a politician he can endlessly appoint and remove stealing officials, constantly wondering about their greed. Personal loyalty to the prime minister does not contribute to the eradication of corruption, and the reduction of personal accounts only strengthens bribery in the ranks of law enforcement agencies and the judiciary, the reformation of which has left the teams strength. Pashinyan will continue to make the public laugh, speaking of his genetic incompatibility with corruption. Today, President of Kyrgyzstan Sooronbai Jeenbekov signed a decree on parliamentary elections on October 4. Political parties that decide to take part in the elections must submit relevant applications to the CEC within 10 days and pay a deposit in the amount of 5 million soms (4.6 million rubles). The day before, Prime Minister Kubatbek Boronov announced the worsening epidemiological situation in the republic and called on party leaders not to gather crowds for the election campaign. Over the past week in Kyrgyzstan, more than 500 people, including doctors, have been infected with a coronovirus every day. A total of 6767 infected were registered, 76 died. These are statistics only on confirmed positive tests on COVID-19. Even more patients and deaths with bilateral pneumonia, but with a negative test. In hospitals, more than 2 thousand people are treated for pneumonia. The hospitals are crowded. Many are offered to be treated at home. A video was published on social networks when patients, without waiting for help, die right at the entrance to the hospital. There are already 110 such people. The critical situation in Bishkek, Osh and Jalal-Abad. They introduced restrictions on the operation of public transport, cafes, restaurants and markets. A field hospital was opened in Osh. Specialists of the Federal Service for Supervision of Human Welfare and Russian doctors from the National Medical Research Center for Cardiovascular Surgery came to the aid of Kyrgyz doctors. China sent a batch of mechanical ventilation. Kyrgyz citizens are wondering what the authorities did to prevent the second wave of the spread of the coronavirus, where the $ 5 million allocated by international institutions went. The country lacks medicines, ventilators and places in hospitals. At a briefing in Bishkek, Kyrgyz Prime Minister Kubatbek Boronov promised that each civil servant will report on the costs allocated to the fight against COVID-19. Rumors that 400 million soms were stolen and eaten by officials are not true, said Boronov. He assured that the government is working around the clock, tirelessly. He laid the responsibility for the spread of the infection on people who do not follow sanitary and hygienic rules. However, the authorities did not begin to introduce a state of emergency. There are two reasons: the critical situation in the republic and the upcoming parliamentary elections. As Mars Sariev told Vestnik Kavkaza, the authorities are afraid of social revolt. Small and medium-sized businesses were almost killed during the first quarantine. People were left without a livelihood, many are starving. Naturally, after the restrictions were lifted, a revival began, and not always in compliance with sanitary standards. 30 thousand migrant workers from different countries returned to their homeland. To enter the state of emergency means to postpone the election, which can be fraught with unpredictable consequences. The deputy head of the Central Election Commission Abdyzhapar Bekmatov said that political associations should send their authorized representatives on elections and financial matters to the CEC within 10 days. 40 days before the date of voting, parties must hold congresses at which lists of candidates for deputies will be compiled. Parties must also form an election fund and make a pledge in the amount of five million soms, Abdyzhapar Bekmatov recalled. He added that if at least one of the requirements is not met on time or the quota principle is not observed in the lists, such a party will not be registered. The deputy head of the CEC also recalled that in connection with the current epidemiological situation, mass events are prohibited, therefore they cannot organize concerts, sporting events or gather stadiums of voters. Kubatbek Boronov said that political parties should not gather crowds of people supposedly for the election campaign. Kyrgyz politician Felix Kulov believes that in the face of a sharp aggravation of the epidemiological situation, it is difficult to talk about the possibility of a full-fledged election campaign for political parties. Certain problems will arise for most voters who want to get to know the party programs and future deputies in more detail. I previously expressed the suggestion of the expediency of postponing the election date by about a month and a half. To this end, he suggested that our esteemed deputies not to go on vacation, extending the session until August 1, and during this time to adopt the necessary changes to the law, allowing to postpone the election date, based on the real situation. Unfortunately, they are apparently more concerned with other things. Nevertheless, if the epidemiological situation worsens, our deputies will have to be withdrawn from paid vacations and forced to make the necessary decisions, followed by an appeal to the head of state to postpone the election date. Otherwise, an inferior election campaign, in which strict quarantine restrictions on campaigning and meetings with voters will be in effect, can cause distrust, criticism and unnecessary tension in society, Felix Kulov wrote on his Facebook page. Russian gas supplies to Europe remained steady in June with exports flat on the month at 11.1 Bcm, S&P Global Platts Analytics data showed, S&P Global Platts writes in the article Russian gas flows to Europe rangebound in June. This marks the third consecutive month that Russian exports to Europe via the four main corridors -- Nord Stream, Yamal-Europe, Ukraine and TurkStream -- have hovered around 11.1 Bcm. But flows remain well down on last year, with supplies in June down 20% year on year. A combination of factors -- including a second consecutive mild winter, high gas storage stocks, low prices, and weak demand -- has meant flows falling to an average of 359 million cu m/d so far this year, the data show, down 25% year on year. Over January-June, Russian gas flows into Europe -- excluding the countries of the former Soviet Union in line with Gazprom's own sales data -- totaled 65.4 Bcm. While overall flows in June were little changed from May, supplies of gas into Bulgaria via TurkStream slipped to an average of 12 million cu m/d due to the complete shutdown of the line June 23-29 for maintenance. Russian gas flows to Europe will also be affected by the full shutdown of Nord Stream over July 14-26. Platts Analytics expects Russian gas flows to Northwest Europe in July to dip to around 130 million cu m/d as a result, with Gazprom expected to make up the loss of the Nord Stream flows through higher flows on other pipelines and storage. The startup in January of the 31.5 Bcm/year capacity TurkStream pipeline triggered a major shake-up in how Russian gas reaches parts of Europe. One of the strings is designed to bring Russian gas to the Turkish market directly -- for which no data is available -- while the other flows gas out of Turkey into Bulgaria. Both replace supplies previously sent via Ukraine on the TransBalkan pipeline. Data on Russian exports in 2020 will be lower as a result because deliveries to Turkey via TurkStream are not included, while supplies to Turkey via the Trans-Balkan line were in 2019. Nord Stream capacity In its last full month of exports before its annual maintenance, flows via Nord Stream again continued at its 158 million cu m/d capacity, the data show. Russian gas supplies the Yamal-Europe corridor via Belarus into Poland also bounced back in June to an average of 81 million cu m/d having dropped in May after the long-term Russian gas transit agreement with Poland expired on May 17. Gazprom now has to book capacity on the line through Poland under European rules, with flows fluctuating wildly in the last two weeks of May, including several days at the end of the month where volumes entering Poland at the Kondratki point on the border with Belarus fell sharply. Flows ramped back up in June in line following an increase in monthly capacity bookings. Supplies via Ukraine were flat in June compared with May, with steady flows through the main interconnection point at Velke Kapusany on the border with Slovakia. Volumes leaving Ukraine to flow into Eastern Europe are lower than they might have otherwise been given the increase in the practice of backhauling -- or virtual reverse flow. Russian gas that previously would have left Ukraine to enter Eastern Europe before being sent back to Ukraine for domestic use or storage can now remain in Ukraine under the practice, reducing transportation costs. Ukraine's gas TSO said July 1 that in the first half of 2020, a total of 1.7 Bcm of gas was supplied to Ukraine using virtual reverse flow from Hungary and Poland. Ukraine halted direct purchases of Russian gas in November 2015 but instead began importing gas from Europe, including some volumes of Russian gas. Even as outbreaks have emerged in the South and West and as states across the country report a record number of cases each day, White House officials and Trump in particular have minimized their focus on the virus in public appearances. In an interview Wednesday, the president indicated that he believed the virus was going to sort of just disappear. The ruling coalition of Moldova, represented by the pro-presidential Party of Socialists of the Republic of Moldova (PSRM) and the Democratic Party of Moldova (PDM), has lost a majority in parliament. From now on, it will not be able to pass laws and ensure the effective work of the government without additional votes of other factions. Moldova has already been in a situation that paralyzes the legislative branch, and, as a result, the executive branch. The early election is on the table once again. The period of new anarchy in Moldova was brewing before for a long time. More than a month ago, President Igor Dodon, noting the first symptoms of such development, turned to the deputies, urging them not to forget about the honor, both political and, most importantly, human. He meant the transfer of members of parliament from one party to another, which results in a regrouping of forces in the country's highest legislative body. In his other statement, Igor Dodon was more specific. He spoke about the money of a runaway oligarch, the recent informal ruler of Moldova, Vlad Plahotniuc, which he invested in the Moldovan politics by giving bribes to deputies. According to the president, the fugitive oligarch, put on the wanted list, was engaged in reformatting the parliamentary forces with the further goal of changing the political system and creating favorable conditions for his return. There were several more similar appeals to the deputies. But judging by the recent events, the president was not heeded. The alignment of forces in the parliament changed after MP Stefan Gatcan announced his withdrawal from the PSRM faction, and therefore from the ruling coalition. Thus, 36 deputies remained in the PSRM. Thus, taking into account the 13 deputy mandates of the PDM, the ruling coalition has 49 votes left, while the necessary minimum for adopting laws is 51 votes (out of 101). Observers note that Gatcan only drove the last nail in the coffin, and the coalition had been experiencing serious problems for the past few weeks - there werent enough votes to make any decisions. The PSRM managed to negotiate with independent deputy Alexander Oleinik, and he provided the necessary voting result for the coalition. But after Gatcans departure, this mechanism also ceases to work, unless the coalition finds at least one more ally. The leader of the PSRM faction Corneliu Furculita said that Gatcan took part in the meeting of the PSRM faction, at which he announced his decision to abandon the deputys mandate, but remain a member of the Socialist Party to devote himself to a professional career in medicine. He announced that he "remains a part of the PSRM team and will actively participate in the work of the social group of our party in order to use my professional experience in the development and promotion of projects related to health policy." The PSRM faction took into account this decision and encouraged Stefan Gatan to participate as actively as possible in the PSRMs activities, Furculita said. But it seems as an attempt to save face, because earlier Furulita had accused Gatan of betrayal, specifying that he "received at least a million euros" for leaving the PSRM, and there is evidence of this. Gatcan, in his turn, criticized the socialists and announced his transfer to the Pro Moldova group, which, according to rumors, has links with Plahotniuc. The situation became even more complicated when several deputies from the Pro Moldova group stated that Gatcan had changed his decision to join their party under the pressure of the PSRM. One way or another, the coalition cannot firmly count on Gatcans voice in any case. And here its worth recalling that in a situation of political split and creeping anarchy the PSRM came up with a completely illogical initiative - on June 24, on the day, when the parade dedicated to the 75th anniversary of the Victory was held in Moscow, in Chisinau, the PSRM, which positions itself as a pro-Russian party, proposed to ban communist symbolism. The Socialist deputies introduced an amendment in the law On Freedom of Expression prohibiting the use of the symbols of the totalitarian communist regime (hammer and sickle) for political purposes and placed it on a par with fascist, racist and xenophobic symbols. The piquancy of the situation is that at a meeting of the legal commission, deputies from the right parties opposed these amendments, though anti-communism is one of the important provisions of their ideology. And at the same time, President Dodon was standing on Red Square in Moscow next to the Russian leadership who hosted the parade. The consequence is a likely decrease in the rating among the pro-Russian oriented population, complications in finding an ally among the left forces. The only logical explanation for the very strange decision of the socialists can be found in the fact that the leader of the Moldovan communists, ex-president Vladimir Voronin, announced his readiness to participate in the presidential election scheduled for November 1 this year. Maybe Dodon was scared of such competition, and thus the pro-presidential PSRM rush ahead to press the Communists? However, experts, assessing the situation, are inclined to consider Voronin as a weak competitor, able to avert no more than 3-5 percent of the votes from Dodon. In certain situations, this, of course, can turn out to be a lot, but not now, when the consequences of an attack on symbolism can be more of a nuisance for socialists. It seems that shooting its own foot 100 meters before the finish line is becoming a bad tradition among the left parties in Moldova, Moldovan historian and political scientist Zurab Todua says. For many years, the cooperation between Russia and Azerbaijan remains very intense, both at the level of interstate contacts, exchange of delegations in the field of culture, politics, defense, and environmental engagement in the Caspian Sea. Nair Aliyev, a journalist from Baku, took part in Gia Saralidzes Byvshiye program on Vesti FM radio station. - The contacts between Moscow and Baku in various fields seem to be very active. How does Baku assess them? - Definitely, both at the state level, and between our peoples, there are no problems at all. At the level of society, there are different opinions. Some people say that Russia does not help much with the Karabakh conflict, others say something else. But in general, given that in Baku, there are more than 300 schools with instruction in Russian, I do not see any problems between our countries. I think everything will be fine. President Ilham Aliyev congratulated Vladimir Putin on the successful referendum on amendments to the Constitution of the Russian Federation. Russia and Azerbaijan are two oil-producing states, we support each other in OPEC +, there are no discrepancies between us. - In Russian media, there is little information about Azerbaijan, and about its reverent attitude towards Victory Day, the opportunity to receive education in Russian. Does it offend Azerbaijanis? - Not. This is Azerbaijans internal affair. We have decided so. No matter, whether it is covered or nor. The problem is different - we do not have enough places in classes with education in Russian, textbooks, and teachers. This problem has been constantly mentioned in the press for two or three years. Recently, such classes are in high demand. For a child to apply for the first grade, it is necessary to pass an exam on knowledge of the Russian language. In Baku, schools with education in Russian are not purely Russian schools, there are Russian sectors. So, in the same school, you can get an education in Russian and in the Azerbaijani language. I think it would be very good if something had changed on the part of Rossotrudnichestvo after Yevgeny Primakov was appointed the head of the organization. Some help can be provided, for example, textbooks. - What caused such an interest in learning Russian? - In the 1990s, Russian-speakers left Azerbaijan. The time passed, everything began to improve, people returned. But under Popular Front, whole faculties in universities were closed, and we faced the shortage of teachers. Now interest in the Russian language is growing, including thanks to the politics of both Ilham Aliyev and Mehriban Aliyeva. It is enough to recall her last years visit to Moscow. Many parents believe that in the Russian sector their child will learn the Russian language. But the school is not a foreign language course. Therefore, they introduced an exam last year: first, the child must pass it, show that he understands and speaks Russian. A generation has already grown up that considers it necessary to receive an education in Russian. - Azerbaijan has a Nagorno-Karabakh problem. The opposition criticizes Russia on this issue. What is the significance of this element of Azerbaijans domestic policy? - The Karabakh problem is one of the key factors in both domestic and foreign policy. But I would not exaggerate the opposition factor. We have no opposition as such. Azerbaijan insists on a peaceful settlement. Despite the problems that arose in Armenia during the coronavirus pandemic and economic recession, Azerbaijan did not start any military action. We hope that Nikol Pashinyan will calm down and return to agreements on resolving the conflict - the Lavrovs plan, Kazan formula, Madrid principles. Let's wait. - About the coronavirus. The number of infected people is growing again in Azerbaijan. Did you have to tighten the screws once more? - Schools have not been working since March. Even then, it became clear that by the end of the school year, schools and universities would remain closed Then we checked the dynamics - it was magnificent, we reached a plateau. Some measures were eased, but then the situation worsened. The reason is obvious: the isolation regime was eased, and our people were not disciplined. Everyone went to the malls and got infected. Now, until July 20, other restrictive measures have been introduced. Everything is closed except for shops and pharmacies. A few days ago, the restrictions on leaving the place of residence were introduced. Previously, you could go out by SMS permission if you were sick or need food, but no longer than for two hours. Now you can go out, but only once a day for two hours. However, the restrictive measures are not very productive. I live in a residential area, and now there are a lot of people outside, no one wears a face mask. The President approved toughening fines for not wearing face masks in public places from 100 manats (about 50 euros) to 800 manats (400 euros). But our people really lack any kind of personal discipline. The "sect" of those who do not believe in coronavirus is strong. Here is one terrifying example. Bahram Bagirzade, a member of the Parni iz Baku KVN team, adored by everyone in the country, was hospitalized with coronavirus three weeks ago. At first, he was on the ventilator, then the situation worsened sharply, he was transferred to the ECMO apparatus (extracorporeal membrane oxygenation) - artificial lungs and the artificial heart. When I read messages on social media I see that people somehow inadequately react to this situation. Thank God, Bahram has already come to his senses, he is in consciousness, but they say that the situation is complicated anyway. - Is there a threat of religious fundamentalism in Azerbaijan? - This is a problem for most countries with the Muslim majority throughout the post-Soviet space. Azerbaijan is no exception. And here, the situation in this regard is more complicated, because most of us are Shiites, but there are Sunnis, there may be contradictions between these two groups. Today's fragile balance must be respected. The authorities cope with it. There was a situation in the village of Nardaran, which was called "little Iran", where people lived according to their own laws. But we figured it out, solved the issue, although there were casualties, including among police officers. Now its quiet and calm, the government is working. There is a potential threat. Our authorities are well aware of this and carrying out the necessary work. Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin has congratulated Jean Castex on his appointment as French Prime Minister, expressing hope that cooperation between the countries would expand on different tracks, the press service of the Cabinet of Ministers said. "I am confident that giving a boost to joint work between the governments will help to further strengthen Russian-French cooperation, to expand practical cooperation along different trajectories," Mishustin said in a telegram of congratulations. He emphasized that ties of friendship and partnership were uniting Russia and France, that the countries were developing multi-faceted trade, economic, investment and scientific-technical cooperation as well as putting into practice major infrastructure projects. "I wish you, dear Mr. Prime Minister good health, well-being and success in your important activity," Mishustin emphasized. Vega Group of Ruselectronics Holding Company (part of the state hi-tech corporation Rostec) will deliver the latest R-097M telecode communications systems to Russias Aerospace Force for upgrading long-range aircraft, the Ruselectronics press office reported on Friday. "Until the end of the year, we are planning to deliver a batch of R-097M systems to the Defense Ministry as part of the upgrade of long-range aircraft," the press office quoted Vega CEO Vyacheslav Mikheyev as saying, TASS reports. The qualifying flight tests of aircraft with the installed communications systems have successfully been completed, he said. The R-097M communications system has been developed by the Kaluga-based Research Institute of Telemechanic Systems. The patented technical solution has provided a principally new possibility for telecode communications to transfer large amounts of data through lower bit rate channels. Moscow does not expect Washington to reconsider its decision to withdraw from the Open Skies Treaty at an upcoming conference involving participating countries, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov told Sputnik on Saturday, adding that Russia will not allow the July 6 conference to turn into a forum for throwing unfounded accusations. "I do not expect any dramatic shifts or changes in the position of the main participators in this process. It would be naive to expect the US to suddenly announce at the conference that they are reconsidering their decision," the deputy foreign minister said, Sputnik reports. On June 23, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that Moscow is not planning to raise or implement any new measures at the upcoming conference. Speaking on Saturday, Ryabkov said that Russia will continue to hold this point of view. "We proceed from the point of view that, in any case, the majority of nations included in the agreement recognize this fact," the deputy foreign minister said. Open Skies Treaty participating nations are set to hold a conference on Monday to discuss the United States' exit from the agreement, which was announced back in May. Russia will not allow the conference to turn into a forum for throwing around unfounded accusations, particularly in the direction of Moscow, Ryabkov added. "I want to draw attention to one important point. The theme of the conference, as has been stated and approved, is the fallout of the US decision to withdraw from the treaty. If someone starts blaming Russia for something, it will, strictly speaking, deviate from the topic ... We will not be afraid to give our verdict on those who try to use this platform to raise something completely contrived, or in some cases, make stupid accusations against Russia," the Russian deputy foreign minister remarked. Turkish authorities informed Kazakhstans Air Astana airline company that Kazakhstan citizens would be temporarily banned from entering Turkey for two weeks, Trend reports with reference to the Air Astana. The company said that the prohibition is due to the re-introduction of quarantine regime in Kazakhstan starting July 2. Flights from Almaty and Nur Sultan to Turkeys Istanbul and Antalya will continue to return Kazakhs home after the end of their vacation in Turkey. According to the Turkish authorities, these measures are temporary. The restrictions are to be lifted in two weeks, the company said. Earlier this month, Kazakhstan announced a decision to resume international flights to a number of countries. The flights have been gradually resumed to Turkey, China, South Korea, Thailand, Georgia and Japan as of Jun. 20, 2020. On Jun. 2, 2020, an announcement was made that Kazakhstan is reintroducing quarantine regime as the COVID-19 cases count is increasing countrywide. By a decision of an intergovernmental commission, the quarantine is being imposed for a period of 14 days starting Jul. 5, 2020. Many companies have become digitized, believing this is the only way to achieve a breakthrough in their development. In late 2019, Minh Phu Seafood JSC, for example, started a project on digital transformation, targeting optimization of operation processes, minimization of production costs, and improvement of production capability. Minh Phu plans to hold 25 percent of the worlds shrimp market share by 2045. It has set up a strategic goal of automating production by digitizing the value chain, improving productivity, minimizing the processing time, and optimizing the process and operation cost. Le Van Quang, president of Minh Phu Group, said Vietnam has advantages in shrimp products as it has natural conditions for farming. For Minh Phu, digital transformation is indispensable fir the company to make a breakthrough in positioning, capability and growth. Vietcombank has also applied HRM (human resources management) that helps automate human resources management, which creates a solid foundation for the bank's operations. The Military Bank is applying a system which automatically recognizes and extracts information from images to extract data from members' registration profiles, thus shortening the data entry process from several minutes to 2-3 seconds. The Military Bank is applying a system which automatically recognizes and extracts information from images to extract data from members' registration profiles, thus shortening the data entry process from several minutes to 2-3 seconds. At Tan Hiep Phat, the application of the integrated service portal has removed the bottleneck in the document approval process. It takes 30 minutes instead of 1-5 days to fulfill the process. Analysts believe that demand for digital transformation is high, while the potential and opportunities in digital transformation market are limitless. IDC predicted that 2021 would be the year of cloud services as the Covid-19 epidemic showed the importance of business flexibility. It is expected by 2022, more than 90 percent of businesses worldwide will rely on the cloud platform for strong information technology infrastructure that can optimize efficiency and costs. The demand for digital transformation, which has increased rapidly in recent years, will rise more rapidly after the pandemic ends. Experts said that products using the strength of core technologies such as AI, IoT, Big Dta and cloud computing can help businesses optimize operations by reducung 30-70 percent of costs. Dgital technology also helps to create a seamless customer experience, speeding up operations. At FPT, digital transformation automates 50 percent of internal operations, increases productivity by 20 percent, and reduces 70 percent of time for approval and personnel management. Commercial banks use chatbots as automatic switchboard operators to authenticate customer information and remind customers of payment schedules, reducing tens of thousands of calls made by operators a month. Le Ha The outbreak of the novel coronavirus pandemic forced Hoang Le Giang to stay in Kautokeino Village and Soroya Island in Norway, one of the northernmost places on Earth. Hoang Le Giang learns how to drive a snowmobile to herd the reindeer with Sami people. Photo courtesy of Hoang Le Giang Spending two months more than he planned for a trip to the Arctic Circle turned out to be the experience of a lifetime, with so many memories of the affection and kindness of local people during times that were trying for all and which thoroughly changed his view on life. I have never stayed in someone elses house for more than three or four days, but this time I stayed with new friends in a faraway land for a couple of months, he recalled. Nils Sara, the head of the family, treated me as one of his own and watched out for me. He made sure I tried new things while there, like eating freshly caught trout and smoked reindeer. Nils Sara, the head of the Sami family, offers Giang to live with his family when he got stranded in Kautokeino Village. Photo courtesy of Hoang Le Giang A man of adventure, 32-year-old Giang left HCM City on February 22, bound for Mongolia and the city of Olgii in its west, where eagle hunters live. He was put into quarantine after flying from the Mongolian capital Ulaanbaatar to Olgii, however, as another passenger onboard was returning from South Korea and others had a high temperature. His initial plan was to return to Vietnam when his period of quarantine ended and then head to Norway, to escort a group of clients to the Arctic Circle to see the Aurora Borealis, experience life with reindeer herders, and have some fun dog sledding. But people returning to Vietnam had to be quarantined for 14 days, which didnt appeal to Giang at all. So, he decided to travel from Mongolia through Russia and onwards, reaching Kautokeino Village, near the city of Alta, in Norway on March 9. He planned to follow the Sami people until March 17 and then visit his old school in Sweden before returning to Vietnam at the end of the month. Then international flights came to a standstill, and he found himself stranded in a faraway land thousands of miles from home. What occupied his mind at first were his ever-dwindling finances in a country where the cost of living is particularly high, with the uncertainty of when he may leave added to the mix. It was also cold, with night-time temperatures dropping to -20 degrees Celsius at times. Though alone and stranded, good fortune came his way in Kautokeino, as a family of Sami people invited him to stay with them in their wooden cabin in the mountains. There was no electricity, water, or phone signal, so he had to adapt to new living conditions. No two days were the same, he remembers. One day may be spent relaxing and listening to music, or riding snowmobiles to check on the reindeer, or driving for hours in the mist ferrying equipment and gasoline somewhere. We may head out to cut firewood or to fix one of the snowmobiles. On other days we stayed indoors eating reindeer stew waiting for a storm to pass. Every two weeks or so he would go to the nearby town to buy food and other necessities, and make a call home to let his family know he was still okay. As the end of winter approached and spring neared, the Sami people moved their reindeer from the mainland to the islands and Giang followed them to Soroya, one of the most beautiful islands in Norway. There he witnessed days of spring without sunsets, enjoyed the freshest of air, and explored the stunning natural scenery in a place he now thinks of as heaven. A photo of the aurora appears on the Arctic sky taken by Hoang Le Giang. Photo courtesy of Hoang Le Giang Everything was so memorable, from the beautiful aurora I saw at the winter cabin to the migration of reindeer to the island, and all of the trips back and forth on snowmobiles, surviving in the wilderness, he said. The weather was harsh, but the natural surroundings were like being in a fairytale. Best of all, though, was the kindness of my hosts. After he was interviewed on national TV - as a Vietnamese stranded in the Arctic Circle herding reindeer was a novelty in Norway - many people also offered to help. Acquaintances he had met just once in the country didnt hesitate to invite him to stay with them if he encountered any trouble whatsoever. On his first day on the island, an elderly neighbour brought him noodles, vermicelli, oyster sauce, and some other Asian food, as she was worried he felt homesick. Nilss mother knitted a pair of woollen socks and mittens for me, and he gave me a Sami knife as a token of our friendship, he remembered fondly. Heading home When the winter was coming to an end, the Sami people moved their reindeer from the mainland to the Soroya Island for spring. Photo courtesy of Hoang Le Giang During his days stranded in Norway he contacted the Embassy of Vietnam in the country as well as in Germany, France, Sweden, and Portugal, where many Vietnamese lived, thinking his chances of getting back home were higher. As soon as there was a flight to Vietnam from Frankfurt, he asked for an official letter from the embassy to get to Germany and fly out. The flight back home was quite expensive, he said. After five legs in total, he arrived in Vietnam on May 16 and was placed in quarantine in Da Nang for 14 days. He felt lucky to be home, to continue with his work and spare his family any further concern. But he yearns to once again catch cod with his Sami friends, who have kept in touch since he left the Arctic Circle. Be calm, contact the embassy, and make the most of your time in the country where you find yourself, was Giangs advice to anyone in a similar situation to his. It was definitely the experience of a lifetime. I learned so much about life, kindness, and culture in Norway. I will be back there as soon as I can. VNS Luong Huong & Lan Huong A range of rare and endangered animal species in Vietnam and the world were discovered at the Bidoup-Nui Ba National Park in the central highlands province of Lam Dong through a camera-trap survey on the site from October 2019 to March 2020. The image of a civet (Chrotogale owstoni) captured by camera traps According to national park director Dr Le Van Huong, the survey was jointly carried out by the parks management board, the Southern Institute of Ecology, and the Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research (Leibniz - IZW) from Germany. The survey initially found that the park had a very high diversity of mammals, with at least 21 rare and precious species, including seven globally-threatened ones. The most important discovery was the existence of a large muntjac (Muntiacus vuquangensis), a ungulate that can only be found in the Truong Son Mountain Range (which runs from Vietnams north down to Lam Dong) and is featured on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Critically Endangered (CR) Species. Conservationists believe the species is indeed extinct in most forests in Vietnam. Meanwhile, the most surprising finding was the existence of an albino porcupine which had previously never been known in Southeast Asias natural forests. Camera traps also captured images of some susceptible endemic species, including a civet (Chrotogale owstoni) and sun bears (Helarctos malayanus), which are nearing extinction due to illegal hunting. Nguyen The Truong An, field coordinator with Leibniz-IZW, said the national park is one of just a few nature reserves in Vietnam to be home to the civet. Its presence and that of the sun bears shows that Bidoup-Nui Ba National Park has not overly suffered from hunting compared to other forests along the Truong Son Mountain Range, he said. The survey aimed to explore the diversity of birds and mammals and develop a monitoring programme that could assess the status and population dynamics of endangered species. The second phase is being implemented from April to August, with about 120 locations surveyed. Covering an area of 34,943 ha, the Bidoup-Nui Ba National Park is the core area of the Langbiang Biosphere Reserve, which was recognised by UNESCO in June 2015./.VNA 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. Investors with US$1,000 can invest in the realty platform RealStake. Photo courtesy of the firm 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 And even though we are not back in America and you might miss these certain things, you know, youre gonna remember the mission is, is first and then before you know your two years or three years is gonna be up and youre gonna make your way back to America. And its just gonna make it that much more just memorable when you come back because you know what, how its like, not having those opportunities of being there and celebrating these, just like Fourth of July seeing the fireworks, he said. Colonel Vu Van Hau, deputy head of the Investigation Police Department on Drug-related Crimes talks about the drug crimes. Colonel Vu Van Hau. Photo zingnews.vn Drug-related crimes have become more and more complicated and unpredictable. The drug trafficking rings which were busted recently show drug trafficking groups from abroad want to choose Vietnam as a transit place for illegal narcotics. Can you tell us more about this situation? There are three major drug production centres in the world including the White Triangle of South America, the Golden Crescent of West Asia and the Golden Triangle in Asia. In particular, Myanmar in the Golden Triangle and Afghanistan in West Asia produce 90 per cent of the opium to create other drugs. Trends on the synthetic drug market evolve quickly each year. Synthetic drugs are made from precursor substances. They stimulate the nerves and cause visual hallucinations, leaving severely painful consequences on addicts mental health and unpredictable side effects. Vietnam is facing huge pressure due to the complicated development of drug-related crimes. Drug gangs and synthetic drug production as well as replanting opium poppy plants are at risk of increasing. Drug criminals always want to turn Vietnam into a transit area for banned substances. Meanwhile, domestic and international drug criminals are working closely on a large scale. A new form of activity of this crime from abroad is to use submarines to transport heroin. We need to have a new mindset and new methods. It means the drug prevention force need to have solutions consistent with the evolution of drug crime in the region and in the world. Drug criminals are always seeking ways to produce new drugs, even though there are new substances that are not on the list of banned substances in the country. How is this situation happening? Synthetic drugs include precursors and chemicals. In particular, precursors are a common commodity and use in daily life. So it is easily exploited to produce synthetic drugs. Anyone can go to the market or chemical stores and easily buy precursors. In order to strictly control this substances, the Ministry of Public Security has coordinated the other agencies to suggest the Government to put the precursors and chemicals on the list of management. The Decree 73 in 2018 has listed 515 narcotics substances and 44 precursors under management. Recently, Decree 60 in 2020 has added 23 narcotics substances and 13 precursors to the management list. This proves that the fight against drug-related crimes, especially precursors, is always very fierce. The new drugs are highly toxic and addictive but low in price. That is why many new drugs are constantly appearing. What solution is needed to fight against criminals who try to circumvent the law by producing new drugs? Drug criminals are not only capable but also wise enough to find a way to evade the law. In order to combat this type of crime, the management of drugs should be tightened as criminals could take advantage of the loopholes for their own benefit. It is necessary to strictly control chemicals as well as related drugs that traffickers use to commit a criminal offence. We need to assess and identify the exact drugs on the list. As in the case of trading new drug like khat leaves in previous years, it took us years but still could not handle users. The Investigation Police Department on Drug-related Crimes always tries to research and advise the Ministry of Public Security in the management of precursors, avoiding the omission of new substances. It is necessary to build a strong barrier along the border to prevent drugs entering the country and close co-operation between border forces, customs, the coast guard and the anti-drug police. During the social distancing period caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of trading, trafficking and using of illegal drugs did not decrease in the first six months. Many cases were discovered in bars, discos or karaoke bars, where drug offenders often use to conduct their operations. Transnational drug crimes with foreign involvement have become more complicated with more cunning tricks. What methods are being use? Drug criminals are like an octopus that can reach anywhere. Not only in Vietnam, but also in many other regions of the world. In Asia, not only Vietnam, some countries such as Myanmar, Laos or Thailand are considered the centres of drug-related crimes. However, Vietnam is a place where criminals have noticed and are looking to penetrate. The reason was that the border route was directly affected by illegal drug production and trading from the 'Golden Triangle' area. The leader of drug gangs cross the borders illegally to smuggle drugs. In the border area between Vietnam and China, heroin was transported to China via Vietnam. The number of Chinese people living in Vietnam is large, the number of entry of people is not small. Therefore, drug criminals easily to enter domestic market and find ways to hire locations to produce and transport drugs. The Southwest region and HCM City are also the hot spot for drug crimes along the Cambodia Vietnam border. What is the Ministry of Public Security's plan to prevent illegal drug smuggling across the border into Vietnam? The main goal is to prevent international drug trafficking from foreign countries to Vietnam and vice versa. To carry out that task, the anti-drug forces must prevent drug offenses from border areas, at sea and "hot spots" in the country. It requires close co-ordination between police, border guards, customs and the coast guard. The Investigation Police Department on Drug-related Crimes is going to submit to the Government a draft amendment to Decision 133 on the coordination regulations between the above forces, develop a scheme to prevent cross-border drug and strengthen international co-operation in drug prevention. We have signed conventions and a series of agreements and memorandums with other countries' anti-drug forces and international drug prevention organisations in drug inspection and information sharing to trace drug origins and crimes. VNS/Zing Border province Tay Ninh fights drug trafficking With the year coming to a close, drug trafficking in southern Vietnam is on the rise, according to local authorities. A medical worker checks a foreign passengers health declaration form before he conducts entry procedures at a local airport in Vietnam. The HCMC government has written to the Immigration Department under the Ministry of Public Security to allow 437 foreign experts, managers, skilled workers and investors to enter Vietnam for work PHOTO: VNA These foreigners, from China, Britain, the United States, Japan, Taiwan, France, India, Ireland and Australia, are working at 100 organizations and enterprises in the city, Tuoi Tre Online reported. The municipal governments proposal is aimed at smoothing the path for HCMC-based firms to recover their production and business activities, contributing to the citys economic growth after the coronavirus pandemic. If these foreigners are allowed to enter Vietnam, they will be sent to centralized quarantine centers in the city upon arrival. Enterprises will pay their quarantine costs. They will have to follow Covid-19 infection prevention and control measures in line with the prevailing regulations, according to the HCMC government. The municipal government has assigned the HCMC Department of Health with receiving foreign laborers at Tan Son Nhat International Airport and taking a quick test before sending them to the quarantine centers, while the HCMC Diseases Control Center has been tasked with taking their samples for Covid-19 testing. The citys police were assigned with ensuring safety and security at the quarantine centers, Phap Luat Online reported. Apart from this, the HCMC Department of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs was told to cooperate with the HCMC Export Processing and Industrial Zone Authority and the Saigon Hi-Tech Park management board to inspect firms with regard to their compliance with regulations on the use of foreign workers.SGT Bringing your own reusable cup to buy takeaway drinks helps cut down on single-use plastic. But what if you forget to bring it one day? Reusable AYA cups made from cassava starch at a coffee shop in HCM City. Photos courtesy of AYA Cup AYA Cup, an exchange cup system for takeaway, lends reusable cups made from cassava starch with a deposit of VND50,000 (US$2.1) for each cup. Customers can return the cups at any coffee shop which partner with AYA and get back the deposit. Le Thuy Linh, AYA Cup CEO, wants to change the image of Vietnam from being one of the top five ocean-polluting countries to an innovative country in tackling single-use plastic in food and beverage. Inspired by the circular economy, AYA CUP is the first lending cup network in Southeast Asia that helps businesses save costs and create an exciting experience for users to save the world - one cup at a time, she said. The amount of plastic packaging has surged along with the growing trend of food and drink delivery in recent years. Up to 27 tonnes of plastic and Styrofoam are generated in Vietnam each year from the food delivery and takeaway industry. It is estimated each food and drinks business household in Vietnam spends on average VND10 million ($435) every month on single-use packaging. The expense might be much more depending on the number of customers. Coffee shops in collaboration with AYA Cup need to pay a fixed monthly membership fee of only VND400,000 ($17.3). The cup supply is unlimited depending on their demand. The problem of managing packaging expenses was easily solved. The shops only need to collect the reusable cups from customers and wash them to hand over to the next customers. AYA Cup staff visit the shops every month to check and refill the cups. Launched in August 2019, the start-up lends cups to about 20 coffee shops located close to each other in Thao Dien Area, HCM Citys District 2. Customers order about 100 to 200 cups per day at each store. Le Thuy Linh, AYA Cup CEO and her reusable cups. Multiple lives Imagine the first 'A' in AYA is the beginning of a cups life cycle and 'Y' is the end of its cycle. A life cycle of a single-use plastic item lasts about 12 minutes on average from when users start to drink and then throw it away. The start-up's second 'A' represents a complete cycle that brings multiple lives for one product. All of the cups made by local manufacturers can be reused many times, not only eliminating single-use plastic but also saving costs for cafes. Linh estimated the shops can save up to 30 to 40 per cent in the number of cups they need to use when they partner with AYA. On average, coffee shops spend VND1,000 on each plastic cup and VND3,000-4,000 on a paper cup. The cafe Bins Coffee can save more than VND2 million per month for packaging costs by using AYA cups, she said. I realise that coffee shop owners and customers have a great interest in our idea and are open to give it a try. It proves that the circular economy model of AYA Cup helps reduce single-use plastic waste in the operation process instead of having to wait until the waste is collected and recycled. Linh said AYA Cup is operated on a zero-waste system with eco-friendly material of cassava, which is a root growing in harsh soil conditions in southern Vietnam and requires little to no water. The resin compound of cassava starch and polypropylene reduces the cups decomposing time to two years instead of hundreds of years. With the target of reducing 6,000 plastic cups per year, Linh is ambitious to cut 20 per cent of plastic waste in Vietnam by 2025 by expanding her cup-lending system in HCM City where she lives and in Hanoi where she was born and raised. The start-up also plans to collaborate with event organisers to supply reusable cups as they did with Epizode music festival in Phu Quoc last year. The biggest difficulty for green growth start-ups is removing barriers with customers, as many hesitate to use environmentally-friendly products due to high costs and doubts over their benefits to the environment, Linh said. AYA Cup won the United Nations Environment Programmes 2020 Asia-Pacific Low Carbon Lifestyle Challenge and received funding of $10,000. The success has offered the firm more opportunities with training, business mentoring and technical analysis of environmental impacts. AYA Cup was also among 115 first Vietnamese enterprises registered in the Climate Business Index initiative launched by the United Nations Development Programme and Vietnamese Ministry of Planning and Investment. With Climate Business Index, a voluntary registration system for private companies, companies can self-test and decide on what needs to be done in the future to achieve their aims of reducing greenhouse gas emission and addressing climate change impacts. Many customers and coffee shops are more aware of reducing single-use plastic. We can see young people use tumblers for takeaway drinks. Coffee shops step by step switch from plastic cups to cups made from sugarcane leftovers. Plastic waste is not a problem of one brand or one stakeholder. We believe in collaboration where big corporations put aside their egos, shake hands and work together to solve this crisis, Linh said. VNS Khanh Duong Simple daily change, green actions help environmental protection in Vietnam Carrying a reusable shopping bag and a reusable plastic box to go to the market has become a habit for Hoang Thanh Hien, a 37-year-old woman, who lives in Linh Nam Ward, Hanoi's Hoang Mai District. Located in Bai Tu Long Bay in the northern province of Quang Ninh, Ba Mun Island is a gem home to diverse species of animals and plants of Bai Tu Long National Park. Ba Mun Island seen among the great sea. Photo duli.vn In recent years, the island has attracted a large number of tourists to experience some wild travel. The island was formerly referred to by locals by many different names such as Cao Lo Island and Animal Island. Alongside Bai Tu Long, Ba Mun Island has become the most diverse and rich biosphere in Vietnam. It took more than an hour from Cai Rong Port for us to get to Ba Mun Island, one of the largest and most beautiful island clusters of Bai Tu Long National Park. Ba Mun Island has a diverse ecology with rare and precious tree species that are regularly checked, numbered for conservation. Photo baoquangninh.com On the east side of the island, strong waves hit the cliffs to create bubbles and foam tens of metres high. The western side, on the other hand, features tranquil scenery and calm water that ripples around the boat. Ba Mun Island is about 15km from the shore, with an area of about 1,800ha with a length of more than 20km, running east-west. It is a wildlife animal paradise and is covered by primaeval forests which, together with sheer rocks, are the natural habitat of various kinds of animals. Therefore, Ba Mun is considered a giant wall, shielding Van Don District from storm winds. The first impression when we went to the island was a feeling of relaxation and tranquillity with the fresh, cool air of the forest. The deeper you explore the island, the more unique and interesting points you find. Tourists will see many playful monkeys. Photo truyenhinhdulich.vn Bai Tu Long National Park is a home of about 2,000 species of fauna and flora, including 72 animals and 32 plants listed in Vietnams Red Book of endangered species. Many of them live on Ba Mun Island. The most prominent plants are teakwood, sindora and ironwood species. Notably, there are lan hai orchids which a few years ago people thought were extinct. Currently, this kind of orchid is only found in Lao Cai Province and Ba Mun Island. As for animals, Ba Mun has many rare species, including a golden deer population which is quite large. Golden deer often go out to eat at night, so during the day it is difficult for visitors to see them, but we did see their footprints. There are also other animals such as chamois and monkeys along with sea birds and migratory birds. On the island, there are seven large streams with quite unique names like O lon to (big pig nest) and O lon con (small pig nest). The streams have water flowing all year round and the water is clear and clean due to the cover of the high forest. This is a valuable source of freshwater in the middle of the sea. Ba Mun Island has many clear water streams flowing in the forests. Photo truyenhinhdulich.vn Since Bai Tu Long National Park was established in 2001, wildlife preservation on the Ba Mun Island has been tightened. A rescue centre was opened in 2010 to take care of its wildlife as well as those rescued from illegal trafficking. Since its establishment, the centre has rescued many rare and precious animals such as turtles, king cobra, horse bear, weasel, fox, civet, jungle cat and monkey, said Khuc Thanh Liem, director of the rescue centre. Currently, the centre is caring for and nurturing many wild animals such as bears, red-faced monkeys, long-tailed monkeys and porcupines, Liem added. The wildlife rescue centre of Ba Mun Island is one of the wildlife rescue centres with the highest survival rate in the country. All wild animals that are released by the rescue centre have good health care and restored wild instincts, helping preserve biodiversity in Bai Tu Long National Park. VNS Lam Giang Quang Ninh considers offering free tickets to Ha Long Bay Authorities of the northern province of Quang Ninh are considering the offer of free tickets to some local tourist sites including Ha Long Bay for all Vietnamese visitors. A new secondary school has been recently inaugurated in Bounneua district in Laos Phongsaly province as a gift from the Vietnamese Government, the Vientiane Times reported on its July 3 issue. The new secondary school in Bounneua district (Source: vientianetimes) The school worth 49 billion LAK (5.4 million USD) was handed over to Lao authorities on June 30. With three storeys and 40 classrooms, it is expected to benefit over 1,700 local students. The Lao and Vietnamese governments have collaborated in several areas, including education development. At the end of last year, Vietnam also handed over a school, built with 9 billion LAK in grant funding in Dakcheung district of Xekong province./.VNA A Nigerian man living in Vietnam has become an internet hit thanks to his funny videos and Vietnamese language skills. The YouTube channel Cee Jay Official has almost 800,000 subscribers and the channel's comedy videos regularly top 1 million views. Thirty-one-year-old Cee Jay (real name Igbokoyi Jesuloluwa) intended to stay in Vietnam for only six months. Yet now he's been here for eight years and has a happy family with a Vietnamese wife and a daughter. Though he runs his own English language teaching centre and updates his YouTube channel regularly, Jay said his most time-consuming job is being a father and a husband. After watching his videos, it is hard to believe that just eight years ago he knew almost nothing about Vietnam. Now he shares his daily experiences in fluent and witty Vietnamese. Coming to Vietnam in July 2012 in an exchange programme and internship from the University of Greenwich, UK, where he studied, by the end of the 13-month period, he decided to stay to work for the company that he spent his internship with. He was reluctant to take the job due to the low salary but he stayed on to be with the Vietnamese woman he was dating at the time. All he knew about Vietnam before coming to the country was about the War Against America and when he did more research, all he could see was bikes. I did not know how I would survive because I wasn't used to such a traffic system where it seemed like there were more bikes than people in the whole of the country, he told Viet Nam News. He found it hard to adjust to the food at first, and for the first three months, all he ate was KFC, bread and com rang ga (fried rice with chicken). I could eat com rang ga because it is very similar to some food in my country, he recalled. It wasn't until I got my first girlfriend that I was able to eat other Vietnamese food. She introduced me to bun cha (vermicelli with grilled pork) and pho (beef noodles) and other popular Vietnamese cuisines, and I really fell in love with Vietnamese food from there, most especially pho and bun cha. Jay has done various jobs to earn a living here, from an IT specialist, English teacher to PR manager for a bar. Learning the people Cee Jay found the love of his life in Vietnam. Photo courtesy of Cee Jay After he came to Vietnam and had a relationship with a few Vietnamese women, he knew he was going to marry a Vietnamese woman, but he did not know it would come so quick. Jay once posted his criteria for his future wife on his Facebook page in Vietnamese. Among 20 characteristics he wanted, he stressed exteriority, friendliness, trustworthiness, talent in cooking, intelligence and independence. I met my wife on the walking street close to Ta Hien Street in Hanoi, he said. I was out with a friend that night when I decided to be a bit naughty. "While we were walking towards the bar, there were two ladies walking right in front of us. I wanted to be naughty again so I said something, and so the lady on the left turned around and said 'seriously?'. "I was quite surprised that she could speak English, so we started a conversation from there. A few weeks later, the lady on the right became his girlfriend, and now his wife, Le Thu Phuong. Once he started dating his wife, Jay saw almost all the qualities he mentioned in that post. Even though I wasn't checking a list, or even hoping to find someone with all those qualities, I just found out she was amazingly perfect for me, he said. Even though we had lots of hard times while we were dating, she had a lot to offer, she made me feel special. She made me feel like the man I wanted to be. She supported all my plans and was very encouraging, there are too many things I can say about my wife. But I think the best way to put it in a short sentence is duyen toi (lucky chance arrived). A typical day for Jay starts at around 10am, when he takes his daughter to her playhouse for about two hours and then comes home for lunch. He then spends the early afternoons shooting video clips or editing a video. He goes to his English centre in the evening, and then to the gym after that, and then back home to spend some time with his family and then works all night until about 4am - the best time to work without much noise and distractions. Learning the language Jay said his experience of learning Vietnamese was quite unique. The school he went to in Vietnam offered a Vietnamese course for foreigners and he attended a few classes. He liked it, but didn't learn much as he was thinking he would leave this country in a few months. It was not until he decided to stay in Vietnam longer that he decided to start trying to speak Vietnamese. He would turn on Vietnamese lessons on YouTube and try to learn a few words. I would also ask my girlfriend at the time to teach me some words which I would then go into a bus with my bus pass and particular destination to meet strangers and practise what I have learned, he said. Many people laughed at me when I tried to say some things, but I always made sure that they corrected me when I said something wrong, he added. Cee Jay and his happy family. Photo courtesy of Cee Jay After about six months, Jay was able to have very basic conversations in Vietnamese and even make some jokes. I would say my Vietnamese speaking, reading, writing and listening skills are quite solid now, he said. Jay said he still keeps close contact with his family at home and his brothers and sisters in the US and Canada. He plans to start-up a company to produce quality videos and be a promotional agency for companies in Vietnam. He also plans to teach his 10-month-old daughter how to swim. I am hoping that after the coronavirus pandemic is over, I can take my family to my home country and to the US, so my wife and daughter can see where I grew up and experience what life is like in Nigeria and in the US, he said. My full-time job now is a father and a husband. That is the most important job for me right now, he repeated again and again. VNS Le Huong More and more foreigners have need to learn Vietnamese Not only expatriates in Vietnam but also foreign students in all over the world have a need to learn Vietnamese. The fallout over Trumps ignoring Russias murder for bounty program with Afghanistan Islamic terrorists that pays US$100,000 per dead American soldier motivates VoteVets group to say Benedict Arnold can step aside, in its latest anti-Trump attack video. President Trumps first tried to ignore Russias murder for a hire bounty program that pays Afghanistan Islamic terrorists US$100,000 per dead American and or coalition soldier. That didnt work, his lack of his addressing the crisis pushed polling of adults on his job performance polls to a dismal 56.4 disapproval, 40.1 approval averages - the worst polling results since his Charlottesville disaster in 2017. Now hes calling Russias murder for hire program - a hoax even as more evidence of Putins international crime and Trumps egregious dereliction of duty become exposed. The revelation of Trumps indifference to the murder for hire targeting of our and our allied soldiers is turning active duty military and veterans against him like a tsunami. One veteran's group insists that Donald Trump has replaced Benedict Arnold as Americas number one traitor, and appears devoted to making sure the president is voted out of office this November 3rd general election. No one has betrayed those in uniform like Donald Trump. This July Fourth, Benedict Arnold can step aside, because Benedict Donald is Americas number one traitor. Says the voice-over, in the latest ad released by the VoteVets organization this past Friday in a 65-second commercial spot. It references Trumps siding with Russias President Vladimir Putin over U.S. intelligence on Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election and reports that U.S. officials knew Russia allegedly paid Taliban members to kill American troops. VoteVets Ad - Don't Thank Us This isnt the first traitor ad posted by this political action committee. Heres another... VoteVets - Traitor Ad The Lincoln Project is also out with a new commercial calling Trump a traitor Betrayed - The Lincoln Project There may finally be an end in sight. Two weeks after Russias home-grown Covid-19 vaccine was administered to a group of volunteers, there have been no side-effects, and it seems mass immunization may be just around the corner. Russia to prepare 70 million doses of Covid-19 vaccine, lead scientist hopes it will provide immunity for more than 2 years. Volunteers of the first groupfeel good and have no complaints about their health, said a Ministry of Defense press release. Over the past two weeks, there have been no serious side-effects. Volunteers in the second testing group, who received the injection five days later, also report a lack of adverse reactions. The testing of Russias coronavirus vaccine is being carried out jointly by the countrys Ministry of Defense and the Gamalei Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology, located in Moscow. In early June, volunteers were selected from a mixture of military personnel and civilians. Staff reports Aberdeen News There will be no print edition of the American News on Saturday because of the Independence Day holiday. The next print edition will be Monday. However, AberdeenNews.com will be updated regularly, including with news about President Donald Trump's visit to South Dakota and breaking news. The Friday print edition contains all of the regular features found in the weekend edition. In this nation of bountiful natural resources, most all of us have access to the basics of life and much more. Consider that globally 2.2 billion people (29%) do not have safe drinking water: 4.2 billion do not have proper sanitation services with 2.3 billion people without their own functioning toilet; 3 billion lack basic handwashing facilities; 16% of people 1.2 billion people do not have access to electricity; and only 18% of people globally own a car compared to 88% of Americans. Makenzie Huber

and Erin Bormett Sioux Falls Argus Leader Protesters demonstrating against President Donald Trumps arrival in the Black Hills for the Mount Rushmore fireworks display were met with resistance from law enforcement, pepper sprayed and arrested after they blocked a highway to the monument with vans for nearly three hours Friday. Over a dozen protesters were arrested after blocking Highway 16A, or Iron Mountain Road, before President Trump was set to make his way from Rapid City to Keystone and then on the highway to Mount Rushmore. Several of those arrested prayed before being detained by law enforcement. Protesters cited that the Black Hills are sacred to Native Americans and that Trumps administration opposes interests of Native Americans and other minority groups. Freddie Longworth, a member of the Oglala Lakota tribe, said that the problem is bigger than the current president, but that Trump was the catalyst. Respect our right to exist or expect our resistance, he said. We are orphans crying in the night and we will keep making noise until they hear us. The orphans to whom he is referring are all Indigenous people who were impacted for generations by broken treaties throughout United States history. Some protesters dispersed after the South Dakota National Guard arrived on scene about an hour after protesters blocked the road and law enforcement declared it as an unlawful assembly over a megaphone. While several law enforcement agencies responded wearing riot gear, tear gas masks and use of force weapons, they only shot-close range smoke shells at protesters feet and pepper spray into some protesters eyes. According to protestors who declined to give their name, citing concern for state riot laws, the protesters tried to hold their position against the advancing National Guard, so they pushed back against the riot shields. This prompted law enforcement to use pepper spray against individuals as they pressed forward. Good Voice Elk, a spiritual advisor for the Sioux, was among the older protestors. He said this was by no means his first protest. I grew up in protests, he said. The seventies were really bad, and those kids, now they are the leaders. Protesters ranged in age from senior citizens to children as young as 10. One girl was brought by her father from the Ute Mountain tribe in Colorado so she could experience Indigenous communities coming together. At 6:30 p.m., law enforcement gave remaining protesters 30 minutes to disperse before they would arrest anyone left in the road. Shortly after 7 p.m., the National Guard largely held back onlookers and pressed in on protesters while the sheriffs department moved in to arrest the 15 people who stayed. Today has been a proud day to be Lakota, said Nick Tilsen of the NDN Collective. We shut down Mount Rushmore. We put this place in lockdown for three hours and we did it in a good way. We got this power from our ancestors. The South Dakota American Civil Liberties Union was on scene, documenting incidents of police misconduct and violations of constitutional rights at the protest, according to a social media post by the organization. Trump supporters were also on the scene, but authorities were keeping them away from protesters. WENN Movie The producers of the new movie are criticized by the Screen Actors Guild for not being 'transparent about their safety protocols' amid the ongoing health crisis. Jul 4, 2020 AceShowbiz - Michael Bay's pandemic movie "Songbird" has been issued with a "do not work" order from industry body the Screen Actors Guild - American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA). The film was handed the order due to producers not being "transparent about their safety protocols" amid the coronavirus pandemic, a representative from SAG-AFTRA told the Hollywood Reporter in a statement. The official added that they are taking safety on sets during the Covid-19 crisis "very seriously" and was forced to step in because producers "have not yet become a signatory to our agreement." The Hollywood Reporter added that work was due to start on the film, starring Demi Moore and Craig Robinson, this month (Jul20). Numerous movie and TV sets were reopened in Los Angeles last month with strict rules in place due to the pandemic, which includes testing of on-set employees and regular cleaning of props and sets. Officers from Northwest Division answered the call at about 7:40 p.m. and drove to the 5200 block of Cordelia Ave., where they found an unknown male who had been shot in the upper torso, according to a statement by police. Baltimore City medics pronounced the victim dead at the scene. WENN Celebrity The 'Empire' actress is confident that the nationwide protests led by the African-American people will unseat the current President of the United States. Jul 4, 2020 AceShowbiz - Vivica A. Fox is hopeful the ongoing Black Lives Matter protests will oust U.S. leader Donald Trump from the White House. The "Independence Day" actress opened up on her experience with the businessman and reality TV star-turned-politician in an interview with Britain's The Guardian newspaper, where she detailed working with Trump on the 2015 series of "Celebrity Apprentice". Vivica admitted to having a high opinion of Trump at the start of making the show, but after experiencing "the most racially charged set I'd ever been on" - including Trump's daughter Ivanka telling her and her black co-stars, "You speak very well" - she explained her opinion of him quickly declined. Observing he "was obsessed with becoming president and I believe it was because a black man had done it," she said, "Obama had done it so well that, throughout his presidency, Trump was always on him." "To this day, he can't keep his name off his tongue. It's an awful obsession. I love the way Obama handles it, such grace under fire." Speaking in the wake of the Black Lives Matter movement, following the death of George Floyd, the "Empire" star added she believes the ongoing social unrest will lead to the end of his Presidency, ahead of November's U.S. elections. "It's gonna be his demise," she stated. "That and the way he's handled this pandemic. He had no business getting into politics. It was just a notch on his belt. He didn't know what it meant to hold that position." "We need some leadership back in the White House because right now there is so much division," she added, revealing she's backing Democratic candidate Joe Biden. Instagram Music The 'Merriweather Post Pavilion' band finally remove their racist 'People EP' artwork and change the title of their 'Here Comes the Indian' album after so many years. Jul 4, 2020 AceShowbiz - Animal Collective have issued an apology and agreed to change the artwork of their "People EP" and the title of their "Here Comes the Indian" album. The New York band caused controversy when they released their EP back in 2006 as the cover features a black nanny with two white children - identified as a "mammy," a stereotype rooted in slavery. "There is no way to excuse using a 'mammy' on our artwork, and so we have decided to remove it," they said in a statement. "We understand now that using a racist stereotype at all causes more damage than an explanation can repair, and we apologise. Moving forward, we will be donating a portion of our royalties from this record to the Equal Justice Initiative." The experimental rockers also told fans they'd be reinstating "Here Comes the Indian" 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," they said. "Because we have drawn countless inspiration from Indigenous people in America and around the world, moving forward, we will be donating a portion of our royalties from this record to Seeding Sovereignty, and changing the title to its original working title, Ark." WENN/Instagram Celebrity The 'Beverly Hills, 90210' alum says he's disappointed in the PETA activist for posting a hot tub video of the two of them, on the same day he was spotted on a lunch date with the Maxim model. Jul 4, 2020 AceShowbiz - Brian Austin Green has spoken up about his relationships with Courtney Stodden and Tina Louise after he was spotted hanging out with both girls on different occasions. Met while out grocery shopping in Malibu on Thursday, July 2, he set the record straight on his love life. "Tina- Tina's really cool, I literally just met her that day, outside her restaurant, on the sidewalk," the 46-year-old actor said of the Australian model, with whom he was spotted on Tuesday, June 30. He called Tina "super nice," but denied that they're dating. On why it's not working out between him and Tina, Brian suggested that it had something to do with Courtney. "Courtney, super nice... but disappointing," he told reporter. Referring to a bizarre video showing him and the blonde bombshell in a hot tub together, he said, "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 of the clip, hinting that he didn't expect it to come out. The former "Anger Management" star said it was "a little disappointing" that Courtney decided to post the video on the same day he and Tina had lunch "knowing that it would cause problems for Tina - and myself - having three kids, it kinda sucks." He, however, refused to "bash" the 25-year-old TV personality, saying, "I think she's a nice person, I just think she's making some bad choices." Brian and Courtney first sparked romance rumors when they were spotted at the Mejico Grill & Tequila Lounge in Agoura Hilla, California on Saturday, June 13. The two were seen leaving together, with the actor carrying a takeout bag along with him. Despite the sighting, it was said there was nothing romantic going on between Brian and Courtney yet. A source told TMZ that they were meeting to talk about collaborating on a business project. Later in late June, the estranged husband of Megan Fox was photographed having a lunch date with Tina at Sugar Taco in Los Angeles. The two didn't show any public display of affection, but they clearly enjoyed each other's companion and had a fun conversation during their walk. On the same day, Courtney posted the hot tub video that showed her and Brian seemingly recording a message for someone named Ashley. "I've never seen him, I don't know who this is," the ex-wife of Doug Hutchinson jokingly said of the man next to him., but wrote in the caption, "9021 now I kn0w..." WENN Celebrity The model's criticism comes in the form of a tweet respoding to Senator Jeff Merkley who slams American Airlines for being 'incredibly irresponsible' for 'facilitating spread of COVID infections.' Jul 4, 2020 AceShowbiz - Chrissy Teigen is known for being outspoken. The supermodel isn't stranger to openly criticizing things on her social media accounts, and recently she took aim at American Airlines after the company announced that they would be resuming full-capacity flights despite the spike of COVID-19 cases in the U.S. Quote-tweeting a post from Senator Jeff Merkley in which he blasted American Airlines for being "incredibly irresponsible" for "facilitating spread of COVID infections," Chrissy said on Friday, July 3, "Not to be dramatic but American Airlines only cares about money and doesn't care if you get sick and die." Chrissy Teigen blasted American Airlines. Actress Mia Farrow also echoed the wife of John Legend's sentiment in her own tweet. "No one should fly on @AmericanAir or @united because they sell middle seats & pack in passengers at full capacity. Their greed is putting our lives at risk," she urged her followers. U.S. Senators Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders also took to their accounts to weigh in on the matter. "American Airlines is recklessly endangering millions of lives just to make a profit. They should fully refund passengers who don't feel safe flying with the airline--just like @EdMarkey and I urged them to do three months ago," Elizabeth tweeted. Mia Farrow and Elizabeth Warren also weighed in on the matter. Meanwhile, Bernie questioned, "How on earth can airlines-in the middle of pandemic-fly their planes at full capacity?" He went on to write, "I am demanding federal action to require social distancing, mask-wearing, and disinfection in planes and airports. We must put the safety of passengers and workers ahead of corporate profits." Bernie Sanders demanded federal action to require social distancing. American Airlines announced on Tuesday that it would stop blocking off seats to limit capacity of their flights amid the pandemic. Also doing the same are United Airlines, Spirit Airlines and Allegiant Air. In its statement following the backlash, American Airlines said, "We are unwavering in our commitment to the safety and well-being of our customers and team members. We have multiple layers of protection in place for those who fly with us, including required face coverings, enhanced cleaning procedures, and a pre-flight COVID-19 symptom checklist - and were 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." WENN Celebrity Aside from going into details about her daily routine amid the coronavirus pandemic, the 'Obsessed' hitmaker opens up about 'the most challenging part of isolation.' Jul 4, 2020 AceShowbiz - Mariah Carey is busy writing and recording new music and finishing up her forthcoming memoir while in lockdown in New York. The "Obsessed" hitmaker spoke with British Vogue for their August 2020 issue, where she revealed she was isolating in the Big Apple "with my children and a few friends," as she detailed her days amid the COVID-19 crisis. "We've been spending the days doing little 'at home' live concerts to help those in need, and I've also been busy writing songs, working on new material, finishing up my memoir, and listening to Club Quarantine after dark," she shared. The star went on to detail "the most challenging part of isolation," admitting "keeping my spirits up and making sure my kids are happy and thriving" have been her main priorities. She also confessed the pandemic has taught her "how important it is to take the time to tell your loved ones how much you care about them because tomorrow is not promised." During the lockdown, Mariah has appeared on various telethons and livestream benefits, performing hits including "Hero", "Make It Happen" and "Through the Rain". She's also been the subject of various fan campaigns, which saw her albums "Charmbracelet" and "E=MC2" peak on the Global iTunes Chart. Instagram Celebrity The 28-year-old shares a handwritten note on her Instagram Stories, days after the 'American Idol' host confirmed the end of their seven-year intermittent relationship. Jul 4, 2020 AceShowbiz - Shayna Taylor may not have the best days lately following her breakup from Ryan Seacrest. On Thursday, July 2, the model shared a handwritten note that talked about letting go what she thinks she wants and the pain of pursuing it. "When I run after what I think I want, my days are a furnace of distress and anxiety," so she shared. She eventually came to understanding about a mutual attraction, adding, "If I sit in my own place of patience, what I need flows to me and without any pain from this I understand that what I want also wants me, is looking for me and attracting me. There is a great secret in this for anyone who can grasp it." Shayna Taylor posted a cryptic quote after Ryan Seacrest breakup. A few days prior, Shayna re-posted a quote from the Rising Woman account that many believed was also aimed at the "American Idol" host. "You will never need to convince the right person to love you," read the cryptic post. "No matter what, you cannot change them, make them do the work, or get them to commit to you if they're not ready to show up. Change must be inspired from within, and actions are always louder than words." Ryan confirmed the end of his relationship with Shayna after dating on and off for seven years on Monday, June 29. In a statement to the press, a representative for the 45-year-old noted that the former couple "decided to end their romantic relationship amicably some time ago." His rep further added, "They remain good friends, each other's biggest supporters and will always cherish their time together as a couple." Ryan has seemingly moved on as he was spotted being joined by a mystery blonde during his June vacation in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. Most of the pictures displayed the two soaking up the sun on a sun lounger in a resort. One in particular captured them holding hands. Instagram Celebrity The son of President Donald Trump, in the meantime, has tested negative for the virus, but as a precaution is also self isolating and canceling all public events. Jul 4, 2020 AceShowbiz - Donald Trump Jr. received not-so-good news on Friday, July 3. His girlfriend Kimberly Guilfoyle, who is also a top fundraiser for the Trump campaign, has tested positive for Coronavirus while in South Dakota. Sergio Gor, chief of staff for the Trump Victory Finance Committee, confirmed the news. "After testing positive, Kimberly was immediately isolated to limit any exposure," Sergio said, adding that Kimberly is asymptomatic. "She's doing well, and will be retested to ensure the diagnosis is correct since she's asymptomatic but as a precaution will cancel all upcoming events. Donald Trump Jr was tested negative, but as a precaution is also self isolating and is canceling all public events." Neither Kimberly nor Donald has been in direct contact with President Donald Trump and did not fly on Air Force One. A source said that the couple will be driving home rather than getting on a flight following the diagnosis. Kimberly and Donald were supposed to attend a July Fourth celebration at Mount Rushmore that had been planned by POTUS for a long time. Even though the celebration was criticized by a lot of people due to the ongoing pandemic, the Trump Administration pushed for the event. Trump barely mentioned anything about Coronavirus during his speech. Instead, he focused on the culture wars. "Our nation is witnessing a merciless campaign to wipe out our history, defame our heroes, erase our values and indoctrinate our children," he said. "Angry mobs are trying to tear down statues of our founders, deface our most sacred memorials and unleash a wave of violent crime in our cities." Trump planned to follow up his trip with a "Salute to America" celebration on the South Lawn at the White House. Held on Saturday, there will be a military flyover and the launch of 10,000 fireworks. Instagram Celebrity The tattooist and former reality TV star reportedly went violent after catching her girlfriend in bed with another woman, but she claims that the story 'is made up.' Jul 4, 2020 AceShowbiz - "Black Ink Crew: Chicago" alum Liliana Barrios has denied report of her alleged assault on her girlfriend. The 25-year-old tattoo artist was said to have been arrested last month after she got into a physical altercation with her lover, but she has claimed that the story "is made up." Being contacted directly via Instagram DMs by Page Six, Liliana insisted, "All I know is that story is made up." She refused to speak more when pressed for further details, replying, "I just called my lawyer. i have no comment rn." TMZ first broke the news of Liliana's arrest. According to police report obtained by the site, the incident happened on June 3 in San Antonio. It allegedly began with a verbal fight between the lovers at their apartment, before it turned physical. After the verbal argument, Liliana reportedly decided to take off for the night. When she returned the next day to pick up clothes, the tattoo-clad brunette, who starred in several seasons of the VH1 show, allegedly caught her 22-year-old girlfriend in bed with another woman. The two got into another argument, which escalated into a physical altercation. Cops say Liliana pushed her unnamed girlfriend onto the couch, scratched her girlfriend's neck, arm and bit her right leg. The responding officers claim that they observed scratches and abrasions on the girlfriend's right knee and determined that Liliana was the aggressor and "intentionally and knowingly caused bodily injury." Liliana was subsequently arrested for assault/bodily injury on a cohabitant. It remains unclear when or if she has been released, and if she has been released, how much her bail was set at. It's currently also unknown if a court date for the alleged assault case has been scheduled. Liliana Barrios' Mug Shot Liliana appeared in season 2 through 5 of "Black Ink Crew: Chicago". As a professional tattoo artist, she works out of the Lacuna Artist Lofts and Studios in Chicago. Music The all-female trio Este, Danielle, and Alana are dominating the albums chart across the pond with their newly-released studio album 'Women in Music Pt. III'. Jul 5, 2020 AceShowbiz - American pop rockers HAIM's new release "Women in Music Pt. III" is the U.K.'s new number one album. The sibling trio's new collection is its first number one in Britain since 2013's "Days Are Gone" as it debuts at the summit of Friday's (03Jul20) Official Charts Company rundown. In a statement, the Haim sisters Este, Danielle and Alana tell OfficialCharts.com, "The UK has always supported us and we are forever grateful. We wish we could celebrate with you all but we feel your love all the way here in Los Angeles." Last week's top album, Bob Dylan's "Rough and Rowdy Ways" falls to two, just ahead of Jessie Ware's new record "What's Your Pleasure?" at three, her highest-charting release to date. At four is Lewis Capaldi's "Divinely Uninspired to a Hellish Extent", with Harry Styles' "Fine Line" completing the top five. There's also a new number one in the singles chart, with 17-year-old TikTok sensation Jawsh 685's collaboration with Jason Derulo, "Savage Love", pushing DaBaby and Roddy Ricch's "Rockstar" down to two. A delighted Joshua Nanai, the 17-year-old New Zealander who posts as Jawsh 685, calls the achievement, "the biggest blessing I could have ever received." Lady Gaga and Ariana Grande's "Rain on Me" is in third spot, ahead of German DJ Topic and A7S' dance hit "Breaking Me" at four. S1mba and DTG's "Rover" is at five. ITV Celebrity The 'Thunderball' star who became one of the first black actors to break the 'colour bar' in the British cinema has passed away in his home in the United Kingdom at the age of 102. Jul 5, 2020 AceShowbiz - Pioneering actor Earl Cameron has died, aged 102. The Bermuda-born star, who found success on stage and screen in Britain, passed away at his home in Warwickshire in England on Friday (03Jul20). Born in 1917, Cameron arrived in the U.K. in 1939 and began his acting career on stage in 1941, spending a decade in the theatre before landing his movie debut in 1951's Pool of London. He's perhaps best known for his role as James Bond's sidekick, Pinder, in 1965's "Thunderball". Cameron also made history by becoming one half of the first movie interracial relationship in "Pool of London" and as the first black astronaut on screen in "Doctor Who". His film credits include "Guns at Batasi", "Safari", and 2010's "Inception" while he featured in the TV series "The Dark Man". Cameron was awarded a Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire medal in 2009. A statement from the late actor's family, obtained by The Guardian, reads, "Our family have been overwhelmed by the outpourings of love and respect we have received at the news of our fathers passing. As an artist and as an actor he refused to take roles that demeaned or stereotyped the character of people of colour. He was truly a man who stood by his moral principles and was inspirational." We know that incidents like this wherever they happen can cause or reinforce trauma for members of our community, especially our Black and Brown colleagues, students, and faculty, Caldwell said. That this has happened at a moment when there has been such pain over racially motivated violence means we must lean in and offer the support our community needs now, and that we must become better, more informed allies in the urgent work that needs to be done to fight against racism in all its forms. On July 9, 1776, a rowdy group of American colonists banded together at a political rally in New York City and did something that today would be called "badass." They had just been treated to a public reading of the Declaration of Independence, which Congress had officially adopted less than a week earlier. After hearing calls to "dissolve the political bands" of tyranny, they marched to a public park that featured a statue of King George III, Britain's ruler, and knocked the 4,000-pound statue off its 15-foot pedestal. The head of the statue was then decapitated and perched on top of a spike, and much of the rest was melted down to make 42,000 musket balls for American soldiers. The historian Erika Doss thought of that scene recently while watching protesters toppling statues of Confederate heroes. Doss, who recounts the 1776 episode in her book, "Memorial Mania," sees a parallel between the colonists who fought against Great Britain and protesters who rail against Confederate monuments today. "They're patriots," says Doss, an American studies professor at the University of Notre Dame, of today's protesters. "They're looking at the symbols and these visual and martial emblems and icons in their midst and they're saying this doesn't stand for who we are today." It's easy to be cynical this Fourth of July weekend as the US celebrates its birth. The country seems like a mess. Racial protests have rocked every major city. Unemployment has soared. And Americans can't even agree if they should wear face masks in the middle of a pandemic. But what some see as chaos, others see as an explosion of patriotism. They see it in the armies of Americans that took to the streets to protest racism. They see it in the companies that are taking unprecedented stands against racial and social injustice. Even the Americans who are wearing masks for the health of their neighbors -- they, too, are reasons to wave the flag. All of these different groups have declared their independence from symbols and ideas that they've decided no longer represent them, Doss and others say. They are doing what their ancestors did in 1776, Doss says: "They are reimagining themselves and the nation." America is bending toward justice The evidence of this reimagining is reflected in the headlines. Something has shifted in America when the Mississippi state flag, which bears the cross of the Confederate battle flag, is taken down while the popularity of the Black Lives Matter movement soars to an all-time high. Recent polls suggest that this year's BLM protests, which drew as many as 26 million people, were the largest movement in US history. Black Lives Matter has been described as everything from a hashtag to a "symbol of hate." But the movement has rarely been described as something else: one of the finest examples of patriotism in modern America. The protesters who flooded the streets this spring to protest racism exemplify the revolutionary spirit of America just as much as the white colonists in powdered wigs, says Melanye Price, a professor at Prairie View A&M University in Texas who specializes in African-American politics. "The people who are out yelling in the streets today are no different than Paul Revere yelling 'The British are coming!''' says Price. "It's the American way to voice criticism of the government and to rebel against oppressive forces." In some ways, the protesters who took to the streets this year did a better job of honoring the words of the Declaration of Independence than the Founding Fathers, she says. Many of our nation's founders were slave owners who treated Black Americans as tools for economic profit. When they said, "all men are created equal," that didn't include Black people, who were not considered fully human. They didn't consider women equal, either. But Black people extracted concepts from the Declaration of Independence, like the right to protest, and "turned them into tools for American citizenship," Price says. "They took the words of the founders and rammed them up their damn throats." We've expanded the definition of an American hero It's easy to forget, but the person who became the catalyst the American Revolution was not a White man. He was half Black and half Native American. His name was Crispus Attucks, and he was killed during the 1770 Boston Massacre, an event that sparked the Revolutionary War. The person who sparked the unprecedented wave of racial protests this year was also a Black man. George Floyd, who died while being arrested in May by Minneapolis police, is in some ways a modern-day Attucks, says Jerald Podair, a historian at Lawrence University in Wisconsin. "Attucks died not knowing what his impact and significance would be, as did George Floyd," says Podair. History textbooks tell us that American heroes are almost always White men carrying guns. A reader has to dig to learn about people like Sacagawea, the Native American woman whose language skills and bravery saved the vaunted Lewis & Clark expedition of the early 19th century. This year's protests, though, have enlarged the definition of a what an American hero looks like. Some of the leaders and participants in Black Lives Matter protests are LGBTQ. The movement is multiracial and multiethnic. And in some ways these protesters are just as tough as their colonial forebears. The history books love to tell stories of the Minutemen, the elite band of Revolutionary War soldiers who were ready at a minute's notice to rush into battle. The Black Lives Matter protesters and others who recently took to the streets to demonstrate were not that different. They risked their lives, often on short notice via a text or social media alert, to demonstrate against racism in the middle of a pandemic. Age made no difference. Many of those demonstrators were young -- some even too young to vote. They took rubber bullets to the face and swallowed tear gas. And then they came back the next day, like soldiers. If you think that characterization is hyperbolic, listen to the words of another American hero who praised millennials -- people born between 1981 and 1996 -- in a recent speech. He said the country's youth make him optimistic about the future. "They're not a lot like my generation -- in many ways, they are better," he said. "They care so much about their friends, they care about the issues, they question things in a way that I'm not sure we baby boomers questioned. They will take a stand on issues." The speaker? Retired Adm. William McRaven, the Navy SEAL who oversaw the Osama bin Laden raid. The coronavirus pandemic has also enlarged the definition of an American hero. We've learned that courage isn't just manifested in a SEAL team raid. It also can be summoned in mundane places like a health clinic, a grocery store or a meatpacking plant. The pandemic has led many Americans to realize how dependent they are on these service workers, who risk their lives to keep the country running. The colonists often invoked the term "liberty" to celebrate a form of rugged individualism where government and rules left them alone so they could live their version of freedom. So do many modern-day Americans. But democracy also depends on a sense of shared community, says Podair, the Lawrence University historian. "Our life and health depends on the behavior of other people," he says. "We depend on our neighbor, sometimes to get us food or just to remain healthy -- and they on us. Because of the pandemic, America is a more democratic nation today than it was in February." Our country is finally facing one of its original sins The Black Lives Matter protesters may exceed the Founding Fathers in another way -- they're forcing the nation to face its racism. When Thomas Jefferson drafted the Declaration of Independence, he added language that described the slave trade as a perverse plot by an evil English king to contaminate the colonies, Joseph J. Ellis recounts in "Founding Brothers," his Pulitzer Prize-winning book. That passage, though was deleted by the Continental Congress in the final draft. The issue was so contentious and ingrained in colonial society that many founders thought abolishing slavery would kill the young nation in its infancy, Ellis wrote. But a new generation of Americans are determined to do what the Founding Fathers refused to do. Americans are devouring books on racism and corporate America is taking a stand against racial injustice. Ordinary people are talking about racism with a new depth that's remarkable, says Doss, the historian. "It has been so interesting to see how words like white supremacy and imperialism are part of daily American vocabulary in ways now that were not a couple of years ago," she says. This change didn't just happen. It took years of planning and activism. "A multiracial fusion coalition has shifted public opinion in this country, and we've seen a tipping point in the past month," says the Rev. William Barber II, a 2018 MacArthur Foundation "genius" grant winner and president of Repairers of the Breach, a nonpartisan group that seeks to build a moral agenda around issues of poverty and racism. "Many of us have been building this coalition for years, taking up the work of those who came before us," he says. "We never knew when the tipping point would come, but we are now in a moment where there is a public consensus that America must address the legacy of her original sin in systemic racism." At the same time, there appears to be flagging interest in white grievance. It's not just Confederate monuments that are coming down. A core political tactic that relied on coded racist appeals may also be starting to topple. In the 1960s the Republican Party quietly began its "Southern Strategy" of using terms like "forced busing" and "state's rights" to play on racial fears and win elections. Democrats have also used such appeals, but not to the extent Republicans have. But racial dog whistles just don't hunt like they used to. President Trump is offering proof. He's opposing any effort by the US military to rename bases that bear the name of Confederate commanders. He also called Black Lives Matter a "symbol of hate." And as of now he's losing badly to Democratic challenger Joe Biden in the polls. "When we look back, we may well realize that there was indeed one last presidential election that could be won on white racial resentment but that election happened in 2016," Paul Waldman said in a recent Washington Post column. Protesters in 2020, though, want more than an end to racist speech. Barber, for example, has helped launch a Poor People's Campaign and his group plans an array of activities around the Fourth of July this weekend. "We can't get sidelined into little reforms around the edges," Barber says. "This isn't just about bringing down a flag or banning chokeholds. We are in a moment that demands a Third Reconstruction to guarantee freedom and equal justice. We must push to become the America that has never yet been." That kind of America may seem far off right now. But we no longer have to look to the Founding Fathers to celebrate the spirit that makes this nation special. We can look to the faces of the millions of Americans who took to the streets this year to reimagine the nation. We can look to the nurse who takes our temperature, or the other essential and brave workers who drive buses, deliver groceries and restock store shelves. That's the paradox of this Fourth of July. It is an awful time to be an American. It is a great time to look forward to a New America. All the people who took to the streets this spring are living monuments to a New America -- a land that never was, "and yet must be." OROVILLE, Calif. - The first time in its history, the Oroville fireworks display will be held from the Oroville Airport. It's not the only firsts either. "The levelness of everything out here, if you live anywhere near Thermalito, there's a very good chance you'll be able to see the display very well," said Oroville Fireworks Committee Coordinator Dave Pittman. Large gatherings are still prohibited by the state of California. "We respect the health department guidelines of distancing park away from each other," said Pittman. "We kind of call this a big tailgate party, which might be what we end up doing here." On the bottom right-hand corner of the fireworks show flyer, there is a reminder for show-goers to 'Please use social distance... similar to a drive-in theater performance'. But coronavirus isn't the only risk in the middle of summer. "The fire department along with El Medio Fire department and Cal Fire burned approximately 170 acres around the airport area," said Oroville Battalion Fire Chief Rob Buckhout. "We had bulldozers go out and they basically laid a 5-lane wide fire break around the entire property as well." The Oroville Fire Department will be on duty patrolling the area during the firework show. "So we have developed an incident action plan specifically for the fireworks event out by the airport. We will be in unified Command with Cal Fire. I believe at this point there will be 6 engines going to be assigned in the area," said Buckhout. But that's not the only thing that's going to be different this year. "Because we received additional funding there will be additional fireworks," said Pittman. "Especially during the finale, we will have fireworks that have never been set off in Northern California before." The fireworks show is scheduled to start at 9 PM, July 4. Prince Pipes and Fittings Limited (PPFL), one of Indias largest integrated piping solutions & multi polymer manufacturers, today announced that leading actor Akshay Kumar will represent the company as brand ambassador for its recently launched water tanks segment. In present times, when health is of primary concern, the association will provide even more impetus to the companys vision by capitalising on Akshays tremendous brand recall to reinforce the brand values of Prince Pipes centering on trust, quality and high value. The actor will also continue to be the brand ambassador for the companys piping business. Prince Pipes is one of the leading polymer pipes and fittings manufacturers in India in terms of production capacity, number of distributors, and number and variety of products manufactured. The companys product portfolio comprises an array of piping solutions used for varied applications in plumbing, irrigation, and sewage disposal and a range of 7167 SKUs, and now also includes the newly launched water tanks category. Akshay Kumar said, Enduring relationships must be cherished and valued. I am very happy to be associating with Prince Pipes once again and to continue the work we have done so far for a very important cause. This association reflects our common belief in trust, quality and value and I surely look forward to the journey ahead. Commenting on the announcement Mr. Parag Chheda, Executive Director of Prince Pipes and Fittings Limited, said, Akshay has been the brand ambassador for Prince Pipes since 2018 and we are delighted to extend this association with him and work with him for the new water tank segment, which is expected to grow at a high pace. He has been an integral influencer of several Indian social issues and the Prince Pipes brand portfolio resonates very well with Akshays ability to reach out to our industry participants across India, especially in Tier 2/3 regions and hyper local domains. With a 30 year legacy in manufacturing high quality water piping and now storage systems for a whole gamut of applications, our brand stands for expertise, trust, quality and high value, which are also true to Akshay. 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. You have permission to edit this article. Edit Close 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. Todays mantra is defund the police, and reduce their capabilities while so-called protestors hurl bricks and gasoline-filled bottles at police lines, as well as setting fires and barricading sections of cities (Seattle for example). The anarchy on parade in our cities are perfect reasons for police to be properly prepared, armed, and protected. It seems Keller would have the police simply stand around and watch the mayhem, taking no action to protect innocent individuals and property, both private and public. https://www.aish.com/tp/i/sacks/The-Hidden-Meaning-of-the-Bilam-Story.html Many questions have rightly been asked about the story of Balak and Bilam and the would-be curses that turned into blessings. Was Bilam a true man of God, or was he a fraud, a magician, a sorcerer, a practitioner of dark arts? Did he have genuine powers? Was he really as some of the Sages said the equal of Moses?1 Was he driven by the prospect of reward and honour from the Moabites and Midianites, or was he motivated by animosity toward the Israelites and their seeming closeness to God? Why did God first tell him not to go, then seemingly change His mind and tell him to go? What is the meaning of the episode of the talking donkey? Did it really happen, or was it, as Maimonides argued, a vision in Bilams mind?2 These are real questions, much debated. But there are more fundamental ones. What is the story doing here at all? The entire episode occurred away from the Israelites. No one from their side, not even Moses, was there to witness it. The only witnesses were Balak, Bilam, and some Moabite princes. Had the Israelites known the danger they were in, and how they were saved from it, it would have given them pause for thought before engaging in immorality and idol worship with the Moabite women, in the episode that follows on immediately from the story of Bilam. They would have known that the Moabites were not their friends. Even Moses would not have known what happened, had God not told him. In short, the Israelites were rescued from a danger they knew nothing about by a deliverance they knew nothing about. How then did it, or could it, affect them? Besides which, why did God need Bilam to go at all? He said No the first time. He could have said No the second time also. The curses would have been avoided, Israel would have been protected, and there would have been no need for the angel, the talking donkey and the various locations, sacrifices, and attempted curses. The entire drama seems to have been unnecessary. Why did God put into Bilams mouth the extraordinary poetry that makes the blessings among the most lyrical passages in the Torah. All He needed Bilam to say and Bilam did eventually say it3 was the promise He gave to Abraham: I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse (Gen. 12:3). Who was to be affected by this episode? What was the intended change it was meant to bring about? Who was its target audience? It did not affect the Moabites. They proceeded to get their women to successfully entice the Israelite men. A plague then struck the Israelites, taking 24,000 lives. It did not affect the Midianites, whose hostility to Israel was such that God later told Moses: Treat the Midianites as enemies and kill them (Num. 25:17-18). Several chapters later God instructed Moses to take military vengeance against them (Numbers 31). It did not affect Bilam himself. The Torah is very subtle about this. First, we read about the Moabite seduction of the Israelites and the deadly plague it caused. Then, six chapters later, we read that in the course of the war against the Midianites, Bilam was killed (31:8). Then, several verses later, They were the ones who followed Balaams advice and enticed the Israelites to be unfaithful to the Lord in the Peor incident, so that a plague struck the Lords people (Num. 31:16). In other words, having gone through what should surely have been a transformative experience of finding curses turned to blessings in his mouth, Bilam remained implacably opposed to the people he had blessed, and seemingly to the God who put the words into his mouth, and was still capable of devising a plot to injure the Israelites. It did not change the Israelites, who remained vulnerable to the Moabites, Midianites, and the enticements of sex, food and foreign gods. It did not change Moses, who left it to Pinchas to take the decisive act that stopped the plague and was soon thereafter told that Joshua would succeed him as leader. So, if it did not change the Moabites, Midianites, Israelites, Bilam or Moses, what was the point of the episode? What role did it play in the story of our people? For it does play a significant role. In Deuteronomy, Moses reminds the people that the Moabites did not come to meet you with bread and water on your way when you came out of Egypt, and they hired Bilam son of Beor from Pethor in Aram Naharaim to pronounce a curse on you. However, the Lord your God would not listen to Bilam but turned the curse into a blessing for you, because the Lord your God loves you (Deut. 23:4-5). Joshua, when he came to renew the covenant after the conquest of the land, gave an abridged summary of Jewish history, singling out this event for attention: When Balak son of Zippor, the king of Moab, prepared to fight against Israel, he sent for Bilam son of Beor to put a curse on you. But I would not listen to Bilam, so he blessed you again and again, and I delivered you out of his hand. (Josh. 24:9-10). The prophet Micah, younger contemporary of Isaiah, said in the name of God, My people, remember what Balak king of Moab plotted and what Bilam son of Beor answered, just before he delivers his famous summary of the religious life: He has shown you, O man, what is good and what the Lord requires of you: to act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God (Mic. 6:5, 8). At the culmination of the reforms instituted by Ezra and Nehemiah after the Babylonian exile, Nehemiah had the Torah read to the people, reminding them that an Ammonite or Moabite may not enter the assembly of the Lord because they did not meet the Israelites with food and water but had hired Bilam to call a curse down on them. Our God, however, turned the curse into a blessing (Neh. 13:2). Why the resonance of an event that seemingly had no impact on any of the parties involved, made no difference to what happened thereafter and yet was deemed to be so important that it occupied a central place in the telling of Israels story by Moses, Joshua, Micah and Nehemiah? The answer is fundamental. We search in vain for an explanation of why God should have made a covenant with a people who repeatedly proved to be ungrateful, disobedient and faithless. God Himself threatened twice to destroy the people, after the Golden Calf and the episode of the spies. Toward the end of our parsha, He sent a plague against them. There were other religious peoples in the ancient world. The Torah calls Melkizedek, Abrahams contemporary, a priest of God most high. (Gen. 14:18). Jethro, Moses father-in-law, was a Midianite priest who gave his son-in-law sound advice as to how to lead. In the book of Jonah, during the storm, while the Hebrew Prophet was sleeping, the gentile sailors were praying. When the Prophet arrived at Nineveh and delivers his warning, immediately the people repented, something that happened rarely in Judah/Israel. Malachi, last of the Prophets, says: From where the sun rises to where it sets, My name is honoured among the nations, and everywhere incense and pure oblation are offered to My name; for My name is honoured among the nations said the Lord of Hosts but you profane it (Mal. 1:11-12) Why then choose Israel? The answer is love. Virtually all the Prophets said so. God loves Israel. He loved Abraham. He loves Abrahams children. He is often exasperated by their conduct, but He cannot relinquish that love. He explains this to the prophet Hosea. Go and marry a woman who is unfaithful, He says. She will break your heart, but you will still love her, and take her back (Hos. 1-3). Where, though, in the Torah does God express this love? In the blessings of Bilam. That is where He gives voice to His feelings for this people. I see them from the mountain tops, gaze on them from the heights: This is a people that dwells apart, not reckoned among the nations. Lo, a people that rises like a lion, leaps up like the king of beasts. How good are your tents, O Jacob, Your dwellings, O Israel! These famous words are not Bilams. They are Gods the most eloquent expression of His love for this small, otherwise undistinguished people. Bilam, the pagan prophet, is the most unlikely vehicle for Gods blessings.4 But that is Gods way. He chose an aged, infertile couple to be the grandparents of the Jewish people. He chose a man who couldnt speak to be the mouthpiece of his word. He chose Bilam, who hated Israel, to be the messenger of His love. Moses says explicitly: The Lord your God would not listen to Bilam but turned the curse into a blessing for you, because the Lord your God loves you. That is what the story is about: not Balak, or Bilam, or Moab, or Midian, or what happened next. It is about Gods love for a people, their strength, resilience, their willingness to be different, their family life (tents, dwelling places), and their ability to outlive empires. I believe that, if we follow the Rambam in saying that all Gods acts have a moral message for us,5 God is teaching us that love can turn curses into blessings. It is the only force capable of defeating hate. Love heals the wounds of the world. Shabbat Shalom NOTES Sifrei Deuteronomy 357. Guide for the Perplexed, II:42. For Nahmanides critical view on Maimonides approach, see his Commentary to Gen. 18:1. Num. 24:9: May those who bless you be blessed, and those who curse you be cursed! Earlier, 23: 8, he had said, How can I curse those whom God has not cursed? However, Devarim Rabbah 1:4 suggests that God chose Bilam to bless the Israelites because when an enemy blesses you, it cannot be dismissed as mere partiality. Hilchot Deot 1:6. CONNECT WITH THE CHIEF RABBI Download the Chief Rabbis new iPhone and iPad app via www.chiefrabbi.org for mobile access to his video study sessions as well as his articles and speeches. Alternatively, search for Chief Rabbi in the App Store on your iPhone. SUBSCRIBE TO COVENANT & CONVERSATION To receive Covenant & Conversation and other news from the Office of the Chief Rabbi direct to your inbox each week, please subscribe at www.chiefrabbi.org. The Birmingham Police Department is investigating the Friday afternoon shooting death of a person. Officers from the South Precinct responded at 1:36 p.m. to 47th Street and 9th Terrace North on a call of a person shot. Upon arrival, officers discovered the victim lying on the ground with apparent gunshot wounds, according to a statement from the Birmingham Police Department. Birmingham Fire and Rescue responded to the scene and the victim was transported to UAB hospital where he was pronounced deceased, according to the statement. The preliminary investigation suggests an exchange of words occurred between the victim and the suspect prior to the victim being shot, according to the police statement. Shortly after, the suspect surrendered by turning himself in. An investigation into the shooting continues. The victim will be identified after notification of next of kin. Anyone with information about the case, is asked to contact the Birmingham Police Department Homicide Unit at 205-254-1764 or Crime Stoppers at 205-254-7777. By STEPHEN GROVES and DARLENE SUPERVILLE Associated Press MOUNT RUSHMORE NATIONAL MEMORIAL, S.D. (AP) At the foot of Mount Rushmore and on the eve of Independence Day, President Donald Trump dug deeper into Americas divisions by accusing protesters who have pushed for racial justice of engaging in a merciless campaign to wipe out our history. The president, in remarks Friday night at the South Dakota landmark, offered a discordant tone to an electorate battered by a pandemic and seared by the recent high-profile killings of Black people. He zeroed in on the desecration by some demonstrators of monuments and statues across the country that honor those who have benefited from slavery, including some past presidents. Four months from Election Day, his comments amounted to a direct appeal to the political base, including many disaffected white votes, that carried him to the White House in 2016. 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 canceled 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. 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 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. 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 in Washington and Todd Richmond in Madison, Wis., contributed to this report. * Username This is the name that will be displayed next to your photo for comments, blog posts, and more. Choose wisely! That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. More needs to be done for the physical and psychological wellbeing of political exiles from the Middle East. Sarah Hegazys suicide on June 14 shook the Arab exile community to its core. The 30-year-old queer Egyptian feminist had recently obtained asylum in Canada after being detained, tortured, electrocuted, and sexually assaulted for three months by Egyptian security forces. Her crime? Joyfully displaying a rainbow flag at a concert of Mashrou Leila in Cairo in 2017. Her punishment at the hands of the Egyptian government may have started in a Cairo prison cell, but it did not end there. Like so many of the Middle Easts political exiles, her governments oppression hounded her out of her homeland, separated her from her family, cast her to distant, lonely shores, and left her with trauma and emotional pain too deep to endure. Just a month before Sarahs suicide, a 37-year-old Iranian activist, Ali Ajami, was found dead of an apparent suicide in the US city of Houston. He had been a law student at Tehran University before the Iranian government imprisoned him in 2009 for his activism during the protests against the countrys disputed presidential elections. He spent two years in prison, unable to complete the few months he had remaining to graduate from the university. A few years later, he obtained political asylum in the United States but suffered from extreme depression and anxiety, what he described to his friends as intolerable pain. The tragedy is not just theirs, but ours. These exiles are the best and bravest of the region; they are often students, artists, doctors, scientists, lawyers, academics and journalists who, despite the personal costs, chose to demand change. Forced to flee for their lives, it is not only that they lose what they leave behind, but the region too is deprived of their vital contributions. Once abroad, they must deal not only with the trauma of the persecution they survived and the depression and survivors guilt that routinely follows their lucky escape, but also with the persistent threat of violent retaliation by governments that have extended the long arms of their oppression far beyond their borders. The 2018 murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi by the Saudi government is perhaps the best-known case demonstrating the lengths a tyrannical state will go to silence the voice of citizens who dare to speak out, even after they have fled the country. Khashoggis case is in no way unique, though. In 2018, Saudi officials tried and failed to kidnap Abdulrahman Almutairi, a Saudi citizen residing in the US who has repeatedly criticised the Saudi government on social media. The same year, they succeeded in dragging feminist activist Loujain al-Hathloul from the UAE, as well as a number of women who had fled their abusive families, forcibly returning them to the country. Saudi activist Omar Abdulaziz reported that Canadian police had formally warned him about ongoing threats to his life by the Saudi government, though he lives in exile in Canada. Many exiled activists have told me death threats by phone and messages have persisted, no matter how often they would change their numbers and emails. True security and freedom remain elusive, even after the escape. When Arab governments cannot get away with outright violence and kidnappings, they resort to bureaucratic persecution with insatiable vindictiveness, like refusing to renew the passports of exiles, or confiscating their property and assets at home. Thousands of Egyptians who fled the coup to Turkey now have expired passports and live in limbo, without secure residency. Though he faced no charges or allegations of wrongdoing, Abdul Mawgoud Dardery, a former Egyptian member of parliament, described to me how Egyptian authorities confiscated the property he left behind, even his car. Khaled el-Qazzaz, a former adviser to the late President Mohamed Morsi, has had not only his own, but his entire familys business and assets in the country, confiscated. Most recently, Egyptian officials have sought to interfere with asylum claims of exiles in the US. As one asylum immigration lawyer told me the Egyptian government is covertly flooding Homeland Security agents with false accusations that asylum seekers are violent and dangerous because they were affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood, while it also seeks to lobby for legislation in Congress that would officially designate the Brotherhood as a terrorist group. In one case in which I was involved, Egyptian asylum seeker Ahmed Abdelbasit was detained and placed in a deportation centre after the US authorities acted on Egyptian claims that he was linked to terrorism. Under the Egyptian military coup government, a court had sentenced him to death in absentia for his political activism in a sham trial against perceived political opponents. Fortunately, in August 2018, a New Jersey judge granted him asylum. These spurious allegations compliment Arab governments rampant abuse of red notices to Interpol, alleging that exiled political opponents are wanted and dangerous, without a shred of evidence to support their claims. Far worse, abusive governments now frequently target family members of political exiles in a form of state hostage-taking. In June, the Saudi government detained the two children of a former Saudi official, Saad al-Jabri, who had fled to Canada. His daughter, Sarah, 20, and son, Omar, 21, have been disappeared without charge since March. Meanwhile, Egypt detained the cousins and uncles of US citizen and former political prisoner in Egypt, Mohammed Soltan, after he brought a lawsuit in a federal district court against former Prime Minister Hazem Beblawy, who is accused of overseeing the massacre of protesters in Rabaa Square in August 2013. Survival and persistence in these awful circumstances are heroic, but not guaranteed. The vital work of most human rights and humanitarian organisations is rightly focused on exposing ongoing killings, torture, and massacres inside these Arab countries; the persecution of exiles rarely rises to the same level of emergency attention and coverage. But as Sarahs case illustrates, they too need our help and support, and there is a lot more we can do to support those who managed to escape. Social service and humanitarian relief organisations should establish dedicated funding for the unique psychosocial needs of exiles to help them heal and restart their lives. Rights organisations, universities, UN agencies, socially-responsible employers, and news publications should dedicate resources to incorporate these exiles into their staff and provide them with opportunities to continue their activism. Democracy for the Arab World Now, a new organisation of which I am a board member, plans to create an online space where exiles can publish their vision for the future. Many of these exiles could have a profound and positive impact on their home countries if provided with a platform to speak out. Most recently, the Arab Diaspora Conference took an important step to gather Arab political exiles and create a support network for them. I met Sarah Hegazy at the conference in February; it was her first foray into a group event since she received asylum, and she told me that she had barely spoken to anyone for months. We tried to provide her with help and encouragement, but we did not do enough. We can and must do more for those still struggling. The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial stance. The United States has sent two aircraft carriers into the disputed waters of the South China Sea to participate in military exercises as Beijing flexes its muscle in the region. The US navy confirmed with ANI that the USS Ronald Reagan and USS Nimitz are conducting dual-carrier operations and exercises in the South China Sea to support a "free and open Indo-Pacific". The two combat carriers along with four warships will include round-the-clock flights testing the striking ability of carrier-based aircraft. What grabs attention about this move by the US is that it is rare for major American and Chinese military drills to take place in the same region at the same time. "I can confirm that the USS Nimitz (CVN 68) and USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76) are conducting dual-carrier operations and exercises in the South China Sea to support a free and open Indo-Pacific. High-end integrated exercises build unmatched flexibility, endurance, manoeuvrability and firepower in an all-domain war-fighting environment," Lt Cmdr. Sean Brophy, APR+M, Public Affairs Officer for the Ronald Reagan Carrier Strike Group, told ANI. "These efforts support enduring the US commitments to stand up for the right of all nations to fly, sail and operate wherever international law allows. This opportunity for two carrier strike groups to train and operate together in the region provides combatant commanders with significant operational flexibility and capabilities that only the US Navy can command," Lt Brophy said. The exercise is long-planned but comes as China conducts military drills of its own in the area, near the contested Paracel Islands, exercises that have been criticised by the US and other countries. "America agrees with our South-East Asian friends: The PRC's (People's Republic of China) military exercise in disputed waters of the South China Sea is highly provocative. We oppose Beijing's unlawful claims. Period," Secretary of State Mike Pompeo tweeted on Friday. The Pentagon said in a statement cited by CNN on Thursday that China's "military exercises are the latest in a long string of China's actions to assert unlawful maritime claims and disadvantage its South-East Asian neighbours in the South China Sea." The US Navy's operation of two nuclear-powered aircraft carriers in the South China Sea region further represents a significant show of force and comes amid heightened tensions between Washington and Beijing over a number of areas, including Hong Kong. (ANI) Also Read: Amid COVID-19 pandemic, Donald Trump to attend Independence Day celebrations in South Dakota JUNCTION CITY, Kan. (AP) The body of a northeastern Kansas woman reported missing last month has been found in a local storage unit, Junction City police said. Investigators positively identified the body as that of Tina Bennett, 52, of Junction City, police said late Thursday in a news release. Bennett was reported missing on June 20, police said. Her remains were found June 26 in the otherwise empty storage unit, but officials did not identify the body until after an autopsy and fingerprint verification. Police have not said how Bennett died, but said foul play is suspected. No arre... Lawn signs promoting State Question 802, shown here in this file photo, were part of a successful campaign to expand Medicaid in Oklahoma. After years of debate and aborted legislative proposals, voters have done what Oklahoma lawmakers have long resisted. With a razor-thin 50.5% of the vote, Oklahomans approved a state question Tuesday to expand the state's Medicaid program and extend health coverage to an estimated 215,000 low-income adults. Tuesday's vote capped off a long-running and high-stakes dispute in the State Capitol over whether Oklahoma should join the 36 other states that have accepted the expansion, a key part of former President Barack Obama's Affordable Care Act that the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 2012 state... Northwestern Oklahoma State University President Dr. Janet Cunningham has appointed Dr. Jonathan Thomason dean of the Woodward campus. He is expected to begin his duties in July. Thomason's new duties will include overseeing the activities of the Woodward campus, cultivating relationships within the community, advising students and promoting Northwestern. "We are excited to have Dr. Thomason join our staff and provide further leadership in Woodward," Cunningham said. "He has extensive experience working with all aspects of higher education, whether it be with students, faculty or staff, a... Motor City Justice (MCJ), an organization that exposes adults who message children to arrange sexual contact, let local law enforcement officers know about a man expected in Alva on June 26. This was the second of two incidents involving MCJ. The first was reported in the June 28 Alva Review-Courier. Court records show on June 25 Woods County Undersheriff Keith Dale was informed by Lucian from MCJ that his organization had been communicating with Trever Ray Lewis, 24, from Norton, Kansas, for over a month. Lucian stated Trever initially contacted Anna, who reported she was a 15-year-old fem... The Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation soon will be adding another wildlife management area. The 5,212-acre Sandhills Wildlife Management Area in Woods County should be open in time for the fall hunting seasons, said Bill Dinkines, head of the wildlife division for the state agency. "That's our goal," he said. The Wildlife Department bought three adjoining properties in Woods County to create the Sandhills WMA. Emergency rules for the new public hunting area were passed by wildlife commissioners at their June meeting. Gov. Kevin Stitt must approve the new rules before the Sandhill... The killing of George Floyd and the Black Lives Matter campaign have had a dramatic impact on political and economic activity in the U.S. and elsewhere and led to considerations of the social, economic, and psychological legacies of slavery and racism. The conversation about injustice by Westerners is taking many forms, peaceful and violent. One of the forms, peripheral if not central to the main issue, is consideration of the heritage of colonialism, specifically the relationship between colonialism and racism by Western countries and the holdings of African artifacts. As a result, a new spotlight has been shone on what has been an increasingly controversial issue in modern times: the considerable extent of black artifacts in Western museums. Inevitably, this complex issue involves the purpose of museums, whether as depositories of art of individual nations or as displaying specimens of the culture of the world. The great Western museums in the U.S. and Western Europe can be regarded as places for learning about the culture of other cultures, though they may be exhibiting the spoils of past colonial activity. In light of the Black Lives Matter movement, the question now is whether museums in New York, London, or Paris should return artifacts, and how many, taken from African countries that may claim them for a mixture of reasons, or should they retain the artifacts as part of collections to display evidence of the glories of other cultures? The problem is complicated for at least three reasons. One is the fact that art objects were often used in religious rites and therefore are doubly important. The Parthenon was built in the 5th century B.C. to honor the deity Athena. The Moai, part of the large monolithic statue built by the Rapa Nui people on Easter Island, now in the British Museum, depicts ceremonial aspects of the life of the Island. A second aspect is that legal as well as ethical and cultural factors are involved in any decision. A third factor is the question of how far back one goes in assessing a proper solution. The question of Western possession of foreign culture and its impact is not new. It was being discussed by Lord Byron and John Keats in connection with the Elgin Marbles in the British Museum and the issue of Greek ruins. For Byron, British action had meant " thy walls defaced, thy mouldering shrines removed by British hands." Greece had been deprived of the "sacred monuments of its ancient glory and religion." Keats saw the Elgin Marbles as "these mingle Grecian grandeur with the rude vesting of old time, the beauty of art," but everything is subject to change. The problem still haunts the West. Should an artifact, removed from its original cultural setting, be returned, or should it be shared with the world as a cultural heritage in a great Western museum? More exactly, do cultural treasures from Africa and elsewhere belong in the places from which they came? Even if a starting point is the desirability of the total elimination of oppression based on race or ethnic origin, and at a time when uncomfortable truths of the Western colonial past are being revealed, and violent protests have occurred throughout the world, it is important to recognize several factors. One is that it is not helpful or accurate to dismiss white protesters against racism and discrimination and those urging social and political changes or genuine sympathizers with the Black Lives Movement as just trendy or disingenuous. A second is that in the decades since the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s, there has been a perceptible shift in the attitude of many white people toward the art, culture, and heritage of blacks. Real change is now occurring as non-white people are being hired in curatorial and other policy positions at museums. Another factor is recognition that beliefs and actions of individuals increasingly reflect that we are living in a multicultural world. This change of perception is perhaps best seen in the speech of November 28, 2017 by French president Emmanuel Macron, who told the students in Burkina Faso that "I am of a generation that does not tell Africans what to do. The African artistic heritage cannot just be in European private collections and museums. I cannot accept that a large part of the cultural heritage of several African countries should be in France." A fourth factor is that Western museums today, whatever they may have been in the past, do not manifest institutional racism or white supremacy. That institutional racism of the past was recently denounced by political and financial authorities. On June 30, 2020, Belgian King Philippe in a letter expressed his "deepest regrets" to the president of the Democratic Republic of Congo for the brutal 23-year rule of his predecessor Leopold II with its acts of violence and cruelty, causing the deaths of millions. Leopold had treated what was then the Congo Free State between 1885 and 1908 as his personal property, causing suffering and humiliation. The pain of the past is, Philippe said, being rekindled by the discrimination still too present in our societies. Financial organizations in the U.S. and the U.K. are considering responses to claims for compensation to those whose forebears suffered from firms and individuals who possessed and traded in slaves, activities that contributed to the success of U.S. and Western economies. Not surprisingly, this question of retribution has ignited an issue that has troubled Western countries for some time, the display and extent of African art in Western museums, and the issue of whether these Western holdings should be returned to their countries of origin. The logic is that if "black lives matter," then so do black identity, culture, and art. Controversy over the issue was exhibited by the auction by Christie's on June 29, 2020 of a pair of sacred wooden statues of the Igbo, one of the largest ethnic groups in Nigeria. The statues, said to be among the greatest sculptures of African art, were taken during the Biafran war in the 1960s. French courts in recent years have ruled, in spite of protests, in favor of auction houses being able to sell sacred objects. The issue of repatriation of African artworks acquired through colonial exploitation or looting is now on the table. That acquisition has resulted from acts of military, administrative, and scientific personnel during the colonial period, mostly between 1885 and 1960, who took goods during armed conflicts, or bought them at far below their real value. The issue was considered in a report of November 2018 commissioned by French president Emmanuel Macron and written by two scholars, Felwine Sarr from Senegal and Benedicte Savoy from France. They recommended that French museums repatriate artworks taken from Africa without consent if their countries of origin ask for their return. Macron accepted the report and pledged to hand back 26 artifacts, bronzes (though really brass) taken from Benin, capital of the kingdom of Dahomey, now Nigeria. They were seized in 1892 and housed in the Quai Branly museum in Paris. They will be handed back in several stages, due to the fact that Benin is building proper facilities four museums to house the artworks. Macron already in 2017 in Burkina Faso had spoken of the "undeniable crimes of European colonization. I cannot accept that a large part of the cultural heritage of several African countries should be in France." However, three problems are present. One is the question of the "owner" to receive the artwork, since some of the countries didn't exist when the object was taken. A second is that some artifacts came legally to Western countries. The third problem is formidable because of its size. For example, the British Museum in London has a collection of 69,000 works from Africa. The B.M. is founded on the collection of Sir Hans Sloane, a doctor and collector, who worked as a plantation doctor in Jamaica and married into a slave plantation family in the West Indies and profited from the Atlantic slave trade. He accumulated more than 71,000 items that are the basis not only of the B.M., but also of the Natural History Museum in London. A tourist attraction in the B.M., the Rosetta Stone, was captured from the French forces in fighting in Egypt in 1801, not directly from the Egyptians. The destiny of the B.M. holdings is uncertain, and they are probably unlikely to be returned. This has already been shown by the refusal of the U.K. to return the Elgin Marbles, taken from Greece and given to the B.M. by Lord Elgin around 1801. The return of the Marbles to Greece is the single most controversial issue, and the issue remains. Should the Marbles go back to the Parthenon, now a Greek national monument, though it was not a monument when Elgin took them, or are they safe and better viewed and appreciated in London? More broadly, should an artwork really belong in its original cultural setting? The French report of 2018 calculates that 90% of African art, monuments, statues, thrones, and manuscripts are outside Africa. There are 90,000 artworks from Sub-Sahara in French public collections, 70,000 alone in the Quai Branly, which was opened in 2006 to show non-European art. In the present political climate, it is salutary to point out the increasing consciousness that BLM has raised in the world of art. Agitation for repartition and response to black art has been going on for some time. One group, Foundation Zinsou, established in 2005 and based in Cotonou, Benin, calls for promoting African art and culture. Actions have taken place in recent years in prestigious institutions. In 2017, the Louis Vuitton Foundation for Contemporary Art in Paris mounted a special exhibition of contemporary South African art. Other displays of African art have taken place at the Grand Palais and the Pompidou center in Paris and at the Venice Biennale in 2019. In a significant and meaningful action, the Nigerian artist Okwui Enwezor was the curator of the Venice Biennale in 2015,the first African-born artist to have that distinction. Clearly, black lives did matter. Todays turmoil in the streets does not reflect either the spirit or the logic on which our country was founded. The offense at the death of George Floyd has morphed into a turbulent objection to America as the mother of all hatred and indignity for humanity. The police as upholders of law and order are being perceived by large numbers of people as outdated and deceptive. Demonstrators, rioters, looters, and others being manipulated by a leftist coterie of BLM, Antifa, Socialists, Progressive Workers, communists, and various other epicenters of cultural unhappiness insist that law and order is merely a cover rubric. Law and order, they say, actually stands for racism, hatred of non-binary sexual identities, women (especially as they seek liberation from male oppression, including unwanted pregnancies), and keeping the poor in permanent poverty and dispossession. The fact that being poor in the USA is being better off than most of the worlds population is typically considered irrelevant. The above views can be contrasted with the views of those who wrote and signed the Declaration of Independence in 1776. The Declaration of Independence was the document that declared independence from Great Britain. This separation was justified on philosophical, theological, and practical grounds. The document lists 27 oppressions by the King of Great Britain which justified our independence, and that list of oppressions is preceded by an introductory preamble which summarizes the moral and political justification that is the foundation of that independence requirement. The first imperative criterion for independence is stated to be the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Natures God entitle them. First and foremost, the validity of the Founders claims are based in Nature and God. Before even getting to grievances, before getting to victimhood, before whining and bitching about bad treatment, the rights of the colonists were perceived to derive from Nature and God, not from a class struggle, not from unfair racialism, not from wealth disparities, not from being have nots being put down by haves, but from foundational laws. This was the period of the Enlightenment. Science had opened new vistas. Sir Isaac Newton had discovered the laws of the physical universe and of calculus which was needed to describe those laws (some attribute calculus discovery to Gottfried Wilhelm von Leibnitz). Thus, the desire to be independent flowed out of the deepest layers of rationality known to man, not mere moral indignation, not a mere power grab, not a mere hissy fit, not a petulant outpouring of sophomoric mental incontinence, not hysteria, not foot stomping despair, and not greed and desire to have what the home country had. No. The list of oppressions and the claim of independence were based upon a rational, ordered, coherent understanding of life as lived and the universe in which life proceeded on a daily basis. It was not based on needs per se, but a vision of an ordered universe that must meet a daily test of rationality. Further, as though the order of nature were not enough to satisfy their need for stability and righteousness, they also affirmed Natures God as ratifying their cause. Thus, transcendent values were introduced. We can understand this transcendent note better if we remember that Thomas Jefferson, primary author of the Declaration, was influenced greatly by the English philosopher John Locke who was a great promoter of the idea of natural rights. For Locke, natural rights were not merely an intellectual construct, but derived from biblical teachings. In his often overlooked book The Reasonableness of Christianity, Locke writes, But by the law of faith, faith [contrasted with the Old Testament law of works] is allowed to supply the defect of full obedience; and so the believers are admitted to life and immortality as if they were righteous. In other words, without Gods mercy upon us and the limitations inherent to the human condition, this project of independence would not be plausible. Following these assertions about the Laws of Nature and Natures God, we find the words that are so controversial: 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.To secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. Thomas Jefferson and the Founders are often criticized by the present rioters. The statement all men are created equal is considered the ultimate lie and hypocrisy of Jefferson and the Founders. Since socialist Charles Beards An Economic Interpretation of the Constitution of the United States (1913) followed by a volume written with his wife, Mary Beard, The Rise of American Civilization (1927), the mantra of the left has been that the U.S. was founded on self-interest and the profit motive and not on rationality and transcendent ideals. However, all men are created equal was not a mere self-serving phrase. After independence from Great Britain was won, the Northwest Ordinances of 1785 and 1787 were passed to govern land gained from the British. Slavery in those new territories was not allowed. Jefferson and Washington, although they held slaves, were among those first leaders who believed that slavery was a pernicious institution that would and should be phased out. Jeffersons first draft of the Declaration denounced slavery, but he had to re-write that draft because of the need to have unity with Southern interests in order to fight British hegemony. Eventually, all men are created equal became a rallying principle for abolitionists, and at the cost of over 300,000 white soldiers, plus Abraham Lincolns own life, slavery was abolished from the USA, forever. Rationality and transcendent commitments to the Creator remain overriding values as we move towards an unknown future. On July 4, we recognize and embrace the Founding Fathers because they had a vision of a free country based on law and order, not on Jacobin cries for blood and uncontrolled animosity. Although some vandalism and looting is planned by nefarious groups, it also can flow from the immature emotionalism of so-called peaceful demonstrations. Further, the tacit approval of Democrat and Republican politicians who do not call for more peacefulness is a betrayal of the values we honor on July 4. Image: Jeff Turner via Flickr. The cataract of disasters roiling the land in 2020 now has placed President Trumps reelection in doubt. Present polling, at any rate, suggests that it is in doubt, although optimists remind us that similarly dire figures were broadcast and ultimately debunked in 2016. This is not 2016Donald Trump is the incumbent and should have the advantage based upon his record, if he is to win in November. The issue then arises of whether the president was wise, despite the spectacle of riot, arson, assault, vandalism, and theft apparently unobstructed by local police forces, not to invoke the 1877 Insurrection Act and send federal troops to the affected areas. Should he consider doing it now, if such outrages continue and spread? Tucker Carlson has voiced his concern about the presidents failure to protect innocent citizens from the rampaging hoodlums of Antifa and Black Lives Matter by the exertion of force. The innocent look to Mr. Trump for protection, and will be unimpressed if it is not forthcoming. Even the indictment of criminals after the fact, followed by the prolonged processes of the law, will not dispel the impression of the abyss now extant. Opposing Carlson are very eminent contributors to this site The Left Craps Out - Tucker Carlson misreads Trumps pre-election strategy as well as the justly venerated Rush Limbaugh. One argument seems to be that federal military intervention would show Trump in a bad light and engender further rioting. Another is that federalism itself demands that the president leave enforcement of state law to the governors and mayors. Certain conservatives need to remind themselves that the United States is not Imperial Rome. Furthermore, the locations in which lawlessness has erupted are the domains of leftists, and their afflicted populations, having voted Democrat all these years, little merit our sympathy. The local governments detest Trump and side with the rioters. There was no reason for the president to intervene. To the foregoing, Mr. Limbaugh adds the possibility that our present crop of general officers might not obey a presidential order to send troops. That would make Mr. Trump look quite the fool. Limbaugh also notes the attitude of the state authorities. These are not the Los Angeles Rodney King riots of 1992, in which Governor Pete Wilson asked President Bush to act. The argument that Trump should not restore order by military force tends to be accompanied by confidence that the Left will implode or be seen for what it is prior to the election, vindicating Trumps circumspection. One can only hope that such optimism is warranted. But what of the presidents constitutional duty? What does his oath require? Under Article II of the Constitution, the President of the United States swears to preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States. The same Article II states that the president shall take Care that the Laws be faithfully executed. Now it is indeed the responsibility of governors and mayors to enforce the laws against vandalism, arson, riot, theft and assault, but they are in general not doing it. It was primarily the responsibility of state officials to enforce the Supreme Courts desegregation rulings, but when they refused, two administrations sent troops and federal marshals to assist them. George Wallace and Orval Faubus also were not amenable to the presence of federal troops or law enforcement officers in their states. It was not their decision, they discovered. Federalism, for a little while now, has accommodated the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments. They did not render us Imperial Rome, however many bad judicial opinions the Fourteenth Amendment, in particular, has generated. A state certainly should remain autonomous and free of federal interference in all matters not reserved to the national government by the Constitution, but it may not violate the constitutional rights of citizens nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws. That latter provision from the Fourteenth Amendment, has been violated hideously by a number of states and cities, preserving the right of certain citizens to trample freely upon those of others, to terrorize and hurt them, to destroy or steal their property. They have withheld police protection from the innocent to gratify the guilty. The ppresident then is left with a reason to intervene: his oath of office. That need not imply his appearing on the White House lawn in a combat helmet, with saber and gold epaulets, announcing his intention to besiege Seattle with tanks. He could rather do what President George H.W. Bush did in 1992address the nation and explain why the duties of his office and the preservation of our institutions require action. As for the possible failure of military commanders to obey a direct order from the president, what exactly are we saying here? That we are to abandon not only the equal protection of the laws and the Supremacy Clause, by which state officials swear fealty to the Constitution, but also civilian control of the military and the presidents title as Commander in Chief? A general who refuses to obey the president should be relieved, at a minimum. All such officers must be relieved and replaced with loyal counterparts, though it be likened to Stalins purge of the Soviet generals on CNN. Military defiance of the presidents authority is by itself a deathwatch beetle in our system of government. What presidential order will the woke generals next defy? We return to the challenge of Nov. 3. Is the presidents performance of his constitutional duty a bad electoral strategy? Does he look better to those voters he needs (wherever they live) if he leaves the city streets and our national memorials to the mob? Or will we accept the political analysis that the locations worst affected by rioting are left-leaning big cities, with leftist voters who chose their deplorable local leaders and will never vote Republican in any case, and who now can lie in the bed they have made, for all we care? Those who would defend the Republic should perhaps view it from a loftier height, one from which Americans do not appear divided into those who are worthy of the laws protection and those who are not. From such a height, no part of this land looks suited to the tyranny of mob rule, to barbarism and chaos. All of it must be defended. If anyone argues that the time for federal military intervention is past, then let him state what the president should do about the disbanding and attrition of police forces, the still roaming mobs, the burgeoning rates of violent crime, the continued toppling of statues. And their remains the prospect of the next police shooting of an African-American suspect, and the mayhem that will follow. The president must act, and must be seen to act in defense of our way of life against what now menaces it. If he can do so through the Justice department and executive orders then let us see it happen and with result. Whatever he does must impress the nation as effectual, as halting the calamity. For that nation, already drained by the lockdown, cannot be in thrall to criminal fanatics and to their agents in government and the prosecutors offices. . Nor is this any time to worry about how the Left will characterize presidential action. It will not have to characterize passivity to gain the victory. Image credit: Public Domain Pictures / public domain Before the Revolutionary War, residents of the North American colonies were subjects of the British crown. They were entitled to whatever goods and services the aristocracy allowed. Their living conditions and daily activities were determined by government fiat. They paid taxes arbitrarily imposed by the crown. In 1776, the Founders of the U.S.A. rejected centralized dominion and replaced it with a structure that took control away from the central government and gave it to the individual. The new Americans were free to make their own choices and accept the consequences of their decisions, good or bad. Without using the word capitalism, the Founders created a capitalist system. The new Americans were personally responsible and were entitled to nothing, except an open road. Entitlement is an integral part of socialism, an economic and political system where the means of production, distribution, and exchange is regulated by the government. The government is responsible for these activities, not the individual. The individual is entitled to whatever goods and services the government allocates. Policies advocated by the current Democrat party and its presidential standard bearer, Joe Biden, repudiate the Founders capitalist vision intending to replace it with socialism and entitlement. Is that what Americans in 2020 want? Democrats proclaim that Americans are entitled to free healthcare, free housing, free education, as well as government protection from grasping capitalist banks and avaricious corporate CEOs. Americans are not entitled to energy derived from fossil fuels, nor to certain private properties, such as private health insurance or excessive income, with excessive defined by Washington. As used by socialist Democrats, the word free does not translate as no cost. It means no charge to the individual at the time of service or activity. Their proposed entitlements are very, very expensive, costing trillions of dollars. The money that Washington will spend comes from current tax revenue or borrowing against our childrens future. The Democrats free healthcare plan, Medicare-for-All, will cost Americans $30-40 trillion over ten years. The Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) cost only $1.76 trillion. The cost of self-styled free education is projected as $1.6 trillion. Free housing is estimated at $2.5 trillion. The Green New Deal, that claims to eliminate oil and gas, will cost at least $16 trillion, and as a side effect, will eliminate air travel by plane. Combined cost of these free entitlements is more than $60 trillion, which represents 69 percent of the combined total annual production of all nations on planet earth! A popular slogan in 1776 was taxation without representation is tyranny. Rebelling colonists wanted to decide for themselves how much tax they would pay and how their monies would be expended. If Americans in November 2020 support free but insanely expensive entitlements, they will elect a government that will more than double Americans tax burden and will spend taxpayer dollars however the politicians choose, not how We the People want. There is a more fundamental issue in the 2020 elections than finance. At stake is personal freedom. The War of Independence made individuals independent of the federal government, rather than dependent and entitled, as is the socialist ideal. By accepting government entitlements, what Chief Justice John Roberts called federal blandishments, Americans repudiate the very foundation of our nation: the autonomy of the individual and the personal responsibility that accompanies freedom. Accepting Washington D.C.s entitlement mentality restores government tyranny, a word that appears four times in the Declaration of Independence. Entitlements return Americans to a childlike state where Father (government) Knows Best, and where totalitarian government chooses our food, housing, education, healthcare, and daily activities. Government becomes the responsible adult taking charge of 327 million American children who are incapable of making the right choices for themselves. Consider governments track record, particularly in healthcare. Medicaid and Tricare fail to deliver timely care to their 80 million enrollees: children and veterans die waiting in line for care. Medicare, Washingtons medical safety net for seniors, will go broke in less than six years. The Emergency Transport and Active Labor Act of 1986 created the unfunded mandate that is forcing rural hospitals to close. The Affordable Care Act more than doubled the price of health insurance and reduced patients access to care. Government promised us multiple blandishments, but failed to deliver even one. If Americans vote to accept Democrats entitlement promises, history tells us what will happen. Consider the defunct USSR, todays Communist China, or collapsing Venezuela. Are Americans ready to give away their hard-won, infinitely precious freedom with personal responsibility in exchange for federal entitlements and government tyranny? Americans can be entitled or free, they cannot be both. What will they choose on November 3, 2020? Deane Waldman, MD MBA, is Professor Emeritus of Pediatric, Pathology, and Decision Science; former Director of Center for Healthcare Policy at Texas Public Policy Foundation; and author of Curing the Cancer in U.S. Healthcare: StatesCare and Market-Based Medicine. "It was not because it was proposed to establish a new nation, but because it was proposed to establish a nation on new principles, that July 4, 1776, has come to be regarded as one of the greatest days in history." Those words were spoken by President Calvin Coolidge on July 5, 1926 at a speech delivered in Philadelphia commemorating the 150th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. It was especially fitting that Coolidge the only president born on the 4th of July deliver this tribute to the Declaration. In his speech, Coolidge spoke passionately of the principles in the Declaration, the special inheritance bequeathed to us by Thomas Jefferson, whose legacy is now being threatened by the progressive mob. Coolidge laid out the fundamental principles of the American founding: equality, liberty, inalienable rights, and popular sovereignty: Great ideas do not burst upon the world unannounced. They are reached by a gradual development over a length of time usually proportionate to their importance. This is especially true of the principles laid down in the Declaration of Independence. Three very definite propositions were set out in its preamble regarding the nature of mankind and therefore of government. These were the doctrine that all men are created equal, that they are endowed with certain inalienable rights, and that therefore the source of the just powers of government must be derived from the consent of the governed. Coolidge stressed the religious underpinnings of the Declaration. Noting that the Founders were well versed in Scripture, Coolidge observed that the Declaration is a product of "spiritual insight": A spring will cease to flow if its source be dried up; a tree will wither if its roots be destroyed. In its main features the Declaration of Independence is a great spiritual document. It is a declaration not of material but of spiritual conceptions. Equality, liberty, popular sovereignty, the rights of man -- these are not elements which we can see and touch. They are ideals. They have their source and their roots in the religious convictions. They belong to the unseen world. Unless the faith of the American people in these religious convictions is to endure, the principles of our Declaration will perish. We can not continue to enjoy the result if we neglect and abandon the cause. We live in an age of science and of abounding accumulation of material things," Coolidge added. "These did not create our Declaration. Our Declaration created them. The things of the spirit come first. About the Declaration there is a finality that is exceedingly restful," Coolidge observed. "If all men are created equal, that is final. If they are endowed with inalienable rights, that is final. If governments derive their just powers from the consent of the governed, that is final. No advance, no progress can be made beyond these propositions." Then he added a statement that is moving as well as prescient: If anyone wishes to deny their truth or their soundness, the only direction in which he can proceed historically is not forward, but backward toward the time when there was no equality, no rights of the individual, no rule of the people. This is Coolidge's warning: destroy the Declaration and the principles of America's founding, and you will not go forward to a utopia; you will head backward to tyranny and barbarism. Happy 4th of July. You can follow Nicholas J. Kaster on Twitter. Commercial Counsellor and head of the Vietnam Trade Office in the US Bui Huy Son said two-way trade rose from 450 million USD in 1994 to 75 billion USD in 2019. Since the Vietnam-US trade agreement was signed in 2000, Vietnams exports to the US have changed considerably, moving from apparel and leather and footwear to agro-fisheries. Illustrative image (Photo: Internet) Shipments of apparel went up 24 percent last year, footwear 11 percent, mobile phones and spare parts 15 percent, computers and electronics 10 percent, and wooden furniture 9 percent. Ten commodities earned over 1 billion USD from exports to the US, including apparel, with 14.8 billion USD, mobile phones and spareparts 8.8 billion USD, footwear 6.6 billion USD, and wooden furniture 5.3 billion USD. The Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT) has also actively directed the implementation of an action programme towards harmonious and sustainable trade between the two countries. Vietnam will import more from the US, in particular energy, farm produce, pharmaceuticals, and machinery and equipment for production and daily use. Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Do Thang Hai said recent changes to global supply chains have resulted in Vietnam becoming the 27th largest importer and the 16th largest trade partner of the US. The US also wants to import products where Vietnam possesses strengths, such as farm produce, apparel, leather and footwear, machinery, and electronics. Vietnam, meanwhile, has demand for high-tech equipment, telecommunications, and farm produce from the US. With GDP growth of nearly 7 percent each year and a population approaching 100 million, Vietnam is viewed as a promising market for US enterprises in health care, education, telecoms, retail, finance-banking, and energy. Some 130 countries and territories are now investing in Vietnam, with a combined registered capital of more than 340 billion USD. The US has 900 valid projects worth over 9 billion USD. Due to the impact of COVID-19, a number of US companies plan to move their investment from other regional nations to Vietnam. US enterprises are also looking to export more LPG to Vietnam. Speaking highly of the Vietnamese Governments efforts to improve administrative reforms and the business climate, President and CEO of the US-ASEAN Business Council Alexander C. Feldman suggested that Vietnam further enhance transparency regarding procurement, bidding, and foreign trade, thus creating a legal environment conducive to innovation and the digital economy. Minister of Industry and Trade Tran Tuan Anh called on businesses to grasp the commitments made in free trade agreements between Vietnam and major markets, especially those relating to tariff incentives and rules of origin. He said the MoIT welcomes US enterprises to conduct long-term business in Vietnam and cooperate with Vietnamese partners in hi-tech agriculture, clean technology, and biotechnology, thus helping Vietnam deeply penetrate into regional and global supply chains. The ministry has also come up with major schemes to improve the competitiveness of exports, he said, particularly industrial and processed products, which also helps Vietnam join supply chains. Enterprises should outline effective business strategies to navigate the US market, contributing to further tightening Vietnam-US trade ties in the future, the minister added./. As a kid growing up in Cuba, we were blessed with Uncle Joaquin, who was fanatical about U.S. history, especially the Gettysburg Address. I don't know of anyone else who could recite the speech in English and then translate it into Spanish. He was a very well educated man who taught at the law school and served as a judge around the area where the U.S. base is located in Guantanamo. He and my aunt stayed in Cuba and died in the 1970s. Who knows what happened to his nice home? It was Uncle Joaquin who used to tell us stories about the U.S. One of them was how John Adams and Thomas Jefferson died on the 50th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. They died within a few hours of each other, neither aware that the other was dying. Jefferson was in Virginia and Adams in Massachusetts. Adams's last words were "Thomas Jefferson survives," while Jefferson's were "This is the Fourth of July." They were among the last American revolutionaries who stood up to the British empire and created what we celebrate today. They also spent the last few years of their lives exchanging some great letters. An amazing story and something to share with your kids today, especially if they are going to college. Happy July 4, and show your flag today. I have a funny feeling that Uncle Joaquin is up in Heaven cheering that I'm sharing this story with you today. PS: You can listen to my show (Canto Talk) and follow me on Twitter. While Democrat presidential candidate Joe Biden hides from the American people, Dempnets (Democrat Propaganda Networks) have been hard at work, keeping a lid on the growing number of serious scandals the former vice president is allegedly involved in. Even with the "all hands on deck" protection of Biden, some of the baggage will not remain buried. A scandal now rearing its ugly head involves eight women who came forward to say Biden either touched them inappropriately or violated their personal space in ways that made them uncomfortable. Among these women is Tara Reade, who has accused Biden of sexually assaulting her 27 years ago. Reade said she was serving as an aide to then-senator Biden in the spring of 1993. She told police in her recent complaint that Biden used his fingers to penetrate her after she had given him a gym bag. In Kyiv, Ukraine, District Court judge S.V. Vovk had former prosecutor Viktor Shokin named as a victim of Biden. It is said that the thenvice president is alleged to have committed a crime by using pressure to get Shokin fired. At the time, Shokin was investigating corruption allegations against a corporation known as Burisma Holdings, where Biden's son Hunter was a board member. Biden, knowing that the dutiful Dempnets would provide full cover for him, has stated that no such pressure took place and that he wanted Shokin fired because Shokin was corrupt. However, the court ruled that there was adequate evidence to investigate Shokin's claim that Biden had pressured then-president Petro Poroshenko. The threat was said to have come in the form of withholding $1 billion in U.S. loan guarantees if Shokin was not removed. Although Biden has consistently denied the allegations made by Shokin that have now been confirmed by Judge S.V. Vovk, there is still a troubling video yet to be explained. On it, Biden is seen joking as to how he had Shokin fired in the spring of 2016 by threatening to withhold 1 billion from Ukraine. In the video, Biden stated he told Poroshenko, "I'm leaving here in six hours." "If the prosecutor is not fired, you're not getting the money." There was laughter in the room as Biden ended by saying, "Son of a b----, he got fired." Dempnets such as CNN, MSNBC, and the New York Times have provided and will provide Biden with excellent cover for any scandal that has or will come his way. Still, even they will not be able to hide the fact that the former vice president is suffering from a severe mental health crisis. The odds that Biden takes the stage in a debate against President Donald Trump are near zero. Democrats know full well that the race is finished if Biden and Trump face off. No disrespect intended for the former vice president, but more and more, it is becoming uncomfortably obvious that Biden is rapidly declining in his ability to articulate his thoughts. Sorry, Joe. It's too little, too late. At one of his strikingly rare press availabilities in Delaware, presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden did his best to stage his own "Sister Souljah Moment." For those too young to remember, a hip-hop artist and political activist going by the moniker "Sister Souljah" handed a young Bill Clinton a political lifeline in 1992. As racially charged riots raged in Los Angeles, incumbent President George H.W. Bush promptly deployed the National Guard and rode a wave of good press for getting the violence and looting under control. By contrast, Bill Clinton looked weak and perhaps even complicit in the disorder. Then Sister Souljah gave Clinton an opening. "I mean, if black people kill black people every day, why not have a week and kill white people? ... why not kill a white person?" she mused in a characteristically ridiculous Washington Post interview. Clinton played it perfectly, condemning Sister Souljah and taking Jesse Jackson to task for inviting her to a conference. He managed to look responsible and independent without too harshly alienating the activist left, selecting something that clearly crossed the line and coming down hard on it. Clinton went on to win the '92 election. Although rhetoric like Sister Souljah's has gone from controversial to mundane in the years since Clinton won the '92 election, Biden is trying to replicate Clinton's feat. At a campaign event in Delaware, weeks after the widespread riots he refused to condemn, and in the midst of a movement committed to the wholesale destruction of American history, Joe Biden thinks he has finally found his Sister Souljah Moment. As "protesters" rampage around America, tearing down statues of George Washington and Thomas Jefferson, and with his own party openly talking about doing the same thing and calling a Fourth of July party at Mount Rushmore a "rally glorifying white supremacy," Biden finally decided that perhaps he should say something. Apparently, Biden doesn't actually support tearing down the Founding Fathers. He might even be willing to preserve memorials to Christopher Columbus, the discoverer of the New World. But even then, he couldn't bring himself to actually condemn the people yanking down statues. It's all part of "responding to systemic racism in America," you see. He could bring himself only far enough to blurt out, "The idea of comparing whether or not George Washington owned slaves or Thomas Jefferson owned slaves and somebody who was in rebellion, committing treason, trying to take down a union to keep slavery I think there's a distinction there." Thanks, Joe what we really needed at this moment was a tepid, wishy-washy rebuke of the violent extremists waging open war against our nation's history and fundamental values. Unlike Clinton's seemingly heartfelt condemnation of Sister Souljah, Biden's extraordinarily mild criticism of the extremists who are trying to tear America apart does nothing but reinforce Biden's inability to rein in the anti-American insanity that is now the driving force within the Democratic Party. Biden's failed Sister Souljah moment will do nothing but reassure the anarchists that they may do as they please, because no one in the Democratic Party is going to do much to stop them. Ken Blackwell is the former Mayor of Cincinnati, Ohio and a member of the Advisory Board of Donald J. Trump for President, Inc. Image: Kelly Kline via Flickr. When Jeffrey Epstein, the renowned financial maven and friend to the rich and powerful, was arrested for underage sex-trafficking, I knew that his days on the planet were numbered. Epstein simply knew too much to live. What undoubtedly happened was that a lot of money changed hands, deals were made, prison guards and possibly their superiors were bought, cameras were surreptitiously disabled, and Epstein's murder was declared a suicide by bedsheet, an official conclusion that exactly zero people bought. And now that Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein's pal, paramour, and fellow pervert, is behind bars for her part in the sex scandal, her eventual "suicide" is a certainty. We'll never know exactly what went on between Epstein and his famous friends. Did Epstein and Woody Allen discuss Manhattan, Allen's ode to sex with a 16-year-old? Did Jeff and former president Clinton talk about bjs in the Oval Office? How about the esteemed lawyer Alan Dershowitz? Did he and Jeff discuss legal strategies? We'll never know. Whatever Epstein and Kevin Spacey discussed, I'd rather not know. No, the powerful will be protected. Ghislaine Maxwell must die. But how will she do it? I assume that your average inmate has access to dental hygiene products. Will Ghislaine stab herself to death with her toothbrush, hara-kiri a la Sonicare? Or possibly strangle herself with dental floss? Glide floss is amazingly strong. You can floss your entire mouth with one piece without it breaking. Anything's possible, really. Maxwell might break her neck practicing yoga; downward dog does carry certain risks. Or she may contract rabies from a prison rat that was placed in her cell. Let's face it: we don't know how Ghislaine will commit "suicide," only that she will. And then all the usual suspects will tut-tut about the lack of supervision, official investigations will find no wrongdoing, and certain folks' bank accounts will suddenly grow fat. Most important, certain people will breathe a big sigh of relief. I put the over-under on Maxwell's demise at two weeks, but do check the Vegas odds before laying down your money. And say a prayer for Ghislaine. She surely knows what's coming and is probably terrified terrified not only by her imminent death, but also by her appearance in God's Court. Unlike on Earth, divine justice will simply not be denied. 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. Across the nation, Americans are anxiously struggling to comprehend the surreal scenes of disruption and disorder in many cities. Progressives who advocate for "decarceration," and call to defund or eliminate police, are demanding that Americans embark to some Bizarre New World. No one defends the behavior of the officers who killed George Floyd. The antidote to corrupt police is honest police, yet recently many officers have been subjected to abusive taunts, threats, and even physical assaults. This is illogical, even immoral. In no way condoning police abuse, most Americans wish to recognize the sacrifices and commitment of our state and local police and their families. Those who stand with integrity for our constitutional principles are the foundation of our free and secure society. Current violent protests and anarchy only affirm this truth. It is demoralizing to fault ethical law enforcement officers without cause, let alone to deprive them of appropriate funding for their performance and security. All who stand for the American commitment as recorded in our founding document, the United States Constitution, merit support and encouragement in this time. Police, but also veterans, first responders, military personnel, public defenders and prosecutors, judges, and probation officers, are all called upon to recognize the innate value and equality of every person. That is our creed, and what our teachers are called upon to instill in our children. It is what all Americans are to embrace if we are to endure. In this creed we recognize the human imperfections that will always hamper our striving toward the ideal, but still America must aspire toward that "more perfect union." What is occurring in our nation in 2020 is not moving us toward perfection. We must reaffirm the principles that guide us in such times, not discard them. Independence Day celebrates the signing of the United States Constitution. Let us also celebrate its defenders, especially the devoted police officers, military personnel, and other "public servants" who sincerely undertake their oath to defend and preserve the Constitution and the rights it affords to others. The shortcomings of errant officers must not be employed to blemish those who serve with honor. There is no constitutional liberty without their frontline service. Our existing Constitution envisions a country that is systemically equal and which restricts government intrusion into our lives. America has no need for bizarre new experiments; it needs only to preserve the United States Constitution and support loyal public servants. President Trump delivered the speech of his presidency at Mount Rushmore Friday, a magnificent affirmation to Americans on their 244th national birthday that what they have always cherished is still cherished, along with a warning shot to those who hate and despise all the United States stands for. It was non-partisan there was no mention of Democrats or Joe Biden. It was inclusive celebratory of people of all races, and celebratory in particular of the singularity of America being great for such diversity. It was also big-hearted, magnanimous, celebrating all the range of achievements of the country. Yet it also did the thing Trump does best, which is to call out and identify authentic enemies, stating that he knows who they are, what their game is, and that he won't let them win. In this era, that was necessary shadow. Trump began by restating the entire meaning of the holiday: Our founders launched not only a revolution in government, but a revolution in the pursuit of justice, equality, liberty, and prosperity. No nation has done more to advance the human condition than the United States of America and no people have done more to promote human progress than the citizens of our great nation. It was all made possible by the courage of 56 patriots who gathered in Philadelphia 244 years ago and signed the Declaration of Independence. They enshrined a divine truth that changed the world forever when they said, "All men are created equal." These immortal words set in motion the unstoppable march of freedom. Our founders boldly declared that we are all endowed with the same divine rights, given us by our Creator in Heaven, and that which God has given us, we will allow no one ever to take away ever. He then delved into an especially wonderful appreciation of America's presidents on Mount Rushmore, the memory of which has apparently grown so forgotten in the wokester educational world that it became fresh and new as Trump spoke of it, beginning with George Washington: Before these figures were immortalized in stone, they were American giants in full flesh and blood, gallant men, whose intrepid deeds unleashed the greatest leap of human advancement the world has ever known. Tonight I will tell you and most importantly the youth of our nation the true stories of these great, great men. From head to toe George Washington represented the strength, grace, and dignity of the American people. From a small volunteer force of citizen farmers, he created the Continental Army out of nothing and rallied them to stand against the most powerful military on earth. Through eight long years, through the brutal winter at Valley Forge, through setback after setback on the field of battle, he led those patriots to ultimate triumph. When the army had dwindled to a few thousand men at Christmas of 1776, when defeat seemed absolutely certain, he took what remained of his forces on a daring nighttime crossing of the Delaware River. They marched through nine miles of frigid darkness, many without boots on their feet, leaving a trail of blood in the snow. In the morning, they seized victory at Trenton after forcing the surrender of the most powerful empire on the planet at Yorktown, General Washington did not claim power but simply returned to Mount Vernon as a private citizen. When called upon again, he presided over the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia and was unanimously elected our first president. When he stepped down after two terms, his former adversary, King George called him the greatest man of the age. He remains first in our hearts to this day, for as long as Americans love this land, we will honor and cherish the father of our country, George Washington. He will never be removed, abolished, and most of all, he will never be forgotten. Since this sort of thing is no longer taught in schools, it was a stellar reminder. Yet he didn't stop at the four presidents depicted he did what he always does, which is celebrate the heroic people from all walks of life Clara Barton, the Tuskegee Airmen, Wild Bill Hickok, Alan Shepard, Elvis Presley, Harriet Tubman an amazing and wonderful array. Even the mild NeverTrumps, such as Rich Lowry, were impressed. A superb speech, tough but appropriately so, gave our forefathers their due, invoked the wonders of American culture, and accurately stated the stakes of the culture warTrumps best since Warsaw Rich Lowry (@RichLowry) July 4, 2020 Here's the full transcript, with broken up little videos of the different passages. Yet in the midst of that, that reminder of what made America great something that was common knowledge in the pre-COVID, pre-wokester era the New York Times could only call the speech "dark and divisive" and express its deep upset that Trump didn't spend his Fourth of July speech at Mount Rushmore talking about the coronavirus instead. Here's the paper of record's funhouse mirror take: Breaking News: President Trump delivered a dark and divisive speech at Mount Rushmore, leaning into the culture wars and barely mentioning the pandemic.https://t.co/03WOgau4Zx The New York Times (@nytimes) July 4, 2020 The paper was especially upset that he called out "far-left fascism." Apparently any rejection of looters, rioters, cancel culture, and all the cultural rot in our educational system is "divisive," and these miscreants just wanted to be included, and not including them hurt their feelings. Nope, not in the real world, it didn't. Some of them probably took it as a compliment. But divisive it was not, given that they're the ones doing the rejecting by their outrageous acts and dirty libels. And as for dark, yes, dark on the dark forces because they are encroaching right now, toppling our statues, targeting our museums, erasing our history, yet the lion's share of the speech was devoted to light and praise for the things Trump is passionate about, which is all the people and institutions that make America great. It was a speech loaded with uplift for everyone except those who hate the place. The Times wasn't the only one seeing "dark and divisive" here's longtime AP guy turned Atlantic essayist Ron Fournier with a cynical take: My take on the Rushmore speech: Trump is like a man whos about to lose his house to the bank so, out of pique and self-loathing, he torches it. On his way out of office, hes burning our house down Ron Fournier (@ron_fournier) July 4, 2020 Here's CNN's self-beclowning bid to appear woke: CNN are part of the lynch mob of the left! If people die they don't care ! Same CNN who had no problem with Bernie or Obama visiting Rushmore CNN slights Mount Rushmore as 'monument of two slaveowners' after extolling its 'majesty' in 2016 https://t.co/49H0ybwGET #FoxNews Suze Michelini (@emilia_suze) July 4, 2020 Ted Cruz easily took down this CNN pinhead: Your network is literally arguing to tear down Mount Rushmore. And claiming that murderous, raping anarchists are a peaceful street festival. https://t.co/7JL2P1UV5W Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) July 4, 2020 Here's more seething: A tiny man diminishes himself still further: Down in the polls and failing to control a raging pandemic @realDonaldTrump struggles to read a dark and divisive speech written by the ignorant racist Stephen Miller. #IndependenceFromTrump #BenedictDonald https://t.co/PsgEjSdu2r The Daily Edge (@TheDailyEdge) July 4, 2020 Here's a nakedly partisan canard, long discredited, from someone who'd rather take "patriotism" lessons from Antifa: Yeah, Im not taking lessons in patriotism from a guy who knew that a hostile foreign entity placed a bounty on US soldiers and refused (continues to refuse) to do anything about it or the pandemic that has killed 132k Americans. #Rushmore https://t.co/SDFCu3IJKn Kim Nelson For Congress (@KimforSC) July 4, 2020 The hypocrisy was palpable. Lowry pointed out the Times' double standard: NYT: A project re-defining America on the basis of slavery and lying in important respects about our historyinspiring journalism A speech extolling Americas heroes and the wonders of its culturedark and divisive pic.twitter.com/WXJ4lY7v7M Rich Lowry (@RichLowry) July 4, 2020 Here's more double standard: Mount Rushmore was considered a wonderful place when President Obama visited - and marveled at the sculptures, and when Bernie Sanders visited, and also was impressed. Now Mount Rushmore itself is being reviled because President Trump is visiting it: Neil Young opposes use of his music at Trump Mt Rushmore event: "I stand in solidarity with the Lakota Sioux" https://t.co/yC2TxBpVao pic.twitter.com/JXti1Bqf5r The Hill (@thehill) July 4, 2020 It's all a sputtering sheet show from the press and its political allies who sense danger to their position. Yet it's also disgraceful. Here Trump was, offering them all a golden opportunity to dissociate themselves from the fascist left, and embrace the things they have always embraced - America's singularity, its heroes, its achievements - and they'd rather sit in the mud and take potshots at Trump and even Mount Rushmore, just because President Trump went there. They're crazed with their hatred of Trump and it makes them hate the entire country as a result. Voters should remember this in November. Image credit: Monica Showalter, camera shot aimed at television set, processed with Graphite drawing app. This page contains all of The Anchorage Press 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 an Anchorage resident whos been affected by the illness? Send us an email: matt.hickman@anchoragepress.com. (Image source from: Mangalorean.com) Andhra NRIs Protest In Support For Amaravati Movement:- After YSRCP took charge in Andhra Pradesh, the proposed capital Amaravati was ignored. YS Jaganmohan Reddy is in plans to move the capital to Vizag and the people, farmers across Amaravati staged protests. The protests completed 200 days by today. Marking this, NRIs staged protests across the major cities of the world across the globe to support the Amaravati movement. They urged the government of Andhra Pradesh to withdraw the move of multiple capitals and support Amaravati which is announced as the capital of Andhra Pradesh. As per the estimates, around 1 lakh Telugu NRIs staged protests today in 300 cities of the world. They expressed their support for the farmers who donated their lands for the capital construction. Several NRIs from USA, UK, Ireland, Kuwait, Germany, South Africa, France, Austria, Canada, Saudi Arabia and other countries came to raise their voice to support the farmers and people of Amaravati. They raised the slogans 'Don't Kill Amaravati, Build Amaravati'. Though the plan was from 200 cities, Telugu people across the other countries and cities joined which made the total reach 300. Several children joined the elders in the protests. All the supporters said that the dream of six crore people got shattered. (Video Source: ETV Andhra Pradesh) (Image source from: Twitter.com/AndhraPradeshCM) AP Cabinet Expansion: Huge Lobbying Going On:- Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jaganmohan Reddy decided to expand his cabinet very soon. Pilli Subhash Chandrabose and Mopidevi Venkataramana got elected to Rajya Sabha and they submitted their resignation from as the Ministers from Andhra Pradesh. YS Jagan is also in plans to induct some more crucial leaders to his cabinet and the expansion is expected to take place soon. YS Jagan did not discuss about the names with anyone to date. But there has been huge lobbying for the replacements and for the new portfolios. The cabinet expansion in Andhra Pradesh is expected to take place after July 21st after the month of Ashadam which will complete by July 20th. YS Jagan will find the comfortable date post July 21st and he will expand his cabinet. Several leaders are confident that their name would make up in the new cabinet while some of them are lobbying with the senior leaders and the close aides of YS Jagan. As of now nothing has been finalized. There are speculations that YS Jagan will consider BC leaders in the new cabinet. Several aspirants are in talks with the leaders of YSRCP. YS Jagan will take the final decision about the cabinet expansion soon. (Image source from: Sakshi.com) Online Classes For Students Banned In Andhra Pradesh:- With the arrival of coronavirus, all the educational institutions are shut across the country. Most of the students are passed without conducting the examinations and they are promoted to their next classes. Most of the private schools and colleges are conducting online classes with situations not calming down. Several parents complained after they are against the system of online classes. Andhra Pradesh Education Minister Adimulapu Suresh today issued a statement about the ongoing online classes system. He warned the private schools not to conduct any online classes for students across the state. Suresh hinted that the academic year will start from August and all the schools are expected to reopen from August 3rd as announced by the government of Andhra Pradesh. Adimulapu Suresh said that strict action would be taken against all the schools which conduct online classes for their students. Suresh also said that some of the private schools did not pay their salaries to the teachers during the lockdown. Andhra Pradesh School Education Regulatory and Monitoring Commission will look into this matter. The government of Andhra Pradesh received special guidelines from the Centre to conduct UG and PG exams. CS&KT Tribal Council modifies resolution to open up recreation & camping to all residents of the FIR OnePlus has now fixed yet another data-leaking flaw in its system, reports indicate. This flaw, in particular, was found in the out-of-warranty repair invoicing system on June 30. Theres been no clear indication as to how long it was in place. But, as with other OnePlus flaws, it was exploitable to allow access to a ton of user data. And it only would have affected US customers if it had been. Summarily, the flaw reported to OnePlus as noted above by Android Police, following a tip-off credited to Eric Lang was in the system for users who needed repairs after their warranty expired. It was disclosed to the company on July 2nd. And it potentially exposed any US customers who had open, unpaid invoices for those out-of-warranty repairs. What was this data-leaking flaw leaking? Its not immediately clear how the flaw worked. But OnePlus notes that information was available via a unique link sent to customers with out-of-warranty repairs. The company says that it sent those users a third-party link to access their payment. That means that as soon as that link was created, the users data was exposed. And it remained exposed until they made their payment. Once payment was received and verified, the link became inactive. Advertisement With regard to what information was available to just about anybody with access to the link, that list includes pretty much everything. Not only was the order number, phone model, order date, and repair cost exposed. So was the IMEI for the device, as well as the name, address, phone number, and email address of the consumer. That could have if exploited paved the way for further phishing attacks and breaches. The leaked information could have been used to launch an attack or to spoof numbers in order to bypass secondary protective measures. Just to name a few possible uses for such a comprehensive list of user data. In a worst-case scenario, that information goes a long way toward obtaining all the details needed for full-blown identity theft. Advertisement This doesnt appear to have been exploited but its not a good look for OnePlus As of this writing, OnePlus has indicated that its system has been fixed. So users data should no longer be available to just anybody who has access to the links that were created. Its only accomplished that by removing identifying details from the invoices though. The invoices themselves are still readily accessible until July 6. Thats when OnePlus says it will have a new verification system in place for invoicing. As to the breach itself, its not readily apparent how such a leak was allowed to happen. The company has already been the subject of several breaches over the past couple of years, with its most recent occurring just last November. At this rate, its nearly managing to keep up with Facebook on that front. In the interim, the company did launch a bug bounty program, wholly separate from the Android bug bounty program. The primary goal, of course, is to stop breaches and other bugs from interfering with its business and with customers. Advertisement So this particular data-leaking flaw from OnePlus is not likely to sit well with consumers. 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* (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). Russia has decided to reopen its embassy in Libya, the Interfax news agency cited Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov as saying on Friday. "I would like to inform you that we made a decision to restore the Russian embassy in Libya, which will be currently led by charge d'affaires Dzhamshed Boltaev," Lavrov said. "He will be temporarily based in Tunisia. But I would like to underscore that his functions include representation of Russia across the entire territory of Libya." The embassy's planned reopening comes amid an unfolding war between the UN-recognized Government of National Accord (GNA) and the self-styled Libyan National Army (LNA) based in Eastern Libya. Russia has been backing LNA forces in its fight against the GNA. News agencies have also reported that there may be thousands of Russian mercenaries being deployed across Libya, but Russia has denied any state involvement and dismissed such reports. Lavrov was speaking at the beginning of a meeting with the speaker of Libya's pro-LNA eastern parliament, Aguila Saleh. The Libyan capital of Tripoli, where the Russian embassy was previously based, is currently controlled by the GNA. While Russia's decision to base the temporary office in a neighboring country leaves a question mark over the future location of a permanent site, it is likely that Moscow was signaling its intention to set up the embassy somewhere within the LNA's region of influence. Lavrov also said a ceasefire in the Libyan conflict, proposed by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi alongside Libya's eastern commander Khalifa Haftar in Cairo on June 6, was in line with a consensus that was reached at an international conference in Berlin regarding the situation in the North African country. The GNA, which receives direct military support from Turkey, has dismissed the ceasefire proposal. Ankara said the Tripoli-based government would not agree to a ceasefire unless LNA forces withdraw from Sirte, a strategically important city located on the central Mediterranean coastline. Russia evacuated its embassy staff in Tripoli after a group of people attempted to storm the building in October 2013. The attack on the embassy was thwarted by security guards who fired shots and dispersed the crowd. Though none in the Russian mission was injured, Libyan authorities later admitted that they were unable to guarantee the diplomats' safety. (CGTN) What do you think should be done with the Affordable Care Act? You voted: 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! Father Jim Mosier is the retired rector at St. Matthews Episcopal Church in Ontario. He can be reached in care of The Argus Observer, 1160 S.W. Fourth St., Ontario, OR 97914. The Argus Observer weekly faith column features a rotation of writers from many different faiths and perspectives. It is perplexing that government of India chose to keep secret the order, which was issued on May 21 this year The verdict of an ad hoc tribunal of the Hague-based Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) that India has no jurisdiction to decide the case relating to the killing of two Indian fishermen off Kerala coast by two Italian marines on board a private oil tanker is regrettable. The tribunal, constituted to settle disputes related to the United Nations Convention for the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), rejected Indias contention that Massimiliano Latorre and Salvatore Girone, accused of shooting and killing Ajeesh Pinky and Valentine in their boat St Antony on February 15, 2012, were not engaged in government service and hence cannot claim the privilege available to service personnel. Instead, it accepted the Italian plea that the duo enjoyed immunity available to state officials and are exempted from the jurisdiction of the Indian courts. The five-member tribunal comprising jurists from Russia, Jamaica and South Korea, apart from one each from India and Italy, by a majority vote also rejected Indias claims on the rights of a coastal state over its exclusive economic zone. The tribunal, however, ruled that the marines violated the protocols under UNCLOS, and hence must stand trial in Italy. As per the order, India is, however, entitled to payment of compensation in connection with the loss of life and material damage to property and directed the two countries to consult with each other on the amount of compensation. The immediate impact of the verdict is that the Supreme Court of India, which had sent the two marines home on bail, cannot proceed with the legal process in a case related to the killing of two Indian citizens as per Indian laws. The National Investigation Agency has already slapped charges against the two Italians under sections of the Indian Penal Code related to murder, attempt to murder, mischief and common intent. The court had earlier stayed the proceedings as per an order of the ITLOS in 2015. It is a travesty of justice if officials who are on security service on private enterprises are given state immunity but it is evident that India has been unsuccessful in convincing the tribunal about it. This is important because UNCLOS speaks of immunity in case of warships and government-controlled vessels. It is perplexing that government of India chose to keep secret the order, which was issued on May 21 this year, despite an order of the Supreme Court that the decisions of the tribunal must be communicated to it and the affected parties without delay. The ministry of external affairs chose to comment on it only when the tribunal on its own issued a statement giving details of the order. Setbacks in international tribunals are not uncommon but attempts to keep them secret need an explanation from the government. What is left to the government is to ensure that the two marines undergo trial as per the order of the tribunal and the families of the innocent victim get a decent compensation package. This is the least it can do to ensure justice for two slain Indian citizens. No way was I going to read an 892-page book, even if it won the Pulitzer Prize and even if 121 of those pages are footnotes. But this biography of Douglass who rose from enslavement in the South to become one of our nations great 19th-century orators and abolitionists seemed like an important book for this moment, so I took a deep breath and started. The logo from this years Food & Wine Classic at Home, which will be held virtually on July 23 because of COVID-19, is pictured. The event will feature many of the culinary industrys well-known personalities and will raise funds for various charities. Guest commentary: What does it mean to be an American? You are the owner of this article. The state said no to masks. Now, Ohio cities are saying yes. Athens, TX (75751) Today Partly to mostly cloudy with a chance of thunderstorms. Low 67F. Winds NNE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 40%.. Tonight Partly to mostly cloudy with a chance of thunderstorms. Low 67F. Winds NNE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 40%. Palmdale, CA (93550) Today Partly cloudy. Windy this evening. Low 67F. SSW winds at 20 to 30 mph, decreasing to 5 to 10 mph. Winds could occasionally gust over 40 mph.. Tonight Partly cloudy. Windy this evening. Low 67F. SSW winds at 20 to 30 mph, decreasing to 5 to 10 mph. Winds could occasionally gust over 40 mph. First and foremost we have to think of everybodys safety, De Leon told the Tribune. Thats got to be the priority. But as defense attorneys, our biggest priority (is also) our clients rights and moving cases along to let people either get on with their lives or get on with their sentences, and thats a really hard thing. Mexican leaders are calling for stronger enforcement on its northern border as the number of coronavirus cases in the southwestern U.S. continues to rise, The Washington Post reports. Why it matters: Mexico worries the growing number of COIVD-19 cases in the U.S. could threaten their communities' own safety and ability to combat the pandemic. Hundreds of thousands of people living in the U.S. have continued to cross into Mexico during the pandemic, the Post notes. The state of play: The U.S. has only allowed individuals who aren't citizens or residents but have jobs considered crucial to enter the country during the pandemic. Mexico has not done much to vet those entering, but governors are calling on the central government to do so, per the Post. What they're saying: Javier Garcia Cabeza de Vaca, the governor of Tamaulipas state, said, "The situation is very bad in Texas and [cross-border travel] would only bring us problems in northern Tamaulipas." He tested positive for the coronavirus earlier this week. Enrique Clausen, Sonora states health minister, said, Its 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. Go deeper: World coronavirus updates The U.S. has already celebrated Easter, graduations and so much more during the coronavirus pandemic, and now it can add July 4 to the list. The state of play: Axios' Stef Kight writes public parades and fireworks displays around much of the country are being canceled to prevent mass gatherings where the virus could spread. Hot-dog contests and concerts will play to empty stands and virtual audiences all while American pride treads an all-time low. A boy wears a mask while riding an amusement pier ride in Wildwood, New Jersey. Photo: Mark Makela/Getty Images President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump stand in front of Mount Rushmore on July 3, 2020. Photo: Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images Signs are posted in front of the closed Santa Monica Pier in California. The beach is closed for the Fourth of July weekend. Photo: Mario Tama/Getty Images A woman holds a sign that reads " Stop Killing" while standing near policemen in front of the White House to protest police brutality. Photo: Roberto Schmidt/AFP/Getty Images People watch as fireworks in Times Square as part of the 44th annual Macy's 4th of July Fireworks Spectacular show on July 1, 2020. Photo: Noam Galai/Getty Images Tourists gather at the beach in Ocean City, Maryland on July 3, 2020. Photo: Daniel Slim/AFP/Getty Images Go deeper: America's exceptionally uneventful Fourth of July As thousands around the country protested the police killing of George Floyd, a conservative Texas powerbroker and activist asked Gov. Greg Abbott in early June to instruct the National Guard to "shoot to kill" rioters, The Texas Tribune first reported yesterday. What he's saying...Steve Hotze left this voicemail for Abbott's chief of staff and asked him to pass it on to the governor: "I want to make sure that [Gov. Abbott] has National Guard down here and they have the order to shoot to kill if any of these son-of-a-b---h people start rioting like they have in Dallas, start tearing down businesses shoot to kill the son of a b------s. Thats the only way you restore order. Kill em. Thank you." Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) tweeted Saturday that Hotze's comments are "absolutely disgusting and reprehensible." (R-Texas) tweeted Saturday that Hotze's comments are "absolutely disgusting and reprehensible." The Texas Tribune acquired the voicemail on Friday through a public information request. Hotze did not respond Saturday to Axios' request for comment. Context: Hotze left the voicemail on the weekend of June 6 several days after Abbott called on the National Gaurd to curtail protests that turned violent. Hotze is "one of the most prolific cultures warriors on the right in Texas," the Tribune writes. He has openly criticized Abbott's response to the coronavirus pandemic. Hotze has challenged Abbott's emergency orders in court, including a lawsuit against the recent statewide mask mandate. The big picture: Law enforcement's response to the protests was criticized after thousands around the country poured into the streets to demonstrate against police brutality. Some of the starkest criticism came after military police and park rangers used physical force to clear a path for President Trump to cross Lafayette Park in Washington, D.C. Editor's note: Updates with additional details, context. By Trend Over the past 24 hours, Armenian armed forces have violated the ceasefire along the line of contact between Azerbaijani and Armenian troops 42 times, Trend reports on July 4 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 regions. 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 regions. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz By Trend The Black Sea Trade and Development Bank (BSTDB) is considering the possibility of releasing the second tranche of its manat bonds in 2020, depending on the situation on the local market, BSTDB told Trend. The BSTDB will continue to support the initiatives of the Central Bank of Azerbaijan (CBA) aimed at providing support to emerging markets, as well as providing access by small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to financing in local currency, alongside the existing mechanism for financing the SMEs provided through Turan bank. The bank noted that Azerbaijan is taking measures in fighting the COVID-19 pandemic, similar to those used in other countries, such as restrictions on border crossings, strict quarantine procedures, suspension of educational institutions, restaurants, shopping centers, etc. Along with the foregoing, in order to mitigate the negative economic consequences of these restrictive measures, the government introduced tax incentives and vacations to companies to not fire workers, provided cash payments to the needy, and implemented other measures to help economic agents to overcome the pandemic and to restart their activities once the pandemic is over, said BSTDB. "Besides the consequences of the pandemic, Azerbaijan is also suffering from falling oil prices on world markets, and its difficult to separate the influence of these two factors on the economy. Unfortunately, we have recently seen an increase in the spread of the COVID-19 in Azerbaijan, but we see the governments efforts to keep the situation under control and pay maximum attention to public health problems," the report said. The bank believes that these measures will be effective and the country's economy will begin to recover soon. The BSTDB was founded by Azerbaijan, Albania, Bulgaria, Georgia, Greece, Moldova, Armenia, Romania, Turkey, Ukraine and Russia. The authorized capital of the bank is 3.45 billion euros. -- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz By 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. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz By Akbar Mammadov Azerbaijan-Israel Interparliamentary Friendship Commission has hailed the cooperation between the two countries in an online conference on "Azerbaijan-Israel strategic partnership". Arye Gut, Executive Director of the House of Azerbaijan in Israel and moderator of the event, noted that this is the first Israeli-Azerbaijani event at this level with the participation of members of the Azerbaijani Parliament and the Israeli Knesset. We are writing history with you - we are holding an online conference during the pandemic. Regardless of who is in power in Israel, the Azerbaijani-Israeli relations are positive, the political dialogue is carried out at the highest level, and today these relations are a real strategic partnership, Gut added. The Israeli expert underlined that Azerbaijan-Israel cooperation in trade is developing rapidly and is about $3.5 billion. Previously, the focus was on the oil and gas sector, but now this cooperation extends to other segments of the economy, including agriculture, high technology, health, and military-technical cooperation, added Gut. Israel is one of the main buyers of Azerbaijani oil on the world market. Arye Gut also touched upon the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and Khojaly genocide. Numerous representatives of people's diplomacy, originally from Azerbaijan, including the House of Azerbaijan in Israel, actively work and represent the republic with dignity, conveying to the Israeli society the truth about Azerbaijan, its history and culture, as well as the Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. The pain of the Azerbaijani people is the pain of the Jewish people and vice versa. Therefore, the Holocaust Remembrance Day is held in Azerbaijan every year, and the victims of the Khojaly genocide are commemorated in Israel, Gut noted. Member of the Azerbaijan-Israel Interparliamentary Friendship Commission, MP Anatoly Rafailov said that the Azerbaijani-Israeli relations are an example for a number of countries. Azerbaijan is one of the few countries in the Islamic world that has established friendly relations with both the Jewish people and the State of Israel. Speaking about the history of relations between Azerbaijan and Israel, Rafailov added that attitudes towards Jews have always been good in Azerbaijan, nationalism and anti-Semitism have never been felt in the country. The Jewish community of about 80,000, originally from Azerbaijan, still loves and continues to promote Azerbaijan after moving to Israel and other parts of the world. The Azerbaijani MP highlighted the fact that the events of April 2016 proved that Israel provides Azerbaijan with political, diplomatic and moral support, as well as very important military-technological support. Azerbaijan is one of the few countries in the world where people of different nationalities and religions can live together peacefully in an open, tolerant and free society. The Red Settlement in the Guba region of Azerbaijan is a unique place in the world where mountainous Jews live compactly after Israel, added Rafailov. Furthermore, Rafailov noted that there is a Jewish religious community here, and a "Jewish Heritage Center" will be opened soon. In his turn, former Israeli Deputy Defense Minister Efraim Sne said that the Azerbaijani-Israeli relations must go beyond military cooperation. Cooperation between our countries is developing well, but I would like to further strengthen relations, for example, in the field of culture, at the level of academic institutions, as well as in the field of technology. Azerbaijani MP Shahin Seyidzade spoke about the close cooperation between Azerbaijan and Israel in the field of education, the activity of the Agency for International Cooperation for Development (MASHAV) of the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Azerbaijan. He emphasized that it is necessary to expand cooperation between the two countries in the field of technology and innovation, entrepreneurship, business incubators, exchange of experience in the field of innovative solutions to problems related to drinking water and irrigation water in Azerbaijan. Speaking at the conference, President of the Holon Institute of Technology, Professor Eduard Yakubov said that a successful Jewish community originally from Azerbaijan, an effective operation Azerbaijani House in Israel forms a positive image of Azerbaijan in Israel. For many years, Azerbaijanis of Azerbaijani origin have been helping to build a strong and effective economic and even geopolitical partnership between Azerbaijan and Israel, added he. Noting the historical coexistence of the Jewish community with Azerbaijanis in Azerbaijan, Andrei Kojinov said: I know that Israel recently sent some medical equipment to Azerbaijan. We have the same level of coronavirus infection, and we are obliged to help each other in this matter." Speaking about the strategic importance of Israeli-Azerbaijani cooperation, Yevgeny Sova said that Israel considers Azerbaijan an important strategic ally in the South Caucasus and an active geopolitical actor in the region. Then, Azerbaijani MP Ramin Mammadov, emphasized the effective activity of diaspora organizations between Israel and Azerbaijan, the establishment and the role of subsequent activities of "AzIz" organization in this process. Then Rafailov concluded that the friendship between Azerbaijan and Israel is an example for the entire Islamic world and shows that Jewish and Muslim states can live in peace and solidarity. The meeting was held with the initiative of the head of the Azerbaijan-Israel Interparliamentary Friendship Commission, MP Anatoly Rafailov, with the organizational support of the Azerbaijan House in Israel and moderated by Arye Gut, the head of the Baku International Center for Multiculturalism in Israel. The meeting was attended by members of the Azerbaijan-Israel Interparliamentary Friendship Commission, Azerbaijani MPs Anatoly Rafailov, Asim Mollazade, Ramin Mammadov and Shahin Seyidzade, as well as members of the Israeli Knesset - Yevgeny Sova from the "Israel is our home" party, Andrey Kojinov from the "Yesh-Atid-Telem" party, President of the Institute of Technology of Holon, Professor Eduard Yakubov and former Israeli Deputy Defense Minister Efraim Sne attended. __ Akbar Mammadov is AzerNews staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @AkbarMammadov97 Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz By Trend Private companies operating in Kazakhstans Karaganda region often use renewable energy technologies, and are successful in this field, a representative of the regional akimat (administrative center) told Trend. For the most part, these companies use solar panels, the representative said. The official said that one of the regions private companies using solar panels and having built the largest solar power station in Central Asia with a capacity of 100 MW is SES Saran LLP. "KPM-Delta LLP built a 40-MW solar power plant in the village of Gulshat of Aktogai region. KazSolar 50 LLP has implemented a project for the construction of a solar power 50 MW-capacity station in the Agadyr village of Shetsky district. Meanwhile, KAZ GREEN ENERGY LLP has implemented a project for the construction of a solar power plant in Zhezkazgan city with the capacity of 10 MW," the official said. The official added that a biogas plant with a capacity of 1.07 MW was installed in the Abay district of the Kurminskoye village. Another biogas plant of the Volynsky agro-industrial complex LLP and a mini-hydroelectric power station have been operating at the Intumak reservoir of the RSE at the Kazvodkhoz PVC since 2015, the official said. Based on some estimates, countrys potential for solar energy production ranges from 3.9 to 5.4 billion WH per year, whereas the ceiling of wind power is 920 billion kWh per year. As of the end of 2019, 90 RES (renewable energy sources) facilities of 1,050 MW of capacity were operating in Kazakhstan including 19 wind parks (283.8 MW), 31 solar parks (541.7 MW), 37 hydropower plants (222.2 MW) and three biopower plants. This year, the number of RES facilities is to be increased from 90 to 108 with the total capacity of 1,655 MW. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz By 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 us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz Death figures are characterized by health experts as a lagging indicator of infection, because of the time it takes someone to get infected, then, for those unable to easily fight off the virus, get sick enough to lose the battle after days or weeks of hospitalization. So trends being seen now were fueled by actions weeks or months ago, and arent necessarily an indicator of how much the virus is spreading now. By Trend Export of chemical products from Turkey to Uzbekistan dropped by 7.67 percent from January 2020 through April 2020, making up $67.8 million, Trend reports citing the Turkish Trade Ministry. In April 2020, the export of Turkish chemicals to Uzbekistan dropped by 39.81 percent compared to the same month of 2019, amounting to $11.7 million. Meanwhile, Turkey's export of chemical products to the world markets made up $6 billion from January through April 2020, which is 10.9 percent less compared to the same period of 2019. Turkey's export of chemical products to world markets amounted to 11.7 percent of the countrys total export from January through April 2020. According to the ministry, in April 2020, Turkey's export of chemical products to world markets amounted to slightly over $1.2 billion, which is 27.3 percent less compared to the same month of 2019. Meanwhile, Turkey's export of chemical products made up 14.3 percent of the countrys total export. From April 2019 through April 2020, Turkey's export of chemical products to world markets amounted to $19.8 billion. From January through March 2020, Turkeys export of chemical products to world markets dropped by 5.1 percent compared to the same period of 2019, and amounted to $4.7 billion. Meanwhile, Turkeys export of chemical products amounted to 11.1 percent of the country's total export. In 1Q2020, Turkeys trade turnover exceeded $98.4 billion. From March 2019 through March 2020, Turkey exported chemical products in the amount of $20.3 billion. -- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz TUCSON, AZ (3TV/CBS 5) -- Dr. Bradley Dreifuss has been living in an Airbnb in Tucson for about three months, away from his wife and daughter, so they stay healthy while he treats patients amid the coronavirus pandemic. Last week, there was a family who had the third person in their family, who was intubated on a ventilator, he said in an interview with Arizona's Family on Friday. I don't know what to say. Everyone is just emotionally and physically exhausted, and we don't see an end in sight. The emergency physician and public health specialist penned his feelings in a recent New York Times editorial titled, "Im a healthcare worker. You need to know how close we are to breaking." He says about half of their ER visits are specifically COVID-19 patients or suspected cases. Those patients are alone, and the doctors are in full PPE. Arizona emergency room doctor gives warning ahead of holiday weekend Ahead of the Fourth of July weekend, a local emergency room doctor is issuing a warning to avoid large groups and wear masks. They're gasping for breath and it's... there's not much you can do besides eventually intubate them, and you don't know if they're going to wake up again, Dr. Dreifuss said. And trying to explain that to family over the phone? Yeah... it's been really challenging. To cope with the mental stress and anxiety, a coalition was recently formed called HCW Hosted. It helps connect frontline workers in Tucson with safe housing, emotional support, childcare, and more. According to the website, it's a "multi-disciplinary partnership between the University of Arizona (UA), local hospital systems, the Tucson business community, city and county government officials, and concerned citizens." Phoenix surgeon explains what hospitals' 'crisis mode' means for you [Medical staff looks at] who needs to go first? Dr. Ross Goldberg explained. Not that [patients] are denied care. Its just an order of who needs to go based on how sick they are and what they need in the emergent time. Dr. Dreifuss says they are operating on a feedback model, so they hear from healthcare workers about what they specifically need and provide the right services. It's also an opportunity for the community to support the medical community. "If I go see my family, it's socially distanced," he said. "And I've taken a shower, I've slept somewhere else. My space here is quote 'the dirty space.' And if I go home, it's still a clean space." He has concerns about the coming months and the stress the flu season and coronavirus could have on the hospital system. Dr. Dreifuss says if we care about the future, and to be competitive on a regional and global scale, we need to take care of ourselves first. Ahead of the Fourth of July weekend, here is his message for Arizonans and Americans: We need to mask up. We need to physically distance. We may even need to shut down again, but that's for the good of our economy." PHOENIX (3TV/CBS 5) -- Arizona hospitals could run out of available bed space in a matter of weeks because the coronavirus is spreading so rapidly, according to leading heath care professor at the University of Arizona. Dr. Joe Gerald, a professor of public health policy and management, warned on Friday that hospitals could reach full capacity at the beginning of August as the number of new cases continues to spike during this current surge. Arizona emergency room doctor gives warning ahead of holiday weekend Ahead of the Fourth of July weekend, a local emergency room doctor is issuing a warning to avoid large groups and wear masks. In a report published on Wednesday, Gerald wrote, From a May 22 (plateau) to present (June 26), total COVID-19 hospitalization has increased 196% from 1093 to 3234 occupied beds. The COVID-19 case numbers continues to surge in Arizona since reopening Arizona has become one of the states across the country that has seen a huge spike in coronavirus cases since Governor Ducey's Stay-At-Home executive order expired. As of this morning, the Arizona Department of Health Services reported that 91% of ICU beds are occupied while 85% of regular beds are in use. Should hospitals run out of space, this could mean suspended or delayed care for patients as hospitals ration treatment during the pandemic to conserve supplies and resources. Gov. Doug Ducey and his state health director have already authorized hospitals to implement their crisis care plans if needed. It will allow hospitals to decide who gets treated and who doesnt. PHOENIX (3TV/CBS 5) -- Healthcare in Arizona could be one step closer to changing after a group turned in hundreds of thousands of signatures for their ballot initiative. "We want to help in any way, so it was amazing to see that turnout," said Ruth Warren, who's a registered nurse and involved with Healthcare Rising Arizona, which is the group behind the initiative "Stop Surprise Billing and Protect Patients Act." Healthcare Rising Arizona said the initiative would cover four key issues: Surprise billing: Protects Arizonans against surprise medical bills from out-of-network providers and requires refunds if patients are overcharged. Protects Arizonans against surprise medical bills from out-of-network providers and requires refunds if patients are overcharged. Infection control: Requires private hospitals to meet national safety standards regarding hospital-acquired infections, and gives the state Department of Health Services the authority to impose civil penalties if hospitals fail to meet those standards. Requires private hospitals to meet national safety standards regarding hospital-acquired infections, and gives the state Department of Health Services the authority to impose civil penalties if hospitals fail to meet those standards. Fair pay: Gives direct care hospital workers a 5% wage increase each year for four years (including nurses, aides, technicians, janitorial and housekeeping staff, social workers, and nonmanagerial administrative staff). Gives direct care hospital workers a 5% wage increase each year for four years (including nurses, aides, technicians, janitorial and housekeeping staff, social workers, and nonmanagerial administrative staff). Preexisting conditions: Bans discrimination based on preexisting conditions so people in Arizona can count on getting affordable healthcare coverage. $9 million in CARES Act funding going to AZVoteSafe for election day Governor Ducey and Secretary of State Katie Hobbs have invested $9 million in CARES Act funding to AZVoteSafe initiative to support safe and secure voting statewide. "You'll have better retention, and works will feel worthwhile," said Warren, regarding increased pay. We reached out to the Arizona Hospital and Healthcare Association, which is opposed to the initiative. They did not get back to us on Friday night, but did release a statement in August of 2019. In part, it reads: Healthcare Rising Arizona' is the moniker being used for the ballot initiative group that is California's Service Employees International Union-United Healthcare Workers (SEIU-UHW). This California-based union, famous for picketing hospitals, is asking Arizonans to vote for an initiative that won't improve their healthcare and will end up costing them more. Moreover, it has a track record of using ballot initiatives not to improve healthcare in Arizona, but to leverage its bargaining position with California hospitals. This proposed initiative not only would increase patient costs across the board to cover new administrative burdens in reporting and a mandatory increase in healthcare workers' salaries, but it also purports making improvements that the federal government, the State of Arizona and leading local healthcare partners are already providing. For the full statement, click here. "I keep saying that I'm not afraid of an extra set of eyes. I'm not afraid of oversight. Why not ask the FBI to come in and look at this investigation?" Weve all done our best to rise to the challenges created by the pandemic, but it has made me ponder some big questions, said Ives, who has diabetes and who was isolated in his apartment for three months working on his pieces. One of those is: If I had known four years ago that I would be graduating without the degree show, and would be taught remotely for months on end, would I have reconsidered doing a postgraduate degree? Thank you for reading! Please log in, or sign up for a new account and purchase a subscription to continue reading. Bluefield, WV (24701) Today Isolated thunderstorms this evening. Cloudy with rain arriving overnight. Low near 60F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 90%. Locally heavy rainfall possible.. Tonight Isolated thunderstorms this evening. Cloudy with rain arriving overnight. Low near 60F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 90%. Locally heavy rainfall possible. Things arent ever going to be normal again. There will be a new normal, I guess, but theres so much of the village thats getting torn down. Eventually, the look and feel of it will be different, Hulse said. Its just unfair and disgusting, watching these houses get torn down that Ive been looking at my whole life. What does Independence Day - the 4th of July - mean to you? Is it just a holiday to eat, drink, and light off fireworks? Do you display and wave the flag of the United States out of habit - because everyone else on the block does it? Do you cover your table with a plastic table cloth of stars and stripes and decorate your yard with red, white, and blue because that's what Target and Walmart remind you to do with its holiday displays and sales? Do you actually understand what the 4th of July signifies? Did you sleep through that lesson in American History Class? Was it even taught to you at all?I just hope you aren't one of those Americans who thinks it's the big event of the summer to enjoy cook-out food and watch fireworks.When I was very young, I thought Independence Day marked the day when the 13 colonies defeated the British for our independence. Then in middle school, I learned that it marked the date the Declaration of Independence was signed. That was the extent of my understanding until I did my own reading. Soon I learned that not only was the Declaration of Independence signed on July 4, 1776, but that it was an act of treason against the British Crown. It was an act of treason because while the colonies were fighting for their independence, the British were fighting to quash their rebellious nature for good. Rebellion against the Crown was high treason and it would not be tolerated.But it wasn't until I graduated law school that I was finally able to appreciate the real significance of the Declaration of Independence. First and foremost, and above all else, it was a secessionist document. It announced the separation (secession) of America's thirteen independent colonies from the (oppressive) mother country, Great Britain. Sure, the name of the document waswhich pretty much tells the reader what it will declare. And yes, the ultimate purpose of the document was to declare the intention of the colonies - to be free and independent from Great Britain. But, the American colonies could only claim their independence if and when they had severed their bonds with Great Britain. That is, they could only claim their independence once they had seceded from her.Amazingly, I learned all about secession and about it being a fundamental, organic right that no constitution or other compact or agreement can extinguish from reading and studying the Declaration of Independence. (I never learned about it in school, which makes complete sense. The government would never want its children to grow up having a fundamental understanding of the right of secession. Abraham Lincoln, after all, is the government's poster child, it's greatest president...... He destroyed the idea in the mind of the States and then in the minds of American citizens that there is no right of secession).Second of all, it set out the reasons for secession, laying the primary reason on the importance of man's natural and inalienable rights and the right to have a government that secures them and protects them for the enjoyment and free exercise of the People. Simply put, as its author Thomas Jefferson explained: "The Declaration of Independence... is the declaratory charter of our rights, and of the rights of man." And in that magnificent document, Jefferson has laid out the natural order of our rights and the natural purpose and limits of government.But before I go any further into the meaning of the Declaration, I think it's important to make clear, as Michael Maharrey makes clear in his article(Tenth Amendment Center, July 3, 2019), that July 4, 1776 marks the date when thirteen independent colonies, not a consolidated group of colonies, declared their independence. When the war was concluded, when Lord Cornwallis surrendered at Yorktown on October 19, 1781 and then when the Treaty of Paris was signed on September 4, 1783, what was birthed was NOT an independent United States of America (one nation) but rather thirteen independent States, united in their affection for one another and their willingness to work together for common goals.Just look at the words of the Declaration and of the Treaty of Paris.The last paragraph of the Declaration famously reads:One of the key points of the Treaty of Paris reads: "Britain acknowledges the United States (New Hampshire, Massachusetts Bay, Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia) to be free, sovereign, and independent states, and that the British Crown and all heirs and successors relinquish claims to the Government, property, and territorial rights of the same, and every part thereof."The Declaration of Independence was almost forced on the colonies by history's happenstance. It began with the colonies' restlessness in the wake of an over-zealous King and Parliament which first sought to extract tax revenue from them (without representation) and then to oppress and subjugate them as a means of punishment. They were punished for daring to stand up for their rights as Englishmen, as Englishmen had done for over 500 years of their history. Indeed, the history of England has been a history of repeated attempts, first by the barons and then by all subjects, to assert basic human rights and to demand from the King a promise (a charter) that he will respect such. Some of the attempts were successful and some only temporary, but all of England's notable charters were signed and limited the reach of the King and Parliament, even if only for a very short time.Some of these charters and other significant documents include: The Charter of Liberties of King Henry I (1100), the Magna Carta (1215), the Petition of Right (1628), the Grand Remonstrance (1641), and the English Bill of Right of 1689. This history is critical for the foundation for our country because all total, these documents establish the notion that government must respect boundaries on the individual, acknowledging that they have certain essential rights and liberties. The rights and liberties asserted and re-asserted in these documents are the "rights of Englishmen" that the colonists most eagerly embraced and were most eager to protect.Author Brion McClanahan explains the significance of England's grand history in his article Rethinking the Declaration of Independence:(See the Habeas Corpus Act of 1679).In October 1214, King John returned to England in disgrace. His mission to reconquer his lost territory in northern France had failed and other military campaigns were unsuccessful as well. He taxed England's barons heavily to finance these campaigns and they were not happy. Upon his return, he found that a group of angry barons from across the country had formed an association and were prepared renounce him as king. Over the next eight months, they made repeated demands to the King, requesting that he give them a guarantee that he would observe their rights. But the negotiations amounted to nothing. And so, on May 5 of that year, the barons gathered and agreed to declare war on King John. On May 17, 1215 they captured London, the largest town in England, without a fight. With London lost and ever more supporters flocking to the side of the barons, the King John realized he would have to address their concerns.On June 8, he notified the barons of his willingness to negotiate. Over the next few days, the barons assembled in great numbers at Runnymede, a relatively obscure meadow just a few miles from Windsor castle, where King John was based. They arrived to repeat their demands and negotiate peace terms. On June 15, the barons presented their terms to the King and he signed the great document - The Great Charter ("Magna Carta").In Chapter 39 of Magna Carta, one of the document's most important clauses, King John made the following promise:Here, it was agreed that the Crown and his administration would not arrest, outlaw, banish, or incarcerate any free man, deprive him of his rights, possessions or legal standing, or otherwise take official and forceful action against him, except in accordance with the lawful judgement of his equals or in accordance with the laws of the Kingdom. This was, in embryonic form, the principle of due process of law: The government shall not deprive any person subject to its jurisdiction of life, liberty, or property without due process of law. The Magna Carta provided that justice was to be guaranteed to every person in the Kingdom, that the right of justice would not be sold, delayed, or denied to any person. Thus, this critical, historic document provided that every freeman - i.e., every Englishmen who was not a serf - was to enjoy security and protection from illegal interference by the King (ie, government) in his person and property. [See Dr. Almon Leroy Way, Jr. (Professor of Political Science), "The American System of Government...."] The terms listed in the Magna Carta would later be referred to as "the ancient rights and liberties of Englishmen" in the English Bill of Rights of 1689.King John, in giving his consent to Magna Carta, agreed that: (1) the Monarch was subject to the law of the Kingdom and (2) the law placed limits on royal authority. This reflected an early stage in the development of the central idea of English and American constitutionalism - the idea that the ruler was not above the law and therefore had to abide by the law and stay within the limits the law imposed on his power. [See Dr. Almon Leroy Way, Jr.]Under Magna Carta, the King still governed England, but he had to share with the barons one important sphere of political authority - the power of taxation. All royal requests for extraordinary taxes had to be submitted to the Common Council for its consideration and decision. When it came to the King's raising revenue by means other than collecting the feudal fees and aids in amounts due him by customary right, he had to share with the barons, the largest and most powerful bloc in the Common Council, the authority to make binding decisions. The requirement, stipulated in Magna Carta, that the King submit proposals for extraordinary taxation to an assembly of his leading subjects - the barons and the Church officers of high rank - was one small but significant step on the long road to firmly establishing as a constitutional guarantee, truly binding on the Monarch and all other officers of the government, the age old principle of English government that no subject could be taxed without his consent, given by the subject directly in person or indirectly through elected representatives in a legislative assembly. [See Dr. Almon Leroy Way, Jr.].When Britain began taxing the colonies without allowing them representation in Parliament, particularly with the Stamp Tax, the colonists asserted this basic right from the Magna Carta in their protest sloganThe phrase actually originated with Massachusetts attorney James Otis about 1761, who proclaimed:After the Magna Carta, the Petition of Right of 1628, which was written by Parliament, was presented to King Charles I to re-assert the civil liberties of his subjects. The Petition contained four main points: (1) No taxes could be levied without Parliament's consent; (2) No English subject could be imprisoned without cause-thus reinforcing the right of habeas corpus; (3) No quartering of soldiers in citizens' homes; and (4) No martial law may be used in peacetime. Each of these four points enumerated specific civil rights that Englishmen felt Charles I had breached throughout his reign. Although he'd never been that popular as the monarch, his abuse of power against the people escalated to an intolerable level after Parliament refused to increase taxation and finance his unpopular foreign policies. The purpose of the Petition was to seek redress for the serious grievances Charles had committed.When Charles showed no sign of repenting, Parliament drafted an extensive list of grievances which it presented to him on December 1, 1641. The grievances included 204 instances of gross abuses of the King's power and usurpations of the rights of the people. Preceding this list of grievances were the following significant paragraphs:For the preventing of those miserable effects which such malicious endeavours may produce, we have thought good to declare the root and the growth of these mischievous designs: the maturity and ripeness to which they have attained before the beginning of the Parliament: the effectual means which have been used for the extirpation of those dangerous evils, and the progress which hath therein been made by His Majesty's goodness and the wisdom of the Parliament: the ways of obstruction and opposition by which that progress hath been interrupted: the courses to be taken for the removing those obstacles, and for the accomplishing of our most dutiful and faithful intentions and endeavours of restoring and establishing the ancient honour, greatness and security of this Crown and nation.The root of all this mischief we find to be a malignant and pernicious design of subverting the fundamental laws and principles of government, upon which the religion and justice of this kingdom are firmly established.The Grand Remonstrance would help precipitate a civil war in England and eventually lead Parliament to file official charges of high treason against Charles I. He would be tried, convicted, and executed (beheaded) in 1649. His son Charles II was exiled and his other son James II was able to escape to France dressed as a girl.When England erupted in this civil war, the Parliament asserted its authority and suspended the reign of the Monarch, and by 1688 had become the driving force behind English law and policy. From 1649 to 1660, England became a republic. At first it was ruled by Parliament, but in 1653, Oliver Cromwell, commander of the army, became Lord Protector of England and served until he died (1658; his son took over briefly). Eventually the blood line of Charles I was restored in 1660 first with Charles II (who sat on the throne at the time of the plague and the great fire of London) and then in 1665, with James II. He was terribly unpopular, and in fact, was widely hated by the people. Not only did he force his Roman Catholic faith on the British people, but he willingly allowed the persecution of Protestants. He was forced to give up the crown in the Glorious Revolution (the "Bloodless Revolution") of 1688. Givens, 30, would be the only active officer in the city without union representation if he follows through with his intentions, laid out in an article published this past week at medium.com. Givens, who is Black, said he hopes his action will spur a conversation about what the next generation of policing should look like in Chicago. Laura Carmichael had been looking for a challenge - and she certainly found it in BBC One drama, The Secrets She Keeps. The Downton Abbey actress, who had shared her desire to play a psycho, stating "that would be really fun", landed the script for the Australian psychological thriller last year having spent time in Sydney with family. "My boyfriend's brother lives there, so I had just been, which was another weird thing about this job, as when I was there, I was like, 'God, Sydney is great. I would love to come back'," recalls the 33-year-old over Zoom. "So, when the script came in, it felt serendipitous. It's part of a plan." Having already aired Down Under, the six-part series - an adaptation of author Michael Robotham's novel - casts Carmichael and Jessica De Gouw as two women who, despite being from two vastly different walks of life, hold one thing in common: explosive secrets. While mummy blogger Meghan (De Gouw) is happily pregnant with her third child, lone shelf-stacker Agatha, also pregnant, is struggling to make ends meet. Cue an envious obsession which rapidly escalates into full-blown stalking. "(Agatha) is this dark character, but unlike lots of thrillers it really focuses on her emotional journey," Carmichael says. "So, you understood the trauma that she's been through and what has led her to where she is." "What drew me to the project, initially, was the fact the scripts were wonderful and female-centric and female-led," agrees De Gouw (32). "It just felt like it would be a really great experience." As for the page-to-screen reworking, "I think that they've done a pretty good job of sticking with the novel," The Crown actress adds. "Everyone has their secrets and everyone has these internal battles going on and so, from the outset, there's this undercurrent of unease from all the characters; they're all going through something." As for the societal expectation put on women today, both stars, who donned fake bellies for the part, agree it's an important topic to address. "It does feel like it's around a lot. "It's that Instagram world that I can 100% relate to - and I am terrible at it!" Carmichael says. "Some people can do it really well and are very authentically themselves, whereas I worry about the wording of a caption. I don't want to offend anyone." "I think the expectations of women and motherhood are such an overwhelming thing," De Gouw adds, her character having been taken by the pull of social media. "We try to really put women into boxes and (Meghan) is someone who feels like she doesn't fit and she's really struggling to find her place and her voice. She's exposing herself to the world, but it's a very cultivated version of herself. "I sort of dug into that world of mummy bloggers and lifestyle influencers and it's a very strange world because they preach solidarity and community, but also there's this expectation of things that you should be buying and eating and the places you should be going." Did filming out in Australia offer some release from an often-intense shoot? "It was interesting being somewhere where I didn't really know anyone," reasons Carmichael. "It was quite absorbing as I could go into the work of it at home and not have the usual distractions of real life. It was an amazing time. I loved it there." For Perth-native De Gouw, it was a chance for her to return to a city she'd previously spent a lot of time in. "I guess the best way to end the day is to have a debrief with the cast and with the directors - and usually have a glass of wine. "I got to show Laura my version of Sydney and introduce her to my friends there. It's such a beautiful city, there's so much to do and see, so it was lovely." Both back in London, what's next for the pair, tentatively speaking? "I've had work put on hold, but it's sort of starting to look like it's picking up again, which will be wonderful," De Gouw says. "But everybody has been in the same situation, so we've just got to take it as it comes." "I really don't know," says Carmichael. "It feels like it will be an edging-out slowly, but in terms of thinking about the future, I guess, for me, it's fantasising about what I'd want to do next, but with no leads yet. It was such a joy to do something so different, so I want to do something different again next." The Secrets She Keeps, BBC One, Monday, 9pm Nurse Colette McAfee, who was 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 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. Read More And relations between the DUP and Sinn Fein have further deteriorated after Arlene Foster said that Michelle O'Neill's apology over scenes at Bobby Storey's funeral did not go far enough. See how today unfolded: Relations between the DUP and Sinn Fein have further deteriorated after Arlene Foster said that Michelle O'Neill's apology over scenes at Bobby Storey's funeral did not go far enough. Stormont sources told the Belfast Telegraph that relationships between Sinn Fein and every other party in the Executive were now "seriously damaged" by the Deputy First Minister's continuing refusal to accept that her actions were wrong. Monday's joint press conference by Mrs Foster and Mrs O'Neill on Covid-19 has been cancelled. The Executive will still meet that morning. A DUP source said it was "essential that the normal work of government goes on during a public health crisis". He said: "The Executive is due to discuss travel and wedding restrictions at Monday's meeting. But Arlene won't be doing the joint presser with Michelle in the afternoon. That would present major credibility problems. Given the flagrant breaches of coronavirus guidelines at the Storey funeral, how could the public take seriously what would be said?" Mrs Foster said that Mrs O'Neill's apology on Friday "falls short" of what was needed. The Deputy First Minister had failed to acknowledge her role in causing hurt to people who had lost loved ones to Covid-19, the First Minister said. "There was no recognition of any wrongdoing or recognition that there was a problem, no recognition that the credibility of the Executive has been damaged," she added. Mrs Foster said she regretted that Mrs O'Neill had not offered a full and frank apology and she said that had damaged relationships "right across the Executive". She added: "I will be speaking to other party leaders about this issue and trying to move forward. 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 to try and keep our people safe and unfortunately the credibility of that messaging has been severely damaged over this past week." Mrs 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 that she had acted within the rules in respect of everything 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. But 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." Four of the five main parties at the Executive want Mrs O'Neill to step aside pending a PSNI and Assembly standards investigations into Tuesday's funeral scenes. She and party colleagues have been accused of flouting the Covid-19 regulations and guidance they had helped to set. SDLP leader Colum Eastwood said: "Michelle O'Neill's statement falls far short of what is required. A half apology if people were hurt is not an acceptance that attendance at the funeral, in the middle of a pandemic, when others were being asked to stay at home, was wrong. "To then go on to speak about the need to prevent a second wave or clusters of infection demonstrates how detached from the seriousness of this that she has become." Ulster Unionist leader Steve Aiken welcomed Mrs O'Neill's recognition of the hurt caused to ordinary bereaved families. But he said she failed to recognise the main problem. "The Northern Ireland Executive set rules, guidelines and regulations that she, as Deputy First Minister of this country, flouted. That is not acceptable, and that is why we're still calling for her to resign or to step aside." Frankie Studs Lanigan was a fugitive from justice for two decades after shooting dead John Knocker in the car park of a Co Tyrone nightclub An INLA gunman who hid out for more than a decade as a Dublin barber will serve at least 20 years in prison for murdering a defenceless man. Frankie 'Studs' Lanigan was sentenced yesterday for what a judge described as a callous and cold-hearted killing. The victim of the 1998 murder was 22-year-old John Stephen Knocker, who had bettered him in a fight outside the former Glengannon Hotel outside Dungannon. Yesterday trial judge Mr Justice Horner told Lanigan that the murder of Mr Knocker was an "act of barbarous inhumanity". He said that Lanigan had chosen to parade in front of patrons who were leaving the late night disco "revelling in his infamy". Given the Covid-19 pandemic Lanigan, formerly of Knockmore Square in Lisburn, Co Antrim, appeared before the Belfast Crown Court sentencing hearing via video-link from Maghaberry Prison. Expand Close John Knocker / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp John Knocker Mr Justice Horner said he had read the "heartbreaking statements" of Mr Knocker's partner, who was pregnant at the time of his murder, and his daughter, who was born after his brutal killing and is now aged 20. "Their stories are immensely moving, telling of the terrible times they have both suffered as a consequence of the cold-hearted and callous murder of John Stephen Knocker," he noted. "His partner lost her soulmate. Following his murder she lived in fear and suffered enormous mental upset and anxiety. Her only means of coping was to leave Ireland behind and all her family and friends." The judge said the murder had sentenced her to a "life of misery, trapped in a nightmare that has lasted for 21 years". The court heard that Mr Knocker's daughter has also suffered mental health issues as a result of his killing and "continues to be haunted by the spectre of her father's murder". Mr Justice Horner said a statement from the deceased's mother had described in "moving detail" how his savage murder had left a "broken family mired in grief for all-time". "It is important to remember that when the defendant shot at point-blank range into the defenceless and prone Mr Knocker, not only did he extinguish his life, he blighted and continues to blight the lives of the loved ones he left behind," said the judge. Mr Justice Horner remarked that Lanigan was intent on taking Mr Knocker's life. He said that as Mr Knocker lay prone on the ground, the defendant "fired a shot at him at point-blank range... make death a certainty". The judge outlined a series of aggravating factors including that Lanigan had a loaded gun available to him on the night of the murder, he knew how to use it, and after not fighting back against Mr Knocker had decided to "wait and exact a bloody revenge" in front of patrons. "This was not a spur of the moment impulse," the judge added. "This was a calculated decision to use a gun against a defencless man in full view of members of the public and so demonstrate to any onlookers who was the boss." Lanigan had a previous conviction for possession of a firearm with intent and received a 10-year sentence, which the judge noted had "singularly failed to act as a deterrent to this future offending". Mr Justice Horner further noted that Lanigan had shown a "complete lack of remorse" for the murder of Mr Knocker, "which was a cold and calculated decision to take another person's life". He fixed the minimum term before Lanigan would be eligible to apply to the Parole Commissioners for release as 20 years in prison. Lanigan also received a 14-year concurrent sentence for possession of the Browning pistol he used that night. As Mr Justice Horner finished his tariff sentencing, Lanigan could be heard telling a prison officer in the Maghaberry video unit: "Is that it finished? Let's go. I'm going to be in here for the next 20 years." Fleeing to Dublin, assuming the pseudonym of 'Ciaran McCrory' and working as a barber at the Carlisle Gym complex in Terenure in the south of the city, Lanigan was unmasked in an undercover Garda surveillance operation. The trial heard that Lanigan's DNA was found on the rim of a discarded coffee cup seized during the covert operation before his detention on foot of a European Arrest Warrant. He spent the next six years fighting his extradition during which he revealed in an affidavit to being involved in INLA operations and "an incident" in which Mr Knocker "lost his life". A Belfast family who were counted in to Roselawn cemetery at the funeral of their brother last month have been left furious and upset after it emerged Belfast City Council handed over control of the grounds for the cremation of Bobby Storey. The council confirmed that members of Roselawn staff were sent home early to allow "family-appointed stewards" to take control of the funeral on Tuesday. William (Billy) Dowie (84) died in a Belfast nursing home from Covid-19, with his funeral held at Roselawn on June 1. His sister-in-law Emily Boomer said seeing that many people who were not family members appear to have gained access to the Storey service had compounded a month of grief. "We had to deal with Billy's death in a nursing home in very difficult circumstances," Emily told the Belfast Telegraph. "We couldn't even shake hands at his funeral. When we went to Roselawn we were counted in through the gate. Once we got to 10 that was it. "What gives Sinn Fein the right to conduct a funeral in this way? We need to know who was there, why they were allowed to be there when we had to abide by the regulations. "We're hurt. Badly hurt, upset, angry, there are not enough words. There are so many questions over what, to us, looks like a farce." Expand Close The late William Billy Dowie / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp The late William Billy Dowie A second bereaved woman also spoke out in criticism at the events at Roselawn. Lynn Paul was standing at the gates of Roselawn watching her mother, Evelyn McMullen, make a lone final journey alone, as crowds gathered in West Belfast for the Storey funeral. Already devastated by what she saw on Tuesday, she has been left "feeling sick" over what happened at the cemetery just after her mother's cremation. "The council said all cremations held on Tuesday went by the guidance. Does this mean they fast-tracked one law for one and another for the rest? Something stinks here," she said. "At what time on Tuesday did the regulations change? I'm fuming." Expand Close Dowie's sister-in-law Evelyn McMullen / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Dowie's sister-in-law Evelyn McMullen Belfast City Council said decisions on how Mr Storey's cremation was handled were taken impartially and in line with coronavirus rules. "Roselawn Crematorium chapel and indoor facilities were closed to all mourners due to Covid-19," it said. "Mourners have the option of holding an outdoor service outside the crematorium chapel. The NI Executive set out guidance to permit 30 people to gather outside, which permitted us to offer this as an option. All cremations held on Tuesday complied with the guidance. "A local elected representative contacted council officials to enquire on what was permissible and what numbers were allowed on Tuesday. "That local elected representative also informed the council officials that people, appointed by the family, would be on site to assist the family in ensuring that the only people given access to the site would be family. "These people, playing a stewarding role for family, would work with Belfast City Council staff to ensure that those allowed on the site were only those permitted by the family. "Some non-cremation staff who would normally finish at 4pm, finished at 2pm and the last member of staff due to finish at 4pm, finished at 3pm. This decision was made to avoid a situation where staff would be photographed. "It made sense operationally that staff who did not need to be there could leave before potential volumes of traffic and media arrived. Fifteen members of staff were left on site. "Belfast City Council made an operational decision to hold the last three cremation slots of the day. There is currently no waiting list at Roselawn Crematorium and no cremations were cancelled." First Minister Arlene Foster asked why the ceremony at Milltown could not have taken place at a later date, when lockdown restrictions had been eased. And UUP MLA Doug Beattie said the Sinn Fein's actions had turned the funeral into "a circus. "The whole integrity of Belfast City Council has been called into question when we have unelected representatives making decisions over the head of elected representatives," he said. "The council are trying to stand over this decision but what this does is tell us there has been a hierarchy of funerals. Sinn Fein have been given free reign of movement within Roselawn at a time when others have been denied." However, Deputy First Minister Michelle O'Neill insisted that everything that happened at Roselawn was done in compliance with council guidelines. She urged people to stop "stirring the pot" over the issue and give the Storey family space to grieve. Loyalist bonfire builders should stick to the coronavirus regulations, a senior clergyman in east Belfast said (Brian Lawless/PA) Loyalists should abandon efforts to rebuild bonfires and stick to the coronavirus regulations, an influential clergyman in east Belfast has said. The Rev Mervyn Gibson, from Westbourne Presbyterian Church, acknowledged public anger following alleged social distancing breaches during the Bobby Storey funeral. He said his community cared too much about Northern Ireland to risk everyones health by restoring Eleventh Night pyres. Mr Gibson added: We do not want to mimic their bad behaviour. We care about Northern Ireland The Rev Mervyn Gibson He said, speaking personally, whatever was done had to be restricted to 30 people under the regulations to limit the spread of coronavirus. Mr Gibson said: I think that will be difficult for bonfires to do but there is anger in the community about what happened at the recent funeral. Some within loyalism have issued guidance suggesting any bonfires should be small and localised. Public health advice on restricting the size of gatherings has helped drive down the rate of infection. Last week, hundreds of people lined the road in west Belfast for the funeral of former IRA figure and senior republican Bobby Storey, who backed Sinn Feins peace process efforts. Many across society accused republicans of flouting social distancing guidelines. Deputy First Minister Michelle ONeill has faced calls to step aside from the other four leaders of the Stormont parties after her attendance. Expand Close Deputy First Minister Michelle ONeill during the funeral of Bobby Storey at St Agnes Church in west Belfast (Liam McBurney/PA) PA / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Deputy First Minister Michelle ONeill during the funeral of Bobby Storey at St Agnes Church in west Belfast (Liam McBurney/PA) Police are still investigating and Mr Gibson predicted those responsible would be held accountable for any alleged breaches. He added: We care about Northern Ireland. We care about the people of Northern Ireland. Republicans have always wanted to destroy this state and their gathering the other day showed disregard for everyones health. I would appeal to people not to follow their example. Expand Close Arlene Foster has reminded people the pandemic is still present (Liam McBurney/PA) PA / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Arlene Foster has reminded people the pandemic is still present (Liam McBurney/PA) First Minister Arlene Foster and Health Minister Robin Swann have repeatedly reminded people the pandemic is still present and they needed to follow official regulations. Mr Gibson added: I would call upon everyone to do so. The PSNI reiterated its advice. A police spokesman said: We are still in the midst of the Covid 19 pandemic and we would urge everyone in our communities to continue to abide by the health protection regulations to ensure their own safety and the safety of others and to prevent further spread of the Covid-19 virus. It is vital that everyone follows the advice and direction from the Department of Health and Northern Ireland Executive. Expand Close A series of loyalist bonfire sites in Belfast were cleared earlier this year (Rebecca Black/PA) PA / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp A series of loyalist bonfire sites in Belfast were cleared earlier this year (Rebecca Black/PA) A series of loyalist bonfire sites in Belfast were cleared earlier this year after Eleventh Night fires were cancelled due to the pandemic for the first time since the Second World War. The East Belfast Cultural Collective said it represented bonfire builders in east Belfast, Newtownards and North Down. It added: We will not be seeking to stop young loyalists collecting material in the short period of time remaining in order to have small, localised events on July 11. To seek to prevent such events, when neither the law nor guidance prohibits them, would be to exercise coercive control. We are not prepared to do that. However, we are issuing very clear guidance which in our view strikes a fair balance. The guidance said bonfires should be small and localised, positioned to keep property safe and not include tyres or other rubbish. It urged participants to adhere to public health regulations, seek to ensure social distancing and prevent anti-social behaviour. A victims' group has described plans to erect a memorial to two IRA hunger strikers as "absolutely abhorrent". The move to commemorate Francis Hughes and Thomas McElwee in Bellaghy has caused widespread anger. An application to erect a memorial cross in time for the 40th anniversary of the 1981 hunger strike by republican prisoners in Long Kesh has been submitted and will be brought to Mid-Ulster District Council for a decision. Francis Hughes, who was the second man to die in the 1981 hunger strike, had been imprisoned for the murder of two police officers, John McCracken and Kenneth Sheehan, in a shoot-out in Moneymore. Thomas McElwee, who was convicted for his role in a bombing blitz in Ballymena in which Yvonne Dunlop died, was the ninth man to die after 62 days without food. Unionist politicians in Mid-Ulster have voiced their disgust at the plans. Yesterday victims' group the South East Fermanagh Foundation (SEFF) also spoke out in opposition. Expand Close Francis Hughes / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Francis Hughes Director of services Kenny Donaldson said there is revulsion among victims of republican terrorism at the proposed memorial. He said: "It is absolutely abhorrent for such an application to be even submitted against the backdrop of the carnage these men reaped across the area in which they were based. "We call upon the application proposers to withdraw the planning request immediately. Failing this happening, then all eyes move to Mid-Ulster Council and the actions of its councillors - in such a circumstance this then becomes the South Londonderry version of the McCreesh play park issue in Newry." Ian Irwin, a support worker for SEFF in the Mid-Ulster area, called for councillors to reject the application. "Francis Hughes and Thomas McElwee were convicted murderers, Mid-Ulster Council must stand by the innocents of violence," he said. "If the planning application does go forward then we call upon the SDLP leadership to move decisively in putting out a directive to its representatives that they should not support the application." 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 erect a memorial to Hughes and McElwee, and they had a "duty to remember" the "patriot dead." Pressure has been turned on Belfast City Council to explain why special arrangements were put in place to allow the funeral of Bobby Storey to be controlled by Sinn Fein members when it reached Roselawn. The Belfast Telegraph exclusively revealed on Thursday that the remains of Mr Storey were taken there for cremation. Previously it had been thought that he was buried in Milltown Cemetery, where a large crowd had gathered earlier in the day. The council has admitted that some employees were allowed to go home early ahead of Tuesday's funeral and that others, which it says were appointed by the Storey family, took guard at the gates of Roselawn. But the decision to hand over the council-run cemetery has been met with fury, with calls for an urgent investigation into why the decision was made behind the backs of councillors. George Dorrian, DUP group leader on Belfast City Council, said: "No DUP councillor was made aware of any of these decisions prior to the events occurring but it is vital now that the full facts are established. "We will support a full report being provided to all councillors." UUP councillor Sonia Copeland also demanded a full scale independent investigation into what happened. "It has been reported that on Tuesday afternoon Sinn Fein 'marshals' dressed in black and white clothing were on security duty at Roselawn, directing traffic and checking vehicles at the main gates," she said. "I also understand that some staff were sent home on full pay, that no burials were permitted after 2pm, and the last cremation ended at 3pm to accommodate Bobby Storey's cremation. "This is a simply outrageous situation, and what compounds it is the fact that, as a public representative, I was not consulted about this or given any advance warning by the council officers. "People are very angry about this and I fully understand and share that anger." Ms Copeland said she met with City Hall officials yesterday morning to discuss concerns. "The meeting was frank and to the point and they are under no illusions as to the feelings of discontent within the public," she said. "I addressed the issue of councillors not being informed of Mr Storey's cremation and was advised that this is normal procedure and councillors are not normally made aware of burials or cremations. "I responded by advising that this was a high profile cremation which would attract media attention especially after the numbers seen at Milltown Cemetery. They are to come back to me with further information." In a statement, Belfast City Council said plans were made for people appointed by the Storey family to work with it in stewarding the event so that "those allowed on the site were only those permitted by the family". It said a decision was taken not to hold any more cremations that day "to protect the privacy of other members of the public and their cremation services". Meanwhile, the PSNI has denied a claim by Sinn Fein president Mary Lou McDonald that it was involved in the "meticulous planning" of Tuesday's funeral. Assistant Chief Constable Alan Todd said it had engaged with organisers so they "understood their obligations". "To be clear, PSNI were not involved in the planning of this funeral and did not approve any plan for the funeral," he said. "We had assurances that those attending would observe the health guidelines." Funches was shot in the head and taken in critical condition to the medical center. One of the other men, 24-year-old Kehinde Ojunleye, was killed. Also wounded in the attack were a 21-year-old man who suffered a gunshot wound to the leg and a 24-year-old man who suffered a gunshot wound to the groin. The South Eastern Health Trust has denied claims from a Sinn Fein MP that it plans to replace accident and emergency services at Downe Hospital with a minor injuries unit. South Down MP Chris Hazzard claimed South Eastern Trust chief executive Seamus McGoran revealed the decision at a meeting held this week. The MP said it would be a "major slap in the face" for the local community. Mr Hazzard said: "Despite all the assurances that they remain committed to restoring an emergency department 'in the future when possible', the community are fearful that we are in the process of losing our emergency department under the cover of 'temporary reconfiguration' due to Covid-19." But last night the South Eastern Trust said no such decision had been made. It said a minor injuries service would begin in early August - but this was just the first step towards resuming services. "At no time did the trust state that the minor injuries service would replace the emergency department and trust chief executive Seamus McGoran made this abundantly clear to those present at the meeting on Thursday," a statement said. "Our commitment to reopening the Downe urgent and emergency care services when it is safe and appropriate to do so is as clear today as it was when we made the changes. "We are not in a position yet to restore the services to pre-Covid levels, but as a first step towards that goal we are opening a seven-day minor injuries service in the Downe ED, between 9am and 5pm, starting from August 3. "It is not a replacement, but a first phase of opening." A&E services at Downe were withdrawn during the Covid-19 emergency, but senior politicians in south Down said they had been assured the services would be restored. South Down MLA Jim Wells, a former Stormont Health Minister, said there would be "uproar" in the local area if the A&E closure went ahead. "One by one, major services have been removed from the Downe," he said. "What we are heading for is a cottage hospital. "There will be absolute uproar if this is implemented." Former SDLP leader and South Down MP Baroness Ritchie said any move to close the A&E department "would not be tolerated" by local people. The VIP Voyager was used to support the Typhoon Jets (RAF/PA) A resprayed plane used to transport the Prime Minister and the royal family has been called out to support military aircraft in Scotland, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) has said. A week after returning to the skies after being painted with the Union flag, the RAF Voyager joined the Quick Response Action (QRA) with jets from RAF Lossiemouth early on Friday morning. Typhoon fighter aircraft were scrambled to monitor Russian long-range aircraft that were flying in international airspace north of Scotland. Expand Close Two Typhoons from RAF Lossiemouth are seen after linking up with the newly re-painted RAF Voyager (RAF/PA) MOD / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Two Typhoons from RAF Lossiemouth are seen after linking up with the newly re-painted RAF Voyager (RAF/PA) To support the Typhoons, a Voyager aircraft from RAF Brize Norton was also launched to conduct air refuelling, to allow extra flight time. The Voyager used today was the recently returned to service VIP configured aircraft. The Minister for Armed Forces James Heappey MP said: Once again our RAF personnel have demonstrated their exceptional abilities to protect our skies, responding to provocation without hesitation. The dangerous flying of Russian aircraft towards our air space is a clear reminder of the threats that we face as a nation on a daily basis. Air Vice Marshal Duguid, Air Officer Commanding 11 Group, said: The interception by RAF Typhoons of Russian military aircraft in the UK FIR demonstrates our continuing resolve to police, protect and defend our airspace 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Expand Close The RAF Voyager and performed air-to-air refuelling (RAF/PA) MOD / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp The RAF Voyager and performed air-to-air refuelling (RAF/PA) He added: Todays operational debut of the VIP Voyager demonstrates the aircrafts ability to continue as an operational asset alongside its VIP role. 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 cost of the respray, confirmed by Downing Street at around 900,000 and 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 Deputy First Minister Michelle O'Neill has acknowledged the "considerable controversy "caused by her attendance at the funeral of Bobby Storey, and said it was "unfortunate" that the matter had divided the Executive. She also said: "I will never apologise for attending the funeral of a friend." Her 'non-apology' apology shows the extent to which Sinn Fein just does not understand the public mood. Though four out of five of the main parties agree that she has not yet gone far enough, this is not just political point-scoring. The overwhelming majority of people in Northern Ireland share that view, and many also in the Irish Republic. Michelle O'Neill was wrong to attend the funeral and she owes us all a fulsome apology for doing so. People in other families have spent the last three months apologising to relatives for not being able to attend loves ones' funerals. So when did Sinn Fein suddenly develop this tin ear for the public mood? They used to be much slicker in their reaction to strong criticism. However, under Michelle O'Neill there have been several political gaffes. These include the U-turn within 24 hours over the proposed closure of schools, the differences of opinion in following the advice of the World Health Organisation and not that from London, and the Finance Minister Conor Murphy mis-remembering whether he had ordered PPE equipment or not. Suddenly Sinn Fein seems less sure-footed than it used to be. All of this prompts the inevitable question - would the same thing have happened under the late Martin McGuinness' watch? Most people would say "No". Michelle O'Neill's carefully phrased 'non-apology' simply will not do. She needs to go further, and she must give us all a proper apology. People are outraged by the implication that there is one rule for Sinn Fein and another for the rest of us. A former gospel band rocker caught with nearly 100,000 sickening images of children being sexually abused previously helped to set up a charity to fight child exploitation. Sunday Life revealed last week how east Belfast man Jonny Hobson described by a judge as a Jekyll and Hyde personality narrowly avoided being sent to jail over his conviction at Downpatrick Crown Court on 36 charges. Now it has emerged he helped create a charity with his former band Bluetree after they played gig singing worship songs in bar in a the red light district of Pattaya in Thailand. The band had travelled to Pattaya to lead worship, help clean up the streets and help in orphanages - and were horrified by some of the scenes they witnessed in the city notorious for sex tourism. Read More Bluetree also had a USA gospel chart hit single with a God of this City, a message of hope to the people of Pattaya. At Downpatrick Crown Court it emerged that Hobson, of Reaville Park, Dundonald had a girlfriend and a job as a classroom assistant at a special needs school in Co Down which he began when he returned to Northern Ireland after touring the USA, Canada and Europe for three years as a drummer with a successful Christian rock band. Expand Close Jonny Hobson (32) from Dundonald. / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Jonny Hobson (32) from Dundonald. But Hobson nicknamed J-Kid when drumming developed a secret life online, posing as a 12-year-old girl and searching the dark web to obtain and swap sexually explicit images and videos of children, some as young as five-years-old. Bluetree also toured the Far East and it was after playing a gig at the Climax Club in Pattaya in 2009 the band created the charity StandOut International. The band told a Christian magazine in 2009 that Bluetree created StandOut International to help end child sex exploitation on a global scale, while loving, educating and releasing those rescued into the fullness of life that God has for them. Hobson himself said: Our aim is to raise awareness and channel funds through organisations who are active on the ground making a difference in childrens lives every day. As believers, we are all called to be the hands and feet of Jesus. Lets together stand out and make a difference. Sunday Life was unable to contact Hobsons former fellow band members in Bluetree. The band originated in Belfasts Christian Fellowship Church (CFC) in 2004 and played until 2017. Hobson joined some years after it formed and played for only a few years before the line-up changed again. Expand Close Jonny Hobson (32) from Dundonald / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Jonny Hobson (32) from Dundonald At Downpatrick Crown Court, Hobson admitted to 30 counts of making indecent images of children, five of having prohibited images of children and one of distributing indecent images of children, all between January 2016 and October 2017. When cops raided his east Belfast home, they seized nine devices which when examined uncovered a total of 92,463 indecent or prohibited images and video files. A prosecutor said when cops raided Hobsons home in October 2017, he immediately told them I have a problem with it and said there was never any thoughts about the school. Hobson told police: I want to co-operate with you Im glad youre here. Arrested and interviewed he also admitted posing as a 12-year-old girl on the apps in order to swap indecent images. He told police he looked at indecent images and videos sometimes daily. Judge Geoffrey Miller QC said Hobson described to a probation officer of feeling like two people, a Jekyll and Hyde personality; the one happy and balanced...while the other lived through a virtual reality where he accessed this material and was aroused by it. Hobson appeared emotional when Judge Miller said that not without some considerable hesitation, he had been persuaded to impose an enhanced combination order of two years probation and 100 hours of community service including carefully crafted programmes designed to reduce the risk of him re-offending. A man has appeared in court in Belfast accused of attacking three police officers and a raft of driving charges. Patrick Harmon is accused of 11 offences including wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm and possession of an offensive weapon. The 35-year-old, of no fixed abode, is further charged with robbery, causing criminal damage, taking a vehicle without the owners consent and driving without insurance and while disqualified on June 7. Objecting to Harmon being released on bail a police officer told Laganside Magistrates Court on Saturday there are fears he may commit further offences. He added the probation service had deemed him to be a threat to the public. Harmons solicitor said he denies the offences and that there had yet to be a positive identification of him from CCTV footage. District Judge Fiona Bagnall remanded Harmon in custody to appear again via videolink on July 31. If the citys cooling centers open, Guidice said, they will be available from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Residents will be required to wear face coverings upon entrance, and the Department of Family and Support Services will provide free masks to those in need. Guidice noted that the centers were reconfigured for social distancing. Voters passed a $195 million bond issue to build a new central library and improve several satellite libraries. The new location will be north of the sheriff's offices. Some oppose the new location, even through the board paid $12 million for the land. Some want more funds allocated to the other, satellite libraries. Your thoughts? Email us at letters@bendbulletin.com You voted: 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. 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. Several convoys of government forces, including several T-62M battle tanks and a number of trucks equipped with heavy machine guns, deployed to the countryside of Ayn Issa after intense Turkish artillery strikes on positions of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces and the army near al-Nuyhat in northern al-Hasakah and Hushanah in northern Raqqah. Another group of government troops deployed near the town of Tell Tamr. According to local sources, the recent Turkish strikes led to no casualties among civilians or military personnel. Nonetheless, regular Turkish attacks on these areas in fact turned a large part of the territory located relatively close to the Turkish-occupied area into a no mans land. Syrian state media also reported that Turkey set up a new training camp for its proxies northwest of Tell Tamr. While the chances of an open full-scale military confrontation in northeastern Syria between Turkey and the Syrian Army remain low, the military stalemate with regular ceasefire violations clearly does not contribute to any kind of peace process. Meanwhile, the US troops, which the Trump administration had supposedly mostly withdrawn from Syria some time ago, have been expanding their military infrastructure there. Recently, they set up a new airfield approximately 8km south of the town of al-Yarubiyah in the province of al-Hasakah. Local sources report that US forces are actively deploying new equipment and materials there, building up barracks and erecting concrete barriers. Units of the Syrian Democratic Forces are also allegedly involved in securing the perimeter of the airfield. At least one soldier was killed and 3 others injured in an attack by gunmen on a checkpoint in the town of Talfita in the western part of the Qalamun region, near the border with Lebanon. Following the attack, the army and security forces deployed additional units to the area in order to find and neutralize the attackers. Hezbollah is reportedly also involved. Such attacks in Western Qalamun are an uncommon development due to the strict security measures employed. A previous notable incident of this kind happened in December 2019, when gunmen stormed an army checkpoint in the town of Rankos in Eastern Qalamun. Then, all the attackers were tracked and neutralized in a series of operations within a few weeks of the incident. Nha spoke at an online seminar on the development of the technology, saying that 5G networks with higher speed, wider bandwidth and lower latency will serve all economic sectors. The seminar, held by Qualcomm on July 1, discussed the potential of the network in Vietnam, which is one of the first countries to commercialise 5G after successful tests in 2019. Mobifone tests the 5G network in April (Photo: courtesy of Mobifone) Nhas department recorded a 40 per cent increase in data usage. In this case, he added the faster 5G network can deploy larger-scale IoT platforms, enabling tens of billions of IoT devices to connect within the 5G network. Experts said the manufacturing industry was evolving fast and industry leaders are looking for increased flexibility in production, automation, and assembly processes while also reducing personnel safety risks. The deputy director said because of the low latency, 5G will provide new services that 4G cannot yet implement, such as smart health, self-driving cars, smart cities, or live high-resolution video that serves all industries in Vietnam. With higher speeds, storage capacity will no longer be dependent on the terminal, instead big data can be saved and retrieved from the cloud. Nha said: Once the network operator has built a strong 5G network, both big enterprises and start-ups will have more business opportunities. Nha linked the development of the network with the national programme encouraging Make in Vietnam, in which local technology firms will turn the country into an economic engine and escape the middle-income trap, making it a developed country. As Vietnam was reforming policies to attract investment and deploying sandboxes to test new business models, he said: It will transform telecommunications infrastructure to meet the demand for businesses to deploy services such as artificial intelligence and big data. Nha suggested Qualcomm work closely with local businesses in providing chips and copyright to produce 5G-based products in the country. He said: "After producing 5G devices and running them well on 5G platforms in the country, Vietnam also has the chance to export the devices worldwide." Thieu Phuong Nam, Qualcomm country manager for Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia, also saw the demand for data has risen over the years, adding that: The COVID-19 pandemic has put further pressure on current networks. Qualcomms representative said Vietnam can build its 5G on the existing 4G platform, so it will save costs and take advantage of both 4G and 5G. Qualcomm said 5G development was aligned with the Vietnamese Governments digitalisation plans and its objective of making full use of opportunities brought about by Industry 4.0, as summed up in Resolution No. 52-NQ/TW dated 27 September 2019. In the National Strategy for the Fourth Industrial Revolution, the government outlined specific socio-economic targets through 2030, including the digital economy accounting for 30 percent of GDP, completing the formulation of e-government; and forming smart urban chains in key economic regions. Nam said: 5G will be the underlying technology that will help power Vietnam to reach these objectives. Nam said with the commitment to the growth of the wireless industry in Vietnam, Qualcomm has invested significantly in supporting ecosystem partners and fostering innovation through the programme Qualcomm Vietnam Innovation Challenge./. The woman was shot in the head and died at the scene. Officials draped a white sheet over her body, which lay in the south lane of the overpass. Paramedics treated a man who sat on the nearby curb until an ambulance took him to a hospital. An abandoned pair of flip-flops and slide sandals lay on the ground inside the crime scene. 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. Harrison questions the arrest of Ghislaine Maxwell. Prosecutors are asking more women who believe they have been the victim of Epstein or Maxwell to come forward. Its 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 Epsteins baby. She raped me. I would say its 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. Russias upcoming S-500 anti-missile system will be unrivaled by any other similar technology in the world, a top military official has said. It is also the first in a new class of space-defense weaponry. The main task of the S-500 is neutralizing mid-range ballistic missiles, but it can also bring down the warheads of intercontinental missiles, as well as warplanes, drones and more, Sergey Surovkin, the commander of Russias Aerospace Forces, told the militarys official newspaper Red Star. It is also designed to eliminate hypersonic weapons and satellites in low-Earth orbit, which makes it a first-generation example of space defense hardware, according to Surovkin. The systems characteristics also allow it destroy hypersonic weapons of all modifications, including in near space, he explained. The S-500 can be attributed to the first generation of space defense systems, since in the future it will be able to destroy low-orbit satellites and space weapons. The S-500 Prometey, a combined surface-to-air and anti-ballistic missile system, was successfully tested in 2019. The first examples, which Surovkin described as unparalleled, are expected to be ready for shipment to Russian military units later this year. Earlier, the head of state-owned defense giant Rostech, Sergey Chemezov, said that there wont be any export sales of S-500s in the next five years, explaining that we must first fully supply our own army. Following last Fridays allegations by the New York Times that Russian intelligence officers had offered financial incentives to Taliban insurgents who had targeted US and coalition forces in Afghanistan, the ensuing outrage by the mainstream media went as predictably as expected. Despite the allegations being denied by Russia, US intelligence officials and even the Taliban themselves, Western media was awash with claims of the Trump administration being unduly sympathetic to Moscow a clear attempt at stirring up a Russiagate Part Two in the run up to the November Presidential election, in the same vein as the medias attempts to give credence to the claims of Russian collusion in the run up to the 2016 election. The irony of the Western media claiming that Russia had provided financial support to the Taliban in order to target US Forces based on unfounded allegations is seemingly lost on the aforementioned media however, when there is in fact documented evidence of the United States and its allies providing not only financial, but also logistical, military and political support to the precursors of the Taliban in late 70s and 1980s Afghanistan, who would then go on to target the predominantly Russian troops of the then-Soviet Union. Originally beginning in 1979 under the US administration of Jimmy Carter, Operation Cyclone would see the CIA, along with MI6, the Pakistani intelligence agency ISI and the Saudi GIP, provide arms, funding and military training to Salafist insurgents known as the Mujahideen with the intention of then sending these terrorists on to wage war on the then-Socialist government of Afghanistan, with the left-wing Kabul leadership having come to power the previous year when the Saur Revolution seen the previously Western-friendly government of Mohammed Daoud Khan overthrown and replaced by the Soviet-aligned Peoples Democratic Party of Afghanistan (PDPA) at the height of Cold War tensions between East and West. From 1979 onwards and throughout the entire 1980s, the governments of Carters successor Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatchers Conservatives would provide funding worth billions to the Mujahideen who were committing atrocities not only against those still loyal to the Socialist government of Kabul but also against Soviet troops, with Moscow having intervened at the outset of the conflict at the request of the Afghan government. The effects of Operation Cyclone would go on to have even further reaching consequences than Afghanistan, with one of the most prominent Mujahideen fighters being none other than Saudi businessman Osama Bin Laden, it is a widely held consensus that the actions of Western governments during Operation Cyclone were a direct precursor to the 9/11 terrorist attacks. However, despite being well aware of the consequences of arming Salafist extremists in a bid to foster regime change, by 2011 the United States and Britain alongside Saudi Arabia were again carrying out the same actions in Syria this time as a result of Bashar al-Assads 2009 refusal to allow Western-allied Qatar to build a pipeline through his country, one which would have undermined Damascus relationship with key ally Russia. In a similar vein to Operation Cyclone, Timber Sycamore, authorized under the Obama administration, would also see Salafist death squads being provided with arms, funds and military training by the CIA in a bid to remove Assad from power and replace him with a Western-friendly leader. Unlike the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan however, the Syrian Arab Republic has so far been able to successfully withstand this attempt at regime change, with Assad remaining in power more than nine years later owed in a great deal to the interventions of Iran and Russia in 2013 and 2015 respectively, both interventions being requested by the Syrian government. This is not to discount the fact that many gallant members of the Syrian Arab Army, Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, and Russian military have lost their lives in defence of the Arab Republic, however, with more than 112 Russian servicemen being killed in action since 2015, a direct result of the CIAs funding and support of terrorism. *(Top image: Brzezinski visits Osama bin Laden and other Mujahideen fighters during training.) Theres been a threat by lots of well-funded right-wing organizations and individuals to preserve the unfair tax system that exists today, he said in response to questions about his first $5 million contribution. It was important to me to step up and support something that Ive been talking about since day one of my campaign, something that I think is very important to the state. VANCOUVER - Businesses in Vancouver's Gastown neighbourhood honoured the provincial health officer on Friday with a sneak peek at a mural exhibition featuring her image. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 3/7/2020 (353 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. British Columbia provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry wears a pair John Fluevog shoes designed in her honour, as she views her image at the Murals of Gratitude exhibition in Vancouver, on Friday, July 3, 2020. The business improvement association in Vancouver's Gastown neighbourhood honoured Dr. Henry on Friday with a sneak peek at a mural exhibition featuring her image. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck VANCOUVER - Businesses in Vancouver's Gastown neighbourhood honoured the provincial health officer on Friday with a sneak peek at a mural exhibition featuring her image. Dr. Bonnie Henry visited the new Murals of Gratitude exhibition, which is organized in an alleyway by the area's business improvement association and opens to the public on Monday. There's at least one portrait of Henry alongside paintings of health-care workers, said Walley Wargolet, a board member with the business improvement association. "It really started with thanking our health-care heroes who are getting us through the pandemic," said Wargolet, who owns Dutil Denim. About 40 local artists created more than 60 murals when businesses boarded up their storefronts after the COVID-19 pandemic forced B.C. into a state of emergency in March, he said. "The vibrancy that we come to expect here in Gastown came back because you had all this beautiful artwork as opposed to just plywood." As the province has eased restrictions and businesses have reopened, Wargolet said the Museum of Vancouver helped curate a selection of the murals. They're set to be on display throughout the summer and the museum plans to keep some in its collection once the exhibition is over, he added. While in Gastown, Henry also donned a new pair of shoes she inspired in the wake of the pandemic. Local designer John Fluevog dubbed the two-tone pink leather heels "The Dr. Henry." The province's top doctor has gained scores of fans for her calm demeanour during frequent media appearances, as well as her flair for colourful shoes. The inner soles of the limited edition Fluevog shoes are stamped with a reminder from Henry to "be kind, be calm and be safe," a phrase she has repeated often. The designer's web page for the shoe says Henry has been "an outstanding source of knowledge and reassurance during the current fight against COVID-19." It says all profits from the sale of the shoe will support Food Banks BC. Gastown is a hot spot for tourists and Wargolet said business has slowed while more people are staying home because of COVID-19. But he's hopeful that new patio spaces will encourage people to visit the neighbourhood. He said businesses, restaurants and pubs in Gastown have worked with the city to create about 500 new patio spaces that are set to open next week. This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 3, 2020. We currently have a herd of 30 cattle with eight more calves on the way, and we have a number of animals that are ready to be processed but nowhere to take them, Gray said. We work with a smaller processing plant known as Chenoa Locker, Inc. and because of COVID-19, were currently on a waiting list until next February. It used to be you could put in a request two weeks out. 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. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 3/7/2020 (353 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. 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. This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 3, 2020 Police then got a warrant to search Zimmers home June 23, according to the release. The search resulted in issuance of an arrest warrant for two counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse against Zimmer, both Class 2 felonies. Anderson said Zimmer was still in Lake County Jail when the second arrest warrant was served and the bond was increased to $250,000. Harrisonburg, VA (22807) Today Scattered thunderstorms this evening giving way to periods of light rain late. Low 64F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 60%.. Tonight Scattered thunderstorms this evening giving way to periods of light rain late. Low 64F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 60%. The NSW government is forgoing the $195 million it expected to reap from the sale of the Powerhouse Museum, with Treasurer Dominic Perrottet declaring the decision an infrastructure investment in museums not just motorways. Mr Perrottet said on Saturday the government remained committed to building a $645 million museum in Parramatta, bringing the total cost to the budget to $840 million. NSW Treasurer Dominic Perrottet and Minister for the Arts Don Harwin announcing that the Ultimo Powerhouse Museum will continue. Credit:Jacky Ghossein The government had been resolute that the Ultimo site would close to fund the Parramatta museum for five years, but Mr Perrottet said it had reassessed its priorities in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and economic slowdown. Theres no time for pre-pandemic thinking, he said. Were putting the economy before the budget. This is the right decision not just for the economy, but it's the right decision as we build our city and state for the future. From beloved British Indian filmmaker, Gurinder Chadha (Bend It Like Beckham, Viceroys House), comes this extravagant six-part period drama set in 18th-Century Delhi. Pre-colonial India is slavishly recreated, down to servile caricatures and European posturing. Tom Bateman (Jekyll & Hyde) cuts a dashing figure as the highly anticipated incoming sahib of Beecham House, a place ripe for scandal, intrigue and a bitter battle for his affections. Extremely silly series in which 10 Australian comedians are locked in a room, told to be funny but also instructed to not, under any circumstances, smile or laugh. If that sounds like a recipe for chaos, youd be right. At stake is $100,000. Rebel Wilson oversees the action and makes the call to evict offenders. And in between times, some of the best comics in Australia get increasingly crazy in their attempts to make each other crack. The sheer mayhem is frequently hilarious. MH 1921, a film celebrating the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party next year, announced the start of shooting in Shanghai on July 1. Produced by Tencent Pictures in association with Shanghai Film Group, Dimension Films and China Literature, the movie casts A-list stars Huang Xuan, Ni Ni, Liu Haoran and rising actor Wang Renjun as well as more than 50 young actors. Veteran filmmaker Huang Jianxin, known for directing Beginning of the Great Revival a movie to mark the 90th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party returns to his familiar zone to serve as the new epic's executive producer and director. Multi-award-winning director Zheng Dasheng has also joined the film as Huang's co-director. Set in 1921, the film looks back on the early history of the Communist Party in the turbulent era, retelling the revolutionary leaders' devotion and sacrifice for the rise of Chinese people. The crew built a real-life replica of the historical relic where the first National Congress of the Communist Party of China was held in July 1921 in the Shanghai Film Shooting Base. Huang revealed during the launch ceremony that his casting criteria is to select young actors with recognized acting chops, as most of the Communist Party's major members were young people when they assembled to found the Party in 1921. Cheng Wu, CEO of Tencent Pictures, said the movie aims to look back on the Party's goal to seek happiness for the Chinese people and rejuvenation for the country at the very beginning, and wishes the film can inspire the young generation. The Kardashians this fly-on-the-wall series about a Noongar mum and her nine grown daughters is thankfully not, although some of the brood spend a lot of time preening. Rather, it is a gentle look at the everyday lives of this sprawling Perth family. At the start of season three, model Shenika is due to give birth, so an uneventful baby shower is arranged. Despite the lack of conflict, manufactured or otherwise, this is still more entertaining than Big Brother. Gourmet Farmer Afloat Credit: GOURMET FARMER AFLOAT New series 7.30pm, SBS Food If Scott Morrison is genuine about his concern for disadvantaged students who fell further behind during COVID school closures, he would help them catch up. Boris Johnson is doing just that. Last month, the UK government announced a 1 billion strategy to ensure disadvantaged students get high-quality tutoring during school hours over the next 12 months. Year 11 and 12 students return to Mount Alexander College. Credit:Jason South The Grattan Institutes recent report, COVID catch-up, makes a similar case for a $1 billion tutoring blitz in Australia. The Morrison government will be spending billions of dollars over the next 6-to-12 months to kick-start the economy. A small fraction of that new federal spending less than 1 per cent should be spent on tutoring in schools. It would be a win-win-win: the tutors would get extra income, the economy would get extra stimulus and, most importantly, disadvantaged students would get the chance of a better school experience. It should be a no-brainer. International think tanks and education experts in the US and UK have similarly recommended intensive tutoring to stem the learning losses from COVID lockdowns. The federal government will cap overseas arrivals into Sydney Airport at 450 people per day as NSW faces pressure on its capacity to quarantine returned travellers amid the Victorian coronavirus outbreak. International travellers planning to return to Australia have been warned their trips may be delayed and told to check their itineraries with their airlines. The changes affect incoming flights from midnight on Saturday. The new limits, which were requested by the NSW government, also restrict each incoming flight to a maximum of 50 passengers. They will last until July 17 and could be extended as the diversion of travellers from Melbourne Airport risks straining NSW resources. Passengers arriving at Sydney International Airport being transported to hotel quarantine in April. Credit:Rhett Wyman Victoria recorded 108 new COVID-19 cases on Saturday and began a "total lockdown" of nine public housing estates, the first of its kind in Australia which Acting Chief Medical Officer Paul Kelly said represented a "new phase of the pandemic". John Curtin died on July 5, 1945, just weeks before the end of the Second World War. He was declared a war casualty at the time and has since been repeatedly named our greatest prime minister. Seventy-five years after Curtin died, what lessons does his life have for todays troubled politics? Prime Minister John Curtin pictured during a visit to London in 1944. Credit:Hulton Archive For we too are in a moment of immense danger. Great sacrifice and determination are required to see us through. Yet already political leaders are retreating into ideological bunkers, looking little further than the next byelection. The Labor Party, Curtins party, is undergoing internal turmoil, especially in Victoria. Now more than ever we need to learn the lessons of how Curtin became the great leader who unified the nation. Curtin knew that the war would require extreme and ongoing sacrifice. His government did not just offer toil and hardship, it promised that all the effort required to wage total war would be justified once peace had come, when a new, fairer, more equal Australia would be built. This is what Curtin meant when he promised Victory in War Victory for Peace. The former US Army receiving station that received the first message in Australia that the Japanese had surrendered, marking the end of WWII, has been added to Queensland's Heritage Register. The Birkdale station, in Redlands, sits on land that could have been cleared for 400 homes. The radio communications room in the Birkdale station as it looked in the 1970s and 1980s, with more modern equipment than it had during World War II. Its role in relaying messages between senior Allied troops in America, Japan, New Guinea and Australia was so vital, five-star US General Douglas MacArthur would even sleep at the very basic base. After escaping from the Philippines, General MacArthur conducted America's Pacific Theatre campaign from Brisbane, starting in March 1942. A tiny English village ravaged by plague in the 17th century inspired Dr Helen Marshall when she was writing a novel that will soon be developed into a television series. The University of Queensland creative writing expert had researched historical pandemics to help create her book The Migration, and included Eyam in Derbyshire, which survived the worst plagues in the 14th century but finally "fell" in 1665. Queensland author Dr Helen Marshall with her book The Migration, which is expected to be turned into a television series. "They received a bolt of cloth which was filled with fleas that had the plague and the community realised that if they didn't quarantine themselves then it would spread to nearby villages," she said. "They set up boundary stones, quarantined themselves and nearby villages would drop off food for them. "The order is made for 14 days, that's a function of the act, it can be rescinded at any point. "Those nine towers will be locked down for at least five days because that is deemed the appropriate period to test everybody ... and to have those tests processed by the labs. That data will then guide us as to what the next steps should be." The increase of 108 cases is Victoria's second-highest rise in cases in a single day after 111 were recorded on March 28. It comes after the state recorded 66 new cases on Friday, 77 on Thursday and 73 on Wednesday. Dr Annaliese van Diemen, Victoria's Deputy Chief Health Officer, said the source of the public housing cluster was not yet known. Police outside the Flemington public housing towers which were placed under 'hard lockdown' at 4pm on Saturday. Credit:Ashleigh McMillan 'Potentially hundreds exposed' "There are many hundreds of people in these towers who have been exposed to the cases we have found. This is not a matter of 20 to 30 people. This is a case of hundreds who have been exposed, many may be incubating," she said. There are 1345 units across the nine towers, which are home to about 3000 adults and children. Police from the Public Order Response Unit were already stationed outside the towers on Saturday evening. At least 500 police officers will be deployed to the public housing estates per shift. Children in the towers on Racecourse Road in Flemington had their faces pushed up against their windows on Saturday night, waving to those entering the building below and yelling out, "We're in lockdown". Some of Victoria's most vulnerable people live in the nine towers and Housing Minister Richard Wynne said they would be offered mental health and drug and alcohol support. Food and care packages will also be delivered to residents. Will all of Melbourne be locked down? Mr Andrews said he did not expect all of Melbourne to have to return to lockdown, if residents followed social distancing guidelines and existing restrictions. "We cannot do it on our own. We need people to take this seriously. We need people to do the right thing," he said. "All it takes is one, one person doing the wrong thing, and this can potentially get away from you. "As these figures show, we are still on a knife's edge." The outbreaks which began in the state's hotel quarantine system have spread rapidly in the northern and western suburbs, where more than 300,000 residents are subject to renewed stage three lockdown rules. The Age has revealed that 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. Two Kmart stores were closed on Saturday for deep cleaning after staff members tested positive for the virus. A sign outside Kmart's Brunswick store at Barkly Square shopping centre thanked customers for their understanding and cooperation, while the Footscray store was also closed. A spokesman said the two cases were unrelated. A notice posted on the security shutters at Kmart, Barkly Square in Brunswick on Saturday morning. Of the 108 new cases, 14 were linked to controlled outbreaks, 25 were detected through community testing and 69 remain under investigation, the Premier said. There are currently 509 active cases across Victoria. Twenty-five people are currently in hospital with the virus, including three patients in intensive care. Victoria has now conducted 906,574 coronavirus tests since the start of the year. Of those, 25,553 were carried out on Friday alone in what is believed to be the single largest day of testing. The new chief of the health centre which operates Melbournes controversial safe injecting room has vowed to listen to the legitimate concerns of the community and consult with those affected. The Sunday Age can reveal Patricia Collocott has been appointed as chief executive of the North Richmond Community Health centre, which will run a three-year extension of the injecting room trial. Inside the safe injecting room. The Victorian government has also announced a second injecting room will be established in the city with the preferred site opposite the Queen Victoria Market to take pressure off the North Richmond facility. Ms Collocott, a former managing director of health services at Serco Asia Pacific and CEO of Hepburn Health Service, replaces Demos Krouskos, who was stood down last October after two outreach workers were arrested in relation to alleged drug trafficking. He resigned four days later. "Those residents, who all live very close to each other mean that the best and most appropriate step is a hard lockdown. This is not like an outbreak spread across multiple homes or multiple suburbs. This is a very significant step, not one weve had to take before." He promised all residents in the public housing high-rises would be fed, and also tested for coronavirus. "There will be a massive logistical task to make sure those people are fed and given the support they need." The increase of 108 COVID-19 cases is Victoria's second-highest daily total - 111 cases were recorded on March 28. It comes after the state recorded more than a fortnight of double-digit growth in new cases. Ahmed Dini lives in North Melbournes Canning Street housing commission tower, and watched Mr Andrews make his announcement. "I was shocked when I heard that, honestly," Mr Dini, 32, said. "And to say effective immediately. There are people in the community saying 'I've got to go out, I've got to get milk and food for the kids'." The Somali community leader went to his 19th floor window during the announcement and saw six police cars. By the end of his conversation with The Sunday Age he said the number had grown to 15. He worried about the police presence and how it would be perceived by tower residents, many of them refugees laden with old traumas and an ingrained fear of authority. "Right now, do you know how scary this looks?" he said. Police stationed outside the public housing flats in Flemington on Saturday night. Credit:Luis Enrique Ascui He said households in the high-rises average five or six people, with some having as many as eight or nine, including elderly family members. Former resident Mina Violas parents still live in the flats one of which has had a COVID-19 infection. There is just one hand sanitising station in each of the four high-rise buildings, she said. Victorian Opposition Leader Michael O'Brien blamed the harsh new restrictions on the government's poor handling of the coronavirus crisis. "This spike in cases isnt down to bad luck. It is down to bad decisions," he said. The Flemington commission towers have a difficult history with Victoria Police, with racial profiling used by officers in and around the area leading to a public settlement by the force in 2013. It followed allegations police had discriminated against racial minorities. Tamar Hopkins, principal solicitor at the Flemington and Kensington Community Legal Centre from 2005 to 2016, said the hard lockdown of the housing commission towers was not necessary. Loading "People can socially distance in the estates it's not like a cruise ship. This difference in treatment is frankly discriminatory," Ms Hopkins said. She said the unprecedented police presence on the estate would alarm and traumatise many residents, not calm them. "This estate is already under unprecedented police monitoring, and [the Premier's] statement reflects deep ignorance about that history, and a lack of awareness about the consequences for the people who live there," she said. She said the government should be focusing on healthcare, not policing. "There should be nurses on every floor, not police on every floor." Police Association secretary Wayne Gatt said officers learnt they would be deployed "literally on the doorstep" on Saturday evening and requested an urgent safety briefing from the government. "Health and safety protocols need to be put into place for this operation. Without them, our members could become vectors for transmission of this virus in the community, like security officers have been in hotels." Victorian Council of Social Service chief executive Emma King said the dramatic lockdown of public housing was "being done to protect tenants, and to save lives". But she warned they must be handled "proportionately" and with sensitivity. "If we get this wrong, the consequences will be horrific." With a light mist of rain falling in Flemington on Saturday night, residents slowly returned to their homes in the towers which flank Racecourse Road. Police immediately deployed to the towers told The Sunday Age that their colleagues have been called in on their days off to cover shifts. Mark Feenane, executive officer at the Victorian Public Tenants Association, said COVID-19 was a highly infectious virus, and did not discriminate based on income or housing tenure "Overcrowded living conditions assist the virus to spread. We believe that if Victoria had more public housing, this would be less of an issue." Ellen Sandell is acting Greens leader and the MP for the seat of Melbourne, which covers most of the areas affected by Saturdays announcements. She said the hard lockdown of the commission flats was "dystopian". "Im very concerned about the physical and mental health of the residents. Residents are telling me it already feels like prison with a large police presence and large families in tiny apartments with no balconies and not allowed outdoors, she said. Victoria Street Business Association president Meca Ho. Credit:Daniel Pockett "People don't want to come to Victoria Street because of fear of being harassed," Ho says, adding that users travelling to North Richmond and loitering don't respect the area. "It's not my job every day to be law enforcement. Richmond is a drug dungeon now." One client, who wanted to be identified only as Martin, says users are taking on better habits because of the facility. He says more people know to put needles in the bin and how to revive someone. "A lot of users are waking up to the fact, it should be obvious, but clean up after yourself. That's a very good message that people get when you go into the [injecting] room." Martin, who has been using off-and-on for more than 40 years and believes heroin should be decriminalised, uses the room about three times a week. He sometimes injects at home - currently a squat in Richmond - but doesn't inject on the street at all anymore. Syringes and other drug paraphernalia left by drug users at the Richmond public housing estate near the North Richmond safe injecting room. "The reality was that yeah, I would use in public spaces often, and I don't have to do that now," Martin says. "No one wants to step out their front door and see someone drinking on their front doorstep or using heroin on their front doorstep. Nobody wants that, and it shouldn't happen, and the injecting room will stop that sort of thing. It certainly doesn't create a problem, it's part of the solution." Should it be moved? One of the major tensions is the injecting room's location on Lennox Street, nestled between the Richmond West Primary School and a public housing estate. Local man David Horseman, spokesman of the residents' action committee, supports the existence of an injecting room but wants it moved. He says suggestions school children were already exposed to drug use is upsetting for parents. "That's an argument we don't accept because it's basically giving up on the safety and wellbeing of children," he says. "What we see now is that continued exposure." Penelope Drummond, who supports the medically-supervised injecting room, with her children Kate (10) and Alex (seven). Credit:The Age Richmond West Primary told the independent review there are now fewer discarded needles and overdoses in its vicinity. Enrolments at the school have gone up every year and its NAPLAN results improved more than the average school between 2017 and 2019, the federal government's MySchools website shows. Penelope Drummond has two children at Richmond West Primary and has lived in the housing estate next door for almost seven years. She agrees it sounds absurd to put an injecting room there, but says: "When you have a day-to-day experience of the full extent of the drug culture around there you get to see that, relatively speaking, it's a good thing." That's not the case for single mum Myoungsuk Oh. She has lived in the neighbouring public housing estate for about 11 years with her two daughters, and says her mental health has suffered since the facility opened. "Whenever I get out from the lift, I have to check if someone is there at the stairs, when I lock the door I always have to look around," Oh says. "I don't like people saying Richmond was always like this. No it was not, not like this." Not just an injecting room Proponents of the facility say its location at North Richmond Community Health is key to helping users get health checks. The aftercare room at the medically-supervised injecting room, where clients go after injecting. Here, they might have a cup of Milo, get their teeth checked or eat a sandwich. Credit:Eddie Jim In the first 18 months of the trial, 300 people were screened for hepatitis C and some were treated after testing positive. Staff have made about 13,000 referrals to services like the Fitzroy Legal Service. Drug outreach lawyer Adam Willson engages with heroin users in the aftercare and breakout rooms, usually once a fortnight. He mostly helps clients with low-end offending, fines they can't pay (including some for COVID-19 breaches), tenancy issues and child protection. Willson says addressing the complex issues his clients have, through the outreach programs at the injecting room, sometimes stops their offending. Supporters come together outside the facility on Friday. Credit:Joe Armao "Addressing all those issues, whether it be mental health, whether it be just as simple as seeing a dentist ... can make a massive difference to the client." The first heroin user to get dentures after a referral from the injecting room found a job within a week, Clark says, speaking to The Age at the facility. "She smiled at herself in the mirror and said, 'Right, I'm off to get a job now'. And within a week she had a job, I couldn't believe it. Then the second person, within two weeks he had a job," he says. "I realised, you can't get a job if you can't smile. No one will give you a job." The review found the injecting room saved at least 21 lives in its first 18 months, and it's managed more than 3200 overdoses by March this year. Ambulance calls involving naloxone, which is used to reverse overdoses, also dropped by one-quarter within a 1 kilometre radius around the facility. That was even greater during the opening hours, now 7am to 9pm on weekdays and 8am to 7pm on weekends. Despite that, at the end of September 2019, coronial data found there was no change in the number of heroin deaths in the City of Yarra or across Victoria. Dr Clark believes there would have been even more deaths than before if it weren't for the injecting room. The review panel made a similar finding. Crime has been increasing slightly in Richmond, according to data from the Crime Statistics Agency. Drug offences were also up in the year to March, with 552 offences in Richmond. Yarra Local Area Commander Inspector Anne Rudd said police had increased patrols and cracked down on drug trafficking, rejecting claims there is a 'no go' policing zone around the injecting room. She said police were committed to minimising drug harm in the community. "That is why we relentlessly investigate and pursue the traffickers and dealers who are profiting from this trade," Rudd said in a statement to The Age. "There is no 'no-go' zone for police when it comes to target illicit drug dealing and trafficking. However we do recognise that locking up drug dealers can only ever be one element within a broader approach to reducing the harm. Safe space: Interim CEO Damian Ferrie at the safe-injecting facility. Credit:Eddie Jim "To that end, police use discretion to allow the trial to operate for its purpose." Outgoing interim CEO Damian Ferrie of the North Richmond Community Health centre says he's regularly in contact with residents and acknowledges there's more to be done to engage with locals. The government recently announced $9 million in funding to improve the amenity around the facility, including $3 million for projects identified by locals. The health department says that neighbourhood renewal could include improvements to the housing estate, lighting, playgrounds and community rooms. Education worker and Richmond resident Judy Ryan supports the safe-injecting room, saying before it drug use in local lanes was rife. Credit:Charlotte Grieve China offers more loans for poverty alleviation - Xinhua | English.news.cn China will offer more small loans to the impoverished as part of efforts to win the battle against poverty, according to an official circular. The circular, jointly released by the China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission and other three government departments, pledged wider coverage of microloans for poverty alleviation and consistent implementation of existing policies. To mitigate the impact of COVID-19 on poor borrowers, the repayment period for poverty alleviation microloans will be further extended, said the circular. It also stressed more efforts to control the risks of poverty alleviation microloans. Launched in 2014, the microcredit product refers to loans under 50,000 yuan (about 7,078 U.S. dollars), with favorable terms, to support poor families. China has offered 444.35 billion yuan in poverty alleviation micro-credit support as of the first quarter this year, contributing to the cause of helping the poor develop production, shake off poverty and become rich, as well as advancing the development of financial markets in poverty-stricken regions. Two former SBS bosses have disputed the need for cultural diversity in media leadership, arguing Caucasians can do just as good a job at telling multicultural stories and that diversity at the top is secondary to on the screen. The comments come after a week in which the government-owned SBS was criticised for having a leadership team that lacks culturally and linguistically diverse members. At the same time, several former Indigenous staffers came forward with accounts of racism and bullying at the station. Former SBS boss Michael Ebeid said it was much more important to have diversity on screen than in back rooms. Credit:James Brickwood But SBS' former managing director Michael Ebeid and former chairman Hass Dellal argued critics should focus on diversity in programming and news bulletins, not in back rooms. "I wouldn't judge any media organisation by just looking at the executive team," Mr Ebeid, who was born in Egypt but came to Australia when he was three, said. "To me, what's on screen, who's on screen and the stories they tell are far more important than who is running the company." The first recommendation has had the strongest support, especially from teachers, who have spent years rushing from syllabus dot-point to dot-point, trying to tick-off an endless list of requirements and feeling like they were doing nothing in much depth. The government has committed to introducing new, much slimmer syllabuses by 2024, prioritising the concepts students really need to master. Professor Geoff Masters speaking at the Sydney Morning Herald Schools' Summit about the review. Credit:Janie Barrett So far, it has proposed chopping puppetry, leather and 'ideation' (the formation of ideas); no student has studied wearable art since 2013, while puppetry and ideation had a combined total of 10 students last year. "The big changes come not when you drop puppetry, but when you trim within subjects - when you trim maths and social studies and so on. That is so much easier said than done," says Ben Jensen, chief executive of education consultancy Learning First and a former schools policy analyst with the Grattan Institute. Loading "We have tried to do this for years. Every curriculum review has said, 'trim the curriculum'. It's still worth doing, but it's hard." The plan to re-write the NSW curriculum has also coincided with a review of the national one. Both involve trimming content. State and federal authorities will liaise, but there is a danger they will cut different things, and end up with awkwardly divergent positions on what matters most. Masters' most controversial recommendation was to redesign subject syllabuses so students could progress at their own pace. His concern - one echoed by many teachers during the consultation process - is that there are huge differences in students' capacity levels within a single year group. He says if all students are expected to progress to each next lesson together, those who have not properly grasped the previous one will fall behind. "There are too many students being taught things they are not yet ready to learn," says Masters. "Those gaps in learning then accumulate. If they require more time, they should be given more time." To help teachers pinpoint a student's level in each subject, Masters recommended step-by-step syllabuses, which would identify the concepts a student needed to master in each subject before they moved on to the next. They would move at their own pace; if they needed more time, they should have it, but if they were ready for more, they should move on. The NSW government supported the recommendation in principle, but handed the NSW Education Standards Authority, or NESA, the job of figuring out how it might work. "He's put his finger on the right problem, and it's particularly an issue at primary school," says one insider. "There are kids going from primary to secondary, they can't write, they can't read, they can't spell, they can't do basic maths. We can't let kids move ahead without these basic literacy and numeracy skills. But that's not a curriculum problem. It's a pedagogy [teaching method] problem." Many teachers see the logic behind letting students progress at their own pace, but have no idea how it would work in practice. "It sounds like a recipe for chaos," says Julie Townsend, principal of St Catherine's School in Sydney's eastern suburbs. "[It] could give rise to a whole new area of curriculum administration and compliance," says Paul Kiem, former president of the History Teachers Association of Australia. Jensen argues it would be more than chaotic; it could be damaging for those most likely to be on lower steps of the syllabus, such as disadvantaged, migrant and indigenous students. "It is not okay that grade four students from poor backgrounds are taught the year-one syllabus," says Jensen. "Once that happens, research says that a kid will struggle to catch up. "At the moment we're saying, 'your kids are behind, you work it out'. Now we are saying, 'you just give kids lower-level curriculum'. The entire focus should be on getting every kid up to standard, and not just giving them lower level stuff because they're not doing so well." Some within the bureaucracy share his concerns, and point out no high-performing school system has ever tried it. They also wonder whether a step-by-step syllabus would work for subjects other than literacy, maths and science, which are more likely to require students understand certain concepts, such as fractions, before they move to others, such as algebra, than a subject such as history. "It would be like saying you can't study medieval history until you've mastered Ancient Egypt," one insider says. Some also believe that fiddling with the curriculum is not enough. As Jensen points out, those who write the curriculum know little about how it's actually implemented in schools, which is arguably more important. "How do I [as a teacher] translate that into, 'my kids will do this project, this test'?" he says. For Australia's education chiefs, the point where the curriculum hits the classroom is a blind spot. Jensen argues that is the area school systems would achieve more by providing teachers - especially early career ones - with quality-assured teaching resources, so they don't have to find or design their own. "Every high performing system provides more support [than Australia] to teachers between the curriculum, and what we actually teach in the classroom." In his report, Masters himself points out that Singapore - consistently a high performer in international tests - gives teachers more flexibility within its curriculum framework, "accompanied by resources to support less experienced teachers who require them. The third area Masters tackled was the HSC. He heard much concern about how the Australian Tertiary Admission Rank, used for university entry, was distorting subject choices for students' final years at school, and about the lower status of vocational education (VET) subjects compared with academic, theory-based courses that count towards the ATAR. He suggested the development of a new set of HSC subjects that combined academic theory with practical skills, to bridge that gap. Lifting VET courses to the same status as ATAR ones is a decades'-old challenge, and one that is also being investigated by Western Sydney University chancellor Peter Shergold in a national review, which is due to be made public soon. But, like the untimed syllabuses, many wonder how bringing academic and VET subjects together would work in practice. One problem is that universities own the ATAR, not state education authorities, and they are the ones who ultimately decide whether a course is rigorous enough for students to demonstrate their academic strength, and can therefore be counted towards a tertiary entrance rank. But Craig Petersen, head of the NSW Secondary Principals' Council, says it would be easier to include practical skills in academic subjects - English teachers could commission students to write a newspaper article, for example, instead of an essay - than adding academic rigour to VET. "You have to have options for students who don't wish to, or are not capable of, following an academic pathway," he says. Another suggestion from Masters - that a taskforce look at a whether it's possible for universities to use results without calculating ATARs for every student - was "noted" rather than supported by the government, and again kicked down the road to NESA. SCEGGS Darlinghurst principal Jenny Allum hopes it is investigated further, saying a system in which students aren't given an overall ranking, but are told where they are placed in the queue for the university course they applied for, was a "beautiful solution" to the tyranny of the ATAR. "I think we should introduce it tomorrow." After two years, months of consultation and much debate, the government has firmly committed only to decluttering syllabuses - in other words, to act on something everyone agreed was necessary from the outset. In the About Us section of the AMP Capital website, there is a subheading about Culture and Diversity which assures the reader that fostering diversity and inclusion empowers our global workforce. Another subheading entitled Gender Equality promises that gender equality is at the forefront of our inclusion and diversity work and that strong progress has been made in increasing the number of women in senior roles. New AMP Capital boss Boe Pahari. Credit:Reuters We all fail to live up to our ideals, but this companys promotion to chief executive of a man who is known to have sexually harassed a female subordinate is a pretty big failure. So big, it is tempting to conclude those ideals, as expressed in corporatese on a flash website, are not so dearly held as the companys public relations team would have us believe. AMP Capitals secret about its fresh chief executive was blown open this week by reporting from the Australian Financial Review, which found out that Boe Pahari had been financially penalised for sexually harassing a woman who was then paid out. Due process was followed there was a full independent investigation by a QC into the womans claims, which found them to be substantiated. Graham Richardson, an old-fashioned NSW ALP type and wily political animal, put it best about 8.30pm: "It's a pretty crappy result for Labor". Just one thing was for certain on Saturday night: Anthony Albanese wasn't going to bed certain that his party had Eden-Monaro in the bag. Richardson, who was telling Sky News Australia viewers from the moment the polls closed that Labor's Kristy McBain was home, became more and more deflated as the evening rolled on. But reading too much, too soon into whatever happens in the regional NSW seat, is fraught with danger. Unified Security provided guards at the Rydges on Swanston hotel, where one of the two quarantine hotel outbreaks occurred. At the 2018 state election, the government promised to review the laws covering an industry beset by transient, casual labour and guards with deficient skills. It is the first review of the sector in a decade. Lax hygiene has been blamed for infections among security staff and their contacts. Credit:Getty Images The Department of Justice and Community Safety circulated the paper, which details the concerns of employers, employees, industry bodies and unions, and notes there is consensus that standards should be higher. The industry is characterised by a workforce that is highly casualised, relatively low-paid and transient, the paper found. It said on-the-job training seldom occurred because most employers were not willing to invest in casual or transient staff. Workers were often expected to complete training on their own time, while language barriers were so bad that in many cases students may not be understanding the training material delivered. The report also delved into sham contracting where an employer illegally pretends an employee is a private contractor so that the worker is responsible for their own pay and conditions. In the security industry, it means that this employee may no longer receive employment entitlements such as overtime, penalty rates, and leave, the review said. Many guards in the industry, it found, were asked to work as independent contractors or were paid cash-in-hand rather than electronically. The Sunday Age has seen Whatsapp groups that include thousands of mainly south-Asian men who respond to job advertisements for security shifts at venues and events. Many of the advertisements state payment will be made in cash or via an ABN, a sign of sham contracting, and specify guards will be required to wear the uniform of the security company that holds the contract with the client. While security guards at some of Melbournes highest profile events the Spring Racing Carnival, or the grand prix for instance may appear to be working for a single private security company, but are in fact largely engaged by subcontractors, the the United Workers Union has said. One of the three security firms selected by the government without tender and at less than 24 hours notice to guard potential coronavirus infected returned travellers is Unified Security. Loading Registered and owned by New South Wales residents, the firm had guards working at nine of around 15 hotels used by the government to house travellers. Unified was not on a government panel that allowed five firms MSS Security, G4S, National Protective Services, SecureCorp and Wilson to be contracted at short notice. The Andrews government on Friday declined to answer questions about the use of Unified Security despite it not being on this shortlist, instead issuing a statement only about its $3 million review of the botched quarantine program. London: The father of British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Saturday defended his decision to fly to Greece even though at that time the government advice was for UK nationals to avoid all but essential international travel. Greek government officials confirmed on Thursday that Stanley Johnson had arrived, likely via Bulgaria, in the northern region of Pelion, where he has a holiday home. Johnson told reporters he was on a business trip. "I don't know what the reaction of the British public (has been), I came here to have a quiet time to organise the house," he said in comments to local reporters carried by Sky News, referring to measures to make the property COVID-19 secure for lettings. London: French President Emmanuel Macron has moved to reboot his faltering leadership ahead of elections in 2022 by removing his increasingly popular prime minister and potential rival Edouard Philippe. To replace Philippe, Macron appointed Jean Castex, a conservative senior official whose work in leading the country out of its economy wrecking coronavirus lockdown has earned him the nickname "Monsieur deconfinement" (Mr Deconfinement). Jean Castex, Frances new Prime Minister, delivers a speech during a handover ceremony at the Hotel de Matignon, the PM's official residence, in Paris. Credit:Bloomberg Castex, 55, has a relatively low public profile and no ministerial experience, suggesting Macron plans to assert more control over government affairs in the final two years of his presidential term ahead of a challenging re-election bid in April 2022. As he took the helm of government, Castex, a former aide of ex-president Nicolas Sarkozy and since 2008 the mayor of Prades in Southern France, warned the coronavirus pandemic was not over yet and an economic crisis was already making itself felt. 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 You are here: Business 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. 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 Chinas ByteDance but has sought to distance itself from its Chinese roots to appeal to a global audience. Along with 58 other Chinese apps, including ... : Archbishop Emeritus of Bernard Moras has been diagnosed with mild symptoms of and his condition now is said to be stable. "Most Reverend Bernard Moras, Archbishop Emeritus of Bangalore, had gone to St. John's Medical College for a routine check-up on July 2 as he was not well. Yesterday (July 3), it was confirmed that he has mild symptoms of and the doctors have stated that his condition at present is stable," Archbishop of Peter Machado said in a message. "We assure our beloved Archbishop Emeritus of the prayers of all the faithful in the Archdiocese and wish him a speedy recovery, he said. The Archbishop Emeritus is aged about 78. (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.) Biopharmaceutical major AstraZeneca, which has undertaken a global research study to test the effects of drug dapagliflozin in preventing serious complications such as organ failure in Covid-19 patients, is likely to begin the trials in India by July end. Called the Dare 19 trial, it is one of the several global research efforts by the British company to find a solution to treat Covid-19. Ten sites have already been identified for the study in India and the process is on to get approval from the Drugs Controller General of India for this. We hope to start the process by the ... 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." The decision to ban commercial import and trading of dogs, and sale of dog meat, both cooked and raw, was taken during a state cabinet meeting, said state Parliamentary Affairs Minister Neiba Kronu. Considering the dangers of importing dogs from other states for consumption and also in line with the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960, the state cabinet took the decision, Kronu, who is the spokesperson of the government, ... 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 Speakers: Shen Chunyao, director of the Legislative Affairs Commission of the National People's Congress (NPC) Standing Committee Zhang Xiaoming, deputy director of the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council Chairperson: Guo Weimin, vice minister of the State Council Information Office of China (SCIO) Date: July 1, 2020 Guo Weimin: Ladies and gentlemen, good morning. Welcome to this press conference. Yesterday, June 30, Chinese lawmakers voted to adopt the Law of the People's Republic of China on Safeguarding National Security in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) at the 20th session of the Standing Committee of the 13th National People's Congress, China's top legislature. A decision was also made to list the law in Annex III to the HKSAR Basic Law. Today, we have invited Mr. Shen Chunyao, director of the Legislative Affairs Commission of the NPC Standing Committee, and Mr. Zhang Xiaoming, deputy director of the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council, to introduce the law and to take related questions you might have. First, we will ask Mr. Shen Chunyao to provide an introduction. Shen Chunyao: Friends from the media, good morning! Today marks the 99th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China (CPC), and the 23rd anniversary of Hong Kong's return to the motherland. I'd like to take this opportunity to express my congratulations ! On June 30, 2020, the Law of the People's Republic of China on Safeguarding National Security in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) was passed unanimously at the 20th session of the 13th NPC Standing Committee. The adoption of the law fully represents the will of the people, and reflects the wishes and aspirations of all ethnic groups in China, including our Hong Kong compatriots. President Xi Jinping signed a presidential order to promulgate the law, which goes into effect on the date of promulgation. On the same day, the 20th session of the 13th NPC Standing Committee also adopted the Decision on the Addition to the List of National Laws in Annex III to the Basic Law of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China, listing the law in Annex III to the HKSAR Basic Law. The decision stipulates that the law shall be applied locally in the HKSAR by way of promulgation by the region. According to the latest information, the HKSAR government completed the procedure for promulgation in the gazette at 11:00 p.m. local time yesterday. The law thus comes into effect in the HKSAR and the rest of the country. Formulating the law on safeguarding national security in Hong Kong is a major step, a key procedure and an important legislative initiative to implement the spirit of the fourth plenary session of the 19th CPC Central Committee and the third session of the 13th NPC. The promulgation and enforcement of the law will effectively prevent, suppress and impose punishment for offences endangering national security in relation to the HKSAR, as well as plug institutional loopholes in safeguarding national security in the HKSAR. The promulgation and enforcement of the law is of profound and far-reaching significance for upholding and improving the institutional system of "one country, two systems" under new circumstances, and safeguarding China's sovereignty, security and developmental interests, as well as maintaining lasting prosperity and stability in Hong Kong. On Oct. 31, 2019, the fourth plenary session of the 19th CPC Central Committee adopted the Decision of the CPC Central Committee on Major Issues Concerning Upholding and Improving the System of Socialism with Chinese Characteristics and Advancing the Modernization of China's System and Capacity for Governance. The decision vows to uphold and improve the system of "one country, two systems," establish and improve the legal system and enforcement mechanisms for special administrative regions in safeguarding national security, as well as supporting them in strengthening law enforcement. The decision stipulates there can be no tolerance shown in regard to any act designed to challenge the bottom line of the "one country, two systems" principle and advocate secession. Considering Hong Kong's current situation, and in order to implement the spirit of the plenary session, efforts must be made at national-level to promote the development of systems and mechanisms for safeguarding national security, and to establish and improve the legal system and enforcement mechanisms for the HKSAR to safeguard national security. Multiple measures for this purpose are available at national-level. For example, the NPC and its standing committee can make decisions, enact, amend and interpret laws, as well as list national laws in Annex III to the HKSAR Basic Law. The Central People's Government can also issue directives. Related departments of the CPC Central Committee and the State Council undertook earnest study, discussion and evaluation, and, considering various factors, they proposed an approach combining "decision plus legislation" to advance the issue. As you know, on May 28, 2020, the third session of the 13th NPC adopted an important decision, namely, the Decision on Establishing and Improving the Legal System and Enforcement Mechanisms for the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) to Safeguard National Security. It is an important institutional arrangement made by China's top legislature in accordance with the Constitution and the HKSAR Basic Law, to meet the needs created by new circumstances. The decision provided a constitutional basis for the NPC Standing Committee to formulate related laws. Several foreign digital companies may fail to comply with the July 7 deadline for the first instalment of equalisation levy, or the Google tax, as they are still waiting for clarifications from the government. The income tax department on Saturday notified modifications in the equalisation levy form, called challan ITNS 285, to facilitate payment for the newly-introduced 2 per cent levy on the foreign e-commerce operators such as Amazon, Netflix, and Uber etc. 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 Institute of Chartered Accountancy of India (ICAI) has decided to cancel CA exam in view of the coronavirus pandemic. The CA May exam will be merged with November 2020 examinations. The Institute said in an announcement that the CA aspirants who had registered for the May exams will be able avail due carryover of all benefits already available to students including fee paid and exemptions The ICAI has earlier told the Supreme Court that there may be some difficulties in conducting the Chartered Accountants (CA) exams as the number of Covid-19 cases continue to rise. The ... Are you planning to file your income-tax returns early but are not able to in the absence of Form 16? This time you might have to wait much longer than earlier years, as the Centre has extended the date for issuance of Form 16 by employers until August 15 in view of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. The decision came on the heels of the deadline for filing of tax deducted at source (TDS) returns being extended to November 30. However, in the absence of Form 16, those looking to file their tax returns early could do so using their salary slips and Form 26AS. But that is a relatively ... Russia is not in talks with Washington about its potential role at an expanded Group of Seven summit later this year, Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said on Saturday, insisting that China should also be included in the event. His comments to TASS news agency countered those of John Sullivan, US ambassador to Russia, who told RBC TV on Friday that Washington was "engaged with the Russian Foreign Ministry and with the other G7 governments about whether there is an appropriate role for Russia at the G7." US President Donald Trump has raised the prospect of ... The FMCG major witnessed significant disruptions during the first fortnight of April, but since then has been able to steadily scale up operations to near-normal levels in June. FMCG major Marico on Friday issued an overall summary of the operating performance and demand trends witnessed in Q1 June 2020. The company said it remains cautiously optimistic about the future as it unfolds, however much will depend on the extent of the spread of COVID-19 in India and overseas and how the on-ground environment evolves in conjunction with the response of respective governments. While the business environment and consumer sentiment remain volatile, the company said it is well positioned to withstand these challenging times through innovation, agile execution, aggressive cost management and its portfolio of trusted brands. Despite significant disruptions during the first fortnight of April, the FMCG major was able to steadily scale up operations to near-normal levels in June. The edible oils and foods businesses resumed operations in early april, however the hair oils & personal care businesses commenced in late April/early May. The distribution network also improved progressively during the quarter, with general trade and e-commerce channels gaining over modern trade due to heightened social distancing concerns. Marico said that while the India business clocked sales above the annual average monthly run rate of FY20 during the quarter, the reported volume decline on a year-on-year basis will be in low teens, given the very significant skew of revenues (c.31% of annual sales) and high base in the first quarter of the last year. With the Q1 top line translating into a single digit growth over the annual run rate of FY20, the company expects to bounce back to posting volume and value growth during the rest of the year. International markets have also been disrupted either due to total or partial lockdowns. The international business witnessed a mid-single digit decline in constant currency terms in Q1, but should recover in the course of the year, as it is now clocking more than 100% of the FY20 monthly average top line, led by the Bangladesh business, the firm said. While overall revenues have declined in double digits, a combination of benign input costs, aggressive cost control and rationalisation of A&P spends in few discretionary portfolios on a lower topline, will lead to expansion of operating margins compared to the corresponding quarter last year. However, for the balance of FY21, Marico expects operating margins to hold to a minimum of the previous year levels. The company concluded that it will continue to drive sustained profitable volume-led growth over the medium term, through its focus on strengthening the franchise in the core categories and driving the new engines of growth towards gaining critical mass. Shares of Marico rose 0.29% to Rs 358.60 on Friday. On a consolidated basis, Marico's net profit fell 50.62% to Rs 199 crore on 7.02% decline in net sales to Rs 1,496 crore in Q4 March 2020 (Q4 FY20) over Q4 March 2019 (Q4 FY19). Marico manufactures consumer products and services in the beauty and wellness space. Powered by Capital Market - Live News (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The government on Saturday said NLC India's Director, has been asked to immediately proceed on leave till the finalisation of the enquiry into the of the boiler at thermal plant. A boiler exploded at NLC India's thermal plant in killing six people and leaving 17 others injured on Wednesday and it has been shut for safety audit. "Director (Power), NLCIL has been asked to proceed on leave immediately till the finalisation of the enquiry," the coal ministry said in a statement. "Subsequent to a boiler in the Unit V of thermal station-II (TPS) of NLCIL on July 1, which resulted in loss of lives, a high level enquiry headed by P K Mohapatra, Retired Director (Technical), NTPC has been ordered to look into the cause of the accident," the statement said. An internal enquiry committee headed by a director level officer has also been constituted to inquire into it. The unit head of TPS-II has been placed under suspension and all the other four units of 210 MW each of thermal power station-II Stage -II have been shut down for safety audit. The UK India Business Council today signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC), the premier industrial infrastructure development agency of the Government of Maharashtra. This business framework between the UKIBC and Government of Maharashtra will help the State to proactively better its business environment and strengthen its collaboration with British business. The MoU was signed at a virtual roundtable by Dr P Anbalagan, CEO of MIDC and Kevin McCole, Managing Director, UKIBC in the presence of B Venugopal Reddy, Principal Secretary, Industries, Government of Maharashtra, Alan Gemmell, Her Majesty's Trade Commissioner, South Asia, Department of International Trade and a range of major UK investors in Maharashtra. "I am really pleased to be enhancing our already strong relationship with the Government of one of the most business-friendly states in India. We have already achieved a great deal together, and today's signing of the MoU will take our partnership to the next level. This, I think, is vitally important because, as our economies and societies recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, the need for expanded trade, investment, and collaboration between the UK and India only increases," said Kevin McCole, Managing Director, UKIBC on the occasion. "Maharashtra state looks forward to further strengthen its business relations with the UK, by diversifying and expanding the activities and with a thrust on manufacture of engineering components, capital goods and industry 4.0," said B Venugopal Reddy, Principal Secretary (Industries) addressing the businesses. Discussion at the roundtable focused on the economic and social contribution UK businesses make to Maharashtra, their future investment plans, the State Government's plans to re-grow the economy, and on the importance of international trade to Modi achieving his self-reliant India objective. "MIDC reiterates its determination towards the sustenance of our enhanced relations between Maharashtra and the UK. The MoU with UKIBC reflects our enduring support to UK businesses showcasing their commitment toward intensifying strategic investment plans in Maharashtra," said Dr Anbalagan, CEO MIDC. "I'm delighted that the UK business is looking to see what more we can do to support the ambitions of the Chief Minister and Government of Maharashtra. From banking and insurance services to supporting the city develop its infrastructure, UK businesses have been long-term partners here. Today's MoU supports the Government's focus on improving ease of doing business making India and Maharashtra - an even more attractive destination for British companies," shared Alan Gemmell, Her Majesty's Trade Commissioner, South Asia, Department of International Trade about the MoU. The UKIBC's annual Doing Business in India Report found that Maharashtra is regarded as the top destination for the improved business environment in India and, relatedly, the most common state that UK companies are looking to expand in. It is no surprise that 30 per cent of UK companies running operations in India, including industry giants like Perkins Engines and Diageo are based in Maharashtra. UKIBC will support interactions between UK businesses and the State Government to provide direct feedback from businesses on the ease of doing business and market access. These interactions will take the form of dialogues, annual ministerial meetings, and various delegation visits. UKIBC will also work towards future investment opportunities, strengthening its relationship with state governments, supporting its members in addressing their key asks and smoothing investor interactions in different markets. 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 the ground breaking ceremony took place at the land allocated for construction of a temple in Islamabad, religious organisations, lawyers and political class of Pakistan have started piling up pressure on the Pakistan government and the Islamabad construction authority, forcing them to stop the construction work. The first temple for Hindu minorities in Pakistan's national capital was recently allocated a land area of 4 kanals in Sector H-9/3 in Islamabad along with a funding of Rs 4.45 crore that was approved and released immediately by Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan, according to an IANS report. This decision, however, did not go down well with the religious organisations in the country such as the Jamia Asharfia and Ulema Mashaikh Federation of Pakistan (UMF). Jamia Asharfia's fatwa as accessed by IANS states, "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, the construction of a new worship place of non-Muslims is not acceptable as per the Islamic Shariah." UMF or Ulema Mashaikh Federation of Pakistan condemned the construction of a Hindu temple in Islamabad in much stronger terms as they announced that July 5 be marked as a day of condemnation against the Pakistan government's go ahead to the construction work. Furthermore, a petition was also filed in the Islamabad High Court challenging the government's decision to construct the temple and contended that a temple for Hindus of Islamabad already existed in the model village of Saidupur, located in Sector F-6 of Islamabad. The petition also stated that the government should renovate the already existing temple instead of constructing a new one. Pakistan's political class was less than pleased with this development as well. The Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) also opposed the construction of this temple as being "against the spirit of Islam." The PML-Q was, however, not the only one as Pakistan Assembly Speaker Chaudhary Pervaiz Elahi was quoted by PTI as saying,"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)." Kolkata has banned flights from six cities, including Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai, Nagpur, Chennai, Ahmedabad from July 6 to July 19 in order to contain the spread of coronavirus. "It is informed that no flights shall operate to Kolkata from Delhi, Mumbai, Pune, Nagpur, Chennai and Ahmedabad from 6th to 19th July 2020 or till further order whichever is earlier. Inconvenience caused is regretted," a statement from Kolkata airport said. The order was issued by the airport slot allocation team upon receiving an order from the aviation ministry. The state government had requested the ministry to suspend flights to and from these cities. The West Bengal government had asked the Centre on June 30 to stop flights from some coronavirus hotspots to the state due to increasing numbers. It had also urged for a restriction on the number of flights from other cities to Kolkata and Bagdogra to one flight a week till July 31. "West Bengal is also witnessing a steep rise in cases. A large number of cases has been reported from people coming in the State from outside with infection. Government of West Bengal has decided to stop or curtail movement of incoming flights and trains into the State," the letter to the ministry read. India resumed domestic passenger flights from May 25 after a gap of two months. Government has also ordered a ban on international flights till July 31. "In partial modification of circular dated 26-06-2020, the competent authority has extended the validity of circular issued on the subject cited above regarding scheduled international commercial passenger services to/from India till 2359 hrs of 31 July, 2020. This restriction shall not apply to international all-cargo operations and flights specifically approved by DGCA," it said. Also read: Coronavirus crisis: Ban on international flights extended till July 31 A medical body has urged the government to allow exports of ventilators over concerns of a supply glut. The Association of Indian Medical Device Industry (AIMED) has said that there have been no orders from the government for more than a month and they have large inventories of ventilators piling up. The government, fearing shortage, had ordered a ban on exports of ventilators on March 18. The AIMED wrote a letter and demanded for ventilator exports to be restored. It said that with no order from the government, manufacturers do not only have unsold inventory but are also witnessing falling demand and crashing prices. It urged the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) to allow ventilator exports from August. "In the next four weeks, more manufacturers are likely to resume production which may result in a supply glut of ventilators leading to worries of huge losses and worries of non-performing assets in a nascent industry. We request you to kindly intervene with Chairman of Empowered Committee of Essential Medical Equipment and Secretary, Department of Pharmaceuticals Commerce Ministry and DGFT for opening up exports of ventilators," AIMED said in its letter. The association said that manufacturers have slowed down or stopped production for the past one month as unsold inventory is piling up and demand and prices have fallen. The Public Healthcare, Ministry of Health and HLL are not placing any further orders, it said. AIMED also alleged that HLL, the agency that is designated by the Centre to make COVID-related purchases had last tendered on May 15 but has not released any order against this. AIMED forum coordinator Rajiv Nath told India Today TV, "Manufacturers seek opening up of export restrictions in absence of release of further orders by MoH&FW and other state government. State governments who had been placing orders till April had been asked to send requirements for ventilators via PM CARES," he added. The Centre had allocated Rs 2,000 crore from PM CARES Fund for the purchase of ventilators. Industry sources have told India Today TV that the government hasn't placed orders on anyone since April. Also read: How India's economic offensive cost China over Rs 51,000 crore so far Also read: Govt plans to boost organic farming by doubling allocation, but experts say it's anti Swadeshi Yields on state development loans (SDLs), sovereign bonds issued by the state government to raise money from the markets, have fallen close to 150 basis points in the last three months. In April, states were paying as high as 8 per cent for a 10-year loan, now the same has dropped to 6.5-6.55 per cent, thanks to various liquidity measures taken by the Reserve Bank of India. This is a big relief to state governments, which might need to substantially increase their borrowings this year as they foresee a severe fall in the revenue on the back of disruption in economic activities due to coronavirus pandemic. When states approached the market in the first half of April, they could raise funds at as high as 8 per cent rate for a tenure of 10-year. During the same period, the government could raise funds at around 6.5 per cent, almost 150-basis points lower than what the states were paying on the funds raised by them. Kerala raised Rs 1,930 crore for 15 years at 8.96 per cent, Rs 2,000 crore for 12 years at 8.10 per cent and another Rs 2,000 crore for 10 years at 7.9 per cent in early April. Jammu & Kashmir raised Rs 800 crore at 8.15 per cent for a 10-year loan, Haryana raised Rs 5,000 crore at 8 per cent for 10 years. Also read: RBI outlines norms for special liquidity scheme for NBFCs, HFCs However, yields began to cool down after the RBI in April announced various liquidity measures including a higher Ways & Means limit for states. On June 30, a few states borrowed around Rs 12,000 crore for different tenure at rates ranging from 4.63-6.68 per cent. Gujarat raised Rs 2,000 crore for 10 years at 6.54 per cent, West Bengal raised Rs 2,000 crore at 6.55 per cent. Lower tenure loans are available at lower rates. For example, Tamil Nadu raised Rs 1,250 crore for three years at 4.63 per cent, and another Rs 1,250 crore for 35 years at 6.68 per cent. According to a report from ICRA, various liquidity boosting measures announced by the RBI in April 2020 (Targeted Long-Term Operations 2.0, refinancing facilities for financial institutions, fixed rate reverse repos, increase in WMA limit for states etc) led to an easing in the 10-year G-sec yield to 6.21 per cent and the 10-year SDL cut-off to 7.0-7.15 per cent on April 21, cooling the spreads between the two to 79-93 bps. Subsequently, in the last weekly auction of April, the spread eased further to around 72 bps, reflecting the closing 10-year G-sec yield of 6.14 per cent and corresponding maturity SDL cut-off at 6.86 per cent. At present, government bonds of 10-year tenure are available at 5.8 per cent yield, almost 70-80 basis points cheaper than state government bonds. Also read: RBI flags safe digital transaction methods amid mass phishing alert When asked if yields on SDLs are attractive enough to invest, Lakshmi Iyer, chief investment officer, debt and head of products at Kotak Mutual Fund, said, that she won't be investing in SDLs yet as few PSU bonds are available at higher levels, and due to higher supply of SDLs, spread won't compress in a hurry. So, she would prefer PSU bonds and/or longer tenure G-sec preferred at the current juncture over SDLS. She says she will wait for the spreads to widen, before they may look to switch. Meanwhile, all states together raised Rs 1.7 lakh crore in the first quarter of 2020-21 against Rs 80,000 crore in 2019-20. According to the rating agency ICRA, this sharp rise in borrowings reflects the shock to the revenues of the state governments given the decline in the consumption of several non-essential goods and services that is expected to have taken place during the lockdown period. The Central government has increased the borrowing limits of states from 3 per cent to 5 per cent of the Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) on fulfillment of certain conditions. Also read: RBI flags concerns over non-transparency, violation of norms in digital transactions A volunteer takes the temperature of a resident at a residential community in Haidian district, Beijing, on June 30, 2020. [Photo/Xinhua] Residents in low-risk areas no longer need to show negative test results Residents in Beijing's low-risk areas no longer need to have negative nucleic acid test results when leaving the city starting on Saturday, as the capital has contained the spread of the recent cluster of infections, a senior municipal official said on Friday. "The daily number of new confirmed cases in the city is falling from 36 at the peak to current single digits," said Pan Xuhong, deputy director of the municipal public security bureau. "The number of new reported cases has stayed at a low level." "Very few cases were found via mass screening, while most of the cases were under epidemic control measures," he said. "Based on this, we will continue the strict virus control and prevention measures for people in the high-and medium-risk areas, but no longer require test results for people in low-risk areas." Beijing reported two new cases on Thursday, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 331 since the city found the first case of the cluster on June 11. On June 16, Beijing raised its public health emergency response from the third to the second level due to the new cluster of local COVID-19 infections, and the number of confirmed cases exceeded 100 in just five days. Starting June 17, residents in medium-and high-risk areas, as well as those connected to Xinfadi market, have been required not to leave Beijing. Others who have to leave the city should have negative nucleic acid test results no older than seven days. According to Xu Hejian, spokesman for the municipal government, another three patients were discharged from hospital on Thursday, bringing the total recovered cases to seven. "Beijing has reported new local cases in the single digits for five days in a row," Xu said. "More patients will recover gradually." On Thursday afternoon, a video went viral of a young woman crying on the phone in a mall after she was told her test result was positive. She was proved to be an asymptomatic case, said Pang Xinghuo, deputy head of the Beijing Center for Disease Control and Prevention on Friday. The woman, surnamed Xie, 24, received her test result by phone at 12:50 pm while she was in a shopping mall in the Shijingshan district. She had been to Xinfadi wholesale market for a short time on June 14, but received negative test results on June 15, 19 and July 1. She completed the quarantine at home on June 29, but during the quarantine she went to several hospitals due to a miscarriage and follow-up medical treatment. On Wednesday, she had her fourth test at China-Japan Friendship Hospital and received the positive result the following day. By 2 pm Friday, the authority had traced 204 of her close contacts, who have all been required to quarantine for medical observation, according to Pang. [ Editor: WXY ] Flash More than 70 countries have voiced their support for China's National Security Law for Hong Kong at the ongoing 44th session of the United Nations Human Rights Council being held in Geneva. The National People's Congress, China's top legislature, voted on Tuesday to unanimously pass the law. Following support for the legislation stated on Tuesday by a representative of Cuba on behalf of 53 countries, another 20 countries have spoken at the UNHRC session to express their support for the law. "Russia firmly supports China's implementation of 'one country, two systems' in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. Hong Kong's affairs are purely China's internal affairs," said a Russian representative. A Laos representative said the country welcomes China's efforts to safeguard national security by establishing and improving national security legislation for Hong Kong as well as its implementation mechanism. In Beijing, Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian expressed China's appreciation for support of the law from over 70 countries. "A small group of Western countries won't succeed in discrediting China by using it (the national security law) as an excuse," Zhao said at a daily news briefing on Friday. At the UNHRC session, representatives from Myanmar and Cambodia also said that passing national security legislation is within a nation's sovereign authority. They believe the new law is beneficial in ensuring national security and maintaining "one country, two systems". They expect that Hong Kong will continue to maintain peace, stability, harmony and prosperity and be free from foreign interference. "The national security legislation for Hong Kong is part of China's national security affairs and is an internal affair. The law will not jeopardize 'one country, two systems' and will not affect the legal rights, freedoms and interests of Hong Kong people," said a representative from Afghanistan. "Burundi appreciates China's efforts in promoting and protecting human rights and its contribution to the human rights cause in the world," said a representative from the African nation. The representative voiced Burundi's firm support for "one country, two systems" and praised the passage of the new law, saying it will effectively guarantee human rights for Hong Kong people. The Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Venezuela and Cameroon also opposed certain countries interfering in China's internal affairs and using Hong Kong and the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region affairs as an excuse to do so. Representatives from Serbia, Armenia and Chad voiced support for the one-China policy, "one country, two systems" and China's right to safeguard its sovereignty and territorial integrity. Hong Kong's affairs are purely China's internal affairs, said representatives from Nepal and Kyrgyzstan. 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. Also read: 'Groundless to view Beijing as expansionist': Chinese Embassy on PM Modi's Ladakh speech The Visva Bharati university has decided to do away with written exams for final year semester and will instead award 60 per cent marks as the average of two best semester scores and the rest 40 per cent under two other heads in view of the COVID-19 pandemic, officials said. The Executive Council of the Central university in a meeting on Friday also decided that for the remaining papers of school certificate examinations, there will be 80 per cent internal assessment and 20 per cent viva by affiliated schools, they said. For terminal semester exams of undergraduate and post-graduate courses, the EC resolved while no written on practical tests will be held, there will be an internal assessment of 20 per cent of the full marks of each programme. For 60 per cent of the total marks, an average of two best semester scores will be given while rest 20 per cent of the marks will be allotted based on dissertation, project and home assignments which will be sent online by the candidate to the teacher concerned for evaluation, the notice issued by the university authorities said. For the papers where there is no provision of internal assessment, the evaluation of such papers may be made on the basis of the total marks submitted by the head of the department such as dissertation/project works/home assignments. The EC is the highest decision making body of the central institution. Reacting to the notice Students Federation Of India leader of Visva Bharati, Somnath Sau said: "we have been opposing conducting written exams and opting for an alternative way of evaluation." He expressed satisfaction that finally Visva Bharati authorities has decided to go for alternative ways of evaluation in the present situation. Also Read: Contactless ticketing for Delhi buses: Govt tests new e-ticketing system Also Read: Coronavirus: 26 new micro containment zones identified in Ahmedabad Weather department has issued a high alert for Mumbai, Raigad and Ratangiri in Maharashtra, forecasting "extremely heavy rainfall" over the next 24 hours in many places in Palghar, Mumbai, Thane and Raigad districts. The IMD had earlier forecasted that Mumbai and surrounding areas could receive intermittent moderate to heavy downpour with the "the possibility of very heavy to extremely heavy rainfall at isolated places" on Saturday. As a result, Mumbai's civic body, Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) as well as the Mumbai Police have urged the citizens to stay away from seashore for the next 48 hours. #HighTideAlert@Indiametdept has forecasted extremely heavy rainfall at isolated places in Mumbai for the next 48 hours. Also, there is a high tide of 4.57 metres at 11:38 AM tomorrow. Citizens are requested to stay away from the sea shore.#MyBMCUpdatespic.twitter.com/KTgOtkoQqE - Mumbai, BMC (@mybmc) July 3, 2020 The BMC also shared a primer on dos and dont's during the monsoon for the public in another tweet. #IMDOrangeAlert@Indiametdept has forecast heavy to very heavy rains in isolated areas of Mumbai on 3rd and 4th July.#MyBMCUpdatespic.twitter.com/z2VftDCzWp - Mumbai, BMC (@mybmc) July 2, 2020 On Friday, Colaba, Santacruz and adjoining areas saw the first heavy spell of rains. Colaba received 166 mm of rainfall whereas Santacruz received 61 mm of rainfall in the last three hours of Friday. Going by the IMD's calculations, a rainfall between 64.5mm-115.5 mm over 24 hours is considered as heavy rainfall whereas anything between 115.5 mm and 204.5 mm in 24 hours is considered as very heavy rainfall. Downpour above 204.5 mm over 24 hours is treated as extremely heavy rainfall. Despite having the largest civic body in India, Mumbai struggles with maintaining the pace of life every monsoon as several important roads get waterlogged. Also read: Mumbai weather update: Heavy rain in Colaba, Santacruz; several areas waterlogged Workers at Bajaj Auto, India's biggest exporter of motorbikes, are demanding the temporary closure of one of its plants after 250 employees there tested positive for coronavirus, its unions said on Saturday, as companies struggle to ramp up operations. India went into complete lockdown in late March to curb the spread of the virus but it has recently eased restrictions despite the number of cases surging, putting some companies in a difficult position as they try to revive production. The Bajaj Auto factory affected is located in western Maharashtra, the state with the highest number of cases of COVID-19, the disease the virus causes. The company said in a letter to employees this week that those who do not show up for work will not be paid. "People are scared to come to work. Some are still coming but some are taking leave," said Thengade Bajirao, president of the Bajaj Auto Workers' Union. The company said on June 26 that 140 of the roughly 8,000 staff at the factory had caught the virus and two had died. It said work there would not be stopped, however, as the company wanted to learn to "live with the virus". An official in Aurangabad district, overseeing the Waluj area where the plant is located, said the number of cases had now gone up to more than 250. Bajaj Auto did not respond to Reuters' requests for comment. On Saturday, India reported a record number of more than 22,000 daily cases of infection, taking the nationwide total to more than 640,000. "We requested the company to temporarily close the plant for 10-15 days to break the cycle but they said there is no point as people will continue to gather for social events outside of work," the Bajaj union's Bajirao said. For every employee testing positive, four who work close to them have to be quarantined, affecting productivity, he said. With an annual production capacity of over 3.3 million motorbikes and other vehicles, the Waluj plant accounts for more than 50% of Bajaj's manufacturing volume in India. "If an employee remains absent at office or plant due to any reason despite being asked by the company, then his/her salary would be deducted 100% during the period," Bajaj said in the letter to employees. In May, Chinese smartphone maker OPPO suspended operations briefly at a plant near New Delhi after some workers tested positive. Workers and union leaders say Bajaj has taken steps to ensure social distancing on the factory floor and in its cafeteria, besides arranging separated seating on its buses and providing masks and sanitisers for staff. But they say this is not enough. "On the assembly line, multiple people touch the same engine. We were wearing gloves but still caught the virus," said one worker who was in hospital after testing positive for COVID-19. Also Read: Contactless ticketing for Delhi buses: Govt tests new e-ticketing system Also Read: Coronavirus: 26 new micro containment zones identified in Ahmedabad Air France and regional subsidiary Hop announced 7,500 job cuts Friday after the virus pandemic grounded most flights and darkened prospects for future air travel. Activists from multiple unions protested at Air France headquarters at Paris' Charles de Gaulle Airport as talks began Friday morning about future job prospects at France's flagship airline. They're particularly angry that the French government didn't require Air France to protect jobs when it won 7 billion euros ( 8 billion) in state bailout funds in May. Workers warned that the job cuts will ripple across the French economy, and said bailout funds should be used to rebuild the company instead of pushing people into unemployment. After a day of talks with personnel representatives, company management announced Friday night that it will cut about 6,500 of 41,000 jobs at Air France and 1,000 of the 2,400 jobs at Hop by 2022. The company said most of the losses will come through not replacing retiring and departing workers and that it would encourage voluntary departures and early retirements before imposing layoffs. Airlines around the world are forecast to lose 84 billion this year, with revenue halved. Some have filed for bankruptcy or sought bailouts to survive the near-shutdown in their activity, and officials predict the industry will take years to recover. It's too easy to take COVID-19 as an excuse, said Julien Lemarie, a 35-year-old Hop mechanic demonstrating at the airport. The scale of this plan it's enormous, it's an absolute sledgehammer blow. Air France said its traffic sank 95% over the worst three months of the coroavirus pandemic and it was losing 15 million euros a day and that it doesn't expect to recover until 2024. The airline argued that the state bailout would allow it to withstand the short-term crisis and help it focus on changing its domestic business model and becoming more environmentally responsible. The 7 billion euros in state aid for Air France is in the form of loans and loan guarantees and part of a broader 15 billion euro rescue plan from the government for the aviation sector. The Air France meetings come days after European aircraft manufacturer Airbus, based in France, said that it must eliminate 15,000 jobs to safeguard its future. Also read: Domestic air traffic to fall up to 46% in FY21 due to coronavirus pandemic: ICRA 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. Also read: Indian apps like Chingari, Khabri gain from TikTok ban, have a long way to go yet 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 light and variable. Chance of rain 80%.. Tonight Thunderstorms early, then variable clouds overnight with still a chance of showers. A few storms may be severe. Low 64F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 80%. AFRIQUE :: African Literature and the Legacy of Cheikh Hamidou Kane As I hear it, I join my hands and I applaud: Cheikh Hamidou Kane is in the spotlight on the African literary scene. Haloed by the Grand Prix des Mecenes. An African literary prize, awarded on the African motherland, by fellow Africans. - Who said that no one could be a prophet at home? ... Great opportunity to revisit with pleasure, and fortunately more relaxation than formerly during essay exams, the modest but how remarkable contribution of Cheikh Hamidou Kane to African literature. The masterpiece, the classic, the Ambiguous Adventure. The man and the work A good author, its first and always (at least) a good work. At the mere mention of the creator, the creature immediately springs to mind, faithful to its master, like an "other I". Hard to imagine one without the other. Little demonstration, let us pronounce together the words that spring from our imagination when reading the names Alex Haley: ; Chinua Achebe: ; Cheikh Hamidou Kane: Ambiguous Adventure. It's automatic. No lever to activate, it comes all by itself. Man and work (oh! the beautiful formula), forever linked by a cord that looks like an umbilical. The name and the title, paired by a (reciprocal) paternity bond, forever and ever. The book owes the author its coming into the world, and the author owes the book his rebirth as a writer. There may be exceptions, no doubt. There are those authors, perhaps more fortunate than gifted, who have managed to write two or three masterpieces in a single lifetime. Papa Kane for his part remains humble. He certainly does not pretend to be as austere and parsimonious as Thierno, the tutor of his hero Samba Diallo; he knows how to be satisfied, perhaps not with the bare minimum, but with the minimum absolutely necessary. He had a thought to express, better still, a great existential question to raise, at the time when all African students and intellectuals had or thought they had things to say. About colonization, independence, pan-Africanism, racism, apartheid ... but also on the fact or pride of being Black: this movement that they have - Senghor and Cesaire - called Negritude. Cheikh Hamidou Kane took up his pen to express his thought, rather, Jacques Chevrier put it so aptly, his anguish at being Black, at being a man, in short. He did it within a single, small book. Period. A story, I would rather be able to call it a little philosophical tale of just over a hundred pages. Was he afraid to repeat himself, by writing more than a small volume on the multiple problems and questions of this era of Africa, his Africa? Some of his peers did, however, at the risk of serving a rehash to readers, and may be eventually boring them. Millions of pages had been written for centuries to flout the dignity of the black man, they believed they should do the same to give a competition. Cheikh Hamidou Kane spoke like a chief. Once. Going deeper does not necessarily mean expanding. So, for these young kids out there, who, after reading this simple article, will run the shelves in search of the books by Cheikh Hamidou Kane, it may be that the bookseller offers you only one title: Ambiguous Adventure. Published in 1961, when the author, a young intellectual fresh out of the white mans schools, was brilliantly beginning his professional career with high offices in the administration of his Country, Senegal. He then held several ministerial posts, before serving as UNICEF representative in various African countries. Today, at more than ninety years old, at the time of writing ones memoirs, Cheikh Hamidou Kane leaves us no hope of reading him again. He thinks he has everything recorded in his masterpiece. He has nothing more to write: go tell your mama! While there, my assistant whispers to me that there is another book by Cheikh Hamidou Kane, published in 1995. "Ah! And what's the title again, Margot? Les Gardiens du temple". The Guardians of the Temple: that one totally slipped my mind. Margot saves me Its Mahalia Jackson whispering to Martin Luther King: Tell em about the dream, Martin! (Relatively speaking). Seriously, what would I have looked like! But at the same time, what would you expect? This is well characteristic of any self-respecting masterpiece: shade the other creations of its author. Does Samba Diallo's adventure still look ambiguous today? Does the cliche of the African student, stuck in the anguish of the in-between-shores, still fascinate philosophers and writers? Not really. Today, the question no longer arises with the same acuity as it did half a century ago. We go to school and that's it. Besides, the expression "White mans school" is a bit old-fashioned nowadays; it is almost on the verge of obsolescence. Africans have assimilated it (the white mans school), to the point of mastering it: "I teach French to little French people" (Senghor). In the Ambiguous Adventure, the Diallobe were living with anxiety, wondering if by sending their children to school, what they were going to learn was worth what they were going to forget. For them, the choice was not easy. Perhaps there should have been some other way out: rather than dreading the unknown, step towards it, welcome it with open arms, receive it at the risk of melting into it. That is the rendez-vous of giving and receiving of which Leopold Sedar Senghor, another illustrious compatriot of Cheikh Hamidou Kane spoke. The result is that today, rightly or wrongly, we have a new breed of people who proudly claim to be "citizens of the world". To choose or not to choose, that is the question! Shakespeare would have lived at a certain period in time that the famous Hamlet soliloquy would certainly have started with, in a strictly literal sense this time, an embarrassment of choice. Contemporary of Sartre, and therefore young Hamidou Kane, the king of the playwrights would have written for sure: "To choose, or not to choose, that is the question!" In those years, for intellectuals and aspiring intellectuals, it was all a matter of choice and commitment. Forgotten, the mathematical logic which would have liked that 1 + 1 = 2; or yet: choose not to choose = not to choose to choose. Jean-Paul Sartre, an adulated philosopher in his time, up to hysteria, reasons differently. And his premise can be summed up in a question-and-answer that hits home: Isnt choosing not to choose, choosing? ... The music sounds good. The message gets across, appeals to the majority (not to say the masses), and does not leave much room for maneuver to the "non-aligned"; the very people who thought they could hide, tranquil in the comfort of innocence that neutrality confers, while in the course of the world the great brain groups collide and neutralize each other by interposed revolutions. As an intellectual, or a student, an African moreover, one is almost under pressure; summoned by "the eyes of others" (inferno according to the same Sartre), to take sides, to defend one's opinion, ideas, policies or aspirations. Hell bent. Dreaming novelists and purist poets of art for arts sake are asked to climb down from their little clouds, whipped into shape, collared by the brigadiers of committed literature. For them, the pen is pistol, and words the bullets. This is the context in which Cheikh Hamidou Kane began to write Ambiguous Adventure, in 1952. Not necessarily to get involved or take a stand, but more, in my opinion, to highlight the anxiety of being forced to make choices that involve, far more than the individual, his community. To go or not to go to the white mans school? Could this question be reduced to this other: Forgetting or not forgetting your culture? ... Why are things so complicated? the reader seems to be wondering throughout the Ambiguous Adventure, if not the hero himself, Samba Diallo. Wouldn't it be easier to try to reconcile the extremes, find somewhere in the middle the harmonious point of convergence, or at least the threshold of mutual tolerance that Gandhi was talking about? Yet it is possible. Cheikh Hamidou Kane himself is living proof of this. He went to the white mans school, and he hasn't forgotten his culture. For this, Africa is proud of you and honors you, papa Kane. As I hear it, I join my hands and I applaud: Cheikh Hamidou Kane is the Winner of the Grand Prix des Mecenes 2019! Translated from the original article by Eric Mendi: "Ce que la litterature africaine doit a Cheikh Hamidou Kane" Flash The Fourth of July weekend is drawing near in the United States, but this year's Independence Day comes against an unusual backdrop, marked by protests and unrest that have spanned more than a month over racism and police brutality. In addition to fireworks displays and flyovers by military aircraft, U.S. media said that the celebrations will be joined by protests prompted by the death of George Floyd, and that some 20 protests are scheduled for Saturday and could extend through the night. Nationwide protests have been going on against police violence in response to the fatal arrest of Floyd, an African American man who died after a white Minneapolis officer pressed his knee into Floyd's neck for nearly nine minutes in May. Citing recent polls, U.S. news daily the New York Times said Friday that about 15 million to 26 million people in the country have participated in related demonstrations, and the figures "would make the recent protests the largest movement in the country's history." After the Black Lives Matter protests broke out, numerous controversial statues across the country have been targeted. Protesters supporting the statues' removal have said that the monuments are in memory of figures believed to be symbols of racism. U.S. President Donald Trump said on social media in late June that he has signed an executive order to protect the country's monuments. "Long prison terms for these lawless acts against our Great Country!" the president said on Twitter. On June 22, a few days before his announcement, protesters attempted to topple a statue of former U.S. President Andrew Jackson in a park near the White House, but were dispersed at night by police using a chemical irritant. Police and protesters briefly clashed on the day as city officials attempted to clear out tents erected on a street near the White House and the Black Lives Matter Plaza, saying they were creating a potential safety hazard. In New York City in late June, hundreds of people camped outside the City Hall in Lower Manhattan to demand cuts of police funding. The "Occupy City Hall" movement is asking the city government to slash 1 billion U.S. dollars off the annual budget of the New York City Police Department, which is often 6 billion dollars. The movement came as many protesters across the nation have called for the defunding of police forces. It also came at a time when the city was experiencing a spike in gun violence. Protests have continued to see casualties, with a recent case occurring in the U.S. city of Louisville, Kentucky. On June 28, one person was killed and another injured in a shooting incident during a protest in the city. Reports of shots fired at Jefferson Square Park came in at night, after which Jefferson County Sheriff's Department personnel arrived at the site and found two victims suffering gunshot wounds. Police were performing life-saving measures on the man who later died at the scene. The second victim was hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries. In mid-June, the United Nations Human Rights Council 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 Floyd in Minneapolis and other people of African descent. The resolution came as protests in response to Floyd's death and police brutality also took place in some other countries. On this page The Joint Statement on Shaken Baby Syndrome (SBS), originally published in 2001, was a national collaboration to recognize and provide guidance on this important public health issue. The Joint Statement on SBS required revisions to reflect developments in knowledge, understanding and practice within and between sectors. The purpose of this revised joint statement is to outline the key principles underpinning professional practice in traumatic head injury due to child maltreatment (THI-CM) in Canada. To achieve this goal, this Joint Statement on THI-CM includes: Multi-sectoral foundation statements on the medical and public health issues related to traumatic head injuries in children when child maltreatment is a possible cause; Updated terminology and approach to communication about THI-CM; and Recommendations to assist in implementing the updated terminology and approach to THI-CM. Specific guidance for professionals on the approach to, or management of, individual cases is beyond the scope of this document. It is anticipated that relevant sectors will develop, update, and/or revise their guidance documents based on these foundation statements. Background Traumatic head injuries comprise a small proportion of child maltreatment (abuse, neglect and exposure to intimate partner violence) cases in Canada. However, THI-CM may result in permanent disability or death, and represents a significant and preventable burden to families and society. Revision process To inform the revision of the joint statement, the Public Health Agency of Canada, in partnership with the Canadian Paediatric Society, conducted an environmental scan and literature review in 2012. A facilitated expert roundtable and the establishment of a multi-sectoral advisory group followed. This advisory group reviewed the content and structure of the original Joint Statement on SBS to determine its relevance and the requirements for updating. The literature review was updated and a revision of the joint statement began in 2015. An Expert Advisory Committee, spanning multiple sectors, provided feedback and advice on the process and content of the revision. This Committee was comprised of members of the medical, legal, law enforcement, judicial, child welfare, public health and health promotion sectors, with representatives from across Canada. (A list of experts can be found in Appendix A.) Consultations were held in both English and French with particular attention given to terminology issues between languages. It was recommended that the terminology of shaken baby syndrome be changed as outlined in this document. The terminology was chosen through an iterative process with attention to the meanings of various terms that have been used in the literature to date and how these terms are interpreted within different disciplines and sectors. The term, THI-CM, is believed to reflect the current language used by health professionals (traumatic head injury) and aids to separate the diagnosis (traumatic head injury) from opinion on the cause of injury (child maltreatment). This issue will be addressed more thoroughly in a companion document. THI-CM may result in permanent disability or death, and represents a significant and preventable burden to families and society. The Expert Advisory Committee developed a series of foundation statements. These statements are intended to summarize areas of content agreement and to serve as the underpinnings for professionals working with children and families affected by THI-CM. A series of recommendations was also developed to encourage future work and implementation of the Joint Statement on THI-CM. Foundation statements i. Terms and definitions THI-CM is defined broadly to include traumatic injury to the head (skull and/or brain and/or intracranial structures), which may also be accompanied by injury to the face, scalp, eye, neck or spine, as a result of the external application of force from child maltreatment. THI-CM is the preferred term in Canada for research, public health, policy and prevention initiatives. For clinicians recording a diagnosis in the health record, Traumatic Head Injury (THI) can be used along with a list of key medical findings (e.g.: scalp hematoma, skull fracture, subdural hemorrhage). The diagnosis of THI can be followed by a statement of concern for THI-CM as a possible cause alongside other relevant differential diagnoses (traumatic and/or medical). THI-CM should not be communicated as a definitive diagnosis based solely on initial medical information. The determination of and use of the term, THI-CM, as a final opinion in an individual case should be made based on consideration of the combined information from the medical, child welfare and/or legal sectors. ii. Epidemiology THI-CM is relatively uncommon in Canada and is present in a small proportion of cases of child maltreatment. However, it accounts for significant morbidity and mortality. The recognition of THI-CM is often challenging. These cases are frequently not recognized or are misdiagnosed as conditions other than head injury. Statistics on the frequency of THI-CM likely underestimate the scope of the problem. THI-CM is most commonly diagnosed in infants less than 1 year of age, but can also be seen in older children. iii. Causes, injuries, and outcomes THI-CM can result from blunt force impact, compression or crushing force, penetrating force and/or inertial forces, such as those that occur with shaking or whiplash. A variety of head, eye, neck and spine injuries can occur with THI-CM. While some types of injuries have a higher likelihood of being the result of maltreatment, no one medical finding or constellation of findings is exclusively caused by THI-CM. Brain and eye injuries can result from both the traumatic event (primary effect) and the bodys response to the traumatic event (secondary effect). Health outcomes, including death, can also be related to both primary and secondary effects of THI-CM. The outcomes of THI-CM may be severe and often include death or long-term disability. Children who survive THI-CM may require long-term rehabilitation, medical, educational, social, child welfare and legal supports. Their families may also require services and supports. iv. Prevention It is essential that all involved sectors recognize the importance of the prevention of THI-CM. The development and evaluation of current and future prevention efforts should be evidence-based and should consider prevention of maltreatment in the context of optimal health and well-being of children and families. There is insufficient evidence for the recommendation of specific programs and strategies for the prevention of child maltreatment at this time. While the evidence base continues to develop, programs that recognize risk and protective factors, promote early intervention, provide additional supports to families and reduce stressors for families may be useful. THI-CM can be associated with caregivers responses to infant crying. Education programs for new parents on infant crying and ways to soothe a crying infant can be effective at increasing parents knowledge, yet the evidence is conflicting about whether such knowledge reduces the incidence of THI-CM. v. Role of professionals It is the responsibility of all people in Canada, including professionals, to report suspected harm or risk of harm to children from child maltreatment to child welfare authorities according to legislative requirements. Professionals in all sectors have important and complementary roles in cases of THI-CM. Professionals from each sector should respect the breadth and limits of their areas of expertise. In addition, they should work collaboratively with colleagues in other sectors, recognizing the childs health and well-being as central to their work. While research has answered many important scientific questions about THI-CM, some questions remain where the research findings are less certain or where the area has not been adequately studied. It is important that professionals involved in the investigation, assessment and management of THI-CM consider and communicate the strengths, limitations and areas of uncertainty within the evolving scientific knowledge base about THI-CM. When the opinion of a medical professional leads to considering THI-CM as a cause for a childs head injury, the opinion is to be informed by current scientific evidence. Physicians providing expert opinions on THI-CM as a cause of injury require adequate training, knowledge and experience. They must also be familiar with their role in relation to the child welfare and the legal system and engage in peer review and/or quality assurance practices. Recommendations Adopt standardized terminology and definitions of THI-CM and its associated injuries to facilitate clear communication across sectors, which will allow for consistent identification of THI-CM for research and quality assurance purposes. Professionals and professional organizations in relevant sectors recognize the childs health and well-being as central to the process, and activities of their work in THI-CM, and they use practices that minimize harm to the child. Continue to develop, rigorously evaluate and prioritize THI-CM prevention programs. Encourage further research in THI-CM and maltreatment. This could include scientific research, program evaluation and/or legal analysis, within or across sectors. Adequately educate and train professionals working in the field of THI-CM and child maltreatment in order for them to fulfill their professional roles and responsibilities. Professionals working in the field of THI-CM develop collaborations and participate in multi-sectoral training to ensure adequate understanding of the roles and responsibilities of professionals in other relevant sectors. Use and adapt the content of this joint statement on THI-CM across sectors to inform the practices and activities in clinical services, research, legal practice, policy development, public education, prevention and health promotion on the topic of THI-CM. Key references and resources The following selected references and resources include clinical guidance, narrative reviews, evaluation studies, international perspectives and other topics for readers interest and do not reflect the full scope of the relevant literature. Canadian Child Welfare Research Portal: http://cwrp.ca/overview Christian CW, Block R. Committee on Child Abuse and Neglect, American Academy of Pediatrics. Abusive head trauma in infants and children. Pediatrics 2009; 123(5): 1409-11 Choudhary AK, Servaes S, Slovis TL, Palusci VJ, Hedlund GL, Narang SK, Moreno JA, Dias MS, Christian CW, Nelson MD Jr, Silvera VM, Palasis S, Raissaki M, Rossi A, Offiah AC. Consensus statement on abusive head trauma in infants and young children. Pediatr Radiol. 2018; 48(8):1048-1065. Christian CW, Committee on Child Abuse and Neglect, American Academy of Pediatrics. The evaluation of suspected child physical abuse. Pediatrics 2015; 135(5): e1336-1354 Euser S, Alink LRA, Stoltenborgh M, Bakermans-Kranenburg MJ, van IJzendoorn MH. A gloomy picture: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials reveals disappointing effectiveness of programs aiming at preventing child maltreatment. BMC Public Health. 2015; 15:1068 Frasier LD, Kelly P, Al-Eissa M, Otterman GJ. International issues in abusive head trauma. Pediatr Radiol 2014; 44 (S4):S647-S653 Greeley CS. Abusive head trauma: a review of the evidence base. Am J Roentgen 2015; 204(5): 967-973 Iacobucci F, Hamilton G. The Goudge Inquiry and the role of medical expert witnesses. Canadian Medical Association Journal 2010; 182(1): 53-56 Laurent-Vannier A, Nathanson M, Quiriau F, Briand-Huchet E, Cook J, Billette de Villemeur T, et al. A public hearing Shaken baby syndrome: guidelines on establishing a robust diagnosis and the procedures to be adoped by healthcare and social service staff. Guidelines issued by the Hearing Commission. Ann Phys Rehab Med 2011; 54: 600-625 Leventhal JM, Ashes AG, Pavlovic L, Moles RL. Diagnosing abusive head trauma: the challenges faced by clinicians. Pediatr Radiol 2014; 44(Supp 4): S537-S542 Lopes NR, Williams LC. Pediatric abusive head trauma prevention initiatives: A literature review. Trauma Violence Abuse. 2018; 19(5):555-566 MacMillan HL, Wathen CN, Barlow J, Fergusson DM, Leventhal JM, Taussig HN. Interventions to prevent child maltreatment and associated impairment. Lancet 2009; 373(9659): 250-66. Maguire S, Pickerd N, Farewell D, Mann M, Tempest V, Kemp AM. Which clinical features distinguish inflicted from non-inflicted brain injury? A systematic review. Arch Dis Child 2009; 94: 860-867 Mikton C, Butchart A. Child maltreatment prevention: a systematic review of reviews. Bull World Health Organ. 2009; 87(5): 353-61 New South Wales Department of Health, Government, Australia. Policy Directive: Children and Infants Acute Management of head injury. 2011. https://www1.health.nsw.gov.au/PDS/pages/doc.aspx?dn=PD2011_024# Parks SE, Annest JL, Hill HA, Karch DL. Pediatric Abusive Head Trauma: Recommended Definitions for Public Health Surveillance and Research.Atlanta (GA): Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; 2012. https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/pdf/pedheadtrauma-a.pdf Piteau SJ, Ward MGK, Barowman NJ, Plint AC. Clinical and radiographic characteristics associated with abusive and nonabusive head trauma: A systematic review. Pediatrics 2012; 130(2): 315-323 Public Health Agency of Canada. Canadian Incidence Study of Reported Child Abuse and Neglect 2008: Major findings. Ottawa, 2010. https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/health-promotion/injury-child-maltreatment-section/child-maltreatment/canadian-incidence-study-reported-child-abuse-neglect-major-findings-2003/canadian-incidence-study-reported-child-abuse-neglect-2008.html Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health: Child Protection Evidence http://rcpch.ac.uk Watts P and Child maltreatment guideline working party of the Royal College of Ophthalmologists UK. Abusive head trauma and the eye in infancy. Eye (Lond) 2013; 27(10): 12271229. Appendix A: Acknowledgements This joint statement on THI-CM was a collaboration between the Public Health Agency of Canada and the Canadian Paediatric Society. Members of the Expert Advisory Committee included: Dr. Michelle Ward (Medical Co-Lead / Author) Vice President, Child and Youth Maltreatment Section, Canadian Paediatric Society Head, Division of Child and Youth Protection, Childrens Hospital of Eastern Ontario Associate Professor, Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa Dr. Michelle Shouldice (Medical Co-Lead / Author) Past President, Child and Youth Maltreatment Section, Canadian Paediatric Society Head, Division of Paediatric Medicine, The Hospital for Sick Children Associate Professor, Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto Noreen Agrey Executive Director, Saskatchewan Prevention Institute Dr. Thambirajah Balachandra Chief Medical Examiner, Department of Justice, Province of Manitoba Dr. Matthew Bowes Chief Medical Examiner, Nova Scotia Medical Examiner Service Mike Darling Detective/Constable, Vancouver Island Integrated Major Crime Unit Dr. Lionel Dibden Child Adolescent Protection, Alberta Stollery Childrens Hospital Hon. Stephen Goudge Court of Appeal of Ontario, Paliare Roland Barristers Dr. Dirk Huyer Chief Coroner, Office of the Chief Coroner for Ontario Dr. Harriet MacMillan Psychiatry & Behavioural Neurosciences, McMaster University Dr. Amy Ornstein Child Protection Team, Department of Paediatrics, IWK Health Centre Dr. Michael Pollanen Chief Forensic Pathologist, Centre for Forensic Science & Medicine, University of Toronto Over several years, the Expert Advisory Committee received guidance from international, national and regional experts through two expert roundtables, a multi-sectoral review committee and a working group on language and terminology. These expert contributors represented a variety of sectors, including; the medical (pediatrics, family practice, ophthalmology, forensic pathology, northern medicine, coroner and medical examiner systems, psychiatry, nursing, medical research and prevention), legal, law enforcement, judicial, child welfare, public health and health promotion sectors. Appendix B: Expert reviewers Dr. Claire Allard-Dansereau Pediatrician, Child Maltreatment Centre hospitalier universitaire (CHU) mere-enfant Sainte-Justine Nicholas C. Bala Professor, Child Protection/ Family Law Queens University Dr. Anne-Claude Bernard-Bonin Pediatrician, Child Maltreatment Centre hospitalier universitaire (CHU) mere-enfant Sainte-Justine Dr. Laurel Chauvin-Kimoff Paediatrician, Child Protection Program Montreal Childrens Hospital Sylvie Fortin Projet prevention SBS et maltraitance infantile Centre hospitalier universitaire (CHU) mere-enfant Sainte-Justine Mary-Ellen Hurman Crown Attorney Ministry of the Attorney General of Ontario Christa Laforce Training and Partnership Development Sergeant Child Protection Section, Edmonton Police Service Dr. Amber Miners Pediatrician Government of Nunavut Dr. Kamiar Mireskandari Paediatric Ophthalmologist The Hospital for Sick Children/Canadian Ophthalmological Society and Strabismus Dr. Karine Pepin Pediatrician, Child Maltreatment Centre hospitalier universitaire (CHU) mere-enfant Sainte-Justine Nancy Poole Director of Research and Knowledge Translation BC Centre of Excellence for Womens Health Marie-Noel Theriault Ministere de la sante et des services sociaux du Quebec Direction des jeunes et des familles Dr. Marlene Thibault Pediatrician Centre Mere-Enfant Soleil du CHU de Quebec-Universite Laval Provincial/Territorial Directors of Child Welfare Committee This aerial drone photo shows the Call Federal Credit Union building, front, Tuesday June 16, 2020, in Midlothian, Va. Police were able to obtain geofence search warrants, a tool being increasingly used by law enforcement. The warrant sought location histories kept by Google of cellphones and other devices used within 150 meters (500 feet) of the bank. (AP Photo/Steve Helber) In this June 29, 2020 file photo North Carolina Lt. Gov. Dan Forest speaks to members of the media during a news conference in Raleigh, N.C. North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper, D-N.C., vetoed a string of bills on Thursday, July 2, 2020 passed in the Republican-controlled legislature to reopen businesses and help reignite parts of the economy most hurt by the coronavirus. Forest, who is running against Cooper in the November gubernatorial election, sued the governor earlier this week for unilaterally closing businesses and mandating face masks. (AP Photo/Gerry Broome) The Carteret Community College Foundation has awarded Jarrett Bay Boatworks co-founder and President Randy Ramsey with the 2020 Carteret Community College Distinguished Alumni Award. (Contributed photo) A new AP-NORC poll finds that most Americans say police violence is a serious problem, including about half who call it very or extremely serious. The shift occurs mostly among white adults, while black adults still overwhelmingly hold this view. Photo: The Canadian Press 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 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. Photo: The Canadian Press 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 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." Photo: The Canadian Press British Columbia provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry wears a pair John Fluevog shoes designed in her honour, as she views her image at the Murals of Gratitude exhibition in Vancouver, on Friday, July 3, 2020. The business improvement association in Vancouver's Gastown neighbourhood honoured Dr. Henry on Friday with a sneak peek at a mural exhibition featuring her image. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck Businesses in Vancouver's Gastown neighbourhood honoured the provincial health officer on Friday with a sneak peek at a mural exhibition featuring her image. Dr. Bonnie Henry visited the new Murals of Gratitude exhibition, which is organized in an alleyway by the area's business improvement association and opens to the public on Monday. There's at least one portrait of Henry alongside paintings of health-care workers, said Walley Wargolet, a board member with the business improvement association. "It really started with thanking our health-care heroes who are getting us through the pandemic," said Wargolet, who owns Dutil Denim. About 40 local artists created more than 60 murals when businesses boarded up their storefronts after the COVID-19 pandemic forced B.C. into a state of emergency in March, he said. "The vibrancy that we come to expect here in Gastown came back because you had all this beautiful artwork as opposed to just plywood." As the province has eased restrictions and businesses have reopened, Wargolet said the Museum of Vancouver helped curate a selection of the murals. They're set to be on display throughout the summer and the museum plans to keep some in its collection once the exhibition is over, he added. While in Gastown, Henry also donned a new pair of shoes she inspired in the wake of the pandemic. Local designer John Fluevog dubbed the two-tone pink leather heels "The Dr. Henry." The province's top doctor has gained scores of fans for her calm demeanour during frequent media appearances, as well as her flair for colourful shoes. The inner soles of the limited edition Fluevog shoes are stamped with a reminder from Henry to "be kind, be calm and be safe," a phrase she has repeated often. The designer's web page for the shoe says Henry has been "an outstanding source of knowledge and reassurance during the current fight against COVID-19." It says all profits from the sale of the shoe will support Food Banks BC. Gastown is a hot spot for tourists and Wargolet said business has slowed while more people are staying home because of COVID-19. But he's hopeful that new patio spaces will encourage people to visit the neighbourhood. He said businesses, restaurants and pubs in Gastown have worked with the city to create about 500 new patio spaces that are set to open next week. Photo: Contributed The new French prime minister appointed Friday said he feels ready to face the key challenge of reviving France's economy following the damage caused by the coronavirus pandemic and a two-month nationwide lockdown. The relatively low-profile Jean Castex, who co-ordinated Frances virus reopening strategy, replaces Edouard Philippe, who resigned earlier in the day as French President Emmanuel Macron reshuffles the government to shift its focus for the remaining two years of his term. Macron, who says he wants a new path for the remainder of his first presidential term, chose in Castex a new face to address social and economic issues amid France's recovery. The 42-year-old centrist president has not said yet whether he plans to seek reelection in 2022. Largely unknown to the French public, Castex, 55, is a career public servant who has worked with multiple governments but never as a minister. Frances gradual reopening since May 11, a task the new prime minister oversaw, has been seen as generally successful so far. Castex's most recent mission consisted of co-ordinating efforts to lift lockdown restrictions while keeping the virus under control, from reopening schools to making face masks mandatory on public transportation. His appointment as prime minister does not require parliamentary approval. The health crisis is unfortunately not over ... and the economic and social crisis is already there, Castex said during the handover ceremony putting him in office. Priorities will need to evolve, methods will need to be adapted, he added, without elaborating. Earlier in the day, Castex acknowledged in a written statement "the immense task ahead. A conservative, Castex began a local political career in 2008 in the small town of Prades in southern France, where he was reelected as mayor in March with backing from The Republicans party. He also held elected office in the Pyrenees-Orientales region, near the Spanish border. He notably worked as deputy secretary-general at the presidency under former President Nicolas Sarkozy in 2011-2012. He had previous jobs at the Health Ministry and Labor Ministry. Hes been a co-ordinator of government planning for the Olympic Games since 2017, along with other major sporting events. Castex is also considered an expert in social affairs and health policies, two topics that will be on top of the agenda in the coming months. He is a graduate of Frances elite Ecole Nationale dAdministration, the training ground also attended by Macron and many previous French presidents. Castex also studied law and political science, according to his biography on the Prades town website. Many government members are expected to be replaced in the forthcoming reshuffle. Macron seeks balance between ministers coming from the right and from the left as well as centrist allies and people from the private sector. The reshuffle comes days after a green wave swept over France in local elections. Macron saw his young centrist party defeated in Frances biggest cities and failing to plant local roots across the country. The changes were planned even before Sunday's voting, as Macrons government faced obstacles and criticism before and during the virus crisis. As the pandemic was peaking in the country in March and April, authorities came under fire for the lack of masks, tests and medical equipment. Before that, Macrons pro-business policies, widely seen as favouring the wealthier, had been hampered by the yellow vest economic movement against perceived social injustice. This winter, weeks of strikes and street demonstrations against a planned pension overhaul disrupted the country. Macrons popularity rate, which plunged to a record low when the yellow vest movement emerged, is now hovering around 39% on average, according to French polls institutes. This is about 7 points higher than before the virus crisis. Macrons efforts to boost job creation have been swept away by the economic and social consequences of the countrys lockdown. The government issued a 460 billion-euro emergency package through a state-funded partial activity scheme, tax cuts and other financial aids for businesses, and Macron needs to adapt his policies as Frances economy is expected to shrink by 11% this year. The unemployment rate that fell from 9.2% at the beginning of Macrons term in 2017 to 7.6% earlier this year its lowest level since 2008 is now expected to increase steadily. Our first priority will be to rebuild an economy that is strong, ecological, sovereign and united, Macron said in a televised address to the nation on June 14. He ruled out any tax rise and instead said working and producing more is the response amid bankruptcies and layoffs caused by the crisis. He put an emphasis on creating new jobs with climate-oriented policies including renovation of old buildings and greener transport and industries. Philippe, 49, is expected to become the mayor of his hometown of Le Havre, in western France, after he won a large victory in Sunday's voting. A conservative, former member of The Republicans party, he had joined Macrons government in May 2017. He had seen his popularity sharply increase in recent weeks, according to French poll institutes that show many French consider he did good job in gradually easing virus-related restrictions in the country and enforcing an emergency package to support the French economy. A group of Whole Foods employees in a Boston-area store walked out to protest the company's policy that prevented them from wearing Black Lives Matter paraphernalia. Missed Delivery? If missed delivery or wet paper please call our office 909-628-5501 ext 110 Leave a detailed message with name, address, and phone number. Readers must call before 1 p.m. on Saturday. Re-deliveries are available for Chino residents until 1 p.m. Saturdays. Click Here The Hamilton County Health Department on Friday reported three additional COVID-19 deaths, bringing the total number of Hamilton County resident deaths to 33. The 31st death was a black female in the 81+ age-band with underlying health conditions. The 32nd death was a male in the 71-80 age-band with underlying health conditions. Race and ethnicity demographics for this individual are pending and will be reported soon. The 33rd death was a black male in the 51-60 age-band with underlying health conditions. Our thoughts and prayers go out to these families, said Health Department Administrator Becky Barnes, We want to encourage our community to practice social distancing and wear masks in public. Community spread is occurring and the disease is very active in our community. Hamilton County recorded 78 new coronavirus cases. The cases have reached 2,782 in Hamilton County. Also, the Health Department is notifying the community about a potential COVID-19 exposure that occurred at the Hamilton County Courthouse, 625 Georgia Ave., from June 25-July 2. Case investigations have revealed that positive cases were in the Courthouse during their infectious period during that timeframe. It is recommended that anyone who was at the Courthouse during any of these days be tested for COVID-19 and monitor their symptoms. For a link to COVID-19 symptoms, visit CDC. We cant stress enough how vital it is to stay at home if you are sick, said Health Department Administrator Barnes, If you are having any symptoms or you have tested positive, stay home, do not go out into public. Free Health Department testing opportunities are available Monday-Sunday, July 6th-12th from 7AM to 11AM at East Lake Academy. The Hamilton County Health Department, in partnership with the Tennessee National Guard, will offer free COVID-19 testing at East Lake Courts on Monday, July 6th from 11AM-3PM. This is a walk-up testing event only. However the public may drive to the event, park, and walk to the testing tent. No appointment is needed. Health Department testing sites are closed Saturday and Sunday for the holiday weekend. Testing continues in Hamilton County. During the week of Monday, June 29-Friday, July 3, the Hamilton County Health Department tested 3,299 people at their Brainerd High School testing site. Visit these additional Health Department COVID-19 resources: COVID-19 hotline: (423) 209-8383 English Facebook page: https://www.facebook. com/HamiltonTNHealthDept/ Spanish Facebook page: https://www.facebook. com/SaludHamiltonTN/ YouTube English: https://www.youtube.com/ channel/ UCCkF8VUBQFLiJoxh8Sk10mA YouTube Spanish: https://www.youtube.com/ channel/ UCwHuLpBFuLOf6hDTOCFbfyQ Website: http://health.hamiltontn.org/ Patrol officers on Monday found a stolen motorcycle at 5237 Donlyn Lane. Jackson Clark, 22, was taken into custody. Also at the scene was Charles Spurgeon. Clark consented to a home search once officers arrived. A motorcycle was found inside the residence with the VIN covered. Police said the triple tree was cracked and repaired with a JB weld, and the front fender and fairings were changed to white with red stripes, and there was a new cover for the gas tank. A new switch was also installed to bypass the ignition. Police said that outside the home, there was a U-Haul van used in the theft of the bikes. Inside the van was a single ramp and a piece of wood to put the motorcycles on along with tie-downs and several tools that would be used in the theft of the motorcycles. Inside the house, police said they found a Yamaha motorcycle engine that they believed belonged to someone else. They also found several other parts, which police said indicated Clark took apart bikes and rebuilt them to disguise who they belonged to. There was also a stolen checkbook from Cookeville Tn., as well as prescription pad from Chattanooga Pediatrics with detailed information about vehicles and addresses. Clark and Spurgeon were taken to the police service center for an interview. Police said Clark denied knowing anything about the motorcycles or the U-Haul van. However, he eventually admitted he was responsible for stealing the vehicle and that he had also altered the motorcycle and covered the VIN. Clark said the sheets of paper with detailed information were so future thefts could be conducted and recorded with a man named William Tranthom. Police said Clark told them Tranthom left for Florida and would not be back for two or three weeks. He also said he did not steal the other two motorcycles found at the residence. Clark was taken to the County Jail and was charged with three counts of grading attempt, three counts of theft of property, three counts of operation of an unlawful chop shop, and three counts of altering manufacturers identification number. Members of the City Council are set to vote on Tuesday on a resolution by Councilwoman Demetrus Coonrod "declaring racism as a public health crisis in the city of Chattanooga." The resolution is also sponsored by Council members Erskine Oglesby and Jerry Mitchell. The resolution says: A RESOLUTION DECLARING RACISM AS A PUBLIC HEALTH CRISIS IN THE CITY OF CHATTANOOGA. ______________________________________________________ WHEREAS, the foundation of America is rooted in racism. The Black experience inAmerica was one of chattel slavery and Jim Crow Black labor formed the economic base forAmerican life yet Black America is still subject to hardships and disadvantages in every area oflife; andWHEREAS, health disparities have existed in America since the birth of our nation. Wenow are witnessing a pandemic where Black patients are dying at 2.4 times the rate of Whitepeople. Black citizens are suffering in-part due to long standing, unaddressed health disparitiessuch as a lack of accessibility to quality health care; andWHEREAS, current events of 2020 illustrate racism negatively impacts the lives of Blackpeople; COVID-19, police brutality, and the Black Lives Matter movement have helped tohighlight how racism, not race, causes disproportionately higher rates of homelessness,incarceration, and economic hardships for African Americans. Racism can be seen across bothinstitutional and interpersonal levels - operating over the course of time and across generations;andWHEREAS, the repercussions of historical racism cover every aspect of life, including,but not limited to, discriminatory lending practices of the 20th Century known as redlininginhibited the accumulation of familial wealth, limited access to quality food, reduced lifeexpectancy, increased rates of lead poisoning, limited access to clean water, higher rates of infant mortality, and bias in the medical professions towards black women demonstrate the currentimpact of racism; andWHEREAS, endemic racial bias within public institutions has been and continues to affectBlack Americans. This shows up in all aspects of social society where Black children are viewedas older than their White counterparts, receive harsher punishments in both the education andjuvenile justice systems than their White counterparts, they are more often subject to punitivemethods versus therapeutic methods than their White counterparts regarding alleged behavioralissues. This treatment follows Black Americans into adulthood through the court system via cashbail, longer jail sentences, inadequate venues for voting, purging of voter rolls affecting BlackAmericans in greater numbers than their White counterparts.THEREFORE, the City of Chattanooga is engaging directly in a reform agenda for publicsafety based on research and significant input from residents to fight racism wherever it is foundwithin our systems. This includes recommendations on reforming the Police Department, therecommendation to push subpoena power for citizen oversight board to improve accountabilityand transparency, in order to build trust between residents and our Police Department; andTHEREFORE, the City of Chattanooga also has recently proposed strategies to addressracial inequities in the Black Community by forming the Mayors Office of CommunityResilience. Office of Community Resilience is forming with the intent on recognizing that noteveryone in Chattanooga has the same opportunities to be healthy; recognizing the differences ineconomics, housing, and health based upon race, ethnicity, sex, neighborhood, income, education,sexual orientation, gender identity, and other factors; recognizing national research whichdemonstrates that the neighborhood one lives in directly impacts ones access to quality housing, agood job, and a good education. Healthy neighbors have a greater impact on ones health thangenetics or access to care. The Office of Community Resilience also recognizes that Black peopleare not thriving at the same rates as their White counterparts in these areas; andTHEREFORE, the City of Chattanooga recognizes the privileges other Americansexperience which inhibits them from fully understanding how racism impacts Black people inAmerica. Chattanooga recognizes Black citizens experience certain risks with the performance ofsimple tasks such as driving, walking or jogging in neighborhoods. Chattanooga recognizes lifeevents such as getting a job, purchasing a home, buying a car, or raising a family which comeswith barriers other cultures do not experience; andTHEREFORE, the members of the Chattanooga City Council recognize racism is real.As a community, we must work together to promote equity and eradicate racism. Moreover thisCouncil believes NOW is the time to declare racism a public health crisis. The aforementioneddisparities represent a public health crisis which affects us all, and we as a civil society have anobligation to raise awareness and make sure every sector of our society works to reverse this crisis;andFURTHER, the members of the Chattanooga City Council urge our community toimmediately take steps to address, fund, and support areas to strategically reduce the long-termimpact of the social determinants of health by reducing and eliminating preferential treatment forthe majority while subjecting Black, Brown, and poor White people to increased hardships, NOW THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF CHATTANOOGA, That this City Council does hereby declare racism as a public health crisis in the City of Chattanooga and recommits our full attention to improving the quality of life and health of our minority residents. The City of Chattanooga is committed to honestly and directly addressing minority health inequities, including a systematic, data-driven focus on poverty, economic mobility, and inequities other factors that may impact the social determinants of health. Minorities are impacted more greatly by challenges and inequities in many areas, including but not limited to, Crime, Social Capital, Education, Transportation, Employment, Food Access, Health Behaviors, Socioeconomic Status, Environmental Exposure, Access to Health Services, Housing, and Public Safety. The council on July 14 is considering: A RESOLUTION URGING THE TENNESSEE GENERAL ASSEMBLY TO CONSIDER AMENDING THE DEFINITION OF DISCRIMINATORY PRACTICES AS SET FORTH IN TENNESSEE CODE ANNOTATED 4-21-102(4) TO INCLUDE THE FOLLOWING CHARACTERISTICS: ANCESTRY, DISABILITY, GENDER IDENTITY, MILITARY STATUS, AND SEXUAL ORIENTATION. It is sponsored by Council members Mitchell and Carol Berz. Still another resolution on the 14th is A RESOLUTION CALLING FOR CHANGE IN VOTING PROCEDURES BY THE TENNESSEE GENERAL ASSEMBLY TO GIVE EVERY ELIGIBLE VOTER THE OPPORTUNITY TO CAST THEIR BALLOT WITHOUT THE RISK OF CONTRACTING OR SPREADING COVID-19. 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 We'll keep you connected with all the updated local news and information about what's happening in Cheatham County! Click Here to Subscribe! Colt Johnson ended his marriage to his Brazilian ex-wife, Larissa Dos Santos Lima, after less than a year. But the 90 Day Fiance star is backand looking for love with another Brazilian woman, 26-year-old Jess Carolineon the fifth season of TLCs 90 Day Fiance: Happily Ever After. Colt was initially afraid to tell his very involved mom (and roommate), Debbie Johnson, about his relationship with Jess. He even flew from Las Vegas to Chicago for a weekend to spend a few romantic days with Jess in secret. But in TLC GOs sneak peek of an upcoming episode of 90 Day Fiance: Happily Ever After, Colt came clean to his momand learned that Jess dad might be just as protective as Mother Debbie. Colt Johnson | Bryan Steffy/WireImage RELATED: 90 Day Fiance: Jess Caroline Says Shes Head Over Heels For Colt Johnson, Calls Him Her First Love RELATED: 90 Day Fiance: Why Was Colts First Meeting With Jess Friends Such a DisasterAnd What Is He Lying About? RELATED: 90 Day Fiance: Fans Think Colt Johnson Looks Totally Different In a Throwback Instagram Photo RELATED: 90 Day Fiance: Are Colt Johnsons Inspirational Messages Creepy? Some Fans Think So Colt told Jess that his mom hoped to come to Brazil During a video chat with his new girlfriend, Colt revealed that hed respected her wishes and come clean to his mom about their relationship. While Jess was excited to hear that her boyfriend wasnt hiding anymore, that wasnt all Colt had to tell her. The 90 Day Fiance star told his girlfriend that Debbie wanted to come to Brazil with him in a week to meet Jess and her family. My mother would like to come to Brazil with me when I come and see you, Colt said nervously. Like, she asked me if she could goShe doesnt want me to make a mistake or something, or get hurt. Jess was surprised by the news, responding only, Your mom? Now? Oh my god. Colt explained to 90 Day Fiance producers that his marriage to Larissa had affected his mother deeply. He wanted to approach his relationship with Jess with more of his moms input. In the end, she invited herself to come to Brazil with me, he said of his mom. I feel like I owe it to my mother. She really got hurt a lot by my wife, and I want my mother to know that shell be okay with the next girl Im with. Still, Colt was optimistic about Debbies opinion of Jess. I really think that once my mother meets Jess, theyll get along, the 90 Day Fiance star said hopefully. Jess warned her new boyfriend that her dad had the final say as to whether or not they would date Thats when Jess dropped a bombshell of her own. She revealed that her dad was just as protective as Colts momand if he didnt approve of her relationship with Colt, she would end it immediately. My dad need to like you, Jess told her boyfriend, adding that she would follow her dads advice no matter what. Maybe my dad say, No, Colt no good for you. Jess explained, My dad is very important for me. I love you, but I love my dad, and my dads more important, sorry. My dad thinks I need good boy for me. The 90 Day Fiance star seemed a little hurt, or even offended, by Jess remarks. Well, I think Im a good boy for you, he replied defensively. I just need to prove it. The 90 Day Fiance star was apprehensive about the high-pressure visit to Brazil As for Jess dad having the final say in whether their relationship would move forward, Colt wasnt too pleased by the news. That kind of sucks. Thats a lot of pressure, he lamented. Its okay for you? Jess wanted to know. I mean, I guess I dont have a choice, Colt said reluctantly. I just hope your dad likes me. The couple signed off with professions of love and hope for their future together. Still, Colt told 90 Day Fiance producers that the stakes had officially just been upped when it came to his relationship with Jessand he wasnt as excited for his trip to Brazil as he had been. I was so excited to go to Brazil, but I think, between my mother and now Jess father, that I have to worry more about what our parents think than what I think of Jess, the 90 Day Fiance star explained. And I feel like I dont know how I could impress a man where I dont even speak his language. So, Im really nervous about this trip. With two protective parents in tow, Colt wondered, who knew what could happen? Amy Johnson from Below Deck announced she is engaged. It all feels like a dream Easiest YES of all time!!! I can not wait to be your MRS!!!, she shared on Instagram along with three photos. Amy Johnson|Virginia Sherwood/Bravo/NBCU Photo Bank Johnson is engaged to Ellis Lenthall, who she dished about when she last spoke to Bravo. Lenthall is a sales executive for Jo-Kell, Inc in Virginia. Hes worked at the company for the past seven years. Lenthall also shared the news on his Instagram along with the photos. When Johnson appeared on the Below Deck 100th anniversary celebration in New York City, she talked about her (then) boyfriend. She and deckhand Connie Arias double dated when they were in town and Arias was also engaged. Maybe Captain Lee should make it a double wedding? Arias said she hoped Captain Lee Rosbach would officiate her wedding. So I think since Captain Lee is a captain, he can marry me, Arias told Bravo. I am engaged to a lovely guy and we live together in Melbourne [Florida]. Hes got a great family business and I have my business. So it gives us a lot of freedom to be able to do things. Im really happy, I found a really good guy. I dont have any set plans, Im not traditional, she added. Im not into the white dress and the dance and the music. Its just not for me. Its not my thing. But she hoped Rosbach would officiate her wedding. Hes been so good to me, she says about Rosbach. That would probably be a fun thing for me to do. RELATED: Below Deck: Which Crew Members Are Single (And Who Wants Captain Lee to Officiate Her Wedding)? Johnson dished about her relationship too. Arias joked about how her fiance and Johnsons boyfriend were probably out having drinks while they filmed. My man, Johnson swooned. Hes amazing, hes a man! And hes from North Carolina, I mean I have so many great words to say about him. Amy Johnson joins the list of engaged (and married) alum In addition to Arias, a number of other Below Deck, Below Deck Mediterranean, and Below Deck Sailing Yacht crew members are engaged. Viewers watched deckhand Parker McCowns big underwater proposal on Below Deck Sailing Yacht. Also newly engaged is Joao Franco from Below Deck Med. Tiffany Copeland from Below Deck Med accidentally found a photo of her engagement ring which prompted her boyfriend to pop the question. Bryan Kattenburg from Below Deck Med is also now engaged too. Since season 1 wrapped, Julia dAlbert Pusey from Below Deck Med and Adrienne Gang from Below Deck got engaged and married. RELATED: Below Deck Med: Hannah Ferrier Shares How Yachting Prepped Her for Motherhood And while some crew members havent said I do they said welcome to a new baby. Deckhand Jack Stirrup recently became a father to a baby boy. Plus, chief stew Hannah Ferrier announced she is pregnant and is due in late October. She joked about how yachting prepared her for motherhood. People are like, Oh, its the hardest thing, and youll be so sleep deprived. Im like, I just cannot see it being any harder or any more sleep-deprived than a season of Below Deck Med, thats for sure, she told Bravos The Daily Dish. Breaking Bad creator Vince Gilligan came up with the idea for the series while having a mid-life crisis. He said in an interview, [A friend and I] were just joking around on the phone about what we should do next: Should we be greeters at Wal-Mart? Should we put a meth lab in the back of an R.V. and cook meth and drive around the southwest? And that imageI dont know, it just stuck with me. The 53-year-old director took the idea and ran with it. All along, Gilligan has said that his goal for the series was to turn the main character Walter White from Mr. Chips to Scarface. Critics say he accomplished that perfectly. But what exactly did Gilligan mean? Bryan Cranston as Walter White on Breaking Bad | AMC Mr. Chips and Walter White had plenty in common Movie buffs are sure to remember the character Mr. Chips. The original 1939 film Goodbye, Mr. Chips, based on a novella by the same name, tells the story of a popular teacher and former headmaster at a boarding school named Mr. Chipping (nicknamed Mr. Chips). Actor Robert Donat received the Best Actor Academy Award for his performance in the film. The movie reflects on Mr. Chipss long and fulfilling teaching career. Like the main character in the retro film, Walter White begins his tenure on Breaking Bad as a high school chemistry teacher intent on bettering the lives of his students. Only he gets lost in a drug-making detour along the way. RELATED: Breaking Bad Was Canceled After 5 Seasons Because Vince Gilligan Believed The X-Files Dragged On Too Long Walter becomes consumed by his quest for power like Tony Montana Though Mr. White begins his meth manufacturing to help his family, by the end of the series hes fully transformed from a concerned husband and father into a prideful, power-hungry drug kingpin who will stop at nothing to get what he wants. In other words, he becomes like Tony Montana in Scarface. The 1983 crime drama, arguably one of the best of all time, explores Tony Montana (Al Pacino) taking the same path as Walter White, murdering anyone who gets in his way. Tony is a Cuban refugee and ex-convict trying to carve out his place in the world by rising the ranks in the drug trade. But doing so leads him to lose any sense of morality. Meanwhile, Walter White experiences the same transformation. Comparing images of Walter in season 1 of Breaking Bad with Heisenberg in season 5 proves this point quite dramatically. Heisenberg justifies evil for selfish purposes Fans root for Walt at the beginning of Breaking Bad, even if he is technically breaking the law by manufacturing drugs. By the end, however, its impossible to see Walt as anything but the monster hes become. One of the pivotal points of the series is when Walt watches Jesses girlfriend Jane die and does nothing to help her. He does this to advance his own selfish purposes he knows that Jesse is being influenced by Jane and is trying to get away from Walt. Jane isnt the first person Walt kills. But its the first time that fans see hes willing to let innocent bystanders die to achieve his goals. By the end of the series, Walt has lost his family. He visits Skyler one last time and finally admits to her that his quest for dominance wasnt about protecting his loved ones anymore. I did it for me, he tells Skyler. I liked it. I was good at it. And I was really I was alive. And just like Scarface, that selfish pride contributes to his death at the end. Nasim Pedrad should be the lead in romantic comedy vehicles. Beyond her own worthy talent, we need more women of color leading movies. Unfortunately, the Netflix rom-com Desperados is not the right vehicle for Pedrad, or any human being for that matter. Desperados is a rom-com without rom or com Wesley (Pedrad) cant get a job (in a painfully unfunny interview for a Catholic School guidance counselor position) and has no luck in love either. She has a bad blind date with Sean (Lamorne Morris) but stumbles into the arms of Jared (Robbie Amell) on her way home. L-R: Nasim Pedrad, Anna Camp and Sarah Burns | Cate Cameron/Netflix RELATED: Netflix in July: The Umbrella Academy and 5 Other Must-See Original Releases Her plan is to keep quiet with Jared so he never learns things about her he doesnt like, yet she keeps talking in every subsequent scene. She pretends to like healthy food and his wacky activities. Then Jared ghosts Wesley for five days too. With the help of her best friends, Brooke (Anna Camp) and Kaylie (Sarah Burns), Wesley crafts the ultimate angry e-mail. But, it turns out Jared was in an automobile accident in Mexico. Unfortunately, they already sent the e-mail already, so the trio of friends go to Mexico to try to erase it from Jareds devices before he gets out of the hospital. Robbie Amell | Cate Cameron/Netflix RELATED: Robbie Amell Says Thats Not His Butt You See On Upload This is the plot of Road Trip, except the 2000 comedy was about retrieving a video tape that was mailed to a girlfriend. Technology has made it an emoji filled e-mail, but theres not even a wacky road trip to get to Mexico. They just arrive and have shenanigans at a Mexican resort, where the cast and crew probably got to stay for months while filming. Nor is it as well-crafted as Girls Trip, where that quartet spent the whole movie in New Orleans but had enough plot and jokes for everyone. Desperados is desperate for laughs Many of the set pieces in Desperados, particularly the e-mail writing scene, feel like improv being Yes anded too far. They think theyre making gold and they may have been having fun, but an editor should have stepped in. Camp in particular telegraphs every joke in Brookes scenes with an expression that seems like shes proud of herself for making a funny. That would be bad technique even if she was funny, but shes rubbing it in when its not funny to begin with. L-R: Sarah Burns, Nasim Pedrad and Anna Camp | Cate Cameron/Netflix RELATED: Does Netflix Make Money Off Its Poorly Made Romcoms? Wesleys schemes to get into Jareds hotel room involve stripping to a towel, and her bumbling explanations for this are not funny either. Its a bravura performance for Pedrad to bare a lot, but the payoff is not worth her trouble. A running joke about misunderstandings with a pre-pubescent hotel guest are not funny. Seinfeld basically did that joke when Elaine went to a Bar Mitzvah, but kept it wholesome and clever. A trope of bad rom-coms is when there are no actual jokes, they throw in animal shenanigans. See Failure to Launch. Desperados uses a dolphin. Raunchy dolphins are not a funny combo, it turns out. The message the movie fails to have A raunchy comedy can have meaningful messages that enhance the humor. The aforementioned Girls Trip has a sincere message about friendship and individual relationships that doesnt impede on any of the comedy. Even Road Trip has something to say about moing on from high school romances. Desperados suddenly wants Wesley to learn a lesson about her friends. The point is that shes been selfish and neglected her friends, but so has the movie. They forgot to give Brooke and Kaylie any characteristics besides being the friends, so when they suddenly become indignant, it doesnt work. Theyre right in theory. Wesley is self-involved, but the movie never constructed an enviroment around her. Meanwhile, it spent time sending Brooke and Kaylie on side quests that are just as unfunny as Wesleys. Nasim Pedrad and Lamorne Morris | Cate Cameron/Netflix Then Sean happens to be at the same resort and ends up helping Wesley solve her e-mail problem. Sean is the most developed character in the movie, and it still only amounts to him throwing out some expository backstory, which admittedly Morris plays well. Standards tend to be lower for Netflix movies than theatrical releases, but not this low. Most viewers have seen Girls Trip and you, Desperados, are no Girls Trip. You may have seen her in movies like War Dogs or her breakout role in Knives Out. And if you havent seen her yet, Ana de Armas is poised to be everywhere soon. You can see her starring in projects such as the movie The Night Clerk, in Sergio, a Netflix film, and this fall in the eagerly awaited erotic thriller Deep Water. And when shes not appearing in star-studded films, de Armas is often seen on the arm of Ben Affleck. Now there are even rumors afloat that the two may be considering marriage. Who is this bright young star, and has she been married before? Her journey to the US Ana de Armas | Stephane Cardinale Corbis/Corbis via Getty Images De Armas was born in Cuba in 1988, and she studied at the National Theatre School of Havana from age 14 to 18. After graduating, she moved to Spain to pursue acting in television and film. At the age of 25, she moved to the United States to expand her acting career. This move meant that she had to learn English well enough to be cast in American films. The effort paid off, and within a few years, she was landing roles in big movies such as War Dogs, Blade Runner 2049, and Knives Out. When it comes to relationships, de Armas tends to be closed-mouthed. Although she prefers not to discuss who shes dating, she will post pictures of her romantic partners on social media. Over the past five years, shes been linked with an agent named Franklin Latt, Venezuelan actor Edgar Ramirez, and Cuban artist Alejandro Pineiro. Recently, however, shes been spotted with someone new and it looks serious. Ana de Armas and Ben Affleck have been inseparable ana de armas went on a beach walk with ben affleck and did nothing but check her phone and make him take pictures of her an ICON pic.twitter.com/B1r6dGY7Ag Cole Delbyck (@coledelbyck) March 12, 2020 RELATED: Ben Affleck and Ana de Armas Relationship Is Called Out By Fans for Being a Massive PR Stunt Late last year, de Armas met Affleck while they were filming a movie together. They played a married couple whose head games turn dark in the thriller Deep Water. Although the shutdown due to COVID19 has pushed the release of the movie back to the fall, the two actors didnt see any need to wait to start a romance. Affleck and de Armas have been seen together frequently, walking their dogs, going on vacations, and attending protests. They seem to be quarantining together, and de Armas has now met his mother, as well as his children and ex-wife, Jennifer Gardner. Reportedly, everyone gets along very well. Despite a nearly 16 year age difference between the two, the relationship seems to be very serious. According to rumors, they are even considering marriage, and they see themselves having kids together in the future. Has she been married before? Afflecks previous marriage to Garner is well known, due to the fact that they are both movie stars and that their divorce came after ten years of happy marriage and included some scandalous details. Before that, Affleck was famously engaged to Jennifer Lopez, a relationship that was at least partially torpedoed by the intense media attention on them. But what about de Armas? If she and Affleck do make it down the aisle, will this be her first marriage? It turns out that during her years living in Spain, de Armas was married to a fellow actor, Marc Clotet. The union lasted from 2011 to 2013, and as with all her relationships, de Armas has not revealed very much publicly about the brief marriage. Fans are eager to see if wedding bells are in Affleck and de Armas future. If they do end up as husband and wife, then hopefully they will have learned enough from their previous marriages to form a loving partnership that lasts. Before becoming the Duchess of Sussex, Meghan Markle was known best for her role as Rachel Zane in Suits. Now that she and Prince Harry have made their departure from the royal family, will Markle dive back into acting? Experts are thinking she just might, but her career will look a little different. Meghan Markle | ABC News/Frame Grab via Getty Images Meghan Markle could have a successful voice-over career Just because Meghan and Harry have said goodbye to their royal duties doesnt mean the former Suits actor has an abundance of time on her hands. Casting director and head of Disneys animation casting Jen Rudin says voice-over acting could make sense for Markle. Voice acting is a very different market, and right now during the pandemic its very lucrative because we can do it from home with our microphones, Rudin told Insider. RELATED: How Princess Diana Would Have Helped Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Escape Royal Life If She Were Alive Today It allows so much flexibility. You dont have to go to the movie set for six weeks, you dont have to be on set all day waiting for them to get ready to film your scene, she continued. If Markle does choose to focus on voice-over work, she wouldnt be the first royal to go that route. The Duchess of York starred in an animated short called The Cat That Looked Like The King, which was originally released along with the Mary Poppins DVD in 2004. Meghan Markle will probably only work on projects that align with Archewell After becoming a duchess, Markle will probably be a lot more mindful of the acting projects she agrees to do. She and Prince Harry are largely focused on their foundation, Archewell, which will probably be at the top of Markles mind if and when she gets involved in the industry again. I dont see Meghan jumping back into the same acting roles she had before joining the royal family, royal commentator Carly Ledbetter told Insider. I picture her securing an overall deal with Netflix, like the Obamas, or perhaps a first-look agreement with Apple TV Plus, as Prince Harry already has a series in the works there with Oprah, she continued. RELATED: Meghan Markles Favorite Junk Food May Surprise You Brand expert Kubi Springer told the publication that she thinks Markle might follow the lead of such artists as Beyonce and Rihanna. She can follow a long line of celebrities such a Beyonce and Rihanna who have used their art to produce and direct movies and TV content that propels their brand messages, she said. Rihanna focusing on female body stereotypes with her Savage X Fenty Show filmed for Amazon Prime and Beyonce in her upcoming Black Is King Disney movie addressing black culture and identity. If Meghan did this, she would take hold of the creative narrative and carve out groundbreaking messages that reinforce her brand to new heights, she continued. Prince Harrys life is looking a lot different than it ever has before. Its been a whirlwind of changes for the Duke of Sussex ever since he and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex stepped down from their duties as senior members of the royal family. Now, Harry is living in LA with his wife and young son, Archie. But the royal is reportedly having a lot of feelings about his latest move. Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex | Chris Jackson/Getty Images Prince Harry and Meghan Markle step down Harry and Meghan had become increasingly upset after being hounded by the media. After years dealing with the stress of it all, they decided to take a step back from the spotlight and leave their positions as senior royals. As agreed in this new arrangement, they understand that they are required to step back from Royal duties, including official military appointments, Buckingham Palaces official statement regarding the departure read. They will no longer receive public funds for Royal duties. With the queens blessing, the Sussexes will continue to maintain their private patronages and associations. While they can no longer formally represent the queen, the Sussexes have made clear that everything they do will continue to uphold the values of Her Majesty. The pair then moved to Canada with Archie. After leaving Canada, they moved to LA, where they currently reside. RELATED: Meghan Markle Is Completely Embarrassed by Jessica Mulroneys White Privilege Scandal, Source Reveals Prince Harrys feelings about moving Since Meghan and Harry have moved, theyve been social distancing from others due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Its a bit ironic because one of the things that was making Meghan unhappy about living in the UK was that she felt isolated and she missed her friends, a source told Express. Part of why the couple chose LA was so that Meghan could be near family and friends, but that hasnt exactly worked out. But now shes back in the US, which is what she wanted, but is isolated and cant see her friends. In March, Harrys father, Prince Charles tested positive for COVID-19. As Charles age puts him in the at-risk category, Harry was feeling quite concerned for his father when he learned that he had contracted the illness. In Andy Tillet and Dyland Howards new book, Royals At War: The Inside Story of Harry and Meghans Shocking Split With the House of Windsor, it is revealed that Harry felt awful about being separated from his family during the pandemic. RELATED: Meghan Markle Holds Nothing Back in Speech Addressing George Floyds Murder It was far from an ideal situation, the book reads, according to an excerpt obtained by The Sun. Harrys gone from feeling excited about the move to feeling secretly tortured. Now its really hit(ting) home for him that Charles and the Queen arent going to be around forever. Meghan has been trying to support Harry through everything and reassuring him that he will enjoy their new life once the pandemic is over. Meghan wants to take him hiking and talks about the local polo club and how much hell love surfing, a source told the outlet. Recently, the Duke was spotted out riding his bike along the beaches of Malibu, so it seems like he is finding ways to get out and explore his new home despite the pandemic. Outer Banks tells the story of John Booker Routeledge (Chase Stokes) better known as John B a young man on the hunt for his missing father. When he discovers his father is dead, John B gets mixed up in figuring out who killed his father. Find out why Big John (Charles Halford) was killed in season 1 of Outer Banks. [Spoiler alert: If you havent watched season 1 of Outer Banks entirely, spoilers ahead.] Big John | Netflix At first, John B thinks his dad is still out there Part of the allure of Outer Banks is the mystery. When we first meet John B, he thinks his father is missing. Having gone after the $400 million in gold that sunk with the Royal Merchant, John B assumes his father is lost at sea. Being the hopeful guy that he is, John B still believes his father is alive. RELATED: Outer Banks: The Truth About the Royal Merchant Ship Big John didnt go missing he was killed In searching for the treasure from the Royal Merchant, John B discovers that his father is dead. A flashback scene in episode 8 shows Scooter Grubbs (David Ury) finding Big Johns body on one of the Outer Banks islands. Of his mummified remains, the only object Scooter retrieved was John Bs compass, which has Redfield carved into it. John Bs compass is cursed Throughout the Netflix series, viewers learn that Big Johns compass comes with a bout of bad luck. So far, everyone in the Routledge family who has owned the compass has died a horrific death. John Bs great-great-grandfather was the first owner and was shot soon after he purchased it. Then it was passed to John Bs great-grandfather, who died in a crop dusting accident. John Bs grandfather was next. He carried it in Vietnam and was killed. Big John had the compass when he went missing. He ultimately ended up dead at the hands of Ward Cameron (Charles Esten) with the cursed compass in his possession. Why Ward Cameron killed Big John Throughout season 1, Ward Camerons greed becomes apparent. As a person who holds power and respect in his community, it wasnt shocking when viewers found out he covered up Big Johns murder. In another flashback scene, we learn Big John recruited the help of Ward Cameron in finding the Royal Merchant ship. After discussing how the gold would be split between the two, Big John thinks 20% is a fair cut for Ward. After all, he did a majority of the work. RELATED: Outer Banks: Whats the Difference Between Kooks and Pogues? Ward takes issue with this. He believes he earned at least half of the share for his involvement in the treasure hunt. As it did often in Outer Banks Season 1, Wards temper got the best of him. After Ward shoved Big John in a fit of rage, Big John hit his head and died almost instantly. With no witnesses around, Ward dumped Big John body into the ocean and he is deemed lost at sea. Big Johns death was symbolic Another overall theme in Outer Banks is the class war between the rich and poor. The Kooks, or wealthy members of society, are at odds with the Pogues, or poor residents. As a member of the blue-collar working class, Big Johns death being covered up by the affluent Ward Cameron drives home the divide between Kooks and Pogues. Will Big Johns death be avenged in season 2? Fans will have to wait to find out. When Watchmen premiered on HBO in 2019, it received widespread critical acclaim and became an instant fan favorite. The finale left the door open for a future storyline, but it doesnt look like the show is going to get another season. Heres why. Regina King in Watchmen | HBO HBOs Watchmen proves its relevance months after the finale Based on Dave Gibbons and Alan Moores graphic novels, Watchmen is set in an alternate reality where superheroes Dr. Manhattan (Yahya Abdul-Mateen) and Angela Abar, aka Sister Night (Regina King) come together to fight supervillains in a society plagued by racial tensions. The HBO series recently returned to the spotlight when President Donald Trump announced he his Juneteenth rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The date and his choice of venue led fans to recall the series depiction of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre, a little-known real-life incident in which mobs of Klan members attacked and killed Black Tulsa residents. RELATED: Did HBOs Watchmen Lowkey Troll the Trumps? Some Fans Think So Regina King says she would only return if showrunner Damon Lindelof does In the finale of Watchmen, Regina Kings character, Angela Abar, consumes an egg that could potentially give her Dr. Manhattans powers. Her story could easily continue into a second season, but King says shell only return if showrunner Damon Lindelof does. I dont know, King said when talking to Reese Witherspoon for Variety. Honestly, I feel like I think HBO would want it back in a heartbeat, but if Damon Lindelof doesnt see an entry point for Season 2, I think that the possibilities are infinite. But I feel that if Damon doesnt see it, then its going to be a no for me. Watchmen showrunner Damon Lindelof isnt interested in doing another season If Kings return relies on Lindelof, then Watchmen probably wont get another season, or at least not one thats centered around her character. Because, in a recent interview with Collider, Lindelof clearly stated hes not interested in writing another season. Its more about me wanting to honor what Watchmen was before I became a part of it, said Lindelof. The legacy of Watchmen is Alan [Moore] and Dave [Gibbons] created it and it sat for 30 years, obviously Zack [Snyder] made his movie which was a pretty canonical adaptation of the 12 issues, and then we made our season of television, that was my turn. I got in the middle of the dance floor for a minute and got to do my move, but then you retreat to the edge of the circle and its someone elses turn to dance. Lindelof wrote the nine-episode season as one cohesive story, but he said he wouldnt mind if someone else took the reigns to continue it. I think you and I both know theres going to be more Watchmen, he said. Thats going to happen, and whether or not the individuals who decide that they want there to be more Watchmen pick this story up where it left off or they do an entirely different kind of Watchmen story, thats up to them. But I am seeing a lot of people who respond to the show are catalyzed and interested in what the world would look like if it were being reshaped by Angela Abar. I dont have a good answer to that question, but thats why it cut to black when it did. Without Lindelof, its unclear what a second season of Watchmen would look like. And if someone else were to take over, theres no guarantee King would return. You know the date. You know the reason for the holiday. You know what it is we are meant to celebrate. But how much do you really know about the Fourth of July? While hundreds of books have been written about the founding of the nation and the men who helped make it a reality, the holiday itself has a very unique history. So, in honor of July 4, and to provide you with a few facts with which to impress any (social distancing) party-goers you happen to come across today, here are a few unique facts related to Americas birthday celebration. John Adams Was Wrong The Massachusetts firebrand, known for his temper, ego, and impressive intellect, was one of the most important figures of early America. He is considered by many historians as having been essential in persuading his fellow Continental Congress members to eventually agree to independence and went on to be the first Vice President and second President of the United States. Adams had a unique ability to see clearly what was on the horizon, having not only predicted the necessity of independence from Great Britain before many dared consider the action, but also, years later, Adams warned about the dangers of partisan politics. But he didnt get all of his predictions right.including what day would be remembered by history as most important when it came to the Declaration of Independence. On July 2, the Continental Congress voted to adopt the Declaration, leading Adams to declare, in a letter to his wife Abigail, that it would be remembered as the official date of Americas birth. He was, of course, two days off on his prediction, as July 4, the date on which members began signing the Declaration, would become venerated in American history. A Deadly Holiday? The Fourth of July is a day of celebration, but its also been a somber date throughout history. Three U.S. Presidents have died on July 4three of the first five Presidents, to be exact. The most famous occurred on the 50th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. The before-mentioned Adams and the author of the Declaration, Thomas Jefferson, had both fallen ill due to old age by 1826. The two men were miles apartAdams in Massachusetts and Jefferson in Virginiayet they both passed away on that anniversary. Famously, Adams last words were supposedly, Thomas Jefferson survives, but in fact he did not. Jefferson had actually died before Adams. Five years later, James Monroe, the fifth President of the United States and a veteran of the Revolutionary War, died at age 73, in New York. While he didnt die on July 4, the holiday is reportedly what did in another U.S. President. In 1850, Zachary Taylor, the 12th President of the United States, attended a party in Washington, D.C., where he ate fresh fruit and drank milk. The festivities would prove fatal, as Taylor contracted food-born cholera and died five days later. A Celebration Of A New Independence Americans began holding events in honor of the Fourth of July as early as a year after the signing of the Declaration, with firework displays dating back to 1777 and Massachusetts making July 4 an official holiday beginning in 1781. However, after the Civil War ended in 1865, the holiday took on new meaning for a new group of citizens. According to reports, July 4 was celebrated predominantly by former slaves in southern states in the immediate years following the war. African Americans, four million of whom had been slaves, celebrated on July 4 as a day of not only Americas independence but their own from the vile institution. Unfortunately, the celebrations were short lived. As efforts during Reconstruction failed, southern whites, angry over the results of the war and the freeing of slaves, began to exert more and more power. By the end of the 19th century, predominantly African American Fourth of July celebrations had all but disappeared. Independence Day, Philippines Edition You know that America declared her independence from Great Britain on July 4, 1776. However, the nation was not official until 1783, when the war against Great Britain was eventually won. But theres another country that celebrated July 4 as the day in which it did, in fact, gain full independence: The Philippines. It was on July 4, 1946 that the Treaty of Manila was signed, which granted the Philippines its independence from the U.S. The countrys Independence Day date was eventually changed to June 15, but July 4 remains known as Philippine Republic Day. From all of us at The Cheshire Herald, we wish you a happy, safe, and healthy Fourth of July! Chesprocott Health District (CHD) wants to protect the community from tick-borne infections. Ticks are small, but they can cause big problems when it comes to your health. Tick-borne illnesses are on the rise and prevention should be on everyones mind, particularly during the warmer weather months when ticks are most active, said Director of Health at Chesprocott Maura Esposito. From April through July, people will get more tick bites and tickborne infections than any other time of year in the Connecticut. It is important to take preventive measures against ticks when outside and to be aware of the signs and symptoms of tick-borne infections. The most common tick-illnesses reported in Connecticut are Anaplasmosis, Babesiosis and Lyme disease. The blacklegged tick is responsible for these diseases, which are in found in every state across the eastern U.S. Ticks can be infected with bacteria, viruses, or parasites. Anaplasmosis and Lyme disease are transmitted to humans by tick bites primarily from the blacklegged tick. Babesiosis is also caused by a blacklegged tick, but also by microscopic parasites that infect red blood cells in humans. It can take a tick from two to 96 hours after attaching to the body to transmit the pathogens the human. Most people never see or find the tick on their body. Therefore, it is important to be alert to your health. Common symptoms of tick-borne illnesses include: A flu like-feeling Body/muscle aches Fever Headaches Fatigue Joint pain Rash Stiff neck Facial paralysis Doctors can diagnosis these diseases through a blood test and through symptoms. Antibiotics, herbal supplements, and other pain management medication can treat tick-borne infections. There are many ways to protect yourself and your loved ones (including pets) from ticks during this season. It is important to avoid tick-infested areas such as wooded and busy areas with high grass and leaf litter. Use a chemical repellent with DEET, permethrin or picaridin or purchase clothing with these chemical repellents in them. Bathe or shower right after spending time outdoors. Conduct a full-body tick check using a mirror to see hard to reach places such as the under arms, belly button, behind the knees and on the scalp. Keep grass mowed and trees trimmed. Lastly, a resident can submit a tick for testing at Chesprocott Health District. The tick must have been found on a human (not a pet), and the cost is $10. The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station tests the tick(s) for evidence of infection Anaplasmosis, Babesia, and Lyme disease. If you have any questions or for more information, visit www.chesprocott.org or www.cdc.gov. It was reported Wednesday that a male age 20-29 had tested positive for COVID-19 in Haines, bringing the boroughs case count to six three Alaska residents and three OBI Seafoods workers in Excursion Inlet. An announcement on the boroughs COVID-19 web page said the new patient is currently asymptomatic and quarantining. The Alaska Department of Health and Social Services is in the process of conducting a contact-tracing investigation. After contact tracing is complete, the department classifies every COVID-19 case as either travel-related, secondary or community spread. Cases are categorized as travel-related if the patient is believed to have contracted the disease from travel outside the state, secondary if the patient is a confirmed close contact of another Alaska case, and community spread if the source of transmission is unknown. As of Wednesday, Haines had four cases under investigation, the new case and the three OBI employees. The other two cases have been classified community spread. Both community spread cases have recovered and patients were cleared to resume normal activities beginning June 30. Its hard to say whether the community spread cases mean there are additional, unidentified cases in the community, state public health nurse Elaine Hickey said Wednesday, in an interview before the third Alaska resident case was announced. If someone contracted the disease traveling within the state and had no direct link to another positive case, that would still be classified as community spread. Hickey said best practices to mitigate the diseases spread remain unchanged. People still need to be diligent about precautionary measures continuing with diligent hand washing, wearing face masks when they cant keep six feet away from others and keeping social groups small, she said. For contact tracing, investigators reach out to close contacts of a positive COVID-19 case. A close contact is defined as anyone who came within six feet of the infected person for 10 minutes or longer. For asymptomatic cases, contact tracers look at close contacts two days before the positive test to see if anyone could have contracted the disease from the patient. For those with symptoms, they look at contacts beginning two days before the onset of symptoms. To aid a potential contact tracing investigation, it can be good to note anytime you do something out of your ordinary schedule or are around someone not in the small circle that you see regularly, Hickey said. Notes are particularly helpful for the investigation tracing the source of the infection, Hickey said. For this, investigators look at close contacts 14 days before the positive test or onset of symptoms. If you think that the protests arent relevant, that it doesnt affect or apply to us in our small faraway Alaska town: The knee on the neck of George Floyd was the gunship that bombed Kake, Wrangell and Angoon. The knee on the neck of George Floyd brought the smallpox plague that wiped out Chilkoot village. The knee on the neck of George Floyd raped a native woman at Ayiklutu and then renamed it Seduction Point. The knee on the neck of George Floyd bulldozed Deer Rock in Chilkoot. The knee on the neck of George Floyd takes countless lives in this state with alcoholism, drug abuse and suicide. Colonialism has a dark side. Can you breathe? Joe Aultman-Moore Haines police last weekend killed the sow brown bear and two cubs that had been causing property damage across town for weeks. Police responded to a 3:45 a.m. call on Saturday, June 27, on Piedad Road, where they encountered the bears. Police had... Jesus Creed is a part of CT's Blog Forum. Support the work of CT. Subscribe and get one year free. The views of the blogger do not necessarily reflect those of Christianity Today. NASA scientist detained in Turkey for 4 years returns home Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment A NASA scientist who was imprisoned and detained on house arrest for over four years in Turkey has returned to the United States with his family. Serkan Golge, who was sentenced to seven-and-a-half years in prison on trumped-up terrorism charges in a verdict condemned by the U.S. government, arrived in Washington, D.C., on a commercial flight early Tuesday morning, according to The New York Times. Golges return comes almost eight months after President Donald Trump announced at a press briefing with Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan at the White House that Golge had been released and would be home soon. However, Golge remained under judicial control for months thereafter, and his family was barred from leaving Turkey. The judicial controls were lifted in April, but it wasnt until recently that international flights resumed following the disruption caused by the coronavirus pandemic. Golge, a 40-year-old naturalized U.S. citizen who served as a contractor on a proposed mission to Mars and lived near Houston, Texas, was among many Americans imprisoned by Turkish authorities that U.S. officials believe were held captive for political reasons in the wake of the 2016 coup attempt against the Erdogan government. Another one of those hostages, North Carolina missionary Andrew Brunson, spent over two years in a Turkish prison and house arrest on similar charges before his return to the U.S. in 2018. Brunsons imprisonment inspired an international prayer and awareness effort that drew the attention of U.S. evangelicals and Trump. At the height of the international advocacy effort for Brunson, activists called for Golges case not to be lost in the equation. The imprisonment of Americans had sewn division between the U.S. and Turkey, NATO allies, leading the Trump administration to place sanctions on Turkey. Last November, after a meeting at the White House, Trump thanked Erdogan for releasing Golge and declared that he would be coming back at some point in the not-too-distant future. According to an earlier New York Times report, at least 20 U.S. citizens have been imprisoned or prevented from leaving Turkey in the wake of the 2016 coup attempt. Additionally, over 100,000 people have been detained, many on Trumped-up charges of being affiliated with a movement blamed for masterminding the coup attempt. Golge was arrested in July 2016 while visiting his family in Southern Turkey. Like Brunson, Golge was accused of being involved in the Gulen movement, a movement named after U.S.-based Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen. Many have surmised that the American prisoners served as a ransom to pressure the U.S. to extradite Gulen. Although Golge and his family have returned to the U.S., all of whom are U.S. citizens, the NY Times reports that Golges case is still pending a final appeal at Turkeys Supreme Court. Brunson, who served as a missionary in Turkey for over two decades before his arrest, raised an alarm last year during a hearing before the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom in Washington, D.C., about an increase in deportations of foreign pastors and their families from Turkey. He warned that most pastors being deported in the wake of the coup attempt are leaders in their respective churches. Bruson explained that with Christians being a small minority in Muslim-majority Turkey, Turkish churches rely on foreign leadership. He said the Turkish government doesn't allow Christians to set up training programs to develop leaders in the country. Deutsche Welle reported last weekend that Protestant pastors and their families in Turkey are living under increased fear of deportation as some Christians are being deemed threats to national security. Timur Topuz, the president of the Istanbul Protestant Church Foundation, told the German news outlet that Protestant pastors are facing growing hostility. "Since the Brunson incident, all Protestant pastors are treated with suspicion," Topuz explained. "Thirty-five pastors of the Turkish-Protestant community are experiencing problems of this kind. With family members included, Topuz said that as many as 100 members of his Protestant community are facing difficulties with immigration issues like visa renewals. One example, Topuz said, is Pastor Carlos Madrigal from Spain who has led his church for 19 years without any problems getting his residence status renewed until recently. Ohio Catholic priest indicted on charges of juvenile sex trafficking, child porn, exploitation Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment Former Ohio Catholic priest Robert McWilliams was indicted by a federal grand jury Thursday on several charges of child sexual abuse. McWilliams, 40, a Strongsville priest and former seminarian at St. Helens Catholic Church in Newbury Township, allegedly pretended to be a woman on his social media accounts, including Grinder, to lure male victims into exploitation and has been charged with juvenile sex trafficking, sexual exploitation of children, and transportation of child porn, among other charges, according to a news release from the office of the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio. "Posing as a female, McWilliams allegedly enticed the minor male victims to send sexually explicit photographs and videos, sometimes threatening to expose embarrassing information McWilliams already knew about the victims if they did not send such images," the news release adds. "At times, McWilliams is alleged to have threatened to send those photographs to family and friends if the minor male victims did not send additional photographs and videos," the release continues, noting that he followed through with the threats by sending sexually explicit images of his underage male victims to their mothers. Some of the victims were young boys the priest knew from his work in parishes, the U.S. Attorney's office said. In addition to those crimes, the "affidavit also alleges that McWilliams was in possession of, received or distributed approximately 1,700 images and videos of child pornography and approximately 150 files of child pornography in a Dropbox cloud storage account." The Catholic Diocese of Cleveland said in a statement that it was "grateful to those in law enforcement who have worked diligently to investigate this matter." "As the criminal case against McWilliams proceeds, let us continue to pray for justice to be served and healing for those who have been harmed by sexual abuse." McWilliams had been previously arrested in December for allegedly possessing child pornography and the diocese reportedly "immediately" placed him on leave after learning of his arrest. "Today's indictment reflects the serious and elaborate nature of the acts allegedly taken by the defendant to traffic and exploit local area children," U.S. Attorney Justin Herdman said in a statement. "The alleged acts committed in this case are a disturbing and strong reminder for parents to be vigilant about who their children talk to and what they do online." McWilliams had served at St. Joseph Catholic Church on Pearl Road in Strongsville, Ohio, at the time of his arrest Dec. 5, according to Cleveland.com. He is being held without bond. "The case unfolded when Geauga County authorities looked into allegations by children who said someone had used extortion to get them to send nude photographs online, court records show," Cleveland.com reports. "Authorities later linked the messages to McWilliams, and they found that he was the person seeking the photos, as he had worked at St. Helens Catholic Church in Newbury Township." Pastor Darrin Patricks death ruled a suicide Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment Pastor Darrin Patrick, a teaching pastor at the South Carolina-based Seacoast Church, died by suicide from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, according to an autopsy report. Patrick, who founded The Journey megachurch in Missouri and served as a teaching pastor at the multi-site Seacoast megachurch, died on May 7 while target shooting with a friend just outside of St. Louis. According to Franklin County Sheriffs Department, the autopsy report released Thursday indicates that a bullet fired from a rifle at close range under the chin was the cause of death, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported. Sheriff Steven Pelton was quoted as saying that police would now be closing the case. In a message to the Seacoast Church membership on Thursday, Pastors Greg and Josh Surratt said: "Today, we learned that the medical examiner reviewing the circumstances of Darrins death released his findings and has ruled Darrins death a suicide. We are devastated by this news. We do not know, and may not ever know or fully understand the reasons behind this tragedy. We are reminded that we are often unaware of the ways that those close to us are hurting and struggling. We will recommit ourselves to loving those around us and making sure that they truly know how precious their lives are. We urge anyone who is struggling with depression, despair, or suicidal thoughts to reach out for help. We have resources available for anyone who needs them, as well as more information about Darrin and ways to support his family, at seacoast.org/darrinpatrick." Greg Surratt, founder of Seacoast Church, first announced Patricks death in a written message to the congregation on May 8. We mourn, but with the hope of the resurrection firm in our hearts we know that death is not the end. So many of us are suffering in this time and we want you to know that you are not alone. He added, Grief and shock may feel overwhelming in these moments, but we know that by Gods grace, sorrow does not have to overcome us. Through tears, we celebrate Darrins life, the legacy he leaves behind and his promotion into Heaven. In an emailed statement to The Christian Post on May 9, a representative from the church said no foul play was suspected. However, it was not known at the time whether the self-inflicted gunshot wound was intentional or unintentional. After his death, Patricks wife Amie said her husband was the rock of our family, the great love of my life, and a fiercely devoted father to our amazing children. He was a dynamic force of nature, deeply passionate and so, so fun. Mostly though, he loved God and people in ways that will challenge me for the rest of my days. And he loved me so well... I learned so much about how God loves me through the ways that my husband saw me, knew me, and cared for me. We will be a mess for a good while, but we will be ok. We grieve deeply with unwavering hope that this world is not the end and that we will see our Darrin again," she added. In 2016, Patrick was fired from his position as pastor at The Journey for what his church described as deep historical patterns of sin. Patrick also resigned from his position as vice president of the Acts 29 Network, which plants churches globally. The elders at The Journey said at the time that Patrick was involved in some sins but not adultery. He violated the high standard for elders in marriage through inappropriate meetings, conversations, and phone calls with two women, they said. Patrick said he was devastated by his sins and apologized to the church. I am utterly horrified by the depth of my sin and devastated by the terrible effects of it on myself, my family and so many others, including all of you. I am so deeply and terribly sorry for the pain that my sin is causing you, as well as the broken trust that my sin has clearly produced. In short, I am a completely devastated man, utterly broken by my sin and in need of deep healing, he said. President Trump: Our children are taught to hate their own country Trump announces executive order to create National Garden of American Heroes Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment Speaking to thousands of Americans at Mount Rushmore on the eve of Independence Day, President Donald Trump warned that the left-wing cultural revolution was designed to overthrow the American revolution and said, our children are taught in school to hate their own country. Our nation is witnessing a merciless campaign to wipe out our history, defame our heroes, erase our values and indoctrinate our children, Trump said in his address at an outdoor amphitheater at the foot of the South Dakota landmark. Those who seek to erase our heritage want Americans to forget our pride and our great dignity, so that we can no longer understand ourselves or Americas destiny, the president said in his speech. This monument will never be desecrated. Mount Rushmore will stand forever as an eternal tribute to our forefathers and our freedom, Trump said of the monument that features former Presidents George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln. Make no mistake, this left-wing cultural revolution is designed to overthrow the American revolution, Trump warned. Our children are taught in school to hate their own country. The president then announced that he has signed an executive order to create a statuary park known as the National Garden of American Heroes (National Garden) to honor those who came before and inspire the next generation. I am announcing the creation of a new monument to the giants of our past. I am 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, Trump said. The location of the National Garden has yet to be decided, but the order stipulates that it would be opened before July 4, 2026, marking the 250th anniversary of the proclamation of the Declaration of Independence. "Statues should depict historically significant Americans ... who have contributed positively to America throughout our history," the order says. "These statues are silent teachers in solid form of stone and metal. They preserve the memory of our American story and stir in us a spirit of responsibility for the chapters yet unwritten. These works of art call forth gratitude for the accomplishments and sacrifices of our exceptional fellow citizens who, despite their flaws, placed their virtues, their talents, and their lives in the service of our Nation. These monuments express our noblest ideals: respect for our ancestors, love of freedom, and striving for a more perfect union," it continues. "The term 'historically significant American' means an individual who was, or became, an American citizen and was a public figure who made substantive contributions to Americas public life or otherwise had a substantive effect on Americas history. The phrase also includes public figures such as Christopher Columbus, Junipero Serra, and the Marquis de La Fayette, who lived prior to or during the American Revolution and were not American citizens, but who made substantive historical contributions to the discovery, development, or independence of the future United States," the order adds. The order comes as statues of American historical figures have been desecrated and toppled by rioters across the U.S. In California, rioters last month toppled a statue of Father Junipero Serra at San Franciscos Golden Gate Park. Serra was a missionary from Spain who traveled to Mexico in the 1700s to share the Gospel. They also destroyed a statue of Ulysses S. Grant, a Republican who helped to defeat the Confederates and win the Civil War. Grant was later elected as the 18th president of the United States. And in Madison, Wisconsin, rioters tore down a statue of abolitionist Col. Hans Christian Heg and threw it into Lake Monona. Also last month, rioters in Portland, Oregon, toppled a statue of George Washington, the nations first president, and draped a U.S. flag on top of the head of the statue and set it on fire. After the statue crashed to the ground, another U.S. flag was set on fire and urinated on. Angry mobs are trying to tear down statues of our founders, deface our most sacred memorials, and unleash a wave of violent crime in our cities, Trump said. They think the American people are soft and weak and submissive. But 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. Trump added it was a new far-left fascism that demands absolute allegiance. If you do not speak its language, perform its rituals, recite its mantras, and follow its commandments then you will be censored, banished, blacklisted, persecuted, and punished. Not going to happen to us, he said. Trump, who recently signed a separate executive order protecting monuments that includes a penalty of up to 10 years in jail, warned that anyone who targets symbols of national heritage could be brought to justice with the fullest extent of the law. Other names listed in the order for states to be erected in the National Garden include: John Adams, Susan B. Anthony, Clara Barton, Daniel Boone, Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain, Henry Clay, Davy Crockett, Frederick Douglass, Amelia Earhart, Benjamin Franklin, Billy Graham, Alexander Hamilton, Thomas Jefferson, Martin Luther King, Jr., Abraham Lincoln, Douglas MacArthur, Dolley Madison, James Madison, Christa McAuliffe, Audie Murphy, George S. Patton Jr., Ronald Reagan, Jackie Robinson, Betsy Ross, Antonin Scalia, Harriet Beecher Stowe, Harriet Tubman, Booker T. Washington, George Washington, and Orville and Wilbur Wright. As its four months before the presidential election, many of Trump supporters chanted, four more years at the event. Earlier in the day, protesters joined native Americans who blocked roads to demonstrate against the celebration of U.S. independence in an area that they said was sacred to them, Reuters reported. Trump is scheduled to hold a Fourth of July celebration on Saturday in Washington. Email Whatsapp Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment Let me be totally clear at the outset. One of the purposes of this article is to say, I told you so! Or, more precisely, many of us have been predicting this moment for years. As reported in the New York Times, A Massachusetts City Decides to Recognize Polyamorous Relationships. The city of Somerville has broadened the definition of domestic partnership to include relationships between three or more adults, expanding access to health care. Is anyone really surprised? After all, if the winning mantras of the same-sex marriage movement have been Love is love and Love wins and I have the right to marry the one I love, why limit that number to two? Isnt that discriminating against love? Isnt that simply carrying over the outdated, outmoded, limiting ways of the past? To this day, in all my dialogue and debate with LGBTQ activists and their allies, I have yet to hear a reasonable explanation of why marriage should be limited to two people if any two people can marry. Why limit the union to two people? Based on what? All the solid arguments for limiting marriage to two people are, ultimately, arguments for marriage being the union of a male and a female. All other arguments fall short. Very short. (For a glaring illustration, see here.) When it comes to polyamory, which can include virtually any combination or number of men and women, on what basis should the government not recognize such relationships? Is not love still love? Does not love still win? And is not love the only thing that matters? So the argument goes. As I asked in 2015, If Love Is Love, Why Not Three Men 'Marrying'? Why not? Today, were talking about just one city in Massachusetts extending health benefits to polyamorous families. But one city is all that is needed to begin a trend. Thats also why this is national news, even in the midst of an unrelenting, tumultuous news cycle. As for warning about this for years, polyamory was mentioned frequently in my book A Queer Thing Happened to America, published in 2011, but with research for the book dating back to 2005. In fact, in the book I drew attention to a polyamory seminar hosted by the Metropolitan Community Churches obviously, pro-LGBT churches back in 2005: Yes, polyamory in other words, having multiple sexual partners (loving, of course!) was also a topic of discussion at the MCC conference, and church members were encouraged to come out of the closets with their ongoing, multiple sexual relationships. Again, this was at a church conference in 2005. And even then, this trend had been building for years. We told you so! In the book I also quoted polyamorous advocates who marched prominently in gay pride parades, stating, Were 30 years behind the gay activist movement. They probably underestimated the timeline. (On a different but related front, I could point to articles like, Here Come the Polygamists, dating back to 2012.) In my 2015 book, Outlasting the Gay Revolution, I wrote, Perhaps we should change the wedding vows to sound more like this (with the man speaking here): I take you as my wife, but probably not for life. I take you as my own, but not just you alone. I pledge myself to you, and perhaps to others too. I take you as my bride, although your name is Clyde. Is this really so farfetched? If you can have a bride and a broom, if husbands can be women and wives can be men, if you can be married and dating and swinging and swapping, if you live together before marriage and end the marriage whenever it suits you best, then what does marriage mean? Back in 2015, Stephen Colbert mocked the idea of a slippery moral slope when it came to redefining marriage. The reality of the matter, as he likely knew, was that the mocking predictions he made had already come to pass. I illustrated all that in this video. You can mock, but you cant deny reality. (Take a minute to watch. Youll be shocked.) In saying all this, I am not saying that gay couples do not love each other or that gay couples will inevitably become polyamorous throuples and beyond. Im simply stating the obvious: if two men or two women can marry, then there is nothing sacrosanct about the number two. Any potential number will do, as long as the relationships are based on love. Already in March, 2016, Oliver Bateman wrote on Mic.com, When it comes to marriage, three is still a crowd. But that might be changing sooner than we think. According to a 2015 Gallup poll, a small-yet-growing percentage of Americans report that they find the concept of plural marriage morally acceptable, while polyamorous relationships are increasingly receiving mainstream media coverage. A 2014 Newsweek article even estimates that there are more than 500,000 openly polyamorous families living in the United States today. Did I say we told you so? Need I say more? Email Whatsapp Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment Life is filled with irony. Last year feminists were celebrating womens equality declaring #TheFutureIsFemale; now men can be women merely by saying so. Smart phones provide more access to historical knowledge than ever before as social justice warriors celebrate their ignorance of basic history by using smart phones to record their desecration of statues they know nothing about. The civil rights movement was birthed out of the tireless self-sacrifice to fight for personhood of those deemed less than human; now that hijacked movement celebrates the commercialized sacrifice of our unborn children who they view as non-persons. This July 4th will be different from any other Ive ever experienced. But America is still the worlds great hope. Its why people flock to this shining city on a hill from across the globe. America is the land of immigrants. One of my sisters emigrated from Vietnam, and my wifes grandfather was from Germany. The immigrant population in our country far exceeds any other nation at 46,627,102 precious souls; thats nearly four times more than the nation second to us in immigration. But if you watched our blamestream media, you would think this is the most oppressive and racist regime in the world! Some BLM leaders want to burn it all down. Which country should America be more like, SJWs? Im all about ensuring justice and equality. Those words carry with them such an incredible weight of subjectivity. We are an exceptional nation for so many reasons. That doesnt deny our past or present flaws. The Left is hellbent, though, on fundamentally and violently transforming America. Capitalizing on the unrest and division, numerous civil rights groups are further trying to erode what makes America exceptional our First Amendment. And tech titans of (in)tolerance are more than happy to pretend were in China or Russia and suppress free speech. Recently, the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) and the NAACP launched an anti-free speech campaign called Stop Hate For Profit. On the surface of it, it seems understandable and acceptable. Who wants crazy neo-nazis and Holocaust deniers to have a public platform (other than racists, of course)? Even the ACLU defended Nazi and KKK groups free speech rights. Why? As painful as freedom of expression is, sometimes, actual hate is protected by the First Amendment (provided it doesnt incite violence). But hate is something that has been weaponized by the Left. Teachers can be fired for using the wrong pronoun. Public figures, like Franklin Graham, have been censored for speaking about homosexuality from a Biblical worldview. My organization, The Radiance Foundation, was censored by Instagram for a meme declaring Planned Parenthood kills more black lives in two weeks than the KKK killed in a century. Under the guise of fighting disinformation and protecting black users (how infantilizing), ADL, the NAACP and a handful of other radically pro-abortion groups are demanding Corporate America withdraw their advertising dollars from Facebook, a social media platform that has already demonstrated its excessive censorship for years. The Stop Hate for Profit campaign is perfectly fine with (actual) hate, bigotry and violence perpetrated by the political Left, not listing a single example of racist, violent, anti-Christian or anti-conservative posts. The campaign wants to send Facebook a powerful message: Your profits will never be worth promoting hate, bigotry, racism, antisemitism and violence. Violence? You mean like promoting the destruction of millions of humans deemed non-persons who are dismembered and mutilated in utero in the name of reproductive justice? Theres just so much irony in the NAACP and ADL being so radically pro-abortion. How can you claim to fight discrimination when you support the most violent form of it in abortion? ADL labels pro-lifers as extremists, putting us in the same categories as neo-nazis and racist skinheads. The anti-defamation group has no problem defaming the pro-life movement by casting the fight against abortion as a white genocide conspiracy that defines modern white supremacist thought. Using Alabamas Heartbeat Bill, ADL disgustingly portrayed the fight against the injustice of abortion as being led by white supremacists. The group quotes White Aryan Resistance founder Tom Metzger as proof of their absurd claim: I have instructed my comrades in the Alabama state legislature to introduce a bill that releases all nonwhite women within the borders of Alabama to have free abortions on demand. Ive been a leader in the pro-life movement for over a decade now. Perhaps ADL missed my speech supporting Alabamas Heartbeat Bill on the capitol steps of Montgomery. Im brown, by the way. These white supremacists are not even part of our movement. Not one of my colleagues has ever displayed any racism ever. Its actually quite the opposite; they have worked tirelessly to save every life, regardless of hue. Its remarkable how a black pro-abortion Democrat from Ohio Rep. Janine Boyd proposed the same thing as a white supremacist by demanding (in her defeated amendment) that only black babies be exempted from protection in Ohios Heartbeat Bill. As far as the NAACP, aka the National Association for the Abortion of Colored People, the group forgot that free speech is a civil right. They sued me and lost in a two-year federal court battle because I (accurately) parodied their name in an Op-Ed. In a prescient speech, A Plea for Free Speech In Boston, slavery abolitionist Frederick Douglass declared: Equally clear is the right to hear. To suppress free speech is a double wrong. It violates the rights of the hearer as well as those of the speaker. It is just as criminal to rob a man of his right to speak and hear as it would be to rob him of his money. Were being robbed today by the very groups who claim to fight for equality under the law. Perhaps they need to actually re-read the Law of the Land. What better time to get reacquainted with American ideals than on Independence Day? In the meantime, as a factivist, Ill keep defending and promoting the truths that are so self-evident. Chevys redesigned 2021 Tahoe and Suburban are entering a new era. Big has always fit these dreadnaught people movers, which may partly explain why theyre perennial favorites with Texans. Then theres the fact that theyre both assembled at GMs assembly plant in Arlington, making every Suburban and Tahoe in its own way a Texas edition. In 2019, Chevrolet sold 102,087 Tahoes nationwide, with 14.7% of them going to a Texas home, according to IHS Markit, which tracks registrations of retail new vehicle sales. Texans snapped up 11% of the 52,768 Suburbans sold in the U.S. last year. The SUVs massive makeovers start with a new frame that finally allows independent rear suspension for improved handling and comfort. The move to the independent rear suspension is a huge step forward, said Jon Linkov, deputy auto editor at Consumer Reports. For so many years that live axle, truck-based suspension really was a compromise as the Tahoe and Suburban moved up to the luxury truck world. The bones of these vehicles needed to be brought up to modern standards. The wheelbase of each three-row SUV was stretched (see accompanying specs), creating more room for people and a lower cargo load floor. The 2021 Tahoes 120.9-in. wheelbase delivers 10.1 in. more legroom for third-row passengers, and 2.2 in. more for the second row. In fact, the 2021 Tahoe actually has more cargo room than the 2020 Suburban. On the flip side, the new Tahoe is 6.7 in. longer, which may leave some owners garage-challenged. The 2021 Suburban, meanwhile, has 23 cu. ft. more cargo room than the 2020 version, while second-row legroom grows 2.3 in. and the third row gains 2.2 in. The new Suburban is 1.3 in. longer than the 224.4-in. 2020 model. The Z71 and High Country models are available with magnetic ride control and air-ride adaptive suspension. The latter relies on air pressure to level each corner of the vehicle and provides up to 4 in. of ride-height adjustment. In highway driving, the system automatically lowers the ride height -in. to help aerodynamics and fuel efficiency. The Suburban and Tahoe will initially be available in LT, Z71, Premier and High Country trims, with LS and RST grades due later in the year. The 2021 Tahoe starts at $55,095 for the rear-wheel-drive LT. Check the boxes for a 2021 four-wheel-drive, top-of-the-line High Country and youre looking at a $73,895 Tahoe before options. The MSRPs of the Suburban lineup start at $57,795 and top out at $76,595, before any extras. A 5.3-liter, 355-hp V8 is standard on every trim except the High Country, which gets a 6.2-liter V8 rated at 420 hp. Later in 2021, a 3.0-liter Duramax diesel inline six will be optional on all versions except the Z71. GM said it should make about 277 hp and 460 lb.-ft. of torque at 1,500 rpm. All three engines will be paired with a 10-speed automatic transmission. The curb weights of the Tahoe range from 5,498 to 5,845 lbs. The Suburbans weigh in between 5,978 and 6,016 lbs. The Suburbans EPA estimated fuel efficiency ranges from 16 mpg city and 20 highway for the rear-wheel-drive Suburban LT to 14/19 mpg for a four-wheel-drive High Country. 2021 Suburbans have a 28-gallon fuel tank. The 2021 Tahoe V8s, meanwhile, come with 24-gallon gas tanks and range from 16/20 mpg for the LS rear-wheel-drive to 14/19 mpg for a four-wheel-drive High Country with its 6.2-liter engine. Considering a road trip and pulling a travel trailer to ensure a virus-free vacation? The standard towing capacity runs from 7,500 to 7,900 lbs. Max towing, properly equipped, is in the 8,400-lb. range. The Suburban and Tahoes optional advanced trailering equipment, which can vary according to the vehicles trim and set up, includes features like trailer brake controller, hitch guidance with hitch view, trailer blind zone alert, up to nine camera views and heavy duty radiator. Trailer tire pressure and temperature sensors are also available. The big SUVs have standard front pedestrian braking and automatic emergency braking, but other safety features such as surround vision, enhanced automatic emergency braking, lane keep assist, blind zone alerts and rear cross traffic alerts are available or standard only on higher trims. We suspect Suburban and Tahoe buyers ready to shell out $55,000 and up expect this technology, which is no longer on the bleeding edge, as standard. The redesigns crisp, longer proportions definitely take the styling of the new Suburban and Tahoe up a couple of notches. But its their roomier cabins that count, said Jessica Caldwell, executive director of insights at Edmunds. It really is the interior that sells people, said Caldwell of Chevys latest flagship SUVs. How the space is engineered is really important. Clearly, theyre buying them for a reason, and having that room and comfort is really crucial. The revamped 2021 Tahoe and Suburban are coming along at a good time, she added. People with families may forgo the usual cruise or Disneyland trip and instead, may go camping or on an extended road trip. The new Tahoe and Suburban are well-suited to meet that demand. Suzanne Cordeiro, FILE / TNS TULSA, Okla. (AP) Tesla CEO Elon Musk has made a visit to Tulsa, which is being considered as a site for the automaker's new U.S. assembly plant. Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt said on social media Saturday morning that he'd had a great visit with Musk on Friday in Tulsa, and included photos of himself and others talking with Musk under a tent on the proposed site. Longtime photographer Connie Rischman just finished a 5-week spree of shooting photos for families, standing much farther than 6 feet away with her extended lens while creating moments that will last a lifetime. Rather than pocketing the cash, Rischman donated $3,000 to Cy-Fair Helping Hands, her plan from the start. Rischman performed 136 photoshoots for families in the Towne Lake area of Cy-Fair after partnering with Cy-Fair Helping Hands, a nonprofit providing food and financial assistance to homeless people and others in need in the Cy-Fair area. Rischman, an independent photographer 25 years deep in the business, embarked on her mission after seeing another photographer do the same during one of her morning viewings of Good Morning America. Sewing masks for good: Klein Texas Stake church group donates masks to Northwest Assistance Ministries This first came about when COVID first started and everything shut down. I was just trying to think about what I could do, Rischman said. I only expected I wanted $1,000 to be collected but I was so, so happy. We went way over what I wanted to get. Rischman is friends with Towne Lake residents as a former resident, and found Cy-Fair Helping Hands through a friend that works with the organization. Cy-Fair Helping Hands helps homeless and in-need families with resources such as food and housing through their food pantry and numerous fundraising events throughout the year. On the road again: Cy-Fair Helping Hands gives car to client laid off due to COVID-19 They were very excited, she said. I put the ad out and I got bombarded. I was kind of afraid to do it at first. I thought I shouldnt have been out and then when I put it out it just blew up. I thought, Oh my gosh, how am I going to do this? Rischman was able to follow social distancing precautions while shooting, making families more comfortable with the concept of the photoshoot. It was nice because I had a long lens so I could stay back in the street while I took the pictures so it was fun to see everybody smiling and people having fun while I was going ahead and getting out of the house for a minute. Although she has not used her photography business in this way before, Rischman said she is more than willing to put the long lens back on and get in the field safely. Id also like to partner with a nonprofit so that I can make them money and I can make money with them, she said. chevall.pryce@chron.com Instead of a parade or fireworks, this year the city of Shenandoah continued on its tradition of celebrating Americas birthday with bubbles, music, and masks. Slowly before noon Saturday, more and more people began to gather at the municipal park on Maplewood Drive as Kool & The Gangs Celebration song filled the air. Uncle Sam walked through a cloud of bubbles floating from Five Star Entertainers booth. Behind him, a little girl with a big smile, Evelyn Muessig, 4, ran with patriotic butterfly wings and a mask to protect her from the novel coronavirus pandemic that canceled Fourth of July events across the nation. Its good, Muessig exclaimed as she jumped into the air twice describing the event. Awesome. Her mother Autumn Holland stood beside her, also wearing a mask, at the park as one of at least 50 people already gathered at the beginning of the two-hour long event. Shes glad the city decided to host the modified option after originally canceling the entire celebration. I feel like as long as we are being safe about it, we can still have fun, Holland said. A few of the city officials at the event shared they felt it was important to still host the Independence Day event. Even with the smaller crowd, Mayor Ritch Wheeler wanted to share a message with the public. I think it is important for our kids to see that they can safely and responsibly still come out and celebrate the country, that is who this is for, right? Wheeler said. We cant let them just see the negative stuff on TV, they have to also remember all the great things about this country and get to celebrate it as well. While Councilman Ron Raymakers dog was not able to wave to the crowd from the float this year, as the annual parade was not held, he and his four-legged pal were able to walk around the park with the community. The bouncy house was also scratched. AlthoughGov. Greg Abbott issued an order requiring masks, Wheeler said that according to the order that since the attendees were outside they did not have to wear a mask unless they were within 6 feet of each other. Until further clarification is received from the governor, Wheeler said that the city has asked law enforcement to politely remind the public that they should probably wear a mask if they are within 6 feet of each other. Other law enforcement agencies, including the Montgomery County Sheriffs Office issued statements stating it would take no action to enforce the governors executive order issued July 2 due to concerns about the specific language. Before MCSO issued its statement, State Representative Steve Toth and U.S. Representative Kevin Brady spoke at the park. Brady felt the event was a good, safe and responsible celebration. While he said the country is facing challenges, Brady expressed pride in the 244-year-old country, and in the community that he felt represents the American spirit. Early in the coronavirus when we realized as a government, government cant do this. We are going to need our private sector. We are going to need businesses to make this happen, as the president called on businesses to step forward and manufacture PPE (Personal Protective Equipment), we did the same thing on our Facebook and Twitter account, Brady said. In one day, we had 100 local businesses say we will stop what we are doing right now to build the medical equipment and manufacture whatever you need to keep this country safe. In one day. Toth said South Montgomery County has gone from zero to one of the largest manufacturers of PPE for frontline workers in emergency rooms and Intensive Care Units. This area is one of the largest producers of isolation gowns in the United States, Toth said. Its amazing how when a need comes to the forefront how people step forward and meet it. That just says something about the spirit of Texans and the way you guys have stepped up, not just in the private sector and economic things, but also for our veterans. I get that this is not Memorial Day and this is not Veterans Day, but this is our day of Independence and we take time to thank our military. Wheeler told residents the city officials want the children to grow up in the community with shared values they believe in with the hope to keep events like Saturdays alive and strong in Shenandoah. We look forward to the day when we can pass the baton and some of you folks step up and continue these traditions and celebrations and keep our town a community for our residents, for our neighbors, Toth said. Its not just about city limit signs, its about neighbors and community and thats why we do this. Wheeler asked the youth to raise their hands as he reminded the children that one day it would be their job to continue the tradition of events like Saturdays. You live in the greatest country on Earth, you have a chance as big boys and girls to grow up and do anything you want to do in this great country, Wheeler said. Its going to be your job to keep that moving forward. One day, I hope one of you is up here giving a speech like this to your community. So to all of my big boys and girls: enjoy today, tuck this away in your heart, remind yourself how great a country you live in and make sure that you grow up in a way that you want to be able to represent your community and your neighbors. Fireworks Boom Montgomery County residents had various plans for Fourth of July, including popping fireworks on Lake Conroe and a drive-thru display show in The Woodlands. While some plans changed, others were already set to celebrate at home with family and friends. Absolutely nothing, The Woodlands Janet Marroquin said with a laugh. We are just going to buy some fireworks and stay at home. No one is coming over. Its normal, we dont normally do much for Fourth of July, so its not affecting us much. Matt Coufer of The Woodlands walked up to a busy fireworks stand off Texas 242. Weve got kind of a block party with barbecue at one house and a shrimp boil at the other, Coufer said. Fireworks Stand Manager Casey Medelez said fireworks sales have been good despite the pandemic with some stands doing better than others. Theres been more sales because the fireworks shows and displays have been shut down or theyre drive-in, Medelez said. People are stuck up home. She observed slower business when the stand first opened, which she said is related to people procrastinating. However, she said the stand has been busier the last couple of days. We are more than likely going to sell out because we aint got that much left, Medelez said with only few items remaining on the shelves behind her. At least that is what we are hoping we are going to do. mellsworth@hcnonline.com Two Huffman locals with experience in home brewing had a dream of making a family-friendly brew pub in their hometown, but the challenges that followed were unexpected. Sam Pier and Sean Matthews bought The Cedar, a restaurant looking out over Lake Houston in Huffman, in August 2019 with high hopes. Less than two months later, Tropical Storm Imelda flooded their newly acquired business which they converted into the Lake Houston Brewery. After recovering from the flood, March came along with the novel coronavirus and the eventual partial openings of restaurants and bars. COVID-19: Local brewer temporarily closes after worker tests positive Although the previous owner had survived Hurricane Harvey with The Cedar, he sold the business because he was looking to retire, Pier said. When Imelda hit, Pier said it was a difficult time. It was definitely some trying times for sure, Pier said. I feel like we finally got on a roll there, and then, well not finally. I mean, we opened up and it was just really good business going and then we got flooded so we had to close for three weeks. That was definitely a trying time. From flooding to a global pandemic, Pier and Matthews have worked through some unprecedented times in their first year of business. Well were just looking for a little bit of breathing room, to be honest with you, Pier said. ...I mean, were just trying to make the best of our situation weve got. It is pretty tough times right now but just doing what we can each and every day. The Lake Houston Brewery is a laid-back environment, often with live music near their abundant outdoor seating. All brews are made on-site, born from a passion that started in a home brewery with a full spectrum of profiles. Pier said they hope to have their line in stores eventually. TEXAS: Once lauded for its COVID-19 response, Texas now grapples with one of countrys worst outbreaks They also offer a full brew pub menu as they are technically classified as a restaurant, much of which remains from the original Cedar menu, Pier said, including the shrimp and catfish that the original restaurant was known for. Pier said they will revamp soon and expect positive changes in the future. They are looking to grow their business and even purchased the lot next to the restaurant for parking as they eventually expect large crowds. Their goal from the start remains the same, which is to make the Lake Houston Brewery the local, family spot to come to. We both grew up here in Huffman, we both have families and kids raised here in Huffman, Pier said. Were trying to make this the spot to be. We know this community pretty well, and its just our dream to make this place the fun family environment to come hang out at. The Lake Houston Brewery is located in Huffman, the first right from the bridge, at 10614 FM-1960. They are open from 4:30 to 9 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday and from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday through Sunday. For more information, visit their website www.lakehoustonbrew.com. savannah.mehrtens@chron.com 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. Alexander Deyev can still taste the smoke from last year's wildfires that blanketed the towns near his home in southeastern Siberia, and he is dreading their return. "It just felt like you couldn't breathe at all," said Deyev, 32, who lives in Irkutsk, a Siberian region along Lake Baikal, just north of the Mongolian border. But already, this spring's fires arrived earlier and with more ferocity, government officials have said. In the territory where Deyev lives, fires were three times larger in April than the year before. And the hot, dry summer lies ahead. Much of the world remains consumed with the deadly novel coronavirus. The United States, crippled by the pandemic, is in the throes of a divisive presidential election and protests over racial inequality. But at the top of the globe, the Arctic is enduring its own summer of discontent. Wildfires are raging amid record-breaking temperatures. Permafrost is thawing, infrastructure is crumbling and sea ice is dramatically vanishing. In Siberia and across much of the Arctic, profound changes are unfolding more rapidly than scientists anticipated only a few years ago. Shifts that once seemed decades away are happening now, with potentially global implications. "We always expected the Arctic to change faster than the rest of the globe," said Walt Meier, a senior research scientist at the National Snow and Ice Data Center at the University of Colorado at Boulder. "But I don't think anyone expected the changes to happen as fast as we are seeing them happen." Vladimir Romanovsky, a researcher at the University of Alaska at Fairbanks, said the pace, severity and extent of the changes are surprising even to many researchers who study the region for a living. Predictions that once seemed extreme for how quickly the Arctic would warm "underestimate what is going on in reality," he said. The temperatures occurring in the High Arctic during the past 15 years were not predicted to occur for another 70 years, he said. Neither Dallas nor Houston have hit 100 degrees yet this year, but in one of the coldest regions of the world, Siberia's "Pole of Cold," the mercury climbed to 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit (38 Celsius) on June 20. If confirmed, the record-breaker in the remote Siberian town of Verkhoyansk, about 3,000 miles east of Moscow, would stand as the highest temperature in the Arctic since record-keeping began in 1885. The triple-digit record was not a freak event, either, but instead part of a searing heat wave. Verkhoyansk saw 11 straight days with a high temperature of 86 degrees Fahrenheit (30 Celsius) or above, according to Rick Thoman, a climate scientist at the University of Alaska at Fairbanks. The average June high at that location is just 68 degrees Fahrenheit (20 Celsius). This week, Ust'-Olenek, Russia, about 450 miles north of the Arctic Circle, recorded a temperature of 93.7 degrees (34.3 Celsius), about 40 degrees above average for the date. On May 22, the Siberian town of Khatanga, located well north of the Arctic Circle, recorded a temperature of 78 degrees Fahrenheit - about 46 degrees above normal. Much of Siberia experienced an exceptionally mild winter, followed by a warmer-than- average spring, and has been among the most unusually warm regions of the world during 2020. During May, parts of Siberia saw an average monthly temperature that was a staggering 18 degrees Fahrenheit (10 Celsius) above average for the month, according to the European Union's Copernicus Climate Change Service. "To me, these are kind of the key ingredients of things you expect in a warming climate," Freja Vamborg, a senior scientist at Copernicus, said of the recent heat records, coupled with prolonged months of higher-than-average temperatures. The persistent warmth has helped to fuel wildfires, eviscerate sea ice, and destabilize homes and other buildings constructed on thawing permafrost. It allegedly even contributed to a massive fuel spill in Norilsk in late May that prompted Russian President Vladimir Putin to declare a state of emergency in the environmentally sensitive region. Already, sea ice in the vicinity of Siberia is running at record low levels for any year dating to the start of the satellite era in 1979. Scientists have long maintained that the Arctic is warming twice as fast as the rest of the world. But in reality, the region is now warming at nearly three times the global average. Data from NASA shows that since 1970, the Arctic has warmed by an average of 5.3 degrees (2.94 Celsius), compared with the global average of 1.71 degrees (0.95 Celsius) during the same period. Scientists refer to the phenomenon as "Arctic amplification." The melting of snow and ice earlier in the spring exposes darker land surfaces and ocean waters. This switches these areas from being net reflectors of incoming solar radiation to heat absorbers, which further increases land and sea temperatures. That means more warmth in the air, more melting of snow and ice, and drying of vegetation in a way that creates more fuel for wildfires. What happens in the Arctic matters for the rest of the globe. Greenland ice melt is already the biggest contributor to sea level rise worldwide, studies show. The loss of Arctic sea ice is also thought to be leading to more extreme weather patterns far outside the Arctic, in a complex series of ripple effects that may be partly responsible for extreme heat and precipitation events that have claimed thousands of lives in recent years. The fires that have erupted in Siberia this summer have been massive, sending plumes of smoke that have covered a swath of land spanning about 1,000 miles at times. While much of the fire activity has occurred in the Sakha Republic, known for such blazes, scientists are observing more fires burning further north, above the Arctic Circle, in peatlands and tundra. "This seems to be a new pattern," said Jessica McCarty, a researcher at Miami University in Ohio. In past years, fires "were sparse if not unheard of in these regions." One concern is that such fires could be destabilizing peatlands and permafrost - the carbon-rich frozen soil that covers nearly a quarter of the Northern Hemisphere's land mass, stretching across large parts of Alaska, Canada, Siberia and Greenland. Merritt Turetsky, director of the Institute for Arctic and Alpine Research at the University of Colorado at Boulder, said fires in Siberia are currently burning "in areas where we expect permafrost to be more vulnerable." Typically, these fires would break out in July and August, but this year they spiked in May, a sign of the unusual heat and early snow melt. Turetsky said the fires are removing the blanket of vegetation that covers permafrost, making it more vulnerable to melting. Satellite observations of Arctic wildfires in June also showed that fires this year are emitting more greenhouse gases than the record Arctic fires in 2019, according to Mark Parrington, who tracks wildfires around the world with the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service. Some of these blazes appear to be what are known as "zombie fires," which survived the winter season smoldering underground only to erupt again once snow and ice melts the following spring. Similar fires have been observed in Alaska this summer. Ted Schuur, a professor at Northern Arizona University who researches permafrost emissions, said the rapid warming is turning the Arctic into a net emitter of greenhouse gases - a disconcerting shift that threatens to dramatically hasten global warming. The unusually mild conditions in Siberia are particularly worrisome, as the region is home to the largest zone of continuous permafrost in the world. There has long been concern throughout the scientific community that the approximately 1,460 billion to 1,600 billion metric tons of organic carbon stored in frozen Arctic soils, from Russia to Alaska to Canada, could be released as the permafrost melts. That is almost twice the amount of greenhouse gases trapped in the atmosphere. Recent research by Schuur and others shows that warmer temperatures allow microbes within the soil to convert permafrost carbon into carbon dioxide and methane. A report late last year that Schuur co-authored found that permafrost ecosystems could be releasing as much as 1.1 billion to 2.2 billion tons of carbon dioxide per year - nearly as much as the annual emissions of Japan and Russia in 2018, respectively. "A decade ago we thought more of the permafrost would be resistant to change," said Schuur. The more scientists look for destabilizing permafrost and an increase in greenhouse gas emissions, the more they find such evidence. Rapid warming has altered those calculations. "We're basically setting records in the Arctic year after year," Schuur said. "These emissions are now adding to our climate change problem. What happens in Siberia is going to affect everything through the global climate system." Researchers have watched as the changes sweeping the Arctic threaten major infrastructure, including homes and cities in the region. "Will roads, buildings, oil and gas pipelines be able to survive without emergency [interventions], due to permafrost degradation?" Alexander Fedorov, deputy director of the Melnikov Permafrost Institute in the regional capital of Yakutsk, said in an email. "One must live on stable lands. In Siberia and the Arctic, many settlements and infrastructure were built before global warming, before there were problems. The main thing is not to be late with the solutions, because many villages are located in dangerous and vulnerable areas." For all the disconcerting signals coming out of the Arctic, the potential for troubling events remains high in the coming months, Meier said. Sea ice typically reaches its minimum in September, he noted. Ice melt accelerates in Greenland during June and July. Wildfires have the potential to worsen as summer drags on. Intense summer storms can cause permafrost degradation and worsen coastal erosion. "Certainly, 2020 is a strange year all around, for a lot of reasons beyond climate," Meier said. "But it's certainly setting up to be an extreme year in the Arctic." That might seem like a distant problem to the rest of the world. But those who study the Arctic insist the rest of us should pay close attention. "When we develop a fever, it's a sign. It's a warning sign that something is wrong and we stop and we take note," Turetsky said. "Literally, the Arctic is on fire. It has a fever right now, and so it's a good warning sign that we need to stop, take note and figure out what's going on." - - - Khurshudyan reported from Moscow. The Washington Post's Olga Massov in Washington contributed to this report. ALBANY President Donald Trumps ship is sinking, and Elise Stefanik is standing on deck, watching as the water begins to tickle her feet. Polls say that Trump would lose to presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden in a landslide if the election were today. The President is well behind in all the usual battleground states (Michigan, Wisconsin, Florida, etc.) and polls even show him in a dead heat in states, such as Texas, where Republicans always win. Whats that? You don't believe polls? Well, then look at where the Trump campaign is spending on advertising: Georgia, North Carolina, Arizona states where Republican nominees shouldn't be playing defense four months before the election. Trump is in deep trouble, no matter Biden's flaws. Meanwhile, the resurgence of the coronavirus (in red states, no less) and the scandal known as Bountygate loom. The Trumptanic is already listing, and the biggest icebergs are ahead in the fog. All of this must be disheartening for Stefanik, the Republican congresswoman who lives in Saratoga and represents the North Country. If your memory is sharp enough to remember six months back, you'll recall the outsized role Stefanik played during impeachment and how, as one of one of Trump's most vociferous defenders, she tied her political future to his. (If you don't remember, well, January does feel like a lifetime ago.) Her role on Trumps defense team made Stefanik a star, of sorts. Her bellicose and frequently dishonest defense of the president's Ukraine scheming pulled her out of obscurity and thrust her into the national spotlight. They loved her on Fox, hated her on MSNBC. It was a perplexing turn of events for those who remember the Stefanik of yore, the ever-so-cautious Albany Academies graduate who once found Trump so distasteful that she endorsed the Republican nominee without letting his name sully her reputation. I imagine that from Stefanik's perspective, Trump lacked the kind dignity and personal morality of her former boss, George W. Bush. (Quick question: When Trumps presidency is over, who thinks he'll devote himself to eradicating AIDS in Africa, as Bush has done, or to some other selfless cause? I don't see many hands.) But when impeachment came, Stefanik grabbed a MAGA hat and wrapped herself in a Trump flag. Sure, the decision, however calculated and insincere, had obvious short-term benefits fame and buckets of campaign cash among them but it sure looks like a bad bet now. It isn't that Stefanik will lose in November to Tedra Cobb, her Democratic opponent. An upset, though hardly impossible, still seems unlikely. But if Trump goes down in a landslide as Democrats sweep into power, there is going to be finger pointing among Republicans. The party that emerges will be different, and better, and those who most blatantly embraced Trump are going to carry his stink for years to come. Those who kept their distance will look wise. To put in another way: Stefanik, considered a potential bright star of the party when she was elected to Congress at the age of 30, will have done her career some serious harm. I don't like to kick a politician when shes down, but I'll now mention Stefaniks recent trip to Tulsa for Trumps much-hyped but lightly attended rally the event that was supposed to jump start his flagging campaign. Stefanik was one of a few elected Republicans to attend. It was there, atop Oklahoma's red dirt, that Trump decided to give a little shout out to some prominent supporters in the crowd, including the congresswoman known as Elise Steff-a-NACK!! Clap, clap, clap. Wait, Elise who? Thats our president for you. Debase yourself defending the guy, and he can't be bothered to learn your name. Stefanik has been so adamant that Trump can do no wrong that I half expected her to declare, after the rally, that she had been known as Elise Steff-a-NACK all along, no matter what the FAKE NEWS claimed. Instead, her campaign spokesperson said "the president knows her as Elise." Oh. If nothing else, Trumps error silenced silly speculation that Stefanik might replace Mike Pence on the ticket. Pence is easier to pronounce, so he'll get to stick around for the November defeat. Lucky guy! What should Stefanik do? If she's reading the tea leaves properly, she'll hop in a lifeboat and row until theres miles of sea between her and that doomed ship. She'll try to distance herself from Trump, in other words, as many elected Republicans alarmed by sinking polls seem increasingly willing to do. Bountygate may leave Stefanik no choice. If it is true, as early reporting indicates, that Trump ignored U.S. intelligence showing Russia paid bounties for the killings of American troops in Afghanistan, the backlash will be fierce especially in the North Country, where Fort Drum is a major employer and a cultural touchstone. Get in that lifeboat, Elise, and start rowing. There's no time to waste. cchurchill@timesunion.com 518-454-5442 @chris_churchill From across the parking lot at the Connecticut Post Mall in Milford, I see three people at the edge of a fireworks tent, one of them wearing red shorts, a white T-shirt and a blue hat. No masks. Then again, theyre outside, talking only to the fireworks proprietor. Im on a mask quest, but not to document the wearing or not of the garment that defines 2020. We can all see its spotty outside, even in crowded settings; more popular indoors, like the public areas of malls, where coronavirus can spread more easily; and nearly universal where its required in stores, at least in states not under the spell of a know-nothing president. Habits aside, its peoples attitudes toward face covering that Im seeking out. Specifically, how mask opinions fit into the philosophy behind the grand experiment that became the most powerful nation on Earth. Is there a link between those attitudes and the principles of liberty and community that were celebrating on July 4? Make the choice to put it on if you want to, said Massimo DeMedici, the guy in the colors of the weekend which may have been a coincidence, he wouldnt let on. Were not fond of it. His fiancee, Liza Davis, declared herself more likely to wear a mask, largely because of her profession, bail bonds. I wear it because Im afraid, said Davis, who owns and operates Liza Davis Bail Bonds in Middletown not, apparently, realizing that masks protect other people much more than they protect the wearer. DeMedicis cousin, who gave me only the name Will, opposes masks by the rule of law. If the government is mandating me to have to wear this, then I have a problem with that, Will said. DeMedici, who also lives in Middletown, is unconvinced that masks do any good, anyway. Youre never going to win. Its silly, he said. Im talking about common sense and the individuals right to express himself. Despite that view, DeMedici said he often wears a mask. And even Will, railing against government intrusion, added, I dont want to offend people, either, by not having one inside a store. Davis, donning a black, polyester mask with her companys name and phone number, disagreed with the whole freedom rap. I dont feel as though its infringing on my liberty. Clearly this isnt simple stuff. When it comes to mask wearing, we have warriors freedom advocates who say its their right to not wear a mask no matter what Gov. Ned Lamont and health authorities say. They are the descendants of the Tea Party wing of the patriots of the American Revolution, the ones who fought against British rule and still fight against government control of anything (except, of course, when they want something from the government). That freedom from centralized oppression is a cornerstone of our independence. Some but not all of those warriors descended from a populist American tradition, the Know Nothing movement, or the American Party in the late-19th century. It fought against immigration and rights for anyone here who was different than the WASP majority. I think we all know their leader. He opposes mask-wearing and scientific thought for no reason whatsoever and has caused thousands off needless deaths. Then we have the worriers. They believe in the masks and other sacrifices we make. They abide by it with religious fervor because it serves the greater good, not because its the law. They, too, have their heritage in an American Revolution cornerstone idea: that community, common citizens and common welfare not the king, not the lords who own the most property, not giant corporations are what this nation should be about. Warriors and worriers, the title of a book on gender differences, adapted to mask-wearing here by Patrick Sullivan, the lobbyist at Sullivan & LeShane and an all-around observer of culture. But as we see from that scene in Milford, most of us fall in between. Wafflers, I call us. We wear a mask and we socially distance some of the time and we drop our guard some of the time like when theres a Black Lives Matter protest. Wafflers isnt a slur. I can imagine even in 1776, most American colonists just wanted to provide for their families, not devote their lives to a new experiment in community or to fighting oppression. They made time for both, or we would not have a country today. In Norwalk on Thursday night, a young woman named Malaury sat outside at a restaurant with two friends, her mask at her right hand for the moment she would leave the table. Shes a devotee, even as a member of Generation Z an age group widely blamed for mask lapses. Just wear the mask, thats it, Malaury said. Its not a freedom of speech issue. ... It doesnt impact your breathing. I ask whether shes worried about COVID-19 for herself and loved ones. Someone close to her did die, she said. If you asked me in March, of course I would be worried, she said, because people were dying left and right. A lot of young people are dying, too. She embodies the community values at the base of a nation that strives for equity. That we fail is no reason to stop trying, though there are many these days who say we have little to celebrate on this July 4. Down the street at another restaurant, tables packed outside, I see A.J. Ibarrondo, a young man striding home, as he comes across four friends. There are hugs all around hugs, I tell you and no one is masked. And yet when I approach him, Ibarrondo reaches for a face covering in his pocket and declares, Youve got to wear a mask. I never go anywhere without a mask. He thinks the anti-mask independence movement is pretty stupid, and considers himself a moderate. Hell hug close friends, But Im also not too loose. He raises a fist for a bump as we part. On the way out of Norwalk I come across seven middle-aged men hanging around six motorcycles, mostly Harleys, in the harbor parking lot. Not one wears a mask. If its really Independence Day, lets act independent and not strip away our rights, because we know how to take care of our bodies, said one of the men who identified himself only as Jimmy. The mask makes him unable to breathe, he tells me. I feel like George Floyd. As it happens, all seven men in that group are Black. Just then a white Norwalk police officer orders them to leave through the loudspeaker of an unmarked car. Theyre parked illegally. Scared of coronavirus? Were more scared of the police...and were more scared of fake information, Jimmy says. We dont have the luxury to go in a huge yard and swim in a pool. We dont have the income. Like the nation thats struggling on so many fronts right now, the mask issue, unmasked, reveals layers of complexity related to freedom, community, economic fairness, even race. And through it all, we find reasons to celebrate all the more for our ability to argue about whats right. dhaar@hearstmediact.com Four years before the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention fumbled the nation's chance to begin effective early testing for the novel coronavirus, the agency similarly mishandled its efforts to detect another dreaded pathogen. Amid a feared outbreak of the newly emerged Zika virus, senior CDC officials in 2016 sidelined an effective test for it - and instead directed public health laboratories nationwide to use a more complicated test that failed about one-third of the time. The agency's response to Zika now stands as an unheeded prequel for how the CDC stumbled this year as it confronted the coronavirus pandemic, which has claimed more than 125,000 lives nationwide. Both Zika and the coronavirus originated overseas and became American health emergencies that have challenged the CDC's ability to carry out its fundamental mission to rapidly identify and contain newly arrived pathogens. In both emergencies, the CDC pressured the public health labs to shelve the effective tests and to use less reliable test kits manufactured by the agency that sought to detect multiple pathogens. The agency stood behind the troubled test kits despite internal data indicating they were flawed. Ultimately, the CDC notified the public lab officials that they could switch to more effective tests. With Zika, the CDC took nearly a year to change course. With the coronavirus, the agency took more than a month, delaying a nationwide rollout of effective testing as the malady it causes, covid-19, erupted into the nation's most deadly infectious disease in a century. Clinicians and public health officials believe the delay caused additional deaths, although the total number is uncertain. The component of the CDC's coronavirus test kits that was designed to detect strains other than SARS-CoV-2 became contaminated during manufacturing at the agency in January, causing false-positive results at 24 of 26 labs that first tried out the kits, The Washington Post revealed in April. The CDC waited until Feb. 28 before dropping the problematic "pan-coronavirus'' segment from the kit - while the public labs were blocked from using an effective test made available in mid-January by the World Health Organization. The parallels in how the CDC responded to the two health crises emerge from a Washington Post examination of federal investigative and regulatory records, congressional testimony, CDC emails and documents, and interviews with scientists and other technical experts. "It's painful to watch the same challenges again and again,'' said Timothy M. Persons, who has reviewed the efforts to counter Zika and the coronavirus as chief scientist of the U.S. Government Accountability Office. "As I think we saw with Zika, we need to apply lessons learned to definitely try and respond better." An audit that Persons led three years ago for the government faulted CDC leaders for not being more rigorous in evaluating the troubled test for Zika. Reliable early testing "is a critical piece of the overall preparedness and response system," Persons said in an interview. President Donald Trump and his appointees have generally praised the administration's response to the coronavirus. But a review released on June 19 by the Department of Health and Human Services said that CDC officials - despite seeing worrisome "anomalies" - skipped standard quality control checks before distributing the test kits for detecting the nation's earliest cases of the virus. The review also confirmed that the kits were "likely" contaminated during the CDC's manufacturing. Robert S. Lanciotti, a virologist who headed the CDC's diagnostic efforts with Zika until May 2016 - when the agency stripped him of his leadership role after he warned against distributing the deficient test kits - said the decision-making with the coronavirus mirrored what he witnessed. "This is exactly the same mistake I saw during Zika,'' Lanciotti said in interviews with The Post. Lanciotti said that by shelving effective tests in favor of less reliable approaches, CDC officials "slowed things down and screwed things up.'' As reported in The Post in 2016, Lanciotti had raised concerns then that the CDC's preferred Zika test missed infections and that the agency withheld information about its deficiencies from local lab officials. CDC officials did not respond to questions for this article. On Saturday, an HHS spokeswoman, Caitlin Oakley, said the government at no point blocked the public health labs "from using any other" available test for the coronavirus. Representatives of the labs, however, have complained that then-existing regulations tethered them to the CDC's troubled test. Former CDC Director Tom Frieden, who led the agency's efforts against Zika in 2016, praised its overall performance with that virus and defended the decisions made with the Zika test. "Any test can get improved with time," Frieden said. "And any action can be looked back on. . . . In the course of refining the test, you expect it to get better with time." - - - Researchers discovered the virus that came to be called Zika in 1947 in the blood of a rhesus monkey in Uganda's Zika Forest. Initially, the virus posed little threat to humans: Over the next three decades, fewer than 20 Zika infections would be diagnosed from Africa to Southeast Asia, and the reported symptoms were nonexistent or mild - occasional fever, headache and malaise. No deaths or other severe outcomes emerged. In June 2007, the CDC first dealt with Zika when the agency's diagnostic lab in Fort Collins, Colo., received blood samples from physicians in Yap state, a cluster of tiny Pacific islands about 500 miles east of the Philippines in the Federated States of Micronesia. The island doctors suspected that an epidemic of rashes, eye redness and joint pain had been touched off by disease-carrying mosquitoes. At the time, Lanciotti was chief of the lab, which specialized in diseases spread by mosquitoes and ticks. Using a well-established molecular testing technique called polymerase chain reaction, or PCR, Lanciotti and his colleagues discovered that the epidemic in Yap was caused by the Zika virus. Lanciotti also developed a separate enzyme-based test, which showed whether a person's blood carried Zika antibodies, another sign of infection. His lab continued to use those tests on Zika samples as small outbreaks emerged in the coming years elsewhere in the Pacific, still thousands of miles from the U.S. mainland. The CDC's concern rose by late 2015, after Zika infections were detected widely along the northern coast of Brazil. This marked Zika's first confirmed appearance in the Western Hemisphere - and the stakes were made more urgent by mysterious clusters of microcephaly, a birth defect that left newborns with tiny heads. In December 2015, Lanciotti began distributing instructions for how to conduct the molecular test, which his team was already using, to public health labs in 21 states and the District of Columbia, along with several counties, records show. A top priority, Lanciotti recalled during recent interviews, was to prevent Zika's spread in the United States by likely hosts - including infected airline passengers returning from the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. If an infected person were bitten by a mosquito, Zika might spread to whomever the insect next found. Zika, he knew, could also be transmitted sexually. "When this hit in 2015, we weren't taken by surprise," Lanciotti recalled. "We had testing in place. . . . We knew there would be travelers returning, potentially infected with Zika." Lanciotti's approach was informed by his CDC experience with West Nile disease, another mosquito-spread virus: Using molecular and antibody testing, he and his colleagues had been the first to confirm that an outbreak in 1999 of human encephalitis in New York City was caused by West Nile. Lanciotti said the CDC did not manufacture the Zika test kits, but told others how to build them. The Zika molecular testing protocol that Lanciotti distributed instructed the local labs where to purchase chemical mixtures necessary for the tests and specified the temperatures and durations at which blood samples, along with the mixtures, should be heated, cooled and reheated during testing. Lanciotti also sent a "proficiency panel," which each lab could use to verify whether it was generating reliable results with the test, called "Singleplex." The panels included small tubes of inactivated Zika virus and a non-viral substance to verify accuracy. Within two weeks of receiving Lanciotti's testing instructions, public labs in Florida, Texas, California, New York and Maryland were analyzing samples, interviews and CDC records show. "The approach that my lab took was, we want to develop a very rapid way for state public health partners detecting these viruses," Lanciotti said. "We want to know right away if a traveler has Zika.'' Rapid detection would enable health authorities to isolate an infected person and, if a cluster of cases emerged, the affected neighborhoods could be promptly sprayed with insecticide. If a pregnant woman were diagnosed with Zika, she would be informed immediately. - - - By early 2016, CDC scientists based in Puerto Rico and at agency headquarters in Atlanta saw the emerging Zika crisis as an opportunity to deploy a new - and more elaborate - approach to detecting the virus. Instead of using the molecular test to look only for Zika, they would also target five additional pathogens: chikungunya virus and four strains of dengue fever. The new test, referred to by scientists as an "assay," was called "Trioplex," and was intended to provide convenience for labs that wanted to look simultaneously for Zika and the other pathogens. The portion of the Trioplex test targeting the four strains of dengue fever was known as the "pan-dengue" component. Four years later, the CDC would complicate its SARS-CoV-2 test with the "pan-coronavirus" component, designed to search for additional coronavirus strains. All of the viral strains targeted in the new test were transmitted by mosquitoes, but only Zika posed an imminent threat to the continental United States. Even if Trioplex detected a case of dengue or chikungunya, no effective medical treatments existed for their often mild symptoms, and neither dengue nor chikungunya was associated with birth defects. Unlike Lanciotti's test, the CDC would manufacture and distribute the Trioplex test kits, each with 41 pages of instructions, versus two for Lanciotti's concise protocol. The expanded diagnostic approach, however, introduced a challenge: Targeting multiple pathogens typically reduces a test's sensitivity, according to scientific experts. "You always are careful about sacrificing sensitivity," said Richard Meyer, a microbiologist who designed and conducted molecular tests before retiring as chief of the CDC's rapid response lab for bioterrorism. Lanciotti said he worried about the change because he knew from his work during the Yap outbreak that, with Zika, only a relatively small amount of the virus could be detected in a person's blood. Due to Zika's low viral load, detecting it required a test with great sensitivity. "A small reduction in analytical sensitivity leads to a big problem, because most of the Zika cases had low levels of" virus in the blood, Lanciotti said. But Lanciotti did not oppose developing Trioplex - as long as it was not distributed until its sensitivity was upgraded, CDC records show. Lanciotti said he remained confident in the Zika test already in use, Singleplex. His work with Zika and other viruses drew accolades from the CDC. On Feb. 16, 2016, the CDC gave Lanciotti a "Director's Recognition Award," noting his "timely development of diagnostic tests that provided the first . . . evidence of a linkage between microcephaly and Zika virus.'' By early that month, the testing had confirmed 50 cases of Zika infection among returned U.S. travelers, according to CDC documentation provided to the White House. President Barack Obama cited the cases in a letter on Feb. 22, 2016, when he asked Congress for a $1.9 billion emergency appropriation to counter Zika. Nearly half, $828 million, was intended for the CDC's efforts. At about the same time, the CDC began manufacturing the new Trioplex test kits in Atlanta. In a briefing with reporters on March 10, 2016, CDC Director Frieden said the "new PCR test [Trioplex] will be particularly helpful" in combating Zika. The emergency funding, he said, "is crucially important and urgently needed." "The sooner we're able to get a robust program up and running, the more we can reduce the risk to pregnant women," Frieden said. On March 17, 2016, the Food and Drug Administration, which regulates some disease tests, granted the CDC an emergency use authorization for Trioplex, signifying it "may be effective." The CDC then directed public health labs to use the test for Zika, records show. Six days later, Frieden told a House appropriations subcommittee that the agency had already "produced more than half a million" Zika test kits. At least 13 states, he said, were at "high risk" of Zika being spread by the Aedes aegypti mosquito. In Puerto Rico, alone, "we could see thousands of affected pregnancies," he said. - - - Health officials had another concern: that Zika could be transmitted through blood transfusions involving an infected donor. Because of that, in early 2016, the nonprofit Blood Systems Research Institute began to assess the reliability of the Trioplex test. The work was performed under a long-standing contract with the National Institutes of Health. The blood organization, based in San Francisco, quickly found trouble with Trioplex. On April 13, 2016, Michael P. Busch, the institute's director, sent an email to a senior CDC official: Testing over the previous two months had generated "disturbing'' results. The data, Busch said, showed that Trioplex had missed 18 of 48, or 37.5 percent, of Zika infections it should have detected. Trioplex appeared to be "less sensitive than . . . Lanciotti's assays," Busch wrote in the email to Lyle R. Petersen, a division director at the CDC, along with three other officials at both the CDC and the FDA. Busch's email asked the officials "to support rapid publication" of the test data that his institute had analyzed. One of the FDA officials, Jay Epstein, its director of blood research, responded to Busch on April 15: "I support publication," and "Re lower sensitivity . . . it seems to me that users need to shift to better assays." "There was a lot of controversy over the accuracy of that [Trioplex] test and performance," Busch recently told The Post, adding that it reminded him of "the current situation with" the coronavirus. A senior CDC official who was involved with the Zika response from the outset said the agency did not take "enough time to evaluate" Trioplex before distributing it. "We made a bad decision with this Trioplex," said the official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to comment publicly. "We already knew how to diagnose for Zika virus. We already had the tests, which were developed in Rob Lanciotti's lab." Lanciotti, meanwhile, was conducting his own studies in early 2016 on the reliability of Trioplex. In mid-April, Lanciotti sent emails to a handful of senior CDC colleagues, reporting that analyses performed on patient samples in his lab found that "Trio misses 30-39% of the Zika positives." One of the email recipients, Ronald M. Rosenberg, CDC's associate director of vector-borne diseases, suggested informing the state labs. "The simplest solution might be to convey this information to the states and let them decide" which test to use, Rosenberg wrote in an email on April 18 to Lanciotti and four other CDC scientists. "But whatever they decide . . . it might be unwise to abandon the singleplex." As concerns mounted over the accuracy of Trioplex, its lead designer, Jorge L. Munoz, chief of the CDC's dengue virus lab in Puerto Rico, told colleagues he saw no deficit in sensitivity, records show. Also on April 18, Frieden touted Trioplex to more than 1,500 health officials invited to a "Zika Action Plan Summit" at the agency's headquarters. Frieden said CDC scientists had "done a phenomenal job" developing Trioplex and the antibody tests. He again called for the emergency funding from Congress. Two days later, Lanciotti voiced his growing concerns over Trioplex with Petersen, who had been detailed from Fort Collins to Atlanta to manage the CDC's response to Zika. Lanciotti said the state labs "that have validated and are using the singleplex should be encouraged to make no changes until they hear from us about the revised trioplex." Lanciotti also sent the email to 11 other senior CDC scientists. Petersen did not respond to Lanciotti, according to documents gathered by a subsequent CDC review. The next afternoon, on April 21, Lanciotti went a step further and emailed officials at 29 state labs that were using or had qualified to use Singleplex: "We want to inform you that in the Fort Collins laboratory we are continuing to use the Zika singleplex due to its greater relative sensitivity (that we have just established/become aware of through comparative analyses in several laboratories)." Another senior CDC official, virologist Ann Powers, admonished Lanciotti for his email. "While I certainly appreciate that you are wanting to make sure states are doing top quality testing, this email has created more trouble and confusion than it clarified," Powers wrote on April 25. Two days later, CDC officials in Atlanta notified more than 100 public health labs that Trioplex was "recommended for use in the current Zika response." The email made no mention of the Singleplex test or the data reflecting Trioplex's inferior sensitivity. Some CDC officials had hoped that even if Trioplex failed to detect a Zika infection in pregnant women, those false negatives would be caught through later antibody tests. But because of Zika's low viral load, that was not a reliable alternative: Antibodies in patients' blood typically are not seen during the first few days of infection and are never present in samples of urine or amniotic fluid. Of 13 patients with Zika that Trioplex had failed to detect, four were also missed by the antibody test, according to analyses done by Lanciotti's lab. If those samples had not been subjected to the Singleplex test, "4 confirmed cases would have gone undetected,'' Lanciotti wrote in an April 28 email to CDC officials Petersen, Powers and Rosenberg. The scientists were usually based in Fort Collins, and Lanciotti reported to both Powers and her superiors, Rosenberg and Petersen. In a reply to the group titled, "trioplex sensitivity," Rosenberg wrote: "Shouldn't CDC officially communicate this limitation to users?" On May 2, Trioplex's sensitivity was discussed during a conference call involving Lanciotti, Powers, Munoz and Julie M. Villanueva, a senior CDC scientist put in charge of the new Zika Emergency Operations Center. Villanueva this year co-developed the CDC's test for the novel coronavirus, according to a scientific journal article she co-authored. Two days later, according to the CDC's subsequent review, "potential enhancements to the Trioplex'' were also discussed with Frieden during a "daily update call" that included Munoz. Frieden said he did not remember the call. Munoz, Petersen, Rosenberg, Powers and Villanueva did not answer written questions from The Post. "What bothered me the most was, we were telling our state public health lab partners to use a test that we weren't fully convinced was ready for prime time," Lanciotti recalled. "There was no question in my mind that we were going to be missing cases." - - - On May 17, 2016, Rosenberg informed Lanciotti that the agency was stripping him of his duties as lab chief, but Rosenberg relayed no reason for the demotion, according to Lanciotti. Within days, Lanciotti filed a whistleblower complaint with the U.S. Office of Special Counsel. In his complaint, Lanciotti alleged that the CDC had endangered public health by withholding the data about Trioplex's sensitivity. He spoke recently about the issue with the Project on Government Oversight. On July 1, 2016, the special counsel's office, which protects federal employees who reveal potential wrongdoing, determined there was a "substantial likelihood" that Lanciotti's allegations were credible. Special Counsel Carolyn N. Lerner contacted the CDC to recommend Lanciotti's reinstatement as lab chief, according to people familiar with the matter. The CDC promptly restored Lanciotti's title - but continued to exclude him from the agency's response to Zika. Lerner also referred Lanciotti's allegations to Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia M. Burwell for further investigation. That type of referral typically would have been assigned to the HHS Inspector General, experts said. Instead, Burwell sent the matter to Frieden, who assigned it to the CDC's associate director for laboratory science and safety, Stephan Monroe. His review, released on Sept. 2, concluded that Trioplex had posed no danger and that agency officials acted prudently. Monroe's review cited the favorable conclusion about sensitivity reached by Trioplex's designer, Munoz, and described the available data for comparing the two tests as "inconclusive and contradictory." His review also said, "It was reasonable to not share this information with external public health laboratories, as it did not provide any meaningful information for laboratories to act upon." Lerner, the special counsel whose initial investigation won Lanciotti's reinstatement, closed her office's file on the case in a letter to the White House on Sept. 27, concluding that Monroe's findings "appear reasonable." A later Government Accountability Office report in May 2017 would find that Monroe's review did not conduct "a comprehensive comparison of Trioplex and Singleplex." Monroe did not respond to written questions from The Post. Frieden, to whom Monroe had reported directly, said he viewed the report as an independent review. It established to his satisfaction, Frieden said, that the CDC acted correctly with Trioplex, including the decision to withhold the test data from the public health labs and other users. "I think it's very important in public health to share more rather than less," Frieden said in an interview. "But that doesn't necessarily mean that you share the results of evaluations that have not been done in a systematic way, that may not be accurate." At least seven state and local public labs defied the CDC's original directive and continued to use Singleplex, according to scientists familiar with the matter and CDC records. Among them were the central labs for the states of New York, Maryland, Florida, Massachusetts and New Jersey. Burwell, now the president of American University, declined through a spokeswoman to be interviewed. The CDC eventually tried to improve Trioplex's sensitivity. On Sept. 21, 2016, the FDA approved a CDC-requested change to Trioplex,telling lab officials nationwide that they could try to boost its sensitivity by first extracting higher volumes of genetic material from samples of blood or urine. The samples would then be analyzed in the PCR machines. But few of the labs had the specialized instruments necessary for the larger extractions, according to scientists familiar with the matter, including Busch, who had warned in April about Trioplex's sensitivity. The CDC's modification of Trioplex, Busch said, "didn't really fix the problem." Within days of the change to Trioplex, the CDC's request for emergency funding to counter Zika was granted: On Sept. 28, 2016, Congress passed a spending measure that included $1.1 billion of the $1.9 billion that Frieden had for months sought on the Obama administration's behalf. A total of $394 million wound up going to the CDC. Meanwhile, in a dynamic that would be repeated this year with the coronavirus, many state lab officials privately fumed over the CDC's handling of Trioplex, afraid to speak out because their operations depended on funding from the agency. But in an extraordinary plea on Oct. 14, 2016, the presidents of three organizations representing government and commercial scientists urged the CDC to release data that would illuminate Trioplex's "performance characteristics." The presidents, PhD scientists Susan E. Sharp, Charles E. Hill and Alexandra Valsamakis, represented the American Society for Microbiology, the Association for Molecular Pathology and the Pan American Society for Clinical Virology, respectively. Their letter noted that "comparative studies of the Trioplex and Singleplex . . . suggest that Trioplex is significantly less sensitive than the Singleplex assay." "The lack of access to all data regarding test performance of these assays prevents laboratory professionals from making informed decisions about which test to adopt or recommend. Access to these data would provide transparency and allow for optimal patient care." On Jan. 12, 2017, 10 months after the rollout of Trioplex, the CDC informed users of the test that they could discard the non-Zika components of Trioplex. This essentially reduced Trioplex to the original Singleplex test. In the end, Zika did not inflict widespread harm within the United States. Reported Zika infections - mostly among returned travelers - totaled 5,168 in 2016 before declining to 452 in 2017, 74 in 2018 and just 22 last year, according to CDC records and interviews. Lanciotti retired in December 2018, after 29 years with the CDC. - - - The Washington Post's Alice Crites contributed to this report. Kimberly Guilfoyle, the girlfriend of President Donald Trumps eldest son and a top fundraising official for the Trump reelection campaign, tested positive for the coronavirus Friday before a Fourth of July event at Mount Rushmore, a person familiar with her condition said. Guilfoyle traveled to South Dakota with Trumps son Donald Trump Jr., in anticipation of attending a huge fireworks display where the president was set to speak. They did not travel aboard Air Force One, according to the person familiar with her condition, and she was the only person in the group who tested positive. As a routine precaution, people who come in close contact with Trump are screened for the virus. Guilfoyle is the third person in possible proximity to Trump known to have contracted the virus. A personal valet who served Trump his food and the press secretary for Vice President Mike Pence tested positive for the virus in May. Guilfoyle was not experiencing symptoms, the person familiar with her condition said. She and the younger Trump never met up with the presidents entourage, the person said. Out of caution, the couple plans to drive back from South Dakota to the East Coast, the person said. Still, that another person who was expected to be near Trump tested positive and someone whom most staff aides consider a member of the Trump family is likely to renew attention around potential risks to the president. Even as outbreaks have emerged in the South and West and as states across the country report a record number of cases each day, White House officials and Trump in particular have minimized their focus on the virus in public appearances. In an interview Wednesday, the president indicated that he believed the virus was going to sort of just disappear. The presidents aides recently modified protocols for people entering the White House grounds, abandoning routine temperature checks, for instance. They have counseled people experiencing symptoms typical of the coronavirus to stay away. But people who come in proximity to Trump and Pence are still tested for the coronavirus. This article originally appeared in The New York Times. In a speech repeatedly mentioned Mount Rushmore, statues, and agitators who have caused destruction, President Donald Trump announced Friday he'll sign an executive order for a new monument. Trump said the order relates to the establishment of a vast outdoor park that pays tribute to the "giants of our past." Trump said he will establish a National Garden of American Heroes, which he is describing as a vast outdoor park that will feature the statues of the greatest Americans who ever lived. Trump made the announcement as he opened the Fourth of July weekend with a speech and fireworks at Mount Rushmore. He led into the announcement by paying tribute to a litany of American icons, from political figures like Ulysses S. Grant and Frederick Douglass to entertainers like Elvis Presley and Frank Sinatra. The executive order released Friday by the White House says the garden will feature statues of several presidents as well as other historic notables, including Davy Crockett, Amelia Earhart, Billy Graham, Harriet Tubman and Orville and Wilbur Wright. Earlier, People blocked a road leading to Mount Rushmore, where President Donald Trump is slated to hold an Independence Day celebration a day before the holiday. 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. Authorities declared the gathering an unlawful assembly, and projectiles were fired at the group that emitted smoke, the Sioux Falls Argus Leader reported. Some of the protesters knelt or prayed before they were detained, and several people were pepper sprayed and arrested, according to the news outlet. Police wearing riot gear and holding shields moved in on the protesters from both sides and warned them. Most of the fireworks show attendees had already arrived before protesters blockaded the road. Trumps schedule indicates he will arrive at the monument by helicopter. More than 100 protesters, mostly Native Americans, lined the road leading from Keystone, South Dakota, 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. Protesters used vans to barricade the road. 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. Video: President, first lady depart for Mount Rushmore 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. On July 4, 1848, thousands of people poured into the nation's capital to celebrate not only the country's birth, but also the laying of the 25,400-pound, white marble cornerstone of the Washington Monument. Crowds cheered as President James Polk led a parade of military troops. Dolley Madison and Elizabeth "Eliza" Hamilton waved from carriages in the procession. "Never was the American character more strikingly exemplified than on this day, 40,000 people, of both sexes, of all classes, and with every variety of political preference assembled" to honor the United States' first president, George Washington, the Baltimore Sun reported. The adulation wasn't unanimous. The Anti-Slavery Bugle, an abolitionist newspaper, sarcastically asked if any of Washington's old slaves "will be there to assist in the ceremony?" A Massachusetts congressman noted that slave markets were open in Washington "midway between the Capitol and the monument to Washington." Polk was a slave owner and had brought enslaved people with him to the White House. The Washington Monument has since become part of the United States' July Fourth fireworks event and celebrations on the National Mall. This year, despite the coronavirus pandemic and police brutality protests, President Trump plans a massive fireworks display, staging some of them from the grounds of the famous obelisk. Congress first proposed "that a marble monument" to Washington be erected "in the city of Washington" on Dec. 24, 1799, a few months after the president's death. But nothing happened. In 1833, U.S. Supreme Court Justice John Marshall and former president James Madison formed the private Washington National Monument Society to raise funds. In 1845, the society picked a design by noted architect Robert Mills. Mills had a grandiose vision. He proposed a 600-foot-high, Egyptian-style obelisk with a nearly flat top. The hollow obelisk would rise from a 100-foot-high rotunda with 30 columns. Inside would be statues of 30 Revolutionary War heroes and the 56 signers of the Declaration of Independence. Outside on the roof would be a Godlike statue of Washington standing in a chariot pulled by six horses. The estimated cost ranged up to $1 million (equal to about $30 million now). The society had only raised about $80,000, so it told Mills to scale back his design to a 500-foot-high obelisk without any rotunda. In early 1848, Congress approved construction on a site that Washington himself had recommended for a memorial to Revolutionary War soldiers. The cornerstone was hauled from Baltimore for the groundbreaking. At 11 a.m. on July 4, horse-mounted soldiers escorted Polk's carriage to City Hall, where the parade to the site began. Following Polk and his Cabinet members were 18 volunteer military units bearing "bristling arms" and two companies of 180 U.S. Marines marching to the music of a Marine band. Next came firefighter companies and members of civic groups, such as the Freemasons and the Temperance Society. They were followed by the carriages of the widows of Madison and Alexander Hamilton. This was "the greatest parade in the city of Washington yet seen," said the National Intelligencer. "Bright-colored country bonnets bustled and swayed about in the crowd, like poppy heads shaken by the wind." The parade proceeded to the monument site a few blocks from the president's house near the Potomac River. "What pen can do justice to this picture?" the Sun reporter wrote. "The noble public and private buildings, the shady summit of Arlington, tall masts of the shipping at Alexandria, the broad Potomac's rippling waters washing the beach at our feet." The crowd gathered on the grounds around the cornerstone. Onlookers included three future presidents: Reps. Abraham Lincoln of Illinois and Andrew Johnson of Tennessee and Secretary of State James Buchanan. They were joined by the chiefs of several Native American tribes. The Masons' grand master began the ceremony by formally presenting "working tools" to architect Mills. Scores of items were placed inside the cornerstone's zinc case. They ranged from copies of the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution to a U.S. dollar, a silk Texas flag and the "Annual Report of the Comptroller of the State of New York." (The comptroller was future president Millard Fillmore.) Former president John Quincy Adams had been scheduled to speak, but he died in February. So House Speaker Robert Winthrop of Massachusetts delivered a two-hour speech, which was deemed "exceedingly chaste and eloquent." Then the whole procession marched back to Pennsylvania Avenue where Polk, on horseback, reviewed the military troops. Polk and his wife hosted thousands of people inside the White House. That night crowds watched a "grand display of fireworks" launched at the monument site. At 11 p.m. Polk signed a new peace agreement ending the Mexican-American War. "I desired to sign it on the anniversary of independence," he wrote in his diary. Two years later President Zachary Taylor, a hero of the Mexican War, walked over to join July Fourth celebrations at the Washington Monument grounds on a scorching hot afternoon. He became ill, reportedly after eating cherries and iced milk, and died five days later from food poisoning. Construction came to halt in 1855 when funding ran out. The monument was only 156 feet high at the time. During the Civil War, the monument had "the aspect of a factory chimney with the top broken off," Mark Twain wrote. "You can see cow-sheds about its base" and "tired pigs dozing in the holy calm of its protecting shadow." Finally in 1876, the United States' centennial year, Congress authorized funding to complete the monument. President Chester Arthur led the dedication on Feb. 21, 1885. At 555 feet, 5.125 inches, the Washington Monument was the tallest manmade structure in the world. That lasted until 1889, when it was surpassed by the Eiffel Tower in Paris. The final cost was $1.2 million (equal to about $35 million today.) Completion of the Washington Monument set off an architectural debate that continues today. "The monument speaks for itself," said the Washington Critic newspaper, "simple in form, admirable in proportions ... it rises into the skies higher than any work of human art. It [is] the most imposing, costly and appropriate monument ever erected in the honor of one man." The editor of a Salem, Ore., newspaper, took a different view: "A tall shaft rising into the air to a dizzy height is no doubt imposing, but it can hardly be said to thrill the soul or stir the blood. The difference between the Washington Monument and a village flagpole is after all only one of degree, and who ever wept over a flagpole?" Flood water flows through Shandong province in the Yellow River, June 30, 2020. [Photo/Xinhua] BEIJING -- 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. [ Editor: WXY ] Florida and Texas reported record daily increases in confirmed coronavirus cases Saturday, the latest sign that the virus is surging in many parts of the United States, casting a pall over Fourth of July celebrations. After a week of skyrocketing coronavirus cases in the United States, officials are issuing a stark warning this Fourth of July: Skip the parties. If you really have to go, wear a mask, wash your hands and maintain social distancing. And if you must host, keep the information of all attendees for future contact tracing. Coronavirus cases are rising in 36 states heading into the weekend with California, Arizona, Texas and Florida all posting a record number of new infections this week. Florida again shattered its daily record for new coronavirus cases in a single day Saturday with health officials reporting more than 11,000 confirmed cases. After months of coronavirus restrictions, people restless to get back to normal are planning barbecues, dips in lakes and gatherings to watch fireworks. But some are finding beaches in Miami and Los Angeles closed, tubing in Texas rivers banned and some city celebrations happening mostly on live streams. With states such as Arizona banning public events larger than 50 people, some officials are canceling annual fireworks altogether. Without the right measures to stop the spread of the virus, health experts fear the holiday weekend could bring a wave of new infections that could overwhelm hospitals. To avoid a public health disaster, they're imploring people to wear masks, skip bars and crowded places, and avoid mixing with people outside of their households. In New York, once the epicenter, people were urged to avoid crowds and Nathans Famous July Fourth hot dog eating contest happened at an undisclosed location without spectators on hand, in advance of the evening's televised fireworks spectacular over the Empire State Building. "What we know is that our behavior is the most powerful tool we have right now against the virus," said Dr. Nadine Burke Harris, surgeon general of California. "And we really need folks to, you know, step up. I know that folks are tired, but it's absolutely critically important." The latest numbers The U.S. has reported more than 2.8 million cases of the virus and at least 129,000 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University. The number of new cases surpassed 50,000 nationwide for the third straight day Friday. With mask mandates for Texas and Kansas going into effect Friday, 19 states and Washington, D.C., now have such requirements. Other governors have also issued statewide orders, including California, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois and Michigan. And in Tennessee, Gov. Bill Lee signed an executive order granting mayors in 89 counties the authority to issue mask requirements. It allows local governments to issue the mandates if a surge requires more preventative measures being taken to slow the spread of the virus. "While our densely populated urban areas continue to have the highest COVID-19 case rates, our local governments expressed a need for greater flexibility in addressing a rise in cases and that includes setting stronger expectations around masks," Lee said in a statement. "This targeted approach ensures we protect both lives and livelihoods and safely keep our economy open in Tennessee." In Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, the beaches will be open to thousands of visitors for the holiday weekend but with a mask requirement to help stop the spread, Mayor Brenda Bethune said. Of the 36 states whose new cases have gone up this week compared to the previous one, nine of them have increased by over 50%. They are Montana, Idaho, Nevada, Florida, Georgia, Tennessee, Louisiana, Alaska and Delaware. Health care workers make plea to governor In Georgia, where coronavirus cases have surged in the past week compared to the one prior, health care workers made a passionate plea. More than 1,400 of them signed a letter addressed to Gov. Brian Kemp asking for him to increase state restrictions to help slow the spread of the coronavirus. The letter dated Thursday urged the governor to close bars and nightclubs and prohibit indoor gatherings of more than 25 people, including at places of worship. It also recommends a statewide face covering requirement that allows mayors and county officials to institute requirements appropriate for their jurisdictions. "During the past week we have seen a sharp spike in cases that cannot be accounted for by increased testing. We also are seeing a very troubling increase in hospitalizations that, if continuing, will overwhelm our healthcare infrastructure, not only in metro Atlanta but also in rural Georgia," the letter said. Dr. Jesse Couk, the chair of Infectious Disease Shepherd Center and a doctor at Piedmont Atlanta Hospital, told CNN he worked with other doctors and health care professionals to create the letter after he became frustrated with lack of action in response to the spike in cases. Couk and other medical contacts worked together to create the letter and have other health care professionals sign it. He wanted to highlight the need for increased social distancing and further restrictions to slow the spread. He said he was speaking as a member of the Infectious Disease Society of Georgia and not as a representative of Piedmont Atlanta. Hospitals reach capacity in two Texas counties Hospitals in at least two Texas counties are at full capacity heading into the Fourth of July holiday weekend, with county judges urging residents to shelter in place. Judges in Starr and Hidalgo counties sent out emergency alerts Friday, warning residents that local hospitals in the Rio Grande Valley were at capacity. Judge Eloy Vera said there have been 18 deaths in Starr County due to COVID-19 and two severely ill patients had to be flown out of the area for treatment. One of the patients was taken to San Antonio and the other to Dallas, the judge said in the post on Facebook. "The local and valley hospitals are at full capacity and have no more beds available. I urge all of our residents to please shelter-in-place, wear face coverings, practice social distancing and AVOID GATHERINGS," he wrote. Vera issued a public safety alert announcing a "Level 1 Severe" threat due to the virus spreading rapidly across the county. In neighboring Hidalgo County, Judge Richard Cortez mirrored the warning. In a public safety alert posted on Twitter, he also announced hospitals were at capacity and asked residents to shelter in place, avoid large gatherings, wear face coverings and practice social distancing. In the post, Cortez asked residents to celebrate the Fourth of July "responsibly," and to "Conserve resources; ONLY call 911 if absolutely necessary." Texas has its biggest daily rise in virus cases Texas has reported its biggest daily increase in the number of confirmed coronavirus cases 8,258. Hospitalizations also continue to climb. Texas health officials on Saturday said the states total number of confirmed coronavirus cases is now at 191,790. State health officials also reported 33 additional deaths linked to COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus. That brings Texas total to 2,608 deaths. Hospitalizations stood at 7,890 on Saturday, an increase of 238 from Friday. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott issued an executive order Thursday requiring masks to be worn in public spaces in counties with 20 or more COVID-19 cases. He also gave mayors and judges the mandate to restrict gatherings of 10 or more people. "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 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," he said. "Likewise, large gatherings are a clear contributor to the rise in COVID-19 cases. Restricting the size of groups gatherings will strengthen Texas' ability to corral this virus and keep Texans safe." Texas is expected to see nearly 2,000 new hospitalizations per day by mid-July, according to forecasts published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. WHO drops pursuit of anti-malaria drug regarding COVID-19 The World Health Organization says it is ending a trial into whether anti-malaria drug hydroxychloroquine helps patients hospitalized with COVID-19. WHO said Saturday it has accepted the recommendation from the committee overseeing the trial to discontinue testing of hydroxychloroquine and lopinavir/ritonavir, a drug combination used to treat HIV/AIDS. The drugs were being compared with standard care for hospitalized patients. WHO says a review of the interim results showed hydroxychloroquine and lopinavir/ritonavir produce little or no reduction in the mortality of hospitalized COVID-19 patients when compared to standard of care. The agency adds that while there was no solid evidence of increased mortality for hospitalized patients given the drugs, there were some associated safety signals in the clinical laboratory findings of an associated trial. WHO says the decision wont affect possible trials on patients who arent hospitalized, or on those receiving the drugs before potential exposure to the coronavirus or shortly afterward. 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. CNN and The Associated Press contributed to this report. A man in his late 20s was shot to death around 11:30 p.m. Friday night on a sidewalk in south central Houston, police said. The man was standing on the side of the road at 3700 Nagle St., near the intersection with Alabama St., when he was shot multiple times, according to Houston Police Detective M. Arrington. NEW YORK (AP) The coronavirus put a damper on this year's Fourth of July celebrations in New York, but some things stayed the same. Joey Chestnut and Miki Sudo repeated as men's and women's champions at Saturday's Nathan's Famous July Fourth hot dog eating contest. Chestnut downed 75 wieners and buns in 10 minutes and Sudo downed 48 1/2 in a competition that took place at an undisclosed location with no in-person spectators. Both hot dog totals were world records. Im always pushing for a record, Chestnut said before the contest aired on a live sports-starved ESPN. I know thats what the fans want." 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. 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. Canada has released new special instructions that require temporary visa applications to be submitted online between July 1 and September 30. IRCC: Temporary visa applications must be submitted online Canada has released new special instructions that require temporary visa applications to be submitted online between July 1 and September 30. IRCC: Temporary visa applications must be submitted online Canada has released new special instructions that require temporary visa applications to be submitted online between July 1 and September 30. IRCC: Temporary visa applications must be submitted online Canada has released new special instructions that require temporary visa applications to be submitted online between July 1 and September 30. Kareem El-Assal Aa Accessibility Font Style Serif Sans Font Size A A Due to the coronavirus pandemic, Canada will only accept temporary resident visas submitted online. This policy will be in effect for those applying for work permits, study permits, and temporary resident visas (TRV) while outside of Canada between July 1 and September 30. Need assistance with a temporary visa application process? Contact wp@canadavisa.com However, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship (IRCC) will provide special accommodations for individuals who are unable to complete their application process online due to a disability. Unless an applicant has a disability, IRCC will not accept paper-based applications during the effective period of this policy and will go ahead and return the application and processing fees to the applicant. This policy is part of IRCCs special coronavirus measures to manage immigration applications while it operates at reduced capacity. Currently, work permit holders are able to travel to Canada so long as they are coming for a non-optional reason. Other exemptions apply, including if an individual is coming to Canada to be with an immediate family member. Study permit holders are not able to come to Canada if they did not hold a valid permit as of March 18. This new announcement by IRCC, however, suggests that Canada plans to introduce an exemption for study permit holders who wish to begin their studies in Canada this fall. Need assistance with a temporary visa application process? Contact wp@canadavisa.com 2020 CIC News All Rights Reserved Here's a look at the biggest Canadian immigration stories for the rest of 2020. Previewing Canadian immigration over the next 6 months Here's a look at the biggest Canadian immigration stories for the rest of 2020. Previewing Canadian immigration over the next 6 months Here's a look at the biggest Canadian immigration stories for the rest of 2020. Previewing Canadian immigration over the next 6 months Here's a look at the biggest Canadian immigration stories for the rest of 2020. Kareem El-Assal Aa Accessibility Font Style Serif Sans Font Size A A 2020 has been a challenging year for us all. The coronavirus pandemic has had a major impact on Canadas immigration system. Immigrants themselves have been affected by numerous disruptions, whether its difficulties accessing language testing, credentialing services, biometrics, or other government services. Immigration professionals have also been working around the clock to adjust to all the policy and programming changes impacting Canadian immigration. The good news is that we should see things continue to improve in the second half of 2020, and hopefully normalize by 2021. For example, immigration candidates can now book and complete an English language test, and obtain an Educational Credential Assessment (ECA). Find out if you are eligible for any Canadian immigration programs Perhaps the biggest reason we should all remain optimistic is that we continue to receive positive messages and signals from the federal government and Canadas immigration minister. The federal government has many flexible policies in place right now to help immigration candidates. For example, they are giving candidates more time to submit their documentation, and are not refusing anyone if they are unable to submit a complete application due to COVID-19 interruptions. Immigration minister Marco Mendicino has consistently stated throughout the pandemic that Canada is just as committed as ever to welcoming immigrants to support its economy. With that in mind, here are some of the major issues we should look out for in the remaining six months of 2020. Travel Restrictions The biggest issue on everyones mind is when Canada will lift its travel restrictions with the U.S. and the rest of the world. Whether you are Canadas Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, minister Mendicino, or another senior leader, the answer is: no one really knows. The answer to this question ultimately depends on how successful Canada and other countries will be in containing COVID-19. It is perhaps safe to say that the sooner the pandemic is under control, the sooner Canada can begin to exempt more individuals and then eventually lift the restrictions altogether. Another major question mark is whether Canada will accommodate international students in time for the fall 2020 semester. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has said it will process study permits to the best of its ability, but under current travel rules, international students who did not have a valid study permit prior to March 18 are unable to come to Canada. Hence, it seems likely that later this summer, Canada will exempt new study permit holders who wish to begin their studies in Canada by September. Federal Skilled Workers Program The Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP) is the main pathway for Express Entry candidates to obtain permanent residence. Since the start of the pandemic, however, Express Entry draws have only focused on Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) and Canadian Experience Class (CEC) candidates. IRCCs rationale is it wants to issue invitations to apply (ITA) to candidates within Canada, since they are less likely to experience coronavirus disruptions than candidates overseas. It is important to remember, though, that some of the CEC and PNP candidates now receiving ITAs are also overseas. Moreover, it is reasonable to expect that by the time that successful candidates submit their permanent residence applications and IRCC processes them, we will be in 2021. At that point, hopefully, Canadas border rules will have been eased. Therefore, a strong argument can be made in favour of IRCC including FSWP candidates in Express Entry draws right now. Even if one is not convinced by this argument, remember, again, that some CEC and PNP candidates are currently abroad, so why should FSWP and Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP) candidatessome of whom are actually currently in Canadabe excluded? Find out if you are eligible for Express Entry Family class A common question right now is whether IRCC will renew the Open Work Permit Pilot before it expires on July 31. The pilot gives an open work permit to spouses and partners of Canadian citizens and permanent residents who are waiting for their spousal sponsorship application to be processed. Given how beneficial this pilot is to Canadian families and the economy, we should expect it to be renewed. Another major question mark is with respect to the Parents and Grandparents Program (PGP). It has been delayed due to IRCC reviewing how to improve it, and then the onset of COVID-19. IRCC has stated it is committed to announcing details about the programs launch later in 2020. One obstacle, which minister Mendicino has noted, is that parents and grandparents are more vulnerable to COVID-19. Hence, IRCC is trying to identify how it can welcome such individuals to Canada in a manner that protects their health. Want to sponsor a family member? Immigration Levels Plan 2021-2023 Aside from any forthcoming announcements on travel restrictions and when IRCC will invite FSWP candidates again, the third biggest story in the next six months will be minister Mendicinos 2021-2023 Immigration Levels Plan announcement. This will be the most anticipated announcement since the government tabled their immigration plan in 2017back then, stakeholders wanted to know if Canada would commit to significantly higher immigration levels and whether it would re-introduce a multi-year plan (prior to 2017, plans were announced one year at a time). By November 1st, Mendicino will tell us the extent to which COVID-19 will impact Canadas short- and medium-term immigration goals. We all know immigration is critical to Canadas economy and society, but at the same time, COVID-19 has created much uncertainty. Ultimately, COVID-19 has not impacted Canadas need for immigration, so there is a strong chance immigration levels will remain high in 2021 and beyond. Find out if you are eligible for any Canadian immigration programs 2020 CIC News All Rights Reserved Heres why more immigrants are coming to Canada from the U.S. U.S. immigration to Canada is skyrocketing Heres why more immigrants are coming to Canada from the U.S. U.S. immigration to Canada is skyrocketing Heres why more immigrants are coming to Canada from the U.S. U.S. immigration to Canada is skyrocketing Heres why more immigrants are coming to Canada from the U.S. Kareem El-Assal Aa Accessibility Font Style Serif Sans Font Size A A As the U.S. celebrates Independence Day, on the fourth of July, it is worth taking a look at immigration patterns from the U.S. to Canada in recent years. Over 10,000 U.S. residents immigrated north in 2019 through Canadas Express Entry system. This represents a significant increase from the 600 U.S. residents who immigrated through Express Entry in 2015. Express Entry is the main way that Canada manages skilled worker applications. Those who are eligible under one of Express Entrys three immigration programs are graded on their human capital characteristics such as their age, education, language skills, and work experience. The grading scheme is known as the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS). Every two weeks, the federal department of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) holds Express Entry draws inviting candidates with the highest CRS scores to apply for permanent residence. IRCC then aims to process the permanent residence applications of successful candidates within six months. Express Entry draws have remained ongoing throughout the coronavirus pandemic and Express Entry is off to its fastest start this year since 2017. Find out if you are eligible for Express Entry A look at U.S. skilled worker immigration to Canada The staggering growth of immigrants moving from the U.S. to Canada is likely actually under-stating the extent of the growth. While Express Entry is the main way for skilled workers to gain Canadian permanent residence, there are other prominent options which are also attracting skilled workers from the U.S. The most notable is the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP). Under Canadas Constitution, immigration is an area of shared federal and provincial jurisdiction, although the Constitution gives the federal government more power. Twelve out of Canadas 13 provinces and territories operate their own immigration programs. Quebec has its own skilled worker system due to its special status within the Canadian federation. The remaining provinces and territories welcome skilled workers through their own PNP streams. Each province and territory designs their own PNP selection criteria and administer their PNP streams based on their local labour market needs. Skilled workers arriving from the U.S. also obtain Canadian permanent residence through the PNP. While some of these individuals are captured in IRCCs Express Entry data, since a portion of PNP immigrants are processed through Express Entry each year, the available data does not capture all U.S. skilled workers who come to Canada through the PNP, as well as the other federal immigration pathways that the country offers. Hence, there is a strong chance that the actual number of skilled workers who came to Canada from the U.S. in 2019 is markedly higher than the 10,000 who came through Express Entry. Find out if you are eligible for any Canadian immigration programs Why immigration from the U.S. is rising Skilled worker immigration from the U.S. is rising for the following reasons. First, Express Entry has played an increasingly important role in Canadas skilled worker system since it first launched in 2015. Whereas only 26,000 individuals received an Express Entry invitation to apply (ITA) for permanent residence that year, the figure now stands at over 85,000 annually. Given that skilled workers from the U.S. have a competitive edge when submitting an Express Entry profile since they are fluent in English, have high levels of education and work experience, a larger number of them in absolute terms are gaining PR through Express Entry. Canada also launched its Global Skills Strategy in 2017 to help employers in Canada bring foreign tech talent to the country more easily. A key component of the strategy is the Global Talent Stream which enables employers in Canada to bring foreign tech workers in about one month (compared to longer processing times for non-tech workers). Among those arriving to Canada through the strategy are workers from the U.S. who are then going on to transition to Canadian permanent residence through the likes of Express Entry. The third major reason is likely the uncertainty surrounding U.S. immigration policy. While the need for foreign workers in the U.S. has continued to increase, political gridlock has made much needed U.S. immigration reform difficult to achieve. As such, many foreign nationals working in the U.S. have made the choice of pursuing permanent residence in Canada. How to submit an Express Entry profile from the U.S. If you wish to consider immigrating to Canada, Express Entry is a fairly straightforward process: Step 1: See if you are eligible for one of the three Express Entry programs. The Federal Skilled Worker Program is likely the most viable option for you if you have not lived in Canada before. Step 2: Submit an Express Entry profile. As part of this process, all applicants (even if they are native English speakers) must complete an English language test accredited by IRCC. Another key component of this process is obtaining an Educational Credential Assessment. Step 3: Once you have entered the Express Entry pool, wait to see if you get an ITA for permanent residence. Express Entry draws happen bi-weekly. Another major benefit of entering the pool is you increase your immigration odds since provinces and territories can review your profile and provide you with an invitation through their PNP. Step 4: If you obtain an invitation, submit your permanent residence application. IRCC aims to process PR applications within 6 months. Find out if you are eligible for Express Entry 2020 CIC News All Rights Reserved Sorry, no valid subscriptions were found for this Publication. Please select from an option below to start a subscription. SUBSCRIBE TODAY! 24 Hour Access Wilkes-Barre, PA (18701) Today Mostly cloudy with showers and a few thunderstorms. Low 63F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 60%.. Tonight Mostly cloudy with showers and a few thunderstorms. Low 63F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 60%. 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 CLEVELAND HEIGHTS, Ohio -- Fleeing and eluding: Mayfield Road At 8:55 p.m. June 25, an officer traveling east on Mayfield Road saw heading westbound an SUV that officers had been advised to look out for, as the SUV had been reported stolen from Cleveland and was known to be driven by a Cleveland Heights aggravated robbery suspect. The officer turned around and followed the suspects vehicle as it headed down the Mayfield Road hill towards Little Italy. When the officer activated his siren and overhead lights, the suspect accelerated, hitting a speed of about 70 miles per hour while nearing the Little Italy business area. Considering that the SUV could do great harm in the busy shopping district, the officer turned off his lights and siren. The suspect slowed and eventually turned onto East 124th Street. The officer followed in hopes of apprehending the suspect in a less crowded area, but lost site of the SUV. The officer then stopped in the University Circle area to confer with another CHPD officer searching for the SUV and, as they talked, they noticed the SUV appear behind them. The SUV was stopped. In the car, the officers saw two females. The CHPD officers again gave chase and the SUV again accelerated as it headed to Euclid Avenue and then Lakeview Road. On Lakeview Road, while making a turn, the vehicle crashed into an aluminum fence, then went into a retaining ditch near a condominium complex. The driver got out and ran, but was soon apprehended. It was learned that there were two additional females in the SUV, both of whom immediately surrendered to officers. The female who had been driving is 15 years old. One of the passengers is also 15, and a runaway from Ashtabula, and the other passenger is a 16-year-old. The driver was listed as a missing juvenile from Cleveland. None of the girls were injured in the crash. The SUV, as thought, was listed as stolen from Cleveland, although the report does not state if it is the same SUV as used by the aggravated robbery suspect.. The driver was charged with felony fleeing and eluding. The other two girls were not charged and were turned over to their guardians. Theft from auto: Berkeley Road At 10:05 a.m. June 26, a man, 21, reported that someone entered his unlocked car, parked overnight in his driveway, and stole $150 from the console as well as a gun he had just purchased and left in the auto. The man told police that the theft occurred between 10 p.m. the night before, and 8 a.m. June 26. The car was not available for police to process for fingerprints as the mans girlfriend had driven it to work. Domestic violence: Noble Road On June 26, a woman, 47, went to the police station to make a report on an incident that occurred on June 19. The woman said that at noon June 19, she and her husband, 59, became involved in an argument that became physical. The husband accused the woman of selling his laptop computer to get money to buy crack cocaine. The woman said that her husband then shoved and choked her in front of her autistic daughter, 23. Next, the man reportedly took his handgun from underneath a futon, took it to his car, and left. The woman told officers that her husband has, in the past, kidnapped her daughter by locking her in the bathroom. She said that when she told her husband he was guilty of kidnapping, he replied, I was charged with kidnapping before. The woman explained that she was not able to call police a week earlier because her husband had been around the house more often due to COVID-19 quarantining. On June 26, she said, she was able to leave the house and go to the police station via a bus because her husband had gone to religious services and then to sell oils and illegal products outside a shopping center. In fear for her life, the woman said she and her daughter would be staying at a relatives house. Charges are being sought against the man for domestic violence and assault. A protection order was signed for the womans safety. Police are seeking the husband. Burglary: Rydalmount Road At 8:35 a.m. June 28, a man reported that, during the previous evening, someone entered his homes sunroom and stole three bicycles and a laptop computer. The man told police that he is sure he locked the door leading from outside to the sunroom, but that the burglar likely slipped the screen door off its hinges. Police were able to obtain two fingerprints from the screen door. See more Sun Press news here. BEACHWOOD, Ohio -- A man was shot in the leg inside Beachwood Place Mall Friday evening, according to police. The shooting was reported just after 5 p.m. in the Saks Fifth Avenue corridor in the mall, police said in a statement late Friday night. Police said it appeared the victim and the shooter knew one another and got into an argument just before the shooting. The shooting was not a random act of violence, police said in a statement. The man was rushed to the hospital and treated and released. Police from multiple agencies and agents from the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation responded to the shooting. The shooter has not been identified. Police are investigating leads and are asking the public to call 216-464-1234. Read more stories Police investigating possible shooting at Beachwood Place mall Man wanted in officer-involved shooting at Beachwood Place mall rammed Cleveland police cruiser prior to arrest, police say After four shootings in two years, why has Beachwood Place seen recurring gun violence? BEACHWOOD, Ohio -- Police are investigating a possible gunshot fired at Beachwood Place Friday evening, according to news reports. Update: Beachwood police say the victim and the assailant knew each other and got into an argument before the shooting. 19 News reports shoppers ran in a panic near Saks Fifth Avenue department store, and were told to hide in the back of stores until an all-clear was given. Beachwood Police could not be reached for comment. According to WKYC, the first reports were of the sound of gunfire, but other witnesses reported that it was a firecracker. Fox 8 reports the mall was put on lockdown. 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 Donald Trump Jr. looks on as Kimberly Guilfoyle speaks during a 'Make America Great Again' campaign rally at Williamsport Regional Airport, May 20, 2019 in Montoursville, Pennsylvania. Kimberly Guilfoyle, a senior Trump campaign official and Donald Trump Jr.'s girlfriend, tested positive for coronavirus while in South Dakota on Friday, according to a person familiar with the situation. Trump Jr., the eldest son of President Donald Trump, tested negative, the person said. Neither Trump Jr. nor Guilfoyle traveled with the president on Air Force One as the president went to Mount Rushmore for a July 4th weekend celebration, the person said. They both planned to attend but never made it to the site. Requests for comment from Guilfoyle and Trump Jr. were not immediately returned Friday night. Guilfoyle is expected to drive back to the East Coast to avoid interactions with other people, two people familiar with the matter said. The White House says Trump is tested for the coronavirus daily. The New York Times first reported that Guilfoyle tested positive. The development occurred on a day in which there were more than 53,000 new cases of COVID-19 reported across the United States, according to NBC News counts. Guilfoyle, who is Trump Victory Finance Committee chair, spoke at Trump's June 20 rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and in the introductory program ahead of Trump's remarks in Phoenix, Arizona, on June 23. But it is unknown when or where she was exposed to the coronavirus that causes the disease COVID-19. While the site of exposure is not known, since the Tulsa rally multiple people who attended have tested positive for the virus, including a journalist and at least two members of the campaign's advance team. In addition, six campaign staffers tested positive hours before the rally but were not present at the event. On Thursday it was announced that former presidential candidate Herman Cain, who attended the Tulsa rally tested positive for Covid-19. He received the positive result on Monday, and on Wednesday he developed symptoms serious enough that he required hospitalization, a statement posted to his Twitter account said. TWEET Cain, 74, did not need a respirator and was awake and alert at an Atlanta area hospital, the statement said. It is not known when Cain was exposed to or contracted the illness. Trump's campaign said in a statement Thursday that Trump did not meet with Cain at the Tulsa rally. There have been more than 2.7 million cases of COVID-19 in the United States, with more than 130,000 deaths linked to the disease, according to NBC News' count. Cases have been rising in a number of states, and 19 states have either rolled back or paused reopening plans due to the illness. Senior officials in Hong Kong said on Saturday they were "very disappointed" at Canada's decision to suspend its extradition treaty with the Chinese-ruled city and again slammed Washington for "interfering" in its affairs. Beijing imposed a new national security law this week on the former British colony, despite protests from Hong Kong residents and Western nations, setting China's freest city and a major financial hub on a more authoritarian track. "The Canadian government needs to explain to the rule of law, and explain to the world, why it allows fugitives not to bear their legal responsibilities," Hong Kong's security chief, John Lee, told a radio program on Saturday. Lee was very disappointed and strongly opposed Canada's move, he added, as it let politics override the rule of law. The comments followed Canada's statement on Friday that it was suspending the treaty with Hong Kong in the wake of the new law and could boost immigration from the city. Canada would also bar the export of sensitive military items to Hong Kong, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told reporters. On Saturday's program, Hong Kong Justice Secretary Teresa Cheng said she was disappointed and expressed extreme regret over Canada's move, adding that she thought it could probably violate international law. On Friday, a Hong Kong government spokesman described as "totally unacceptable" a bill passed by the U.S. Senate to penalize banks doing business with Chinese officials who implement the new law. "We reiterate that any 'sanctions' imposed under the act will not create an obligation for financial institutions under Hong Kong law," the spokesman said in a statement. He urged the United States to immediately stop interfering in Hong Kong's internal matters, adding that Beijing, as well as the city's government, could take counter-measures when needed. Despite the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, many Americans will still celebrate the Fourth of July with small, outdoor soirees in place of the big blowouts of the past and residents of some states will pay a slightly higher margin for their supplies. That's according to new data from deal site Simple Thrifty Living, which compared prices for cheeseburgers, hot dogs, drinks, sides and paper goods in each state to see how the cost of a backyard barbecue varies across the U.S. The site used data from local Walmart stores and based all quantities on a gathering of 10 people. (These numbers are for illustrative purposes. The size of any actual gathering should be based on local laws and restrictions, per the CDC.) Here are the exact items included in the analysis: Cheeseburgers : 85% lean/15% fat ground beef, hamburger buns, Kraft Singles cheese slices, Heinz ketchup, French's mustard, Hellmann's mayonnaise, sweet onion, tomatoes, iceberg lettuce, Vlasic dill pickles : 85% lean/15% fat ground beef, hamburger buns, Kraft Singles cheese slices, Heinz ketchup, French's mustard, Hellmann's mayonnaise, sweet onion, tomatoes, iceberg lettuce, Vlasic dill pickles Hot dogs : Ball Park beef hot dogs, hot dog buns : Ball Park beef hot dogs, hot dog buns Beverages : Bud Light beer, White Claw seltzer, cans of Coca-Cola : Bud Light beer, White Claw seltzer, cans of Coca-Cola Sides : Watermelon, corn on the cob, Bush's baked beans, Popsicles : Watermelon, corn on the cob, Bush's baked beans, Popsicles Paper goods: Paper plates, napkins, plastic cutlery The most expensive barbecues will take place in Alaska, where it costs an average of $137.74 to cover all of the supplies. Hawaii, Wyoming, Tennessee and South Dakota also landed in the top five most expensive states. "Substantially higher meat, produce, fruit and beer prices were the culprits for a higher overall bill in these states," Simple Thrifty Living reports. South Carolina was the only state to come in under $100, with a 10-person barbecue costing an average of just $99.03. How does your state stack up? Check out the map and full list below. The Supreme Court's 5-4 decision to strike down a restrictive Louisiana law is far from the final battle by abortion opponents in their fight to overturn Roe v. Wade. Sponsored by an anti-abortion Democrat, Louisiana Act 620 was passed in 2014. State Sen. Katrina Jackson contended that its requirement that abortion providers have admitting privileges to hospitals within 30 miles of their clinic would protect women. Challengers of the law, however, said the restriction would leave just one abortion provider at one clinic in a state with more than 4.5 million residents. "This case was not about decriminalizing abortion or overturning Roe vs. Wade. I have a path that looks at that," said Jackson. "But I also know that I have a responsibility as a woman, as a legislator, to make sure that when a woman elects to have an abortion, while Roe vs. Wade is still the law, that they have safe choices." The case before the Supreme Court, June Medical Services LLC v. Russo, was nearly identical to a Texas case the court struck down in 2016. In Whole Woman's Health v. Hellerstedt, it held that a state's admitting privileges requirement did not advance women's health and imposed an undue burden on women seeking an abortion. Louisiana lawmakers, with the help of the anti-abortion organization Americans United for Life, pursued the law claiming the facts were drastically different than in Texas. "If something had happened to me, you'd better believe that I would've wanted to be able to go right into an O.R. for surgery so that if my uterus had been perforated, if my bowel had been perforated, I would get every possible chance to save my life," said Catherine Glenn Foster, president and CEO of Americans United for Life. "Women deserve that." In an amicus brief against Act 620, leading medical associations wrote that abortions are extremely safe and rarely require hospital admission. They argued that continuity of care between clinics and hospitals is achieved through emergency protocols and communication, not through outpatient clinicians having hospital admitting privileges, something the plaintiff has held in the Texas and Louisiana case. "Louisiana says that many of its restrictions on abortion are about protecting women and children, but we know that's not true because Louisiana has one of the worst maternal mortality rates in the country," said Julie Rikelman, lead attorney from Center for Reproductive Rights. "It has one of the worst indicators for child health in the country. And so instead of actually enacting laws and putting into place policies that would protect women and children, they are just trying to take people's decisions away." Monday's decision by the Supreme Court is a win for abortion rights groups. However, the 5-4 ruling, in which Chief Justice John Roberts sided with the court's liberals and newly appointed conservative Justices Brett Kavanaugh and Neil Gorsuch dissented, could be a sign for deeper polarization and litigation ahead. "Anyone who reads this and thinks that abortion rights are safe now was just not paying attention," said abortion law expert Mary Ziegler of the Florida State University College of Law. In this article TCUDX TCUUX LeoPatrizi Consumers can push for racial justice and it's as simple as opening an account at a community bank or credit union that supports under-served communities. Netflix announced recently that it would transfer $100 million of its cash holdings to financial institutions that support Black communities in the U.S. Meanwhile, across the U.S., there are more than 1,000 Community Development Financial Institutions, or CDFIs. These institutions specialize in under-served communities and more than a third of their banks are led by minorities. One analysis found that more than 40% of CDFI's loans and investments are in majority-minority communities. "With all the racial problems going on, right now is the perfect time for people to open up an account at a community development bank or credit union," said John Holdsclaw, board chair of the Coalition of Community Development Financial Institutions. Personal finance website NerdWallet has a list of CDFIs by state. "These institutions provide equity in these black and brown, low-income communities. They were created to be able to provide fairly priced loans and a place to build assets. It's not about profit, it's about creating access," Holdsclaw said. A history of being overlooked Communities of color have historically been under-served by banks: 14% of Black households and 10% of Hispanics had no bank accounts in 2019, according to the Federal Reserve. For comparison, just 3% of White households are unbanked. Perversely, not having access to a bank can cost consumers more. That's because they often turn to alternative financial services to handle everyday banking needs, including cashing checks at retailers or using payday loans. Both options are rife with fees. Check cashing services can ding consumers 1% to 10% of a check's value, according to NerdWallet. Meanwhile, payday loan providers can slap a fee ranging from $10 to $30 for every $100 borrowed, according to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Similarly, Black and Hispanic business owners suffered during the coronavirus pandemic and they missed out on federal lifelines that could have kept their businesses afloat. Sheneya Wilson, CPA and founder of Fola Financial in New York Prince Loove Amid the public health crisis, the number of working black business owners is down more than 40%, according to recent research by the Stanford Institute for Economic Policy and Research. However, one survey found that just 1 in 10 Black or Latinx small business owners received the assistance they requested under the government stimulus package. The Center for Responsible Lending also found that many Black business owners were shut out of the Paycheck Protection Program, the small business loans designed to keep employees on the payroll throughout the pandemic. The deadline for applications is Aug. 8. The unbanked and underbanked were at a particular disadvantage. "The first time the PPP rolled out, not all of the banks were doing them," said Sheneya Wilson, CPA and founder of Fola Financial in New York. "Those that did required you to have an account with them prior to COVID-19." Providing lifelines to businesses At Hope Credit Union, a CDFI with close to 30 locations across the south, the PPP numbers are much better. More than half of the Paycheck Protection Loans issued there during the pandemic have gone to business owners of color. "We get people in the banking system in a region that is one of the most underbanked in the nation," said Bill Bynum, CEO of Hope Credit Union. "We help them access a number of tools, from credit building products to down-payment assistance for first time home-buyers." The credit union also helps formerly incarcerated people get access to savings accounts and small loans, by considering factors like rent or cell phone payment records for those with little or troubled credit histories. African Americans are imprisoned at five times the rate of Whites, according to the NAACP. You can live anywhere in the U.S. and open a savings account with Hope Credit Union, Bynum said. Hope Credit Union Lower East Side People's Federal Credit Union, anther CDFI, assists immigrants by offering its savings and lending products to members who have an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number instead of a Social Security number. "All of our products and services are designed to benefit our members of color and to bring financial services to at-risk communities where many people are either un- or underbanked," said Maureen Genna, chief executive officer of Lower East Side People's Federal Credit Union. (To be a member, you have to live or work in certain neighborhoods in New York City or live anywhere in the city and make less than $50,000.) Overall, more than 17% of credit union members are Black, compared with around 13% of bank customers, according to an analysis by The Credit Union National Association. At YourMoneyFurther.com, you can find a credit union near where you live. Lower East Side People's Federal Credit Union Source: Lower East Side Credit Union OneUnited Bank, a Black-owned CDFI, offers "second-chance checking" for individuals who might have a hard time opening accounts elsewhere due to imperfect banking histories. Anyone can join the bank, which has offices in Los Angeles, Boston and Miami. The bank has also provided lifelines to small businesses through the PPP loans. "The first PPP loan we processed was an Uber driver," said Kevin Cohee, CEO of OneUnited. "The reason we did that was to make the point that it's the smallest among us the one you could lose money on that need the most help." Finally, Ponce Bank, a CDFI headquartered in Bronx, N.Y., has helped customers build credit. The bank recently paired with Grain Technology to provide individuals with a line of credit using their existing debit card. "These are revolving lines of credit to those with little or no credit," said Frank Perez, executive vice president and CFO of Ponce Bank. "This gets reported to credit agencies, so now we're helping people who are under-served." The bank has also recently acquired Mortgage World Bankers in Queens, N.Y., which means it will soon be able to offer 30-year mortgages to its customers. "With this acquisition, it's another tool in our war chest to help low-income communities get the mortgage they are looking for," Perez said. What to know before you swap Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 4) A group of lawyers on Saturday filed with Supreme Court the first petition challenging constitutionality of the new anti-terrorism law. The petition, which was filed electronically, called for the issuance of a temporary restraining order and a writ of preliminary injunction as well as other "injunctive remedies" against the newly signed law, the Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020. Specifically, petitioners led by Ateneo and La Salle law professor and lecturer Atty. Howard M. Calleja are seeking to nullify Sections 3, 4, 5, 9, 10, 16, 17, 25, 26, 29 and 54 of the law as they argued that these provisions are repugnant and perilous to the constitutional rights of Filipino citizens, including free speech. They pointed out that these sections run counter to the Constitution and have implications on free expression; therefore the high tribunal should prohibit any entity or authority from enforcing them. For example, Sections 3 and 16, which permit the secret wiretapping of suspected terrorists, violate the right of an individual to privacy and correspondence, the lawyers said. Section 4 and 5, meanwhile, define punishable acts that constitute terrorism and criminal threats to commit terrorism vaguely and over-broadly, which could lead to different interpretations as well as "selective" enforcement. The same implication could be true for Section 9, which states that anyone who is guilty of "inciting to commit terrorism," will face a 12-year imprisonment. Sections 10, 25, 26, which penalize recruitment and membership in a suspected terrorist organization also "infringe the freedom to associate for lawful processes." Section 29 allows the arrest of suspected terrorists without any warrant and detained without charges for up to 24 days, which the petitioners said violates the right of a person against unlawful arrest under the Article III, Section 2 of the 1987 Constitution. Petitioners said they will physically file their appeal on Monday. Other petitioners are Atty. Joseph Peter J. Calleja, UP Law Professor Christopher John P. Lao, Dr. Reynaldo J. Echavez, Napoleon L. Siongco, Raeyan M. Reposar, civic groups Frontliners: Tunay na Bayani and Bagong Siklab Pilipinas, as well as Br. Armin A. Luistro, FSC, of the De La Salle Brothers, Inc. Meanwhile, human rights lawyer Chel Diokno, who also plans to question the provisions of the act, including the "broad" definition of terrorism, told CNN Philippines on Saturday he will file a plea once the law comes into effect, which is 15 days after its publication in the Official Gazette or on July 19. Diokno expressed fears that the new crime "inciting to commit terrorism" could be used against critics, like how "inciting to sedition" was used to charge him and other opposition figures in 2019 for their supposed involvement in an ouster plot against President Rodrigo Duterte. A defender of the law earlier said the act qualified actions that would not be considered as terrorism such as advocacy, protest, dissent, stoppage of work, industrial or mass action, and other similar actions in exercising civil and political rights. Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra said he has anticipated petitions against the controversial statute. Guevarra added the first appeal is a positive development, as it provides all parties concerned the appropriate forum for the resolution of all the legal and constitutional issues involved, with finality. CNN Philippines' Anjo Alimario and Catherine Modesto contributed to this report Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 4) Vice President Leni Robredo on Saturday aired her sentiments on the Presidents signing of the anti-terrorism bill into law by urging people to continue voicing their opposition against it. Robredo said she will support petitions to question the law's constitutionality before the Supreme Court or Congress, given its controversial provisions. "Kahit napirmahan natin, patuloypatuloy iyong pakikiusap, patuloy iyong pagtutulak, patuloy iyong pag-push back," she said in an interview the transcript of which was sent to reporters. [Translation: Even if it has already been signed, let us continue the discussion, the efforts to push back.] She cited the statement of leaders from the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao who feared that their people would be subjected to discrimination with the law's vague definition of terrorism. "Ito iyong mga taong malawak iyong karanasan sa terorismo, na sana nabigyan ng mas malaking lugar sa lamesa para pakinggan," said Robredo. [Translation: These are the people with an extensive experience in terrorism, who should have been given the opportunity to be heard.] Robredo added that it was "frustrating" that the law was signed in the middle of a pandemic.The Vice President also noted that although the law has safeguards, these are not enough to protect the people from abuse of the measure. Lawmakers and netizens have been vocal against the law before its passage over provisions such as the creation of an Anti-Terrorism Council which may expand the powers of the Executive; warrantless arrests outside Rule 113 of the Rules of Court, and extended time for warrantless detention for suspected terrorists, among others. National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon said the council is ready to review the law and draft its implementing rules and regulations. Senator Panfilo "Ping" Lacson, principal sponsor and one of the authors of the Anti-Terrorism Act earlier said the IRR would "fine-tune" some of its provisions. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 4) The Department of Science and Technology (DOST) is set to start its government-funded study on convalescent blood plasma as a mode of therapy for COVID-19 patients, Palace said. Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said in a statement Saturday that DOST Secretary Fortunato T. de la Pena has confirmed the new undertaking. Convalescent plasma is taken from the blood of individuals who have recovered from the coronavirus disease, and is being used as an adjunctive therapy for those who are currently infected by the illness. We hope this study will yield positive results and be our country's contribution to the global effort to develop COVID-19 treatment, Roque said. The University of the Philippines-Philippine General Hospital (UP-PGH) will take on the study as it receives funding from the DOST. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 4) The number of coronavirus cases in the country might hit as high as 95,000 by the end of August, according to a recent projection of the UP COVID-19 Pandemic Response Team. Using data from the Department of Health as of Thursday, the team projects the cumulative count of cases by end-August will be at 78,641. This is the average of the highest and lowest numbers of cases forecasted by the team come August 31, which currently stand at 61,332 to 95,590. The projections utilize a model produced by the UP Los Banos Biomathematics Team which assumes medium risk to set the initial workable requirements for local government units. Under medium risk, a municipality or city's population density is averaged, with people maintaining physical distancing, and herd immunity is included. The UP COVID-19 Pandemic Response Team was created last March as part of the University of the Philippines' efforts to address the coronavirus pandemic. Led by UP executive vice president Dr. Ted Herbosa and UP Resilience Institute executive director Dr. Mahar Lagmay, the team is consisted of UPRI directors and experts on fields such as public health, medicine, engineering, education and governance. Last month, fellow UP team OCTA Research released a forecast saying coronavirus infections in the Philippines may hit 40,000 by end-June. While DOH figures last June 30 indicate COVID-19 cases nationwide only reached over 37,500, this does not take into account the backlog of cases yet to be validated by then. RELATED: 'Congratulations, Philippines': Roque says the country beat UP's COVID-19 forecast The team likewise projected earlier this week the number of infections in the country may jump to at least 60,000 by July 31. When asked how long would it take before the number of COVID-19 cases nationwide finally goes down, Health Spokesperson Ma. Rosario Vergeire said it seems the virus will be here to stay a while longer. "Kung tayo pong lahat ay makakasunod dito sa mga measures na sinasabi natin, magkakaroon po tayo nitong araw na darating na mako-control po natin siya, bagamat sinasabi natin, hindi pa matatapos ang virus na ito, mukhang matagal pa natin siyang kasama," she said in Saturday's Laging Handa virtual briefing. [Translation: If we all follow (health) measures as prescribed, there will come a day where we can finally control it (from spreading), although we've (frequently) said this virus isn't over and it will be sticking around for a long time.] Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 4) Its settled. Jan Marsalek, the former chief operating officer of German firm Wirecard, did not enter the country on June 23 as earlier shown in the Bureau of Immigrations database, the Department of Justice said Saturday. The Immigration officers who encoded the fictitious entries in the database have been relieved from their post and are facing administrative sanctions, Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra said in a statement. The investigation has now turned to the persons who made the false entries in the data base, their motives, and their cohorts, Guevarra said. On Sunday, Guevarra said one of the officers was from the head office, while the other was stationed at the Mactan Cebu International Airport. He said the persons relieved were transferred to other units pending investigation. "We'll find out if other persons were involved, as well as their motives, once the work of the BI fact-finding committee is completed," he said. "Once the fact-finding report shows culpability, the appropriate sanctions will be imposed," he added. Justice Undersecretary and Spokesperson Mark Perete meanwhile also told CNN Philippines that another angle being pursued in the investigation is the possible involvement of officers from the BIs Management Information Systems Division. Specifically tinitignan natin yung possible participation ng management ng Information System ng Bureau of Immigration, dahil nagkaroon ng cancellation nung record regarding the entry of Mr. Marsalek supposedly on the 23rd of June, he said. [Translation: Specifically, we are looking into the possible participation of the management of the BIs Information System, because there had been a cancellation of the record regarding the entry of Mr. Marsalek supposedly on the 23rd of June.] A reasoning behind the suspicion is that the cancellation could not have been possible without some sort of help from the said office, he added. Based on CCTV footage and other records, Marsalek did not arrive in the Philippines on June 23, nor did he leave the next day for China, Guevarra said, adding that there was no flight to China that day. Guevarra first told CNN Philippines that the Immigration records even showed that Marsalek was accompanied by his Filipina wife, that's why he was able to enter the country despite travel restrictions brought by the coronavirus crisis. This is on top of an earlier visit, where he flew in on March 3 and stayed at a Makati City hotel until March 5, Guevarra said. Marsalek was earlier dismissed amid Wirecards claims that they had $2.1 billion (about 104 billion) placed under the trust of two Philippine banks and later went missing. Wirecard's sacked chief executive officer Markus Braun was arrested in Germany for suspected accounting fraud following the expose that the firm could have been padding its financial statements, particularly transaction volumes in Asia, to make it attractive to more investors. The Anti-Money Laundering Council is investigating several persons and business entities that have links to embattled German firm. CNN Philippines' Melissa Lopez and Kristel Limpot contributed to this report. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 4) The Iloilo provincial government has imposed travel restrictions again from July 1 in a bid to control the continued spread of the coronavirus in the Western Visayas province. Under Executive Order No. 128-E, Iloilo Governor Arthur Defensor Jr. declared a restriction on travel into the province through its borders with nearby provinces Capiz, Antique and Negros Occidental from July 1 to 15. As of July 3, Iloilo has 40 confirmed cases of the coronavirus, the highest among the provinces of Western Visayas, according to data from the Health Department's regional office. Most of Region VI's cases were from repatriates and LSIs. On Thursday, Defensor said there is a need to impose border restrictions again with the threat brought about by the current movement of people nationwide. We are not secured with the treatment and regulations of traveling persons in other ports outside of Region VI coming from Luzon, he said. To recall, Iloilo also shut down its borders in March, which was when the COVID-19 cases started piling up across the country. Exempted from the current restrictions are public officials and personnel travelling on duty, medical frontliners and authorized "Humanitarian Assistance Actors", and persons with trips for medical or humanitarian reasons, read the order. Persons granted passage to the provincial airport for travel abroad or from the airport to the border shall also be let through, as long as their travel "shall be non-stop from the border to the airport or vice versa." They must also present valid identification and proof of travel or their plane ticket, according to the guidelines on the implementation of the province's border restrictions. Meanwhile, residents of the province, Iloilo City and Guimaras that are not locally stranded individuals and are coming from outside of Panay and Negros Occidental were given until July 3 to enter Iloilo's provincial border after show proof of residence. All residents who fail to return on or before the said date shall be considered LSIs and may only return to Iloilo upon presenting a medical certificate and travel authority, the order stated. "Persons mentioned above shall only be allowed to enter the Province upon coordination and clearance with the Provincial Government," read the order. The guidelines likewise said delivery of goods and services shall be allowed provided a certification issued by the governor or an authorized officer and the vehicle used has proper Land Transportation Office (LTO) registration. The personnel, driver and crew going out and in must be the same persons, and the number shall remain the same or less upon exit. The province of Iloilo has been placed under the "low-risk" modified general community quarantine classification until July 15. CNN Philippines (July 4) Three paramilitary members and a soldier were killed in a shooting in Basilan province Friday evening, according to a military report. The military identified the dead as Private First Class Mark Anthony Monte from the Bohe-lebbung detachment, Samy Akay and Alibasa Antaas from the Citizens Armed Forces Geographical Unit Active Auxiliary, and Hakim Marani, a civilian member of the unit. Four other civilians were wounded when a paramilitary unit in Barangay Bohe- lebbung in the municipality of Tipo-Tipo was allegedly fired upon by members of the Barangay Peace Action Team, a police force multiplier. Initial investigation showed a personal grudge/long standing feud between both sides. The Armed Forces of the Philippines is working with the Philippine National Police to prevent an escalation of violence, the report said. The incident happened after President Duterte left Zamboanga City to pacify the military and police in Sulu. On Monday, Jolo policemen fired at four Army intelligence personnel including two officers. Police officials called it a shooting instead of self defense based on reports that showed the soldiers did not fire at the policemen. CNN Philippines David Santos contributed to this report (CNN) Brazils health ministry reported 42,223 new cases of novel coronavirus on Friday, bringing the nationwide total to 1,539,081. The health ministry also reported 1,290 new Covid-19 fatalities, bringing the countrys death toll to 63,174. Bars in Rio de Janeiro reopened yesterday: Local TV images showed large gatherings of people in front of bars and restaurants in the city, spilling into the street and blocking car traffic. "Most people on the streets were not respecting social distancing measures and the mandatory use of masks," Flavio Sarahyba, one of the owners of the bar Boa Praca in the upscale Leblon neighborhood, told CNN. Sarahyba said they had prepared the bar to follow all necessary sanitary measures, including distancing their tables, mandating the use of masks by customers and staff, and providing hand sanitizer. They even put fences on the outside of the bar and stopped serving outdoors to avoid crowds. Social media images showed groups of revelers waving masks, bidding them tchau, or goodbye. Other social media videos showed people crowding into Rio's bars and celebrating what they said was normal life coming back, and "sending masks and coronavirus to hell. The relaxed Rio de Janeiro restrictions which allowed bars and restaurants to operate at 50% of normal capacity as long as tables were a minimum of two meters apart and establishments closed by 11 p.m. local time went into effect Thursday. Municipal Guards forced several bars to close in the Leblon neighborhood of Rio de Janeiro on Thursday due to the crowds on the street, according to a statement from the Guards, reported in local media. On Friday, the Rio de Janeiro city government said in a statement that it will intensify inspection in areas with restaurants and bars and will fine those who are not following the rules. "If nothing changes, if the government doesn't act to repress, bars do not cooperate and follow the rules and people don't became conscientious, we may have to close again,'' Sarahyba added. This story was first published on CNN.com Brazil passes 1.5 million coronavirus cases (CNN) A year ago, Chinese-Australian dissident artist Badiucao was searching for a place in Hong Kong to display some of his political works, many of which are critical of the Chinese Communist Party. Now he says he wouldn't even transfer through Hong Kong airport for fear of being arrested under the city's new national security law. That's because the legislation, which came into effect late Tuesday, doesn't only clamp down on freedoms at home. It also puts foreign citizens who criticize the Chinese government anywhere in the world at risk of jail if they even set foot in the city even if they are just transiting through the airport. "It's really concerning and terrifying, not just for residents in Hong Kong but anyone who cares about human rights in Hong Kong and human rights in China, in general," said Badiucao from his home in Melbourne, Australia. For decades first under British colonial rule and then after its handover to China Hong Kong has offered legal protection from the mainland Communist Party. Chinese dissents, Western academics and global non-governmental organizations used Hong Kong as a safe space to meet, organize and criticize Beijing, mostly without consequence. Whether it can continue to serve that function is now in doubt. "There are crimes covered by this law which are purely about speech and so there is a chance that your speech outside of the country will then expose you to risk should you enter the jurisdictions," said Jeremy Daum, senior fellow at the Yale Law Paul Tsai Center. "Hong Kong used to be a safe space. It's no longer a safe space." Section 38 On Wednesday, Hong Kong's top official, Chief Executive Carrie Lam, defended the new law, describing it as a "crucial step to ending chaos and violence that has occurred over the past few months" in the city. The legislation was introduced by the central Chinese government in response to pro-democracy demonstrations that rocked Hong kong last year. Beijing saw the protests as a direct challenge to the ruling Communist Party, and blamed them on "foreign forces." The law introduces four new crimes: secession, subversion, terrorist activities and collusion with a foreign country, which carry maximum sentences of life in prison. Its primarily focus is on stopping local dissent. Yet section 38 has caught the eye of legal experts globally. "This law shall apply to offenses under this law committed against the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region from outside the region by a person who is not a permanent resident of the region," is the unofficial translation of section 38 by state-run news agency Xinhua. In short, even people who are not Chinese citizens and live outside of Hong Kong can fall foul of the new legislation. Mainland China has a similar law, section 8 of the criminal code, but it can only apply if the crime is punishable in both China and the foreign country which means speaking out against the Communist Party likely would not be covered. But section 38 of the Hong Kong national security law has no such exception. The act committed abroad only has to be considered a crime in Hong Kong. The law isn't retroactive, which means that anything said or done before July 1, 2020, won't be taken into account. But for artists like Badiucao, who has no intention of stopping criticizing governments in his work, or displaying previous art that was political, the law could apply as soon as he sets foot inside Hong Kong -- even though he is now an Australian citizen. Dissidents aren't the only people who are worried, either, as Western academics could be rethinking their travel to Hong Kong. Maggie Lewis, an expert in contemporary Chinese law at Seton Hall University, said she would now consider the risk differently every time she traveled the city. "If you aren't thinking through what you did outside Hong Kong before you enter Hong Kong, I don't think you're going through the necessary thought process to be careful," she said. Marco Rubio, a US Republican senator and frequent critic of China, went a step further on Wednesday, warning US citizens against traveling to the city. "Anyone American who now travels to #HongKong for business or pleasure is out of their minds," he posted on Twitter. Chilling effect Hong Kong has long been home to events that could never be held in mainland China, including the annual commemoration of the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre. But even before the new legislation, critics of the Chinese government had found it difficult to make their voices heard in the city. In October 2018, a Financial Times journalist's working visa was controversially refused after he helped organize a talk with the leader of a pro-independence group. One month later, dissident Chinese author Ma Jian had an event at a private space in Hong Kong abruptly canceled with no explanation. Badiucao's art show in the city was called off over "safety concerns." Now, under the new security law, experts fear such moves could increase especially if staunch critics of the Communist Party feel they can't return. Zhou Fengsuo, a survivor of the Tiananmen Square massacre and president of Humanitarian China, previously attended Hong Kong's June 4 memorial. He also took part in the Umbrella Revolution in 2014, when pro-democracy protesters took over the city's streets for months. Now he feels it is likely no longer safe to return, despite being a US citizen and he's worried that in future, the Tiananmen Square memorial will no longer be viable. Yale's Daum said section 38 of the law was designed, in particular, to target academics, NGOs and international dissidents who had previously used Hong Kong as a way into China. "You can see throughout the law that the concern is that Hong Kong is being used as a beachhead to post a security risk to the mainland," he said. Zhou agreed: "I believe most dissidents and artists, academics will be reluctant to go to Hong Kong, our of justifiable fear from the national security law." Blurred red line Many law experts and dissidents agree it remains unclear how worried critics traveling through Hong Kong should be, or exactly how the Chinese government intends to use the law. As with much of Beijing's national security legislation, the Hong Kong law is written broadly enough that it can be used as required by the Communist Party leadership. Seton Hall's Lewis said the Chinese government might quickly use it to arrest a few big names, scaring smaller players into submission, or quietly keep it in reserve. "It is another arrow in Beijing's quiver to arrest people that Beijing has determined as breaking the law and that law is construed broadly," Lewis said. Badiucao said the vague wording of the law was a deliberate move by the Chinese government. "When you don't know where the red line is ... they can expand their power as they wish," he said. This story was first published on CNN.com "Hong Kong was once a home for critics of Beijing. Now they might not even be safe at the airport" Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 4) The Philippine Overseas Labor Office, or POLO, in Doha is suspending its operations until July 12 as some of its staff have tested positive for the coronavirus, according to the Philippine Embassy in Qatar. All of the staff have been required by the Qatar government's Ministry of Health to undergo swab testing and go into quarantine since June 28, the embassy said in an advisory. POLO personnel are now working from home, attending to emergency requests by phone, the embassy added. The embassy said that they will also continue to receive and evaluate applications for COVID-19 related emergency cash aid but there would be no payouts until the embassy resumes operations. In the meantime, overseas workers in the area may request for a new schedule of appointment in relation to verification of employment documents or issuance of overseas employment certificate by calling this number: +974 7704 7356. Individuals who wish to verify documents for vacationing OFWs may call +974 5530 4772 while those who want inquire about the cash assistance program for overseas Filipino workers may dial +974 7735 1829. People who want to avail themselves of Social Security System services could contact SSS Dohas Facebook page while questions regarding Pag-IBIG Fund services could be sent to popdoha@pagibigfund.doha.gov.ph. The State College Police are seeking the public's assistance in identifying a suspect that allegedly tampered with mail boxes, according to a release from the department on Friday. On July 1, the individual allegedly left the area 217 South Atherton St. on a skateboard while carrying a duffle bag. Anyone with information regarding the incident should contact SCPD. RELATED Types of obituaries The Missourian publishes two types of obituaries family obituaries and life stories. A family obituary is the version submitted by a funeral home or family. Please see the submission form for details on cost and deadlines. Family obituaries A life story is a closer look at a person's life and involves a reporter contacting family and friends. Life stories are based on newsworthiness and consent of the family. Life stories. The Missourians Opinion section is a public forum for the discussion of ideas. The views presented in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Missourian or the University of Missouri. If you would like to contribute to the Opinion page with a response or an original topic of your own, visit our submission form To enjoy our website, you'll need to enable JavaScript in your web browser. Please click here to learn how. Edward "Ed" G. Day, 76, of Fairfield Glade, passed away June 11, 2021, at Cumberland Medical Center in Crossville. He was born Aug. 29, 1944, in Detroit, MI, son of Marie (Stalski) Weber. Ed worked as a photocopy salesman and retired from Panasonic in 2001. He was a member of Shepherd of the The distinct genetic mutation of the coronavirus that tore through Connecticut came from Europe via New York and is now the dominant mutation in the world. But the first coronavirus cases that hit the state were genetically related to the virus that came from China through Washington state. This was of course before the international travel bans were enforced, said Mary Petrone, a doctoral student at the Yale School of Public Health in the department of epidemiology of microbial diseases. Petrone is part of a team of researchers tracking the genetic mutations of the virus, building family trees called phylogenetic trees that can show how the virus has progressed around the world, community to community. While there are some important caveats, she said the research could help public health experts in Connecticut better understand how to implement statewide and even local control measures. If youre the mayor of New Haven, youd want to know, are we getting viruses coming in from New York City, because people will take the rail line down there quite often, or are we getting virus coming in from Hartford, because thats another major city in the state? Petrone said. And if you know that, then you can figure out the best way to sort of target your surveillance systems and target your control efforts. Mutation matters Getty Images / Getty Images /iStockphoto All viruses mutate. Some mutations are good from the perspective of the virus they help the virus produce more of itself some are detrimental to the development of the virus and some are neutral, neither good or bad for the virus itself. Its referred to, as Richard Martinello explained, as the fitness of the virus. Theyre just always mutating, said Martinello, associate professor in the Department of Internal Medicine and Pediatrics at the Yale School of Medicine. We are vastly outnumbered by these viruses. Theres billions of trillions of viruses, theyre replicating in peoples bodies quite a bit. And each time that virus replicates, theres an opportunity for mutation. In some cases, mutations can help the virus get from one host to another. For example, the version of the virus that spread through New York and Connecticut in the spring is now the dominant strain in the world, Petrone said, making up more than half of all infections. Its increasing in prevalence throughout the world, she said. I think now its 70 percent of the genomes that have been sequenced from June or from May, now have this mutation. That strain of the virus appears to be very good at infecting humans. There are cases where we see, for example, one mutation or one lineage or one strain, as defined by a single mutation taking over the virus population, and that is, in fact, what weve seen with this specific mutation, Petrone said. And there has been some evidence to show that this mutation does increase the infectivity or the virus ability to infect human cells. Specifically, Martinello explained that the mutation affected the spike protein, the part of the virus that sticks to human cells. Theres some work suggesting that the virus with that mutation can actually stick better and get into the cell more readily than virus that does not have that particular mutation, he said. It may be more contagious because once it gets inside somebodys body, it has a better chance of actually causing an infection, because it sticks better to the cells it wants to infect and, because of that, maybe thats why were seeing it dominate. Though it may be better at infecting human cells, at least in the lab, theres no indication that this mutation, though dominant, is making people sicker. There doesnt seem to be evidence that there is clinical difference in clinical outcomes if you get one versus the other, Petrone said. Viral detectives Josie Norris / Staff Photographer Patrone and her colleagues have done genomic sequencing on thousands of viral samples, allowing them to understand the progression of the virus as it mutates. This is helped, in part, by the fact that the coronavirus is built on RNA, as opposed to DNA. Viruses that are based in RNA, rather than DNA, actually mutate at a faster rate, Martinello explained. The DNA viruses, like the herpes viruses for example, they mutate also, of course. But the RNA viruses tend to to mutate more quickly because as they get reproduced, the error-checking mechanisms are oftentimes just absent or are very rudimentary compared to more complex microbes. This speed of mutation has allowed researchers, as Martinello said, to take advantage of that mutation frequency to better understand how viruses are being transmitted. They can actually look at samples from Wuhan, China, from Milan, Italy, from New York City, and they can compare those sequences, and they know that there is a certain rate of mutations that they would expect, he said. And as those mutations accumulate within the virus, they can actually follow those patterns of mutations and use computer-based algorithms to try to medically reassemble how the viruses evolved over time, but also to understand how viruses may have been brought from one area of the world to another area of the world by people. What mutations dont say Tracking genetic mutations of a virus like the coronavirus is not, however, similar to contact tracing. You cant know what viral mutation one individual patient passed to another individual patient, Petrone explained. She called them consensus genomes. Its not that youve just taken a nasopharyngeal swab from someone and pulled a virus out of there and said, this is the virus. Youre basically making an abstraction of the viral population, she said. These phylogenetic trees are showing the evolutionary relationship between these consensus genomes, theyre not directly telling us about transmission. Theyre not directly telling us about who infected whom. Researchers also cant tell which mutations are specifically more transmissible or more virulent than any others. There are too many other factors to consider, Petrone said, like social distancing measures and the use of masks. Studies show that this particular strain seems to do a better job of infecting human cells, she said. But just because a virus can infect cells better, that doesnt necessarily tell you about whats happening on a human-to-human scale. Because youre just thinking about, can the virus get in yes or no. Theres a lot of other things that go along with the actual transmission process. And though Petrone and her team can drill down to the community level, the research only tracks virus mutations, not the people who carry the virus. She cant say for certainty how a virus got to one place or another. What our findings dont show is that someone from Washington state got on a plane and arrived in JFK, arrived in Hartford airport, and then infected people in Connecticut, she said. We dont know if there are any intermediate steps there. The Connecticut Green Bank, the quasi-public agency tasked with attracting private investment in energy efficiency and renewable power projects, is launching a new type of bond designed to attract middle-class investors to support projects that deal with climate change. Green Liberty Bonds are lower-dollar denomination bonds and are available to individual investors, according to Green Bank President and CEO Bryan Garcia. We wanted to create a financial instrument that allows Americans to invest in the climate economy and the future they want to see, Garcia said. Through Green Liberty Bonds, residents can save for themselves and their families while supporting clean energy projects here in Connecticut that confront climate change. We envision a world empowered by the renewable energy of community, and by providing this investment opportunity in honor of the 50th anniversary of Earth Day, we are aligning investors with that vision. A total of 16,000 bonds, priced at $1,000 each, will be available on or about July 14, Garcia said. Any bonds not sold to the public on that day will be made available to institutional investors starting July 15, he said. Garcia said agency officials explored offering the bonds at a lower price, but determined it was too costly. He said individual investors dont have to be from Connecticut to buy the Green Liberty Bonds. We want everyone to invest in the state of Connecticut, Garcia said. If all of the bonds are sold, the offering will raise $16 million. The proceeds from this initial offering will be used to pay for the installation of photovoltaic solar panels on Connecticut homes, according to Garcia. While proceeds from the first offering of Green Liberty Bonds will be focused on residential solar projects, future offerings will address other climate change issues, he said. The Green Liberty Bonds are modeled after World War II Series-E bonds, which were purchased by more than 80 million Americans, Garcia said. Green Bank board of directors Chairwoman Lonnie Reed and Garcia will hold an informational webinar at which interested individual investors can learn more about the bond offering on Tuesday beginning at 7 p.m. The webinar registration information can be found at a website specially created for the offering, www.greenlibertybonds.com. The Green Bank was created by Connecticut lawmakers in 2011 to leverage private sector money into the states green economy. luther.turmelle@hearstmediact.com Send us your pets! If chosen, your pet will be featured in the Wednesday Life section and you will be mailed a Daily Journal T-shirt. Submit your pet Mr. Donald Lee Brown, age 72, of Dalton, Georgia, departed this life Saturday, June 19, 2021, at Chatsworth Healthcare Center. He was born January 8, 1949 in Rutledge, GA a son of the late Herbert and Sadie Bell Brown. He was also preceded in death by his sister, Patricia Brown, brothers, Ed KINGSTON, N.Y. Two surveys are available to determine public interest in an outdoor dining/retail expansion program for the spring, accordin 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. NEW PALTZ, N.Y. The Town Board is taking steps to fire a police officer for unprofessional The following items are based on information provided by officials in law enforcement and the criminal justice system: The Capitol Connection There's one thing you can count on Trump to do: lie U.S. Rep. Antonio Delgado, D-Rhinebeck, is shown at the Daily Freeman office in Kingston, N.Y., in February 2020. Glo Stidham Whitt of South Charleston, WV, formerly of Catlettsburg KY passed away on June 19, 2021. She is survived by her children, Judson Whitt, Lee Jones, Daniel Whitt, and Robin Whitt, five grandchildren and four grandsons. As requested there will not be a public service. 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. The first time I met Ghislaine Maxwell was back in the mid-Eighties. She was the fabulously rich and sophisticated daughter of mighty media mogul Robert Maxwell, wafting in and out of the parties he held at his Mirror offices in London. I was a humble executive on the launch of his newspaper The London Daily News. She flew in by private helicopter, I got the Tube. She was dripping in designer clothes and diamonds, I was draped in Topshop. Only three years separated us, and I remember there was much to admire about her elegance, her sense of confidence and entitlement, and her extravagant bearing which was remarkable even during the hedonistic Eighties. Mostly when I encountered Ghislaine, she was always clinging adoringly to Daddy. No one quite knew what she actually did, except look gorgeous, be funny and adorn Daddy's parties to which the rich and influential flocked like flies. Robert Maxwell and Ghislaine Maxwell pictured with the Milk Cup in Britain in 1992 Ghislaine, Robert and Elizabeth Maxwell (left to right) at Cannes Film Festival in May 1987 As we now know, her gift for graceful hosting and ingratiating herself with the wealthy and powerful would become her trademark and continue throughout her life. 'Captain' Bob Maxwell, paraded her like a prized possession. He creepily named his yacht after her she was the youngest of his nine children. Never has the description daddy's girl been more apposite. But then, he fell to his death off his yacht, the Lady Ghislaine, and it emerged his empire was built on smoke and mirrors and that he'd monstrously plundered the Mirror pension funds to fuel the lavish lifestyle to which a shattered Ghislaine had become accustomed. Did that other monster, paedophile Jeffrey Epstein, become her new father figure, showering her with the wealth she'd been taught by Captain Bob was her right? It's emerged she had 18 million in 15 bank accounts. The first time I met Ghislaine Maxwell (pictured with Jeffrey Epstein) was back in the mid-Eighties. She was the sophisticated daughter of mighty media mogul Robert Maxwell, wafting in and out of the parties he held at his Mirror offices in London Was this tainted money, and the status it bestowed, so important to her that she forwent all moral scruples, grooming girls for him to abuse in return for it and even taking part in the abuse herself? Only time will tell whether the hideous charge sheet against her is true. But what we do know and this is in no sense an attempt to exonerate her is that daddy's girl Ghislaine worshipped her lying, cheating, bullying psychopath of a father. And that his grotesque influence could well explain why she became the world's most hunted woman. Tragic lesson of NHS deaths The 2009 picture of Rhiannon Davies holding her newborn daughter Kate six hours before she died is heartbreaking enough. But to then learn an inquest found the baby's death at Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital was 'avoidable', makes Rhiannon's agony impossible to imagine. An inquest into the death of Rhiannon Davies's newborn daughter Kate's death at Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital was 'avoidable' (both pictured in 2009) Dozens of babies and mums died there between 1979 and 2017 amid major failings, yet it has taken 40 years for a full investigation to begin. That's what happens when we treat our NHS as a sacred cow. Maureen Lipman, 74, says: 'My face might be descending slightly south, but I honestly think that all the young men around me think I'm 36 that I'm a 'slightly older' woman because that's how I feel.' To her credit, Maureen added: 'My nature is to make people laugh.' Corona shoutouts To the irrepressible Pamela Anderson, reclining in bed on her tummy with a glass of champers to cheer us all up, and providing the perfect pose for all of us struggling with selfies, desperately trying to conceal our Covid tummies. To BBC Radio 5 Live's coronavirus stand-in Adrian Chiles who, despite being one of their cleverest broadcasters, still can't get a daily daytime slot probably as he's committed the unpardonable sin at the Beeb of being white, male, straight and middle-aged. And a shout down to the idiots who drafted the new rules for our churches opening tomorrow and insisted on 'disposable hymn sheets', when they've already banned us from singing hymns. An Elle of a fib! Posing in a bikini on the cover of Red magazine, supermodel Elle 'The Body' Macpherson, 56, says she doesn't worry about ageing or how she looks. 'I'm much more interested in my wellbeing. Wellness enables people to exude confidence and charisma. It's this inner vitality that people find attractive,' she says. Elle 'The Body' Macpherson, 56, says she doesn't worry about ageing or how she looks but instead is 'much more interested' in her wellbeing Only a woman in her mid-50s who still looks smoking hot could utter such nonsense. If confidence and charisma were all it took to grace the cover of a glamour magazine in your 50s, our much-loved blonde Vanessa Feltz would be on it tomorrow. Psychologists reveal that those who binge-watch disaster movies, where the world collapses amid a terrifying threat to humanity, are better equipped to survive pandemics like Covid- 19. Given I have now seen almost all the 32 Godzilla movies from 1954 to 2019, some of them more than once, I too have learnt when to run and what to stockpile. 'We think people are learning vicariously what to buy,' the researchers said, 'with the exception of toilet paper.' With Leicester in lockdown today on 'Super Saturday', police are worried about how to rumble residents who head for pubs in nearby Nottingham. Surely all they need to do is get landlords to play Leicester City's anthem Leicester Till I Die then boot out anyone who sings it? Talking about her searingly honest book Fat Cow, Fat Chance which we serialised in the Mail and in which she describes how she resorted to bariatric surgery Jenni Murray had some advice for the body-positive movement. Jenni Murray (above) had some advice for the body-positive movement when talking about her searingly honest book Fat Cow, Fat Chance 'I hate fat-shaming, but I know how dangerous being desperately obese can be. I want those young women who are very brave about their obesity to understand what it's like when you are in your 60s and you can't get around and you get type-2 diabetes.' Well done, Jenni. Even daring to offer kindly advice to the body-positive gals takes guts. Westminster Wars Nicola Sturgeon has done all she can to thwart Britain's tourist industry from reopening, even saying English visitors could be quarantined when entering Scotland. Tourism contributes 6 billion to the Scottish economy, with more than half of that from UK visitors. Talk about shooting yourself in the sporran. After being sacked for retweeting anti-Semitic views, Labour's former education spokesman Rebecca Long-Bailey said she 'never meant to hurt anyone'. Having supported militant teachers' unions blocking pupils going back to school, shouldn't she now start apologising to the kids, especially those from poorer backgrounds? Announcing his New Deal, Boris Johnson aligned himself with President Franklin D. Roosevelt, who rescued America after the Great Depression. Surely that's where the similarity ends. Unlike Boris, Roosevelt was paralysed from the waist down. Having arguably been the most suave, sexual 007 in four movies, Pierce Brosnan says once you've played Bond it defines you for ever. Love Brosnan as I do I do, I do, I do, I do it's not true. His appalling singing in Mamma Mia! banished all memories . . . for ever. Pierce Brosnan says once you've played Bond it defines you for ever. But it is not true for Brosnan, as his 'appalling' singing in Mamma Mia! banished all memories . . . for ever Family Fortunes host Vernon Kay says lockdown has made his marriage to Strictly's Tess Daly stronger than ever because they've had time to reconnect. Nothing to do with the fact that with the missus in the house 24/7, it's more difficult to sneak off for a spot of sexting with a glamour model . . . Kate was great, Meghan! How sad the Duchess of Sussex felt 'unprotected' by the Royal Family while pregnant with Archie. Did she not realise we were overjoyed Harry was becoming a dad with the wife he loved and we were so happy she seemed blooming? Poor Kate, her sister-in-law, had a far more challenging time during her pregnancies. She was lambasted for failing to turn up to royal engagements when, unknown to us, she was suffering with such violent morning sickness that she was hospitalised. Yet Kate never complained instead, she transformed herself into the royals' greatest asset. As my plane took off, I looked down wistfully for one last time at the city I love so much, with its skyscrapers, its ferries and its fabulous fizzing energy. I was bidding farewell to Hong Kong. At the age of 26, I was leaving my home, my parents, my two brothers and my friends even the pair of cats I had saved from the streets and who offered me unconditional love in return. I had no desire to depart this bustling, life-enhancing metropolis, which has been my home since I moved aged six with my family from the Chinese border city of Shenzhen. But like other activists fighting for democracy and freedom, I knew I would be targeted by the communist leaders in Beijing under a sweeping new security law designed to silence the millions of Hong Kongers resisting the slide into autocracy. Nathan Law, 26, (above) left Hong Kong as he knew he would be 'targeted by the communist leaders in Beijing under a sweeping new security law designed to silence the millions of Hong Kongers resisting the slide into autocracy' A man is detained by riot police during a demonstration against the new national security bill on July 1, which marks the 23rd anniversary of Hong Kong's handover to China This is a dark moment for Hong Kong. China is openly tearing up the One Country, Two Systems deal agreed with the UK in the 1997 handover. It was meant to last 50 years, guarding the freedoms that made my city so vibrant and a world-beating financial centre. No one in Hong Kong has any illusions over Beijing honouring those promises or respecting their human rights. My mother saw the horrors and violence of the cultural revolution in China half a century ago. This law unleashes a new cultural revolution on Hong Kong. So last week, I had to board that plane and leave. Now I must even hide where I am so I can continue my advocacy work as I urge the world to support my people and stand firm against totalitarianism. None of us knew what was in the clampdown bill until it was suddenly inflicted on us. Then, on Tuesday, we saw the reality on the streets and it made us fearful. Hong Kong's Beijing-appointed chief executive Carrie Lam now has the power to determine if any action violates national security. She can decide if someone such as myself should be put under surveillance or have phones tapped. A new security agency has sweeping powers, with civil servants forced to submit to its iron will. Secret police can now operate openly in Hong Kong, no longer having to hide their presence as in the past. The terms of the legislation are deliberately vague, but the penalties are harsh, with the possibility of secret trials without juries, extradition to China and life imprisonment. The new law targets alleged foreign collusion an approach used on the Chinese mainland under President Xi Jinping to silence dissidents and stifle any challenges. China is openly tearing up the One Country, Two Systems deal agreed with the UK in the 1997 handover, which was was meant to last 50 years. Above, protestors raise their hands to symbolise the five demands of the pro-democracy movement We have seen how Demosisto, the political party I formed with my friend Joshua Wong and others after the earlier wave of 'Umbrella' protests in 2014, is routinely smeared in Chinese state media with false claims of CIA funding. So when the new law came into force, I had to leave Demosisto, which has since disbanded, like other groups advocating democracy. We were too recognisable, the risks were too great. The next day, I spoke on video to the US Congressional Committee on Foreign Affairs. It was my third testimony on Capitol Hill, but now simply talking about the plight of Hong Kong in such a forum has become a breach of the law as 'collusion'. As I told those American politicians, so much has been lost in the city that I love especially the freedom to speak the truth. I knew my testimony would put my safety in jeopardy. Of course, I am sad to be leaving. Yet I face the future with determination. The world must understand that these events in Hong Kong expose how China under President Xi is becoming ever more assertive and autocratic. The situation has been deteriorating for several years, with attempts to force China's agenda on schoolchildren, freedom of speech weakening and even booksellers seized for selling literature about their leaders. In September 2014, the Umbrella Movement saw hundreds of thousands of people holding umbrellas stage peaceful sit-ins to demand democracy in response to China breaking promises of universal suffrage. It ended with police firing tear gas. Four years ago, I was elected to Hong Kong's legislative council. Beijing eventually thwarted me by claiming I failed to swear the oath correctly, on grounds that I quoted Mahatma Gandhi's saying 'you can never imprison my mind'. One month after disqualification, I was jailed for involvement in the sit-ins. I served a couple of months with gangsters, which was unforgettable although having no internet gave me time to read and reflect. The public's anger exploded again last summer. The cause was an extradition bill that could send Hong Kong citizens to face trial in China, where the legal system is designed to serve the interests of the ruling Communist Party. Vast protests of up to two million people were met by police with tear gas and even gangsters hired to attack demonstrators. We have seen the footage of assaults and beatings, the spraying of bystanders even children with pepper spray, the shooting of journalists at close range with rubber bullets and bean bag rounds. I have visited arrested protesters in jail. Demosisto, the political party Nathan Law (right) formed with Joshua Wong (left) after the earlier wave of 'Umbrella' protests in 2014, is routinely smeared in Chinese state media with false claims of CIA funding Nathan Law said he had 'no wish to leave his home' but left the city for an undisclosed location so he can continue advocating for Hong Kong and 'fight for freedom on the world stage' Many were smart kids, risking bright futures because they love their city and loathe corruption. It was touching to see more than 100,000 people back on the streets last week even after the draconian new security law. This fills me with hope. Hong Kong's traditional way of life is being extinguished, yet its people have shown how they value freedom. They must be supported in their epic struggle as they are at the forefront of a global fight between authoritarianism and democracy. We are grateful to the UK for offering sanctuary to three million Hong Kongers. Now we need to see a unified and forceful response from all nations that respect democracy to contain the new Chinese expansionism or Taiwan will be next. Businesses must also show they will not be bought off by Beijing's money. China might be able to offer some lucrative deals, but in the longer term, Western firms risk selling out their liberal values. The protests can continue if the world shows support and prioritises human rights before trade deals. China, for all its belligerence and imperial dreams, is less strong than it seems, with an ageing society and unbalanced economy. I had no wish to leave my home. I faced the choice of whether to stay silent in the face of autocracy or leave to continue the fight for freedom on the world stage. We will sustain our resistance on all fronts. Millions of brave people in Hong Kong facing China's dictatorship have shown that their determination for democracy will not be easily extinguished. They give us hope. We must not let them down. My only surprise when the Government announced a local lockdown in Leicester last week was that it had taken so long. I have had grave and growing concerns that my city was heading for a severe Covid-19 outbreak because, since the end of April, lockdown here has been observed in name only. At first, when schools, workplaces and most shops were closed, the people of Leicester observed the regulations as instructed. My only surprise when the Government announced a local lockdown in Leicester last week was that it had taken so long, writes Manzoor Moghal, who is pictured above But within a few weeks, I noticed that many particularly workers in the local textile factories that provide so much local employment and in the densley-packed markets where a lot of Asian food is sold, had given up observing social distancing. They were carrying on with their pre-coronavirus lives as if nothing had happened. Partly this happened because there seemed to be little enforcement from the police and the authorities. But to grasp the problem more fully, you need to understand Leicester and some of the realities of life here. With the help of a large immigrant community, the city has clung on to its textiles industry there are believed to be about 1,000 garment factories here, many of which could accurately be described as sweatshops. Roughly half the population is non-white, and the majority of black and minority ethnic residents come from the Indian subcontinent India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. The majority are Muslim, but there are thriving populations of Sikhs and Hindus, too. Workers at the Fazia fashion factory in Leicester are pictured above working during the newly reimposed lockdown I want to be clear that Covid-19 is a problem for everyone in our society, whatever their colour or creed. And, of course, there were other parts of the country where social distancing broke down to some extent. Think, for example, of the VE Day celebrations, various mass street protests, and thousands driving to beaches for day trips. But these were headline news and were eventually brought to a halt. In Leicester, however, the problems were hidden, continuous and particularly problematic because of the citys social, economic and cultural make-up. It is an inescapable reality that ethnic minorities face particularly acute challenges when it comes to coronavirus. Lockdown was ordered on March 23. But even by mid April, I began noticing that the sweatshops in the city centre were beginning to operate again. The garment workers campaign group, Labour Behind The Label, confirmed my fears, reporting that clothes factories in Leicester were operating at 100 per cent capacity by April 22. It named the online fashion chain Boohoo as operating throughout the crisis with 80 per cent of its production in Leicester. These are cramped, unhygienic places at the best of times, let alone when there is an airborne virus spreading through the population. Most workers are housed in dilapidated buildings where safety or health is not a top priority. Most employ about 50 workers, some as many as 100, and they are invariably crammed into small, enclosed spaces with little in the way of mechanical ventilation and fresh air. Bathroom facilities can be inadequate. I know of one case in which one factory owner tested positive for the virus and was visibly unwell, yet continued to visit his workers to make sure that production standards were not slipping. Labour Behind The Label also suggests that wages in Leicester sweatshops can be as low as 2 an hour and has reported numerous allegations of links to modern slavery and people-trafficking. There is little respite at the end of workers long shifts. Many are here illegally, which means they have no employment rights and are forced to live in tiny terrace houses, sharing rooms and bathrooms with many others. It is not particularly unusual to find 20 people living in a three-bedroom, one-bathroom house. Some of what they earn will be sent back to their families in the Indian subcontinent, but the wages are so low that better living conditions would be unaffordable in any case. While lockdown is an inconvenience for most of us, these people must work to live. It hardly helps that many speak little English and, as surprising as it sounds, they could be largely unaware of the health crisis and its consequences. Leicesters mini-markets packed shops specialising in ethnic food have been another source of concern. There is little chance of social distancing in such cramped conditions and very few people have been wearing masks. Watching this play out was almost like living in a parallel world. Some pleaded ignorance of the lockdown rules when I spoke to them. Others claimed that the local council had not informed them of any measures. This was laughable, but what concerned me still more was that the local authorities were turning a blind eye and, until last week, continued to do so. A Covid-19 outbreak, I fear, was inevitable but no one wanted to take responsibility to stop it. Why did no one in authority ensure that the basic safety rules were upheld in shops and in factories? While the police lectured dog-walkers for venturing out too far to beauty spots, they seemed to allow sweatshops to operate without batting an eyelid. Some pleaded ignorance of the lockdown rules when I spoke to them. Others claimed that the local council had not informed them of any measures. This was laughable, but what concerned me still more was that the local authorities were turning a blind eye and, until last week, continued to do so. The city centre of Leicester is pictured above The rules should have been enforced to protect our community minority groups are especially vulnerable to Covid-19, remember but also to ensure that members of our community behaved in the larger interests of society. Significantly, too, I am convinced that the South Asian view of death is an additional cultural factor, one which has received little attention. Many people from India, Pakistan and Bangladesh are what I might call fatalists, believing that we will die when are meant to die and there is nothing we can do to prevent it. This leads to a dangerously laissez-faire view of Covid-19 and other health hazards. One person I know has been refusing to observe social distancing and will not wear a mask for precisely this reason. He believes that his fate is written in the stars. So, while the mosques and temples in the city have remained shut during lockdown, it is more than likely that some worshippers have gathered to pray in the confined air of their living rooms. This can only have helped to spread the virus. Protecting a place such as Leicester should have been a priority, particularly since diabetes is another known coronavirus risk factor. The city has a prevalence of adult diabetes almost 50 per cent higher than the national average. With proper oversight and policing, this outbreak in Leicester need never have happened. But those in authority failed. How, then, do we get out of this mess? I believe we need a concentrated effort in all urban areas to create Covid-19 task forces comprising the council, police and various communities groups with genuine local knowledge. They should meet or liaise on a daily basis. Above all, other towns and cities at risk of fresh outbreaks places such as Barnsley, Rochdale and Bradford all of which have large populations of South Asian heritage, should learn from the mistakes made in Leicester and ensure that more lives are not needlessly lost. Manzoor Moghal is chairman of The Muslim Forum, Leicester. Two best friends who launched a fashionable men's swimwear business in 2017 are set to turnover $2.4 million in revenue next financial year. Vacay Swimwear launched in early 2017 by founders Jordy Kallios and Corey Decandia, both 25, from Adelaide, South Australia. The pair decided to start their own business after noticing a 'huge gap in the Australian market' for stylish and affordable men's swim shorts. The idea sparked during their European summer holiday in 2016 as they saw other men wearing bright, multi-coloured shorts - a style that the duo struggled to find back home. Speaking to FEMAIL, the pair said their achievements weren't an overnight success, but they have triumphed through continuous hard work and dedication to the brand. Vacay Swimwear launched in early 2017 by founders Jordy Kallios (pictured left) and Corey Decandia (pictured right), both 25, from Adelaide, South Australia The pair decided to start their own business after noticing a huge gap in the Australian market for stylish and affordable men's swim shorts Jordy said the product development process took up to eight months to complete in order to ensure their swimwear met the highest possible market standards After returning home from their overseas trip, Corey and Jordy started designing and making shorts for themselves and a few friends. While both founders studied marketing at university prior to starting the brand, neither of them have a background in business or textiles. 'We had no idea about manufacturing, dress making, sewing or what it takes to run a business, so there was a lot of trial and error at the start,' Jordy said. 'But we kept persisting and changing the sample pieces until we made the perfect fit that we wanted.' Jordy said the product development process took up to eight months to complete to ensure their swimwear met the highest possible market standards. Since the beginning of business to the present day, the pair design and lead the creative direction of the brand. Both Corey and Jordy have committed themselves full time to the business to grow the brand further and allow it to reach a maximum potential. Speaking to FEMAIL, the pair agreed their achievements weren't an overnight success, but have been triumphed through continuous hard work and dedication to the brand The $79.99 shorts are quick drying, on-trend and can be worn at the beach, poolside or at the bar. Each print is named and inspired by the world's most iconic holiday destinations such as Bora Bora, Mykonos, Miami and Ibiza. The shorts themselves are available in a variety of bright and colourful patterns which can be viewed on the Vacay Swimwear website. In addition to the popular shorts, the brand now sell t-shirts, 100 per cent linen shirts and caps that compliment the shorts. Corey said the brand usually launches two drops per year to cater to both the Australian and European or American summer, and each release features new prints they haven't sold previously. The $79.99 shorts are quick drying, on-trend and can be worn from the beach to the bar Eight months post-launch, Vacay Swimwear found themselves stocked on Australia's largest online retailer, The Iconic, followed by Asia's equivalent Zalora. 'We were so excited be stocked on a platform like The Iconic, because it was one of the goals we had from the start,' Corey said. In August this year the South Australian brand is set to be stocked across 25 David Jones stores - another milestone achievement to date. Currently the bright swim shorts can also be found in over 60 store locations around Australia, Indonesia and the Middle East. Eight months post-launch, Vacay Swimwear found themselves stocked on Australia's largest online retailer, The Iconic, followed by Asia's equivalent Zalora In August the South Australian brand is set to be stocked across 25 David Jones stores - another milestone achievement to date When asked what's next for Vacay Swimwear, Corey said they aim to continue to grow the brand internationally in the American and Middle Eastern markets. 'There's no secret formula to success - it's all hard work, persistence and dedication,' Jordy said. Corey added: 'Knowing that we built the business from absolutely nothing and now the brand is globally recognised is an amazing feeling.' A DIY enthusiast has revealed how she was able to modernise the appearance of her kitchen without hiring a professional renovator. Annette Vasey, from the UK, explained how she had moved into the house in October but felt it needed renovations 'from top-to-bottom'. During lockdown she decided to overhaul the kitchen, buying budget products including 5 car spray paint for her dated worktops, before spending around 40 hours overhauling the kitchen. After Annette shared a series of before and after photographs on the DIY on a Budget UK Facebook group, users praised the 'amazing' project. Annette Vasey, who lives in the UK, wowed social media users when she revealed how she transformed her kitchen from dark and dated into a chic and modern space for less than 100 The DIY enthusiast explained that she moved into a new house in October and felt the entire property needed updating. Pictured: The kitchen before Speaking to FEMAIL, Annette said: 'We moved into this house in October and it needs updating from top to bottom, and rewiring. 'So I decided to try and update the kitchen as cheaply as possible.' Annette stripped and painted the walls in a special mixed light grey silk emulsion. She then took to the cupboards using 'Rustoleum graphite cupboard paint from Homebase 14, Clear satin varnish from boyes 4 and handles from Amazon.' Annette (pictured right) said she spent around 40 hours during lockdown redecorating the dated and dingy kitchen Annette's shopping list Car spray paint from Boyes - 5 Clear fablon from Wilkinsons - 10 Clear satin varnish from Boyes - 4 Rustoleum graphite cupboard paint from Homebase - 14 Handles from Amazon Facebook marketplace sink - 5 Tap screwfix - 20 Advertisement For the worktops she used 5 black car spray paint from Boyes and clear fablon from Wilkinsons which cost just 10. Meanwhile her sister uncovered a 5 sink for sale on Facebook's Marketplace, which Annette updated with 20 taps from Screwfix. The DIY enthusiast also revealed how she removed the old lino on her floor, sanded the floorboards and painted them with factory floor paint. Annette added: 'Any advice, take your time, and dont try to do it all in a day. It takes time, but the results are worth it in the end.' Annette advised other DIY enthusiasts to take their time instead of trying to complete their transformations in a day Many responses to the transformation were impressed and gushed that it made them do a 'double take'. One person wrote: 'So much better, well done. It can't of been easy.' 'Amazing, well done Annette,' another said. A third added: 'Looks lovely.' A Washington state woman who lost her job during the pandemic has been filling her free time and then some by cooking pans and pans of lasagna for people in need. Michelle Brenner, 45, was furloughed from the menswear store where she works when COVID-19 shut down retail across the US, so she soon took up a gig delivering groceries around her town of Gig Harbor. But when she discovered one elderly man who hadn't had a home-cooked meal in weeks, she was inspired and as of June 26, she's made more 1,275 pans of lasagna for the elderly, first responders, neighbors, people afraid to go out, and others in need of a good meal. Hard times: Michelle Brenner, 45, was furloughed from the menswear store where she works when COVID-19 shut down retail across the US Busy: As of June 26, she's made more 1,275 pans of lasagna for the elderly, first responders, neighbors, people afraid to go out, and others in need of a good meal When she lost her job, Michelle took up a new one as a shopper for the grocery delivery app Instacart. She soon noticed that quite a lot of people were requesting frozen lasagna from stores, including a man in his 90s who told her that he hadn't eaten fresh food in a month and a half. 'Frozen lasagna is not a treat. I am not a fan of frozen lasagna. I'm very Italian,' she told CNN. Wanting to do something nice for the man, she went back to the supermarket and bought ingredients for a home-cooked lasagna using her grandmother's old recipe. After delivering it, she decided to offer up her tasty Italian cooking to others. There was this sense of panic in my area and I felt it was my call of duty to help,' she told Today. 'I knew it was my time in my life to give back to the people who paved life's path for me to have the 45 years of life that I've had,' she added CNN. How it started: She had started working for Instacart when she delivered to an elderly man who admitted he hadn't had fresh food in weeks so she made him a lasagna Yum! She posted about it online and asked if she could make one for anyone else and requests poured in, so she got cooking Giving: Soon, people started donating to help her cover the cost of food but she made the initial purchases with her stimulus check, and does all the cooking herself So she shared the lasagna on Facebook, writing that she'd make one for anyone else in need. Requests poured in, and Michelle headed back to the supermarket again, spending her $1,200 stimulus check on lasagna ingredients. 'The whole point of this is to spread that sense of community wherever we can through the comfort of lasagna. So, I don't want anybody to feel disincluded because reality is there are people out there who can't afford a dollar,' she said. Soon she was working eight to 14 hours a day cooking, making each of the lasagnas herself. She eventually earned enough attention that others wanted to pitch in. For one, Gig Harbor Sportsman's club invited her to use their commercial kitchen, where she could cook up more lasagnas at ones. 'It's a lot easier having the bigger space where I can actually bake more I've done an average of 15 to 25 lasagnas a day,' she told Good Morning America. She drops food off for first responders, and has also given to those afraid to leave their homes, the elderly, an people low on money for food 'People say they can taste the love I put in the layers and that it brings them comfort,' she said And while the cooking is a solo project, others have pitched in cash to buy supplies, with fundraisers bringing in $23,000. Michelle has been able to enjoy the fruit of her labors and know just who she is helping. She said that one man whom she delivered lasagna to had lost both his son and his father to COVID-19 since the pandemic started. Meanwhile, another family cried when she dropped of lasagna and other treats on Easter, because they wouldn't have been able to celebrate otherwise. 'People say they can taste the love I put in the layers and that it brings them comfort,' she told Today. 'I made lasagna 90 days in a row without a day off and it never felt like a job to me. I always wanted to be there,' she added. 'I healed myself by getting to know my community. I fixed things (inside of myself) that I couldn't have paid a doctor or therapist to fix. I just feel so fortunate for the experience.' Pubs and restaurants may be opening today but for millions of women, theres only one reason to celebrate Super Saturday the hairdressing salons are open again. And who better to treat to some of the first ever haircuts than four women who have made a real difference to others over lockdown. The Mail invited four incredible women to the Jo Hansford salon in Mayfair for a pampering treat. It will be lovely to look in the mirror and not cringe Rachel West, 35, is an intensive care nurse at Queens hospital, Romford. She lives in Brentwood, Essex with husband John, 35, an events manager and their daughter Ruby, three. She says: In the weeks leading up to crisis, it was very much the calm before the storm. At the hospital there was lots of talk about what was going to happen but nobody really knew how it was going to affect us so it was a very anxious time. The last time I went to the hairdressers was at the end of January, says Rachel West, 35, an intensive care nurse at Queens hospital, Romford Then, just before lockdown, I turned up to work in my normal uniform and was told to change into scrubs and PPE because we have our first case of coronavirus. Thats when everything changed. Ive never seen the Intensive Care Unit so busy. Normally you have one staff member to one patient, but were working on a ratio of one to four and the nurses could barely squeeze between the beds. We were seeing more and more cases heading to the High Dependency Unit too. If Im honest, I was incredibly scared at times, particularly when fellow staff members became ill and started being admitted to our wards. I have a young family and worried about taking the infection back home. There were days when I thought: I really dont want to die just doing my job. Rachel West, pictured above in a mask, says: 'Being called a hero during the crisis was a bit strange. We all felt good about what we were doing and it was lovely to be appreciated but really, were just doing our job' Sadly many people did die including a consultant at the hospital and one of the hardest parts for me was seeing people dying alone. I remember nursing a patient in their 40s and speaking to their father on the telephone who was in tears because he couldnt say goodbye. That was very tough. But the camaraderie and the professionalism of the NHS staff keeps you going and many of my colleagues worked for much longer than me on the frontline and in fact, many are still there. Im now working with Public Health England and doing tests swabbing people in places like the National Gallery and Heathrow airport. Being called a hero during the crisis was a bit strange. We all felt good about what we were doing and it was lovely to be appreciated but really, were just doing our job. Ms West, pictured above after her haircut, said: 'Ive got quite a small face which gets lost if my hair grows too long so I love the fact that the stylist has taken off a few inches into this blunt bob. The colour is beautiful too' Lockdown hair before: The last time I went to the hairdressers was at the end of January. I was due to have it cut and dyed when lockdown started so I really missed the boat and it looks horrendous now. My dark roots are about three inches long and although Im only 35, there are plenty of grey hairs. It does make you feel a bit rubbish about yourself and I cant remember the last time I wore my hair down. Ive not done anything with it over lockdown and Im happy for the team to do whatever they want I trust them and it will be lovely to look in the mirror and not think I look awful! After: I absolutely love it. Ive got quite a small face which gets lost if my hair grows too long so I love the fact that the stylist has taken off a few inches into this blunt bob. The colour is beautiful too. Thank you so much. Wearing all the PPE on the wards covered up my roots! Rachel Wilson, 46, is a nurse who has been working in two hospitals during the crisis. She lives with her husband and children George, 15, Alice, 13 and their pet dog Rosie in St Albans, Herts. She says: During lockdown Ive been working two jobs in the intensive care unit at Watford General Hospital and in the wards of Lewisham Hospital in South East London. My hair hasnt been a priority for months, says Rachel Wilson, 46, a nurse who has been working in two hospitals during the crisis Im trained as an intensive care nurse but pre-Covid, I was working in clinics. But as the tsunami of patients started coming in, I started working back on the wards. I even worked during my two-week break at Easter: it didnt feel right to be sitting at home when my colleagues needed help and the wards were short-staffed because so many were sick themselves. Thankfully, I dont seem to have had it. Ive been very lucky. The numbers were particularly bad at Lewisham early on. Wed never seen anything like it because patients would come into hospital with very low oxygen levels but they would be happy and chatty they call it happy hypoxia. Although its been a challenging time and it was particularly horrible around April when there were so many deaths thankfully things have calmed down, says Rachel Wilson, pictured above wearing a mask But in a very short space of time, theyd deteriorate and become very sick. Sadly, we saw a lot of deaths and its been incredibly upsetting at times. Usually, when Ive had a bad day at work I can come home to my husband and offload onto him but this was too intense and upsetting for even him to hear. So nurses have been relying on each other so much more for support. Although its been a challenging time and it was particularly horrible around April when there were so many deaths thankfully things have calmed down. The Thursday clap was a real boost for everyone and I even had a little cry when a neighbour brought round a bottle of wine to say thanks. But Im not a hero, I was just doing what Ive always done and thats be a nurse. My lockdown hair before: My hair hasnt been a priority for months. A semi-permanent root highlighter has been my saviour when Ive needed a little touch-up but Ive been wearing so much PPE at work that it hasnt really mattered. With my hair net on, one of my nursing colleagues said I was wearing the classic dinner lady look so Im really looking forward to having my hair done properly by professionals. I just want to feel like me again. After: Im so pleased and cant stop smiling. Its amazing how good you feel when your hair has just been done. I just need a nice bar or restaurant to go to now! Ms Wilson, pictured after her haircut, said: 'Im so pleased and cant stop smiling' Now I look like my baby's mother instead of her grandmother Janet Palmer, 36, is an outreach worker for non-profit credit union (a community led initiative helping people in poverty). She lives with her partner Richard, 36, a retail manager and their four daughters Lillie, nine, Olivia, eight, Lexi, two and Evie, three months. She says: No one can prepare for a situation like this and it always hurts the most vulnerable in society. Colouring my hair was one of those things that I kept meaning to do before lockdown and didnt get round to it, says Janet Palmer, 36, an outreach worker for non-profit credit union I work with people who literally cant afford the bus fare into town to withdraw their last 5 from the bank so Im there to make sure they get the help and financial advice they need. So many people have lost their jobs and incomes during this crisis and the council often directs them to us so we can help them pay for basics such as food, gas and electricity. Were always busy because we cover an area with a high rate of low income families. But during the crisis weve been insanely busy. There are only 18 of us, and although Im paid, most of the team are volunteers. A few weeks before lockdown, halfway through my pregnancy, I started having trouble breathing and couldnt feel the baby move. I went to hospital and although the baby was fine, I was diagnosed with arrythmia and heart failure. Janet Palmer is pictured above during her haircut. She said: 'I love my job and its incredibly rewarding - even though juggling it with a newborn and three other little girls is a challenge' Even so, I was trying to work from my hospital bed for two weeks while I was monitored and underwent lots of tests, answering messages and emails from desperate people. I went into lockdown early because of my diagnosis and I had my fourth daughter on 1st April by C section. Giving birth on the day where the deaths spiked was surreal. I remember going into the hospital as they were wheeling bodies out and Richard didnt want to leave me there. But Evie was born healthy, and weve been home ever since. The problem with my heart may never go away and Im still having tests. But although Im on maternity leave Ive still been doing as much as I can to help those in need. Its not a job you can just walk away from. Ive answered messages, kept the social media up to date, directed people towards the right help. Weve seen so many people lose their jobs and income and our aim is to stop people taking out pay day loans or borrowing from loan sharks. I love my job and its incredibly rewarding - even though juggling it with a newborn and three other little girls is a challenge. Ms Palmer, pictured above with her lockdown hair after, said: 'I cant believe the difference. Ive gone from looking like my babys grandmother to her mother' Lockdown hair before: Colouring my hair was one of those things that I kept meaning to do before lockdown and didnt get round to it. Then lockdown happened and our new baby arrived. Like everyone in my family, I started going grey in my teens. But the grey is really showing through now and Im so fed up of it. The condition is poor too. I cant wait to see what the salon will do for me. Lockdown hair after: I cant believe the difference. Ive gone from looking like my babys grandmother to her mother. I love the shorter length, it feels like its in much better condition now and Im really pleased with the colour. My children are not going to recognise me! I stopped making wedding dresses and started making NHS scrubs Sabina Motasem, 48, is a wedding dress designer. She lives in Islington, North London. She says: When lockdown was announced it was clear there were going to be no more weddings for a while. But I wanted to keep busy and besides, I wanted to help in whatever way I could. Id heard about the Scrub Hub, a network of voluntary community groups who love to sew who were making scrubs to order for NHS staff struggling in the crisis. I created the Islington and North Hackney Scrub Hub and within days Id brought together a team of around 20-plus experienced seamstresses and pattern cutters and kind volunteers who had all approached us. Sabina Motasem, 48, a wedding dress designer, says: 'The last time I went to the hairdressers was in January so its been more than six months' My seamstresses are more used to making couture silk wedding gowns costing thousands of pounds but turned their skills towards making polycotton scrubs with no problem at all. Between us, we made just under 1,400 scrubs and 2,000 masks an incredible effort. We have lots of brides who are doctors and when we first began, they gave us feedback, saying that most scrubs are made for men and and dont fit particularly well. My top priority was to ensure the NHS staff all felt as comfortable as possible during their long shifts so we designed scrubs with elastic which could withstand hot 60 degree washes. Our scrubs ended up in over 20 hospitals, medical centres and care homes and weve received lots of messages from happy female doctors saying theyre much more comfortable. Lockdown itself for me had its ups and downs. Ms Motasem, pictured above with her lockdown hair after, said: 'I love my new look and its so nice to get the greys covered and have my hair straightened' Just a few weeks after a heart operation, my 79-year-old father caught coronavirus and was in hospital for several weeks. We were scared we could lose him. It really brought the pandemic into sharp focus. Thankfully, he survived and hes home now. Its been so rewarding and has made me rethink how I can help the community in the future. Ive decided to move my business online, because I want to ensure everyones safety and Ive made a vegan and sustainable ready-to-wear fashion range called The Green Collection. Its been a strange situation but if everyone can adapt, we will be fine. My lockdown hair before: The last time I went to the hairdressers was in January so its been more than six months. I usually dye it black but as the silvery grey roots have come through, I havent minded as much as I thought I would. In fact, Ive grown used to them. But thats not to say Im not ready for a colour, cut and possibly a new style. Im hoping to go a rich, dark brown and as its grown so long, I dont mind losing a few inches and cut into a different style. Its so curly that it needs a style that will give it some bounce. After: I love my new look and its so nice to get the greys covered and have my hair straightened. Ive not been anywhere near the hair straighteners during lockdown so this is a really nice treat. Its also lovely to try a different colour too. Ive always dyed my hair black but this rich deep brunette is gorgeous and the style will work well with my natural curls. Thank you! The Jo Hansford salon treated the ladies in a private room on a training day following all PPE and safety guidelines. London traffic was stopped today as lingerie models stripped off to brave the British summer weather to celebrate Super Saturday. Six women of different shapes and sizes strutted their stuff through the city, passing some of the capital's most famous landmarks including Raymond Revuebar, the Admiral Duncan pub in Old Compton Street, Soho Square and Chinatown. All of the models stood at least one metre apart from one another and did their own hair and makeup, in accordance with social distancing guidances, amid the coronavirus pandemic. The women were celebrating the reopening of bars, restaurants and hairdressers after a three-month break with lingerie brand Bluebella, which was launching its 'Dare To Bare' campaign. Lingerie models took to the streets of London today to celebrate Super Saturday as pubs, restaurants and bars re-opened across the city (pictured left to right Amy, Lou , Chante , Amelia , Alex) The body positive outdoor fashion show brought together a diverse range of models cast from the brand's Instagram following to strut through the streets of central London. The models also wore matching Bluebella facemasks, and all proceeds from the sale of the masks are going to domestic violence charity Chayn. They were from all walks of life including a biochemist, a gym manager, a biomedical science student, a legal assistant, and two actresses. The models wore lingerie sets of all shapes and sizes and while some went for the more conventional bra and knicker set, others stayed a little more covered in stylish bodies. The six models stood one metre apart from one another during the fashion show, and all did their own hair and makeup, in accordance to social distancing guidelines (pictured front to back Alex Langdon-Jones, Lou, Amelia, Vikitolia, Chante, Amy) Mother-of-two Amy Lee, 29, from Aylesbury, Bucks, said: 'The catwalk show gave me a boost and made me feel more confident in my own skin, imperfections and all. 'After balancing working from home, motherhood and home schooling, I think I have earned the opportunity to celebrate the ease of lockdown by strutting around Soho in my favourite lingerie!' Bluebella chief executive Emily Bendell said: 'We thought it was a time to celebrate life and fashion, now that the lockdown restrictions are being relaxed. 'Our own show was cancelled due to the lockdown and until now we have not been able to stage a physical runway show, so as soon as Independence Day was announced for July 4 we wanted to celebrate on the streets of the city we love. 'We are very much a London brand, constantly inspired by the city around us, and Soho is the creative and vibrant heart of that, and we wanted to celebrate it coming back to life again. The women donned a series of different skimpy outfits for the fashion show, which is believed to be the first since the easing of lockdown (pictured left to right Lou , Chante, Vikitolia , Sharna Stephenson, Amy , Alex) 'We were meticulous in making sure that we abided by the government safety regulations at all times. 'We cast the show from our Instagram followers and chose a diverse set of wonderful spirited women passionate about sending out a message of body positivity. Lou Mussington, 26, a gym manager from Hackney, East London, said: 'This was a truly amazing opportunity and also being involved within the celebration of lockdown easing, it really was a no brainer! 'Plus I get to celebrate with some amazing women and be in stunning lingerie at the same time.' University student Alex Langdon-Jones, 20, from Plymouth, Devon, said: 'I wanted to do the show because I have always been a confident individual, happy in my own skin, and I want to empower all women to feel the same. What better way to do this than in amazing lingerie?' Amelia Horth, 24, a drama student from south London, said: 'This catwalk gives us all the opportunity to highlight and celebrate our diversity. While I act on camera, modelling is a different ballgame for me. 'I want to build experience and confidence within this avenue and I figured what better way to do that than throwing myself in the deep end with this. 'In order to grow, I feel we need to constantly challenge ourselves and step out of our comfort zone and this is definitely doing that.' The women, who all had a diverse range of jobs and come from across England, said they wanted to 'empower women to feel confident and happy' in their own skin Sharna Stephenson, 24, a property legal assistant from south London, said: 'Lingerie ultimately transforms the way you perceive yourself and feel, which is why I chose to do this catwalk show. I work full-time and love to look and feel alluring full-time, too, even if usually I'm the only one that knows what I'm wearing underneath.' Vikitolia Fulilagi, a 29-year-old graphic designer from Brighton said: 'I agreed to be a part of the catwalk because this brand celebrates all types of body, size, shapes, represent people from every background, race, gender and supports the LGBTQIA community.' Chante Halliday, 29, an analytical biochemist from Aylesbury, Bucks, said: 'I thought it would be a great opportunity to model for a gorgeous brand with amazing products and staff! 'I have had a great time being involved in the campaign and getting to know so many amazing people.' Last week, I put my neck on the line and make a prediction: that there would be no second wave in this pandemic. I wasn't alone, and many other well-respected doctors and researchers have since echoed my sentiments. But I'll admit I gulped when, on Sunday, news began to filter through that Leicester was experiencing an alarming spike in Covid-19 cases. By Tuesday, it became the first British city to be put back in lockdown - and its pubs, restaurants and hairdressers remain closed. Meanwhile, across the Atlantic, entire American states are seeing surging numbers of infections - and the end-is-nigh doom-mongers online doubled down, in a 'don't say we didn't warn you' kind of way. Had I been wrong? I don't think so. We are not seeing a second wave. In fact, lockdowns such as the one in Leicester, as painful as they'll be, are the way we're going to avoid one. DR ELLIE CANNON: Lockdowns such as the one in Leicester, as painful as they'll be, are the way we're going to avoid a second wave (pictured, people wearing face masks in Leicester) As I wrote last week, we will see bumps and ripples, and local resurgences - and that is what's happening right now unfortunately. Numerous other hotspots are emerging - residents of Bradford, Barnsley, Rochdale, Bedford and Oldham could all also soon be facing restrictions. I don't doubt there will be more. This is, as the Prime Minister puts it, the 'whacka-mole' approach: using effective testing and tracking to spot outbreaks as they emerge, and quickly and effectively tackling them with strict social-distancing measures. As we saw with the cluster of more than 600 cases that emerged last month in Anglesey, North Wales, it seems to work. There, swift action means the situation is now under control, with just one new case reported in the area over the past week. At the start of the lockdown, Government health advisers warned that coming out of it would not be seamless. They suggested the restrictions 'tap' would need to be turned on and off as, when and where it was needed. Freedoms would be given, and then suspended or shut down. It's a standard method of pandemic control in other countries - but, of course, it all still feels very peculiar to us. So, although horrible for those affected, I'm not surprised or worried by these local rises. I was, however, very concerned by something else I discovered last week. Throughout this pandemic, I've been unwavering in my support for senior medical colleagues in Government. DR ELLIE CANNON: As I wrote last week, we will see bumps and ripples, and local resurgences - and that is what's happening right now unfortunately (pictured, a woman has her temperature for entry to the zoo at Chessington World of Adventures in Surrey) But over the past few days, I have had my patience tested. We have been told repeatedly to stay alert. As the Government has reminded us on many occasions, to an extent, it's up to us, the general public, to behave well and do our bit now in order to keep each other and ourselves safe, and get the country moving again. But this will only work if we're first given a complete picture of what's actually going on, and things are then communicated clearly. And this has not been happening as well as it should be. First, on Monday, when Matt Hancock, the Secretary of State for Health spoke in the Commons about the decision to lock down Leicester, he said children had been 'particularly impacted'. Obviously, listening to this, I was alarmed. My Twitter feed suggested scores of others felt the same: we have been repeatedly told, and studies seem to confirm, that children are not at risk from Covid-19. What did he mean by 'particularly impacted'? As I've said on national news channels, children are more likely to get struck by lightning that they are to suffer severely from the virus. This is why I have argued schools must reopen without delay. The new rules on shops, weddings, work - and going to the pub Why do you have to wear a face mask in shops in Scotland, but not in England? Last week, Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said the use of face masks or coverings in shops would become mandatory from July 10. But in England, this is not the case - face masks are only mandatory on public transport. The Scottish and English governments are both being advised by scientific experts, and have access to similar information about how much impact face masks could have on the spread of infection. But ultimately decisions about new rules around Covid-19 fall to politicians. Officials in England do, however, recommend masks are used whenever social distancing is not possible - for example, in confined spaces. A cloth face covering, either a reusable one that you can buy online, or one fashioned out of a scarf or old T-shirt, will stop you passing the virus to others if you are unknowingly infected. So while it isn't yet mandatory, it seems a good idea to wear one regardless. What are the rules for weddings and funerals? In England, weddings and civil partnerships are now allowed in licensed venues, including places of worship. You can invite a maximum of 30 people to the ceremony, so long as strict social distancing rules are observed. Traditional wedding receptions, including wedding breakfasts, are not allowed. The Government says couples can have what it calls a 'wedding celebration' in which a maximum of six people can gather outdoors, or two households can gather indoors. Scotland has similar restrictions, stating that the number of attendees must be 'minimal'. In Wales, only the immediate family is allowed to attend and the ceremony must be in a place or worship or in a register office. In Northern Ireland, eight people can attend, but ten are allowed if one partner is terminally ill. As for funerals, there is currently no specific limit on the number of people attending in England. However, the Government states that, as well as minimal funeral staff, only members of the person's household and close family members should attend. If family and household members cannot attend, close friends can come. A celebrant of the bereaved family's choice is also allowed. In Scotland and Wales, funerals are by invitation only. The venue will decide how many attendees it can hold while adhering to social distancing rules, and tell the bereaved family how many invitations to send out. In Northern Ireland, a maximum of 30 mourners can attend. Is it safe for everyone to go back in to work? Despite the easing of the lockdown, the Government advises that those who can work from home continue to do so. The closure of offices played an integral part in rapidly reducing the rate of transmission. Employers are required to carry out a risk assessment for employees to determine if it is viable for them to return to work safely, with social-distancing measures in place. This should be discussed by both parties before a decision is made. The Government has issued specific guidance to businesses for protecting the workforce, which they are expected to adhere to. Anyone who is concerned that their employer is not promoting social distancing can report them to the Government's Health and Safety Executive by visiting hse.gov.uk. Is there a risk of 'superspreading' now that pubs are open again? Around the world, certain gatherings of people, such as birthday parties, have led to a significant number of Covid19 infections. In some instances, just a single infected person has transmitted the virus to dozens of others at these so-called 'superspreading' events. The Government's chief scientific adviser, Sir Patrick Vallance, warned on Friday that pubs are environments where 'superspreading' of the virus is more likely to occur. Evidence shows coronavirus is transmitted more easily indoors, and when people are in close proximity. This makes a crowded pub an ideal place for the virus to spread. Pubs are being told to collect contact details of customers. This is so that they can be easily contacted by the NHS test and trace service if, at a later date, they are thought to have come into contact with someone in the pub who has tested positive for Covid-19. It is hoped this measure will prevent any local outbreaks of the virus. Advertisement On further investigation, speaking directly to the office of the Chief Medical Officer, it seems there's actually little cause for alarm. It turns out that, as the hotspot in Leicester began, testing was ramped up, as per the protocol - when one person was found to have the virus, they began tracking and swabbing larger numbers of people they'd come into contact with. It meant that many more families, including children who were not actually ill, tested positive. These included kids who hadn't been at school, so they must have caught the virus from their parents. I wish this had been shared properly with the public. Which leads me to my second gripe. As I said last week, the test-and-trace system is not perfect. Not every contact is traced, so not every single case is being picked up. Scientifically speaking, though, this is good enough to be effective. However, Leicester has highlighted other flaws. We have repeatedly been told we must stay alert if we're to beat this virus. And I'm a big supporter of people being informed, and playing an active role in their health. So I like the philosophy behind the slogan. But I was hugely dismayed to discover that, until last week, the figures for new infections being published by the Government were only giving part of the picture. Our national Covid-19 testing programme is broken up into 'pillars'. Pillar 1 is the testing done in hospitals - people who are sick enough to need in-patient care, and healthcare workers. Pillar 2 refers to the tests being done 'in the community' - so, when you feel sick, you drive off to one of these drive-through testing sites, or get a DIY test to do at home. Pillar 3 and 4 are antibody tests and testing done for research, which aren't relevant here. At the start of the pandemic, pillar 1 figures were crucial, as so many people were very sick. It gave us a clear idea about how bad the illness was, and where the epicentres were. And, to be honest, in the earlier months, it was just about all we had. But as the total numbers have gone down, so have hospital cases. It's essential we now focus on the pillar 2 figures, which will let us know what's going. In particular, we need to be able to see what the numbers are for our own local area. Except, the Government, until Wednesday, was only publicly reporting detailed pillar 1 figures, and not pillar 2 figures. This meant that in Leicester, there were just 80 new cases of Covid-19 between June 13 and 26, according to the published figures at the time. In fact, it has transpired the real number was 944. Apparently, the data was available to local public health officers under Data Protection Act laws, but not to the general public - or even GPs, like me, for that matter. This makes no sense. It's the community-specific information that lets us all tackle local problems - after all, how can we 'stay alert' when we don't actually know what's out there? Leicester's mayor, Sir Peter Soulsby, summed it up, suggesting they could have acted sooner if it'd been widely known earlier that they had a problem. 'I would wish that they had shared that [data] with us right from the start,' he said. Seeing so few cases in London, I've started visiting patients at home, and have been calling more in for face-to-face consultations. I reasoned it'd be highly unlikely anyone would actually have Covid-19. But when I read the figures I had been looking at were incomplete, I worried. Had I been putting myself and others at risk? Since the lack of transparency was revealed by the Financial Times, the Government has made all the data available. So I've been able to see the real numbers for my local area, and you can do the same: but I warn you, be prepared to be bamboozled. There are nice, easy-to-follow infographics on the gov.uk website detailing the weekly figures for larger region areas such as East Midlands or North East. But you have to dig much deeper into the difficult-to-read spreadsheets on the website to see the intricate local figures. Reassuringly, there have been only two new cases diagnosed in my borough, Camden, in North London, in the past week - which compared with 496 in Leicester, and 375 in Bradford, which are at present the two areas with the most infections. So I'm going to carry on as I have been. But I hope, a few weeks back, my GP colleagues in Leicester weren't looking at the misleading published numbers, being led into a false sense of security, and making decisions as I did. Likewise, shielding patients urgently need this detailed level of information too, as they may need to be very careful again if local cases are rising. Just a few days ago, in the run-up to yesterday's grand reopening - so-called Super Saturday - the Prime Minister urged the public not to 'overdo it' and 'undo the sacrifices you have made with reckless behaviour'. But, really, as we have seen over the past two months, one-off events and mass gatherings seem to have a minimal impact on infection rates. Some outbreaks have been linked to workplaces - in Wales, cases were seen in meat factory workers. But others, such as in Leicester, don't have an obvious focal point. There, cases seem to be in working-age people, and mainly in deprived areas, where families live in more crowded conditions. Although there is a spike in cases, thankfully there has been no rise in hospital admissions. These nuances are key to our approach now - what is right for one area of Leicester will be wrong for one area of another city or country. In American states such as Texas, officials are now seeing about 6,000 new cases a day, and a similar number of hospital admissions. Some people, including Governor Greg Abbott, blame the decision to reopen bars and restaurants back on April 30. In the meantime, how will the further easing of our own restrictions affect things? I'm still optimistic. But I also urge the scientists in Whitehall to be honest with us, and communicate clearly. Yes, we can carry on washing our hands and wearing face masks. We can stay a metre or more apart, queue diligently at the supermarket, and limit contact with extended family and friends. But we also need to know what is going on around us, so that we can, indeed, stay alert. Lockdowns don't need to come to every city. Stopping viral transmission, spotting clusters and immediately responding effectively will prevent a second wave, but only if we empower people to make decisions based on the facts. The museum is awash with sightings of the paranormal. Pretty much everybody who works there agrees that the objects all hold a lot of energy The British Museum is home to the largest collection of ancient relics and bones, so its not surprising that staff and visitors have experienced thousands of eerie happenings. Historian Guy Walters investigates the things that go bump in the night and day Something is stirring in the British Museum. Throughout the endless galleries, corridors and staircases, locked doors are swinging open, footsteps echo, strange figures are being picked up by security cameras and things are going bump in the night. For the indomitable staff who patrol the vast site, a night shift can cause a gulp in the throat or worse. Take the time a guard was trying to shut the massive doors of the gallery that houses the eerie Sutton Hoo helmet (pictured over the page), thought to have been worn by a mighty seventh-century king of East Anglia called Raedwald. As he pulled the doors into place, he distinctly felt a wrist and a hand emerge between them before giving him a violent shove to his chest. The poor man flew backwards two yards and fell over, a bizarre scene witnessed by his supervisor. A tall tale? Mere coincidence? Perhaps. But it has recently emerged that there are scores, if not hundreds, of such ghostly accounts at the British Museum. According to Noah Angell, an author who has been investigating such sightings for several years, the building which is home to some eight million items from all over the world, including more than 6,000 human remains is awash with signs of the paranormal. Even the most level-headed sceptic would find it hard to explain away every single one of the episodes Angell has collected for his book, Ghost Stories of the British Museum. Another story tells of a guard assigned to patrol the galleries in the small hours. He found himself drawn to a particularly enigmatic object a wooden two-headed dog studded with iron nails from late 19th-century Congo (pictured over the page). For some reason, he became fascinated by the object, said by curators to be a symbol of mediation between the living and the dead, and felt some sort of power emanating from it. The guard lifted his hand and directed it at the dog, at which point every alarm in the gallery went off. Understandably spooked, he told his brother. And when, two days later, the two men visited the gallery during normal opening hours and he again pointed at the object, the alarms sounded once more. The story of the mechanical galleon (above) is another tale with no simple earthly explanation. Made in the late 16th century in southern Germany, it is an extraordinary piece of craftsmanship part automaton, part clock that was featured in the BBC Radio 4 series and book A History of the World in 100 Objects, by the former director of the British Museum Neil MacGregor. Angell recounts how one of the museums information desks was approached by Dutch tourists, who were perplexed by some photographs they had taken of the galleon. They showed me the pictures in sequence, said the member of staff there at the time. So there were all these clocks and watches and in a couple of the last pictures there was a face coming out. It was very strange because it looked like it could have been a little girl or a dwarf. It was a funny face kind of smiling and it didnt have much hair. The clothes were really strange. They werent modern. According to Angell, the clothes the girl or dwarf was wearing were consistent with the period when the galleon was made. So who is to say that the energy of this being isnt still around? he asks. The north and east stairwells have seen some of the highest volumes of supernatural phenomena and perhaps it is no surprise to learn they are at either end of the upper floor Egyptian gallery. The room holds many human remains in the forms of mummies which some might feel are not resting in peace. While close to the eerie Sutton Hoo helmet, one guard was knocked over by a strange force In one disturbing episode, a photograph of a child taken by tourists in front of a large tableau of hieroglyphics appeared to reveal a large black mass rising out of the floor as if it were about to overwhelm the child. When the visitors showed the picture to the guard, he was said to be tongue-tied. There really does seem to be something otherworldly about the room, as one former member of the visitor services team recounted in his own story to Angell. I went up to the Egyptian mummy gallery in the middle of the night, just to check it out and see if things were all right, the supervisor said. I opened up the gallery and it was absolutely freezing and this was a summers evening. It was so cold that I could see the breath coming out of my mouth it was like walking into a freezer. There was also a smell that I couldnt describe. There was an eerie feeling about it and my stomach turned over. It was scary. So I phoned up security and said, Somethings gone wrong up here. By the time his colleagues had arrived, the presence had vanished. The Egyptian department also seems to attract people who want to divest themselves of objects they find creepy. According to Angell, museum-quality items have been left by visitors on three occasions in 12 years. Once somebody left behind the hand of a mummy, he says. There was a note attached to it saying that they had found it among their grandfathers things after he had died, that it had brought them misfortune and that they wanted it properly disposed of. One of the strangest episodes at the museum concerned a special exhibition about Germany, mounted a few years ago. At 2.30am one morning, an alarm went off, triggered by the pull handle in a disabled toilet. When it was investigated, nothing was found. The guards were on the verge of giving up until their supervisor contacted them via radio. The camera to the entrance of the special exhibition was showing these massive balls of light chasing each other around, says Angell. They were like orbs, and they were hovering for a few seconds. But although the orbs could be seen on camera, they couldnt be seen by the guards themselves. Apparently, this took place every morning between 2am and 4am, and it stopped as soon as the exhibition ended. As to the cause of the orbs, could they as one of the warders suggested have emanated from the gates of a concentration camp that had been part of the exhibition? It is all the more interesting that very few of the people he has interviewed actually believe in ghosts. Most of the museum employees dont, says Angell, but they can sense the exhibits have great power. Did this Two-headed dog from 19th-century congo set alarm bells ringing? Pretty much everybody in the museum agrees that the objects all hold a lot of energy, he continues. When weird things happen, they will tell you about it in detail, but they dont feel confident about guessing why something happened, or what caused it. When the museum reopens, Angell will once again conduct walking tours around the site in which he relates the ghost stories to the public. Some are experts on the occult, he says, while others just love Harry Potter. I make sure I speak to all of them. Doubtless, some people are sceptical, but who among us would honestly wish to spend a night alone in such a building? The lockdown, it seems, does not apply to the otherworldly occupants of the British Museum. Love or hate them, best buy investment fund lists are here to stay. Based on past mutterings, the regulator supports them and there is no doubt they do assist investors in navigating the investment marketplace, awash as it is with too many funds. Yet it doesn't mean such lists are perfect. It is therefore good to see Hargreaves Lansdown improve the way it goes about constructing its list and, more importantly, putting in place monitoring procedures that will ensure all the chosen funds continue to earn their right to remain best buys. The wealth manager's move is long overdue, coming more than a year after it was deservedly criticised for labelling investment fund Woodford Equity Income a best buy right up until the day it was suspended. 'Key will be how rigorous Hargreaves Lansdown is in ensuring the list remains free of Woodford-like disasters', says Jeff Prestridge It will do little to appease those who kept faith with Woodford or bought into the Woodford fund because of Hargreaves Lansdown's unremitting (and erroneous) faith in his ability to make proverbial investment silk purses out of sows' ears. The losses they made from investing in Equity Income on the back of its support for the fund will not be made good. The revamp is not without its faults. Eyebrows will be raised at the continued involvement of Mark Dampier in the overseeing of the so-called Wealth Shortlist. It was Dampier, as head of research at Hargreaves Lansdown, who did more than anyone to champion Woodford and ensure his funds (Equity Income and Income Focus) remained on the Wealth 50 the precursor to the Shortlist. In keeping him on board, it could be argued that Hargreaves Lansdown has not made a clean enough break from its past problems. Then, there is the omission of some of the country's most respected investment funds for example, Fundsmith Equity and Lindsell Train Global Equity which casts doubts on the robustness of the list. There is also not one investment trust among its 68 fund favourites which seems crazy given many of these are among the country's biggest listed companies. In addition, you could argue the Wealth Shortlist is no more than an extension of Wealth 50 with 18 added funds. As one rival said: 'It's a bit boring. Where are the interesting new fund names and up and coming fund managers? It lacks innovation.' Finally, it seems strange that after the Woodford meltdown a result of Woodford going off piste and investing in unquoted companies rather than income-friendly companies the Shortlist includes a fund with exposure to unquoteds. As respected Peter Sleep, a portfolio manager with Seven Investment Management, told The Mail on Sunday: 'I would prefer not to see any funds with unquoted stocks on the Shortlist because it is used heavily by newbie investors who may not be aware of the added risks of investing in unlisted securities.' In rebooting its best buys list, Hargreaves Lansdown has taken a step forward that should provide comfort to customers. But key will be how rigorous it is in ensuring the list remains free of Woodford-like disasters. Disastrous fund love affairs like the one Dampier had with Woodford Equity Income need to be a thing of the past. Vigilance is what is now required. As a money section, our focus is on helping you with key personal finance issues whether it's maximising your wealth, ensuring your household finances are ship-shape, or ensuring you do not fall victim of financial scammers. Yet, for once, I will change tack. With yesterday's easing of lockdown restrictions, I urge you to do your bit for the economy by going out and supporting your local high street. It desperately needs a little of your hard-earned money. Last night, I did my 'bit' by dining out at Italian restaurant Rossini in Wokingham, Berkshire. The Gnocchi alla Sorrentina was a knockout, especially when washed down with a glass (or two) of delicious Valpolicella Classico Le Caleselle. I also couldn't resist going into Waterstones and buying a copy of The Hairy Bikers' One Pot Wonders. As a result, I will today be serving up a poor version of their 'Uzbek plov' (lamb and rice) with meat bought from local butcher Stefan's. Spend a little if you can. Tony Hetherington is Financial Mail on Sunday's ace investigator, fighting readers corners, revealing the truth that lies behind closed doors and winning victories for those who have been left out-of-pocket. Find out how to contact him below. Ms K. C. writes: I have been dealing with the Child Maintenance Service (CMS) for two years, and a combination of its incompetence and the fact that my former partner is in the armed forces, has made things awful. The CMS finally issued a 'deduction of earnings request', but the military refuses to comply. Apparently they can do this. My ex now owes more than 5,000 in arrears of maintenance for our son. Last year, your former partner, who is serving in the Royal Marines, was earning 719 a week. Based on this, the CMS reckons he should currently be paying 73 a week for the support of his son. Rules: The MoD has its own agreement with the CMS However, the payments he was making suddenly dried up last year. It is not quite right, though, to say that the military refused to deduct the money from his pay. But I do understand why you suspect this happened. Members of the armed forces are not treated in the same way as civilians. The CMS has no legal power to enforce maintenance deductions from the pay of anyone serving in the forces. The CMS sends a request to the Ministry of Defence (MoD), asking for maintenance payments to be collected. The MoD then contacts the paying parent and his commanding officer. Your ex-partner has six weeks to respond to the MoD, and during this period he is interviewed by his commanding officer, who can tell the MoD if there are any military reasons why the deductions from pay should not be made. This can result in quite a bit of delay if, for example, the member of the forces is away for operational reasons. And on top of this, the MoD has the right to rule that members of the forces are entitled to a 'minimum drawing rate', ensuring their net pay does not fall below a certain level, regardless of what they should be paying as maintenance. The MoD actually has a formal agreement with the CMS that covers the way it will honour or not child maintenance requests. But a spokesperson told me: 'The MoD continues to abide by the agreement we have in place with the Child Maintenance Service.' So what went wrong with your claim? The MoD simply refused to say. I had more success though, with the Department for Work and Pensions, which oversees the CMS. Helpful officials there agreed to look back through CMS records, and they found a horrible slip-up late last year. The CMS should have issued an up-to-date payment schedule to the MoD, but failed to do so. In a nutshell, they sent paperwork to the MoD requesting deductions from your ex-partner's pay, but without any detailed timetable setting out dates and amounts. The missing timetable has now been issued and the MoD has confirmed that it has arrived. It will be in force this month, and arrears of maintenance will be spread out and collected on top of the basic 73 a week. I understand you have also been sent 75 by the CMS as an apology for its mishandling. A spokesman told me: 'We apologise that an administrative error resulted in missed payments, and we have now made a deduction from earnings request to the Ministry of Defence in order to get payments reinstated.' If you believe you are the victim of financial wrongdoing, write to Tony Hetherington at Financial Mail, 2 Derry Street, London W8 5TS or email tony.hetherington@mailonsunday.co.uk. Because of the high volume of enquiries, personal replies cannot be given. Please send only copies of original documents, which we regret cannot be returned. Following the easing of travel restrictions, thousands of holidaymakers have wasted no time in booking a summer break. But people are being urged to be vigilant as criminals look to exploit their eagerness to get away. Jesus Sanchez-Aguilera Garcia, of cybersecurity firm McAfee, says: 'With the travel industry getting back into motion, online criminals are ready to prey on victims. Fraudsters are fully aware of holidaymakers' desire for a great deal and will use it to their advantage.' He adds: 'It's vital when booking your holiday to remain alert to the common tactics used by online criminals, despite the excitement.' Too good to be true? Be wary of emails and adverts linked to websites promising bargain breaks Above all, be wary of emails and adverts linked to websites promising bargain breaks. Figures from McAfee show almost a third of holiday bookings occur through such email promotions and pop-up adverts, and more than a quarter of people do not check the authenticity of a website before booking. Scam websites may look like those of genuine travel companies, with images of luxury villas to lure people in, but their aim is to install malware, steal personal information and capture passwords. Subtle differences in the website address page (URL) can indicate an offer is fraudulent. And any request to pay by bank transfer instead of recommended secure payment options should set off alarm bells. Paul Davis, retail fraud director at Lloyds Bank, says: 'When looking for a holiday online, make sure you book with a trusted company which is Abta or Atol protected. The Abta website helps ensure you are booking through genuine companies and trusted websites.' John Paul Donnelly, founder of 5 Star Villa Holidays, says: 'To check you are using a reputable provider, search for mentions of the company online, phone the company before you book, look at its social media pages to ensure it is an active company and read guest feedback.' Cybercriminals are not only targeting those heading overseas. With many holidaymakers booking staycations this year, banking industry body UK Finance warns that fraudsters are advertising fake listings for caravans or motorhomes on auction sites. Prices are attractive, but buyers are often told they cannot view the vehicles due to lockdown restrictions. In reality, the vehicles do not exist. Katy Worobec, managing director of economic crime at UK Finance, says: 'Ensure you do your research before making a purchase read reviews of the website or person you're buying from and ask to see vehicles over a video call if you're unable to see them first-hand.' Even those not booking a holiday need to be cautious. Anyone awaiting a refund from a cancelled holiday should be wary of emails, calls or social media posts claiming to offer money back from airlines, travel providers or banks. Often these promise an instant refund if holidaymakers reveal bank details or pay an upfront 'handling' fee. Those looking for travel cover are urged to keep an eye out for fake travel insurance websites that offer Covid-19 cover when many genuine policies no longer do. Tom Bourlet, at travel firm The Stag Company, says: 'Check the terms and conditions page, the 'about us' page and blog section. Most scam insurance websites are built as quickly as possible and have plenty of spelling mistakes and a lack of content.' Best buy lists and tables are part and parcel of the way most of us now shop for financial products. Whether it is for a savings account or mortgage, it is the 'best' buys we invariably turn to as a starting point. Many consumers do not look beyond them, content to trust in the information given. As a newspaper, we publish a number of such tables as we believe they ensure consumers make better financial choices. Yet not all of the lists that feature online are as robust as they appear, leading sometimes to bitter consumer disappointment and occasionally downright anger. Favourite status: Neil Woodford's Equity Income fund was marketed by Hargreaves Lansdown right up to its suspension Nowhere is disgruntlement more prevalent than in the wealth management industry, where best buy lists are routinely used by online investment platforms to assist investors in picking investment funds for inclusion in their Individual Savings Accounts (Isas), Self-Invested Personal Pensions (Sipps) or investment portfolios. Such compilations of 'recommended' funds wealth managers use other terms to describe them such as 'super', 'elite' or 'favourite' have become increasingly popular in recent years as many investors have sought (or are being forced) to manage their own investments. They are provided by big investment platforms such as AJ Bell, Fidelity, Hargreaves Lansdown and Interactive Investor. But the subjectivity and potential conflicts of interest involved in drawing up such lists means things can go horribly wrong if a fund does not live up to its billing. With justification, fund buyers can become angry. No greater (by which I mean worse) example of this was Hargreaves Lansdown's relentless peddling of investment fund Woodford Equity Income, right up to the fund's suspension in June last year. Despite mounting concern about the increase in risky, illiquid holdings contained within the fund run by 'star' manager Neil Woodford, Hargreaves Lansdown refused to remove it from its 'Wealth 50' a list of its favourite funds. They hoped Woodford would turn the ship around, but he didn't. It is a decision that outraged countless Hargreaves Lansdown customers, who felt that if they had been warned of the fund's heightened risk, they could have sold their holdings before June last year. Left out: Terry Smith is relieved his Fundsmith Equity fund is not included With the fund now broken up and investors yet to get all their money back, and Woodford Investment Management no more, some have put their name to group actions against Hargreaves Lansdown for its aggressive promotion of Woodford Equity Income. Though the legal claims have yet to be issued, Hargreaves Lansdown has decided it is time to overhaul the way it goes about drawing up its fund best buys to make them less of a pushy sales tool. Last week, without once mentioning the 'W' word (Woodford), it announced it was replacing its 'Wealth 50' with the 'Wealth Shortlist' a roster of 68 investment funds it believes are now fit for purpose. Separately, it wrote to Woodford investors to tell them of the change. Yes, this time the 'W' word did get a mention, but without a whiff of apology over 'W', just: 'We share your disappointment that a better outcome has not been achieved.' Talk about weasel words! Along with the birth of the Wealth Shortlist, it has introduced new checks and balances in how it goes about drawing up its list of favourite funds. These include a series of new committees designed to ensure the list remains fit for purpose, that fund choices are more easily challenged and that funds can be swiftly removed if they are deemed not to be living up to expectations. Key employees from outside the investment research team will also keep an eye on the list. Emma Wall is head of investment analysis at Hargreaves Lansdown. She will play a key role in overseeing the Wealth Shortlist and says the changes have been made with 'clients and their outcomes at the centre of our thinking'. The subjectivity of best buy fund lists is confirmed by the fact that 31 of Hargreaves Lansdown's 68 Wealth Shortlist investment funds do not make it on to any of its rivals' lists. The Mail on Sunday compared the Wealth Shortlist with Interactive Investor's 'Super 60', Fidelity's 'Select 50', Fund Calibre's 'elite funds', Bestinvest's 'top-rated' funds and AJ Bell's 'favourite' funds. Only eight of Hargreaves Lansdown's list make it on to Interactive Investor's best buys. The comparable figures are for Fidelity, eight, Fund Calibre 21, Bestinvest 12 and AJ Bell 15. Those funds on Hargreaves Lansdown's list that are also rated by a majority of rivals are shown in the table. For the record, Fundsmith Equity excluded by Hargreaves Lansdown is on the best buy lists of Interactive Investor, Fund Calibre and Bestinvest. Final word goes to Anthony Morrow, chief executive of money manager OpenMoney. He says: 'Picking funds through best buy lists can be risky, no matter how they are built and they should not be seen as a substitute for taking regulated financial advice. Those who use best buy lists as the basis for investment decisions are really on their own if things go wrong.' Although of scant comfort to those who bought Woodford Equity Income through the platform, she confirmed to The Mail on Sunday that if the fund were around today it would not have made it on to the shortlist. This is because of the illiquid nature of many of the fund's holdings (a big negative now) and the fact the fund's investor base was not 'sufficiently diverse'. Equity Income's suspension was triggered by one big investor, Kent County Council, wanting to withdraw its 263million holding. The fund would also have failed on the steady drip of outflows, as investors sold out in 2018 and 2019 in response to the fund's disappointing investment performance. Indeed, just one of the 68 Wealth Shortlist funds Marlborough UK Micro-Cap Growth has exposure to unlisted firms. The 1billion fund, which invests in small UK companies, has 3.3 per cent of its assets in unquoted stocks. Wall says Hargreaves Lansdown is satisfied with the fund's current level of unquoted firms, though it would be 'uncomfortable if it got any higher'. She also said there were no significant investors in the fund (like Woodford's Kent County Council) that could force Marlborough into doing a Woodford and suspending dealings because they wanted their money back. The list also contains no property unit trusts again because of the illiquid nature of their assets. Currently, dealings in some 11 property funds with combined assets of 13billion are suspended while the portfolios are revalued in response to the economic downturn and cash is generated to meet redemption requests from investors. There are also no stock market-listed investment trusts unlike most rivals' lists because Hargreaves Lansdown believes there are not enough shares available in these funds to satisfy demand. Dzmitry Lipski, head of fund research at Interactive Investor, calls this a 'major omission'. He says: 'Investors should have access to the best in class across the whole funds industry. For us that means including investment trusts.' Interactive Investor's Super 60 includes FTSE 100-listed Scottish Mortgage, Murray International and City of London. Other notable omissions include the 20billion Fundsmith Equity fund, run by the hugely respected Terry Smith, and the 7.8billion Lindsell Train Global Equity fund, managed by Nick Train. Both funds have proved hugely popular with investors in recent years on the back of strong investment returns. Train's fund is not included because Lindsell Train is a big investor in Hargreaves Lansdown. Hargreaves Lansdown has decided it is time to overhaul the way it goes about drawing up its fund best buys to make them less of a pushy sales tool Last year, the wealth manager said it was removing Global Equity and its sister fund UK Equity from its Wealth 50 'to protect the interests of our clients and shareholders, the independence of our investment process, and the service we provide clients'. Fundsmith's omission, says Wall, is due to Smith's refusal to allow it regular access to him, and information on the fund's holdings and liquidity. She adds: 'Analysis of the latest data suggests it is likely Fundsmith would make the list, but we can't make exceptions to our enhanced commitment to governance and risk management.' Smith's response was brutal. On Friday, he told The Mail on Sunday: 'Over the years, Hargreaves Lansdown has put forward many excuses for its failure to include Fundsmith Equity in its 'best buy' lists. Now it cites our unwillingness to disclose our portfolio positions to them more frequently than we do to our other investors. 'Leaving aside issues of treating customers fairly, we would note that Hargreaves Lansdown has a fund which competes with ours HL Global Select Shares and a highly questionable track record in handling conflicts of interest. 'We would also question the advisability of transparency. Real time portfolio data did not help with its Woodford recommendation did it?' Smith added: 'Did they use that data to save investors from losses? I wonder what excuse they will cite next no R in the month maybe. 'The irony is that given the poor track record of Hargreaves Lansdown's best buy lists and the fate of some other funds they have recommended, we would worry if we were included.' There could be a few 'Super Saturday' hangovers this morning after many of the UK's pubs, bars and restaurants opened their doors yesterday after months of lockdown. But will the re-opening of the hospitality and leisure sector bring opportunity to investors or just lead to a hangover of a financial kind instead? From alcohol companies to pub chains, restaurant groups, hotels, campsites and cinemas, there are many listed companies and funds which hold them which, in theory, should benefit from the lifting of lockdown. But experts are warning that the celebratory fizz could quickly turn flat. Back in business: Pub groups will see their tills ringing this weekend but analysts believe it will take time for their balance sheets and share prices to recover Russ Mould, investment director at AJ Bell, says investors should look at their own reaction to the lifting of lockdown restrictions. He says: 'The first question that anyone must ask themselves is how willing will they themselves be to return to the pub, restaurant, bar, cinema, gym or bowling alley? 'You are trying to predict how other people will behave and your own views are one benchmark for that, but not the only one. Some may be keen while others not interested at all, either out of health concerns or financial ones if they have been furloughed or lost their job.' While listed pub companies such as JD Wetherspoon seen as well-placed for social distancing thanks to its popular table service app Young's, Marston's and Mitchells and Butlers will see tills ringing this weekend for the first time in months, the missing months plus the extra costs to re-open could take their toll. Mould says: 'New rules on social distancing and the increased costs such as for screens, sanitisers and personal protective equipment mean many business models could remain challenged. These are businesses which need high turnover of customers and high use of their assets, be they hotel rooms, bowling alleys or restaurant tables. 'It could be a long haul back to pre-Covid-19 business levels, especially if a second wave strikes or local lockdowns are necessary.' It could be a long haul back to pre-Covid business Russ Mould of AJ Bell Share prices of some companies impacted by the UK's own 'Independence Day' have already started to respond. Since the UK stock market bottomed on March 23, shares in cider firm C&C are up 53 per cent, Cineworld (57 per cent), JD Wetherspoon (55 per cent) and Rank by 42 per cent. But Mould says these stocks are still all down on their value on February 20 when the Covid-19 rout of share prices began in earnest. He adds: 'It may make sense instead to focus on those firms that have raised cash to bolster their balance sheets, or had sound finances in the first place and have a strong brand and market position, so they can tough out difficult times.' Mould points to leisure giant Whitbread, owner of Premier Inn, Beefeater and Brewers Fayre, Fuller's which no longer brews but runs hotels and pubs and Marston's where a recent deal with Carlsberg brought in welcome cash. Jason Hollands, of wealth manager Tilney, strikes a cautious note. 'For landlords, restaurant owners and hotels, it is a chance to start generating some desperately needed cash flow,' he says. 'But I would caution against viewing this as a great investment opportunity. 'These businesses have been hard hit by lockdown and are fighting for survival. Outdoor socialising will work for pubs and restaurants over the next few months but when the nights get darker earlier, unless social distancing is scrapped altogether, lots of these businesses are going to find themselves back in trouble.' Diageo, mixer company Fevertree and Chapel Down wine may be better bets, according to Ben Yearsley, a director of Shore Financial Planning Like AJ Bell's Mould, Hollands likes Whitbread which completed a 1billion rights issue on June 10 and also AIM-listed Young's which recently raised 88.4million in new shares. He adds: 'A less risky play is Guinness-owner Diageo as it should benefit from the reopening of pubs while also selling its products in supermarkets and retailers.' Church House Absolute Return Strategies investment fund owns both the debt and the equity of Diageo. Manager James Mahon says: 'Diageo was one of the first companies out of the blocks when the credit markets started to open up. Seeing that a good quality company like Diageo could raise money helped lots of other issues to the market.' Ben Yearsley, a director of Shore Financial Planning, says it is crucial not to look purely at the short term. 'Capacity is clearly going to be the key issue for all these re-opened businesses and whether they can make money with only half their previous clientele,' he says. 'That's why the likes of Diageo, mixer company Fevertree and Chapel Down wine may be better bets.' AXA Framlington UK Mid Cap fund owns AIM-listed Fevertree. Manager Chris St John says: 'I've used market pull back as an opportunity to buy the holding and then add to it. I'm happy to be patient with the business to let it develop.' This all adds up to a picture which isn't for the nervous investor. Darius McDermott, managing director of Chelsea Financial Services, says: 'Where businesses survive there may be opportunities to make big investment returns, but some businesses are likely to go bust. Picking the winner in a sector is going to be vital and you have to look at companies on a case by case basis.' Some companies are dividing opinion. Nationwide cinema chain Cineworld is, in Yearsley's view, 'a company that might not be as popular as many think capacity will be way down, so we could see summer blockbusters with probably a quarter of the usual audience and no pick and mix.' Nationwide cinema chain Cineworld is dividing opinions But Martin Cholwill, manager of fund Royal London UK Equity Income and an investor in Cineworld, says: 'Social distancing shouldn't be too hard in cinemas as they are usually only at 20 to 30 per cent capacity. The July new film releases should coincide with re-opening too.' Fund Marlborough Multi Cap Income also owns Cineworld. Manager Siddarth Chand Lall says: 'The company has agreed facilities for additional loans to ensure it can survive even if cinemas remain closed for the rest of the year. 'In fact, Cineworld expects to be reopening sites globally by the end of this month with confidence around booking and seating reconfigurations to allow Covid-19 social distancing norms.' Companies which have used lockdown to streamline their operations could be ones to watch out for, says Leigh Himsworth, portfolio manager at Fidelity International. He says: 'Some companies have used lockdown to review their operations to become leaner and more efficient businesses, such as Restaurant Group with Wagamama.' Like other investment experts, he offers a note of caution. He says: 'While the re-opening is welcome news, I fear we have a long way to go before normality is restored.' There are few silver linings to this pandemic. But 'for tragic reasons' a more efficient economy could perhaps be one of them, says Tony Danker, incoming director general of Britain's biggest business lobby group, the Confederation of British Industry. Danker, who joins the CBI in November replacing Dame Carolyn Fairbairn, has spent the past three years spearheading an organisation charged with solving Britain's productivity crisis 'from the bottom up'. He admits that this is an issue on which 'Britain hasn't done very well for the past 12 years' since the 2008 financial crash. Ambitions: Tony Danker is on a drive to increase productivity 'Most of the policy levers weren't fixing the problem, or would take a generation to take effect,' says Belfast-born Danker, currently chief executive of Be The Business, a Government and industry-funded body, with a mandate to improve productivity. He names infrastructure spending and improving skills as two important, but slow-burning, boosters for productivity. His conclusion? 'Government can't fix the productivity problem; business has to.' The figures are stark. A report in February detailed how the slowdown in productivity over the past decade measured as economic output per worker per hour has been the worst since the industrial revolution began 250 years ago. Economists worry that sluggish productivity growth, barely above zero and more pitiful even than in the 1970s, has held back improvement in living standards in the UK. New data due out this week will show the situation, predictably, going from bad to worse during the coronavirus pandemic. But Danker says the coronavirus crisis may have forced the solution upon us a 'once in a generation opportunity' to capitalise on the 'Zoom boom'. He says there's an 'unprecedented thirst' from millions of businesses for 'things that frankly we [at Be The Business] would have bitten your hand off for a year ago'. 'You've got a huge drive for efficiency, huge interest in technology and huge innovation,' Danker says, outlining in a sentence the desperate measures many have pursued to rewire their businesses. 'If you try to sell businesses a ton of new tech right now and tell them this will help you innovate and grow, I'm not sure how interested they're going to be. If you tell them it will help them be more resilient that's more interesting. 'So, if there's a second wave, or Brexit hiccups, they can say: 'Do you know what? I'm confident I can keep my business running'. 'It's a tragedy that it's taken a global pandemic to do it,' he adds, but says it is a shock that has stimulated new ways of thinking. Tony Danker, Van the man fan Lives: In London. Originally from Belfast. Age: 48 'You're supposed to say you don't look it.' Family: Wife and two sons, aged 17 and 13. Van Morrison Freetime: Lockdown has involved 'rewatching all great 1980s and 1990s films with my sons seeing them for the first time, plus rediscovering the joy of frisbee'. Music is 'the collective works of Belfast legend Van Morrison'. Post lockdown yearning is 'to see Liverpool lift the Premier League trophy in front of millions'. Two thirds of firms have changed their approach to technology since March, according to a Be The Business study. A third have adopted new technologies or intend to 'soon'. As well as video conferencing, that includes project management and customer relationship management systems, e-commerce, cloud-based HR and data analysis software. Any gains are likely to be masked by huge drops in overall economic output. But Danker wants to turbocharge the revolution, tying up with Facebook to encourage small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to learn from each other. A regional roadshow digital, of course targeting 11 big cities follows from the end of this month. 'What's really interesting about the last three months, talking to business owners, is that they have exerted more leadership in decision making than in years. 'They are also ferocious about finding productivity gains cutting costs, being smarter about the use of premises, thinking about tech. I think that's the low hanging fruit and there's a lot of money in it.' But he says: 'Now there is a set of really complicated decisions for each of these firms as we restart harder than lockdown. Don't underestimate what a big deal this is. 'There are 1.4million small business owners with some big calls. I think they are going to make the decisions that affect employment and they are going to be the judge of whether or not anything the Chancellor does has worked.' Danker spent a decade at global consultancy McKinsey and was an adviser to the Cabinet Office and Treasury under the last Labour Government. In 2010, he went to the Guardian Media Group, latterly as chief strategy officer, before being hauled in to launch Be The Business in November 2017 as part of plans originally hatched by former Chancellor George Osborne to solve the productivity crisis. It is chaired by former John Lewis chairman Sir Charlie Mayfield and its advisers include Rolls-Royce chairman Sir Ian Davis, BAE Systems chairman Sir Roger Carr, Lloyds Banking Group chief executive Antonio Horta-Osorio and Dame Carolyn Fairbairn. Danker joins the CBI in November replacing Dame Carolyn Fairbairn (pictured) Danker reels off anecdotes from small firms he's spoken with a Cornish pub, a Cumbrian manufacturer, an HR consultancy with myriad conundrums. But he suggests: 'There's a realisation now how much SMEs are the backbone of the economy 60 per cent of private sector employment and even greater outside the South East.' He says a 10 per cent rise in productivity in the smallest 75 per cent of all firms the 'long tail' could add 130billion to the economy. 'I'm not pretending that's easy. But you just need tar manufacturers to be better tar manufacturers. We need to help hospitality businesses find a path back to growth. 'Three years ago we were talking of the importance of high growth sectors life sciences, high tech. Now I think we've realised that the high employment sectors of retail, construction, hospitality these are vitally important sectors to the economy, to recovery, to jobs.' With a cautious nod to his agenda in his next role, which he joins at a pivotal time, he suggests Government needs to be sensitive to the slow awakening from lockdown many small firms face. He says: 'It's why organisations will talk of a tapered end to support rather than a sudden end to lockdown. Restarting is complicated. Cost comes back straight away but demand doesn't. If the Chancellor is to proceed with a levelling-up agenda that's only about public investment it won't be enough.' He says business sector recovery needs to reach those parts of the country which have the lowest productivity and high unemployment, adding: 'London has superb levels of productivity but it's the regional economies that have fallen behind. The risk is they fall behind more.' Anyone trying to sell up or buy a new home on the cheap should keep a close eye on the housebuilders this week. A flurry of them are due to give updates on their own operations. Their indications of how business is going and where demand is and isn't moving will provide an early health check on the property market. Barratt Developments, Persimmon, Bovis owner Vistry and MJ Gleeson are all due to report on recent trading Barratt Developments, Persimmon, Bovis owner Vistry and MJ Gleeson are all due to report on recent trading. Analysts at UBS reckon Barratt could even reveal sales rates close to last year's, thanks to pent-up demand. For the builders, land prices will be just as crucial as how sales and prices have held up. Housebuilders typically build fewer homes when sales dry up and spend money buying up land on the cheap instead. They then build and sell when prices recover. Taylor Wimpey has already unveiled plans to raise 500million to fund land buying and Berkeley Group, whose founder Tony Pidgley sadly passed away last week, said it was also eyeing new land. Could the others join the spree? Micro Focus Software giant Micro Focus is due to unveil its first-half results on Tuesday after seeing a slowdown in sales due to the pandemic (who hasn't?). The company made the decision in March to scrap its final dividend. It said it may pay a second interim dividend later in the year when things settle down to make up for it. So those hoping for another payout in 2020 will be watching these results closely for signs of a pick-up. Number-crunchers at Swiss bank UBS reckon chairman Greg Lock will look to pay out just a quarter of profits in dividends from 2021 down from half so it can chip away at its debts more quickly. FirstGroup Shares in train and bus operator FirstGroup have been hit by concern over its cash position, and an update at the end of May didn't settle this. The firm said it could draw upon 770million in cash and credit lines, but analysts at Peel Hunt reckon its debt to be 1.1billion. Wednesday's annual results give the company another chance to reassure investors. FirstGroup has put its American school bus business up for sale and an update on the process and interest from bidders could boost the shares. That said, the reopening of schools in the US will be even more crucial to attracting a buyer who can secure financing. Reach Newspaper group Reach, the owner of the Daily Mirror and Daily Express, is due to give an update on recent trading on Tuesday. And investors will be flicking through to read news about circulation figures and advertising. Scribblers at Peel Hunt reckon advertising should be showing signs of improvement after the lockdown, when companies held back spending, and could see a further boost as pubs reopen. Earlier this year, Reach announced plans to increase its registered digital users seven-fold by the end of 2022. Peel Hunt's analysts say any signs of progress here 'could be the wild card'. A British stock market research firm today lays claim to being the first whistleblower to raise the alarm about the collapsed German payment giant, Wirecard. Mark Hiley, who runs The Analyst, reveals in The Mail on Sunday that he issued a 'Red Flag Alert' on Wirecard to his clients six years ago. The 2014 note, reproduced below, warned that Wirecard's 'income statement does not reflect the full cash economics of the business'. Hiley says he advised clients of his independent research house in Clapham, south London, to sell the stock or even bet against the shares by taking out short positions. Short-sellers gain when share prices fall. First warning: The Analysts note from 2014, one of 43 on Wirecard Evidence of Hiley's foresight has come to light after several rival analysts claimed to be the first to spot signs of accounting irregularities at Wirecard. Matthew Earl who is known in the City as the 'Dark Destroyer' and who now runs short-selling research firm Shadowfall had previously been regarded as the first to raise concerns about Wirecard, having published his own concerns in late 2015. Wirecard last month filed for insolvency over debts of 3.5billion (3.16billion) in one of the world's biggest ever corporate failures. Its shares have crashed and are now almost worthless. Chief executive Markus Braun was arrested by the German authorities after a 2billion black hole was discovered in the firm's finances. Ernst & Young, Wirecard's auditor, had refused to sign off the company's accounts because it was unable to verify the existence of the funds. The firm's downfall, which has made headlines round the world, has been compared to the Enron debacle in the US in 2001, which has been immortalised in film and theatre productions. Wirecard was founded in 1999 and listed on Germany's stock market in 2005 after a reverse takeover of a call centre business. Mark Hiley, who runs The Analyst, reveals that he issued a 'Red Flag Alert' on Wirecard to his clients six years ago Initially, the little-known company provided payment processing to online gambling companies and pornographic websites. The business grew through a series of mergers and acquisitions to become one of Germany's largest financial companies, with a significant division in the UK called Wirecard Card Solutions. At the end of 2018, Wirecard's British business reportedly had 465.7 million in cash for customer deposits. In 2018, worth 24billion, it was promoted to the DAX Germany's equivalent of the FTSE 100 replacing Commerzbank, one of Germany's largest banking groups, in the blue-chip index. But hedge funds, researchers and journalists had already started to raise the alarm. After publishing a warning under his own name, Earl teamed up with Fraser Perring, another short-selling analyst, to form then-anonymous research firm Zatarra and published a series of negative research reports on Wirecard in 2016. Wirecard last month filed for insolvency over debts of 3.5billion (3.16billion) in one of the world's biggest ever corporate failures Neil Campling, an analyst at Swiss broker Mirabaud Securities, slapped a price target of zero on Wirecard in 2019 when the shares were trading at around 100. But it appears Hiley, at The Analyst, beat them to the punch. Hiley said that after his initial 'Red Flag Alert', his firm published more than 40 more notes on Wirecard that set out 'in extreme detail the widening gap between the company's often ludicrous claims about global domination and the reality of an overhyped stock'. 'We couldn't find many of the claimed customers, the technology seemed poor, the cash flows were negative, and the debt kept piling up,' he said. Describing the unfolding drama as 'stranger than fiction', he says that in 2014 he knew something was wrong but 'couldn't have known back then exactly how it would unfold'. But he says the accounts kept 'getting worse' and slowly but surely, his suspicions were confirmed. On Friday, Wirecard's shares closed at 3.23, giving it a market capitalisation of 456.3million. Hiley's firm has had success in discovering irregular activity at other firms, such as FTSE 100-listed Gulf-based hospital operator NMC Health and Aim-listed internet-of-things provider Telit Communications. In 2017, The Analyst discovered that Telit's former chief executive, Oozi Cats, was in fact Uzi Katz, a fugitive defendant wanted in connection with an alleged 1990s property scam. The discovery led to the resignation of Mr Cats from Telit Communications and a collapse of Telit's share price. 'This [Wirecard] won't be the last corporate scandal in Europe,' Hiley concludes. Britain's biggest banks could face losses of up to 10billion as customers are weaned off loan payment holidays, research has found. Lenders have granted payment holidays on loans worth more than 250billion, according to an analysis by Barclays. Many of the three-month holidays will come to an end this month just as lob losses mount up. Fears are rising of a wave of defaults as customers lose their incomes at the very moment they are asked to start making repayments on mortgages Fears are rising of a wave of defaults as customers lose their incomes at the very moment they are asked to start making repayments on mortgages, personal loans and credit cards again. The research found banks had agreed to halt payments on 17 per cent of mortgages, 8 per cent of personal loans and 2 per cent of credit cards. Lenders have also granted a break on interest charges for 27million overdrafts. The study estimated that if a quarter of the customers on mortgage payment holidays default, this will lead to losses of 7.5billion. UK banks face losses of 217million on credit cards and 2.2billion on personal loans when payment breaks end. The total across the three main types of debt would be 9.9billion. As the country's largest lender, Lloyds is the most exposed to the economic fallout. It faces estimated losses of 1.7billion, 137million, 242million and 165million on mortgages, credit cards, personal loans and motor finance respectively if a quarter of customers default. However, the Barclays analysts said Lloyds had the 'best prospects' of all the lenders due to the quality of its loan book. Nationwide, RBS and HSBC stand to lose 1.1billion, 989billion and 742million, respectively. Virgin Money faces losses of 368million. Nationwide is particularly exposed to the housing market as the UK's second largest mortgage lender. The analysts said the number of defaults will ultimately depend on how many people lose their jobs. Banks have already set aside billions to prepare for loan write-offs. Lloyds has the 'best prospects' of all the lenders due to the quality of its loan book, report says Donald Kerr, head of the Co-op's business bank, said: 'I'm not as pessimistic as I was a few months ago, but it will be really tough for the banks over the next 12 months.' James Reed, boss of recruitment site Reed.com, said new job advertisements were down 50 per cent year-on-year. He added: 'It's not as bad as it was. You can see more jobs in construction and there are a lot more accountancy jobs, marketing jobs and sales jobs.' Reed said there are now 11 people chasing each job on his site, compared with seven before the crisis. A Nationwide spokesman said: 'As a well-capitalised organisation, and as a mutual, it is important we provide support to members still in financial difficulty.' Britain's biggest water company has handed its former boss a 2million pay-off after he was fired for a series of failings. Thames Water has been accused of rewarding failure over the golden handshake for Steve Robertson. Robertson presided over numerous major leaks, hefty fines and sewage flooding controversies during three years in charge. Former Thames Water chief executive Steve Robertson was fired after a series of failings Ofwat, the industry watchdog, repeatedly attacked the company for failing to tackle costly leaks and reduce customers' bills. Yet Robertson, who left with immediate effect in May last year, still received a huge severance package, The Mail on Sunday can reveal. Thames Water, which has 15million customers across London and the Thames Valley area, gave Robertson a 2million pay-off on top of the 777,500 he received to cover his 12-month notice period. Critics last night hit out at the golden handshake and said it would hamper efforts to protect the water industry from the threat of nationalisation. Ed Davey, the acting leader of the Liberal Democrats, said: 'This payout is yet another example of rewarding failure. Without proper regulation these companies will continue to pat themselves on the back.' Luke Hildyard, director of the High Pay Centre think-tank, said: 'When people see executives extracting such obscene rewards for doing a poor job of overseeing what is essentially a public good, it is understandable that they conclude that privatisation of utilities has been for the benefit of the business leaders that lobby for it rather than the consumers who pay for it.' Jeremy Corbyn's Labour vowed to bring water companies and other energy firms back into public ownership before losing December's General Election. Jeremy Corbyn's Labour vowed to bring water companies and other energy firms back into public ownership before losing December's General Election The water industry, which was privatised by Margaret Thatcher in 1989, has come under pressure over fat-cat pay and dividend bonanzas for shareholders often overseas investors as bills remain high. Thames Water is owned by a string of overseas owners including sovereign wealth funds from Kuwait, China and Abu Dhabi, as well as others such as the BT pension scheme. And after criticism of its complex offshore structure, Thames Water closed its Cayman Islands subsidiaries. Thames Water is notorious, even by the industry's standards. In 2018, in an effort to repair its reputation, the company promised not to pay any dividends to its shareholders for at least four years and invest in its ageing infrastructure to prevent leaks. The same year, Ofwat ordered Thames Water to repay 120million to customers for its failure to tackle leaks. Then in 2019, it was revealed that in Robertson's final year in charge, Thames Water still lost an average of 690million litres (151million gallons) a day through leaks meaning that a quarter of its water supplies never reached customers' homes and businesses. In 2017, Thames Water was also fined a record 20m for huge sewage leaks into the Thames The company, which made 2.2billion in revenue and 434million in pre-tax profits last year, hit its leak target for the first time in four years in the year ended March 2020. In 2017, Thames Water was also fined a record 20million for huge sewage leaks into the Thames one of several regulatory penalties the firm was slapped with under Robertson's watch. After his firing, Ian Marchant, former boss of energy giant SSE, took over as interim executive chairman as the water company searched for a successor. In April this year, 11 months after Robertson's abrupt departure, Thames Water unveiled Severn Trent executive Sarah Bentley as its new chief, starting in September. And eyebrows were raised after it emerged she could make as much as 12.6million in three years, including a 3.1million 'golden hello' to compensate for the loss of bonuses at Severn Trent. Yesterday, Davey said: 'As bills climb yearly, so do executive pay packets, seemingly without being linked to performance. 'Liberal Democrats call for this Government to end this 'something for nothing' culture by giving regulators the powers to take these companies to task.' Commenting on the 2million pay-off, a Thames Water spokesman said: 'Our customers will not pay for this. While with us, Steve Robertson received no bonus for two years as we prioritised investment in improving service for customers. 'His payment for loss of office, which was calculated with his incentives and performance in mind, was funded through earnings generated outside the regulated business. The money would otherwise have been due to our shareholders.' The Chancellors coronavirus rescue plan for the British economy has been bold and big, but one important part of the workforce feels somewhat hard done by. A chunk of the self-employed have been excluded from Rishi Sunaks support in a way that employees have not. More than 9million employees are having 80 per cent of their wages up to 2,500 a month paid by the taxpayer under the furlough scheme, with no limits barring high earners from help. In contrast, anyone who is self-employed and has made more than 50,000 in recent years gets no help whatsoever. Those hit by the 50,000 cap are not the limited company directors who can pay themselves in dividends, they are sole traders paying national insurance and income tax in full on their earnings. At a time when the government is throwing hundreds of billions of pounds at the coronavirus crash to support people and boost the chances of recovery, is it fair to exclude this group of the self-employed? On this weeks podcast, Simon Lambert, Georgie Frost and Tanya Jefferies look at how this has happened and whether there is any hope left for those affected that things might change. Tanya also updates listeners on her ground-breaking investigations into widows underpaid state pension, which have seen her win tens of thousands of pounds back for those who got less than they should have. Simon reveals the best and worst performing funds of the year so far and tries to tackle the question of whether the US stock market can just keep on trucking. And finally, recent podcasts have featured how Britain has gone mad for hot tubs in lockdown but there is a new hot property in town the awfully-named shoffice. 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) "We urge the Canadian side to view the National Security Law in a fair, objective manner, immediately stop interfering in Hong Kong affairs and China's domestic affairs in any way," a spokesperson of the Chinese embassy in Canada said. Canada made unwarranted comments on the Law of the People's Republic of China on Safeguarding National Security in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), grossly interfering in China's internal affairs, a spokesperson of the Chinese embassy in Canada said Saturday. China's National People's Congress formulated National Security Law for Hong Kong and listed it in Annex III to the HKSAR Basic Law to be gazetted and enacted in Hong Kong by the SAR government, the spokesperson said in a statement. "It is a landmark in the practice of 'one country, two systems' and a strong institutional guarantee for upholding national sovereignty, security and development interests, safeguarding lasting security, prosperity and stability in Hong Kong, and ensuring the steady implementation of 'one country, two systems.' The implementation of the said law will strengthen Hong Kong's legal framework, ensure social order, improve the business environment, and benefit Hong Kong citizens and international investors," the spokesperson said. Residents sign a petition in support of the national security legislation at a street stand in Hong Kong, south China, May 29, 2020. (Xinhua/Wang Shen) The spokesperson said that the Chinese central government has extensively solicited opinions from all walks of life in Hong Kong to ensure the legislation is scientific, democratic and legal. "The National Security Law attaches great importance to respecting and protecting human rights which is an important principle of the rule of law, and protects the rights and freedoms enjoyed by Hong Kong residents according to law. The above legislation has received wide support from all walks of life in Hong Kong, and most countries in the international community also fully understand and respect China's legitimate efforts to safeguard national security," the spokesperson said. Aerial photo taken on June 25, 2020 shows citizens displaying China's national flag in Tamar Park in Hong Kong, south China. (Xinhua) The spokesperson pointed out that some Western countries including Canada have been meddling in Hong Kong affairs under the pretext of human rights, seriously violating international law and basic norms of international relations, and fully exposing their double standards on the issues of national security and real intention to flagrantly interfere in other countries' internal affairs. "They are unable to represent the international community at all and their attempts are doomed to fail." "Hong Kong affairs are entirely China's internal affairs and allow no foreign interference. The Chinese government is firm in its determination to safeguard China's sovereignty, security and development interests, to implement the principle of 'one country, two systems' and to oppose any external interference in Hong Kong affairs," the spokesperson said. "We urge the Canadian side to view the National Security Law in a fair, objective manner, immediately stop interfering in Hong Kong affairs and China's domestic affairs in any way." The past few months have been some of the most difficult in living memory for Britain's small and medium-sized enterprises. They have seen their incomes disappear overnight and battled to get Government-backed grants and loans. They have had to furlough staff, move sales online and even launch entirely new ventures. Now that restrictions are starting to be lifted, we have revisited some of the businesses previously spoken to during lockdown to find out just how they have fared. Happy campers: The holiday bookings website pitchup.com saw sales rocket last month. 'It's been feast and famine a real rollercoaster ride,' says Dan Yates, founder of pitchup.com, a booking website for camping and caravanning holidays. Lockdown wiped out 98 per cent of his company's income and prime camping months passed by with hundreds of sites empty. Then at 12.30pm on Tuesday June 23, Boris Johnson rose in the House of Commons to announce the lifting of lockdown and, says Dan, 'things just went through the roof'. Online traffic jumped 300 per cent during Johnson's speech and kept on rising. Dan had to splash out on new servers and get his technical team to bolster the website. 'Websites were crashing across the industry,' he says. 'We were taking a booking every three seconds by the evening and have now taken 100,000 bookings in total. It's exciting and terrifying.' While demand for a staycation under canvas is at record levels, there are only a few months of the holiday season left. 'Everyone's trying to make money for the whole year in just a few months,' says Dan, who has been running down his cash reserves but hopes a 'substantial' loan from the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CBILS) will come through soon. He adds: 'The industry still needs a lot of help, such as VAT deferral, a flexible furloughing scheme and business rates support as things will not fully open up again until next March.' Meanwhile, in Staffordshire, this is the first weekend that the Titanic Brewery has been able to open its pubs since March and its owner Keith Bott has been delivering supplies himself. Back in April, Keith told The Mail on Sunday how he hoped not to touch the 1million CBILS loan Titanic had secured from Barclays. He wanted to trade through the crisis, helped by direct-to-customer sales and innovations such as the 'pub in a box' (beer, glasses, beer mats and a pub quiz). Titanic Brewery's David and Keith Bott think they will only be back to 70 per cent turnover 'We've been able to do this so far, but it depends how things turn out,' he says. 'We're tentatively reopening nine of our 13 pubs, which is exciting, if nerve-racking. And while our customers will be really pleased to see us, the question is whether we'll be able to trade in a way that is profitable.' With restrictions in place, Keith thinks he will only be back to 70 per cent turnover and will have to keep a watchful eye on costs, supplies and opening hours. 'A lot of pubs will find it's not sustainable once the Government support is withdrawn,' he says. 'It's going to be a long and tricky route to get back to pre-March levels, if we ever can. And a second coronavirus wave would be a disaster. But there's a lot of goodwill around.' We are just really glad to be back at work Leigh Bryant of LNB Towbars Leigh Bryant was at his wits' end when we spoke to him in April. As the owner and manager of Bristol-based LNB Towbars, a motorhome accessory fitter, that month should have been a peak time of year as customers got ready for their summer holidays. But with his doors shut, things were looking desperate, and he said: 'We're literally out of money. There's a good chance that my business will not survive.' A few months on, and things are looking better. Leigh has been open for a month and says: 'It's good to be back. Our customers can't wait to get out in their caravans, so that's kept us busy. The whole thing has been stressful and we're just really glad to be back at work.' Having been turned down three times by his bank, NatWest, for a CBILS loan, Leigh was able to get a 50,000 bounce-back loan with Metro Bank, his mortgage lender. 'To close down when we did cost us 100,000. So while the 50,000 wasn't enough to cover that, it was enough for us to work through and survive,' he says. But Leigh is not out of the woods yet. 'Having lost Easter and the May bank holidays, we're now just hoping for a busy summer which lasts as long as possible,' he says. 'Going into lockdown again would be an absolute disaster. If we had to close down again I think that would finish us off.' Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced the lifting of lockdown on June 23 When we first spoke to Robert Simpson of the Solihull-based serviced office firm Candlelight Properties, he had been turned down for a CBILS loan by his bank, RBS, and was relying on personal finances to bridge the gap between his costs and his tenants' cashflow problems. He was finally able to secure a 400,000 loan with Metro Bank and says it has made all the difference. 'We've been able to defer rents for tenants who needed it and were able to spend money on extra bandwidth, extra security and extra cleaning for our offices,' he says. 'The issue might come in November when tenants say they can't afford to start paying rent again, so we've just kicked that can down the road,' he adds. 'But if we do lose tenants because companies go under we have been getting a lot of enquiries from firms looking to move from central Birmingham to smaller, out-of-town offices their staff can drive to. So we could gain others.' While some businesses are trying to get back to normal, others are preparing for a very different future. Rowena Howie, owner of central London boutique Revival Retro, closed her doors in March. While she has been able to reopen since mid-June, the lack of footfall means it is not financially worth it. People are reticent about public transport Rowena Howie of Revival Retro 'Revival Retro will definitely survive, but whether it will do so in its current location and format is in question,' she says. 'People are still reticent about getting on public transport, so central London businesses are suffering. There are fewer office workers too.' Raising 27,000 from loyal customers on Crowdfunder 'definitely saved us', as she wasn't eligible for any Government grants, and turnover is running at about 30 per cent thanks to online sales. 'It's difficult to say where we'll be in a year's time,' says Rowena. David Marr set up his food delivery company Clapham Fresh overnight as shelves emptied in shops even before lockdown. He was soon taking up to 8,000 in daily sales and David had a fleet of four vans delivering all around London. However, as shops began to reopen and other delivery firms started up, Clapham Fresh was only breaking even. David says: 'Every man and his dog was doing it. I now mainly sell bulk dried goods on Amazon. But people still want good quality food delivered so I'm well-positioned to build something for the future.' An eight-year-old boy has died after getting caught in the crossfire by a gunman who opened fire on shoppers in an Alabama mall leaving another three in hospital. Royta Giles Jr. was shot in the head when at least one gunman started shooting inside the Riverchase Galleria, Hoover, where the little boy was out shopping with his family Friday afternoon. Hoover Police Chief Nick Derzis confirmed the little boy's death Friday evening and said a girl and two adults had also been hospitalized following the attack. 'This is certainly a tragic situation when you have an innocent child who gets caught in the middle of an altercation between others,' Derzis said. Police would not confirm if any suspects have been identified but said they are working on some promising leads. No motive has been given for the shooting but Jefferson County District Attorney Danny Carr blamed the incident on 'young people and guns', suggesting the victims were caught in the crossfire of a dispute. Royta Giles Jr. (pictured) was shot in the head when at least one gunman started shooting inside the Riverchase Galleria, Hoover, where the little boy was out shopping with his family Friday afternoon. He was pronounced dead soon after Hoover Police Chief Nick Derzis confirmed the little boy's death Friday evening and said a girl and two adults had also been hospitalized following the attack at the mall (pictured) Royta was taken to Children's Hospital by a Hoover Fire Department rescue unit but was pronounced dead soon after his arrival. The other three victims - a young girl, an adult male and an adult female - all remain in hospital in unknown conditions. Royta's devastated mother confirmed to AL.com hours before his death was announced that her son had been shot in the head. 'When we all got up, he was the only one who didn't get up,' Royta's mother said. She said she was shopping with her son, two other children and the boy's stepfather when gunfire broke out in the mall. She said they had been lining up to go into children's clothing store Children's Place because of COVID-19 safety precautions limiting the number of people inside at a time. 'We heard the gunshots and I grabbed them and we hit the ground,' she said. The heartbroken mom said they got up when it was safe and that's when she realized Royta had been shot: 'He was the only one who didn't get up.' Authorities continue their investigation of the shooting at Riverchase Galleria shopping mall 'That's my baby, my firstborn,' she said of the little boy, who was about to enter third grade at Jonesboro Elementary in Bessemer and had dreams of being a rapper. 'To the people who did this, if I could say anything to them, it's I don't care about justice or anything like that,' she said. 'I wouldn't say I'm religious, I would say I'm more spiritual, and the person who did this is going to have to answer for that whether it's to whoever they pray to or if it's the streets. 'This one hits home. They took a good one.' The Bessemer City School system paid tribute to their pupil as 'a smart child, who was a jewel, with big dreams of someday entering the music industry.' '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,' said Bessemer City Schools superintendent, Dr. Autumm Jeter. 'He was bright, articulate, and very convincing. We even tried to convince him to become a lawyer,' former assistant principal Van James said in the school system statement. Multiple shots were reported near the food court inside the Riverchase Galleria in Hoover Friday afternoon Jefferson County District Attorney Danny Carr blamed the incident on 'young people and guns', suggesting the victims were caught in the crossfire of an altercation A HISTORY OF VIOLENCE AT THE RIVERCHASE GALLERIA MALL, ALABAMA November 22 2018 - Emantic 'EJ' Bradford Jr., a 21-year-old black man, is shot dead by a cop at the mall. Bradford Jr. was shot three times from behind on Thanksgiving after the cop allegedly mistook him for a gunman in an earlier shooting at the mall. The victim had been holding a legally owned weapon at the time and had no connection to the earlier shooting incident. His killing sparked protests at the mall and the cop was condemned for racially profiling the black man. June 26 2019 - Zach Taylor Music, a 20-year-old UAB student, is shot and killed inside a vehicle on the top floor of the Riverchase Galleria parking deck. Michael Akamune, 20, was arrested and charged with murder over the shooting. July 7 2020 - Eight-year-old Royta Giles Jr. is shot in the head after getting caught in the crossfire by a gunman who opened fire on shoppers. Royta was taken to Children's Hospital by a Hoover Fire Department rescue unit but was pronounced dead soon after his arrival. He was out shopping with his family at the time. A girl and two adults - one male, one female - also suffered injuries and are in hospital. Their conditions are unknown. No information about suspects has been released. Advertisement Hoover Mayor Frank Brocato called Royta's death a 'senseless tragedy' and said he was 'heartbroken' over the shooting, in a press briefing Friday night. He said he visited the boy's devastated parents Friday evening. 'This was just a very senseless tragedy and of course they are devastated by this,' Brocato said. 'I want to ask all of the citizens of Hoover and the metropolitan area to pray for this family, keep them in your prayers.' Police chief Derzis said the investigation was ongoing in the briefing. 'Detectives continue their efforts to collect evidence and try to identify possible suspects. We're currently following up on some very good leads and I can tell you we're already making progress,' he said. 'We will use every available resource to our disposal to make sure that we solve this senseless crime.' Jefferson County District Attorney Danny Carr blamed the incident on 'young people and guns', suggesting the victims were caught in the crossfire of an altercation. 'This is another unfortunate incident involving young people and guns and at some point we've got to get a handle on it,' Carr said. 'They don't understand the ramifications of their actions.' Multiple shots were reported near the food court inside the state's largest mall at around 3:18 p.m. local time Friday. Soon after, police said at least four people had been injured in the shooting and rushed to local hospitals for treatment. Police said they did not yet know what led to the shooting or how many gunmen were involved. The mall was evacuated and police secured the scene. Authorities have still not confirmed whether any arrests have been made but AL.com reported earlier that a suspect was taken into custody. A trail of blood was seen going up to the parking deck of the mall and stopped at the curb, leading authorities to believe someone got into a car, AL.com reported. Annalisa Pope, who works at Hollister in the mall, told WBMA-TV in a telephone interview that she heard six to seven shots fired. 'It wasn't just one or two,' she said. 'That's what got me off guard. They [the shots] just kept going.' She said the gunshots 'sounded like they were coming from every direction.' She added: 'It felt so close. It was so surreal. It doesn't even feel real right now. 'You wouldn't expect something like that to happen out of nowhere on a normal, Friday afternoon.' Another witness told AL.com he was shopping with his mother at the Torrid clothing store in the mall when they heard shots fired. 'We were in the middle of talking to one of the staff members about one of the dresses and then there was a loud bang followed by at least five other small bangs,' said Danno Allgrove, 28. 'Immediately after the gunshots, the Torrid staff worked very quickly and efficiently to get everyone to the back of the store, to the emergency area, and they kind of kept everyone calm until they heard other people were being let out.' Allgrove said they all escaped through the emergency exit once given the all-clear from authorities where they saw at least one victim - a child - lying in a pool of blood in front of The Children's Place children's store. 'There was an officer applying first aid and compress to stem the bleeding,' he said. Hoover police asked anyone was in the mall who witnessed the shooting to call authorities. Riverchase Galleria released a statement on its Facebook page saying it was 'heartbroken' by the incident and that the mall will remain closed Saturday. 'We are heartbroken by the tragic, senseless incident that took place in our shopping center this afternoon,' they said. DailyMail.com has reached out to Hoover Police for comment. The mall in suburban Birmingham has been the site of at least two fatal shootings in recent years. The mall in suburban Birmingham has been the site of at least two fatal shootings in recent years. In June 2019, Zach Taylor Music, 20, (right) was shot and killed inside a vehicle on the top floor of the Riverchase Galleria parking deck. Emantic 'EJ' Bradford Jr., 21, was shot dead by a cop at the mall in 2018 In June 2019, Zach Taylor Music, a 20-year-old UAB student, was shot and killed inside a vehicle on the top floor of the Riverchase Galleria parking deck. Michael Akamune, 20, was arrested and charged with murder over the shooting. This came after the shopping center was the site of a 2018 police shooting when a cop shot dead black man 21-year-old Emantic 'EJ' Bradford Jr. Bradford Jr. was shot three times from behind on Thanksgiving after the cop allegedly mistook him for a gunman in an earlier shooting at the mall. The victim had been holding a legally owned weapon at the time and had no connection to the earlier shooting incident. His killing sparked protests at the mall and the cop was condemned for racially profiling the black man. The Alabama attorney general's office cleared the officer - who has never been named - saying he acted 'reasonably under the circumstances' in the encounter that spanned approximately five seconds. 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. 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 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.' Maxwell with Prince Andrew at Ascot in the UK in 2000 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. A senior police executive who had a raunchy affair with an administrative assistant has been allowed to keep his job after two investigations into his conduct. John Purcell (pictured) will keep his job at WA Police after a second investigation into his behaviour after it emerged he had affair with an administrative assistant John Purcell, 64, was the assistant director of the Office of Information Management at WA Police when he had an affair with Sarah Colja, 31, from 2011 to 2016. Ms Colja was a 21-year-old university student at the time while Mr Purcell was in his 50s and in a relationship with another WA Police employee. Mr Purcell was demoted after an email audit found more than 23,700 personal emails between the pair - as well as a dozen explicit photos of Ms Colja 'nude, semi-nude or wearing only underwear'. A second investigation was launched after Ms Colja alleged they would have sex at work, which led to the birth of their daughter, who is now four years old. But on Friday, it was revealed Mr Purcell will remain employed by WA Police after the follow-up investigation concluded. Sarah Colja (pictured) was a 21-year-old university student at the time of the affair while Mr Purcell was in his 50s and in a relationship with another WA Police employee A WA Police spokeswoman said 'the fresh investigation into Mr Purcell' has 'now been completed' but 'no further action will be taken' against him. Mr Purcell is 'currently on personal leave' but 'still employed by the WA Police Force', according to the spokeswoman. The father-of-four, who is now married, previously tried to appeal his demotion but was rejected by the WA Industrial Relations Commission. Mr Purcell was demoted from a senior position at the Office of Information Management to a more junior role in the Vehicle Impounding Unit. Coincidentally, Ms Colja was also moved to the the Vehicle Impound Unit after news of their affair broke, although she no longer works there. But it appears Mr Purcell, who is not a sworn officer, is no longer working in the Vehicle Impounding Unit after the second investigation. A colleague from the unit said 'he doesn't work here anymore', according to The West Australian. WA Police refused to disclose which department Mr Purcell has been moved to. Ms Colja is pictured with her daughter, who she shares with Mr Purcell. She said her daughter was conceived after she had sex with Mr Purcell in a Maylands park A WA Police spokeswoman said 'the fresh investigation into Mr Purcell' has 'now been completed' but 'no further action will be taken' against him. He is currently on personal leave Police Minister Michelle Roberts said Mr Purcell's demotion 'should send a strong message to the workforce that this sort of conduct will be dealt with more harshly'. 'I like many, was disgusted at his behaviour and agreed with the Industrial Relations Commission's findings that Mr Purcell was shown considerable leniency in being allowed to keep his job,' Ms Roberts told The West Australian. Daily Mail Australia understands Ms Colja has signed a magazine deal in the UK and is unable to speak about the situation to media. Now a single mum, she previously released other details of the 'f***ed up and toxic' five-year affair, saying she wanted to show other women they were 'more than just another name'. 'Looking back and having grown up, I do realise his position of power did have a big play in how he could manipulate the situation. I was treated like crap for being in love, all while trying to create a career for myself,' she told Daily Mail Australia. 'Enough people knew about it, especially the higher-ups in his circle, that I was known as the ''hussy'' at work. And him being in the position of power he was, he had the power to move me to different floors or offices.' Ms Colja was moved from the Office of Information Management to the Vehicle Impound Unit, which is coincidentally where Mr Purcell was demoted to, although neither of them work there any longer Soon after Ms Colja began working for the force she was granted access to Mr Purcell's office so the pair could have sex during their work day. His partner - who is now his wife - worked next door during their midday romps. 'We were acting like young teenagers making out in cars and all that,' Ms Colja said. They used their work emails to arrange secret meet-ups. Ms Colja would also send explicit photos of herself to Mr Purcell's work email to avoid his partner from finding out about their relationship. She said she fell in love with Mr Purcell and at the time believed he was also in love with her. 'I thought that somebody in his position must be a good person. I believed him in a lot of ways because he was older. 'Looking back, I don't know if he was in love with me or if he was going through a mid-life crisis.' Ms Colja, 31, (pictured) described the relationship with Mr Purcell, who was her boss and more than 30 years her senior, as 'f***ed up and toxic' The affair continued from 2013 to 2016, even after Ms Colja left the force. She went on to list the Perth parks where they had sex, even using a Maylands park on the day their young daughter was conceived. But after years of sneaking around, the relationship turned sour. Ms Colja, now 31, said it was when she told him she was pregnant that the relationship fell apart. Mr Purcell has no relationship with the couple's four-year-old daughter, Ms Colja said. Ms Colja, who has a Bachelor's Degree in Communications, has struggled to secure work in the aftermath of the affair. She now suffers from panic attacks while in office environments. A Beverly Hills surgeon, his girlfriend and four others have been dubbed 'real life Frankensteins' after being charged in a $52 million insurance fraud scheme where they paid patients to undergo unnecessary surgeries and drug tests. Dr. Randy Rosen, 57, and his girlfriend Liza Vismanos, 41, have both been arrested and charged with paying vulnerable patients from Southern California sober living homes to take part in medically unnecessary implant surgeries and to take cortisone shots as part of an elaborate fraud scam. The other four suspects - Robert Mellon, 52, Thomas Douglas, 29, Shea Simmons, 28, and Patrick Connolly, 28 - allegedly worked as Rosen's so-called 'body brokers' and were tasked with trafficking and 'selling' him the 'human guinea pigs'. Through the scheme, the couple billed multiple insurance companies a total of $600 million, managing to bag $52 million from them, authorities said. Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer branded the couple and their alleged co-conspirators 'real-life Frankensteins' when he read out the shocking charges against them Friday. Dr. Randy Rosen, 57, (left) and his girlfriend Liza Vismanos, 41, (right) have both been arrested and charged with paying vulnerable patients from Southern California sober living homes to take part in medically unnecessary implant surgeries and to take cortisone shots as part of an elaborate fraud scam Spitzer blasted the group saying they 'exploit[ed] and traffic[ed] human beings as part of a sick and twisted plot to line their own pockets', using 'vulnerable' people who were trying to overcome their addictions as 'guinea pigs'. 'Vulnerable sober living patients who were trying desperately to battle their addictions were treated like human guinea pigs just to make a buck,' Spitzer said in a statement. 'I refuse to allow these body brokers to exploit and traffic human beings as part of a sick and twisted plot to line their own pockets. 'This prosecution is a testament to the dedicated work of our prosecutors and our Bureau of Investigation to hold these real-life Frankensteins accountable.' According to authorities, vulnerable patients were lured into undergoing treatments in exchange for payment. Rosen also allegedly paid them to undergo unnecessary drug tests which were sent to Lotus Labs medical laboratory in Los Alamitos, owned by Vismanos. The lab then billed at least 22 different insurance providers more than $3 million for the tests, according to authorities. The body brokers: Robert Mellon, 52, (left) Thomas Douglas, 29, (center) Shea Simmons, 28, and Patrick Connolly, 28 (right) allegedly worked as Rosen's so-called 'body brokers' and were tasked with trafficking and 'selling' him the 'human guinea pigs' In total, insurance companies were billed a staggering $600 million by the couple for various unnecessary medical procedures, unaware that the patients had been trafficked and paid to have them. Rosen and Vismanos allegedly managed to con companies out of around $52 million in total. Under California law, medical physicians cannot make referrals where they or their immediate family can benefit financially. Investigators also allege at least 35 of Rosen's patients involved in the scheme have died - many by overdose. Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer branded the couple and their alleged co-conspirators 'real-life Frankensteins' Rosen and Vismanos were arrested Tuesday and held on $52 million bail - to match the sum they duped out of insurance companies. Rosen was charged with 88 counts in two separate cases involving the recruitment of 'body brokers' to find and pay patients for the unnecessary treatments. Vismanos was charged with 56 felony counts in two separate cases. The couple were arraigned Thursday where they pleaded not guilty to their respective charges. The body brokers have been charged with money laundering and fraud white-collar crime enhancements. The latest charges come after Rosen was involved in a civil federal lawsuit over a separate health care fraud scheme at a Long Beach hospital back in 2017. The case was settled. As well as surgeries, Rosen also allegedly paid the patients to undergo unnecessary drug tests which were sent to Lotus Labs medical laboratory in Los Alamitos (pictured), owned by Vismanos Rosen faces almost 85 years behind bars if convicted of all charges, while Vismanos faces 36 years. The $52 million bail was reduced - Rosen's to $15 million and $1 million for the two cases, and Vismanos' to $3 million and $100,000. Officials said if they post bail they will be required to show the money has come from a legitimate source. They will also be monitored by a GPS device and were ordered to surrender their passports. Ghislaine Maxwells attempt to win bail could be held up by coronavirus-related delays in the US prison system. The alleged madam of Jeffrey Epstein might be stuck in jail in New Hampshire for weeks before she is moved to New York to be formally arraigned on child sex trafficking charges. Her bail application could also be compromised by a ten-page detention memo saying she was an extreme flight risk and there was compelling proof of guilt. Prosecutors said the 58-year-old hid from the FBI by changing email addresses and phone numbers which she registered to G Max. Maxwell is believed to be at Merrimack County Jail, which has released 13 inmates early after a guard tested positive for coronavirus. But the Bureau of Prisons is backlogged with sentenced inmates awaiting transfer due to the virus so a transfer to New York may take some time. Ghislaine Maxwell (right), the alleged madam of Jeffery Epstein (left), might be stuck in jail in New Hampshire for weeks before she is moved to New York to be formally arraigned because of delays in the US prison system caused by the coronavirus During a brief appearance at a federal court in New Hampshire on Thursday, Maxwell waived her right to challenge her transfer to New York. It was thought her legal team would try to get her before a judge in New York yesterday, ahead of the Independence Day weekend. But no hearing was listed and it appears Maxwell will spend a long weekend behind bars because Monday is a federal holiday and courts will be closed. She faces up to 35 years in prison if convicted and has an extraordinary incentive to flee and the means to do so, the prosecutors allege. Their detention memo said that between 2016 and today the FBI found 15 bank accounts in Maxwells name with balances ranging from a few hundred thousand dollars to more than $20million (16million). Maxwell allegedly holds additional bank accounts in foreign countries with balances of more than $1million. She moved large amounts of money last year including $300,000 from one account to another in July, the same month Epstein was indicted on sex trafficking charges. Maxwell has passports for three countries Britain, the US and France and has taken at least 15 international flights over the past three years including to Japan and Qatar. After Epstein was arrested Maxwell stopped appearing in public entirely, the memo states. It claims: Instead (she was) hiding out in locations in New England. Ghislaine Maxwell is spending her first few nights in custody in the Merrimack County Jail in New Hampshire, pictured above 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. The detention memo also states that Maxwell sold a townhouse in New York for 12million in 2016 through a company that she owned. Yesterday victims of Epstein, who killed himself in prison, renewed their attacks on Maxwell, who has always denied any wrongdoing. She is accused of enticing underage girls so that she and the paedophile financier could abuse them. Jennifer Araoz, who claims Epstein raped her when she was 14, told ABC News: Epstein and his network of enablers stole from me. They robbed me of my youth, my identity, my innocence and my self worth. Her lawyer Daniel Kaiser said: Ghislaine Maxwell is a monster and shes now in custody. And thats a very good thing. Maxwell was the ringmaster, she was the architect of Jeffrey Epsteins sex ring. She hid it. She maintained it. Holidaymakers travelling to Europes top tourist destinations will have less spending money than before lockdown. Britons will now get 42 less on every 500 they exchange into euros this summer, compared with February. The price of holiday staples like beer and coffee have also increased for Britons, according to research by the Post Office. Experts have put the fall in the pound against the euro down to Britains struggle against coronavirus, and uncertainty around Brexit negotiations. Britons will now get 42 less on every 500 they exchange into euros this summer, compared with February, making Europes top tourist destinations more expensive for British holidaymakers The value of the pound peaked in February amid snowballing confidence following last years general election win for the Conservatives. But the pandemic saw markets crash, with the pound tumbling more than 11 per cent. In mid-February, before lockdown, 1 was worth 1.18 euros. Yet this fell to 1.04 when social distancing regulations were introduced, before steadying at 1.08. Lee McDarby, of currency firm Moneycorp, said: The fluctuation in the value of the pound against the euro can be attributed to a number of factors, including countries adaptation to lockdown and restrictions, as well as political factors such as Brexit negotiations. The value of the pound has also fallen 6.5 per cent against the Croatian kuna and 7.8 percent against the Bulgarian lev. This equates to almost 35 less spending for British tourists in Croatia and 43 for them in Bulgaria, based on 500 exchanged. In contrast, families could get more for their money in Turkey following a 4.5 per cent rise in the pound against the lira. The cost of holiday spending in popular resorts has also increased since last year. Prices on the Costa Del Sol, Spain, have increased 20 per cent since last summer and 15 per cent in Nice on the French Riviera, according to the Post Office. This would give British tourists an extra 21 for every 500 they exchange. This weekend there will be mixed emotions as the country comes together to mark the NHSs anniversary. Amid a pandemic that has been the greatest challenge in the health services 72-year history sorrow for lives lost. But also gratitude for the skill and dedication of health and care staff, who have responded so amazingly in our hour of need. Of course no health service, not even the NHS, could have coped alone if coronavirus had been allowed to let rip. Simon Stevens (pictured), the Chief Executive of the NHS says the coronavirus pandemic has been the greatest challenge in the health services 72-year history Which is why tomorrow we want to say thank you to everyone who played their part in helping us help you. To the other key workers and volunteers who kept the country running. To the Daily Mail and Mail Force for their brilliant campaign that has supplied millions of items of PPE. And above all to the families and neighbours who acted so responsibly, limiting social interaction and pushing the virus into retreat. However the inescapable fact is that coronavirus looks as if it will be with us across the world for some time. So the price of freedom from lockdown will have to be constant vigilance. As and when a vaccine becomes available, the NHS will undertake what will probably be our largest immunisation campaign ever matching what is likely to be our biggest ever flu vaccination programme this winter. Until then, we are all going to have to exercise judgement and restraint. An early test will be the reopening of pubs this weekend. Our A&E doctors, nurses and paramedics are desperate not to see so-called pubageddon hospitals flooded with the drunk and disorderly. Because looking out over the months to come, the NHS will still be caring for thousands of often very ill patients with Covid-19, while restarting non-urgent services that had to be paused at the peak of the pandemic, and while also needing surge capacity to deal with local flare-ups or even a second wave. So the task ahead is a tough one. But necessity is the mother of invention. Simon Stevens has thanked the Daily Mail and Mail Force for their brilliant campaign that has supplied millions of items of PPE Confronted by a disease that thrives in crowded places we have seen that not all consultations and advice from a nurse or doctor need to be face to face. Patients leading busy lives are now able to turn to WhatsApp-style messaging services to communicate with their GP or practice staff, asking for advice or requesting repeat prescriptions without an appointment unless they need it. Since the start of this year, the NHS has gone from offering 150,000 virtual outpatient appointments to nearly 1.5million a month. All this cannot and should not replace the option of face-to-face appointments, but using tech to link up patients and professionals is here to stay. The Royal College of Emergency Medicine is right to argue for new ways of offering care in place of the overcrowded A&Es of the past. A&E doctors, nurses and paramedics are desperate not to see so-called pubageddon hospitals flooded with the drunk and disorderly. Pictured: BrewDog Tower Hill staff finish preparations for tomorrow's opening with plastic screens in place on tables The 1.5billion of capital investment announced by the Prime Minister this week will help deal with the space constraints created by Covid infection controls, but this remains a big new pressure on care delivery as we prepare for winter. And the NHS 111 phone and online service is also playing its part. There are other NHS innovations afoot, prompted by what has worked well during the pandemic. After creating the Nightingale hospitals as an insurance policy against the coronavirus surge, now that they are thankfully not needed for Covid patients, two will be partly used as diagnostic centres to tackle the backlog that has built up. And the NHS is also looking to create new Nightingale-style stand-alone sites carrying out CT and MRI scans. We are also bringing online specialist Seacole centres and home rehabilitation as part of an expansion in services for those who have survived the virus but still suffer its debilitating effects. After creating the Nightingale hospitals as an insurance policy against the coronavirus surge, now that they are thankfully not needed for Covid patients, two will be partly used as diagnostic centres to tackle the backlog that has built up Its also increasingly clear that underlying health conditions place you at much higher risk. The stark fact is that obesity doubles your chance of critical illness and death from Covid, even after taking account of age, sex, ethnicity and deprivation. This should be a wake-up call for preventive action. From healthy eating advice and the Couch to 5k beginners running app, through to the Diabetes Prevention Programme, there is a huge range of NHS-backed support and advice to make that easier. Cancer remains one of the NHSs top priorities. A new AI tool is being rolled out to help doctors improve diagnosis, getting patients the right tests and treatment faster. Given that treatment can make patients more vulnerable to coronavirus it is important that we find new ways of delivering cancer care as safely as possible, from Covid-secure hubs to chemo at home. As the NHS turns 72, we are reminded that the reason it continues to succeed is precisely because it is constantly changing and improving. So, yes, this weekend is a profound moment to mourn loved ones and to thank those who have served. But its also a time to look forward to the NHS we must build for the future. How do you turn a profit on a 5 party dress, a 6 miniskirt or 3 bikini top if youre a fashion house or online retailer? You have them made in Leicester in the vicinity of St Saviours Road to be precise where there are around 1,000 clothes factories. Some are concealed in terraced homes and garages but other companies proudly display the name of their business in bright letters outside. Among the 35 staff at one particular factory which supplies the online brand Boohoo is Imtiaz, who is employed as a packer. Ragtrade workshops in Leicester are used to produce incredibly cheap clothes for online retailers. Pictured: Workers at the Faiza Fashion factory in Leicester continue to work despite the newly reimposed lockdown Factories near St Saviours Road in Leicester pay staff as little as 4 an hour in order to turn a profit on cheap clothing supplied to online retailers including Boohoo. Pictured: A 5 party dress sold by Boohoo, advertised as perfect for transitioning from day to play Working from 8am to 6pm, Imtiaz, 39, tells me he is paid only 4 an hour despite the minimum wage in Britain for those aged 25 and over being 8.72. Hence the reason, perhaps, why this corner of the Midlands locked down again this week due to a spike in cases has become a manufacturing hub for certain cut-price popular brands. Is there a place outside the sweatshops of the Far East where garments can be produced more cheaply? Doubtful. Imtiaz arrived from Gujarat, India, on a tourist visa more than 20 years ago and he has not left the UK since. He said: Some workers have been feeling unwell but are too scared not to come to work as they might lose their jobs. I had some of the symptoms but didnt want to tell the boss because they dont like it if we dont show up for work. Imtiaz is not alone. A female machinist at another factory, Faiza Fashion, spoke to the Mail this week and gave a chilling picture of life at these establishments. The mother of three in her 50s, who we have decided not to name, said: Three weeks ago, I wasnt feeling well and there were others who also had flu-like symptoms. But what can you do? We are not rich people and need money to survive. She also said they are not provided with face masks or gloves from the factory. Many will be surprised to learn that Faiza Fashion is still open like most of the clothes factories in Leicester despite the local lockdown. The company also supplies Boohoo, Britains fastest-growing online fashion retailer, which incidentally during the lockdown advertises its 5 dress as perfect for transitioning from day to play. A female machinist at another factory, Faiza Fashion, spoke to the Mail this week and gave a chilling picture of life at these establishments Government guidelines might require non-essential shops to shut but factories are not subject to the same measures as long as they observe social distancing rules and follow protocols, including wearing face masks and the provision of sanitisers. Our inquiries suggest a number of such establishments are not observing these rules. But, still, they remain open. Imtiaz, who did not give his surname, epitomises the demographic that according to Andrew Bridgen, MP for North West Leicestershire, has created the perfect storm for the virus. In an interview with LBC this week, the MP said: Weve got a much bigger Indian subcontinent population in Leicester, it tends to be multi-generational households. 'So youve got young people going out, perhaps coming home with no symptoms and grandma and grandad go into hospital. We also have a garment industry in Leicester which should have locked down but has worked for internet retailers throughout. The lockdown boundary map surrounding Leicester which has been enforced after spike in coronavirus cases Can it be a coincidence that the area at the epicentre of the coronavirus outbreak is in the eastern side of the city where most of the garment factories are situated? Such clothing businesses have become known locally as dark factories echoing the dark Satanic mills of William Blakes famous verse describing the exploitative working practices after the Industrial Revolution. The conditions are an open secret, or rather, Leicesters dirty secret and were investigated by Channel 4s Dispatches in 2017. They found factories making clothes for River Island, New Look, Boohoo and Missguided were paying workers as little as 3 an hour in conditions that fell short of health and safety standards. And an inquiry by Parliaments Human Rights Commission three years ago found that between a third and three quarters working in these factories were paid below minimum wage and were working in unsafe environments. Asim Ali, 34, manager of Faiza Fashion which is located in lockdown area said: 'We haven't had any guidance from the Government or local authority on if we should close or remain open. But to be honest, we lost so much money during the first lockdown that we cannot afford to close' Most are from minority ethnic groups, with around 33.6 per cent born outside the UK. Yet not so long ago, Leicester had a regulated textile industry which was a source of pride as well as prosperity enjoying the boast of being the city that clothes the world. By the early 2000s orders ended up going to the other side of the world. The demand for fast fashion low wages and low prices reversed this trend. Speed was the USP, which meant sourcing close to home. Faiza Fashion is just one of the businesses which supplies Boohoo and sister brand PrettyLittleThing, said manager Asim Ali. But it does not deal directly with Boohoo or PLT as the work is sub-contracted to them. The charity Labour Behind the Label has accused Boohoo of failing to do enough to monitor conditions at factories in Leicester. The retailer said it would look into the claims but insisted it had followed and adhered to all aspects of [Government] guidance. Boohoo was founded in 2006 by Mahmud Kamani and Carol Kane and the company is now worth more than 3billion. Some retailers have severed ties with suppliers in the area for fear of being accused to making fat profits on the backs of workers like Imtiaz. A few blocks away from Faiza Fashion is Glory Fashion. The owner Sajid Patel is in the process of renting the premises out and he believes about 80 or 90 per cent of clothing factories are open at the moment and that not all of them were complying with lockdown requirements. We also tried Cute Girl, which specialises in making clothes for young women. The boss Richu Uppal, who lives in a 500,000 detached house on the outskirts of Leicester and drives a 20,000 Mercedes A Class, was not available to be interviewed. 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 a family spokesman said: We are open because everyone else is open. We closed for four weeks after the first lockdown in March but nobody has said factories need to close now. He added: There is no clear guidance. Its not just members of the Asian community that work in these factories. Bulgarians also make up a large proportion of the workforce. Take Donka, 29, who earns 4 an hour as a packer in a number of garment factories. She too asks us not to reveal her surname as she tells a familiar story. She said: This is the busiest Ive ever known it to be. The work is very hard and there is hardly any ventilation inside. Even when people are unwell they still go to work because they need the money. Mick Cheema, who owns an ethical clothing brand in the city called Basic Premier, said: There is a history of unethical factories in the city. It has been widely reported but there has been no action from central or local government and it has become the norm. His views chime with the findings from a report published this week by Labour Behind the Label. It said a worker told his employer that he tested positive for Covid-19 but was told to come in anyway and not to tell his colleagues of the test result. So is it any wonder that the virus is soaring in this once proud city? It is truly impossible to believe how this and other abuses highlighted today could be happening in 21st century Britain. There are growing calls for Australia to tear up a United Nations agreement which makes shipping online goods from China cheaper than buying from local suppliers. The Universal Postal Union is a specialised UN agency which regulates international postage prices so that disadvantaged developing nations can afford to send and receive vital goods. But under the agreement, China, the world's second largest economy, is considered a developing nation and countries such as Australia are forced to pay as much as double. Calls are growing for Australia to tear up a United Nations agreement which makes shipping online goods from China cheaper than buying from local suppliers The issue will be thrust into the spotlight next week when a senate inquiry into Australia Post's delivery standards gets underway in Canberra. In a submission to the inquiry, Australian Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman Kate Carnell AO said it's time to 'renegotiate' the deal which has hit businesses particularly hard during the coronavirus crisis. 'My Office has received a number of complaints from small businesses regarding the price competitiveness of domestic parcel as opposed to international parcel delivery for same or similar products,' she said. 'For example, a product sold and shipped from a seller may attract free or low cost delivery (e.g. $5). 'The domestic cost for the same product, shipped to the same location, from an Australian small business could be double that of the international seller.' China is home to the world's largest e-commerce platform Alibaba and is expected to become the world largest economy in the 2030s. The 'perks and advantages' it receives as a developing nation have long been a point of opprobrium for Australia and its allies. The UN allows countries to 'self designate' whether they are a developing nation based on a per capita income threshold of $US12,055 ($16,900). Under the Universal Postal Union agreement the world's second largest economy China is considered a developing nation and countries like Australia are forced to pay more 'China, which is a great economic power, is considered a Developing Nation within the World Trade Organisation,' US President Donald Trump tweeted after raising tariffs on Chinese steel imports in 2018. 'They therefore get tremendous perks and advantages, especially over the U.S. Does anybody think this is fair. We were badly represented. The WTO is unfair to the US.' Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison also spoke out on the issue when he visited the Chicago Council on Global Affairs in the US last September. 'The world's global institutions must adjust their settings for China, in recognition of this new status as a very major world power,' he said. But China strongly rejects the criticism. In a submission to a senate inquiry, Australian Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman Kate Carnell AO said it's time to 'renegotiate' the unfair deal which has hit businesses particularly hard during the coronations crisis 'China is the largest developing country in the world,' commerce ministry spokesman Gao Feng told reporters. 'We do not shy away from our international responsibilities and are willing to assume obligations in the WTO that are compatible with our own economic development level and capabilities.' After the US threatened to leave the Universal Postal Union citing it was being unfairly treated, the organisation which was established in 1874 agreed to let the other nations decide their own postal rates. Australia will be able to set its rates for a five-year period from 2021. 'We recommend Australia Post renegotiate their UPU agreement terms or implement a fee on all incoming international parcels to establish equity in shipping costs,' Ms Carnell said. 'This will assist Australian small businesses to gain more footing in the online retail market, which has seen a boom during the crisis, and contribute to Australia's overall economic recovery.' A disgruntled passenger was kicked off a Spirit Airlines flight heading to Florida from New York City for refusing to wear a face mask, authorities said. On Friday, a tense standoff between an unidentified man and a Port Authority police officer resulted in an arrest at LaGuardia Airport in Queens. Flight attendants alleged that the man was being disruptive and authorities were called to intervene. Footage shows the man already seated on his flight to Fort Lauderdale while he argues with a police officer over face coverings. Face masks on flights have become commonplace in America as the coronavirus pandemic continues with significant spikes in the southern US. 'The whole plane is a witness. I didn't do anything!' the man says to the Port Authority officer. 'Tell me why I'm not flying.' An unidentified man (left) on a Spirit Airlines flight to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, was kicked off his flight on Friday for not wearing a face mask Although much of the officer's speech is muffled by his face mask, he can be heard telling the man that he's being asked to put a mask on. The man is accused of getting 'in someone's face a little bit,' but he vehemently denies it. 'Did I get in anybodys face? I didnt get in nobodys face,' the man says. 'Ive been sitting here waiting for you to come.' As the two men continue to argue, the man reveals that he's traveling to see his father who had a stroke. The man (left) argued with a Port Authority police officer (right) that he was traveling to see his sick father in Florida and should remain on the flight 'Im asking you, what would you like me to do?' the officer asks. 'Id like to stay on the flight,' the man replies. The officer tells the man 'I cant force them to let you stay on the flight' and continues to ask that the man either mask up or be removed. Meanwhile, several passengers watching the exchange intervene on the man's behalf and demand he stay on the flight. 'Let this man fly. Why cant he go home?' one passenger says. The video ends with the man refusing to leave the flight, but additional footage appears to show the man being arrested by Port Authority officers. Cell phone footage appeared to show the man (center) being arrested by Port Authority officers after being removed from the flight Spirit Airlines released a statement after the incident was shared to social media and began attracting attention. 'Spirit Airlines asked police to intervene after a man boarded flight NK197 from LaGuardia to Fort Lauderdale, took off his face covering and refused to put it back on,' the statement read. 'Ultimately, the man chose to deplane on his own instead of risking legal consequences. 'Spirit will always err on the side of caution when it comes to the health and safety of our Guests. Wearing a face covering is simple, its easy, and its critical to Spirit and the airline industry as a whole.' Spirit Airlines, like other major airlines, updated their safety requirements for air travel passengers in May due to a virus that has nearly shuttered the industry. 'All guests will be required to wear appropriate masks or face coverings over the nose and mouth to better align with the CDC recommendations about cloth face coverings in public settings,' the company said in a press release. Spirit Airlines also implemented high-level fogging treatments to deep clean planes and high-efficiency particulate air filters. The emphasis on clean aircrafts came as several surges in coronavirus cases hit several states the South, including Florida. In June, infections in Florida rose by 168 percent or more than 95,000 new cases. The percent of tests coming back positive has skyrocketed to 15 percent from four percent at the end of May. This means that Florida, home to 21 million people, has reported more new daily coronavirus cases than any European country had at the height of their outbreaks. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo named Florida among 16 states where residents will be asked to self quarantine if they travel to the Big Apple. The quarantine applies to any person arriving from a state with a positive test rate higher than 10 per 100,000 residents over a seven-day rolling average or a state with a 10% or higher positivity rate over a seven-day rolling average. 'As an increasing number of states around the country fight significant community spread, New York is taking action to maintain the precarious safety of its phased, data-driven reopening,' Cuomo said in a statement. In an attempt to keep a count of who is traveling to New York from those states, the state's Department of Health is asking airlines to distribute a questionnaire to passengers once they board their flights. The target to get 50 per cent of young people into university is set to be formally abandoned as part of a drive to expand vocational education. Chancellor Rishi Sunak will use next weeks mini-Budget to announce funding for a huge expansion in apprenticeships. With youngsters facing what is set to be the most difficult jobs market for a generation, Education Secretary Gavin Williamson will also launch a major push to expand further education. Mr Williamson is expected to formally abandon the 50 per cent target next week and focus on improving access to high-quality practical and vocational courses at college. The target to get 50 per cent of young people into university is set to be formally abandoned as part of a drive to expand vocational education Chancellor Rishi Sunak will use next weeks mini-Budget to announce funding for a huge expansion in apprenticeships One government source described the 50 per cent target, originally set by Tony Blair, as middle-class bull***. Boris Johnson said this week he wanted to offer an opportunity guarantee to all young people amid fears that the recession sparked by the lockdown could see unemployment soar past three million. A study by the IPPR think-tank forecast yesterday that unemployment among under-25s would more than double from 420,000 to just over one million by the end of the year. Large firms are already encouraged to offer youth training by the Apprenticeship Levy. But next week Mr Sunak is expected to offer cash payments to small firms for each apprentice they take on. Ministers hope the scheme will lead to a massive expansion in the availability of apprenticeships and allow every young person who wants one to get a place. The 50 per cent university target was first set in 1999 and was finally achieved in 2017. Although now in abeyance, sources said it had continued to drive education policy. Education Secretary Gavin Williamson will also launch a major push to expand further education One government source described the 50 per cent target, originally set by Tony Blair, as middle-class bull*** There has been an unhealthy obsession with the 50 per cent target, a government source said. Of course we want people to be able to go to university but we should not be trying to inflate the numbers artificially. All the time the focus has been on the target, no one has been talking about the 50 per cent of young people who dont go to university. That is going to change. Ministers believe further education colleges could play a key role in retraining thousands of adults who lose jobs as a result of the lockdown. But they also argue that college courses can offer better value for money than degrees for many youngsters. A TV commercial where a busty woman is ogled by school-age boys as she adjusts her cleavage and a Pamela Anderson tyre commercial were the most complained about advertisements for the first half of this year. The Ad Standards watchdog has revealed the most complained about ads in Australia over the past six months all revolved around the seemingly degrading portrayal of women on television. An advertisement by Ultra Tune Australia which featured Pamela Anderson and Warwick Capper in a Baywatch style ad topped the list with received 309 complaints. Fast-food giant KFC was second with 187 complaints about an advertisement that showed a young girl looking into the window of a car to adjust her 'cleavage' when the window winds down - only and reveals a mother and her shell-shocked sons. Fast-food giant KFC came in second with 187 complaints about an advertisement that showed a young woman looking into the window of a car to adjust her 'cleavage' when the window winds down and reveals a mother and her two sons The ad received numerous complaints for their portrayal of sexuality, nudity, exploitative or degrading scenarios and the discrimination or vilification of women Both ads received numerous complaints for their portrayal of sexuality, nudity, exploitative or degrading scenarios and the discrimination or vilification of women. But all the complaints against the two advertisements were dismissed by the regulator. Ultra Tune regularly features on the Ad Standards list for its style of television commercfials. But KFC owner Yum! Restaurants issued something of an apology after the ad sparked an online backlash. 'We apologise if anyone was offended by our latest commercial,' the company said in a statement. 'Our intention was not to stereotype women and young boys in a negative light.' KFC also earned the third and fourth placement on the most complained about ads list - the first time one company has received three different spots. The third advertisement depicted an awkward moment where a boy tells a girl whilst laying in bed that he loves her and she replies with 'thank you.' It received 66 complaints for being sexual, exploitative, degrading and discriminatory towards women. The fourth ad showed a student completing an exam who sees his friends outside with KFC and says 'bucket' whilst leaving the exam to join his friends. This ad received 41 complaints for using bad language and being discriminatory and vilifying towards its main character. An advertisement by Ultra Tune Australia which featured Pamela Anderson and Warwick Capper in a Baywatch style ad topped the list and received 309 complaints Collective Shout, a grassroots campaigns movement against the objectification of women the sexualisation of girls, led campaigns against the Ultra Tune and KFC advertisements. Campaigns Manager for Collective Shout, Melinda Liszewski, said the self-regulated advertising industry harms community interests. 'Ad Standards gives the illusion of regulation. But as its own 'most complained about' list shows, demeaning, sexist ads aren't regulated. They're actually endorsed,' Liszewski said. 'Even when complaints are upheld there are no penalties for non-compliance.' In total, 1,747 complaints were lodged to 30 June, with community concerns raised about 206 advertisements assessed against one or more issues. Of the advertisements listed, 14 were withdrawn from broadcast with advertisers choosing to modify or remove the content that received the complaints. Dozens of NHS workers last night held a poignant candlelit vigil to remember those who had lost their lives to coronavirus. People gathered in London to remember coronavirus victims and to draw 'attention to the ways in which the Government has mishandled the situation'. The vigil was also to mark the upcoming 72nd anniversary of the NHS on Sunday July 4 when the country is expected to clap one final time. Around 50 NHS staff and campaigners carried one lantern to represent every 1,000 people who have died with coronavirus. People gathered in London (pictured) to remember coronavirus victims and to draw 'attention to the ways in which the Government has mishandled the situation' Around 50 NHS staff and campaigners carried one lantern (pictured) to represent every 1,000 people who have died with coronavirus The procession began at St Thomas' Hospital and proceeded across Westminster Bridge before heading to Downing Street, where doctors and health workers read out all the names of their NHS colleagues who have died during a 20-minute candlelit vigil. The People's Assembly teamed up with Health Campaigns Together, Keep Our NHS Public and We Own It to organise the socially distanced vigil in London. Ramona McCartney, national organiser at the People's Assembly, said: 'It was very sombre and emotional. 'We are coming up to the 72nd anniversary for the NHS and there will be celebrations, but we think it's really important to throw attention to the ways in which the Government has mishandled the situation and lots of people have lost their lives unfortunately. Pictured: A demonstrator holds an umbrella as NHS staff, unions and campaigners gather for a vigil 'To see the NHS staff reading out the names, it was very moving. 'It was a real moment of reflection and bearing light to an absolute tragedy that could have been avoided.' Figures from last month show more than 300 NHS and social care workers have died during the pandemic. Advertisement More than 100 protesters faced off with the National Guard and police officers in Keystone, South Dakota on Friday after crowds blocked off a road leading to Mount Rushmore ahead of President Donald Trump's arrival. Activists and members of different Native American tribes gathered on a highway protesting the occupation of South Dakota's Black Hills that they say 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!' Others held signs that read 'Protect SoDak's First People,' 'You Are On Stolen Land' and 'Dismantle White Supremacy' while playing Lakota music in the 95F degree heat. Authorities declared an 'unlawful assembly' before police and National Guard soldiers moved in and a standoff ensued, with officers using pepper spray and smoke bombs to disperse crowds. At least 15 protesters were arrested after ignoring police officers' orders to clear the area, according to The Rapid City Journal. Independence Day standoff: Activists and members of different tribes from the region blocked a road as they protested in Keystone, South Dakota on Friday Crowds gathered with signs and placards reading: 'this is stolen land' and'Protect SoDak's First People' ahead of Trump's arrival Demonstrators, mostly Native Americans, were protesting the occupation of South Dakota's Black Hills that they say were taken from the Lakota people against treaty agreements Hours later President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump were seen disembarking from Air Force One upon arrival at Ellsworth Air Force Base in South Dakota Tow trucks then began removing the vans from the road. The confrontation unfolded hours before Trump's fiery Fourth of July speech at the national monument including denunciations of protesters he says are trying to 'tear down' the nation's history. He planned to condemn those who pull down statues to a big fireworks show and include his more traditional July Fourth praise of America's past and values. 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. He 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. Authorities declared an 'unlawful assembly' before police and National Guard soldiers moved in and a standoff ensued A man washes the eyes of a protester after he was pepper sprayed by police during protests in Keystone on Friday About 15 people were arrested after ignoring police orders to clear the area. Pictured: A protesters approaches a line of police in riot gear during Friday's standoff Some singing. You can also see the law enforcement, legal observers, Trump supporters and vans getting towed. pic.twitter.com/pq2mYxXXwA Arielle Zionts (@Ajzionts) July 4, 2020 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 planned to screen attendees for symptoms of COVID-19. Noem and Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., were among the crowd meeting the president and First Lady Melania Trump at Ellsworth Air Force Base. Noem wasn't wearing a mask; Thune removed his face covering as he waited to greet the president. 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. Tiffany Trump and her boyfriend Michael Boulos arrive with President Donald Trump on Air Force One at Ellsworth Air Force Base Trump and First Lady Melania Trump are greeted by South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem and Senator John Thune Members of the National Guard faced off with protesters who had blocked the road leading to Mount Rushmore Cops in riot gear and military personnel moved in to try to disperse crowds 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. 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 it's a bad example being set by our president and our governor,' Harris said. 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. More Melburnians could soon be locked down if they live in suburbs that have a high number of COVID-19 cases. Health Minister Jenny Mikakos on Thursday revealed four postcodes with the highest number of new cases in the past week - 3064, 3060, 3047 and 3031. While 10 suburbs in 3064, 3060 and 3047 were locked down earlier this week, the neighbouring suburbs of Flemington and Kensington in 3031 have not. The inner suburbs could be next in line for stay at home orders as Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews said on Friday that the lockdown could be extended to other areas. Victoria is currently facing 442 active cases of COVID-19 but only half of the cases are contained within the 10 lockdown postcodes, which included 36 suburbs. Cars line up at a drive-through testing clinic for COVID-19 in Melbourne on Saturday. So far 36 suburbs are in lockdown and two more, Kensington and Flemington, could soon join them 'I can't rule out further restrictions and we certainly can't rule out other postcodes,' Mr Andrews said. '(Decisions) are done by case numbers in geographical area that's not a matter of running a commentary on that postcode or the people who live in and work there. 'It's simply a statement of fact that you've got a problem, and you need to take really significant action to pull this up. 'I'm not announcing that today, I'm not even foreshadowing, I am simply saying you can't rule that out because we are being driven by the data, and the data obviously changes from day to day.' The Premier explained health agencies are using a formula to determine if a postcode is a 'hotspot' that needs to be locked down, which has three criteria. The three criteria are: a case rate more than twice the state average, a rate of cases more than 20 per 100,000 persons and more than five cases notified. An aerial view of the famous Flemington Racecourse with the Melbourne CBD in the back. The exact number of cases in the suburb is not known An empty park in Kensington, in the postcode 3031, which has not been put into lockdown despite having the highest number of cases in the past week The Victorian Health Department has not released figures for postcode 3031 since it is not considered a 'priority postcode' by its formula. Flemington and Kensington border with Ascot Vale and Travancore in the locked-down 3032, which has nine active cases. The suburbs are also in the Moonee Valley and Melbourne local government areas, which have 32 active cases each. But this statistic is not an accurate representation since it includes other postcodes and many hotels housing returned travellers in quarantine. Flemington and Kensington 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. 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) 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. More than 10,000 people in Victoria recently 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 2,368 total confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the Victoria since the pandemic began. A police officer who shot dead an unarmed 17-year-old boy who was backing out of of his family's driveway during a welfare check was awarded a $70,000 severance payment as part of his resignation deal. The mother of John Albers, of Overland Park, Kansas, discovered the police officer who shot at her son 13 times in January 2018 was paid thousands of dollars as he exited the force majorly unscathed. On that tragic night, Officer Clayton Jenison, 31, dispatched to the Albers' suburban home after a friend called authorities because they believed the teenage boy was suicidal. John attempted to back the family's minivan out of the driveway when Jenison fired several rounds into the vehicle after reportedly ordering John to stop. But footage shows Jenison was never in the minivan's path and it's unclear if John even noticed Albers in his attempt to leave. After the shooting, Jenison was not publicly named by authorities until the Albers' family filed a wrongful death lawsuit. All investigated reports were withheld from the public. Sheila Albers, the victim's mother, alleged that officials refused to provide any records on the incident. John Albers (pictured), 17, was shot dead in January 2018 while backing out of his family's garage with a minivan in Overland Park, Kansas Body camera footage from the Overland Police Department shows the moment John reverses the vehicle out of the driveway and Jenison opens fire Jension was not charged in John's death and prosecutors ruled the killing was 'justifiable' Jenison was placed on administrative leave after an investigation, but later offered to resign from his post. He faced no charges and the killing was ruled as justifiable. The Overland Park Police Department did not disclose the cushioned severance agreement Jenison received in March 2018. Word of the payout would have likely stayed mum if Sheila Albers, the victim's mother, had not looked into payroll records on the Overland Park government database, The Washington Post reports. Sheila, a former middle school principal, noted that Jenison's resignation was announced on February 20, 2018, when the city was reportedly still discussing the severance package. 'I have always questioned the integrity of the investigation,' Sheila said. 'You cant conduct an impartial, thorough investigation of police misconduct while simultaneously negotiating a financial buyout.' The severance package was reportedly worth more than $81,000despite his salary totaling out to around $46,000. City spokesman Sean Reilly on Thursday said that the City of Overland Park negotiated a buyout agreement with Jenison 'in the best interest of the community.' No Overland Park official was reportedly able to explain why the $70,000 severance payment was 'in the best interest of the community,' which boosts an average income of $78,000. Sheila Albers, pictured with John Albers: 'You cant conduct an impartial, thorough investigation of police misconduct while simultaneously negotiating a financial buyout' KHSB reports that the entirety of the severance package broke down to $70,000 in severance pay, $2,345 of compensation time, $686 of unused vacation pay and $11,040 owed for his regular salary. The severance agreement came about between city officials despite the prosecutors office finding nothing wrong with Jenison's conduct. After the $70,000 severance payment was revealed, Council members Scott Hamblin and Faris Farassati called for an executive session to examine the facts of the settlement with Jenison. Hamblin on Friday said they requested the session because 'the public demands and deserves transparency, and as leaders we need to be ready and willing to provide it. As of today no executive session or other fact-finding measures have been taken.' A lack of transparency is what led the Albers' to initially file the wrongful lawsuit death after prosecutors and authorities would not release any reports. A judge later determined that 'Officer Jenison was not standing in the path of the minivan' and a 'reasonable jury could conclude that deadly force was unreasonable because [Albers] only posed harm to himself.' This prompted city officials to settle with the Albers family for $2.3million in January 2019. Jenison, an Army veteran who served in Afghanistan, served on Overland Park's force for two years. The Albers' family claimed that prosecutors and officials would not disclose reports of the case during investigations in a move seen as nontransparent Since he was not fired or disciplined, he is free to join another police department. In footage from January 20, 2018, officers arrive to the Albers' home after John reportedly made comments to friends online that he was considering suicide. Two officers drive to the home within minutes, but neither approach the front door or try to make contact with John. Soon, the garage door opens and and John begins to pull out onto the driveway. Jenison is seen standing on the right-hand side of the garage. A prosecutor argued that Jenison was 'standing directly behind' the minivan, but a judge later ruled that was false. Jenison yells 'stop' at the minivan three times, but the vehicle suddenly reverses and does a 180-degree turn into the street. Jenison appears close the vehicle, but is untouched and moves away. As the minivan reverses towards the garage, Jenison unloads several rounds into the vehicle and strikes John. A prosecutor argued that Jenison was 'standing directly behind' the minivan, but a judge later ruled that was false The vehicle stops accelerating and rolls forward out of the driveway. John died from gunshot wounds. 'Chief Donchez and District Attorney Steve Howe deceived the public on Officer Jenisons aggressive actions,obstructed justice and failed to hold anyone accountable for the death of my son,' Sheila told WaPo. She believes the severance payment could have been put to better use with police reform and officer training, The $70,000 'could have funded Crisis Intervention Team training to prevent unnecessary violence in the future,' said Sheila. 'Overland Park is a microcosm of the wider problem we have across the country: lack of transparency, failed systems of accountability, and leadership that neglects its duty to protect and serve the public.' The death of John Albers is one many recent cases that have come to light as law enforcement is increasingly denounced for brutality and excessive force. A protester in front of the Second Precinct Police Station in Minneapolis on Thursday holds a 'Justice for George Floyd' placard. The Minneapolis city council is set to take the first step toward banning the police department Pictured: Payton Martin (center) joins members of Black Lives Matter-Los Angeles and their supporters during a demonstration to demand that the Board of Education defund school police, reallocating funds to other student-serving initiatives Scores of protests sparked after George Floyd, an unarmed Black American man, died after a white officer knelt on his neck for nearly nine minutes on Memorial Day in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Breonna Taylor, Rayshard Brooks and Elijah McDaniel are among other victims who've died while in police custody. As a result, calls to defund police departments and emphasize reform have overtaken the country. Both the New York Police Department and the Los Angeles Police Department faced budget cuts from city officials. The Minneapolis Police Department was officially disbanded during a landslide victory when city council members voted last month. The National Suicide Prevention line is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week at 1-800-273-TALK. A female Air Force Lt. Col. has been slammed for suggesting murdered soldier Vanessa Guillen deserved to be sexually harassed because it's 'the price of admission' for women in the army and 'if you're gonna cry like a snowflake about it, you're gonna pay the price'. Air Force Lt. Col. Betsy Schoeller made the shocking comments on a Facebook thread where another person had shared an article about the missing soldier being bludgeoned to death shortly after telling family and friends she was being sexually harassed by a superior. Schoeller, who is now a senior lecturer at University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, hit out at other social media users who expressed sympathy for Guillen. 'You guys are kidding, right? Sexual harassment is the price of admission for women into the good ole boy club,' the military veteran wrote. 'If you're gonna cry like a snowflake about it, you're gonna pay the price.' A female Air Force Lt. Col. has been slammed for suggesting murdered soldier Vanessa Guillen deserved to be sexually harassed because it's 'the price of admission' for women in the army and 'if you're gonna cry like a snowflake about it, you're gonna pay the price' Air Force Lt. Col. Betsy Schoeller (pictured) made the shocking comments on a Facebook thread where another person had shared an article about the missing soldier being bludgeoned to death shortly after telling family and friends she was being sexually harassed by a superior Schoeller's comments came just hours after the attorney for Guillen's devastated family released information that the 20-year-old Fort Hood soldier had been bludgeoned to death with a hammer in the armory room where she worked. Her post, which has since been deleted, sparked outrage from other social media users and a Change.org petition is demanding she be fired from her position at the University of Wisconsin. 'Incredible - I can't believe what I'm reading. Where does she get off saying something like that?! This woman was bludgeoned, hacked up and buried in a shallow grave!' wrote one outraged social media user. Others blasted her for being part of the problem with entrenched sexual harassment of women in the armed forces. 'This is like the whole girls cant wear revealing clothing because men cant control their urges on a whole other level,' another person wrote on Facebook. Vanessa Guillen went missing from the base in April shortly after telling family and friends that she was being sexually harassed by a superior. Her remains were found this week 'Gahhhh so many swear words are flying around my head.' A fellow veteran agreed that Schoeller's response encourages harassment taking place. 'I spent literally half my career handling sexual assault/harassment charges for sailors,' they said. 'Leaders like her not only encourage harassment, they protect predators. This is not a mentality she left with her uniform. She brought it with her.' Several people pointed out her high rank, saying she had a responsibility to tackle issues of harassment within the Air Force. In one image from 2012, the lieutenant colonel is pictured meeting Michelle Obama during a visit from the then-First Lady to meet with family members of the victims of a Sikh temple shooting. Schoeller's (pictured on left) post, which has since been deleted, sparked outrage from other social media users and a Change.org petition is demanding she be fired from her position at the University of Wisconsin Schoeller is pictured meeting Michelle Obama during a 2012 visit from the then-First Lady to meet with family members of the victims of a Sikh temple shooting Guillen was last seen alive at the Fort Hood Army Base in Killeen, Texas, on April 22 after telling her family she was being harassed by a sergeant. Her partial remains were finally found Tuesday near the Leon River in Bell County - more than two months after her disappearance. An FBI criminal complaint released Thursday identified 20-year-old US Army Specialist Aaron Robinson murdered her by striking her in the head with a hammer on Fort Hood on April 22. Robinson committed suicide Wednesday, just hours after Guillen's body was discovered. He fled Fort Hood Tuesday night before he could be arrested by Army criminal investigators and shot himself when officials caught up with him a few miles from the base early Wednesday morning. As authorities tried to confront him, he killed himself. 'As officers attempted to make contact with the suspect, the suspect displayed a weapon and discharged it toward himself. The suspect succumbed from a self-inflicted gunshot wound,' the Killeen Police Department said. Fort Hood soldier Vanessa Guillen's family has said they believe their loved one, pictured, is dead and that the serviceman who killed her is the same individual who turned a gun on himself when police tried to make contact with him early Wednesday morning Vanessa Guillen, pictured, was last seen at the Fort Hood Army Base in Killeen, Texas, on April 22 wearing a black t-shirt, light purple leggings and black Nike sneakers The first image of the site where evidence was found was released on Wednesday. Remains were found nearby on Tuesday and Wednesday but have not been confirmed as Guillen Cecily Aguilar, 22, the estranged wife of a Fort Hood soldier, has been arrested and charged with helping Robinson dismember and dispose of Guillen's body. She has been charged with one count of conspiracy to tamper with evidence and could face 20 years in jail and a $250,000 fine if convicted. According to the FBI complaint, Robinson told Aguilar he killed Guillen and moved her body off to a remote site in Bell County. Robinson and Aguilar then disposed of her body. The complaint alleges that it was some time later that Aguilar recognized the missing soldier as the female she had helped bury. CID Senior Special Agent Damon Phelps said in a press conference Thursday that investigators were looking into Robinson's connection with Guillen. Robinson was stationed in the building adjacent to Guillen on the Texas base but any relationship or interactions between the two cannot be confirmed because of the ongoing investigation, Phelps said. Further information about the role Robinson played in the Houston native's disappearance was also not revealed. Authorities say Spc. Aaron David Robinson (right) fled Fort Hood on Tuesday night before he could be arrested by Army criminal investigators. Cecily Aguilar, 22, (left) the estranged wife of a Fort Hood soldier, has been arrested and charged with helping Robinson dismember and dispose of Guillen's body The search had continued in this area along the Leon River about 20 miles from the Fort Hood base after the first evidence connected with Guillen's disappearance was found last week Police release information about suspects connected to Vanessa Guillen's disappearance While the details are still being pieced together by police surrounding Vanessa Guillen's case, authorities have released the following information: July 2: Suspect is identified as solider Aaron Robinson Combat engineer Aaron Robinson is named as the suspect who fatally shot himself as police approached him about Guillen's disappearance July 1: Fort Hood soldier kills himself Early Wednesday morning, a soldier believed to be connected to the disappearance of Guillen died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Killeen police said they attempted to make contact with the soldier around 1.29am but the man shot himself before he could be arrested. July 1: Guillen family hold press conference Guillen's two sisters and their father held a press conference demanding justice for their loved one who they believe is dead. The family said they believe that remains found on Tuesday are those of Guillen. During an emotional plea, the sisters called for a congressional investigation into Guillen's case. They also revealed that the suspect who shot himself early Wednesday morning is believed to be the same man who sexually harassed Guillen before she vanished in April. July 1: Civilian is arrested Authorities also announced the arrest of a woman who is the estranged wife of a former Fort Hood soldier. Police did not say what the nature of the relationship was between the suspect who killed himself and the woman. Advertisement The lawyer for Guillen's family Natalie Khawam said she had planned to file a sexual harassment complaint against Robinson the day after she was killed. Army officials said they had come across no evidence of Guillen being sexually harassed after opening a separate investigation into the claims last week but encouraged anyone with information on the allegation, or on her disappearance, to come forward. Khawam said Guillen was working in the armory with Robinson when she told him she was going to report him. She said the man then grabbed a hammer and began 'bludgeoning her head over and over'. She said she was told by officials that he cleaned up the area where Guillen was killed, placed her body in a container and wheeled her out to his car. Later that afternoon, Khawam said, Robinson drove to pick up Aguilar and they took Guillen's body to a nearby river. There, Khawam said, the pair tried to burn Guillen's body, but later dismembered it with a machete. Then, they put cement on the body and buried the remains. She added that the remains were so badly damaged that medical officials were unable to use her face or skull for bone recognition or for dental record confirmations. According to a criminal complaint filed by the FBI Thursday, the remains have not been formally identified as Guillen's. Aguilar of Killeen, was arrested and charged with one count of conspiracy to tamper with evidence. Khawam has claimed Aguilar was Robinson's girlfriend. Guillen was last seen at the Fort Hood Army Base in Killeen, Texas, on April 22 wearing a black t-shirt, light purple leggings and black Nike sneakers. Her car keys, barracks room key, identification card and wallet were later found in the armory room where she was working earlier in the day. Volunteer group Texas EquuSearch came across the remains in an undisclosed area in Coryell County, not too far from the site where the remains of missing soldier Gregory Wedel-Morales were found on June 19. Morales, who was also known as Gregory Wedel, was last seen on August 19, 2019 driving his personal vehicle outside of Fort Hood. He was to be discharged within days after his disappearance, the Army said. A $25,000 reward is being offered for information about his death. Morales disappeared about eight months before Guillen vanished from the base and they are not thought to be linked. A female scuba diver has died after being pulled from the water in Sydney's east on Saturday despite desperate attempts to save her. Emergency services were called to Gordons Bay near Clovelly Road at about 9:40am following reports a diver was in distress and required assistance. The 53-year-old woman was dragged out by other divers, who performed CPR before ambulance crews arrived on scene. Dramatic footage captured paramedics' frantic attempts to resuscitate the woman, as police and first responders in face masks look on. Scroll down for video. A female scuba diver is in a critical condition after being pulled from the water in Sydney The 53-year-old woman was scuba diving at Gordons Bay near Clovelly Road on Saturday Other divers pulled the woman out of the water and performed CPR before paramedics arrived She was taken to Prince of Wales Hospital and remains in a critical condition The vision shows the woman's pale, limp body laying on the rocks as ambulance workers push down on her chest to apply CPR. She was taken to hospital in a critical condition but later died. 'The woman was pulled unconscious from the water by members of the dive course who were able to commence CPR prior to our arrival,' Inspector Karl Cronan, Duty Operations Manager, NSW Ambulance said. 'Our paramedics took over and did everything they could, working tirelessly to provide life-saving treatment and resuscitation before transporting her to hospital in critical condition.' Eastern Beaches Police Area Command said they have attended the scene and are now making inquiries. 'Nobody intends for these tragedies to happen, but the thing about accidents they happen in second but the impact can remain for a lifetime,' Mr Cronan said. 'Anybody who has experienced the horror of a drowning or near-drowning knows it is extremely traumatic for everyone involved, none more so than their loved ones.' An Arkansas mother has claimed her six-year-old daughter was kicked out of a Christian daycare center for wearing Black Lives Matter t-shirts after officials said they didn't agree with the 'racist' tops. Deval Brockman sent her daughter Journei to His Kids Learning Center in Russellville last Thursday only to later receive a complaint from the school over the girl's shirt. Journei, who had been attending the pre-school for six months, had been dressed in a white shirt that said, 'All lives can't matter until black lives matter.' Journei Brockman, six, was kicked out daycare in Russellville, Arkansas last week for wearing a Black Lives Matter (pictured) t-shirt, her mother claims The mom sent her daughter to His Kids Learning Center the following day with another shirt with a fist printed on it (pictured), and was later told her daughter was no longer welcome 'She was like, "I don't like it, I don't agree with it, and I would prefer it if you didn't send her to school in it again",' Brockman told local news station KARK 4. The mom said she later raised the issue with state officials who told her Journei could continue wearing the shirts as long as they did not contain profanity. Deval Brockman claimed school officials told her the shirts were 'racist' and political The following day, Brockman sent the kindergartener back to daycare in another shirt that was adorned with a raised fist in the back. When she went to pick her up at the end of the day, this time she was told her daughter was no longer welcome. 'I was really upset. It's a T-shirt! There's no profanity. It's just stating the truth, stating facts,' she said in a separate interview with New York Daily News. School officials allegedly told her the shirts were 'racist' and that she was teaching her children 'there's color.' 'Well there is color. If they can't see that, they'll never understand. But it's something they need to know,' Brockman added. The Christian-leaning His Kids Preschool, in Russellville, released a statement saying the facility was not 'a place for a parent's political views to be played out' In a statement to KARK 4, the school's director Patricia Brown said: 'We feel a childcare environment is not a place for a parent's political views to be addressed or played out, regardless of race.' But Brockman has argued that the shirt and its message are not political and pertains to 'everyday life.' 'It's all over the news. Right is right and wrong is wrong,' she said. 'If you're going to a Christian led daycare, let's abide by the bible then.' She said Journei became upset after learning she couldn't return to school and see her friends, but she has assured her daughter she hadn't done anything wrong. Anthony Albanese's leadership will be put to the test on Saturday as voters head to the polls in the Eden-Monaro by-election during a once-in-a-hundred year pandemic. The marginal federal seat is on a knife edge but after the government's bungled response to the summer bushfire crisis on the New South Wales' South Coast, Labor's Kristy McBain is the slight favorite to beat Liberal Fiona Kotvojs. Labor Party's Mike Kelly won the electorate in 2016 but stepped down in April 2020 due to health concerns. If the opposition relinquish the seat, given the seething anger still lingering in the bushfire ravaged community, it could spell trouble for Mr Albanese's leadership. Test of leadership: Labor leader Anthony Albanese is hoping to quell questions about his popularity with a win in the critical seat of Eden Monaro The race between Labor's Kirsty McBain (on left) and Liberal Fiona Kotvojs (right) is expected to be close Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack believes the Eden-Monaro by-election is a 'close-call', saying the result probably won't be known at the end of the day. 'It will be a close call. I'm not quite sure whether the actual result will be known tonight,' Mr McCormack told reporters at a polling booth in Tumut. Both major parties are already rehearsing their excuses should they lose a vote that has been fought against the backdrop of drought, bushfires and the COVID-19 pandemic. Mr Albanese said the government had 'complacency at its heart' and thought it could 'drift through this byelection'. Prime Minister Scott Morrison was heckled out of town by angry Cobargo residents in January. In the clear low point of his prime ministership, Scott Morrison was heckled out of town in Cobargo, in Eden Monaro, during the bushfire crisis in January Most voters have snoozed through the by-election campaign but a fish tank filled with green algae in a photo posted by ALP candidate Kirsty McBain did catch fire online Members of the community hurled insults and refused to shake hands with Mr Morrison in front of TV news cameras. The group claimed they were 'forgotten' by the Liberal Party Government and weren't receiving enough disaster support after losing homes. Mr Albanese said the by-election is about those people who don't have 'power' or a 'voice' in Eden Monaro. 'This is about the beef farmers that we've met who haven't had support, the chook farmers who are struggling This is about people continuing to suffer from mental health issues six months after the fires,' he said. 'This is an opportunity for the people who haven't been heard, to speak up through the ballot box and say this government needs to do better.' Polls close at 6pm sharp. A white woman, 54, who was caught on camera carrying out multiple racist attacks last month including yelling 'go back to whatever Asian country you came from' at a jogger has been arrested for battery over an incident back in October. Lena Hernandez, a retired social worker, was arrested Friday and charged with battery after she allegedly pushed a woman to the ground and hit her in Del Amo Mall in Torrance, California, when the woman tried to protect a janitor from the suspect's angry tirade. Hernandez was tracked down by cops after victim Kayceelyn Salminao recognized her alleged attacker in two separate racist videos posted on social media last month showing the suspect verbally harassing Asian people. In one video Hernandez is seen shouting at a woman who was exercising in Wilson Park and telling her to 'go back to whatever f****** Asian country you came from'. After that video went viral, a 42-year-old father came forward with a second video in which the same woman was seen telling him to 'go home' and that he would be 'f****d to death' while his eleven-year-old son waited nearby. Lena Hernandez, a retired social worker, was arrested Friday and charged with battery after she allegedly pushed a woman to the ground and hit her in Del Amo Mall in Torrance, California, when the woman tried to protect a janitor from the suspect's angry tirade. She is pictured here after the October alleged attack Torrance police announced Hernandez was taken into custody at about 1 p.m. Friday and charged with the battery misdemeanour. She was later released on bail. The charges relate to the 2019 incident where she allegedly physically abused Salminao in the California shopping mall. Salminao said she had come to the aid of a janitor, who Hernandez was allegedly shouting at for no reason. Hernandez then became physical with her and pushed her to the ground, she said. 'She came out and physically shoves me to the ground, I physically fell to the ground. She points at me and says you better not get up or else,' Salminao told CBS Los Angeles. 'She grabs my hair; she pulls my head down and then she's starting to hit me on the back of my head. She's saying all those really mean words just like the video.' Salminao's husband rushed to her aid and she was able to take pictures of Hernandez before she left. She filed a police report after the incident but said she did not hear back from the authorities. Hernandez was tracked down by cops after victim Kayceelyn Salminao recognized her alleged attacker in two separate racist videos posted on social media last month showing the suspect verbally harassing Asian people Salminao said the woman had pushed her to the ground after she intervened to stop Hernandez alleged shouting at a janitor. Pictured is allegedly Hernandez walking away Salminao came forward last month after spotting Hernandez in the videos on social media. 'Photos of her walking away while I was waiting for the cops,' she wrote on social media, pointing out it was the same woman who had abused her. 'This white lady!' Torrance Police Chief Eve Berg identified the woman in the video and pictures as Hernandez and said they were trying to locate her last month. The city attorney's office said there is 'insufficient' evidence to support criminal charges over the two incidents that occurred at Wilson Park on June 10. The first video showed Hernandez having a racist rant at Sherry Berry when she was working out in the park. The disturbing incident, which was captured on cell phone footage, happened on a set of stairs at Charles H. Wilson Park in Torrance. Berry was working out on the staircase when Hernandez bumped into her. The younger woman responds to the bump by saying 'Jesus' just seconds before Hernandez launches into a racially charged tirade. Hernandez first came to the public's attention on Wednesday when Sherry Berry filmed her verbally assaulting her and telling her to 'go back to whatever f****** Asian country you belong' Friends of the Berry said she often records her workouts and happened to catch the racist moment on Wednesday. Pictured, Sherry Berry exercising before the incident began 'Hey, listen to me! We don't play games here anymore. Next time you ever talk to me like that you're going to get you a** kicked by my family. They're going to f*** you up!' Hernandez says. Berry questions what she did to cause the sudden outburst, but the older woman continues to hurl insults and says, 'because you're an a******.' 'Why don't you go somewhere else?' Hernandez says. 'Get the f*** out of this world, get the f*** out of these stairs, go back to whatever f****** Asian country you belong in! 'This is not your place; this is not your home. We do not want you here!' the woman adds. She then added: 'You put that on Facebook, I hope you do because every f****** person will beat the crap out of you from here on out. 'Don't you ever say, 'oh Jesus' to me when I want to use the stairs you little b****.' The victim points out that there are other stairs located throughout the park, but this does not quell the woman's verbal attack. 'You are a sick, f****** ignorant teenager... Who wears black in California sun? Who the f*** wears black? Are you an idiot? You wear black in California sun? Seriously?' After Berry's video went viral, a 42-year-old father who wished to remain anonymous shared a further video from June 10, the same day of Berry's run-in with Hernandez, which shows her hurling racist abuse at him at the same park. A second video of Hernandez was posted from the same park on the same day 'I am not a racist person You need to go home,' Hernandez is heard telling the 42-year-old father in the second video to emerge of her engaging in a racist tirade His eleven-year-old son was also in the car and witnessed the abuse as Hernandez is heard telling the man to 'go home' on the orders of her government. Hernandez also mocks the man which accents and by calling him 'Chinaman'. 'I am not a racist person. You need to go home,' she says. 'I am from here,' he answers, to which she says, 'I don't care about your Facebook. You know how many people can't stand you being here. I don't play games, you play games, I play games where you get f****d to death.' As the man gets out of his car to take her license plate number, Hernandez continues with her mocking accents and pretending that she can't understand him. 'Do you know who my family is? Do you know who your family is?' Hernandez continues. 'Go home this is from my government. Go home, you are so f****d, you're gonna get f****d, your kids are gonna get f****d. This is my country, and this is my government. Go home.' The shocking videos emerged during protests for racial justice across the United States following the death of George Floyd, an African American man who died after a white officer knelt on his neck for nearly nine minutes. Two Kmart stores on the border of Melbourne's lockdown zones have closed after unrelated staff members tested positive for coronavirus. The discount variety stores at Barkly Square, in Brunswick, was closed on Saturday, as was a store in Footscray. Kmart has confirmed the two situations are not linked and the shops are being deep cleaned. The closures follow a similar scare at a Woolworths store in Balmain, in Sydney's inner west, this week where a staff member tested positive after returning from Melbourne. The worker had already tested positive in hotel quarantine and he went to get a test after his symptoms returned. Two Kmart store on the border of a Melbourne hotspot has closed after two staff members tested positive for coronavirus The discount variety store at Barkly Square, in Brunswick, was closed on Saturday, as well as the store The Footscray for deep cleaning 'At Kmart, the health and safety of our team and customers is our highest priority,' a Kmart spokesperson said. 'As soon as we were made aware, we immediately closed the store as a safety precaution and commenced a thorough sanitisation of the store. 'We are working closely with the Department of Health and will continue to keep our team and customers informed.' More Melburnians could soon be locked down if they live in suburbs that have a high number of COVID-19 cases. Health Minister Jenny Mikakos on Thursday revealed four postcodes with the highest number of new cases in the past week - 3064, 3060, 3047 and 3031. While 10 suburbs in 3064, 3060 and 3047 were locked down earlier this week, the neighbouring suburbs of Flemington and Kensington in 3031 have not. Victoria is currently facing 442 active cases of COVID-19 but only half of the cases are contained within the 10 lockdown postcodes, which included 36 suburbs 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 The inner suburbs could be next in line for stay at home orders as Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews said on Friday that the lockdown could be extended to other areas. Victoria is currently facing 442 active cases of COVID-19 but only half of the cases are contained within the 10 lockdown postcodes, which included 36 suburbs. 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 2,368 total confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the Victoria since the pandemic began. Organisers of a Black Lives Matter protest have slammed 'shameful' former demonstrators for failing to show up at a new demonstration - saying people only turn out when they want 'a hundred likes on Instagram'. Fewer than a thousand people gathered for a Black Lives Matter protest in Brisbane city on Saturday, leaving organisers disheartened. Just weeks ago, some 30,000 Queenslanders turned out to a rally following the death of African-American man George Floyd at the hands of police. A group of protesters are pictured kneeling in solidarity at Brisbane's Black Lives Matter rally Fewer than a thousand people gathered for a Black Lives Matter protest in Brisbane city on Saturday, leaving organisers disheartened. A young woman is pictured holding up a Black Lives Matter sign as demonstration kneel Protesters are pictured burning an Australian flag during a Black Lives Matter in Brisbane Just weeks ago, some 30,000 Queenslanders turned out to a rally following the death of African-American man George Floyd at the hands of police in Minneapolis 'I can not explain the disappointment,' Gomeroi Kooma woman Ruby Wharton told the small crowd gathered at King George Square on Saturday. 'It was okay for people to come out here and want to be a part of it when they were chasing a hundred likes on Instagram.' 'That is shameful and tokenism,' she said. Organiser Bogaine Spearim told reporters the rally was intended to be a continuation of the global protests that kicked off in the wake of Mr Floyd's death in May. 'Deaths are continuing to happen in Australia - Dave Dungay Jnr said 'I can't breathe' before dying in custody,' he said. 'We will continue to hit the streets and disrupt until there is justice.' Protesters participate in a Black Lives Matter ) rally at King George Square in Brisbane Protesters are seen burning an Australian flag during a Black Lives Matter rally in Brisbane Protesters participate in a Black Lives Matter rally at King George Square in Brisbane Despite the small turnout, the protestors were vocal, shouting 'Always was, always will be Aboriginal land' and, 'No justice, no peace, no racist police'. Garrwa and Butchulla man Fred Leone called on the Queensland government to conduct a broad review into black deaths in custody. 'F**k all has changed since 1991, since the last royal commission,' he said 'Black Lives Matter. They do not just matter cause it is trending, they matter every single day.' Demonstrators hold up a sign that says Black Lives Matter as they march through the streets of Brisbane A demonstrator holds up a sign that says 'no more police brutality' at the Brisbane Black Lives Matter protest More than 430 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are known to have died in custody in Australia since a royal commission into Aboriginal deaths in custody delivered its final report in 1991. Organisers are also calling for anti-racism training in schools and an end to racial profiling by police. Mr Dungay died in 2015 after he was restrained by five prison officers in Sydney's Long Bay jail after he refused to stop eating biscuits. A protester wearing a face mask is pictured at Brisbane's Black Lives Matter rally Demonstrators march in Brisbane's King George Square on Saturday to protest against the rate of Indigenous deaths in custody All eyes were on Melania Trump as she joined her husband at the early Fourth of July celebration at Mount Rushmore - but perhaps not for the reasons she hoped for. As President Trump took the stage in South Dakota to deliver a rallying speech to the 7,500 attendees for Independence Day, Twitter users fixated on the First Lady's eye-catching Alexander McQueen dress. Several people declared on Twitter that the $2,485 Alexander McQueen looked as if Trump scribbled on the fabric with marker. First Lady Melania Trump (pictured) arrived at the Fourth of July event at Mount Rushmore in a Alexander McQueen dress from his Spring 2020 collection Design students at Central Saint Martins in London drew sketches during a life-drawing class to make the illustrations Several people declared on Twitter that the $2,485 Alexander McQueen looked as if Trump scribbled on the fabric with marker US President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump pay their respects as they listen to the National Anthem during the Independence Day events at Mount Rushmore National Memorial in Keystone, South Dakota, July 3 'Donald Trump got bored and drew all over Melania's white dress with a sharpie on Air Force One,' wrote on user. 'Will somebody please take that sharpie away from him! Now he's drawing on Melania's dress, ffs,' another chimed in. Another wrote: 'Melania pulled a plain white dress for her evening in North Dakota and before they left Trump took a sharpie marker to it.' Several Twitter users said that Melania's dress looked like President Trump scribbled over the fabric with sharpie One user wrote: 'Melania pulled a plain white dress for her evening in North Dakota and before they left Trump took a sharpie marker to it' Some people used the dress to recall 'Sharpiegate,'an incident where President Trump appeared to alter a hurricane map with a sharpie Despite the jokes, the designer dress came about after entire McQueen staff hand-embroidered and stitched sketches over a linen fabric Some users compared the swirling doodle designs to the infamous 'Sharpiegate,' when Trump appeared to use a large sharpie to alter an official map of Hurricane Dorian in September. 'Apparently Trump tried to draw a hurricane path on Melanias dress,' wrote one woman, 'Looks like Melania needs #IndependenceFromTrump as well,' one person wrote. 'He gone and doodled with the sharpie all over her dress now. I thought they took away his sharpie after the hurricane incident?' 'Looks like Melania needs #IndependenceFromTrump as well,' one user quipped on Friday The dress reminded some people of Melania's controversial 'I don't really care, do you?' coat she wore in 2018 Pictured: President Trump holds up a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration map of a previously projected path of Hurricane Dorian and what appears to be sharpie marker over Alabama A number of people used the opportunity to recall other trending styles of Melania's, including her controversial 'I really don't care, do you?' jacket she wore in 2018. She received fierce backlash over the coat because she donned at an immigration facility while her husband was fiercely lambasted for his policies on such. Although users pointed out the childlike doodles in jest, Paper Magazine reports that the design came about though a collaboration between McQueen and students at Central Saint Martins in London. Students drew 'dancing girl' sketches on long sheet during a life-drawing class led by fashion illustrator Julie Verhoeven. The entire McQueen staff then hand-embroidered and stitched the sketches over a linen dress. A Sunshine Coast man has died following a fatal shark bite off Fraser Island on Saturday. The 36-year-old man was spearfishing in the waters off Indian Head when he was bitten by a shark. A doctor and nurse provided first aid to the man on the shore, before paramedics attended the scene and performed CPR. The man sustained injuries to his leg and succumbed to those injuries just after 4.30pm. A report will be prepared for the Coroner. Michael Dukakis is warning Joe Biden not to take his current lead in the polls too seriously, citing his own slump in the 1988 presidential race as a precautionary tale. The presumptive Democratic nominee is currently leading President Trump 50-38, according to a Fox News poll, while data compiled by Real Clear Politics shows the former vice president is ahead by an average of 8.8 percentage points. But Dukakis, who was in a similar position in the same time period during the 1988 presidential election against Republican opponent George HW Bush, has warned those numbers don't guarantee a victory in November. 'Particularly this year, [polls] should be studied cautiously,' he told Boston Globe columnist Alex Beam. Former presidential candidate Michael Dukakis (left) has warned that Joe Biden's current lead in the polls does not necessarily mean success in November Dukakis, who served as the governor of Massachusetts, had a lead over Republican opponent George HW Bush in July 1988 before his numbers plummeted following a series of public gaffes and bad press 'Biden can and should win, but being at 50, no matter how weak your opponent is, is no guarantee of success.' The former Massachusetts governor had been leading Bush by a 55-38 margin in July 1988, only for his numbers to plummet weeks later following a series of bad press, the Globe reported. Among them was the now-infamous photo of Dukakis wearing a helmet while aboard a military tank that was then used in an ad accusing him of being weak on defense. A second campaign advertisement which told the story of Massachusetts prisoner Willie Horton, who killed a woman while he was out on furlough, depicted Dukakis as being soft on crime. His ratings really took a tumble when then-President Ronald Reagan called him an 'invalid', questioning the candidate's mental state - which has also become an issue for both Trump and Biden, as they have been criticized over their mental sharpness. President Trump is currently trailing behind Biden amid his handling of the coronavirus pandemic and his response to the ongoing nationwide protests Republican strategist and Trump campaign adviser Karl Rove said the president needed to move in a new direction ahead of the RNC Dukakis recalled 'dropping eight points' in the week the president made the comments. 'I never took those early polls seriously,' he told Beam. Dukakis ultimately lost the presidential election to Bush, who won 426 electoral college votes to his 111. Before that he served as Massachusetts Governor from 1975 to 1979 and again from 1983 to 1991. Meanwhile, Trump's position in the polls has dipped amid his handling of the coronavirus pandemic and the nationwide protests. During an appearance on Fox News on Friday, Republican strategist and Trump campaign adviser Karl Rove said the president needed to move in a new direction before the Republican National Convention. Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews has announced an unprecedented total lockdown of nine public housing towers in Melbourne where residents will be confined to their homes for at least five days. It comes as the state reported 108 new infections on Saturday - its second highest coronavirus daily total ever - as Mr Andrews announced he was extending stay-at-home orders for two further post codes. High density public housing towers in 3031 (Flemington, Kensington) and 3051 (North Melbourne) will go into a 'hard' lockdown where residents will be barred from leaving their homes for any reason whatsoever. 'There will be no-one going in, other than residents who are returning home, and no-one will be allowed out of those public housing towers,' Mr Andrews said. Other residents of those two post codes will be ordered to stay at home under standard conditions, where they may leave home to buy food, go to work, seek medical assistance or care for others. That 'normal' lockdown begins from 11.59pm on Saturday night. A woman holds a baby as she talks to two Victoria Police officers outside on of the nine public housing estates on Saturday night Police are seen enforcing a lockdown at public housing towers on Racecourse Road in Flemington, Melbourne on Saturday Police stand at the front of the housing commission flats in the suburb of Flemington, where a coronavirus outbreak has been recorded A resident is seen peering through their window after being ordered to stay inside Police speak to a resident living at the housing commission flats in the suburb of Flemington Police speak to a resident after the Victorian Government announced nine public housing estates would be placed in immediate lockdown Premier Daniel Andrews said the hard public housing lockdowns will affect approximately 3000 residents who live in 1,345 units. 'You will not be allowed to leave your unit, your dwelling within that tower for any reason,' the premier said. About 500 police will be deployed across the nine towers during each shift, or about 55 officers per unit block. A 'total' or 'hard' lockdown where residents are completely confined to their homes is a first for Australia during the pandemic. It has echoes of Wuhan residents being sealed in their homes during the first outbreak of the pandemic. The announcement raised immediate questions about how residents will meet their basic needs. Two residents look on from their window as they are placed in immediate lockdown on Saturday About 500 police will be deployed across the nine towers during each shift, or about 55 officers per unit (Pictured: A group of officers outside public housing towers on Racecourse Road) TOTAL LOCKDOWN: These public housing tower at 12 Holland Court Rd and 120 Racecourse Rad, Flemington will go into a 'hard' lockdown where residents will be confined to their homes COVID-19 drive-thru test queues at a Melbourne shopping centre on Saturday. There are now 38 suburbs under stay at home orders, plus nine public housing towers in hard lockdown Police officers on patrol the hotspot suburb of Glenroy in Melbourne on Saturday A resident at the housing commission flats in the suburb of Flemington looks out of their window Mr Andrews said it would be a 'major logistical task' to make sure residents are fed and cared for. 'We will take care of you,' he said. 'Whether it be physical health, mental health, food, supplies, all of those sorts of issues will be dealt with and we're confident ... that work has already started.' In Flemington, the high density complexes at 12 Holland Court, 120 Racecourse Road, 126 Racecourse Road and 130 Racecourse Road will go into hard lockdown immediately. Likewise in North Melbourne, 12 Sutton Street, 33 Alfred Street, 76 Canning Street, 159 Melrose Street and 9 Pampas Street will go into hard lockdown also. A 'total' or 'hard' lockdown where residents are completely confined to their homes is a first for Australia during the pandemic A police officer speaks to a driver entering the housing commission flats in the suburb of Flemington Mr Andrews explained 23 coronavirus cases have been recorded across more than 12 households in Flemington and North Melbourne public housing estates in recent days. 'This represents a challenge we've not yet encountered. This is not like an outbreak spread across multiple homes or multiple suburbs,' he said. 'The close confines and the shared community spaces within these large apartment blocks means this virus can spread like wildfire. 'And just like fire, we need to put a perimeter around it to stop it from spreading.' The remaining residents in postcodes 3031 and 3051 must 'stay at home' wherever possible. Premier Daniel Andrews made the dramatic announcement at a press conference on Saturday In Flemington, the high density complexes at 12 Holland Court, 120 Racecourse Road, 126 Racecourse Road (pictured) and 130 Racecourse Road will go into hard lockdown immediately Mr Andrews explained 23 coronavirus cases have been recorded across more than 12 households in Flemington and North Melbourne public housing estates in recent days. Pictured: 130 Racecourse Road Flemington which is in immediate lockdown Pictured: Pop up testing centre in the hotspot suburb of Brunswick West on Saturday A general view of Racecourse Road in Flemington, Melbourne, on Saturday, as it's announced the suburb will be put into lockdown 'There's only four reasons to be out. Again, shopping for food and essential items. Care and caregiving. Exercise. Work and study if you can't do it from home,' he said. VICTORIA'S HARD LOCKDOWN Nine public housing towers in Melbourne are in immediate lockdown for at least five days. Flemington: The high density complexes at 12 Holland Court, 120 Racecourse Road, 126 Racecourse Road and 130 Racecourse Road. North Melbourne: 12 Sutton Street, 33 Alfred Street, 76 Canning Street, 159 Melrose Street and 9 Pampas Street. Premier Daniel Andrews said 23 coronavirus cases have been recorded across more than 12 households in Flemington and North Melbourne public housing estates in recent days. Advertisement 'These postcodes are experiencing elevated community transmission and the only way to combat that is with stronger restrictions. 'But it's not just enough to impose them. We need people to abide by them. To follow the rules. To listen to the advice.' Victorian Council of Social Service chief executive Emma King called the move 'dramatic' but important. She said they will work with tenants to ensure support services can be accessed. 'If we get this wrong, the consequences will be horrific. 'Some public housing tenants have fled war or family violence. 'Some are dealing with mental health challenges. Many dont speak English as their first language. Many others work casual or insecure jobs. 'This lockdown will scare many people, and trigger memories of past trauma. 'Being told you cannot leave your house, or seeing police on your doorstep, can be quiet confronting. 'Being cut off from outside support services and family networks will also be damaging for many people.' Victoria has only reported a bigger spike once before, with 111 coronavirus infections on March 28, during the height of the pandemic. A boarded up St Vincent's De Paul op shop in the locked down hot spot of Glenroy Mr Andrews announced he was extending stay-at-home orders for two further post codes 3031 (Flemington, Kensington) and 3051 (North Melbourne) 'As these figures show, we are still on a knife's edge. Rather than spread across the state, we know many of these cases are located in specific communities,' Mr Andrews said. 'That means the need for targeted, swift action is stronger than ever before.' There are 509 active cases with 25 people in hospital and three in intensive care. There are now 38 Melbourne suburbs in localised lockdowns after massive outbreaks in the city's northern and western suburbs. Pictured: Health workers are seen at a coronvirus testing clinic in Brunswick West, Melbourne, on Saturday Dozens of Melburnians line for a COVID-19 swab in Brunswick West on Saturday It comes amid growing fears the pandemic will easily spread around the country from the nation's second biggest city. Already on Saturday, a traveller from Melbourne on board an XPT train was detained after suffering COVID-19 like symptoms. It comes as two Kmart stores, in Barkly Square, Brunswick, and another in Footscray closed after staff members tested positive on Saturday. Both discount variety stores are being closed for deep cleaning. Labor narrowly hold the lead in Eden-Monaro - but the results of the by-election will hinge on preference flows from the enormous number of early voters. With almost 39 per cent of the votes counted as of 11pm Saturday, Labor's Kristy McBain is slightly ahead on 50.75 per cent after projected preference flows. Liberal candidate Fiona Kotvojs is expected to take 49.25 per cent of the two-party preferred vote. About 38 per cent of voters in the southeast New South Wales region went to the polls early and their ballots are still being counted, while 15 per cent made postal votes. No results have been released yet from the pre-poll ballots. As votes began to be counted on Saturday night, NSW Nationals leader John Barilaro declared during a television appearance that he would have won the seat if he had chosen to run. Mr Barilaro had initially declared he would contest for the seat but then backed out of the race early on. Liberal candidate for Eden-Monaro Fiona Kotvojs votes at Jerrabomberra Public School polling station, north of Queanbeyan, NSW, Saturday, July 4, 2020 Labor candidate for Eden-Monaro Kristy McBain (left) and Australian Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese are seen at Merimbula Primary School in Merimbula, NSW, Saturday, July 4, 2020 Appearing on Sky News on Saturday evening the NSW Deputy Premier was asked if he thought he could have won. 'I think so,' Mr Barilaro replied. 'On the ground, I know I had wide support. I could have had a go at it,' he said. Political commentators speculated Mr Barilaro declared he would not run after polling showed victory was not assured - some suggesting he would regroup his efforts for the next federal poll. The result of the by-election will come down to pre-poll votes cast before Saturday. 'There are 43,000 votes sitting in the pre-poll voting centre counting facility in Fyshwick in Canberra,' Labor senator Tim Ayres told party supporters in coastal town Merimbula. 'That does mean that it's going to be some time before anybody with any confidence will be able to predict the results.' With the votes already counted, Labor's primary vote is down more than four points on its 2019 election result and the Liberals have also had a small swing against them. The Greens' primary vote has also dropped, by 3.57 points. But Labor appears to be picking up good preference flows from the Shooters, Fishers and Farmers party and the Help End Marijuana Prohibition party. Deputy NSW Premier John Barilaro (pictured with his family) left school to work in his father Domenico's window frame and door manufacturer, Ryleho, which he later managed Supporters wait for Liberal candidate for Eden-Monaro Fiona Kotvojs at the post election function at the Royal Hotel in Queanbeyan, NSW Labor sources said the trend in pre-poll preferences appeared to be in line with what was seen in Saturday's votes. However, Liberal frontbencher Angus Taylor said primary vote results from Yass and Merimbula pre-polls were more favourable to the Liberal candidate. 'This is a repudiation of the left-wing politics that Anthony Albanese and the Greens stand for,' he said. 'When you look at the booths, it's those tradie-type booths, whether it's in Queanbeyan or Cooma ... that's where we've done the best.' Nationals candidate Trevor Hicks conceded about 9pm, with his party steady on 6.7 per cent of the vote. 'I wish I could go a bit further, but obviously it was always a hard task with COVID restrictions and, you know, in such a short time that we've had,' he told supporters. 'But I think we've made an impact for the farmers of this region.' Volunteers wait for the results of the by-election for the seat of Eden-Monaro at the Labor party election function in Merimbula, NSW, Saturday, July 4, 2020. Voting has ended with Labor's Kristy McBain or Liberal candidate Fiona Kotvojs expected to win the vote Both major parties are already rehearsing their excuses should they lose the battle that has been fought against the backdrop of drought, bushfires and the COVID-19 pandemic in the past six months. The by-election for the federal seat in the south eastern corner of NSW was triggered when respected Labor member Mike Kelly resigned from parliament due to health concerns. A total of 114,000 voters will decide what is shaping up to be a test-run for a federal election with the seat seen as a bellwether electorate. VOTES COUNTED ON SATURDAY EDEN-MONARO RESULTS AT ABOUT 11PM SATURDAY 62,216 votes counted (54.4 per cent of electorate) PRIMARY VOTE LABOR - Kristy McBain - 36.85 per cent (down 2.9 points on 2019 result) LIBERALS - Fiona Kotvojs - 37.35 per cent (up 0.87 points) NATIONALS - Trevor Hicks - 5.48 per cent (down 1.17 points) GREENS - Cathy Griff - 5.79 per cent (down 3.19) SHOOTERS, FISHERS AND FARMERS - Matthew Stadtmiller - 5.78 per cent (didn't run in 2019) HELP END MARIJUANA PROHIBITION - Michael Balderstone - 2.62 per cent (didn't run in 2019) - TWO-PARTY PREFERRED LABOR 51.29 per cent (up 0.44 points) LIBERALS 48.71 per cent (down 0.44 points) Advertisement Labor leader Anthony Albanese was trying to claim underdog status in the lead-up. 'Eden-Monaro has always been held by the party in government, that's one of the reasons why we are up against it in this by-election,' Mr Albanese said at a Merimbula polling station where Ms McBain cast her vote on Saturday. 'The only time that hasn't happened is when Mike Kelly won the seat in 2016 and then again last year.' In contrast, Liberal backbencher Jason Falinski pointed to the history of by-elections, where a government has not won a seat from the opposition in 100 years. 'Obviously Labor would be feeling a lot of pressure today to make sure that they maintain this seat,' he told ABC television. The vast electorate that surrounds the ACT has suffered from drought, floods, bushfires and the coronavirus recession in recent months. Voters and party representatives interact outside Bungendore Public School on July 04, 2020 in Bungendore, Australia The seat of Eden-Monaro was vacated when Labor MP Mike Kelly (pictured) retired 'Today is a chance to send government a message that six months on from bushfire we shouldn't still be waiting for assistance, a chance to send a message that businesses need help, and they need a plan for the future,' Ms McBain told reporters after casting her vote. THE SEAT OF EDEN-MONARO Eden-Monaro in southern New South Wales was Australia's bellwether seat from 1972 until 2016, when Labor's Mike Kelly won back his old seat even though Malcolm Turnbull's Liberal-National Coalition government was narrowly re-elected. This electorate had voted for every winning side from Gough Whitlam to Tony Abbott. If the Liberal Party's Fiona Kotvojs prevails on Saturday against Labor's Kristy McBain, it will be the first time since 1920 that a federal government has won a seat from the Opposition at a by-election. In the election lead-up, Roy Morgan had the Liberal Party slight ahead of Labor in Eden-Monaro as Newspoll did. Eden-Monaro covers bushfire damaged areas of the NSW South Coast. Advertisement Ms Kotvojs said the electorate needs to be rebuilt after a tough six months. 'So people need to think about which of the candidates is able to be a strong voice in government to deliver, which of the candidates brings a breadth of skills to be able to deliver for this diverse electorate,' she told reporters after casting her vote at a Jerrabomberra polling booth. Nationals candidate Trevor Hicks hopes voters will look past the slick campaign machines of the two major parties and vote for him instead. 'It really need somebody at this stage to support them after the fires, after the COVID restrictions that we've had, and the drought that has affected so many farmers,' Mr Hicks told Sky News. 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. Scott Morrison said on Thursday employment was a major factor in the by-election. 'Right here, right now, it's about jobs and jobs here in Eden-Monaro,' he told reporters in Canberra on Thursday. 'I need someone here on the ground ... who will fight for those jobs and will storm into my office and say, 'The primary producers need this now, boss,' or, 'The timber millers need this'.' NSW state ministers John Barilaro and Andrew Constance knocked each other out of contention at the start of the race, while in the final week Mr Barilaro, the deputy premier, has faced accusations he's undermining the Liberals so he can have a clear tilt at the seat in 2022. Labor has accused the government of talking big in the lead-up to voters going to the polls, especially about the bushfire recovery, but also about having poor follow-through when it comes to delivering what people need. Kristy McBain (pictured) is the local mayor for Bega and is the favourite to win the federal seat NSW Transport Minister Andrew Constance (pictured with wife Jennifer) declared he would run before pulling out 'This electorate doesn't need someone who will just sit there and give a tick to the government, this electorate needs someone who'll speak up for them,' Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese said in the coastal town of Narooma on Friday. 'We've been focused on the needs of the people of Eden-Monaro, we'll continue to be so after polls close at six o'clock, when parliament resumes in August, when the budget comes down in October, throughout next year.' Labor candidate Kristy McBain, a former mayor of Bega, rose to prominence advocating for her community during the summer's bushfire crisis. 'I need to get over the line here so that I can amplify the voices of the people that matter right now and that's the people that are feeling left behind and forgotten in Eden-Monaro,' she said. But Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the delivery of help to people in the region really needed a voice in his government. 'We really need people with boots on the ground as part of my government to ensure that we're delivering rather than sniping from the sidelines,' he told the Sounds of the Mountains radio station on Friday. 'I need my Liberal candidate to be the member for Eden-Monaro so we can make this rebuilding dream a reality.' Liberal candidate Fiona Kotvojs defended her own home near Cobargo from bushfires in January. One local woman from Cobargo famously refused to shake Prime Minister Scott Morrison's hand during the bushfire crises until he offered more support to volunteer firefighters Advertisement Fifteen people are feared dead and 13 others are missing in western Japan after record heavy rain triggered massive floods and landslides, forcing authorities to issue evacuation orders for more than 76,000 residents. The nation's weather agency downgraded rain warnings by one notch from the highest emergency level in Kumamoto and Kagoshima on Kyushu island, but Prime Minister Shinzo Abe urged local people to be 'on maximum alert'. Abe ordered 10,000 troops on stand-by for immediate deployment to join rescue and recovery operations, pledging the central government would 'do its best to take emergency measures, prioritising people's lives'. Two people were found 'in cardio-respiratory arrest' and another was missing after landslides in Kumamoto, said Naosaka Miyahara, a disaster management official for the prefecture, using a term often used in Japan before a doctor certifies death. Kumamoto Gov. Ikuo Kabashima later told reporters that 14 residents at a flooded elderly care home in Kuma village were presumed dead after being found during rescue operations, according to Japanese media including NHK and Kyodo News. Officials said they were still sorting out the numbers and could not confirm the toll. Areas are inundated in muddy waters that gushed out from the Kuma River in Hitoyoshi, Kumamoto prefecture, southwestern Japan A man waits to be rescued on a roof of a house after the area is inundated after torrential rain triggered the flooding of the Kumagawa River Left: In this aerial image, Hitoyoshi city center is inundated after the torrential rain. Right: Residents are stranded on the rooftop of a house submerged in muddy waters that gushed out from the Kuma River in Hitoyoshi, Kumamoto prefecture, southwestern Japan A car passes through a flooded road caused by heavy rain in Yatsushiro, Kumamoto prefecture. Public broadcaster NHK said about 100 people had been stranded as roads were cut off by floods and landslides In Tsunagimachi district, two of three people buried underneath mudslides were pulled out without vital signs, Kumamoto prefectural crisis management official Takafumi Kobori said. Rescuers were still searching for the third person. In another badly flooded town, Ashikita, six people were unaccounted for and a seventh was seriously injured, Kumamoto officials said. In the mountainous village of Kuma, residents stranded at their homes were being airlifted by a rescue helicopter. In Hitoyoshi city, rescuers transported some residents in a boat. 'At one point in the morning, 13 people were unaccounted for but the figures are changing as we are still struggling to sort out the situation,' Miyahara told AFP. Public broadcaster NHK said about 100 people had been stranded as roads were cut off by floods and landslides. Television footage showed vehicles swamped at car parks near a flooding river, while several bridges were washed away. 'I can't evacuate as a road turned into a river. It's so scary,' a female resident told NHK. Aerial footage showed a resident being lifted with a rope from a roof to a military helicopter as an entire town was awash with muddy water. Rising water caused by heavy rain is seen at Kuma river in Yatsushiro. Japan is currently in its rainy season, which often causes floods and landslides and prompts local authorities to issue evacuation orders Vehicles pass through a flooded road caused by heavy rain in Yatsushiro, Kumamoto prefecture. Kyodo News said 76,600 residents in Kumamoto and Kagoshima were ordered to evacuate their homes The river Kuma overflowing in Yatsushiro, Kumamoto prefecture, southwestern Japan. More heavy rain is expected over the coming days A massive landslide destroyed several houses with rescuers searching for missing people through half-buried windows. Pictured: rising water caused by a heavy rain is seen along Kuma river in Yatsushiro Some train services have been suspended in the region, while more than 8,000 households lost power. Pictured: a car is stuck on a flooded road due to heavy rain in Yatsushiro The river Kuma overflowing in Yatsushiro, Kumamoto prefecture, southwestern Japan today. Twelve people are feared dead and many are missing Television footage showed vehicles swamped at car parks near a flooding river, while several bridges were washed away by the water The nation's weather agency downgraded rain warnings by one notch from the highest emergency level in Kumamoto and Kagoshima on Kyushu island, but Prime Minister Shinzo Abe urged local people to be 'on maximum alert' Japan is currently in its rainy season, which often causes floods and landslides and prompts local authorities to issue evacuation orders Muddy water flows through a residential area near Kuma river, after unprecedented torrential rains threatened floods and landslides, in Ashikita, Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan A man looks at the river Kuma overflowing in Yatsushiro, Kumamoto prefecture, southwestern Japan. More bad weather is predicted over the next few days These aerial views shows the site of a mudslide caused by heavy rain in Ashikita town, Kumamoto prefecture, southwestern Japan A massive landslide destroyed several houses with rescuers searching for missing people through half-buried windows. 'We have issued evacuation orders after record heavy rain,' said Toshiaki Mizukami, another official for Kumamoto prefecture. 'We strongly urge people to take action to protect their lives as it's still raining quite heavily,' he told AFP. Kyodo News said 76,600 residents in Kumamoto and Kagoshima were ordered to evacuate their homes. Some train services have been suspended in the region, while more than 8,000 households lost power. 'I smelled mud, and the whole area was vibrating with river water. I've never experienced anything like this,' a man in a shelter in Yatsushiro city, in western Kumamoto, told NHK TV. He said he fled early fearing a disaster. Japan is currently in its rainy season, which often causes floods and landslides and prompts local authorities to issue evacuation orders. International arrivals at Sydney Airport will be capped at 450 as the city's hotel quarantine program struggles to cope after an increase of arrivals. Travellers have been warned to expect possible delays as the changes affect incoming flights from midnight on Saturday. The move comes after flights were diverted from Melbourne as health officials scramble to contain the latest outbreak in Victoria. The new limits were requested by the NSW government following the diversions, which they say risk straining resources. International arrivals at Sydney Airport will be capped at 450 for two weeks. Pictured: Returned travellers arrive in Sydney for their 14-day mandatory quarantiine in May All returned travellers entering Australia are required to stay in 14-day hotel quarantine to stop the spread of coronavirus. Pictured: Returned travellers arrive in Sydney in May NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard said some travellers appeared to have changed their plans and have flown into NSW in light of Victoria's spike in COVID-19 cases. All returned travellers entering Australia are required to stay in 14-day hotel quarantine to stop the spread of coronavirus but a number of Victoria's latest cases have been linked to safety breaches within their quarantine program. The limit of 450 passengers per day arriving at Sydney Airport will be imposed from midnight on Saturday until July 17. However, it could be extended. Up to 50 people will be allowed per incoming flight under the new federal government limits. 'The Commonwealth government's intervention now will hopefully ensure that the quarantine model operating in NSW will continue to work for the benefit of NSW residents and returning passengers,' Mr Hazzard said on Saturday. 'It is crucial that the volume of returning passengers not overrun the capacity of NSW Health to meet and assess every international passenger at Sydney Airport and not exhaust Health, Police and ADF resources to manage our quarantine hotels.' The pressure on Sydney's hotel quarantine program has also been increased since the Queensland Government announced it would charge returned travellers from July 1 for their two weeks in isolation. A bus waits to pick up guests who were in quarantine departing the Swissotel in Sydney in April The quarantine fee, which includes accommodation and daily meals, costs $2,800 for one adult, $3,710 for two adults, and $4,620 for two adults and two children. Travellers intending to fly into Australia over the coming weeks are encouraged to check their itineraries. 'Following a request by NSW, a daily cap of 450 international passengers arriving into Sydney is now in place until 17 July inclusive, subject to review,' a Smart Traveller Facebook post says. 'This measure aims to support Melbourne reset its quarantine program and reduce pressure on policing, health and quarantine facilities in Sydney. 'If you're scheduled to fly into Melbourne or Sydney in the coming weeks, contact your airline to confirm your itinerary and onward travel plans.' NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard said some travellers appeared to change their plans and fly into NSW in light of Victoria's spike in COVID-19 cases. Pictured: Returned travellers arrive in Sydney for their hotel quarantine in March The Australian High Commission in the United Kingdom issued a statement on Facebook, urging Australians to 'make arrangements to accommodate a potential disruption'. 'We appreciate that these measures will have impacts on the commercial operations of airlines and the immediate travel plans of Australian citizens,' the statement said. 'We encourage Australians who have made travel plans to return to Australia over the next two weeks to contact their airlines as soon as possible to see what alternative arrangements are available.' Australians were advised to return home 'as soon as possible' in the middle of the March as the coronavirus pandemic rapidly swept the globe. Advertisement A 27-year-old man drove a white Jaguar onto a closed freeway in Seattle early Saturday and barreled through a panicked crowd of protesters, critically injuring two women, officials said. Dawit Kelete of Seattle drove the car around vehicles that were blocking Interstate 5 and sped into the crowd at about 1:40am, according to a police report released by the Washington State Patrol. Video taken at the scene by protesters showed people shouting 'Car! Car!' before fleeing the roadway. Summer Taylor, 24, of Seattle and Diaz Love, 32, of Bellingham were in critical condition with multiple injuries, according to Harborview Medical Center spokeswoman Susan Gregg. The image above shows the moments before a white Jaguar speeding down the I-5 freeway in Seattle that was shut down due to protests collides with two demonstrators before dawn on Saturday Authorities in Washington State said they do not believe alcohol played a factor. Investigators are also looking into a possible motive The collision sent the two women flying into the air, leaving one of them with life-threatening injuries and the other with serious injuries The image above shows one of the victims lying on the highway just moments after being struck by the car Love was filming the protest in a nearly two-hour-long Facebook livestream captioned 'Black Femme March takes I-5' when the video ended abruptly; with about 15 seconds left, shouts of 'Car!' can be heard as the camera starts to shake before screeching tires and the sound of impact are heard. The driver, who was alone in the Jaguar, fled the scene after hitting the protesters, Trooper Chase Van Cleave told The Associated Press. Diaz Love (above), 32, of Bellingham, Washington, is in critical condition along with Summer Taylor, 24, (not pictured) after being struck by a white Jaguar that drove through a group of protesters early Saturday morning Summer Taylor (pictured) suffered life-threatening injuries as a result of the collision early Saturday morning in Seattle One of the protesters got in a car and chased the driver for about a mile. He was able to stop him by pulling his car in front of the Jaguar, Van Cleave said. Troopers arrived and the driver was put in custody, Washington State Patrol Capt. Ron Mead said. Kelete was booked into the King County Correctional Facility at 7:24am on Saturday on two counts of vehicular assault. Bail was denied. It was not immediately clear if Kelete had an attorney who could speak on his behalf. Officials were trying to determine the motive as well as where he got onto the interstate, which had been closed by the state patrol for more than an hour before the women were hit. Mead said they suspect Kelete drove the wrong way on a ramp. Trooper Rick Johnson said the driver went through a barrier that closed the freeway before striking the women. Emergency workers tend to an injured person on the ground after a driver sped through a protest-related closure on the Interstate 5 freeway in Seattle The two women are loaded into ambulances by first responders after they were hit by a speeding car on Interstate 5 in Seattle on Saturday Police cars, fire trucks, and ambulances rushed to the scene in the aftermath of the collision on Interstate 5 in Seattle on Saturday Articles of clothing and other items are seen strewn on Interstate 5 in Seattle after the collision early on Saturday morning Troopers did not know whether it was a targeted attack, but impairment was not considered a factor, Mead said. Mead said the unnamed man faces multiple felony charges and was suspected to have come entered the interstate the wrong way on a ramp. The road was closed due to the protests. Video on social media shows a white car traveling fast and navigating around two vehicles positioned across the lanes as a barrier. The car careens toward a small crowd of protesters on the freeway, striking two people who fly into the air. But the driver, who had his hazard blinkers on, drives away. Mead said troopers did not know whether it was a targeted attack. A different video - nearly two-hours-long Facebook livestream captioned 'Black Femme March takes I-5' ended abruptly. About 15 seconds before the end, shouts of 'Car!' can be heard as the camera starts to shake and screeching tires and the sound of impact are heard. A crowdfunding effort on GoFundMe was started for Taylor. Seattle has been the site of prolonged unrest following the May 25 police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis, which sparked nationwide protests. Dozens of people were arrested this past week in connection with protests as demonstrations continue after authorities cleared the 'Capitol Hill Occupied Protest' (CHOP) zone Wednesday morning. Mead said at the press conference that protesters had shut down the interstate for 19 days in a row. He emphasized that the freeway is 'simply not a safe place' for pedestrians, and said he hoped protesters would cease what he termed 'unlawful behavior' in blocking the interstate. Washington State Patrol released two images (one of them seen above) of the white Jaguar. The image shows damage to the front of the vehicle Investigators are looking into whether the driver drove around signs explicitly forbidding entry onto the freeway, part of which was closed off due to protests A demonstrator is seen left approaching the car after the collision further down the road on the freeway The driver then avoids the protester and continues down the road before he is arrested. Police have not released his identity 'My hope is, as a result of this tragedy, protesters will reconsider their desire to be on the interstate because I cannot guarantee their safety, plain and simple,' Mead said. Protesters were on the freeway for more than an hour before the car drove around the blockade around 1.36am, Mead said. The state patrol tweeted out two pictures of the driver's car, a white Jaguar with significant damage to its bumper and windshield. Seattle police tweeted that they were assisting the State Patrol with the scene, as southbound lanes of the freeway remained closed for investigation. Black Lives Matter protests continued throughout the country on Friday. Several hundred protesters made a peaceful return trip Friday to the St. Louis mansion owned by a white couple whose armed defense of their home during an earlier demonstration earned them both scorn and support. Protesters marched along the busy public boulevard called Kingshighway, which intersects with Portland Place, a private street that is the site of the Renaissance palazzo-style home of Mark McCloskey, 61, and his 63-year-old wife, Patricia. Chanting protesters on Friday stopped at the gate just outside the McCloskeys' home for about 15 minutes. The gate closes the private street to non-residents and extra metal barriers blocked the entrance to Portland Place, where the protesters had walked earlier in the week on their way to the mayors home nearby. Inside the gate, more than a dozen men in plain clothes walked the grounds and peered out from a second-floor balcony of the couple's home. The image above shows the aftermath of the collision on Interstate 5 in Seattle as Washington State Troopers investigate Several police cars were at the scene and troopers began gathering evidence after the collision early on Saturday morning The image above shows someone's personal items strewn on Interstate 5 in Seattle early on Saturday morning Washington State Patrol officers investigate the scene after the collision in Seattle early on Saturday morning A Washington State Trooper walks past crime tape towards the scene where two people were struck by a car on Interstate 5 in Seattle early on Saturday morning An investigator with law enforcement examines personal items left at the scene where two people were struck by a car on Interstate 5 in Seattle early on Saturday morning Two Washington State Troopers are seen examining evidence on Interstate 5 after two people were struck by a speeding car early on Saturday morning One protester briefly straddled an iron gate as if he was going to jump over, but did not. No one threw anything and no one behind the gates showed aggression. One man on the McCloskeys' balcony clapped along with the chanting protesters. The racially diverse crowd on Friday carried signs reading 'Black Lives Matter,' 'Defund the Police' and 'No Justice, No Peace,' and chanted slogans including, 'when Black lives are under attack, what do we do? Stand up, fight back,' and 'this is what democracy looks like.' It was not immediately known if the McCloskeys were home. The marchers then left and walked along the busy boulevard lined with condominiums, upscale apartments and hospitals to Interstate 64. Police had closed that road to traffic in both directions and were allowing the protesters to march onto the highway, where they sat for several minutes in honor of George Floyd, who was handcuffed and died May 25 after a white Minneapolis police officer pressed his knee on Floyds neck for nearly eight minutes. The latest rally organized by the group Expect Us is among several protests in St. Louis in the weeks since George Floyds death in Minneapolis reopened longstanding concerns about police treatment of Black people in the region. The McCloskeys are personal injury attorneys who suddenly became famous last Sunday. As an estimated 500 demonstrators marched near their home, the couple heard a loud commotion and saw a large group of people break an iron gate marked with 'No Trespassing' and 'Private Street' signs, according to a police report. Video posted online and viewed by millions showed Mark McCloskey wielding a long-barreled gun and Patricia McCloskey waving a small handgun. No shots were fired. That same video showed the protesters walking through the gate and it was unclear when it was damaged. As days went by, photos of the incident evolved into memes on both sides of the gun debate - some supporting the McCloskeys as examples of people protecting their own property, some making fun of them for pulling guns during what many perceived as an otherwise peaceful protest. On Friday, Black Lives Matter protesters returned to the same street where two armed homeowners - Mark and Patricia McCloskey - stood in front of their house as demonstrators marched to St. Louis Mayor Lyda Krewson's residence in the Central West End of St. Louis on June 28 Protesters raise their arms as they block an intersection while bringing attention to racial injustice in St. Louis on Friday Protesters march beyond a gate on a private street to bring attention to racial injustice on Friday in St. Louis Henry Webber (right) and Christine Jacobs wave from their front steps as protesters pass their home on a private street on Friday. The couple lives not far from Mark and Patricia McCloskey who were seen on the front lawn of their mansion with weapons drawn on June 28 while confronting passing protesters. Webber said he wanted to send a different message to the protesters Protesters sit on Interstate 64 in St. Louis for several moments on Friday in memory of George Floyd. The protest, the latest organized by the group Expect Us, was among several protests in the weeks since Floyd's death in Minneapolis reopened long-standing concerns about police treatment of black people in the United States Protesters march in the street to bring attention to racial injustice on Friday in St. Louis An armed man stands in the rear of the home belonging to Mark and Patricia McCloskey as protesters march past without incident on Friday A couple holds hands as they take part in a protest bringing attention to racial injustice in St. Louis on Friday A protester bangs a drum while marching in the street to bring attention to racial injustice on Friday in St. Louis Protesters walk through the gate of a private street not far from the home of Mark and Patricia McCloskey on Friday in St. Louis Protesters block an interstate as they march to bring attention to racial injustice on Friday in St. Louis The attorney for the couple, Albert Watkins, said they are longtime civil rights advocates and support the message of the Black Lives Matter movement. He said they grabbed their guns when two or three protesters - who were white - violently threatened the couple, and their property and that of their neighbors. Protest organizer Darryl Gray said on Friday, 'Are we angry? Damn right we're angry. But we're nonviolent.' Demonstrators on Sunday were simply passing by the McCloskeys home on the way to the home of Mayor Lyda Krewson, a Democrat. She drew their ire on June 26 when she read aloud the names and addresses of several residents who wrote letters calling for defunding the police force. The group chanted, 'Resign, Lyda! Take the cops with you!' Krewson's home is a few blocks from the McCloskeys' home. A letter released Wednesday by more than three dozen neighbors of the couple condemned 'the behavior of anyone who uses threats of violence, especially through the brandishing of firearms, to disrupt peaceful protest, whether it be in this neighborhood or anywhere in the United States.' In Albuquerque, New Mexico, Black Lives Matter protesters blocked a roadway, causing a traffic jam. A protester insults a New York Police officer near the area known as the 'City Hall Autonomous Zone' near City Hall in Lower Manhattan on Friday A protester is detained after pepper spraying another protester and police near the area on Friday The 'City Hall Autonomous Zone' has been established to protest the New York Police Department and in support of Black Lives Matter near City Hall Protesters camp out in the area near City Hall in Lower Manhattan on Friday. 'You murdered Breonna Taylor' is scrawled on a sidewalk. Taylor was a 26-year-old black EMT who was fatally shot in her home this past March by Louisville police who were executing a no-knock warrant because they mistakenly suspected that her home was being used to deal drugs Protesters are seen above in the 'City Hall Autonomous Zone' in Lower Manhattan on Friday Black Lives Matter protesters have demanded that Mayor Bill de Blasio significantly cut funding from the New York Police Department A protester is detained after pepper spraying another protester and police near City Hall on Friday A protester blocks the view while another protester was detained by the NYPD near City Hall on Friday A protester renders aid to another demonstrator who was hit with pepper spray near City Hall in Lower Manhattan on Friday Protesters insult and scream to NYPD officers after one of them was detained near the area know as the 'City Hall Autonomous Zone' on Friday A protesters insults and screams to NYPD officers after one of them was detained in Lower Manhattan on Friday A small group marched along an area near Interstate 40 and Louisiana as shops and restaurants along the way went into lockdown, according to KOB4 TV. Police monitored the protests. No incidents were reported. In New York City, protesters continue to camp out in what has been dubbed the 'City Hall Autonomous Zone' or 'Occupy City Hall' in Lower Manhattan. At least two people were arrested by the NYPD near City Hall Park, according to Gothamist. One of those taken into custody was a protester with a blowhorn who was speaking to the crowd and reading out the record of an officer who has had various complaints against him. 'While we was exposing him - he [the protester] was right here on the gate exposing him - he ordered the officers to come around in riot gear when we was protesting and talking peacefully,' a witness who was at the protest said in an Instagram video. An NYPD spokesperson told Gothamist that Daniel Mayo, 32, of Queens was taken into custody for making 'threatening statements.' Another demonstrator, Ryan Minett, a 27-year-old resident of Long Island, was also arrested for obstruction of governmental administration, disorderly conduct, and other offenses, the NYPD said. Video uploaded to social media shows protesters reading information about officers who have been accused of misconduct. The claims against the officers were read from a website that tracks civilian complaints. '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 its 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. In Aurora, Colorado, protesters surrounded a police precinct for hours on Friday evening as demonstrators vowed they would remain there until the city dismissed two officers involved in the death of Elijah McClain and who are still employed. The third officer involved in the death of the unarmed 23-year-old African American massage therapist last August was fired on Friday for responding to a text message that contained a photo mocking McClain's death with 'HaHa,' 9 News TV reported. Protesters blocking an exit to the precinct of the officers who arrested Elijah McClain cover their ears anticipating the use of flash-bang grenades by police in Aurora, Colorado, on Friday The protesters vowed to stay and block the exit of the precinct until all of the officers involved in McClain's death were fired Protest organiser Joel Northam leads demonstrators in a call for the termination and prosecution of the officers One of the protesters holds a sign bearing the names of the officers involved in McClain's death last August Protesters surround the police precinct in Aurora, Colorado, on Friday while demanding that the officers involved in McClain's death be terminated The protesters in Aurora, Colorado, hold signs and march while denouncing police on Friday A protester wears a face mask that calls for the termination of the officers who arrested Elijah McClain Three Aurora officers were fired on Friday over photos showing police reenact a chokehold used on McClain, who died last year after police stopped him on the street in the Denver suburb. One of those fired is Jason Rosenblatt, a white Aurora officer who helped stop McClain in August for wearing a ski mask and 'being suspicious.' Police put McClain in a chokehold, paramedics injected him with a sedative and McClain suffered cardiac arrest before later being taken off life support. Aurora Interim Police Chief Vanessa Wilson told reporters that officers sent the photos to Rosenblatt and others two months after McClain died to 'cheer up a friend,' without explaining who that was. Rosenblatt responded with a text saying, 'Haha.' Officer Nathan Woodyard, who put McClain in a chokehold, also got the photos but he was not disciplined because he didnt respond. 'We are ashamed, we are sickened, and we are angry,' Wilson said. The officers may not have committed a crime, but the photographs are 'a crime against humanity and decency,' she added. Three Aurora officers were fired on Friday over photos showing police reenact a chokehold used on McClain, who died last year after police stopped him on the street in the Denver suburb 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 McClains 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. McClains family, friends and community activists noted during a rally that justice was swifter for the mocking photograph than the use of force that led to McClains death. The two other officers who stopped the young man are still on the force as authorities look again into possible criminal charges after clearing them last year. 'Rosenblatt got fired not for killing Elijah, not for murdering Elijah, but for making fun of Elijah,' said Terrence Roberts, a community organizer and family friend. 'That is the culture that we're fighting, where a police officer can murder a black man, a black child, and keep his job and stay on the force so he can go make fun of this child.' Officers Kyle Dittrich, Erica Marrero and Jaron Jones - none of whom confronted McClain in August - smiled and mockingly placed each other in a chokehold in the photos taken in October near a memorial for McClain. An officer reported the photos to a sergeant late last month, and an internal investigation began. Rosenblatt, Dittrich and Marrero were fired for conduct unbecoming of an officer. Jones resigned earlier this week. The Aurora Police Association called the investigation 'a rush to judgment.' The union for officers said on Facebook that the investigation took nine days, while a standard internal affairs case takes months. Several police agencies have taken swift action to punish officers, including those involved in George Floyds death May 25 in Minneapolis that ushered in global demonstrations. Sheneen McClain (right) is hugged by family attorney Mari Newman (left) at the memorial site across the street from where McClain's 23-year-old son, Elijah, was stopped by Aurora, Colorado, police officers while walking home as family members hold a news conference on Friday Protesters gather at the site where Elijah McClain was arrested and march to the precinct where the officers who arrested him are stationed to demand their termination and prosecution A protester lays flowers at a memorial for Elijah McClain at the site where he was arrested in Aurora, Colorado, on Friday Protesters gather at the site where Elijah McClain was arrested and march to the precinct where the officers who arrested him are stationed to demand their termination and prosecution on Friday Protesters unfurl a Black Lives Matter banner during a march to the police precinct in Aurora, Colorado, on Friday A protester raises a sign which reads 'I'm just different' during a march from the site of McClain's arrest to the precinct where the officers involved in his death are stationed For Elijah McClains mother, Sheneen McClain, 'it was just devastating to see that people were mocking the murder of her son,' family attorney Mari Newman said. '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,' she said. Facing increasing pressure as celebrities and others on social media called for justice, Colorado Governor Jared Polis last week ordered the state attorney general to reopen McClains case. The officers stopped McClain, a massage therapist, after a 911 call on August 24 reported him as suspicious because he was wearing a ski mask and flailing his arms. He begged them repeatedly to let go of him, according to body-camera video. After the chokehold that cut off blood to his brain, paramedics administered 500 milligrams of a sedative to calm him down. A forensic pathologist could not determine what exactly led to McClain's death but said physical exertion during the confrontation likely contributed. A prosecutor said he didn't pursue criminal charges against the officers because the pathologist wasnt able to determine if their actions caused McClains death. District Attorney Dave Young recently called the young mans death 'tragic and unnecessary' but defended his decision. Police body-camera video shows an officer getting out of his car, approaching McClain and saying, 'Stop right there. Stop. Stop. ... I have a right to stop you because youre being suspicious.' In the video, the officer turns McClain around and repeats, 'Stop tensing up.' As McClain tries to escape the officer's grip, the officer says, 'Relax, or Im going to have to change this situation.' 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.' Aurora police have said McClain refused to stop walking and fought back when officers tried to take him into custody. In the video, McClain tells officers: 'Let go of me. I am an introvert. Please respect the boundaries that I am speaking.' The United States Attorneys Office, the U.S. Justice Departments Civil Rights Division and the FBI announced this week they are looking into whether to launch a civil rights investigation. Federal authorities said they also were considering an investigation into the photos. Advertisement Florida on Saturday reported at least 11,445 new coronavirus cases - the states largest number of daily cases so far - as the United States celebrated an Independence Day unlike any other. Many parades and fireworks displays were canceled, beaches and bars closed, and concern was growing that the festivities could cause a spike in coronavirus cases. Health authorities are warning that this weekend will be a crucial test of Americans' self-control, and that it could determine the trajectory of the surging COVID-19 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. Theresa Davis, a St. Augustine native, and Vicky Cornazolli, of Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., have a voter registration booth setup on St. Augustine Beach in Florida on July 4, as COVID-19 infections in the state hit a new record St. Augustine Beach in Florida was packed with people on July 4 enjoying the holiday, despite the rocketing infection rate The virus has infected more than 190,000 people in Florida and at least 3,700 people have died. New cases in the Sunshine State have increased by 67 per cent based on a seven-day average. Florida reported Saturday that 14.1 per cent of those tested for the virus were positive, well above the five per cent threshold that the World Health Organization advises for safe reopening. Even as Florida reports record case numbers, Gov. Ron DeSantis has said he wont close businesses again and has repeatedly refused to order a statewide mask mandate to curb the spread of the virus. Florida accounts for roughly 20 per cent of all new cases in the U.S. Florida accounts for 20 per cent of all new infections in the United States at the moment, yet on July 4 beaches were busy Sunbathers in St. Augustine took advantage of the holiday and the hot weather to go to the beach, despite the risk Vice President Mike Pence, who visited Tampa on Thursday, praised Floridas governor for his 'innovative' response to the pandemic and said that Florida is in a 'much better place' to fight the current outbreak. Pence postponed campaign events in Florida due to the increase in positive cases there. The states approach has been defined by a patchwork of varying rules, with officials in South Florida, where viral cases have spiked, being the most stringent. Miami's beaches are closed this weekend. In Central Florida, by contrast, some theme parks have reopened. Disneys Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom are set to reopen July 11, Epcot and Hollywood Studios four days later. Infectious disease specialist Aileen Marty warned Friday that Florida was 'heading a million miles an hour in the wrong direction' in dealing with the pandemic and said residents are not following public health guidelines to slow the spread. 'Its absolutely the saddest thing, the most unnecessary situation that were finding ourselves in,' Marty said in an interview with CBS This Morning. 'And its behaviorally driven.' On the eve of Independence Day, California's beaches were packed. Pictured is La Jolla Beach, south of the hard-hit state Huntington Beach in California was also packed on July 3, a holiday, as people readied for the Independence Day parties '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. There are now 2.795 million cases of COVID-19 in the U.S. 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 told Associated Press. 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. 'We're not going to be arresting people for having gatherings, but we're certainly going to discourage it,' said Dr Jeff Duchin, public health director for Seattle and King County. A family waits in line at entrance to an amusement pier on July 3 in Wildwood, New Jersey. Masks have been recommended Those who decide they must gather with a small group of family members need to be careful, he said: 'Don't share utensils, don't share objects, don't pass them back and forth, because you're 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. 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. Infections across the United States dropped in May, but spiked again in June and are continuing to rise, worrying experts Pacific Beach in San Diego, California, was packed with people on July 3, ahead of the celebrations on Saturday 'I am really concerned,' said Paul Kanitra, mayor of Point Pleasant Beach, a popular shore town that was unexpectedly overrun by thousands of tourists who swarmed the beach and boardwalk a few weeks ago at a 'pop-up party,' paying little heed to social distancing or masks. 'We're seeing spikes across the country in states that opened up weeks ago, and while we're doing a good job in New Jersey, there are a lot of people that are way too cavalier about social distancing,' he said. 'There's inherent risk in all of this.' Large crowds are expected at the shore for the holiday weekend: New Jersey's casinos have reopened, along with amusement rides and water parks. Beaches are open, though at reduced occupancy levels. Restaurants can offer limited outdoor dining, and stores and shopping malls have reopened. But not everyone is following rules designed to prevent the spread of the virus, including wearing masks and keeping six feet apart. In late June, large crowds swarmed D'Jais, a popular oceanfront nightclub in Belmar in scenes reminiscent of pre-pandemic days. Few patrons wore face coverings, and fewer still kept their distance from others on a packed dance floor. Patrons wait outside a bar in the Venice Beach area of Los Angeles. California is seeing a worrying surge in new infections NEW YORK SEES ANOTHER SPIKE New York had 918 new cases of coronavirus confirmed on Thursday, the governor announced on Friday, in what he said was 'a reminder that the virus is still here'. The grim new tally was the first time that new infections were above 900 since June 12. Andrew Cuomo, the governor, said the latest data should act as a warning for all. 'The more than 900 new cases in New York yesterday, while representing just 1.38% of tests, is a reminder that the virus is still here,' he said. Advertisement Governor Phil Murphy saw videos of the packed club and warned the state will not hesitate to reimpose harsher restrictions if people don't behave. 'We cannot let up on our social distancing or our responsibility just because the sun is out,' the governor said. 'We can't be lulled into complacency and think it's OK to crowd around a bar. That is how flare-ups happen.' Ocean City Mayor Jay Gillian pleaded with residents and visitors to wear masks during the long holiday, including on the boardwalk, noting, 'Ocean City is already very crowded.' Ocean City officials plan to roam the boardwalk Saturday from 5pm to 7pm, awarding prizes at random to families and individuals wearing face coverings. Although New Jersey's hospitalization rate is down drastically from a peak a few months ago, officials fear hospitalizations for the virus will rise again if people become lax about taking precautions. 'We are especially concerned after the gatherings we saw at the Jersey Shore,' added the state's health commissioner, Judith Persichilli. 'Individuals were packed together, which raises the risk of spreading the virus.' A big test is happening this weekend with the reopening of eight of Atlantic City's nine casinos. The Borgata is remaining closed due to smoking, drinking and indoor eating bans Murphy imposed on the gambling halls. Most casinos scan guests temperatures upon entering, hand sanitizer dispensers are placed throughout the premises, and everyone inside must wear a mask. 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 Arlington's July Fourth parade will take a much longer route through its neighborhoods so residents can watch without crowding the streets. 'We're calling it the front porch parade,' said organizer Sam Porter. 'We can't 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 Nelson's 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 nation's 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 you're going to be able to social distance?' said Mayor Muriel Bowser. 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. Donald and Melania Trump kicked off a weekend of celebrations with a visit to Mount Rushmore in South Dakota Donald Trump on July 3 traveled to South Dakota for a celebration of Independence Day at Mount Rushmore The historic site was lit up with a fireworks display - a preview of Saturday's celebrations on the National Mall in Washington TEXAS HOSPITALS AT MAXIMUM CAPACITY Stay at home orders have been issued in two Texas counties after the hospitals reached maximum capacity. Judges in Starr and Hidalgo counties sent out emergency alerts Friday, warning residents that local hospitals in the Rio Grande Valley were at capacity. 'The local and valley hospitals are at full capacity and have no more beds available,' wrote Eloy Vera in Starr county. 'I urge all of our residents to please shelter-in-place, wear face coverings, practice social distancing and AVOID GATHERINGS.' Judge Richard Cortez mirrored the warning for neighboring Hidalgo county. On Friday, Texas reported a third day of new COVID-19 cases topping 7,000. The state is expected to see 2,000 new hospitalizations by July. Advertisement With many 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. 'We'll muddle through,' he said. Delaware's 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 nation's 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 Michigan's 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 couldn't do that,' she said. The problem, she said, is that too many people aren't listening to the experts. 'Even in my small, little town, there are lot of people who didn't 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. Wedding receptions worth 300million to the industry could be poised to return from lockdown 'within weeks'. The large-scale get togethers are currently prohibited under restrictions of the Coronavirus lockdown and have already seen 250,000 marriages put on ice. It had put half a million jobs at risk but there is now a chink of light which could see a near return to the celebrations of old. Next week meetings between the Association of British Wedding Businesses, Public Health England, the Health and Safety Executive and relevant Government departments will discuss when the big post ceremony parties could return. Wedding receptions had been put on ice by the lockdown but could now be 'weeks away' Social distancing had meant large wedding parties had been prohibited under lockdown rules It comes after Prime Minister Boris Johnson pledged to establish a roadmap to recovery for the sectors still shut down by the pandemic. A wedding industry source told the MailOnline: The entire sector is holding its breath for announcements next week. Everyone is hoping it could pave the way for proper wedding receptions to be back within weeks. It would be a massive boost to the industry and save a lot of jobs and couples big days. Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Friday he hoped to set out a roadmap for the return of mass-gatherings over the next few weeks and months Hope for the future of the large-scale events was boosted after Mr Johnson was asked about areas that were still shut. He said: Mass gatherings are still prohibited; social distancing is still essential. I want these restrictions to be lifted. Weve established taskforces to work rapidly and closely with these sectors that remain closed, to explore how they can be Covid-secure. Association of British Wedding Businesses venue committee chairman Duncan Clark (pictured with wife Nicky) said the signals were good for the sector and welcomed talks The possibility of receptions being allowed to return was also welcomed by industry figures Stuart Owens (left) and Alex Rayner (right) At a glance: What are the current rules for weddings in lockdown? 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 Im pleased to report that good progress is being made. Next week, we will set out a timetable for their reopening. July and August are crucial months for many venues that have been strangled by lockdown. Before the Covid-19 crisis an August weekend could host 10,000 weddings, with a million guests and 300million spent. ABWB Venue Committee Chairman Duncan Clark said: If we can get post wedding celebrations up and running to a signicant degree ASAP it would inject lifeblood into the industry and make dreams come true for thousands of couples. Of course safety comes rst but we are delighted with the Prime Ministers statement we will see a timeline of how things can restart by the end of the week. We have been seeking this for many months. The pandemic saw some 250,000 weddings put on hold with half a million jobs at risk. Easing of lockdown measures so far means services with 30 people can go ahead. But it is hoped the clear timeline promised on how and when wedding celebrations can start again will reassure couples and protect venues from liquidation. Stuart Owens, whose Artemis Venue Services Group has postponed more than 1200 weddings, said: The wedding industry is in a desperate state but its full recovery is perfectly achievable. This now gives fresh hope for couples over their once in a lifetime day, as well as a new condence for thousands of jobs the wedding industry provides. CEO of events at Braxted park Alex Rayner - who has postponed 72 weddings since March - said: We are are just incredibly eager to get going again and deliver to our couples and guests. We believe celebrations can be held responsibly and wait for the government plans next week with baited breath, as do millions of other people across the country who were looking forward to weddings this summer. The Trump campaign praised a new study that suggests hydroxychloroquine can improve survival odds for some coronavirus patients after the president was criticized for touting the drug. After repeated failures in previous research, the new study claimed that hospitalized coronavirus patients given hydroxychloroquine early in treatment were 50 percent less likely to die than those who did not receive the drug. In a statement, Trump's campaign branded the study 'fantastic news', hitting out at critics of the drug who they claimed attempted to discredit it as part of their 'own anti-Trump agenda'. The campaign also praised the Trump administration for securing a massive stockpile of hydroxychloroquine months ago. President Trump had praised hydroxychloroquine as a 'game changer' and 'gift from God' for coronavirus patients but grew quiet about it as evidence against the drug mounted. His campaign welcomed positive news on the drug this week hailing it as 'fantastic' A Henry Ford Health System study found that COVID-19 patients given hydroxychloroquine early on in their treatment were 50% less likely to die. The study only administered the anti-malaria drug to those without a high risk of heart problems 'Fortunately, the Trump Administration secured a massive supply of hydroxychloroquine for the national stockpile months ago,' the statement read. 'Yet this is the same drug that the media and the Biden campaign spent weeks trying to discredit and spread fear and doubt around because President Trump dared to mention it as a potential treatment for coronavirus. 'First, the media tried to ludicrously blame President Trump for the death of a man who ingested fish tank cleaner, falsely tying the incident to hydroxychloroquine,' it said. 'Even Joe Biden himself dismissed the drug, saying "no serious medical personnel" would suggest its use. 'The new study from the Henry Ford Health System should be a clear message to the media and the Democrats: stop the bizarre attempts to discredit hydroxychloroquine to satisfy your own anti-Trump agenda. It may be costing lives.' The Henry Ford System study carried out the testing on 2,541 people, only if they were not at high risk for heart problems, as the drug has been shown to create heart rhythm problems as a potential side effect. It comes after several large-scale studies found no benefit to the malaria drug, despite it being pushed by the president, which prompted the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to revoke its emergency use authorization. On Wednesday, the FDA renewed its warning that hydroxychloroquine should not be used to treat coronavirus outside of the hospital setting or a clinical trial due to the risk of heart rhythm problems. President Trump said in March that hydroxychloroquine could be a game-changer and said he was taking it himself, continuing to tout the drug even after the FDA revoked its emergency authorization. 'Now, a drug called chloroquine, and some people would add to it, hydroxychloroquine, so chloroquine or hydroxychloroquine ... [has] shown very encouraging, very, very encouraging early results,' he said. He added that 'were going to be able to make that drug available almost immediately' despite acknowledging it may not 'go as planned'. He became quiet on the issue, however, as studies mounted to suggest the drug was not a coronavirus cure and later said he would stop staking the unapproved drug. Trump's top economic adviser, Peter Navarro, on Friday also praised the findings of the new study, and slammed the FDA's decision and previous warning about hydroxychloroquine potential cardiac side effects. 'Now what, what, practically, that means is that if we had been using hydroxychloroquine at the very beginning, we could have saved tens of thousands of lives already,' Navarro said. 'It's a drug that has gotten this hysterical bad rap on the basis of the media selectively promoting studies which, on their face, are flawed studies.' He also blamed the FDA's warning for depriving doctors at Henry Ford and elsewhere from doing gold standard clinical trial study of hydroxychloroquine for coronavirus patients. White House economic adviser Peter Navarro praised the findings of the new study, claiming that if they'd been made earlier, tens of thousands of lives could have been saved. He hit out at the FDA, incorrectly blaming the agency for 'shutting down' hydroxychloroquine studies However, because it is FDA-approved for treating lupus, rheumatoid arthritis and malaria, doctors can still readily gain access to the drug, regardless of the FDA's now-revoked emergency use authorization and warnings. It's unclear whether the Henry Ford researchers wanted to do a clinical trial - which is more expensive, time-consuming, and involves randomly assigning patients to either get a the treatment under study or a placebo - instead of the retrospective analysis they published. The Henry Ford team puts their better results down to timing and selectivity. They gave coronavirus patients hydroxychloroquine earlier on in the course of their illnesses, and only if they were not at high risk for heart problems. Critics say that these same choices that helped Henry Ford get better results from hydroxychloroquine also make the research less convincing, and noted that more of the hydroxychloroquine group was also treated with steroids, which data suggests combats dangerous inflammation in coronavirus patients. Other outside experts, however, noted that dangerous heart arrhythmias are a long-known potential side effect of hydroxychloroquine, and the exclusion of patients cardiac issues is neither an unusual nor invalidated decision on the part of the researchers. 'Our results do differ from some other studies,' study leader Dr Marcus Zervos said at a news conference. '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.' The new study, published in the International Journal of Infectious Diseases, included more patients who were under 65 and a more racially diverse group. More than 80 percent were dosed with hydroxychloroquine within 24 hours of being admitted to the hospital, and 91 percent got the drug within 48 hours. Henry Ford researchers argued that this was a major advantage over the recent New York state study of hydroxychloroquine, although patients enrolled in it got the drug one day after admission on average (patients could be included if they were dosed 'at any time during their hospitalization'). Whether it was the timing or something else, the results from the new study were drastically different. All in all, 18.1 percent of all patients in the trial died, including 13.5 percent of those who got only hydroxychloroquine, 20.1 percent of those given both the malaria drug and the antibiotic azythromycin died. More than 22 percent of those who got just the antibiotic died, and 26.4 percent of patient treated with neither drug died. 'The combination of hydroxychloroquine plus azithromycin was reserved for selected patients with severe COVID-19 and with minimal cardiac risk factors,' as it has the highest risk for heart complications, the study authors wrote. Critical commenters suggested that the doctors at Henry Ford are simply more practiced at caring for coronavirus patients now, and that the results then might have less to do with the efficacy of hydroxychloroquine. '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,' wrote Dr Todd Lee of the Royal Victoria Hospital in Montreal, Canada, in commentary that accompanied the study. HYDROXYCHLOROQUINE WAS TOUTED BY TRUMP AND DOGGED BY CONTROVERSY AND FLAWED RESEARCH Early lab studies suggested that the drug might have antiviral abilities - helping to prevent the virus from making more copies of itself. Data also suggested that it might stem inflammation from an out-of-control immune response that often becomes the ultimate cause of death for severely ill coronavirus patients. President Trump hailed it a 'game-changer' and his optimism about the drug prompted a flurry of research, much of which ended disastrously. Trump's fervent promotion of the drug followed a controversial claim by once rising star scientist Dr Didier Raoult that suggested hydroxychloroquine could treat coronavirus. Dr Raoult boasted that with a combination of hydroxychloroquine and the antibiotic azithromycin, 'we know how to cure the disease'. President Trump had said he was taking the unapproved drug hydroxychloroquine but became quiet when studies mounted to suggest it could not be used as a COVID-19 treatment President Trump has since said 'I have a good feeling' about the drug, and even called it a 'gift from God.' Hydroxychloroquine studies cropped up across the US and the world, and the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) promptly issued emergency use authorization for the drug on March 31 - a step that was curious both for its speed and because the drug was already approved to treat other conditions and could be used off-label without the designation. But by April, the evidence was beginning to stack against the drug. A trial in Brazil - which now has the second greatest number of infections in the world - was stopped short by scientists who saw an alarming trend of heart dangerous heart arrhythmias in a quarter of patients. Later that month, a US National Institutes of Health (NIH) trial of hydroxychloroquine to treat veterans with COVID-19 found that 28 percent of people given the drug died of coronavirus, compared to just 11 percent of those who were not dosed with it. A New York state study found the drug simply did not help severely ill patients improve or survive, and a Harvard University-led study published in The Lancet reviewed data around the world and seemed to show that COVID-19 patients treated with hydroxychloroquine were more likely to die than those who didn't get the drug. It was the largest study published on the the malaria drug and coronavirus at the time, and looked to be the final nail in the coffin for Trump's pet treatment. On its heals, some hydroxychloroquine studies screeched to a halt, including the arm of the World Health Organization's SOLIDARITY trial that was investigating the drug. But The Lancet study's findings unraveled under scrutiny. More than 120 scientists wrote a letter of concern questioning the database the Harvard team had used to The Lancet, which in turn published its own 'expression of concern.' The private company whose database the study relied upon refused to cooperate with an audit, citing patient privacy policies, and the study was retracted (as was another that used the data to examine the effect of blood pressure medications on coronavirus outcomes, published by the same authors in the New England Journal of Medicine). The WHO resumed its trial, but has since finally dropped the drug from SOLIDARITY altogether after the UK's National Health Service clinical trial - done by the 'gold standard' of medical research' found the drug offered no benefit for hospitalized coronavirus patients. In short order, the US FDA revoked its emergency approval for the drug on June 15, Trump grew quiet about it, and it seemed at long last that the whiplash-ridden saga of hydroxychloroquine might be over. Peter Navarro hit out at the agency for warning of the potential dangers of the drug and revoking its emergency approval for the treatment of coronavirus. 'It was what it was essentially a one, two punch by the FDA -first to do a black box on a warning and then to shut it completely down, there's been two effects. 'One is it's completely shut down the demand for hydroxychloroquine at the front lines, not just for patients but also among the hospital care workers, because of this hydroxy is hysteria. 'And the other, which is equally criminal, is that it became very difficult for doctors like William O'Neal at the hospital at the Detroit Hospital Center and William Grace at the New York hospital system to get subjects to actually be able to conduct the gold standard randomized blind clinical trial.' In fact, hydroxychloroquine has long carried not one, but two black box labels. Potentially life-threatening heart problems are a well known possible side effect of the drug. It was also given a black box warning for potential neurological and psychiatric side effects linked to suicidality. The warning issued over hydroxychloroquine in April said that it should not be used outside hospital or clinical trial settings due to its risks, but was neither a new black box warning, nor one that carried any enforceable weight. The FDA never 'shut down' the use of hydroxychloroquine to treat coronavirus. Both the agency's emergency use authorization of the drug and its retraction were mostly symbolic. Because hydroxychloroquine is approved as safe for treating other conditions, doctors can prescribe it off-label and submit applications for clinical trials using the drug to treat other conditions - including coronavirus - regardless of whether it has emergency approval or not. However the warnings and accumulation of negative evidence and press about the drug may have discouraged patients from agreeing to enroll in these trials. A 'RESURRECTION' FOR HYDROXYCHLOROQUINE? But this week, things have shifted again for the malaria drug, albeit at a more measured angle, and with the caveat that the new study is 'retrospective,' meaning it is not a 'gold standard' clinical trial. Data on more than 200 patients who hadn't been discharged from the hospital, were excluded casting some doubt over the study, and critics say the exclusion of people with heart problems skews the data in hydroxychloroquine. But it's the second bit of good news this week for the controversial drug. A University of Oxford trial giving health care workers hydroxychloroquine as a potential preventive was also greenlit this week. 'HCQ has been resurrected as an important drug to study,' Profesor Peter Pitts, former FDA Commissioner and President of the Center for Medicine in the Public Interest told DailyMail.com. 'This looks very promising,' he said of the Henry Ford study. 'Clearly it has impacted survival rates, pointed. to the need for early interventions and made recommendations on possible dosing standards.' 'The danger here is we don't want to have people rush to judgement therapeutically and don't want to cause shortages for people using it for lupus, rheumatoid arthritis and, of course, malaria.' He saw the exclusion of patients with heart risks not as a flaw, but a strength of the study, because giving those patients a drug when we know it can trigger cardiac arrhythmias would be 'irresponsible.' 'I toss aside those objections as snotty purism,' Pitts said. 'In a pandemic we can't be too pure and precious we have to get the job done, which equals in my mind saving lives and sharing science.' A private jet that flew from Colorado to Italy with five Americans on board was denied entry into the country because of the European Union's ban on United States citizens due to COVID-19. The jet flew from the Eagle County Regional Airport on the afternoon of July 1 and made it to the Cagliari Elmas Airport in Sardinia on July 2 at around 10.30am. The European Union has denied US entry to their countries since mid-March but extended the ban to two more weeks on July 1. The jet flew from the Eagle County Regional Airport on the afternoon of July 1 and made it to the Cagliari Elmas Airport in Sardinia on July 2 at around 10.30am Sardinia's regional tourism official, Gianni Cessa, said he went to the airport late Wednesday 'out of a sense of solidarity' with the Americans. 'Rules must be respected, but there needs to be some common sense,' he said in televised comments posted online Thursday by L'Unione Sarda newspaper. The newspaper said the group of about 10 people, about half of them Americans and their children, as well as British and New Zealand nationals, were prevented from leaving the airport and kept in a waiting area, according to photographs of them posted by Sardinian media. Eventually they got back on the plane and took off for Birmingham, England, the report said. They left at around 11.30pm. The group of about 10 people, about half of them Americans and their children, as well as British and New Zealand nationals and one Sardinian woma, left from the Eagle County Regional Airport Federica Fanari, a woman from Sardinia who has been living in Germany and was on the flight, explained to Cagliari Casteddu that she had taken the trip to see family while her friends were hoping to conduct business on the island and possibly buy a home. Fanari described being treated like 'criminals,' and bemoaned about who was going to cover the damages lost from their decision to take the trip. The Italian woman shared that she had already been in talks with her lawyer. After the EU issued its list of 14 nations whose citizens are welcome in 31 European countries, Italy's Health Ministry said it would still require those visitors to quarantine out of an abundance of caution. Sardinia's regional tourism official, Gianni Cessa, said he went to the airport late Wednesday 'out of a sense of solidarity' with the Americans Federica Fanari, a woman from Sardinia who has been living in Germany and was on the flight, explained to Cagliari Casteddu that she had taken the trip to see family while her friends were hoping to conduct business on the island and possibly buy a home While coronavirus cases are soaring in parts of the U.S., they are mostly under control in Italy, the onetime epicenter of the coronavirus pandemic in Europe. Sardinia, in particular, has kept its case numbers low. Sardinia's regional governor, Christian Salinas, had sought to test visitors upon arrival, trying to balance the island's need for tourism revenue during the peak summer season with efforts to keep tourists and residents alike safe. That proposal fell by the wayside, but Salinas blasted the treatment the Americans received. In a statement carried by Italian media, Salinas said the interpretation of the travel restrictions 'inflicted grave damage to the international touristic credibility of our island and our sense of hospitality.' Right-wing politicians noted that migrants who come ashore in Sardinia are allowed in, tested for the virus and allowed to apply for asylum, but not American tourists. Police are investigating after the death of a two-year-old girl at a house which is being treated as 'unexplained'. Officers were called to an address in Redding, Falkirk, after reports of the girl becoming unwell on July 2 around 10.25am. The Scottish Ambulance Service attended the scene but the two-year-old was pronounced dead a short time later. Officers were called to an address in Redding, Falkirk, on July 2 around 10.25am after reports of a two-year-old girl becoming unwell The death is being treated as 'unexplained' while they wait for the results of the post-mortem, Police Scotland said. A spokesman for Police Scotland said: 'Around 10.25am on Thursday, July 2, officers were called to an address in Ward Avenue, Redding, Falkirk, following a report of a two-year-old girl becoming unwell. 'The Scottish Ambulance Service attended and the child was pronounced dead a short time later. 'Enquiries are ongoing and the death is currently being treated as unexplained pending a post mortem.' Forensic officers conducted searches of the family home and are now awaiting the results of post mortem, The Mirror reported. Johnny Depp and Amber Heard will come face each other in court after his bid to have her barred from his High Court showdown against The Sun newspaper was thrown out. The actor is taking libel action against publisher News Group Newspapers (NGN) and its executive editor Dan Wootton over allegations he was violent towards his ex-wife. A three-week trial, which centres on a 2018 article which refers to Depp as a 'wife beater', which he strenuously denies, will begin in London on Tuesday. But in the latest pre-hearing spat, Depp's legal team on Friday tried to exclude Heard from attending court until she was called by NGN as a witness - meaning she would be prevented from watching her ex-husband give evidence. Depp's lawyer, Eleanor Laws QC, had argued that Heard's evidence could later be less reliable if she were present during Depp's testimony. She also claimed that actress Heard was not a 'party' in the litigation and therefore did not have to be in court before appearing as a witness. But Mr Justice Nicol has refused to grant 57-year-old Depp's request, clearing the way for Heard, 34, to attend the trial. The actor (left, in February), 57, is suing the tabloid's publisher News Group Newspapers and executive editor Dan Wootton over a 2018 article which referred to Depp as a 'wife beater'. The article related to allegations made against Depp by actress Heard (right, in December), 34, that he was violent towards her during their marriage - claims he strenuously denies Ms Heard, pictured today on Instagram, will be called to the High Court as a witness In a court order published today, the judge said that excluding Heard from the hearing 'would inhibit the defendants in the conduct of their defence'. He noted that it was NGN and Mr Wootton - not Ms Heard - who was defending the claim, but said that 'they rely heavily on the information which Ms Heard can provide'. He added: 'She (Ms Heard) will not be in a position to give instructions to (NGN's lawyers), but she can provide information on which the defendants may choose to act. 'There is a benefit to the defendants in her being able to do that near instantaneously in the course of Depp's cross-examination and, in my view, it would be unfair to the defendants to deprive them of that advantage.' It came after NGN's lawyers last week applied to strike out Depp's claim over the star's failure to disclose the 'Australia drugs texts' sent between the actor and his assistant, Nathan Holmes. The pair met on the set of 2011 comedy The Rum Diary and married in Los Angeles in February 2015 (premiere pictured) The messages, sent in late February and early March 2015 - shortly before an alleged incident between Depp and Heard, which she claims was 'a three-day ordeal of physical assaults' - demonstrated that Depp was trying to get drugs during the Australia visit, Adam Wolanski QC said. Mr Wolanski said the Hollywood star was in 'serious' breach of a court order by not giving NGN's legal team the messages containing references to 'happy pills' and 'whitey stuff'. The barrister even accused Depp and his lawyers of 'a systematic attempt to pervert the course of justice' by deliberately withholding documents from NGN - a claim Depp's barrister David Sherborne called 'outrageous'. Mr Justice Nicol ruled on Monday that Depp had breached an 'unless order' requiring him to disclose documents from separate libel proceedings against Ms Heard in the US - which include the text messages. Heard has been dubbed 'Gone Girl' in one claim - a reference to the mystery novel of the same name - and has been accused of 'two extra-marital affairs' with actor James Franco and Tesla CEO Elon Musk, The Sunday Mirror reports. The allegations are denied by both Heard and Musk. In a further ruling on Thursday, the judge said he would grant Depp's application for 'relief from sanctions', meaning the trial will go ahead as planned. The judge said his decision was conditional on Depp giving an undertaking that he will not seek sanctions against Heard for allegedly breaching a court order, made during separate libel proceedings in the US, by providing The Sun's legal team with evidence. Depp, 57, in one of his most famous roles in the Pirates of the Caribbean film series as the eccentric Captain Jack Sparrow The alleged incident in Australia is one of 14 separate allegations of domestic violence, between early 2013 and May 2016, that NGN relies on in its pleaded defence to Depp's claim. A three-week trial at the Royal Courts of Justice in London - which was due to start in March, but was delayed because of the Covid-19 pandemic - is due to begin on Tuesday, with Depp's former partners Vanessa Paradis and Winona Ryder among the witnesses expected to give evidence. The court has heard Depp intends to travel from his home in France to London to give evidence, while Heard is believed to have already travelled to the UK from California. The libel claim against NGN and Mr Wootton arises out of publication of an article in The Sun in April 2018, under the headline: 'Gone Potty - How can JK Rowling be 'genuinely happy' casting wife beater Johnny Depp in the new Fantastic Beasts film?' Depp has brought separate libel proceedings against Heard in the US, which the court heard are set for trial next year. The pair met on the set of 2011 comedy The Rum Diary and married in Los Angeles in February 2015. In May 2016, Heard obtained a restraining order against Depp after accusing him of abuse, which he denied. The couple settled their divorce out of court in 2017, with Heard donating her seven million US dollars (5.5 million) settlement to charity. A mural painted outside Milwaukee City Hall that read 'Defund the Police' had a letter painted over it on Friday so that it read 'Defend the Police'. The original mural had been painted by about 30 activists on Wednesday to support what has become a nationwide movement to shift funds from police departments towards schools and youth programs. But just two days later it had been tampered with to spell out 'Defend the Police.' A street mural outside of Milwaukee City Hall was changed on Friday days after it was created The painted words 'Defund the Police' were changed to 'Defend the Police' This is how the mural appeared before another group of activists ended up altering the letters Footage taken from a drone camera overhead shows the protesters artistic work One woman took an impressive selfie standing in the middle of the letters painted on the road "Defund the Police" in front of Milwaukee City Hall has been altered by someone to say "Defend the Police." pic.twitter.com/3WloAcfDgz Melanie (@mefbama) July 4, 2020 The adjustment to the original phrase came after former Alderman Robert Donovan was seen to openly criticize the mural on social media on Wednesday night The 'D' had been painted blue while the 'U' had been covered over and changed to an 'E', according to Urban Milwaukee. The change was carried out by an anonymous group but their work was short-lived and by the end of Friday the 'U' had returned. The adjustment to the original phrase came after former Alderman Robert Donovan who sat on Milwaukee Common Council was seen to openly criticize the mural on social media on Wednesday night. 'Fixed it for you, folks!' he tweeted along with a photograph showing the mural crossed out with a blue line. The 'thin blue line' is a term for the police that is used to assert that they are the line which keeps society from descending into violent chaos. The 'Defund the Police' movement began to gather momentum after the death of George Floyd while in police custody in Minneapolis. This mural was pained in Washington DC The words 'Defund the Police' were painted on Water Street near City Hall but were changed on Friday The group behind the sudden change has managed to stay anonymous Footage from a drone shows how the mural appeared before it was defaced During his 20 years on Milwaukee's Common Council Donovan had long pushed for an increase in funding for the city's police department. On Twitter a number of comments appeared to be praising the change. 'Defend the Police. A great idea,' wrote one user. 'I must find out who this hero is so I can buy him a beer. #Milwaukee #DefendThePolice,' added another. 'Outside Milwaukee City Hall, protesters paint "defund the police". In response, their graffiti gets changed to; "DEFEND the police".... Keep it going America! This needs to catch on across the country!' tweeted another online poster. The 'Defund the Police' movement began to gather momentum after the death of George Floyd while in police custody in Minneapolis. On Twitter a number of comments appeared to be praising the brief change An overhead view of the street shows the mural in full directly outside City Hall Late on Friday, the painting was changed again back to 'Defund the Police' 'People keep asking us, what does defund mean? It doesn't mean abolish,' said Jeremy Wilbur who was part of the group who painted the 'Defund the Police' mural. 'Let's make this clear for them, we don't hate cops,' he said in a Facebook Live video. 'Some people don't understand what defund the police means,' said another protester Brandon Wilborn to CBS58. 'It means to just like not get rid of the police, but take some of the money they're getting and putting it into the schools and housing and other places that it's needed.' In Milwaukee, the Common Council are looking at the likely implications of a possible 10% cut to the Police Department's budget. Conservative MP Johnny Mercer has opened up about the trauma of watching his friend die after he was gunned down by the Taliban on patrol in Afghanistan. Speaking on the Crisis What Crisis? podcast, hosted by Andy Coulson, the former army officer - who completed three military tours of Afghanistan - opened up about his mental health struggles from a young age and the trauma he witnessed in battle. In 2010 he was out on patrol in enemy territory in Afghanistan when he saw one of his good friends get fatally shot. He describes how he put his life at risk to retrieve the body. He said: 'That was the hardest part - dealing with him. There is a period of time when someone is dead but they are still warm and it is absolutely horrendous. I cradled him like a baby. 'How do you do it? You think I would like people to look after and fight for me.' Conservative MP Johnny Mercer has opened up about the trauma of watching his friend die after he was gunned down by the Taliban on patrol in Afghanistan. He is pictured during his time in the army Mercer (pictured) also says that the mental health struggles of people in the military were not taken seriously enough On managing the trauma after it happened he revealed: 'I was really really scared when I first went back out on patrol, there's something terrifying seeing someone's lights go out like that. It was a period of acute challenge for me.' Mercer also says that the mental health struggles of people in the military were not taken seriously enough. 'I didn't take it seriously enough until I saw catastrophic breakdowns on the battlefield.' He says that this pushed him to make changes in government when he became a politician. Speaking on the podcast he also described growing up in a strict religious household and how he suffered from 'horrendous and debilitating' Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD). He said: 'It was the hardest thing wrestling with it when I was growing up. When I look back on it now there were the nights without sleep, checking taps and lights. Johnny Mercer and his wife, Felicity Cornelius-Mercer. The couple have two children together 'It was horrendous. It is extremely debilitating, exhausting and unpleasant. It was harder than anything I did in the military.' Mercer received treatment and went through a course of cognitive behavioural therapy to deal with it, however he says that it still makes him uncomfortable talking about it now. Mercer describes his experiences in the military in his 2017 book We Were Warriors He added that his message about mental health is that anyone can get better and recover. 'My message to anyone with mental health challenges is that you can get better. There's this nonsense out there that you are like that for the rest of your life if you say you are struggling. My message around mental health is one of hope.' In the podcast he also opens up about his childhood growing up in a strict baptist household with no TV, saying it made him resilient but also increased his vulnerability. He says: 'I found the move from the military into politics a bit of a challenge. I find political life challenging. The way I deal with it is to maintain a strong mental balance and it is work in progress. 'It is something you have to have the discipline and resolve to work at. But if you do you can cope with anything - the most extreme challenges.' He also spoke about the problems he encountered during his 'chaotic' time in the army including a lack of vital equipment. He says: 'It was complete madness. We were equipped but we had nothing like the equipment they had in the later years. My boss told me once 'Johnny just take a knife that's all we've got''. 'I was shocked at the chaotic nature of it. People were put in unfair positions and this has had a life long impact on them.' Mercer has served as the Conservative MP for Plymouth Moor View since the 2015 general election. He is a former British Army officer and an author. In 2019, he was made a minister in the Ministry of Defence in the government led by Boris Johnson. New York had 918 new cases of coronavirus confirmed on Thursday, the governor announced, in what he said was 'a reminder that the virus is still here'. The grim new tally was the first time that new infections were above 900 since June 12. Andrew Cuomo, the governor, said when announcing the number on Friday that the latest data should act as a warning for all. Andrew Cuomo, the governor of New York, announced on Friday the new tally of cases New York state has now had almost 25,000 deaths from COVID-19 since March 'The more than 900 new cases in New York yesterday, while representing just 1.38% of tests, is a reminder that the virus is still here,' he said. He also urged all New Yorkers to continue taking precautions against the virus, such as washing hands frequently, avoiding crowds and wearing a face mask. New York is the hardest-hit state for COVID 'I cannot repeat enough that our actions today those of individuals being smart and following all precautions, and local governments enforcing the state's guidelines will determine which direction these numbers go,' he added. The percentage of New York state residents who have tested positive for COVID-19 each day has hovered around 1% to 2% over the past week, despite concerns that protests last month over the death of George Floyd might have fueled a new surge. More than 24,800 people with COVID-19 have died in New York since the first deaths were reported in March. March and April were horrendous months in New York City, with May calming and a rise in June New York has lost more than 24,000 people to COVID-19 since the outbreak begun in March The state was by far the hardest-hit in the United States. New York's tally came as 40 states across the country reported a rise in the number of infections. Florida, California, Arizona and Texas are now battling a surge in the virus, and two counties in Texas have said their hospitals are at full capacity. Patients in the Rio Grande Valley, in Starr and Hidalgo counties, have been warned to stay at home as the outbreak overwhelms the local hospitals. Judge Eloy Vera said there have been 18 deaths in Starr County due to Covid-19 and two severely ill patients had to be flown out of the area for treatment. One of the patients was taken to San Antonio and the other to Dallas, the judge said. 'The local and valley hospitals are at full capacity and have no more beds available,' he said. New Yorkers are urged to wear face masks in public places, such as on the subway 'I urge all of our residents to please shelter-in-place, wear face coverings, practice social distancing and AVOID GATHERINGS.' On Saturday Cuomo announced that there were 726 new cases, and 11 deaths on Friday. 'New Yorkers bent the curve of this deadly virus by being smart and taking proper precautions throughout this pandemic, and that's reflected in yesterday's low hospitalizations and rate of positive tests,' he said. 'However, our actions today determine our numbers tomorrow, and as we move through this holiday weekend, I strongly urge everyone to closely follow state guidance on safe practices and local governments to enforce that guidance. 'Being New York tough means being New York smart: wear a mask, wash your hands and practice social distancing.' Advertisement The immediate lockdown of nine public housing estates in Melbourne has been compared to the dramatic shutdown of the Chinese city where the coronavirus pandemic first began. The world watched on as 11million residents in Wuhan, China's Hubei province, were shut off from society in January for more than two months following the outbreak. The deadly virus quickly spread across the rest of the globe and other nations were forced to implement their own versions of the quarantine. Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews on Saturday afternoon announced the immediate lockdown of nine public housing estates in Melbourne's inner-city for at least five days as the state battles a second wave in COVID-19 infections. A 'total' or 'hard' lockdown where residents are completely confined to their homes is a first for Australia during the health crisis but has echoes of Wuhan residents being sealed in their homes during the first outbreak of the pandemic. Residents watch from their window as police enforce a lockdown at public housing towers on Racecourse Road in Flemington, Melbourne, on Saturday The picture shows an elderly man standing on a balcony at a residential complex in Wuhan, Hubei Province of central China Pictured: A woman hangs laundry up to dry in front of a woman sitting on a roof of a building in Wuhan in March Within an hour of Mr Andrews' 4pm press conference, police had swarmed the public housing buildings - where about 3000 Melburnians reside - and blocked all driveways and doorways. Residents were seen confronting police about why they were being targeted while others sought information from gathered media. Residents bunkered down in the high-rise buildings were photographed peeking out of their windows during their first night cut off from the city. 'Not long ago people were expressing horror at the news of people being locked in their buildings in Wuhan, now this is the approach in Melbourne,' one person wrote on Twitter. 'Oh my goodness Melbourne! Locking people into towers with police on every floor. Remember what our news said about Wuhan when they did this?' said another. In March, fascinating pictures were snapped of Wuhan residents holed up in their apartments after more than 50 days of lockdown. A resident is seen through their window at public housing tower on Racecourse Road in Flemington after the lockdown on Saturday Men look outside the window of their buildings at a residential compound in Wuhan, China, during lockdown in March A man stands on a terrace in Wuhan during the city's lockdown in March. Residents were holed up in their homes for months The lockdown of nine public housing towers in Melbourne was quickly compared to Wuhan's drastic lockdown on Twitter Taken through windows and on balconies and rooftops, children were seen playing as other residents ate noodles and hung their laundry. Residents were forbidden from venturing out of their homes even to buy food. Schools, most shops and public transport was shut, while roads were virtually empty. The coronavirus is believed to have emerged at a market that sold live animals in the central city of Wuhan late last year. In Melbourne, the residents of high density public housing towers in 3031 (Flemington, Kensington) and 3051 (North Melbourne) were not given the opportunity to buy last-minute groceries and supplies ahead of the unprecedented shutdown. The lockdown will require an unprecedented level of help from police but Mr Andrews said the residents will be supported and fed throughout the shutdown. A residential building is seen in Wuhan, China, in March amid the coronavirus outbreak About 3000 residents in Melbourne were put into immediate lockdown on Saturday. Pictured: One of the nine public housing estates 'There will be no one going in other than residents who are returning home and no one will be allowed out of those public housing towers,' Mr Andrews said. 'There will be a massive logistical task to make sure those people are fed, given the support that they need. 'I think we're equal to that task and I don't for a moment underestimate how challenging, how traumatic in some respects that will be for those 3,000 residents.' Mr Andrews said the hard public housing lockdowns will affect approximately 3000 residents who live in 1,345 units. 'You will not be allowed to leave your unit, your dwelling within that tower for any reason,' the premier said. Victoria recorded another 108 coronavirus case on Saturday. It's second biggest spike since March 28, when 111 cases were reported. A woman is seen drying food outside a laundry rack by the window of a building in Wuhan, China, in March Police talk with public housing residents following the announcement of immediate lockdown on Saturday Oregon Governor Kate Brown on Friday met with three state troopers who were caught on surveillance video refusing to wear face masks in a coffee shop despite her statewide mandate. One state trooper was placed on leave after allegedly telling shop staff 'F**k Kate Brown' when asked about wearing a mask. Three others are under investigation after also being seen in the shop in Corvallis without masks on Wednesday, the same day that Brown's statewide order went into effect. Gov. Brown, a Democrat, met with three of the troopers in question to discuss the incident, stating that she 'is focused on saving lives, not firing people for making a single mistake'. She and the three unidentified troopers all wore masks for the meeting. Oregon Governor Kate Brown sat (pictured left) down with three unidentified Oregon State Troopers (pictured right) who where seen on video earlier this week not wearing masks in defiance to a statewide order. She said the troopers 'pledged to do better' 'In the world of social media, its easy to condemn someone when they make a mistake and keep scrolling by. But you can judge a persons character by whether they own up and make things right,' Brown wrote on Facebook, alongside a picture of the meeting. 'We talked about kids, our families, and the importance of setting a good example. They took responsibility and expressed real regret for their actions. And they pledged to do better,' she added. 'The officers and I agreed today that face coverings save lives. So youll see them and me wearing a face covering each and every day until we beat this virus.' Video footage of the troopers ordering coffee and sitting in the shop maskless was first revealed Thursday when Allans Coffee & Tea provided the surveillance to Oregon Live. According to the stores assistant manager, Travis Boss, the first trooper arrived by himself without a mask at around 8.30am Wednesday and he told him that he needed to wear one. 'Governor Brown has no authority to take our civil liberties. We arent going to wear masks,' the trooper, who is a regular at the store, allegedly said. F--- Kate Brown, he added, according to Boss. The video surveillance of the incident does not have audio. Gov. Brown shared a statement on Facebook about the incident in which she said she met with the troopers to discuss wearing face masks and how they can prevent spread of coronavirus In the footage, three other officers later enter the shop - all maskless - and greet the first trooper before ordering their own drinks and sitting down. Boss said he felt compelled to complete their order despite their refusal to wear masks as they were all in uniform. He said he sent patrons away earlier for not wearing masks. 'Hes a state trooper, hes in uniform,' Boss told Oregon Live. 'Hes more or less saying, "This is how its going to be, and this is what I want". Boss added that he called the store owners to ask them how to proceed and they said to inform the police and to tell the troopers that they should leave. At the end of the video, he is seen approaching the table where the four troopers are sitting and speaking to them before they get up to go. 'Thats Corvallis for you,' one of them allegedly said. The incident happened early Wednesday morning in Allans Coffee & Tea, pictured Gov. Brown, pictured, on Friday increased enforcement of face masks and social distancing in Oregon as the coronavirus outbreak in the state drastically worsen. The confirmed coronavirus case count in the state has more than doubled in the last month to 9,600 cases The store reported the incident to police and the trooper who made disparaging remarks about Gov. Brown has since been placed on leave. State police have also launched an investigation as Oregon State Police Superintendent Travis Hampton called it 'embarrassing and indefensible'. None of the troopers have been identified but were assigned to Oregon State University. 'The involved trooper has been placed on administrative leave,' Capt. Timothy Fox, an agency spokesman, told Oregon Live. 'OSP is early in the investigation, but if found to be true, we are thoroughly disappointed and expect our troopers to follow the governors executive orders and be examples in the community.' Superintendent Hampton called it particularly worrying in light of the ongoing protests in Oregon against police brutality and said that he hoped to make clear that 'Oregon State Police Troopers are not above the law'. The four troopers were seen in a Corvallis coffee shop on Wednesday refusing to wear masks Oregon State Police Superintendent Travis Hampton called the actions of the troopers 'embarrassing and indefensible' in a statement released on Twitter 'Not only are police officers expected to comply with the Governors emergency declaration orders, I expect them to set the example for Oregons residents as we strive to fight this invisible enemy- the Coronavirus,' Hampton said in a statement via Twitter. '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. 'Like any police misconduct, the actions of a few bring discredit to the scores of dedicated officers that do not believe they are above the law they are sworn to uphold,' he added. 'I would like to offer my apology to the coffee shop employees and the community. I am ultimately responsible for all actions of OSP Troopers & should rightfully be accountable for their conduct.' The coffee shop incident took place as Gov. Brown's statewide order on wearing masks in public spaces took effect. Masks are not required when eating or drinking but should be worn at all other times in bars, breweries, brewpubs, wineries, tasting rooms and distilleries. Brown had implored people to wear a mask as a 'simple, common sense way to protect yourself and others'. It highlights the difficulty for some businesses who wish to uphold the state's requirements but don't want political run-ins with their patrons. On Friday, Gov. Brown announced increased enforcement of face masks and social distancing as the coronavirus outbreak in the state drastically worsens. The state's number of new daily coronavirus cases soared to a record Thursday for the second consecutive day. There were 375 new cases confirmed. Over the past month, the confirmed case count in the state has more than doubled, topping 9,600 total cases. At the end of May, Oregon only had about 4,200 cases, according to KGW. The Oregon Health Authority reported 344 new confirmed and presumptive cases Friday, bringing the state total to 9,636. A woman who crashed her car while nine times over the drink-driving limit told police she had 'a wine with her mum' over lunch. Gemma Purcell, 34, was found crying in the gutter by police after she crashed her Suzuki Swift in Wollongong, south of Sydney, at 2pm on July 21, last year. When asked if she had been drinking alcohol Purcell said: 'Yes. I had a wine at lunch with mum,' according to the Daily Telegraph. After a roadside breath test, it was discovered she had one of the highest readings ever recorded in NSW. Gemma Purcell, 34, (pictured) was found crying next to her crashed Suzuki Swift before she blew over nine times the legal alcohol limit. She told officers she had a wine with her mum and a beer before the crash She was arrested on the spot and taken back to the police station for further questioning. She later admitted she'd had had a 375ml bottle of Tooheys New but 'vomited a little' after consuming it. Purcell appeared in the Wollongong Local Court on Friday after pleading guilty to the high-range drink driving charge. The court heard how she was a 'heavy drinker' who drank every day with her boyfriend. Magistrate Mark Douglass said Purcell had serious issues with alcohol that needed to be addressed. Magistrate Mark Douglass sentenced the woman to 15-months jail but allowed her to serve it within the community through an intensive corrections order and demanded that she get professional help for a wide range of issues 'With that reading I am surprised you were able to converse with police. Given that circumstance the court concludes you are an alcoholic and you have a real issue with alcohol.' She was sentenced to 15-months jail, to be served in the community by way of intensive corrections order. She must participate in mental health treatment and abstain from alcohol. Her licence was suspended and her car must be fitted with an interlock device for two years. Secret Service Agents trying to avoid falling sick while protecting President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence at rallies and events across the country are 'frazzled', according to a report. Both agents and their families have expressed these fears as various White House officials have tested positive for COVID-19, along with up to 25 Secret Service personnel. The Secret Service has to protect the president and the vice president, along with 39 members of their family and senior leaders of the administration, the Washington Post reports. Both agents and their families have expressed these fears as various White House officials have tested positive for COVID-19 at various Trump administration events. Between six and fifteen advance agents and agents tested positive at the Tulsa rally Eight to 10 agents tested positive for the virus while setting up a visit for Pence in Phoenix, Arizona, postponing the vice president's visit by a day. It comes a few weeks after up to six advance agents came down with the virus at Trump's rally in Oklahoma. Some sources claim that up to 15 actually tested positive, CNN reports. Advance agents are required to do a lot of activities that the CDC warns can increase chance of infection when they set up major events for the White House and Trump's campaign. They have to travel extensively, meet with strangers and spend many hours indoors coordinating security with other teams. Advance agents are required to do activities that the CDC warns can increase chance of infection when they set up major events for the White House and Trump's campaign Catherine Milhoan, the Secret Service communications director, said that the agency has been following CDC guidelines. 'The health and safety of our workforce, their families, and that of our protectees remains the agency's highest priority,' she said. 'As a matter of practice, the Secret Service does not comment on the means and methods used to carry out our protective operations. The men and women of the Secret Service continue to meet operational mission requirements without fail.' Following the Tulsa rally, a group of Secret Service agents arranged to be discreetly tested in the parking lot of a hospital. Doing so, allowed them to avoid questions about where they had possibly been exposed. Dozens of agents who had been on the Tulsa trip had been instructed to self-quarantine at home for two weeks after returning from the trip, the Washington Post reports. Stanley Johnson laughed off claims he broke lockdown rules by offering to wear his swimming shorts on his head as he emerged from his holiday retreat. The Prime Minister's father has faced fierce criticism this week for flying to Greece but protested his innocence when spotted by reporters yesterday on return from an afternoon swim in Pilion. The retired Tory MEP, 79, told local and international press: 'There is no question of my breaking the law. The minister of tourism here has my papers.' Stanley Johnson laughed off claims he broke lockdown rules by offering to wear his swimming shorts on his head as he emerged from his holiday retreat The Prime Minister's father (pictured) has faced fierce criticism this week for flying to Greece but protested his innocence when spotted by reporters yesterday on return from an afternoon swim in Pilion The Prime Minister's father was seen checking his phone at a tavern in Horto village on Thursday Mr Johnson refused to divulge details of conversations he had about his trip with his son, the Prime Minister, pictured yesterday 'It was always absolutely clear from the Greek government that the only thing they were banning were people coming in from direct flights from Britain.' Mr Johnson landed at Athens International Airport late Wednesday after flying via Bulgaria due to a current ban on direct flights from the UK, before visiting his Villa Irene, on Mount Pelion, in central Greece. By some local accounts, he arrived to the region, by private car after documenting his controversial journey from the UK on social media, sharing a video taken from a plane and a selfie where his face was covered with a white mask. Hounded by local and international media in Pelion, a visibly unnerved Mr Johnson said he was unaware of the outcry in Britain about his flight. Still, he conceded scrapping pictures that he posted on social media accounts, tracking his journey. 'It is true I took the pictures down,' he said. 'But I didn't put them up in spirit of defiance. I certainly had no intention of provoking anyone.' He said he was visiting on 'essential business' because he needed to 'Covid-proof my property' ahead of the letting season. Referring to his residence in Greece, Mr Johnson told reporters: 'I came here to have a quiet time, to organise the house. 'I think I'm going to go back on July 10. So, I have just got one week to get everything organised. Got a whole lot of instructions about how to make the place Covid proof.' He refused to divulge details of conversations he had about his trip with his son, Boris Johnson. 'He's absolutely right' Mr Johnson said, taking a long and awkward pause. A view of Villa Irene which belongs to Stanley Johnson in Horto village, Mount Pelion, central Greece Mr Johnson landed at Athens International Airport late Wednesday after flying via Bulgaria due to a current ban on direct flights from the UK Hounded by local and international media in Pelion, a visibly unnerved Mr Johnson said he was unaware of the outcry in Britain about his flight By some local accounts, he arrived to the region, by private car after documenting his controversial journey from the UK on social media, sharing a video taken from a plane and a selfie where his face was covered with a white mask Mr Johnson told reporters: 'I'm not going to talk about private conversations between family members' 'I'm not going to talk about private conversations between family members. 'I'm not going to talk about that. Not going to say if my actions are correct or not.' Greek authorities say his surprise visit was being handled by 'the top echelons of the government in Athens.' 'As far as we are concerned,' said Michalis Mitzikos, the mayor of southern Pilio, 'there is no violation to report and there is no way that the particular individual would have set foot here without having received clearance from the related health authorities and the top ranks of government.' Leading government officials contacted by The Daily Mail suggested said standard procedures for incoming travellers from the UK and Bulgaria were followed, including mandatory testings for the novel coronavirus. A senior government official said: 'If something suspicious had come up, he (Johnson) would have been taken out of line and put in isolation for at least seven days. 'No contact between Downing Street and Athens was required.' In his encounter with the press late Friday, Mr Johnson strongly urged for a travel agreement between Greece and the UK. 'If anything I would say let's open this air bidge as quick as we can. 'I'll go back on the 10th but people are lining to get here. This country has everything. 'How wonderful it would be if the governments on both side came to some arrangement.' Pioneering actor Earl Cameron CBE, who was one of the first successful black British actors, has died at the age of 102. Best known for his roles in Doctor Who, Thunderball and Inception, Bermudan-born Cameron made his first appearance on the screen in 1951's Pool of London. Cameron lived in Kenilworth, Warwickshire, with his wife Barbara and also leaves behind his six children. A family friend, Martin Beckett, confirmed that the actor had died, the BBC reports. Pioneering actor Earl Cameron CBE, who was one of the first successful black British actors, has died at the age of 102 Mr Beckett said: 'He had sheltered himself because of Covid and had not really been keen on going out, he had chest problems. 'He's a great character, very spiritual, very modest, we're going to miss him. The pioneering actor was born in 1917 in Pembroke, Bermuda, and he started his career with the British Merchant Navy. He ended up stranded in Britain before the start of the Second World War and scraped by before his acting career kicked off in 1951. Some of Cameron's most beloved roles came in Doctor Who (pictured), in which he became the first black actor to play an astronaut, and the James Bond film Tunderball His starring role in Pool of London made him only the fourth black actor ever to appear in a prominent role in a British film. The film was also ground-breaking because it was the first British film to depict a mixed-race relationship. Cameron's next major role came in the 1955 film Simba, closely followed by a role in the film Safari. Having been considered for a role in the James Bond film Dr No, he soon landed a role as 007's assistant Pinder in Thunderball. Cameron was appointed as a Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 2009 and inducted into Britain's Screen Nation Hall of Fame in 2016 His career did not only impact cinema though, as Cameron also forged a glittering television career. One highlight from his TV career came in his appearance in Doctor Who. Appearing in The Tenth Planet, Cameron became the first black actor to play an astronaut and in 2017 he also became only the third actor to have appeared in the show to reach the age of 100. Cameron's final acting credit came as a minor role in the 2010 film Inception, starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Ellen Page. In 2009 he was appointed as a Commander of the Order of the British Empire. The veteran actor was inducted into Britain's Screen Nation Hall of Fame in 2016 and he was also awarded an honourary doctorate in 2013 by the University of Warwick. Speaking to the Guardian in 2017, Cameron said: 'I never saw myself as a pioneer. It was only later, looking back, that it occurred to me that I was.' The Fourth of July holiday will be marked by celebrations of Americas birthday as well as protests against police brutality and racism, particularly in the nations capital where at least 20 demonstrations are scheduled for Saturday. Black Lives Matter protesters are expected to stage a march in memory of George Floyd, the 46-year-old black man who died in the custody of Minneapolis police in late May. The march, which was scheduled to begin at 9:30am on Saturday, will stretch from the Lincoln Memorial to the Washington Monument. A memorial rally for Floyd will be held at the Ellipse, the large 52-acre park just south of the White House fence. Demonstrators march near the White House and St. John's Church (right) hours before President Trump takes part in Fourth of July celebrations in Washington, DC, on Saturday Angela Moore holds a US flag upside down and a sign that reads 'Stop killing us AmeriKKKa' while standing near policemen during a small standoff between police and protesters in front of Lafayette Square near the White House in Washington, DC, on Saturday Demonstrators remove their tents after Washington, DC, police asked them to clear the street on the north side of Lafayette Square near the White House on Saturday Another demonstration scheduled to begin at 10am on Saturday will be held under the banner All Americans Unite. The march will be held in solidarity with all communities regardless of race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or gender identity. A separate protest titled the Million Man March On Washington is scheduled to begin at 10am on Saturday. It will begin at the Martin Luther King Jr National Memorial and then proceed to the White House and finally the US Capitol building. Outside the Supreme Court, a peaceful sit-in for black women will take place from 10am on Saturday until 6pm. An organization called the Freedom Day Foundation is planning a black out march in which all participants are asked to wear black attire as they walk in a procession that begins at the Capitol Reflecting Pool at 12pm. Another march which is unaffiliated with the local Black Lives Matter chapter is scheduled to start at 12:30pm at the National Museum of African American History and Culture. Protesters will be given red, black, and green banners and will be assembled so that they form a Pan-African flag as they march in a procession toward the Washington Monument. Several other marches and demonstrations are scheduled to take place, including one in Malcolm X Park that is scheduled to begin at 3pm. Demonstrators gathered in support of Black Lives Matter for a march in Washington, DC, on Saturday The nation's capital is set to host at least 20 marches, sit-ins, rallies, and protests on the Fourth of July holiday Military veterans will march in solidarity with Black Lives Matter from McPherson Square Metro stop at 4pm to President Trumps Salute to America event on the South Lawn of the White House. There will also be a military flyover and fireworks over the Mall. Several racial injustice protests, marches, and sit-ins are also scheduled to be held throughout the country on Saturday. In Chicago, some 2,000 people said on Facebook that they were interested in attending a rally and march in downtown. Planners of the event said they will ask the participants to take a knee in silence for 8 minutes and 46 seconds in memory of George Floyd. A violinist will also play the black national anthem, Lift Every Voice and Sing. In Brooklyn, a coalition of LGBTQ activists, filmmakers, and historians are staging a Confronting July 4th protest march beginning at around 2:30pm at Fort Greene Park. The organizers of the march said they refuse to celebrate the whitewashing of this country. Instead, we will joyously and actively celebrate and honor the ancestors and activists who have fought and continue to fight tirelessly for the lives and rights of the people. In Boston, demonstrators plan to take part in a Say Her Name protest and rally in support of black women. The rally will begin in Nubian Square and continue toward Boston Common, where organizers plan a celebratory event. There will be radical joy and dancing because, as Audre Lorde wrote, it is better to speak/remembering/we were never meant to survive, the event description on Facebook reads. Womxn hold up half the sky all over the world and have always been essential, yet Black womxn are too often overlooked, erased, and devalued. Show up for Black womxn. Support Black womxn. A rally is scheduled to be held in Atlantas Centennial Olympic Park on Saturday evening. The theme of the protest is rally for reparations and participants are urged to wear red, green, and black. Several protests and rallies are scheduled to be held in New Jersey, including one in Maplewood in memory of Elijah McClain, the 23-year-old black man who died in police custody in August of last year. Demonstrations are also planned for Newark, Plainfield, and Atlantic City. A memorial rally for George Floyd will be held at the Ellipse, the large 52-acre park just south of the White House fence All the protests - in theory - should be over before the night's celebration on the Mall. Public health officials are bracing for a new spike in virus cases after this weekend's celebrations and protests. Some link the latest flareup to the delayed result of widespread celebrations during the Memorial Day holiday in late May, and to the reopening of some states' economies starting around that time. And they see this Independence Day weekend as a potential tipping point - in the worst case, a replay of the post-Memorial Day resurgence. Nigel Farage has denied breaking lockdown after he was accused of visiting a pub on Super Saturday - less than two weeks after he returned from a trip to the US - and the leader of the Lib Dems reported him to police. Mr Farage, 56, said he returned from America two weeks ago and after quarantining tested negative for the virus. The Brexit Party leader proudly posted a picture online of himself at lunchtime today holding a pint and declaring '12 o'clock, first customer in. Love it.' But critics weighed in on the former UKIP leader and said he had been in America on June 20, questioning how he could already be out of quarantine. The row took a surprising turn minutes later when acting Lib Dem leader Ed Davey reported him to Kent Police and asked them to investigate. Nigel Farage had tweeted a picture of himself enjoying his first pint in a pub, but things turned sour when Lib Dem leader Ed Davey asked police to investigate if he had broken quarantine rules It prompted an immediate slapdown from pro-Brexit campaigner Mr Farage who insisted he had back for a fortnight so it was fine. He declared: 'To all those screaming and shouting about me going to the pub. 'I have been back from the USA for 2 weeks and I have been tested the result was negative. 'Sorry to disappoint you. Cheers!' Mr Farage was among many in England who had taken the opportunity to go to the pub as they reopened on 'Super Saturday' as part of lockdown easing. The radio host and Brexit Party leader had posted on his Twitter feed a picture of himself wearing sunglasses in America on June 20. Mr Farage had gone to America to support President Donald Trump at a rally He proudly posted a picture of himself online wearing sunglasses and giving the thumbs up He was broadly grinning and giving the thumbs up, beside a caption saying 'In the USA, only twenty four hours from Tulsa.' Ed Davey MP, the acting leader of the Liberal Democrats, wrote to Kent Police asking them to investigate whether Mr Farage had broken roles. He said: 'There are clearly serious questions to answer for Nigel Farage. It is clear from his social media posts that he was in America on 20 June, and he was pictured at a Trump rally that evening. 'Given the current requirements for visitors returning to the UK to isolate for 14 full days on their return, Nigel Farage appears to be in violation of the quarantine. 'It is a responsibility of everyone to take the lockdown requirements seriously in order to stop the spread of the virus. 'By choosing to go to the pub when it appears he should have been staying at home, Mr Farage is showing a flagrant disregard for the safety of people in his community.' He had travelled to Oklahoma to attend a rally for Donald Trump in Tulsa, which took place on June 20. Quarantine rules in England at the time he returned state even if people test negative they have to stay in isolation for 14 days. A British air hostess has been arrested in Dubai after getting caught up in a drugs bust on a first date. Derrin Crawford, 23, who works for Emirates and is based in the United Arab Emirates, had been out for dinner with the man and agreed to go back to his apartment when it was raided by officers. Her sister, Danielle, 28, told the Mail that police found two cannabis joints and arrested the pair. Derrin Crawford, 23, who works for Emirates and is based in the United Arab Emirates, had been out for dinner with the man and agreed to go back to his apartment when it was raided by officers Derrin, from Liverpool, was held in a police station for several days before being transferred to the notorious Al Barsha jail. In a tearful phone call home, she told Danielle that she had undergone blood tests for drugs and officers had agreed to let her go if they proved negative. Although the tests came in on Thursday and proved Derrin had no drugs in her system - she is still in jail. Danielle said: 'She is innocent, she was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. The police have been trying to interrogate her, but she doesn't even know this guy. Derrin, who lost her mother aged 11, and was raised by an aunt, moved to Dubai in September 2018 after securing a job with the airline. She was arrested on June 21 and managed to alert her family on June 25 'When she was arrested the police took her phone, she managed to call me a few days later when she was being transferred to jail. At first I couldn't understand what she was saying because she was just crying and crying. She didn't eat or sleep for days. 'She doesn't drink or smoke and has a good job with Emirates, so it is a shame she has got caught up in all this. She's only 23 and is just so scared.' Derrin, who lost her mother aged 11, and was raised by an aunt, moved to Dubai in September 2018 after securing a job with the airline. She was arrested on June 21 and managed to alert her family on June 25. She is being kept in handcuffs in isolation in the prison. The air hostess told relatives that she agreed to go on a date with the man, believed to be a fellow Brit and a marketing executive, from London, after meeting him on a night out. The British Embassy in Dubai are understood to be looking into Derrin's case, but have not yet visited her. Danielle added: 'I'm trying to get her a solicitor but I'm really concerned for her welfare.' A spokesman for the Foreign Office said: 'We are supporting a British woman who is currently detained in the UAE and will look to visit her when local lockdown restrictions are lifted. We are in contact with Emirati authorities and have provided details of local lawyers to her family.' A Dubai Police spokesperson: 'Two British nationals were arrested on suspicion of possession of narcotics with the intent to supply. 'They were taken into custody and charged with possession of cannabis, pills, and other items that are classified as illegal substances in the United Arab Emirates. The Dubai Police has referred the case to the Public Prosecution and the accused are currently out on bail. 'The UAE has a zero-tolerance policy for the recreational use of drugs. The penalty for personal possession can be up to 10 years imprisonment, and drug trafficking can result in a life sentence.' The White House will reportedly tell Americans to learn to live with the coronavirus, shifting their focus from past months when they expressed that the virus would eventually go away. Administration officials are trying to intensify their messaging on the pandemic in the next week, senior administration officials told NBC News. The White House is planning to offer up that the virus is not going away any time soon and will be continuing well pass the November election. The White House is reportedly planning to offer up that the virus is not going away any time soon and will be continuing well pass the November election Top advisers for the president will argue for ways to move forward, despite the virus Top advisers for the president will argue for ways to move forward, despite the virus. Officials plan to push forward therapeutic drugs, while emphasizing that the risk of dying from the virus is low, the officials said. President Donald Trump initially claimed that the virus was not a threat before stating that the country would be reopen in time for Easter Sunday, while Vice President Mike Pence later boasted that the virus would be 'behind us' by Memorial Day. Jared Kushner declared that the country would be 'really rocking again' by July as Americans were 'on the other side of the medical aspect of this.' While Trump and the White House had a more intense federal response in March, by the next month, he was demanding that various governors reopen their states so that he could salvage his tanking economy. The White House is now changing its tune. 'The virus is with us, but we need to live with it,' is how the administration will move forward when addressing the pandemic, officials said. Administration officials plan to promote a new study that shows the promising results on therapeutics, officials shared. The lack of detail surrounding the study was because the disclosure of the information would be 'market moving,' officials added. They also plan to emphasize survival rates for Americans within a certain age group, if they don't have underlying conditions. Top advisers for the president will argue for ways to move forward, despite the virus. Officials plan to push forward therapeutic drugs, while emphasizing that the risk of dying from the virus is low, the officials said Dr. Deborah Birx is expected to brief Trump on her assessment of new hot spots and how they are affecting minority communities. The doctor was in Florida, Arizona and Texas this week. Another official indicated that the coronavirus task force meetings and public briefings will become more frequent. Three White House officials shared that in recent days, Trump has personally asked for the task force to resume briefings. He has opted not to participate in them, they added. 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. Boris Johnson has been warned to beef up plans to keep out sub-standard US food imports or risk letting down British farmers. Tory MPs say a proposed panel to advise on post-Brexit trade deals must have real teeth and not just be a 'talking shop'. In a private meeting, they insisted the new 'trade and agriculture' commission announced last week by International Trade Secretary Liz Truss must be established on a statutory footing. Environmental campaigners have welcomed the new body but say it does not go nearly far enough in safeguarding the UK from the products of so-called American mega farms. Tory MPs have warned Liz Truss to beef up plans to keep out sub-standard US food imports in the post-Brexit trade deal or risk letting down British farmers. Liz Truss pictured helping Bill Wiggin with his Hereford cattle herd It comes after a leading member of Donald Trump's administration fuelled hopes that if Britain stood up to the US over food imports, it could still negotiate a valuable trade deal. Ben Carson, Secretary of State for Housing and Urban Development, suggested that blocking certain US foodstuffs should not be a deal-breaker. He said: 'I suspect there would be further negotiations and some give and take to make sure that things work out.' Mr Johnson has come under mounting pressure to ensure that British farms and their world-class food standards are not undercut by hormone-fed beef, chlorinated chicken or other controversial US-farmed products as the price for securing a post-Brexit trade deal with Washington. The Mail on Sunday, which has launched a Save Our Family Farms campaign to protect British businesses and food standards, revealed last month how the Prime Minister is considering keeping out certain US products by imposing prohibitively high tariffs once we finally leave the EU single market. Mr Johnson has come under pressure to ensure British farms are not undercut by hormone-fed beef, chlorinated chicken or other controversial US-farmed products in a post-Brexit trade deal (file photo) Miss Truss's plan is for an independent commission to advise on policies that ensure UK farmers 'do not face unfair competition and that their high animal welfare and production standards are not undermined'. But at a private meeting with the Prime Minister, Tory MPs who took part in a Commons rebellion in May over the danger to British food standards made clear that Miss Truss's plans did not go far enough. They welcomed the new body but insisted it must be set up on a statutory footing meaning that the Government would have to respond formally to its recommendations. One MP said: 'It can't just be a panel that issues advice and then gets ignored. The PM was quite receptive to what we were saying.' Tory MP George Freeman, who was not at the meeting but is urging Ministers to 'stand by our UK food and farming sector', said it was vital the panel was not just a 'talking shop'. Minette Batters, president of the National Farmers' Union, also urged Miss Truss to set out more details to ensure the commission is effective and independent. Liz Truss (above) plans for an independent commission to advise on policies that ensure UK farmers 'do not face unfair competition and that their high animal welfare and production standards are not undermined' And Beccy Speight, chief executive of the RSPB the UK's largest nature conservation charity said it must be 'genuinely independent' and be accountable to Parliament, not just Ministers. She called for 'clear legal guarantees that imports will meet our environmental standards'. 'Anything less than this and we would be selling our farmers and our wildlife short at a time when many of our iconic farmland birds like lapwings and skylarks are starting to disappear from our countryside,' she added. 'Exposing British farming to competition from American-style mega farms and harmful pesticides would have a devastating impact on any hope of nature's recovery.' Government sources said the commission's detailed terms of reference had yet to be agreed. But allies of Miss Truss stressed she had already vowed the Government would never lower its foods standards to get a trade deal. You can find the petition by clicking here. We must keep smiling four simple words that resonate as much today as when they were written in the heat of battle 80 years ago. George Whayman was a young platoon sergeant major on the beach of Dunkirk when he composed a letter home to his wife Ethel saying with characteristic optimism that, despite the circumstances, with the wind the right way, we shall get through. Sadly, the letter was never delivered. As part of a bundle of 50 written by soldiers at the end of May 1940 from the 1st Battalion, the Suffolk Regiment, the postal van carrying them was abandoned in the confusion of battle. Lucky escape: British soldiers aboard the Glen Gower a civilian paddle steamer which helped rescue them from Dunkirk in 1940 They were found by a German officer who took them home as a souvenir, and they gathered dust in his attic for almost 30 years. It was not until 1968 that he decided to hand them to the British Embassy in Bonn and they were then returned to the Suffolk Regiment Association. Nine were passed to the soldiers families but the 41 others remained in a council archive until researchers stumbled upon them earlier this year. The letters are a mixture of fascinating detail from the French front line in the weeks leading up to Dunkirk and heartbreaking descriptions of love lives and family ties broken by war. One of the most poignant is by a soldier who writes with searing emotion to his wife about his hopes theyll have a child together. Another reveals himself as a secret poet and composes an ode My Loved One to his darling wife Mabel. Of course, there are more mundane observations: the inability to wash, looking forward to a good booze-up back in Britain, requests for chocolates, how French girls wear hardly anything at all just enough to cover up the so sos, and many calls to families back home to keep your chin up. Revealingly, the soldiers are forthright in their view of the Germans. One says: Well give the Boche such a crack one day, hell wonder what has hit him. Another confides: Ill do my best to get hold of Goering [commander of the Luftwaffe]. In one letter, Private Harry Cole, from Hasketon, Suffolk, tells his mother: I have an idea the Jerries will soon be on the run. Hitlers number is booked all right. The day they catch him, they ought to roast him alive. The letters are to be exhibited by Suffolk County Council in a local history project and excerpts can be viewed online. Meanwhile, The Mail on Sunday has given the correspondence that never arrived to some of the intended recipients descendants. For example, we contacted the family of George Whayman, whose letter to his wife started: Darling, dont worry yourself, we must keep smiling. Trusting you are all in the pink, keep your pecker up my love He then asked her to kiss their children, Eric and Cynthia. Tragically, he was killed 20 months later in Singapore while fighting the Japanese. Erics 65-year- old son, Terry, from Maidstone, Kent, said: At the time he wrote that letter, Ethel was heavily pregnant with their third child, my uncle Michael. Reading this letter now is very emotional. Eric would have loved to have seen it. Private Syd Rose, C Company, 1st Battalion, Suffolk Regiment Syd wrote to his darling wife Vera and daughters Sally and Beverly. The couple are pictured above together Syd wrote to his darling wife Vera and daughters Sally and Beverly. He suffered a shrapnel wound at Dunkirk and it was another five years before he made it back to Colchester, Essex, having been taken prisoner for the remainder of the war. Back home, he returned to his job at an engineering firm and the couple, pictured left on their wedding day, had three more children twins Bruce and Bridget and daughter Stephanie. Bridget, 73, said it was the thought of his family that kept her father going. Its wonderful this letter has turned up again after all these years. Syd, pictured below in 1928, died in 1985, aged 77, and never bore ill-will to those who held him captive. 'My own darling wife. I am quite alright and longing for this war to finish by June I hope pray God. It seems that I shall be right There is not much I can say but I keep smiling and I know darling how you are also trying too You know, sweetheart, if you dont hear from me for perhaps weeks, I shall still be in safe hands so, my dearest, you can look for that glorious day. I pray every night and sometimes every five minutes of the day that this war will soon end You, my darling, shall always be in my arms. Youre always in my prayers and thoughts, the very first and last of each day, to make the future a peaceful one to continue our married life and love to the day of new awakening when if we are His chosen people which I hope darling so, we shall go to a better land where love and peace abode Bless you sweetheart Syd, pictured above in 1928, died in 1985, aged 77, and never bore ill-will to those who held him captive Private Eddie Garnham, Signal Section, 1st Suffolk Company, 1st Battalion, Suffolk Regiment Eddie wrote to his wife Mabel and spoke of their newborn daughter Joylyn. Now 81 and living in Swindon, Wiltshire, his daughter says he became a prisoner of war and she was seven when he returned home. He was very quiet, so maybe that changed him. Its sad my mother never got to see the poem he wrote for her as I dont know if he ever showed that emotion again. The couple went on to have a son and Eddie died in 1980 from cancer at the age of 69. My own darling Mabe. Glad to hear that you and our darling baby are keeping well and happy Fancy our little Joylyn has put on 12oz. Gosh, you dont know how happy it has made me and I bet she looks the picture of health now that she is as brown as a berrie, bless her little heart. She is the best Baba in the world and she certainly has the best mummy... Wont it be wonderful, my Darling, to get peace again and to live and love together again just us three I never told you I was a poet. Well, I wrote a few verses and you will have to forgive me if you think they are terrible. To my darling Mabe and Babe, from your everlasting and true husband Eddie xxxxxxxxx. Eddies poem- My Loved One Oh Mabe my darling I love you More than these words can say And Im always thinking of you As each dreary day wens its way But the day will come oh my angel And this war will come to an end For each cloud has a sliver lining And the long road back has its bend Each day my love it grows stronger And I know that yours is the same For I worship the ground that you walk on From the first day I knew your sweet name You and I have always shared troubles together And never once have looked back So my sweet keep those brown eyes smiling, Then our sorrows well so have to hack Joe Kempster, Signal Section, 1st Suffolk Regiment My own darling wife, I have a good idea that I shall come through this alright I think too much of you and what we have planned for the future not to keep my ears open I have done plenty of thinking about you Mary, and I realise more than ever what I am missing today. I have lived only to make you happy and I think I have more or less succeeded, but the future years are going to be even happier because for one thing you and I will be together for always, never again to be parted and secondly there will be our baby. [He then writes about her miscarriage.] Dear, your turn will come one day. Time will put matters right. We both have plenty of time in front of us, Saucy. One day you will show me our baby, and we will be the happiest couple in the world. That will be a grand day dearest and you will find that everything I can do for the comfort of you and Baby will be done. Times will be hard after this is all over, but we will pull through because we have faith in each other and also in one above all. I am not ashamed to say I have prayed each night for you, Baby and peace, and I know one day those prayers will be answered... I have seen things out here which is enough to break even the hardest heart... Darling we shall win with something to spare and I feel confident that Christmas will see us all home and at peace again... Keep smiling because your husband always wants you to be happy. God bless and keep you always for your ever loving husband and sweetheart Joe xxxxx, I love you. Private Frederick Louis Minns, Suffolk Regiment He wrote to his wife Ethel. Days later he was among 338,000 British and Allied troops rescued from the Nazi onslaught by the fleet of little ships. But then he went East to defend Britain against Japan and was fatally hit by a mortar bomb at Punggol Point, Singapore. George, right, was buried at Kranji War Cemetery. DEAREST Ethel xxx, Darling dont worry yourself, we must keep smiling, there are hard times just now, but with the wind the right way we shall get through Trusting you are all in the pink, keep your pecker up my love, must close, with all my fondest love and kisses, yours ever George xxxx. George Whayman, A Company, 1st Battalion, Suffolk Regiment George Whayman wrote to his girlfriend Eva Willingham, a doctors housekeeper in the village of Bures St Mary, Suffolk He wrote to his girlfriend Eva Willingham, a doctors housekeeper in the village of Bures St Mary, Suffolk. He died, aged 29, four months later, while Evas family home was hit by a German bomb, killing her parents, grandmother and cousin. She never married and died in 1993. My own dear, I had eight hours continuous sleep last night which is the most since this gaff started. I have had my clothes off once, and that only for a bath, otherwise all that comes off when I sleep is my boots Although on one side are the sounds of war, on the other are the more peaceful sounds of church bells which remind me so much of England, and you darling, and all that might have been One never appreciates the country lanes, which must look lovely and green and full of flowers, so much as when one is torn from them and unable to return yet! Guards outnumber passengers by up to eight to one on deportation flights that send crooks and illegal immigrants out of Britain. Home Office figures show the proportion of taxpayer-funded staff to deportees on chartered flights has been rising since 2016, in part because more deportees are becoming increasingly disruptive, requiring extra staff to handle them. In the past four years, 5,304 foreigners most of them convicted criminals who have finished jail terms have been deported on 151 flights from the UK. It can take eight guards to escort just one prisoner during a deportation flight from Britain, according to Home Office figures ASYLUM CASE THAT DATES BACK TO 2012 OLYMPICS An asylum claim has still not been resolved after almost eight years, the Government has admitted. In a written response to a parliamentary question, Home Office Minister Chris Philp said the oldest outstanding claim dates back to August 23, 2012 just days after the London Olympics finished. There are cases where more complex issues arise around a claimants entitlement to asylum and there is a need for us to engage in wider stakeholder involvement, wrote Mr Philp, who became an MP almost three years after the claim was submitted. These cases continue to be processed as quickly as possible, but the Secretary of State has to be satisfied our decisions are compliant with the 1951 Refugee Convention as this is a mandatory requirement. Official figures show that as of March this year, 51,906 asylum cases were awaiting an initial decision or review. Of those, 31,516 had been waiting more than six months. The UK received 35,566 asylum applications last year. Advertisement They have been accompanied by 12,677 taxpayer-funded staff the equivalent of 2.4 for every deportee. More than three-quarters of the flights went to Albania, Pakistan, Nigeria and Ghana. In 2016, there were on average twice as many contractors, medical staff and Home Office officials as deportees on flights that year. By 2019, this had risen to more than three for each foreign national and in the period up to April this year, it was on average more than four. And for some individual flights, it was even higher. A chartered aircraft to France on January 30 this year, for example, had 33 staff overseeing the deportation of four people. A flight the previous day to Nigeria and Ghana involved 45 staff for seven returnees. Lucy Moreton, of the Immigration Services Union, said: Its become more common for foreign nationals to seek to disrupt a standard removal flight. It used to be possible to put someone on a flight without an escort. 'The more it gets reported that [the disruption has] happened successfully, it spreads. A few years ago [deportees] used to just shout, then they took to taking their clothes off. 'The number of staff depends on the nature of the flight and the individuals. Its risk-assessed depending on who youve got going. The Government estimates it will spend 200 million on deportation tickets and charter flights between 2017 and 2024. Earlier this year, it emerged that the cost of four charter flights to send deportees to Germany, France, Switzerland and Kosovo in 2019 was 443,089 almost 12,000 for each of the 37 people being kicked out of the UK. It is understood the UK Government will spend 200million on deportation tickets and flights before 2024 About 12,000 migrants are forcibly removed from the UK each year, with a further 20,000 leaving voluntarily. Last night, a spokesman for the Home Office said: We make no apology for seeking to remove dangerous foreign criminals and immigration offenders, making enforced returns by both charter flights and regular scheduled services. A decision on the number of escorts used for any removal will be based on factors including whether we expect violence or disruption during the escort operation and on the flight itself. As the number of dead from coronavirus continues to soar in Brazil, the popularity of far right President Jair Bolsonaro has remained unchanged. For his supporters, the president has done nothing wrong despite more than 63,000 deaths and 1.5 million infections. Bolsonaro originally dismissed the coronavirus as a 'little flu' and his opposition to lockdowns and flouting of measures aimed at stifling the spread have provoked a hail of criticism from some. Local epidemiologists and the World Health Organization have expressed concern about the president's approach in a country that is second only to the United States in terms of total cases and deaths from the virus. Yet a poll by Datafolha at the end of June found that 32 percent of Brazilians thought Bolsonaro's government was 'good or very good,' a number that hasn't dropped since the start of the health crisis. 'People are suffering a lot financially, and when Bolsonaro says: 'We can't stop Brazil from working,' he's speaking to people's despair,' said Vinicius Valle, a political science researcher. Despite more than 63,000 deaths and 1.5 million infections in Brazil and President Bolsonaro's (pictured above greeting a rally of supporters) unwillingness to tackle the coronavirus crisis, popularity among his supporters has remained largely unchanged He says most of the president's supporters recognize there's a health risk - but with Brazil set for a record recession this year, many have been deeply resistant to the lockdown. However, today the people supporting Bolsonaro are not the same as those before the pandemic, said Valle, the co-author of a study on Bolsonarism published in June. 'He's lost some points amongst those that supported him since the election. The faithful make up only 22 percent,' he said. On the flip side, 'he's gained some amongst the lower social classes thanks to the 600 reais ($112) emergency support' given to almost 60 million Brazilians. According to Johns Hopkins University, at the time of writing Brazil has seen 1,539,081 Covid-19 cases and 63,174 related deaths. Some believe the true figures are much higher Every Sunday in Sao Paulo and the capital Brasilia, Bolsonaro supporters hit the streets draped in the nation's flag to show their appreciation. And they seem to be singing from the same song sheet as the president. If there aren't many at the demonstration, they say, it's because the media has stoked fear and discouraged people from heading out. If the economy is crashing, that's the fault of state governors. 'Bolsonaro has given money to the people and the states. But the state governors have mismanaged that money, rural hospitals are falling to pieces,' said Neusa, who didn't want to give her full name. While most supporters recognise health risks, the fear of a recession is greater, and Brazil is set to experience a record recession this year. Above, a volunteer walks past a mural of the Brazilian flag as he disinfects an area at the Babilonia favela, in Rio de Janeiro Similarities between U.S. President Donald Trump and Bolsonaro have been drawn for their populist approaches. Above, followers of Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro hold a demonstration in his support in Brasilia, Brazil. One holds a Trump 2020 'There was no need to close down anything,' added the 50-something taking part in a pro-Bolsonaro protest in Sao Paulo and holding a banner calling for the state governor Joao Doria to quit. Doria was quick to impose a lockdown at the start of the crisis, but the state, by far the largest in Brazil, has been the worst affected by the pandemic. 'Bolsonaro is taking wise decisions' and has 'competent ministers,' according to another demonstrator, Lee Freitas. Two health ministers have left the job since the pandemic began after clashing with Bolsonaro over the country's approach to the crisis. 'We support this management. We're delighted to have a patriotic president who is cheered everywhere he goes,' added Freitas. Brazil has seen 63,000 deaths from coronavirus and 1.5 million infections, making it second only to the U.S. in both statistics Above, Maria Geralda da Silva, 84, who is experiencing breathing difficulty and others symptoms of COVID-19 is carried into an ambulance by first responders of the Emergency Rescue Service (SAMU) as she is transferred to a hospital for treatment amid the outbreak, in Sao Paulo Bolsonaro is well known for mingling with his supporters, even during lockdown when social distancing measures were in place - and being ignored by those very groups. Coronavirus is a Chinese conspiracy for some Bolsonaro supporters. 'It's the result of the strategy of certain media, linked to the left and Chinese communism, to demoralize conservative governments like the Brazilian and American governments,' said demonstrator Alex Silva, 46. 'How do you explain that the number of COVID-19 cases didn't explode in China,' he added. Several conspiracy theories are circulating on social media. 'But the most negationist false information circulating in Brazil, like the one claiming local authorities have buried empty coffins to inflate the (virus death) numbers, are not necessarily pushed by Bolsonarists, which shows that few people believe in it,' said Valle, who believes the president's popularity ratings will drop soon enough. 'Once the emergency aid ends, Bolsonaro's popularity should reduce to the 22 percent faithful who voted for him and continue to support him.' Many Brazilians have been outraged by their president's approach, and have taken to the streets to let their thoughts be known. Above, Dozens of people participate in a march against the President of Brazil Jair Bolsonaro, on Copacabana beach. One woman holds a sign that reads: '57,000 Covid deaths. So what?' Echoing scenes witnessed in other countries in recent months, police have been sent in to clamp down on protests. Above: Military police stand guard during the protest against Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro, in Copacabana, Rio de Janeiro Earlier in June, Brazil's government stopped publishing a running total of coronavirus deaths and infections. Critics called the decision an attempt to hide the true toll of the disease in the country. The move came after months of criticism from experts saying Brazil's statistics are woefully deficient, and in some cases manipulated, so it may never be possible to gain a real understanding of the depth of the pandemic in the country. On June 5, the federal Health Ministry took down a website that had showed daily, weekly and monthly figures on infections and deaths in Brazilian states. The site later returned but the total numbers of infections for states and the nation were no longer there. According to Johns Hopkins University, at the time of writing Brazil has seen 1,539,081 Covid-19 cases and 63,174 related deaths. Bolsonaro has previously said he refuses to follow directives on social distancing from the World Health Organisation, because it promotes 'masturbation' in children under four. In a bizarre Facebook post, which was removed from his profile page on the social media platform, Bolsonaro cited an obscure guide about sex education to question the WHO's authority on coronavirus. Bolsonaro ranted online about the WHO's alleged recommendation children under four derive 'satisfaction and pleasure upon touching their own body *masturbation*'. He used this and other tenuous references to make his case the global agency is in no position to direct him on the best way to curb the spread of COVID-19. Ghislaine Maxwell's friends have said they fear for her safety in jail, with one warning: 'There is too much power involved if she really talks.' Maxwell, 58, was arrested on Thursday in New Hampshire and faces six counts relating to charges of enticing and trafficking minors for sex. The connections stem from her relationship with pedophile Jeffrey Epstein, who killed himself in prison in August awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges. She is being held without bail in the state, ahead of her transfer to New York - the jurisdiction which is prosecuting. Ghislaine Maxwell pictured with Jeffrey Epstein. Maxwell is in jail and Epstein killed himself Those who know the French-born British socialite, who also holds U.S. citizenship, say they are concerned for her well-being. 'I'm absolutely worried for her safety,' said Christopher Mason, a TV host and journalist who has known Maxwell since the 1980s. 'Do I think she's in danger? Yes.' Mason, who is appearing in the new docu-series 'Surviving Jeffrey Epstein' in August on Lifetime, added that the threat to Maxwell now headed to the same Manhattan jail where Epstein died last August could be greater because of reports she might cooperate with authorities. He said he feared she could take her own life, like Epstein did, or be killed. 'The authorities are open to the possibility of some cooperation,' Mason said, according to the New York Post. Christopher Mason, a friend of Maxwell's since the 1980s, said he feared for her safety 'In a way, I can't imagine her ever giving up Prince Andrew, but if it's life imprisonment with no hope of parole, it might be tempting. 'She of all of those people knew who slept with whom and [which young girl] was assigned to whom.' Epstein, 66, hanged himself inside his cell at the Metropolitan Correctional Center while facing charges he sexually abuse of dozens of minors and young women. The death was ruled a suicide but a pathologist hired by the Epstein family claims his death was murder. Video footage outside Epstein's cell just prior to his death was mysteriously wiped and two corrections officers, Tova Noel and Michael Thomas, have been charged with falsifying documents claiming they checked on him the night of his death. Mason said Maxwell had access to potentially compromising videotapes. Epstein was widely reported to have rigged his many homes with cameras and kept surveillance tapes of everyone and everything that went on in them. The tapes have all disappeared, he said. 'I'm sure she has access to the videos,' Mason said. 'A lot of powerful people will be more than a little worried. I hope [Maxwell won't] end up like Epstein. I'm a little worried about that. 'I think she's in danger. There is too much power involved if she really talks. ' Maxwell, pictured in July 2004, was on Epstein's arm from 1992 and managed his affairs Another friend who asked to remain anonymous told the Post is was strange she stayed in the U.S. 'I don't understand why [Maxwell] didn't leave the country,' the source said. 'She has very high-powered friends and I am wondering why she stayed in the US. She must have some major dirt to stay in this country.' The friend speculated that Prince Andrew had the most to worry about but added, 'I can't tell you how much he was involved.' Mason said Maxwell 'was my friend, but after the brutality of the treatment of these girls and the threats she made, it's hard.' He added: 'Sympathy for her has evaporated. 'She's the daughter of a monstrous man and Jeffrey was the ideal replacement for her monstrous father so one could be exceedingly sympathetic poor thing she had no chance, her father was a monster. That's all she knew. 'But she's also a highly intelligent adult with choices.' Maxwell has previously denied the allegations against her. Prince Andrew has continuously and vehemently denied any wrongdoing after Virginia Roberts Giuffre alleged Epstein first 'sex trafficked' her to the Prince when she was just 17. A fire at a power station in Iran today is the latest in a string of fires and explosions all over the country including one at a medical clinic that left 19 people dead. The fire broke out at the Zergan power plant in the city of Ahvaz in southwestern Iran causing a transformer in the station to explode and ignite the plant. The fire caused partial electricity outages before it was put out by fire fighters, who spent two hours fighting the blaze, and electricity was restored. Mohammad Hafezi, the power plant's health and safety manager, told the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) the cause of the fire was under investigation. A fire at a power station in the city of Ahvaz in southwestern Iran is the most recent in a string of fires and explosions all over the country The fire affected one of the station's transformers and caused partial electricity outages before it was put out and electricity was restored Meanwhile, also on Saturday, a unit of the Karoon petrochemicals plant in south-east Iran, near the Gulf, had a chlorine gas leak, the Iranian oil ministry's news agency reported. The leak sickened 70 workers with injuries from chlorine inhalation but most of them were released after receiving medical treatment. The fire and the leak are the most recent of several dangerous incidents affecting important sites in Iran. Only two days before, a fire broke out at Iran's Natanz nuclear facility, which has been hit in sabotage attacks in the past. But Iran said that no one was injured and that the fire only damaged an industrial shed. The fire at Iran's Natanz nuclear facility happened two days before the fire at the Zergan power plant in the city of Ahvaz Pictured: The aftermath of the fire at Iran's Natanz nuclear facility after a fire broke out on Thursday Iran's state-run IRNA news agency said the fire could have been an attempt to sabotage work at the plant, which has been involved in activities that breach an international nuclear deal. Iran is enriching uranium at a quicker rate following the collapse of a deal signed in Paris. In the same week, on Tuesday, 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. Pictured: First responders carry away an injured person on a stretcher at the scene of an explosion at the Sina At'har health centre in the north of Iran's capital Tehran northern Tehran on June 30, 2020 Pictured: Footage of a powerful explosion at a clinic in northern Tehran. The blast at Sina At'har health centre caused damage to buildings in the vicinity and sent a plume of thick black smoke into the night sky, state television reported, June 30, 2020 Last month, on June 26, there was an explosion near the Parchin military and weapons development base in the east of Terhran. Authorities said the explosion was caused by a leak in a gas storage facility in an area around the base. A Kuwaiti newspaper has accused Israel of being responsible for two of the explosions claiming the country is trying to set Iran's nuclear enrichment programme back. The Al-Jareeda daily reported that an unnamed senior source said that the two explosions were because of an Israili cyber-attack at the Natanz nuclear plant on Thursday morning. They also claim stealth Israeli fighter jets bombed another site in Parchin believed to house a missile production facility on June 26. The Israeli government have not confirmed the Al-Jareeda daily's accusations and have remained quiet on the reports. The president has retweeted a posting that questioned whether American media outlets deliberately attempted to encourage people not to take a drug that Donald Trump had previously endorsed. President Trump said in March that hydroxychloroquine could be a game-changer and said that he was taking it himself. He continued to tout the drug even after the FDA revoked its emergency authorization. On Friday night, a former U.S. Ambassador to Germany, Richard Grenell posted a couple tweets questioning the media's intention when it came to repoerting the story surrounding the drug. Both tweets were subsequently retweeted by the president. President Trump retweeted posts by Former U.S. Ambassador to Germany, Richard Grenell who publicly thanked the president while questioning the media's motivation in its reportage of the drug hydroxychloroquine President Trump retweeted a couple of posts from a diplomat and civil servant, Richard Grenell who demanded answers as to why U.S. media did not promote hydroxychloroquine 'So fewer people died because they took the drug @realDonaldTrump suggested.... Thank you, POTUS for doing the right thing even in the face of a DC culture attacking you no matter what you do,' Grennell tweeted. Five minutes later, Grenell posted a follow-up tweet. 'A very real question should be asked by real journalists: Did some US media outlets encourage people to NOT take a drug that could have saved their lives- all because they hate Trump?' Hours later, both tweets were retweeted by the president. Grenel who was Acting Director of National Intelligence for three months earlier this year appeared motivated to post after it was revealed on Friday in a new study that suggests hydroxychloroquine can improve survival odds for some coronavirus patients. After repeated failures in previous research, the new study claimed that hospitalized coronavirus patients given hydroxychloroquine early in treatment were 50 percent less likely to die than those who did not receive the drug. Responses on Twitter saw people divided as to why the media either dissuaded people from using the drug or criticized president Trump's endorsement of the product President Trump had praised hydroxychloroquine as a 'game changer' and 'gift from God' for coronavirus patients but grew quiet about it as evidence against the drug mounted. His campaign welcomed positive news on the drug this week hailing it as 'fantastic' In a statement, Trump's campaign branded the study 'fantastic news', hitting out at critics of the drug who they claimed attempted to discredit it as part of their 'own anti-Trump agenda'. The campaign also praised the Trump administration for securing a massive stockpile of hydroxychloroquine months ago. Opinions to Grenel's tweet were divided with some calling for an investigation into the media's motivation. 'HCQ was demonized because Orange Man Bad. Who cares about those lives that could have been saved. Blue state Governors even threatened removing doctors licenses if prescribed. Where is their apology?' asked one Twitter user. 'Why did the media tell us it was so bad? We all know why,' wrote another. 'Why are we blaming the media when they were reporting on studies? Why are we all so quick to believe this one study when several other studies are dismissed because of their negative findings? We are so broken we literally only pay attention to/believe what proves our opinions,' noted one user. 'DT hailed this as cure. This is not a cure. Doctors all along said it was a symptomatic drug taken as a last resort, not a cure,' tweeted another online poster. A Henry Ford Health System study found that COVID-19 patients given hydroxychloroquine early on in their treatment were 50% less likely to die. The study only administered the anti-malaria drug to those without a high risk of heart problems 'Fortunately, the Trump Administration secured a massive supply of hydroxychloroquine for the national stockpile months ago,' the statement read. 'Yet this is the same drug that the media and the Biden campaign spent weeks trying to discredit and spread fear and doubt around because President Trump dared to mention it as a potential treatment for coronavirus. 'First, the media tried to ludicrously blame President Trump for the death of a man who ingested fish tank cleaner, falsely tying the incident to hydroxychloroquine,' it said. 'Even Joe Biden himself dismissed the drug, saying "no serious medical personnel" would suggest its use. 'The new study from the Henry Ford Health System should be a clear message to the media and the Democrats: stop the bizarre attempts to discredit hydroxychloroquine to satisfy your own anti-Trump agenda. It may be costing lives.' The Henry Ford System study carried out the testing on 2,541 people, only if they were not at high risk for heart problems, as the drug has been shown to create heart rhythm problems as a potential side effect. It comes after several large-scale studies found no benefit to the malaria drug, despite it being pushed by the president, which prompted the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to revoke its emergency use authorization. On Wednesday, the FDA renewed its warning that hydroxychloroquine should not be used to treat coronavirus outside of the hospital setting or a clinical trial due to the risk of heart rhythm problems. 'Now, a drug called chloroquine, and some people would add to it, hydroxychloroquine, so chloroquine or hydroxychloroquine ... [has] shown very encouraging, very, very encouraging early results,' he said. He added that 'were going to be able to make that drug available almost immediately' despite acknowledging it may not 'go as planned'. He became quiet on the issue, however, as studies mounted to suggest the drug was not a coronavirus cure and later said he would stop staking the unapproved drug. Trump's top economic adviser, Peter Navarro, on Friday also praised the findings of the new study, and slammed the FDA's decision and previous warning about hydroxychloroquine potential cardiac side effects. 'Now what, what, practically, that means is that if we had been using hydroxychloroquine at the very beginning, we could have saved tens of thousands of lives already,' Navarro said. 'It's a drug that has gotten this hysterical bad rap on the basis of the media selectively promoting studies which, on their face, are flawed studies.' He also blamed the FDA's warning for depriving doctors at Henry Ford and elsewhere from doing gold standard clinical trial study of hydroxychloroquine for coronavirus patients. White House economic adviser Peter Navarro praised the findings of the new study, claiming that if they'd been made earlier, tens of thousands of lives could have been saved. He hit out at the FDA, incorrectly blaming the agency for 'shutting down' hydroxychloroquine studies However, because it is FDA-approved for treating lupus, rheumatoid arthritis and malaria, doctors can still readily gain access to the drug, regardless of the FDA's now-revoked emergency use authorization and warnings. It's unclear whether the Henry Ford researchers wanted to do a clinical trial - which is more expensive, time-consuming, and involves randomly assigning patients to either get a the treatment under study or a placebo - instead of the retrospective analysis they published. The Henry Ford team puts their better results down to timing and selectivity. They gave coronavirus patients hydroxychloroquine earlier on in the course of their illnesses, and only if they were not at high risk for heart problems. Critics say that these same choices that helped Henry Ford get better results from hydroxychloroquine also make the research less convincing, and noted that more of the hydroxychloroquine group was also treated with steroids, which data suggests combats dangerous inflammation in coronavirus patients. Other outside experts, however, noted that dangerous heart arrhythmias are a long-known potential side effect of hydroxychloroquine, and the exclusion of patients cardiac issues is neither an unusual nor invalidated decision on the part of the researchers. 'Our results do differ from some other studies,' study leader Dr Marcus Zervos said at a news conference. '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.' The new study, published in the International Journal of Infectious Diseases, included more patients who were under 65 and a more racially diverse group. More than 80 percent were dosed with hydroxychloroquine within 24 hours of being admitted to the hospital, and 91 percent got the drug within 48 hours. Henry Ford researchers argued that this was a major advantage over the recent New York state study of hydroxychloroquine, although patients enrolled in it got the drug one day after admission on average (patients could be included if they were dosed 'at any time during their hospitalization'). Whether it was the timing or something else, the results from the new study were drastically different. All in all, 18.1 percent of all patients in the trial died, including 13.5 percent of those who got only hydroxychloroquine, 20.1 percent of those given both the malaria drug and the antibiotic azythromycin died. More than 22 percent of those who got just the antibiotic died, and 26.4 percent of patient treated with neither drug died. 'The combination of hydroxychloroquine plus azithromycin was reserved for selected patients with severe COVID-19 and with minimal cardiac risk factors,' as it has the highest risk for heart complications, the study authors wrote. Critical commenters suggested that the doctors at Henry Ford are simply more practiced at caring for coronavirus patients now, and that the results then might have less to do with the efficacy of hydroxychloroquine. '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,' wrote Dr Todd Lee of the Royal Victoria Hospital in Montreal, Canada, in commentary that accompanied the study. HYDROXYCHLOROQUINE WAS TOUTED BY TRUMP AND DOGGED BY CONTROVERSY AND FLAWED RESEARCH Early lab studies suggested that the drug might have antiviral abilities - helping to prevent the virus from making more copies of itself. Data also suggested that it might stem inflammation from an out-of-control immune response that often becomes the ultimate cause of death for severely ill coronavirus patients. President Trump hailed it a 'game-changer' and his optimism about the drug prompted a flurry of research, much of which ended disastrously. Trump's fervent promotion of the drug followed a controversial claim by once rising star scientist Dr Didier Raoult that suggested hydroxychloroquine could treat coronavirus. Dr Raoult boasted that with a combination of hydroxychloroquine and the antibiotic azithromycin, 'we know how to cure the disease'. President Trump had said he was taking the unapproved drug hydroxychloroquine but became quiet when studies mounted to suggest it could not be used as a COVID-19 treatment President Trump has since said 'I have a good feeling' about the drug, and even called it a 'gift from God.' Hydroxychloroquine studies cropped up across the US and the world, and the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) promptly issued emergency use authorization for the drug on March 31 - a step that was curious both for its speed and because the drug was already approved to treat other conditions and could be used off-label without the designation. But by April, the evidence was beginning to stack against the drug. A trial in Brazil - which now has the second greatest number of infections in the world - was stopped short by scientists who saw an alarming trend of heart dangerous heart arrhythmias in a quarter of patients. Later that month, a US National Institutes of Health (NIH) trial of hydroxychloroquine to treat veterans with COVID-19 found that 28 percent of people given the drug died of coronavirus, compared to just 11 percent of those who were not dosed with it. A New York state study found the drug simply did not help severely ill patients improve or survive, and a Harvard University-led study published in The Lancet reviewed data around the world and seemed to show that COVID-19 patients treated with hydroxychloroquine were more likely to die than those who didn't get the drug. It was the largest study published on the the malaria drug and coronavirus at the time, and looked to be the final nail in the coffin for Trump's pet treatment. On its heals, some hydroxychloroquine studies screeched to a halt, including the arm of the World Health Organization's SOLIDARITY trial that was investigating the drug. But The Lancet study's findings unraveled under scrutiny. More than 120 scientists wrote a letter of concern questioning the database the Harvard team had used to The Lancet, which in turn published its own 'expression of concern.' The private company whose database the study relied upon refused to cooperate with an audit, citing patient privacy policies, and the study was retracted (as was another that used the data to examine the effect of blood pressure medications on coronavirus outcomes, published by the same authors in the New England Journal of Medicine). The WHO resumed its trial, but has since finally dropped the drug from SOLIDARITY altogether after the UK's National Health Service clinical trial - done by the 'gold standard' of medical research' found the drug offered no benefit for hospitalized coronavirus patients. In short order, the US FDA revoked its emergency approval for the drug on June 15, Trump grew quiet about it, and it seemed at long last that the whiplash-ridden saga of hydroxychloroquine might be over. Peter Navarro hit out at the agency for warning of the potential dangers of the drug and revoking its emergency approval for the treatment of coronavirus. 'It was what it was essentially a one, two punch by the FDA -first to do a black box on a warning and then to shut it completely down, there's been two effects. 'One is it's completely shut down the demand for hydroxychloroquine at the front lines, not just for patients but also among the hospital care workers, because of this hydroxy is hysteria. 'And the other, which is equally criminal, is that it became very difficult for doctors like William O'Neal at the hospital at the Detroit Hospital Center and William Grace at the New York hospital system to get subjects to actually be able to conduct the gold standard randomized blind clinical trial.' In fact, hydroxychloroquine has long carried not one, but two black box labels. Potentially life-threatening heart problems are a well known possible side effect of the drug. It was also given a black box warning for potential neurological and psychiatric side effects linked to suicidality. The warning issued over hydroxychloroquine in April said that it should not be used outside hospital or clinical trial settings due to its risks, but was neither a new black box warning, nor one that carried any enforceable weight. The FDA never 'shut down' the use of hydroxychloroquine to treat coronavirus. Both the agency's emergency use authorization of the drug and its retraction were mostly symbolic. Because hydroxychloroquine is approved as safe for treating other conditions, doctors can prescribe it off-label and submit applications for clinical trials using the drug to treat other conditions - including coronavirus - regardless of whether it has emergency approval or not. However the warnings and accumulation of negative evidence and press about the drug may have discouraged patients from agreeing to enroll in these trials. A 'RESURRECTION' FOR HYDROXYCHLOROQUINE? But this week, things have shifted again for the malaria drug, albeit at a more measured angle, and with the caveat that the new study is 'retrospective,' meaning it is not a 'gold standard' clinical trial. Data on more than 200 patients who hadn't been discharged from the hospital, were excluded casting some doubt over the study, and critics say the exclusion of people with heart problems skews the data in hydroxychloroquine. But it's the second bit of good news this week for the controversial drug. A University of Oxford trial giving health care workers hydroxychloroquine as a potential preventive was also greenlit this week. 'HCQ has been resurrected as an important drug to study,' Profesor Peter Pitts, former FDA Commissioner and President of the Center for Medicine in the Public Interest told DailyMail.com. 'This looks very promising,' he said of the Henry Ford study. 'Clearly it has impacted survival rates, pointed. to the need for early interventions and made recommendations on possible dosing standards.' 'The danger here is we don't want to have people rush to judgement therapeutically and don't want to cause shortages for people using it for lupus, rheumatoid arthritis and, of course, malaria.' He saw the exclusion of patients with heart risks not as a flaw, but a strength of the study, because giving those patients a drug when we know it can trigger cardiac arrhythmias would be 'irresponsible.' 'I toss aside those objections as snotty purism,' Pitts said. 'In a pandemic we can't be too pure and precious we have to get the job done, which equals in my mind saving lives and sharing science.' Campaigners have warned that women's lives could be at risk after two of Britain's leading abortion charities were caught sending out so-called 'DIY' termination pills in the post without making basic checks. At the start of the lockdown, the Government controversially relaxed rules so that abortion pills could be mailed to women who were up to ten weeks pregnant after a telephone consultation, rather than having to go to a clinic. Ministers insisted the temporary measure would be safe as two doctors had to sign off the prescription, but an investigation involving mystery callers found: No attempts were made to check the identity of women who called up to obtain the pills; There was no checks on whether women were actually registered with the GP practice that they gave; There were no checks to establish how far pregnant the women were, even though the tablets carry a risk of severe bleeding and even haemorrhaging if taken after ten weeks. Campaigners have warned that women's lives could be at risk after two of Britain's leading abortion charities were caught sending out so-called 'DIY' termination pills in the post without making basic checks. Above, file photo of a foetus at 24 weeks, the limit for abortion, which activists fear is being flouted At the start of lockdown, the Government relaxed rules so that abortion pills could be mailed to women who were up to ten weeks pregnant after a telephone consultation, rather than having to go to a clinic. An investigation found seven women received pills in the post after providing bogus details to Marie Stopes UK (file image) and the British Pregnancy Advisory Service Seven women received pills in the post after providing bogus details to Marie Stopes UK and the British Pregnancy Advisory Service (BPAS). Christian Concern, which commissioned the investigation, said it feared the system makes it easier for women to carry out an illegal abortion at home, even beyond the 24-week limit for terminations. Police recently launched an inquiry after a 28-weeks-pregnant woman in the Midlands got pills through the post from BPAS. BPAS is investigating eight more cases of women who were sent the pills despite being more than ten weeks pregnant, but last night defended the scheme and described the investigation as a 'meaningless exercise'. Christian Concern, which commissioned the investigation, said it feared the system makes it easier for women to carry out an illegal abortion at home, even beyond the 24-week limit for terminations. (Stock image) Labour MPs will tomorrow use a Commons vote to seek to make DIY abortions permanent, but Christian Concern said the investigation's findings showed it was unsafe. Its chief executive Andrea Williams said: 'We are alarmed at the lack of simple checks at these abortion charities before they send out powerful drugs. 'Women who take these drugs well into their pregnancy are putting their lives at risk or could cause serious injury to themselves.' All seven callers lied about which GP practice they were registered with, and one of the women reduced the length of her pregnancy from nine weeks to seven midway through a call without causing concern. Last night, BPAS spokeswoman Clare Murphy said: 'It is appalling that at a time when services are under intense pressure, anti-abortion campaigners would undertake a meaningless exercise to prove that a woman who says she needs an abortion is able to access the help she needs. 'How else should it be? We are shocked, but sadly not surprised, that these campaigners would want to remove this lifeline.' Jonathan Lord, medical director at Marie Stopes UK, said: 'We trust women to give us honest information and in our experience the only people who abuse that system are radical anti-choice organisations desperate to restrict access to legal abortion care.' On the front line: Daniel Burke on patrol while battling ISIS in Syria After three days of almost non-stop combat, former British Army soldier Daniel Burke was crouching behind a rooftop parapet in a town near the Iraq-Syria border. He was surrounded by ISIS fighters. 'We'd run out of water and we were running out of ammunition,' he recalls. 'We put in a call for an air strike and a Hummer [Humvee armoured vehicle] to take us out but were told, 'We can't get to you.' 'They said we should each keep one round of ammunition and put it in a top pocket, so if need be, we could take our own lives. One of my four mates asked me, 'Please, if it comes to that, shoot me in the back of the head.' ' Daniel, 33, is recounting his closest brush with death during the year that he volunteered to risk his life by fighting ISIS in Syria. He says he managed to locate the jihadi sniper. 'But he had spotted me first. He fired at me and the bullet hit the side of my helmet. I reeled backwards. I thought I'd been hit in the face.' Miraculously, he survived but only to face another ordeal after returning to Britain: charges of supporting terrorism and a possible life sentence, having been found trying to give humanitarian aid to his Syrian friends who were under attack by Turkey. On Friday, though, all charges were dropped and now Daniel is telling his remarkable story exclusively to The Mail on Sunday. By any normal definition, he is a hero. Having served with the Paras in Afghanistan, he volunteered to go to Syria on the day after the 2017 Manchester Arena bombing that killed 22 concert-goers, having been appalled at the carnage wrought by jihadis in his home city. While in Syria, fighting with the Kurd-led Syrian Democratic Forces, he sent British counter-terrorist police a stream of intelligence material that he and his comrades had found and copied when they overran houses abandoned by the terrorists. He believes the information may have helped thwart further terror attacks. After spending the last eight months in Wandsworth Prison on remand, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) concluded last week that 'no reasonable jury' would convict him. Mission: Daniel Burke poses with one of the local children while in Syria Speaking in a soft Mancunian burr, he says the case was a 'travesty' the result, he believes, of realpolitik. He says the Turkish government, whose invasion of the northern part of Syria's Kurdish enclave has led to countless civilian deaths and created more than 600,000 refugees, has to be 'appeased' by fellow Nato member countries in the interests of a future trade deal. Being accused of terrorism, Daniel says, hurt badly, considering that he had fought so hard against ISIS. At the time of his arrest, he told police: 'I'm not a terrorist. You know I'm not a terrorist. I've done nothing but fight for this country. This is a f****** joke.' Daniel is from a close-knit family in Wythenshawe. His dad is a retired taxi driver, his mother an optician's assistant, and he has two brothers. He joined the Paras' 3rd Battalion on leaving school in 2007. Soon he was deployed to Afghanistan, serving with a mobile unit, mostly in Helmand, where for the first time he experienced the loss of a friend, who was killed by an explosive device. Harder to take, Daniel says, was the impact of war on civilians. He describes seeing a little girl who was orphaned after her family had been killed. 'You can mentally prepare yourself for your friends getting killed. But you can't prepare yourself for the other things. That incident was the one that hurt my heart.' Back home, he suffered post-traumatic stress disorder, got into a fight and began drinking heavily. In July 2009, he was discharged from the Army. For the next eight years he did a series of different jobs. But after ISIS established its murderous caliphate in 2014, he began to think about going to Syria, taking an increasing interest in Kurdish rebels who he thought were fighting the jihadis most effectively. The Manchester Arena bombing was the catalyst. At first, he considered going to Libya the birthplace of the concert bomber. But ISIS had claimed responsibility for the attack and Syria was its heartland. So, the next day, Daniel filled out an online form to join the Kurdish militia. He received a reply and was told to book a flight to Sulaymaniyah, in the Kurdish part of Iraq. He got there by a circuitous route via Mykonos, Athens, Amman and Cairo and was told to call a WhatsApp number to arrange a pick-up. Daniel recalls: 'There were two cars waiting and the first one had three guys in it. When one came over, I thought, 'S***, this is a kidnap.' ' But instead Daniel was taken to a safe house. After waiting there for a month, he was joined by two others Britons Dan Newey and Oliver Hall. 'We set off next day in a 4x4, off-road up the Tigris a very bumpy ride. At the end, we had a two kilometre walk in the middle of the night to a crossing point to Syria where there was a little inflatable raft that we had to pump up. 'There were 30 of us, including seven Westerners.' They spent the next month at a Kurdish military academy getting used to weapons systems, learning the local culture and language. 'We were taught how to kill and gut our own food goats and chickens. 'When we left, we split into different groups what the Kurds call tabors, or platoons. Usually I'd spend one or two weeks on the front line, then rotate out.' During the latter part of 2017, Daniel fought in and around Deir Ezzor, one of ISIS's last strongholds, where the enemy included jihadis fleeing Raqqa, the caliphate's capital. Afterwards, against Daniel's advice, fellow Briton Oliver, 24, volunteered to go to Raqqa to clear mines. There, he and another Briton, Jac Holmes, were killed. 'After Ollie's death, I was fired up,' Daniel says. 'I said to myself, 'Let's really fight these f******.' ' The battle of Deir Ezzor was, he says, 'tough, house-to-house fighting, clearing every home occupied by ISIS. A lot of ISIS members were taking drugs to help them fight amphetamines and steroids.' In some houses, the Kurdish militia found caches of documents showing that ISIS was getting people to apply for jobs in factories and oil refineries in the West presumably to work as terrorist-saboteurs. Daniel says: 'I started photographing the documents on my phone and sending them to the Manchester Counter-Terrorism Unit. In total, there were hundreds of pages.' In the New Year, says Daniel, as the front line shifted to the city of Hajin, 'things got very intense. We were fighting from door to door. There were a lot of dead bodies strewn around the streets. You'd see cars blowing up, flying through the air like little toys.' One blast caught him standing near a wall and he slammed into it, head-first: 'That was the first time I'd been knocked unconscious. Unfortunately, I hadn't done up my helmet strap.' Meanwhile, as America stepped up its assistance against the Syrian regime, Daniel says he heard US drones overhead, 'coming in, one after another'. The day he was almost killed on the rooftop in Hajin, when the bullet hit his helmet, had followed six weeks fighting on the front line. 'We'd had no food for two days and we were running low on water. I've never felt so far from home,' he confesses. Finally, Daniel's rooftop 'hell-hole' was relieved and he was allowed some rest at the Kurdish stronghold of Al Hasakah. However, he almost died again not from fighting, but sepsis. During the battle, a metal splinter had got inside a finger joint and he needed several courses of antibiotics. More front line trips followed. As well as secret ISIS documents, he found seven computer hard drives. It was at this point that the Kurds' suspicions were aroused and he says he was 'accused of being a British spy and interrogated'. 'I told them, 'This stuff could make a difference'. They wanted to know why I had the hard drives and I explained that if you went into a house where the last thing they'd done was try to destroy a laptop, it was reasonable to assume they had something to hide. After a couple of weeks, they said, 'Give the stuff to us in future, and we'll make sure we get it back to the Brits.' ' There were a few more spells on the front line but Daniel had become exhausted despairing over so many deaths and was told it was time to go home. 'I was sent back as a VIP a flight to Amman and then to Barcelona. I spent a few weeks climbing in the Pyrenees. Finally, my dad and my brother came over. After two weeks of being questioned, he was charged with terrorism offences and remanded to Wandsworth Prison 'I told the Manchester Counter-Terrorism Unit I was coming home. But when I got to Calais in August 2018, I was arrested.' However, he was released after just a few days and went back to working in the concrete business. But he missed his Kurdish co-fighters. He says: 'We kept in touch and they were like family. I believe in what they're doing treating women equally, and trying to bring in freedom and democracy things the Middle East badly needs.' Last year, the geopolitical wheels turned and President Trump withdrew his support for the Kurds. As Turkey long impatient with its Kurdish minority invaded, pledging to create a buffer zone on its border, Daniel watched in horror as Kurdish fighters, including women, were slaughtered and their bodies mutilated, while towns and villages were razed. Realising he could not return to the area and fight against Turkey because it is a Nato member, he contacted Shadows Of Hope, a US humanitarian organisation that works in conflict zones. He made no firm pledge to help them. Meanwhile, he had bought a plot of land near Barcelona, planning to turn it into a rehabilitation centre for victims of post-traumatic stress disorder. He set off there with his then girlfriend but they only got as far as Folkestone when they were arrested last December. After two weeks of being questioned, he was charged with terrorism offences and remanded to Wandsworth Prison. 'It was a culture shock. Most people there seemed to be gangsters. At first, I lied about why I was there. If I'd said I was in for terrorism offences, the Muslims would have assumed I was a neo-Nazi; the skinheads, that I was jihadi.' Just six weeks ago, at a pre-trial hearing, he was refused bail as he was told the case against him was 'strong and compelling'. But then, last Monday, came notification of the dropping of the charges. What could have made the prosecution suddenly decide that their case was so weak? Could someone have realised that he had always been on the side of the good guys and had sent useful intelligence back to counter-terrorism police? At Friday's hearing, no reasons were given. But a determining factor may have been a document submitted by the head of Daniel's defence team, Andrew Hall QC, arguing that for a fair trial, the CPS must disclose details of the Government's dealings with Turkey, and whether the decision to prosecute him had anything to do with a political decision to improve diplomatic and trade links. Whatever the answer, Britain's failure to challenge Turkey's war against the Kurds leaves Daniel Burke dismayed. 'I don't know why the West is letting them get away with it,' he says. 'They're using ex-Al Qaeda and ISIS as proxy fighters, while in the north, the caliphate is back. 'After we worked so hard, and lost so many in the fight against IS, it's tough to take.' 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 US spy chiefs are planning a 200 million expansion of RAF Croughton to station an extra 1,500 intelligence officials at the base close to where motorcyclist Harry Dunn died. The teenager was killed in a collision with a car driven by former CIA agent Anne Sacoolas outside the Northamptonshire facility last August after she drove on the wrong side of the road. She later fled the country. Now local MP Andrea Leadsom and Harrys family are campaigning to stop the US Government overhauling the site amid fears about future crashes. US spy chiefs are planning a 200 million expansion of RAF Croughton to station an extra 1,500 intelligence officials at the base close to where motorcyclist Harry Dunn died. The teenager is pictured above It is understood RAF Croughton is to become the United States intelligence services listening station for the entire African continent, with vast buildings required for the base. However, residents fear the increase in personnel threatens their lives as more and more American drivers risk accidents in the surrounding area. There are currently about 250 US military officers on the site, with 140 American defence contractors and a similar number of British Ministry of Defence officials stationed there. But the plans to quadruple this presence will be challenged in the House of Commons on Thursday, in an emergency debate triggered by Ms Leadsom. A Minister will be summoned to the House to explain the UKs support for the move as the former Cabinet Minister leads calls to stop it. Last night she told The Mail on Sunday: From the first day that Harrys family asked me for help Ive been determined to support them in achieving justice and ensure that this terrible tragedy is not repeated. Her support has been welcomed by Harrys family, who have had an often fraught relationship with the Government in the ten months since the crash. They are currently taking legal action against Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab, whom they blame for allowing Ms Sacoolas to flee the country two weeks after the crash amid evidence that her claim of diplomatic immunity was deeply flawed. A 32-year-old woman fell to her death from a moving rollercoaster at a theme park in France on Saturday. The woman's husband desperately tried to grab her foot after she slipped over the safety bar on the Formula 1 ride in Parc Saint-Paul, near Beauvais, France, witnesses claim. Firefighters tried to resuscitate her in the park but she was pronounced dead at the scene. Nobody else was hurt. The woman is understood to have been visiting the park for the first time to celebrate her two-year-old child's birthday. She was joined by her sister, husband and mother, local media reports. A 32-year-old woman fell to her death from a moving rollercoaster (file image of the Formula 1 ride) at a theme park in France on Saturday The woman's husband desperately tried to grab her foot after she slipped over the safety bar on the Formula 1 ride (file image) Onlooker Farida said: 'My children wanted to get in the carousel, and we heard screaming, then I saw the lady, who was strong, fall. 'She went over the bar and her husband tried to catch her by the foot.' Another onlooker added: 'We have seen children feeling sick or crying. Some were at the top when the carousel stopped.' In 2009, a 35-year-old woman lost her life on the same ride due to her own 'inappropriate behaviour' and the park was not held responsible, local media reports. The park's manager Gilles Campion was ordered to pay damages and was handed a suspended four-month prison sentence for two other incidents. The woman is understood to have been visiting the park (stock image, pictured) for the first time to celebrate her two-year-old child's birthday In 2005, the Nacelle rollercoaster broke loose. Four people were seriously injured after it slammed into a metal pole, Le Parisien reports. A similar incident left 11 people injured a month earlier. Campion said of this afternoon's tragedy: 'The firefighters intervened and tried unsuccessfully to resuscitate the victim.' The statement, reported by The Sun added: 'The park area has been completely cut off for visitors. 'All the teams join the family to express their deepest sadness following this event.' Boris Johnson is being urged to plough 5.5billion into creating a green economy of parks and open spaces to turbo-charge Britains recovery from the coronavirus pandemic. Bold plans to transform thousands of neighbourhoods and spend millions of pounds to upgrade neglected parks have been drawn up by the National Trust, charities and council leaders who say it would create a 200 billion bonanza in physical and health benefits for 20 million people. The Prime Minister last week announced plans to build, build, build Britain out of the economic slump sparked by the Covid-19 crisis and level up the poorest areas of the country. Boris Johnson (pictued) is under pressure to put 5.5billion into creating a green economy of parks and open spaces to help Britain recover from the coronavirus pandemic But research published by the National Trust and partners argues greening the UKs urban communities would create an army of new jobs. It calculates that the transformation of 9,200 neighbourhoods and under-performing parks would give work to 40,000 people. Experts from the consultancy firm Vivid Economics and planners Barton Willmore said 2.5 billion should be spent on giving green streets and parks to 600 of Britains most-deprived neighbourhoods. An artists impression of a street in the Harehills area of Leeds shows trees, grass and childrens play areas instead of the road. Another proposal is to turn a ring road in Reading town centre into an urban park. Under the plan, new green boulevards and public squares could be established to lure people back to struggling high streets and city centres. One idea is for a green, traffic-free corridor stretching from Manchester city centre to the countryside. There are also suggestions for a new National Park for the West Midlands, which would create hundreds of miles of green space, conservation areas and cycle routes. Andy Street, the mayor of the West Midlands, said: The coronavirus pandemic has shown us just how important these spaces are, not just for physical well-being but also for peoples mental health. Because of this, there is now real potential to achieve bold, green change in the next few years and this must be at the forefront of the Governments mind as it begins to draw up recovery plans. Marvin Rees, mayor of Bristol, said: We have exciting plans to create new city centre parks and turn some of our car parks into beautiful green spaces, like in Paris. We also plan to transform and connect the citys network of green spaces, working with business and community partners, but we need investment to unlock this potential and kick-start our green recovery. Bristol mayor Marvin Rees announced new plans to turn existing car parks into new green spaces, like in Paris (pictured) Campaigners have been encouraged by the popularity of parks during the pandemic, with some seeing a 300 per cent rise in visits. Hilary McGrady, director-general of the National Trust, said: We are calling for a major collaborative effort for national Government, local councils, charities, businesses, communities and funders across our cities and towns to work together in new ways to bring nature and beautiful green spaces into everyones lives. The Prime Minister could lead a transformation that enables all urban dwellers to live with beauty; a gift of renewal and hope comparable to the post-war creation of the nations great rural national parks and its urban green belts. The Mail on Sunday is campaigning to protect Britains parks, which often fall victim to vandalism, neglect and property developers who buy green spaces from cash-strapped councils. She made history as the first black Miss Universe Great Britain, a sparkling crown on an impressive CV that also boasts a career as a barrister and Commonwealth Games athlete. Now Dee-Ann Kentish-Rogers has topped it all by becoming a government minister on the Caribbean island of Anguilla and she's still only 27. She joined the government after a stunning election victory in which she defeated Victor Banks, the 72-year-old premier of the British overseas territory. He had held a seat on the assembly for more than 40 years. Dee-Ann Kentish-Rogers (above), who made history as the first black Miss Universe Great Britain, has now become a government minister in Anguilla - and she's only 27 It is another stunning achievement for a young woman who grew up on a humble farm on the island. Speaking to The Mail on Sunday last night, she said that she was 'drunk on sleeplessness' from lengthy celebrations after a campaign in which her opponents tried to dismiss her as nothing more than a pretty face. 'It's just lazy prejudice,' she said. 'It was definitely there during the campaign. There was a feeling that I'm not prepared, that because of my past in Miss Universe, I couldn't qualify as an opponent. But it was actually becoming Miss Universe GB, rather than a barrister, that stirred me to take a more active interest in social development. 'Many people see beauty pageants as the antithesis of feminism, but I used my role to highlight female genital mutilation and acid attacks.' As a teenager, she ran the 400m at the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi for Anguilla, then followed her father and aunts into law, travelling to England to study at Birmingham University. Ms Kentish-Rogers and her Anguilla Progressive Movement, which won seven of the 11 seats in the election last Monday, want to tackle corruption on the island to benefit its population of 15,000 Ms Kentish-Rogers also competed for Anguilla in the Women's Heptathlon Javelin during the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games While still a student, Ms Kentish-Rogers competed at the 2014 Games in Glasgow, finishing 11th in the heptathlon. After finishing her degree, she returned to the Caribbean and became Miss Anguilla in 2017 before a second spell in Birmingham to complete her legal qualifications. She was called to the Bar a year later. By that time, she had set her sights on the Miss Universe GB competition and won the title that same summer, going on to compete at the global final in Thailand. The significance of becoming the first black woman to win the British crown passed her by initially, she said, but now she feels 'privileged' to be a role model. 'When people tell me that I've been an example to their daughters, those messages floor me and make me understand what an honour it is to inspire others by becoming the first black winner,' she said. After gaining an insight into British politics while in Birmingham, Ms Kentish-Rogers and her Anguilla Progressive Movement which won seven of the 11 seats in the election last Monday say they want to tackle corruption on the island to benefit its population of 15,000. Ms Kentish-Rogers, who has now been appointed minister for social development and education in Anguilla's new cabinet, also boasts a career as a barrister But in the short term, her job is to help Anguilla grapple with a financial crisis caused by coronavirus. Although the island is now free of Covid-19, it is still closed to tourists. Ms Kentish-Rogers, who has been appointed minister for social development and education in the new cabinet, said she will always retain her fondness for Britain. 'I enjoyed my time in the UK. I travelled a lot and made some great friends. It will always have a part of my heart. Birmingham really is my home. I love that city.' And while she has achieved more in the past decade than most people manage in a lifetime, she looks to a Briton for inspiration. 'My hero has always been Jessica Ennis-Hill,' she said of the Olympics star. She was such an accomplished heptathlete, but it's her hard-work ethic that I admire most.' Rachel Dolezal, the race faker and former NAACP leader who was discovered to actually be white, says she feels 'vindicated' by the Black Lives Matter movement. Dolezal, 42, who changed her name to Nkechi Diallo three years ago says she still sees herself as black and wants to get involved once again in the push for social equality. In 2015 it was revealed how she had been sacked from her job with the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) after her parents outed her as white. Rachel Dolezal has said she feels 'vindicated' by Black Lives Matter after she was ridiculed five years ago saying she was black despite both parents being white. A onetime president of the NAACP's Spokane chapter, Dolezal made headlines in 2015 when her white parents outed her as pretending to be a black woman Dolezal now tries to make ends meet by selling her artwork and braiding hair She has been braiding hair for people in recent years allowing her to work from home. She is now planning a move to Tucson, Arizona to move with her teenage son who will attend college 'Racially I identify as human, but culturally I identify as black. I do hope that we can rework the vocabulary. That's part of challenging the race world view,' she told the New York Post. 'Overwhelmingly, most people I hear from are black or mixed or non-white in some way and a lot of people have said this is your moment, you're vindicated. I have received hundreds of messages. Most of it's been overwhelmingly positive,' Dolezal said. These days, Dolezal, who is a single mother is trying to make a living selling her art, but claims to be energized by recent protests and the push for justice since George Floyd's death, however she concedes that the Black Lives Matter chapter close to where she lives in Washington State has rejected her offer of help. Dolezal wrote a memoir in 2017 almost two years after the controversy about her racial identity in June 2015 One of her works of art sees four bloody busts of former presidents spattered with red paint depicting bloody. The piece is called 'Truth Be Told' and she described each of them - George Washington, a Slaver, Thomas Jefferson, a Rapist, Andrew Jackson, a Racist and Franklin Roosevelt, a Racist. 'All my art is for sale. It's a hell of deal compared to the banana that was duct-taped to a wall!' she jokes. It was a local news reporter who 'outed' her after revealing her parents who lived in Montana, Ruthanne and Lawrence Dolezal, were both white. The controversial 'civil rights activist' would later argue that she was 'transracial' - equating her experience to that of being transgender. She was subsequently dismissed from her position as an Instructor in Africana Studies at Eastern Washington University and has struggled to find work ever since. Dolezal, onetime president of the NAACP's Spokane chapter, made international headlines in 2015 when her white parents outed her as pretending to be a black woman (pictured in 2017) Dolezal also braids hair in her own home to make ends meet. Dolezal began to try and rebuild her image with a Netflix documentary in 2018, The Rachel Divide. 'The Netflix documentary did help some of the people understand some of the context and backstory. I have received a lot of apologies from people who jumped on the bandwagon on social media,' she told the Post. She then attempted to generate some income writing a memoir entitled In Full Color, but things fell apart once again after being accused of welfare fraud for failing to report $84,000 in earnings to Washington State's Department of Social and Health Services. In May 2018, Dolezal was charged with was charged with theft by welfare fraud, perjury and false verification for public assistance. Court documents alleged that she illegally received $8,747 in food assistance and $100 in child care assistance from August 2015 through November 2017. In May 2018, Dolezal was charged with was charged with theft by welfare fraud, perjury and false verification for public assistance. Dolezal settled in a Washington court in April 2019, agreeing to pay an undisclosed restitution and complete 120 hours of community service Dolezal settled in a Washington court in April, agreeing to pay an undisclosed restitution and complete 120 hours of community service. Soon, Dolezal hopes to start a new chapter in her life with a move to the southwest. Her 17-year-old son Franklin is to move to Tucson to become a student at the University of Arizona and she hopes to move along with him. 'I have been waiting to move for 15 years,' she said. 'It's been a long time coming.' Trained police negotiators have spent more than 12 hours talking to a man armed with a large power tool in Plymouth, Devon. Officers were called to the scene shortly before 9.30am today after an emergency worker was threatened by the man. One resident said he was told to stay indoors by armed police, but since then he said it has gone 'eerily quiet'. Heavily armed police officers have surrounded a house in Plymouth after a man with a large power tool threatened an emergency worker The incident, in Ham Drive, Plymouth started at around 9.30am and according to Devon and Cornwall police, is still active Police have been negotiating with the man in Devon to come out of the building unarmed Countless police, firefighters, a dog handler, and an ambulance have since been seen on Ham Drive in Plymouth, Devon. A spokesperson for Devon and Cornwall Police said: 'At 0928 hours police were called to a property Ham Drive Plymouth following an incident in which emergency service personnel were threatened by a man with a large power tool. 'Police are currently at the scene and engaging with the occupant of an address in Ham Drive to reach a safe resolution. 'This incident is ongoing at the current time.' One local resident reported seeing unmarked vans arrive at the scene, but that he had heard no commotion in the street. He said: 'Police only saying stay indoors - not giving any info. There's around six to eight armed police and dog handlers too. 'Fire engine hose plugged into the street mains supply. Police allowing people to leave our street but not enter. 'My wife went to go for a run but police turned her around.' Devon and Cornwall Police say the incident is still ongoing. Heavily armed police secured the scene while officers negotiated with the man Police have confirmed that the incident which started at 9.30am is ongoing An officer covers his colleagues as they surround the suspect's home, using what appeared to be a L104A1 plastic baton round launcher An armed police sergeant cradling what appears to be a plastic baton round launcher, stood waiting for further orders A petition to reinstate a charity boss who was sacked after criticising the far-Left agenda of Black Lives Matter UK has already secured over 13,500 supporters. Nick Buckley awarded an MBE six months ago for his work with vulnerable youngsters said he has been proven right after he used a blog to warn of the neo-Marxist policies of Black Lives Matter UK, which include ending capitalism and abolishing the police. The Mail on Sunday last week revealed how Mr Buckley was dismissed by the trustees of Mancunian Way, a groundbreaking charity he founded nine years ago, after an online mob accused him of inappropriate and insensitive views. Mancunian Way charity Nick Buckley (pictured) was sacked by the company he founded nine years ago after he criticised the Black Lives Matter UK for its far-Left agenda An online petition calling for his removal as chief executive of Mancunian Way attracted 465 signatures. It has now been dwarfed by the rival petition calling for him to be handed back his job. Mr Buckley said he had been overwhelmed by the support. From the moment the [MoS] article landed, the petition took off immediately, he said. A petition to reinstate the former charity boss has received over 13,500 signatures (pictured) As well as the petition signatures, I have had hundreds of personal messages from as far afield as Australia expressing support and telling me to keep strong. He said people had thrown their weight behind BLM UK, which has raised more than 1 million in donations, without researching exactly what it stood for. He added: I think we were in some kind of national hysteria, blindness. Everyone now is slowly backtracking and trying to weasel their way out of who they have been supporting for the past couple of weeks. 'It has made me realise I was correct to speak out. Last week, Mancunian Way said its decision to terminate its relationship with Mr Buckley was not based on, nor influenced by, his personal blog posts, nor any social media comments or online petitions. But the charity has refused to say why it did remove him. Its interim chief executive, Joe Beech, said: While Mr Buckley is focused on getting his name in the papers, our focus, as Mancunian Way, is on the important outreach work we do. Michael Cohen enjoyed a night out at a snazzy French restaurant in Manhattan, leaving some to question whether it could breach the conditions of his release from prison. President Donald Trump's former lawyer enjoyed a Thursday outing at a sidewalk table outside Le Bilboquet, a French restaurant in the Upper East Side. He was with his wife, Laura, and another couple and did not leave the establishment until 11.30pm, the New York Post reports. His group was the last to leave. While the Cohens were not wearing masks while they sat with the couple, they did put on masks before exchanging hugs with the other pair. President Donald Trump's former lawyer enjoyed a Thursday outing at a sidewalk table outside Le Bilboquet, a French restaurant in the Upper East Side He was with his wife, Laura, and another couple and did not leave the establishment until 11.30pm According to an employee from eatery Avra Madison, located on East 60th Street, Cohen has also visited that restaurant. 'He's nice, and used to come here all the time,' the source said of the former lawyer's visit from earlier in the week. The 53-year-old was to sentenced to three years for a series of crimes, including covering up hush-money payments made to porn star Stormy Daniels and former Playboy model Karen McDougal. Cohen was released from prison on May 20 due to the coronavirus, even after a judge had refused to reduce his sentence just two months earlier. Cohen and his group were the last to leave the establishment 'Ten months into his prison term, it's time that Cohen accept the consequences of his criminal convictions for serious crimes that had far reaching institutional harms,' Manhattan federal Judge William Pauley asserted. His sentence expires on November 22, 2021, according to the Bureau of Prisons website. Jeffrey K Levine, Cohen's lawyer, defended his client's outing and said Cohen 'is currently on furlough.' Levine added that his client 'did not violate any of the terms and conditions of his release... and any assertion or suggestion to the contrary would be wholly inaccurate and untrue.' The 53-year-old was to sentenced to three years for a series of crimes but was released from prison on May 20 due to the coronavirus While the Cohens were not wearing masks while they sat with the couple, they did put on masks before exchanging hugs with the other pair On the BOP form for furlough applications, inmates must provide a furlough address and declare by signature that 'I am authorized to be only in the area of the destination shown above and at ordinary stopovers or points on a direct route to or from that destination.' There is an additional provision that states: 'I will not leave the area of my furlough without permission, with exception of traveling to the furlough destination, and returning to the institution.' Cameron Lindsay, an ex-BOP official and former warden, said Cohen's little outside trip 'doesn't look right' and could be considered a violation of the conditions. 'I find it unusual that he's out to dinner,' said Lindsay. Cohen made his first remarks (pictured) in a tweet Thursday. 'I am so glad to be home and back with my family' he tweeted just after noon. The disgraced attorney disclosed that he is planning to speak out, but not at the moment 'I don't know that I ever remember furloughs being approved for social reasons.' Following his release, Cohen made his first remarks in a tweet on May 21. 'I am so glad to be home and back with my family' he tweeted just after noon. The disgraced attorney disclosed that he is planning to speak out. 'There is so much I want to say and intend to say,' he wrote. However, he adds, 'Now is not the right time. Soon,' and offers thanks to his supporters. Cohen has confided in people who visited him including, actor Tom Arnold, that he is writing a book about Trump. Meghan's publicists said she 'could no longer be associated with her' best friend They were once inseparable, but the Duchess of Sussex's friendship with stylist Jessica Mulroney could come under almost intolerable strain because of Meghan's legal battle over privacy. The relationship has already become fraught after 40-year-old Jessica dragged her pal into an online row over racism. And if she is called to testify under oath about their friendship and what she knows of the Duchess during the case in London's High Court, those bonds could be broken irreparably. The Duchess of Sussex's friendship with stylist Jessica Mulroney could come under almost intolerable strain because of Meghan Markle's legal battle over privacy A mutual friend of the women said: 'Meg needs to be careful. Jess is the keeper of her secrets. She knows where all the bodies are buried and she does not forgive and forget public disavowals easily. She is said to be keeping a note of everyone who has come out for or against her.' The pair were once incredibly close, having met in Toronto when Meghan was filming the legal TV drama Suits, which made her name. Jessica's twin sons Brian and John, now nine, were pageboys at Meghan's wedding to Prince Harry in May 2018, with her daughter Ivy a flower girl. Jessica helped Meghan choose her wedding dress and was reportedly made a godmother to 14-month-old Archie, although she could not attend last year's christening at Windsor Castle. In turn, Meghan is Ivy's godmother. But last month, Meghan failed to get in touch on Ivy's seventh birthday, despite normally marking such celebrations with multiple presents. The relationship appears to have cooled after Jessica became embroiled in a row with social-media influencer Sasha Exeter, who called for high-profile people to be more vocal in support of Black Lives Matter movement, which Jessica took to be a personal attack. This comes after Jessica Mulroney dragged Meghan Markle into an online racism row with social-media influencer Sasha Exeter, putting strain on their once incredibly close friendship Ugly messages were sent behind the scenes, with Jessica reportedly threatening to harm Sasha's career. When Sasha accused Jessica of trying to silence her, as a black woman, Jessica name-dropped her friendship with bi-racial Meghan as evidence that she wasn't racist. Jessica apologised, but lost lucrative TV jobs hosting a Canadian reality show and as a correspondent on Good Morning America. Meghan's publicists then briefed reporters that the Duchess was 'mortified' by her best friend's behaviour and that she 'could no longer be associated with her'. Another friend told the New York Post their relationship was already on the way out, even before that row, because Meghan felt that Jessica was 'making a career out of the friendship'. 'The white privilege row has really given Meghan the excuse she was waiting for to cut Jess off for good,' they said. 'I don't know what the tipping point was, but Jess has been on the outs for some time. 'Their friendship is definitely not what it was. And really, how can you have such a close friendship when one person is basically making a career out of the friendship?' Meghan's court case against The Mail on Sunday revolves, in part, around five of her friends who spoke about the Duchess to America's People magazine. The lawsuit last week revealed Meghan's anger with the Palace staff who she claim left her 'unprotected'. Above, Jessica Mulroney and Meghan Markle together in 2016 In the article, they mentioned a letter she sent to her father, Thomas, which is at the centre of the privacy claim. The lawsuit last week revealed Meghan's anger with the Palace staff who she claim left her 'unprotected'. Turning on her former courtiers, she claims the communications team 'prohibited [her] from defending herself'. That claim was met with incredulity by those who know her. 'Anyone who has met the Duchess knows she cannot be prohibited from anything,' said one source The court case raises the possibility that staff who worked in Kensington and Buckingham Palaces may also be called as witnesses. The court papers, detailed in written answers provided to The Mail on Sunday's legal team by the Duchess's lawyers, add to the very public fallout from the Sussexes' departure from the UK. The Duchess is suing The Mail on Sunday on the grounds of breach of privacy, data protection and copyright, over the publication of parts of the handwritten letter to her father. The two-bedroom mews house pictured in an exclusive area of London is where Ghislaine Maxwell is alleged to have groomed an underage girl before allowing her paedophile friend Jeffrey Epstein to abuse her. The Mail on Sunday understands that the socialite owned the property in the mid-1990s when US prosecutors say the girl was abused at Maxwells personal London residence. The indictment, released last week, says: Maxwell groomed and befriended Minor Victim 3 in London, England, between approximately 1994 and 1995. The Mail on Sunday understands that the socialite owned the property (pictured) in the mid-1990s when US prosecutors say the girl was abused at Maxwells personal London residence Maxwell introduced Minor Victim 3 to Epstein and during those interactions, Maxwell encouraged Minor Victim 3 to massage Epstein, knowing that Epstein would engage in sex acts with Minor Victim 3. During those massages, Epstein sexually abused Minor Victim 3. Maxwell, who has denied any wrongdoing or knowledge of Epsteins serial offending, is believed to have been living in South Kensington at the time. Neighbours last night recalled her living at the property. It is thought to have been bought for her by her father, newspaper tycoon Robert Maxwell, two years before his death in November 1991. Robert Greenwood, 90, who has lived in the mews for decades, said: I remember when Robert Maxwell bought the property. He came up to me and asked if it was worth buying on this street. He told me he was buying it for his daughter, who was at university at the time. Mr Greenwood and his wife Kiki remember seeing Maxwell on the street until the mid-1990s, when she left the area. She reportedly moved to a house in Kinnerton Street, Belgravia, in 1997. Maxwell (pictured with Epstein), who has denied any wrongdoing or knowledge of Epsteins serial offending, is believed to have been living in South Kensington at the time Maxwell is believed to have sold the three-storey property in South Kensington for 267,000. It was resold last August for 1.7 million. Photographs of the interior, posted by estate agents last year, show a large living room and two big bedrooms with en-suite bathrooms, though it may have been renovated since Maxwell was there. The current owner said he was unaware that Maxwell once lived there. Asked about his propertys potential link to Epsteins crimes, he said: I just do not want to think about that. The now infamous photograph of Prince Andrew with his arm around Virginia Giuffre Roberts, aged 17 at the time, was taken at Maxwells Kinnerton Street house in 2001. She is understood to still own the property. Episcopal Church files motion against order favoring breakaway SC diocese in $500M property dispute Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment The Episcopal Church is fighting a judge's order giving $500 million in church properties to a breakaway diocese in South Carolina, countering a 2017 state Supreme Court ruling that allotted the properties to the national denomination. The motion was made in response to an order from South Carolina Circuit Court Judge Edgar Dickson, who had been tasked with enforcing the state Supreme Court's ruling against the breakaway diocese. Rather than affirming the high court's decision, however, Dickson issued an order that said each parish, rather than the national denomination, owns its property. The Court should reconsider the Order and should alter or amend it to carry into effect the result mandated by the [state] Supreme Courts decision, stated the motion filed on behalf of The Episcopal Church. The motion argues, among other things, that the court lacked the authority to issue the Order and that it misinterprets and contradicts the state Supreme Court's decision. Even if this Court somehow had the authority to relitigate the issues upon which the Supreme Court previously ruled, the Order incorrectly analyzes the facts and improperly applies the law, the motion adds. After eight years of the adversarial process, for the Circuit Court to take away legally recognized rights at this time based on the identical record that led to the Supreme Courts reversal of [a lower court decision] is nothing short of arbitrary and capricious. In November 2012, the majority of the members of the Episcopal Diocese of South Carolina voted to leave the national denomination, leading to years of litigation over church properties. They voted to leave over theological differences and the apparent mistreatment of their leader, Bishop Mark Lawrence. The breakaway diocese later joined the Anglican Church in North America. In August 2017, the South Carolina Supreme Court ruled that The Episcopal Church and the continuing Episcopal members owned the $500 million diocesan properties and name, and not the breakaway diocese. Acting Justice Costa Pleicones wrote the majority opinion. He concluded that the lower court ruling had an "error of law" that produced "a distorted view of the issues in this case." However, on June 19, Dickson issued an order arguing that each parish owned its property based upon neutral principles of law rather than being held in trust by the national Episcopal denomination. This is a property matter, and the title holders are the owners of their property as set forth in their deeds. There is no clear, convincing evidence of an expressed or constructive trust applicable to any parish, wrote Dickson. Well, this is it then. Independence Day. Super Saturday. One lunch to rule them all. After three months and 11 days of closed doors, shuttered windows and eerily quiet kitchens, Britain's restaurants and pubs have been allowed to open once more. I couldn't be more thrilled. Not so much 'Cry God for Harry, England and St George!' as a thundering hooray for a hospitality trade working so hard to ensure the safety of punters and workers alike. So here I am, on the dot of 12.30pm, sitting back in Scott's, that Mayfair temple to all things fishy, and one of my favourite places on Earth. And I'm ordering food from an actual menu. You know, those lovely lists of dishes, with prices attached, prepared by a skilled professional (no shopping or chopping required) and delivered to your table by someone seemingly delighted to be back at work, making people happy, doing the thing they love best. After three months and 11 days of closed doors, shuttered windows and eerily quiet kitchens, Britain's restaurants and pubs have been allowed to open once more. Above, Tom-Parker Bowles outside Scott's in Mayfair This is more than just going out to eat. It's an edible hand clap, a show of solidarity, an essential gesture in supporting an industry we love so much. I have to admit feeling a little nervous. Butterflies fluttering in my belly, a sense of unease and disquiet, of not being quite sure what to expect. Like a small boy on his first day at new school. Quite why, I'm not sure. A few months back, going to a restaurant was more normal than breathing in and out. It was my life. My love. The very centre of my world. But that was then and this is now. After countless weeks of cooking for no one but myself and the children, would we still need restaurants at all? But within moments of entering Scott's, it is if we'd never left. The great Sean is still there at the door, greeting all arrivals like old friends. There's a discreet temperature check upon entering, and a few tables removed to ensure safe distancing. I'm glad to see we have smart glass panels embossed with fish rather than plastic separators to protect the guests, and each table has its own Scott's branded bottle of sanitiser. Tim Hughes, chef-director of Caprice Holdings, which owns Scott's, keeps a seasoned eye on things from behind the seafood bar, clad in his whites. We talk. I've known him for years. He's happy to be back in action. To start, the atmosphere is quiet, even a little subdued. But as those first glasses of Chablis are sipped, oysters slurped and turbot lifted expertly from the bone, you feel the room relax. 'It's so good to be back,' says our waiter with a gleam in his eye. 'It's like the first day of opening all over again.' So here I am, on the dot of 12.30pm, sitting back in Scott's (above), that Mayfair temple to all things fishy, and one of my favourite places. And I'm ordering food from an actual menu And slowly, but surely, the old hubbub returns, the well-fed murmur of a great restaurant. The service is as slick and warm as ever. But today, it's like eating out for the first time. I feel indebted to all the staff, suffused with gratitude and joy. Friends ring in from The Wolseley, The Ivy and all those other London stalwarts, reporting a similar reaction. Restaurants are coming back to life, surely, slowly, safely. An industry rising, fit and ready from an enforced and unprecedented sleep. Not all of them, of course. Some are waiting to see what happens, others simply cannot take the risk. And with the majority of the country still uncertain about venturing out again, these are the first small steps on a long and rocky path. The July 4 relaxation of the rules is not a silver bullet, some miracle cure that will restore the fortunes of this great industry. We need confidence, clear messages from the Government, people returning to work; the theatres and music venues that are equally essential to city and provincial life, being reopened too. Going out must feel like a pleasure, rather than peril. But it can be done, as Scott's shows today. Not just sensible but safe. Safety is paramount. The killer Covid-19 is still very much about and a further lockdown would be ruinous for all. Which is why respect is everything for your fellow diners, for the staff. Especially for the staff, both seen and unseen. The waiters and waitresses delivering your food. The maitre d's. The head chefs, sous, commis, cleaners and kitchen porters. Be kind. Be patient. It's important in normal times. Utterly crucial now. This is about trust on both sides. That the restaurants will ensure a safe, clean environment for all. And that we, the punters, will not act like fools. I revel in wine being poured into my glass, and plates taken away, rather than the usual trudge from table to dishwasher. I've missed this so much, from the easy, resolutely upmarket glamour of Scott's (above), to the magnificent Thai cafes and other local favourites But God it's good to be back. To eat plump, sweet tempura prawns, clad in a gossamer slip of batter. And salty, briny Morecambe Bay oysters. And great chunks of spanking fresh turbot, piled high on the fork in pearlescent flakes. I revel in wine being poured into my glass, and plates taken away, rather than the usual trudge from table to dishwasher. In the unfiltered joy of sitting in a room, with other people, eating, drinking, breaking bread. I've missed this all so much, from the easy, resolutely upmarket glamour of Scott's, to the equally magnificent Thai cafes, Korean barbecue joints, Italian stalwarts and other local favourites. As Chancellor Rishi Sunak, one of the very few politicians to come out of this pandemic with a shred of credibility, said yesterday: 'Eat out to help out.' The future of restaurants and pubs lies in our pockets, and in the way we behave. In short, go out if you feel comfortable doing so. And don't be a fool. Because good restaurants, whatever the size or price per head, are about so much more than food. They are communities, communes, expressions of identity, a place where all, on either side of the pass, can feel safe and happy and fulfilled. At least that's what we hope. As Will Beckett, co-founder of the divine Hawksmoor group, tweeted a couple of days back: 'In the end, restaurants are about people. The ones you love. The ones you work with. The ones you don't know. The ones who are looking after you.' So please, if you can, just go out. Eat, drink and be merry. Our country's restaurants await with ever open arms. Sunseekers who rejoiced yesterday when the Government gave the green light to foreign holidays have been warned that flights could be cancelled because of the continuing travel chaos. Confusion over air corridors and ever-changing international restrictions means airlines are now planning their schedules hand to mouth, putting thousands of trips at risk of abrupt changes. Several easyJet customers have had their outgoing flights either cancelled or the time changed and, as more firms open up other routes, the problem is set to continue. Summer holidays abroad for UK citizens are still under threat despite the Government announcing several 'air corridors' to other nations this week Airlines expert John Strickland, director of JLS Consulting, said: A number of airlines are planning their schedules on a very short term, hand to mouth basis. Several airlines have planned flights and put them on sale, only to find that Government policies and regulatory conditions in one country or another have meant that it is not possible to operate and have then had to cancel them and go back to square one. I dont believe airlines are deliberately or maliciously cancelling flights. Experts have claimed that Government dithering over the quarantine scheme has cost the beleaguered travel industry an estimated 5 billion. The controversial measure has seen just two people fined since its introduction on June 8 but brought the struggling sector to its knees, critics said. Several airlines, such as easyJet, are still cancelling or changing their flight times due to the confusion surrounding the air corridors On Friday, Westminster finally published a list of 73 countries where people from England can visit without the need to isolate for two weeks on their return home. However, it was branded shambolic after a row with the devolved administrations in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland while not all the overseas countries on the list are accepting UK visitors. Lee Hunt, managing director of Debden Travel in Woodbridge, Suffolk, said the chaos meant tour operators were unable to plan and customers were reluctant to book. He added: The late market is now non-existent because of the confusion. Last year, we made 1.7 million from late bookings but now weve not got one. 'In January, we were a business with a healthy bank balance and no debt. Now weve fallen to our knees. The global Covid-19 lockdown has already cost the UK travel industry 20 billion and last week easyJet and Airbus announced more than 3,700 jobs would be axed. Kane Pirie, owner of Vivid Travel, told The Mail on Sunday that delays to lockdown and beginning a quarantine programme months after other nations had cost the UK dear. He said: We could have saved at least one out of the four months of disruption... if the Government had made better choices with less dithering. The UK Government released a list (pictured) of several countries where UK citizens could travel to and not have to quarantine upon their return The introduction of quarantine-free travel applies to people in England from Friday and the change covers most of Europe, but not Portugal a popular destination. Greece and St Lucia were named as quarantine-free places but UK arrivals are not welcome until later this month. Austria and Barbados want the production of a recent negative coronavirus test upon entry. Experts said tourists need to check lists compiled by both the Foreign Office and the Department of Transport for restrictions. Rory Boland, editor of Which? Travel, said: The Governments attempt to relax international travel restrictions has been a complete mess, leaving millions with no clarity over whether their holiday can go ahead and less chance of getting their money back if they cant go. Portugal did not make the list of approved countries despite the UK having 28 times more deaths related to Covid-19. The move was made after an outbreak in Lisbon. Pret a Manger is set to close as many as one in ten of its high street sandwich shops, putting hundreds of jobs at risk. Pano Christou, Prets chief executive, will make the devastating announcement on Wednesday as the chain fights for its future after sales were decimated by lockdown. The Mail on Sunday understands up to 45 of Prets 434 UK shops could close as part of a major restructuring, potentially affecting up to 800 of the chains 8,000 employees. Pret a Manger is set to close one in ten of its high street shops as it continues to feel the effects of the coronavirus pandemic The move reflects the huge numbers of office staff working from home during the coronavirus pandemic. This has led to a vast reduction in footfall in town and city centres and Christou said the firm has lost tens of millions of pounds each month. It is now unable to meet many of its rent payments. After appointing City advisers in May, the chain is understood to be considering a range of restructuring options. These include a company voluntary arrangement (CVA) insolvency process, which would allow Pret to close unprofitable sites. Last week, the firm started shrinking its estate by closing two shops, with the loss of 28 jobs in Newcastle and Gateshead, saying the stores were no longer financially viable. Pret has raised 100 million (91 million) in emergency funding from its banks since the start of the pandemic and cut executive pay. But Christou has warned its mid to long- term outlook remains very unknown. Pret a Manger was founded in 1986 by entrepreneurs Sinclair Beecham and Julian Metcalfe. The pair made millions by selling large stakes to McDonalds and then private equity firm Bridgepoint. The closures will mean several jobs will be at risk, with the chain understood to be considering a range of restructuring options German investment firm JAB Holding, which owns Dr Pepper and Krispy Kreme doughnuts, took over Pret two years ago in a $2 billion deal. By this weekend, Pret had reopened 340 of its shops. Customers in England are now able to eat in some of the larger sites. More is expected to be known next week. On a video call to staff that was leaked to the BBC, Christou said: Well be doing a broader communication to the teams, just talking through the initial work thats been done on this, so things will start to become clearer from July 8. A Pret spokesman said last night: We will update our team members in early July once the plan has been finalised. Finance minister Mathias Cormann has announced he will step down from politics at the end of the year. Mr Cormann said in a statement he has already advised prime minister Scott Morrison of his decision not to recontest the next election. 'I love this job. Every single day I am giving it my all. I can honestly say that I have left nothing on the field,' he said in a statement. 'Having decided not to recontest the next election, I can confirm that I have advised the prime minister that the end of this year would be an appropriate time for an orderly transition in my portfolio.' Mr Cormann has been a regular fixture in the political spotlight after he defended the $60 billion Jobkeeper cost bungle, and was accused of 'blowing up' Malcolm Turnbull's government by the then-prime minister during the 2018 Liberal leadership spill. One of Scott Morrison's most senior ministers, Mathias Cormann, is retiring from politics at the end of the year Mr Cormann said in a statement he has already advised prime minister Scott Morrison of his decision not to recontest the next election 'I love this job. Every single day I am giving it my all. I can honestly say that I have left nothing on the field,' Mr Cormann said in a statement Mr Cormann, who has been finance minister since 2013, entered federal politics in 2007 and became the government's upper house leader in 2017. His decision to remove his support for Malcolm Turnbull and instead back Peter Dutton was seen as a major reason for the 2018 leadership coup that led to Scott Morrison becoming prime minister. Mr Cormann thanked Mr Morrison and his predecessors Tony Abbott and Mr Turnbull 'for the opportunities they have given me to serve.' 'Having the opportunity to help shape the future direction of our country as part of a great team working to make our country even stronger, more prosperous and more resilient is a great honour,' he said. Mr Cormann said he would spend the next six months working with the prime minister and Treasurer Josh Frydenberg on finalising the July economic statement, the budget in October and the half-yearly budget update in December. 'Before handing over the baton, there is another six months or so of hard work to be done in this job, to help manage a responsible transition out of this coronavirus induced crisis and to help finalise and set in train our five-year plan to maximise the strength of our economic and jobs recovery.' He would also continue to work to secure the passage of 'all of our important reform legislation through the parliament.' The budget is usually delivered in May, but has been delayed until October because of the coronavirus. Mr Cormann said he would spend the next six months working with the prime minister and Treasurer Josh Frydenberg on finalising the July economic statement, the budget in October and the half-yearly budget update in December Mr Cormann, 49, was born in Belgium and decided to migrate to Australia permanently after first visiting Perth in 1994, attracted by the great lifestyle and opportunities on offer in Western Australia Mr Cormann's time in the spotlight Mathias Cormann has been in the political spotlight numerous times since entering federal politics in 2007. 2018: Then-prime minister Malcolm Turnbull accused Mr Cormann of 'blowing up' his government after he defected from Mr Turnbulls camp to back Peter Dutton during the Liberal leadership spill. 2020: Mr Cormann defended the $60 billion Jobkeeper cost bungle after it was revealed the program would only cost $70 billion and not $130 billion. Mr Cormann said the initial projections were based on the worst-case scenario. 2020: Mr Cormann supports prime minister Scott Morrison in his apology over the robodebt scheme. The scheme matched Australian Taxation Office and Centrelink data to claw back overpaid welfare payments. It was ruled unlawful last year, with the Federal Court saying Centrelink could not have been satisfied the debt was correct. The Government is now paying back $721 million to 373,000 people who were chased for the debts. Advertisement The government will also give an economic update on July 23 when the future of JobKeeper wage subsidies, the boosted dole and other support measures will be revealed. Mr Cormann, 49, was born in Belgium and decided to migrate to Australia permanently after first visiting Perth in 1994, attracted by the great lifestyle and opportunities on offer in Western Australia. He is married to Hayley and they have two daughters Isabelle and Charlotte. There has been speculation he could take a job with the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development or other positions in his home town of Perth. Mr Cormann has been a staunch supporter of the Liberal Party after joining the party in Western Australia in 1997. He was elected senior vice president of the Perth division in 2000, state vice president in 2003, and state senior vice president in 2004. He then represented Western Australia in the senate in 2007 and has held numerous positions such as Shadow of Parliamentary Secretary for Health Administration and Shadow Minister for Employment Participation. Mr Turnbull has accused Mr Cormann of 'blowing up' his government after he defected from the then-prime minister's group in favour of an 'an orderly transition to a new leader' in 2018. The former prime minister claimed in his autobiography 'A Bigger Picture' the pair exchanged a series of text messages following the incident. 'I was not part of any planned conspiracy or insurgency. I genuinely backed you until events developed, sadly, which in my judgment made our position irretrievable. I immediately and honestly advised you directly,' Mr Cormann wrote. Mr Turnbull responded: 'Mathias, at a time when strength and loyalty were called for, you were weak and treacherous. You should be ashamed of yourself.' Mr Cormann thanked Mr Morrison and his predecessors Tony Abbott and Mr Turnbull 'for the opportunities they have given me to serve.' Mr Turnbull has accused Mr Cormann of 'blowing up' his government after he defected from the then-prime minister's group in favour of an 'an orderly transition to a new leader' in 2018 Mr Cormann has also been a regular fixture of the media, most recently condemning the latest Black Lives Matter protests in Australia during COVID-19. 'These sorts of mass gatherings, at a time when there are still severe restrictions all around Australia, on people generally, does expose our community to an unacceptable and unnecessary risk,' he told Today. Mr Cormann also defended the $60 billion bungle in the cost of the Jobkeeper program. The government estimated $130 billion would be needed to keep six million Australians employed, though figures later revealed it would only cost $70 billion as 2.9 million people were accessing the program. Mr Cormann said the original projections were based on the worst case scenario. Mr Cormann has also been a regular fixture of the media, most recently condemning the latest Black Lives Matter protests in Australia during COVID-19 'These sorts of mass gatherings, at a time when there are still severe restrictions all around Australia, on people generally, does expose our community to an unacceptable and unnecessary risk,' Mr Cormann told Today as he openly condemned the Black Lives Matter protest during COVID-19 He also supported prime minister Scott Morrison in his apology over the robodebt scheme. Mr Turnbull was prime minister when the scheme was rolled out, which matched Australian Taxation Office and Centrelink data to claw back overpaid welfare payments. It was ruled unlawful last year, with the Federal Court saying Centrelink could not have been satisfied the debt was correct. The Government is now paying back $721 million to 373,000 people who were chased for the debts. Boris Johnson will be presented with a devastating spy report this week that leaves his plans to allow Huawei to build Britains superfast 5G broadband network in tatters. The National Cyber Security Centre was last month tasked with a review of the controversial Chinese tech giants involvement in Britain after a furious backbench rebellion. The Mail on Sunday has learnt its probe has concluded that new US sanctions on Chinese technology have had a severe impact on the firms viability, meaning significant changes are required to UK policy. The NCSC believes a plan by Donald Trump one of Huaweis fiercest critics to outlaw any US patented technology used in the firms microchips will render them unsafe because Asian alternatives, which are less trustworthy and effective, will have to be used. In January, Mr Johnson gave Huawei the green light to build 35 per cent of Britains next generation of internet infrastructure. However, he was immediately hit by a rebellion on his own benches, amid fears of espionage and concern over the firms ties to Chinas ruling Communist Party. In January, Prime Minister Boris Johnson gave Huawei the green light to build 35 per cent of Britains next generation 5G internet infrastructure. However, questions over the security of doing so could leave the deal in tatters. Above, Huawei's Reading UK headquarters Downing Street had hoped to delay the row until the autumn, in order to avoid a showdown with more than 60 Conservative MPs who are demanding the firm be banned. The Prime Minister is now due to be briefed in the coming days on the reports findings by Culture and Digital Secretary Oliver Dowden, who has oversight of the NCSC. However, it is understood the findings are so severe that Mr Johnson will need to present them to Parliament by the end of the month. Whitehall insiders believe his original plan will be junked as a result. This newspaper has also learned that Mr Dowden will recommend high-risk vendors, such as Huawei, are stripped out of Britains telecom networks by the end of 2029. Current departmental thinking is to announce a no new orders directive to phone providers over Huawei kit from next year, to limit the amount going into British networks. Boris Johnson and Downing Street had hoped to delay the row until the autumn, in order to avoid a showdown with more than 60 Conservative MPs who are demanding the firm be banned from providing the UK with its 5G infrastructure However, industry experts have warned Ministers that if Huawei kit is stripped out too quickly, there are risks of mobile phone signal blackouts across parts of Britain. The North is particularly reliant on Huawei equipment, raising the politically unpalatable notion of patchy phone signals in new Tory-won seats in the so-called Red Wall in the run-up to the 2025 Election. The NCSC report has injected a new urgency into Mr Johnsons handling of the telecoms issue. It is thought the development will be a blow to his 2019 manifesto promise for superfast broadband across the whole country by 2025. However, sources denied Whitehall insiders claims that No 10 were attempting to go slow on Huawei policy to see who wins the US presidential election in November. The Prime Minister is now due to be briefed in the coming days on the reports findings by Culture and Digital Secretary Oliver Dowden, pictured above, who has oversight of the NCSC Some Ministers and officials are hoping Britains change of plans could be temporarily shelved amid the political uncertainty in Washington. One source said: Its not clear that Trump is going to still be going so hard on this come November, so we would be mad not to take that into consideration when ripping up established policy. A Huawei spokesman said: Huawei is the most scrutinised vendor in the world and we firmly believe our unrivalled transparency in the UK means we can continue to be trusted to play a part in Britains gigabit upgrade. State school teachers are blatantly moonlighting as private tutors during the working day while their pupils are stuck at home missing out on an education, The Mail on Sunday can reveal. Hundreds of teachers are offering tutorials for up to 95 an hour on video conferencing service Zoom, with some breaking rules that ban them from doing private work during the school day. Several boasted of their availability during school hours to an undercover reporter posing as a parent seeking to hire their services, with one admitting: I am not overloaded with work currently. Hundreds of teachers are offering tutorials for up to 95 an hour on video conferencing service Zoom, with some breaking rules that ban them from doing private work during the school day. Pictured: Stock photo of a teenage girl studying at home Our findings will infuriate parents who are anxious about their children falling behind during lockdown and appalled by the intransigence of teaching unions who have obstructed Government efforts to reopen classrooms. But there was no lack of eagerness from prospective tutors when The Mail on Sunday registered with the website Tutor Hunt. Within minutes of signing up, a reporter was bombarded with messages from maths and English teachers. Most said they could only work outside school hours, but others appeared happy to break the rules. Omar, a full-time mathematics teacher who boasts of being available all day for 95-an-hour lessons, was adamant that moonlighting would not clash with commitments at a secondary school. At the moment I am working from home due to Covid-19, hence the all day [availability], he said. Omar did not respond to a request for comment once we revealed out investigation. Pavan, a maths teacher at a Birmingham secondary school, was also adamant that her 35 hour-long tutorials would not hamper his main job. Yes Im able to do school hours depending on time and day. I teach via Zoom. One-to-one at GCSE is 35, she said. I am going into school but not everyday we are on a rota basis some days from home some from school. So Wednesday/Thursday will work well for me. Challenged later about her private work, Pavan said: My tutor times would be school day but after my teaching hours are over. She then deleted her Tutor Hunt account. In Enfield, North London, Irini, a full time English teacher, is available to provide 37.50-an-hour GCSE English lessons on any school day apart from Monday. My school has not reopened fully which means I am more available to provide online support, she wrote in a message. Ben, another secondary school English teacher whose hourly rate is 35, was even more flexible. For the rest of this academic year, I am able to complete online tutoring in school hours as I am not overloaded with work currently. Later requests to Irini and Ben for comment went unanswered. Critics condemned the racket of online tutoring and said it would only widen the gulf in education between the richest and poorest children. Chris McGovern, chairman of the Campaign for Real Education, said: This is an outrageous abuse of lockdown. A recent study by the National Foundation for Educational Research found four in ten pupils have had little or no contact with teachers during lockdown. Pictured: Stock picture of a child studying at home on a laptop These are teachers abrogating their responsibilities in favour of making money. I feel sorry for the talented, hard-working teachers who have thought up imaginative ways of teaching pupils during lockdown and whose efforts have been undermined by these few rotten apples. A recent study by the National Foundation for Educational Research found four in ten pupils have had little or no contact with teachers during lockdown. Meanwhile, a headteacher in Sunderland was suspended last month for suggesting that some of her staff had been lazy. Pauline Wood, who transformed Grange Park primary from inadequate to outstanding, said: Some teachers are coming up with the most imaginative, amazing things and other people do sit at home doing nothing. Despite union opposition, Education Secretary Gavin Williamson last week confirmed all schools will reopen in September. Primaries will have bubbles of more than 30 children, allowing the return of full classes, and secondaries may operate whole year bubbles of more than 200 children. A Department for Education spokesperson said: Teachers cant take on additional contracts of work for any time they are required to be available for work with their school. We would expect headteachers to appropriately manage their teachers workloads while they are working from home. Teachers in academies are not bound by the same national terms and conditions, but the spokesperson said most academies chose to mirror them. Summer holidays are back on as the government has released a list of more than 60 quarantine-exempt countries. France, Italy, Spain, Turkey, Croatia and Greece are among the popular destinations that Britons can travel to from July 10 without needing to self-isolate on their return. Here we look at the best travel routes and accommodation options for some of the key countries on the list... France Travel to Languedoc in France (above) or head to Calais to stock up on food and drink Coronavirus cases: 166,378 confirmed cases and almost 29,875 deaths. Whats going on? Strict social distancing at bars, cafes and restaurants, with tables spaced three metres apart, and face masks worn when walking inside. Beaches have reopened. Masks are compulsory on public transport. British tourists are welcome. How to get there Plane: Returns from 30 in August. Train: Eurostar trains are operating twice a day between London Kings Cross and Paris, with tickets from 39 one-way. Drive: Eurotunnel Le Shuttle has resumed its Folkestone to Calais service and allows passengers to order food, drink and groceries to their car. From 72 per car one-way. Ferry: Brittany Ferries has resumed its Portsmouth-Caen route from 42pp one-way. Villas Budget: Seven nights stay at The Cabanon, in Provence, which sleeps five, is from 357 a week (homeaway.co.uk). Mid-range: Seven nights stay at Villa Les Amandiers, in Cote dAzur, which sleeps six, is from 1,229 (jamesvillas.co.uk). Luxury: Seven nights stay at Moulin De La Peche, in the Languedoc, which sleeps ten, is from 4,959 (oliverstravels.com). Italy Adventure: Catch the Eurostar to Paris followed by a train to Milan Coronavirus cases: More than 240,961 cases and almost 34,818 deaths. Whats going on? British tourists can travel freely within the country, with the exception of Sardinia, Sicily, Apulia and Calabria where registration is required before arrival. Beaches have reopened, with 1.5-metre social distancing. Most museums are open. How to get there Plane: Returns from 17 in August. Drive: Catch the Eurotunnel Le Shuttle, or a ferry, to France and drive to Italy. Train: Catch the Eurostar to Paris followed by train to Milan (from 26 one-way). Villas Budget: Seven nights stay at Villa LArco, in Sardinia, which sleeps five, is from 699 (justsardinia.co.uk). Mid-range: Seven nights stay at Villa Camelia, in Tuscany, for two, is from 1,577 (firefly-collection.com). Luxury: Seven nights stay at seafront Scale Nove, in Puglia, for six people, is from 2,714 (thethinkingtraveller.com). Spain Brittany Ferries service from Portsmouth to Santander, pictured, has resumed Coronavirus cases: 250,103 cases have been recorded and more than 28,368 deaths. Whats going on? A royal decree to wear face masks has been issued for hotels, restaurants, museums and shops when social distancing of 1.5 metres is impossible. Failure to comply will result in a 100-euro fine. British tourists are welcome. How to get there Plane: Returns from 25 in August. Ferry: Brittany Ferries service from Portsmouth to Santander has resumed. From 350 per car. Train: Catch the Eurostar to Paris followed by a six-hour train to Barcelona (from 26 one-way). Villas Budget: Seven nights stay at Moderna One, in the Costa Blanca, which sleeps four, is from 567 (villaselect.com). Mid-range: Seven nights stay at 1,575 Villa Lantana in Menorca, which sleeps eight, is from 1,575 (freelance-holidays.co.uk). Luxury: Seven nights stay at Casa Luminosa, in Andalucia, sleeps eight, from 2,845 (akvillas.com). Croatia Pack your bags: British holidaymakers will be able to head to the beach in Croatia Coronavirus cases: 3,008 cases and 112 deaths. Whats going on? British tourists are welcome but need to fill out a form at entercroatia.mup.hr before arrival. Restaurants, hotels and beaches are open. Nightclubs are reopening, too. Masks are mandatory on public transport. How to get there Plane: Returns from 35. Villas Budget: Seven nights stay at Villa Nin, in Rovinj, which sleeps six, is from 818 (villaplus.com). Mid-range: Seven nights stay at Villa Domus Lauri, in Istria, for six, is from 1,569 (jamesvillas.co.uk). Luxury: Seven nights stay at Villa Sunset, in Bilice, for eight, is from 2,018 (oliverstravels.co.uk). Greece Coronavirus cases: 3,458 cases and 192 deaths. Whats going on? Flights from the UK are banned until July 15. All beaches, shops, restaurants and museums have reopened. How to get there Plane: Returns from 50. Villas Budget: Seven nights stay at Melodia, in Lefkada, which sleeps two, is from 498 (vintagetravel.co.uk). Mid-range: Seven nights stay at Aphrodite, in Corfu, which sleeps eight, from 1,660 (ionian-villas.co.uk). Luxury: Seven nights stay at Contona, in Paros, which sleeps four, is from 3,150 (thegreekvillas.com). Turkey British tourists are welcome in Turkey. Pictured is Bodrum's beautiful marina Coronavirus cases: 202,284 cases and 5,167 deaths. Whats going on? Hotels have reopened with temperature checks. There is a 8pm-10am curfew for those aged 65 and over. British tourists are welcome. How to get there Plane: Returns from 104. Villas Budget: Seven nights stay at Panter, in Dalaman, for four, is from 549 (jamesvillas.co.uk). Mid-range: Seven nights stay at Dream House, in Bodrum, sleeps six, from 1,463 (homeaway.co.uk). Luxury: Seven nights stay at Harbour View, in Kalkan, sleeps eight, from 2,358 (premiervillas.net). Cyprus Coronavirus cases: 999 cases and 19 deaths. Whats going on? British tourists OK from August 1 if UKs outbreak continues to decline. Before arrival, a negative virus test is needed. How to get there Plane: Returns from 67. Villas Budget: Seven nights stay at Villa Evanthia, in Latchi, for six, is from 899 (jamesvillas.co.uk). Mid-range: Seven nights at Pomos View Villa, in Pomos, for eight, is from 1,059 (oliverstravels.com). Luxury: Seven nights stay at Althea Kalamies, in Protaras, which sleeps eight, is from 3,655 (oliverstravels.com). Malta Head to Comino island, pictured, in the Maltese archipelago for a turquoise sea and socially-distanced sunbathing Coronavirus cases: 672 cases and nine deaths. Whats going on? Tourists from all countries, including the UK, are welcome from July 15. How to get there Plane: Returns from 59. Villas Budget: Seven nights at Gawhra, in Gozo, which sleeps six, from 1,006 (baronholidayhomes.com). Mid-range: Seven nights at Farmhouse Nera, in Gozo, sleeps five, from 1,374 (oliverstravels.com). Luxury: Seven nights at Villa Munqar in Zurrieq, sleeps six, from 3,049 (jamesvillas.co.uk). She was a co-host on Channel Seven's Saturday Disney in the early 2000s, before going on to become a weather presenter for the network's evening news. And after almost a decade away from the spotlight, Sara Groen - now Sara Kirby - has finally reemerged. Last month, the 39-year-old appeared alongside her husband Clark Kirby, the CEO of Village Roadshow, to announce the reopening of their Gold Coast theme parks after COVID-19 restrictions were lifted. Remember her?! Former Seven News weather presenter and Saturday Disney host Sara Groen reemerged on the Gold Coast last month (pictured left on Saturday Disney and right, last month) In a recent video welcoming back patrons to the theme parks, the 39-year-old appeared to have barely aged a day. Sara, who has chopped off her long locks, looked radiant as she beamed alongside her husband and their three young daughters - Estelle, Eloise and their youngest, whose named they have not shared. Though she didn't speak in the clip, the brunette beauty appeared to be very happy living away from the spotlight and being a devoted mother and wife. Family: In a recent video welcoming back patrons to the theme parks, Sara, 39, appeared to have barely aged a day. The beaming brunette looked radiant alongside her husband and their three young daughters - Estelle, Eloise and their youngest, whose named they have not shared Back in the day! Fans will remember Sara as one of the hosts of the defunct children's program, Saturday Disney (pictured) Fans will remember Sara as one of the hosts of the defunct children's program, Saturday Disney. She presented the show from 2002 until 2006 alongside Mel Symons and Daniel Widdowson. Sara then moved on to hosting science and technology show, Beyond Tomorrow, as well as present the Channel Seven's weather report. During her time at the network she also tried her hand at singing on the short-lived celebrity contest, It Takes Two in 2008, where she placed fifth. TV presenting: She then moved on to hosting science and technology show, Beyond Tomorrow (pictured) Behind-the-scenes, she was dating Clark, who she met while studying journalism at Bond University on the Gold Coast, she was 19 and he was 21. The long-distance proved to be too much for the relationship, at the time, while she was based in Sydney. They called it quits for a short time, before reuniting in 2009. In that same year her younger brother Stuart tragically died when he was electrocuted by a damaged cable while working at a Sydney cafe. Bringing you the forecast: Sara also presented Seven News' weather report from 2007 to 2009 Giving it a go! During her time at the network she also tried her hand at singing on the short-lived celebrity contest, It Takes Two in 2008, where she placed fifth (Pictured L - R: Ricki-Lee Coulter, Dannii Minogue, Candice Warner and Sara) She revealed to the Sydney Morning Herald in that Stuart's death played a part in her decision to move to Melbourne: 'A loss like that does change you forever.' Clark popped the question to Sarah during a trip to Paris in 2010, and they tied knot on January 2011. They welcomed their first daughter, Estelle, that same year, followed by Eloise in 2013. In 2011, she joined Seven News Melbourne as a fill-in weather presenter. Happily wedded: Clark popped the question to Sarah during a trip to Paris in 2010, and they tied knot on January 2011 Sara did fill-in weather presenting on a part-time basis at Channel Seven in Melbourne, but soon realised her priority was her family. She told the publication: 'I think because I'd had that solid 10 years in TV, I was ready to step away.' 'No decision is made quickly, especially in terms of career and family, but for me after I had come to that conclusion and I acknowledge it is a very privileged position to be in it was a very satisfying point. I've never regretted my choice.' Since leaving TV, Sara has gone on to live a quiet-life as a stay-at-home mother, raising her three young daughters with Clark. Tina Knowles is defending her daughter Beyonce's new project, Black Is King. The proud mother took to Instagram on Friday and hit back at critics who claim the pop superstar is 'appropriating' African culture in her upcoming visual album. Black Is King, which is based on the soundtrack she produced for the 2019 animated remake of The Lion King, follows the story of a young king's 'transcendent journey through betrayal, love and self-identity,' while ultimately celebrating 'Black resilience and culture.' Scroll down to video Proud mother: Tina Knowles came to the defense of her daughter and hit back at critics who accused Beyonce of 'appropriating' African culture in her upcoming visual album, Black Is King The criticism from several academics began shortly after last week's release of the trailer, which features Beyonce and an array of Black creators and talent --some of which are from Africa -- dressed in traditional African garb, complete with biblical references and Beyonce's narration and soothing vocals. In defense of her daughter, Knowles began by posting a screenshot of a tweet from a member of Beyhive, a group of devoted Beyonce super fans, on Instagram. 'Lmao the annoying thing about the capitalist argument with Beyonce is Lemonade, her 'black' album, is one of her lowest selling albums,' the fan began in the tweet. 'So if were talking profit, she wouldn't continue to make music highlighting blackness if it was solely for profit.' Mama knows best: In defense of her daughter, Knowles began by posting a screenshot of a tweet from a member of Beyhive, a group of devoted Beyonce super fans, on Instagram Beyonce's mother then took to the caption and delivered her response. 'Thank you I could not have said it better. It's really sad that the women who shout the loudest the 'protect the black woman' that they are the ones that are trying to tear her down. Sisters wake up!!!!' she began. Knowles, 66, went on to explain how her daughter was taught as a young girl to help lift other women up, not tear them down. 'She minds her own business, does not criticize anyone, Gives of her time and money, and dedicates her art to Boldly show the Royalty and beauty of our heritage and journey! Her work is to change the narrative! To show that we did not start off as slaves, but that we were kings and queens before we were forced into slavery,' she continued. Knowles, 66, asked: 'How do you appropriate the black culture when you are black?? in her emotional statement on Instagram Making her case Beyonce's mother declared: 'She has a right to her heritage as well as anyone else in the world' in reference to the images and references in Black Is King In an emotional plea, Knowles asked critics of Black Is King to take an inventory of themselves and their hate. 'I ask you to examine your heart and really take a look at what your motive is and what its fueled by! Then take that energy critiquing, and tearing down and put it to into an action that is fighting against the systemic racism that is going on right now and has been going on forever,' she said. After pronouncing that Beyonce is 'not your enemy', Knowles turned her attention back to the super fan who lent their support in the post. 'She sold more records before lemonade,' she said in agreement with the super fan before posing a question for critics: 'How do you appropriate the black culture when you are black?? Knowles ended by declaring,' She has a right to her heritage as well as anyone else in the world. Just consider young sisters i love you and brothers thank you for your balance and speaking up.' Black Is King, which was written, directed and executive produced by Beyonce, will stream exclusively on Disney+ starting on July 31. Multi-talented: Black Is King was written, directed and executive produced by Beyonce While it's been some months since Tiger King craze was at its peak, interest in Netflix's zany documentary about big cat owners still runs high just ask Carole Baskin. Baskin, 59, has reportedly made somewhere in the vicinity of $20,000 on just her first day as part of Cameo, the video messaging service where users can pay celebrities to record personalized greetings, according to The Sun. The Florida-based director of Big Cat Rescue has a page set up on the Cameo site, where fans can fork over $199 for Carole to record a 30-second personalized video message to the person of their choice. Making bank: Carole Baskin of Netflix's Tiger King has reportedly made somewhere in the vicinity of $20,000 on just her first day as part of Cameo Her greeting that welcomes Cameo users sees the star decked out in one of her trademark flower crowns. 'Hey all you cool cats and kittens,' she begins, as she does with all her video greetings. 'Im happy to record any kind of greeting for a birthday or anniversary or any kind of encouraging message to the animal lover in your life.' Ever the animal activist lobbying for a good cause, Carole then asks fans to visit her Big Cat Act website to donate to help her wild feline rescue sanctuary. High price: The Florida-based director of Big Cat Rescue has a page set up on the Cameo site, where fans can fork over $199 for Carole to record a 30-second personalized video message To date, the arch nemesis of Joe Exotic has racked up over 50 positive reviews from Cameo users, and has a collection of nine videos total on her page showing samples of the messages she's recorded so far. Perusing the site, Carole's asking price of $199 seems steep in comparison to others for example, television and theater star Cheyenne Jackson can be bought for $95, and The Real Housewives of New Jersey's Caroline Manzo pegs her price at just $60. Nonetheless, it would seem that there are enough Tiger King (or specifically, Carole Baskin) fans out there willing to spend almost $200 to get a personal message from her. To date: Carole has racked up over 50 positive reviews from Cameo users, and has a collection of nine videos total on her page showing samples of the messages she's recorded so far And Baskin-mania doesn't stop there the reality personality will of course figure in at least two upcoming scripted adaptations of the Tiger King saga, with one having floated out actress Tara Reid as a potential Carole. Last month, Reid herself commented on whether she's actually been cast, saying nothing is confirmed yet. 'My manager first brought it up, and then it went viral all over the internet. Like, all the fans went crazy with it,' the Sharknado star told The Morning Show in mid-June. 'They're still not casting or anything yet, but I would love to play the role if they would cast me, for sure. It would be great!' she said. Baskin-mania: It would seem that there are enough Tiger King (or, Carole Baskin) fans out there willing to spend almost $200 to get a personal message from her; seen on Instagram And it doesn't stop there: Baskin will figure in at least two upcoming scripted adaptations of the Tiger King saga, with one having floated out actress Tara Reid as a potential Carole Meanwhile, as for the other viral star of Tiger King Joe Exotic life is not nearly as well-funded or happy at present. The former zoo owner, 57, is currently serving a 22-year prison term after being convicted of scheming to kill Carole. What's more, Carole recently took over the Oklahoma zoo that once belonged to Joe. The outspoken former presidential hopeful has repeatedly spoken up in letters from prison as to his health, both mental and physical, saying he has been denied access to much-needed medication and that he is feeling 'abandoned' even by his fourth husband, Dillon Passage. At least Exotic can rest assured that his portrayal will be deftly handled in the upcoming Tiger King series Academy Award winner Nicolas Cage has landed the role of Joe Exotic in the show. Meanwhile, life is not nearly as well-funded or happy at present for Joe Exotic: The former zoo owner is currently serving a 22-year prison term Less than 30% of US churches actively addressing racism, study shows Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment Less than 30% of American churches are actively engaged in addressing racism or racial inequality even though most pastors agree that churches should oppose the social ills, according to recent research from Barna. Despite the ongoing social unrest over racial inequality and police brutality sparked by the killing of George Floyd while in the custody of Minneapolis police officers in May, only 29% of Protestant pastors from Barnas pastor panel said their churches were either completely or mostly actively involved in addressing racism or racial inequality. Another 30% of the 2,350 Protestant senior pastors on the panel polled in online surveys from March 20 June 15, said they were somewhat involved in addressing the issues at their church. I was surprised that many people said that they were somewhat engaged in [addressing racism], Pastor Albert Tate of Fellowship Monrovia in California said in response to the data during a recent ChurchPulse Weekly podcast with hosts Carey Nieuwhof, a former lawyer and founding pastor of Connexus Church in Ontario, Canada, and David Kinnaman, president of Barna Group. Also in the discussion was the Rev. Nicole Martin, executive director of healing and trauma at the American Bible Society. Theres a whole propaganda [surrounding this] and people are comforted by voices that convince them that this issue isnt even real, let alone someone empathizing in this moment, Tate added. Nearly all pastors, 94%, agree the Church has a responsibility to publicly denounce racial discrimination and 89% say it's important for church leaders to publicly show support for people of color, Barna also found. And while 62% of pastors said their church made a statement on the recent protests happening across the nation, having conversations about issues of racism in church has been difficult because of the different perspectives people hold. The majority of white practicing Christians, 61%, believes issues of racism are the result of an individuals own beliefs and prejudices against people of other races while two-thirds of black practicing Christians, 66%, argue that racial discrimination is historically built into American society and institutions, Barna found in 2019. This situation has made it challenging for many white pastors to discuss the issue from their pulpits. Every Christian would say, community shows up in the Bible and that God cares about community, Martin said in discussing the concept of individual versus communal faith. And yet, for some reason, one of the challenges of evangelicalism is this hyper-individualization when it comes to salvation. Its, I accept Jesus for myself. He saves me from my sins, which then allows for some people to say, Well, I personally like black people, therefore, [addressing racism] is not my problem. This challenge was recently highlighted in the case of white Mississippi Pastor Bishop Scott Volland who was recently booted by The Heights Church in Columbus, Ohio, for supporting the idea that black lives matter (as a human fact) and standing with protesters against racial injustice. Over the last couple of weeks, what weve heard sporadically over the last several months has become much more concentrated, in that many here do not share my views. Whether it is saying that black lives matter (as a human fact), or in speaking out to remove racially offensive/insensitive monuments or politicians, I have been informed that my agenda will not work at this church, and that I dont speak for the church. Nor do they agree with me sharing them publicly or being involved in any type of: marches, peaceful protests, governmental meetings, interviews, etc. concerning race or racism, Volland said in announcing his June 21 departure. My heart grieves for 101 different reasons in this season, Martin added. There is a part of my heart that grieves for the lack of consistency and thorough education for white Christians to see themselves in this context. Barna found that 93% of U.S. Protestant pastors agree that it's important for church leaders to guide their congregations in thinking about racial justice, but when politics come into play that support wanes. Some 61% of pastors say conversations about race are too political, contributing to the difficulty in having these discussions. Both Martin and Tate stressed that God is able to handle tough conversations. If God is big enough to handle all of these things, then what fear is not an authentic one that you cant bring to Christ and say, Im afraid of that right there, Martin said. Youve got to do what Paul does, Tate advised. Paul said, When I was with the Jews, I became like the Jews. When I was with the Gentiles, I became like them. I became those things so that I might win some. Love Island bosses are planning to host reunion specials after the summer series was cancelled amid the coronavirus pandemic, according to reports. It is thought that some of the show's best-loved stars will meet face-to-face once again but will this time be based in the UK. A source told The Sun: 'ITV were gutted about pulling the plug on Love Island. It's one of their most popular shows and also a huge commercial success. Good news! Love Island bosses are planning to host reunion specials after the summer series was cancelled amid the coronavirus pandemic, according to reports 'It just wasn't feasible to go off to Mallorca and shoot at the villa, but this is a great way to get the show on air and give fans something to tide them over before it can return properly. 'Hopefully, the best-remembered names will agree to take part as it would be brilliant to see how they get on a few years later after so much has gone on in their lives. 'It could rekindle romantic feelings but it could also just start a load of old rows, especially as there have been a lot of messy break-ups and friendship changes.' It is thought that those among the favourites to appear at the reunion will be Paige Turley, Dani Dyer, Amber Gill, Olivia Attwood, Kem Cetinay, Tommy Fury and Molly-Mae Hague. Reunited: It is thought that the show's best-loved stars will meet face-to-face once again but will this time be based in the UK (pictured Paige Turley) MailOnline has contacted ITV for comment. It comes after ITV bosses pulled the plug on the summer series of the reality show having said it was a logistical impossibility to safeguard 'the wellbeing of everyone involved' amid the ongoing global coronavirus pandemic. Fans were assured the dating programme, which was due to begin filming in June, will be back 'stronger than ever in 2021'. Kevin Lygo, Director of Television at ITV, said at the time: 'We have tried every which way to make Love Island this summer but logistically it's just not possible to produce it in a way that safeguards the wellbeing of everyone involved and that for us is the priority. 'In normal circumstances we would be preparing very soon to travel out to the location in Mallorca to get the villa ready but clearly thats now out of the question. 'We are very sorry for fans of the show but making it safely is our prime concern and Love Island will be back stronger than ever in 2021. In the meantime Love Island fans can still enjoy all six series of Love Island on BritBox.' Cancelled: It comes after ITV bosses pulled the plug on the summer series of the reality show having said it was a logistical impossibility to safeguard 'the wellbeing of everyone involved' amid the ongoing global coronavirus pandemic (pictured host Laura Whitmore) Speaking out: Love Island host Laura Whitmore weighed in on the cancellation, saying it was the right decision Host Laura Whitmore weighed in on the cancellation, saying it was the right decision. She tweeted: 'Like with a lot of things because of restrictions with travel, social distancing and unable to plan ahead, Love Island is postponed until 2021. 'Great news is that there have been more applications then any other series! Next year is going to be BIG. Stay safe.' It was claimed that ITV2 is struggling to get insurance to be filmed in Mallorca amid the outbreak. It was initially reported that bosses were considering asking its stars to isolate for two weeks before filming starts this summer, but without insurance production was shut down completely. Tried to make it work: It was initially reported that bosses were considering asking its stars to isolate for two weeks before filming starts this summer, but without insurance production could be shut down completely ITV boss Kevin Lygo had also hinted Love Island was going to be axed as it might send the wrong signal to viewers during a time of social distancing. Speaking during a virtual interview by the Edinburgh TV Festival, Kevin admitted they're at a point when they have to decide whether to go ahead with Love Island this year. He said: 'We're approaching the moment of is it feasible? Will Majorca open its doors?' Deserted villa: The Mallorcan villa will remain empty for another years after TV bosses decided not to fly contestants out Taking a break: ITV boss Kevin Lygo had previously hinted Love Island was going to be axed as it might send the wrong signal to viewers during a time of social distancing The channel boss added that they wouldn't want to send the wrong signal to viewers when the country is asked to stay and home and keep at least two metres apart. 'What signal might it be sending out if we're doing a show where everyone is crammed together slavering over each other, and the rest of the world is told not to go near anyone in the park?' he added. Kevin added that they did consider moving filming for this year's series to the UK from its usual spot in Mallorca. He went onto dismiss reports it could be filmed in Cornwall saying it 'wouldn't be the same.' Kevin also said there would be a 'big commercial impact' if the series failed to go ahead. Uh oh: It comes following reports much of this year's cast will have missed on thousands of pounds in big-money deals during the lockdown (Shaughna Phillips and Demi Jones, pictured) Stand in: Laura took over as host from her friend Caroline Flack, who tragically took her own life in February Love Island last aired on screens at the beginning of this year when ITV2 commissioned the show's first ever winter series, filmed in South Africa. Laura took over as host from her friend Caroline Flack, who tragically took her own life in February. Shortly after the show came off air that month, the global coronavirus pandemic spread around the world, with Prime Minister Boris Johnson enforcing a lockdown on 23 March. Despite these concerns, the number of applications for the summer series is anything to go by, fans are hoping the ITV2 dating show does return as potential islanders are at a record high. Better luck next time! It was reported this summer's Love Island has seen its highest number of applications yet (winter series winner Paige Turley pictured) According to The Sun, Love Island has received its highest number of applications yet and show bosses are hoping to snap up new reality stars by holding virtual auditions. An insider told the paper that applications have surpassed 12,000, claiming: 'Applications have gone through the roof since lockdown. Never before have so many people applied in this six-week time span.' They continued: 'Over seventy per cent of the applications have come from 18 to 28-year-olds and the videos being sent in have been more creative than ever as people have more time on their hands.' The insider suggested that once the candidates for Love Island's summer series have been shortlisted in the 'coming weeks', they'll then be interviewed virtually by the team, with ITV having to bring in 'extra staff' to accommodate the high numbers. Media personalities Sylvia Jeffreys and Peter Stefanovic enjoyed a leisurely stroll around Sydney's Double Bay on Friday, with their four-month-old son Oscar. The adorable family was joined by Peter's brother Tom Stefanovic and his wife Jenna Dinicola, who are visiting from Queensland to meet their nephew. Sylvia, 33, looked every inch the doting mother as she pushed Oscar along in their $1,100 pram. A family affair! On Friday, Sylvia Jeffreys and Peter Stefanovic enjoyed a day out in Sydney's Double Bay with his brother Tom Stefanovic and wife Jenna Dinicola The Channel Nine reporter looked effortlessly chic in a casual ensemble for the outing. She wore light denim jeans with a Camilla and Marc white T-shirt worth $150, and a black knit cardigan. Sylvia let her natural beauty shine through with minimal makeup including a light foundation and touch of blush to highlight her stunning facial structure. Doting mother! The Channel Nine reporter looked effortlessly chic in a casual ensemble for the outing as she pushed Oscar along in their $1,100 black and grey stroller She wore her luscious blonde locks in tousled curls which fell casually at her shoulders. Husband Peter tailed behind her in black jeans and a blue T-shirt he covered with a beige shearling jacket to rug against the winter chill. Peter, 38, looked delighted to be catching up with Tom, who is the youngest of the Stefanovic clan. Two peas in a pod! Peter, 38, looked delighted to be catching up with Tom Tom, who once worked as a Channel Nine cameraman and is now an almond farmer, looked relaxed as he walked alongside his Peter in black pants, a white T-shirt and grey cardigan. Jenna proved she and her sister-in-law are great mates as they chatted happily upfront while the boys caught up. Jenna wore an all-black ensemble, including pants and a logo Balenciaga sweater worth $1190. Meeting Oscar: Tom and Jenna were visiting to meet their new nephew Oscar, who Sylvia and Peter welcomed four months ago (Oscar pictured with Peter) Visiting from the sunshine state, she appeared to still be adjusting to Sydney's cooler climate and further rugged up with a puffer jacket. Sylvia and Peter welcomed Oscar in February and announced the news on Instagram. Sylvia shared a sweet image of their son in a blue onesie at the time and said that he has 'deep blue eyes' and is 'perfectly healthy.' 'He's absolute magic,' she added. He and wife Jasmine Yarbrough welcomed newborn daughter Harper May just two months ago. And on Saturday, Karl Stefanovic doted on their tiny tot and shared an adorable image of her on Instagram. The 45-year-old Today show host shared a sweet picture of their little girl smiling and beaming in her pram, looking all rugged up in a knitted outfit and a blanket. Daddy's little girl! Karl Stefanovic doted on newborn daughter Harper May on Saturday and shared an adorable image of the tiny tot on Instagram 'Harper woke early this morning with daddy to address the nation,' Karl captioned the image, adding a love heart emoji. His sister-in-law Sylvia Jeffreys commented underneath: 'Gahhhhhh.' Karl and shoe designer wife Jasmine, 36, welcomed Harper on May 1 at the North Shore Private Hospital in Sydney. Family: His sister-in-law Sylvia Jeffreys commented underneath: 'Gahhhhhh' New addition! Karl and shoe designer wife Jasmine, 36, (pictured) welcomed Harper on May 1 at the North Shore Private Hospital in Sydney In a statement to the Today show at the time, Karl said: 'Harper and Jasmine are doing well and dad had a great night's sleep.' He added: 'I am in awe. Harper is absolutely perfect.' It's the first child for the pair, while Karl has three children from his previous marriage to Cassandra Thorburn: sons Jackson, 20, and River, 12, and daughter Ava, 15. Family: It's the first child for the pair, while Karl has three children from his previous marriage to Cassandra Thorburn: sons Jackson, 20, and River, 12, and daughter Ava, 15 Karl and Jasmine wed in December 2018 at the five-star One&Only Palmilla resort in San Jose del Cabo, Mexico. The couple were spotted this week enjoying their first family holiday in the idyllic Byron Bay. The proud parents were spotted enjoying a morning coffee run in the laid-back New South Wales coastal town on Wednesday. Today show host Karl is on annual leave from his duties on Nine's breakfast program, as colleague David Campbell fills in. It has been a whirlwind last couple of months for Stassi Schroeder. The reality star recently announced she's expecting her first child with fiance Beau Clark, making her reveal just days after she and Vanderpump Rules co-star Kristen Doute were fired from the Bravo show for past racist remarks and actions. And on Friday the 32-year-old tried to relish some of her summer downtime, amid the growing COVID-19 pandemic in California, by paying a visit to a friend in Los Angeles. Radiant: Stassi Schroeder, 32, glowed like only a pregnant woman can when she paid a visit to a friend in Los Angeles on Friday Glowing like only a pregnant woman can, Schroeder stepped out of her vehicle in a black, sleeveless dress that showed off her burgeoning baby bump. She also wore a pair of white slip-on sneakers and carried a black purse over her right shoulder. The New Orleans native rounded out her casual, but stylish, ensemble with her blonde tresses pulled back into a bun, with the exception of some strands of hair that she left dangling around the frame of her face. Mother to be: Schroeder stepped out of her vehicle in a black, sleeveless dress that showed off her burgeoning baby bump It's a girl! Schroeder and Clark announced they were expecting their first child together in an Instagram post on June 23 Schroeder and Clark are expecting to welcome a baby girl sometime in the first week of January. They made the announcement in an Instagram post on June 23 that showed her cradling her baby bump while getting a sweet kiss on the cheek from her fiance. The blonde beauty started dating the casting agent towards the end of 2017 and they became engaged in July 2019. They had been planning to wed in Rome, Italy in October but that was pushed back to 2021 due to the coronavirus crisis that has seen a disturbing spike in confirmed cases in California in recent times. Bravo cameras were expected to film the ceremony, and then air on the upcoming season nine of Vanderpump Rules, before she was fired. Item: The couple started dating towards the end of 2017 and became engaged in July 2019 Pending nuptials: Bravo cameras were expected to film the ceremony, and then air on the upcoming season nine of Vanderpump Rules, before she was fired Schroeder and Doute got the axe from the show for making past racist remarks and racially profiling former African American co-star Faith Stowers, who accused the pair of reporting her to police in 2018, claiming she was a suspect in one of their investigations. Schroeder also made offensive comments in a 2017 episode of her Straight Up With Stassi podcast where she talked about black people and how they ask for special treatment in Hollywood. In an Instagram post June 7, the reality star apologized for making 'racially insensitive comments' in the past and that it's important she 'continue to take accountability for what I have said and done, while pushing myself to do better.' She also maintained she has grown significantly from the person she was then, and that she's 'filled with remorse and regret for the hurt' she caused, including to Stowers. She played the original Jennifer Parker in the 1985 sci-fi adventure classic Back to the Future. And Claudia Wells, 53, celebrated the 35th anniversary of the film in style on Friday, by dining with a friend at a Studio City sushi restaurant. The veteran actress looked effortlessly chic in a floral blouse tucked into blue jeans. Youthful: Claudia Wells, 53, celebrated the 35th anniversary of her iconic film Back to the Future in style on Friday, by dining with a friend at a Studio City sushi restaurant The Fast Times star paired the outfit with tan sneakers and wore a Louis Vuitton fanny pack around her waist. Claudia's memorable, wavy tresses were in full effect for the outing, and the mother-of-one blinged up with a bevy of necklaces and rings. The youthful actress looked younger than her 53 years as she met with a male companion for the meal. Iconic: Wells played the original Jennifer Parker in 80s sci-fi adventure classic Back to the Future. Seen here with co-star Michael J. Fox in 1985 The look: The veteran actress looked effortlessly chic in a floral blouse tucked into blue jeans Then and now: Wells played Jennifer Parker, the girlfriend of Michael J. Fox's Marty McFly in Back to the Future, the story of a high school student who is accidentally sent thirty years into the past in a time-traveling DeLorean Wells played Jennifer Parker, the girlfriend of Michael J. Fox's Marty McFly in Back to the Future, the story of a high school student who is accidentally sent thirty years into the past in a time-traveling DeLorean. However Claudia was unable to return for either of the film's sequels, due to her mother being diagnosed with cancer. She told the Huffington Post in 2017: 'My mother had fourth stage lymphoma... I had so much happening personally that deep down, I never considered reprising my role and deep in my soul, I knew this was the right choice for me.' CSI star Elisabeth Shue replaced her in those movies. Great hair day: Claudia's memorable, wavy tresses were in full effect for the outing, and the mother-of-one blinged up with a bevy of necklaces and rings Peace: Claudia was unable to return for either of the film's sequels, due to her mother being diagnosed with cancer Wells believes the film's fan base has grown over the years rather than dwindle. Speaking to the Dallas Observer in 2019, she said, 'I didn't really notice [a fan base] because I was so accustomed to acting.' 'I starred in a ton of series and movies-of-the-week. I was accustomed to people wanting autographs and things like that.' 'I didn't notice the hugeness of the movie 15 years ago or 10 years ago. I notice it more now than when it came out.' The highly-anticipated Lord Of The Rings television series is set to begin filming in New Zealand. According to Stuff, 206 cast and crew members have been been granted permission to enter the country over six months to film the new series. The Ministry of Business, Innovation, and Employment has allowed seven projects to enter New Zealand amid the coronavirus pandemic. It's official! The Lord Of The Rings television series is set to begin filming in New Zealand after the cast were granted permission to enter the country. Pictured Ian McKellen in the 2003 film Netflix's adaptation of popular Japanese animated series Cowboy Bepop, the highly-anticipated Avatar sequel and Jane Campion's film The Power of the Dog are also set to begin production. The Lord of the Rings had started filming at a studio in Auckland earlier this year, but the country was forced into lockdown. It is believed most of the crew remained in New Zealand, however others have been given border exemptions to reenter. Exciting: There are reportedly 206 cast and crew members and 35 of their family members allowed to enter the country over six months to film the new series. Pictured Elijah Wood Last month, casting agents for the new tv series were desperately looking for people with 'funky looking' features to cast in the mammoth project. According to The Guardia, a booker for New Zealand talent agency, BGT, put out a request on Facebook ahead of production resuming. The list also noted they were seeking extras with other attributes, including missing bones, and even a bulbous nose. The Guardian said the booker was unable to confirm he was working on the small-screen production of the J. R. R. Tolkien classic. But a prior ad had it listed. Think you could play an orc? Last month, casting agents for the new tv series were desperately looking for people with 'funky looking' features to cast in the mammoth project. Pictured Elijah Wood and Sean Astin star in LOTR: The Two Towers The TV series will be in the same fictional universe created by legendary author J.R.R. Tolkien, who published the series at intervals between 1954 and 1955. Similarly to the books, and the Peter Jackson adaptations in the early 2000s, the landscapes will be populated with horrific humanoid monsters, dwarfish citizens of mythical villages, and slender celestial elves. Amazon has dropped 190 million just on the rights for the upcoming series, and the details, including cast and plot, are a stone-guarded secret. The Lord of the Rings movie franchise, produced between 2001 and 2003, cost over 225 million and required more than 20,000 extras to populate the epic scenes. Like many parents, this action star and Oscar winner encountered a considerable challenge when tasked with home-schooling her children during quarantine this spring. Charlize Theron spoke with Willie Geist for Sunday's edition of Today about the task of teaching her two adopted daughters Jackson, eight, and August, four, while also promoting her new Netflix film The Old Guard, dropping July 10th. The Monster actress, 44, said that during the pandemic, 'the biggest challenge for me was just home schooling. Rising to the challenge: Charlize Theron spoke with Willie Geist for Sunday's edition of Today about the task of home-schooling her two adopted daughters Jackson, eight, and August, four 'It was an incredibly stressful time for me,' she continued, before adding, 'and I will make any action movie over and over and over again before I home-school again!' And action movies are very much a part of Theron's repertoire in her latest film The Old Guard, she plays an immortal mercenary, and the trailer for the film is filled to the brim with hand to hand combat plus a fair helping of weapon-fueled violence. Additionally, one of the South African actress's most notable roles was as Furiosa in 2015's visionary film Mad Max: Fury Road, not to mention other projects like Atomic Blonde as well as her involvement in the Fast And The Furious franchise. Star power: The Monster actress said that during the pandemic, 'the biggest challenge for me was just home schooling' while also promoting her new Netflix film The Old Guard (pictured) In May, the Young Adult star shared a picture from her early days of motherhood, when she posted a rare behind-the-scenes snap of her with daughter Jackson on the set of Mad Max in 2015. In the sweet snap, the new mom has baby Jackson leaning on her chest while sitting in a car covered in grease and dirt her general look for the gritty post-apocalyptic action thriller. 'I became a mom right before we started shooting,' Charlize captioned the throwback image. 'At least my child will forever have the fun fact of "I spent most of the first year of my life in a war rig."' In May: Theron shared a picture from her early days of motherhood, when she posted a rare behind-the-scenes snap of her with daughter Jackson on the set of Mad Max in 2015 In an interview with DailyMail.com last year, Charlize opened up about her transgender daughter Jackson, whom she had adopted as a baby and originally introduced to the world as a boy. 'Yes, I thought she was a boy, too,' said the actress. 'Until she looked at me when she was three years old and said: 'I am not a boy!' 'So there you go! I have two beautiful daughters who, just like any parent, I want to protect and I want to see thrive. In an interview with DailyMail.com last year: Charlize opened up about her transgender daughter Jackson, whom she had originally introduced to the world as a boy (seen in 2015) 'They were born who they are and exactly where in the world both of them get to find themselves as they grow up, and who they want to be, is not for me to decide.' Charlize explained that her job as a parent is 'to celebrate' her daughter and 'to love them and 'make sure that they have everything they need in order to be what they want to be. 'And I will do everything in my power for my kids to have that right and to be protected within that.' 'So there you go! I have two beautiful daughters who, just like any parent, I want to protect and I want to see thrive,' Charlize said at the time; seen here online last month Emmy Rossum recently urged her followers on social media to follow guidelines and wear masks in public amid COVID-19 spikes. And the 33-year-old actress put her words into action on Friday by donning a Masq'd face mask and sanitizing her hands following a trip to Snyder Diamond in Santa Monica. With temperatures heating up in the Los Angeles, Rossum made sure to dress appropriately for her outing. Setting the example: Emmy Rossum put her words into action on Friday by donning a Masq'd face mask and sanitizing her hands following a trip to Snyder Diamond in Santa Monica Emmy sported a charcoal grey tee and slipped her slender stems into a pair of denim shorts. She added a bit of glamour to her errand run ensemble by rocking a pair of black Gucci loafers with gold hardware. The Shameless star had a blue and white canvas bag tucked under her arm and a gold watch fastened around her wrist. Heating up: With temperatures heating up in the Los Angeles, Rossum made sure to dress appropriately for her outing Rossum kept her curly brunette hair hidden beneath a navy blue cap that had a red emblem embroidered on the front. Earlier this week, Emmy was called out by fans on Twitter for a humorous tweet she made in January, prior to the coronavirus pandemic and face mask requirements. In the photo attached to the tweet, the actress wore ski goggles, a helmet and white cloth face covering and joked that that 'level of protection' seemed 'smart' for 2020. WEAR A MASK: Emmy Rossum recently urged her followers on social media to follow guidelines and wear masks in public amid COVID-19 spikes After a fan commented on Tuesday that the tweet 'did not age well,' the Rossum used the opportunity to tell fans to follow guidelines and wear masks in public. 'Well this was unfortunately prescient,' she wrote of her earlier tweet. '(Thanks for reminding me of this post @lilah_hart.) Also people WEAR A MASK,' she tweeted. Emmy has been hunkered down in Los Angeles with her film producer husband Sam Esmail, 42, amid the pandemic. Big role: Emmy is set to star as buxom Los Angeles billboard icon, Angelyne, in a new limited series set to air on NBCUniveral's new streaming service, Peacock, which debuts July 15 As for her professional life, Rossum left Shameless last year after nine seasons on the hit Showtime comedy-drama series. She is set to star as buxom Los Angeles billboard icon, Angelyne, in a new limited series set to air on NBCUniveral's new streaming service, Peacock, which debuts July 15. The drama is based on a Hollywood Reporter feature in 2017 by senior writer Gary Baum. Both Rossum and Esmail serve as executive producers on the project. She first made waves as an Instagram personality which led to more wider recognition for her appearance in a popular Carl's Jr. commercial that aired during the Super Bowl in 2015. Since then Charlotte McKinney has parlayed her popularity into modeling and a number of roles in film and television. But on Friday, during the July 4 holiday weekend, the Fantasy island star enjoyed some personal downtime which included stopping by a Farmer's Market in Los Angeles after attending a yoga class. Flower power: Charlotte McKinney, 26, made a pitstop to pick up a batch of beautiful sunflowers and eggs during a stop at the Famers Market in Los Angeles on Friday The Orlando, Florida native picked up a batch of beautiful sunflowers and a half-dozen eggs during her quick excursion to the market. While there she put her toned curves on display in tight, knee-high leggings and a matching black spaghetti-strap top. McKinney also sported white sneakers and pulled her long blonde locks up into a top bun and Mind and body: The model-actress also put her toned curves on display in tight, knee-high leggings and a matching black spaghetti-strap top during a yoga class In adherence to city guidelines amid the growing COVID-19 pandemic, she wore a white protective mask while around people in public. Before making her special shopping stop, the Dancing With The Stars alum worked her mind and body at yoga class. She was seen coming out of the facility in the very same outfit carrying a yoga mat, bottled water and the white bad she used to carry the sunflowers. Breakout: McKinney gained national recognition for her appearance in a popular Carl's Jr. commercial that aired during the Super Bowl in 2015 In an interview with Haute Living, McKinney confessed her life in quarantine in the wake of the coronavirus crisis has been a bit challenging. She has tried to use her extra home time wisely by to focus on bettering herself and trying new things. 'For me I've never been much of a cook and i've always dined out or ordered takeout but now i've been cooking my own meals,' she said with a sense of pride. It's been challenging but fun at the same time. I eat clean and healthy foods, buy fresh produce and make roasted vegetables as much as possible.' Destry Allyn, the daughter of Steven Spielberg and Kate Capshaw, is celebrating a life milestone. The director-actress-writer, 23, took to Instagram with a flurry of activity on Friday to announce her engagement to 'best friend' Genc Legrand, an actor. Destry, who has also modeled in the past, broke the news with a suite of photos showing the couple in an embrace, plus a close up of their hand with Allyn's ring front and center. Engaged: Destry Allyn, the daughter of Steven Spielberg and Kate Capshaw, took to Instagram with a flurry of activity on Friday to announce her engagement to 'best friend' Genc Legrand 'Holy cannoli, Im engaged!!!' Destry wrote along with several joyous emojis. 'I am so excited to take on life with my best friend! This is the best day ever!' she continued. 'I love you so much @legrandgenc !!!' the famous daughter added, with some more emojis. The post was geotagged in Santa Monica, California. Rock alert: Destry, who has modeled in the past, broke the news with a suite of photos showing the couple in an embrace, plus a close up of their hand with Allyn's ring front and center Silly: In her Stories, Destry continued to show off her lovely ring in a goofy video In her Stories, Destry continued to show off her ring in a goofy video. She also included some of her friends reactions to the happy news. Destry added one last video to her Story, which showed Genc on the phone underneath the label 'fiance'. The I Know This Much Is True actress has six siblings, and is the youngest child of Spielberg, 73, and Capshaw, 66. Destry is a self-affirmed director-actress-writer, and at 23, she's the youngest of Spielberg's children; seen here in 2017 with her parents and brother Sawyer Avery Spielberg Destry's parents Steven and Kate famously met on the 1984 set of Indiana Jones And The Temple Of Doom. Though the Indiana Jones series has been one of Spielberg's most successful film franchises, he announced earlier this year that he won't return for an upcoming fifth installment. Harrison Ford will return to play the eponymous archeologist and adventurer, but Ford V Ferrari and Logan director James Mangold is expected to fill the director's chair. Michael Bay's latest project Songbird was hit with a 'Do Not Work' order this week by actors union SAG-AFTRA. But the show must go on, and luckily, production appears to be back on schedule after the brief snafu. SAG-AFTRA lifted their 'Do Not Work' order Friday, releasing a brief statement on their website, which did not elaborate on the decision. Do Not Work: Michael Bay's latest project Songbird was hit with a 'Do Not Work' order this week by actors union SAG-AFTRA (pictured in March, 2020) It read: 'SAG-AFTRA has rescinded its Do Not Work order for the feature film Songbird, produced by On a Lark Productions, LLC, and members are free to work on this production effective immediately.' It came only a day after the union originally slapped the production with the 'do not work' order. A SAG-AFTRA spokesperson told The Hollywood Reporter: 'The producers have not been transparent about their safety protocols, and that is something we obviously take very seriously. Also, as noted in the Do Not Work order, the producers have not yet become signatory to our agreement. We have no further comment.' Bay is producing the thriller, which is set in the future as a pandemic-inducing virus continues to mutate, starring Demi Moore, Peter Stormare and Craig Robinson. Order lifted: SAG-AFTRA lifted their 'Do Not Work' order Friday, releasing a brief statement on their website, which did not elaborate on the decision Safety protocols: A spokesperson for the union previously said: 'The producers have not been transparent about their safety protocols' Director Adam Mason was reportedly preparing to begin production on the film later this month. Film and TV production was allowed to resume in Los Angeles County on June 12, subject to strict protocols set by the county's Department of Public Health. The measures include 'regular, periodic testing of the cast and crew,' an on-set COVID-19 compliance officer, social distancing and regular cleaning of set and props. New role: Just last week, it was announced that Demi Moore has been cast in a leading role in Songbird which takes place in the future as a pandemic-inducing virus continues to mutate THR.com reported that in a note sent Thursday to its members, SAG-AFRA stated: 'The producer of the picture entitled Songbird has failed to complete the signatory process and is therefore not signed to any applicable SAG-AFTRA agreement. 'As such, SAG-AFTRA members are hereby instructed to withhold any acting services or perform any covered work for this production until further notice from the union.' The statement concluded: 'Please note, accepting employment or rendering services on Songbird may be considered a violation of Global Rule One. Violating this order may result in disciplinary action in accordance with the SAG-AFTRA Constitution.' Paul Hogan made a name for himself making sometimes racy and not at all politically correct comedy in the 1970s and 1980s. And now the 80-year-old says that while he feels people are too 'hypersensitive' these days, he nonetheless supports many progressive causes. 'I am the livin' picture of political incorrectness,' the Crocodile Dundee stars told The Weekend Australian this week. Outspoken: Paul Hogan (pictured) made a name for himself making sometimes racy and not at all politically correct comedy in the 1970s and 1980s. And now the 80-year-old says that people are too 'hypersensitive' these days However the Australian icon adds that he abhors racism, particularly as he's observed it in his adopted home of the United States. 'Racism's for cretins. I've seen it all right here, and I say it's for cretins,' Paul tells the magazine. 'How do you go through life judgin' people on how they look? It's just absurd. The majority are startin' to sit up and say this is not right.' Incorrect! 'I am the livin' picture of political incorrectness,' the Crocodile Dundee stars told the Weekend Australia this week. Pictured on The Paul Hogan Show in the 1970s Paul admits that he has had accusations of sexism leveled at him in the past, but insists it's not something he supports. 'I know what people might be sensitive about. Sexist is the most common [accusation] against me. But I don't think I ever did anything with any sort of malice. 'Some people are hypersensitive but it's understandable I guess. Everything changes as time goes on and we are in the politically correct era'. Paul lives in Venice, California these days, and is close to his former wife, Linda Kozlowski, 62, and their son, Chance, 22. Paul admits that he has had accusations of sexism leveled at him in the past: 'I know what people might be sensitive about. Sexist is the most common [accusation] against me. But I don't think I ever did anything with any sort of malice' he said Since retiring from acting, Linda has made money by flipping properties. Linda was Paul's second wife after he divorced his first wife, Noelene Edwards, in 1986 after 30 years of marriage. The pair met while filming Crocodile Dundee, in which Linda played Paul's love interest Sue Charlton. In 1999, Linda gave birth to their only son, Chance. Paul has five more children with his first wife. She's never been afraid to speak her mind. But on Saturday, Carrie Bickmore revealed she was left speechless when her 11-year-old son Oliver made an embarrassing confession to his teacher. In a column penned for this week's Stellar magazine, the 39-year-old revealed: 'One day after a fruit sale at school, I received a note from the teacher informing me they'd asked the class if anyone would like to take the leftover limes home.' 'I didn't want Mrs Jones knowing that!' The Project's Carrie Bickmore (pictured) has revealed the embarrassing confession her son Oliver told his teacher on Saturday 'Ollie was first to put up his hand and let the class know, "Mummy would love them for her gin",' she wrote. She continued: 'They would be handy for a gin, but I didn't want Mrs Jones knowing that!' Carrie shares her son Oliver with her husband Greg Lange, who died of brain cancer in 2010. She also has daughter Evie, four, and her youngest child, Adelaide, 11 months, who she shares with her partner Chris Walker. Hilarious: Carrie revealed her son Oliver (pictured) told his teacher he'd like to take the leftover limes from school home because his 'mummy would love them for her gin' In November last year, Carrie admitted she was 'not ready' for her eldest son to start high school. Penning a post in Stellar Magazine, she said she can't believe that 'it's the end of an era' and her son, Oliver is already growing up. 'I feel a gentle sadness creeping over me that I cant shake. Its the end of an era. The end of primary school for my eldest and Im not ready,' she wrote. Family: Carrie also has daughter Evie, four, and her youngest child, Adelaide, 11 months, who she shares with her partner Chris Walker (pictured) Carrie continued: 'I have friends with kids in high school, I see what's ahead - the smells, the retreating, the grunting - and Im not sure Im ready.' Carrie went to say that she is 'starting to savour those seemingly mundane moments' when Oliver was young. 'I still remember the relief I felt when I could drop Ollie off at parties and not have to stay. No more small talk and a little window to get the groceries done,' she wrote. Fearne Cotton took to Instagram to honour her husband Jesse Wood on Saturday to mark their sixth wedding anniversary. She posted a snap of her and Jesse signing the register, smiling sweetly for the camera in their wedding finery. Sharing a caption, the DJ, 38, said: 'Happy wedding anniversary @jessejameswood 6 years ago this happened! I love you to the moon '. Memories: Fearne Cotton took to Instagram to honour her husband Jesse Wood on Saturday to mark their sixth wedding anniversary She also shared snaps of her and Jesse walking hand-in-hand in the sunshine after the ceremony, as everyone applauded, and then another of them surrounded by everyone at the after party. Joining in her celebrations was her Celebrity Juice co-star Leigh Francis - also know as Keith Lemon - who shared throwbacks to the big day. Fearne was again feeling nostalgic last month when she shared a series of snaps looking back at some fond memories of the decade. She began her successful presenting career in 1996 when she was just 15 years old, and the DJ, dug out some amazing snaps from her youth - much to fans' delight. She wrote: 'Happy wedding anniversary @jessejameswood 6 years ago this happened! I love you to the moon ' Celebration! She also shared snaps of her and Jesse walking hand-in-hand in the sunshine after the ceremony, as everyone applauded, and then another of them surrounded by everyone at the after party Pals: Keith Lemon also marked the occasion with some of his own snaps from the big day Congrats! Keith and Fearne were Celebrity Juice co-stars for years The first sweet picture showed the star with a 'perm and straight fringe', with the funky hair do encompassing the age to perfection. Another amazing snap showed Fearne alongside some friends while they were 'drinking in the park', as she clutched a Bacardi Breezer. In the caption, the mum-of-two penned: 'In this weeks 90s throw back to get excited about this weeks episode of Sounds of The 90s on @bbcsounds we celebrate. 'A) the perm and straight fringe B) drinking in parks C) listening to All Saints in maths D) heather shimmer lipstick and grandad Phil E) pedalos with cousins and fringes #soundsofthe90s listen now.' Throwback: Fearne shared a series of snaps looking back at some fond memories of the 90s last month Looking back: The DJ has been revisiting the sounds of 90s on her weekly podcast with BBC Sounds Fun: One pic showed Fearne alongside some friends while they were 'drinking in the park' Fearne has been sharing candid insights during lockdown and recently discussed the difficulties of trying to navigate a blended family amid the UK coronavirus crisis. The presenter shares Rex, seven, and Honey with her rocker beau Jesse, who also has Arthur, 18, and Lola, 14, with his ex-wife Tilly. She said: 'I, like many of you, are part of a blended family and after last night's announcement it's really difficult to know how to play that. My step-kids come and go from both houses to our house, to their mum and step-dad's. In the caption the mum-of-two penned: 'In this weeks 90s throw back to get excited about this weeks episode of Sounds of The 90s on @bbcsounds She continued: 'A) the perm and straight fringe B) drinking in parks C) listening to All Saints in maths D) heather shimmer lipstick and grandad Phil E) pedalos with cousins and fringes #soundsofthe90s listen now' 'From what we've read, we think the best approach is to take it as long as both sets of parents have no symptoms or children, and they haven't in the last two weeks, we should be able to continue having the kids dropped off or picking them up. 'So we can spend time with them because the thought of not seeing them for, God knows how long, is tricky. 'There's so much more I want to say but my brain is scrambled, I haven't had much sleep. So much love to you all, stay home and safe.' Studio 10 host Narelda Jacobs has spoken candidly about the moment she told her family she was gay. Speaking to The Weekend Australian on Saturday, the 44-year-old said she came out to her 'strict Christian' family at 21, and her mum's response surprised her. 'Coming from a strict Christian family I knew my sexuality would never be accepted and that was absolutely the case. The day I came out my mum said "We will never be able to accept this but we will always love you",' she said. Candid: Studio 10 host Narelda Jacobs (pictured) revealed her mum's heartwarming reaction after she told her Christian family she was gay on Saturday She continued: 'That's the most I could hope for. To be ostracised would have taken it to an awful level.' Narelda, whose father is a reverend in a Uniting Church, explained that people in the 'queer community face the fear of being ostracised from their loved ones'. 'I just felt so blessed that I could still enjoy the love of my family,' she said. Response: The 44-year-old revealed she came out to her 'strict Christian' family at 21 years old, and her mum's response surprised her when she said: 'We will never be able to accept this but we will always love you'. Pictured Narelda with her partner Stevie Narelda was announced as a co-host on daytime panel show Studio 10 in December 2019 following the departure of Jessica Rowe and Ita Buttrose. In a live cross with Studio 10, the journalist said she was 'excited' to join the team in Sydney at the time. 'I can't wait to come! I'm so excited,' she said. 'Look at this beautiful city of Perth, Im going to leave that behind but as well as being a proud Western Australian, I'm also a proud Australian and I cant wait to come and join you guys and talk about the things that matter to all over us,' she added. 'I just felt so blessed': Narelda, whose father (pictured) is a reverend in a Uniting Church, explained that people in the 'queer community face the fear of being ostracised from their loved ones' The Ten News First Perth anchor, who was Western Australia's first Indigenous newsreader, moved to Sydney for her role on the panel and as a roving reporter. Joe Hildebrand also pointed out that Narelda, who is mother to Indigenous artist JD Penangke, had been part of the team in her own way since the beginning in November 2013. '[Studio 10 was] doing special little episodes just for Perth and you were part of that from the very beginning so in a way were just coming full circle,' he said. Dermot O'Leary and his wife Dee Koppang have named their son Kasper. The radio presenter, 47, announced the news live on his BBC radio show on Saturday morning, dedicating a song to the newborn. He and Dee, 41, became parents for the first time after welcoming a baby boy 10 days ago. 'With a K!' Dermot O'Leary and his wife Dee Koppang have namred their son Kasper Dermot returned to work on Saturday after he and Dee welcomed their first child and played a song by Elbow, dedicating it to Kasper. He revealed this was the track that he was born to and explained the reasons behind his son's name. 'My lovely son came into the world ten days ago accompanied by Guy Garvey's Elbow. So forgive this moment of brief self-indulgence while we play the song that accompanied that. 'This is for you Kasper with a K - my wife is very insistent on that. Kasper Koppang O'Leary welcome to the world!' Baby news! The presenter took to Instagram to announce the news as he gushed he was 'enjoying the cuddles in a new born bubble' He also joked that the sleepless nights will have him taking power naps between playing songs, and made a nod to this with The Beatles song I'm Only Sleeping. Under an Instagram post of himself looking a little tired on his return to the studio, one follower commented: 'Asleep standing up?' The presenter took to Instagram to announce the news as he gushed he was 'enjoying the cuddles in a newborn bubble' last week. Posting a sweet photo of the personalised baby grow, Dermot revealed he and Dee welcomed a son together, after first announcing that they were expecting in February. Oh baby! Dermot and Dee became parents for the first time after welcoming a baby boy last week In his post, Dermot penned: 'Welcome to the world baby Koppang O'Leary... We're delighted to announce that we've had a baby! 'A little boy born on Tuesday 23rd June 2020 (Sankthansaften / Midsummer for you Norwegians) at 8.19am, weighing in at 6lb 13oz. 'Enjoying the cuddles in the newborn bubble... cats yet to be 100% convinced. Lots of love, Dermot & Dee x.' Queen: Just a day before their son was born, Dermot revealed that he and Dee were celebrating their impending arrival with a 'summer solstice' theme baby shower Just a day before their son was born, Dermot revealed that he and Dee were celebrating their impending arrival with a 'summer solstice' theme baby shower. Taking to Instagram earlier in the year, they shared a fun picture of a message board decorated with a floral wreath which said 'Koppang O'Leary productions' would be welcoming a 'new arrival coming soon'. In the post Dermot penned: 'We're pleased to announce that we're expecting a little Koppang O'Leary...' Lovely: Dermot and his wife Dee announced in February that they were expecting their first child together Dee debuted her baby bump for the first time at the British Academy Film Awards 2020 Nominees' Party in February. Since then, the private couple have shared rare glimpses of Dee's pregnancy during lockdown. In April, the Norwegian producer and director showcased her growing baby bump as she revealed she had to do Dermot's hair and make-up for the One World Together highlights show. Dee joked: 'No pressure... had to do @radioleary hair & make up for tonight's @bbcone @glblctzn live show... (7.15pm). 'Apologies in advance if he looks orange on the show There's only so much @sarahexley1 could teach me on a Zoom tutorial...' Big news: Dee debuted her baby bump for the first time at the British Academy Film Awards 2020 Nominees' Party in February (pictured) The presenter's news sparked a slew of congratulatory posts from stars including Holly Willoughby, Tamzin Outhwaite and Ruth Langsford. Dermot tied the knot with Dee in 2012 after ten years together at St Mary's Church in Chiddingstone, Kent. It proved to be a star-studded occasion with guests including Holly Willoughby, James Corden and Bear Grylls. In 2015 Dermot hinted that he was ready to start a family with wife Dee, telling Fabulous Magazine: 'I definitely want kids, but I've got a very busy wife with a very busy life. Baby joy: Since then, the private couple have shared rare glimpses of Dee's pregnancy during lockdown (pictured at the BAFTAs in February) 'It's not fair for me to say, ''I want kids now''. I do want kids with my wife, but I want them when we both think it's the right thing to happen.' Late last year ahead of his seventh wedding anniversary, Dermot also spoke about the secret to his happy relationship, telling Fabulous: 'It's a work in progress, isn't it? 'The key for me is giving each other space, not giving each other a hard time and actually having fun together. And we do.' Dermot and Dee met in 2002 when they worked for the same TV production company, and got engaged in New York in December 2011. Naga Munchetty is a fan of Wuthering Heights because its female lead is cruel When BBC Breakfast presenter Naga Munchetty told me she adores Wuthering Heights, I assumed she was drawn to its passionate story of intense love but I couldn't have been more wrong. Instead, Naga confessed she was a fan of Emily Bronte's classic novel because its female star is cruel! 'It showed me that women do not have to be likeable, that they can be hateful and that love isn't glorious. I sound so dark by saying that - dark of heart,' admits Naga, 45. 'Cathy is a hateful character, she is cruel. And I love her, I absolutely love her. Does that sound really awful?' Er, not awful, Naga, but a bit scary It may not be much larger than a walk-in wardrobe, but millionaire model Cara Delevingne has rented out this tiny studio flat, above, for 1,127 a month It may not be much larger than a walk-in wardrobe, but millionaire model Cara Delevingne has rented out this tiny studio flat, above, for 1,127 a month. The new tenant - in one of 11 flats owned by Cara's family in West London - will have to clamber up a ladder to get to the 'mezzanine' bed over the kitchen units. The 27-year-old, a director of her father Charles's property firm, earned 21.5million in 2018, and while you don't have to be as rich as her to rent the flat, you'd probably need to be as bijou as her to fit in it. She has been sharing a slew of throwback snaps throughout lockdown. And Dame Joan Collins delighted her fans on Saturday as she celebrated the reopening of the pubs with another classic photo. The actress, who turned 87 in May, shared a snap of her looking radiant as she cradled one of her children. Throwback: Joan Collins, 87, celebrated July 4 and the reopening of the pubs in England with a classic photo with one of her children The ageless mother of three looked stunning in a yellow top and sunhat as she posed for the camera. The Dynasty star, who has been married five times, shares children Tara and Alexandra with her second husband Anthony Newley, and her third child Katyana with her third husband Ron Kass. She captioned the snap: 'Wishing everyone young and old a happy July 4 and Super Saturday.' It comes after the actress recently poked fun at living in isolation by sharing a snap of her younger self in a promotional image from the 1986 miniseries Monte Carlo. Funny: The actress recently poked fun at life in lockdown as she shared a glamorous throwback snap of her character behind bars in the 1986 miniseries Monte Carlo (original pictured) In the snap a 1940s-dressed Joan appears to be trapped behind bars, as the series saw her character caught up in the midst of spies during the Second World War. The star playfully captioned the post: 'Still inside,' along with several crying laughing emojis. Monte Carlo saw Joan appear alongside veteran actor George Hamilton, and originally aired as a two-night event on CBS. Funny: The Dynasty star playfully captioned the post: 'Still inside,' along with a slew of crying laughing emojis (pictured in March) Last month, Joan criticised the UK government's decision to introduce new rules for people flying into the country, announcing that they would have to enter a 14-day quarantine. Taking to Twitter, the actress hit out at the 'ridiculous' restrictions in a scathing rant, where she said the move was 'punishing' families who had been isolating for months. In an impassioned post, she accused the government on 'punishing' families who had 'blindly obeyed' lockdown laws and urged Home Secretary Priti Patel to reconsider. Fuming: Last month Joan criticised the UK government's decision to introduce new rules for people flying into the country, branding the rules 'ridiculous and unfair' Enraged: Taking to Twitter the actress hit out at the restrictions in a scathing rant, where she said the move was 'punishing' families who had been isolating for months Scathing: She then wrote another tweet in which she said it was 'impossible' for people to plan their getaways this Summer, suggesting that it was like a betrayal to the hospitality industry She wrote: 'This #quarantine rule at airports preventing people wanting to get away for the summer is ridiculous and unfair. 'Millions of families have blindly obeyed instructions to isolate for months and are now being punished. #pritiplease #PRITIPATEL.' She then wrote another tweet in which she said it was 'impossible' for people to plan their getaways this Summer, suggesting that it was like a betrayal to the hospitality industry. Calling it out: Last month Dame Joan also criticised the UK government for being 'ageist' to those over the age of 70 amid the ongoing coronavirus crisis She fumed: 'Its impossible to plan a family summer holiday at the end of June. Its unworkable, unfair and unenforceable and its stabbing the airline and hospitality industry to death. You must reconsider #pritiplease #PRITIPATEL.' The TV star divided fans with her opinion, with some seeing her point, while others remarked that there's more important things to worry about than a holiday. This isn't the only time the thespian has shared her strong opinion on the decisions imposed by the UK government amid the coronavirus pandemic. Last month she criticised the government for being 'ageist' to those over the age of 70 amid the ongoing crisis. In her column for The Spectator, the actress claimed government advice saying elderly people needed to stay indoors during the global pandemic was 'utter discrimination.' MasterChef Australia: Back To Win judge Jock Zonfrillo has denied claims that he shows favouritism to certain contestants on the show. In a column for this week's Stellar Magazine, the 43-year-old declared: 'Favouritism is just not a thing. It's not something we would accept from one another as judges.' 'At the end of the day, if it tastes rubbish, it tastes rubbish,' he insisted. Speaking out: MasterChef Australia: Back To Win judge Jock Zonfrillo (pictured) has denied claims that he shows favouritism to certain contestants in the competition Fans have accused Jock of a 'conflict of interest' and the show of being 'rigged' regarding contestant Laura Sharrad, because she once worked under him. Following her first appearance on MasterChef back in 2014, Laura went on to work as a pastry chef at Jock's award-winning restaurant, Oran. The issue arouse when the 24-year-old season six runner-up created a pasta dish during a cooking challenge on a recent episode, and won plenty of praise from Jock, leading to fan claims of favouritism. In a column for this week's Stellar Magazine , the 43-year-old declared: 'Favouritism is just not a thing. It's not something we would accept from one another as judges' The Scottish-born chef added: 'Twitter is its own bubble where there are 25 people who comment on things before they've even seen what happens' Jock addressed the episode, saying: 'In regards to 'Pasta-gate' if people count the number of times Laura makes pasta to the amount she hasn't, I'm sure they'd find it's almost equal or there are more times she hasn't made pasta.' 'It's a lot of noise over nothing' he added. He was also accused of showing favouritism towards Poh Ling Yeow after he chose her as the winner of a mystery box challenge last month. Poh had managed to beat co-stars Laura Sharrad, Simon Toohey and Sarah Tiong - who arguably created more complex dishes - with her simple lemon sponge cake with lemon curd and torched Italian meringue. Accusations: Fans have accused Jock of a 'conflict of interest' and the show of being 'rigged' regarding contestant Laura Sharrad (pictured), because she once worked under him Jock addressed the episode, saying: 'In regards to 'Pasta-gate' if people count the number of times Laura makes pasta to the amount she hasn't, I'm sure they'd find it's almost equal or there are more times she hasn't made pasta' Talk: He was also accused of showing favouritism towards Poh Ling Yeow after he chose her as the winner of a mystery box challenge last month. 'It's a lot of noise over nothing' he said All of the judges agreed that the cake was a winning dish, but viewers singled out Jock for what they considered his 'blatant' bias in favour of Poh. Many fans vented their frustration on Facebook, declaring it a 'conspiracy' and a 'set-up'. The Scottish-born chef and philanthropist concluded of the fan comments: 'Having the support of your co-workers is even more important when there's negative criticism thrown at you. 'Twitter is its own bubble where there are 25 people who comment on things before they've even seen what happens.' Renee Bargh is currently hosting The Voice Australia alongside Darren McMullen. And taking the job meant getting on a plane from her base in Los Angeles to fly Sydney, where the show is filmed, in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic. The 33-year-old told this week's Stellar that it was a strange and unsettling experience. On the move: Renee Bargh (pictured) is currently hosting The Voice Australia alongside Darren McMullen. And taking the job meant getting on a plane from her base in Los Angeles to fly to Sydney in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic, she told this week's Stellar She told the magazine: 'I didn't know what to expect. The plane felt quite eerie because there was no-one on there.' 'I think there were 20 or 30 people and usually on that flight, there's not one spare seat,' she added. Renee, who is also a correspondent for Extra in LA, went on say that it was worth the effort as she's now locked down her dream gig. She told the magazine: 'I didn't know what to expect. The plane felt quite eerie because there was no-one on there' Renee added: 'I think there were 20 or 30 people and usually on that flight, there's not one spare seat' 'Getting to work with Delta [Goodrem] and Guy [Sebastian] and Darren it's just like having your family around you on set. It feels like coming home to me,' she said. Last month, the TV host revealed being an auntie to her one-year-old niece has made her realise she wants to be a mum. Renee told TV Week she drives her friends 'crazy' by showing them pictures of her niece as though she was her own child. It's all worth it: 'Getting to work with Delta [Goodrem] and Guy [Sebastian] and Darren it's just like having your family around you on set. It feels like coming home to me,' she said. Pictured with Delta Goodrem Baby love: Last month, the TV host revealed being an auntie to her one-year-old niece has made her realise she wants to be a mum 'My younger sister Danielle has a one-year-old who is the absolute love of my life. I'm obsessed with her,' Renee told the publication. But while Renee's motherhood plans seem to be set in stone, she has been struggling to date amid the coronavirus pandemic. She added: '[Being a mother] is absolutely in my plan. We'll have to see how that goes, because it's quite hard to even date right now.' RTHK: Boris Johnson's father under fire over Greek trip The father of British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Saturday defended his decision to fly to Greece even though at that time the government advice was for UK nationals to avoid all but essential international travel. Greek government officials confirmed on Thursday that Stanley Johnson had arrived, probably via Bulgaria, in the northern region of Pelion, where he has a holiday home. Johnson told reporters he was on a business trip. "I don't know what the reaction of the British public (has been), I came here to have a quiet time to organise the house," he said in comments to local reporters carried by Sky News, referring to measures to make the property Covid-19 secure for lettings. "I've just got one week to get everything organised. I've got a whole lot of instructions about how to make the place Covid-proof," he said, noting he planned to return to the UK on July 10. On Friday, Britain's foreign ministry set out exemptions from a global advisory against "all but essential" international travel, to take effect from Saturday. That list includes Greece. Johnson said photos he posted on his Instagram account on the outward leg of his trip were not put up "in a spirit of defiance or anything like that." Boris Johnson was asked about his father's trip on Friday. "I think you really ought to raise that with him," he told LBC radio. Details that emerged in May of a long road trip at the height of the UK coronavirus lockdown by Dominic Cummings, the prime minister's senior adviser, provoked outrage across the country. (Reuters) This story has been published on: 2020-07-04. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. Nearly 19 million residents from areas of extreme poverty in China have benefited from a power grid project, enabling them to have access to stable electricity. (Photo/Xinhua) "In the past, more than 40 people in the village relied on a small hydropower generator with a capacity of only 12 kilowatts to power their homes. When the mountains were snowed in during the winter, oftentimes the generator would not work, leading to the village having almost no electricity,," recalled a villager. He added that now, it is so great to be able to charge my phone at home any time! In 2018, a three-year action plan launched in China to renovate and upgrade rural power grids in areas of extreme poverty reached completion by the end of June. Remote and poor areas have achieved extended coverage of the power grid, and prominent problems such as low voltage and poor reliability of power supply have been effectively addressed. Thanks to the bulk power system, quality and reliability of power supply have been noticeably improved. "As the power supply is upgraded, so are our lives. Now as the guesthouse business is much welcomed, the machines are running, and agricultural products can be processed on the spot and sold via online streaming, the future life will be better," said Li Haifeng, a local villager who runs a guesthouse business. With power supply providing strong support for poverty alleviation, data show that in the first half of 2020, the power supply level in areas of extreme poverty is close to the national average. Florida Gov. DeSantis signs law requiring parental consent for abortion Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has signed a bill into law requiring parental consent before an abortion can be performed on an underage girl. While the governor did not make a public statement about the new law, it's proponents, such as Senate President Bill Galvano, R-Bradenton, lauded the measure, stressing that parents have the right to know that their child is pregnant and considering an abortion, Fox13 in Tallahassee reports. The serious and irrevocable decision to end a pregnancy involves undergoing a significant medical procedure that results, in many cases, in lifelong emotional and physical impacts, Galvano said in a statement. The parents of a minor child considering an abortion must be involved in such a substantial and permanent decision, he added. The Republican-majority state legislature has, in recent years, passed several bills regulating abortion. In 2015, Florida passed a bill requiring a 24-hour waiting period before an abortion, but that law is being challenged and has not gone into effect. In 2004, Florida voters passed a constitutional amendment requiring parental notification before their child has an abortion. The recently passed law goes even further by requiring parental consent. The parental-notification law contained within it a process whereby minors are allowed to go to court to avoid notifying their parents about obtaining an abortion referred to as a judicial bypass a feature that is also part of the consent measure. Galvano said Tuesday that for those who are in a situation of abuse or where parental consent is not in the childs best interest, the bill provides a judicial waiver process that still involves the intervention of an adult. Abortion rights groups are decrying the new law. This law will put already at-risk young people in even greater danger at the worst possible time, Stephanie Fraim, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood of Southwest and Central Florida, said in a statement. The new law regulating abortion comes on the heels of a significant setback at the Supreme Court for the pro-life movement in the case of June Medical Services v. Russo, which concerned a Louisiana law requiring abortionists to have admitting privileges at local hospitals in cases where their patient suffers and emergency. This is a standard requirement that also pertains to doctors who work at ambulatory surgical centers. In a 5-4 decision earlier this week, the high court ruled that the law was unconstitutional. The court's four Democratic appointees, along with Chief Justice Roberts, who was appointed by former President George W. Bush, voted against the Louisiana law, with Roberts citing a recent Supreme Court precedent in 2016. The Supreme Court similarly ruled in that case, Whole Woman's Health v. Hellerstedt, striking down a similar law in Texas, though Roberts voted in support of the Texas law. She released her debut album 32 years ago. And Kylie Minogue, 52, marked the occasion by unveiling a stunning new pro shot by photographer Christian Vermaak on Saturday. The image captured the Australian songstress glancing back at the camera as she waded into the ocean wearing a sequin cocktail dress. Golden girl! Kylie Minogue, 52, marked the 32 year birthday of her debut album by unveiling a stunning new pro shot by photographer Christian Vermaak on Saturday Barely looking a day older than when she released her self-titled debut record, the star stunned in the shoulder-less dress number, featuring a leg split as she stepped through the waves. Kylie looked flawless in the sun-drenched image - which was taken in Cuba last year - her golden tresses tickling her features in the breeze. She captioned the snap: 'Ahhhh, take me back to the ocean!!! Have a good weekend #lovers!' The pop star released 'Kylie' on July 4 1988 when she was just 20-years-old. Iconic: The pop star released 'Kylie' on July 4 1988 when she was just 20-years-old Pop queen: Kylie is pictured with two gold discs at a press conference at Maxim's in London, in July 1988. The awards are for her singles Got To Be Certain and I Should Be So Lucky Backstory: Kylie took to Twitter to reveal she had to be written out of the soap that rocketed her to stardom in order to record the album She posted: 'My first album! I had to be written out of Neighbours for a couple of weeks here and there so I could fly from Australia to London to record with Stock, Aitken, Waterman' Kylie took to Twitter to reveal she had to be written out of the soap that rocketed her to stardom in order to record the album. She posted: 'My first album! I had to be written out of Neighbours for a couple of weeks here and there so I could fly from Australia to London to record with Stock, Aitken, Waterman.' Referencing her iconic hat on the cover, she added: 'Anyone have a picture in their own #brimhat' The album's producer Mike Stock also marked the anniversary explaining that the record - which featured hits such as The Loco-motion and I Should Be So Lucky - was certified six times platinum in the United Kingdom and has sold over five million copies worldwide. Memory lane: The album's producer Mike Stock also marked the anniversary explaining that the record - which featured hits such as The Loco-motion and I Should Be So Lucky - was certified six times platinum in the United Kingdom and has sold over five million copies worldwide A hit! The album spent six weeks at the top of the charts and over a year on the Top 40 The album spent six weeks at the top of the charts and over a year on the Top 40. This comes just three days after Kylie marked the 10 year birthday of her 11th studio album, Aphrodite. She celebrated posting the album's cover on Instagram, adding: 'Im working hard on new [music], but today Aphrodite is 10!!!! TEN!!!!! 'Sending so much love out to you all! Whats your favourite song? Did you see the Aphrodite Tour? And were you in The Splash Zone???' The musical mainstay has been busy in the studio during lockdown with a home studio set-up where she is recording her 15th studio album. Catherine Zeta-Jones is set to rival fellow Hollywood star Gwyneth Paltrow by launching her own Goop-inspired lifestyle brand. The Welsh actress will this week launch her Casa Zeta-Jones range featuring vegan shoes, coffee, love spoons and make-up. Friends say she is hoping her new project will boost her profile and give her something to focus on as her children get older. Miss Zeta-Jones, 50, said of her venture, which she hopes will be as lucrative as Miss Paltrows: Everything I have designed has truly been a passion project. I wanted to take this passion a step further and create a brand thats beautiful and luxurious, while still being attainable. Catherine Zeta-Jones is set to launch a new Goop-inspired lifestyle brand to rival fellow Holywood star Gwenyth Paltrow The 'Casa Zeta-Jones' range will include vegan shoes, coffee, love spoons and make-up as well as other home ornaments Her main priority, it is understood, is her range of flat pumps which will sell for a modest 55 - 60 a pair. Described as being made from the finest vegan leather, she hopes that they will be attractive to woke yet fashion conscious women. The vegan shoe range will be made in collaboration with Butterfly Twists. As well as coffee and make-up, Miss Zeta-Jones, who shot to fame in 1991 when she played Mariette Larkin in TVs The Darling Buds Of May, has a homewear collection that includes some traditional 52 Welsh love spoons usually given as gifts for a wedding, anniversary or as a thank-you gift. She also offers dressing gowns, slippers and duvet sets in her collection. Miss Zeta-Jones, who married Hollywood actor Michael Douglas in 2000, hasnt starred in a hit movie since Red 2 in 2013. She is the latest star to follow in the footsteps of Miss Paltrow, who in 2008 began her Goop wellness site with a weekly newsletter from her kitchen. Miss Zeta-Jones hopes that her lifestyle brand will be as lucrative as Paltrow (pictured) Paltrow began her Goop wellness site in 2008 with a weekly newsletter from her kitchen She went on to sell bizarre products such as a vagina steamer, a vibrator on a necklace and vampire repellent. Her company is valued at about 200 million and last year held its first summit in the UK, where tickets cost 1,000. Two years ago, This Morning presenter Holly Willoughby planned a similar lifestyle venture named Truly with Dragons Den star Peter Jones but she pulled out shortly before it was due to start after deciding she was too busy. She wasn't previously photographed at her little sister Khloe Kardashian's opulent birthday bash last week. But Kim Kardashian revealed she'd visited her sister in an eye-popping photoset featuring her sister's decorations. The 39-year-old Keeping Up With The Kardashians star looked effortlessly stylish in an all-red ensemble that perfectly matched her newly dyed red hair. Seeing red: Kim Kardashian, 39, shared some striking throwback photos of her red outfit from her sister Khloe Kardashian's house a week ago, around the time of her 36th birthday party Kim stayed warm in a busty red ribbed sweater that was left open at the bottom to reveal a hint of her tummy She paired it with paisley-patterned red pants and a matching red handbag with gold clasps. The 5ft3in reality star wore her firetruck red hair back in a ponytail, with strands left down to frame her impeccably made-up face, and she completed her look with a gleaming pair of silver stilettos. She was crouched down in front of Khloe's pool, with her massive birthday balloon display in the background and lit-up candles marking the perimeter. There didn't appear to be any guests present, so she may have dropped by early to wish her sister a happy 36th birthday. Cute couple: Kim stayed warm in a busty red ribbed sweater and paired it with paisley-patterned red pants and a matching handbag. Kanye West, 43, wore a white T-shirt with black and white leather pants and his new Yeezy Foam Runner shoes Kim was joined by her husband Kanye West, 43, who wore a white shirt with black tie-dye splotches and black and white zip-up leather pants. He also had on a pair of his brand-new Yeezy Foam Runner shoes. The rapper surprise released the shoes, which are a solid piece of foam partially made from algae, on June 26. Photo bomb: Also joining the celebration was their son Saint West, four. He looked cool in a textured dark green plaid jacket over baggy bluegray pants and a matching shirt Whoops! He posed with a crouching Kim, and she seemed to grab for him as he toppled over in another candid shot Also joining the celebration was their son Saint West, four. He looked cool in a textured dark green plaid jacket over baggy bluegray pants and a matching shirt. He posed with a crouching Kim, and she seemed to grab for him as he toppled over in another candid shot. The photos appeared to be taken in the early evening, but there weren't any other guests visible, suggesting that Kim's family had a private visit with Khloe before her big birthday bash. On the go: Around the same time as she posted the photos, Kim shared a hilarious video of herself in the same outfit while driving, possibly to Khloe's house Speaking up: Her daughter North, seven, wore a burgundy shirt in the back seat and started shouting over and over again, 'I'm in the video! I'm in the video!' Not tired yet: Her chant continued in the next clip, which was after they had parked, as if she kept chanting the whole way there Around the same time as she posted the photos, Kim shared a hilarious video of herself in the same outfit while driving, possibly to Khloe's house. Her daughter North, seven, wore a burgundy shirt in the back seat and started shouting over and over again, 'I'm in the video! I'm in the video!' Her chant continued in the next clip, which was after they had parked, as if she kept chanting the whole way there. 'It's mine, I dyed it,' Kim said as she chatted with someone about her new 'do. She tried out an eerie blue eye filter in the first video, before trying out a lighter shade of brown than usual for a piercing stare. Spooky: Kim tried out an eerie blue eye filter in the first video, before trying out a lighter shade of brown than usual for a piercing stare Although Kim wasn't pictured at her sister's birthday party, the rest of her family was seen there. Her brother Rob Kardashian made a rare public appearance to show off his new weight loss, and her sister Kendall Jenner was also seen having a blast. Their youngest sister Kylie and momager Kris Jenner also put in appearances. Party time: Although Kim wasn't pictured at her sister's birthday party, the rest of her family was seen there. Her brother Rob made a rare public appearance and Kendall Jenner had a blast The whole gang: Their youngest sister Kylie and momager Kris Jenner also put in appearances Kim was back in Los Angeles after spending time at one of her and Kanye's ranches in Wyoming last month. While out west, they celebrated North's seventh birthday with horse riding and a barn birthday party. The shapewear mogul showed her daughter had a gorgeous black Friesian horse on their ranch with a lustrous, curly mane. She left social media buzzing when she revealed they own 14 of the highly coveted and expensive black Friesians, which left some complaining about the display of extreme wealth. Way out west: Kim was back in Los Angeles after spending time at one of her and Kanye's ranches in Wyoming last month, where they celebrated North's seventh birthday Black beauty: The shapewear mogul showed her daughter had a gorgeous black Friesian horse on their ranch with a lustrous, curly mane Whoa: She left social media buzzing when she revealed they own 14 of the highly coveted and expensive black Friesians, which left some complaining about the display of extreme wealth Too cute: She gushed about Saint's adorable face in a blown-up shot Julia Roberts snuggled up to her sweetie Daniel Moder as the couple celebrated their 18th wedding anniversary on Saturday. The actress, 52, tenderly smooched her husband on the cheek in a rare couples snap she posted to mark the occasion. '18 years,' she wrote, along with the hashtag 'heck yes.' Pucker up! Julia Roberts snuggled up to her sweetie Daniel Moder as the couple celebrated their 18th wedding anniversary on Saturday The My Best Friend's Wedding actress planted one on her husband while seemingly closing her eyes behind a pair of aviator-style shades. Her husband, with a head full of wet hair, gazed towards the camera with a look of contentment. Julia and Daniel have been married since July 4, 2002, after meeting on the set of her 2001 film opposite Brad Pitt, The Mexican. In 2018, she told her friend Gwyneth Paltrow on the Goop podcast that she felt a 'seismic shift' when she first met Danny. Meant to be: Julia and Daniel have been married since July 4, 2002, after meeting on the set of her 2001 film opposite Brad Pitt, The Mexican (pictured 2014) That was then: She was also married to country star and actor Lyle Lovett, from 1993 to 1995, before her marriage to Moder Ever since she broke out in the late '80s in films like Satisfaction and Mystic Pizza, Julia had been linked with several famous leading Hollywood men, including Kiefer Sutherland, Benjamin Bratt and Matthew Perry, to name a few. She was also married to country star and actor Lyle Lovett, from 1993 to 1995, before her marriage to Moder. After back-to-back Oscar nominations in 1990 and 1991 for Steel Magnolias and Pretty Woman, respectively, Roberts would have to wait ten more years before being awarded a statuette for her leading performance in Erin Brockovich, based on the real-life legal clerk-turned-activist. Up next for Roberts is the adaptation Little Bee, based on the Chris Cleave novel, which she will also be producing. She loves making a bold fashion statement. And Gemma Collins was looking every inch the diva as she hit the designer shops in Knightsbridge in a Mickey Mouse Gucci tracksuit on Saturday. The TOWIE star, 39, was even rocking her own merchandise in a branded pink face mask with the phrase 'are you ok hun?' written across the front. Bold look: Gemma Collins enjoyed the easing of lockdown restrictions on Saturday with a trip to Knightsbridge in a Gucci tracksuit The fashion icon perused Gucci, Louis Vuitton and Emilio Pucci as she finally fulfilled her designer urges after months of lockdown. The reality star then went for dinner at Japanese restaurant Roka to cap off a day of luxury. Gemma held up a peace sign and struggled to contain her excitement as she clapped her hands while looking at handbags in Knightsbridge. Making up for lost time: The TOWIE star, 39, hit designer shops including Gucci and Louis Vuitton as she got her fix for fashion Iconic: The fashionista rocked a matching tracksuit and slides from the Italian fashion house as she celebrated her return to the shops On brand: Ever the entrepreneur, Gemma donned her own merchandise in a pink face mask which read 'are you ok hun?' The Essex star was eye-catching in the matching tracksuit, which featured small images dotted all over the print. Gemma also wore a pair of matching Mickey Mouse Gucci slides to complete her bold look. The Disney and Gucci collaboration was announced at the start of the year to celebrate the Year of the Mouse. Treat yourself: The TV personality then enjoyed a meal at the exclusive Japanese restaurant Roka Style queen: The Disney and Gucci collaboration was announced at the start of the year to celebrate the Year of the Mouse Her bold look featured a 980 top, 850 tracksuit bottoms and 260 shoes, making her outfit worth an incredible 2,090. The beige ensemble comes with a printed yellow Gucci sign on the back of the top with zip detailing and a pattern featuring the Italian fashion house's logo. Gemma also appeared to pick up a Gucci bag during her trip to the capital on Saturday as she treated herself to a post-lockdown gift. Stepping out: Her bold look featured a 980 top, 850 tracksuit bottoms and 260 shoes, making her outfit worth an incredible 2,090 Peace out: The beige ensemble comes with a printed yellow Gucci sign on the back of the top with zip detailing and a pattern featuring the Italian fashion house's logo Expensive taste: Gemma also appeared to pick up a Gucci bag during her trip to the capital on Saturday as she treated herself to a post-lockdown gift But Gemma might not be around Knightsbridge for too long as it's been claimed that she is vying for a spot on Dancing With The Stars in the US. Sources claim the TOWIE star has vowed to crack America by taking to the dancefloor after being supposedly snubbed by Strictly Come Dancing for being too 'low-calibre.' A source told The Sun that Gemma is determined to crack the US after impressing fans with her cameo on an Orange Is The New Black promo, and is hoping a spot on DWTS could be in her future. Slimmed down: During lockdown Gemma has been proudly displaying the results of her three stone weight loss Cracking America: But Gemma might not be around Essex for too long as it's been claimed that she is vying for a spot on Dancing With The Stars in the US They said: 'Gemma would love to have another crack at the US. The Americans loved her when she made a cameo on Orange is the New Black in 2018, and bookers on Dancing with the Stars have shown an interest. 'Gemma's schedule is always jam-packed and it's difficult for this year but the team in the US are keen to secure her for 2021.' Dancing With The Stars is expected to return to US screens later this year, though there are expected to be changes to the show's format due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Back in 2017, Gemma was unimpressed when Strictly judge Craig Revel-Horwood implied she was too 'low calibre' to take part in the show. LONDON (AP) - The pints were supped and the unkempt hairdos cut and styled as England embarked Saturday on its biggest lockdown-easing yet, one that many think came too soon given still-high levels of coronavirus infections and deaths. In addition to the reopening of much of the English hospitality sector, including pubs and restaurants, for the first time in more than three months, couples can tie the knot once again, though wedding guests are limited to 30, and film buffs can go to the cinema. Whatever is being permitted again has to abide by social-distancing rules. Museums and libraries also got the green light, but gyms, swimming pools, theaters and nail bars remain shut. Restrictions on travel and social contact were loosened as well; people from different households can now go into each other's homes and even stay the night. Overall, it's the most dramatic easing of the lockdown and one gleefully taken up by those despairing in front of a mirror over the state of their hair. "It was doing my head in to be honest, Im just glad its gone now," William Brown, a 25-year-old plant engineer, said at Headleys Barber Shop in Blaby, central England. Owner Stephanie Headley, 35, was equally relieved to be back in business for the fist time since the full lockdown was announced on March 23. Men enjoy their first beers as the Chandos Arms pub reopens, in London, Saturday, July 4, 2020. England is embarking on perhaps its biggest lockdown easing yet as pubs and restaurants have the right to reopen for the first time in more than three months. In addition to the reopening of much of the hospitality sector, couples can tie the knot once again, while many of those who have had enough of their lockdown hair can finally get a trim. (AP Photo/Frank Augstein) Headley said she was a "bit anxious" and has been inundated with appointment requests since the British Prime Minister Boris Johnson confirmed the latest easing of the lockdown last week. "I cant wait to see all the dodgy haircuts that have come out of quarantine," she said. Though the easing of the lockdown was warmly welcomed by many, there are concerns the British government is being overly hasty, even reckless, in sanctioning the changes. The U.K. has experienced one of the world's worst outbreaks so far; the official coronavirus death toll of 44,198 is the third-highest behind the United States and Brazil. Critics point to the experience elsewhere, particularly in some U.S. states, where the reopening of bars and restaurants is blamed for a spike in infections as drinkers abandon social distancing after imbibing a few of their favorite tipples. The four nations of the U.K. - England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland - are moving at different speeds out of the lockdown. The restrictions in England, with a population of around 56 million, or 85% or the U.K.'s, have been lifted the most, triggering concerns that the Johnson government is being unduly influenced by economic factors. Johnson says the decision to ease the lockdown is based on the scientific evidence that people are "appreciably less likely now to be in close proximity" with someone with the virus than at the height of the pandemic. "This is a big turning point for us," he said Friday. "Weve got to get it right." One pub stood out in Saturday's reopening. The Swan Inn in Ashford, in southeast England, managed to welcome customers even after a car crashed into its front in the early hours of the morning. Ray Perkins, who runs the pub, said it was "absolutely devastating" but that after a long night he didn't want to let anyone who had pre-booked down. Though the lockdown has posed an existential threat to Englands 37,500 pubs, not all that could reopen did. Nik Antona, chairman of the Campaign for Real Ale, said early indications were that around half opted against as "they want to see whats going to happen." The Tyne Bar in Newcastle, northeast England, questioned why the easing took place on a Saturday, traditionally the day of the week when most alcohol-related incidents take place. The establishment said it is "genuinely concerned that this could be a day of total chaos" and that it's "not worth the risk." It is set to open on Monday instead. The social-distancing guidelines inevitably mean that going to pubs and restaurants is going to be a different experience to the one enjoyed pre-lockdown. An array of operating regulations have to be observed, from registering customers upon entrance to making sure people are spaced at least one meter (3.3 feet) apart from the members of another household if other measures to keep people safe are in place, such as using hand sanitizers. The wearing of masks is optional, even for staff, Still, customers said the rigmarole was worth it even though the weather was damp and drizzly across the country. Doug Evans, a 62-year-old retired oil explorationist, said most of the village of Burpham in southern England appeared at some point during the afternoon at the reopening of The George. "Initially, it felt really odd walking into a pub, but within five minutes the world seemed normal again," he said. One city that is not participating in the easing is Leicester, in central England. The government reimposed lockdown restrictions there, including the closure of schools and nonessential shops, after a spike in new infections. Police are out in force in the city to make sure people adhere to the local lockdown. One local resident, Ali Patel, said some people just hadn't taken the virus as seriously as they should have and that's why Leicester is in lockdown again. "Some people took it seriously and other people didnt, and it just shows that the people who didnt turned out to spread it more," he said. ___ Jo Kearney in Blaby and Leicester in England contributed to this report. ___ Follow AP coverage of the pandemic at https://apnews.com/VirusOutbreak and https://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak A member of staff at Solvay Society brewery in Leytonstone pours a beer on the first day of reopening after the lockdown due to the Coronavirus outbreak, in London, Saturday, July 4, 2020. England is embarking on perhaps its biggest lockdown easing yet as pubs and restaurants have the right to reopen for the first time in more than three months. In addition to the reopening of much of the hospitality sector, couples can tie the knot once again, while many of those who have had enough of their lockdown hair can finally get a trim. (AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali) A member of staff wearing PPE, stands behind a screen as he waits to serve drinkers at the reopening The Toll Gate, a Wetherspoons pub in Hornsey, north London, as coronavirus lockdown restrictions are eased across the country, Saturday July 4, 2020. Restrictions which were imposed on March 23 have been eased allowing businesses including pubs, restaurants and hair salons, to reopen to members of the public with measures in place to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. (Aaron Chown/PA via AP) People sit and drink, outside a pub in Soho, as the capital is set to reopen after the lockdown due to the Coronavirus outbreak, in London, Saturday, July 4, 2020. England is embarking on perhaps its biggest lockdown easing yet as pubs and restaurants have the right to reopen for the first time in more than three months. In addition to the reopening of much of the hospitality sector, couples can tie the knot once again, while many of those who have had enough of their lockdown hair can finally get a trim. (AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali) Owner Are Kjetil Kolltveit from Norway put signs in place instructing on social distancing at the Chandos Arms pub in London, Wednesday, July 1, 2020. Asking people in English pubs to keep their distance is going to be tough after they've had a few of their favorite tipples. Pub managers will have to be resourceful come Saturday, July 4, 2020, when they and other parts of the hospitality industry in England open their doors to customers for the first time since March 20, provided they meet COVID safety requirements. (AP Photo/Frank Augstein) Newly married couple, Lucy and James Bone, celebrate after their wedding at St Michael and all Angels Church as weddings were permitted to take place in the country with ceremonies capped at a maximum of 30 guests, in Ingram, England, Saturday July 4, 2020. England is embarking on perhaps its biggest lockdown easing yet as pubs and restaurants have the right to reopen for the first time in more than three months. (Owen Humphreys/PA via AP) Britain's Prince William uses hand sanitiser as he enters The Rose and Crown pub in Snettisham, England, Friday July 3, 2020. English pubs are among the businesses that are allowed to welcome guests with some anti-virus precautions from Saturday July 4, as the coronavirus restrictions are eased. (Aaron Chown/Pool via AP) A client receives a treatment, at Partridges hair salon in Wandsworth, south west London, as coronavirus lockdown restrictions are eased across the country, Saturday July 4, 2020. Restrictions which were imposed on March 23 have been eased allowing businesses including pubs, restaurants and hair salons, to reopen to members of the public with measures in place to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. (Kirsty O'Connor/PA via AP) People queue outside Northfields Barber as it opens for the first time after the COVID-19 lockdown in London, Saturday, July 4, 2020. England is embarking on perhaps its biggest lockdown easing yet as pubs and restaurants have the right to reopen for the first time in more than three months. In addition to the reopening of much of the hospitality sector, couples can tie the knot once again, while many of those who have had enough of their lockdown hair can finally get a trim. (AP Photo/Frank Augstein) A member of the public has a haircut at a barbers in Manchester England, England, Saturday July 4, 2020. England is embarking on perhaps its biggest lockdown easing yet as pubs and restaurants have the right to reopen for the first time in more than three months. In addition to the reopening of much of the hospitality sector, couples can tie the knot once again, while many of those who have had enough of their lockdown hair can finally get a trim. (AP Photo/Jon Super) Members of the pass a sign welcoming people back to Manchester England, England, Saturday July 4, 2020. England is embarking on perhaps its biggest lockdown easing yet as pubs and restaurants have the right to reopen for the first time in more than three months. In addition to the reopening of much of the hospitality sector, couples can tie the knot once again, while many of those who have had enough of their lockdown hair can finally get a trim. (AP Photo/Jon Super) People enjoy their drinks at the beer garden of the Forester pub in London, Saturday, July 4, 2020. England is embarking on perhaps its biggest lockdown easing yet as pubs and restaurants have the right to reopen for the first time in more than three months. In addition to the reopening of much of the hospitality sector, couples can tie the knot once again, while many of those who have had enough of their lockdown hair can finally get a trim. (AP Photo/Frank Augstein) A man enjoys his first beer on the premises, at the Chandos Arms in London, Saturday, July 4, 2020. England is embarking on perhaps its biggest lockdown easing yet as pubs and restaurants have the right to reopen for the first time in more than three months. In addition to the reopening of much of the hospitality sector, couples can tie the knot once again, while many of those who have had enough of their lockdown hair can finally get a trim. (AP Photo/Frank Augstein) People sit and drink, outside a restaurant in Soho, as the capital is set to reopen after the lockdown due to the Coronavirus outbreak, in London, Saturday, July 4, 2020. England is embarking on perhaps its biggest lockdown easing yet as pubs and restaurants have the right to reopen for the first time in more than three months. In addition to the reopening of much of the hospitality sector, couples can tie the knot once again, while many of those who have had enough of their lockdown hair can finally get a trim. (AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali) People enjoy their drinks at The Black Lion pub in London, Saturday, July 4, 2020. England is embarking on perhaps its biggest lockdown easing yet as pubs and restaurants have the right to reopen for the first time in more than three months. In addition to the reopening of much of the hospitality sector, couples can tie the knot once again, while many of those who have had enough of their lockdown hair can finally get a trim. (AP Photo/Frank Augstein) Heavy rains have brought to the South of Japan Floods and landslides and more than a dozen lives. About ten more were still unaccounted for, authorities on Saturday. 14 residents of a senior citizens home have been declared dead, as the Governor of Kumamoto Prefecture, Ikuo Kabashima, told. Three others had been found hypothermic. Also in the Region of Kagoshima on the island of Kyushu, the rain Floods and landslides triggered. According to reports, several bridges of the water masses were torn. The Japanese Meteorological Agency had first call on the highest warning level issued. Later, they downgraded their warning down, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe called on the population yet to "high alert". He ordered to put 10,000 soldiers for rescue and recovery measures are ready for use. to leave In the prefectures of Kumamoto and Kagoshima more than 75,000 residents had been advised of their homes due to the threat of severe weather overnight. An evacuation had been arranged not mandatory. Almost a hundred people were cut off according to the news Agency Kyodo from the outside world. "I can't bring in security, because the road turned into a river. It is so scary, said a resident of the TV station NHK. On air recordings was to see how large parts of the city of Hitoyoshi in Kumamoto of muddy water were flooded. A resident had to be rescued with a military helicopter from the roof of his house. Train services were interrupted, more than 8000 homes were left without electricity. Toshiaki Mizukami of Kumamoto Prefecture, told AFP news Agency: "We call on people to urgently take measures to protect your life, because it's still raining pretty hard." In the rainy season in Japan again and again, Flooding and landslides. Updated Date: 04 July 2020, 18:19 Due to massive Flooding and landslides in a row, the torrential rain to bring in the southwest of Japan, hundreds of thousands of people to safety. The authorities in the severely affected provinces of Kumamoto and Kagoshima, on Japan's southwestern main island of Kyushu called on Saturday more than 200,000 people to leave their homes and shelters to visit. All the residential areas were under water, parts of houses were swept away, trees uprooted. On air photographs of the Japanese television of muddy water flooded homes, roads, cars and parts of a bridge were to be seen Two in the hard-hit province of Kumaomoto from a landslide recovered people have no life showed signs of how local media reported. To give more residents of flooded cities there is no contact, it said. The heavy rainfall could, among other things, the river Kuma in Kumamoto on the shore and led to severe Flooding. In places were landslides are low. The military was called in to help, to support the use of force. The Meteorological Agency in Tokyo for many regions, the highest warning level. The Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe announced at an emergency meeting, the deployment of 10 000 soldiers in the disaster region. In addition, the affected people should be provided with emergency goods. The rain front parts in the West of Japan, threatened to Sunday, with heavy rains haunt. Updated Date: 04 July 2020, 03:19 The friend of the American President's son Donald Trump Jr., Kimberly Guilfoyle, has infected, according to media reports, with the Coronavirus. After the positive test result had been immediately isolated, cited in American media on Friday (local time), Sergio Gor, the Finance Committee, chief of staff of the election campaign team of President Trump. Guilfoyle collects donations for Trump, the bidding in November for re-election. "Well," it said further. Since you show no symptoms, it should be again tested to ensure that the result was correct. your friend, Donald Trump Jr., has been tested negative for the pathogen of Sars-CoV-2. Both have canceled all upcoming public events for the time being. According to American media Guilfoyle with Trump Jr. in the state of South Dakota travelled to the President's speech on Friday to attend the national memorial of Mount Rushmore. You don't have to hit the entourage of the President, and shall yet be the only Person in the group that was tested positive. Updated Date: 04 July 2020, 13:19 the term "Mohr" racist, it means a devaluation of black people? Or is it a historical term that is not discriminatory? In Berlin, this dispute has gone on for many years to a possible renaming of the Mohr street in the centre of the capital, close to the Gendarmenmarkt. A final decision has not yet fallen. Now, the Berliner Verkehrsbetriebe (BVG) have decided to make the metro station to rename. "As open to the world company and one of the largest employers in the capital of the BVG rejects any Form of racism or other discrimination," informed the transport companies. From understanding and respect to the controversial debate about the name we have decided not to use him more for the metro station. A spokeswoman for the BVG said, the current debate about racism and the death of George Floyd in the United States have promoted the decision. Markus Wehner Political correspondent in Berlin. F. A. Z. Twitter In the future, the metro will carry the Station, the name of Glinka street. The road also passes at the metro station, and is named after the Russian composer Mikhail Glinka was born in 1804 and 1857 in Berlin-died. Previously, the 1908-opened U had called-station until the 1950's in the Imperial court. In East Berlin, he was a Communist name: until 1986 it was called the Thalmann-Platz, until 1991, the Otto-Grotewohl-Strae, after the long-time Minister President of the GDR, before he was named to the moor road. Lack of engagement with German colonial history in particular, groups such as the Africa Council of Berlin, the Initiative of black people and colonial critical groups such as the Association of Berlin post-colonial challenge for years, the renaming of the Mohr street. Consider the concept of Mohr as discriminatory, and the retention of the street name as a result of a lack of engagement with racism, and German colonial history. With the support of the Greens and the Left. The green economy Senator Ramona Pop praised also the decision of the transport companies. With the renaming of the LPP set "a clear sign against discrimination," which is exactly the right place in the international and diverse city of Berlin. in 2004, had applied for the left party, at that time, the PDS, in the district center, to change the name of Mohr road. The street sounds since 1707 on the name. How he came to be, has never been fully clarified, probably lived at the time, black musicians there. Historical circumstances also played no role, said Tahir Della of the Initiative of "Black people in Germany" a year ago, the F. A. Z. "what is Decisive is that the concept of black people is now perceived as discriminatory," said the activist from the black Community, which is called the Mohr road, only the "M-street". Eventually, the road will be renamed. the activists may not be happy with the renaming of the metro station. Because they are calling that racist or of the colonial history of embossed names are replaced by names of people who have campaigned against racism and colonialism. The Berlin Green politician Ozcan Mutlu criticized the announcement of the renaming. You would have the adjacent zieten place in Nelson Mandela place and George-Floyd-the place to rename a subway station is the same, he wrote on Twitter. Updated Date: 04 July 2020, 12:19 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. In the American state of Colorado have been dismissed three police forces in the case of police violence who died Black Elijah McClain. The acting police chief of Aurora, Vanessa Wilson, fired them on Friday and released at the same time, the photos the police showed the part when Adjusting the Grip, according to the McClain in the summer of 2019 had died. The officials had committed no crime, but the photos were "a crime against humanity and decency," said Wilson. "We are ashamed, we are disgusted and we are angry." McClains Name has been chanted at the country-wide protests against racism and police violence again and again. The trigger was the death of the African-American George Floyd after a brutal arrest at the end of may in Minneapolis was. Under the increasing pressure, in the Form of a Petition, the Governor of Colorado, Jared Polis, the case, McClain re-roll. In August 2019, three white police officers, McClain had after an emergency call that a man in the area acting suspiciously, confronted. As the unarmed 23-Year-old, who had no criminal record, his arrest, resisted, was arrested by the police officer in the choke hold, later on he got by paramedics a sedative. During the arrest, McClain called that he could not breathe, such as audio recordings of the police documents. He suffered a heart attack and severe brain injuries life-support machines were switched off days later. "rotten to the core" After the re-rolling of the Case reports of photos have been raised, on which three police officers were looking for the stranglehold on McClain in the fall, near the place of action and laughed. The police officer who impersonated on the pictures the grip, gave up his Post this week. The two other police officers in the picture, including a woman, have now been dismissed also just as a police officer, the photo was sent and commented this with "haha". According to the information of Reuters news Agency, he was one of the police officers involved in the fatal arrest of McClains. The Prosecutor for the McClain family showed horrified. "The fact that three police officers on duty and in Uniform, thought it was appropriate to use the murder as a joke to make, shows that the service rotten to the core is", said Mari Newman. For Elijah's mother, Sheneen McClain, it was terrible, "to see that people over the murder of her son make fun of". Updated Date: 04 July 2020, 13:19 The University of Virginia awarded the prestigious Sky Alland Scholarship to Mary Blankemeier, an engineering student, varsity runner and non-profit cofounder. The award, which covers the next academic years full tuition and fees, recognizes a rising fourth-year who demonstrates leadership, achievement, enterprising spirit, humility and devotion to the University. Blankemeier, the first School of Engineering recipient in the scholarships 26-year history, studies systems engineering with minors in computer science and applied math. Blankemeier also earned a spot on the UVa Womens Track & Field team as a walk-on athlete and used her passion for running to co-found Run Your City, a non-profit devoted to giving children of all socioeconomic and ability levels the character, confidence and good health that come from an inclusive team running experience. The committee is expected to make its first report later this month. Most proponents of fully defunding police believe that violent incidents such as school shootings and domestic violence may be thwarted by community-based mental health and peer-based counseling efforts combined with programs to improve housing, eliminate hunger and provide medical care. Althea Laughon-Worrell, a Charlottesville High School graduate and college student organizer who put together a recent Defund the Police march in Charlottesville, believes the community should handle as much of the police departments role as possible. Community care is supporting each other rather than punishing each other. This means that instead of calling the police when someone is going through a mental health crisis we call a trained social worker to aid in their care. Instead of calling the police to talk down a violent offender you call someone who is trained to de-escalate the situation rather than respond with more violence, she said. Instead of allowing people to sleep on the streets we expand our housing system creating more emergency and long term housing options. Laughon-Worrell said helping the poor, homeless and mentally ill will help reduce crime. Charlottesville police officers used force to arrest suspects 17 times in 2019; more than half of those instances were against African Americans. The Charlottesville Police Department published its use-of-force report for 2019 in May. The issue has come to a head in recent weeks after the killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis police officers led to ongoing protests across the country. Reports for the past two years are posted on the citys website, but only the 2019 report lists demographic information about both the officers and suspects. Department spokesman Tyler Hawn said the additional information was championed by Police Chief RaShall Brackney, who came into office in the summer of 2018. The Daily Progress sent a list of questions to Hawn regarding use of force on June 18, including if and how the department focuses on de-escalation, if chokeholds are allowed and if CPD had any plans to revise its use of force policies in the wake of protests locally and nationally. The blatant killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis police officers on May 25 has garnered the attention of the world. Many powerful and well-meaning statements have been issued by politicians and scholars nationwide, rightfully condemning this egregious, evil act. Yet the African American community has grown weary over many decades of sympathetic speeches and well-crafted letters following yet another needless death of an unarmed black man by white police officers. I thus present to our local officials an opportunity to lead with action, even if symbolic, that will reverberate across the nation and perhaps even the world. I hereby propose that the City of Charlottesville and Albemarle County dedicate a street or road in honor of George Floyd. Although in the past there have been, tragically, many similar incidents of fatal police bullying against unarmed African Americans, no incident has galvanized the nation, and indeed the world, quite like the murder of Mr. Floyd. For nearly nine minutes, the world witnessed this atrocity in real time. Naming a street or road after Mr. Floyd in no manner diminishes the value of other victims. On the contrary, it honors other victims. On the afternoon of June 28, I received a call for help from a Charlottesville resident. I am a transporter for the Wildlife Center of Virginia, and the caller thought I could help rescue a bird that was slowing choking herself to death. She had a piece of bird netting around her neck, and it was caught on a branch right below her nest. She could just reach a small branch on which to rest, but she was in trouble. After calls to several places trying to get help, the resident called me thinking if I had a truck, I might be able to reach the bird. Upon arriving, I knew immediately that we were definitely going to need a bigger truck! I called the Charlottesville Fire Department and spoke to the shift commander on duty. He explained that they would be limited in what they could do, but that he was willing to send a truck and try. Cedarville U. president reinstated amid conflict over hiring, restoration of sex abuser Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment The president of a western Ohio Baptist liberal arts college has been reinstated after it emerged that he had hired someone for a faculty position with a known history of sexual abuse. The Cedarville University Board of Trustees has reinstated Thomas White after having placed him on administrative leave since May 1 while it investigated his decision to hire Anthony Moore, who was previously ousted from his campus pastor job at The Village Church, a Fort Worth-area church led by Matt Chandler. Moore was brought on staff to be an assistant professor of theology and a special adviser to the president for Kingdom Diversity. Moore was fired from Cedarville University in April when it became known that he had engaged in sexually abusive behavior over an extended period of time. Moore had secretly used his iPhone, which he wrapped in a towel so that the lens stuck out, and positioned it in a window well above the shower to film an adult male youth pastor showering in Moore's home, according to a Tarrant County Sheriff's Office report that was filed in October 2018. The youth pastor, whose name has not been made public, opted not to press charges against Moore. White noted on his personal blog post earlier this year that he did not have all the information about Moore's past and was under the impression that there were at most two videos, which happened over a short period of time. He admitted that he later learned that at least five illicit videos existed and that this abuse took place over the course of five months. Initially thinking that Moore's behavior was an isolated incident, White pursued a five-year path of restoration, a decision he said he regretted when he found out his behavior patterns were more extensive and not a one-off. "I sincerely regret that this attempt at restoration will now result in personal pain for many. I want Cedarville to be a Gospel-centered community that seeks to model grace and truth," White said at the time. In response to the fallout, the Baptist university hired the Husch Blackwell law firm to investigate the matter after White was placed on leave, and concluded that there is no reason to question President Whites benevolent motivation in hiring Moore. However, the firm also noted it is reasonable to infer from the evidence available that President White took steps that he knew, or should have known, clouded the specific nature of Dr. Moores misconduct" and that White subsequently failed to notify the Board of the specific nature of Dr. Moores misconduct. In response to White's reinstatement, two Cedarville University trustees Danny Akin, president of Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, and Mark Vroegop, who pastors College Park Church in Indianapolis resigned in protest of the board's move. In his resignation statement, Vroegop, who is a Cedarville graduate, said that the circumstances surrounding the hiring of Moore and the implementation of his restoration plan were "deeply troubling" and that the steps the trustees took were not sufficient given what the law firm's report found. Similarly, Akin called the hiring and restoration plan applied to Moore "deeply flawed" and the Husch Blackwell findings were "extremely troubling" and could not support the board's decision. Cedarville University said in their statement reinstalling White that the university president would be required to complete courses on victim prevention and victim advocacy. 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. New Delhi: In a direct response to remarks made by prime minister Narendra Modi that the age of expansionism is over, the Chinese embassy in New Delhi said it was groundless to describe China as "expansionist" and to exaggerate and fabricate its disputes with neighbours. The statement claimed that China has peacefully demarcated the boundary with 12 of its 14 neighbours. This was veiled reference to India and Bhutan's still unresolved land-border issues with China. However, China has unresolved maritime territorial disputes with Japan and some south-east Asian countries. The Chinese Embassy spokesperson Ji Rong tweeted, China has demarcated boundary with 12 of its 14 neighbouring countries through peaceful negotiations, turning land borders into bonds of friendly cooperation. Its groundless to view China as expansionist, exaggerate and fabricate its disputes with neighbours. The sharply-worded criticism, albeit veiled, made by an embassy spokesperson of remarks made by the host countrys leader has raised eyebrows and indicates a sharp and deepening distrust between the two Asian giants. The Chinese embassys criticism was a swift reaction; it came just hours after prime minister Modi made his remarks while addressing troops in Ladakh. In Beijing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian also said somewhat ominously that India should avoid a strategic misjudgement on China, calling on the two countries to jointly maintain peace and tranquillity in border areas and safeguard bilateral ties. Relations between the two nuclear-armed neighbours have sharply deteriorated especially after the deadly clash between troops in Galwan Valley in the Ladakh sector in mid-June. Apart from handling the tense border situation with India, China meanwhile has also been busy in denying human rights violations both in its western Xinjiang province and in Hong Kong, and has been accusing western nations of carrying out propaganda against it. New Delhi/Srinagar: Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who made a surprise visit to Leh on Friday, said in an address to soldiers deployed on China border that the era of expansionism is over and the valour shown by Indian soldiers at Galwan Valley on June 15 had told the world about Indias strength. In a warning to China, which was trying to change the Line of Actual Control (LAC) at Pangong Tso and Galwan Valley, the PM, without naming that country, said expansionism always hurt world peace and history was witness that expansionist powers had either been defeated or had to retreat. This is the era of development. The whole world has made up its mind against expansionism, Modi said, addressing the soldiers at Nimu, a forward Army base 35 km east of Ladakhs capital Leh. He said Indias enemies had seen the courage of the Armys Leh-based 14 Corps, also known as Fire and Fury Corps. Our enemies have seen your fire and also your fury, said the PM, wearing a 14 Corps cap. Citing the Gita shloka Veer Bhogya Vasundhara (The brave shall inherit the earth), which is also the motto of the Armys Rajputana Rifles, the PM said the weak can never initiate peace, as bravery is a pre-requisite. He said India was modernising its weapons, upgrading its infrastructure and enhancing its strength in land, sea, air and space warfare. Modis assertions are seen as a strong and direct message to Beijing after the June 15 clash with troops of Chinas Peoples Liberation Army, in which 20 Indian soldiers were killed in the strategic Galwan Valley. Modi made an unannounced visit to Ladakh Friday to get first-hand information about the LAC situation. He was accompanied by Chief of Defence Staff Gen. Bipin Rawat and Army Chief Gen. M.M. Naravane. He was briefed on military preparedness by top Army brass, including Northern Command chief Lt General YK Joshi in Nimu. Nimu, on the Indus banks, is surrounded by the Zanskar range at an elevation of 3,140 metres (10,300 ft), about 186 km short of Galwan Valley. The PM interacted with personnel of the Army, Air Force and ITBP. He also met Indian soldiers injured in the clash with Chinese soldiers on June 15 at the Leh Military Hospital. We will never bow to any power of the world, Mr Modi told the injured jawans. Modi also visited the Hall of Fame Museum, which is run by Indian Army in Leh. He paid tribute to the soldiers killed in action during Galwan Valley clash. Modis Leh visit is also seen as a message to his domestic critics who criticised his alleged weak approach towards China despite reports of its unrelenting aggression at the LAC and belligerence in the Galwan Valley. It is also a huge morale booster to the armed forces that the government and the people of the country are fully backing them. Addressing soldiers at Nimu, Modi paid glowing tributes to the 20 Indian soldiers killed in the Galwan Valley, saying tales of their bravery and valour were echoing in every part of the country. Your courage is higher than the heights where you are serving today Not only me, the entire nation believes in you. We all are proud of you, he said. Ladakh is the head of the country. This is the symbol of pride for 130 crore citizens of India. This land belongs to the people who are willing to make the ultimate sacrifice, said Modi. Seeing women Army officers in the front row, the PM said: I am looking at women soldiers in front of me. In the battlefield at the border, this view is inspiring. The government earlier announced that defence minister Rajnath Singh would visit Ladakh on Friday, but this was later cancelled, and the PM instead flew to Leh. Email Whatsapp Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment A study highlighting seven encouraging trends within global Christianity was released by Facts & Trends. Heres what you need to know: 1. Christianity is growing faster than the population Aaron Earls, the author, says, Globally, Christianity is growing at a 1.27% rate. The worlds population, 7.7 billion, is growing at a 1.20% rate. A .07% difference may not seem substantial to you. But remember, were talking about almost 8 billion people. What this means: Many people believe Christianity has gone out of style and is in decline that the only people who are Christians today are those raised by Christian parents. However, this statistic tells us that new people are coming to faith every day. 2. Pentecostals and Evangelicals are the fastest growing branch of Christianity Earls points out that a subgroup of Christianity, Evangelicals, and a subgroup of Evangelicalism, Pentecostals, are the two fastest-growing groups within Christianity. Additionally, they are picking up speed as they are also growing faster than they were just a couple of years ago. Evangelicalism is growing at a rate of 2.19% compared to 2.12% in 2017. Pentecostalism is growing at a rate of 2.26% compared to 2.22% in 2017. What this means: Global trends give us a glimpse of what God is doing in the world. Evangelicals are generally known for their commitment to the Word of God. Pentecostals are often known for their emphasis on unique experiences with the Holy Spirit. Could this be a hint of what God wants His people to be focused on in this season of history? 3. Atheism is in decline Despite all the airtime atheism seems to get, the number of people who subscribe to this worldview is a very small number, and its getting smaller. Earls says, There are fewer atheists in the world today (138 million) than there were in 1970 (165 million). What this means: People are more spiritual than you might think. Something inside us tells us there must be more to life than what we can see. 4. Christianity is growing in urban areas, but it may not seem like it In major cities, Christianity is growing at a rate of 1.58%. However, if it doesnt seem like its growing in cities, its because the general population of urban areas is growing much faster than that at 2.15%. What this means: We need to work hard and pray hard to expand our impact in cities and show people the love of God. 5. The focal point of Christianity has shifted geographically America was once regarded as a Christian nation, and twice as many Christians [once] lived in Europe than in the rest of the world combined Earls says. Not anymore. The epicenter of Christianity has moved south from North America and Europe to South America and Africa. What this means: This statistic is a reminder that God is not limited by geography. It also reminds us that God is moving in all of the world, not just in the west. 6. Christianity is growing in popularity According to Earls, In 1900, only 5.5% of non-Christians knew a Christian. Today, that has grown to 18.3%. Both of these numbers may sound small to you, but remember these are global statistics, averaging numbers from Western countries to persecuted nations and everything in between. What this means: This stat may suggest that Christians as a whole feel more freedom to openly discuss their beliefs in certain parts of the world than they have in the past. 7. More people have heard the gospel now than ever before Earls shares that, More than half of the worlds population in 1900 (54.3%) were unevangelized. That percentage continues to shrink, dropping to 28.4% in 2019. What this means: Christians worldwide are obeying the Great Commission to Go and preach the good news to everyone in the world. (Mark 16:15) Chennai: Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami called on the Governor, Banwarilal Purohit, at the Raj Bhavan and briefed him about the COVID-19 situation in the state even as 4,280 new cases, 1842 of them in Chennai alone, were reported on Saturday. Accompanied by Health Minister C Vijaybaskar, Chief Secretary K Shanmugham, Health Secretary J Radhakrishnan and DGP J K Tripathi, the chief minister was with the governor between 5 pm and 5.40 pm and is said to have also briefed him on the developments relating to the Sathankulam custodial deaths. Meanwhile, the total number of deaths due to COVID-19 in Chennai crossed the 1,000 mark. With 37 fatalities on Saturday, the figure rose to 1033. Across the s tate, there were 65 deaths on day which took the total number to 1,450. In new infections, Madurai was second with 352 cases, which perhaps explained the government extending the total lockdown in the temple city and its surrounding areas till July 12. After Madurai was Thiruvallur at 251, followed by Chengalpattu (215), Thiruvannamalai (173), Ramanathapuram (149), Kancheepuram (134) and Ranipet (104). After Sunday, when a complete lockdown will be observed with even vegetable and grocery shops remaining closed, present restrictions will be eased in Chennai and its adjoining areas. IT, ITES and private companies, besides industries units and export firms, will be allowed to function with 50 per cent attendance. However, travel between the districts for work or otherwise will not be permitted without e-pass. Those who had obtained e-passes or other passes prior to the imposition of total lockdown on June 19 can use the same passes and travel between districts. People with no passes would have to apply with the district collector, an official press release said. There has been widespread destruction in Srinagar due to frequent gunfights between security forces and militants. Yet, the capital of Kashmir picks up the pieces and A house is left smouldering and damaged after yet another gunfight between security forces and militants in Srinagar. (File photo: Habib Naqash) I was sitting with a guest, a saintly person from Tral, in our living room, chatting about the unending mayhem in Kashmir, and how it was ruining more and more lives across the valley with each passing day. My wife and eldest daughter Umme Kulthum were busy in the kitchen and then preparing the dastarkhwan for meals in the distinctive Kashmiri way in the adjoining lounge. My youngest daughter Fatima Zahra interrupted us to announce Dinner is ready. Her elder sister Zainab brought Tasht-Naari, a pair of copper appliances with beautiful engravings of chinars and their entangled vines, traditionally used to wash hands before meals. Suddenly there was the sound of gunfire outside and everyone got rattled. Lights were switched off in every house. We huddled inside a small room with only one window opening to the rear on the first floor. As the firing intensified, Zainab started crying and my wife and I began narrating some of the experiences we had endured during the heyday of militancy in the 1990s and how we survived even in the worst situations in order to reassure her. We also emphasised "nothing can happen without God's will". Fatima asked, "Okay we will not die before our time but what if our house is bombed or torched? She had in mind the destruction of a whole cluster of residential houses during a fire fight in the Nawa Kadal neighbourhood in Srinagar on May 19. The security forces had termed that damage as inevitable collateral damage but local people accused them of deliberately destroying the neighbourhood which rendered many families homeless. I tried to comfort my daughter. Nothing of that sort will happen here. It seems as if the militants are holed up in a house far away from ours. After the firing stopped, I started receiving phone calls from neighbours, relatives and friends -- some wanting to know what had happened and others inquiring about our well-being. Social media accounts were already reporting the encounter between the militants and security forces in our locality. A tweet from the Jammu & Kashmir police confirmed the gunfight. It said, Encounter has started at #Malbagh area of #Srinagar. Police and security forces on the job. Further details shall follow. Since the firing had ceased, I told my wife and children and our guest that they should prepare themselves for a resumption of fighting, more intensely, at first light. Normally, security forces suspend operations for the night to avoid casualties. But by quarter past midnight, we came to know that the encounter is over. The J&K police reported the death of one militant and one CRPF jawan in the clash. It also claimed that it was a smooth operation during which no collateral damage had taken place. I looked at Zainab. She was still frightened. Umme Kulthum and Fatima sat silently, frightened nevertheless. My wife was in conversation with her sister who too lives in Srinagar over the phone to tell her Khodayan bachaiv (God saved us). On Friday morning, word spread in our neighbourhood that it had been a fake encounter. A resident claimed that the security forces entered the house of his neigbour after climbing over the compound wall and searched the premises. After coming out, he shot dead someone at point blank outside on the street. But how was the CRPF jawan (identified as head-constable Kuldeep Kumar) killed then? He had no answer to offer nor did the others who insist it was a fake encounter. The J&K police said the operation was launched jointly by it and the 118th Battalion of the Central Reserve Police Force after receiving credible inputs about the presence of militants in the area. During the search operation, the hiding terrorists fired on the joint search party. The fire was retaliated, leading to an encounter in which one terrorist was killed, the police statement said. The police identified the slain youth as Zahid Ahmed Dassm, a member of Islamic State Jammu Kashmir (ISJK) who, it claimed, was involved in a series of terror crimes including the June 26 sneak attack in which a CRPF jawan and a six-year-old boy were killed in the Padshahi Bagh area of Bijbehara in Anantnag district and that he had escaped from an encounter on June 30 in Anantnag in which two of his comrades were killed. It, however, did not say what happened to the others if terrorists were learnt to be present in the Srinagar locality on Thursday night as was mentioned in its statement. Meanwhile, life looked like being normal in our neighbourhood Friday morning. Thousands of people have perished and widespread destruction has taken place in J&K in the past three decades and still every morning starts with a new hope. On March 11, 2020, Telangana Chief Minister and TRS president K Chandrasekhar Rao dismissed the spectre of corona virus as not a big threat and prescribed Paracetamol as the only medication for Covid-19. When the world was gripped with the novel coronavirus pandemic infecting millions of people around the world and roiling the stock markets, Rao felt there was no need to press the panic button, not as yet. When a techie contracted the deadly infection, the second case to have been reported in Hyderabad in early March, the Chief Minister called the techie a "sannasi daridrudu" (useless fellow) for spreading the virus. The techie had a travel history to Italy. And the blame game began since. Desperate times call for desperate measures. In times of national crisis, people look to their politicians for leadership and direction. The health of the people in his state depends on the competence of the chief minister and his team to confront this deadly global threat. The KCR administration had failed to prepare for the probability that Telangana would face a major global health challenge. Despite warnings early on, the Telangana government's approach had been way too casual. 'Light theesko' (light lelo), as they say in Telugu land. The casual approach was reflected in KCR's personal beliefs and views on corona. After peddling the Paracetamol prescription to Covid-19, Rao stated that the virus cannot survive in temperatures above 22 degrees Celsius, many called these as his personal views and pretty much unscientific. On March 16, the state administration was jolted out of its stupor after at least 10 Indonesians who attended the Tablighi Jamaat congregation in Delhi's Nizamuddin Markaz Masjid were tested positive. The Indonesians roamed freely in Karimnagar for more than a week, while the state administration was caught napping. Two Thai nationals were tested positive for Covid-19 the following days after March 16. This gave the ruling dispensation ample ammo to shift the blame on Tablighis for the spread of the virus in the state for nearly two months. Almost every single case was attributed to the Tablighis. While there could be some truth that the Tablighis showed callousness, a bigger part of the blame lies with the government that did little to combat the pandemic and didn't do enough testing to contain the spread of the virus. The KCR government was put on the back foot for the continuous low testing. For several days, the government did not even release the testing data. On March 23, KCR declared complete lockdown (Lockdown 1.0) in line with the central government's policy. Rao, a huge entertainer, even threatened shoot-at-sight against those who failed to comply with lockdown regulations. Between March 23-27, when the state's Covid tally climbed to 59. KCR's media briefings had large doses of humour, often lacking scientific base. "Rich protein food will boost immune systems and thereby keep corona at bay," he had prescribed. This too lacked scientific base. KCR's 'chicken and egg' theory had a lot to do with giving a boost to the poultry industry severely hit by Covid-19 and not the immune system. Have oranges, sweet lime and pomegranates. These are vitamin-packed fruits, good in these days of coronavirus, Rao advised. One wonders why a chief minister would don the hat of a nutritionist when he already has a lot on his plate. From Lockdown 1.0, to 4.0, KCR had uttered a striking number of false claims about the coronavirus pandemic. He had claimed that the state medical administration was fully equipped to handle even one lakh Covid-19 patients and that a 1,500 bed new hospital was being built in record time. Further, KCR had claimed there was adequate stockpile of PPEs, N95 masks, gloves and other medical gear for the frontline warriors even as an increasing number of doctors, nurses, paramedical staff, police personnel and health workers contracted the virus. The Telangana High Court had pulled up the KCR government over acute shortage of PPE, N95 masks and other medical gear. "How could the frontline warriors contract the virus if the government supplied medical equipment to combat the pandemic," wondered the court. In a video-conference with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, KCR had claimed that a vaccine for Covid-19 can be expected by either July or August as Shantha Biotech was working towards this. "We're very close to a vaccine, he declared. At a media briefing, the CM stated that Shantha Biotech chairman Varaprasad Reddy met him to inform that the vaccine will be ready by July, a statement vehemently denied by Varaprasad Reddy. On April 27, Rao claimed Telangana will be a corona-free state even as the state tally crossed the 1,000 mark. He had reassured the public that there was nothing to worry about, that all was under control that the number of those infected would be brought down to zero. In the month that followed, things went tremendously out of control. The Chief Minister became the blamer-in-chief. He blamed everyone, projecting his failures on anyone but himself or his administration. KCR and his crack team tried to defend the administrations approach and convince people that the crisis shouldnt worry them so much. The daily press briefings were public relation exercises, propaganda sessions to cover up the governments failures on several fronts. The ruling TRS assigned blame to the Tablighi Jamaat congregation in New Delhi, the Narendra Modi's government for not providing proper facilities and financial aid (oops, helicopter money) and the journalists for their "crooked minds" spreading "fake news" virus. As the Covid-19 tally continued to climb, desperate KCR even wished that reporters writing "negative news" would be infected with Corona. "You should get coronavirus," he cursed the journalists who were merely doing their jobs risking their own lives. When a journalist asked whether the government will allow liquor sales, KCR took a jibe at him. "This is a silly question. I am sorry to say, this is a silly question," he fumed. While gyms remained closed, the TRS ruling in a hurry to fill its coffers had allowed alcohol to flow in the state, queues snaked several liquor stores in the state as tipplers longed to quench their thirst. Drinking alcohol will weaken the immunity system and can make the Corona virus worse, the WHO had warned.Who cares? Andhra Pradesh too had allowed liquor sales. The wheel of the economy should be running, silly. Liquor money is more important than public health. "No mask, no liquor, KCR had said. Between March 28 and May 28, Telangana saw 70 Covid-19 deaths. In the following two weeks, from 27 May until June 9, the number of deaths more than doubled to 140. Total fatalities (as on date) has touched 283. The state government is heading towards Lockdown 5.0 from Unlock 1.0. One cannot predict whether this is closing the gates of the stable after the horses have bolted, but if it's done, a strictly enforced lockdown supplemented by ramped up testing could halt the downhill Covid slide. What is needed is the political will to take on the challenge and unlock newer strategies to combat Covid-19. It is not as if we were blindsided by the pandemic - the March 24 announcement of a nationwide lockdown helped us gear up and brace ourselves for what was to come. What we did was fritter three precious months. ICMR has said human volunteers for the vaccine trials must be identified by July 7. Hyderabad: The fast-tracked clinical trial of BBV152, or Covaxin, a COVID-19 vaccine developed by Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech, with a timeline of 38 days set by Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) for human trials, has raised concerns over whether it can be carried out in such a short time when vaccines typically take several years to come to the stage when they can be dispensed to the general population. ICMR has stated that human trials must start on July 7 and be completed, and the data evaluated, so that the vaccine can be launched on August 15. Independence Day is being seen as a date for independence from SARS CoV-2, the coronavirus strain that causes COVID-19. The scientific community and researchers in pharmacology are divided over the time period set for completing human trials. Covaxin has been developed by Bharat Biotech in collaboration with ICMR and the National Institute of Virology (NIV), Pune, by taking an inactive strain of SARS CoV-2. The inactive strain methodology is similar to that used for the polio vaccine. The inactive strain, when injected into the human body, allows for development of antibodies that will help fight the virus. This is an immunity booster and protects against the virus. Animal research studies of Covaxin were carried out on monkeys and, according to sources, there was 96 per cent efficacy. This has paved the way for the next stage, human trials. Twelve institutes across the country have been identified for the trials, and they have been asked to enrol human subjects before July 7 to complete trials on a priority basis. Nizam's Institute of Medical Sciences (NIMS) in Hyderabad is one of the institutes where human trials will be carried out. Telangana State Pharmacy Council member and senior pharmacologist Dr Sanjay Reddy said, "The animal study results were encouraging. For human trials, the time limit has caused worry. Humans are different and every human body has a different reaction. These results are usually recorded over a period of time. Efficacy studies are derived based on reaction on 80 per cent of trial subjects. Our scientific evaluation must be the basis for launch of the vaccine." There are 11 different strains of the virus in India. The question is which inactive strain will be used and whether that particular strain will work to create antibodies for all the other existing strains. Human trials usually take one to four years to complete. The vaccine experience in India has been satisfactory and there is thus some euphoria that a preventive measure against COVID-19 is in the offing. A senior scientist, speaking on condition of anonymity said, The work taken up by Bharat Biotech is scientific. The ICMR must support and not pressurise them to deliver within a time frame. This (timeline) will put a lot of stress on scientists who have to check and re-check at different levels." He said that till last year, human trials were not allowed expeditiously in India and scientists had very minimal subjects. "Now we want subjects to come forward for trials but do we have a conducive environment for it? Let a proper scientific method be followed that will add confidence in the vaccine development programme and help us opt for many other drugs which require research and innovation in India." Bharat Biotech has refused to comment on the deadline. Click on Deccan Chronicle Technology and Science for the latest news and reviews. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter. In this June 12, 2018, file photo, U.S. President Donald Trump, right, meets with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on Sentosa Island, in Singapore. (AP) Seoul: North Korea does not feel the need to have talks with the United States, which would be nothing more than a political tool for Washington, a senior North Korean diplomat said on Saturday, ahead of a U.S. envoys visit to South Korea. Vice Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui said negotiations would not work out between Washington and Pyongyang and there will be no change in North Koreas policy. We do not feel any need to sit face to face with the U.S., as it does not consider the DPRK-U.S. dialogue as nothing more than a tool for grappling its political crisis, Choe said in a statement carried by state-run KCNA news agency. DPRK stands for the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea, North Koreas formal name. U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Stephen Biegun is due to visit South Korea next week to discuss stalled talks with North Korea. South Korean President Moon Jae-in said on Wednesday that U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un should meet again before the U.S. elections in November, which would help resume the stalled nuclear negotiations. Trumps 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. Trump and Kim Jong Un met for the first time in 2018 in Singapore. They met again in Vietnam in 2019, but the talks fell apart when Trump said Kim had failed to offer enough nuclear weapons or ballistic missiles in exchange for lifting international sanctions. At their third meeting, in June 2019 at the demilitarized zone separating the two Koreas, the two agreed to restart negotiations. Working-level talks between the two sides in Sweden in October were broken off. In this photo taken on March 02, 2020 Afghan Taliban militants and villagers attend a gathering as they celebrate the peace deal and their victory in the Afghan conflict on US in Afghanistan, in Alingar district of Laghman Province. Al-Qaida's regional affiliate maintains close ties to the Taliban and has an "enduring interest" in attacking US and foreign troops, the Pentagon said July 1, 2020. The Taliban is militarily and politically stronger than at any time since 2001 when it refused to hand over al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden, who orchestrated the 9/11 attacks on the US. (Photo | AFP) Washington: Intelligence that Afghan militants might have accepted Russian bounties for killing American troops did not scuttle the U.S.-Taliban agreement or President Donald Trumps plan to withdraw thousands more troops from the war. It did give critics of the deal another reason to say the Taliban shouldnt be trusted. The bounty information was included in Trumps presidents daily intelligence brief on Feb. 27, according to intelligence officials, and two days later, the U.S. and Taliban signed an agreement in Qatar. The agreement clears the way for America to end 19 years in Afghanistan and gives Trump a way to make good on his promise to end U.S. involvement in what he calls endless wars. On March 3, three days after the agreement was signed, the president had a 35-minute phone call with Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, a co-founder of the Taliban and head of their political office in Qatar. After reports of the bounties broke in late June, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo had a video conference with Baradar to make it clear that the U.S. expects the Taliban to live up to their commitments, Under the agreement, the U.S. will pull all its troops out of Afghanistan by May 2021. So far the U.S. has reduced U.S. troop presence in Afghanistan from 12,000 to 8,600 _ a target reached ahead of schedule. Now, Trump is considering when and how quickly to further shrink the U.S. military footprint. The Taliban committed to reducing violence, cutting ties with al-Qaida and sitting down with other Afghans to craft a political road map for their countrys future. The Taliban have pledged to ensure that the areas they control _ about half the country at this time _ are not used by militant groups to target the U.S. and its allies. On Saturday, Washingtons envoy to Afghanistan emphasized the economic benefits of the deal, which has run into new political obstacles. Zalmay Khalilzad was wrapping up a weeklong trip that included stops in Uzbekistan, Pakistan and the Gulf state of Qatar, where Taliban negotiators are headquartered. Critics of the deal like Rep. Mike Waltz, R-Fla., say the agreement is simply a cover for withdrawal. I have serious concerns with how this agreement has been pursued, Waltz said. The Taliban has shown repeatedly _ through violence and bombings both before and after the deal was signed _ that they are not serious about adhering to their end of the bargain. The White House insists the president was not aware of the intelligence but that the administration responded to the information to protect troops. Administration officials say Russia _ along with other countries, including Iran _ have been providing the Taliban money and guns for years, although bounties would signal stepped up Russian aggression. Military experts note that the Taliban didnt need any monetary incentive to kill Americans. They also point out that the U.S. worked against the Soviets in the late 1980s, providing militants with shoulder-held anti-aircraft Stinger missiles, which turned around the course of the war and sped-up negotiated Soviet withdrawal from Afghanistan. Bounties or not, what we judge the Taliban on is whether they honor the deal, said Scott Smith, an expert on Afghanistan peace processes with the U.S. Institute of Peace. Both Republican and Democratic lawmakers, defense officials and Afghan experts claim the Taliban has not taken steps to live up to the now four-month-old agreement and they are skeptical the Taliban will ever break with al-Qaida, which conducted the 9/11 attacks. The U.S. general overseeing American military operations in Afghanistan, Marine Gen. Frank McKenzie, said in mid-June that he is sceptical about the Talibans intentions to fulfill its commitments, suggesting that he would not favor a rapid U.S. withdrawal. McKenzie said it is an open question whether the Taliban will keep Afghanistan from being the launchpad for attacks on the U.S. They have not yet completely made that case, McKenzie said, adding that time is now beginning to grow short. Mike Morell, former CIA acting and deputy director, told the House Homeland Security Committees intelligence and counterterrorism panel on June 24 that the Taliban is militarily and politically stronger than at any time since 2001 when the Taliban refused to hand over al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden, who orchestrated the 9/11 attacks. I believe that the Taliban, in its peace negotiations with the United States, have told us what we want to hear in order to encourage us to leave the country, Morell said. Thomas Joscelyn, a long time critic of the deal at the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies, said the Taliban have repeatedly said al-Qaida has not been in Afghanistan since 2001. Without any verification or enforcement mechanisms _ and there are no such provisions specified in the text of the deal released to the public _ there is no reason to think the Taliban is telling the truth now, he said. The Defense Departments latest report on the war said the Taliban has stepped up violence against Afghan forces, but has avoided attacks on U.S. or coalition troops. The militants have joined with Afghan and U.S. forces in hitting Islamic State fighters hard, pressuring the group to relinquish control of an area in eastern Afghanistan. But IS still has the ability to conduct mass-casualty attacks, the report said. The report also said U.S.-led counterterrorism operations have degraded al-Qaida, which now poses only a limited threat to the U.S. The Pentagon report said, however, that the Taliban maintain close ties to al-Qaida. Pompeo says only a couple hundred active al-Qaida fighters remain in Afghanistan. On Thursday, Pompeo hinted, without elaborating, that hed seen indications that the Taliban are no longer going to let al-Qaida operate in Afghanistan. I cant talk about the things that I have seen, Pompeo said on Fox News Channels Special Report. But know this. I spoke with the Taliban again just this week in an effort to further the peace negotiations to try to get them to the table with the Afghan government. However, a May report by the United Nations says al-Qaida is quietly gaining strength in Afghanistan while continuing to operate with the Taliban under their protection. The report says 400 to 600 al-Qaida operatives are active in 12 of Afghanistan 34 provinces. The U.N. report also reported six meetings between al-Qaida and Taliban senior leaders during the past 12 months _ while U.S.-Taliban talks were ongoing. Email Whatsapp Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment Theres no doubt were in one of the most tense and complicated eras of modern history. Were still in the middle of a pandemic, and now, with the tragic deaths of African Americans at the hands of law enforcement, Americans are waking up to the startling reality that racism is still alive and well within many facets of our country. Right now there are a lot of people to be angry at for the way theyve treated others. And there are also a lot of people expressing opinions on todays hot-button issues that will drive us insane. So here we are, inundated with news of injustice, and inundated with less-than-stellar ideas of how to deal with it all. This leaves us with an important question we all need to find an answer to: How do we respond? Ive wrestled with this very question myself. An appropriate response is key to bringing health and healing to our wounded brothers and sisters. If our response is poor, it will only add fuel to the fire. First of all, it is good and righteous to publicly praise those who do good. Everyone should use whatever platform they have to highlight examples of healing, kindness, and the acts of good Samaritans wherever theyre found. We also shouldnt just condemn whats bad. We ought to give credit where credit is due. But where I see the dialogue gone completely off the rails is in the knee-jerk reaction to publicly shame and silence those who make a mistake or those who dont share the same convictions we do. Cancel culture, as this is now famously referred to, is a dangerous road to travel down not simply because we live in a free country, but because it doesnt accomplish what canceling sets out to achieve. Our time would be better spent engaging with one another and persuading one another to join our cause. Driving a wedge between those we perceive in error makes it harder for them to see the light. Even if someone says or does something obviously wrong, we have to maintain a posture of restoration. We have to believe the best, and that hearts and minds can indeed change. Its time we give others the benefit of doubt again. If someone fails, and you immediately dismiss them as wrong forever and irredeemable, well, that produces a hopeless world that none of us want to live in. I, like the vast majority of Americans, believe we can build a more inclusive and less prejudiced society. But if we dont make any room for repentance, forgiveness, and a fresh start for anyone, were bound to find everyone canceled for one reason or another. None of us are without blemish. Actually, at the heart of cancel culture is a kind of self-righteousness. If your day is spent exclusively shaming those who do wrong, your goal is not restoration it's for cementing division. Rather, spend more time gently and gracefully leading others to see the world through your eyes. And, remember, guilt and shame are ineffective as motivating change in the first place. As I was taught growing up, its sometimes better to light a candle than to just keep cursing the darkness. Or, as the Apostle Paul put it in the Book of Romans, Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. When Jesus was being arrested, his disciple Simon Peter took his sword and cut off the ear of one of the guards attempting to arrest Jesus. But Jesus rebuked Peter for what he had done, even though Peter knew Jesus was facing injustice. The point Im trying to illustrate here is that you may be right in principle, but wrong in attitude and in spirit. To be kind is to be holy. I also know that it's God's kindness that leads us to repentance. He forgives me and restores me each and every time I fail. And we all need to afford everyone else that same grace, especially during these tenuous times. GUEST COLUMN July 4, 2020: How Do We Move Forward? Priyanka Chopra Remembers Saroj Khan, My Teenage Dreams Came True When She Choreographed Me One of the most celebrated choreographers in Bollywood passed away on the 3rd July, 20. She suffered a cardiac arrest. The entire Bollywood fraternity took to their social media handles to share condolences at the passing of the veteran and many called it the end of an era. Her fans have been sharing a lot of old videos on social media and expressed their gratitude to the ace dancer. The 71-year-old choreographer was an institution in herself. She has worked with almost all the leading ladies in Bollywood in her career spanning over 55 years as a choreographer. Now, actress Priyanka Chopra took to her Twitter and offered her condolences to her family. Priyanka Chopra and Saroj Khan had worked together for the song Gun Gun Guna Re from the film Agneepath. She took to her social media and wrote, Many of my teenage dreams came true when she choreographed me in Agneepath. Taskmaster, perfectionist, innovator, trendsetter, genius... Saroj ji was many things to many people. To me, she'll always be an institution that defined an era of dancing with abandon, emotion & passion. ... May the heavens dance to your tune Masterji... #RIPSarojKhan Take a look - Saroj Khan Prayed For Salman Khan's Long Life Just A Week Before She Was Hospitalised, Felt He's Always Taken In The Wrong Veteran choreographer Saroj Khan died in Mumbai on July 3 after she suffered a cardiac arrest in the hospital where was admitted since a week. Her demise was mourned by one and all in Bollywood with actors hailing her as a legend and remembering the times they spent with her and the lessons she taught them. The choreographers youngest daughter Sukania in a recent interview revealed that her mother was praying for Salman Khan just days before she was hospitalised due to complaints of breathlessness. She said that Salman Khan looked out for their family like they were his own and Saroj Khan believed that despite all the good he did he was always taken in the wrong. "I still remember a week before she got admitted to the hospital, she went in for namaaz and when she got up, I asked her if she prayed for us. She said she obviously prayed for her family but there was someone special she was praying for, Sukania told Pinkvilla. She added that the someone special was Salman, When I asked her who it was, she said, it was Salman Khan. I looked at her and smiled. She told me that Salman sir is doing so much good for people around him but hes always taken in the wrong, which is what I dont understand. He isnt bad and people should just let him be. She wished him a long life and happiness". Saroj Khan died at the age of 71 and was buried by her family at the Malad cemetery on Mumbai. The family however had to cancel a prayer meet they wanted to hold due to the ongoing coronavirus situation. Shefali Jariwala Narrates Her First Flight Experience Post Lockdown: There Was A Lot Of Frustration Shefali Jariwala came back in the limelight after her stint at the Bigg Boss house. The actress stated that after coming out from the Bigg Boss house which was a lockdown in itself, she had landed herself in yet another lockdown. She has been quoted by Hindustan Times as saying,It has been such good and frustrating times. It was very good to be at home after the Bigg Boss lockdown which lasted over three months for me. Ek se nikal ke doosre mein aa gayi. But I guess it was important for all of us to be at home. The former Bigg Boss contestant was one of the first few people who travelled domestically once the operations resumed in the country. She was headed to be with her family after her father-in-law had passed. Shefali stated she had never seen Mumbai airport like that. She says, Luckily, flights had started that very day. There was a lot of frustration as a lot of flights got cancelled, too, I had never seen the Mumbai airport like this, as it has been one of the busiest airports. Take a look - Shekhar Suman Says The 'Fight Is Not Just For Sushant', Calls For Probe Into The Funding Of The Film Industry Shekhar Suman has taken it upon himself to seek justice for 34-year-old Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajputs death. The veteran TV actor has been posting several tweets demanding a CBI probe and stated that he is doing this because he has seen his son Adhyayan also go through depression. Now, Shekhar has posted a series of tweets saying that the fight is not just for Sushant but against the Bollywood cartel which needs to be demolished and also called for a probe into the funding of the film industry. One has to remember the fight is not Just for Sushant,there is a larger picture.The nexus,the cartel in the movie and music industry.That needs to demolished.Also the source of funds in the film industry needs to be probed. #Gangeism#Favouritism#Cartel#Caucus Shekhar Suman (@shekharsuman7) July 3, 2020 He also said that post Suhants death the cartel is already scared and the culprits shouldnt be allowed to get away. He also said that the audiences will now decide who stays and who goes. The Cartel is already scared and shitting bricks.Thats the power of ppl.From now on YOU will decide who has to stay,who has to go.Teach them a lesson once and for all.Punish d culprits.Don't let them get away this time.#downwithgangeism#justiceforsushantforum Shekhar Suman (@shekharsuman7) July 3, 2020 The actor had earlier also flown down to Patna to pay his condolences to the late actors grieving family. While in Bihar he also held a press conference alleging that Sushant might have been trying to hide from someone as he changed his sim card 50 times and added that there were some missing links in the case of his death. Shekhar Sumans son Adyayan in a recent interview had also said that he understands why his father is going to such lengths as he knows what it is like to lose a son, referring to Shekhars elder son Ayush who died when he was 11. Khatron Ke Khiladi 10: Rashami Desai, Aly Gony, Jasmin Bhasin To Join, Show To Get Extension Khatron Ke Khiladi is undoubtedly one of the most popular adventure and stunt-based reality shows in India. The finale of the show had been delayed due to the lockdown but would soon resume. It was being said that the finale would take place 20th of this month. While the finale would be happening and we would be getting a winner of this season, this season will have more to offer. According to reports, Rashami Desai, Aly Gony and Jasmin Bhasin would be entering the show. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Rashami Desai (@imrashamidesai) on Jun 11, 2020 at 11:27pm PDT The show has apparently got an extension by eight episodes. These episodes would be a part of a special edition and will feature celebs like Rashami Desai, Jasmin Bhasin, Rithvik Dhanjani, Harsh Limbhachhiya and Aly Goni. A report also stated that many old contestants like Nia Sharma and Amruta Khanvilkar have also been approached. Karan Patel was approached as well but he had to decline as he would soon be beginning the shoot for Kasautii Zindagii Kay where he will play Mr. Bajaj. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Jasmin Bhasin (@jasminbhasin2806) on Jun 3, 2020 at 4:45am PDT The show's finale was also supposed to be shot in Bangkok and tickets for the cast and the crew were also ready. But due to the pandemic, the plans were delayed and now, post the lockdown, it will be shot in Mumbai's Film City. 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) Theres a new feature coming to Google Meet soon and will soon be rolling out to users in India. The company made a bunch of announcements regarding new changes to Google Meet back in April. Essentially, users in India will soon receive a noise cancellation feature for Google Meet. In a statement by the company, it said, This feature will roll out to users in Australia, Brazil, India, Japan, and New Zealand in the coming weeks. This feature isn't currently available to users in South Africa, UAE, and the immediately surrounding areas.". Confirming that India will receive the feature soon. Basically how noise cancellation on Google Meet will work is that the program will filter out noises that do not sound like voices. Say loud rustling, banging, dogs barking, etc. What will not be filtered out is other people talking at the same time and voices from the television. So it does have its limitations. Also, the feature must be activated manually. Here is how you can activate the feature Head on to the Meet homepage Click on Settings Select Audio Click Turn on Noise cancellation Click Done In other Google news, Google Photos will stop auto-backup of media files from WhatsApp, Facebook and other apps. You can read more about that story here. The company also showed off a new AR feature that allows dinosaurs to roam your house! You can read more about that here. Also, Google Search will now tell you the best shows to watch on Netflix, Hotstar and other streaming sites. You can read more about that story here. The recently banned short video app and social network TikTok reportedly found to be distancing itself from China in their latest letter to the Indian Government. The ban on 59 applications was ordered in response to the ongoing military tensions between the two countries at the borders. As seen by Reuters, in its recent letter dated June 28 to the Indian Government, TikTok Chief Executive, Kevin Mayer, said the Chinese Government has never requested user data, nor would the company turn it over if asked. TikTok is highly prevalent in India, as its the top market for TikTok downloads in 2019 (excluding Chinese Android downloads), with 323 million installs, accounting for 44% of the total figure. The ban, as expected, raised alarms for the company given the popularity and investments in the Indian market. "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." Mayer indicated that the company has made a $1bn investment in the region, highlighted more than 3,500 direct and indirect employees and its focus on regional content that is 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." A source familiar with the matter told Reuters that the letter was sent ahead of the likely meeting between the company officials and the Government authority. A government source also told Reuters that the ban is unlikely to be withdrawn soon. That's because the issue revolves around national security, and that's even more difficult to challenge judicially. Why TikTok is the talk? If you're wondering why TikTok is the only app making headlines from the 59 banned apps, here are some reasons that might help you understand why TikTok puts the biggest impact. TikTok was launched in 2017, and it has become the fastest-growing social media apps. India is the biggest market for the app, followed by the United States. Earlier this year, the Economic Times reported that average Indian TikTok users spent an average of 38 minutes daily using the app (vs 44 minutes on Instagram, or 35 minutes on Facebook). TikTok was banned earlier in India in April 2019. Indian legislators raised concerns around child pornography, grooming, and cyberbullying on the platform. The ban was overturned after TikTok successful confirmed that suitable measures would be taken to fix these issues. TikTok has been accused of not adequately safeguarding young users' data. TikTok recently got into controversy due to a tiff between a YouTube creator Carryminati and TikTok user Amir Siqqidui where Indians bombarded the short video app with low ratings on Play Store and App Store. TikTok has helped a lot of Indian creators to cater millions of followers, and the ban affects such creators as the platform was their primary source of earning. The app recently managed to generate the most downloads ever in a quarter for any app, and India had the highest number of downloads by country with 611 million lifetime download. Among all the apps banned, TikTok has the largest user base and it has been in the news due to controversies on different matters including data and privacy issues. TikTok alternatives are flourishing The ban has come as a boon to Indian startups that cater to the same audience as TikTok. We made a list of Indian apps that may serve as a TikTok alternative. To recall, even biggies like Facebook have been aiming to take on TikTok since it first started to catch attention. Facebook launched Lasso to take on TikTok in 2018. Earlier this year, a report indicated that YouTube is going to launch 'Shorts' that rivals TikTok. Similarly, soon after the TikTok ban, Indian startups like Roposo, Chingari and Mitron have seen a rise in downloads after the ban. The Wall Street Journal first reported the news. An Apple Survey makes it more obvious that the company will skip shipping a power adapter with the upcoming iPhone 12. Apple is reportedly surveying a limited number of users about how they use their power adapters given in the iPhone boxes. The Apple survey asks users what they have done with the power adapters that came with their previous iPhones. Users in Brazil have reportedly received the survey that includes questions about how they use the charger. One question that points to the upcoming development is asking about the fate of the charger that was included with the old iPhone XR. Some users in Brazil also reported that Apple asked about the adapter that came with the users previous iPhone 7 Plus. The survey comes amidst reports that Apple will skip shipping a power adapter and EarPods with the iPhone 12 models. The company is reportedly developing a 20-watt fast charging adapter that will be sold separately, as an upgrade to the 18W charger which Apple ships with the iPhone 11 Pro and iPad Pro. Apple surveys usually indicate upcoming surprise moves from the company. For instance, right before the 3.5mm headphone jack was killed off, Apple sent a questionnaire about headphone jacks to users of MacBook Pro. Our Divisions Copyright 2021-22 DB Corp ltd., All Rights Reserved This website follows the DNPA Code of Ethics. A child care center in Rehobeth and government offices in one Wiregrass county are among temporary closings attributed to rising COVID-19 concerns. Alabama on Thursday reported more than 1,700 new confirmed coronavirus cases as doctors and state officials expressed concern about further spread during the July Fourth holiday weekend. Rehobeth Academy posted on its Facebook page Friday evening that it would close for at least two weeks after an employee tested positive for COVID-19. The center plans to reopen July 20. We place the health and safety of all our children and staff at the highest level, the post said. Center personnel plan to contact the Houston County Health Department for further guidance when it opens Monday. Support Local Journalism Your subscription makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}} A professional cleaning company has been contacted to sanitize the center, and tuition will be suspended until it reopens. The Dale County probate office and the tag and property office, including all satellite locations, will be closed to the public starting Monday and reopen July 20. In these and other states, governors made the tough call to force businesses to close. These decisions faced opposition both from people within the state and from President Donald Trump. But they paid off in sharply lower infection rates. While these states can safely reopen, with rules on face mask wearing, social distancing and other measures to prevent a resurgence of the pandemic, the same is not true of states that imposed less stringent lockdowns and reopened businesses earlier. In these states the pandemic is more out of control than ever. For example, Texas is now seeing more than 6,500 cases a day. At its worst point in April or May, it had just over 1,600 cases a day. Florida now has over 5,000 cases a day compared to a peak in early April of just over 1,200. Arizona has now has almost 2,800 cases a day compared to a May peak of less than 400. Adjusted for the relative size of their populations, the growth of infections in Arizona today is not much lower than it was in New York at its peak in early April. Given that many states have far higher infection rates now than they did during the periods of the lockdown, how can it make sense to say that we want people to go to work now, risking their own health and the health of those around them? Yet, he went on to argue that trying to regulate the abuse of the press threatens to strangle its vitality and utility to a free people: To the press alone, checkered as it is with abuses, the world is indebted for all the triumphs which have been gained by reason and humanity over error and oppression. And therein lies the most fundamental lesson the Founders have for us in 2020: The press and the government may often have an adversarial relationship but the government must not attempt to delegitimize the press and its work because they are essential to a free society. Would any of us want to live in a country where the news media isnt freely allowed to report on the actions of its government? Any harm done by an overreaching press would be nothing compared to a government left unchecked. As much as the news media may rub some the wrong way, it is frightening to think of a society with no free press. Tarred and slandered by the press of his time often by newspapers owned or financed by fellow Founders Thomas Jefferson stayed true to that principle to the day he died on the Fourth of July, 1826. Regarding Mr. Douglas July 1 letter on removing everything Confederate, I, too, am a 71-year-old white male raised in the Civil Rights era. My white family was run off the road and threatened by Klansmen in Mississippi in 1963 because my father, a serviceman, had bought a car with Oregon tags. As a white man, thats just one example of me seeing racism up close and real personal. My mostly young yeoman farmer ancestors fought when their country was invaded to protect kith and kin, home and hearth. The majority hardly owned the clothes on their backs, much less a slave. Many of the Confederate monuments you see in these small towns honor their courage and sacrifice while battling against insurmountable odds. Their descendants with those stories echoing in their ears ever since have joined the U.S. military to defend this country in record numbers far out distancing the rest of the country. These memorials were raised by descendants who scraped money together, for years in some cases, to honor these Americans and not to support Jim Crow, as many left-wing activists and news agencies would have you believe. Many of these statues went up as we were finally binding the country back together after that war. There are those now that would remove them to again cause divisive feelings and cast injury and insult on the South. Posted Saturday, July 4, 2020 8:49 am This week's outbreak at several University of Washington fraternities has hinted at just how hard it's going to be to keep COVID-19 from spreading when college students return to campus this fall -- especially since those students are eager to be around other young people after months of lockdowns and living at home. As of Friday, 117 students living in 15 fraternity houses this summer have reported testing positive for the virus. The university has confirmed 89 of those cases, along with an additional four students who visited fraternities but didn't live in them. The numbers are likely to tick upward, since about 1,000 have been tested, including other students who visited the fraternities but didn't live there. Dr. Jeff Duchin, health officer with Public Health -- Seattle & King County, called the outbreak "very concerning" and said he is worried young adults will spread the disease to more vulnerable populations. The UW's outbreak underscored the risks of bringing students back to school if they don't stick to the health department's rules regarding physical distancing and mask-wearing. With just months left before the start of the fall semester, colleges and universities across the state are fine-tuning plans for how to keep students safe this autumn, both through physical changes to campus and using carefully worded messages to help them understand why COVID-19 is so dangerous. "It does make us worry about what might happen this fall," Duchin said. "We understand there was a lot of socializing, a lot of risk-taking, not a lot of mask-wearing going on. ... When you do that and you don't take precautions, you get a lot of COVID." Tara Lee, a spokesperson for Gov. Jay Inslee, said the governor's office would continue to assess "what is safe and what is feasible" when it comes to the potential reopening of colleges and universities. UW President Ana Mari Cauce has said the university is trying to develop some kind of honor code that will encourage students to say something when a fellow student fails to follow health recommendations. Other universities are also struggling with how to relay the right message to their students. Washington State University, which is on the semester system and will be one of the earliest universities in the state to begin fall term classes on Aug. 24, warned students this week that they must follow health guidelines when they come back to campus. Students who don't "should consider other arrangements for your education in the fall," the message said. "They do crave social interaction, but there's a countervailing force -- students want to do the right thing," said Phil Weiler, WSU's vice president for marketing and communications. In the UW's cases, most of the students are asymptomatic, and none have gotten seriously ill, said Geoffrey Gottlieb, interim chair of the UW Advisory Committee on Communicable Diseases and an attending physician with UW Medicine. On the upside, the university will "end up learning a lot about this from the perspective of density of housing, and social gatherings, and face-covering adherence," he said. "I think the lessons for the dorms, the Greek system, is that we're really going to have to make a strong effort to keep people safe." Health experts believe the virus took root and spread fast on Greek Row because it is relatively dense housing, with close social networks in between the houses, Gottlieb said. "Hopefully in the coming days and weeks, we'll get a better handle on exactly what led to this ... and where we can intervene in the future," he said. University of Washington police have observed a number of gatherings of 10 to 15 people at fraternity houses this past month, but because members of the same household are allowed together under Inslee's stay-at-home orders, people living in the same fraternity would be within the bounds of that order, said UW spokesperson Michelle Ma in an email. Greek Row is off campus, and policed by the Seattle Police Department. But it's not clear how, or if, police would ever be involved in breaking up a fraternity party. "A house party is not necessarily a violation of anything," Ma said. "For SPD to act, it would need to be creating a disturbance, such as noise violations after a certain hour." College students are especially difficult to rein in because 18- to 24-year-olds are in a phase of life where they're intensively exploring and defining social-emotional connections with others, said Kira Mauseth, a clinical psychologist and senior instructor at Seattle University. And after living through months of lockdowns and physical distancing, "they're desperate for connection," she said. What's more, the brain's prefrontal cortex, which is involved in complex decision-making and planning, isn't fully developed until we reach our mid-20s, Mauseth said. College-age adults tend to be risk-takers, not fully recognizing danger. And they also maintain a belief -- as people of any age often do -- that the illness will happen to other people, not to them, she said. Similar to the UW, WSU's sororities and fraternities are off-campus and privately owned and operated, "which means the university is not able to dictate what happens inside of houses," said Jill Creighton, WSU associate vice president and dean of students. An officer from the Pullman Police Department is responsible for that part of campus and will work with students living in the area to make sure they comply with Whitman County health directives. As of Friday, the southeastern Washington county was in Phase 3. The Pullman campus has also cut the number of students who can live in university-owned residence halls, to improve physical distancing. Most double rooms will be converted to singles, and some triples will be converted to doubles. The number of students housed on-campus will drop from 6,200 to a little less than 4,000, and some students who applied for housing will get a letter telling them the university doesn't have enough capacity, and that they will need to find another place to live. The staff met with landlords in the Pullman area this week and "the sense was that there is capacity out in the community," Weiler, the WSU vice president, said. Most universities and colleges in the state plan to teach a hybrid of in-person and online classes this fall to maximize physical distancing and space in the classroom. Eastern Washington University, however, has decided to go all-online for fall quarter. Seattle University is starting fall semester two weeks early, ending the semester just before Thanksgiving and then not convening again until January. And after teaching in-person until Thanksgiving, WSU will conduct the last weeks of the semester online, so students won't have to go back to Pullman or any of the other four campuses until after January. 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 Eve Leach shared her experience, growing up in Northeastern Germany during the war years. As well as, the process of traveling from Germany to New York in October 1954 to January 1955. 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 North Andover, MA (01845) Today Partly cloudy this evening with more clouds for overnight. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low around 70F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph.. Tonight Partly cloudy this evening with more clouds for overnight. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low around 70F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph. Posted Saturday, July 4, 2020 8:42 am A 39-year-old Florida man was arrested in Vancouver after officers witnessed him bicycle to the home of a 14-year-old girl he'd been grooming online. The Kalama Police Department started a child sexual exploitation investigation Wednesday involving the girl and a suspect, later identified as Samuel Aaron Leonard of New Port Richey, Fla., the Vancouver Police Department said in a news release. Leonard communicated with the girl over various social media platforms for several months and was posing as a 20-year-old online. The Vancouver Police Department's Digital Evidence Cybercrime Unit was asked help with the investigation as the primary Department of Justice Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force affiliate in Southwest Washington. Cybercrime detectives and Kalama police officers met with the victim and her family, and then assumed the girl's identity online. The undercover sting was meant to positively identify and expose Leonard, police said. During chats with Leonard, officers learned he was currently in Vancouver, making plans to meet the girl. Police were granted emergency warrants to surveil Leonard and examine his online accounts. Leonard was located in downtown Vancouver, and officers watched him while detectives continued texting with him, according to the police department. Leonard messaged that he was on his way to the girl's home to drop off a cellphone, and was observed leaving his hotel on a bicycle. He arrived at the girl's home in Vancouver, where he was seen hiding a plastic bag in the backyard. He was arrested without incident and officers retrieved the bag, which contained the cellphone, packs of gum, chocolate bars and a love letter, police said. "The love letter found in the bag detailed the man's obsession for the girl and how he had immediately gone to her house after arriving in Washington on a bus. He also explained that he purchased her the cellphone so they could communicate secretly. The letter went further to detail that he even watched the victim's younger brother playing in the yard," the police department said. Police searched three phones belonging to Leonard and found sexually explicit chats with the girl and detectives posing as the girl, thousands of depictions of child sexual exploitation imagery and a map app he used to find the girl's house, according to police. Law enforcement searched Leonard's hotel room and found what was described as a "kidnapper's kit." The kit contained handcuffs, duct tape, rubber gloves, a blindfold, lubricant and a sex toy, several large knives, a hatchet and a .45-caliber handgun and ammunition, police said. Detectives plan to also search an additional phone, Leonard's laptop and a thumb drive. Leonard was booked into Clark County Jail on suspicion of communication with a minor for immoral purposes, first-degree possession and first-degree dealing of child sexual exploitation imagery and sexual exploitation of a minor. "Significant follow up will be conducted by (the cybercrime unit) in the coming weeks, including computer forensics on numerous cell phones, the laptop and the thumb drive that all appear to have depictions from hundreds of other minors the suspect was communicating with across the United States," the police department said. The case will likely be referred to the U.S. Attorney's Office Western District for consideration of federal charges because Leonard traveled across state lines to facilitate his alleged crimes. It could easily have had a tragic ending had alert parents and siblings of the victim not been paying close attention and alerted authorities, police said. CLOVIS - During a pandemic which has left little certainty on anything, eastern New Mexico legislators provided two certainties to business leaders Thursday. First, the rocky financial road the state is experiencing only looks rockier in the next few years. Second, local legislators aren't the ones driving. Three of the area's legislators - Sen. Pat Woods and Reps. Randy Crowder and Martin Zamora - shared their thoughts on the five-day special session that concluded June 22. The discussion was held with about two dozen people meeting at K-Bob's Steakhouse for eggs, bacon and potatoes and a small number of people participating via Zoom meeting. Legislators spoke to the in-person crowd and an iPad, to which Woods gave a slow wave and a jovial, "Hello out there." Crowder, Woods and Zamora are all Republican, as are the rest of eastern New Mexico's legislators. The rest of the state, Crowder noted, has been largely Democratic for years. The party has held the trifecta of the governor's office and both houses of the Legislature for 60 of its 90 years, with Republicans last holding such status in 1930. The current body has Democratic advantages of 46-24 in the House of Representatives and 26-16 in the Senate. If Democrats gain one representative and two senators in the general election, Crowder said, they'll have two-thirds majorities and wouldn't need a GOP vote to enact emergency clauses on legislation or tap into the state rainy-day fund. "Two-thirds majority is unfettered access," Crowder said, "unfettered control." Local legislators shared uneasiness after the regular session in February, noting the state budget was built on $52 per barrel oil prices that were quickly cratering in February as world markets took the early pandemic hits. By the end of March, it was abundantly clear Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham would have to call a special session to deal with the myriad financial issues of the pandemic. The session was scheduled just past the midway point of June to provide the clearest financial picture possible and make budget fixes before the 2019-20 fiscal year closed out. Legislators, Crowder said, had to look toward a pair of budget shortfalls - $374 million to close out 2019-20 and $1.97 billion for 2020-21. To accomplish that, carve-outs included $148 million in reserves, $597 million from various initiatives including road construction and planned pay raises for state employees, $623 million from the rainy-day fund and an application of $750 million in federal CARES Act funding. Crowder noted projections of a budget deficit around $1.705 billion for 2021-22, and there won't be CARES Act money or a healthy reserve fund to tap. "We took out the low-hanging fruit," Crowder said. "2022 is going to be an incredibly tough hole to patch." One item that may become low-hanging fruit, Crowder said, is a $300 million trust fund for the just-established Early Childhood Education and Care Department. Creation of the ECECD was part of what Lujan Grisham called a moonshot, and Zamora sees it as the state putting too much on the plate while being overly optimistic on unpredictable economic factors. "Our problems started two years ago," Zamora said. "We heard the moonshot pitched. It's what the people wanted to hear. They got excited about it. Now we've got to pay for the moonshot. "We didn't have to do the moonshot. We didn't have to do the things we did. Being it's an election year, we'll see what the people really want." Zamora, the only local legislator facing a general election challenge, noted a vote on Senate Bill 4 drew 15 dissenting votes from Democrats. The floor leader also voted no for the procedural function of recalling the vote, and Zamora said after a closed-door caucus meeting 12 of those votes flipped over to yes. "If I flip-flop on a vote," Zamora told the crowd, "you vote me out." Woods, minutes into his comments, talked of devastating pandemic impacts to small businesses and the tourism industry and said he never stuck to his planned remarks. "I wrote a speech two times," Woods said with a laugh, "and I haven't said a damn word from it." Woods noted the Legislature can meet under three circumstances -the normal session that starts in late January, a special session as called by the governor and an extraordinary session called by three-fourths of legislators. The three-fourths is needed, Woods said, because it would be anticipated legislation that may require veto-proof votes. That possibility, Woods said, will be raised at an interim meeting he plans to attend Tuesday. "I guarantee it will be discussed," Woods said, "because I'll bring it up." Crowder said the session was unusual in some ways because three of the Democrats' most powerful legislators were in session for possibly their last time, having been part of the five sitting Democrats who lost primary challenges a few weeks before the session started. SANTA FE Immediately after Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham announced New Mexico would begin giving $100 fines to those who violate its face covering mandate for public settings, at least two things were clear: Enforcement of the more aggressive approach will be tricky and the governors decision had not slowed the spread of debate. While some business owners welcomed the governors announcement, others suggested it could hurt their sales. And at least one county sheriff said he does not plan on issuing citations or fines to those who dont wear masks in public. I will not be enforcing that Ive got other things to be doing than dealing with masks, said Cibola County Sheriff Tony Mace. Eastern New Mexico residents were clearly divided on masks. Those who left comments on The News Facebook pages mostly opposed the mandate, suggesting its more about politics than safety. We Americans have civil rights and need to stand up for them especially during Independence Day, wrote Steve Gershon. I am not her sheep and will not follow her stupidly. But some also warned of a need to take precautions with COVID-19. This virus isnt going to just go away no matter how tired you are of it, wrote Andrew Schaap. I dont think people realize how alarming this all is. We could very well start seeing huge spikes here in Clovis. New Mexico has had a face mask mandate in place since mid-May, when Lujan Grishams administration revised an emergency public health order to include the requirement. But until Wednesday the mask mandate had been largely voluntary, with the governor expressing hope that positive peer pressure would be used to encourage mask wearing in public settings. The new mandate remains in place until at least July 15, according to the governor, who has delayed Phase 2 reopening due to rising COVID-19 infections. Data released Wednesday by the state indicated the infection rate is at 1.2 percent, above the desired rate of 1.05. The infection rate, Human Services Secretary David Scrase said, means 100 infected people spread the virus to 120 more people. The rate in Southeast New Mexico is 1.66, the highest region in the state, according to health officials. Friday marked the 22nd consecutive day in which Curry County has recorded at least one new case of the coronavirus, though fewer than a dozen have been hospitalized and no deaths have occurred. Just across the border in Parmer County, eight deaths have been attributed to the virus, most of them tied to a nursing home in Friona. In addition to the mask enforcement, the governor announced Wednesday that anybody who travels out of state is subject to a 14-day quarantine, regardless of travel method. There are exceptions for residents who routinely travel back and forth to Texas for work, medical care and other essential needs. The governors orders took effect immediately. Lujan Grisham also warned that if data doesnt improve over the next week, restrictions may be re-enacted on indoor dining, gyms and occupancy limits at retailers and houses of worship. Additionally, Lujan Grisham said, New Mexico needs to flatten the infection curve again or schools may not have the opportunity to reopen. The governor did not specifically answer a question on the odds schools would reopen, but said, Im still cautiously optimistic were making the proactive decisions we should. The Eastern New Mexico News and Albuquerque Journal contributed to this report. Effingham, IL (62401) Today Some clouds this evening will give way to mainly clear skies overnight. Low 51F. Winds NNW at 5 to 10 mph.. Tonight Some clouds this evening will give way to mainly clear skies overnight. Low 51F. Winds NNW at 5 to 10 mph. Athens, AL (35611) Today Scattered thunderstorms this evening, then cloudy with rain likely late. Low 63F. Winds NW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 70%. Locally heavy rainfall possible.. Tonight Scattered thunderstorms this evening, then cloudy with rain likely late. Low 63F. Winds NW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 70%. Locally heavy rainfall possible. US law enforcement is cracking down on a pair of alleged online fraudsters that appear to have been wildly successful. The United Arab Emirates has sent the US two Nigerian nationals, Ramon Olorunwa Abbas and Olakean Jacob Ponle, to face charges relating to large business email compromise scams. Abbas is accused of money laundering in schemes meant to pull in hundreds of millions of dollars, according to the Justice Department. He reportedly helped with a plan to launder $14.7 million stolen from a foreign financial institution, helped take nearly $923,000 from a New York law firm and was even involved in a plot to steal roughly $124 million from an English Premier League club. Ponle, meanwhile, allegedly participated in several 2019 fraud campaigns that were worth tens of millions of dollars, including one Chicago-based company that sen a total of $15.2 million. According to the claim, Ponle had victims wire funds to money mules who converted the gains to Bitcoin and sent them to a digital wallet the mastermind controlled. Both Abbas and Ponle could serve up to 20 years in prison if convicted. US attorney Nick Hanna saw the move as evidence the US could hold online fraud perpetrators responsible no matter where they live. However, this is is also an illustration of how difficult it is to halt internet scams. American officials have been identifying foreign fraud campaigns for years, and they only sometimes lead to arrests. Although these moves could send a message to scammers who think they can escape without penalty, they might not serve as practical deterrents. After losing access to the EU's satellite-navigation system Galileo due to Brexit, the UK is hoping to replace it with OneWeb satellites. A government-led consortium has won an auction for the satellite internet company, which filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in March as it sought a buyer. If a US bankruptcy court approves the bid next week, the UK and India's Bharti Global will both pay $500 million for a stake of about 45 percent each. Theyd fund the full restart of OneWebs operations, the company said. Creditors would own the remaining 10 percent. The deal is expected to close by the end of the year, pending regulatory approval. The government previously planned to build its own Galileo replacement with the help of other members of the Five Eyes intelligence alliance Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the US. The project was put on hold in May just before the publication of a feasibility study. The estimated cost had risen by then to 5 billion ($6.2 billion). The UKs Satellite Applications Catapult is working on a white paper that would lay out a method of using the OneWeb constellation for a sat-sav system. However, some experts have suggested that hosting a GPS-style system on OneWebs satellites might not be viable. For one thing, the constellation is at a far lower orbit (1,200 km) than satellites for major positioning systems, such as Galileo and GPS (around 20,000 km). Since early 2019, OneWeb has launched 79 of 650 planned 5G satellites for its initial constellation. If you want to replace GPS for military-grade systems, where you need encrypted, secure signals that are precise to centimetres, Im not sure you can do that on satellites as small as OneWebs, University of Leicester space policy expert Dr Bleddyn Bowen told the Guardian last week. Its bolting an unproven technology on to a mega-constellation thats designed to do something else. Its a tech and business gamble. Meanwhile, Bharti owns the third-largest mobile provider on the planet in Bharti Airtel, which has more than 425 million customers. OneWeb says the company gives it a near-term commercial opportunity "through its presence across South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa, where the terrain necessitates the use of satellite-based connectivity." Public fireworks shows may be in short supply this weekend due to the pandemic, but Rocket Lab is ready to fill the gap. Its planning to launch its 13th mission, Pics Or It Didnt Happen, from a complex on New Zealands Mahia Peninsula at 5:19PM Eastern with a livestream (below) available 15 minutes before takeoff. The launch window is open until 6:03PM Eastern. This is only the third Rocket Lab launch this year, due in no small part to the pandemic, and it includes some significant payloads. The main payload is a Canon satellite, CE-SAT-IB, that will demo high-res and wide angle cameras for Earth imaging if all goes well, this will pave the way for mass production. Planet, the company behind the largest network of Earth observation satellites, is also including five of its newest-generation SuperDove satellites. Its also an important mission for the UK with In-Space launching its first Faraday cubesat mission to help startups and researchers get payloads into orbit. This is a more conservative launch than those seen in recent months, as Rocket Lab wont try to recover a vehicle in mid-air. Its cargo could have a lasting impact on humanitys ability to study the environment and urban development, though, and its further evidence that spaceflight is carrying on in at least some parts of the world. 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. President Trump will begin his July Fourth celebrations with a trip to Mount Rushmore, despite concerns from Native Americans, health officials and environmentalists. Patrick McDermott, Stringer / Getty Images (Bloomberg) -- President Donald Trump again took on the protests that have broken out nationwide since the death of George Floyd. We are now in the process of defeating the radical left: the Marxists, the anarchists, the agitators, the looters, he said in a July 4th speech in Washington. Before the speech -- and a military flyover and fireworks -- protesters gathered near the White House at the newly-named Black Lives Matter Plaza. His remarks echoed those he gave at Mount Rushmore the night before, in which he said people attacking historical monuments are part of a merciless campaign to wipe out our history, defame our heroes, erase our values, and indoctrinate our children. 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 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 William Luther /Staff With many public 4th of July fireworks displays canceled by concerns over the coronavirus, officials are warning against using the store-bought kind at home or in the street, which is illegal in San Antonio. Mayor Ron Nirenberg said Friday that fireworks this weekend might distract the fire department, whose EMS crews need to concentrate on a surge of COVID-19 victims in need of transport to area hospitals. Jesse DeLuna and his wife, Lilly, were doing well. She worked at a nail salon. Jesse, an Iraq War vet who was wounded in combat in 2007, had a job with an employment staffing company. Then the coronavirus pandemic hit. In March, both lost their jobs. Jesse, 43, an Army supply sergeant who has served in the military 17 years, was on a two-week stint with the Army Reserve when he got a call saying he no longer was employed. The weeks passed. Then months. They got behind on their car payments, as well as their mortgage and utility bills. Things were looking pretty dark until they reached out to Operation Homefront, a nonprofit that helps active duty military and veterans and their families. Not long after, the agency sent more than $3,000 to the DeLunas various creditors. They helped us keep current, he said. They helped us basically have food on the table. It took away a lot of our anxiety and worry. Matthew Busch /Contributor Based in San Antonio, the national nonprofit provides a range of services to military personnel and their families, the most crucial being the financial assistance program, when sends money directly to utility, mortgage and loan companies. For 18 years, the agency has provided financial relief, along with other programs, such as transitional and permanent housing and family support services. Those eligible include active duty and deployed military and those who are wounded, ill or injured. It also provides food assistance, auto and home repair, vision care, travel and transportation, moving assistance and essential home items. Such help has proved indispensible in the time of the pandemic, those with the nonprofit said. On ExpressNews.com: Spike in virus increases demand for testing Operation Homefronts Chief Operating Officer, retired Brig. Gen. Bob Thomas, said the nonprofit quickly established a specific fund for COVID-related financial relief soon after the virus hit. So far, it has distributed $373,000 to almost 560 military families. We limited our assistance to around $1,000 per family per month, he said. Were trying to help as many families as we can. Thomas said Operation Homefronts core mission is to help military families thrive. Right now, its focused more on just helping them survive. Most applicants have lost jobs because of the virus or seen their hours at work reduced. Matthew Busch /Contributor In this environment, no one is really thriving, he said. We want to help as many as we can just to get by. The main financial program still is accepting requests, he said, and typically provides larger dollar amounts. Its annual budget is $1.5 million. A separate program for home repairs has a $1.2 million budget. Funds for both come from corporate donors, private foundations and the Wounded Warrior Project, a charity and veterans service organization. A lot of our families today, especially those on the lower income scale, theyre really two-income families, he said. Sometimes one person has a full-time job and the other works part-time. Loss of those hours and that income has a huge impact. On ExpressNews.com: Number hospitalized in Bexar County tops 1,000 Many of Operation Homefronts applicants already were in a tough spot when the virus hit. That was the final knockout punch, he said, adding that the nonprofit helps out only when the bills are overdue, not before. When the pandemic started, many military families had the benefit of income tax refunds and earned-income credits that helped soften the blow, he said. Some also have been helped by programs that put mortgages or rent payments in forbearance during the pandemic, along with enhanced unemployment benefits and eviction freezes. But those programs have come to an end in many cases or may end soon. That worries Thomas. Thing could get pretty touchy pretty quickly, he said. If that calculus changes, we may see a real spike in demand for our services. Since the nonprofit was created, it has provided over $30 million in financial support to 45,000 families, he said. For the DeLunas, the money happened at a fortuitous time. Theyve been able to stay in their home and keep their two cars. We appreciate an organization that does this for vets, especially those like myself that have health issues that prevent me from going out and finding a job just anywhere, said DeLuna, who struggles with a back injury, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder tied to his time in combat. Lilly has been able to go back to the nail salon part-time, he said although she leaves when the spa starts getting too cramped. Jesse, who has a bachelors degree, is enrolled in a military vocational rehab program that essentially pays him to go to school. Hes taking online classes in information technology. We really would have been in trouble, without the help, he said. A lot of vets dont know this is out there. Melissa Fletcher Stoeltje is a general assignment reporter covering breaking news, cultural trends and interesting people and goings-on around San Antonio and Bexar County, as well as all across South Texas. To read more from Melissa , become a subscriber. mstoeltje@express-news.net | Twitter: @mstoeltje 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. With the cancellation of the annual Fourth of July jubilee that normally draws thousands, Pickrell Park in Schertz will be lifeless today. No food trucks, live music or carnival rides for the kids. And no thrilling finale of fireworks blasting off in the night sky. But despite the restrictions imposed in Texas and across the country by the coronavirus pandemic on familiar Fourth of July events, the spirit of patriotic celebration lives on here. Shortly after daybreak Friday, teams of volunteers including Boy Scouts from Troop 51 began decorating Schertz Parkway with 6,000 small U.S. flags. Its just a good thing to do on the Fourth of July to lift everyones spirits, given everything else thats going on in the world, Kyle Tarrillion, 16, an Eagle Scout in Troop 51, said as he toiled just east of Interstate 35. As the teams worked, punching holes in the hard earth with metal rods and then inserting the flags, passing motorists honked and waved. If all went well, by dusk 3 miles of the divided roadway would be decorated in red, white and blue. The city supplied the flags, at a cost of about $4,000, and Kyle Dorsey, a senior scout in Troop 51, organized the installation effort to fulfill his Eagle Scout project obligation. Its getting him away from video games and into real life, where you are planning, thinking about others and holding meetings, said his mother, Tammy Dorsey, who was working up a sweat planting flags Friday morning. He has to keep track of all the changes in the plan and then do a final written report after its over, she added. On ExpressNews.com: San Antonio girls, aiming for Eagle Scout, break the gender barrier at camp Schertz city officials were happy to find someone willing to tackle the job. We had purchased these flags and were looking for volunteers when we came across this troop. He kind of took it from there, said Linda Klepper, a city spokesperson. We think it will bring a sense of pride in our country as folks drive down the Schertz Parkway, she added. Contacted by phone midway through the effort, Kyle Dorsey, 17, said his plan was mostly working out. What he had not foreseen was all the news media and public interest the Boy Scout project drew. I didnt expect to be interviewed or for people to be celebrating that we are doing this. I didnt expect anyone to care about this project, he said. John MacCormack is a staff writer in the San Antonio and Bexar County area. To read more from John, become a subscriber. JMacCormack@express-news.net | Twitter: @JohnMacCormack 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 If endorsements were votes, Tony Gonzales would have locked up the District 23 Republican race months ago. The affable former Navy cryptologist almost immediately established himself among party leaders as the Republican candidate most likely to thread the needle and keep this sprawling, heavily Latino congressional swing district in GOP hands. Gonzales got the backing of the outgoing District 23 congressman, Will Hurd, Land Commissioner George P. Bush, former Gov. Rick Perry, former U.S. Sen. Phil Gramm, Houston Congressman Dan Crenshaw and the two top Republican leaders in the U.S. House: Kevin McCarthy and Steve Scalise. By comparison, Gonzaless runoff opponent, Raul Reyes Jr., has been treated like a party crashing rogue by GOP leaders. Up until Tuesday, the biggest endorsement Reyes could claim was from Ted Nugent, the celebrated composer of Wang Dang Sweet Poontang. That all changed with the bombshell announcement that Ted Cruz, the biggest star in the Texas Republican constellation, was not only endorsing Reyes, but launching an ad buy featuring a 30-second video testimonial from Cruz. Jobs, Freedom and Security, Cruzs leadership political action committee, spent $109,788 for media/production on the pro-Reyes ad, according to a campaign finance report filed on June 30. Texans dont back down from a fight and we dont surrender, the senator said in the ad. Thats why we need to send conservative warriors to defeat Nancy Pelosis agenda and show some of our Republicans what a backbone is. Reyes, Cruz insisted, is just such a conservative warrior. Cruzs late-June surprise two days into early voting for the runoff had two discernible effects: It sent Republican Party veterans into private fits of consternation, because they view Reyes a blunt border hawk and social-conservative crusader as someone who would have no hope in a District 23 general election. The Cruz endorsement also sent staffers at the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee into spasms of giddiness, not only because Reyes looks like an easier candidate for Democratic nominee Gina Ortiz Jones to beat, but also because Cruz is forcing Gonzales to deplete resources he otherwise could have saved for the general election. Matt Mackowiak, Gonzaless campaign spokesman, called Cruzs move a catastrophic and strategically indefensible endorsement of a candidate who cannot win in District 23. One thing Cruz couldnt achieve with his endorsement, however, was blocking President Donald Trump from backing Gonzales. According to the New York Times, McCarthy lobbied for Trump to endorse Gonzales, but Trump hesitated after Cruz called the president and urged him not to oppose Reyes, an ardent supporter of Trumps long-promised border wall. On Friday, however, Trump tweeted out his complete and total endorsement of Gonzales, calling him Strong on the Economy, Life and the Second Amendment. These dueling high-powered endorsements will only intensify the divisiveness of what has been a remarkably vitriolic GOP match-up. Reyes, a retired Air Force officer, has described Gonzales a former Defense Department legislative fellow in the office of U.S. Sen. Marco, Rubio, R-Florida as someone in bed with socialists, because Gonzaless foundation donated $600 last year to the League of United Latin American Citizens scholarship fund. For his part, Gonzales has said of his opponent, You know Reyes is lying when his lips are moving. The two candidates could never agree on when and where to debate. They argued over whether Reyes got booed off the stage at a recent luncheon. Gonzaless mother accused Reyess campaign of spying on her son. Otherwise, these two guys get along great. Cruzs endorsement was a throwback to his early days in the U.S. Senate, when he seemed to go out of his way to irritate and castigate the leaders of his own party. In 2014, Cruz pointedly refused to endorse his Senate colleague, John Cornyn, in the Texas primary. That same year, he also praised tea-party insurgent Katrina Pierson, who launched a primary challenge against U.S. Rep. Pete Sessions. Since losing the 2016 presidential nomination to Trump (and getting grief from fellow Republicans for initially withholding an endorsement for Trump), Cruz has tried to redefine himself as a team player and legislative deal maker. His Reyes endorsement flies in the face of that effort, but it makes sense if you think of this runoff as the preview of a looming clash between Cruz and Hurd, both of whom are pondering a 2024 presidential bid. Another throwback aspect to this weird situation is that we now have Cruz and Trump, just like in 2016, on opposite ends of a bitter political battle. Among other things, the results will tell us something about how much a Trump or Cruz endorsement is worth in the summer of 2020. Gilbert Garcia is a columnist covering the San Antonio and Bexar County area. To read more from Gilbert, become a subscriber. ggarcia@express-news.net | Twitter: @gilgamesh470 According to her mother, Pfc. Vanessa Guillen wanted to be a soldier since she was 10 years old. Gloria Guillen said she wasnt happy about that. She told Jorge Ramos on Univisions Al Punto she knew a career in the military could bring pain and she cried on the day her daughter, who went missing April 22, enlisted. Like many Spanish-speaking moms in South Texas, she referred to her daughter as la nina and mi preciosa. Those terms of endearment bring to mind a girl, not a soldier. But then again, her daughter, who in a framed photo looks like a Latina Disney princess in uniform, wouldnt be old enough to buy a margarita until later this year. The soldiers mother told Ramos that on Feb. 8, she confronted her daughter about a change in her behavior and Vanessa reluctantly told her she was being harassed by someone at Fort Hood, the Army post where she was stationed. Guillen said her daughter believed it was impossible to denounce that miserable person because other women had called him out and werent believed. They were laughed at and harassed further. Vanessas family say they knew something was wrong the day she disappeared from a parking lot outside the armory, where she had been working. They spoke to officials at Fort Hood. They had suspicions. They say they named names. I want to know what happened, Gloria Guillen said, at times furious and at times beside herself with grief. I want to know why they say there are no cameras in an armory on an Army base. I want to know why more people werent looking for her. I want to know what happened on April 22. She asked those questions of Army officials at Fort Hood three times, Guillen said, and every time was told the case was being investigated. She said all of that in Spanish on a Univision talk show. Last week, authorities found what have been identified as Vanessas remains in a shallow grave near Fort Hood. A soldier linked to her disappearance and, according to Natalie Khawam, an attorney representing the Guillen family, the man Vanessa said watched her shower in a locker room last October shot and killed himself early Wednesday. Another person of interest, the ex-wife of a former soldier who reports say was dating the suspect, was in custody last week. Vanessas older sister, Mayra, says she spoke to this man April 23; he laughed at her. Her other sister, Lupe, has demanded justice. She said in the months since Vanessa went missing, other soldiers have gone public with stories of sexual harassment, on social media via #IAmVanessa. Her sister, who was always smiling and helping others, changed after arriving at Fort Hood, she has said. Vanessa and other young women and men in uniform facing sexual harassment deserve better, she said. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, D-Hawaii, has joined the Guillen family, who were in Washington, D.C., Wednesday calling for a congressional inquiry of Vanessas case and why so many questions went unanswered at Fort Hood for so long including the recent discovery of human remains belonging to another soldier who disappeared close to a year ago. Gabbard has also said she will push legislation that provides an avenue for soldiers to file complaints outside the chain of command. That would be a much-needed change, considering the chain of command has the power to dismiss complaints or keep things quiet, especially if the perpetrator of wrongdoing is the next link in the chain. But that it has taken the disappearance and death of a young woman a young soldier who had just begun her career in uniform to help spark interest in this legislation seems wrong. Weve heard these stories too many times before. There might not have been enough interpreters on hand to have Gloria Guillen talk to the mainstream media the way she spoke with Ramos, but she deserves answers about the killing of her precious girl our Pfc. Vanessa Guillen. I think everybody can understand that. mariaanglinwrites@gmail.com Lets remember, the USDA should never have awarded a $39 million contract to CRE8AD8, a San Antonio event planner we wouldnt entrust with putting tchotchkes in a bag, let alone delivering food for struggling families. While it is welcome news the USDA wont renew its contract with CRE8AD8 as in Create A Date and its assailable owner, Gregorio Palomino, this is only a decision that prevents future harm. It does nothing to ease the pain Palominos abject failure has created for families and communities across Texas and beyond. It does nothing to explain how an event planner with no experience in food distribution, who has misrepresented himself to the public, would land such a large contract at such a critical moment. What does harm look like? In this case, it looks like the number zero, which is exactly how many food boxes CRE8AD8 delivered to the North Texas Food Bank in Plano, and the Southeast Texas Food Bank in Beaumont, and the West Texas Food Bank in Odessa, and the Community Food Bank of Southern Arizona in Tucson, and the Utah Food Bank in Salt Lake City. We have received zero loads, zero boxes, zero of anything from CRE8AD8, Libby Campbell, executive director of the West Texas Food Bank, told Express-News reporter Tom Orsborn. Even in those instances when CRE8AD8 delivered something, it was inadequate. At the San Antonio Food Bank, which has been serving 120,000 people a week in this crisis, CRE8AD8 was supposed to deliver 57 truckloads of food. It delivered an estimated 22. Likewise, it was supposed to deliver 87 truckloads to the Houston Food Bank, but it only came through with 15. Every failure by CRE8AD8 had the potential to leave someone hungry. This was a contract for 750,000 boxes of food through the USDAs deeply flawed $3 billion Farmers to Families Food Box Program. It should have gone to a proven supplier, and our congressional delegation needs to keep pressing on why it didnt. As we have learned since the contract was awarded in May, Palomino has brazenly misrepresented himself and his company, claiming associations that were not true and were easily checked. We learned this thanks to dogged reporting from Orsborn, who in normal times covers sports, but in this moment of crisis has chronicled food insecurity. Stories like these are why local news matters. Bigger picture, we cant help but wonder if the Farmers to Families Food Box Program is really the best approach to feeding the hungry. With schools and restaurants closing during this pandemic, the program purchases surplus dairy, meat and produce. These items are packaged into family-size boxes and then distributed to food banks. While that sounds promising, it has opened the door to questionable contracts. Besides, if the primary goal is to feed the hungry and ease overburdened food banks, it would make more sense to funnel these funds to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, providing direct support to families and allowing them to shop at grocery stores rather than wait in distribution lines. Were relieved CRE8AD8s contract wasnt renewed. But if feeding families is the priority, how on earth did Palomino land this contract? 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 BRIDGEPORT A person was wounded in Bridgeport late Friday night, according to city officials. Scott Appleby, the city emergency management director, said police responded to reports of a person shot in the 200 block of Wells Street on Friday night. The individual was transported to the hospital with non-life-threatening wounds, Appleby said. Police were on scene investigating as of approximately 11:15 p.m., Appleby said. william.lambert@hearstmediact.com MPs are calling for evidence to find out whether the government's Covid-19 interventions created to help dairy producers had been 'sufficient and fair'. A call for evidence has been announced by the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (EFRA) Select Committee on government support for the sector during the crisis. The cross-party group of MPs want to gain insight over the next few weeks into the issues affecting British dairy, with an initial deadline set for 15 July. Chair of EFRA, Conservative MP Neil Parish explained that the industry had been 'hit hard' by the coronavirus lockdown. The sector has witnessed a reduced demand for milk with the closure of restaurants, bars, and cafes as a result of the virus's impact. "Our coffee shops and restaurants closed abruptly with a huge knock-on effect on the supply chain," Mr Parish said. "Over the past few months we have seen demand for milk change dramatically, and prices slashed for many farmers." Mr Parish said his committee wanted to analyse if any ongoing issues affecting the dairy sector had been overlooked by government. "We are determined to find out whether government interventions made to help dairy farmers have been sufficient and fair, so we are seeking evidence from the sector in the coming weeks." The dairy sector has raised concerns over the lack of information from the government regarding its dairy response fund's eligibility criteria.. The hardship fund calculates eligibility based on a simple calculation on the milk price paid during the pandemic, rather than lost income. Because of this, the Royal Association of British Dairy Farmers (RABDF) said the fund did not support producers who were in serious need of financial help, such as those farmers who had to dump milk. There is also industry disappointment over the hardship fund's exclusion of the non-bovine sector. What does the committee want to explore? The EFRA committee is looking for evidence from farmers and those in the dairy sector in three key areas: How has the pandemic affected the dairy industry and dairy farmers, and why did it need extra support compared to other agricultural sectors? What impact have the other government actions to support the industry, for example the relaxation of competition law announced in April, and the Intervention and Private Storage Agreement schemes administered by the RPA had? Whether the dairy response fund is a proportionate and fair response to the issues faced by dairy farmers? Are there specific weakness in its design, and if so how could they be addressed? 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. Category Select Category Apparel/Garments Textiles Fashion Technical Textiles Information Technology E-commerce Retail Corporate Association Press Release SubCategory Select Sub-Category 15 June marked a dark day in Indian history as we saw several lives being sacrificed at the border. 20 Indian soldiers of 16th Bihar Regiment including its commanding officer, Colonel Santosh Babu passed away in a border clash with the Chinese army. Now, a report in a leading daily has claimed that Bollywood star Ajay Devgn is soon planning to make a movie on the incident. The film will be a tribute to the 20 soldiers who fought the Chinese army to assert the territorial integrity and sovereignty of our motherland. The film will be co-produced by Ajay Devgn Films and Select Media Holdings LLP. While the script is underway, the cast and crew are yet to be finalised. It is not clear if Ajay Devgn will star in the film or not but were sure that he will do complete justice to the story. Kartik Aaryan has a remarkable knack to make people laugh. He doesnt limit his good vibes only through his social media posts, but also gets us rolling on the floor with laughter with his witty comments on other celebrities posts as well. His hilarious comment on Amitabh Bachchans latest post has left everyone smiling yet again. Amitabh Bachchan whos a fan of hand-written posts and still sends compliments to actors with a hand-written note, took to his social media to share his thoughts on how handwritten posts and notes are good for the brain. He even shared a picture where we see Big Bs beautiful handwriting on a note. While everyone loved the post, Kartik Aaryan stated something that left us in splits. He commented saying, Main Doctor family se hoon sir. Meri handwriting dekh ke shayad aisa nahi bologe. (Im from a doctor's family, if youll witness my handwriting, you might change your stance). Check out the post below. Kartik Aaryan had always stated that it was his dream to work with Amitabh Bachchan. The actor achieved his dream when he got the chance to shoot with the veteran actor for a commercial. The insurance brokerage market is expected to grow by USD 13.84 billion 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/20200703005235/en/ Technavio has announced its latest market research report titled Global Insurance Brokerage Market 2020-2024 (Graphic: Business Wire) Request challenges and opportunities influenced by COVID-19 pandemic Request a Free Sample Report on COVID-19 Impacts The global insurance brokerage market is witnessing an increase in the demand for accidental insurance, life insurance, medical insurance, vehicle insurance, liability insurance, and property insurance. This is due to the expanding population of baby boomers and millennials worldwide, which is providing significant growth opportunities for market players. Besides, many insurance firms are actively investing in innovative insurance products and services and increasing awareness to tap the potential in emerging markets. These factors are expected to fuel the growth of the global insurance brokerage 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=IRTNTR40862 As per Technavio, the consolidation of the brokerage industry 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. Insurance Brokerage Market: Consolidation of the Brokerage Industry Major insurance firms in the market are partnering with local players to expand their geographical presence and increase their revenue. For instance, In August 2018, CIPRES Assurances acquired Axelliance, a direct broker and insurance company. Similarly, in April 2019, Marsh McLennan acquired Jardine Lloyd Thomson, a multinational insurance, reinsurance, and brokerage services company based in the UK. Many such M&A activities are expected to have a positive impact on the growth of the global insurance brokerage market. "Integration of IT and analytic solutions and the emergence of digital marketing platforms 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 Insurance Brokerage Market: Segmentation Analysis This market research report segments the insurance brokerage market by type (non-life insurance and life insurance) and geography (APAC, Europe, MEA, North America, and South America). The North American region led the insurance brokerage market in 2019, followed by Europe, APAC, South America, and MEA respectively. During the forecast period, North America is expected to register the highest incremental growth due to the growth of the working capital population in the region. 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/20200703005235/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/ The aluminum extrusion market is expected to grow by 6.76 million tons 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 according to the latest market research report by Technavio. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200703005247/en/ Technavio has announced its latest market research report titled Global Aluminum Extrusion Market 2020-2024 (Graphic: Business Wire) Rapid urbanization, increasing purchasing power, and steady economic growth in emerging economies have increased the adoption of automobiles across the world. For instance, the GDP per capita of China increased from USD 2,695.37 to USD 8,827 during 2007-2017. Similarly, Indonesia's GDP per capita increased from USD 1,885.10 to USD 3,846.57 during the same period. These factors have significantly contributed to the growth of the global automotive industry. The automotive industry is one of the major end-users of aluminum extruded products. Aluminum extruded products are widely used in engine mounts, brake components, radiator frames, seat frames, and high-end equipment such as safety components, crash management systems, body-in-white structures, and elaborate decorative parts. Therefore, the thriving automotive industry is expected to drive the growth of the global aluminum extrusion market during the forecast period. Request challenges and opportunities influenced by COVID-19 pandemic Request a Free Sample Report on COVID-19 Impacts 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=IRTNTR40582 As per Technavio, the increasing demand for solar energy 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. Aluminum Extrusion Market: Increasing Demand for Solar Energy Factors such as the expected decline in fossil fuels and growing concerns over carbon emissions are increasing the adoption of renewable energy sources such as solar. Besides, many governments across the world are offering support and subsidies for the installation and use of solar power. Aluminum-extruded products are widely used in the manufacture of frames of photovoltaic panels. Therefore, the increasing demand for solar energy is expected to positively influence the growth of the global aluminum extrusion market during the forecast period. "Growing consumption of secondary aluminum and the increasing adoption of pre-engineered buildings 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 Aluminum Extrusion Market: Segmentation Analysis This market research report segments the Aluminum extrusion market by Product (Mill-finished, Anodized, and Powder coated), End-user (Building and construction, Automotive and transportation, Machinery and equipment, Consumer durables, and Others), and Geography (APAC, North America, Europe, South America, and MEA). The APAC region led the aluminum extrusion market in 2019, followed by North America, Europe, South America, and MEA respectively. During the forecast period, APAC is expected to register the highest incremental growth due to the thriving construction and automobile industries in the region. 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/20200703005247/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/ NEW YORK, NY / ACCESSWIRE / July 4, 2020 / There is a movie quote that goes "As every good housewife knows, the first check you write is for the mortgage, but the second is for the insurance," and even though this statement may hold true. Not everyone is a "good housewife" that knows that ins and outs of finances. Good thing Anthony Bowers can help you learn the ropes of finances and achieve financial security. Anthony Bowers Jr. is the founder of Bowers Enterprises, a financial services company determined and committed to providing the information and education necessary to make quality financial decisions at the family level. He graduated from the University of California, Riverside, where he holds a Bachelor's degree in Psychology, which focused on principles of Psychology relating to the financial services market. After this, he decided to gain more knowledge in finance and took a Masters in Business Administration with an emphasis on Finance at Maryville University. Before founding the company, Anthony was exposed to the situation of underprivileged children while teaching mathematics to Title 1 students in the inner city. With the goal to redefine finance, Anthony Bowers established Bowers Enterprises to help individuals and families learn essential financial practices and educating in financial principles. Anthony hopes to help and guide individuals, families, and businesses to make smarter decisions to achieve their goals. Whether decreasing debt, providing tax strategies, helping receive returns on long-term investments, and protecting assets, Bowers Enterprises prides on providing its clients with quality service. The company also offers the lowest price per investment and the highest gains for their clients. With Anthony's proven experience in executive management, clients can rest assured that they receive quality service. Individuals, families, and businesses, can put their trust in Anthony and his company when it comes to guiding them in saving, investing in insurance, and long-term investments. When Anthony established Bowers Enterprises, he made sure that his heart was in the right place. He knew that he wanted to help people escape their living from paycheck to paycheck nightmares and help them achieve financial independence. It was Anthony's passion and determination to inspire people that fueled his desire to bring change. And despite these commitments, Anthony Bowers is first and foremost a family man, Anthony never fails to give his wife and daughter the love and care they deserve and spends his free time with them for him they are his strength and inspiration to continue what he is doing. If you want to know how Anthony Bowers can help you, you may reach him via e-mail at Bowersenterprises17@gmail.com or his contact number at 661-802-3486. SOURCE: Authority Titans View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/596257/For-a-Brighter-Future-Let-Anthony-Bowers-Help-Insure-Your-Future-Through-Financial-Security LOS ANGELES, CA / ACCESSWIRE / July 4, 2020 / Charlie Lazarus is a top-tier real estate agent and business owner who resides in Southern California. He specializes in selling luxury homes in some of California's most desirable cities such as Orange County, San Diego, and Los Angeles. A graduate of The University of Arizona, Charlie first became involved in the luxury real estate scene in 2012 while studying economics in school. Since starting his own real estate business in 2015, Charlie has found many strategic ways to differentiate himself from the high volume of real estate agents in Southern California. At just 29 years old, Charlie is reinventing the wheel, changing the conventional strategies in which luxury real estate is sold. Lazarus has created a marketing platform for the luxury homes that he sells called "Social Estates". Charlie stated, "People don't want to just see a luxury house, they want to see a luxury lifestyle, and that's what we're giving them with Social Estates." This innovative system includes enticing videos which Charlie has named "day in the life" films. These videos serve as a highlight reel which display the lifestyle awarded from owning such luxury real estate consisting of everything from sushi chefs and bartenders, to DJ performances and luxury vehicles. Charlie has found a substantial amount of success thus far in his career through innovating marketing trends with abstract ideas, as he has sold over $50 million of residential real estate and has flipped and wholesaled over 25 properties in just 5 years. When asked about his unconventional strategies, Charlie explained, "I really want to show up-and-coming entrepreneurs that there are other ways to become successful outside of what industry leaders and society preach. There are many other paths that stray from the conventional norm, and I want to be the voice to show people that there's another way." When Charlie is not working on real estate, he is managing one of his multiple six-figure e-commerce drop shipping business, as well as adding to his impressive investment portfolio. He most recently acquired a stake in a fast-growing hemp clothing company by the name of Drihp, which is expected to be the face of the hemp industry in late 2020 as well as years to come. Lazarus is also heavily involved in a company by the name of Clone Connect, a hemp consulting company whose mission is to solve problems in the hemp industry. One thing is for sure, Charlie Lazarus has dominated the Southern California real estate market for a while now, but he has no plans to slow down any time soon. There will always be new marketing trends to start, but Charlie will likely be the individual to create them. Lazarus is definitely someone to look out for in 2020 and years to come, as his unique way of thinking is likely to elevate him even closer to the top of the luxury real estate industry. You can contact Charlie on his Website, or reach out to him on his Instagram. SOURCE: BIGWORK Media View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/596263/How-Charlie-Lazarus-is-Revolutionizing-the-Luxury-Real-Estate-Industry XUZHOU, China, July 4, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Leading Chinese construction machinery manufacturer XCMG (SHE: 000425) is celebrating the 2020 International Day of Cooperatives on July 4 through a retrospective of its successful partnership achievements with top global industry partners over the past year. XCMG entered strategic agreements with two existing long-term partners - leading diesel engine manufacturer Cummins and leading global mining group Rio Tinto - in the fall of 2019. Together, the companies have committed to strengthen mutually beneficial global activities across all areas of the product and value chain. In addition, the partners have pledged to share resources and new technologies, while continuously improving global R&D, manufacturing and service systems. "XCMG is committed to working hand-in-hand with our partners to grow and succeed together. Through active engagements and strategic local initiatives, we will ultimately create better products and services for customers around the world," said Wang Min, Chairman of XCMG. Exploring new energy solutions and premium product upgrades with Cummins XCMG has expanded its 40-year partnership with Cummins beyond conventional diesel power to include new energy solutions. The two manufacturers have jointly developed a 3.5-ton electric mini-excavator, featuring a Cummins BM5.7E battery module that can operate for up to eight hours on one charge, and has passed fatigue tests to demonstrate both reliability and zero emissions. As part of its ongoing cooperation, Cummins and XCMG prioritize high-end product strategies, strict quality control and high-efficiency/low energy consumption while ensuring maximum product reliability and stability. XCMG's milestone accomplishments with Cummins include: A super 4,000-ton XGC88000 crawler crane equipped with three Cummins QSK23 high-powered engines; A 400-ton super hydraulic excavator powered by Cummins QSK60 high-powered engines; A 700-ton hydraulic excavator featuring dual Cummins QSK50 high-powered engines. With Rio Tinto: integrating mining solutions while guaranteeing quality From cold, snow-covered plateaus to the extreme heat of open-pit mines in Australia, XCMG's mining graders have won recognition in the open-mining market for their high quality and performance. In December 2019, XCMG successfully delivered nine customized GR2605 large-scale mining graders to Rio Tinto in Australia, marking another landmark since the brand's cooperation began with BHP and Vale. According to Australian standards and requirements, the customized GR2605 mining grader was set to 35 types of welds with corresponding procedures that fully guarantee welding quality and meets the requirements of the mining market. Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1200201/XCMG_Celebrates_Partnership_Achievements_Industry_Partners_International_Day_of_Cooperatives.jpg Today Clear skies. Low 48F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph. Tonight Clear skies. Low 48F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph. Tomorrow Partly cloudy in the morning followed by scattered thunderstorms in the afternoon. Gusty winds and small hail are possible. High 82F. Winds SSW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 50%. In putting together these bodies of photographic work in this issue of PIXs Personal Paradigms, the editorial team does allow for the reading that everything isnt as it is: that the simple act of recovering deeply-buried family albums can topple truths. A handsome dark-skinned man with tight curls, two black brushstrokes for a moustache directly looks into the camera with a womans hand on his chest, shes up against him, her head cradled between his neck and shoulder. She is open-mouthed, laughing. Her eyes are crinkled. In another: a girl dressed in a tomato-red kameez and parrot-green salwar is high up in a tree, leaning in the wedge of its branches, looking forlorn into the distance surrounded by the forest all around her. Theres one with a man on the street casually wearing a suit he seems to have miscalculated the buttons to buttonholes equation on his shirt holding a silver trumpet. His eyes are looking to the side, averting our collective gaze. In yet another one: a Marie biscuit like the waning moon sits snuggly at a foot that hints at the most exquisite wooden chair. These are just some of the potent photos from the essays and writings that come together to form Personal Paradigms the latest issue of PIX, a photography quarterly that is about investigating and engaging with the broad and expansive fields of contemporary photographic practice in India. It would seem that this edition of the quarterly couldnt have come at a better time. While, globally, the pandemic has brought bubbling forth to the surface the systemic violence that marginalised communities have had to suffer at the hands of capitalism and their corporate and countrys leaders. Within the Indian context, these conversations on wholeness, completeness and pureness have been still putting on their pants in our drawing rooms, while they have long been rallying cries for grassroots peoples movements to break the system and reshape it in a way that made more room for them. The pandemic has ensured that we will no longer be able to be silent on these issues in our private rooms either. In a way, this eighteenth issue of PIX reminds us that this undertaking: of writing and rewriting history (both individual and institutional) arent contemporary activities at all. Rather, they have always existed in the ways that people recorded and archived themselves, their own stories, and editorialising actually took place within the private sphere of the family. And this can be seen in the many essays that delve into family albums to tell a story of personhoods but also publicness. Joel Fernandos Alaigal, which is Tamizh for waves, takes the oft-repeated story of the prodigal son, who went outside of his village to seize the economic opportunities and returned to do good for his own. In Joels essay, black-and-white photographs of everything from First Communions to functions to funerals are placed together as milestones to show the migration and the materials that made their way back over the years. On the hand, in Anu Kumars Ghar, one has the chance to look at photographs that might make it into a contemporary family photo album, where the characters arent entirely embodied but rather ephemera yet firmly present. And yet, it too tells the story of returning to the place of beginnings. Then, there are projects that use personal archives and photographic interventions to deconstruct popular historical narratives around characters, cities and commitments. Theres Rohith Krishnans Praxis, which asks us to relook at the major players of the Naxalite movement to tell a story that muddles together glory, grit and getting left behind in a tender manner with a mix of recent portraits of them in their surroundings that captures the passage of time and the glories of their past as well as black-and-white photographs from a personal archive of agitations and action. Through Alakananda Nags The Armenians only an interview we are invited to understand the way a photographers personal projects can at times in becoming larger than itself unearth the missing bits of the past, in this case, the hand of the Armenians in building modern Kolkata. We are taken behind the scenes of a war through the images of Colonel Pradeep Kapoor in his son Aditya Kapoors contribution The Wartime Family Album and shown that even at extraordinary times, the human instinct is to search for the ordinary moment. Through these works, we are able to understand the ways that personal can unmake or remake our ideas of public knowledge. That the difference between the magical and the mundane is perspective. Though: I think it is at the times that these photo-essays break out of being centred on blood ties as familial (or the personal as defined in this theme), or attempt to take apart its scaffolding, it begins to intrigue and tugs at the visceral level just a little more for me. It steps outside of its documentary-ness to say something about the photographer and those in the photographs; it gives insight into the ways that relationships could be thicker without the bind of blood. As a Black, Femme, Queer, Afro-Indian, Im particularly excited by the gaps that allow me to see my own trajectories even if Im not physically present in those photos. And it is this openness and invitation that drew me into Sarah Ainslies Caught Between Two Worlds that literally pieces, pushes and pulls apart photographs to tell stories outside of their frames (and also within them). In their new avatar, they seem more honest to their origin: divulging familys secrets around sexuality, dual, distant families and the dissonance of mental illness. And even if one didnt know this, were left asking: there must be a reason for togetherness to be shown as (a)part? In general, Im also drawn to narratives around constructed families, and Srinivas Kurugantis Pictures in My Hand of a Boy I Still Resemble satisfies that need, fully. In his photographs, one is allowed to reminisce about the people in ones own life who blur boundaries between family and friend. (Or maybe, who make us expect better from our first families?) It actually shifts the paradigm of the personal as something that isnt simply ones birthright to something that is earned over time. He seems to validate the admonishment from my childhood, youll have to work for a personal life, and yet shows that even if one severely lacked a family growing up, it is possible to find one you can name your own. While one does always find it hard to place the political in the context of the happy, Rajyashri Goodys Eat With Great Delight deftly achieves this usually unwieldy task. Here, the choice of showing her Dalit family and community gathered together over shared meals gives us pause from the Dalit body being a symbol of strife and struggle and instead colours in laughter, joy and enjoyment into this body. While it steps outside of the commonplace imagery of the Dalit person, it forces us to remember that despite on-going everyday violence and aggressions faced by this community, there will always be time for sharing, for coming together, for recharging the batteries. It reminds us that staying alive is a political act, laughing and making merry while doing it makes it an even better one. In putting together these bodies of photographic work in this issue of PIXs Personal Paradigms, the editorial team does allow for the reading that everything isnt as it is: that the simple act of recovering deeply-buried family albums can topple truths. It demonstrates that actions done in the private domain can change the public sphere, or at least introduce it as a topic of conversation. Especially in a time when the government is forcing us to produce a document that proves we belong, that this is our home. This edition of the quarterly then poses these questions: What do family photo albums count for? What do they reveal about us? What can they tell of the ways we have always related to one another? What of the ways we have wanted to relate to each other? (We could assign them with values of good or bad, but maybe leaving them at the level of action might produce something else?) But there is a loose-end that it doesnt tie. In reading the accompanying texts and listening to the video synopsis, I noted a commonality: almost everyone was gifted their first camera. It definitely was/is seen as an item of luxury. So, the questions that still linger for me: Who gets to make these photographs? Who gets to be in these photographs? Who gets to have these deeply-buried family albums that can topple truths? Joshua Muyiwa is a Bengaluru-based poet and writer Banner image via enterpix.in Family Romance, LLC, now streaming on MUBI India, benefits from director Werner Herzogs masterful execution. Note: This review was first published when Family Romance, LLC premiered at Cannes Film Festival 2019. Fueled by the need for human connections, even as it is constantly detaching itself from it, modern Japanese society is home to the bizarre phenomenon of renting proxy human beings - from friends to fathers - as stand-ins to cope with real-life situations. Japans rent-a-family industry has provided enough fodder for travel glossies and longform newspaper features over the years its practically a mainstream subject on Japan. More recently, a New Yorker story written by author and journalist Elif Batuman offered a bitingly authentic portrayal of this trend. The idiosyncrasies of modern Japanese society may make for good copy and thousands of pageviews, but can this tricky subject be just as engaging as a full-fledged movie? German filmmaker Werner Herzog, who travelled to Japan on a family holiday, came upon one Yuichi Ishiis rent a relative company Family Romance LLC and that is how the movie took shape. The movie opens with Yuichi Ishii, who plays himself, accosting a schoolgirl Mahiro, in Tokyos Yoyogi park, claiming he is her long-last father. After initial hesitation from the girl, they connect over cherry-blossom selfies and feeding sparrows in the park. But the first twist in the tale drops when Ishii meets up with Mahiros mother to discuss the contract on playing her father and collecting the first cheque. At the crux of the movie is the business Family Romance LLC and the businessman Ishii who runs it. The movie lets the viewer into the bizarre business and the requests that the company plies with: a woman with a lottery addiction who needs a surprise for herself about a lottery win, a man who needs a stand-in for himself to be reprimanded by his boss for letting the trains run 20 second earlier and a family that needs a fake father for the daughters wedding. These hires are meant to fulfill social obligations, to fend off loneliness and sometimes even as stand-ins to take the blame for the customer. These snippets fall into place to build a larger canvas, which is Ishiis pretend relationship with Mahiro, for which he gets paid from her mother. We are never let in to Mahiros mind, on the other hand, making it impossible to know whether shes playing him too. Similarly, at times, the movie offers no insights into the distinctions between real and surrogate relationships and this serves as the reason for mild frustration on the trustworthiness of some characters and scenes. For instance, one is left to wonder whether Ishiis relationship with his friend is real or the person is simply an actor listening to Ishii vent his frustration. This deliberate attempt to muddle reality comes at the cost of some head-scratching for the viewer but in retrospect, its also an effective commentary on the psyche of the whole system. While no commentary has been made on the wackiness of this whole business, some introspection is nevertheless offered midway when Ishii realizes Mahiro has not been completely honest with him on her life. Im lying to Mahiro. Shes also lying to me. Were both lying to each other, he says helplessly to Mahiros mother. This is also one of the few scenes when the movie lets the viewer sneak a peek into Ishiis character, outside his well-trained surrogate position for the numerous fake roles he plays in peoples real lives. Family Romance, LLC benefits from Herzogs masterful execution, which passively allows the plot to take its own course to develop. This is sometimes counterproductive as at times it feels like the movie could have spent a bit more time on the editing table for trimming a little more flab. Gorgeous visuals of Tokyo punctuate the movie, supplemented by Ernst Reijsegers music. Peppered with sometimes queasy vignettes on how the contemporary Japanese navigate their relationships, Family Romance LLC is like reading an odd Japanese short story. Only none of what is shown in the movie is fiction. Family Romance LLC will appeal to you if you like oddball movies. But a lingering aftertaste is all but indispensable. Not to mention, it is only the result of the subject matter at hand and little to do with Herzogs execution. Family Romance, LLC is now streaming on MUBI India. Rating: *** Dr Anant Bhan, a researcher in global health, bioethics and health policy and former president of International Association of Bioethics, spoke to Firstpost about the 'extreme urgency' shown by ICMR in developing India's COVID-19 vaccine, COVAXIN, by 15 August Four days after Bharat Biotech announced that it has successfully developed COVAXIN, a vaccine candidate for COVID-19 , ICMR said that it wanted to launch the vaccine for public health use latest by 15 August. The vaccine was developed in collaboration with the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) National Institute of Virology (NIV), Pune. A letter, issued by the Director General of ICMR Dr Balram Bhargava, 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. 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 preclinical as well as clinical development of this vaccine. It is envisaged to launch the vaccine for public health use latest by 15 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. Bharat Biotech spokespersons have, however, refused to comment on the deadline. The announcement that India will have a possible vaccine for COVID in 45 days has baffled health experts and researchers. Dr Anant Bhan, a researcher in global health, bioethics and health policy, spoke to Firstpost about the extreme urgency of the situation. Its understandable for a pandemic of this scale. But we cant compromise on the safety and the efficacy aspects. Minimum standards around safety, efficacy and quality need to be followed. Collapsing the entire process to just 45 days is unlikely, and almost impossible, he said. Researchers usually need years to secure funding, approvals and to piece together study results to successfully launch a cure. For COVID, there are roughly 254 therapies and 110 vaccines being explored. Most health experts say a month is too short a timeline for a trial of this magnitude. The expected duration of the trial, according to the governments official clinical trial registry, is one year and three months. In fact, seven of the 12 participating institutes are yet to receive a green-signal from independent ethics committees, Scroll reported a prerequisite for conducting clinical trials. According to experts quoted by several reports, there is no fixed period, but the process can typically run into decades without yielding any results. For instance, after three decades of research, the vaccine for HIV is still in phase III of clinical trials. One of the fastest-developed vaccines is the one used for mumps, which received approval in four years, after trials began in 1963, The Indian Express reported. According to ICMRs letter, pre-clinical development for the vaccine is still underway. Bhan raised serious doubts in the manner the ICMR and DCGI are approaching the process, which will raise questions on the efficacy of the vaccine. Bhan asked, How can clinical trial recruitment for such a vaccine be starting on 7 July, and that vaccine be launched on 15 August? Are we pre-deciding the efficacy of a vaccine trial, which is completing in little over a month? It is surprising how the regulator allowed such a short time period to expedite a clinical trial of this scale, Bhan said. It could also be that they have permitted phase 1 and phase 2, and once they have the data, they have to return to the regulator for permission for phase 3. But none of this information is available for anyone to see, he noted. Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech, one of the seven Indian companies involved in the indigenous production of a vaccine for the novel coronavirus , received the green signal from the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) to begin human trials of 'COVAXIN' last week. Speaking to Firstpost, Bharat Biotech chairman and managing director Dr Krishna Ella said that the virus strain was first isolated by the NIV, Pune after it was collected by the ICMR. This isolated strain was then used to develop a vaccine candidate at Bharat Biotech, Ella said. On receiving the virus strain, Bharat Biotech was able to quickly layout the GMP (good manufacturing practices) protocols for the manufacture of the vaccine candidate. Bharat Biotech developed the first set of GMP batches within 40 days and upon completion, the pre-clinical trials commenced. The ICMR and BBIL have zeroed in on 12 clinical trial sites, but apart from the names of the institutes, no additional information has been made public. Right now, there is hardly any information on what the processes for these trials are. How were the clinical trial sites mentioned in the appendix chosen? What was the criteria? Whats the eligibility? From what list were they chosen? Was this a selection done by the ICMR or by Bharat Biotech? asked Bhan. Noting the manner in which various institutions engaged in the development of a vaccine are taking shortcuts is unprecedented, Bhan said that the threatening tone of the ICMR letter is also problematic. In view of the public health emergency due to COVID-19 pandemic and the 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 7 July, 2020, the letter, issued on 2 July, notes. Kindly note that non-compliance will be viewed very seriously, it added. Otherwise non-compliance will be viewed seriously? By whom? By ICMR? Under what power? asked Bhan. As the premier biomedical research agency of India, ICMR is expected to ensure that proper standards are met. An alum from the University of Toronto, Bhan said, They (ICMR) have been around for many years, and have experience of running vaccine studies, so they have the experience of handling something like this, but rushing to get a vaccine without following proper protocols is not wise at this point of time. And there is not much in the public domain to allay these fears. The timeline presented by the ICMR for the trial, which has been registered on the Clinical Trial Registry of India, also has loopholes. Trial registered on 1 July, 2020, for phase 1 and phase 2 study and we will have efficacy data by 15 August to announce a launch for public health use? asked Bhan. According to Bhan, having a protocol in the public domain would be ideal, where its for everyone to see the processes being followed and requirements that are being met. Rushing with a clinical trial in times like these without following proper protocol is not advisable and could be counter-productive in many ways, he explained. Ensuring adequate attention is paid to the preparations of this clinical trial is paramount, Bhan added. Do they have infrastructure to pull off something of this scale? Do they have the adequate number of staff? Is adequate time being given, asked Bhan, We dont have any studies (in the public domain) on the efficacy of the plan. We only know that there is Phase 1 and Phase 2. The trial sites have been given 5 days. 'Get everything done by 7 July (in a letter dated 2 July) and start clinical trial participant recruitment', the letter says. Does this mean these 'institutions' have to follow all due processes to enable this trial to be run within 5 days from the letter? Including ethics committee approvals? Is that not undue pressure on the institution and committees? With extensive work for government-run public health training institutions in India and several non-government bodies in the field of health and bioethics, Bhan cautioned against such accelerated development pathway and said that even with accelerated timelines, this seems really rushed. If found efficacious, this would be a vaccine which will be of interest to, and used in other countries not just India. And other nations, who are also researching for a cure, are watching us because while this is a major claim to make in record time, everyone is also hoping for a cure as fast as possible. ICMR has clarified that it is adhering to global standards in developing and testing the vaccine. "Our process to develop vaccine to fight COVID-19 pandemic is as per globally accepted norms of fast tracking," it said in a statement released Saturday. Coronavirus Updates:Students will be promoted to the next class without any examination but a decision on determination of marks will be taken in the next few days, said Technical Education Minister Subhash Garg Auto refresh feeds These interim trial results show that hydroxychloroquine and lopinavir/ritonavir produce little or no reduction in the mortality of hospitalised COVID-19 patients when compared to standard of care. Solidarity trial investigators will interrupt the trials with immediate effect, the WHO said in a statement, referring to large multicountry trials that the agency is leading. The World Health Organization (WHO) said on Saturday that it was discontinuing its trials of the malaria drug hydroxychloroquine and combination HIV drug lopinavir/ritonavir in hospitalised patients with COVID-19 after they failed to reduce mortality, reports Reuters Officials reported 523 more confirmed coronavirus deaths for Saturday, bringing the nation's total to 30,366 for the pandemic. Mexico's total confirmed infections rose by almost 6,000 to 251,165, about on par with Spain, the eighth highest caseload Mexico has topped 30,000 COVID-19 deaths, overtaking France as the country with the fifth-highest death toll since the coronavirus outbreak began, reports AP. With over 26.1 lakh reported cases to date, the United States is the worst-affected country in the world. The US is followed by Brazil, Russia, India, and the United Kingdom. The total confirmed cases of COVID-19 across the world stand at 1.1 crores, according to the Johns Hopkins University CSSE. This figure includes COVID-19 patients who have recovered and the overall global death toll which stands at 5.2 lakh. Assam registered 1,202 new COVID-19 cases on Saturday, its highest single-day spike in the number of infections so far, taking the tally in the state to over 11,000, Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said. Of the new cases, 777 were reported from Guwahati city alone. Assam government announces relaxations in guidelines in Kamrup Metropolitan district for a week between 5-12 July. Grocery shops allowed to operate between 11 am-4 pm on Monday and Wednesday, only 20 percent shops allowed to open on any day. E-commerce distribution activities allowed between 11 am-4 pm on Friday. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday tweets that more people in Delhi are being cured of the virus at home now, and less patients need hospitalisation. He claims that there are 9,900 hospital beds now free for coronavirus patients. The Defence Research and Development Organisation says it has erected the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Covid-19 Hospital in Delhi Cantonment within 11 days, and it will have 1,000 beds, including 250 beds in the intensive care unit, ANI reports. Grocery, vegetable and milk shops can remain open from 5 am to 6 pm, while strictly adhering to COVID-19 safety protocols. The Odisha government on Saturday declared complete shutdown in Cuttack till July 8 amid rising COVID-19 cases. All non-essential shops will be closed and non- essential travel prohibited, the Cuttack Municipal Corporation (CMC) said in a notification. The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has said that 97,89,066 samples were tested for COVID-19 in the country till yesterday (July 4). Of these, 2,48,934 were tested yesterday. India on Sunday reports the highest single-day spike of 24,850 new COVID-19 cases and 613 deaths in the last 24 hours. The positive cases now stand at 6,73,165 including 2,44,814 active cases, 4,09,083 cured/discharged/migrated and 19,268 deaths, according to the latest update from the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare. In a bid to check overcharging by private hospitals, the Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC) has ordered an audit of charges levied by hospitals treating COVID-19 patients here, a civic official said on Sunday. Four teams of auditors have been formed to audit bills of 15 hospitals here in Maharashtra, the official told PTI. Odisha has reported 469 new cases in the last 24 hours, ANI reports quoting the states health department. The number of active cases is now 3,090, and the total number is 9,070. Twenty-two more people, including four Assam Rifles personnel and 10 National Disaster Response Force personnel, have tested positive for coronavirus in Mizoram, PTI reports. The state now has 186 cases. Of the fresh cases, 14 were reported from Aizawl district and four each from Siaha and Lawngtlai. Of the total 224 fresh cases, maximum of 48 cases were reported from Pratapgarh. Rajasthan reported six COVID-19 deaths and 224 cases of coronavirus infection on Sunday, according to an official report. The fatalities were reported from Jodhpur (4), Kota (1) and Udaipur (1), taking the death toll to 453. The total number of coronavirus cases in the state has increased to 1,9756, reports PTI. For now, there is no scarcity of hospital beds, we have over 15,000 beds out of which 5300 are occupied, Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal told reporters at the DRDO-built hospital. There is a paucity of ICU beds. If there is any spike in Covid-19 cases, these ICU beds [in the new facility] are very critical for us., reports ANI Four deaths and 30 new COVID-19 cases were reported in the department in the last 24 hours. The total confirmed cases in the police force have risen to 5,205, including 4,071 recoveries and 1,070 active cases. A 72-year-old councillor of the Mormugao Municipal Council in Goa has died of the coronavirus on Sunday morning, PTI reports. Pascoal DSouza, who did not belong to any political party, had tested positive for coronavirus last month, and was admitted to ESI Hospital in Panaji. A complete lockdown, without any relaxations, has been imposed across Tamil Nadu today as part of the state governments efforts to contain the coronavirus crisis, reports PTI. Shops, including those selling vegetables and groceries have been closed in many parts of the state. In the last 24 hours, 36 more Border Security Force (BSF) personnel tested positive for COVID19, and 33 have recovered. There are 526 active cases and 817 personnel have recovered to date, said Border Security Force. BH Anil Kumar, Commissioner of Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike B H personally met the family of the victim at Gavipuram on Saturday, apologised to them and said BBMP workers should have handled the situation in a better manner. The Bengaluru civic body chief has apologised to the family of a deceased 65-year-old COVID-19 victim, whose body was reportedly left unattended for three hours on the roadside here while they waited for an ambulance. Andhra Pradesh on Sunday recorded 998 new COVID-19 cases and 14 deaths in the last 24 hours, taking total number of cases to 1,8697 out of which 1,0043 cases are active and 8,422 have recovered. The number of deaths due to the disease rises to 232, reports ANI quoting state health department officials. Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri on Sunday tweeted that domestic operations initially began with 30,000 flyers on 25 May. Yesterday we crossed the 75,000 mark which indicates a slow and steady rise in the number of domestic flyers, his tweet read. Twenty-one states and Union Territories (UTs), including Delhi, Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh, have a COVID-19 recovery rate higher than the national average of 60.77 percent, the Union Health Ministry said on Sunday as India's case count mounted to 6.73 lakh and the death toll rose to 19,268. Collective and focused efforts for containment and management of COVID-19 by the Government of India along with the states and UTs have led to the number of recovered COVID-19 patients to rise to 4,09,082 so far, it said. Tamil Nadu reported 4,150 fresh COVID-19 cases and 60 deaths on Sunday, taking total cases to 1,11,151 and death toll to 1,510. Number of active cases stands at 46,860, reports ANI quoting the State Health Department Maharashtra reported 6,555 new COVID-19 cases and 151 deaths on Sunday, taking total number of cases to 2,06,619 and death toll to 8,822. Number of active cases stands at 86,040, according to the state health department The Rajasthan government has decided to cancel all examinations of undergraduate and postgraduate courses in universities, colleges and technical educational institutions in the state in view of the COVID-19 pandemic, officials said on Sunday. The decision was taken at a high-level review meeting chaired by Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Saturday night. Students will be promoted to the next class without any examination, they said. A decision on determination of the students' marks will be taken after a study of the guidelines to be issued by the Union HRD Ministry in the next few days, Technical Education Minister Subhash Garg said. Maharashtra reported 6,555 new COVID-19 cases and 151 deaths on Sunday, taking total number of cases to 2,06,619 and death toll to 8,822. Number of active cases stands at 86,040, according to the state health department Delhi Health Department issues an order, instructing all health care facilities to carry out compulsory rapid antigen detection testing of patients with ILI symptoms, patients admitted with SARI and others who visit their facilities. pic.twitter.com/y6tM43T4Sk Triple lockdown (more restrictions) to remain in force in areas under the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation area from 6 am on 6 July for a week, reports ANI quoting the Kerala CMO. According to AIR news, only emergency services will be permitted and government offices will also remain closed. The Rajasthan government has decided to cancel all examinations of undergraduate and postgraduate courses in universities, colleges and technical educational institutions in the state in view of the COVID-19 pandemic, officials said on Sunday. The decision was taken at a high-level review meeting chaired by Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Saturday night. Students will be promoted to the next class without any examination, they said. A decision on determination of the students' marks will be taken after a study of the guidelines to be issued by the Union HRD Ministry in the next few days, Technical Education Minister Subhash Garg said. As many as 108 personnel from three Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) of the BSF, the ITBP and the CRPF tested positive for COVID-19 on Sunday, officials said. The Border Security Force, the about 2.5-lakh personnel strong force, reported 36 fresh cases and 33 recoveries over the last 24 hours, officials said quoting the latest data. The Indo Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), tasked to guard the 3,488-km-long Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China, reported 18 new infections while one personnel recovered in the last 24 hours, the officials said. A total of 54 Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel also tested positive for coronavirus on Sunday, while nine personnel were discharged after recovery, the officials said. A total of 22 CRPF personnel tested coronavirus positive on Sunday in Maharashtra's Gadchiroli district, an official told PTI. These men had rejoined duty a few days ago and were placed under institutional quarantine, where they were detected with the infection, he said Telangana recorded 1,590 new COVID-19 cases and seven deaths today, taking the total number of cases to 23,902 including 12,703 recoveries and 295 deaths, reports ANI quoting the state health department Goa reported 73 new COVID-19 cases today, taking number of active cases to 853. Recovery rate among the patients stands at 50 percent in the states, ANI quotes Chief Minister Pramod Sawant as saying. The Mau district administration has decided to impose a 15-day lockdown in the urban areas, beginning Monday, to stop COVID-19 from spreading, a senior official said. "People were seen moving in hotspot areas in the district without wearing masks and gloves. As a result of this, COVID-19 was spreading in the district," District Magistrate Gyan Prakash Tripathi said. "Keeping this in view, it was decided to impose the lockdown, so that the district can be saved from the spread of COVID-19 infection," he said. An investigation was ordered on Sunday after around 100 patients, attendants and healthcare workers at a cancer hospital in Odisha's Cuttack tested positive for COVID-19 in the last 10 days, officials said.The Acharya Harihar Regional Cancer Research Centre has been sealed for sanitisation after the cases were reported, they said. Cuttack District Collector Bhabani Shankar Chaini told reporters that the matter was being investigated, and appropriate action will be taken if any lapses were found. Cancer patients who were getting treated at the hospital alleged negligence on the part of the authorities as the reason behind such an outbreak at the facility. Coronavirus Updates: The Rajasthan government has decided to cancel all examinations of undergraduate and postgraduate courses in universities, colleges and technical educational institutions in the state in view of the COVID-19 pandemic, officials said on Sunday. Delhi reports 63 deaths and 2,244 new coronavirus positive cases on Sunday, according to a bulletin by the state government. Total number of positive cases stands at 99,444 including 71,339 recovered/discharged/migrated, 25,038 active cases and 3,067 deaths. The Kerala government has issued regulations to curb the spread of COVID-19 . The regulations that will be in place for the next year includes no mass gathering, social distancing, wearing masks in public places among others. Twenty-one states and Union Territories (UTs), including Delhi, Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh, have a COVID-19 recovery rate higher than the national average of 60.77 percent, the Union Health Ministry said. Collective and focused efforts for containment and management of COVID-19 by the Government of India along with the states and UTs have led to the number of recovered COVID-19 patients to rise to 4,09,082 so far, it said. Four deaths and 30 new COVID-19 cases were reported in the department in the last 24 hours. The total confirmed cases in the police force have risen to 5,205, including 4,071 recoveries and 1,070 active cases. India on Sunday reports the highest single-day spike of 24,850 new COVID-19 cases and 613 deaths in the last 24 hours. The positive cases now stand at 6,73,165 including 2,44,814 active cases, 4,09,083 cured/discharged/migrated and 19,268 deaths. The World Health Organisation has pulled the steroid drug hydroxychloroquine and HIV treatment combination lopinavir/ritonavir from their ongoing COVID-19 Solidarity trials, after they failed to reduce mortality. India on Saturday recorded its steepest increase of 22,771 new coronavirus cases, taking the case count to 6,48,315 while the toll rose to 18,655 with 442 new fatalities, according to the Union Health Ministry's data. This is the second consecutive day when coronavirus cases have increased by more than 20,000. According to news agency PTI, the country has reported 4,57,780 COVID-19 cases from 1 June till date. Amid the rising cases, while some states relaxed restrictions in some areas, others announced new ones. The Tamil Nadu government announced a relaxation of restrictions in Chennai from 6 July, including allowing takeaway service at restaurants, but extended curbs for Madurai and nearby regions till 12 July. In the neighbouring Karnataka, the state government imposed a 33-hour lockdown in Bengaluru on Saturday in bid to curb the rising number of cases. The state will also undergo its first Sunday lockdown on 5 July. In West Bengal, the Kolkata airport announced that it will not allow any flights for two weeks from six worst-affected cities, including Mumbai and Delhi. In the meantime, the ICMR, which has been embroiled into a controversy over fast-tracking the development of India's first likely COVID-19 vaccine, COVAXIN, clarified that the decision was to take to cut 'unnecessary red tape' and that it's following all the globally accepted norms. Recovery rate rises to 60.81%, says health ministry According to the health ministry's morning update, the number of recoveries stands at 3,94,226 with 14,335 COVID-19 patients having been cured since 8 am on Friday. The number of recovered patients exceeded the active cases by 1,58,793 as of Saturday and the recovery rate has increased to 60.81 percent, said the health ministry. There are 2,35,433 active cases of COVID-19 presently in the country, the data showed. According to the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), a cumulative total of 95,40,132 samples have been tested up to 3 July with 2,42,383 samples being tested on Friday. "The efforts to expand the testing labs network in the country have led to their numbers increasing every day. There are as many as 1,087 labs in the country 780 labs in the government sector and 307 private labs. "Facilitation of widespread testing by States/UTs has spurred the number of samples tested every day," the health ministry said. Of the 442 deaths reported in the last 24 hours, 198 are from Maharashtra, 64 from Tamil Nadu, 59 from Delhi, 21 from Karnataka, 18 each from Gujarat and West Bengal, 14 from Uttar Pradesh, 10 from Rajasthan, eight each from Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, five from Punjab, four each from Haryana, Madhya Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir, three from Bihar, and two each from Assam and Odisha. Of the total 18,655 deaths reported so far, Maharashtra accounted for the highest with 8,376 fatalities, followed by Delhi with 2,923 deaths, Gujarat with 1,904, Tamil Nadu with 1,385, Uttar Pradesh with 749, West Bengal with 717, Madhya Pradesh with 593, Rajasthan with 440 and Karnataka with 293. The COVID-19 death toll mounted to 283 in Telangana, 255 in Haryana, 206 in Andhra Pradesh, 157 in Punjab, 119 in Jammu and Kashmir, 80 in Bihar, 42 in Uttarakhand, 29 in Odisha and 25 in Kerala. Maharashtra has also reported the highest number of cases at 1,92,990, followed by Tamil Nadu at 1,02,721, Delhi at 94,695, Gujarat at 34,600, Uttar Pradesh at 25,797, West Bengal at 20,488 and Telangana at 20,462, according to the ministry data. The number of COVID-19 cases has gone up to 19,710 in Karnataka, 19,052 in Rajasthan, 16,934 in Andhra Pradesh, 16,003 in Haryana and 14,297 in Madhya Pradesh. "Our figures are being reconciled with the ICMR," the ministry said, adding that 4,999 cases are being reassigned to states. Process to fast-track COVID-19 vaccine trial follows global norms, says ICMR In the meantime, ICMR issued a statement saying that it is acting in accordance with the globally accepted norms to fast-track vaccine development for diseases of pandemic potential. Earlier in the day, experts cautioned against rushing the process for developing a COVID-19 vaccine after the ICMR stated it plans to launch one by 15 August. Political leaders too alleged that the process was being fast-tracked so that Prime Minister Narendra Modi could make the announcement on Independence Day. But...scientific advances can never be made to order. Forcing the development of an indegenous vaccine as a cure for COVID-19 , bypassing all health & safety norms, to be announced by PM Modi on Independence Day is fraught with horrendous human costs. #Covid_19 #Vaccine #ICMR pic.twitter.com/x2xbPFvRyy Sitaram Yechury (@SitaramYechury) July 4, 2020 The ICMR, however, said that it is important to expedite the clinical trials for a promising indigenous vaccine in larger public interest. All other vaccine candidates across the globe have been similarly fast-tracked, it said, adding that the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) has accorded permission to conduct Phase 1 and 2 (human) clinical trial of 'COVAXIN' based on in-depth scrutiny of the available data from pre-clinical studies. The statement said that the letter by ICMR Director General Dr Balram Bhargava to principal investigators of the clinical trial sites was meant to cut unnecessary red tape, without bypassing any necessary process, and speed up recruitment of participants. Bhargava had on 2 July written to principal investigators of select medical institutions and hospitals to fast-track human clinical trial approvals for the vaccine candidate being developed in collaboration with Bharat Biotech. "ICMR is committed to treat the safety and interest of people of India as a topmost priority," the statement further said. Relaxations in Chennai from 6 July In Tamil Nadu, which reported 4,280 fresh COVID-19 cases and 65 deaths on Saturday, Chief Minister K Palaniswami announced relaxations in the intense lockdown in Chennai from 6 July while extending curbs for Madurai and nearby regions till 12 July. Chennai and its suburbs had been under a complete lockdown since 19 June with only essential services being allowed. From Monday, grocery shops can open between 6 am to 6 pm while take-away service at restaurants will be allowed between 6 am to 9 pm, said the chief minister. With the exception of malls, all kinds of showrooms and other businesses including textiles and jewellery can be back in business and work from 10 am to 6 pm, he said. In Madurai and its surrounding areas only essential services would be allowed to function while no kind of activities shall be permitted in containment zones, said the chief minister, appealing to people to co-operate in the fight against the pandemic. In Bengaluru, which reported 1,172 of Karnataka's 1,839 new cases, a complete lockdown has been imposed from 8 am on Saturday till 5 am on Monday, reported ANI. The lockdown will be applicable within the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagar Palike limits and sale of essential items, including meat, will be allowed, said BBMP Commissioner Anil Kumar while warning of strict action against those found outdoors unnecessarily. Flights from six cities to Kolkata temporarily suspended In light of the spurt in coronavirus cases across the country, no flights will operate to Kolkata from Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Pune, Nagpur and Ahmedabad between 6 July and 19 July, the Kolkata airport said. It is informed that no flights shall operate to Kolkata from Delhi,Mumbai, Pune, Nagpur,Chennai & Ahmedabad from 6th to 19th July 2020 or till further order whichever is earlier. Inconvenience caused is regretted.@AAI_Official @MoCA_GoI @ushapadhee1996 @HardeepSPuri @arvsingh01 Kolkata Airport (@aaikolairport) July 4, 2020 The temporary restriction has been issued on the request of the state government to control the spread of the contagion from the six cities with high caseload, it said. Meanwhile, the state reported the highest single-day surge in both, COVID-19 fatalities and cases, as 19 people succumbed to the disease and 743 more tested positive for the virus, the state health department said. The toll mounted to 736, while the state's coronavirus tally shot up to 21,231, a bulletin released by the department said. Maharashtra, Kerala report new cases New cases were also reported in Delhi, Maharashtra, Kerala, Jammu and Kashmir and Rajasthan, among other states and UTs. Kerala reported its highest single-day spike of 240 fresh cases, pushing the case count to 5,204. Of the new cases, 152 had come from abroad and 52 from other states, health minister KK Shailaja said in a press release adding that the number of COVID-19 hotspots in the state has gone up to 135. Maharashtra reported 7,074 COVID-19 cases in 24 hours, pushing the total number of cases to 2,00,064, said a state health department bulletin. The toll rose to 8,671 with 124 deaths reported in the last 48 hours and 171 added from the previous period, it stated. Mumbai alone recorded 1,180 new cases and 68 deaths, according to the city's civic body. Chief minister Uddhav Thackeray held a review meeting with Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) official and stressed on increasing tracing and testing of suspected coronavirus patients. The mortality rate due to the viral infections in the city also should be reduced, the chief minister said. The Mumbai Police tweaked its two-kilometer radius diktat imposed to curb needless travel and allowed people to move around in the nearby neighbourhood. In a tweet, the police said people were "permitted to shop closer to home (5 am to 9 pm)" and asked them not to forget IDs and other documents while traveling for work. Delhi recorded 2,505 fresh coronavirus cases, taking the tally in the city to 97,200, while the toll from the disease mounted to 3,004. Fifty-five fatalities have been recorded in the last 24 hours, while 26 earlier deaths have been included in the cumulative figure, the Delhi health department said in a bulletin. Bihar CM, Deputy CM take COVID-19 test In Bihar, chief minister Nitish Kumar and Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi sent their respective swab samples for COVID-19 testing as Legislative Council Acting Chairman Awadhesh Narayan Singh was found to have contracted the infection. According to ANI, Kumar has tested negative for the virus, while results for Sushil's samples are awaited. Sushil along with Kumar and others had shared the dais with Singh, a BJP leader, at the oath-taking ceremony of the newly elected MLCs on 1 July. With inputs from agencies The vaccine has been licensed to AstraZeneca and is in its Phase III of its human trials in the UK. Oxford University, experts think, is the most likely to come up with a viable vaccine candidate for COVID-19 , which has caused havoc around the world. Even the World Health Organisation has pegged them as the leading candidate for a viable vaccine. In a recent online call with the Ministers of Parliament of the House of Commons Science and Technology Committee, Dr Sarah Gilbert, the lead researcher for Oxford's COVID-19 vaccine and Professor of Vaccinology at the Jenner Institute & Nuffield Department of Clinical Medicine, spoke about the ongoing trial. The coronavirus is a family of viruses and SARS-CoV-2, like SARS and MERS, is part of this one big family, identified in the mid-1960s. Coronaviruses are known to have symptoms like fever, sore throat, headaches, cough, runny nose, etc and are also very common. People who have been infected are thought to be susceptible to getting infected again. This is a major cause for concern with a potential COVID-19 vaccine. In order to dispel concerns about re-infections, Gilbert said that the Oxford vaccine should be able to provide a good duration of immunity and she is optimistic about it. She also said a vaccine might provide better results than natural immunity acquired when individuals recover from the virus. "Vaccines have a different way of engaging with the immune system, and we follow people in our studies using the same type of technology to make the vaccines for several years, and we still see strong immune responses," said Gilbert. "Its something we have to test and follow over time we cant know until we actually have the data but were optimistic based on earlier studies that we will see a good duration of immunity, for several years at least, and probably better than naturally-acquired immunity." The vaccine, which has been given the name AZD1222, is licensed to British biopharmaceutical company AstraZeneca, which will be manufacturing it if trials succeed. The vaccine is currently in Phase III human trials, in which the vaccine is being administered to around 8,000 participants. The trial will assess how the vaccine works in a large number of people over the age of 18, and whether the vaccine works to prevent people from becoming infected with COVID-19 . Gilbert said, "We're very happy that we're seeing the right sort of immune response that will give protection, and not the wrong sort." Oxford University is also slated to conduct human trials in Brazil with 5,000 individuals, in the US with 30,000 participants and another 2,000 in South Africa. When asked how long will it be till a vaccine is available, Gilbert said she is confident human trials will be completed by the year-end, by which time AstraZeneca plans to manufacture millions of doses in anticipation of approval. However, Kate Bingham, chair of the UK Government Vaccine Taskforce, said that, excluding the Oxford vaccine program that is on track to be completed by August this year, she hopes for a breakthrough in other COVID-19 trials by early 2021. "We dont know coronavirus well. Think of examples like HIV and malaria. We know those diseases well, yet we dont have vaccines against them," she told the committee. "So we may never get a vaccine, or we may only get a vaccine that modifies the severity of the disease, or lessens its effects." Oxford University Regius Professor of Medicine Sir John Bell also echoed similar thoughts as Bingham when he said, "This whole epidemic has relied too heavily on assumptions that have turned out not to be true. So my strong advice is to be prepared for the worst." The Aligarh Muslim University said that the examinations are being deferred due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the pending guidelines by the UGC regarding examinations The Aligarh Muslim University has announced that it is postponing all examinations of final year/semester students this year that were scheduled to be held in July until further notice. The varsity in its notification said that the exams are being deferred due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the pending guidelines by the University Grants Commission (UGC) regarding examinations. All examinations (including backlog/arrear papers) of final year/semester students for the session 2019-20, scheduled in the month of July, 2020, stand postponed till further orders, the AMU notice said. The university said that further decision in the matter will be communicated after the guidelines notified by the Government of India/UGC. On 24 June, Union HRD Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank asked the UGC to revisit the guidelines regarding coronavirus and the conduct of examinations which the commission had released in April. A report by NDTV mentions that the concerned committee has already submitted its recommendations but there has been no fresh guidelines issued by the council officially. In the second week of June, AMU had announced that it will be conducting online open book examinations for final/end semester students in the month of July. Students have been advised to regularly visit www.amucontrollerexams.com, the official website of Aligarh Muslim University Controller of Exams, to check updates. Last month, AMU had announced its decision to cancel the pending papers of Class 10 and 12 due to the outbreak of coronavirus . The examinations were scheduled to be held from 6 to 9 July. ICMR said that the letter by its director general Balram Bhargava to investigators of the clinical trial sites was meant to 'cut unnecessary red tape, without bypassing any necessary process' As scientists have expressed both hope and caution on the news that India is fast-tracking the release of its indigenous COVID-19 vaccine, ICMR has clarified that it is adhering to global standards in developing and testing the vaccine. "Our process to develop vaccine to fight COVID-19 pandemic is as per globally accepted norms of fast tracking," Indian Council of Medical Research said in a statement released Saturday. "In the larger public health interest, it is important for ICMR to expedite the clinical trials with a promising indigenous vaccine. Faced with the unprecedented nature of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the consequent dislocation of the normal life, all other vaccine candidates across the globe have been similarly fast-tracked. ICMRs process is exactly in accordance with the globally accepted norms to fast-track the vaccine development for diseases of pandemic potential wherein human and animal trials can continue in parallel," the statement read. ICMR also said that the letter by DG-ICMR to investigators of the clinical trial sites was meant to "cut unnecessary red tape, without bypassing any necessary process", and to speed up the recruitment of participants. ICMR director general Balram Bhargava had written to the principal investigators of the 12 sites of clinical trials and said, "It is envisaged to launch the vaccine for public health use latest by 15 August after completion of all clinical trials." But the tone of the letter and the haste it indicated had some scientists worried. They questioned the timeline of the announcement mentioned in the letter, and advised against subverting the due vaccine development process. ICMR, however, pointed towards its reputation and track record to wave aside these concerns. "ICMR is among the worlds most reputed organisations in the field of medical research and regulation and its track record of facilitating Indias globally respected and acknowledged vaccine and drug industry speaks for itself. Our trials will be done following the best practices and rigour, and will be reviewed, as required, by a Data Safety Monitoring Board (DSMB)," the medical research body said. ICMR also commented on reports in media where scientists and virologists had expressed doubts over the expedited timeline. Dr Anant Bhan, a researcher in global health, bioethics and health policy, spoke to Firstpost about the extreme urgency of the situation. Its understandable for a pandemic of this scale. But we cant compromise on the safety and the efficacy aspects. Minimum standards around safety, efficacy and quality need to be followed. Collapsing the entire process to just 45 days is unlikely, and almost impossible, he said. Earlier, PTI too had interviewed several experts who had cautioned against steamrolling a trial and said due processes should be not be cut short. Virologist Upasana Ray had told the news agency that an accelerated launch or promise for launch of a vaccine against the novel coronavirus deserves applause but it is important to ask whether "we are rushing too much." Ray added that a vaccine normally takes at least 12-18 months to pass all necessary clinical trial phases. "From now till August 15, the company has just over a months' time to wrap up everything that normally a vaccine development process requires for releasing a vaccine for clinical use," she said. "How can such a sharp timeline be even decided? Where does the evidence come from that by such a short time all the essential steps will be completed? What about the safety and efficacy, the fundamental steps of any drug development? Have even the pre-clinical studies been completed? Too much rush comes with possible risks," she said. However, ICMR said that scientists and medical professionals working on the vaccine should not be "second guessed". "While issues raised in public domain from time-to-time by commentators are welcome, as they form an important part of feedback loop, the best of Indias medical professionals and research scientists should not be second guessed for their professionalism or adherence to the highest scientific rigour. ICMR is committed to treat the safety and interest of people of India as a topmost priority," the medical research body said. The dog meat trade in Nagaland is illegal and in violation of various laws, including Section 429 of the Indian Penal Code that makes killing of animals an offence Kohima: The Nagaland government on Friday banned the sale and consumption of dog meat, in a significant decision amid concerns over cruelty to animals. The decision to ban commercial import and trading of dogs, and sale of dog meat, both cooked and raw, was taken during a state cabinet meeting, said state Parliamentary Affairs Minister Neiba Kronu. Considering the dangers of importing dogs from other states for consumption and also in line with the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960, the state cabinet took the decision, Kronu, who is the spokesperson of the government, said. The government also decided to ban commercial import and trading of pigs with immediate effect, he said. The state already banned the import of pigs following the outbreak of swine fever in the region and the cabinet gave approval to it in the meeting, he said. "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. Appreciate the wise decision taken by the state's cabinet," Chief Secretary Temjen Toy said in a tweet. The decision by the state government is being seen as historic by animal protection groups. The Federation of Indian Animal Protection Organisations (FOIAPO), the collective of animal protection groups in the country, urged Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio on Thursday to take steps regarding the matter. In its letter, the federation said as the controversial Yulin Dog Meat festival in China concluded on 20 June amid widespread global condemnation, "here at home we continue to exploit dogs for meat". 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 (gunny bags), waiting at a wet market, for their illegal slaughter, trade and consumption as meat, it said. The dog meat trade in Nagaland is illegal and in violation of various laws, including Section 429 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) that makes killing of animals an offence punishable with up to five years of imprisonment. The Food Product Standards and Food Additives Regulations, 2011 and Meat Food Products Order, 1973 state that only Ovines, Bovines, Suillines and Caprines can be consumed as meat, while consumption of any other animal, including dogs, is strictly prohibited. The Congress MP on Friday said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Ladakh will certainly boost Indian Army's morale but, at the same time 'Chinese intruders must be evicted from the occupied Indian territory'. 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 in June on the normally peaceful border. There were 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 large-scale Chinese intrusions in our side of LAC 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. Swami Vivekananda is credited to have made the ideals of the Vedantic religion popular in the 20th century, leaving an indelible mark of his personality in India and in International community as well. Swami Vivekananda death anniversary: A Bengali intellectual and the chief disciple of the Hindu mystic Ramakrishna, Swami Vivekananda first shot to fame at the World Parliament of Religions in Chicago, where he called for tolerance and the end of religious fanaticism on 11 September, 1893. Born on 12 January, 1863 in Kolkata, he was named Narendranath Datta at his birth. He acquired the name Swami Vivekananda after he becoming a monk. He died at an early age of 39 years on 4 July, 1902. Vivekananda founded the Ramakrishna Mission at Belur Math on the banks of the River Ganga near Kolkata. On his death anniversary today, Vice President M Vekaiah Naidu paid his tribute to the monk. "He was a towering genius whose keen intellect, vast knowledge and supreme oratorial skills made him one of the tallest spiritual leaders of India," wrote the vice president. Naidu also said that youth of India should read, assimilate and follow the teachings of Swami Vivekananda. Union Home Minister Amit Shah described Vivekananda as a saint, a great thinker and an extraordinary speaker, who not only reinforced the spirit of nationalism in India, but also fostered the entire world with qualities of Indian culture. "He had a great faith in the ability and transformational power of the youth and he believed that only the youth will give the right direction and power to the development of the nation in the times to come. His ideals still inspire the youth to serve the nation, the home minister tweeted in Hindi. Punjab chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh also remembered Swami Vivekananda on his death anniversary. "His message to the youth was simple yet impactful 'See for the highest, aim at that highest, and you shall reach the highest,'" Singh tweeted. IFS officer Parveen Kaswan too paid homage to Swami Vivekananda. On 11th September 1893 "Swami Vivekananda gave famous speech at Chicago. You know how this place looks like now. These are stairs of Chicago Art Institute where Swamiji's 473 words are still illuminating. Still registering relevancy. Tribute on his death anniversary," Kaswan wrote. Questo comunicato e stato pubblicato piu di 6 mesi fa. Le informazioni su questa pagina potrebbero non essere attendibili. According to Stratistics MRC, the Global Sinus Dilation Devices market is accounted for $1.55 billion in 2017 and is expected to reach $3.68 billion by 2026 growing at a CAGR of 10.1% during the forecast period. High prevalence of chronic sinusitis, growing demand for technologically advanced and effective devices and rising healthcare expenditure in developed regions are some of the key factors influence market growth. Moreover, increasing focus of key industry players on new product development will provide ample opportunities for the market growth. However, high adoption rate of alternative treatment is restraining the market growth. Sinus dilation devices can be defined as systems employed in performing sinus dilation. Sinus Dilation Devices are used to treat sinusitis and other related problems through minimally invasive techniques with long last ring effects. Sinus dilation is the process of opening up of the blocked sinus passages, enabling adequate drainage and airflow. Depending on the duration of the symptoms, sinusitis is classified into three types, acute, sub - acute and chronic. The treatment of sinusitis depends on the longevity of the infection. To relieve the patient from the symptoms, treatment options like drugs, surgery, and physical therapy are available. Based on Product, Balloon Sinus Dilation Devices segment accounted for considerable market share during the forecast period due to rising occurrence of chronic sinusitis and adoption of balloon sinuplasty procedures. These devices are used for balloon sinuplasty, a non-surgical procedure for the treatment of chronic sinusitis. By Geography, Asia Pacific dominated the largest market share due to growing disposable income, presence of large patient pool and use of technologically advanced products in this region. Request for Report Sample: https://www.trendsmarketresearch.com/report/sample/11147 Some of the key players profiled in the Sinus Dilation Devices market include Johnson & Johnson Services, Inc., Smith & Nephew plc , Intersect ENT, Inc., Stryker, Olympus Corporation, Medtronic, Acclarent, Inc. (A Subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson), Sinusys Corporation, Meril Life Sciences Pvt Ltd., Innaccel Pvt. Ltd, Jilin Coronado Medical Ltd., Creganna Medical and Dalent LLC. Procedures Covered: Hybrid Standalone Other Procedures Products Covered: Sinus Implants Handheld Instruments Balloon Sinus Dilation Devices Endoscopes Functional Endoscopic Sinus Surgery (FESS) Instruments Set Distal Suction Blades Sinus Seekers Nasal Forceps Nasal Catheters Surgical Instruments Other Products Applications Covered: Pediatric Adult End Users Covered: Physician's office Ambulatory Surgical Centers Hospital ENT Clinics/In Office Specialty Clinics Other End Users Regions Covered: North America o US o Canada o Mexico Europe o Germany o UK o Italy o France o Spain o Rest of Europe Asia Pacific o Japan o China o India o Australia o New Zealand o South Korea o Rest of Asia Pacific South America o Argentina o Brazil o Chile o Rest of South America Middle East & Africa o Saudi Arabia o UAE o Qatar o South Africa o Rest of Middle East & Africa Request for Report Discount: https://www.trendsmarketresearch.com/report/discount/11147 What our report offers: - Market share assessments for the regional and country level segments - Strategic recommendations for the new entrants - Market forecasts for a minimum of 9 years of all the mentioned segments, sub segments and the regional markets - Market Trends (Drivers, Constraints, Opportunities, Threats, Challenges, Investment Opportunities, and recommendations) - Strategic analysis: Drivers and Constraints, Product/Technology Analysis, Porters five forces analysis, SWOT analysis etc. - 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 Free Customization Offerings: All the customers of this report will be entitled to receive one of the following free customization options: Company Profiling o Comprehensive profiling of additional market players (up to 3) o SWOT Analysis of key players (up to 3) Regional Segmentation o Market estimations, Forecasts and CAGR of any prominent country as per the clients interest (Note: Depends of feasibility check) Competitive Benchmarking o Benchmarking of key players based on product portfolio, geographical presence, and strategic alliances More Info of Impact Covid19@ https://www.trendsmarketresearch.com/report/covid-19-analysis/11147 An official indicated that Vikash Dubey, who who is wanted in 60 criminal cases, may have fled to Nepal or taken shelter in a neighbouring state Kanpur district administration on Saturday bulldozed the mansion of criminal Vikas Dubey who was behind the killing of eight Uttar Pradesh police personnel on Thursday. A large police contingent kept a vigil as the house erected on two bighas (roughly 14,850 square feet) of land was razed to the ground by the same earth mover which was "used" by criminals to kill the policemen who had come to arrest Dubey in Bikru village. Most of the houses were locked and only a few anxious people were visible in the village, located almost 45 kilometres from the district headquarters of Kanpur and now scene of the deadly crime on Thursday night that has shaken Uttar Pradesh authorities. "It was a hub of crime," Inspector General of Police, Kanpur Mohit Agarwal told PTI when asked about the razing of the house. "Most of the villagers have said that he (Dubey) grabbed people's land using muscle power, and built his house. He used to extort money from people," he added. Police officials claimed that a large team had to be deployed as angry villagers could have attacked Dubey's family. "But the situation did not go out of control due to the police presence," Agarwal said. Soon after Senior Superintendent of Police Dinesh Prabhu reached the village, police officials hired a driver who was asked to demolish Dubey's mansion by using an earth mover. TV channels also showed visuals of luxury cars in the complex being crushed by the giant machines. A 12-ft high boundary wall with barbed wires was also razed. Before the demolition, Dubey's father and a domestic help were evicted from the premises. "I have been ailing, so I don't know what has happened. I can't see or hear properly," he said to queries from reporters. According to the villagers, the new house was built about seven year ago and had CCTV cameras at various conspicuous places inside the premises as well as outside the four entry gates and one main gate. Around 80 metres from the main gate, there was a four-room luxurious accommodation where Dubey used to live, which was also demolished. Local police told PTI that Dubey, who had 60 cases against him, maintained a "private militia" and recruited mostly local youths. He also provided them with weapons, the news agency said. The tension in the air was palpable in the almost deserted village and locked doors stared at visitors. A few villagers, when approached, were reluctant to speak. A young girl when asked why many houses in the villages were locked said that most of the people living in the vicinity of her house work in Kanpur, and come to the village on Sundays. Police sets up teams to nab Dubey Swinging into action after the brutal deaths of the policemen, 25 police teams fanned out across Uttar Pradesh and other states to hunt down Dubey and his associates, officials said. The attackers had fled, snatching weapons from the dead and the wounded policemen. Police officials also said a surveillance team was scanning over 500 mobile phones and frantic efforts were on to retrieve information from the devices. An official indicated that about 30 people were detained for questioning. Another said there was a possibility that Dubey may have fled to Nepal or taken shelter in a neighbouring state. A cash reward of Rs 50,000 has been announced for providing information about Dubey and the identity of the information provider will be kept secret, News18 reported. Chaubeypur SO suspended Chaubeypur's station officer Vinay Tewari, whose role in the events that night has come under scanner, was suspended. "In view of the allegations levelled against SO, he has been suspended, and all the allegations are being thoroughly looked into. If his involvement or that of any other personnel of the police is found in this incident, then they will be sacked from the department, and also sent to jail," IG Mohit Agarwal told reporters. Media reports suggest and primary investigation into the events suggest that Dubey was forewarned about the police movement. Hindustan Times, quoting sources in the local police department, said the initial investigation hinted that Dubey was well aware about the police raid at his house and prepared to deal with it. "Dubey was apparently tipped off by his men in the police department about the force from three police stations Bilhaur, Bithoor and Chaubeypur moving towards his village," the Hindustan Times report said. Dubey had already blocked the main entrance of the village with heavy machines, forcing the police personnel to walk to Dubey's house on foot, barely anticipating a shootout, the report added. Tewari, however, has denied any wrongdoing. He claimed that he had gone to Dubey's house "in a bid to persuade him to settle an issue" with Rahul Tiwari who had lodged an FIR against him just hours before. However, Dubey allegedly assaulted and threatened the SO who informed circle officer (Bilhaur), Devendra Kumar Mishra. Mishra then reached Bikru with a team drawn from three police stations in the vicinity to arrest Dubey. But they were caught by surprise instead. Dubey's henchmen put up roadblocks to stop policemen from reaching their hideout. As they got off from their vehicles at one hurdle, there were caught by a hail of gunfire. Mishra (54) was among those killed. The other slain policemen were SO Shivrajpur police station Mahesh Kumar Yadav (42), Sub-Inspector Anoop Kumar Singh (32), Sub-Inspector Nebu Lal (48), constables Jitendra Pal (26), Sultan Singh (34), Bablu Kumar (23) and Rahul Kumar (24). Later, the police sealed the entire area and began a combing operation, which led to another encounter with Dubey's men in Nivada village in which two people were killed. Tewari told reporters in a video widely circulated on Saturday that the team went to Dubey's house only to arrest him and did not anticipate the ambush. He also reportedly lost his cool when questioned by reporters if he was lagging behind deliberately. "Do you think that this could have happened. It is the jurisdiction of my police station area, and I will be the person to lag behind others? Some people are floating this theory only to benefit Dubey," he said. Minutes after the video appeared on local news channels, IG Agarwal ordered his suspension. An official said that over three dozens people have been detained in the case for questioning. All the borders in Kanpur and Kanpur Dehat and its neighbouring districts have been sealed. With inputs from PTI The ship, which is in limbo in the Mediterranean off the coast of the Italian island of Lampedusa, has been waiting for over a week for permission from Italy or Malta to offload the migrants at one of their ports. Rome: A sea rescue charity said on Friday that its ship, carrying rescued migrants, declared an onboard state of emergency in the Mediterranean Sea after six migrants tried to kill themselves. The distress of others that no country would let them on land put the safety of the crew and other survivors at risk. SOS Mediterranee, which operates the Ocean Viking, said in a statement that some of the 180 migrants aboard have started physical fighting among themselves or been threatening fellow survivors and crew members. The charity said it lodged seven requests for permission to enter a safe harbor, but Italy and Malta said no. There were no immediate government responses from either country about the alleged refusals. The migrants were rescued from the unseaworthy boats of people smugglers in the central Mediterranean during four operations between 25 June and 30 June. SOS Mediterranee said the first operation took place in international waters where Italy and Malta have overlapping rescue jurisdiction, while the other rescues occurred in Malta's search-and-rescue area. The people rescued include a pregnant woman and 25 minors, 17 of them traveling without relatives or guardians, the charity said. SOS Mediterranee said two migrants jumped overboard in what the organisation said appeared to be suicide attempts and were rescued from the sea again, while three others were stopped before they plunged off the ship. It reported that another passenger tried to kill himself on board, the charity said. It called the "concerning behavior and decline of mental health" of some of the rescued passengers a "direct result of the unnecessary standoff at sea and lack of solution" for a port. SOS Mediterranee expressed worry that "in addition to the acute psychological distress several of the survivors find themselves in, the deteriorating weather conditions pose an even greater threat to the lives of those who might try to reach shore by jumping off" the Ocean Viking. Both Italy and Malta have taken a hard line on private rescue boats, expressing concern that such operations could encourage Libya-based human traffickers to keep launching migrants toward Europe in dangerous conditions. The two countries have also insisted fellow European Union members take in more migrants as asylum-seekers since those who reach Europe's southern shores are often aiming to make nations in northern Europe their final destinations. Few nations have answered the Italian and Maltese appeals. In the past few days, Shah Mahmood Qureshi has had contact with Pakistani prime minister Imran Khan in parliament and in a cabinet meeting on Wednesday. Islamabad: Pakistani foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said on Friday he had tested positive for COVID-19 , days after holding high-profile meetings including one with US 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 past few days, Qureshi has had contact with Pakistan's prime minister Imran Khan in parliament and in a cabinet meeting on Wednesday. Qureshi also met Khalilzad on Wednesday when the US 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 US 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. Boeing's (NYSE:BA) troubled 737 MAX jet is one step closer to being cleared for commercial flights again. This week, Boeing and FAA staff completed three days of test flights -- a key part of the process to determine whether recent design changes have made the aircraft safe to fly. Six months ago, reaching this milestone would have been seen as a big turning point for Boeing. While the recertification process isn't complete yet, Boeing is now well positioned to resume 737 MAX deliveries later this year. Unfortunately, the COVID-19 pandemic has decimated aircraft demand in recent months, making steps toward recertifying the 737 MAX far less meaningful. Still some recertification steps left In the weeks ahead, FAA officials will analyze data gathered during the recent series of test flights. This will help them verify the effectiveness of Boeing's design changes. Other upcoming steps in the recertification process include analyzing proposed pilot training procedures and documentation supplied by Boeing. Following a public comment period, the FAA may finally take the long-awaited steps of recertifying the 737 MAX and outlining the procedures that airlines must follow to reactivate their 737 MAX fleets. Based on the current timeline -- which could still change -- the FAA may recertify the 737 MAX as soon as mid-September, according to Reuters. That would enable a return to service in the U.S. before year end. Recertification won't mark the end of the 737 MAX grounding saga, though. International regulators -- particularly in Europe -- are poised to demand additional modifications to the 737 MAX's safety systems by the end of next year. These changes (and retrofits for aircraft that have already been produced) will add costs for Boeing, denting future profits. Pilots will also need additional simulator training to fly the 737 MAX going forward, which could trigger payments by Boeing to airline customers to cover the related cost. A plane without a market Despite the 737 MAX's initial design flaws and the resulting crashes, the aircraft was in high demand prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. Between the strength of global air travel demand and production constraints at Airbus, canceling 737 MAX orders wasn't a realistic option for most of Boeing's customers. Today, the situation is much different. Air travel remains far below 2019 levels, and industry insiders believe it will take several years for demand to recover fully. As a result, airlines are trying to defer or cancel as many aircraft deliveries as possible. Due to the extensive delivery delays for 737 MAX jets originally scheduled to be handed over in 2019 and 2020, customers in many cases have the right to cancel some of their orders. In the first five months of 2020, more than 600 737 MAX orders evaporated from Boeing's backlog. Meanwhile, the company secured just a handful of net orders for its wide-body models. The flood of order cancellations isn't over yet, either. Last week, leasing company BOC Aviation announced that it had canceled 30 737 MAX orders. More significantly, Norwegian Air canceled 92 737 MAX orders and five 787 Dreamliner orders. Adding insult to injury, the floundering European budget carrier filed a lawsuit demanding compensation for losses due to the 737 MAX grounding and engine problems for its existing 787 fleet. It also wants Boeing to return its pre-delivery deposits. Considering that Norwegian was a major customer and Boeing holds more than $50 billion of customer advances and progress billings, these deposits likely total hundreds of millions of dollars. There are still a handful of airlines eager for new aircraft. As air travel demand recovers, other airlines will also need to buy new planes to replace older jets and enable growth. Nevertheless, demand could remain well below previous levels for the foreseeable future, assuming global air travel grows at a slower rate during the next decade than it did over the past five years. Grim times ahead In the first 12 months after the 737 MAX grounding last March, Boeing was able to partially offset cash burn from that part of its business with profits from its wide-body jet programs and its services business. But in the current environment, those sources of cash are drying up, too. Airlines are retiring older jets rather than spending money on Boeing services offerings that could extend those planes' useful lives. Simultaneously, wide-body demand has plummeted, as international travel is likely to be one of the slowest parts of the aviation market to recover. For example, Boeing is in the midst of slashing 787 production by half (from 14 per month to seven per month). Yet even that production rate may be too ambitious. Whereas Boeing delivered 29 787 Dreamliners in the first quarter, it appears to have delivered just seven in the second quarter. Furthermore, key customers like Qatar Airways -- which accounts for 9% of Boeing's wide-body backlog -- are demanding multiyear order deferrals. Aircraft demand will recover eventually. That said, "eventually" could be many years away. In the meantime, Boeing has taken on tens of billions of dollars of debt and is burning through cash at a frightening pace. Investors would be wise to avoid the stock. Image: Shutterstock The government's 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 stealing and surreptitiously transmitting users' data in an unauthorised manner to servers which have locations outside India. The second significant new use of S.69A here is its use as a tool for achieving data protection compliance.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 ' 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 State's 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 thewhich 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 PUBG's tremendous popularity. Nor are the apps company-specific, for instance with Tencent?WeChat, 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 beenis 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., India's 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 thesoon. The author is a lawyer specialising in tech, privacy and cyber laws. Views are personal. Original Source: Quote: CJWisinski Originally Posted by Hi, I recently purchased a 2020 F450 cab and chassis with the 7.3 and was wondering if anyone knows the actual differences between the f450 and f559 cab and chassis trucks. The dealer told me the only difference is the spring packs in the back. Quote: CJWisinski Originally Posted by I had a 2004 F550 before and the front end on my new 450 looks much beefier than my old truck. But the rear axle on my old one was a Dana s135 square tube where the whole carrier assembly comes out the front of the housing versus the new truck that has a round tube axle with the typical cover plate that can be removed on the rear of the pumpkin. Quote: speakerfritz Originally Posted by my 2010 had a rear like that... my 2019 has a rear that looks less beefy Quote: speakerfritz Originally Posted by the 550 comes in three lengths 1 length is the same chaise strength as the 450 the other 2 lengths use a stronger chasis Quote: speakerfritz Originally Posted by rear axle are different across these models Quote: speakerfritz Originally Posted by rear leafs are different Quote: CJWisinski Originally Posted by So my truck has the snow plow package but not the camper package. I tow more than I have a payload. As well I do have a crew cab with the shorter frame 173 wheelbase I believe. Do you happen to know what axle comes in the 450 vs the 550? Over the last two decades of Super Duty F-450 vs F-550 chassis cabs, the differences between the two models have changed. Some generations have shared more parts, other generations were quite apart in equipment like axles, brake caliper orientation, anti sway bars, and U joints, as an example. This must be said at the outset, because the differences or overlap in similarities for 2020 do not apply for 2000. So when comparing an F-450 vs and F-550, the model year, or rather, the generation of model years, must be considered.Since the OP has a 2020, we can limit the answer to just what is different or similar in the 2020 chassis cabs.Well, so much for limiting the answer to 2020! The 2004 F-550 had a roll formed front section, that was mostly boxed with a reverse oriented roll formed section (per rail, until the engine cross member, then aft of engine cross member to frame splice in 2005).In 2008, Ford took a page out of GM's book, and began hydroforming the front frame sections. Hydroforming permits metal to be deeper drawn into larger expanses of cross section while still retaining a 3 dimensional shape. The deeper drawn cross section enables the frame to appear "beefier", but it doesn't mean that, under the pressure of any particular load applied to a pin point of the "beefier" looking frame, that the frame was any beefier. But as a system, it was a stiffer structure, more resistant to twist, and with the deeper drop at the front bumper end, the bolt on Blocker Beam could be eliminated for the lighter duty trucks where small car collision compatibility was a federal mandate.Generally speaking, the material thickness of the steel itself in the older type of roll form manufacturing method is thicker than what is typically used in hydroformed frames... but hydroforming can accomplish more complex designs and shapes, where brute material thickness for margin of safety can be engineered out of the structure, where cleverness in design can gain stiffness with lower mass resulting in a higher natural frequency frame resonance that is less reactive to jounces and jiggles down the road. So where's the beef? Depends on how you like your cuts...light and lean, or fatty with flavor. Old school or new school. I'd sooner take a hammer to the 2004 frame, than I would to the 2020 frame. But I'd sooner ride and drive the 2020 frame.I don't think strength in performance can be seen by doing a visual comparison under different designs or genres of frames. Ductility can also be a strength, and it is the opposite of stiffness. I would be more inclined to compare manufacturer certified ratings, and then compare notes collected and contributed by consumers over time... about what broke. An example of visual perception vs actual performance will follow, further below.The most visual difference in appearance when comparing the 2004 & 2010 rear axles versus the 2019 & 2020 rear axles is the, versus theThe former is more common to medium duty and heavy duty (semi) trucks. The latter is more common to light duty pickup trucks.The 2010 had a Dana S110, which is a rear like that Dana S135 in the 2004, only the 110 has a significantly smaller ring gear, at 12.25", as opposed to the 14.25" ring gear in the 135. Note that the newer S130 axle also has 12.25" ring gear, and shares parts with the S110, not the S135. So the beefiest looking rear axle that Ford has fitted to any F-450 or F-550 chassis cab during the last 20 years is the 14.25" ring gear Dana S135 with the banjo housing. Huge pumpkin. Here's a photo of it...But despite the massive size of the ring and pinion, despite the beefy looking square tubes, despite the semi truck looking banjo style housing... would you believe that on certain heavily upfitted aerial lift trucks that were significantly modified at the rear axle under chassis area with augmented rear suspension supplemental bracketry to reduce suspension enabled amplitude of sway when the boom bucket was deployed... this big axle housing cracked? Granted, this only happened in the cases where a certain type of aftermarket modifications were made to the under chassis of the vehicle, but still, judging solely by the mere looks of this axle, one would think it is indestructible.Compared to say, this:The photo immediately above is of the Dana M300 drive axle, one of those round tube, cast center, Salisbury style axles that we are used to seeing on light trucks. And this is the axle found in both the F-450 and the F-550 chassis cabs in 2020. It is also fitted to the F-350 dual rear wheel chassis cab, but with some internal part differences, which I'll mention a bit later, but first, an observation comparing the round tube axle vs the square tube axle:The banjo housing square tube axles have a material thickness between 7mm to 8mm, depending on model year, GAWR, and model designation. The round tubes on the M300 have a material thickness of almost 1/2"... compared to the 5/16" wall thickness of the single piece banjo housing. So while the square tube banjo housing may be stiffer, with a lower mass penalty to achieve that stiffness in order to reduce unsprung weight (or compensate for the massive weight of the larger diameter high leverage ring gear and carrier inside the drop in third member)... the 5/16" material thickness is less tolerant of a pin point stress riser (such as at the leaf spring perch transition immediately inboard of the U bolt clamping) than a hunk of 1/2" thick material in the M300.Yet the Salisbury type housing is a 3 piece affair that is cobbled together with tube swedging and plug welding. The cast center can be made only so big (to accommodate larger, higher leveraging gear sets) before casting cracks become a concern, and then adding more material to mitigate against casting failure adds mass, increasing unsprung weight, and also increasing the difficulty in servicing the gear set in the field. (such as with an axle housing spreader). What empowered Dana to increase the duty capacity of the Salisbury design housing, was innovation in the gear sets themselves inside. Advances in engineering how the gears are shaped, cut, and coated... increasing the interface area, engagement duration, and effective power transfer per tooth contact... enabled smaller gear sets to be used (now down to an 11.8" ring gear) while achieving the same or similar GAWR.Since the smaller ring gear can be fitted into a cast center, without making the cast center huge or heavy, but with making the gussets cast into the center a little bit smarter than days of yore, by casting in a T flange termination on each gusset, instead of an open fin, and this T flange greatly increases the resistance to tension and compression that the gusset was cast in to help out with in the first place. The pressed in place and plug welded tube Salisbury style housing has a lot of production advantages (in economies of scale, reduction of unique chassis parts to attach axles, etc). So with this combination of factors, I can see why Ford decided to eliminate the larger size ring gear axles from the F-450 and F-550. But Ram didn't. Neither did GM, in their joint venture with Navistar, producing the Silverado 4500 5500 6500. These competitors to Ford have chosen to stick with the traditional banjo style Dana S130, leaving Ford to test whether or not the M300 will work out over the long haul.I'd sooner take a hammer to the arc of a 1/2" material thick round tube than I would to the flat of a 5/16" material thick square tube (where the outside diameters of both tubes are over 4"). Not that axles are typically beat on with hammers. But again, we are talking about the perception of beefy, versus the reality of beef. The beef I have with perceptions is simply that meat should be mobilized to meet the stress and strain modalities that are predicated upon functional usage and predictable load paths.So it doesn't really matter what the axle looks like. And it doesn't really matter how the axle, or the front frame section for that matter, can handle a hit from my metaphoric hammer. These parts are not designed to be anvils, even though it is kinda cool when they look heavy and hefty, just like the marketing mantra "Built Ford Tough". Check out my avatar if I seem to sound as if I am above being swayed by the pseudo science of size matters. I'm not. In addition to the intentional double entendre to warn any and all who read that I could very well be talking out of my rear end... that avatar is in fact the Dana S135 rear end of my 20 year old F-550. Sure, itway beefier than the M300 under a 2020 F-550. But both axles offer an effectively equivalent range of GAWR ratings.There are(9) different overall lengths available for the model year 2020 F-450/550, with(8) different available wheelbases, and(4) different available cab to axle distances.The only characteristics in which there are just(3) choices of ... are cab styles. Which is one more cab style than RAM or GM offers in a Class 4/5 chassis cab. The available combinations with Ford of overall length, wheelbase, cab to axle distance, and cab style are multiplicative, case restrictive, and therefore complex; and as such are beyond the scope of what I understand the OP's original and subsequent questions to be, and in any case are best explored on Ford's website, or in a Ford brochure, for chassis cabs.In the past, this was very and visibly true. But for 2020, (and 2017-2019) not so much. The utilization of the M300 across all the dual rear wheel Ford chassis cabs in the current generation Super Duty is a different tactic than Ford has chosen in generations past. There still are a few internal differences, but not nearly as many between the 450 and 550 chassis cab as before. Now the major line in the sand is the F-350 chassis cabs. For example:The M300 fitted to the F-350 chassis cab dual rear wheel has 37 spline axle shafts, whereas the M300 axle shafts in the F-450/550 chassis cabs are 41 spline.The M300 fitted to the F-350 chassis cab dual rear wheel has a 1.58" outside diameter on the axle splines, whereas the M300 axle shafts in the F-450/550 chassis cabs has a 1.75" outside diameter on the axle splines.The M300 fitted to the F-350 chassis cab dual rear wheel has a 1.47" root shaft diameter in the area of the axle splines, whereas the M300 axle shafts in the F-450/550 chassis cabs has a 1.64" root shaft diameter in the area of the axle splines.The ring gears on all three models are 11.8", but we can see some differences in the interior rotational parts, but in the case of the axle shafts, there are no differences between the F-450 vs the F-550. We've simply established here that not all M300 axles are built the same. Another example:The maximum GAWR for the M300 fitted to the F-350 DRW chassis cab is 10,040 lbs, whereas the GAWR for the M300 in the F-450 and standard F-550 is 13,660 lbs., and for the F-550 with the Payload Plus Pkg, and/or a 19,500 GVWR, the GAWR for the M300 in F-550's thus equipped is 14,706 lbs. So the obvious question is, what is mechanically different inside the M300 that is rated at 14,706 lbs GAWR, versus the M300 that is rated at 13,660 lbs GAWR. And that I don't know. I do know that the axles are tagged coded differently in production, and the numbers within the codes distinguish the 14,706 GAWR axle from the 13,660 GAWR axle, even though both axles can be found under the F-550.Here is the code off of a 2019 model year crew cab F-550 with a 19,500 GVWR and a 14,706 rear GAWR:And a larger view of that exact axle itself is here, rated at 14,706 GAWR:And for visual comparison to the Dana S110 rear axle fitted to previous generation F-450 pickups, where this axle is rated at 9,990 GAWR and 10,000 GAWR, model year depending...So, there are some parts that are different, there are some parts that are the same. An axle that visually appears to be rated for less can actually be rated for more than what a stronger looking axle is rated for.And this is a good time to comment on an F-450 axle duty cycle issue that I often read on the forums, where folks say "Ford is just derating the F-450 pickup axle to meet DOT regulations."As I read the DOT regulations, the threshold for an individual axle rating limitation is several thousand pounds higher than Ford's heaviest rated axle for the F-550. Stacking front and rear GAWRs does not result in an increase or override of the GVWR that the vehicle is certified to. The 14,706 lbs GAWR axle photographed above is under a 19,500 lbs GVWR F-550 that has a 6,500 lbs GAWR front axle. 14,706 + 6,500 = 21,206, which is obviously greater than the 19,500 max GVWR that the F-550 is limited to. Furthermore, some 4x4 F-550's have 7,500 lbs rated front axles, so stacking 14,706 + 7,500 = 22,206 GVWR, which is 2,706 lbs more than 19,500 GVWR.The point being, that if there was a regulation that limited individual axle rating (on axles rated below 20K) to be some how indexed to driver's license classifications, or registration fees in various states, I haven't found them. And if they did exist, I think we would see a regulatory reflection repeatedly demonstrated in the axle ratings... but instead, we most often see a tire limitation. So the idea that Ford derated the rear axle in the F-450 pickup to limbo underneath the wire of some compliance mandate does not ring right with any of the regulations I have read, but I remain open to being shown otherwise, with demonstrable proof.In the meantime, Dana Corporation has provided evidence of the S110 axle family's rotational speed and input torque limitations, that could handily explain why, for model years 2015-2016, Ford fitted the S130 rear axle to the F-450 pickup, which in the chassis cab family is rated higher than the S110 iterations (same banjo housing shape, but difference in some internal parts), and yet down rated the S130 in the F-450 pickup to a GAWR that was less than the S110 rear axle in the standard F-550. When Dana establishes the axle input torque and rotational speed maximums, those maximums are rated at the GAWR of the axle. If the GAWR is reduced, significantly in this case, then the reduction in weight that the axle is bearing can result in a longer cycle life or mean time before failure at a higher input torque and faster rotational speed. The F-450 pickup is fitted with a higher rated engine, and F-450 pickup owners tend to drive their personal pickups faster, unloaded, as daily drivers. So to compensate for the higher power output of the consumer tuned engine, and the predicted consumer load (often unloaded) and speed (often over the speed limit), a higher capacity axle was fitted, but down rated to compensate for the different use. This, to my mind, sounds far more plausible than Ford playing with numbers just to "fool" the DOT, as I've often read on forum fodder.Anyway, I brought that tangent up to say that with the M300 axle, I have not found the same limitations on rotational speed and input torque. On the GM side of the medium duty chassis cab offerings, the Dana S16-130 is limited to 65 mph with 4.88 ratio, which increases to 75 mph if gearing up to a 4:30 ratio. This limitation would but a serious dent in the driving style of some operators. This is why Ford and Ram spec speed rated N tires, rated for 87 mph, because folks can't drive 55, even when towing, even when it's the law. The smaller, more smartly designed (with the trademarked "AdvanTEK" gear engineering) 11.8" ring gear may have some advantage here, as it requires only 7.5 pints of lubricant, as opposed to the 24.5 pints that the Dana S135 requires, having the 14.25" ring gear. That's a lot of lubricant to sling around. More trade offs to consider.Actually, between the F-450 and the standard F-550, the rear leaf springs for the OP's 2020 model year are the same.Both the F-450 and the standard F-550 have 11 leaves in the back, that stacks 7.18" high, including the top plate, and have a combined rating at ground of 13,900 lbs, a main spring deflection rate of 1,256 lbs per inch in the first stage, an overload spring deflection rate of 2,130 lbs per inch in the second stage, and spring pack rating at pad of 6,343 lbs per spring. No difference between the F-450 and standard F-550.However, once the F-550 is optioned with the Payload Plus Package, or the Wrecker Package, or the 19,500 lb GVWR, and the 14,706 rear GAWR, then the rear spring specs for the F-550 thus equipped are higher, with a combined rating at ground of 15,000 lbs, a main spring deflection rate of 1,940 lbs per inch in the first stage, an overload spring deflection rate of 2,813 lbs per inch in the second stage, and spring pack rating at pad of 6,903 lbs per spring.Since even the heavier rated F-550 springs are still 3" wide, 55.6" long, and stacked 11 leafs high, just like the lighter rated F-550 and the F-450 chassis cabs, having a "naked" F-550 chassis cab parked next to a "naked" F-450 chassis cab parked side by side at the dealership lot for comparison sake may still not reveal as much about the differences between the F-450 and the F-550, as just reviewing the Federal Certification label in the door jamb, to determine the axle's ratings.However, there is one little tidbit that differs between the frames of the F-550 and the F-450, related to the rear springs. And that is the rear spring shackle hangar. Like the forward mounted rear leaf spring hangars in both the F-450 and the F-550, the rear shackle hangar to the F-550 is cast steel, with a two dimensional engagement against the frame, bolting to both the vertical web and the horizontal flange of the frame. However, on the F-450, while the forward rear spring hangar is a casting, the aft rear shackle hanger is just a stamping, and only engages with the frame on a single plane, with rivets through the vertical web. So here is a difference between the F-450 and the F-550 that will never be found or read about in a brochure, or on an order guide, but can be seen in person. I mention this as counter point to just reading the ratings on the certification labels... which don't reveal the hardware, just the ratings. CJWisinski Your wheelbase is actually 179.8", not 173". The rear axle of your 2020 F-450 chassis cab is mostly the same M300 as might be found in a standard F-550 having an 18,000 lb GVWR or less. The 19,500 lb GVWR rated F-550 will have the enhancements to the M300 rear axle, as well as the higher deflection rate springs as described above. There may be other small differences, such as the aft shackle brackets for the rear springs, but unlike in earlier years of the cab chassis, all the brake hardware is the same between the F-450 and F-550.Where the F-450 chassis cab offers a legal advantage is in the 16,000 lb GVWR rating, which enables non commercially licensed drivers to tow a 9,999 GVWR tag trailer and remain below the 26,000 GCW limitation for Class C regular driver's licensees.One last comment about the differences between the F-450 and F-550, in terms of comparing the frames, where for fair comparison's sake, the same wheel base, cab style, and cab to axle distance are being compared. The main frame rails are the same between the F-450 and the F-550, but on higher GVWR rated F-550's, Ford incorporates an "L" channel reinforcement into the frame, effectively doubling the thickness of the frame in the area of the "L" reinforcement.So where the material thickness of the main frame rail is .320", the "L" reinforcement doubles the frame thickness to .600", but only in the location of the reinforcement, which is not throughout the frame. The reinforcement begins near the back of the cab and terminates at the top of the frame flange where the cross member that spans between the frame rails at the forward mounted rear leaf spring hangers is riveted to the frame. Note that the forward spring hangars are bolted to the frame, but the cross-member that spans between these spring hangars is riveted, and sandwiched within the button heads of those rivets are the top tail flanges of the "L" reinforcement, for those higher GVWR models of F-550 thus equipped. The "L" reinforcement is unavailable as a service part, and is only available as part of the frame assembly it is riveted to.If you look very carefully, you will be able to see the "L" reinforcement (an upside down L) on this 19,500 GVWR F-550 crew cab chassis in the photo below. This is the longer 203.8" wheelbase, and with an 84" Cab to Axle distance, the upside down L reinforcement amounts to only about 3 feet of length along the frame, in a location furthest away in either direction from the support of an axle, which is pretty much behind the cab. (CNN) -- The Portuguese government has denounced the British government's decision not to lift quarantine for people traveling from mainland Portugal as "absurd" and "senseless," saying the UK has seven times more coronavirus cases than it does. Augusto Santos Silva, the country's Minister of Foreign Affairs, said Portugal was "very disappointed" to have been excluded from a list of countries from which travelers will be exempt from spending two weeks in isolation after arriving in England. The exemption list, which was published by the UK government on Friday and will come into effect on July 10, includes 59 states and 14 British Overseas Territories. Speaking to BBC Radio 4 on Friday, Santos Silva said: "We are very disappointed with this decision of the British authorities. We think it's senseless and unfair. It's quite absurd. "The United Kingdom has seven times more cases related to Covid-19 than Portugal, so we think this is not the way in which allies and friends are treated," he added. Although he acknowledged that Portugal has experienced some "specific outbreaks" of Covid-19 in Lisbon, the minister stressed that destinations popular with British tourists -- such as the Algarve -- were not coronavirus hotspots. Antonio Costa, the Prime Minister of Portugal, also said the Algarve was a safe place to spend a holiday this summer. In a tweet posted on Friday, Costa included a graph comparing the number of Covid-19 cases in the UK unfavourably to those in the Algarve, adding the words: "You are welcome to spend a safe holiday in Algarve." Health authorities in Portugal have so far recorded 1,587 deaths from coronavirus in all settings. According to Johns Hopkins University, 44,216 people have died from the virus in the UK. According to UK government data, around 2.5 million Britons traveled to Portugal last year. CNN's Isabela Tejera and Milena Veselinovic contributed reporting. Questo comunicato e stato pubblicato piu di 6 mesi fa. Le informazioni su questa pagina potrebbero non essere attendibili. Smart Inhalers Market Size, Growth and Trends Analysis By Type (Dry Powder Inhaler and Metered Dose Inhaler), Application (Asthma, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease and others), Key Players and Region (Americas, Europe, Asia-Pacific and Middle East and Africa), Forecast to 2025 Smart Inhalers Market size and share is anticipated to reach USD 4.72 billion at a CAGR of 45% throughout the forecast period (2019-2025). Smart Inhalers are respiratory inhalers equipped with a digital sensor that tracks the data, such as the dosage timing, and monitors the use of the inhaler while scheduling the next dosage as well. Smart Inhalers Market is expected to witness significant growth due to rising prevalence of asthma & COPD worldwide. Increasing population becoming susceptible to indoor air pollutants worldwide and Moreover, improved adherence rate driven by increasing patients preference to use digitalized medical devices for monitoring daily medication doses fosters the growth of the Smart Inhalers Market. Also, increased collaboration deeds between pharmaceutical companies and smart inhaler manufacturers to promote technological advancements are contributing to market growth. Increased focus on advancement in treatment methods, R&D programs, online marketing strategies incorporated by key players in pharmaceutical and biotechnological industries are some of the major trends observed in the market. It is a new-age digital technology designed to empower patients, care contributors, researchers, and physicians related to respiratory diseases through objective and accurate medication monitoring and reminders. Alerts for the daily dosage are generated via Bluetooth. Smart inhalers have been successfully improving patient outcomes while reducing the significant financial costs associated with suboptimal medication adherence. This makes smart inhalers the next big thing in the respiratory care segment. On the other hand, high costs associated with the smart inhalers and COPD & asthma treatments, limited availability of smart inhalers, and misinterpretation of information are some of the major factors obstructing the growth of the market. Key pharmaceutical companies are adopting digital technology for improved disease management for asthma and COPD and for improved effectivity of medicines. Wide range of benefits, including reducing financial costs associated with suboptimal medication adherence to enhanced efficacy of medicines, makes smart inhalers most preferred and popular in the respiratory care segment. leading players include AstraZeneca (UK), Adherium (New Zealand), Cohero Health (US), Gecko Health Innovations, Inc (US), GlaxoSmithKline (UK), Propeller Health (US), and Inspiro Medical (Israel), among others. Highly competitive by nature, the smart inhalers market appears to be fragmented due to the presence of market titans in the market. To maintain their market positions. Key companies are venturing into new regions and countries with rapid expansion plans. Top players are substantially investing in R&D and clinical trials to accelerate product development and innovations and to cut down production costs. Global Smart Inhalers Market Segmentation: Smart Inhalers Market is segmented by Type Application End User Region By Type, the Smart Inhalers Market is segmented into Dry Powder Inhaler Metered-dose Inhaler By Application, the Smart Inhalers Market is segmented into Asthma Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) others By End-user, the Smart Inhalers Market is segmented into Hospitals & Clinics Research Institute Respiratory Care Centers others Regional Insights: By Regions Global Smart Inhalers Market is segmented into Asia Pacific North America Europe Rest-of-the-World North America leads the global smart inhalers market, accounting for the largest market share. Increased awareness about asthma and COPD treatment and the increased adoption of smart inhalers help the region to cut the largest revenue share, globally. Moreover, large asthma and COPD patient population in the region foster the regional market growth. The smart inhalers market in the European region took the second-largest position holding 31.89% market share, in 2018. The presence of a number of noteworthy players such as Novartis, AstraZeneca, and Boehringer Ingelheim drive the regional market growth. Moreover, the high adoption of smart inhalers in hospitals and patients in European countries is expected to boost the growth in the regional market throughout the assessment period. The Asia pacific smart inhalers market is emerging as a promising market, globally. Factors, such as the spreading awareness about the benefits that smart inhalers can provide in managing asthma and COPD, influence the market growth in the region. Besides, improvement in healthcare infrastructure with an increased budget for healthcare expenses would fuel the APAC smart inhalers market. The region is expected to grow rapidly throughout the forecast duration, with China being the major revenue contributor. Browse Complete Report https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/smart-inhalers-market-2117 About Market Research Future: At Market Research Future (MRFR), we enable our customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through our Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), & Consulting Services. Termination proceedings have been initiated against a Miami-Dade police officer who struck a woman who he said struck him during an argument at Miami International Airport. European Union flags are pictured outside the European Commission building on October 24, 2014 in Brussels, Belgium. European Union ambassadors will meet again June 26, 2020 to discuss the criteria for reopening the bloc's external borders, after speculation that US travelers could be among those banned because of severe coronavirus outbreaks in their countries. Fireworks laws in our area you should know about going into Fourth of July weekend 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. 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 Questo comunicato e stato pubblicato piu di 6 mesi fa. Le informazioni su questa pagina potrebbero non essere attendibili. Patient Access Solutions Market Size, Share, key Trends, Top Leaders and Analyzed information by Global Patient Access Solutions Market Service (Support & Maintenance and Implementation), Software (Eligibility Verification Software and Medical Necessity Management Software,), End User & RegionGlobal Forecast till 2024 Patient access solutions can be used by patients to gain access to their records, prescriptions, reports, and bills in a centralized location. The software helps in identification, management, and collection of data. The global patient access solutions market report by Market Research Future (MRFR) uses industry insights accumulated from experts by analysts for the compilation of pertinent drivers and challenges in a comprehensive manner. Market Overview The global patient access solutions market is predicted to accrue revenues at a CAGR of 7.5% during the forecast period (2019-2024). The market can thrive by minimizing the amount of staff required for management of patient data. The increase in healthcare expenditure by nations globally can drive the adoption rate by hospital chains globally and provide the market a much-needed boost. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the total healthcare expenditure was reported to be USD 831.5 billion. Technological advances in software which have culminated in accuracy, portability, and affordability can ramp up the adoption rate significantly. The integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into the software to assist patients in their search can bode well for the global Patient Access Solutions Market growth. Additional functions of health economics management and patient record management, as well as integration of real-time management models, can influence the growth patterns of the market. Segmentation The global patient access solutions market is segmented by delivery mode, software, service, and end-user. By delivery mode, it is segmented into on-premise solutions and web & cloud-based solutions. By software, it is segmented into eligibility verification software, pre-certification & authorization software, payment estimation software, medical necessity management software, medical claims payment processing software, claims denial & appeal management software, and others. By service, it is segmented into training & education, support & maintenance, and implementation. By end-user, it is segmented into laboratories & research institutes, hospitals & clinics, and healthcare providers. Regional Analysis The Middle East & Africa (MEA), Europe, Asia Pacific (APAC), and North America are the main regions considered during the compilation of the market report. The Americas accounted for the lions share of the market due to presence of well-established hospital chains, reputed personnel, sophisticated infrastructure, and high healthcare expenditure. Europe accounted for the second-largest market share due to increased support for research and development. Furthermore, the integration of the latest technology as well as upgradation of current equipment can drive the global patient access solutions market demand till 2023. Investment of capital as well as the large healthcare expenditure allocated for the well-being of patients can augur favorably for the market in the region. The APAC region is estimated to grow at a robust pace due to rapidly growing economies as well as the large patient pool. Awareness among patients of mobile applications as well as large disposable income levels has led to the integration of the latest automated solution at major hospitals. This can prove fruitful for the market looking to expand in the region. Furthermore, the improving economies other than large ones of China and India can be lucrative areas for investment. Competition Outlook Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited, Optum, TeleTracking Technologies, Inc., TransUnion LLC, SCI Solutions, Inc., GAFFEY Healthcare, Experian Information Solutions, Inc., Genentech USA, Inc., PokitDok, Inc, nThrive, Inc, Stericycle Inc, Cardinal Health, McKesson, Availity, LLC, UNITED BIOSOURCE LLC, KYRUUS, Cerner Corporation, MEDHOST, and FormFast are prominent names in the global patient access solutions market. Industry News Patient Access Solutions, Inc., has decided to try out a new strategy of acquiring local clinics in order to expand its services. It will establish Integrated Health Centers in its place and focus on patient care. Table Of Contents: Chapter 1. Report Prologue Chapter 2. Market Introduction 2.1 Definition 2.2 Scope Of The Study 2.2.1 Research Objective 2.2.2 Assumptions 2.2.3 Limitations Chapter 3. Research Methodology 3.1 Overview 3.2 Primary Research 3.3 Secondary Research 3.4 Market Size Estimation Chapter 4. Market Dynamics 4.1 Drivers 4.2 Restraints 4.3 Opportunities Continued OBTAIN RESEARCH REPORT DETAILS WITH TOC @ https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/patient-access-solutions-market-7811 Related News Sex Cord Gonadal Stromal Tumor Market Bariatric Surgery Devices Market About Market Research Future: At Market Research Future (MRFR), we enable our customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through our Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Raw Research Reports (3R), Continuous-Feed Research (CFR), and Market Research & Consulting Services. Tips for Traveling While Working Remotely One of the biggest benefits of working remotely is that it can be done from anywhere! While many... FREDERICKSBURG Mount Zion Baptist Church, 309 Wolfe St., has reopened its regular church services. Capacity will be limited to 50 percent, and face coverings and six feet social distancing are mandatory at all times. Eye protection is also recommended, and gloves are optional. If you have a medical condition or are in the high risk categories, please continue to stay home and watch the services or call in. Weekly and Sunday service will be held on Facebook Live at the following times: Bible Study at 6:45 p.m. on Wednesday, Sunday school at 9:30 a.m. and Sunday worship services at 10:50 a.m. Call in by telephone conference number to 978/990-5000 and enter pin 569693#. Fredericksburg City Public Schools will resume its emergency mobile feeding program Monday. The program was suspended June 21 out of an abundance of caution for the health and safety of our workers and volunteers, said Superintendent Marci Catlett. She said program leaders partnered with the Rappahannock Area Health Department to reassess the prevalence of COVID-19 here, and jointly determined that the meal program can safely resume. FCPS began providing free meals to children at 18 locations in the city after Gov. Ralph Northam closed Virginia schools to help stop the spread of COVID-19. School staff and volunteers provided more than 25,000 breakfasts and 60,000 lunches over 10 weeks, according to Brian Kiernan, the school systems food service director. More than 11 percent of the population in Planning District 16, which includes Fredericksburg, lacks reliable access to sufficient, affordable, and nutritious food, according to Virginia Community Food Connections website. The program will resume with the same structure. Breakfast and lunch will be made available to any child 18 years and under on the following schedule: 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 honor 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 shouldn't 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. After Tuesdays meeting, Green feels the county is moving in the right direction, but he also hopes the next iteration of the coalition will hear community complaints and concerns to help hold county staff, schools and law enforcement officials accountable on issues of racism, injustice and equality. The subcommittee looking into creating the new committee is made up of Supervisors Crystal Vanuch, Gary Snellings and Tinesha Allen. Tuesdays discussion was a first step in fine-tuning what a new committee would look like, with supervisors agreeing that citizens should represent each of the seven districts in the county. That way, within each district, we would be able to uniquely know what issues our constituents in our districts face, said Allen. Members of the subcommittee also discussed the idea of expanding into more of a human rights commission, similar to one in nearby Prince William County. Members there include a human rights attorney, human rights and equal employment opportunity managers, an outreach and education coordinator, two investigators, and an administrative specialist. Were just in the beginning of this process and I dont want to rule anything out, said Vanuch, who chairs the subcommittee. SAN RAMON, California, July 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- WANdiscoA (LSE: WAND) ("WANdisco" or the "Company"), the LiveData company for machine learning and AI, announces that it has signed an initial deal worth up to $1m with a major British supermarket. In addition, there has been strong uptake for the Group's Azure Cloud product, with 11 companies registered in the first month of public preview. With the completion of this deal with one of the UK's nationwide supermarket chains, WANdisco's technology will be used on-premise for data consistency and then subsequently for migration to the Azure cloud. The supermarket serves millions of customers each week, online and in store, and employs over 400,000 people throughout the UK. Since entering public preview on 1 June 2020, the Company's Microsoft Azure LiveData Platform has registered 11 companies for the service. This strong momentum during public preview is in line with the Group's expectation to sign 50 new customers within the first 12 months of operation. WANdisco CEO and Chairman David Richards, commented: "This deal with one of the UK's largest supermarkets reflects trends across the global retail industry to harness the power of big data and analytics through the cloud. With the backdrop of COVID-19, retailers are fast tracking their cloud journeys as digital and physical commerce become ever more intertwined. Our momentum registering new customers for our embedded product, with eleven signing in the first month of operation, provides further confidence in our partner led strategy." This announcement contains inside information for the purposes of Article 7 of Regulation (EU) No 596/2014 ("MAR"). Upon the publication of this announcement, this inside information is now considered to be in the public domain. For the purposes of MAR and Article 2 of Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2016/1055, this announcement is being made on behalf of the Company by David Richards, CEO and Chairman. About WANdisco WANdisco is the LiveData company for machine learning and AI. WANdisco solutions enable enterprises to create an environment where data is always available, accurate and protected, creating a strong backbone for their IT infrastructure and a bedrock for running consistent, accurate machine learning applications. With zero downtime and zero data loss, WANdisco Fusion keeps geographically dispersed data at any scale consistent between on-premises and cloud environments allowing businesses to operate seamlessly in a hybrid or multi-cloud environment. WANdisco has over a hundred customers and significant go-to-market partnerships with Microsoft Azure, Amazon Web Services, Google Cloud, Oracle, and others as well as OEM relationships with IBM and Alibaba. For more information on WANdisco, visit http://www.wandisco.com. A This page contains all of The Frontiersmans 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 Wasilla resident whos been affected by the illness? Send us an email: editor@frontiersman.com. Have any questions? Please give us a call at 907-352-2250 Galveston, TX (77553) Today Scattered thunderstorms this evening becoming more widespread overnight. Low 79F. Winds S at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 80%. Locally heavy rainfall possible.. Tonight Scattered thunderstorms this evening becoming more widespread overnight. Low 79F. Winds S at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 80%. Locally heavy rainfall possible. Ubisoft vice president of editorial Maxime Beland has resigned from his role after being accused of sexual harassment and assault. The company also revealed that Beland's fellow editorial vice president, Tommy Francois, has been placed on disciplinary leave pending the outcome of an investigation -- although it's worth noting that Francois had reportedly already been suspended. Meanwhile, another unnamed individual from Ubisoft Toronto has been fired for "engaging in behaviours that do not align with what is expected of Ubisoft employees." Beland's departure, described as a "resignation," follows a stream of allegations posted on social media accusing the Ubisoft exec of choking a female employee at a Far Cry party and several forms of sexual harassment. Ubisoft was reportedly aware of those allegations but chose not to act. Earlier this week, we spoke to multiple Ubisoft employees who told us how the company has enabled a culture of abuse and control that has allowed sexual harassment, abuse, racism, and homophobia to take root and flourish. Ubisoft chief exec Yves Guillemot has since outlined a number of changes the company intends to make in a letter titled 'Change starts today,' including a shake-up of the editorial department, previously overseen by Beland and Francois, and the appointment of a Head of Diversity and Inclusion. You can find the company's latest statement, sent to Gamasutra by Ubisoft's senior director of corporate communications Michael Burk, posted below. 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... - The Board of Directors of MAG Interactive has resolved to offer the holders of warrants of program 2017/2020:2 to repurchase their warrants STOCKHOLM, July 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The Board of Directors of MAG Interactive has resolved to offer the holders of warrants of series 2017/2020:2 to repurchase their warrants. The offer only concerns the settlement of the warrants and does not entail any changes to the terms of the warrants or the program. The offer is made conditional upon that the warrant holders reinvest the consideration in shares in MAG Interactive through the exercise of the warrants held. In September 2017, the Board of Directors resolved, with authorization from the General Meeting, to adopt a three-year warrant plan aimed towards the founders of the subsidiary company Delinquent, whereof two are employees in the company today. In total, 144,375 warrants were issued which can be exercised to subscribe for new shares during the period July 1 - September 30, 2020. As of today, all 144,375 warrants in the program are outstanding.A The Board of Directors has resolved that the company shall make an offer to repurchase warrants of the series 2017/2020:2 at market terms (valued on the basis of Black and Scholes and adjusted with respect to the remaining time at the time of subscription). The offer of repurchase refers to the number of warrants that need to be repurchased in order for the consideration of the repurchases to cover the financing of the exercise of the remaining warrants. The objective for making the offer is to facilitate for the warrant holders of series 2017/2020:2 to exercise their warrants without the requirement to finance the exercise of the warrants themselves. The offer does not entail any additional tax costs nor transaction fees for the company and it does not entail a further administrative burden for the company. In addition, the repurchase of part of the warrants in series 2017/2020:2 decreases the warrants dilutive effect compared to if the warrants had been exercised. If all warrant holders of series 2017/2020:2 were to fully accept the offer, the consideration for the offer, based on the current share price of SEK 24,26 (average share price 30 June), would amount to SEK 1.3 million. For additional information, please contact: Magnus WiklanderA CFO +46 (0)70-511-51-99 magnus.wiklander@maginteractive.se Tove Bengtsson Marketing Communications Manager +46 (0)72-220-73-22A tove.bengtsson@maginteractive.se This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com https://news.cision.com/mag-interactive/r/mag-offers-to-repurchase-warrants-during-the-period-july-september,c3145859 A Drug decriminalization, a cigarette tax increase and limits on political campaign financing are on a historically short list of ballot measures that will go before voters in the Nov. 3 election. The COVID-19 pandemic has made it difficult for traditional signature-gathering techniques such as stations at shopping centers and fairs, or going door-to-door. With Thursday's deadline to submit signatures, only one of the 72 ballot measures that have at some point submitted for review by the Secretary of State made it across the finish line. The drug decriminalization initiative will join two referrals from the Legislature a cigarette tax increase and campaign finance reform on the ballot. The fate of two other initiatives was uncertain at the deadline. Backers of the legalization of the therapeutic use of psilocybin said they had submitted the required signatures by the deadline, but are awaiting final approval from the Secretary of State's office, which they said should be announced in coming weeks. A group trying to change political district reapportionment decisions from the Legislature to an independent panel has taken legal action against Secretary of State Bev Clarno to be allowed more time to gather signatures because of the pandemic. Dr. Travis Bomengen, site director and chief medical officer with the new rural training track in Thermopolis, stands with Megan Olson, the first resident physician to begin the tracks residency position. African students in Jinhua, Zhejiang province have been helping their teachers carry out pandemic control missions on campus, believing that their efforts can strengthen China-Africa friendship during the hard time. Rusingiza Fred, a student from Rwanda who has been studying Internet of Things Application at Jinhua Polytechnic for the past five years, is one of the universitys volunteers from Africa. Along with several other students, the volunteers help deliver food to the student dormitories, as well as assisting in the daily disinfection of common areas. The student volunteer team delivers food to other students at Jinhua Polytechnic, in east China's Zhejiang Province. [Photo: Jinhua Polytechnic] Jinhua Polytechnic has 161 overseas students, including 55 from Rwanda. During the epidemic, the school implemented a series of measures to help students stay safe. Teachers and other staff have helped deliver food, such as rice and vegetables, to the students' dormitories to help with the social distancing. The tireless work undertaken by the teachers has moved Fred. "We saw our teachers working hard to help us every day, so we organized a volunteer team to help them and to share part of the work," he said. Fred also noted that the Chinese government responded swiftly to the outbreak and achieved remarkable results in its fight against the virus, believing that China has shown a lot of great experience that African countries can draw on. China has offered a lot of assistance to Rwanda. The two countries are like brothers. The joint cooperation has also demonstrated and reinforced the close bond and friendship between China and Africa, he further added. LONDON, July 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Algeco Group, the leading modular space leasing business in Europe and Asia Pacific, is pleased to announce the completion of the acquisition of Wexus Group AS ("Wexus"). This follows the announcement on 4 June 2020 that Algeco had agreed to acquire Wexus from Norvestor Equity AS and other shareholders. The transaction was subject to review by the Norwegian competition authority, which has now approved the acquisition. This transaction will further strengthen Algeco's position in the attractive Nordic modular space market that has grown at a CAGR of 12% from 2015 to 2018. Growth is expected to continue to be driven by long-term public sector contracts and infrastructure investment. Wexus is a leading provider of high-quality modular building solutions in the Nordic region. Headquartered in Norway, Wexus also has operations in Sweden and a modern wooden module production facility in Estonia that can supportA Algeco's enlarged business. Wexus operates a fleet of c. 1,600 units, has c. 110 employees and revenues of c. a35m in the twelve months to March 2020. Mark Higson, Algeco's Chief Executive Officer, said: "I am delighted to bring Wexus into the Algeco Group. This transaction further builds on Algeco's leading position in the highly attractive Nordic modular space market. We look forward to working closely with the highly experienced Wexus management team as they continue to lead this business and build Wexus' established track record of sustained revenue growth." Egil Messmer, Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Wexus Group, said: "We are excited to be embarking on the next stage in Wexus' journey, as we join Europe's leading modular space provider. The combination of our Nordic platform, together with Algeco's international expertise and scale will lead to even greater value creation as we move forward. " About Wexus Group AS Wexus Group focuses on the sale and rental of modular buildings for public projects, infrastructure, construction and oil & gas sectors in Norway and Sweden. It was established by a management team with over 75 years' experience in the sector. Wexus provides flexible solutions to its customers using its modern factory in Estonia that has its own Technical Approvals from Sintef. About Algeco Algeco is the world's leading business services company specialising in modular space. We create smart spaces for people to live, work and learn. Our business is designed to help customers find the right space solution, no matter what their requirements. Algeco has operations in 23 countries with approximately 250,000 modular space and portable storage units and 3,400 remote accommodations rooms. The company operates as Algeco in Europe, Elliott in the United Kingdom, BUKO Huisvesting and BUKO Bouw & Winkels in The Netherlands, Malthus Uniteam in Norway, Ausco in Australia, Portacom in New Zealand, and Algeco Chengdong in China. For further information: Investor relations: Phil VellacottA investor.relations@algeco.comA 07841-563541 Media enquiries: Tulchan CommunicationsA algeco@tulchangroup.comA 0207-353-4200 A UK court denies Venezuela access to $1 billion of gold, sides with Guaido Iran Press TV Friday, 03 July 2020 9:12 AM A British court has refused to return $1 billion of Venezuela's gold reserves held in London, siding with opposition figure Juan Guaido who asked for the release to be denied. Judge Justice Teare at the English High Court said the government in London had "unequivocally recognized" Guaido as Venezuela's president in a case that was initiated by Venezuela's Central Bank in a bid to reclaim the gold reserves. Teare's judgement said: "Her Majesty's Government does recognize Mr Guaido in the capacity of constitutional interim president of Venezuela and, it must follow, does not recognize Mr Maduro as the constitutional interim president of Venezuela." The Central Bank of Venezuela wants the gold to be released from the Bank of England to help fund the nation's response to the coronavirus crisis. 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." 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." Lawyers representing the Maduro government said they would appeal against the ruling. Venezuela descended into political turmoil after Guido unilaterally declared himself "interim president" of the country in January last year. The US, which quickly recognized Guaido's self-proclaimed presidency, has imposed several rounds of crippling sanctions against the oil-rich country in an attempt to oust Maduro and replace him with Guaido. The sanctions, which include the illegal confiscation of Venezuelan assets abroad and an economic blockade, have caused enormous suffering for millions of people in the country. Last year, the US also backed and helped a small group of rogue soldiers to launch a coup which failed against the elected government. There was also an attempt at assassinating the president with a drone in 2018. The latest attempt against the country came this year, when US-backed mercenaries tried to invade the northern state of La Guaira using high-speed boats. Venezuelan forces, however, foiled the attempt. The administration of US President Donald Trump has been openly calling for the ouster of Maduro. Taliban Ready For Compromise With Kabul to Reach Peace, US Rep for Afghanistan Says Sputnik News 19:48 GMT 03.07.2020(updated 20:40 GMT 03.07.2020) Earlier in the week, a video conference including Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, the chairman of the Afghan High Council for National Reconciliation (HCNR), Abdullah Abdullah, and US International Development Finance Corporation CEO Adam Boehler took place with a goal to discuss the situation in Afghanistan. In a statement following a Friday meeting with Qatar Fund For Development and the Qatar Investment Authority that also involved Taliban representatives, US Special Representative for Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad said that the Taliban "recognize all Afghans will have to make compromises in order to draw in the required investment in Afghanistan's future". He noted that the sides agreed that "developing plans in support of peace can never start too early" and expressed hopes that "final hurdles on the path to intra-Afghan negotiations" can be overcome. "In follow on mtg w/ the Taliban, we underscored the econ development oppts that will follow a sustainable peace. We agreed developing plans in support of peace can never start too early, assuming the 2 sides can overcome final hurdles on the path to intra-Afghan negotiations", the envoy said. The envoy, accompanied by the CEO of the US International Development Finance Corporation, Adam Boehler, took part in several meetings in Qatar's capital. One of those, involving the Qatar Fund For Development and the Qatar Investment Authority, was dedicated, in particular, to the discussion of the possibility for joint investment in Afghanistan. Earlier, Khalilzad and Boehler held a video conference with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and Chairman of the Afghan High Council for National Reconciliation (HCNR) Abdullah Abdullah, in which the participants agreed on the "need to prioritize Afghanistan's economic growth", which will require commitment to peace from both Kabul and the Taliban. "We share a common view that economic benefits of peace far outweigh benefits of war. A sustainable peace can mean investment w/ less risk, lower cost & faster capital deployment", the US envoy tweeted following the conference. In February, a peace deal was signed between the US and the Taliban envisaging a conditional withdrawal of all US troops from Afghanistan, with intra-Afghan talks between Kabul and the Taliban to follow. Bomb blasts and clashes in the country still occur, however, contributing to ongoing instability in the war-torn nation. The peace process between the two sides was stalled due to disagreements over the mutual release of prisoners by both Kabul and the Taliban, as the United Nations urged both parties to commit to a long-lasting peace agreement to protect civilians and assure economic growth. Sputnik Yemen's Houthis Target Saudi Najran Airport, King Khalid Air Base, Reports Say Sputnik News 14:52 GMT 03.07.2020(updated 15:31 GMT 03.07.2020) The Islamic movement, which operates in Yemen, has promised to step up their campaign against Saudi forces until the coalition lifts the blockade of the country's northern provinces and stops bombing the area. The Houthis have targeted Najran Airport and the King Khalid Air Base with multiple drones, Reuters reported, citing a tweet by the movement. Earlier today, the Saudi-led coalition stated that it had intercepted and destroyed four explosive-laden drones launched by the military group in the direction of Saudi Arabia. Of them, three drones were destroyed in Yemeni airspace, Col. Turki al-Maliki, the Arab coalition's spokesman said, as quoted by the official Saudi Press Agency. The alliance's forces will take all necessary measures to protect civilian facilities and the peaceful population according to humanitarian law, the spokesman added. Late on Thursday, the Houthi-run Al Masirah broadcaster reported that the coalition had conducted over 30 intensive airstrikes on the Yemeni provinces of Marib, Sanaa, Hajjah, and Al Jawf. The Houthi movement has repeatedly targeted the kingdom's military positions and facilities by launching drones at them. On 23 June, the Saudi-led military coalition involved in the Yemeni civil war said that it had intercepted explosive-laden drones launched from Yemen against Saudi civilian targets. Prior to this, the Houthi movement stated that it had hit the Defence Ministry, the King Salman Air Base, and military facilities in Riyadh, Jazan, and Najran. Yemen has been engulfed in an armed conflict between government forces led by President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi and the Houthi movement for several years. The Saudi-led coalition has been carrying out airstrikes against the Houthis at Hadi's request since March 2015. Despite a peace accord signed in Stockholm in 2018, the tensions have not decreased. Sputnik Venezuelan President Reverses EU Ambassador's Expulsion By VOA News July 03, 2020 Venezuela is expecting the European Union to take a more objective stance on events in the country after reversing its decision to expel the bloc's ambassador. Venezuelan Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza told local media Thursday that Caracas was making "a gesture" in order "not to hinder the dialogue with the European Union." He said the government hopes "therefore, that there will also be gestures from Europe to have a much more objective position on the events in our country." President Nicolas Maduro said the decision to rescind the expulsion was made after a joint communique was issued calling for a new stage of dialogue between EU High Representative Josep Borrell and Arreza. Maduro on Monday gave EU ambassador Isabel Brilhante Pedrosa 72 hours to leave the country, in response to European sanctions against 11 Venezuelans including a travel ban and a freeze on assets. Borrell condemned the expulsion, saying the EU would call Venezuela's envoy to the bloc. Venezuela's opposition-controlled parliament criticized the attempt to expel the EU ambassador as an "unacceptable expulsion." 2 Former Panama Presidents Charged with Money Laundering By VOA News July 03, 2020 Two former presidents of Panama, Ricardo Martinelli and Juan Carlos Varela, have been charged with money laundering in separate cases. After leaving the prosecutor's office in Panama City on Thursday, Martinelli said he was angered by prosecutors continuing to link him to the so-called "New Business" case in which a publishing group was allegedly purchased with government money during his five-year term, ending in 2014. The French News Agency (AFP) said prosecutors accuse former President Juan Carlos Varela of taking illegal campaign donations from Brazilian construction giant Odebrecht during his term ending in 2019. Varela has pledged to cooperate with prosecutors to clear his name. Both Martinelli and Varela share more than identical legal challenges. Martinelli won the 2009 election with Varela as his running mate, but their partnership collapsed when Varela was fired as foreign minister in 2011. China activates security deputies Global Times By GT staff reporters Source:Global Times Published: 2020/7/3 22:44:19 Appointment of Luo shows strengthened role of central govt agencies in HK: senior advisor After the Chinese central government unveiled a series of appointments on Friday for two government bodies to safeguard national security in Hong Kong - a major step in finalizing the law enforcement mechanism under the newly enacted national security law - the role of the central government's liaison office in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) has been further boosted, which shows that the central government bears the fundamental responsibility for national security matters in the city. The top authority announced the appointment of Luo Huining - director of the central government's liaison office in the HKSAR and deputy director of the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council - as the national security advisor to the newly established HKSAR committee for safeguarding national security. Luo is expected to provide guidance on national security matters and serve as a key bridge in coordination work between central and regional authorities, according to observers. Luo now holds three positions, which shows that he represents the central government position directly in the HKSAR national security committee, Lau Siu-kai, vice president of the Chinese Association of Hong Kong and Macao Studies, told the Global Times on Friday. "It means Luo could exert influence on supervision, guidance and assistance in national security affairs, and also effectively promote contact and coordination between the central government and HKSAR government to maintain national security," Lau said. During the Fourth Plenary Session of the 19th Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee in October 2019, the central committee decided to deal with Hong Kong's deep-seated political issues and reduce the space for hostile forces from home and abroad, said the senior advisor to the central government's Hong Kong policies. "Therefore, naming the director of the liaison office as the national security advisor to the committee also means that when implementing the new policy in Hong Kong, the central government's leading role will be further demonstrated through the work of the liaison office, meaning that the actual influence of the liaison office may be further boosted," he pointed out. Also on Friday, Zheng Yanxiong, a member of the Standing Committee of the Communist Party of China Guangdong Provincial Committee, was appointed by the central government to lead the office for safeguarding national security of the central government in the HKSAR, finalizing law-enforcement mechanisms. The office for safeguarding national security of the central government would fulfill the central government's ultimate responsibility on national security matters in the city, which will operate with a high authority and work with existing central government institutions. Also on Friday, the HKSAR government announced the official establishment of the committee in accordance with Article 15 of the national security law for Hong Kong passed on Tuesday. Two departments under the Hong Kong Police Force (HKPF) and Department of Justice have also been set up to advance enforcement of the new law. The HKPF's department for safeguarding national security, led by deputy commissioner of the police Edwina Lau, and a specialized prosecution division responsible for the prosecution of national security offenses under the Department of Justice, would handle national security cases in Hong Kong. After the appointments, the law enforcement mechanism has been finalized, which will be followed by further work, including improving the integration of the national security law and local law in Hong Kong, effectively implementing the national law and integrating it into the local legislative system, and coming up with more details of law enforcement guidance, local lawmakers, officials and legal experts said. Stronger central authority representation As former Party chief of Northwest China's Qinghai Province and North China's Shanxi Province, Luo's past experience shows he is politically mature and has a tacit understanding of the central government, according to some observers. Appointing the head of the central government's liaison office as national security advisor to Hong Kong also shows the continuity in reshuffling Hong Kong-related officials, which could avoid the decentralization of the central authority's power in the region, Li Xiaobing, an expert on Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan, from Nankai University, told the Global Times on Friday. The director of the liaison office better understands the central government's political judgment on Hong Kong issues, and is also familiar with local affairs, Li said, noting that this knowledge would help the official strike a balance between central and local governance. "Luo is also familiar with the Hong Kong situation, which makes him a suitable candidate for this position," he added. Under the national security law for Hong Kong, the Committee for Safeguarding National Security of the HKSAR, chaired by the city's chief executive, is responsible for affairs related to safeguarding national security in the city. The central government-designated national security advisor to the committee will advise on matters related to the committee's duties and functions. The liaison office has been under tremendous pressure since the start of anti-government protests in 2019 due to its limited role and functions on Hong Kong matters other than the unification of pro-establishment forces and patriotic groups, some observers said. Some Western media have also been saying it has misjudged the situation in Hong Kong, isolating itself from the majority of Hong Kong society. Assuming office in January, Luo is expected to bring the central government's governance in Hong Kong into a new era. "Such an arrangement for officials will enable the liaison office to have an effect in national security matters in Hong Kong," Tian Feilong, a Hong Kong affairs and legal expert at Beihang University in Beijing, told the Global Times on Friday. For example, if the committee is uncertain about a particular national security matter, it could consult the national security advisor, who would report the situation to the central government's national security office in Hong Kong, Tian said. Though Luo would hold different positions, it does not mean the positions completely overlap. Instead, they would be different, Tang Fei, a member of the Chinese Association of Hong Kong and Macao Studies, told the Global Times. "The liaison office work is open to society, highlighting the unification. It is not confidential," he said, noting that if those two are confused with each other, it won't be helpful for uniting the different spheres of Hong Kong. Professionalism under spotlight The central government's office for safeguarding national security in Hong Kong has the ultimate judicial power and will "have the final say" on national security-related cases, which will also have absolute law enforcement power in situations of urgency and necessity, legal experts said. Zheng's rich experience in education, publicity and the social dispute sector is considered his major advantage, especially for his remarks during the Wukan village protests in Guangdong and his handling of social disputes, some observers said. "He is experienced in dealing with social unrest and understands Cantonese, which would help coordinate Guangdong and Hong Kong," Tian said. Li Jiangzhou, the director of the police liaison department of the liaison office of the central government in the HKSAR, and Sun Qingye were appointed on Friday as deputy heads of the new office. From the Ministry of Public Security, Li has been responsible for domestic security operations, specializing in collecting intelligence, while Sun is from the Ministry of State Security (MSS), according to several sources, with the rest of the official's history so far undisclosed. The office led by a politically mature official, aided by two highly professional officials, forms a "very good balance" between public relations and the requirements of operations, Tian said. It's widely believed that the newly established department of the HKPF would further enhance its intelligence collection capacity as the social unrest since 2019 has showed signs of a color revolution, with external forces supporting local secessionists and riots to instigate hatred and fuel rampage. Several sources close to the HKPF told the Global Times recently that they would expect closer work with central government's authorities in the HKSAR in helping improving the capacity and coordinating operations. Appointing an official from Guangdong familiar with the situation in Hong Kong also shows that in safeguarding national security, the cooperation of Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao would become priority, Lau noted. "The two agencies will support each other, be in close communication, and take joint action when necessary. The committee will assist the office in the exercise of jurisdiction in certain cases," he said. UPDATE: Guangdong Party veteran Zheng Yanxiong appointed as head of central govt's office for safeguarding national security in HK Global Times By Chen Qingqing and Fan Lingzhi Source:Global Times Published: 2020/7/3 12:22:14 China's central government announced on Friday that Zheng Yanxiong, a member of the Standing Committee of the Communist Party of China Guangdong Provincial Committee, will lead the office for safeguarding national security of the central government in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), finalizing law-enforcement mechanisms and fulfilling the central government's ultimate responsibilities over national security matters in the city. Zheng is vastly experienced in education and publicity sectors, as he worked for Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine and the Huanan branch of the People's Daily during his early career. He was the Party's top official in Shanwei, Guangdong Province in 2011, during which time he oversaw the resolving of land disputes in Wukan village. In 2011, some residents in Wuhan village accused the village committee of illegal land grabbing and staged protests, and Zheng settled the disputes with local authorities returning some disputed land to the Wukan villagers. Zheng was known for his though-provoking remarks during the Wuhan village incident. He reportedly said, "We will see pigs fly before the foreign media can be trusted." Li Jiangzhou, director of the police liaison department of the liaison office of the central government in the HKSAR, and Sun Qingye were appointed as deputy heads of the new office. According to media reports, Li Jiangzhou, born in 1968, graduated from the People's Public Security University of China and joined the Ministry of Public Security in 1990. Before coming to Hong Kong, Li was mainly responsible for domestic security operations, and specialized on collecting intelligence. He also served as the deputy head of Hong Kong and Macao affairs under the ministry. Sun is from the Ministry of State Security (MSS), according to several sources, with the rest of the official's history so far not disclosed. "The appointment of the director of the office is definitely from a professional perspective, as national security involves more professional work such as legal work," Tang Fei, a member of the Chinese Association of Hong Kong and Macao Studies, told the Global Times. The new office will operate with a high authority and work with existing central government institutions, including the central government liaison office and foreign ministry commissioner's office, as well as the People's Liberation Army (PLA) Garrison in Hong Kong, to jointly safeguard national security through sharing intelligence and analysis, according to observers. Both Li and Sun's backgrounds fit well the purpose of enhancing the sharing of intelligence and analysis, and handling national security matters in the HKSAR, observers said. 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). Under the national security law for Hong Kong, the central government also designated Luo Huining, head of the central government's liaison office in HKSAR as a national security advisor to the HKSAR committee for safeguarding national security, who provides advice on matters related to the duties and functions of the committee. "The office and the committee will closely work and coordinate with each other in enhancing information sharing and law enforcement, which means all departments involved will remain in close communication," Tang said. Correction: Sun's gender remains unknown with the little public information disclosed. Liaison office director Luo Huining appointed national security advisor to HK Global Times By Chen Qingqing Source:Global Times Published: 2020/7/3 12:19:34 China's central government has appointed Luo Huining as national security advisor to the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) committee for safeguarding national security. Luo will provide guidance on national security matters and serve as a key bridge in coordination work between central and regional authorities. The appointment is a crucial step in finalizing law-enforcement mechanisms and fulfilling the central government's ultimate responsibility over national security matters in the city, given that the matter is urgent and relevant to the core interests of the country, according to observers. Luo Huining, director of the central government's liaison office in the HKSAR, entered office in January. His past experience shows he is politically mature and has a tacit understanding of the central government. "Appointing the top official from the liaison office also signals that the role of central government's agencies in the city would be further enhanced," Tang Fei, a member of the Council of the Chinese Association of Hong Kong and Macao Studies, told the Global Times on Friday. Under the national security law for Hong Kong, which was passed and enacted on Tuesday, the Committee for Safeguarding National Security of the HKSAR, chaired by the city's chief executive, was established, being responsible for affairs relating to and assuming primary responsibility for the safeguarding of national security in the city. The central government-designated national security advisor to the committee will advise on matters relating to the committee's duties and functions. "The advisor serves a bridge to coordinate relevant work between local authorities and the central government's offices in Hong Kong," Tian Feilong, a Hong Kong affairs and legal expert at Beihang University in Beijing, told the Global Times on Friday. For example, if the committee is uncertain about a particular national security matter, it could consult the advisor, who would report the situation to the central government's national security office in Hong Kong, he said. Under the law, the central government also established a national security office in the HKSAR, which will bear the ultimate responsibility for national security matters in the city.. The office has ultimate juridical power and will "have the final say" on national security-related cases. It will have absolute law enforcement power in situations of urgency and necessity. Upon the central government's approval of a request made by the HKSAR government or the central government's national security office in the city, the office can exercise jurisdiction over cases concerning the endangerment of national security when they are complex due to the involvement of a foreign country or external elements; when a serious situation occurs where the HKSAR government is unable to effectively enforce the national security law; or when a major and imminent threat to national security arises. "We don't want to see such a significant threat or difficult situation occur. But the system should include all kinds of risks and factors," Shen Chunyao, director of the Legislative Affairs Commission of the National People's Congress Standing Committee, told a recent press conference. Appointing Luo signals central govt's liaison office in HK will have stronger influence: senior advisor Global Times By Bai Yunyi Source:Global Times Published: 2020/7/3 17:53:38 The appointment to the new national security agencies in Hong Kong signaled that the central government's liaison office in the city will have a stronger influence and that it is the central government's detailed, long-term plan, instead of a quick decision, a senior advisor to the central government on Hong Kong policies said on Friday. China's central government has appointed Luo Huining, director of the Central Government's Liaison office in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), as the national security advisor to the HKSAR Committee for Safeguarding National Security. He will provide guidance on safeguarding national security matters and serve as a key bridge in coordination work between the central and regional authorities. Under the new personnel arrangement, Luo will serve three positions at the same time: director of the liaison office; deputy director of the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council, and national security advisor to the committee. Lau Siu-kai, vice president of the Chinese Association of Hong Kong and Macao Studies, believed it means that Luo's role as national security advisor will more directly represent the central government's position, meaning that he could exert influence on supervision, guidance and assistance in national security affairs, and also effectively promote contact and coordination between the central government and HKSAR government to maintain national security. During the Fourth Plenary Session of the 19th Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee in October 2019, the central committee made up its mind to deal with Hong Kong's deep-seated political issues and reduce the space for hostile forces both at home and abroad, Lau said. "Therefore, naming the director of the liaison office as the national security advisor to the committee also means that when implementing new policy on Hong Kong, the central government's leading role will be further demonstrated through the work of the liaison office, meaning that the actual influence of the liaison office may be improved," he pointed out. Lau noted that the central government made its appointments on the third day after the national security law for Hong Kong came into effect. On one hand, it reflects the CPC central committee's determination to implement the decision of the Fourth Plenary Session of the 19th CPC Central Committee; on the other hand, it indicates that the central government has already made its plan to solve the issue of national security in Hong Kong for the long-term. It also shows that the central government hopes the national security law for Hong Kong can display its deterrent effect for actions that endanger national security in the HKSAR. Regarding the personnel arrangement of the office for safeguarding national security of the central government in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, Lau said that the head, from South China's Guangdong Province, should be more familiar with the situation in Hong Kong, which means cooperation between Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao will be the top priority for safeguarding national security in the future. He said the personnel arrangements of the committee and office also showed that the two agencies will support each other, be in close communication, and take joint action when necessary. The committee will assist the office in the exercise of jurisdiction in certain cases. That was a theme Mayor Erin Stewart followed in her speech, saying, A career in community policing is not always easy. I thank you for allowing your loved ones to be a part of our New Britain family and to protect and serve. Foreign judges not excluded from national security cases: HK's Chief Justice Global Times By Zhang Hui Source:Global Times Published: 2020/7/3 15:08:40 Foreign judges not excluded from national security cases: HK's Chief Justice Judges of foreign nationalities will not be excluded when Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam appoints judges to hear cases and appeals involving the national security law for Hong Kong, said Geoffrey Ma Tao-li, the Chief Justice of Hong Kong Court of Final Appeal. Lam has appointed six judges to deal with national security cases, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government said on Friday, without naming the judges. Ma said in a statement on Thursday that foreign judges could be appointed in Hong Kong in accordance with the Basic Law, including Non-Permanent Judges of the Court of Final Appeal, whose contributions to Hong Kong have repeatedly been acknowledged by the Chief Executive. In his statement, Ma confirmed certain principles regarding the designation of judges and operations of the courts in handling cases under the national security law for Hong Kong. He said that under Article 44 of the national security law for Hong Kong, the Chief Executive shall appoint judges at each court level to handle cases and appeals in relation to the law. The judges will be chosen based on the Basic Law. Therefore, all appointed judges will come from the existing ranks of the judiciary, Ma said. The appointed judges, like all judges, will be appointed on the basis of their judicial and professional qualifications, which should be the only criteria relevant to their appointment. That means judges should not be chosen based on political considerations, Ma said. However, some lawyers in Hong Kong believe the chosen judges for cases involving national security should only be given to judges of Chinese nationality. Kennedy Wong Ying-ho, a solicitor at the Supreme Court of Hong Kong, told the Global Times on Friday that the city's current judicial institutions include many judges with foreign nationalities, but cases related to national security should only be handled by those of Chinese nationality to avoid a conflict of interest. "For example, if police arrest a British national for allegedly spying in Hong Kong, it would make sense to not involve British judges in the trial," Wong said. Wong believes the statement was only Ma's personal opinion, as the Chief Executive has the final say. Tian Feilong, a Hong Kong affairs and legal expert at Beihang University in Beijing, told the Global Times that not excluding foreign judges does not mean foreign judges will have the same opportunities and treatment as Chinese judges in dealing with cases involving national security. In fact, the judges' loyalty needs to be looked at more thoroughly than ordinary cases, as foreign judges will be faced with tough choices and possible conflicting interests, Tian said. American firms welcome to continue operating in Hong Kong: FM Global Times Source:Global Times Published: 2020/7/3 21:53:40 China welcomes companies from all over the world, including those from the US, to continue to operate and develop in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), expressing the hope of jointly building up the international financial hub, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said on Friday. "I hope that the American business community will work with all those who support Hong Kong's development and prosperity to make the 'Pearl of the Orient' more dazzling," Zhao Lijian, the spokesperson for China's Foreign Ministry, told a regular briefing. The comments followed a statement by the American Chamber of Commerce (AmCham) in Hong Kong on Thursday that the chamber will remain committed to Hong Kong as a home base for international business following the National Security Law, which took effect in HKSAR at 11 pm on Tuesday. "It will take time for the business community to digest details of the law, but we hope it will not impact the dynamism and benefits of this great city, which continues to serve as an important gateway between East and West," the AmCham in Hong Kong said in the statement. Looking forward to the future, as China's reform and opening-up continues to release strong economic vitality, and Hong Kong's ties with the Chinese mainland as well as countries around the world become closer and closer, the city will surely have a better tomorrow, and companies in Hong Kong will usher in a brighter future, Zhao said. According to a recent survey by AmCham in Hong Kong on its 180 members, around 70.6 percent of respondents said their companies don't have plans to move capital, assets or business operations out of Hong Kong, while 62.2 percent said they personally won't consider leaving the city despite some concerns. Newly passed national security law a seawall safeguarding long-term prosperity, stability of Hong Kong People's Daily Online (People's Daily) 08:13, July 03, 2020 The Law of the People's 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 People's Congress (NPC), China's top legislature, has established a seawall safeguarding the long-term prosperity and stability of Hong Kong. Listed by the NPC Standing Committee in Annex III to the HKSAR Basic Law, the national security legislation is expected to terminate the region's 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 Kong's credit rating because of its social unrest, the region lost its title as the world's freest economy, which it had maintained for 25 consecutive years. Besides, the city's 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 HKSAR's 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 Kong's 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 China's central government to plug the loopholes in safeguarding national security in Hong Kong, stop violence and curb disorder with effective measures, and restore the region's 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 Kong's 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 people's 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. It's 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. UN rights office expresses alarm at Hong Kong arrests under new security law 3 July 2020 - The UN human rights office, OHCHR, has expressed alarm at the arrest of demonstrators in Hong Kong, following China's adoption of a national security law for the Special Administrative Region (SAR). Spokesperson Rupert Colville told journalists in Geneva on Friday that the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights was continuing to analyze the new law after it came into force on Wednesday, regarding its compliance with international human rights obligations: "I think several hundred people have been arrested since protests began on Wednesday, I think the last I heard, we understood 10 of those people have been charged under the new law, but I don't have more details at this point on the nature of the charges at this point and so on." He added that colleagues are "very much actively counting, trying to get those kinds of details and we'll see what kind of concerns we have about individual cases." Mr. Colville pointed to "vague and overly broad" definitions of some offences in the new law that had been adopted by China's National People's Congress. "This may lead to discriminatory or arbitrary interpretation and enforcement of the law, which could undermine human rights protection," he explained. Reiterating concerns about restrictions on freedom of expression highlighted by High Commissioner Michelle Bachelet, the OHCHR official insisted that such laws "should never be used to criminalize conduct and expression that is protected under international human rights law". Principle of legality Offences created under the new national security legislation should comply with the principle of legality, which is enshrined in article 15.1 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, Mr. Colville added. The development follows a joint declaration by dozens of UN-appointed independent rights experts alleging the repression of "fundamental freedoms" of Hong Kong protesters. Citing the alleged use of chemical agents against demonstrators, the experts also alleged sexual harassment and assault of women protesters in police stations; together with the alleged harassment of health care workers. The law had been drafted without meaningful consultation with the people of Hong Kong, they continued, adding that it risked undermining the right to a fair trial and could prompt a "sharp rise in arbitrary detention". The independent experts are neither UN staff nor paid by the Organization. One country, two systems The "one country, two systems" governance framework that was introduced at the end of British rule also risked being undermined, the experts insisted, enabling the Chinese Government to establish "agencies" in Hong Kong "when needed". Provisions governing the offence of "collusion with a foreign country or with external elements to endanger national security" contained in article 29 of the new law were also concerning, the OHCHR spokesperson added. "This may lead to a restriction of civic space and of the possibility for civil society actors to exercise their right to participate in public affairs," he said. "These provisions could also lead to criminalizing human rights defenders and activists for the exercise of their right to freedom of expression, association and peaceful assembly." Hong Kong Activist Calls for Help in Standing Up to China By VOA News July 03, 2020 Hong Kong pro-democracy activist Nathan Law is calling on the international community to stand up to the authoritarianism of China's President Xi Jinping and put human rights above financial gain. Law told Reuters news agency Thursday that China's unveiling of a national security law this week, which punishes any acts against China, marks the end of the "one country two systems" principle that guaranteed the territory's autonomy because "there is no more two systems, no more firewall between the system in Hong Kong and China." Law said the international community should recognize the significance of the law and adopt steps to hold China accountable. Britain handed Hong Kong back to China in 1997 after more than 150 years of British rule. Britain says the national security law breaches the agreements made at the time of the handover and that China is crushing the freedoms that have helped make Hong Kong one of the world's biggest financial centers. Both chambers of the U.S Congress approved bills that would penalize individuals or companies for conducting business with Chinese officials responsible for implementing Beijing's new national security law in Hong Kong. The Hong Kong Autonomy Act, 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. In Hong Kong, China Threatens to Snuff Out Press Freedom By William Gallo July 03, 2020 Hong Kong's status as one of Asia's most thriving press hubs appears to be on life support with the onset of a new national security law imposed by China on the semi-autonomous territory this week. The law, a response to the resurgence of pro-democracy protests over the past year, ostensibly aims to prevent secession, subversion, terrorism, or collusion with foreign forces. Punishments for those crimes range from three years to life in prison. But the legislation's broad, vaguely worded provisions - which apply to locals, foreigners, and even people living in other countries - will drastically curtail freedom of speech, analysts warn. "It says the government can do pretty much anything it wants," says Steven Butler, the Asia program coordinator at the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ). Butler says the territory is likely to see a period of testing as authorities reveal exactly how they intend to interpret and apply the law, but the uncertainty has already had chilling effects on free speech. Signs of fear In recent weeks, waves of Hong Kongers have downloaded virtual private networks, or VPNs, as well as encrypted messaging apps such as Signal, to hide their digital activities from authorities. Some websites have removed posts or articles that were critical of China or sympathetic toward independence. Many Hong Kongers have deleted their social media profiles altogether. "The entire media landscape is facing a new frontier," says Sharron Fast, a lecturer in media law at the University of Hong Kong. "There are many reports of media organizations being approached by authors to take down prior publications. So, editors are facing a very real conflict between the desire to retain previously 'lawful' publications and to preserve the historical record and the very real threats that authors face under the new law," she says. There are also signs that mainstream media outlets are altering their coverage of the protest movement, especially after Hong Kong officials on Thursday announced that certain prominent protest slogans amount to banned displays of separatism. In a tweet Friday, the state-funded news outlet RTHK refused to even use the now banned slogan "Liberate Hong Kong," instead referring to it as "L******* #Hong Kong." The move suggests that some journalists are now reluctant to report on sensitive issues, even when they do so in neutral terms. "It has developed very fast and is terrifying," says Emily Lau, a former Hong Kong lawmaker and current democracy activist. Even though it isn't yet clear whether simply uttering a banned protest phrase will result in an arrest and conviction, the chilling effect on the press is clear, Lau says. Some international media outlets have found that a handful of civil society groups and activists in Hong Kong have halted giving on-the-record comments until they can determine how certain segments of the law will be applied. "I mean, who knows what 'provoking hatred toward the government' means," said a person with one non-profit organization, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the situation. 'Provoking hatred' That statement is a reference to Article 29 of the new law, which among other things criminalizes working with a broad range of foreign organizations to provoke hatred among Hong Kong residents toward the local or mainland governments. The law says both the individual and the foreign organization involved in the provocations can be punished with up to life in prison, even though officials have not clarified what "provoking hatred" means. "Writing an article -- does that incite people to be hateful? We don't know what counts," says Tommy Walker, a British freelance journalist in Hong Kong. "Everyone's a bit worried," says Walker, who like some other foreign journalists, are searching for backup options in case reporting in Hong Kong becomes untenable. Activist Leaves Hong Kong After New Law to Advocate Abroad Nathan Law says he left his beloved city because Hong Kong needs an advocate for democracy who can work internationally Walker says it is likely that local journalists and activists will be targeted first, but foreign journalists could also see major new restrictions. New foreign media rules According to Article 54 of the law, authorities must "strengthen the management" of foreign media outlets, nongovernmental organizations, and other international groups. It is not clear what that means; but, it suggests tighter monitoring and stricter censorship, a major change for foreign journalists who used to be able to easily acquire visas and report from Hong Kong unmolested. For now, the entry of foreign journalists into Hong Kong has been complicated by the coronavirus pandemic; but, once the pandemic is over, some journalists say they're not confident when they can return. "I think the border will become a lot less predictable," says William Yang, a Taiwanese journalist who frequently reports from Hong Kong. "The risks and uncertainties are just so high," he says. "And we don't know where the line is." It applies to everyone...everywhere? To some analysts, the most concerning part of the new legislation is its expansive territorial reach. According to Article 38, the law applies even to offenses committed "outside the region by a person who is not a permanent resident of the region." Donald Clarke, a law professor at George Washington University, says the measure appears to be "asserting extraterritorial jurisdiction over every person on the planet." According to Clarke, that means if a U.S. newspaper columnist advocates Tibetan independence in their column, they would be liable under the Hong Kong national security law. "If you've ever said anything that might offend the PRC or Hong Kong authorities, stay out of Hong Kong," Clarke said in a post on the China Collection, a blog focused on Chinese current events. China defends Chinese officials have repeatedly maintained that the new law will not restrict freedoms of speech or the press, which are guaranteed in the Basic Law, Hong Kong's mini-constitution. The law, they insist, will only outlaw subversion, separatism, terrorism and foreign interference. Hong Kong's only member of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, Beijing's top decision-making body, recently told the Nikkei Asian Review that the laws would apply to the media. "There is no exception for people or businesses in the city," said Tam Yiu-chung. Asked whether journalists could be punished for reporting on sensitive issues, the pro-Beijing politician told Nikkei that companies should "seek professional legal advice." "We will have a carefully planned mechanism to evaluate actions case-by-case," he said. "We will have to prove, for example, that a person has a well-developed organization to initiate action that threatens national security." Journalists not convinced The overwhelming majority of Hong Kong journalists take no comfort in those assurances, according to a survey conducted by the Hong Kong Journalists Association just before the law was enacted. Ninety-eight percent of survey respondents said they oppose the legislation. Ninety-two percent said they were worried about their personal safety. Eighty-seven percent said they believe the media would stop reporting on sensitive issues. Press freedom in Hong Kong had already been on a downward trajectory for years. In 2002, Hong Kong ranked 18th in RSF's Press Freedom Index. This year, the country ranked 80th. As Beijing rapidly increases its influence in Hong Kong, many now fear the territory's press freedom will plunge further, perhaps even closer to China, which ranks 177th out of 180 countries. PM visits Nimu in Ladakh to interact with Indian troops India - Press Information Bureau Prime Minister's Office The enemies of India have seen the fire and fury of our Forces: PM Due to the exemplary bravery of our Armed Forces in the recent weeks, the world has taken note of India's strength: PM India's commitment to peace should not be seen as India's weakness: PM Era of expansionism is over, this is the era of development: PM Expenditure on border infrastructure has been enhanced three times: PM Posted On: 03 JUL 2020 2:59PM by PIB Delhi Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi travelled to Nimu in Ladakh to interact with Indian troops earlier today. Nimu is surrounded by the Zanskar range and is on the banks of river Indus. The Prime Minister met the top leadership of the Indian Army and later interacted with personnel of the Army, Air Force and ITBP. Tribute to the valour of the soldiers Prime Minister paid rich tributes to the valour of our Armed Forces, stating that their courage and devotion to Mother India is unparalleled. He stated that Indians can go about their lives peacefully because they know that our Armed Forces are standing firm, protecting the nation. Prime Minister said that due to the exemplary bravery of the Armed Forces in the recent weeks, the world has taken note of India's strength. Remembering the sacrifice at Galwan Valley Prime Minister remembered all the proud sons of Mother India who made the supreme sacrifice at the Galwan Valley. He said that those who were martyred belong to all parts of India and epitomize our land's ethos of bravery. He affirmed that be it Leh-Ladakh, Kargil or the Siachen Glacier, be it the high mountains or the icy cold water that flows in the rivers, these are testimony to the gallantry of India's Armed Forces. The enemies of India have seen the fire and fury of our forces, said the Prime Minister. Prime Minister also paid homage to two Matas: to Mother India and to the Mothers of all those brave soldiers and security forces of India who serve India with unparalleled diligence. Our commitment to peace is not our weakness Prime Minister spoke at length about how the virtues of peace, friendship and courage have been a part of India's 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. He affirmed that India is committed to peace and friendship but this commitment to peace should not be seen as India's weakness. Today India is becoming stronger, be it in naval might, air power, space power and the strength of our army. Modernization of weapons and upgradation of infrastructure has enhanced our defence capabilities multifold. Prime Minister recalled that Indian soldiers had a long history of bravery and competence in global military campaigns, including in the two World Wars. Era of development Prime Minister said that the time for expansionism is over. This is the era of development. He recalled that it is this mindset of expansionism that did great harm. He added that in the last few years, several steps have been taken for the wellbeing of India's forces and furthering India's security preparedness. This includes ensuring availability of modern weaponry, increased border infrastructure, border area development and expanding the roads network. He further shared that expenditure on border infrastructure has been enhanced three times. Prime Minister also mentioned the efforts to strengthen the national security apparatus and to ensure the well-being of our armed forces. He highlighted recent initiatives of the government such as creation of CDS, construction of a grand National War Memorial, fulfilment of OROP after decades and steps to ensure the well-being of the families of the armed forces personnel. Homage to the culture of Ladakh During the interaction, Prime Minister recalled the greatness of Ladakh's culture as well as the noble teachings of Kushok Bakula Rimpoche. He described Ladakh as a land of sacrifice and a land that has given several patriots. Prime Minister affirmed that the people of India are inspired by the teachings of Gautama Buddha, for whom courage was linked to conviction and compassion. ***** VRRK/SH (Release ID: 1636130) India approves purchase of Russian fighter jets despite US sanction threats Iran Press TV Friday, 03 July 2020 6:33 AM India has approved buying 33 Russian fighter jets, worth more than $2.4 billion, despite US threats to impose sanctions on the country over transactions with Moscow. New Delhi approved on Thursday the purchase of 21 MiG-29 planes and a dozen Su-30 jets which will cost a total of $2.43 billion, according to the defense ministry. 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," it added. Indian Defense Minister Rajnath Singh paid a visit to Moscow last month, calling on his hosts to speed up deliveries, officials have said. The deal came as the Indian air force is about to retire its old fighter jets most of them of Russian origin. Russia has long been India's biggest weapons supplier, but in recent years, the US has been trying to get in their way by imposing sanctions on the purchase of Russian armaments. Yet, New Delhi and Moscow signed a deal back in 2018, for the supply of Russian S-400 missile system, worth $5.4 billion. The government of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi called on President Donald Trump's administration for exemptions from sanctions, mandated under the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA). CAATSA, signed into law in July 2017, mandates Washington to impose secondary sanctions on any nation entering into high-value deals to procure military hardware from Russia. The Trump administration, however, remained non-committal on CAATSA, saying that the deal itself had no provision for exemptions for India or any other particular country entering into a defense deal with Russia. His administration has even warned its allies and partners to forgo transactions with Russia that risk triggering sanctions, according to a State Department spokesperson who was speaking to the Indian daily the Hindu last year. Meanwhile, Washington is seeking to expand ties with New Delhi, but India's relations with Russia have always been an issue for the US. US officials have previously met with Indian officials in New Delhi to discuss a military-communications agreement that would boost the interoperability of US and Indian armed forces. But India refused to sign the logistics agreement, known as Comcasa, with the US in 2016. At the same time, India signed a deal with Russia to lease a Russian-made nuclear submarine, to purchase four Russian frigates, the advanced S-400 air-defense missile system, and to set up a joint venture with a Russian firm to produce military helicopters. India has also bought $15 billion worth of US arms since 2008. Indian Prime Minister Makes Surprise Visit to Ladakh Amid Continuing Border Tensions With China Sputnik News 06:51 GMT 03.07.2020(updated 12:14 GMT 03.07.2020) New Delhi (Sputnik): Tensions between India and China have been ongoing despite several meetings between diplomats and army commanders on both sides in the wake of a violent standoff in which 20 Indian soldiers were killed. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has arrived in Ladakh for a surprise visit amid a military build-up weeks after violent clashes between the armies of India and China on 15 June. India lost 20 soldiers, including an officer, while there was no formal confirmation of casualties on the Chinese side. Chief of Defence Staff, General Bipin Rawat and Chief of Army Staff, General Manoj Mukund Naravane, are also accompanying Prime Minister Modi, who will review the situation on the ground along with the commanders. Upon his arrival in Ladakh, Modi went to Nimu, one of the forward locations, where he interacted with personnel from the armed forces. Nimu is located at 11,000 feet and among the toughest of terrains, surrounded by the Zanskar Range and on the banks of the River Indus. Amid reports of a continuing build-up by the People's Liberation Army of China near the disputed Line of Actual Control, which is the de facto border between the two countries, New Delhi cleared a procurement of 21 MiG-29s and 12 Su-30 MKI planes, in addition to an upgrade of 59 MiG-29 aircraft. New Delhi and Beijing, in the meantime, have voiced hope for a peaceful resolution to the vexed border dispute. "The two sides will continue their meetings both at the military and diplomatic level including under the framework of WMCC (Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination on India-China Border Affairs), in the future to resolve the issues to mutual satisfaction", said a spokesperson for India's External Affairs Ministry on Thursday. "We hope the Indian side will work with the Chinese side towards the same goal, keep up close communication through military and diplomatic channels, and ease the situation and lower the temperature along the border", said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeperson Zhao Lijian on Wednesday. The last engagement between the army commanders of both countries was held on 30 June at Chushul on the Indian side of the LAC to "discuss issues related to disengagement at the face-off sites along the LAC and de-escalation from the border areas". The 15 June standoff was the latest clash between India and China on Beijing's contentious claim to the Galwan Valley in the eastern Ladakh region. The countries share a border from Arunachal Pradesh in the northeast to Sikkim in the centre and Ladakh, a northern federally administered territory, which are mainly land borders. But in Pangong Tso in eastern Ladakh, it passes through a lake. India controls the western portion of the 45-km lake, while the rest is under Chinese control. A Sputnik On Disputed India-China Border, Modi Says Age of Expansionism Over By Anjana Pasricha July 03, 2020 Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the "age of expansionism" is over as he lauded the bravery of Indian troops during a surprise visit to the Himalayan region of Ladakh, where thousands of soldiers are deployed amid a tense standoff with China. In an oblique reference to Beijing, the Indian leader told troops stationed along icy, inhospitable mountain ranges that "this is an era of development. History is witness that expansionist forces either lost or were forced to turn back." Modi's surprise visit, announced only after he landed in Ladakh, is seen both as a message to China and a morale booster for the thousands of troops who are standing in close confrontation with Chinese troops along their disputed border. The Indian leader's visit to a military base in Ladakh came two weeks after the death of 20 Indian soldiers in a clash with Chinese troops that triggered the worst tensions in decades between the nuclear-armed Asian countries. The deadly confrontation followed tensions that had been building since May when Indian officials accused Chinese soldiers of entering Indian-controlled territory at three places along their Himalayan frontier and erecting tents and other structures. Beijing has denied any incursions into India. Striking a nationalist note during his address to soldiers, Modi said that they had "given a befitting reply to people who attempted to conquer. The enemies of India have seen your fire and fury." The Indian leader said that India has always pursued the path of peace "but those who are weak can never initiate peace. Bravery and courage is a prerequisite for peace." Modi was accompanied by the head of India's military and army chief. India, China talks In Beijing, the Chinese Foreign Ministry underlined that both sides have been engaged in negotiations. "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," Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian told a press briefing. Both India and China have emphasized the need for de-escalation of tensions and disengagement of troops but there has been no breakthrough in diplomatic and military talks. The latest round of talks between army commanders concluded earlier this week. Besides the Galwan Valley, where the clash between Indian and Chinese soldiers took place in mid-June, armies of the two countries are confronting each other at several stretches along the disputed border. Fighter jets With tensions showing no signs of easing, India is stepping up to equip its military. The Indian government on Thursday approved the purchase of 33 Russian fighter jets and upgrades to another 59 planes to strengthen its air force. The Defense Ministry said the $2.4 billion deal was an attempt to address the "long felt need of the Air Force to increase its fighter squadrons." During a recent visit to Moscow, Defense Minister Rajnath Singh had asked Russia to speed up the deliveries of the planes. A substantial part of Indian defense equipment is of Russian origin, although in recent years it has stepped up purchases from the United States and Israel. In Washington, President Donald Trump weighed in on the India-China tensions this week. White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany on Wednesday quoted the president as saying that "China's aggressive stance along the India-China border fits with a larger pattern of Chinese aggression in other parts of the world and these actions only confirm the true nature of the Chinese Communist Party." She said that the U.S. leader is closely monitoring the situation and had expressed hopes of a peaceful resolution. The pandemic has ravaged Europeans and Americans alike, but the economic pain has played out in starkly different fashions. The United States has relied on a significant expansion of unemployment insurance, cushioning the blow for tens of millions of people who have lost their jobs, with the assumption that they will be swiftly rehired once normality returns. European countries among them Denmark, Ireland, Britain, France, the Netherlands, Spain and Austria have prevented joblessness by effectively nationalizing payrolls, heavily subsidizing wages and enabling paychecks to continue uninterrupted. Cause of incident at Natanz nuclear site identified, to be announced at appropriate time: SNSC Iran Press TV Friday, 03 July 2020 4:34 PM Iran's Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) says the "main cause" of a recent incident at the country's Natanz nuclear facility has been determined and will be announced at an appropriate time. SNSC Spokesman Keyvan Khosravi said on Friday that experts from different sectors started investigating "different hypotheses" about the incident at the Natanz site in central Iran immediately after its occurrence, and have determined its main cause. "Due to some security considerations, the cause and manner of this incident will be announced at a proper time," he added. He noted that the damage to one of the sheds under construction at the Natanz complex was limited and said investigators did not find any nuclear material at the building. The Iranian security official emphasized that rumors about radioactive contamination following the incident are completely rejected. The spokesman for the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI), Behrouz Kamalvandi, on Thursday reported an incident at the Natanz nuclear complex but emphasized that there has been no damage to the main uranium enrichment facility. He said the incident caused no casualties and did not affect the activities at the complex. Later on Thursday, an informed Iranian security official told Press TV that there was no evidence to show that the incident at the Natanz nuclear facility was an act of sabotage. In an interview on Thursday evening, Kamalvandi said the incident had caused no stoppage or slowdown of enrichment work at the Natanz facility, because the affected shed was actually under construction and not part of the enrichment process yet. 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. It said the location where the incident occurred does not contain nuclear materials. The Safeguards Agreement between Iran and the IAEA ensures non-diversion of nuclear material declared by the Islamic Republic. Iran Says It Identified Cause Of Natanz 'Incident' But Won't Disclose It By RFE/RL July 03, 2020 Iran's top security body said the cause of an "incident" at one of the country's nuclear facilities has been determined, but it declined to release details, citing security reasons. "Investigations by relevant bodies have accurately determined the cause of the accident" at the Natanz nuclear-enrichment facility in central Iran, a spokesman for the Supreme National Security Council said on July 3. "Due to certain security concerns the cause and details of this accident will be announced at the proper time," Keyvan Khosravi said. Iran's Atomic Energy Organization said the incident happened on July 2 at an "industrial shed" under construction at the nuclear complex. The affected building was above ground and not part of the enrichment facility itself, spokesman Behruz Kamalvandi said, adding that there was "no need for concern" over the incident. The governor of Natanz City, Ramazanali Ferdowsi, was later quoted as describing the incident as a fire. Reuters cited three unidentified Iranian officials as saying they believed the fire was the result of a cyberattack, without citing any evidence. One of the officials reportedly said the attack had targeted a centrifuge assembly building, referring to the machines that enrich uranium, and that Iran's foes had carried out similar acts in the past. Hours after the announcement on July 2, state news agency IRNA published an editorial addressing what it called the possibility of sabotage by "hostile countries," especially Israel and the United States. There was no previously announced construction work at the facility, Iran's main uranium-enrichment center located some 250 kilometers south of Tehran. The complex includes underground facilities built under some 7.6 meters of concrete to offer protection from air strikes. 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 United States withdrew from the deal in May 2018 and reimposed crippling sanctions that have battered the Iranian economy. Meanwhile, Tehran has been progressively breaking the restrictions laid down in the accord. With reporting by AFP, AP, Reuters, dpa, and RFE/RL's Radio Farda Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-says-it- identified-cause-of-natanz-incident-but- won-t-disclose-it/30705022.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. U.S. Citizen Whelan Begins 16-Year Sentence For Espionage In Russia By RFE/RL July 03, 2020 A lawyer for former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan, who was convicted of espionage in Russia last month, says her client's 16-year prison sentence has begun. Olga Karlova said on July 3 that Whelan remained in the Lefortovo detention center in Moscow and it was not clear when he will be transferred to a penal colony, which usually happens after a convict's sentence takes effect. Whelan's other lawyer, Vladimir Zherebenkov, said on June 23 that his client will not appeal his sentence, despite denying the charges, and therefore it will come into force without any delay. He added that Whelan hopes Washington and Moscow will agree on an exchange of prisoners. Reports in June said that Russian and U.S. officials were in talks on a possible swap of Whelan for two Russians -- Viktor Bout and Konstantin Yaroshenko -- who are serving lengthy sentences in U.S. prisons. The Moscow City Court convicted and sentenced Whelan to 16 years on June 15 after a trial that was held behind closed doors because the evidence included classified materials, as well as due to measures to slow the spread of the coronavirus. The United States has called the proceedings a "mockery of justice" and demanded Whelan's immediate release. British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab has said he was deeply disappointed by the verdict and sentence against Whelan, who also holds British, Canadian, and Irish citizenship, and expressed "serious reservations about the legal process." Russia's Foreign Ministry has rejected "claims about the unfairness and excessive harshness" of the sentence. President Vladimir Putin's spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, said on June 23 that the Kremlin had noted Whelan's decision not to appeal his conviction but declined to comment further. The 50-year-old Whelan was arrested in Moscow in December 2018. Russian prosecutors claimed that a flash memory stick found in his possession contained classified information. Whelan says he was framed when he took the memory stick from an acquaintance, thinking it contained holiday photos. He also accused his prison guards of mistreatment. Whelan was head of global security at a U.S. auto-parts supplier at the time of his arrest. He and his relatives insist he visited Russia to attend a wedding. Before the verdict, U.S. officials had urged Moscow to release Whelan following their criticism of Russian authorities for their "shameful treatment" of him. With reporting by Interfax, RBK, and TASS Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/us-citizen- whelan-begins-16-year-sentence-for- espionage-in-russia/30704170.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 to Introduce Constitutional Amendments After All-Russian Vote Sputnik News Tim Korso. Sputnik International 12:29 GMT 03.07.2020(updated 13:38 GMT 03.07.2020) A week-long referendum on introducing an array of amendments to the Russian Constitution concluded on 1 July with 77.92% of citizens voting in favour of adopting the changes to the basic law. Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a decree authorising the introduction of changes to the country's constitution, stressing during an online press conference that he has done so only because these amendments were supported by the majority of Russian citizens. The amendments will take effect on 4 July, the Kremlin clarified. The amendments passed both chambers of the Russian parliament on 11 March, but the president insisted that he would only sign them into law if the Russian people support them. Following a postponement caused by the coronavirus pandemic, a referendum on changes to the country's basic law was carried out between 25 June and 1 July, with the voting being stretched to nearly a week to prevent overcrowding at polling stations and maintain proper social distancing. The array of amendments makes changes to some aspects of the 1993 Constitution, drafted under heavy influence of western countries that were seeking to affect the political system of the country after the dissolution of the USSR. While the mainstream western media has mostly highlighted the amendment giving President Vladimir Putin an opportunity to run for new presidential terms after the current one expires in 2024, they mostly fail to mention other important additions to the basic law. Namely, the new constitution presents tighter requirements for future presidential candidates, such as living in Russia for at least 25 years, while strictly limiting them to two terms without the ability to run again in the future. In addition to this, the amendments changed the process of forming the Russian government, shifting more power from the president to the legislative body. Now most cabinet ministers have to receive approval by the Russian State Duma, the lower chamber of the parliament, as opposed to being approved by the president. The ministers of defence, foreign affairs, justice, interior, and emergencies are the only ones exempt from this rule. In exchange, the president received more powers over appointing and dismissing prosecutors, their deputies, and Constitutional Court judges. A portion of the president's powers will be transferred to a new body called the Council of State that will coordinate the work of the three branches of government and determine the country's domestic and foreign policies. The changes to the constitution were not purely political, as might appear from western media coverage. A large portion of the changes focuses on social-economic guarantees for Russian citizens such as a new method of calculating the minimum wage, annual indexation of pensions, and social benefits. Another chunk of amendments secured the pledge to preserve the "historic truth" and memory of Russia's "thousand-year history", as well as designating the Russian language as the "language of the state-forming people", while preserving other people's right to use their native languages. A Sputnik 10 Russian Subs Reportedly Sent to the Atlantic in 2019 for 'One of Largest Drills Since Cold War' Sputnik News Oleg Burunov. Sputnik International 11:30 GMT 03.07.2020(updated 15:56 GMT 03.07.2020) The Russian Defence Ministry has repeatedly underscored that any movement by the country's naval vessels at sea is conducted in strict accordance with international norms. The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) has reported that in late 2019, at least ten Russian submarines "slipped out of their bases on Russia's Arctic coast and set an underwater course westward toward the North Atlantic". The Russian Defence Ministry has not commented on the issue yet. The newspaper cited NATO military officials as calling the deployment "one of the largest [naval] exercises since the Cold War", reflecting the Russian Navy's "ambition not only to defend its homeland but also to project power into the Atlantic". In particular, Vice Admiral Keith Blount, commander of NATO's Allied Maritime Command, was quoted as saying that the alliance now routinely sees "more [Russian] submarines, further away, for longer periods of time". Mike Petersen, director of the Russia Maritime Studies Institute at the US Naval War College, for his part, described Russian subs as vehicles that "can cross the Atlantic and lay unnoticed off the East Coast, even strike targets in the US or Europe if left on their own". Separately, he heaped praise on the Russian Navy's nuclear-powered submarines, which he said "are the most lethal, the stealthiest, and have the longest endurance, among the naval forces []". He was echoed by Admiral James Foggo, commander of American Naval Forces in Europe, who admitted that even though the US and NATO "still have an advantage in the undersea domain", Russian Navy submarines are "very good at their tradecraft". Additionally, the WSJ referred to Russian Northern Fleet commander Alexander Moiseyev who pointed out earlier this year that the Russian Navy has expanded its geography of combat duty and patrolling over the past few months. "Last year, our multi-purpose submarines drilled a number of tasks related to deep-sea diving in various areas of the neutral waters of the Norwegian Sea", he said in an interview with the Russian news network Zvezda. According to Moiseyev, Northern Fleet submarines "took an active part in the Ocean Shield exercises, also successfully operating in the Atlantic and the Arctic Ocean". The remarks came amid Russia's efforts to further update its Northern Fleet by deploying advanced Yasen-M class submarines following the vessels' sea tests in 2019. Responding to NATO's accusations about the Russian submarines' increasing activities in the Atlantic, Russia's Defence Ministry has repeatedly underlined that any movement of its warships at sea is carried out in line with international regulations. A Sputnik Russia Will Deploy Space System Warning of Missile Attacks by 2024, Defence Ministry Says Sputnik News 04:44 GMT 03.07.2020 MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Russia is going to deploy a space system that warns of missile attacks by 2024, Sergei Surovikin, the commander of the Russian Aerospace Forces, told the military's official newspaper Krasnaya Zvezda on Thursday. "As part of creating the United Space System, [Russia] is going to deploy the orbital constellation of spacecraft by 2024", Surovikin said. According to the Russian Defence Ministry, the United Space System will play a key role in ensuring the missile attack warning system. The commander also said that equipping the missile attack warning system with the latest-generation radars would be complete by 2022, noting that this modernisation would be achieved after putting into service modern radar systems near the city of Vorkuta (the Republic of Komi) in 2021 and in Murmansk in 2022. "Putting these radar stations into service will complete the re-equipment of the missile attack warning system with the latest-generation radars", Surovikin said. Surovikin additionally revealed that the country would start deploying two new constellations of military communications and intelligence satellites in 2022 and 2023. "In 2022, [Russia] is going to start deploying the promising third-stage united satellite communications system of the Russian Armed Forces, while starting in 2023 it will start deploying a high-orbit space intelligence system", Surovikin said. Russia will also build new radar systems as part of the missile attack warning system in the Far East and modernise those in other regions, according to the commander. "The plan of developing the missile attack warning system envisages the modernisation of some radars ... operating in the Krasnoyarsk Territory and Irkutsk Region, as well as creating new systems with improved specifications and interference immunity in the Far East Federal District and the Leningrad Region", he added. A Sputnik S-500 Will Be Capable of Destroying Hypersonic Weapons in Space, Russian Aerospace Forces Say Sputnik News 00:28 GMT 03.07.2020 The S-500 Prometey ("Prometheus") is a cutting-edge surface-to-air defence missile system with a range of 400-600 kilometers (250-370 miles). Head engineer Pavel Sozinov announced earlier that it would be able to intercept targets hundred kilometres above the surface of the Earth. The S-500 Prometey ("Prometheus") defence system will be capable of destroying hypersonic weapons in near-Earth space, according to a statement by Sergei Surovikin, commander of the Russian Aerospace Forces. According to Surovikin, the S-500's technical features make the system a first generation space-defence network. "The characteristics implemented in the S-500 air defence system make it possible for it to destroy, in addition to aerodynamic and ballistic targets, hypersonic weapons of all modifications, including in near space", he said. Surovikin touted the defence system as currently having no analogue in the world. The S-500 Prometey ("Prometheus"), also known as 55R6M "Triumfator-M", is a universal complex of long-range and high-altitude interception with increased missile defense potential. The weapon's main tasks will include combating medium-range ballistic missiles and intercontinental ballistic missiles if they are in close proximity. The cutting-edge defence system was tested by the air defence troops in 2019, and 2021 is expected to be the year when the S-500 will be first deployed by the Russian armed forces, according to the Defence Ministry. A Sputnik 3 in critical condition in Navy drill accident in southern Taiwan (update) ROC Central News Agency 07/03/2020 03:01 PM Kaohsiung, July 3 (CNA) Two military officers and one soldier are in critical condition and a female sergeant is recovering at Kaohsiung Armed Forces General Hospital's Zuoying branch after their small boat capsized in waters off Kaohsiung during a Navy landing drill Friday morning. A dinghy operated by the 99th Brigade of the Republic of China Marine Corps with seven people aboard overturned in rough waves a few hundred yards off Taoziyuan beach in Zuoying at around 9 a.m., a spokesman for the Marine Corps said. All seven aboard fell into the water. Four of the seven were rushed to the hospital, while the three others came away unscathed and returned to their barracks, Major General Lin Chuan-sheng () told the press outside the hospital. The three people in critical condition were hospitalized with drowning-related conditions, according to the hospital. Two of the three -- a 36-year-old sergeant and a 26-year-old soldier -- were undergoing emergency treatment while the third, a 34-year-old sergeant, showed signs of stabilizing after being given extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO), according to the hospital. Initial indications are that the accident was due to sudden winds and changes in the waves, according to Lin, but he said the actual cause will not be known until the Navy Command Headquarters and the Marine Corps Command have completed their investigation. The drill, which was being held to prepare for the annual Han Kuang military exercises that are slated to take place July 13-17, was not suspended because of the accident, Lin added. Meanwhile, President Tsai Ing-wen () hoped those injured would be "safe and sound." (By Chen Chao-fu and Elizabeth Hsu) Enditem/ls You asked. We listened. Your daily crossword, Sudoku and dozens of other puzzles are now available online. Play them or print them here. Play now Paul Ouimette of Montauk Yacht Sales said boats he sells are on average 28 feet to 35 feet in length, but consumers also are buying larger vessels. Boaters are paying as much as $1 million for a 60-foot boat, although $50,000 is the magic mark for people to buy a boat, he said. TOPEKA [mdash] Edna E. Yoder, 75, of Topeka, died at 1 a.m. Saturday, June 19, 2021, at her residence. She was born Oct. 3, 1945, in LaGrange, to Emmery and Mary (Chupp) Miller. On Oct. 15, 1964, in Topeka, she married Raymond M. Yoder. He survives. Survivors in addition to her husband are t 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. Friday became a long evening for the stewards in Austria, as they had to decide whether the Mercedes DAS system would be allowed or banned for the rest of the 2020 season. In the end Mercedes emerged as the winner and Red Bull Racing dropped out. What were the arguments put forward by Red Bull and did the FIA reject the protest of Max Verstappen's team? The Austrian race team had of course read the technical regulations of Formula 1 well in advance and with that it came to two points in summary: The suspension of the car may not be adjusted when the car is in motion (Article 3.8). The use of DAS as a steering system also affects the aerodynamics (article 10.2.3) Red Bull goes on to say: "The Technical Regulations do allow multiple steering systems. RBR contend a steering system should have the primary purpose of being able to steer the car. A secondary system that is, on its own, incapable of steering the car is an unnecessary system." DAS especially for tyre temperature control By means of the DAS system the angles of the front wheels can be changed. This would especially help to warm up the tyres when finishing a qualifying lap or during a safety car, for example. "It appears to be used on out and slow laps as a means of adjusting tyre temperature, i.e. its primary purpose is not as a steering system but rather a tyre temperature management system", Red Bull told the FIA. Paul Monaghan, Adrian Newey and Jonathan Wheatley did story with the FIA with the three of them and came to the following conclusion: "In conclusion, DAS is an unnecessary,separate system requiring a separate driver input and using components which are separate in their effect to the main steering system breaching Articles 3.8 and 10.2.3" FIA not impressed by Red Bull However, the stewards are of the opinion that DAS is part of the steering system. As a result, the articles relied on by Red Bull no longer apply. "The DAS system is not part of the suspension, nor can it be considered to illegitimately adjust the suspension. Therefore the Stewards consider DAS to be a legitimate part of the steering system and hence to satisfy the relevant regulations regarding suspension or aerodynamic influence. In the opinion of the Stewards, the DAS system is physically and functionally a part of the steering system. As such, it benefits of the implicit exceptions to certain suspension regulations applicable to steering." At the time that DAS had not been part of the steering system, the concept had been declared illegal by the stewards, but that is not the case now. Even more so Yes, about the same No, Mom comes first I have no father I have no mother Refuse to answer for fear of losing inheritance Vote View Results Police were criticized for not immediately arresting the couple, but Capt. Todd Olson said officers tried to but were prevented from getting to the pair by hospital staff. They intended to arrest the couple when they returned to the motel to retrieve their belongings, but learned later they had already placed their possessions in their car. The couple, police said, took a ride-hailing service from the hospital to the motel and got in their car and quickly left. Cyril Abiteboul has rejected speculation that Renault and Daniel Ricciardo might part ways even before the end of the 2020 season. Rumours emerged in Austria that the French team might be looking to replace the McLaren-bound Australian driver with Fernando Alonso. "We have started this season on the right foot and next year is another story," team boss Abiteboul told Movistar. "I reject any speculation about Ricciardo, who has a contract that he will fulfil. It is our firm commitment," he added. However, the feeling in the paddock that Spaniard Alonso is set to return to Formula 1 and his former title-winning team in 2021 is only growing. "We are talking to several drivers for next year, and among them is Fernando Alonso," Abiteboul confirmed. "We are not setting deadlines but whoever it is must understand our project." (GMM) Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup. In Connecticut and across the country protesters have issued renewed demands that monuments honoring Columbus be removed as the Italian explorers legacy also includes the enslavement and subjugation of indigenous people. While the debate over Columbus legacy has been ongoing for decades, calls to remove monuments honoring him have accelerated with the racial justice protests spurred by police killings of Black people in Minneapolis, Louisville, Kentucky and elsewhere. Buick is adding the VELITE 6 plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) to its new energy vehicle (NEV) portfolio in China. The model is expected to be launched this month. The VELITE 6 PHEV will be powered by Buick eMotion electric drive technology that leverages GMs global electrification expertise. It will provide up to 780 kilometers of total driving range, including 60 kilometers of range powered purely by electricity, while delivering a quiet and smooth driving experience with seamless power shift. The VELITE 6 PHEVs electric propulsion system will feature high-performance dual motors complemented by a high-performance LG lithium battery pack and a dedicated 1.5L four-cylinder engine for hybrid systems. The addition of an intelligent electronic continuously variable transmission (E-CVT) will take its fuel consumption as low as 1.4 liters/100 kilometers (168 mpg US). The VELITE 6 PHEVs enhanced performance and fuel economy will also benefit from advanced Power Split technology, which will be able to be used in both the vehicles hybrid mode and pure electric mode. With the arrival of the VELITE 6 PHEV, Buick will further solidify its pioneering position in the NEV segment in its largest market (China), offering a wide range of electrification solutions ranging from 48V mild-hybrid vehicles to pure electric vehicles. Additional information about the VELITE 6 PHEV will be shared closer to its launch. Support local journalism Now, more than ever, the world needs trustworthy reportingbut good journalism isnt free. Please support us by making a contribution. Greene County historian Tim Massey is an award-winning writer for Civil War News with more than 40 photos featured on various magazine covers. He has served on various boards and held positions in several historic organizations. He can be reached at horses319@comcast.net. Question: How was the Fourth of July first celebrated, and when did the celebrations start? R.K. Answer: The Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, and celebrations began soon afterward. For example, there was a public reading of the declaration on July 8 in Philadelphia, where the Continental Congress met. On July 24, Williamsburg, Va., marked the declaration with a public reading, parade and cannon and musket fire. Celebrations of the anniversary of the adoption started the next year. John Adams described the events in Philadelphia on July 4, 1777, in a letter to his daughter Abigail Nabby Adams saying, The thought of taking any notice of this day, was not conceived, until the second of this month, and it was not mentioned until the third. It was too late to have a sermon, as every one wished, so this must be deferred another year. There also were days of decorated ships and boats, gun salutes, a parade and more. The proposed order is another step in continuing efforts by DEQs division of water resources to rein in 1,4-dioxane levels at the Osborne plant, the state agency said. DWR has been working on reduction strategies with the city of Greensboro since 2017, DEQ spokeswoman Anna Gurney said of the water resources division. She said the proposed settlement includes a requirement for the city to continue weekly testing of effluent from the Osborne plant to keep a close watch on 1,4-dioxane levels. DEQ started a special study that included the weekly tests shortly after the plants excessive discharge last August, Gurney said Williams of Greensboros water department said the agreement would not require the city to add any equipment or personnel at the treatment plant. But it does mandate more testing that should help locate enough additional sources of 1,4-dioxane to bring about the 42% reduction required during the settlements second year. Thats our goal, Williams said. He said the Osborne plant has not had any other major glitches with 1,4-dioxane. Ongoing tests have produced consistent results below 60 ppb, Williams said. 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. What most people did not know about Rip was that he was terrified of loud sounds. Thunderstorms unsettled him and. Fireworks, far worse, would put him over the edge. At the first boom, he would shake uncontrollably, pace around the house and walk into corners to scratch on walls as if trying to create a hole he could crawl into. Suffice to say, the Fourth of July was not fun for our family. 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. As the Declaration reads: 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. Much debate has ensued since then on the details and on the changes that ensued between the Declaration and the passing of the U.S. Constitution. But none of that changes our cause for celebration: freedom to forge our own national path. Our Fourth of July traditions include concerts, feasts and fireworks. This year will be different for many as we take the social-distancing precautions required by the ongoing threat of the novel coronavirus. Maybe in some ways it will be more introspective. That can be rewarding in its own way. But even if celebrations are more subdued, that doesnt diminish our nations extraordinary founding, its ability to thrive and prosper and the exceptional promise of its ideals, which it sometimes struggles to live up to. One word from the pet owners among us: Fireworks are grand, but they can be distressing to sensitive ears. Maybe at some point in the future well transition to some of the amazing displays of drone light shows we see online. Two prominent Democratic super PACs working together to support presumptive presidential nominee Joe Biden have raised a combined $107 million so far this election cycle, $30 million of which was raised in the second quarter, according to new figures - signaling heightened interest among big-money donors in supporting Biden. The two super PACs, American Bridge and Unite the Country, teamed up earlier this year to pool resources and research in support of Biden, with a goal of raising $175 million ahead of November. Their work focuses on chipping away at President Donald Trump's support while presenting a positive image of Biden. The groups are spending millions on television ads in three states that Trump narrowly flipped in 2016: Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. Their alliance joins longtime Democratic strategists and operatives who serve as advisers for American Bridge with Biden loyalists who launched Unite the Country last year to boost his chances in the primaries. They share polling and opposition research and coordinate on advertising plans. The fundraising total, provided to The Washington Post, comes as wealthy donors have been consolidating around Biden's candidacy to help him close the fundraising gap with Trump, who already has raised and spent record amounts for his reelection with four months to go. In June, Biden outraised Trump for the second month in a row, thanks to a series of fundraisers featuring high-profile surrogates that drew several million dollars per event. In addition, he has kept an aggressive virtual fundraising schedule, appearing at multiple events per week. Trump's reelection committees still maintain a large war chest of $295 million and are supported by a super PAC and affiliated nonprofit that together have raised at least $100 million so far this cycle. America First Policies, a major pro-Trump independent group, this weekend is launching a $4 million national television and digital ad campaign touting economic and tax policies that Trump had put into place before the coronavirus pandemic, assuring Americans that those policies ultimately will drive economic recovery in the aftermath of the pandemic. The Trump campaign is also placing millions of dollars of ads in swing states. Of the combined $107 million raised by the two Democratic groups so far, about $11 million is donor commitments from contributors who plan to give. The official fundraising figures will be released July 15 by the Federal Election Commission. American Bridge has focused its efforts in Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, working to erode support among voters with whom Trump is increasingly vulnerable - white voters and seniors. Numerous national polls show Trump losing significant ground with these groups of voters. Donors are rallying to maximize their impact as Trump grapples with the pandemic, tumbling economy and unrest over police brutality, officials said. "We're making the right appeal to the right voters in the right places at the right time," Deval Patrick, American Bridge co-chair and former Massachusetts governor, said in a statement. "The voters we're talking to are reconsidering their 2016 vote and sharing that disappointment with their friends and neighbors." Bradley Beychok, president of American Bridge, said his group had been messaging to those voters for months in anticipation of a moment when the message could sink in. "You have to plant the seeds of doubt early, then you see current events catch up. Those seeds have been watered, and now you're starting to see voters move to Biden and move away from Trump," Beychok said. American Bridge said it raised $22 million in June alone. It is cultivating prospective and current donors through private weekly webinars with high-profile speakers, including Dallas Mavericks owner and entrepreneur Mark Cuban; comedian Amy Poehler; former vice president Al Gore; and Jim Messina, former Obama 2012 campaign manager and adviser to the group. Meanwhile, Unite the Country has focused on projecting positive advertising around Biden, with ads that highlight Biden's successes without mentioning Trump. The group recently launched a $10 million ad campaign ahead of the Democratic convention in August, running positive digital and television ads about Biden's work as vice president in the aftermath of the last financial crisis in 2008. The ads are aimed at swing voters in Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. "We formed this partnership with the goal of raising and deploying $175 million in an effort to elect Joe Biden," said Lily Adams, spokeswoman for Unite the Country. "We're more than halfway to our goal and Trump is on defense across the board. By pooling resources, sharing data, and working together, we continue to weaken Trump's support and make the case for Joe Biden." The Georgia Peach Truck rolled into Darien and Greenwich on Friday, greeting its customers with its Rolling Freestones peaches. Scroll through to see some shots of the hundreds of customers who showed up. Here's when and where you can find the truck this year. Click here for more info. 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. These are the best offers from our affiliate partners. We may get a commission from qualifying sales. Samsung has just announced two new programs for its customers in India, meant to make its smartphones more appealing to the masses. Galaxy Assured is a guaranteed buyback scheme. If you participate and own a Galaxy S20, S20+, S20 Ultra, S10 Lite (512GB), or Note10 Lite, then you will be assured (get it? that's where the name comes from) to get up to 70% of the original price for devices that are less than three months old, 60% for those less than six months old, 50% for those less than nine months old, and 40% if your handset didn't have its one year birthday yet. The Galaxy Forever scheme needs you to avail the EMI facility with IDFC Bank, and after that you'll only pay 60% of the price of a new Samsung Galaxy S20 phone upon purchase, with the 40% balance due at the end of your first year owning it. Alternatively, you can choose to return the device after the year has passed, in which case you don't have to pay the remaining 40% of the price. These programs will be up for grabs at Samsung Exclusive Stores, leading retail outlets, and at Samsung.com's Indian site. Source Haiti - FLASH : Dates of resumption of school and university activities Following the decision of President Jovenel Moise concerning the resumption of school and university activities, while taking into account the recommendations of the health authorities and the scientific unit in relation to COVID-19, the Ministry of National Education informs the population in general, and the educational community in particular, that the relaunch of school and university activities is planned from August 10, 2020, in order to complete the 2019-2020 academic year. August 10, 2020 : the recovery will only concern pupils in the 9th year of fundamental education and in the final class (NS4 and philosophy); August 17, 2020 : the recovery will be for the other classes. Note that this return to class does not concern preschool students. The Ministry will soon announce the health protocols and educational instructions to be followed by public and private schools across the country in order to facilitate the resumption of school activities and protect students and teaching and administrative staff against Covid-19. A revised school calendar will also be published as soon as possible and will include specific information about the organization of official exams. In the meantime, the Ministry invites students to continue training, in particular by consulting the Internet Platform for Educational Resources and Learning (PRACTIC) prat.menfp.gouv.ht where courses on programs Fundamental and secondary education are available, especially for State exam classes. The courses are also available on the Ministry's PRATIC YouTube channel. HL/ HaitiLibre Haiti - Education: Support fund of $7M from the GPE Alice P. Albright, Director General of the secretariat of the Global Partnership for Education (GPE) announced in an official correspondence addressed to Ministers Pierre Josue Agenor Cadet (Education) and Michel Patrick Boivert (Economy) the approval of a GPE $7 million support fund for accelerated funding for the fight against Covid-19 in Haiti. Ms. Albright praised the leadership and commitment of the Government of Haiti in the preparation of a national plan to respond to the health crisis and said she looks forward to working with the officials of these two ministries in order to mitigate the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the education of children in Haiti. Recall that the basic document for this request was prepared by the Covid-19 Working Group set up by Minister Cadet to develop the Response Plan and the proposal request to the GPE. The Group was also to follow up with the partner agent (UNICEF) on this issue. The National Office for Partnership in Education (ONAPE) also played a key role as an interface as a public institution responsible for monitoring partnership files between the Ministry and national and international actors and partners. Among the 6 main areas of intervention appearing in this request and the Response Plan, let us note awareness and communication around the Covid-19, support for educational agents, in particular teachers and parents, the pursuit of learning and relaunching school activities. The funding start date is June 30, 2020 and the closing date is November 30, 2021. Note that the Minisry's request initially related to an amount of $10 million, but the requests for financing from developing countries to the GPE exceeded the amounts available. The GPE had to make choices and modify the amounts in order to provide support to many more countries. HL/ HaitiLibre Flying is a bit of a misnomer for what the snakes do. The slithering airborne creatures tend to fall strategically or glide, meaning they do not gain altitude like a bird or an insect. Their flights generally last only a couple of seconds, at a speed of around 25 mph, and they land without injury. To the untrained eye, it might look as if the snake just fell out of a tree by accident, wiggling frantically as it plummets to earth. Not so. Haiti - News : Zapping... Resignation within the CEP Friday, July 3 in a letter addressed to President Jovenel Moise, Me Jean Simon Saint-Hubert, Representative of the human rights sector at the Provisional Electoral Council (CEP), has resigned. Dates for resumption of religious services, schools and universities President Jovenel Moise announced on his Twitter account "Following the recommendations of the health authorities and the scientific unit on the barrier measures to be respected for the gradual reopening of the country, I am announcing, for July 12, the resumption of services religious. Schools and universities will resume on August 10" See also : https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-31195-haiti-flash-dates-of-resumption-of-school-and-university-activities.html Message from the Consulate of Haiti in Boston The Consulate General of Haiti in Boston informs the Haitian community in particular and the general public that from Monday July 6, 2020, its offices will be open according to its usual schedule, Monday to Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. PNH : Sexual predators arrested 8 cases of rape were identified throughout the month of June. The Haitian National Police (PMH), through the Brigade for the Protection of Minors (BPM), has arrested several individuals for their alleged involvement in these crimes. Wilson Wilton, 31, was arrested on June 16 in Delmas 31 for raping a 5-year-old girl. The named Gerard Estimable, aged 78, was arrested for rape followed by pregnancy on a 16-year-old girl. Divisional Inspector Gary Desrosiers PNH Deputy Spokesperson, who has reported several other cases of rape, said law enforcement officials are determined to do everything in their power to remove all sexual predators from harm. Croix-des-Bouquets : Replacement of the Government Commissioner Following the availability without pay of Me Maxime Augustin Government Commissioner to the Court of First Instance of Croix-des-Bouquets for his involvement in the release of certain convicts in irregular conditions https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-31187-haiti-justice-minisitre-delille-freezes-the-release-of-the-pardoned-prisoners-and-takes-sanctions.html, it's Me Edler Guillaume the Government Commissioner Substitute will act in the interim at the head of the prosecution. UEH : D-1 of the election of the new Executive Council According to the electoral calendar made public by the Central Election Commission, the ballot for the election of the new UEH Executive Council will take place on Sunday, July 5, 2020, at the UEH Rectorate, at 10 am, in accordance with l Article 50 of the UEH Electoral Charter. Remember that the members who have the right to vote are: the 3 members of the Executive Council; the deans or directors of establishments ex officio members of the Council or, failing this, any other member of the deanship or of the management of faculties, schools or institutes, delegate; an elected professor delegate from each establishment and an elected student delegate from each establishment HL/ HaitiLibre Published on 2020/07/04 | Source Korean movie "Killerswell: Our Space" added to HanCinema database Advertisement "Killerswell: Our Space" (2019) Directed by Kim Hye-sil With Oh Dong-min, Kim Min-ha-I, Park In-ji,... Synopsis That woman, "I'm here to find the money!" VS that man, "Are you really here for the money?" Yu-jin suddenly appears at a surf shop run by Dong-min after three years of separation. Yu-jin boldly asks 15 million won from Dong-min. She wants to get paid for the branding "Killer Swell". Dong-min is confused by Yu-jin's sudden visit after thinking he already forgot all about her. Yu-jin who visited Dong-min is also confused. She left him first because she was unhappy with their relationship, but now, she doesn't know what she wants. After their parting, can their romance begin again? Release date in Korea : 2020/07/07 We're always interested in hearing about news in our community. Let us know what's going on! Submit Sam and Vicki Marsh were both on active duty with the Marine Corps when they married in Washington, D.C., a 40-year union that lasted until his recent death. Good job! Needs work ... Good job! As we reported last week, the UNC Board of Governors appointed one of our own, Peter Hans, to lead the 17-campus UNC system. Among the high-ranking appointed leadership roles in the state, presidency of the UNC system may be the most important. Regarded as one of the finest systems of higher education in the nation, the UNC system has always been an invaluable asset of North Carolina, from renowned research universities like UNC at Chapel Hill and N.C. State University to up-and-coming innovators like Western Carolina to historically black universities like N.C. Central and Winston-Salem State universities. And there may be no more challenging a time to lead the disparate campuses, given decisions about reopening classrooms and dorms, a crippled economy that has slashed tax revenue and the social and racial unrest that as rocked cities and towns. A graduate of Hendersonville High School, Hans told us years ago that he still considers Hendersonville home. Former state Sen. Tom Apodaca, now an influential Raleigh lobbyist, is a friend, supporter and confidant. Best of all, Hans is known as a nonpartisan problem solver who will forge a path to pragmatic solutions. Its not by accident that his appointment to lead UNC won enthusiastic praise from the right, the left and the middle. Needs work The comment by a county Planning Board member to opponents of a proposed asphalt plant in East Flat Rock that direct communications with a Planning Board member is wholly inappropriate unnecessarily sewed confusion among the public and made the Planning Board look defensive. Fortunately, County Attorney Russ Burrell saved the day (Good job!) with an unequivocal email telling all Planning Board members that they can expect to be lobbied about controversial rezoning requests and that comments sent to a private email account are not exempt them from the state public records law. Good job! In another confirmation of the excellence of the Henderson County public school system, new teacher Julie L. Hart has won an appointment to the Board of Trustees of the North Carolina Center for the Advancement of Teaching, a highly regarded organization that teaches teachers. A graduate of West Henderson High School and 2019 graduate of UNC Asheville (yep, she learned this teaching gig fast!), Hart in addition to her board service will teach 90-minute blocks of class covering weekly mentor meetings, creating unit lesson plans using Next Generation Learning-Focused Lesson Plan, collaborating with educators of other core subjects, parent communication and modeling the Leader In Me initiative. After teaching seventh grade this past year at Apple Valley Middle School, Hart will teach at English at North Henderson High School this coming school year. The one relatively uncommon item that is worth investing in is verjus, the alcohol-free juice of unripe green grapes, usually made by wineries. In the kitchen, it is a milder stand-in for vinegar (wine vinegars do have a little alcohol). But in a glass topped with soda or good tonic water and a spritz of lime, it becomes an easy party drink. It can replace the rum in a mojito or the cachaca in a caipirina. Jaiyeola Odubanjo has not indicated how she intends to plead to the charge against her A care worker has been accused of biting a special needs teenager on the shoulder during a struggle at a home for people with disabilities. Jaiyeola Odubanjo (42) is alleged to have inflicted two bite marks on the child, who was aged 17 but had a mental age of only three or four. A row had broken out in the Dublin premises when the alleged assault happened, a court heard. Harm Judge Bryan Smyth adjourned the case at Dublin District Court, for the accused to decide how she intends to plead to the charge. Ms Odubanjo, of Tory Square, Blanchardstown, is charged with assault causing harm to the boy at a care home in Dublin on a date in March last year. Garda Eoin Morrisson said the DPP had directed summary disposal of the case at district court level. Outlining the prosecution's case, he said the accused was a care worker and it was alleged she assaulted a special needs child in her care by way of two bites to the left shoulder, in the course of a dispute in the care home itself. The nature of the injury was "the bite marks themselves", with bruising and slight breaking of the skin, Gda Morrisson said. A medical report was furnished to the court, containing images in relation to the injuries. Judge Smyth asked what the circumstances of the dispute were. The garda said that the alleged victim had a mental age of a much younger child - perhaps three or four - and had a physical disagreement with a staff member when he tried to take food from the kitchen. The staff member was involved in that incident and it was alleged that it was during the course of this incident that the biting occurred, Gda Morrisson said. Judge Smyth accepted jurisdiction after hearing the outline of the alleged facts. This means that the case can remain in the district court instead of being sent forward to Dublin Circuit Criminal Court, which has tougher potential sentencing powers on conviction. Disclosure The judge ordered disclosure of prosecution statements to the defence. Applying for free legal aid, the defendant's lawyer said Ms Odubanjo was on leave from work and was unpaid. Judge Smyth granted legal aid and remanded the accused on continuing bail to November 2, to indicate how she intends to plead. Ms Odubanjo was not required to address the court during the proceedings and has not yet entered a plea to the charge, which is under Section 3 of the Non-Fatal Offences Against the Person Act. A man found not guilty of having a loaded handgun and 31 rounds of ammunition in a public park in Dublin "needs to take a long look" at himself, a judge of the Special Criminal Court said yesterday. Paul Norton (31), of Cromcastle Court, Coolock, Dublin 17, had pleaded not guilty to the unlawful possession of a Beretta handgun and 31 rounds of 9mm ammunition at the Stardust Memorial Park in Coolock, Dublin, on October 5 last year. Chased In the absence of DNA evidence, the trial had heard that the State's case was one of recognition and it was alleged that Mr Norton, while being chased by detectives, dropped a bag which contained a loaded 9mm Beretta 92, a full magazine containing 15 9mm rounds and a further 16 9mm rounds of various descriptions. Returning judgment yesterday, presiding judge Mr Justice Tony Hunt said gardai were "rightly suspicious" of a VW Passat in the Coolock area. A high-speed chase ensued and three occupants were seen in the Passat by detectives Jason Flynn and Keith Cassidy. During the chase, the Passat was damaged and came to a halt at Greencastle Drive in Coolock and three men fled on foot. Though it was dark on the night, both gardai gave evidence that they could positively identify Mr Norton as the driver. Mr Justice Hunt said that the position of the defence was only one of not guilty, "in that he [Mr Norton] wasn't present but there is no positive evidence that he was elsewhere and opinions are not admissible evidence". The judge said he was satisfied that two offences had been committed but that two issues in the case had to be established beyond a reasonable doubt: the identification of Mr Norton and whether or not it was he who dropped the gun and ammunition in the park. In entering two not guilty verdicts, he said it was "far more likely the firearm and ammunition were in possession of one of the other two men". "This is not an endorsement of the activities on the night," he told Mr Norton. The judge praised Det Gda Cassidy and Det Gda Flynn "who undoubtedly prevented death or serious injury". Mr Justice Hunt warned Mr Norton to "take a long look in the mirror" upon release. A man is facing trial accused of carrying out a sexual assault during a burglary at a house in Dublin. Gerard Dunbar (54) is alleged to have committed the offence while trespassing at an address in the north of the city last year. He had a book of evidence served on him and was sent forward for trial when he appeared at Dublin District Court. Mr Dunbar, of Greencastle Avenue in Coolock, is charged with a burglary offence under Section 12 of the Theft and Fraud Offences Act. Trespasser The charge alleges that having entered a house in north Dublin as a trespasser on a date last July, he committed an arrestable offence "to wit, sexual assault". He was not charged with anything else before the court and no alleged victim is specified in the charge. Dublin District Court heard that a book of evidence was ready in the case. State solicitor Michael Durkan said that there was a single count in the book and the DPP was consenting to the accused being sent forward for trial to the present sittings of Dublin Circuit Criminal Court. Mr Dunbar was on bail that had been granted at a garda station and there was consent for him being sent forward on the same bail terms. Applying for free legal aid to be extended for the Circuit Court proceedings, defence solicitor Tony Collier said there had been no change in Mr Dunbar's financial circumstances since his last court date. Judge Bryan Smyth granted legal aid to cover both a solicitor and one barrister in the circuit court. Alibi He then gave the accused the formal warning that he must provide the prosecution with details of any alibi he intends to rely on in the course of his trial within 14 days. The judge asked Mr Dunbar if he understood this. "Yes," the accused replied to the court. The judge then sent him forward for trial. Mr Dunbar has not yet entered a plea to the charge and left court after signing his new bail bond. He will appear at the Circuit Court on a date later this month. A senior detective has rejected a claim that the Adrian Donohoe murder investigation was approached with tunnel vision and that lines of inquiry were not followed up on, the trial has heard. Pat Marry, who was the senior investigating officer before 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. Mr Brady 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. Factual Mr Brady has pleaded not guilty to the murder of Det Gda 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 around 7,000 in cash and assorted cheques from Pat Bellew at the same location on the same date. Defence counsel Michael O'Higgins SC 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 Mr Brady and another suspect in the robbery, the court heard. The jury was told that there was also information received that this individual travelled 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 25 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. He said 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 were not. 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," Mr Marry said, describing it as an "unfair comment". "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. A Dublin man has returned home after more than 100 days in hospital with Covid-19, five weeks of which he spent in an induced coma. Andrew Murray (61) was finally reunited with his wife Vera in his Coolock home yesterday, after first being taken to Beaumont Hospital on March 22 with a confirmed case of Covid-19. After a week in isolation there, Ms Murray was called to say that her husband would be put into an induced coma for a week, while a ventilator would help him overcome the virus. "But it wasn't a week, it was five weeks," Ms Murray told the Herald. Anxious "I thought I'd never see him again. I was just anxious and so upset, I really just thought he was going to die. "They were never able to commit to saying he was going to be OK, so every day was a challenge. They just said they didn't know because they didn't know what it would bring." Ms Murray said that in those five weeks, she began to lose hope as her husband's body began to shut down. First, after only a few days in a coma, Mr Murray had to have an emergency operation on his bowel, which had failed. A hernia surrounding his bowel was also addressed, leaving Mr Murray with a wound that is still "slowly closing". Then the Dubliner's lungs collapsed and had to be pumped, and he was also placed on dialysis. He also had to have emergency surgery to have a stoma installed and a tracheotomy. While also affected by the virus, Ms Murray said that his "strong heart" was all that saved her husband. "They didn't think he'd make it through the surgery. They said it was very risky with him being so sick," she said. "He was touch and go all the time. Some days his breathing was good and some days it wasn't. They always just said he wasn't out of the woods. "They said his heart did get infected but that he has a strong heart and that's what saved him, because every other part of his body was riddled with it. After waking up from his coma on April 27, Mr Murray spent a period more in ICU before, a month later, being moved to Clontarf Hospital, where he had rehabilitation for two-and-a-half months. When he first woke up, Ms Murray, who first appeared on Virgin Media News yesterday, said he had very little function over his body. However, yesterday he was able to walk out of Clontarf Hospital. "When he woke up he couldn't walk, he couldn't feel his legs or anything. He had to build up his strength," Ms Murray told the Herald. "He walked out of the hospital yesterday. He's a tough man, I'm just so happy. I thought when he woke up he would be fine he'd be able to sit up talking and everything but he couldn't even sit up. "He was like a baby again. They had to teach him how to do everything again - he had to start from scratch." The pair, who have been married for 37 years and have three adult children, are now happily reunited back at home. When Mr Murray was first taken to hospital, the number of people who had contracted Covid-19 in Ireland stood at 906 and only four people had died from the virus. Transformation At that stage in Ireland, to go through what the Dubliner did would have been unheard of. As of yesterday, however, Ireland has had 25,498 cases and 1,740 Covid-19-related deaths. In that space of time, Ireland has also gone from political deadlock, to the formation of an unprecedented Government. "They didn't tell him anything that happened to him. He still doesn't really know," Ms Murray said. "He doesn't know how the virus has spread or how bad it's gotten because he couldn't watch the news when he was in the ICU. "He won't know until he's told in the next couple of weeks. It's a completely different world. "We're so happy to be back together again. It's great. He feels grand and he's happy to be home. All the staff did so well to get him back to where he is." Jim O'Callaghan has said Fianna Fail should highlight the benefits of a united Ireland to secure the support of young voters. In his first comments since turning down a ministry offered to him by Taoiseach Micheal Martin, the Fianna Fail TD said there is a cohort of young voters on the island of Ireland who are not "green or orange" but who see what he calls the "illogicality of partition". Mr O'Callaghan added that Brexit negotiations and the Covid-19 crisis have "underlined the benefits of unity". "As the Republican Party, we must sell this message to all young people on the island," he said. Mr O'Callaghan said he had turned down Mr Martin's offer of a ministry because he wanted to focus on making Fianna Fail a "radical centre ground national party" which is attractive to young people. He warned of the "increasing polarisation" of politics in this country, which he said will "subdivide people into antagonistic groups". "Unfortunately, we now see a political landscape in this country where Fine Gael has placed itself on the right and Sinn Fein has placed itself far on the left, each representing their own interest groups," he wrote in the Irish Independent. "I believe the growth of a national centre-left party such as Fianna Fail that can attract the support of young people is the most effective way to confront the increasing threat of polarisation." He said people aged between 25 and 45 have now experienced two recessions in their adulthood. "Most live in a world of economic insecurity where affordable accommodation is beyond their means, and terms of employment are now much more insecure than was the case when their parents first started working," he said. Burdens "Climate change and Covid-19 have imposed even further burdens upon them - burdens they carry for the benefit of older and future generations." Mr O'Callaghan also warned Fianna Fail will have less influence in Brexit negotiations and Northern Ireland matters after Fine Gael TDs were appointed as ministers for Justice and Foreign Affairs. He said it was a mistake to give the two key ministries to Fine Gael. The Dublin Bay South TD said Brexit negotiations will "loom large over our political landscape" and will have "significant consequences for all of the island". He predicted that the UK's exit from the EU will have "unforeseen problems" for people living in Northern Ireland. "In discussions with the United Kingdom government on Northern Ireland our ministers for Justice and Foreign Affairs have always played a central role," he said. "However, since Fine Gael occupy both these portfolios Fianna Fail will not have a senior minister in any such negotiations." He said Mr Martin will have "infrequent meetings"with the UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson but said detailed negotiations will be "carried out by Fine Gael ministers alone". "The country and Government would have benefited had these portfolios been divided between the two main parties of Government," Mr O'Callaghan added. 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 come, 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. Scandal Wexford-based Jason Sheridan was told by the Beacon Hospital in Dublin that it was charging 250 for what it described as a 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 the bill for three months could be 338m. 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. They range from 75 for a day procedure, to between 150 and 250 for in-patient procedures. Guidelines 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 and the use of PPE. "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." 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. Greenville, TX (75401) Today Cloudy skies this evening will become partly cloudy after midnight. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 64F. Winds NNE at 10 to 20 mph.. Tonight Cloudy skies this evening will become partly cloudy after midnight. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 64F. Winds NNE at 10 to 20 mph. 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. Johannesburg, 2 July 2020 (Peoples Daily Online) ZTE Corporation, a major international provider of telecommunications, enterprise and consumer technology solutions for the Mobile Internet, hosted 5G SAStand Alone Summit 2020 online with GSMA. As a program at GSMA Thrive, industry partners, such as China Telecom, China Mobile, China Unicom, Orange, Deutsche Telekom, Ooredoo, GSMA and Tencent have attended the summit. Themed Opening a New Era of Industry, participants have conducted in-depth discussion on the industrys viral topics, such as 5G SA network construction, 5G ecosystem, new 5G infrastructure construction and 5G industry innovation, sharing their insights with each other and an online audience. The Summit has provided a platform for sharing experience on SA network construction and business development strategies in China and other countries. ZTEs Senior Vice President Zhang Jianpeng, said 5G SA provides operators with a large number of opportunities for the integrated development of B2C and B2B in the new era while posing various challenges. As a firm advocate and promoter of 5G SA, ZTE, underpinned with a mature end-to-end SA solution, has carried out a series of deployments and verification with various partners. Head of Technology of GSMA Greater China, Liu Hong elaborated his expectation for 5G SA. In his opinion, the pace of 5G development will not stop, but instead it will become firmer. The initiation of 5G SA will also become an important milestone in the process of 5G development. Wei Leping, Chairman of Technology Steering Advisory Committee of China Telecom, elaborated on the latest progress of the 5G SA ecosystem. China Telecom has taken the lead to complete the SA end-to-end system function verification and interoperability test. By making full use of the coordination advantages of cloud-network-edge, China Telecom is accelerating the adaptation of 5G to vertical industries, thereby promoting 5G SA to empower vertical industries. With great focus on industry, transportation, media, health care and education, China Telecom is committed to the application of 5G SA to high-quality industries. Vice President of China Mobile Research Institute, Huang Yuhong said China Mobile has built B2B and B2C networks separately to achieve the convergence of 4G and 5G. Committed to the coordination of 700M, 2.6G and 4.9 GHz frequencies, the basic coverage of 700M and 4.6G frequencies, and the capacity expansion and industrial applications of 4.9G frequency, China Mobile is aimed to establish the world's largest-scale and most advanced 5G SA network. Director of 5G Co-construction and Sharing Working Group of China Unicom, Miao Shouye said that China Unicom and China Telecom have completed the world's largest 3.5G NR network. Meanwhile, both parties have vigorously promoted the maturity of the 2.1G NR industry chain. With the commitment to building 5G wireless networks with sustainable operation and full competitiveness, China Unicom and China Telecom embrace the upcoming 5G era by means of win-win strategies. CTO Group Director of ZTE, Hans Neff shared his perspective on 5G SA, believing that 5G SA ecosystem has supported large-scale deployments. ZTE expects to help global operators explore the full potential of 5G by virtue of its cutting-edge 5G SA products and extensive experience in network construction. 5G Program Director of Orange Espana, Luis Delgado shared his insights on 5G SA network construction through video interview, as representatives of ZTEs partners in Asia and Europe. As of 2020, 5G SA is ready for end-to-end commercial use in terms of the maturity of standards, chipsets, terminals and networks. Global major operators realize the great potentiality and promising prospect of 5G SA, and have begun to actively promote the evolution of 5G to SA networks. In Australia, rural residents, who make up less than 30% of the population, have often been at odds with city dwellers and urban politicians, seeing them as out of touch and incompetent in their management of the bush. Brumby activists have taken action by lobbying for political favor in some states, where they have won protections for the horses. Winchester, TN (37398) Today Scattered thunderstorms early giving way to steady rain after midnight - it will be heavy at times. Low 61F. Winds NW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 80%. Rainfall may reach one inch. Locally heavy rainfall possible.. Tonight Scattered thunderstorms early giving way to steady rain after midnight - it will be heavy at times. Low 61F. Winds NW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 80%. Rainfall may reach one inch. Locally heavy rainfall possible. So you say free ice cream, simple. Cant change a thing? Kirk says to think again. Maybe it can, perhaps it will. Thats what were going to do the next four weeks, Kirk said. Were going to go into the neighborhood near the church first. Then were going to spread out. (In the near future) Well end up in Bristol, Virginia, Rice Terrace. Were going into well-to-do neighborhoods, too. Higher income folks need Jesus, too. Melanie Fetterhoff, a member of Realife Church, walked along an aisle on Wednesday. As the band practiced on stage, she wore an Until Love Runs This Town shirt and smile that communicated faith in the future. Kirks wife, microphone in hand, descended stairs from the stage. She strode by, stopped, spoke. When I hear that term, Until Love Runs This Town, I think of random acts of kindness, said Angie Kirk, who sings on Sundays at Realife Church. How can you show people around you that they matter? Love is a word that resonates with anyone. It can bridge the sides between both extremes. The Kirks hope the gist of his churchs campaign spreads. A dream realized would exhibit churches local and otherwise leading similar charges into their communities, individuals lending a hand to fellow humans. If the Deesis is covered again, along with other icons, this is not something that can be replaced with photographs in art books, he said. It would hurt artists and believers around the world in so many ways. The current controversy is rooted in politics more than lingering tensions between Muslim leaders and Turkeys tiny Christian minority, which has little power other than through ties to Greece, Europe and the United States. Hagia Sophia became a museum in 1934, a symbol of Mustafa Kemal Ataturks drive to build a modern, truly secular state. Now, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has sent many signals that he wants Turkey to re-turn to Islamic principles. Debates in Turkish media have swirled around whether modern leaders retain the right of the sword to reclaim Hagia Sophia, noted Mustafa Akyol, a Turkish journalist and author of the book Islam With-out Extremes: A Muslim Case for Liberty. This act would be a silver bullet in the Turkish leaders efforts to retain power amid charges of corruption and brutal authoritarianism after nearly two decades in power, Akyol said. The current debates follow Muslim prayers in Hagia Sophia in 2016 and, in 2018, rites led by Erdogan himself in memory of Mehmed II. Make the effort to sort through history and rediscover America the good, the bad and the ugly you we can learn that even with the horrible mistakes in our experiment with democracy we have been abundantly blessed in this nation. Read and study the Declaration of Independence. It declares, as self-evident truths, that all men are created equal and are endowed by their CREATOR (not government or even screaming at each other, but the Creator) with certain unalienable rights Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. Following the proclamation that our Creator is the one who endowed us with these rights, the declaration states that in order to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed . Fourscore and seven years later, President Lincoln gave his Gettysburg Address on a Civil War battlefield, while the war was still being waged. His short speech questioned whether our nation, or any nation so conceived, and so dedicated, can long endure. With the multi-faceted division of 2020 in our country, that question is perhaps more relevant today than any time in the past century and a half. While Scott typically just gives his art pieces a descriptive title rather than a name, this one he dubbed Diversity. Most of the time, he said, I am crafting something that is pretty, not creating something that has an underlying thought. This piece is composed of 50 different woods from all over the world, working together to make something more. It comprises several different artistic styles, again working together to make something more. This seems an appropriate message in 2020. Thus Diversity (or as I tend to think in my head from Star Trek, IDIC - Infinite Diversity, Infinite Combinations). Scott donated Diversity to the gallery for its first of its monthly online auctions to raise money to support its operation. Traditionally, the gallery hosts a monthly art walk, but this year physical distancing requirements would make that impossible on the gallerys small lawn and porch. With the help of the town of Marion, The Bank of Marion and other supporters, Hull said, the gallery has operated for more than 15 years and she declared, We are not going to let the pandemic close our doors now. Find out how much restaurant sales have risen recently, plus the number of military firearms that were unaccounted for, and more of this week' By accepting the funding, the county also accepted the stipulations that came with it including a tight deadline and the federal governments right to dispute any and all of the expenditures. In the case that the government deems the county did not spend the funds accordingly, then the government can rescind the money, Tassinari said. J.D. Prose and Candy Woodall HARRISBURG, Pa. Mail-in voters should request and return ballots as early as possible to best ensure their votes are counted. With the Pennsylvania primary in the rearview mirror, county and state elections officials are now pondering improvements as a much more volatile general election looms just a little more than four months away. AcrossPennsylvania there were similar pleas for more time when November comes more time for voters to apply for and receive mail-in ballots and more time for counties to begin pre-canvassing ballots, the time-consuming process of simply opening envelopes and organizing them. Give us a little space to do the job that weve been given, said Erie County Clerk Douglas Smith. This is the process that we have, so were trying to work it the best we can. About the same number of Erie County residents (29,670) voted in-person as did by mail (29,559), reported GoErie.com. Smith said there were 14 people working in the elections office on primary day, the most he has ever seen, and were still struggling to move this thing along. Erie Countys Board of Elections has passed a resolution asking the state to allow pre-canvassing to begin on the Saturday before the election, three days earlier than the Election Day start currently allowed. In Bucks County, where there were 78,000 returned mail-in ballots, Commissioner Gene DiGirolamo is part of a task force examining election issues and suggesting changes to state legislators. DiGirolamo spent 25 years in the state House and said counties need to be allowed to start opening mail-in envelopes at least a week before the election and begin scanning, but not tabulating ballots, on the Monday before the election. That would go a long way to allowing us to have a pretty good count on election night at some point, DiGirolamo said. Results are going to be paramount in a general election that could generate turnout of historic proportions, said DiGirolamo, acknowledging the fears expressed by some that a delay in Pennsylvanias results could fuel controversy akin to Floridas infamous botched presidential election in 2000 that was ultimately decided by the U.S. Supreme Court. An example of an extended count occurred inPennsylvania's 9th Congressional District, where it took nearly three weeks to finalize primary results. The reason for the delay in the district was similar to delays in other parts of the state it took too long to count mail-in ballots. The 9th District spans a swath of eastern Pennsylvania, including all of Carbon, Columbia, Lebanon, Montour and Schuylkill counties and parts of Berks, Luzerne and Northumberland counties. It took 20 days for results in Berks County to make it official that Democrat Gary Wegman will face Republican U.S. Rep. Dan Meuser in the general election. When the county elections office certified results Monday, elections director Debbie Olivieri said the mail-in ballots took several days to count and fewer people helped with the counting because of the coronavirus. Mail-in delays Besides additional time for counties to process mail-in ballots, DiGirolamo said, the ballot application deadline should be 10 days to two weeks before the election, rather than a week, to allow for voters to receive their ballots. Some voters who had requested mail-in ballots did not receive them by primary day, leading them to either not vote or trek to the polls to cast a provisional ballot. One of those voters was Elizabeth Onstwedder, a 27-year-old Pittsburgh resident. Onstwedder, responding to a USA Today Network survey, described a problematic mail-in process requiring a Pennsylvania drivers license and a printer, neither of which she has. She mailed her ballot application on May 23, 10 days before the primary, but had not received her ballot by June 2. Consequently, Onstwedder said, she had to vote in person, and her polling place had changed under Allegheny Countys polling place consolidation plan. It was a whole ordeal just to vote by mail, she said, but I couldnt vote by mail even though I wanted to. So, I had to vote in person in the end. Legislative remedy Pennsylvania Secretary of State Kathy Boockvar said that in the 2016 presidential primary there were just 84,000 absentee ballots cast, compared to about 1.5 million mail-in ballots this year, the first for which no-excuse mail-in voting was allowed. Are there lessons to be learned from suddenly finding yourself with 17 times as many mail-in ballots as you used to have? she asked. Absolutely. Sally Kohlbus, assistant director of York County elections and voter registration, tells poll workers about a special election in January. That small vote gave officials a chance to fine-tune new voting machines that had posed significant problems in the general election of 2019. The most impactful change for all counties would be to allow pre-canvassing to start much sooner than Election Day, Boockvar said. Weve seen that its not enough time, she said. Some states, she said, allow for pre-canvassing two to three weeks ahead of an election and that makes sense. Many county offices were closed due to COVID-19, delaying the distribution of mail-in ballots, Boockvar said. She said she hopes virus-related closures will not be a factor in the November election. Voters, she said, will be able to request mail-in ballots by early July, although ballots will not be set until mid-August and likely not be mailed out until several weeks afterward. Once they receive their ballots, voters should return them as soon as possible, Boockvar said. Boockvar said legislation addressing mail-in balloting issues is needed and one legislator seems to have already heard the cries for more time. State Sen. Steven Santarsiero, D-Bucks, circulated a cosponsorship memo on June 9 to colleagues about his proposed bill that would allow pre-canvassing to start 21 days before an election, saying that counties have struggled to process the flood of mail-in ballots. Boockvar said she is optimistic that legislative remedies for mail-in ballot issues would find support from both parties. There is absolutely nothing partisan about wanting to help the counties get results all the sooner, she said. Every candidate, every voter, every official wants that and so it is the most nonpartisan thing we could possibly do. Columbia Journalism Investigations, a grant-funded investigative reporting shop at Columbia University, processed responses to an online survey of Pennsylvania voters and provided voter comments for this story. Julie E. Greene jgreene@herald-mail.com SANDY HOOK Emergency crews had "a lengthy operation" Friday night rescuing a man who broke his leg slipping on Bass Rock in the Potomac River, according to Potomac Valley Fire Chief Roger Otzelberger Jr. The effort involved units from three states and a rope team to get the man up a rocky outcrop along U.S. 340 on the Virginia side of the river so a Loudoun County, Va., unit could take him to Meritus Medical Center near Hagerstown, Otzelberger said. The incident was called in at 7:28 p.m. Friday, and the man was out of the water at 8:47 p.m., a Washington County 911 supervisor said. But Otzelberger, who was not at the scene, said he believed the effort took about 2 to 2 1/2 hours including the rope unit. Potomac Valley provided personnel and organized the rescue effort, he said. Bass Rock is a rock grouping in the river between Harpers Ferry and the area of the U.S. 340 bridge south of Washington County, according to Google Maps. Otzelberger said about 50 to 100 people were reportedly on Bass Rock on Friday night and he heard people were hanging out on the rock Saturday afternoon as well. It's a summertime hangout and swimming hole, he said. But that section of the Potomac is "pretty dangerous," Otzelberger said. The Maryland Department of Natural Resources requires people on the river below Dam No. 3, just above Harpers Ferry, W.Va., to wear personal flotation devices, Otzelberger said. A Jefferson County, W.Va., unit with a boat got to the man and had him on a floatation board, pulling him via the boat to the Virginia shore,Otzelberger said. Then the Loudoun County unit used a rope system and a stokes basket to get the man up the rocky embankment so he could be taken to the hospital. A unit from Brunswick, Md., also assisted, Otzelberger said. Julie E. Greene jgreene@herald-mail.com The annual Fourth of July more-than-a-mile-long yard sale north of Hagerstown was not as big this year, presumably because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Prior to the yard sale, two longtime participants in the annual event said they would not be holding yard sales because of the pandemic. They also said they had talked to several people who normally have yard sales for the event and some were not doing so this year out of concern about the coronavirus that causes COVID-19. Joan Smith, of Newark, Del., was visiting friends in Hedgesville, W.Va., and stopped at the yard sale to see a favorite vendor, Bling-Bling Switchables. Smith was wearing a mask as she consulted with owner Janet Mott, who was wearing an American flag-design facial covering. She bought two bracelets and a snap-in button that can be used with a variety of jewelry-like bracelets, necklaces and earrings. Asked if she was concerned about attending the event during the pandemic, Smith said she was concerned about the heat. "I'm not a hot weather person," she said. In addition to wearing a facial covering, she said she was carrying hand sanitizer. This was Smith's first visit to the massive yard sale. "It's busy, very busy," she said. Mott said she and her husband, Chet, from Berkeley Springs, W.Va., have been setting up at the yard sale for at least seven years. With the heat and pandemic, they were not seeing the crowds they were used to, she said. They had hand sanitizer on a table and signs asking people to please wear masks. The temperature and heat index at the Hagerstown Regional Airport, northwest of much of the yard sale, were in the low 90s in the late morning and around lunchtime Saturday, according to the National Weather Service's website. It also was sunny with little shade in many areas of the yard sale. "The crowd is thinner," Janet Mott said, and she hadn't seen any food for sale. They ended up getting turkey sandwiches delivered by a nearby Amish market, she said. The Long Meadow Volunteer Fire Co. announced on Facebook earlier this week it planned to sell water and hot dogs. But Fire Chief Jason Eckstine said they decided not to sell hot dogs because of extra requirements such as plexiglass, he said. They left a cooler of water near the sidewalk for people to serve themselves in exchange for a donation, he said. The fire company typically raises $8,000 to $10,000 during the yard sale by selling food, table spaces and parking spaces. But officials budgeted only $1,500 in potential revenue from this year's event because they didn't know what to expect in terms of participation due to the pandemic, President Pete Lyons said recently. The fire company scaled back its participation this year, not allowing people inside the station. But it was selling parking spaces at two lots and had spaces for outdoor vendors. Eckstine said the fire company had about 40 vendors compared to normally having about 90. The parking lots had about 25% of normal business. He said the fire company would meet the trimmed revenue goal for the event. As further evidence of how much thinner the crowds are, Eckstine said it only took him about 15 minutes to drive up Longmeadow Road to the intersection with Pennsylvania Avenue. In previous years, that drive took about 45 minutes during the yard sale due to heavy, slow-moving traffic. Dianne Osterman, who recently moved to Hagerstown from Rochester, N.Y., said it was her first visit to the yard sale. "I'm loving it," she said as she visited Mott's canopy to check out jewelry. She was excited to find a ladybug button she planned to wear on a necklace. Osterman had a surgical mask under her chin. She said she prefers to have it on, but moves it up and down due to a breathing issue. She said she wasn't concerned about going to the yard sale during the pandemic, but was concerned about whether other people would be wearing masks. Most people seen shopping and selling wares along Longmeadow Road were not wearing masks. Washington County Health Department officials, in the days leading up to the sale, "highly recommended" that people at the event wear masks to help prevent spread of the virus that causes COVID-19. Gale Eason of Smithsburg and her daughter, Amber, were both wearing masks as they checked out merchandise along Longmeadow Road. Gale Eason said she loves yard sales and this one has it "all in one place." She said she has been a bargain hunter since she was 5 years old. They've been going to the massive yard sale for about five to seven years, she said. At that point, their only find was something for their dog, an Australian shepherd, to chew on, she said. Eason said she wasn't concerned about attending because she and her daughter were wearing masks, the event is in open air and they were cleaning their hands every couple blocks with hand sanitizer they were carrying. Amber Eason, 20, said she was a little concerned with congestion because she saw a lot of people in clusters. Hagerstown, MD (21740) Today Thunderstorms, some with heavy rain this evening followed by occasional showers overnight. Low around 65F. Winds WNW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 100%.. Tonight Thunderstorms, some with heavy rain this evening followed by occasional showers overnight. Low around 65F. Winds WNW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Uniontown, PA (15401) Today Cloudy with periods of rain. Low 58F. Winds NW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall near a half an inch.. Tonight Cloudy with periods of rain. Low 58F. Winds NW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall near a half an inch. Amidst the Coronavirus outbreak and the current border standoff with India, China has now staked its claim on the Russian city of Vladivostok, reported Wion. On Friday, the Russian embassy in India had tweeted a video about the foundation of the Russian military post, Vladivostok, in the Golden Horn Bay of the Sea of Japan. The tweet added that the military post was granted the status of a city in May 1880. ?Good morning, #India! ?#OTD, 160 years ago, the Russian military post named #Vladivostok was set up in the Golden Horn Bay of the Sea of Japan. In May 1880, Vladivostok received the status of a city. Full video https://t.co/QM7cYyscCO pic.twitter.com/6yD4NJVFds Russia in India (@RusEmbIndia) July 2, 2020 The same video was posted on Weibo, a microblogging site in China, by the Russian embassy in Beijing. However, it did not go down well with the Chinese populace. As such, Chinas social media warriors launched a targeted online campaign against Russia. Journalist Shen Shiwei from the State-owned CGTN network wrote that the tweet by the Russian embassy was not welcome as Vladivostok was earlier a Chinese territory, Hai Shen Wai, before Russia annexed it through the unequal Treaty of Beijing. The same sentiment was echoed by several other Chinese diplomats including Chinas ambassador to Pakistan. This tweet of #Russian embassy to #China isnt so welcome on Weibo The history of Vladivostok (literally 'Ruler of the East') is from 1860 when Russia built a military harbor. But the city was Haishenwai as Chinese land, before Russia annexed it via unequal Treaty of Beijing. pic.twitter.com/ZmEWwOoDaA Shen Shiwei (@shen_shiwei) July 2, 2020 The Second Opium War and Treaty of Peking During the Second Opium War (1856-1860), China faced defeat at the hands of Britain, Russia and France. After the end of the war, the Russian Tsarist Empire annexed the territories of Primorsky Krai and Vladivostok. The territory of Vladivostok was a part of the Qing Dynasty of China and was handed over to the Russians via the Treaty of Peking in 1860. Although it was lawfully owned, yet, the expansionist Communist Party of China (CCP) now dismisses the treaty as unequal. Besides Vladivostok, China also lost the Kowloon peninsula to Britain. The recent outrage on social media by China highlighted a deep-seated feeling of loss, even after 160 years. Implications on Russia-China relationship At a time when the world powers are irked with China over its mishandling of the Wuhan Coronavirus pandemic, it has turned against its close ally Russia. This is despite the fact that Russia has neither blamed China for the outbreak of the Wuhan Coronavirus nor the human rights violations in Hong Kong. However, the tweet by the Russian Embassy in India, celebrating the foundation of Vladivostok, on Twitter is perceived as a big strategic signal. The tweet assumes significance, amidst border tensions between India and China, and is considered as a manifestation of the strategic partnership between India and Russia. Russia and China share a 4,209 km-long border. As per reports, the Defence Ministry of Russia is wary of the possible challenges that can be posed by China at the border, in the long run. Experts are of the view that the Chinese objection to Russias celebration will not extend beyond social media. Both the countries were at the brink of war in 1969 but a settlement was reached in 2008. During the agreement, Russia handed over a few islands in the Amur and Ussuri rivers to China. However, the status quo on Vladivostok remained unchanged. Reportedly, China has claimed about 160,000 sq km of land in Russia, in violation of various mutual agreements. Expansionism of China As per Wion News, China has been relentless in illegally occupying land in at least 21 countries. Even though the International Court of Justice has rejected its dubious claims, China continues to assert ownership of islands in the Philippines. The same is the case with Vietnam. Communist-run country has claimed fishing rights in the water near islands in Indonesian territory. Besides, China has disputes with Laos, Cambodia on historical precedents and with Thailand over the Mekong river since 2001. China has disputes with Japan over Senkaku and Ryu Kya islands. Moreover, the expansionist country has staked claim to the whole of South Korea on some occasions. Besides, the Communist-controlled country also has disputes with North Korea over Mount Pek-tu and the Tuman river. Earlier, it was reported that China had occupied the Rui village in Gorkha district of Nepal. Decoding Chinese Aggression The Chinese autocratic Government is scared of its 140 crore people who work as bonded labourers, with no human rights, for the government. They fear that the rising dissatisfaction amongst people can lead to a revolt against the Communist regime. Amidst the Coronavirus pandemic, China has been forced to shut down its factories. The unemployment rate has soared as high as 20%. Therefore, the hostile attitude of China towards neighbouring countries is a part of a ploy to keep the country united, Sonam Wangchuk was earlier quoted as saying. He informed that the 1962 Indo-Sino War was also one of the tactics adopted by the then Chinese government to deviate public discourse from the failure of the administration to respond effectively to the famine that lasted between 1957 to 1962. Wangchuk added that the autocratic government knows that if there is a shrinkage in the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth or that of the countrys prosperity, a mass uprising is inevitable. India-China Standoff About 5000 Chinese army personnel, under the garb of a military exercise, diverted their movement towards the Indian side of the LAC (Line of Actual Control). The current standoff began on May 5-6 and has been continuing all along the LAC up to Sikkim. The Indian Army had matched the level of their counterparts and had stopped them from conducting movements in several areas. As per the ANI report, Indian forces had also been airlifted from other high altitude areas to the Eastern Ladakh sector. On June 15, around 20 Indian soldiers, including a Colonel were killed when Chinese troops had attacked with stones, batons, and barbed wires. In fierce combat that took place on extremely hostile terrain, 20 Indian soldiers had lost their lives to injuries and exposure. China is believed to have suffered 43 casualties but the communist state has been reluctant to confirm the number of casualties it suffered. The Prime Minister of Nepal KP Oli has been facing a tremendous amount of heat from within his own party Nepal Communist Party as demands for his resignation is increasing gradually after he strained ties with India and reports of China illegally encroaching nearly 33 hectares of Nepalese land through road construction in Tibet. According to the reports, a crucial meeting of ruling party NCPs Standing Committee is scheduled on July 6 to decide the fate of KP Oli. The meeting of the Nepal Communist Partys 45-member Standing Committee, the most powerful body of the party was earlier scheduled to be held on Saturday but it was postponed as the party failed to forge consensus on the issue of resignation of Prime Minister Oli. The senior leaders of the party had earlier demanded Prime Minister Olis resignation, stating that his recent anti-India remarks were neither politically correct nor diplomatically appropriate. The Prime Ministers remarks that India was conspiring to remove him were neither politically correct nor diplomatically appropriate, partys executive chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda had said. The demand for Nepal PMs resignation grew after KP Oli on June 28 had claimed that India along with local parties was planning to oust him from power. He had also claimed that there have been various kinds of activities in the embassies and hotels to remove him from power. He had alleged that some Nepalese leaders were also trying to remove him after his governments had changed the countrys political map by incorporating three strategically key Indian territories Lipulekh, Kalapani and Limpiyadhura. Amidst the political crisis in Nepal, Chinese Ambassador in Nepal Hou Yanqi had also met Nepali President Bidhya Devi Bhandari on July 3 in the President House in Kathmandu. Nepal provokes India by including Indian territories in maps The tensions between the two countries are on a rise after New Delhi inaugurated a road linking Kailash Mansarovar via Lipulekh on May 8. The Himalayan country had raised objections to India over the construction of the new road. On May 20, the Nepalese government headed by KP Oli had released a new map of the country, in which it had included Indian territories of Limpiyadhura, Lipulekh and Kalapani as parts of Nepal. KP Oli, who is heading the Nepal Communist Party-led government in the country, had made irredentist claims against India by asserting that Nepal would bring back at any cost the Indian territories of Kalapani-Limpiyadhura-Lipulekh area. Perhaps acting at the behest of China, the Nepal government passed a constitution amendment bill at the Parliament, seeking to amend Schedule 3 of the constitution to update Nepals political map in the national emblem. In another incident of atrocities on religious minorities in Islamic majority country Bangladesh, one Hindu man was beaten just because he didnt buy from a shop owned by a municipal councillor. The incident happened in Kaliganj in Jhenaidah district in Bangladesh. According to reports, van driver Sonatan Das was badly injured after he was beaten by Faizur Rahman Chunnu, a municipal councillor who also owns a hardware store. Das told media that on 3rd June, he was asked to buy 20 bags of cement from Kaliganj market by his sister. Along with this, he was also asked to pay 20,000 Taka to the Shishir Kana enterprise owned by the councillor which was due to be paid for some earlier purchase. Accordingly, he paid the due amount, but as they were quoting higher price for cement, he didnt buy there and bought the cement from a nearby shop and returned home. This was spotted by Faizur who was at his shop at that moment. When in the evening Sonatan went towards the market, he was called by Faizur to the warehouse behind his, and there he was badly beaten by Faizur. He said that he was punished for not purchasing cement from the Councilors shop. After Sonatan as badly injured due to the attack, Faizur threw him out of his shop and asked to leave the spot. Public representatives are supposed to be friends of people. Will they attack innocent people like me for not purchasing from their shop? I want justice for this, Das said. His sister Laxmi Rani has also demanded a proper probe into the incident. Surprisingly, when councillor Faizur Rahman was contacted by media on the incident, he confirmed the incident. He said that Sonatans sister is his friend, and he was to receive due amount from him. I felt bad when he bought cement from another shop. As he is my friends brother, I took him to behind the shop and hit him with sticks few times, he said. Police officials of Kaliganj police station said that they have heard about the incident, and they will take quick action if the victims lodge a complaint. Actor Bhumika Chawla, who shared screen with late actor Sushant Singh Rajput in the film MS Dhoni: The Untold Story, shared a touching note on Sushants untimely death on Friday. Bhumika had played Sushants onscreen sister in the Neeraj Pandey film. She wrote how she still wonders what actually happened: Its been almost 20 days ... and I wake up thinking of you. Still wondering what it was ... one only shared the screen space as a character briefly but still associated together. Unsure it was indeed depression, she wondered if it was about some personal issue or professional wrangle, she continued: .... Was it depression - personal then you should have spoken .... If it was professional - you had already done such good films .. Bhumika agreed that survival was never easy in the film industry. She said: YES I AGREE its not easy to survive here I am not talking of insider or outsiders IT IS WHAT IT IS yes if I have to connect with someone even after having done 50 plus films it aint easy but I am still grateful I am doing work maybe I just choose to work on this perspective constantly pushing myself to think and believe good .. Yes there are times when you call or message people from the industry ( Bollywood or other places ) most people are really WARM and KIND but we do find those who refuse to acknowledge or just brush you aside THE WORLD IS MADE OF ALL SORTS ... Bhumika spoke about how people politely refuse and how, in later years, she has made an effort to reach out too, THERE are most who will respect you always but rare few when they need you they come to you - but when you drop a tinkle saying you would love to work together with them , they say we will see .... or smile it off ( though I never believed in doing that earlier , I did in the last few years make an effort thats what life is nothing comes without effort and hard work -) ... YET I STILL THANK GOD FOR Everything ... I choose to say that its ok - maybe one doesnt fit the bill , the role and so its ok ..... POSITIVE .... She also spoke about Mumbai as the city of dreams and the very nature of success and failure. ...and finally if there is any thing more to you going than professional disappointment , or depression cause of various reasons - YEH SHAHAR HAME HAMARE SAPNE DETA HAI , Naam deta hai ... kabhi Kabhi Gumnaam bhi karta ... lakho ki aabadi mein kuch TANHA BHI KARTA HAI ..... ........ if there was anything more I hope we come to know what it was ... until then FINAL GOODBYE .... PRAYERS FOR YOU - wherever you are and prayers for your family. Also read: Saif Ali Khan says he has been a victim of nepotism: Somebodys dad has rung up and said dont take him Bhumikas note found many agreeing with her. Actor Sonal Chauhan, replying to her comment, wrote: So well put. And I share the same emotion. Just cant get him out of my mind. So many thoughts ... so many questions. A fan wrote back: There are so many peoples including me who are still disturbed bcz of this incident. Another said: still I dont believe he is no more. A third person said: Cant get him off my mind. Miss u sir. Sushant died by suicide on June 14, aged 34. He was suffering from depression. The police has ruled out foul play. Follow @htshowbiz for more Actor Manoj Bajpayee, among many other celebrities, supported director Milap Zaveri on his views on self-styled film critic, Kamaal R Khan (KRK). Manoj replied to a tweet by Milap, in which the latter had called out Kamaal for using Sushant Singh Rajputs death for self promotion. Retweeting Milaps tweet, Manoj wrote: With you on this @zmilap also urge the people from the industry who mentor these elements to stop doing so else KARMA is waiting ....!!! He also called out industry insiders, without mentioning them, who mentored people like Kamaal. With you on this @zmilap also urge the people from the industry who mentor these elements to stop doing so else KARMA is waiting ....!!! https://t.co/dXnUVoAFNW manoj bajpayee (@BajpayeeManoj) July 3, 2020 Tweeting a video, Milap had earlier written: This is the true face of the fraud and disgusting Krk. Today he is trying to profit off a tragedy with his fake tears. But the reality is that he was horrid to Sushant while he was alive. Krk is the one insulting the departed with his fake behaviour. Time to stop such people. The video, which was actually a collage of two separate video clips, showed KRK dissing Sushant badly (going to the extent of saying that producers like Ekta Kapoor and Sajid Nadiadwala should not patronise him as the latter didnt know how to act). The second clip is a recent one where KRK is mourning Sushants death and shows his admiration for the late actor. Milaps stand had many of his industry colleagues supporting him. Actor Rakul Preet dropped clapping hands emojis in the comments section, while actor and comedian Suresh Menon wrote: Well said Milap. Writer and director Jyoti Kapur Das said: That one malicious tweet that wasnt even true! So glad hes being called out! Hope some of our friends also stop being nice to him. So proud of you, Milap! @BajpayeeManoj Is right! #Karma se darna chahiye! Also read: Saif Ali Khan says he has been a victim of nepotism: Somebodys dad has rung up and said dont take him Actor Vir Das said: Hes a parasite who has consistently attacked people who were too dignified to respond. Im happy youre calling him out. Let gutter trolls stay in the gutter. However, a Twitter user called out Milap for patronising KRK in the past and copy-pasted some tweets from the past by Milap to KRK, where the former is being nice to KRK. Replying to him, Milap acknowledged his wrongdoing, adding that he had admitted to his mistake. He wrote: I have publicly admitted that I was wrong in encouraging him. Writer and director Vinod Kapri too wrote to Milap and said: This man is sick and Disgusting. More power to you , Milap. Follow @htshowbiz for more Actor couple Pooja Batra and Nawab Shah have completed one of married life. The happy couple took to Instagram to celebrate the occasion. Pooja shared a bunch of pictures from their private wedding ceremony last July and wrote: A whole life time can lead to a moment Happy 1st Anniversary #julyisforlovers. Many of her industry friends wrote in to congratulate the couple. Actor Kashmere Shah wrote in the comments section: Wow congratulations Pooja. You look lovely in this pic. Poojas fans too wrote in too; one user said: Wishing both of you a very very happy marriage anniversary ....stay blessed with smile together. Another fan wrote: Awwww happy anniversary love! Pooja Batra and Nawab Shah with their respective parents. Nawab too wrote a special note of love for Pooja. Sharing a picture of them together, he said: The universe gives each of our souls a twin , which is a reflection of our own souls , no mater how far apart these souls are separated , they will always find their way to one another I love you Pooja . Happy anniversary. Also read: Saif Ali Khan says he has been a victim of nepotism: Somebodys dad has rung up and said dont take him Pooja and Nawb quietly got married on July 4, away from the media glare. Speaking about it to Bombay Times later in July, Pooja had said: Nawab and I exchanged vows in Delhi, with only our families in attendance. Our loved ones kept asking us why we were delaying it (the marriage). I was simply going with the flow, but then I realised that he is the man I want to spend the rest of my life with, and there is no point in delaying it any further. So, here we are. We had an Arya Samaj wedding, and we will register our marriage this week. Pooja was crowned Femina Miss India International in 1993 and later became an actor. From 1995 till her marriage to a US-based doctor in 2002, she worked in a number of Hindi, Tamil and Telugu film. She moved to the US after her wedding. However, the couple decided to file for divorce in 2011. Nawab Shah has been a part of many successful films such as Bhag Milkha Bhag, Lakshya, Tiger Zinda Hai, Panipat and Dabangg 3 to name a few. Follow @htshowbiz for more With the rise in the number of COVID-19 cases church services for the pubic will be temporarily stopped from July 5. AP Photo Bengaluru: Archbishop emeritus of Bangalore Bernard Moras has been diagnosed with mild symptoms of COVID-19 on July 3. A statement released by the Archbishop of Bangalore Peter Machadao stated that his the condition of Archbishop Emeritus is stable. "Most Reverend Bernard Moras, Archbishop Emeritus of Bangalore, had gone to St. John's Medical College for a routine check-up on July 2 as he was not well. Yesterday, it was confirmed that he has mild symptoms of COVID-19 and the doctors have stated that his condition at present is stable." The Archbishop Emeritus is aged about 78. With the rise in the number of COVID-19 cases church services for the pubic will be temporarily stopped from July 5. The state government has announced every Sunday to be a full curfew day. Archbishop Peter Machado has also requested that church services, even with a few people, be stopped in Bangalore Urban and Bangalore Rural districts. This order is applicable even to parishes celebrating weekday Masses until now in Bangalore Urban and Rural districts. However, churches in these districts may be kept open for private visits; and Holy Communion may be given only at a particular time, with prior information to the people, and after strictly implementing the standard operating procedures inside and outside the churches. As regards celebration of liturgies with minimum number of people in the districts of Kolar, Chikkaballapura, Ramanagara and Tumkuru, the same may be continued with maximum caution in consultation with the respective deans, taking into consideration the standard operating procedures inside and outside the Churches. However, if the Government brings about total lockdown in these districts, consequent to the surge of cases, Archbishop has requested the Parish Priests in these districts too, to refrain from celebration of public liturgies, until further notice. Actor Sushant Singh Rajputs shocking death is likely to shake things up in Hindi film industry, believes veteran actor Shekhar Suman. He has tweeted how peoples power has shaken up the system. Taking to Twitter and without naming people, he mentioned how the film cartel is all scared. He wrote: The Cartel is already scared and shitting bricks.Thats the power of ppl.From now on YOU will decide who has to stay,who has to go.Teach them a lesson once and for all.Punish d culprits.Dont let them get away this time.#downwithgangeism#justiceforsushantforum. The Cartel is already scared and shitting bricks.Thats the power of ppl.From now on YOU will decide who has to stay,who has to go.Teach them a lesson once and for all.Punish d culprits.Don't let them get away this time.#downwithgangeism#justiceforsushantforum Shekhar Suman (@shekharsuman7) July 3, 2020 His previous tweet said how this fight was not just about Sushant. He wrote: One has to remember the fight is not Just for Sushant,there is a larger picture.The nexus,the cartel in the movie and music industry.That needs to demolished.Also the source of funds in the film industry needs to be probed. #Gangeism#Favouritism#Cartel#Caucus. ALSO WATCH | Radhika Madan: Everyone knew nepotism existed, were afraid to address it One has to remember the fight is not Just for Sushant,there is a larger picture.The nexus,the cartel in the movie and music industry.That needs to demolished.Also the source of funds in the film industry needs to be probed. #Gangeism#Favouritism#Cartel#Caucus Shekhar Suman (@shekharsuman7) July 3, 2020 Shekhar is of the opinion that in Bollywood, the problem of camps is rampant. He also questioned the funding of film and music industries. Shekhar, who had visited the late actors family in Patna, has demanded a CBI inquiry into the matter. On June 30, he had claimed that there was more than what meets the eye in the suicide of Sushant. Suman has recently launched a campaign Justice For Sushant Forum. He was addressing a press conference at the residence of RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav, a day after he met Rajputs bereaved father at his residence in Bihars capital city. I strongly believe that Sushants death is not an open and shut case of suicide, asserted Suman who claimed to have closely followed the investigation trail. He also said there were some missing links like absence of a suicide note, a misplaced duplicate key to the house, and change of SIM card by the actor 50 times in a month that raised suspicion. Also read: Saif Ali Khan says he has been a victim of nepotism: Somebodys dad has rung up and said dont take him Suman clarified that he was not insisting that the deceased actors death was not a case of suicide but added that even if the 34-year-old had taken his own life, those guilty of abetment must be identified and brought to justice. Asked about allegations levelled by many Bollywood insiders that the Patna-born actor was at the receiving end of nepotism in the film industry, Suman -- who hails from the Bihar capital -- replied in the affirmative. Besides Shah Rukh Khan and I, Sushant was the only one to have started off as a TV actor and achieve success on the big screen thereafter. A self-respecting man who did not believe in massaging egos of big shots, he must have become an eyesore for many, remarked the 66-year-old. (With PTI inputs) Follow @htshowbiz for more Veteran choreographer Saroj Khan died on Friday after suffering a cardiac arrest. She was 71 and in the hospital since last Saturday after complaining of breathlessness. In her career spanning over several decades, Saroj won many accolades, including three National Awards. She learnt dance from well-known dance director B Sohanlal, who taught her the basics of classical dance forms, including Kathak and Bharatnatyam. Also read: Saroj Khan, Bollywoods masterji, dies of cardiac arrest at 72 Talking about her family, Saroj Khan had said, My parents moved to India from Pakistan after partition. My father, Kishanchand Sadhu Singh was a Punjabi, while my mother, Noni, a Sindhi. My father had a flourishing business in Pakistan but he had to leave everything behind when he came to India. I was born in India. Bor Nirmala Nagpal, her name was changed to Saroj when she started working in films at the age of 3. My original name was Nirmala. My father changed my name to Saroj when he put me in the movies, so that his orthodox family would not know the truth about his little daughter working in films, which was not considered very respectable in those days, Saroj Khan had said. Saroj was just 14 years old when she had a relationship with her guru, who was three decades older and already married. She told Rediff in a 2012 interview, At the age of 14, I had a relationship with Sohan Lal, who was 43 then. I had two children with him, Raju Khan, who is a choreographer, and Cuckoo Khan, who died last February of liver complications. Since Lal was not ready to give my kids his name, I married a Pathan and had one child by him. Also read: Saroj Khan had said she was getting no work, Salman Khan promised to work with her Saroj single-handedly raised her two children after separating from Sohanlal, before falling in love and marrying businessman Sardar Roshan Khan a few years later. Saroj, who shot to fame with the success of Tezaab in 1988, choreographed several iconic songs including Na Jaane Kahaan Se from Chaalbaaz (1989), Tu Cheez Badi Hai Mast Mast from Mohra (1994), Chane Ke Khet Mein from Anjaam (1994) and Yeh Ishq Haaye from Jab We Met (2008). She was laid to rest at a cemetery in the Malad area of Mumbai on Friday morning. A prayer meet will be held next week. Follow @htshowbiz for more Four persons were on Saturday arrested for allegedly assaulting a Dalit woman for fetching potable water from a hand pump in Jinds Ramkali village, police said. Those arrested are Sandeep Kumar, Ashish, Vikas and Dashrath, all residents of the same village. The woman alleged that one of the accused had caught her hand when she went to get water from a hand pump in the village two days ago. The men, who were in inebriated state, had barred me from getting water from the hand pump. When I visited the area, the accused were bathing there. When I asked why did they stop me from fetching water, they made casteist remarks on me. I narrated the entire episode to the village head and my family members. The sarpanch talked to the parents of the accused, but to no avail. The next day, those men visited my house and pelted stones. When I raised alarm, my brother-in-law and others came for my rescue but the accused thrashed them as well. Then they continued to roam around my residence. My husband, who works with Haryana Police, lodged a complaint on Friday evening, she added. Julana SHO Surender Singh said the incident took place two days ago and an FIR was registered on Saturday after the victim approached the police in person. We have arrested four men of the village and booked them under sections 354 (assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty) and 323 (punishment for causing voluntarily hurt) of the Indian Penal Code and Section 3 of the SC/ST (atrocity prevention) Act. The matter is being investigated. Atrocities against Dalits will not be accepted and we will take strict action against culprits, he added. Bollywood actor Dharmendra expressed his sadness over the dilapidated condition of Raikhy Cinema, one of the oldest theatres in Ludhiana, in a Tweet, on Saturday. The theatre came up in 1933 and was wearing a deserted look even before the lockdown commenced, said Deol, who is also popularly known as the He Man of Bollywood. Rikhy cinema, ludhiyana..... unginnat filmen dekhi hain yahaan....ye sannata ......dekh kar ..... dil udaas ho gaya mera ..... pic.twitter.com/MGY5VG3z0S Dharmendra Deol (@aapkadharam) July 4, 2020 Rikhy cinema, ludhiyana..... unginnat filmen dekhi hain yahaan......ye sannata......dekh kar.....dil udaas ho gaya mera .....(I have watched numerous movies at the theatre at one time and the empty silent theatre now makes my heart ache). The octogenarian also interacted with fans on Twitter and said he kept aside 25 paisa for a tikki samosa treat at the theatre. He said that he had watched Deedar, a 1950s classic starring Dilip Kumar, at Raikhy Cinema. Deol had last visited his hometown in March when he was awarded this years Noor -E -Sahir award. Dharmendra, who is a native of Dangon village, later shifted with his family to Sahnewal. He shared some fond memories of his long journey from Ludhiana to Mumbai after receiving the award. He spoke about how he used to visit Clock Tower and Chaura Bazar with his friends and how mango orchards near Bharat Nagar Chowk have now been now been replaced with houses. Dharmendra, who enjoys a huge following on social media platforms including Twitter and Instagram said social media has offered him a perfect platform to reach out to his fans and admirers. The greatest happiness of life is the conviction that we are loved; loved for ourselves, or rather, loved in spite of ourselves. So said French writer Victor Hugo and this conveys a lot because to be a writers wife is not the easiest of things. For one, it means always coming second to his first love writing. Yet she is to be the muse as well as the first reader, critic and much more. Perhaps, it is not so complicated to be a writers husband for an author making her way from second sex knows and accepts that she has to be her own support more often than not. However, there have been women who have been immensely supportive in the writing careers of their partners and very often been their fans, loving the person first wedded to the pen, in spite of it all as Hugo puts it. In the hands this weekend is a delightful, slim volume titled My Other Half by Red River Books in which Krishna Paul wife of Urdu fiction writer Joginder Paul, engages in conversations with Chandana Dutta. It is indeed a narrative that comes straight from the heart and leaves the reader enriched and elevated in this story of love and caring. Indeed, it is all about the past which is very much a part of the present. The writers wife Writer Chandana says: The writers wife: Well, thats what I thought of her when I began to read the works of Joginder Paul and plan projects around them. But over time I could not see her just as a writers wife, the fallback person. The conversations with her revealed to Chandana that she was a person as much in command of her universe as was Joginder Paul, who was in command of the universe of his words. It was an amazing role that Krishna played in holding the fort all those years so that her husband could write uninterrupted. One endorses these thoughts and I have memories of meeting the Pauls long ago at their south Delhi home even before I had made an acquaintance with their daughter Sukrita, who is now a friend. My first introduction to Joginder Paul was when he had come to participate in a literary event at Panjab University and city poet Kumar Vikal had heartily praised his stories. Years later I was to visit their home to take permission to translate Dera Baba Nanak, which is one of the most heartwarming stories of a humane gesture in the mad frenzy of the great divide. That one visit made me an insider as it used to be with the litterateurs of yore. It also gave me a chance to listen spellbound to the very adventurous vignettes of their lives. The book cover Suitable boy in Ambala In early 1948, Krishnas parents decided that their daughter had passed her senior Cambridge with distinction in six subjects so it was time to discontinue studies and find a suitable boy and marry her off. Krishna always took glee in relating the consequences that led to her marrying Joginder and so also in this book. Krishnas father was an unlettered but wealthy businessman in Nairobi, Kenya. On a mission of groom-hunting in Delhi, they received a proposal from Ambala. There a relatives cousin took them around the place and in the fathers eye he became the suitable boy. Krishnas description of the meeting in Ambala is most readable in its comic sadness. Joginder has been uprooted from Sialkot with his family and they are staying in a shabby evacuee property. He is supporting the family by running a milk procuring and selling business from home although he is already a well published author. There the vow is made as Joginder tells her with a pinch of humour that he could not have turned her away as his mother believed in the old tradition of not turning away good luck and fortune that had come knocking their way. Krishna too loses her heart to this unusual young man who wears a pyjama and gobbles some half a dozen rotis sitting across the stove from his mother. I somehow knew that here was someone who would let her continue with her studies. And so he did! Together they moved to Kenya, then to Aurangabad and finally their love nest in Delhi with Krishna being the first reader of his stories and also the Hindi translator. This is how love stories are made and this one is so engaging. As author Chandana says: This seamless bend of time, both full of love and wit, makes life seem so worth its while! nirupama.dutt@hindustantimes.com The number of coronavirus disease (Covid-19) cases in Delhis three prisons -- Tihar, Mandoli and Rohini -- have gone up from 68 on June 21 to 137 till July 3, officials records show, prompting the jail authorities to come up with a 24-point action plan including rapid antigen testing and contact tracing to contain the spread of the viral disease. Officials in the three prisons attributed the sharp rise in the number of cases to the aggressive testing. A total of 480 tests 237 RT-PCR and 243 rapid antigen have been done so far. Director-General (prisons) Sandeep Goel said the 24-point actionable plan includes the creation of a special task force (STF) in each of the three prisons to carry out the contract tracing of the Covid-19 positive prisoners and staffers and regular screening of jail inmates. The STF will comprise of the chief medical officer, superintendent and a couple of other senior officials of the concerned jail. Also read: Delhi govt offers incentives to hire intensive care specialists Goel said a rapid antigen testing camp has been set up at the government dispensary at Tihar residential complex for around 2,600 prison staffers, including 800 security personnel from Tamil Nadu Special Police, who are deployed on the security duty at the three jails. Till July 3, according to the data shared by Tihar jail administration, 243 jail staff of the total 2,600 have got themselves tested, following the contact tracing of positive Covid-19 inmates and jail staff. Of them, 38 tested Covid-19 positive. The rapid antigen testing in our jail complexes is primarily for our staff members. The inmates are mostly being tested by RT-PCR methodology. Apart from those identified through the contact tracing procedure, the rapid antigen testing is done on voluntary basis too, said Goel. Tests that detect presence or absence of an antigen in the body are called antigen detection tests. An antigen is a foreign molecule that induces an immune response within the body, especially the production of antibodies, and detecting its presence determines infection. The test has high specificity (true negative rate) of 99.3% to 100%, which rules out people who are not infected. Tests with a high specificity are most useful when the result is positive. Sensitivity (true positive rate) is lower at 50.6% to 84%, which makes it less accurate in correctly diagnosing a positive case. This is why people with symptoms who test negative have to undergo an RT-PCR test to rule out active infection. Of the total 137 cases, 53 are prisoners and 84 jail staff. Among the 53 prisoners, one, a murder convict, Kanwar Singh,62, died in Mandoli Jail on June 15. In all, 29 Covid-19 positive prisoners have recovered. From the 84 Covid-19 positive jail staff, 23 have recovered, the data shows. Tihar Prisons (which includes Mandoli and Rohini) is the largest prison complex in Asia and nearly 13,600 prisoners were lodged there before the lockdown was announced on March 24. A total of 4,129 prisoners, including 1,168 convicts, were released from the three prisons on interim bail or emergency parole in a drive carried out following the courts order to decongest the jails to contain the spread of Covid-19. Following the spurt in cases, the prison officers have converted semi-open and open jail buildings into designated isolation hostels for prison staff. As the semi-open and open jails in Tihar jail complex are not operational since the Covid-19 outbreak hit the national capital, the two buildings have been converted as designated isolation hostels for prison staff, senior jail officials said. Also read: At capacity, Chhatarpur centre to dish out 100k meals a day The objective is to provide isolation facility to staffers who test positive but do not have enough space at their homes for self-isolation, said a senior jail official, who asked not to be named. Similarly, isolation wards have been created in each jail for isolating prisoners who tested positive for the virus. Goel said a double-layer screening arrangement has been put in place for the checking new prisoners before shifting them to the barracks. The first screening is done at the central public relations officers (CPRO) office, which is located near Gate No. 4 of Tihar jail, while the second screening is done at the entry gate of the ward. Entry of new inmates has been restricted only to two sub jails -- one adolescent jail and one female jail to segregate them from other prisoners for 14 days. Suspension of court production of inmates and discontinuation of visits by family members and outside agencies, including NGOs are other key points in our action plan, said Goel. Dr Jugal Kishore, head of the department of community medicine at Safdarjung hospital, said, Since jails are crowded places and inmates stay in congested spaces, the Covid-19 virus can spread faster in such places. But at the same time, the virus can also be contained faster if the preventive measures and guidelines are strictly implemented, as these are confined places and every activity can be monitored and regulated. With 55 deaths due to coronavirus disease (Covid-19) recorded in Delhi on Saturday, the citys toll crossed the 3,000 mark. The number of deaths due to the viral infection stood at 3,004, according to the daily health bulletin released by the Delhi government, with 26 old cases added to the cumulative number. This puts the citys care fatality rate to 3.09%. Delhi had recorded its first death on March 13 a 68-year-old woman from Janakpuri who got the infection from her son who had travelled to Switzerland, Japan, and Italy. From then, it took exactly two months for Delhi to record the first 100 deaths due to Covid-19, days after Delhis death audit committee started adding backlog deaths after a discrepancy in the cumulative state data and data from individual hospitals was highlighted. Also read: Maharashtras highest spike takes its Covid-19 tally past 2 lakh Delhi crossed the 1,000-death mark on June 11, when the addition of 101 deaths took the citys cumulative toll to 1085. On Saturday, the city recorded 2,505 new cases of Covid-19 taking the cumulative total to 97,200. On the same day, 2,632 people recovered from the infection taking the number of people who have beaten the infection so far to 68,256. This puts Delhis recovery rate at just over 70%. Along with the increase in testing and reduced positivity rate, Delhis recovery rate has also increased a positive indicator keeping the citys total number of active cases or those living with the infection a constant between 25 and 26 thousand. This is the first time that the recovery rate of Covid-19 in Delhi has gone beyond 70%. Meaning 70% of the total number of patients have already recovered. Among the 97,200 patients, 68,256 have recovered. Positivity rate (meaning the number of people testing positive among those tested) is 10.58%, which had increased to 36.94%, tweeted Delhis deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia. With increased testing and more cases being detected in the city, the case fatality ratio has decreased over the last two weeks the average case fatality ration recorded during the week ending on June 21 was 3.79%, and that during the week ending on June 28 was 3.32. Also read: ICMR says following globally accepted norms to fast-track vaccine; wants to cut red tape In the same time the average number of tests both rapid antigen and RT-PCR conducted in the city went up from 11,346 during the week ending on June 21 to 18,343 during the week ending on June 28. During the current week, 20,325 samples were tested each day, with an average positivity rate the number of people testing positive among those tested of 11.7%. This had shot up to an average of 31.4% during the second week of June. The highest positivity rate as referred to by the Deputy CM was recorded on June 13. The efforts of 2 crore people of Delhi has showed results. Congratulations to all Delhis corona warriors as Delhis recovery rate has increased to over 70%. We all need to work harder to defeat corona, chief minister Arvind Kejriwal tweeted on Saturday. The Delhi government will launch an e-ticketing system for its buses to ensure minimal contact between passengers and conductors, in an effort to stem the spread of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) in public transport, state transport minister Kailash Gahlot said on Friday. To this effect, the state transport department on Thursday started a trial run of the contactless ticketing system in a few Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) cluster buses. The model being trialled involves upgrading the operational One Delhi mobile application with an e-ticketing system for purchasing bus tickets either in advance or in buses. The government is also working on expanding the ticket-issuing service to other, privately-run firms. Even though we are allowing only 20 passengers per bus, there is a huge demand for buses these days because the Delhi Metro is still not operational. Our aim is to use technology to ensure minimum or zero contact between people inside buses, Gahlot said. We are hopeful of rolling out the contactless ticketing system in a month or two, a transport department official. Rajan Girsa, a research associate at the Indraprastha Institute of Information Technology (IIIT), Delhi, who is working on the project, said that in the upgraded app, passengers will have an option to pay either based on the fare or by the destination. DTC and cluster bus fares in Delhi range from 5, 10, 15 and (for AC buses) 25. One will also have to enter the bus and bus route numbers, which will be available in a drop-box format. In our first trial on Thursday, we faced some teething issues, but it was very promising overall. A few more trials will be conducted in the coming days. Our system is an API (application interface) which can be integrated with any app for example PayTM, Flipkart, Ola or Uber. To make this fully successful, we will also have to feed in data of every bus number and route in the app, as well as enable maximum GPS tracking of each bus, Girsa said. At present, all cluster buses have GPS trackers, but a majority of DTC buses do not. Delhi has a total of 6,487 buses, including DTC and cluster buses. On Thursday, a field trial was conducted in an air-conditioned DTC bus at the Indraprastha bus depot. It was done on a 30-km route (number 763), plying from Nizamuddin railway station to the Uttam Nagar bus terminal. The next trials will be conducted in DTC buses, Girsa said. Gahlot has also constituted a special task force to conduct these trials. An order issued by the minister on Thursday stated that the task force, led by deputy commissioner (cluster), has been constituted for timely coordination and implementation of exploring the options of contactless mobile ticketing inside DTC and cluster buses so that no physical contact between the conductor and commuter takes place due to exchange of cash or ticket. The task force has officials from the DTC and the Delhi Integrated Multi-Modal Transport System Limited (DIMTS). It also has researchers from IIIT Delhi and experts from World Resources Institute, India. Officials in the DTC said they are currently plying over 1,000 buses for public transport across the city, while around 1,600 are deployed for transportation of health workers and to maintain law and order. The cluster is plying another 1,000 buses for public transport. Delhi University (DU) has extended the date of registration for admission in undergraduate, postgraduate, MPhil and PhD courses till July 18. The registration process, which had begun on June 20, was scheduled to close on Saturday. According to DUs dean of admissions Shobha Bagai, the decision was taken following the postponement of the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) and National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET). Despite the Covid-19 pandemic, the university has received a tremendous response in terms of applications. The decision of extension of the registration has been taken keeping in view the notification of declaration of class 12 results by CBSE and postponement of JEE and NEET, she said. Results of CBSEs class 12 examinations will be declared by July 15. The Union human resource development (HRD) ministry had announced Friday to postpone both JEE and NEET exams till September. A member of the universitys admission team, asking not to be named, said, Mostly, NEET and JEE aspirants register and take admission in DU colleges before their results are announced. However, many of them cancel their admission once they are able to secure a seat in an engineering or medical college. So, its better the varsity syncs its admission process with other competitive exams. By Saturday evening as many as 2,15,435 paid applications had come through for undergraduate courses, 1,00,198 for postgraduate courses and a total of 12,800 for MPhil and PhD courses at DU. Last year, the varsity had received as many as 2,58,388 applications for undergraduate courses, 1,31,129 for postgraduate courses and a total of 20,862 applications for MPhil and PhD programmes. Many students, who could not fill the forms by Saturday evening, also welcomed the move. Gyan Kumar, a resident of Mehrauli, said he could not fill the form since his OBC certificate is awaited. I got really late in getting my certificate issued to apply for admission under the OBC quota. With this decision, I will have some more time to obtain my certificate and register for the varsity, he said. In view of the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic, DU has shifted its admission process completely online. The admission process has also been delayed by over two months this year due to the prevailing situation. Last year, the registration process had begun on May 30 and the first cut-off list was announced on June 27. Four Covid-19 patients who tried to flee Thane were detained moments before they attempted to board a flight to Lucknow on Thursday, due to the efforts of an alert civic official. Kausas health officer Hemangi Ghode tracked the family with the help of police and airport authorities, despite the family trying to mislead her, said RT Kendre, officer on special Covid-19 duty. The four are family members of a 54-year-old resident of Kausa in Mumbra who was tested positive for the virus last month. The man died on June 25, after which his 50-year-old wife and three sons aged 27, 25 and 23 years were also tested positive for the virus on July 1. On July 2, I made a phone call to the family, asking them which hospital would they like getting admitted to. They named a facility in Andheri, so I got suspicious and decided to keep a track on them, Ghode said. The family told Ghode that they are leaving home by 9am for the hospital. Accordingly, I sent a team to check on them. At 11am, the team found their door locked. When I called the Andheri hospital to inquire if the family had been admitted, the authorities there said they had no information about them. Around 11.45am, when I called one of sons, he did not answer. So I asked the surveillance officer to inquire in the nearby areas and also alerted the police as well as the railway and airport authorities. Following this, the airport authority surveillance team traced the family through the Arogya Setu app when they were boarding the flight and alerted TMC, Ghode said. Ghode then informed the Mumbra police, following which the family was brought back and admitted to a private Covid hospital in Thane. If they would have boarded the flight, several more people would have being infected, she said. Senior inspector M Kad from Mumbra police station, said, We have not registered a case against the family yet but will take action after their recovery. When HT contacted the mother and youngest son, they refused to comment. Prime Minister Narendra Modi meets soldiers who were injured in the recent Galwan Valley clash with the Chinese Army, at Leh in Ladakh. (PTI) New Delhi: The Indian Army on Saturday termed as "malicious and unsubstantiated" criticism in some quarters about a medical facility in a military hospital in Leh where prime minister Narendra Modi interacted with soldiers injured in the Galwan Valley clashes. In a statement, the Army said, "It is unfortunate that aspersions are being cast on how our brave Armed Forces are treated. The armed forces give the best possible treatment to their personnel." Prime minister Modi made an unannounced visit to Ladakh on Friday, signalling India's firmness in dealing with the border row with China in several areas of the region. Modi also interacted with the soldiers who are undergoing treatment at the hospital, and told them that their bravery will be a source of inspiration for times to come. Following release of photographs of Modi's interaction with the injured soldiers, there were comments on Twitter that the facility did not look like a hospital as there were no medicine cabinet, IV (intravenous) stand, and other medical equipment. "There have been malicious and unsubstantiated accusations in some quarters regarding the status of the facility visited by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his visit to the General Hospital at Leh on July 3," the Army said. The Army further said: "It is clarified that the said facility is part of the crisis expansion capacity of 100 beds and is very much part of the General Hospital complex." It said the COVID-19 protocol had necessitated some wards of the hospital to be converted into isolation facilities. "Hence, this hall which otherwise was normally used as a Training Audio Video Hall was converted into a ward ever since the hospital was also designated as COVID-19 treatment hospital," it said. The Army said the "injured braves have been kept there since their arrival from Galwan to ensure quarantine from COVID areas. The Chief of Army Staff General M M Naravane and the Army Commander have also visited the injured braves in the same location." 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. Low footfall in markets and fear among the residents regarding the spread of coronavirus are taking a toll on the livelihoods of auto-rickshaw drivers in the city. On the other hand, the consequential increase in fare from Rs 10 to Rs 20 per ride is burning a hole in the pocket of the passengers. In times like these, the drivers rue that they are only left with Rs 50-Rs 100 for their families at the end of the day. Meanwhile, challans are also being issued to three-wheelers for overloading (more than three passengers), travelling without masks and non adherence to social distancing. An auto-rickshaw driver, Rinku, said, The people are avoiding auto-rickshaws so the footfall is low. I used to earn around 500-600 daily before the lockdown, but now I bring home only 50-100 after all my daily expenses are met. I have a family of four and it is difficult for us to make the ends meet even though my wife works as a maid. GOVT SHOULD HELP DRIVERS The vice-president of Auto Rickshaw Union Sangharsh Committee, Ranjit Singh, said, We had to increase the fare due to low footfall, increased price of diesel and reduced earnings. The traffic police and administration are not allowing the drivers to seat more than three passengers. The state government should help us drivers; we are struggling to earn even bread and butter for our families. The passengers, however, have demanded that the administration should intervene to reduce the fare or provide an alternative in the form of public transport. A resident of Karimpura, Gurdeep Singh, said, The income of a middle class family has decreased but the expenses are increasing. The auto-rickshaw drivers have also hiked the fare, and people have no other choice as there is no other public transport available. Earlier, I used to travel by the city bus from Jawahar Nagar area to Clock Tower for Rs 5, but now I have to pay Rs 20 per ride. The administration should fix a cap on the fare, said Charanjit Singh, another resident. Assistant commissioner of police (ACP, traffic) Gurdev Singh said, Around 200-250 challans are issued to auto drivers on a daily basis. These include challans for overloading, inadequate documentation, no social distancing and travelling without masks. The police are also spreading awareness among the drivers to allow only two-three passengers in their vehicles. CITY BUS CONTRACTOR LIKELY TO HIKE FARE Suspended on March 20 due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the Ludhiana city bus service will resume on a single routeSahnewal to Clock Towerfrom Monday. However, the contractor is likely to increase the fare from the earlier 5, citing low footfall and increased rates of diesel. Mohali The interim bail granted to industrialist Chunni Lal Gaba, 72, in a money-laundering case in the wake of Covid-19 was cancelled by a Mohali court on Saturday. Gaba surrendered before the CBI special court, which is designated ED court as well, and sent to judicial custody. Gabas interim bail was dismissed in the wake of the Punjab and Haryana high court order of July 2 that was in line with the Supreme Court observation that bail in cases involving heinous crimes, like the offences under the Narcotic Drugs & Psychotropic Substances Act, the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012 and the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002, may not be granted as a matter of right. Gaba was granted interim bail on March 28 and it was extended on May 8. Gaba, in February this year, had surrendered before the court in connection with the money-laundering case against him. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) had chargesheeted nine members of Gabas family, associated with his 11 firms, in connection with the Bhola drug case for the alleged violation of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). Besides Gaba, his three sons Gurjit, Gurmesh and Mahesh father Suresh Kumar, brother Harmesh Gaba, 23-year-old grandson Khushwant Gaba, Gurjits wife Rekha and Harmeshs wife Sudesh Rani were booked. The EDs chargesheet had listed 11 firms, jointly owned by the Gaba family, and their properties at Phillaur, Goraya and Una (Himachal Pradesh). The ED had registered the money laundering case after former Punjab Police DSP and drug lord Jagdish Singh Bhola had in January 2014 accused Gaba of trading in synthetic drug pseudoephedrine in association with Delhi-based smuggler Varinder Raja. Gaba has business interests in cold storage fibre, real estate and pharmaceuticals in Una and Baddi districts of Himachal Pradesh. Gaba was acquitted in the Bhola drug case while his son Gurjit Singh Gaba alias Monu was convicted and sentenced to 10-year jail. Their manager Suresh Kumar was awarded 12-year imprisonment. Of the 11 districts in Delhi, Shahdara in the trans-Yamuna region, has seen the highest positivity rate in the rapid antigen tests being conducted across the Capital over the past two weeks, government data showed on Saturday. The rapid antigen test, a much faster way to confirm positive cases, was started on June 18 as part of the Centres and the state governments efforts to ramp up testing in Delhi. Government reports seen by HT showed that till Friday 181,883 antigen tests were conducted in Delhi, of which 13,100 people were found positive. The positivity rate of the antigen tests in the city as on July 3 was 7.20%. This is 0.26 percentage points lower than the positivity rate of 7.46% that was reported till June 26. An analysis of the district-wise data of the antigen tests showed that Shahdara district has the highest positivity rate of 11.29%. The district has conducted 16,724 antigen tests so far, of which 1,888 tested positive. Also read| Delhi wont have 5.5 lakh Covid-19 cases by July end, Manish Sisodias comments created fear: Amit Shah The cluster reports of Shahdara district for July 3 and July 2 showed that the zone has seen as many as 229 cluster cases and 114 single or individual cases in the past two days. The total Covid-19 cases reported from the district in these two days, including those emerging from the containment zones was 389. The high positivity rate should not come as a surprise in Shahdara district because the area is very densely populated and is highly congested. It also houses a number of health workers since two dedicated Covid-19 hospitals GTB and Rajiv Gandhi Super Specialty hospitals are in the neighbouring northeast district, said a senior official from the district administration. In absolute numbers, the Southwest district has conducted the maximum number of antigen tests and accounts for the highest number of positive cases. This district also had the highest number of containment zones (81 as on Friday). It has so far conducted 26,460 tests, of which 2,595 tested positive. The positivity rate is 9.81%, the third highest of all the 11 districts. Our district has the highest number of antigen testing centres of all districts. We have a total of 44 centres, so naturally the number of tests conducted is much higher than others. We are conducting tests touching all areas from Dwarka to Najafgarh in outer Delhi, said a senior district official. Also read: The science behind Delhis five-pronged fight against Covid-19 At 10.15% the West district has the second highest positivity rate after Shahdara, while northwest district has the lowest positivity rate at 3.22%. The northwest district has so far conducted 14,239 tests of which 458 tested positive till Friday. Saturdays data from all districts had not been compiled till this report was filed. The media advisor to chief minister Arvind Kejriwal did not comment on the matter. Lalit Kant, a scientist and former head of epidemiology and communicable diseases at ICMR said such kind of district-wise data helps the authorities in identifying the transmission rate in different areas. Also, such data helps in identifying the type of positivity. So, those who are asymptomatic should be isolated at home immediately, while moderate and serious patients anyway have to go to institutional facilities. On the basis of this, high-risk contacts should also be traced and isolated, said Kant. With the 10-day lockdown implemented in Thane and Kalyan, Kolsewadi police in Kalyan (East) along with the Kalyan Dombivli Municipal Corporation (KDMC) on Saturday seized four vegetable tempos for illegally selling vegetables on the streets in Vithalwadi. Six accused have been booked under section 188 (disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant) of the Indian Penal Code for violating lockdown protocol. Vasant Bhongade, ward officer, KDMC, said, The vendors were found operating in containment zones. Any sort of such activity is strictly prohibited during the ongoing 10-day lockdown period in KalyanDombivli. The police informed us about this and we caught them red hand. He said despite being warned before, the vendors sold the vegetables in the same zones leading to overcrowding. An officer from Kolsewadi police station, who did not wish to be named, said, We have seized the tempos and also registered a case against four men who indulged in selling vegetables by violating lockdown norms. KDMC also recorded 555 new Covid-19 cases and five deaths on Sunday. The total number of positive cases reported in KDMC stands at 8,604 and deaths at 135. Taking part in a Zoom discussion on the 45th anniversary of Indira Gandhis declaration of the Emergency reminded me of the absurdities of the press censorship that went with it. One example: Former minister for information and broadcasting, Vidya Charan Shukla, called me in one day and demanded to know how the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) had learnt that there had been an explosion at the All India Radio (AIR)s Bhopal station. I replied, We didnt know, but now that you have told me about it I will report it. There were so many rumours in the air, frequently said to have been heard on BBC, that Shukla never knew what we had broadcast. At the same time, when the director-general of AIR told Indira Gandhi that he was being ordered to broadcast news no one would believe, he was told to forget about credibility, and do as he had been told. So, the government had no media with the credibility to counter rumours effectively. I do not agree with those who say that there is an Emergency today. The government does not exercise total control over the media, except in Kashmir. Under that States new news and media policy, it is up to bureaucrats and security officials to decide which news is fake or anti-national, a much misused catch-all word, and should, therefore, be censored. For the rest there is no direct censorship, though, to be sure, there may be instances of pressure. There has also been the extraordinary case of the supposedly independent Prasar Bharati (PB) censuring the Press Trust of India (PTI) by declaring its interviews with the Chinese ambassador in India and the Indian ambassador in China as detrimental to national interest and undermining Indias territorial integrity. There is still critical coverage of the government in the media. But it is instructive to see the ways in which the government exerts pressures on the media in an effort to keep organisations and their journalists in line. One of the most egregious examples is the charge of sedition brought against veteran journalist Vinod Dua. Sedition is an act originally passed by the British Raj because it was afraid that war might be declared against the government within India. The Himachal Pradesh Police registered the FIR against Dua on the complaint of a Bharatiya Janata Party spokesman who didnt like Duas criticism of the governments implementation of the lockdown. The Supreme Court refused to stay FIR, but did say Dua should not be arrested until further orders. He was ordered to report to a remote police station. The police have also been interrogating him by sending e-mail questionnaires giving him just two days to reply. The charge against Dua is part of a pattern of police action against journalists sparked off by the pandemic. According to a report compiled by the Rights and Risks Analysis Group, 22 FIRs have been file against journalists complaining about their Covid-19 reporting. At least 10 have been arrested and four others saved from arrest by the Supreme Court. Recently, Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi discussed the pandemic with Bill Gates by video-conferencing. Gates once said, Sometimes I think my most important role as a CEO is to listen for bad news. If you dont act on it your people will stop bringing bad news to your attention and that is the beginning of the end. It is the medias job to bring bad news. The PM should take note of that news and act on it rather than try to suppress it. He should not shoot the messenger, he should listen to the message. If he doesnt, he will be misled, as Indira Gandhi was, by a chorus of sycophancy. The views expressed are personal Theres a lot about Indian democracy we can be justifiably proud of. We hold regular elections, encourage the largest possible number to vote and governments are frequently overturned. Unfortunately, theres also a lot we should be embarrassed by. Today, I want to pick on one instance that suggests were a damaged or, at least, a diminished democracy. Im talking of the assault on the medias commitment to defend and promote freedom of speech. A wide spectrum of people is guilty of this. It stretches from proprietors and editors, at the paradoxical end, to governments and social media trolls, at the expected. The example Ive chosen illustrates all of this. Its particularly distressing because it reveals both the role of the government and the complicity of the media. The story is simple. Prasar Bharati (PB), supposedly an independent broadcaster we once gullibly believed could be the equal of the British Broadcasting Corporation, has threatened to review its subscription to the Press Trust of India (PTI). The reason, according to multiple reports, is PTIs allegedly anti-national reporting. Although PB hasnt explicitly said so, two recent PTI interviews are the cause of concern. Lets turn to these interviews because youll soon realise PB is not just completely wrong but also that its probably been put up to this by the government. The first was an interview of the Chinese ambassador. I accept most people view him as the representative of the enemy but in a democracy, particularly during a crisis that could threaten war, the media has a duty to present the other sides viewpoint. Thats all PTI did. Indeed, it did it so well that the ambassador became the first Chinese official to admit there were casualties on his side. Far from applauding PTI for what was a scoop I imagine every newspaper and television channel wanted that interview PB was riled. Perhaps it believes giving the ambassador an opportunity to be heard is the same as agreeing with him or promoting his viewpoint. Its not. If this logic were true, the media could never report different viewpoints but only those it agrees with. However, I suspect it was the second interview that brought on PBs wrath. This time it was with Indias ambassador to China, Vikram Misri. An official PTI tweet of the interview said: India hopes China will realise its responsibility in de-escalation and disengaging by moving back to its side of the Line of Actual Control (LAC): Indian envoy to China. This clearly contradicted what Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi had said when he claimed that no one intruded across our border nor is anyone intruding (a statement later clarified by his office). The PTI tweet made clear the ambassador holds that the Chinese are still on our side of LAC and havent moved back to theirs. Now, the content of this tweet did not feature in the interview put out by PTI and its pretty obvious why. But, equally, PTI did not retract the tweet and, more important, Misri did not refute it. Even the foreign ministry had nothing to say although at least one paper picked it up and did a story. PB, however, saw red. In its eyes, PTI has no business allowing an ambassador to contradict the PM. But what PB overlooked or doesnt realise because its a government-controlled organisation is that this was clearly news. If the ambassador was revealing the truth, its a huge scoop. If he made an error, on such an important issue at such a critical time, it reveals the quality of the diplomatic representation. Once again, its news. I wont labour the point any further. What I want to say is obvious. Our respect for freedom of speech is at best equivocal. Weve forgotten or never realised its most needed when that speech is critical of or damaging to the government. We rush to protect those in power and shoot the messenger. So, tell me, seen in this light, doesnt the worlds largest democracy look damaged or diminished? Karan Thapar is the author of Devils Advocate: The Untold Story The views expressed are personal The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) has cancelled the Chartered Accountants (CA) May/July exams 2020 in view of Coronavirus pandemic. A combined exam for both May and November session exams will be conducted in the month of November, this year. ICAI released an official notice on Friday evening regarding the cancellation of exam. Earlier the ICAI CA May exam was scheduled for May 3 which was then postponed due to the Covid-19 lockdown. The ICAI had planned to conduct the exam between July 29 and August 16. IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT FOR MAY 2020 EXAMINATIONS For more details please visithttps://t.co/y9gAcm7L1o For any queries pls email at may2020exam@icai.in.@atulguptagst @JambusariaNihar pic.twitter.com/EcFr01CNUO Institute of Chartered Accountants of India - ICAI (@theicai) July 3, 2020 On a review of above developments and in order to ensure the interest of its students and their well-being, the Institute has decided to cancel May 2020 Examinations and merge the May 2020 attempt with November 2020 Examinations, with due carryover of all benefits already available to students including fee paid and exemptions. The students who have made application for May 2020 Examinations will have an option to change the group(s) of their appearance and centre of Examinations at the time of making a fresh application for November 2020 Examinations, which, subject to conditions prevailing at relevant time, will start from 1st November 2020. It is again clarified that in this schema, the students will be free to exercise the options afresh for the groups that they intend to appear in the November 2020 examinations, reads the official notice. Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India vide its Guidelines dated 29th June 2020 has extended the closure of all schools & academic Institutions and academic congregations till 31st July 2020. Select State Governments have put extended prohibitions in their respective States. Post the said Notification dated 29th June 2020, many Schools/ Academic Institutions have expressed their inability to provide their premises to conduct the Examinations, ICAI said in the statement. Read official notice ICAI had on Thursday, informed the Supreme Court that it would assess the feasibility of conducting CA exams. The top court was hearing through video conferencing a plea which has challenged the opt out option provided by the ICAI to the candidates alleging that it arbitrarily discriminates between the aspirants in the May cycle of examination.The apex court had said that ICAI should be flexible on the opt out issue and change of examination centre as the situation prevailing due to the pandemic was not static and continuously changing. IIT Bombay Heritage Foundation on Friday announced a grant of Rs 2.35 crores to IIT Bombay in order to fulfill the needs of students in wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Chairman of IIT Bombay Heritage Foundation, Raj Mashruwala, confirmed that the fund will be used to purchase 500 laptop computers and broadband support for 500 needy undergraduate students. According to a press release by IIT Bombay, IITBHF was able to collect the USD 301,000 for this grant from its US-based alumni pursuant to extended fund-raising drives. Given that the need may be for upto 1,000 laptop computers, IITBHF is requesting other India-based alumni and IIT Bombays corporate sponsors to provide matching funds to meet needs of additional 500 students. IIT Bombay will finalise the criteria for the distribution of these funds to the appropriate students, it stated. We are delighted at this wonderful gesture by our alumni in the United States. Since we are at the 50 percent of this specific fund raising drive, we hope citizens come forward to help in equipping our students with IT tools so that they attend online classes next semester, said IIT Bombays Director Subhasis Chaudhuri. MP Board 10th Result 2020: Madhya Pradesh Board of Secondary Education (MPBSE) will declare the class 10th results today. The results will be available on the official websites at mpbse.nic.in and mpresults.nic.in from 12 noon onwards. Students can also check their results on our HT Result portal at hindustantimes.com/examresults. Around 11.5 lakh students who have taken the exam will get their results today. Students can also download MPBSE mobile app or MP Mobile app or Fastresults app from Google Play Store to check their results. The Madhya Pradesh class 10th results will also be available on MP Mobile App that can be downloaded from Window App Store. Madhya Pradesh Board 10th Result 2020 LIVE Updates This year, the MP board result will be announced on the basis of the best of three papers because two papers had been cancelled due to Coronavirus pandemic, said SK Chaurasia, public relations officer, MPBSE. MP Board Class 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 Direct link to check MP Board Result 2020 on HT Result Portal How to check MP Board 10th Result 2020 on its official website 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. National Students Union of India (NSUI) on Friday welcomed the Centres decision of postponing the NEET-JEE examination due to the coronavirus pandemic. NSUI welcomes the governments decision of postponing the NEET-JEE examination. From the very start, NSUI has been considerate with their demand of postponing the examination, stated the letter issued by NSUI National President Neeraj Kundan. Read More: JEE, NEET exams postponed, check new dates here Kundan congratulated the students saying this was indeed a victory for them and the student organisations that led the government to take the right decision. The adversity of the situation demanded postponement. NSUI started twitter trends, they went to the HRD (Human Resource Development) Ministrys place and did protests over there, NSUI issued a memorandum and also submitted the same in hand to the HRD ministers officials. NSUI launched an online petition. After all these continuous efforts, finally, there is the victory, the letter read. The HRD ministry has postponed JEE and NEET examinations in view of the spread of coronavirus. Now, JEE Main examination will be held from September 1 to 6 this year and JEE advanced exam on September 27. Medical entrance examination NEET will be held on September 13. Hyderabad: Home treatment for coronavirus infection is possible and effective, say doctors, but the risk of transmission is mitigated only if there is a separate room and bathroom for the patient. More doctors are suggesting home isolation for patients with mild symptoms of cough, fever, cold, diarrhoea and headache. Home treatment requires having a pulse oximeter, a home machine for blood pressure and a notebook to note the symptoms. Video-counselling is given on a daily basis to understand the changes and effectiveness of the medicines. People are advised to completely rest, that is, to sleep on the bed and move only if they have to go to the washroom, and eat alone in their room and allow the body and mind to rest. Dr Sunita Narreddy, consultant in infectious diseases at Apollo Hospital, said, Lots of fluids must be consumed to maintain hydration. It is very important that a person is isolated, which means that he/she is completely alone and that there is no one living in the same room as them. A caregiver has to follow protection of masks, sanitisation and also distance. This will protect family members and also curb the spread of infection. Breathing exercises are extremely important and must be done twice a day. The caregiver also has to monitor temperature, oxygen levels and blood pressure. If oxygen levels are below 90 then it requires attention and a hospital must be contacted. Dr Nishant Sinha, pulmonologist at Continental Hospital, said, We make the patients walk 100 steps after a week to check if there is breathlessness. This is monitored via video counselling and is also an indication that patients are doing well at home and recovering. The management at home requires following the instructions and keeping the treating doctor informed of any change. If patients do that, they can be treated well. Click on Deccan Chronicle Technology and Science for the latest news and reviews. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter. The Telangana government on Friday said it would come out with a clear policy by July 13 on the commencement of the academic year and also the conduct of online classes for students of government and private schools. A division bench of Chief Justice Raghvendra Singh Chauhan and Justice B Vijaysen Reddy was hearing a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by Hyderabad School Parents Association challenging the holding of online classes by private schools and also collection of term fees by them. The government made the submission after the bench asked it to come out with a clear stand on whether it has framed any policy on imparting education online. The High Court said while rules are being framed by governments, ground realities should be taken into consideration. The court directed the petitioner to implead and make the Union government and CBSE and others parties so that their stand can also be known. The state government informed the court that it would come out with a concrete policy regarding commencement of the academic year, and also on the online classes for both government and private educational institutions in the state. The PIL had sought to declare the conducting of online classes by the private schools as illegal and ban them. The court asked if the state government was yet to take a decision on online classes with no academic year being announced, then why virtual classes were being allowed. The state government informed the court that the Centre has issued guidelines not to commence the academic year till July 31 but in the same directive the Centre had said that online and distance mode of education is permitted and it should be encouraged. However, the Telangana government said it has not taken any policy decision in favour or against the online classes for both private and government-run educational institutions. The counsel of the private schools association, referring to the guidelines issued by Centre under unlock-2, informed the court that schools and educational institutions shall remain closed till July 31 and online and distance mode of education should be encouraged and hence they were conducting online classes. The court took serious objection to it and said some parents have the wherewithal, not all of them can afford electronic gadgets required for online classes for their children. In that context, the court observed, You cannot frame guidelines sitting in AC rooms in Delhi. You have to come to remote places like Adilabad and see the plight of the people as there are so many deprived children. How can you encourage online education in those circumstances, the court asked. The Special Government Pleader informed the court that a Cabinet Sub-Committee is already going into the issue of reopening of schools, commencement of the academic year, and if there is delay, what is the stand on conducting online classes in both government and private schools. The court posted the matter to July 13 for further hearing. Amid global concerns that China delayed giving information regarding the novel coronavirus outbreak, a team of WHO (World Health Organisation) will visit the country next week to investigate the origins of the virus and its spread to human beings. The visit will take place more than six months after the WHOs Country Office in China picked up a statement from the Wuhan Municipal Health Commission on cases of viral pneumonia. WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus spoke in January about an agreement with China for sending a team of international experts as soon as possible to work on increasing the understanding of the outbreak. COVID-19 has killed over 500,000 people in the world and cases and deaths are increasing by the day. In an exclusive interview with ANI, Dr Soumya Swaminathan, Chief Scientist, WHO said that a thorough investigation needs to be done into the origins of the virus. She said that the WHO has been working with the Chinese government for the visit. A team is going to China next week to investigate the origins of the virus, Swaminathan told ANI. What is needed now is a good investigation going back before December to find out where and how it jumped from animal to human. Was there any intermediate animal or not or it directly jumped from bat to humans which are also possible? Bats have been implicated in other viral diseases -- Nipah for example. It is possible it came directly. It is also possible that there was an intermediate animal-like in the case of SARS. That thorough investigation still needs to be done, she said. Dr Swaminathan said that the Chinese government had reported an outbreak of typical pneumonia cases from Wuhan on December 31. Our WHO country office in China picked it up and on January 1, WHO activated its international mechanisms which we do as part of international health regulations whenever theres any new signal gets reported. It is conveyed to everyone so that the whole world knows about it, she said. Dr Swaminathan said that sequences show that the virus causing COVID-19 is very similar to bat viruses. We do not know more than that in the sense where and how it originated. We know from the virus sequences that it is very similar to bat viruses. A lot of studies have been done in South-East Asia to show that bats have lots of coronaviruses. There are over 500 types of coronaviruses. There are also previous studies showing that populations living in southern China and even in other countries of South-East Asia have antibodies to coronaviruses, she said. The pandemic has grown to more than 10 million cases and has caused over 500,000 deaths across the world. The WHO Director-General had talked on January 29 of his agreement with Chinese President Xi Jinping that the organisation would lead a team of international experts to China as soon as possible to work with the government on increasing the understanding of the outbreak and to guide global response efforts. On December 31 last year, WHOs Country Office in China picked up a media statement by the Wuhan Municipal Health Commission from their website on cases of viral pneumonia in Wuhan. The next day, WHO requested information on the reported cluster of atypical pneumonia cases in Wuhan from the Chinese authorities. WHO reported on January 9 that Chinese authorities have determined that the outbreak is caused by a novel coronavirus. The organisation said on February 11 that the disease caused by the novel coronavirus would be named COVID-19. There have been reports of China delaying information and warning concerning the novel coronavirus which could have helped in containing its spread in the initial days. (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 SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Fourth of July weekend in 2020 is going to be the most unusual, in terms of moviegoing, that weve likely witnessed. For instance, whatever little moviegoing there is will be restricted to drive-in theatres and illegal screenings in basements. A day that is synonymous with Hollywood blockbusters will now be spent at home. But that shouldnt take away from the spirit of independence, which can be celebrated anywhere. Here are three recent films -- one very recent -- that capture the essence of independence in 2020. Hamilton Its no coincidence that Disney chose to release the filmed version of Lin-Manuel Mirandas massively popular musical, Hamilton, on the Fourth of July weekend. Its a date that would normally be reserved for the biggest blockbuster of the summer movie season. But Disney knows the importance of Hamilton, a story about the hands that build America; the studio paid a record-breaking $75 million to acquire its rights, beating out the likes of Netflix and Warner Bros. Then CEO Bob Iger is reported to have paid a personal visit to the producers. The story, about immigrants, inclusivity, and the literal independence of the United States, couldnt have been more timely. Also read: Hamilton movie review: Disney+Hotstar gives you a front row seat to history; dont squander it The Post Sometimes, the act of nationalism can manifest in the simple idea of brave men and women standing up for their rights. Steven Spielbergs riveting The Post tells the story of one such occasion, when newspaper editor Ben Bradlee and his publisher Katharine Graham took on the Richard Nixon administration, in direct defiance of their advisors, and at great personal and professional risk. Captain America: The First Avenger Its important to remember that Steve Rogers, despite the nationalistic iconography of Captain America, positively detested being a mascot and a political pawn. He was simply a product of his divisive times - and we certainly cant argue with that. With hyper nationalism and right wing thought at an all-time peak, perhaps at its highest since the Second World War of The First Avenger, we realise what a powerful political tool a man dressed in star spangled red and blue can be. Perhaps the most irrefutable proof of Steves neutrality comes in when he is asked by Dr Abraham Erskine, Do you want to kill Nazis? To which Steve replies, I dont want to kill anyone. I dont like bullies; I dont care where theyre from. Follow @htshowbiz for more Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Saturday asked health and medical education departments to formulate a special action plan for Ghaziabad and Gautam Buddha Nagar districts to check the spread of Covid-19. He said more efforts were required to contain Covid-19 and improve health services in these two districts in the National Capital Region (NCR). Adityanath was reviewing the Unlock-2 situation at a high-level meeting at his official residence here. A team of health officials should be sent to Ghaziabad district to camp there and bring about an improvement in health services in Covid hospitals, he said. Click here for full Covid-19 coverage. The best services should be provided to the Covid-19 patients there. A similar team should be sent to Bulandshahr district. Clear guidelines should be issued for government as well as private hospitals, to keep TrueNat machines functional, Adityanath said according to a statement by the state information department. On Friday, Gautam Buddha Nagars Covid-19 tally stood at 2,569 including 1,005 active cases, 1,541 discharged and 23 deaths while Ghaziabad had 1,935 cases including 1,045 active cases, 831 discharged and 59 deaths He said Covid testing should be substantially increased by the use of RT-PCR method, TrueNAT machines and rapid antigen tests. Proper arrangements should be made in the states medical colleges where senior doctors should take regular rounds of the wards under their charge. A separate officer should be nominated for monitoring health services in the medical colleges, he said. The chief minister also said special secretary rank officers should be sent to the districts as nodal officers, to monitor arrangements in Covid hospitals. Adityanath also said that relatives of patients admitted in Covid hospitals should be informed about their condition on a regular basis. For this, in-charges of wards should make arrangements to inform the attendants about condition of patients on telephone. He said Covid helpdesk should be set up in every hospital, he said.. The chief minister said arrangements for quarantine and screening of travelers coming by international flights should be made. Similarly, screening facilities should be set up at railway and bus stations. He said all precautions should be taken to check the spread of Covid-19. Proper attention should be paid to training of medical personnel for protection from medical infection, he added. Efforts to protect PAC battalions from infection should continue, he said. He also stressed on ensuring doorstep delivery mechanism in containment zones for supply of essentials items. A special communicable disease control campaign has been launched and all departments should coordinate to make the same a success, he said. He also said special attention should be given to food grain distribution under normal public distribution and the PMs poor welfare food grain scheme. A BJP leader and his nephew were arrested after they beat up three police personnel, including a sub-inspector, in Sunderpur area in Varanasi on Friday night, police said. The brawl took place when the leaders son was asked about his missing face mask. Senior Superintendent of Police Prabhakar Chaudhary confirmed the arrest of BJP leader Surendra Patel and one more person. Two persons who attacked and misbehaved with police personnel have been arrested. Raids are being conducted to ensure the arrest of five others who were involved in the incident. Strict action would be ensured against them, SSP said. Kashi region BJP president Mahesh Chandra Srivastava said it was a very unfortunate and small incident. A senior police officer said that Sunderpur police outpost incharge sub- inspector Sunil Gaud received input that a person was threatening someone at Sundarpur-Khojwa road in the city at night. The police team reached the spot and was inquiring about the person who threatened the complainant. Detailing the sequence of events, the police officer said two persons, which also included BJP leaders son Vikas Patel, were also found sitting at the spot. Upon being asked about his missing mask, Vikas allegedly used indecent language against the cops. He also called up his uncle Surendra Patel, Zila panchayat member and cousin Virendra. Police said that Surendra, along with over half a dozen people, reached the spot and beat up the police personnel. As police received information about the incident, superintendent of police (City) Vikas Chandra Tripathi, Circle officer Bhelupur Preeti Tripathi with other police personnel reached the spot. Subsequently, Surendra and his nephew Virendra were brought to the Lanka police station. An FIR has been registered against seven persons: Surendra Patel, Vikas Patel, Virendra Singh, Ashok Patel, Santosh Patel, Golu Yadav, Chheetan Rajbhar and few unidentified people under various sections of the IPC following the complaint by sub-inspector Gaud. With over 2,500 patients declared cured from coronavirus disease till Saturday, recovery rate from the infection reached 80.89% in Uttarakhand. The chief minister has, however, asked residents not to be complacent despite the number of active Covid 19 cases coming down in the state. Our recovery rate has crossed 80% and with active cases reducing, there should be no laxity from the administration. Special attention has to be paid to reduce the death rate. District magistrates and chief medical officers should keep a constant watch on serious cases themselves. In such cases, an immediate response should be ensured, CM Trivendra Singh Rawat said during a meeting to review disease containment work done so far. For Coronavirus Live Updates On Saturday, 45 fresh Covid-19 cases were reported from Almora (2), Bageshwar (6), Dehradun (8), Haridwar (1), Nainital (4), Pauri Garhwal (1), Tehri Garhwal (1), Udham Singh Nagar (17) and Uttarkashi (5). Six fresh cases were contacts of earlier detected Covid-19 positive patients and one was a healthcare worker with travel history to Delhi. The others found positive over the last 24 hours had returned to the state from places like Delhi-NCR, West Bengal, Mumbai, Rajasthan, Bengaluru, Chandigarh and Uttar Pradesh. 21 patients were discharged from hospitals in the state on Saturday including 19 from Pauri Garhwal, and one each from Almora and Tehri Garhwal. The rate of doubling of cases based on the last seven days numbers, stands at 47.18 days and the recovery rate is at 80.89%. Villagers in Uttarakhand fell more than 500 trees during lockdown period Dehradun with 742 cases is the worst affected city in the hill state followed by Nainital, which has 530 cases and Tehri Garhwal with 421 cases. Haridwar comes next with 318 cases. Champawat district with 59 Coved cases has recorded the lowest number of infections in the state. Uttarakhand has, so far, tested over 76,000 samples including 6,300 whose results are awaited. The Bombay High Court on Friday allowed a 12-year-old rape survivor to get her 23-week long pregnancy medically terminated. The mother of the survivor had filed the petition in the first week of June, saying she suspected that her minor daughter was pregnant. On enquiry, the child revealed that she was repeatedly raped by some people from the neighbourhood. The woman then approached the local police station in Sangli and on the basis of her complaint, an FIR was registered on June 5. On June 16, she went to a government hospital where she was informed that the pregnancy could not be terminated without the permission of the High Court as it had crossed 20 weeks limit set out by the Medical Termination of Pregnant Act, 1971. Also read: India records over 20,000 new Covid-19 cases in a row, tally tops 6.48 lakh A medical board from the Government Medical College at Miraj, Maharashtra examined the 12-year-old pursuant as per the order passed by the HC on June 26. The medical board opined that if allowed to progress, the pregnancy will have serious repercussions on the general and mental health of the survivor and therefore she should be allowed to terminate the pregnancy. The bench of justice Nitin Jamdar and justice Surendra Tavade accepted the recommendation. In the case at hand, the physical and mental trauma that will be suffered by the minor, if the pregnancy is not terminated, requires no elaboration, said the bench. It has now asked the petitioner woman to approach the government medical college at Miraj where the minors unwanted pregnancy will be medically terminated on July 6. The court has directed the hospital to preserve blood and tissue samples of the foetus which may be required as forensic evidence in the criminal case. The court has further directed the doctors to ensure that all necessary facilities are provided to the child for saving its life if it is born alive. The HC clarified that if the newborn is alive and the petitioner woman and her daughter are not willing to or not in a position to take responsibility of such a child, the State and its agencies will have to assume full responsibility for it. In what can be seen as a major move towards the inclusion of the transgender community into the mainstream after the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act was notified earlier this year, officials of the Border Security Force (BSF), Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), and Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) on Friday told the Union home ministry that they will recruit transgender persons to the officer cadre post of assistant commandants. The CRPF already has a gender-neutral work environment. In view of impending policy guidelines of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), we shall make it further compatible as per the need, director general A P Maheshwari said. Indo-Tibet Border Police (ITBP) chief S S Deswal, who also holds additional charge as director general BSF, said, We have no objection, speaking for the latter paramilitary force. The ITBP and the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) Centre are expected to respond t in the next few days, officials familiar with the matter said. The home ministry on Wednesday sought the views of central paramilitary forces (CAPF) to add transgender as the third gender category in relevant application forms ahead of the annual examination for recruiting assistant commandants to be held in December. The comments of all the central paramilitary forces would be shared with the Union Public Service Commission which conducts the exams, officials aware of the matter said. The home ministrys letter, first sent out on in June and again on July 1, followed a circular issued by the Department of Personnel Training in April, which directed all central government departments to include transgender as a separate category for recruitment for all posts, including civil services. There is currently no provision to hire transgender persons in the central paramilitary forces. Vidya Rajput, a member of the Chhattisgarh Transgender Welfare Board said that while the move was welcome, additional seats for transpersons must be created across all government posts. A socially supportive structure is very important. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has filed a case against a man for impersonating as an official working for the special assistant to PK Mishra, the principal secretary to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The central agency has acted on a complaint from the Prime Ministers Office (PMO) and registered a case on June 30. Anirudh Singh, the accused, also called Boeing India officials asking them to meet Mishra and Union home minister Amit Shah for their bids in the ministry of defence. The accused called the Boeing executive secretary about the companys defence bids. He informed Boeing that he had orders from his seniors to call the company. CBI has said it will investigate which particular defence bids the impersonator was talking about and how did he get information about them. The agency has also said there is no one named Jitendra Kumar who works as a special assistant to Mishra in PMO and its a clear case of impersonation. More swarms of crop-eating locusts are likely to migrate from Somalia to the summer breeding areas along the India-Pakistan border, the agriculture ministry has said in a statement, prompting officials in six most at-risk states to be on high alert. Operations to control infestation are continuing in six states -- Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, and Haryana -- by locust circle offices. The invasions have caused minor crop losses, according to a status update till July 3. The UNs Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) has said locust invasions from Africa, the worst in 70 years, pose a serious risk to the countrys agriculture. Also read: Interministerial group set up to tackle locust invasion across states Currently, immature pink locusts and adult yellow locusts are active in Jaisalmer, Barmer, Jodhpur, Nagaur, Sikar, Jaipur, and Alwar of Rajasthan and Tikamgarh (Madhya Pradesh), according to the update. An inter-ministerial empowered group has ramped up resources to protect the countrys robustly progressing kharif or summer-sown crops. It has hired five technology firms to provide five advanced drones each of up to 50kg each, apart from helicopters hired from Pawan Hans Ltd. Till July 3, control operations have been carried out in 1,32,777 hectares in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana. State governments have carried out containment in another 1,13,003 hectare. One hectare equals 2.5 acre. The use of drones is something new and is evidently very effective. India should maintain enough production and supply of malathion, the main pesticide effective against locust, throughout the summer months, said Pramod Vajpayi, a former entomologist with the Indian Council of Agricultural Research. Also read: FAO sounds high alert for India for next 4 weeks over locust So far, 12 drones have been deployed in Jaisalmer, Barmer, Jodhpur, Bikaner, and Nagaur. Drones are effective for covering tall trees and inaccessible areas. One drone can douse crops with pesticides in 16-17 hectare area in one hour. In one of the largest operations so far, in the intervening night of 2nd and 3rd July, containment activities were carried out at 19 places across seven districts--Jaisalmer, Barmer, Jodhpur, Nagaur, Sikar, Jaipur, and Alwar of Rajasthan and Tikamgarh, an official, requesting anonymity, said. Desert locusts can fly hundreds of kilometres a day and one square-km swarm can eat as much crop food as 35,000 people in terms of weight in a single day, according to the FAO Desert Locust Information Service manual. If unchecked, locust infestations can cause a considerable drop in food output. The Horn of Africa has been witnessing large breading by locusts since 2019 due to frequent cyclones possibly linked to climate change and swarms have invaded several regions from there, according to FAO. This has been a busy week for the internet. Earlier this week, India banned TikTok (along with 58 other apps from China). This was followed by Airtel and Jio blocking access to DuckDuckGo (a privacy-first search engine). If we zoom out, there is a strong argument to be made that both of these developments are part of a larger pattern. That is, both these developments are detrimental to the special status we have afforded the internet for so long. Let me put this into context. Since the early days of the internet, there has been a long-standing belief that it is an exceptional phenomenon. Jeff Koseffs book, The Twenty-Six Words That Created the Internet, explains this beautifully. At the risk of obliterating all nuance, the book itself is about a law that makes it hard for people to sue internet companies. The key reason why this law survived and was strengthened in its earliest years was that for the American ecosystem at the time, the internet was an industry that needed to grow. As a result, it should not be subject to regulation which might hinder its growth. And this was inherent in the law, multiple court rulings, months and years apart. These rulings, along with popular culture, gave birth to internet exceptionalism. Which, in my opinion, peaked when John Perry Barlow, songwriter for the Grateful Dead and founder of the Electronic Frontier Foundation, wrote a Declaration for Cyberspace. The Declaration addressed the Governments of the Industrial World. It stated that We are creating a world where anyone, anywhere may express his or her beliefs, no matter how singular, without fear of being coerced into silence or conformity, In addition, Your legal concepts of property, expression, identity, movement, and context do not apply to us. They are all based on matter, and there is no matter here. So the Declaration was the motto of Internet Exceptionalism, and Section 230 the tool that made this message a reality. And credit to the US for being far-sighted enough for enabling this industry to grow without regulation. However, India adopted a different path. In the US, Section 230 was made law in 1996 and became the enabler for free speech on the internet. In India, the Information Technology Act was put in place in 2000. Section 66A of the Act (struck down by the Supreme Court in 2015), had a chilling effect on free speech on the medium. While both those provisions are different in their objective, scope, and approach, they do well to highlight the difference between India and the US when it comes to the internet. India never adopted a stance on internet exceptionalism as strongly as the United States. Indias approach is best summed up by Tim Wu and Jack Goldsmith in their book, Who Controls the Internet? Illusions of a borderless World. The pair were surrounded by literature on globalization, most of which argued that thanks to the internet, governments would diminish in relevance. But all of those arguments missed, or undermined the role of governments and the power they had to shape the experience of the internet. As it turns out, Wu and Goldsmiths argument proved to be prophetic, especially in the case of India banning these apps. The state has superseded internet exceptionalism and instead used it as a weapon. Make no mistake; the action against Chinese Apps is not about data protection but is a political manoeuvre. Had security issues been the case, these apps would have been banned a long time ago. On the other end, China is the flag bearer of government power trumping the internet. The Peoples Republic has its own internet ecosystem as well as a digital firewall. In more ways than one, the Declaration for Cyberspace did not reach China. This brings us to zooming out and looking at this intersection between the internet and geopolitics as being part of a larger pattern. In the earlier days of the internet, its applications seemed nebulous and there was curiosity regarding where how it was going to shape our lives. But fast forward to 2020, and the internet is a more mature conception in peoples minds. Besides, the digital economy has also inextricably linked with the traditional economy. With that, comes a higher degree of attention and possibly regulation. We see this throughout recent history. From Chinas firewall to the US retaliating as France attempting to tax American internet giants to the US interfering in the semiconductor supply chain to get an advantage over China, to India now using these apps as a tool of retaliation against China. The writing is on the wall for internet exceptionalism. For better or worse, internet exceptionalism, as a phenomenon, is slowly but surely dying. India banning TikTok (and the other 58 apps) is just the latest nail in its coffin. Click on Deccan Chronicle Technology and Science for the latest news and reviews. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter. Senior Congress leader P Chidambaram on Saturday tweeted a photo collage drawing comparisons between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his predecessor Manmohan Singh while meeting injured soldiers, and said pictures worth a million words. His tweet came after the Indian Army termed as malicious and unsubstantiated criticism in some quarters about a medical facility in a military hospital in Leh where Prime Minister Modi interacted with soldiers injured in the Galwan Valley clashes with Chinese troops. Pictures worth a million words. pic.twitter.com/ifC4La8Izj P. Chidambaram (@PChidambaram_IN) July 4, 2020 In a statement, the Army said it is unfortunate that aspersions are being cast on how our brave Armed Forces are treated. The armed forces give the best possible treatment to their personnel. Following release of photographs of Modis interaction with the injured soldiers, there were comments on Twitter that the facility did not look like a hospital as there were no medicine cabinets, I V (intravenous) stand, and other medical equipment. Earlier, when Congress leader Kapil Sibal was asked about Modis visit to the hospital, he said, What is happening in the last six years is marketing. The truth is different and something else is being shown. I laud them as this is their strong point -- of showing dreams and hiding the truth. That is the truth and this is their politics, Sibal said, referring to the ruling BJP. China on Saturday officially stated for the first time it has a boundary dispute with Bhutan in the eastern sector, a development with significant implications for India as the region borders Arunachal Pradesh, which is also claimed by Beijing. The Chinese foreign ministry, in a statement issued to Hindustan Times, said the China-Bhutan boundary has never been delimited and there have been disputes over the eastern, central and western sections for a long time. The statement in Mandarin further said a third party should not point fingers in the China-Bhutan border issue an apparent reference to India. Also read: US supercarriers in South China Sea, ambitious Beijing stretched on multiple fronts Bhutan and China have held 24 rounds of talks between 1984 and 2016 to settle their border issue and, according to discussions in the Bhutanese parliament and other public records of these meetings, the discussions have only centred on disputes in the western and central sections of the boundary. People familiar with developments in Thimphu said on condition of anonymity that the eastern section has never figured in the border talks. The two sides had said things had been narrowed down to the central and western sections and there was even talk of a package deal to settle the issue. If the Chinese position on the eastern section was legitimate, it should have been brought up earlier, said one of the people cited above. An expert from Bhutan who has tracked the talks added: This is an entirely new claim. There are signed minutes of the meetings from both sides narrowing the disputes to only the western and central sections. There was no immediate reaction to Chinas claim from Indian officials. However, Chinas claim came against the backdrop of Prime Minister Narendra Modis assertion during a visit to Ladakh on Friday that the era of expansionism is over which was perceived as a signal to Beijing about New Delhis determination to defend its frontiers. Without elaborating on the actual areas of dispute, the Chinese foreign ministrys statement said: The boundary between China and Bhutan has never been delimited. There have been disputes over the eastern, central and western sectors for a long time, and there are no new disputed areas. China always stands for a negotiated package solution to the China-Bhutan boundary issue, added the statement, provided by the foreign ministry after HT reached out for a response to reports about China objecting to a grant request for Sakteng wildlife sanctuary in eastern Bhutans Trashigang district at a virtual meeting of the Washington-based Global Environment Facility (GEF) in June. The sanctuary, located in the easternmost part of Bhutan, covers 650 sq km. Also read: China opens border dispute with India ally Bhutan At the meeting, Chinese representative Zhongjing Wang claimed the sanctuary was located in an area disputed between Bhutan and China. Aparna Subramani, an Indian official serving as an executive director in the World Bank and representing Bhutan at the meeting, said the Chinese claim was not unchallenged. A majority of GEFs council subsequently approved funding for the project while the Chinese representative abstained and didnt join the decision. Official documents issued by GEF showed Sakteng sanctuary as part of Bhutans territory. The Chinese representatives attempts to formally record his countrys objections through an amendment of GEFs documents did not receive consensus. Bhutans views were also made part of the record: Bhutan totally rejects the claim made by the Council Member of China. Sakteng Wildlife Sanctuary is an integral and sovereign territory of Bhutan and at no point during the boundary discussions between Bhutan and China has it featured as a disputed area. In addition to registering its position at GEF, Bhutans foreign ministry issued a demarche or formal diplomatic representation to the Chinese embassy in New Delhi on the matter, people familiar with developments said. Apart from India, Bhutan is the only other country with a land boundary dispute with China. Beijing and Thimphu currently dont have diplomatic relations, though the Chinese envoy in New Delhi informally looks after relations with Bhutan. Experts believe Chinas move is aimed at opening new fronts to increase the pressure on India amid the stand-off between Indian and Chinese troops along the Line of Actual Control (LAC). Sangeeta Thapliyal of the School of International Studies at the Jawaharlal Nehru University, a leading expert on the Himalayan region, said: Bhutans Trashigang is at a tri-junction with India and China and opposite West Kameng district in Arunachal Pradesh, and this area has never been raised in Bhutan-China border talks. This is aimed at pressuring India and Bhutan and also challenging Indias relationship with Bhutan. China is seeking to open up more theatres and this is a continuation of the policy to pressure India through the Himalayas. This is clearly a form of signalling by China amid the border stand-off. The India-Bhutan Friendship Treaty of 2007 enjoins both sides to cooperate closely with each other on issues relating to their national interests, and experts believe the Chinese move, like the intrusions in Doklam in 2017 that also triggered a standoff, is aimed at driving a wedge between New Delhi and Thimphu. The Bhutan-China border talks have focused on differences over 495 sq km in Jakurlung and Pasamlung valleys in the central section and 269 sq km in western Bhutan, including the Doklam plateau. The so-called package deal offered by China to Bhutan reportedly involved Beijing giving up its claim in the central section and part of the western section in exchange for access to around 100 sq km in Doklam, which would bring China closer to Indias vulnerable chickens neck or the Siliguri corridor. Tenzing Lamsang, editor of The Bhutanese newspaper, said the eastern section now being claimed by China is very much Bhutanese with a large Bhutanese population and traditional Dzongs (medieval fortresses) and two Bhutanese districts since time immemorial. The Chinese claim would only undermine the boundary talks, he tweeted. The Chinese foreign ministrys statement said the country has been in communication with Bhutan on the border issue through bilateral channels. There is a ministerial boundary-talks mechanism and an expert group on boundary issues at the department level, it said. Both sides agreed to seek a fair, reasonable and mutually acceptable solution in the spirit of friendly consultation and mutual understanding and accommodation. Pending the final settlement of the border issue the two sides are committed to maintain peace and tranquility in the border areas, it added. A Delhi court on Saturday asked the city police to file an Action Taken Report (ATR) after a city lawyer moved a plea seeking the registration of an FIR against yoga guru Baba Ramdev, Acharya Balkrishna, Patanjali and the trustees of Divya Yog Mandir Trust for falsely claiming that they had found a cure for Covid-19 and launching the coronil kit. Chief metropolitan magistrate Sumeet Anand issued a notice to the city police on the basis of the plea by an advocate Tushar Anand who had has contended that on June 23, Baba Ramdev launched the coronil kit, claiming that it would cure a Covid-19 patient within seven days. The plea, filed through advocates Lalit Valecha and Manu Prabhakar, stated that the company promoted by the yoga guru falsely claimed that it had found a sure-shot cure for the Covid -19 virus. The complaint stated that Patanjali only had the requisite permission to make an immunity booster and their claim of AYUSH Ministry permitting them to make the cure is false. Appearing for the petitioner, his counsels told the court that he had first filed a complaint at the Vasant Vihar police station on June 24 seeking the registration of FIRs against Ramdev, Acharya Balkrishna, their company, and all the trustees of the Divya Yog Mandir Trust. However, no action was taken, they said. Advocate Valecha said that the police could not avoid their duty of registering the FIR if a cognizable offence is disclosed in the complaint. The registration of an FIR is mandatory under Section 154 of the Indian Penal Code, if the information discloses the commission of a cognizable offence and no preliminary inquiry is permissible in such a situation, he said. Following this, the court sought the opposing counsels response and posted the matter for July 15. Patanjali spokesperson did not respond to HTs calls, text messages or email. The Centre is considering removing defence projects from the Union environment ministrys purview, officials aware of the matter said. This means such projects like building of roads in areas of strategic importance will not be appraised for their environmental impact and will no longer require environmental and forest clearances if a proposal to the effect is accepted, they added. Projects of strategic importance currently need prior environmental and forest clearances although their details are not put in the public domain because of security concerns. The details of regular projects are publicised and people are allowed to submit their feedback. Public hearings are also held for people affected by such projects to get an opportunity to understand them and give their consent. R P Gupta, the environment ministry secretary, underlined there is no formal policy yet and the idea of exempting defence projects from prior clearances is at a conceptual stage. We are waiting for a formal decision. All defence projects will be covered. The feeling in some quarters is that information on strategic projects should not get into the public domain, said Gupta. Also Read: Defence Ministry approves purchase of 33 new fighter jets including 21 MiG-29s from Russia The proposal comes even as India is seeking to reinforce its border infrastructure , particularly along the frontier with China. This infrastructure development is seen to be among the reasons for recent tensions with China, which escalated when 20 Indian soldiers were killed in a clash with Chinese troopers in Ladakh on June 15. The new guidelines are in draft stage..., said a defence ministry spokesperson, without offering more details. Environmental activists are concerned that a policy of exempting defence projects from green clearances could lead to environmental degradation in ecologically fragile and biodiversity-rich border areas mainly in the Eastern and Western Himalayas. They say it means defence projects along disaster-prone areas, coasts, dense forests in Arunachal Pradesh and Kashmir will not be scrutinised. Kanchi Kohli, a legal researcher with New Delhis Centre for Policy Research, said this will send out signals that sectors like mining or highways can argue their way out of environmental scrutiny citing strategic or national interest. There are already minimal public disclosures of the environmental scrutiny of defence projects. This decision would mean ecological expertise will not be a part of safeguarding critical defence infrastructure including naval bases or high altitude stations located in biodiverse habitat. Also Read: Assured by Russia of speedy completion of defence contracts, says Rajnath Singh Activists also cite the example of the 880-km Chardham all-weather highway for the pilgrimage to four religious sites in Uttarakhand. As per the Border Roads Organisations submission to the National Green Tribunal in 2018, the highway is of strategic importance even as it covers areas that are extremely fragile and prone to landslides. Citizens of Green Doon (CGD), a civil society organisation, moved NGT in 2018 saying the highway has not undergone an environmental impact assessment (EIA) and pleaded that its cumulative impact be assessed first. The environment ministry, in its response to the organisations petition, submitted that only new national highways and expansion of those longer than 100 km need to get prior environmental clearance. The highway has been broken into several parts, each shorter than 100 km. NGT formed an expert panel for a rapid EIA and to come up with an environmental management plan after studying issues like slope stabilisation and disaster management. Unhappy with the panels terms of reference, CGD moved the Supreme Court last year. The Supreme Court in August 2019 formed another high-powered committee with representatives from ministries of defence and environment as well as the Wildlife Institute of India. The committee was asked to do a cumulative EIA of the highway and consider whether revision of the project is needed to minimise its adverse impact on the environment. The committee is yet to submit its report. Mallika Bhanot, a member of Uttarakhand-based Ganga Ahvaan, a civil society organisation, said the Chardham project entails road widening along fragile Himalayan stretches in violation of the Union road transport ministrys 2018 circular, which proposed narrow roads in the hills to prevent extensive environmental damage. According to Bhanot, the construction is underway and some slope cutting was done recently even after the Supreme Courts high powered committee took charge. A small section of the highway, under this project comes in the vicinity of border roads. Thus it is important to make roads that are safe for the movement of pilgrims and for the military too. Bhanot said since the road widening has started, tree felling, slope instability; have activated several landslides along the Chardham route and created fatal bottlenecks. Such a road thus will be unsafe for movement, disastrous in future and counterproductive to border security. The Centre moved this week to designate nine men accused of promoting terrorism in Punjab as terrorists under Indias anti-terror law amended last year letting the Union home ministry ban individuals and not just organisations. The nine, the nasty nine as one Punjab Police officer described them, have been trying to revive militancy in Punjab from their homes in five countries including Pakistan. The provision was first invoked last September to designate Jaish-e-Mohammed founder Maulana Masood Azhar, Lashkar-e-Taiba founder Hafeez Saeed, its operational commander Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi and Dawood Ibrahim, as terrorists under Indian law. That order was more symbolic. The four have already been designated as terrorists by the United Nations Security Council; Hafiz Saeed as far back as in 2008. Mondays notification is important because this is the first time that this provision of the anti-terror law has been invoked to initiate a crackdown on promoters of Khalistan living in foreign countries, a senior counter-terror official told Hindustan Times. Since the terrorists are operating from foreign countries, he said, the police would seize any assets that can be linked to them in India and ask their counterparts abroad also to act against them. The security establishment got down to work soon after. Punjab Police has filed FIRs against one of the nine, Gurpatwant Singh Pannu and his associates in Amritsar and Kapurthala for sedition and secessionism. Pannu is legal adviser to the US-based Sikhs for Justice that was designated a terror group last year. A third case was registered by Haryana Police in Gurugram, adjacent to national capital Delhi. The group has launched a campaign on the internet called Referendum 2020 that asks people to vote for carving out a sovereign Khalistan out of India. The group has announced that registration would start from today. The campaign, according to the police, has been engineered and backed by Pakistans ISI that has been working for years to revive terrorism in Punjab. Here is why the government has designated them as terrorists. GURMEET SINGH Based in Hamburg, Germany Gurmeet Singh aka Bagga, 50, is a close associate of Pakistan-based Sikh radical Ranjeet Singh alias Neeta. Bagga is a former Khalistan Zindabad Force (KZF) terrorist and is wanted in three cases of shipment of a huge quantity of explosives from Pakistan to Punjab to carry out terror strikes. He has lately been instrumental in smuggling weapons from Pakistan, often using Chinese-made drones that carry a payload of firearms weighing around 10 kg across the fenced border into border villages of Punjab. Bagga was also sentenced to a 4-year prison term by a German court for assassination attempt on Radha Swami Beas Chief, Baba Gurinder Singh Dhillon in Vienna. RANJEET SINGH Based in Lahore, Pakistan Ranjeet Singh alias Neeta is the chief of Khalistan Zindabad Force. According to the Union home ministry, he is involved in numerous cases of murder, smuggling of arms and fake currency. He is believed to be closely linked to a fake Indian currency smuggling network operating out of Sialkot and Kasur areas of Pakistan. He is also alleged to be the mastermind behind smuggling firearms into Punjab via drones. Ranjeet Singh is also in touch with Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorists and is believed to have been a prime supporter of links between ISI-backed Khalistani elements and other jihadi outfits in Pakistan that target India. Ranjeet Singh continues to maintain close association with radical elements of the community based in the UK, USA, Canada and European countries and motivate them for carrying out anti-India propaganda and militant activities in India HARDEEP SINGH NIJJAR Based in Vancouver, Canada Vancouver-based Hardeep Singh Nijjar, who immigrated to Canada in 1995-96, claims to have a day job, running a small plumbing business. But he has been on the radar of Indian security agencies for years for links with the Khalistan Tiger Force. According to his dossier, he has been the mastermind and key conspirator of many terrorist acts including bomb blasts in India. Besides, he has been accused of promoting terrorist activities in India by talent spotting and arranging training of recruits. Nijjar became the operational head of Khalistan Tiger Force after the arrest of its chief Jagtar Singh Tara in 2015. Tara , an accused in the ex-chief minister Beant Singh assasination case, had broken out of a Chandigarh jail in 2004, moved to Pakistan, before landing in Thailands Bangkok where he was arrested and brought back. Nijjar was introduced to Tara in 2011 who mentored him during Nijjars visit to Pakistan in April 2012, teaching him how to operate firearms and explosives. A red corner notice was issued against Hardeep Singh Nijjar in 2014 for his involvement in raising terrorist modules at the behest of then KTF chief Jagtar Singh Tara. BHUPINDER SINGH BHINDA Based in Frankfurt, Germany Bhupinder Singh Bhinda is associated with Pakistan-based Ranjeet Singh Neeta of Khalistan Zindabad Force (KZF). Besides, remaining in regular telephonic contacts with Ranjit Singh, Bhinda is also in contact with his Punjab-based Sikh terrorists to foment trouble in Punjab. Bhinda was earlier sentenced (Dec. 2012) to jail for 4 years and 7 months by a Frankfurt Court for involvement in conspiracy to kill the Head of Radha Soami Beas Dera, Baba Gurinder Singh during the latters visit to Germany in July 2010. WADHAWA SINGH Based in Lahore, Pakistan Wadhawa Singh, also known as Dharam Singh and Chacha, is the Babbar Khalsa International chief, who was involved in several crimes including those committed back in the 1980s. According to police records, Wadhwa Singh was part of the six-member Babbar Khalsa team that shot inspector Pritam Singh Bajwa and a constable who raided their hideout in Ludhianas Daheru village. The terror group had later gone on to blow up an Air India plane on its way to Montreal, Canada from Delhi, that killed 329 people, mostly Canadians. He also maintains links with Pak-based Islamic terrorists and maintains close association with radical elements based in the UK, USA, Canada and European countries. In Lahore, Wadhwa Singh also runs a construction business and owns several shops in Lahore. His son Jitindervir Singh and son-in-law Satnam Singh, who are based in Germany, are active members of BKI-Germany. Wadhawa Singh is also closely associated with other BKI affiliates in other countries, particularly in the United Kingdom. LAKHBIR SINGH RODE Based in Lahore, Pakistan Lakhbir Singh Rode, the nephew of radical Sikh preacher Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale who advocated carving out of Khalistan, has been described in police records as a hardcore terrorist associated with several terror attacks in India. Currently, police say he runs a business of import and export of food grains and edible items in Lahore, besides involvement in drug trade. Lakhbir Singh Rodes son, Bhagat Brar, based in Canada, is actively involved in anti-India activities. He frequently visits Pakistan for meeting radical community leaders based there besides the ISI officials for organising and coordinating anti-India activities abroad. Lakhbir Singh continues to keep close association with radical elements in the UK, Canada and other European countries for revival of terrorism in Punjab. PARAMJIT SINGH PANJWAR Based in Lahore, Pakistan Paramjit Singh Panjwar is the chief of Khalistan Commando Force-Panjwar. He was involved in multiple terror cases during 1988-1990 and had negotiated with Afghan Mujahideens based in Peshawar for supply of arms and ammunition and training of Sikh militants. He is also involved in smuggling of drugs. Now, Panjwar mostly appears to play an advisory role, radicalising young men of the community and helping them carry out anti-India and pro-Khalistan activities. PARAMJIT SINGH PAMMA Based in Birmingham, UK Paramjit Singh aka Pamma is UK-based Babbar Khalsa International activist. A red corner notice was issued against him after his role surfaced during investigations into the murder of Rashtriya Sikh Sangat head Rulda Singh in Patiala in July 2009. Pamma was arrested in Portugal when he was on a visit from the UK but he managed to secure his release from Portugal on the ground that the British authorities had already granted asylum to him, according to the police records. Officials say he has been brazen about his pro-Khalistan activities after his release by Portugal and has been conspiring with the ISI and Sikh terrorists based in Pakistan, particularly Wadhawa Singh Babbar. GURPATWANT SINGH PANNUN Based in New York/California, USA Gurpatwant Singh Pannun is associated with the banned organization Sikhs for Justice, as legal adviser. Pannun has been leading a campaign Punjab Referendum 2020 for Khalistan, launched in a rally in June 2014 in New York. NIA DIG Sonia Narang told a UAPA tribunal last year that the SJF is presently propagating Referendum 2020 in a very big way on the social media as well as on ground by holding meetings across USA and other countries where Sikhs are in large numbers. Activities of the SFJ have been held to be unlawful, disruptive and threaten the sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity of India by the tribunal that confirmed the ban under Indias anti-terror law. The judge said there was enough evidence that SFJ works in collusion with anti-India entities and forces. Fifteen years ago, I picked a small salon in a neighbourhood market and made first contact with Renila Lepcha. The visits bred a ritual. Trust me, she would say, as she got her scissors out to make the hair on top of my head look like a nuclear cloud. Always do! I would reply. We accepted this ritual for what it was: an unspoken commitment between a hairdresser and a satisfied client that this would continue unless one of us changed neighbourhoods. The pandemic has hit Renilas profession hard. According to the Beauty & Wellness Sector Skill Council (B&WSSC), which operates under the aegis of the union ministry of skill development and entrepreneurship, this industry employs nearly 70 lakh people across India. Which means that when the salons were forced shut amid the Covid-19 lockdown in March, something like the entire population of Bulgaria saw their earnings either shrink or disappear. This sector also employs an economically vulnerable population a migrant workforce dominated by women. It is not product-based, its service-based. A shampoo or a meal can be sold via distributors with no-touch delivery but ours is a touch-and-feel industry, says Monica Bahl, CEO of the B&WSSC. A hairstylist cannot possibly attend to a client from two metres away. Hair salons were officially allowed to reopen in the first week of June in Delhi and by end-June in Mumbai. But the potential for infection in enclosed spaces is keeping clients away. There are also the unanswered questions. Can blow-drying lead to an increased flow of virus-carrying particles? Is the PPE gear really being disposed of after each use? Is anyone checking to make sure this is done? Either way, the numbers are down to about 50% of normal traffic, on a good day, says Sumit Israni, managing director of the pan-India brand, Geetanjali Salons and Studios. Pre-lockdown, Renilas salon, Hair & Glow, Delhi, serviced 15 clients a day. After the easing of the lockdown, it gets no more than three. The question of safety over aesthetics is really a cul de sac. In Europe, theyre watching operas at drive-in theatres. In Mumbai, stylist Placid Braganza, who heads a 15-staffer salon, says the lockdown has taught him that he needs to concentrate on his teaching career as a possible Plan B. People do realise that looking groomed is key messaging, even if the only people seeing you are seeing you on a screen. But there is fear all around, he says, no matter what gear we put on. *** The barber-surgeon was considered part of the medical community in Europe during the Middle Ages; besides haircuts, they gave leech treatments to soldiers injured in battle. Even during this lockdown, Australia and Japan deemed haircuts an essential service. When salons reopened in China in March, regulars quickly made appointments for a new kind of long-distance haircut, where trimmers and scrubbers were attached to long rods. In India, Sangeeta Rathi, a business strategist, gave her son a trim after watching a viral YouTube tutorial posted by the celebrity stylist Jawed Habib. Across the country, people were posting their own videos as they struggled with craft scissors and unpolished skills in the effort to remain presentable. Now that things have opened up somewhat, home visits are becoming more popular, but the numbers remain small. I dont want to turn paranoid. Thats not me. Covid is here to stay. If you sanitise multiple times and both wear masks, it should be fine, says Aarti Khurana, a tarot card reader from Mumbai. Still, she was a bit taken aback when the young man who turned up at her door was wearing a suit he said had been made by his mother, which he washed every day. He charged me hefty rates but I was still filled with gratitude just to have a professional do my hair. As soon as he left, I had a bath, just to be safe, she says. Convenience is the new non-negotiable in the service industry, says Ayush Bansal, a Mumbai gym owner. His change of hairdressers maps the transition. Five years ago, he switched from a salon 20 minutes away to one just down the road. Now he only uses hairdressers registered with Urban Clap, a doorstep services delivery app. *** Of those heading out, many are making appointments not at the neighbourhood salons they frequented, but at salons run by larger brands. After months of styling her sons hair (theyre aged 12 and 6), when Delhi-based academic Rama Paul took them to a salon in June, it was to one of the larger brands. The hairdressers looked like astronauts in their PPE gowns, she says. I picked a big brand over our usual salon because I figured they would be more conscious of a bad review, and hygiene standards would be better. Fear is impacting every business in the world, including ours, says Habib, who runs salons across 120 cities. Clients are walking in like inspectors, asking if the shop is safe. We want to be safe too! So far, Andhra Pradesh and Nagaland are two states offering a one-time financial assistance to the fraternity. AP is offering grants to help hairdressers, tailors and launderers survive till business picks up. Nagaland is offering cash to people returning home from other states, having lost jobs in a range of industries including salons. At Hair & Glow, Renila Lepcha of Darjeeling is staying put, waiting for her regular clients to return. Theyll come. They trust me, she says. The Bombay High Court has rapped the Maharashtra government for not taking action against vendors supplying spurious soyabean seeds to thousands of farmers that led to crop failure. In an order of June 26 uploaded in the high courts website on Friday, it said the Aurangabad bench of the court took suo motu cognizance of news reports about complaints of 2,000 farmers who had purchased soyabean seeds for sowing during the ongoing Kharif season but the seeds did not sprout and led to the farmers suffering losses. The court observed that though the farmers in Marathwada and Vidarbha region are poor and such a fraud by the soyabean seed vendors was detrimental to their survival, the government did not show any haste in taking action against such vendors. A division bench of justice T V Nalawade and justice D Kulkarni on June 26, heard the petition initiated after news reports that farmers from districts like Nanded, Latur, Parbhani, Hingoli and Ahmednagar had complained to the authorities that soybean seeds they purchased recently for sowing did not germinate. The court directed that a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) be registered suo motu to ensure that action is taken against the shop owners and the companies, if any, who had pushed such bogus seeds in the market. The court appointed advocate P P More as Amicus Curiae to assist the court. Referring to the stand taken in this regard by the minister for agriculture of the state on June 25 when he said that there are no provisions under the Seeds Act, 1966 for taking action against the vendors concerned and the state will try to see that farmers are given other seeds the court said, It can be said that the Government, the concerned department has no intention to take criminal action against the vendors and producers of the bogus seeds, even when they have duped the farmers and they have caused huge loss not only to the farmers, but to the country. The court then observed that as farmers incurred huge expenses while sowing the seeds and such incidents occurred frequently the matters cannot be closed only by supplying more seeds to the farmers by the State. This season is more peculiar as due to the pandemic of Covid-19 peculiar circumstances are created. These peculiar circumstances are used by the traders and so, the offence committed by them is more grave in nature, the court observed. It said that the failure of the seed inspector to take action against vendors supplying bogus seeds under section 420 of the IPC prompted it to pass directions to the state. The court directed the state to provide details of the date and number of complaints received by the police, nature of complaints, action taken by seed inspector at tehsil level, number of routine visits to shops selling seeds and seizure and testing of seeds and number of similar complaints received by agriculture department in last five years. The matter had been posted for hearing on July 3 but was adjourned to July 7. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday directed the agriculture ministry to hold agricultural hackathons twice a year to solve problems in the farm economy by harnessing information technology solutions, an official statement said. At a review via videoconferencing of agricultural research activities, Modi asked these hackathons to be organised for efficient solutions to on-ground problems faced by farmers, including for farm management, farm tool designs, and crop protection, said an official, requesting anonymity. Hackathons are events where software developers, domain experts, and programmers come together to collaborate for developing problem-solving software products. Modi also held discussions with senior officials of the department of agricultural research and extension as well as the Indian Council of Agricultural Research, the top farm research body. The Prime Minister directed that start-ups and agri-entrepreneurs need to be promoted to ensure innovation and use of technology in agriculture and allied sectors. He highlighted the need to leverage information technology to provide information on demand to the farmers, the statement said. Such hackathons should meet design needs for tools and equipment that can reduce drudgery in farming activity, given that a large number of farmworkers are women, the statement quoted Modi as saying. Scientists, who took part in the review, made presentations on Indias preparedness for climate-change-induced agricultural impacts, such as heatwaves, droughts, cold waves, and submergence due to heavy rains. They showcased various varieties developed to withstand these shocks, according to the statement. The country has seen a rise in agricultural start-ups. Agritech startups are helping farmers monitor crop and soil conditions using internet of things sensors. Many are using artificial intelligence to forecast sowing time as well as realtime weather inputs, said Avi Anand, the director of Agritex Ecosystems, a Bengaluru-based startup. In addition to the senior officials from the Prime Ministers Office, the secretaries from departments of agriculture, animal husbandry, and dairy and fisheries were also present in the videoconference review. Modi stressed the need to adopt organic and natural farming practices on a cluster-based approach. He lauded efforts to develop crop varieties focusing on specific requirements for agro-climatic zones and stressed the need to provide strong market linkages for better returns to farmers, the statement said. A couple in Odishas Ganjam district was found dead hours after the death of their only son due to the coronavirus disease (Covid-19), police have said. Police said Rajkishore Satpathy and his wife Sulochana Satpathy of Narayanpursasan village under Kabisuryanagar police limits in the district were found dead after their 27-year-old teacher son passed away in a hospital in Bhubaneswar. The couples unmarried son was attached to one of the quarantine centres in Ganjam, a coronavirus epicentre for some weeks. He was admitted to a Covid-19 hospital in Bhubaneswar on Wednesday after developing respiratory problems. His swab sample was tested as he showed symptoms of the coronavirus disease. He tested positive on Thursday and died on Friday morning in the hospital. Villagers did not touch their bodies over apprehensions of contracting an infection. The bodies were recovered by health officials and police on Saturday morning after the district collector ordered for a post-mortem examination. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON India has set an ambitious timeline for its first potential coronavirus vaccine -- from human trials to general use in six weeks. Bharat Biotech International Ltd., an unlisted Indian vaccine maker, received regulatory approval to start human clinical trials for its experimental shot earlier this week and it already has Indias apex medical research body expediting the process. The under-development vaccine is envisaged to be rolled out for public health use by Aug. 15 after completion of all clinical trials, Indian Council of Medical Research, or ICMR, said in a July 2 letter to clinical trial sites, which was seen by Bloomberg News. It is one of the top priority projects which is being monitored at the topmost level of the government. Theres been no evidence yet that Bharat Biotechs vaccine is safe for use on humans, not to mention effective. The envisioned timeline is markedly shorter than other front-runner vaccine efforts from American and Chinese drugmakers, most of which started human clinical trials months ago and are now entering the last of three stages of testing. The bid underscores Indias urgent need for a way to halt the coronavirus, which has sickened more than 640,000 people and killed over 18,600 in the Asian nation -- the worlds fourth-largest outbreak. In its letter, ICMR urged the trial sites to enroll volunteers by July 7. The speediness has alarmed some in the medical fraternity. Such an accelerated development pathway has not been done EVER for any kind of vaccine, even the ones being tried out in other countries, Anant Bhan, a medical researcher at Indias Manipal University, said in a Twitter post. Even with accelerated timelines, this seems rushed and hence, with potential risks. After abandoning a costly lockdown that caused tremendous economic suffering without slowing the viruss spread, Prime Minister Narendra Modis government is anxious to project control over the outbreak. Political Pressure The Aug. 15 deadline for Bharat Biotechs vaccine may reflect that political pressure: thats the day India celebrates independence from the British, marked by a nationwide address by Modi. The letter to investigators of clinical trial sites was meant to cut unnecessary red tape, without bypassing any necessary process, and to speed up recruitment of participants, the ICMR said in a statement on Saturday. ICMRs process is exactly in accordance with the globally accepted norms to fast-track the vaccine development for diseases of pandemic potential wherein human and animal trials can continue in parallel, according to the statement. Our trials will be done following the best practices and rigour, and will be reviewed, as required. Bharat Biotech plans to enroll 375 people in the first phase of clinical trials and 750 people in the second phase, an ICMR spokesperson said. Whether the vaccine will be approved for general use depends on the outcomes of those trials, he said. A spokeswoman for Bharat Biotech declined to comment on the Aug. 15 timeline in ICMRs letter. They cant do that, said Jayaprakash Muliyil, chairman of the Scientific Advisory Committee in National Institute of Epidemiology, referring to the targeted timeline of the vaccine launch. Developing a vaccine is a complicated procedure that involves proving its effectiveness and safety, he said. While Bharat Biotechs timeline is ambitious compared to other efforts, Indias mature medical manufacturing sector and its large population, from which human trial volunteers can be easily found, are factors that could help accelerate the usual vaccine development process. The trial will start most probably by Monday, said C. Prabhakar Reddy, a professor in Hyderabads Nizams Institute of Medical Sciences -- one of the trial sites that received ICMRs letter. We are all working day and night to meet the deadline but still it will be neck to neck race, he said, adding that he doesnt anticipate any shortage of volunteers in the current scenario. A vaccine ready for public use will allow the safe reopening of schools, offices and factories to revive Indias economy, which is hurtling toward its first contraction in more than four decades. It will also tie in with self-reliance -- a motto Modi has repeated often in recent weeks. Developing nations are eager to pare their dependence on other nations and foreign drugmakers in securing vaccines. Called Covaxin, the inactivated vaccine candidate has demonstrated safety and immune response in preclinical studies, Bharat Biotech said in a June 29 statement that cited the firms track record in developing vero cell culture platform technologies. It has developed vaccines against polio, rotavirus, Japanese encephalitis and Zika, according to the statement. Bharat Biotech is working expeditiously to meet the target, however, final outcome will depend on the cooperation of all the clinical trial sites involved in the project, the ICMR letter said. A man looks at books in a public library in Hong Kong on July 4, 2020. - Books written by prominent Hong Kong democracy activists have started to disappear from the city's libraries, online records show, days after Beijing imposed a draconian national security law on the finance hub.The new security law and the removal of books raises questions of whether academic freedom still exists. (Photo | AFP) Hong Kong: Books written by prominent Hong Kong democracy activists have started to disappear from the citys libraries, online records show, days after Beijing imposed a draconian national security law on the finance hub. Among the authors whose titles are no longer available are Joshua Wong, one of the citys most prominent young activists, and Tanya Chan, a well known pro-democracy lawmaker. Beijings new national security law was imposed on Tuesday and is the most radical shift in how the semi-autonomous city is run since it was handed back to China by Britain in 1997. Chinas authoritarian leaders say the powers will restore stability after a year of pro-democracy protests, will not stifle freedoms and will only target a very small minority. But it has already sent fear coursing through a city used to speaking openly, with police arresting people for possessing slogans pushing independence or greater autonomy and businesses scrambling to remove protest displays. Wong said he believed the removal of the books was sparked by the security law. White terror continues to spread, the national security law is fundamentally a tool to incriminate speech, he wrote on Facebook, using a phrase that refers to political persecution. Searches on the public library website showed at least three titles by Wong, Chan and local scholar Chin Wan are no longer available for lending at any of dozens of outlets across the city. An AFP reporter was unable to find the titles at a public library in the district of Wong Tai Sin on Saturday afternoon. The citys Leisure and Cultural Services Department, which runs libraries, said books had been removed while it was being determined whether they violate the national security law. In the process of the review the books will not be available for borrowing and reference, it said. The law targets acts of subversion, secession, terrorism and colluding with foreign forces. China says it will have jurisdiction in some cases and empowered its security apparatus to set up shop openly in Hong Kong for the first time, ending the legal firewall between the two. Rights groups and legal analysts say the broad wording of the lawwhich was kept secret until it was enactedoutlaws certain political views, even if expressed peacefully. Any promotion of independence or greater autonomy appears to be banned by the legislation. Another vaguely worded provision bans inciting hatred towards the Chinese or Hong Kong government. On the authoritarian mainland, similar national security laws are routinely used to crush dissent. The new security law and the removal of books raises questions of whether academic freedom still exists. Hong Kong has some of Asias best universities and a campus culture where topics that would be taboo on the mainland are still discussed and written about. But Beijing has made clear it wants education in the city to become more patriotic especially after a year of huge, often violent and largely youth-led pro-democracy protests. A group of Indian Americans along with Tibetans and Taiwanese Americans held a protest against naked Chinese aggression at Times Square in New York City in the US. The group held placards of Boycott China and Stop Chinese Abuse as they shouted slogans against the country. The protestors said three Ts can help defeat China as they demanded an end of trade ties with China and the boycott of Chinese good, complete independence of Tibet and total support of Taiwan, according to news agency ANI. Watch: Indians, Taiwanese, Tibetans hold anti-China protest at Times Square Jagdish Sewhani, the president of the American India Public Affairs Committee, called out China for it naked aggression. When the world is battling against coronavirus for the last six months, the naked aggression of China against its neighbours and India is totally unacceptable. China wants to dominate the world, China wants to destroy the USA, China wants to destroy India. But this time, for their aggression they have to pay a very, very heavy price, Sewhani said while speaking to ANI. Now look at what has China done within their own country. They are suppressing Hong Kong. They have done ethnic cleansing of Tibetan and look at what they have done to Muslims. The worst human rights [violation] ever happened in China, he added. The protest comes after the brutal June 15 border clash in eastern Ladakhs Galwan Valley during which 20 Indian Army soldiers were killed and 76 injured. Similar anti-China protests have broken out in several cities in the United States since the Galwan Valley face-off between India and China. News agency ANI reported Tibetan and Taiwanese activists living in asylum in the United States also joined the protest at Times Square. Dorjee Tseten, a member of the Tibetan parliament in exile, said the people of Tibet strongly condemn the Chinese military intrusions on Indian soil. We call India and world governments to take immediate multilateral action against Beijings authoritarian rule by rejecting the One China Policy in theory and practice, Dorjee, who is also an executive director of Students for a Free Tibet, said while speaking to ANI. The news agency reported similar demonstrations will be seen in other parts of the US in the coming days. History-sheeter Vikas Dubey, 48, who along with his shooters killed eight cops during an ambush in Bikru village in Kanpur Dehat early on Friday never allowed the police to raid his village where he lives in a sprawling house surrounded by his supporters. Whenever the police attempted a raid, it faced stiff resistance and had to beat a hasty retreat from the village. This is not the first time Vikas Dubey has taken the police head-on. In the past two decades, there have been four major encounters when the police were fired upon indiscriminately or were taken captive and released after the interventions of Dubeys political bosses who always walked an extra mile to save him, said those who know him and his working. In 2005, in a similar incident, Dubey and his men surrounded a raiding circle officer Kalyanpur, Abdul Samad, fired at his team and then held him captive. It was Dubeys mother who convinced him to release the men as she feared the cops would avenge this humiliation. Such was his political clout that the complaint of the circle officer was not registered at Shivli police station. Not only this, Vikas Dubey slapped the visiting DIG (prisons) in Kanpur jail after the officer rebuked his boss Ranga Yadav and him in 2000 when he was arrested for murder of a principal Siddheshwar Pandey, recalled a police officer who pursued him. Then he had the entire Kalyanpur police station gheraoed when by chance sub inspector Hari Om Sharma arrested him. Not only the people, two MLAs sat on a dharna outside, seeking his release. With nearly three decades of criminal history Dubey, 48, harboured criminals on the run in his fortress established in Bikru village, patronised young shooters and provided them illegal firearms, said police officials aware of his past history. The officials said Dubey used this force of criminals to grab land, influence local elections and extort money from property dealers and businessmen as well as eliminate his rivals. Dubey remained associated with several politicians of the region, they added. A senior police official at DGP headquarters said although Dubey had remained involved in crime since teenage, the crime record available with the police had as many as 60 criminal cases against him since 1993. His crime record reads that he had over 11 cases of attempt to murder and six cases of murder but he had remain involved in over 20 murders directly or indirectly and harboured shooters involved in different murders in the region, he said. The official said Dubeys house in Bikru, termed as his fortress, had a campus of over 10,000 square ft. The house was designed in such a manner that one could easily keep watch for up to 500 metres from the rooftop, he said. Moreover, he had informers in the entire village. The official said, His bravado can be gauged from the murder of politician Santosh Shukla, who had a post equivalent to minister of state, in 2001. Dubey chased Shukla and shot him inside Shivli police station when the latter tried to hide there. Later, Dubey was acquitted in the case after all witnesses, including police personnel, turned hostile, he said. When Vikas Dubey was a student of class nine in Rasoolabad Inter College he carried a country-made-pistol in his school bag, recalls a classmate living in Kanpur Dehat. He was asked to leave the school. In 2006, he was arrested in Saharanpur on charges of possessing drugs. Officials on Saturday razed the house of a dreaded criminal whose accomplices have shot dead eight policemen and suspended a sub-inspector who is under the scanner after the failed raid in a village in Kanpur Dehat district. For the demolition drive, the Kanpur district administration used the same earthmover machine that criminals used to block police vehicles arriving Bikru village, 45km from the district headquarters, on Thursday night for a raid against gangster Vikas Dubey, 48. Dubeys men sprayed a volley of bullets on the policemen from the roofs of his house and structures nearby after they got off their vehicles, killing a deputy superintendent, three sub-inspectors and four constables in an ambush that the police said termed a well-planned conspiracy. The criminals looted their weapons and escaped in the dark. Kanpur inspector general Mohit Agarwal said the fortified one-storey house, built in 2013 over four bighas in the middle of the village, was a hub of criminals. The palatial house had a 12-foot boundary wall protected by barbed wire. Most of the villagers have said that he [Dubey] grabbed peoples land using muscle power, and built his house. He used to extort money from people, Agarwal said. He said the police were gathering details of Dubeys other properties, including benami ones. Dubey will be arrested soon, Agarwal added. Two SUVs parked in Dubeys garage were taken out and destroyed along with two tractors parked in the courtyard. The demolition began early morning amidst heavy police presence. Dubeys father, Ram Kumar, was living in the house. He was taken to Lucknow. Dubey used to stay on the second floor, which has four rooms. Dubeys wife she lives in Gomti Nagar, Lucknow, with their younger son. The elder son is studying in the UK. After the shootout, Dubey could have taken away the digital video recorder (DVR), which stored the feed from CCTV cameras installed at his house, according to officials. He used CCTVs to keep a watch up to the main road that leads to his house. During a search of his house on Friday, police investigators could not find the DVR. The police were also investigating as to who snapped the power supply to the village when the police reached for a raid. An official said there was a total blackout at the time. In a related development, officials probing the case questioned Chaubeypur station officer (SO) Vinay Tiwari for nine hours. He was later suspended and shifted to Lucknow. Chaubeypur, about 14km from Bikru, is the place where an attempt to murder case was registered against Dubey on Wednesday by a villager. The team that went to raid Dubeys village past Thursday midnight set off from the police station in Chaubeypur. In view of the allegations levelled against the SO, he has been suspended, and all the allegations are being thoroughly looked into. If his involvement or that of any other personnel of the police is found in this incident, then they will be sacked from the department, and also sent to jail, Agarwal said at Chaubeypur police station. He did not specify on the allegations against Tiwari. Officials said the criminals used the weapons snatched from the policemen to fire at them. A police spokesperson said the weapons snatched in Bikru included an AK-47 rifle, an INSAS rifle, a Glock pistol and two .9mm pistols. Doctors took out AK-47 cartridges from the body of a constable, according to the post-mortem report. The doctors also retrieved pieces of .315 and .312 bore bullets, which were fired from rifles and single or double barrel guns, the police said. The maximum seven bullets hit a sub-inspector, the forensic experts said. Deputy superintendent Devendra Mishra was shot in the head, chest and legs from close range as doctors found carbon deposits around the wounds, said officials who are part of the investigation. Superintendent of police, rural, Brajesh Shrivastava said the bullets and their pieces recovered during the autopsy were being sent for forensic analysis. About 25 police teams have spread out across Uttar Pradesh and other states to apprehend Dubey, who is facing 60 criminal cases, and his associates, officials said. The Karnataka government has decided to clamp a 33-hours-long hard lockdown in capital city of Bengaluru and adjoining areas starting 8pm on Saturday till 5am on Monday to cut the chain of Covid 19 transmissions in the region, which has witnessed a spurt in cases in the last couple of weeks. Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) commissioner Anil Kumar said the instruction for lockdown in BBMP limits was issued by chief minister BS Yediyurappa , according to news agency ANI. Kumar said only essential services will be permitted to operate during the 33 hour long period and those found roaming around will be liable for police action. Sale of essential items will be allowed during the lockdown, including meat shops. Police action will be taken against people found roaming outside unnecessarily, Anil Kumar was quoted as having said by ANI. For Coronavirus Live Updates The lockdown decision is part of a multi-pronged strategy adopted by the state government to contain the spread of the disease. The state Covid 19 task force has decided to set up booth-level committees across the state including 8,800 committees in Bengaluru for effective monitoring and surveillance of Covid 19 situation. The task force also released detailed guidelines for home isolation of asymptomatic cases including increasing the period of home isolation from 14 to 17 days for patients below 50 years of age. The decision for constituting booth-level committees consisting of one member each from the state health department, police force, local municipalities or Panchayat and volunteers, was taken on Friday. Karnataka task force recommends booth-level committees to fight Covid-19 In Bengaluru alone 8,800 teams will be formed for the purpose of real time monitoring and data compilation. They will be imparted training for the purpose. It was also decided to have at least two ambulances in each of the 198 wards of the capital city. Covid patients above 50 years of age with comorbidities will be treated at the Covid care centres only under active medical supervision and be subjected to regular tests. The state government has also been decided to increase the testing capacity from the existing 15,000 samples a day to 25,000 samples daily. The task force has also recommended antigen tests in crowded areas to check the presence of community spread. A week ago, on June 27, Karnataka government had decided to implement one-day statewide lockdown on Sundays beginning July 5 to break the chain of Covid 19 infections. The government had also decided to keep all government offices closed on all Saturdays with effect from July 10. Another instruction had been issued to BBMP commissioner to set up more number of wholesale vegetable markets to avoid crowds in large wholesale vegetable markets in the city. The total number of cases in Karnataka stands at 19,710. Out of them, 8,805 have recovered and 293 patients have lost their lives, according to the Union Health Ministry. Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday urging that the government should make earnest efforts to build international pressure to ensure a fair trial in Italy for the two Italian marines who shot and killed two Indian fishermen off the Kerala coast in 2012. It is quite shocking that such a grave crime committed against our citizens is not being brought to justice in our country. The matter definitely deserved a more sensitive and cautious handling from the beginning and during the proceedings in the ITLOS (International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea), as it involved the loss of life of two innocent Indians, Vijayan wrote. On Thursday, the Permanent Court of Arbitration Tribunal in The Hague upheld the conduct of the Indian authorities in the Enrica Lexie case in which the marines were accused of killing two Indian fishermen. The tribunal stated that India was entitled to get compensation in the case but ruled that the marines cannot be prosecuted due to their official immunity. Vijayan also sought Modis intervention in getting just compensation to the families of the fishermen, who had lost their lives while they had put out to sea to earn their livelihood. As two valuable lives have been lost without any provocation from the victims we need to bargain for an exemplary amount, the CM said. We should also keep our options of approaching ITLOS within the stipulated time of one year if getting compensation is not possible through negotiations, Vijayan said. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Mumbai Maharashtras coronavirus disease (Covid-19) case count rose to 2,00,064 on Saturday, with the biggest single-day increase of 7,074, even as the death toll in the state due to the outbreak climbed to 8,671, according to official data. The number of those who have recovered from the infectious disease in the state rose to 1,08,082, taking the recovery rate to 54.02%. There are 83,295 active cases in the state. Of the 295 deaths added on Saturday, 124 occurred in the last 48 hours 68 of them in Mumbai. Of remaining deaths, 163 deaths in Thane district took place over the last three months but were recorded as Covid-19 fatalities only on Saturday. Mumbai recorded 1,163 new cases, taking the tally in the financial hub to 83,237. Amit Deshmukh, Maharashtras medical education minister, said that the state health infrastructure was ready to tackle the rising of cases. With antigen, antibody tests taken to every district and plasma banks being set up across the state, the virus spread is expected to be contained in next one month. We have augmented the health infrastructure across the state and are ready to take on the spread. The rise in the cases is because of the opening up of the activities and compromised social distancing norms. There is rise in numbers of few districts besides Mumbai Metropolitan Region, but we are taking care to reduce the spread. We have set up task force in every district and expert advice by epidemiologists and virologists is being made available to the rural patients with co-morbidities, he said. He said that July and August are crucial months and the government expects a decline in the cases to begin in a month. We have already witnessed decline in the cases in Mumbai. Similar will be the trend in other parts and there will be flattening in the next two months, he said. Dr Om Shrivastava, infectious diseases specialist and member of the 11-member task force appointed by the state government for the clinical management of critically ill patients, said: The rise in the number of cases is the result of the aggressive testing by the authorities. Same is the reason for the positivity rate The virus spread is expected to stabilise now in the next few weeks and we should not worry about the rising cases since our infrastructure is ready to take up the load. Public health consultant Dr Sanjay Pattiwar said that the future pattern of the curve was very difficult to predict. We should not be worried about the rising numbers if we are ready with health infrastructure. State authorities should go for aggressive testing and tracing, besides sensitising people about following social curbs and personal-community hygiene. We should learn to live with the virus at least for the next few months; its the only way out, he said. The Indian Army on Saturday dubbed the reports of Prime Minister Narendra Modis visit to fake hospital in Leh as malicious, unsubstantiated. The clarification from the army comes after various social media posts claimed that the prime minister had staged the visit to a fake hospital where soldiers injured in Galwan clash were being treated. There have been malicious and unsubstantiated accusations in some quarters regarding the status of the facility visited by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi during his visit to the General Hospital at Leh on July 03, 2020, read the statement by army posted by Ministry of Defence a day after the PMs visit. Also read: PM Modi wraps up Ladakh visit with a swipe at China, says times have changed It is unfortunate that aspersions are being cast on how our brave Armed Forces are treated. The Armed Forces give the best possible treatment to their personnel. It is clarified that the said facility is part of the Crisis Expansion capacity of 100 beds and is very much part of the General Hospital complex, the defence ministry clarified. It further said that the Covid-19 protocol had necessitated some wards of the General Hospital to be converted into isolation facilities. Hence, this hall which otherwise was normally used as a Training Audio Video Hall was converted into a ward ever since the hospital was also designated as COVID treatment hospital, the statement read. Also read | PM Modis surprise visit to Ladakh is a game-changer: Experts The injured braves have been kept there since their arrival from Galwan to ensure quarantine from Covid areas. The Chief of Army Staff General M M Naravane and the Army Commander have also visited the injured braves in the same location, the armys statement clarified. Soon after the prime minister paid a visit to a hospital in Leh, social media posts raised questions about the veracity of the visit. Several questioned the absence of medical staff and equipment in the hospital premises. Here are todays top news, analysis and opinion. Know all about the latest news and other news updates from Hindustan Times. Remdesivir dosage revised, now to be taken for five days Union health ministry revised dosage of antiviral drug remdesivir for coronavirus disease (Covid-19) treatment, reducing the drug regimen from 6 to 5 days. Read more GST regime may undergo 2 major reforms this year The Goods and Services Tax (GST) regime is expected to see two major reforms in its fourth year--rationalisation of tax rates based on prudence rather than political considerations, and further easing of compliance--people aware of the matter said. Read more Faces of terror: Why India banned 9 Khalistan-linked terrorists in 5 countries The Centre moved this week to designate nine men accused of promoting terrorism in Punjab as terrorists under Indias anti-terror law amended last year letting the Union home ministry ban individuals and not just organisations. Read more Can F1s young guns dethrone King Lewis? Last years Austrian Grand Prix may have given us a glimpse into Formula Ones future. Charles Leclerc and Max Verstappen started on the front rowthe youngest in F1 history. They raced wheel-to-wheel before Verstappen overtook Leclerc in the homestretch. Read more Water-filled bottle hanged only on toothpicks, piece of rope. Video amazes people Physics is cool, this is what the caption of this viral tweet says. Chances are that after seeing the video shared with the tweet, youll say the same. The video shows something absolutely fascinating - a person hanging a water-filled bottle using three toothpicks and only a tiny piece of rope. Read more Kanpur encounter | Criminals will be punished under the law: Adityanath Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said that those who killed cops in Kanpur wont be spared. Eight cops were killed in Uttar Pradeshs Kanpur on July 3. Cops were killed during an encounter with criminals. The Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister paid tribute to those killed in the encounter. Read more #WFH, no time to think what to cook for breakfast? Here are some quick ideas Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Period. But chasing deadlines, and completing targets, its one of the most missed meals, too. Read more The National Investigation Agency (NIA) plans to close its case against Italian marines for killing two Indian fishermen off the Kerala coast in 2012, two officials familiar with the matter said on Saturday. This comes after the Centre on Thursday asked the Supreme Court to dispose of the matter related to the jurisdictional issues of the case as it has agreed to accept a UN tribunals ruling that the two marines cannot be prosecuted. The five-member arbitral tribunal, under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, said India is entitled to compensation in the case but said the marines deserve immunity and that India is precluded from exercising its jurisdiction. Also read: India to follow UN court order in Italian Marines case, Supreme Court told The officials cited above said they will file a closure report in the case in a few weeks after getting a go-ahead from the Union home ministry. The case is more or less null and void now, an official said on condition of anonymity. The official added that the report will be filed before the court of additional sessions judge-1 at New Delhis Patiala House Courts, which was designated for the case when it was filed in April 2013. 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 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. Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan has opposed the withdrawal of the case against the marines and asked the Centre to explore the possibility of a review petition. Also read: Kerala CM writes to PM Modi seeking trial in Italy of marines who killed 2 fishermen The two fishermen were killed after the marines fired upon them from an oil tanker they were deployed at to guard against pirates. The ship was intercepted and brought to Kochi, where the marines were arrested and charged with murder. The officials cited above said NIA assigned a deputy superintendent-rank officer to complete its probe in the case when it took over the matter. NIA finalised a charge sheet against the marines in November 2013, when the probe report was submitted to the home ministry. The ministry gave the sanction to prosecute the marines in January 2014 under the Suppression of Unlawful Acts against Safety of Maritime Navigation and Fixed Platforms on Continental Shelf Act and for murder and attempt to murder. The ministry in February 2014 withdrew the charges under the Act, which provides for a death penalty, the officials said. NIA was then asked to go ahead with its charge sheet related to murder, attempt to murder and causing damage to the boat of the fishermen. A second official said six other crew members of the oil tanker were summoned to India to record their statements, but Italy refused to send them. So we had to record their statements through audio and video means on November 11, 2013. We had also collected other evidence including post mortem reports, forensic evidence and statements of witnesses on Indian fishing boat, said the second officer. At every step, Italy tried to delay the proceedings. India informed the tribunal that Italy was delaying the trial. During the final arguments in the case at The Hague on July 8 last year, Indias representative, G Balasubramanian, told the tribunal, Given the status of work of investigating agencies in this process of criminal prosecution, the case has been practically ready for trial for some time. It is Italy which is not allowing the prosecution to progress further. The tribunal said the marines enjoyed immunity since they were exercising official functions in their capacity as Italian state officials and ordered India to stop criminal proceedings against them. International law expert Zulfiqar Memon called it a failure. It shows that the life of poor Indian fishermen has no value when compared to the accused who happen to be citizens of a powerful European nation who are protected under immunity, said Memon. He added the compensation cannot undo the irreversible damage the killings caused. We must ask ourselves, as to what extent we have actually gone to seek justice for our citizens as compared to what Italy has done for its. The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) said on Saturday that its attempt to speed up the development of a potential coronavirus disease (Covid-19) vaccine was aimed at cutting red tape, a remark that came after its plan of a mid-August launch invited condemnation from experts for setting an impractical target not in line with rigorous scientific standards. Experts said the premier biomedical research bodys clarification on Saturday that the move was meant to cut red tape did not address how the accelerated timeline could be achieved. The timeline appeared unrealistic even by the best global standards and involved potential risks, they said. ICMR said on Friday it was attempting to launch the worlds first Covid-19 vaccine on August 15, triggering disbelief in the scientific community. The plan was disclosed in a letter by ICMR to 12 institutes where human trials are to be held for the vaccine, Covaxin, ordering them to secure necessary approvals from internal committees and recruit people for clinical tests by July 7 with a warning that non-compliance will be viewed very seriously. The vaccine has been jointly developed by ICMR and Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech (BBIL), with the latter itself previously indicating that a vaccine could take more time. In a report on Wednesday, Bharat Biotech chairman and managing director Krishna Ella said that if clinical trials of Covaxin met safety and efficacy standards, the vaccine could be available for mass use by early 2021. On Saturday, ICMR said: The letter by DG-ICMR to investigators of the clinical trial sites was meant to cut unnecessary red tape, without bypassing any necessary process, and speed up recruitment of participants... ICMR is committed to treat the safety and interest of people of India as a topmost priority. This statement mentioned neither the August 15 deadline, nor the July 7 one . The statement followed widespread condemnation for ICMR for appearing to abandon clinical trial safeguards and putting the lives and safety of people at risk in its rush to produce an indigenous vaccine by Independence Day, a feat that is impossible if scientific protocols for trial and data review are followed. In the letter, dated July 2, ICMR director general Dr Balram Bhargava said that the first indigenous vaccine being developed by India was one of the top priority projects which is being monitored at the topmost level of the Government. ln 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 7 July 2020. Kindly note that non-compliance will be viewed very seriously, said the ICMR-DG. In the statement issued on Saturday, the apex research organisation said: ICMRs process is exactly in accordance with the globally accepted norms to fast-track the vaccine development for diseases of pandemic potential wherein human and animal trials can continue in parallel. Our trials will be done following the best practices and rigour, and will be reviewed, as required, by a Data Safety Monitoring Board (DSMB)... ICMR is committed to treat the safety and interest of people of India as a topmost priority, it said. Bharat Biotech chairman Krishna Ella, who was copied on Dr Bhargavas letter, declined to comment on ICMRs timeline of clinical trials, but said previously that if clinical trials of Covaxin were successful, the vaccine would be ready for mass use by early 2021. Bharat Biotech is among seven Indian firms working on Covid-19 vaccines and was the first to get the regulatory nod to begin Phase 1 and Phase 2 human trials on Monday to test the vaccine for efficacy and safety. In the larger public health interest, it is important for ICMR to expedite the clinical trials with a promising indigenous vaccine. Faced with the unprecedented nature of the Covid-19 pandemic, and the consequent dislocation of the normal life, all other vaccine candidates across the globe have been similarly fast-tracked. ICMRs process is exactly in accordance with the globally accepted norms to fast-track the vaccine development for diseases of pandemic potential wherein human and animal trials can continue in parallel, the ICMR statement said. Trials for vaccines can take several years. Several countries have allowed the development processes to be fast-tracked to tackle the unprecedented health emergency but even the leading efforts are estimated to conclude the development process only by the end of the year. Clinical trials involve inoculating people with an experimental vaccine to test whether it is safe and effective, a process that, on average, takes at least 10 years. Experts say ICMRs timeline for Covaxin is scientifically implausible even by the global fast-tracked standards, as the vaccine is yet to begin human clinical trials. Globally, 18 experimental Covid-19 vaccines are in various phases of human trials. There is no sensible scientific way that makes it possible to announce that a potential vaccine will be ready without three months of phases 1 and 2 trial data to indicate whether it will work at all. Even with fast-tracking and planning phase 3 trial in anticipation of the first two phases being successful, the trial can begin only after data from the first two trials is analysed and certified, which takes at least three months. You need at least six months for preliminary data on how effective and safe the vaccine is; how can you do it in six weeks? asked Dr T Jacob John, virologist and former professor at the Christian Medical College, Vellore, Tamil Nadu. A researcher, who works with the government and did not wish to be named, said: Never ever has such an end timeline to develop a vaccine or drug been given for a new antigen. Science depends on clinical outcomes; it doesnt follow deadlines. The definitive language in the letter is problematic. ICMRs Saturday letter had a response to such criticism too. While issues raised in public domain from time-to-time by commentators are welcome, as they form an important part of feedback loop, the best of Indias medical professionals and research scientists should not be second guessed for their professionalism or adherence to the highest scientific rigour. Dr Bhargava did not respond to repeated calls and text messages seeking comment. Odisha will provide crop loans worth crores to seven lakh landless sharecroppers in the state through joint liability groups (JLGs) in the next two years through a new scheme, officials said. The scheme, Balaram Yojana, is a sequel to the Kalia scheme announced last year just before the polls for small and marginal farmers and would enable sharecroppers to get loans of around Rs 1,040 crore. Asit Tripathy, the states chief secretary, said sharecroppers would be given credit facility on the basis of social collateral through joint liability groups. Around 140,000 such groups would be formed with each group comprising five farmers. Around 70,000 groups will get farm loans under the scheme this year. A joint liability group is an informal group comprising preferably 4 to 10 individuals who come together to avail a loan from a bank either singly or through the group mechanism against the mutual guarantee. Its members offer a joint undertaking to the bank that would enable them to avail loans. The credit assessment of the group could be based on the available cultivable area by each member. All members would jointly execute the document and own the debt liability together and severally. Ashok Meena, the state finance secretary, would mobilise the banking sector through State Level Bankers Committee for the loans to JLGs. The chief secretary directed every bank branch in the state to provide at least 10 farm loans this year. In rural areas and small towns in the state, there are around 7,000 branches of banks and Primary Agricultural Cooperative societies. In April this year, the Odisha government had framed draft legislation to recognise the rights of sharecroppers in the state. The draft legislation Odisha Agricultural Land Leasing Act, would help a sharecropper into a written lease agreement on mutually agreed terms and conditions, with a landowner for the cultivation of agricultural produces. Once passed by the assembly, the legislation would mark a change of fortunes for millions of sharecroppers in Odisha where sharecropping was banned following an amendment in Orissa Land Reforms Act in 1974. Despite the ban on sharecropping, more than 70 per cent of land is cultivated through sharecropping. As per the draft legislation, the lease agreement between the sharecropper and the landowner would contain several details, boundaries, location and area of leased out land, duration of the lease expressed in months or years. Apart from a written agreement, there will a provision for oral lease. Both sharecropper and landowner have to apply before the revenue officer and the matter will have to be discussed in a gram sabha, as per the draft legislation. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said the Buddhas teachings can show the world a way ahead as it is fighting extra-ordinary challenges and urged the countrys youth to follow his teachings, which are relevant in the present as well as the future. Addressing an even ton the Dharma Chakra Day virtually, the Prime Minister said the eight-fold path of Lord Buddha shows the way towards the well-being of many societies and nations. Today the world fights extra-ordinary challenges. To these challenges, lasting solutions can come from the ideals of Lord Buddha. They were relevant in the past. They are relevant to the present. And, they will remain relevant in the future, PM Modi said. Buddhism, he said, teaches respect for the poor, women, peace and non-violence and therefore, the teachings of Buddhism are the means to a sustainable planet. PM Modi said the eight-fold path highlights the importance of compassion and kindness and added that the teachings of Lord Buddha celebrate simplicity both in thought and action. In his very first sermon in Sarnath and his teachings after that, Lord Buddha spoke on two things - hope and purpose. He saw a strong link between them. From hope comes a spirit of purpose, he said. The Prime Minister said he is very hopeful about the 21st century and it comes from the youth. If you want to see a great example of how hope, innovation and compassion can remove suffering, it is our start-up sector led by our youth, he said. Bright young minds are finding solutions to global problems. India has one of the largest start-up eco-systems. I would urge my young friends to also stay connected with the thoughts of Lord Buddha. They will motivate and show the way ahead, he added. PM Modi also highlighted his governments focus on connectivity to Buddhist sites and pointed out that the cabinet had announced that Kushinagar airport will be an international one. This would bring so many people, pilgrims and tourists, he said. The Union ministry of culture is celebrating Asadha Poornima on Saturday as Dharma Chakra Day. The day commemorates the Buddhas first sermon to his first five disciples in the present-day Sarnath near Uttar Pradeshs Varanasi. It also celebrated by Buddhists all over the world as the day of Dharma Chakra Parvattana or Turning of the Wheel of Dharma. Pakistan and China have a tradition of mutual support to each other in the face of common challenges, foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi has said against the backdrop of the India-China border standoff. Qureshi made the remarks during a phone conversation with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi on Friday, during which they discussed bilateral and regional issues. Qureshi also contended that Indias belligerent posture and expansionist policies were imperilling peace in the region, according to a statement from Pakistans Foreign Office. The conversation was held amid the months-old standoff between Indian and Chinese border troops. China has deployed additional troops along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) even as three rounds of talks between Indian and Chinese military commanders has not resulted in substantial efforts to de-escalate the situation. During the phone conversation, Qureshi said Pakistan and China are all-weather strategic cooperative partners and had preserved a tradition of expressing solidarity, mutual assistance and mutual support to each other in the face of common challenges. Without referring to the border standoff with India, Qureshi also said Pakistan is committed to the One-China policy and firmly supports China on its core interests including Hong Kong, Taiwan, Tibet and Xinjiang. He added that disputes in the region should be resolved through peaceful means and agreed mechanisms rather than resorting to unilateral, illegal and coercive measures that he claimed were reflected by Indias decision to scrap Jammu and Kashmirs special status in August last year. Qureshi contended that the regional security situation was deteriorating and underlined that Indias belligerent posture and expansionist policies were imperilling peace in the region. Apart from committing egregious violations of human rights in [Jammu and Kashmir], India was seeking to change the demographic structure of the occupied territory, he said. He also briefed Wang on what he described as repeated violations by India along the Line of Control (LoC) and said Pakistan was exercising restraint. Wang briefed Qureshi on the regional situation and lauded Pakistans efforts to promote peace and stability. Wang also thanked Pakistan for the support it has extended to China during difficult and challenging times. Both sides said they would support each other at multilateral institutions and. The two foreign ministers also said they would promote peace and development in Afghanistan. They hoped the next meeting of the China-Afghanistan-Pakistan foreign ministers dialogue will take place at the earliest. Both sides also said they would take steps for the earliest possible economic recovery in the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic. Qureshi said the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) will become the hub of trade and economic activity and sustainable development. Pakistan and China are taking steps to help the timely completion of CPEC projects, he added. Wang said CPEC is a flagship project of BRI and its second phase will complement Pakistans efforts aimed at job creation, enhancing agricultural productivity, reducing poverty and massive economic recovery. He thanked Pakistan for supporting Chinas idea of a Health Silk Road to address the regions social and economic needs. Both sides said they would implement consensus reached by the leadership of the two countries to deepen strategic consultation and coordination to promote shared goals of peace and stability. The ministers also decided to have a face-to-face meeting soon to discuss challenges facing the region. Pakistan violated the ceasefire along the LoC in Poonch district Saturday evening prompting India to hit back in equal measure, the Indian Army said. Defence spokesman Lt Col Devender Anand said, Around 1945 hours, Pakistan initiated unprovoked ceasefire violation by firing with small arms and shelling mortars along LoC in Degwar sector in District Poonch. Indian Army is retaliating befittingly. On Friday, India had registered a strong protest with Pakistan for over more than 2,400 unprovoked ceasefire violations along the Line of Control (LoC) and the international boundary in Jammu and Kashmir. Meanwhile, National Conference leader Devender Singh Rana expressed concern over LoC shelling and sought expeditious completion of community bunkers. During these grim times of Cocid-19, the people along LoC are braving the brunt of Pakistan shelling that has not only created fear psychosis but also caused enormous sufferings to them, Rana said in an interaction with party functionaries of the Poonch district via video conferencing. Rana expressed solidarity with the border residents, saying their welfare is the responsibility of the entire nation. He stressed the immediate need of completing bunkers and shelter sheds for their lodging in times of exigencies. The element of security could have been infused among them had the promised shelter sheds and community bunkers been completed timely, he said and lamented over non-fulfillment of commitments made in this regard in recent years. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had a 15 minute one-to-one conversation with XIV Corps Commander Lt General Harinder Singh at the forces Nimu Headquarters outside Leh on Friday, even as India has decided it will closely monitor the promised disengagement and withdrawal of the Chinese PLA from East Ladakh for the next 10 days before deciding on any further action. Military commanders and government officials familiar with the matter said on condition of anonymity that Chinas public posture on a withdrawal isnt playing out on the ground, with the PLAs rear positions on the Galwan bank have been flooded due to sharp rise in river water levels. We have satellite and drone imagery to show that Chinese PLA tents five kilometres in depth have been flooded by the icy rising waters of the Galwan. With snow melting at a rapid pace, any position on the river bank is dangerous. Even though China is engaging in more public posturing on the withdrawal, the current PLA positions in Galwan, Gogra, Hot Springs and Pangong Tso are untenable in the long run, said a senior military commander. With the Indian Army deployed in full strength all along the LAC in East Ladakh, the Indian Navys steel patrol boats will be introduced for defence of Pangong Tso by next Wednesday. The top of the patrol boats are being cut so that they can be transported from Mumbai in a C-17 heavy transporter to Leh for deployment. The steel boats with gun mounts are being introduced to match the PLAs heavy patrol boats, which were used by China to capture the fingers on the north bank of the salt water lake. Also read| Malicious, unsubstantiated: Indian Army on reports of PM Modis fake hospital visit With three senior military commander level meetings and two senior diplomatic level parleys between India and China, the next 10 days are critical -- it is expected that during this period , PLA will start to withdraw from the contested positions and restore status quo ante. Sitting under camouflage netting at Nimu with artillery and anti aircraft guns deployed, PM Modi was briefed in full about PLAs operational deployment and the status of the four contested points by Northern Army commander Lt Gen Y K Joshi. The PM then had a one-on-one conversation with Gen Harinder Singh, giving the latter clear cut instructions. India will not initiate any military operation on its own but will stand up PLA and retaliate to any move from the Chinese side all along the 3488 km line of actual control. Our troops are in far better position in East Ladakh and we will wait for full PLA withdrawal , not just symbolic removal of some vehicles and troopers , said a senior official. During PM Modis visit, the entire military brass, Chief of Defence Staff Gen Rawat, Army Chief Gen Manoj Naravane , Gen Joshi and Gen Singh discussed the Ladakh situation threadbare. They were told that there should be let up in upgrading border infrastructure, right up to the Depsang Plains and Daulet Beg Oldi (DBO). Also read| Indo-China stand-off: Global support for India grows The PM has no words of criticism for the Indian Army, Air Force or ITBP, but only pumped up the troopers with wholesome praise and the promise of full backing, said another senior official. Family of a 58-year-old assistant sub-inspector Tukaram Ghuge, who retired on March 31 from Dongri police station and later tested positive for Covid-19, has written to the state home minister and senior police officials for financial help to meet the cost of his treatment, likely to touch Rs 25 lakh. Tukaram is currently on ventilator support at the hospital, said his son Rahul. The letter, written by his wife Sushila, states that the retired policeman was suffering from cold and fever since March 20 but did not apply for medical leave as he wanted to serve out the remaining 10 days of his police service. A local doctor later advised Tukaram to undergo a Covid-19 test. In May, his test results came positive. We had to shift him to a hospital because we stay at BIT chawl police colony in Mumbai Central, where families share common toilets, read Sushilas letter. Also Read: No differences with Maharashtra CM, says NCP minister She goes on to write that it was a struggle to admit Tukaram to a hospital due to lack of beds. He was finally admitted to Wockhardt hospital on May 6. But his condition deteriorated and he had to be put on a ventilator. His condition has not improved completely, she says in the letter. Sushila says that her husband was the sole earning member of the family and it was not possible for her to pay the huge cost of treatment at Wockhardt hospital. For Coronavirus Live Updates Tukarams son Rahul said he hoped to receive help from the government. We have been helped by our family and friends. Now we have requested the home department and Mumbai police commissioner. We are hoping that they will help us, he said. So far, Tukarams family has arranged for Rs 13.5 lakhs to pay the hospital but the bills at the hospital are still pending. Naval Bajaj, joint commissioner of police (admin) said, As per the government rule the Maharashtra Police Kutumbh Arogya Yojna expires once the police staff retires from service. However, we are exploring ways to help him. Local villagers in parts of Nepal bordering Uttarakhand are opposing the proposed Citizen Amendment Bill, which makes residency in Nepal for seven years a mandatory condition for citizenship, according to local government officials. The locals claim that the proposed bill is discriminatory towards women and will dent the age-old Roti-Beti relationship between the people of the two countries. Villagers on the Indian side of the border said if the bill is passed, they would stop marrying off their daughters in Nepal. On June 21, Nepals parliamentary committee had endorsed the proposed bill mandating a seven-year probation period for women marrying Nepalese men. Nepals citizenship amendment bill is the latest in a series of recent developments to impact ties with Uttarakhands bordering villages. Theres already an uncertainty clouding trade with Nepal in the border areas amid the pandemic and ongoing tension over conflicting territorial claims between the two countries. For Coronavirus Live Updates The residents in bordering areas claim that if the proposed citizenship amendment bill is passed, the people in border areas of India would stop marrying off their daughters to men in Nepal. If the law gets implemented then will be a major and upsetting development for us because we have not just trade but strong cultural ties with people in border areas on the Nepal side, said Gopal Singh, village head of Khumti village in Pithoragarh, about 15 km away from Nepal border. Pithoragarh is among the three Uttarakhand districts including Champawat, and US Nagar, that share borders with Nepal. Banbasa, a border town in Champawat district, is the major border crossing point in the state. If our daughters will get Nepalese citizenship after seven years of marrying a Nepalese man, then why would we marry them to a Nepalese man? She would have no rights there and is likely to be a stateless person despite living there, Singh said, adding that marriages between people of Khumti and those across the border is an old tradition. The HT Guide to Coronavirus COVID-19 There have been reports of protests in some parts of Nepal against this seven-year naturalization provision of the proposed citizenship amendment bill. Nepali Congress, Samajbadi Party Nepal and Rastriya Janata Party Nepal have also opposed the proposed bill, according to government officials who quoted sources in Nepal. Vinod Kala, a social activist in Banbasa town in Champawat district said, It will definitely affect the Roti-Beti relationship between the people of two countries and would further dent the bilateral ties. Kala claimed that at least 90% of the locals in Banbasa would be affected by the amendment. Only the remaining 10%, who are of Nepalese origin and have settled here, would be able to marry their daughters in Nepal, he said. He also claimed that the law, if enforced, would further hamper the border trade which is already under a cloud of uncertainty. The border trade with Nepal has already hit a low in Banbasa. And if this law comes, then it will probably hit the dead-end because the nationalistic sentiments of the people might get hurt, said Kala. However, some people in border areas of Nepal think the proposed law will not hurt the cultural ties between the people of the two countries as it was a political matter. Madhav Prasad Joshi, a prominent and influential trader in Kanchanpur town of Nepal near the border said, The matter is a political one but the ties are cultural which have been there for centuries...The law is not for just Indian women but every non-Nepalese women marrying Nepalese men, said Joshi. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON The Deoghar district administration has sealed all entry points to stop the arrival of pilgrims and Kanwars (the saffron-clad Saivites) following a ban on the annual Shravan Mela to be held from July 6 to August 3 at the ancient Baba Baidyanath Temple, popularly known as Babadham, because of the raging coronavirus disease (Covid-19) outbreak. Seven check-posts have been set up at Andhrigadar, Dardmara, Dumma, Chaipa More, Hindolavaran, Bhirkhibad More and Kushmaha More in a bid to bar pilgrims and Kanwars entry to the district during the holy Hindu month of Shravan, when Lord Shiva is worshipped. Over a lakh pilgrims and Kanwars visit Babadhan daily during the annual Shravan Mela to offer their prayers at the temple, one of 12 Jyotirlingas, or the most sacred abodes of Lord Shiva. On Mondays in Shravan --- the most auspicious day in the holy Hindu month --- over 2.40 lakh pilgrims and Kanwars visit the shrine on average, the official record showed. On Friday late afternoon, Deoghar deputy commissioner (DC) Nancy Sahay; superintendent of police (SP) Piyush Pandey; sub-divisional magistrate (SDM), Deoghar, Vishal Sagar; and other senior officials inspected all the seven check-posts in the district to ensure the ban on the entry of pilgrims and Kanwars to the temple town. DC Sahay has ordered that all vehicles -- whether bearing Jharkhand registration plates or other states -- must be denied entry into the district. The district authorities are also trying to create awareness about the viral outbreak and have put up posters and banners on Covid-19 along the 105-km-long Kanwar Path between neighbouring Bihars Bhagalpur district and Jharkhands Deoghar district. Public address systems have been installed at all the seven check-posts, where regular announcements are being made for pilgrims and Kanwars about the cancellation of this years Shravan Mela due to Covid-19 outbreak, said a district official. The temple has been shut since March 24, a day before nationwide lockdown restrictions were enforced to contain the pandemic. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Non-Sikkimese people undergoing Covid-19 tests in the state will now have to shell out money, a top health official of the Himalayan state said on Saturday. Till now, the Sikkim government was not charging any money either from Sikkimese or non-Sikkimese people. The decision was taken to reduce the burden on the state exchequer. Non-Sikkimese people returning to the state would have to pay Rs 3,500 for RT-PCR test and Rs 2000 for Truenat testing, said a notice issued by Keshree Rai, principal director of health services of Sikkim on Friday. Non-Sikkimese, are those who do not have Sikkim Certificates of Identity and Sikkim Subject Certificates. Sikkim was a separate kingdom till 1975 and some of its old rules are still preserved under article 371 (F) of the Constitution. Many non-Sikkimese, particularly those working in pharmaceutical companies and universities and hydro power companies, have already started returning to Sikkim, Pempa Tshering Bhutia, director general cum secretary of state health and family welfare department said. The decision was taken in a meeting held by the chief minister PS Tamang on June 30 at Gangtok. All Covid-19 tests in Sikkim are done at the state-run STNM Hospital. Till Saturday 11,242 swab samples were tested. As we were mandatorily carrying out Covid-19 tests free for all the returnees, it has put a burden on the state exchequer. From Saturday, the government has decided to charge from non-Sikkimese returnees, said Bhutia. It is also mandatory in Sikkim for all returnees to stay in quarantine for 28 days either in a state-run facility, a private paid facility or at home. Sikkim was the first state to close international borders with China, Nepal and Bhutan and two of the five border points with West Bengal. It had also banned the entry of tourists and migrant labourers. The state had zero Covid-19 cases till the time there was no movement of people. The state now has 103 cases. The first Covid-19 case was reported on May 23 when a 25-year-old man had returned from Delhi. Weather conditions that are forming certain kinds of clouds and bountiful rains in the region that are encouraging paddy farmers to be out in the field planting the crop have together resulted in a quiet tragedy in east Uttar Pradesh and Bihar that has gone almost unnoticed during the Covid-19 crisis -- death from lightning strikes. There were 26 deaths on Thursday in Bihar alone from such strikes (or flashes as they are called scientifically). On Friday, 15 people were killed in lightning strikes in different districts of the state. Another 21 people lost their lives and over 40 were injured due to lightning amid heavy rain and thunderstorms in seven districts of Bihar on Saturday. And at least 253 more people have lost their lives to lightning strikes and 49 have been injured in the past one and half months with 90% of the deaths recorded in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, according to data from the National Disaster Management Authority. The injured are undergoing treatment in local hospitals. Most of the casualties are farmers and labourers who were doing agriculture-related work in fields. Chief minister Nitish Kumar has expressed grief over the loss of lives. He has announced an ex-gratia of four lakh rupees each to the next of the kin of the deceased. Kumar has ordered free treatment of injured persons. Also read: Lightning strikes, takes 21 more lives in Bihar, CM asks people to stay indoors A mix of meteorological and behavioural factors are leading to a very high number of deaths in Bihar and east Uttar Pradesh this year, say India Meteorological Department scientists. Every year at least 2000 to 3000 deaths in India occur due to lightning strikes and torrential rains in India. But this year there is a lot of convective or thunder cloud formation in the region along with extremely heavy and widespread rains, unusual for June. Bihar has received 66% excess rains from June 1 to July 2 with 77% excess rains in the week of June 24 to July 1. East Uttar Pradesh received 72% excess rains in the same period with 79% excess only in June 24 to July 1 week. The convective clouds result in lightning of the cloud to ground type (the rarest form of lightning according to scientists, and also the one that does the most damage). There is a lot of convective activity there because the monsoon trough was passing near the Himalayan foothills and now there is a cyclonic circulation over east UP. Cloud to ground lightning (the kind which usually causes damage) is nothing but current passing from cloud to ground. Such discharge happens when certain kinds of convective clouds form. These clouds may be forming over east UP and Bihar the most now because of surface heating and weather systems bringing intense rain there. But we have to see if people in these states are taking adequate precautions against electrocution, said DS Pai, senior scientist, IMD Pune. That may not be happening. Other scientists say that intense rains have led to more farmers being out in the field making the most of the monsoon for their paddy crop. Also read| Severe lightning strikes likely in Jharkhand on July 4, 5: State govt This year the number of lightning incidents and lightning deaths is more frequent over Bihar and eastern UP because the region is seeing intense monsoon rain quite early in the monsoon in June. In previous years this region usually didnt receive such rains in June. Because of good rainfall this year in June, farmers are out in the field farming. Paddy field water also attracts electricity and farmers on the field act as conductors of electricity from the thunderstorm, explained Sunitha Devi, member of Ministry of Earth Sciences thunderstorm working group. In 2018, at least 100 people died due to thunder squalls in west UP, Rajasthan and Haryana following which the ministry of earth sciences formed a working group that developed a model to assess how many lightning flashes may occur and how strong the wind is likely to be during thunderstorms. IMDs working group can forecast approaching thunderstorms two to three days in advance but cannot pinpoint the location of lightning strikes that much ahead of time; its nowcast feature predicts the location of lightning and thunder about 3 hours in advance. Thunderstorms occur in different parts of the country. Marathwada for example is known to record the highest number of fatalities. Fatalities are not high in the pre monsoon months of April- May -- a major season for thunderstorm and lightning -- probably because people are not working on their fields. Lightning severity is more over Bihar and adjoining Uttar Pradesh due to the presence of humid air topped with comparatively drier air in the mid and upper levels, aiding more tall clouds. Over peninsular region and north east India, moisture depth and content being higher, clouds will start raining out, before growing tall. The lightning severity from such clouds are less, added Sunitha Devi. Such tall clouds are prone to cause lightning strikes or flashes, another expert explained. In monsoon season hydrometeoric (water or ice particles) concentration is more so there is more charge build up. If its a very tall cloud then charge neutralisation happens within the cloud also called intra cloud lightning. If cloud height is tall but not extremely tall there is more charge separation and cloud to ground lightning.Kharif crops are planted in this season. Paddy field acts as ionic fluid and many farmers get electrocuted at once, said Soma Sen Roy, also from the working group. According to a paper titled The major lightning regions and associated casualties over India published in Springer Nature in February, the maximum casualties are reported in Madhya Pradesh (313 deaths), Maharashtra (281 deaths) and Orissa (255 deaths) on an average every year. On Saturday, IMD warned that intense thunderstorms and lightning are likely over south-east Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, east Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, east Vidarbha and Odisha during the following 12 hours. Due to the convergence of strong moist westerly and southwesterly winds from the Arabian sea along the west coast and a cyclonic circulation over south Gujarat and its neighbourhood in lower tropospheric levels, fairly widespread to widespread and very heavy rain is most likely over Gujarat during the next 4 to 5 days and over Konkan and Goa during the next 2 days. Some extremely heavy rainfall is also very likely over Konkan during the next 24 hours; over Gujarat during July 4 to 6 and Saurashtra and Kutch during next 4 days, IMD said in an alert on Saturday. (with inputs from Avinash Kumar from Patna) The royal family has been struggling these past few months, but Prince Charles brought a good laugh through a hilarious photo. Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, are back on track after they put on hold their royal engagements due to the coronavirus pandemic. Earlier this week, the royal couple dropped by at the Cotswold Farm Park to know more about the contributions they have been offering to sustain the rare breeds of several animals. Since the beginning of the lockdown period, the farm park has remained closed to the public, but they are now preparing to reopen it again to public visitors. Prince Charles then accompanied the director of Cotswold Farm Park, Adam Henson, for a tour. Of course, the royals were followed by their PA photographer to document the royal engagement. Among the snaps taken on the farm, one hilarious picture stood out and quickly became aa fan-favorite. The hilarious picture saw the heir to the throne in the background, while a curious goat became the subject on the foreground as it gazed over the fence. The particular photo garnered a lot of comments online after one royal watcher re-uploaded the image on Twitter alongside the caption: "Thank you to the photographer. This made me laugh this morning." Prince Charles Doing His Job Again After they visited Cotswold Farm Park, Prince Charles went to Shipton Mill where he saw several freshly milled flours. The place also has flour produced from grain at Prince of Wales' own Home Farm in Tetbury. Again, the PA photographer captured the moments, and Clarence House's Twitter account shared photos from the visit. "Shipton Mill has been producing speciality flours for centuries, including Rye, Spelt, Gluten Free flours, Einkorn and Emmer," the caption read. "The mill was involved in the first Duchy Originals products, founded by HRH, in the early 1990s. To this day, it continues to produce the flour for the Duchy Originals biscuit range." The recent engagements came after Prince Charles and Camilla embraced the new normal by meeting the NHS staff at hospitals near the prince's Highgrove estate. It marked Prince Charles' second royal duty since he recovered from COVID-19. To recall, Clarence House announced that Prince Charles had tested positive for COVID-19 after experiencing mild symptoms in March 2020. Prince Charles immediately traveled to Scotland after receiving his diagnosis. He underwent self-isolation for seven days before Clarence House announced that he was already in good health and no longer in self-isolation a few days later. Camilla was also tested and fortunately did not contract the virus. Since Prince Charles is now well and healthy, royal watchers can expect to see him more in public again as he continues to wait for his time to finally be the King of Britain. READ MORE: Royal Shock: Queen Elizabeth II Phones Donald Trump For THIS! See Now: Famous Actors Who Turned Down Iconic Movie Roles People carrying forged e-tickets or fake IDs have emerged as the new security threat at the Patna international airport with the arrest of nine such persons in the past one month. Three of these arrests were made on Saturday when Mohammad Abdul Sammad, Kundan Kumar and Mohammad Ayub Khan, all from Bihars Supaul district, were nabbed with fake IDs at Jai Prakash Narayan Airport. They were trying to board a flight to Jammu via Delhi. Following a tip-off, CISF officials caught the three impersonators while they were entering the airport premises to catch an Indigo flight. They were handed over to Airport police station for further interrogation. During the interrogation, they confessed to have received tickets from two individuals named Ashok Sardar and Rohit Rishideo. Arun Kumar, SHO of the Airport police station said raids were being conducted to nab the duo. Nitish Kumar sends sample after meeting leader who tested Covid-19 positive Earlier on June 11, three personsMohammad Hussain alam, Mohammad Abdul Rehman and Balram Kumar Mahasethall from Begusarai district were caught trying to board a Spicejet fligh to Mumbai using fake IDs. Later, police arrested two agents and one of their associates who had provided them with fake IDs. The three people to be arrested were Mohammad Junaid Alam, Vivek Kumar Singh and Madhumit Kumar Singh. The people using fake IDs were taking advantage of the fact that original tickets are not checked at the entry gates and passengers are allowed to enter the premises on showing a print-out of the ticket along with an identification document. Most of those caught with fake IDs were nabbed while trying to exit the building without offering compelling reasons for the same leading to security personnel checking their tickets and IDs. Trouble appears to be brewing in the mahagathbandhan, or grand alliance, in Bihar over its chief ministerial candidate for the assembly elections later this year. The Congress has suggested a state-wide survey to identify the face of the alliance after some of its leaders voiced their opposition to Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadavs name. At a virtual meeting between former Congress president Rahul Gandhi and Bihar Congress leaders, veteran Nikhil Kumar and legislative party leader Sadanand Singh expressed strong opposition to the move to project Tejwashwi as the CM face, according to people familiar with the development. The RJD had projected 30-year-old Tejashwi as the chief ministerial candidate of the grand alliance last year. The announcement came after the RJDs national council meeting passed a resolution in Patna on December 10, 2019. The ruling Janata Dal (United)-Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) combine has already decided to fight the 2020 assembly polls under chief minister Nitish Kumars leadership. Elections are due in the 243-member Bihar assembly in October-November. A Congress leader, who attended the meeting, said on the condition of anonymity that both Nikhil Kumar and Sadanand Singh argued that the move will further alienate upper castes who despise RJD supremo Lalu Prasad and his son Tejashwi for their strong bias against forward castes. The Congress partys Bihar in-charge, Shaktisinh Gohil, then suggested that a state-wide survey should be conducted, and insisted that the grand alliance should go by the popular choice, the leader said. The issue has earlier been flagged by three constituents of the grouping Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM) leader and former chief minister Jitan Ram Manjhi, Rashtriya Lok Samata Party (RLSP) chief Upendra Kushwaha and Vikassheel Insaan Party (VIP) president Mukesh Sahani. They have repeatedly been speaking publicly against the move to project Tejashwi as the CM face, saying the RJD took the decision unilaterally. At its meeting on Friday, the Congress rejected suggestions to go it alone in the assembly elections with the leadership insisting that there is no time left for such a move. There was also a proposal to make the alliance broader by including the Left parties in it. Some leaders suggested that Congress, RJD and Left parties should come together and keep the other three parties RLSP, HAM and VIP out given that there is a big question mark on their ability to transfer votes to other constituents as seen in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, another leader said. Gohil, however, said it is important for all constituents to keep aside their egos and self interests and put up a united fight based on ideological commitment. He said the meeting also stressed the need for immediate settlement of seat-sharing and other issues among the alliance partners. Talks on these issues should not stretch to the last minute, all parties should be flexible in their approach and the alliance should exhibit great political chemistry on the ground, Gohil added. Senior leader Kishore Kumar Jha said the Congress should deal with the RJD on equal terms as far as seat-sharing is concerned. We should not agree to less than 100 seats this time. If other allies are to be accommodated, both RJD and Congress should share the burden, he said. At the meeting, another leader, Akhilesh Prasad Singh, claimed that Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) leader and Union minister Ram Vilas Paswan is in touch with him and that he is unhappy in the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA). However, Bihar LJP leader Hula Pandey rejected the claim. We have always seen that whoever we support goes on to form the government in Bihar. Since there is no one left to help Congress, they are thinking that if Ram Vilas ji goes with them, they can form the government. They (Congress) are just daydreaming, he said. An unidentified militant was killed and two soldiers injured in an encounter in south Kashmirs Kulgam district on Saturday. Officials from the Indian Army, the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Jammu and Kashmir police launched a search operation in Arreh village in the district following information about the presence of militants in the area, Gurinderpal Singh, Kulgams superintendent of police, said. During the operation, the militants opened fire on the security personnel. A militant was killed in retaliatory firing, Singh said. There are two to three militants present in the village, people familiar with the matter said. The encounter has come a day after police and CRPF personnel on Friday killed a local militant Zahid Dass in Malbagh on the outskirts of the city. His accomplices, however, managed to escape under the cover of darkness. One CRPF jawan was also killed in the encounter. On Thursday, Kashmir inspector general Vijay Kumar said that security forces have prepared a list of top militants and commanders who will be neutralized in the coming months. Many top commanders of different militant outfits have been neutralised over the last few months, Kumar said, adding that about half of those killed belonged to the Hizbul Mujahideen outfit. In last six months, over 100 militants have been killed in different encounters. According to police data, there has been a nearly 50% decline in local recruitment. Reflecting on the UP tragedy in which eight policemen were killed in an ambush, Congress leader P Chidambaram on Saturday said it was a tragedy in the making as he questioned the polices decision to go after the dreaded criminal in his own backyard after sunset. Criminals owing allegiance to dreaded criminal Vikas Dubey 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. It is difficult to believe that a trained police force will go after sunset to arrest a notorious criminal in his bastion. The tragedy was foretold. I offer my condolences to the families of the unfortunate victims, tweeted Chidambaram. In a withering criticism, the Congress leader shared his disappointment with the state that Congress last ruled 30 years ago. In a stinging swipe, the leader said the state, which sends the maximum number of MPs to Parliament, has become backward in every respect. UP is so backward in every respect that those who rule UP must hang their heads in shame. Congress was last in the government in UP in 1985-1989, that is 30 years ago. The BJP cannot blame the Congress and is wondering who can be blamed, said Chidamabaram in another tweet. UP is so backward in every respect that those who rule UP must hang their heads in shame. Congress was last in the government in UP in 1985-1989, that is 30 years ago. The BJP cannot blame the Congress and is wondering who can be blamed. P. Chidambaram (@PChidambaram_IN) July 4, 2020 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 state government faced stinging criticism from the opposition leaders over the sorry state of affairs. 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. Congress 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. Bahujan Samaj Party supremo Mayawati termed the incident shameful and unfortunate. 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. 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. A police spokesperson said the weapons snatched in Bikru included an AK-47 rifle, an INSAS rifle, a Glock pistol and two .9mm pistols. 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. Notorious criminal Vikas Dubey and his accomplices used the weapons snatched from the police to gun down eight police personnel at Bikru village in Kanpur early on Friday, the post-mortem examination confirmed. Officials also said the autopsy report corroborated initial findings that the criminal had used the police weapons to kill them. Doctors took out AK-47 cartridges from the body of constable Jitendra Kumar, according to the post-mortem report. The AK 47 rifle was one of the five weapons looted from the policemen during the failed raid on Dubeys house. The others were an INSAS rifle, a Glock pistol and two 9 mm pistols. The autopsy showed the bullets went through the bodies of four constables, indicating that they were shot from extremely close range, forensic experts said. In addition, the doctors retrieved pieces of .315 and .312 bore bullets, which were fired from rifles and single or double barrel guns, the experts added. The maximum seven bullets hit sub-inspector Anoop Kumar Singh, the experts said. Deputy SP Devendra Mishra was shot in the head, chest and legs from close range as doctors found carbon deposits around the wounds, said officials who were part of the investigation. As a result, his head was blown off and the neck was reduced to half, they said, adding there were deep gashes on his leg and below the waist. Bullets hit constable Jitendra Kumar, who was shot five times, in the hands, chest and waist region. Two bullets went through his body. Mahesh Yadav, Shivrajpur station officer, was shot in the face, back and chest five times, according to the post-mortem findings. Four bullets were found lodged in the body of sub-inspector Nebulal. The autopsy also showed that constable Babloo Kumar was shot in the temple and the chest while the body of Rahul Kumar had four gunshot wounds, they said. Constable Sultan Singh was shot five times. Brajesh Shrivastava, Superintendent of police (Rural), said the rounds and their pieces recovered during the autopsy were being sent for forensic analysis. The forensic experts on Friday had collected a number of empty bullet casings of different bores from the ground and terraces of houses to get an understanding of weapons the criminals used to fire at the cops. They used rifles, guns and country-made-weapons and fired from pistols and big weapons such as AK-47, said an official, adding a live AK-47 round was found on the spot with 9mm rounds. The US Navy is deploying its two nuclear-powered aircraft carriers - USS Nimitz and USS Ronald Reagan - to conduct exercises in the South China Sea, piling pressure on an ambitious Beijing that has opened multiple fronts including one with India along the Line of Actual Control in Ladakh. The US supercarriers are reported to be crossing Luzon Strait, the strait between Taiwan and Luzon island of the Philippines that connects Philippine Sea to the South China Sea The US deployment comes after Beijings Peoples Liberation Army Navy conducted military drills in the contested waters, provoking a sharp reaction from neighbouring states and Washington. The US navy has said its operations in the South China Sea were designed to support free and open Indo-Pacific. The purpose is to show an unambiguous signal to our partners and allies that we are committed to regional security and stability, Rear Admiral George M Wikoff commander of the strike group led by USS Ronald Reagan told Wall Street Journal, which first reported the exercises. FILE PHOTO: The Ronald Reagan Strike Group ship's the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76), the guided-missile cruiser USS Antietam (CG 54) and the guided-missile destroyer USS Milius (DDG 69) conduct a photo exercise with the Japan Maritime Self-Defence Force ship's the helicopter destroyer JS Kaga (DDH 184), the destroyer JS Inazuma (DD 105) and the destroyer JS Suzutsuki (DD 117) in the South China Sea August 31, 2018. (US Navy/Handout via Reuters) China claims 90% of the South China Sea through which about $3 trillion of trade passes each year. Over the last decade, Beijing has gone ahead to build man-made islands and set up military installations including military-grade airfields in several areas. Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam also lay claim to parts of the South China Sea, setting up many of the 21 disputes that an aggressive Beijing is embroiled in. For now, the most serious crisis is on the India-China border where armies of the two countries are locked in standoffs at multiple points in Ladakh. India has deployed its soldiers along with 1,597 km-long LAC along the entire stretch of the border in East Ladakh, prepared for any eventuality. But the LAC isnt the only part of Chinas border where it has been attempting to bulldoze its way through to expand its territory. FILE PHOTO: A general view of the aircrafts on the flight deck of the USS Nimitz aircraft carrier on patrol in the South China Sea (REUTERS) Chinas military drills in the disputed waters have been sharply criticised by its neighbours. Philippines and Vietnam had last week spoken of growing insecurity in southeast Asia at an ASEAN event last Friday amid concerns that China is using the cover of the coronavirus pandemic to step up its presence in the disputed waters. Chinas PLA Navy had started the five-day military drills on July 1, prompting Vietnam to file its formal protest to the Chinese foreign ministry. Chinas drills are being held near the Paracel Islands claimed by Vietnam and Philippines. In its strongest statement yet, the Philippines has said the exercises are being held in waters claimed by Vietnam. 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, Philippines foregn ministry said in a statement, according to news agency AP. The Philippines has a defence cooperation pact with the US. The US naval exercises come a day after Secretary of State Mike Pompeo expressed solidarity with Chinas neighbours. The PRCs (Peoples Republic of China) military exercise in disputed waters of the South China Sea is highly provocative. We oppose Beijings unlawful claims. Period, Pompeo tweeted on Friday. Pompeo has been outspoken in his criticism of Chinas expansionist approach, describing Beijing as a rogue actor for escalating tensions with India and other countries. Last month, he had underlined the degree to which the US is deploying its considerable military might with an almost single-minded determination to contain China. Shinzo Abes Japan, which had been looking at improving ties with China till some months back, is set to cancel a state visit by Xi Jinping that had been deferred from April this year due to the coronavirus pandemic. Japan, which has raised its deployment around its Senkaku Islands that China eyes, has been upset with Beijing over its practice of sending its ships to the Senkaku Islands. Since April this year, Japan has spotted 67 Chinese Coast Guard ships near the islands in the East China Sea. The 8 uninhabited islands and rocks in the East China Sea controlled by Japan have a total area of about 7 sq km and lie north-east of Taiwan and east of the Chinese mainland but are important because they are close to important shipping lanes and lie near potential oil and gas reserves. A woman migrant worker, who returned home amid the coronavirus pandemic to Odishas Jagatsinghpur district, was found dead hours after her husband passed away in an isolation ward of a Covid-19 hospital. Nirlipta Bhola and Subhadra Swain of Katijanga village under Earasama block of Jagatsinghpur district had checked into a quarantine centre after returning from Telangana on June 30. Bhola was brought to an isolation ward of the district headquarters hospital on July 1 after he fell ill at the quarantine centre. Swain accompanied him and they were allotted a room in the isolation ward. Their swab samples were also collected for the Covid-19 test. Their test reports showed them to be negative for the virus. He complained of chest pain on Thursday afternoon and his wife approached the doctors and informed their family members. He died due to cardiac arrest a few minutes later. Unable to reconcile with the death of her husband, Swain reportedly tried to slit her wrist using her bangles. She then went to the isolation ward. Ajay Swain, the medical officer, said the staff at the isolation ward had tried to stop her. It was really tragic. The couple had got married one-and-a-half year ago, said Swain. The police seized both the bodies and sent them for a postmortem examination. In a similar case, a 73-year-old man in Ganjam district died of cardiac arrest soon after hearing that his son had tested positive for Covid-19. Officials said a jeweller in Kabisuryanagar area had tested positive for the coronavirus disease after which he was sent to a Covid-19 hospital in an ambulance. The jewellers father collapsed and died when he was being taken away. Even as the news about his death spread, no one from his community turned up at his home apprehending that he had died from the infection. The body lay for hours but no one turned up to take the body to the cremation ground for the final rites till a teacher of a local private school with the help of an employee of the Kabisuryanagar NAC and four local youths cremated the body wearing PPE suits, Mohan Sundar Dash, a resident, said. Ganjam has seen more than 1,800 Covid-19 cases, the highest in Odisha, in just about a month after two lakh migrant labourers came back to the district. Goans stranded abroad for months, especially in the Persian Gulf nations, because of the suspension of international flights since March 22 due to lockdown restrictions, which were enforced to contain the spread of the raging coronavirus disease (Covid-19) outbreak, have decided to return home by chartered flights, as the governments Operation Vande Bharat missions Goa leg has left a lot to be desired. Operation Vande Bharat mission, which is the countrys biggest evacuation exercise since the then Iraqi dictator Saddam Husseins invasion of Kuwait in August 1990, is being operated by the national carrier, Air India. Three chartered flights from Sharjah and Dubai in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Kuwait both Persian Gulf nations carrying 517 stranded Goans have landed at the Goa International Airport in Dabolim a few days ago. Another seven-eight chartered flights are expected to repatriate around 1,000 stranded Goans from the UAE, including Sharjah and Dubai, and other Persian Gulf nations such as Qatar, Oman, Kuwait, etc. We have been waiting for months to get back home. Many have lost the jobs because of the Covid-19-induced economic slowdown and cant stay on in Qatar any longer. Many have other challenges and going back home is the only viable option under the circumstances. Initially, we had petitioned the government and even registered our names with the Indian Embassy in Doha and also the Goa government for the official repatriation process under Operation Vande Bharat, John de Sa, a Goan working in Qatar, told HT over the phone from Doha. De Sa along with other stranded compatriots such as Sawan Naik, Tina Fernandes have chartered an IndiGo flight that is scheduled to repatriate them to Goa on July 8. Similarly, 161 stranded Goans, including Seby Noronha and Carmo Santos, in Kuwait, had also chartered an IndiGo flight that brought them back to their home state on June 26. Flights were being arranged for all states, except Goa. Were left with no option but to make our own arrangements, Noronha said. Valencio Rodrigues has emerged as the Good Samaritan, as he is relentlessly liaisoning between the state and central governments to ensure that chartered flights have all necessary permissions such as landing rights, adequate quarantine facilities for incoming passengers etc. Rodrigues squarely blamed the Pramod Sawant-led Goa government for its inaction, as the harried stranded passengers are made to cough up exorbitant sums of passage fare to get back home. The state government should have been doing this. If I, as a layperson, could do this, what has the government been doing for all these days amid the pandemic? Rodrigues asked. The government was passive, despite several pleas from the stranded Goans. The government officials even refused to share the list of the stranded people, as the civilians took it upon themselves to ensure their safe repatriation back home, Rodrigues alleged. Vande Bharat flights to Goa have been few and far between, as only three flights have landed to date. Shipping and cruise companies have also been arranging chartered flights for their employees. But many are still dependent on Vande Bharat mission flights, as they dont have the financial means to afford chartered flights, whose fares are prohibitively expensive. Typically, it costs between Rs 30 and 40 lakh to charter a flight from a Persian Gulf nation to Goa, irrespective of the number of passengers. The organisers have to ensure that there are enough passengers for a chartered flight to make it economically viable while factoring in last-minute cancellations. There are multiple challenges. Yet, we took the risk and committed our own funds in a bid to ensure that those who are worst hit could get home at the earliest, Noronha said. We have been guided by the humanitarian cause amid these hard times, Rodrigues added. Uttar Pradesh (UP) Police on Saturday sounded an alert in all 75 districts of the state for the arrest of dreaded gangster Vikas Dubey, the prime accused in the shootout in which eight police personnel were killed in Kanpur Dehat district late at night on Thursday during a failed raid to nab him. Police officials said at least 20 dedicated teams and 3,000 police personnel across the state were deployed for the arrest of Dubey and his henchmen. Hitesh Chandra Awasthy, director-general of police (DGP), UP, said the alert was sounded across the state and the police in all the districts had been briefed about Dubeys details. The police tightened vigil at the states borders and also the porous Indo-Nepal border in a bid to prevent Dubey from fleeing the state and the country to evade arrest, he said. He said multiple police teams of Kanpur and the UP Special Task Force was working for the arrest of Dubey and his accomplices. He said KS Pratap Kumar, additional director-general (ADG), crime, was asked to monitor the entire operation related to Dubeys arrest. Prashant Kumar, ADG, law and order; and Amitabh Yash, inspector-general (IG), UP Special Task Force (STF), were also involved in the operation, he added. Another senior official said police chiefs of seven districts along the Indo-Nepal border were asked to intensify patrolling on each and every route that could be used to cross the international border. He said the officials were directed to coordinate with the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB), which guards the 599.3-kilometre open international border that UP shares with Nepal. Bahraich, Shravasti, Balrampur, Siddharthnagar, Maharajganj, Pilibhit and Lakhimpur Kheri districts have open borders with Nepal. The official said police teams in plainclothes were also deployed around court premises amid speculations that Dubey could make an attempt to surrender. He said several lawyers were taken into confidence to give a tip-off to the police about Dubey in case he approaches them to surrender in court. Over 500 mobile phones of Dubeys family members, relatives, and accomplices were also under electronic surveillance, he added. 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) 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. As part of their desire to start anew outside the monarchy, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have let go a big part of their former lives as senior royals. The time of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex has officially ended after the royal couple formally started the process of closing down their Sussex Royal charity. As soon as they stepped down from their roles and left the monarchy, Prince Harry and Meghan agreed not to use the "Sussex Royal" name in any of their future endeavors. Now, months after they made the decision, their charity "formally enters a period of solvent liquidation." According to Harper's BAZAAR, a source confirmed that closing down the charity is underway. "During this period all Trustees will step down from their roles, except for The Duke of Sussex who will formally remain as a Director and Trustee until the liquidation process is complete," the insider said. "The Duke and Duchess remain incredibly grateful for the support and guidance the Trustees have given during this period." In addition, the insider noted that Prince Harry's enviroment initiative called Travalyst is now the sole program in operation. Once the liquidation process has been completed, all assets from the Sussex Royal charity will be transferred to the ex-royal couple. Banned Sussexes Before the couple officially left the Firm in April 2020, Queen Elizabeth II banned Prince Harry and Meghan Markle from continuing the use of the brand. The two then released a statement pledging that they would no longer use their Sussex Royal name. Their representative added that the trademark applications that were submitted as part of protective measures for the Sussex brand had been canceled. The heartbreaking news emerged after Travalyst omitted "His Royal Highness" from Harry's name on their website. Previously, the website's mission statement stated that the program was led by "HRH The Duke of Sussex." Now, it only reads "led by The Duke of Sussex." Harry has also dropped their family name Mountbatten-Windsor. Instead of using his royal name, he listed it as "Prince Henry Charles Albert David Duke of Sussex." Sussexes' Plans Failing? Everything that the Sussexes are doing is part of their plan to start their new charitable organization Archewell. "Like you, our focus is on supporting efforts to tackle the global COVID-19 pandemic but faced with this information coming to light, we felt compelled to share the story of how this came to be," the Sussex couple explained to The Telegraph. But despite having a concrete plan for their future, The Sun reported last June that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex failed on their first major project after their trademark application has been rejected. Per the news outlet, the royal couple did not sign the paperwork and failed to pay the fee, pushing the United States Patent and Trademark Office to block their application. For what it's worth, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have redirected their attention towards the BLM movement and the current pandemic, moving Archwell's launch to 2021. READ MORE: Meghan Markle Mistake: Duchess Makes Embarrassing Blunder In Court Case See Now: Famous Actors Who Turned Down Iconic Movie Roles A month ago, director general of police HC Awasthi expressed concern over attacks by criminals on police personnel. In a circular issued on June 4, the state police chief directed police of all the districts, as well as the commissioners of police of Lucknow and Noida, to crack down on criminal elements to check recurrence of such incidents. The increasing attacks on the police put a question mark on the leadership of superintendents of police and other senior officers posted in police ranges and zones, he said. Awasthi said criminal gangs attacked police teams to escape from the spot or to get criminals released from police custody. In many cases, it was observed that a delay in cases of murder, kidnapping, rape or biased action by policemen provoked criminal elements to target police personnel. Lack of strict action boosted the morale of criminals, he said. Police officers should coordinate with influential local people and peoples representatives, Awasthi said. Attacks on police personnel not only made an adverse impact on their morale but also on their image, he noted. Police officers should move with adequate force o take on the gangsters, he said. Authorities in Uttar Pradesh Kanpur Dehat district demolished the house of gangster Vikas Dubey on Saturday, a day after eight police personnel were gunned down by his men during an attempt to arrest him. Officials said the Vikas Dubeys house in Bikru village of the district has been demolished with the same earthmover machine he used to block access to the road to his fortified one-storey house. Two of his SUVsa Scorpio and a Fortunerwas also destroyed, according to officials. Eight policemen, including a deputy superintendent, were killed by Vikas Dubey and his men early on Friday in a 15-minute ambush, officials have said. Seven other people, including a civilian, were also injured in the attack from the roofs of Dubeys residence and the houses nearby. 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. A source in the police department said the initial investigation hinted that Dubey was well aware of the police raid at his house and prepared to deal with it. Dubey was apparently tipped off by his men in the police department about the force from three police stations in Bilhaur, Bithoor and Chaubeypur moving towards his village. The killings prompted a massive hunt for 48-year-old Vikas Dubey, a hardened criminal who faces 60 cases and carries a reward of Rs 25,000, and his group after they escaped Bikru village in the dark. To nab Vikas Dubey and his accomplices, as many as 25 teams have been formed which are conducting raids in different districts of the state and other states as well, Mohit Agarwal, inspector general of police, Kanpur, said on Saturday, according to news agency PTI. Police said the surveillance team was scanning more than 500 mobile phones and efforts were on to retrieve information related to Dubey, who has faced about 60 criminal cases. The special task force (STF) of UP police has also been roped in. Actor Akshay Kumars Nashik trip by helicopter created a stir as the districts guardian minister, Chhagan Bhujbal, said on Saturday that he received complaints of violation of lockdown rules and he asked the local administration to probe the same. Later in the evening, Bhujbal said that the actor had come to visit a doctor and there was no flouting of rules when providing him police protection. The minister said that after the preliminary information he received, he does not find any reason to probe the issue further. Bhujbal, while speaking to the media after the inauguration of a Covid-19 facility in Nashik on Saturday morning, said that he had received complaints about the actors trip. He said he was surprised that when the chief minister of the state and ministers travel by road, how the actor received VIP treatment and how he could fly in a helicopter amid the lockdown. He said that he would seek information from officials and check if there was any flouting of rules and how was he provided police escort by the city police when he was travelling to the rural area of the district. Kumar had visited Trimbakeshwar, a temple town on the outskirts of Nashik, four days ago, and had shared photos of his visit on social media. According to local media reports, several senior police officers met him during his stay in Nashik. Kumars photographs at the helipad went viral and triggered a controversy in Nashik as people from the district raised questions about the permission given to the actor to travel and stay at a resort during the lockdown amid rising cases of Covid-19. CM Uddhav Thackeray had travelled by road to Pandharpur in Solapur two days ago for a traditional puja at Vitthal temple on occasion of Ashadi Ekadashi. Other ministers and influential people, too, were denied permissions by the administrations, making them travel by road. Later in the evening Bhujbal told HT, I had said in the morning that I would check into the incident and how he got permission to fly and stay. Later, the district collector informed me that the actor had paid a visit to one Dr Ashraf in Trimbakeshwar. The Nashik police commissioner had called on him there and the escort, about which complaints were received, was for the commissioner. As far as the flying permission is concerned, the flight originated from Mumbai and it needs to be checked into by the authorities there. For us [the Nashik district administration], the chapter is closed now. When HT contacted the actor, his team said, Akshay had travelled there for health reasons to meet Dr Ashraf, and he had all the required permissions for the same. Local officers said the actor had visited Trimbakeshwar as he is planning to set up a Martial Art and Meditation Centre in the vicinity. The wife of a 58-year-old assistant sub-inspector (ASI), who retired on March 31 from Dongri police station and later tested positive for Covid-19, wrote to the home minister and senior police officers seeking financial help, as his treatment expenses are likely to be Rs25 lakh. The retired personnel is undergoing treatment at a private hospital and has been put on a ventilator. The family has arranged for Rs13.5 lakh, his son said. We have been helped by our family and friends to a great extent. Now we have requested the home department and Mumbai Police commissioner to help us and we are hoping that they will, the retired ASIs son said. The family stays at BIT chawl police colony at Mumbai Central. In her letter, the retired ASIs wife stated that her son is studying in college and her husband was the only earning member of the family. Thus, it was not possible for her to pay the amount. Naval Bajaj, joint commissioner of police (admin), said, As per the rules, the Maharashtra Polices Kutumb Arogya Yojana [under which police personnel and their families can avail free treatment] expires once a staff member retires from the service. However, we are exploring other ways through which we can help him. According to the letter, the ASI was suffering from cold and fever on March 20. He did not apply for medical leave as he wanted to serve for the 10 days left in his service, stated the letter. Later, even after retiring on March 31, he continued to remain unwell for more than a month. The ASI visited a local physician, who suggested him to undergo a Covid-19 test, in which he tested positive. In May, his test results came positive and we had to shift him to a hospital. We tried to admit him to several hospitals, but there were no beds available. Then I received a call from the private hospital and we admitted him there on May 6. His condition deteriorated and he had to be put on ventilator. His condition has not completely improved yet, the letter stated. The Mumbai Polices crime branch arrested two people for allegedly making bogus e-pass and fake medical certificates for travelling in the state during lockdown. The accused charged 5,000 for fake police e-pass and 1,000 for fake medical certificate for travelling to other districts in Maharashtra as well as the country. According to norms, police e-pass and medical certificates are compulsory to travel to other states or districts during lockdown. The arrested accused are Ravindra Dhige, 39, a Kalyan resident, and Namdev Shankar Dighe, 25, a resident of Bhandup. Officers of crime branchs unit 7 got a tip-off about a gang duping people who wanted to visit other districts in Maharashtra from the Mumbai metropolitan region (MMR) by providing fake police e-pass. Following the information, police inspector Manish Dhankar contacted the accused posing as a customer and said he required e-pass and medical certificate to visit his hometown in Solapur. The accused agreed and demanded 5,000 for the pass and 1,000 for fitness certificate (medical certificate), said deputy commissioner of police (crime branch) Akbar Pathan. The accused then called Dhankar to meet in Bhandup where the police laid a trap and nabbed Namdev who came in a private car to deliver e-pass. During interrogation, he confessed that his cousin brother Ravindra is the mastermind, said Pathan. A police team then nabbed Dhige. Both the accused were produced in the court and have been remanded in police custody till July 9. Further inquiry is going on to find out if others are involved in the racket, said Pathan. An Indo-Nepal joint field survey team has started work for an amicable resolution to a land border dispute at Dhaka block in Bihars East Champaran district amid strained diplomatic ties between the two neighbouring countries. A two-member survey team from Dehradun, aided by their counterparts from Nepal, has measured the disputed land at Baluwa village in Dhaka block under Sikarahana subdivision of the East Champaran district on Thursday and Friday. The two-day survey has been conducted by a joint team from India and Nepal.There will be clarity after the report is submitted, said Shirsat Kapil Ashok, district magistrate (DM), East Champaran. Earlier, DM Ashok had sought the help of the Geological Survey of India (GSI) officials after the Nepalese authorities last month raised objection over the fortification work being done along the embankment of the Lalbakeya river in Dhaka block in a bid to contain the flood fury. Nepalese authorities maintained that some parts of the construction fell under their territorial jurisdiction. The construction work for about 400 metres -- between pillar number 346/5 and 346/7 -- had to be suspended following Nepals objection. The joint survey team has made demarcation at certain places on the Indo-Nepal border. However, we need to wait for the report, said Babban Singh, an engineer, who works for the states flood control and drainage division. The demarcation has been put at 14 places, said local villagers. Located about 45 kilometres (km) north-east from Motihari town, the headquarters of East Champaran district, the embankment on the Lalbakeya river starts from a railway track and stretches up to about 4.11 km along Baluwa and Guabari villages in Dhaka block on the Indo-Nepal border. Of the 4.11-km-long embankment, 3.6 km was to be fortified before the onset of monsoon fury. The villagers are worried about the suspension of the fortification work along the embankment. Over a dozen villages, including Gubari, Baluwa, Bhawanipur, Heerapur, Mahuwaha, Phoolwariya, Chandanbara, Distiya, Barewa, Kusmahwa, Saratha, and Jamuwa among others, will be submerged by floodwater, if there is a breach in the embankment this monsoon. Lalbakeya river, which traces its source in Nepal, passes through the villages of Dhaka block before it becomes a tributary of Bagmati river. The river turns swollen during monsoon because of heavy rains in adjoining hilly Nepal. The district administration has assured all help to the panic-stricken villagers. All necessary fortification work will be done soon in compliance with the Central governments guidelines, said an official. Lightning strikes continue to take lives in Bihar with twenty-one more deaths and over 40 injuries reported in the state amid heavy rain and thunderstorms on Saturday, according to the state disaster management authority. However, the chief ministers office has put the number of casualties at 20. Fifteen people were killed in lightning strikes in different districts of the state on Friday. The injured are undergoing treatment in local hospitals. Most of the fresh casualties are farmers and labourers who were working in the fields. Chief minister Nitish Kumar has expressed grief over the loss of lives while announcing an interim relief of four lakh rupees each to the next of the kin of the deceased. Kumar has also ordered free treatment for the injured. Of the 21 people killed by lightning during the last 12 hours in the state, nine were from Bhojpur, five from Saran, three from Kaimur, two from Patna and one each from Buxar and Gaya districts. One woman was among the nine casualties and 10 injuries reported from Grahni, Narayanpur, Udwant Nagar, Ara Sadar and Agiyaon localities of Bhojpur. Bhojpur DM Roshan Kushwaha confirmed the incident and ordered the concerned Circle Officers to provide financial assistance to the next of kin of the deceased. For Coronavirus Live Updates According to the reports from Saran, five persons including a woman from Marhaura were killed after being struck by lightning. 35-year old farmer Chandan Singh of Nathua village died when he was working in his agriculture field. Similarly, Sony Devi, 50, was also struck by lightning at Narharpur locality while returning from her agricultural field. Casualties were also reported from Rivilganj, Bheldi and Taraiya localities. Altogether 10 persons in Madhubani, four persons each in Siwan and Buxar, three in Bhabhua and two in Sasaram were injured due to lightning strikes. The HT Guide to Coronavirus COVID-19 Nitish Kumar has appealed to the people to be vigilant and follow the guidelines issued by the disaster management department for protection against lightning during the inclement weather. He suggested that people stay at home during rains. Pune rural police seized illicit liquor estimated to be worth Rs two crore and arrested 835 persons engaged in illegal activities related to liquor trade in two months during the lockdown period. As many as 908 cases have also been registered regarding the same, said police. The action was taken under the direction of Sandip Patil, SP, Pune rural, who ordered action under the Prohibition Act after receiving complaints about illicit liquor being supplied on a large scale. Despite lockdown wine shop owners were charging high price for liquor and indulging in black marketing, he said. Action was taken primarily in Baramati and Purandar talukas where maximum number of complaints were lodged, said Patil. Our officials raided many places during the lockdown period and carried out a drive against sale of illicit liquor and illegal liquor trade, said Patil. Many wine shop owners who were selling expensive foreign liquor at exorbitant prices were also arrested and booked under the relevant sections of the Maharashtra Prohibition Act, he said. The police also continued their action against those engaged in the illegal liquor trade post lockdown and took undue advantage of the relaxations. Earlier, the rural police had sought cancellation of licenses of those establishments in under their jurisdiction who were found to be selling Indian Made Foreign (IMFL), liquor and other alcoholic drinks during the lockdown period in March, April and May. Telugu producer Pokuri Rama Rao, best known for films such as Ranam and Yagnam, died after testing positive for the coronavirus. He was 65. As per a report by 123 Telugu, Rama Rao was admitted to a hospital after testing positive for coronavirus. He was undergoing treatment and was on ventilator support when he breathed his last. The report further added that nearly ten months ago, Rama Rao had undergone a cardiac surgery for heart-related ailments. The Times of India also reported that Rama Rao passed away due to cardiac arrest while undergoing treatment at a private hospital in Hyderabad. Rama Raos family is yet to officially confirm the cause of death. Brother of popular producer Babu Rao, they produced films under the banner Eetharam Films. Rama Rao was known for his regular collaborations with actor Gopichand. Earlier this week, Telugu television actors Navya Swamy and Boddu Prabhakar tested positive. Both of them are currently undergoing treatment. Producer Bandla Ganesh also tested positive for the coronavirus last month. After experiencing a mild headache for three or four days, Navya got herself tested following her doctors advice. While she has quarantined herself, the cast and crew of the show have also undergone tests and have reportedly quarantined themselves. Also read: Telugu TV actor Navya Swamy tests positive for Covid-19, stops shooting immediately Last night, I cried a lot while going home and even until early in the morning. I couldnt sleep. My mom is still crying. My phone was busy; I was talking to a lot of people. My WhatsApp was flooded with messages about the symptoms, treatment, and much more. It was chaotic. I was even feeling guilty that I put my co-stars and crew in trouble, too, Navya was quoted in a report by The Times of India. Navya also took to instagram to share a video about her testing positive for COVID-19. She revealed that shes been eating healthy and taking care of herself to build immunity. Follow @htshowbiz for more ott:10:ht-entertainment_listing-desktop 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 The 236 deaths reported from Chennai which were missing from the states tally should be considered as suspected Covid-19 deaths, a committee formed to reconcile the numbers has said in its report, two senior officials in the state health department confirmed to the Hindustan Times. The reconciliation exercise is complete and we have submitted the report to the government, a senior official of the Tamil Nadu Directorate of Public Health and Preventive Medicine (DPH) said. In early June, the (DPH) found that the death registry maintained by the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) recorded 236 deaths that were not added to the states tally. On June 12 the DPH formed a committee to reconcile Covid-19 related deaths for Chennai, which had reported 294 deaths till then. Also read| Covid-19: Tamil Nadu becomes 2nd state to cross 100,000-mark The committee, headed by Dr P Vadivelan, has submitted the report to the state government, which will study it before making a final decision on the total number of deaths, the two officials said. The panel studied the 530 deaths reported from Chennais government and private hospitals between March and June 12. With respect to the 236 deaths, the panel had to study what constituted a Covid-19 death, the officials said. Few experts were of the opinion that 49 out of the 236 deaths should be deducted because the primary cause of death was not Covid-19, though they tested positive, a senior official of the health department who did not wish to reveal his identity, said. Medical experts of the panel additionally studied 21 deaths of Covid-19 positive persons that occurred at home, the senior official said. Tamil Nadu follows the Indian Council of Medical Research protocol of registering a Covid-19 death, even if the person dies due to other comorbidities or is terminally ill but has tested positive. Even if a person dies by suicide or of leukaemia but is positive, we register it as a Covid-19 death, the health department official quoted above said. The mismatch in the tally was attributed to a procedural lapse by some private hospitals, which are meant to report Covid-19 related deaths to both the GCC and the DPH, but reported the numbers only to the former. Home deaths are also recorded by the corporation, which oversees the citys 68 burial grounds. Also read: Kerala begins tracing contacts of those testing Covid-19 positive in Tamil Nadu When bodies came wrapped as per Covid-19 protocols, we entered it as a Covid death in the registry at the burial ground, said GCC commissioner G Prakash. While the city health officer is the registrar who issues death certificates in Chennai, the DPH is the chief registrar of births and deaths GCC officials said that following this mismatch, they have been updating the DPH of deaths it registers every day. On July 4, Chennai reported 37 out of 65 deaths in Tamil Nadu on that day, taking the toll to 1,033 and 1,450, respectively. It is as yet unclear if the verified deaths from the 236 cases were simultaneously added to the states health bulletin. In the June 13 bulletin, a special character was introduced in the Chennai column to denote reconciled figures which included a few deaths from May. On June 17, Maharashtra added 1328 fatalities to its Covid-19 death tally after a reconciliation exercise. A death audit committee was also formed in Delhi after the municipalities and the state reported separate figures of deaths due to the coronavirus. An influential American Senator on Friday said that the US stands with India against the Chinese aggression in eastern Ladakh along the Line of Actual Control, commending the Indian government for the continued efforts to negotiate a peaceful resolution to the boundary issue. Republican Senator Rick Scott, in a letter dated July 2 to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, expressed his condolences on the loss of lives of 20 Indian soldiers in the Galwan Valley. The United States stands with India as you fight against the Communist Chinas aggression and I commend your continued efforts to negotiate a peaceful resolution, Scott said in the letter tweeted on Friday. Unfortunately, we know Communist China never lives up to its commitments. The tyrants of Communist China continue to steal technology and refuse to open their markets to foreign goods as required by their agreement to be part of the World Trade Organisation, he wrote. China, he alleged, continues to attack religious freedom by detaining more than one million Uyghurs in internment and reeducation camps and have not lived up to the agreement to give Hong Kong autonomy and freedom, he said. Scott said that China is militarising the South China Sea, even though it had promised former president Barack Obama not to do it, and now it continues to try to assert its military dominance in its quest for world dominance. Communist China believes that in order for them to be strong, America, India and other freedom loving countries must be weaker. They are cracking down on freedom and autonomy in Hong Kong, and continue to threaten Taiwan and India, he said. If it continues down this path, Communist Chinas neighbours will have no choice but to treat it as a serious threat that uses military force against peaceful democratic powers, he wrote in the letter. As you continue to stand against Communist China and General Secretary of the Communist Party Xi (Jinping), I want to offer help in any way I can to the Republic of India, the worlds largest democracy and our ally. The United States will always defend our allies and those fighting for freedom, Scott added. 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. The Partition Museum in Amritsar has been shortlisted for the 2020 Museums + Heritage Awards for its 2019 collaborative exhibition Jallianwala Bagh 1919: Punjab Under Siege with the Manchester Museum, organisers of the exhibition said on Saturday. The joint project has been short-listed under the category of International Project of the Year < 1M. The London-based Museums + Heritage Awards celebrate the very best within museums, galleries and heritage visitor attractions for over 10 years. The award function will take place virtually on September 22 out of London, a joint statement from the Partition Museum and the Manchester Museum said. The co-curated exhibition was the first time that two museums in cities affected by colonialism, Amritsar and Manchester, came together to re-examine the massacre that eventually brought about the end of the British empire. The exhibition included archival and audio-visual material which shared the narrative of the massacre through eyewitness accounts, photographs and official documents. It coincided with the centenary of the massacre in April 2019, and the bicentenary commemorations for the Peterloo massacre. We are very excited to be shortlisted by the Museums + Heritage Awards Committee for our collaborative exhibition with the Manchester Museum. We continue our work to remember and commemorate local histories, said Mallika Ahluwalia, curator of the Partition Museum. The museum in Amritsar was founded by the Arts and Cultural Heritage Trust and inaugurated in August 2017 as the first and only partition museum in the world, housing oral histories, donated personal artefacts and archival material, dedicated to those who lost their lives or loved ones in the largest mass migration in human history. Created through donations, the Partition Museum was awarded the Media, Arts and Culture Award at the second annual UK-India Awards 2018 in London. The Manchester Museum, part of the University of Manchester, opened in 1890 and is the UKs largest university museum with a collection of about 4.5 million items from every continent. Canada has suspended its extradition treaty with Hong Kong, as part of a series of measures precipitated by the enactment of a national security law by China that threatens the autonomy of the city-territory. During a press conference in Gatineau, Quebec, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau also announced that effective immediately Canada will prohibit the sale of sensitive military items to Hong Kong. Till date, ties between Canada and Hong Kong were treated separately from those with China, but that has changed with the passage of the controversial legislation by the Standing Committee of the National Peoples Congress of China. Concerns in Ottawa have also heightened because nearly 300,000 Canadians live in Hong Kong. Trudeau said that Canada is a firm believer in the one country, two systems framework that applied to Hong Kong after its handover to China by the British. Canada expressed its serious concern over the passage of the national security law that will sabotage Hong Kongs democratic tradition. It also issued a new travel advisory for Hong Kong which said that Canadians going there may be at increased risk of arbitrary detention on national security grounds and possible extradition to mainland China. In a statement, Honourable Francois-Philippe Champagne, Canadas Minister of Foreign Affairs, criticized the move by Beijing, as he said, This legislation was enacted in a secretive process, without the participation of Hong Kongs legislature, judiciary or people, and in violation of international obligations. 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. Hong Kongs role as a global hub was built on that foundation. Without it, Canada is forced to reassess existing arrangements. The suspension of the extradition pact and imports of military equipment are among the initial changes. Canada is also contemplating steps related to immigration for impacted Hong Kongers. Relations between Canada and China are already at their worst in decades, after Beijing arbitrarily arrested two Canadians, including a diplomat, days after the detention of senior Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou in Vancouver, where is facing trial that could lead to extradition to the United States in a case related to defrauding a bank to bypass sanctions against the Iranian regime. The two Canadians were recently charged with spying, and Ottawa has accused Beijing of using them for hostage diplomacy. Chinese president Xi Jinpings state visit to Japan, initially scheduled for April but put off due to the coronavirus pandemic, is set to be scuttled by Tokyo after loud protests within Prime Minister Shinzo Abes ruling Liberal Democratic Party. Xis state visit would have been the first by a Chinese President since 2008. Tensions have been simmering between China and Japan for some time but the latest provocation for LDP lawmakers to formally ask the government to reconsider Xis visit is Chinas imposition of the national security law over Hong Kong. Japanese lawmakers are deeply concerned about Chinas clampdown in Hong Kong. Japan fears the sweeping Chinese security law that came into effect this week would undermine the rights of Japanese people and companies in Hong Kong. Also Read: Indo-China stand-off: Global support for India grows Japan has accused China of exploiting the coronavirus pandemic to push its aggressive diplomacy and tighten its grip over Hong Kong, a global financial hub where Japan has significant interests. About 1,400 Japanese companies have a presence in Hong Kong, which is the worlds largest importer of Japanese agricultural goods. The Japanese business community is concerned that the Chinese national security legislation would shake the foundations of Hong Kong. Also Read: PM Modis surprise visit to Ladakh is a game-changer: Experts Japan has strongly criticised the move, saying it erodes Hong Kongs freedom and goes against the promise of allowing a high degree of autonomy in the former British colony for 50 years after its return to China in 1997. Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi issued a statement of regret over the legislation in which he urged China to respect the rights of Japanese people and companies operating in Hong Kong. Chinas Territorial Hunger The visit by Chinese leader could have helped to smoothen bilateral ties long frayed over wartime history and territorial issues. In recent weeks, however, China has continued to send ships to waters near the Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea. Since April this year, Japan has spotted 67 Chinese Coast Guard ships near these waters, heightening the already tense situation brewing over the mishandling of coronavirus pandemic by China. Japans Defence Minister Taro Kono said Chinas behaviour over the East China Sea Islands was jeopardising peace in the region. The statement came amid long-simmering tensions between the two countries over the Senkaku Islands in Japan and Diaoyu in China which falls in the East China Sea. Also Read: Japan opposes any unilateral attempt to change status quo on LAC Rhetoric has risen in recent days, with Japan reporting increased activity from China in the area. Japan had scrambled fighter jets after the Chinese military flew near Japanese airspace. If Japan retaliates, the move could trigger a massive military conflict in the region which can involve the United States in the matter as Washington is bound to defend Tokyo in pursuant of the defence treaty between the two countries. At a recent news conference, Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga stressed that the Senkaku Islands are under our control and are unquestionably our territory, historically and under international law. We think it is an extremely serious matter that these activities continue. We will respond firmly and calmly to the Chinese side, the top Japanese official said. Chinas claims that the Diaoyu Islands and its affiliated islands are an inherent part of Chinas territory and it is Beijings inherent right to carry out patrols and law enforcement activities in these waters. Communist Party of Chinas mouth-piece, The Global Times wrote that the Japanese conservatives disrupt recovering China-Japan ties by hyping the Diaoyu Islands dispute. The chain of uninhabited disputed islands lie east of the Chinese mainland and south-west of Japans Okinawa Island. They are close to strategically important shipping lanes and offer rich fishing grounds with vast reserves of oil and natural gas in this swathe of the sea has made these islands that barely covers an area of 7 square kilometre coveted by both Japan and China. In 2012, the Japanese government bought three of the islands from their private Japanese owner who have held them since the 1930s, a move which sparked a new row and protests in Chinese cities. Since then, Chinese ships have been sailing in and out of what Japan says are its territorial waters, prompting fears of a clash. Amid the growing domestic disquiet over Chinas behaviour and heightened security concerns, Japanese Defence Minister Taro Kono also sounded a cautious note about welcoming Xi, saying that the security situation facing Japan should be taken into consideration. As Defence Minister responsible for security, I will make my voice heard within the government, he said in a press conference held last week. Pakistan and China have a tradition of mutual support to each other in the face of common challenges, foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi has said against the backdrop of the India-China border standoff. Qureshi made the remarks during a phone conversation with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi on Friday, during which they discussed bilateral and regional issues. Qureshi also contended that Indias belligerent posture and expansionist policies were imperilling peace in the region, according to a statement from Pakistans Foreign Office. The conversation was held amid the months-old standoff between Indian and Chinese border troops. China has deployed additional troops along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) even as three rounds of talks between Indian and Chinese military commanders has not resulted in substantial efforts to de-escalate the situation. During the phone conversation, Qureshi said Pakistan and China are all-weather strategic cooperative partners and had preserved a tradition of expressing solidarity, mutual assistance and mutual support to each other in the face of common challenges. Without referring to the border standoff with India, Qureshi also said Pakistan is committed to the One-China policy and firmly supports China on its core interests including Hong Kong, Taiwan, Tibet and Xinjiang. He added that disputes in the region should be resolved through peaceful means and agreed mechanisms rather than resorting to unilateral, illegal and coercive measures that he claimed were reflected by Indias decision to scrap Jammu and Kashmirs special status in August last year. Qureshi contended that the regional security situation was deteriorating and underlined that Indias belligerent posture and expansionist policies were imperilling peace in the region. Apart from committing egregious violations of human rights in [Jammu and Kashmir], India was seeking to change the demographic structure of the occupied territory, he said. He also briefed Wang on what he described as repeated violations by India along the Line of Control (LoC) and said Pakistan was exercising restraint. Wang briefed Qureshi on the regional situation and lauded Pakistans efforts to promote peace and stability. Wang also thanked Pakistan for the support it has extended to China during difficult and challenging times. Both sides said they would support each other at multilateral institutions. The two foreign ministers also said they would promote peace and development in Afghanistan. They hoped the next meeting of the China-Afghanistan-Pakistan foreign ministers dialogue will take place at the earliest. Both sides also said they would take steps for the earliest possible economic recovery in the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic. Qureshi said the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) will become the hub of trade and economic activity and sustainable development. Pakistan and China are taking steps to help the timely completion of CPEC projects, he added. Wang said CPEC is a flagship project of BRI and its second phase will complement Pakistans efforts aimed at job creation, enhancing agricultural productivity, reducing poverty and massive economic recovery. He thanked Pakistan for supporting Chinas idea of a Health Silk Road to address the regions social and economic needs. Both sides said they would implement consensus reached by the leadership of the two countries to deepen strategic consultation and coordination to promote shared goals of peace and stability. The ministers also decided to have a face-to-face meeting soon to discuss challenges facing the region. The girlfriend of President Donald Trumps eldest son has tested positive for coronavirus, US media reported Friday. Kimberly Guilfoyle, a former Fox News television personality who is dating Donald Trump Jr, had travelled to South Dakota to see the US presidents Fourth of July speech and celebration fireworks at Mount Rushmore. Guilfoyle, 51, was immediately isolated after discovering she had the virus in a routine test conducted on anyone expected to come in close contact with the president, the New York Times reported. In a statement to the newspaper, Sergio Gor, chief of staff to the Trump campaigns finance committee, said: Shes doing well, and will be retested to ensure the diagnosis is correct since shes asymptomatic. He added: As a precaution (she) will cancel all upcoming events. Donald Trump Jr was tested negative, but as a precaution is also self-isolating and is cancelling all public events. Guilfoyle is the third person close to the US president to return a positive Covid-19 test, US media reported. Others include Trumps personal valet and the US vice presidents press secretary. The pandemic has claimed nearly 130,000 American lives and a recent resurgence puts the entire country at risk, top infectious disease expert Anthony Fauci has said. We have it totally under control, President Donald Trump said in late January. A month later: The Coronavirus is very much under control in the USA. April and May brought the deadliest stretch of Covid-19 to date. And this past week, the number of new coronavirus cases per day hit an all-time high of 50,000. Trump persisted in his empty assurances. The virus is getting under control, he said Wednesday. His press secretary described the surge in many parts of the country as embers. The president acknowledged flames here and there. They cast word confetti over a pandemic that has killed more than 128,000 people in the U.S., while the president talked up a July Fourth fireworks celebration on the National Mall and told those who come Saturday to wear masks if it makes them feel good. A sampling of recent statements and how it compares with reality: VIRUS THREAT TRUMP, describing the Covid-19 threat as getting under control: Some (places) were doing very well, and we thought they (the virus) may be gone and they flare up, and were putting out the fires. remarks Thursday on a jobs report. TRUMP: I think we are going to be very good with the coronavirus. I think that, at some point, thats going to sort of just disappear, I hope. interview Wednesday on Fox Business Network. THE FACTS: The virus is not going to disappear, says Dr. Anthony Fauci, the governments top infectious disease expert. Nor can it be considered under control as cases have been surging to fresh daily highs. The number of confirmed cases in the U.S. per day has roughly doubled over the past month, hitting 50,000 on Wednesday, according to a count kept by Johns Hopkins University. That is higher even than what the country experienced from mid-April through early May, when deaths sharply rose. Fauci warned this past week that the increase across the South and West puts the entire country at risk and that new infections could reach 100,000 a day if people dont start listening to guidance from public health authorities to wear a mask and practice social distancing. During one of the biggest weekends of the summer for July Fourth, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advised Americans to wear face coverings at the beach, though not in the water. Arizona, California, Florida and Texas have recently been forced to shut down bars and businesses as virus cases surge. The U.S. currently has more than 2.7 million known cases and many more undetected. Fauci has said there certainly will be coronavirus infections in the fall and winter. ___ VICE PRESIDENT MIKE PENCE: While were monitoring about 16 states that are seeing outbreaks, it represents about 4 percent of all the counties in this country. interview with CBS aired Sunday. THE FACTS: Thats a misleading portrayal of the virus threat. More than 20% of Americans actually live in those relatively few counties. The White House provided The Associated Press with the full list of U.S. counties that reported increases in Covid-19 cases as of a week ago, when Pence and other administration officials repeatedly cited the low county tally. The list showed 137 of the 3,142 counties in the U.S. that were under a higher alert indeed, about 4% in that snapshot of time. But measured by population, those counties represent a vastly higher share more than 1 in 5 people in the U.S. Altogether there are 68.3 million people living in those 137 counties, while there is a total U.S. population of 322.9 million. That means 21.1% of U.S. residents actually live in the virus hot spots identified in the list. ___ TRUMP ON BIDEN TRUMP: Biden was asked questions at his so-called Press Conference yesterday where he read the answers from a teleprompter. That means he was given the questions. tweet Wednesday. THE FACTS: Biden did not read answers off a teleprompter. Nor did The Associated Press, which asked the first question at the briefing, submit questions in advance. Biden used a teleprompter to read prepared remarks that took aim at Trumps handling of the coronavirus, before the questions and answers started, at which point the teleprompter appeared to have been turned off. Bidens campaign gave him a list of news organizations to call on and he answered questions from reporters on that list as well as some he chose spontaneously. Thats not an uncommon practice when officials give news conferences. Video footage shows that during nearly 30 minutes of questions and answers, Biden often looked directly at the reporter, not at the teleprompter. His answers were at times long-winded, without the practiced pauses typically heard in prepared speeches. Biden campaign national press secretary TJ Ducklo called Trumps allegation laughable, ludicrous and a lie. Trumps accusation reflected his tactic of trying to stir doubts about Bidens mental acuity. ___ TRUMP: He wants to defund and abolish police. interview Wednesday on America This Week. THE FACTS: Biden does not join the call of protesters who demanded defund the police after George Floyds killing. I dont support defunding the police, Biden said last month in a CBS interview. But he said he would support conditioning federal aid to police based on whether they meet certain basic standards of decency, honorableness and, in fact, are able to demonstrate they can protect the community, everybody in the community. Bidens criminal justice agenda, released long before he became the Democrats presumptive presidential nominee, proposes more federal money for training that is needed to avert tragic, unjustifiable deaths and hiring more officers to ensure that departments are racially and ethnically reflective of the populations they serve. Specifically, he calls for a $300 million infusion into existing federal community policing grant programs. That adds up to more money for police, not defunding law enforcement. Biden also wants the federal government to spend more on education, social services and struggling areas of cities and rural America, to address root causes of crime. ___ WAR IN IRAQ KAYLEIGH MCENANY, White House press secretary: You have this President who, when Washington was unanimous in saying, Were going into Iraq, this President said, No, thats not the right decision. news briefing Tuesday. THE FACTS: Thats false. Trump voiced support for going into Iraq, as much as he and now his press secretary insist otherwise. And Washington was not unanimous in supporting the invasion. On Sept. 11, 2002, when radio host Howard Stern asked Trump whether he supported a potential Iraq invasion, Trump said: Yeah, I guess so. On March 21, 2003, just days after the invasion, Trump said it looks like a tremendous success from a military standpoint. Later that year, he began expressing reservations. More than 150 members of Congress voted against the 2002 resolution to authorize President George W. Bush to use military force against Iraq. That is not unanimity. ___ MEMORIALS TRUMP: We are tracking down the two Anarchists who threw paint on the magnificent George Washington Statue in Manhattan. ... They will be prosecuted and face 10 years in Prison. tweet Tuesday. TRUMP: Since imposing a very powerful 10 year prison sentence on those that Vandalize Monuments, Statues etc., with many people being arrested all over our Country, the Vandalism has completely stopped. tweet Sunday. THE FACTS: Trump does not have the authority to impose prison sentences a president is not a judge. Nor can he toughen penalties on his own. Trump signed an executive order last week to protect monuments, memorials and statues, calling on the attorney general to prosecute to the fullest extent of the law any person or group that destroys or vandalizes a monument, memorial or statue. The order basically instructs the attorney general to enforce laws that already exist. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON A special French court ordered an investigation Friday of three current or former government ministers over their handling of the coronavirus crisis. Covid-19 patients, doctors, prison personnel, police officers and others in France filed an unprecedented 90 complaints in the Court of Justice of the Republic over recent months, notably over shortages of masks and other equipment as the virus spread across Europe. The court usually only sees a few complaints a year. The court, which deals with cases against top officials,said in a statement Friday that it threw out 44 of the 90 complaints, and is still studying 37 of them. The nine it deemed worth investigating target former Prime Minister Edouard Philippe, who resigned hours before the courts announcement, Health Minister Olivier Veran or the former health minister, Agnes Buzyn. They are accused of failing to fight a disaster, and could face up to two years in prison and fines, if tried and convicted. That was the only charge the court retained among multiple accusations in the 90 complaints, which included allegations of manslaughter and endangering lives. A conviction on those charges carries the potential for heavier prison terms. Ten of the cases were closed because they didnt provide enough justification for an investigation, according to a judicial official. The court said another 34 cases, targeting different government ministers, were thrown out for technical problems. President Emmanuel Macron and his government have acknowledged mask shortages and other missteps in the virus crisis. France was also short of testing capacity and criticized for not imposing confinement measures earlier. Macron himself cannot be targeted by lawsuits while in office because sitting presidents have immunity from prosecution. On Friday, the French leader named as the new prime minister a longtime civil servant who coordinated Frances strategy to reopen and recover economically from a two-month nationwide lockdown. No mention was made of the investigation or legal troubles when Philippe resigned earlier in the day. Macron said he was reshuffling the government to focus on setting a new path for the remaining two years of his presidential term. The Court of Justice of the Republic is the only French court where government ministers can be tried for their actions while in office, and was created in the wake of a major health scandal in the 1990s. The new investigation is separate from dozens of lawsuits filed in other French courts against nursing homes or others accused of mismanaging the virus crisis. France has reported the fifth-highest number of coronavirus deaths worldwide, for a total of 29,893 in the pandemic. About half took place in nursing homes. The death of Jeffrey Epstein in a New York prison cell last summer robbed his accusers of a chance for justice and shut down the tantalizing possibility that the secrets of a sordid life spent among the rich and powerful might be revealed. Thursdays arrest of Ghislaine Maxwell -- almost exactly a year after Epstein was arrested -- suggests a fuller accounting of his acts might yet come. The charges paint Maxwell as a central figure in Epsteins criminal enterprise. She spent years at his side. He described her as his best friend. She was his girlfriend for a time, though their relationship truly deepened in the years Maxwell was organizing his affairs, an arrangement that included running his households and piloting his helicopter. And she stood at the very center of the web of wealthy and powerful figures surrounding Epstein. The network she inherited from her billionaire father, the late British publishing tycoon Robert Maxwell, gave Epstein access to the highest echelons of society. She even introduced Brooklyn-born Epstein to Britains Prince Andrew, whose connection to the pedophile has forced the British royal from public duties. What did she see? Whom might she incriminate? Those are just some of the questions a trial might explore. While Maxwell has repeatedly asserted her innocence, investigators and Epsteins victims say she was the ringleader of the operation that coordinated years of sexual abuse in Florida, New York and beyond. Read More: Jeffrey Epstein Found Dead in Jail, Raising Serious Questions Epsteins high-powered network means theres potential for a public reckoning that could tarnish top figures on Wall Street, in corporate America and in Washington. Perhaps more important, a trial would at long last give victims a chance to face at least one of their alleged tormentors. 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, said Jessica Roth, a former federal prosecutor who teaches at Cardozo School of Law in New York. 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. Maxwell, a onetime British socialite, was arrested at home in Bradford, New Hampshire, and could face as long as 35 years behind bars if convicted. A judge ordered her held in jail at least until she appears in court in New York, where she is charged. Her lawyer declined to comment. Prosecutors described Maxwell as one of the villains at the center of Epsteins exploitation of girls, saying she lured them into his clutches. She helped normalize the sexual abuse by her presence as a mature woman and by feigning interest in and friendship with the girls, Audrey Strauss, the acting U.S. attorney in Manhattan, said at a news conference. Critical Role Maxwell played a critical role in helping Epstein identify, befriend and groom minor victims for abuse, Strauss said. The investigation is ongoing, she added. Where that investigation will lead is uncertain -- at least to the public. Maxwell may choose not to fight the charges and could agree to cooperate in the U.S. probe, opening up new avenues of inquiry for the government. Prosecutors may also turn their sights on others. Investigators in New York still seek to interview Andrew, whom Maxwell introduced to Epstein; the princes lawyers have rejected U.S. claims that hes refusing to talk, and Andrew denies any wrongdoing. U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the U.S. hasnt asked for an interview, but declined to comment on whether Britain would comply with such a demand. No such approach has been made, he said in an interview on LBC Radio on Friday. Its a matter for the Royal Family. Read More: Prince Andrews Lawyers Say He Tried to Help Epstein Probe Should Maxwell take her case to trial, the government will be forced to disclose much of the evidence its amassed. Epsteins death last year in prison, which authorities ruled a suicide, appeared at the time to put an end to such a possibility. Now, as the case against Maxwell moves forward, at least some of the questions will be answered. Is Maxwell innocent, as shes repeatedly said? If not, why did she aid Epstein -- and how? How many girls and women did Epstein abuse? Did his scheme have help from lawyers or accountants? Did he or others try to buy the victims silence? What went on at Epsteins private island in the U.S. Virgin Islands? There are other mysteries. Why did federal prosecutors in Florida in 2008 allow Epstein to plead guilty to relatively minor felony charges of procuring an underage girl for prostitution and soliciting a prostitute? That plea deal, which theyve defended as appropriate, came after the government identified dozens of girls he was suspected of abusing. And why are prosecutors from the public-corruption unit in the Manhattan U.S. attorneys office now assigned to the case? That suggests a public official may be under investigation, said former federal prosecutor Renato Mariotti. Feared Epstein I hope that the investigation turns up additional evidence that has not come to light, said Josh Schiffer, an Atlanta-based attorney who represents Epsteins victims in civil cases. I look forward to reviewing the evidence. For victims, a trial would provide the chance to be heard. For years, I feared Epstein and his ring, Jennifer Araoz, who says she was raped by Epstein at 15 after being recruited to visit his Manhattan townhouse as a high school freshman in 2001, said in a statement Thursday. Maxwell was the center of that sex-trafficking ring. Now that the ring has been taken down, I know that I cant be hurt anymore. In coming days, Maxwell will be transported to New York, where she will appear in court, likely seek to be released on bail and probably begin to fight the charges. As she does, some of the mysteries surrounding the Epstein case may begin to be revealed. The US 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 US have rocketed to an all-time high, more than doubling. The US set another record on Friday with 52,300 newly reported cases, according to the tally kept by Johns Hopkins University. 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 Washingtons 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 thats 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 Carolinas 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. Iran has filed a lawsuit in the International Court of Justice against the United States over effects of sanctions on Irans fight against the Covid-19 pandemic, Leila Joneidi, Irans presidential aide for legal affairs, said on Saturday. The continuous US sanctions against Iran at the time of the Covid-19 pandemic are an indication of inhuman move and against human rights, Joneidi was quoted as saying by Tehran Times daily. The official made the remarks during a visit to the Pasteur Institute in the capital Tehran. US President Donald Trump pulled Washington out of the Iranian nuclear deal, also known as the JCPOA, in May 2018 and reimposed heavy sanctions against Iran. As coronavirus cases spike, public health officials are pleading with Americans to avoid large crowds and hold more muted Independence Day celebrations, but subdued is not President Donald Trumps style, and he aimed to go big, promising a special evening in Washington that could bring tens of thousands to the National Mall. Trumps Salute for America celebration on Saturday evening was to include a speech from the White House South Lawn that he said would celebrate American heritage, as well as a military flyover over the city and an enormous fireworks display that could pack people downtown. The president kicked off the holiday weekend by traveling to Mount Rushmore in South Dakota for a fireworks display Friday night near the mountain carvings of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln and Theodore Roosevelt. In his remarks, he accused protesters who have pushed for racial justice of engaging in a merciless campaign to wipe out our history. In a presidential message Saturday on the 244th anniversary of the adoption of the Declaration of Independence, Trump acknowledged that over the past months, the American spirit has undoubtedly been tested by many challenges. His participation in big gatherings comes as many communities have decided to scrap fireworks, parades and other holiday traditions. The goal is to try to prevent further spread of the coronavirus, which large gatherings could spur. Confirmed cases are climbing in 40 states, and the U.S. set another record Friday with 52,300 newly reported infections, according to the tally kept by Johns Hopkins University. For the Mount Rushmore event, GOP Gov. Kristi Noem, a Trump ally, insisted social distancing wasnt necessary and masks were optional. Trump spent little time in his Mount Rushmore address reflecting on pandemic, which has killed more than 129,000 Americans. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention cautions that mass gatherings like the one scheduled for Washington present a high risk for spread of the virus. Trumps surgeon general, Jerome Adams, who has stepped up his call for Americans to wear a mask in public, sidestepped when asked during an interview Friday whether he would caution a loved one from attending such large gatherings. Its not a yes or no, Adams told NBCs Today Show. Every single person has to make up their own mind. Trump has been aching to see the nation return to normalcy, and has been willing to push the envelope further than many state and big city mayors are willing to go. Last month, he held his first campaign rally since early March in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Trump is accustomed to jam-packed crowds, but the BOK Center was only about one-third full for the presidents first rally of the coronavirus era. Days later, he addressed a packed megachurch for a Students for Trump event in Arizona. Few attendees at either event wore masks. Interior officials said they would hand out 300,000 face coverings to spectators who gather on the National Mall. Interior Department Secretary David Bernhardt said visitors would be encouraged to wear masks and keep a six-foot distance from one another. There was no indication that would be mandatory, despite the recommendations of health officials. Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser, who said she didnt have the right to shut down the holiday spectacle because its on federal land, warned the federal government about the obvious dangers of such a large crowd. On Friday, she urged the citys residents to be smart about how they spend the holiday. Just because someone invites you to a party doesnt mean you have to go, Bowser tweeted. In other holiday weekend developments: Californias governor, Gavin Newsom, warned counties that they risked losing state money if they failed to enforce health orders heading into the holiday weekend. He urged residents not to gather with people they dont live with and to avoid crowds. Fireworks shows in Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego and elsewhere in the state were canceled. Gov. J.B. Pritzker, D-Ill., said he would not hesitate to close down businesses that dont abide by capacity requirements, and he encouraged people to avoid large crowds. Beach closures in prime locations are a pandemic fallout. Floridas most populous county, Miami-Dade, was closing down again, imposing a curfew and shuttering the sand. In California, beach closures went from Los Angeles County northward through Ventura and Santa Barbara counties. To the south in Orange County, hugely popular beaches such as Huntington and Newport were affected. Even with large public festivities scrapped, sales of consumer fireworks have boomed. Some officials are concerned about fires and injuries with more pyrotechnics going off in backyards and at block parties. At Caseys Fireworks Friday in Columbia, South Carolina, mostly masked shoppers wove through aisles. The shop, like many around the country, has been an unexpected beneficiary as more Americans have decided to put on their own shows. This whole COVID thing has been really bad all around, said Forest Casey, a fourth-generation fireworks salesman at the family-owned shop. But for whatever reason it makes people really want to buy fireworks. Four East Coast cities were to get their own mini-displays of air power before the extensive U.S. military air show over Washington, The Salute to the Great Cities of the American Revolution involves flyovers in Boston, New York City, Philadelphia and Baltimore. About 150 preachers, rabbis and imams intended to frame holiday sermons around What to the Slave is the Fourth of July on the 168th anniversary of that speech by Black abolitionist Frederick 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. - Associated Press writers Michelle Liu in Columbia, South Carolina, and Sara Burnett in Chicago contributed to this report.. President Donald Trump on Friday delivered a dark and divisive message in a pre-Independence Day speech standing before the Mt Rushmore monument in South Dakota, warning about a merciless campaign by angry mobs, as he referred to antiracism protestors and demonstrators. Our nation is witnessing a merciless campaign to wipe out our history, defame our heroes, erase our values, and indoctrinate our children, Trump said, reading from a teleprompter. He was referring to the removal of statutes of figures of the confederacy that seceded from the US to protect and continue slavery, and slave owners and also those that subjugated the indigenous people. Angry mobs are trying to tear down statues of our Founders, deface our most sacred memorials, and unleash a wave of violent crime in our cities, Trump said. The president spoke to a packed audience of around 3,700 people with very few of them wearing masks. The seating at the venue was in complete violation of social distancing norms that his own experts have mandated for such gatherings. Public health officials have repeatedly urged people to avoid large gatherings to slow the spread of coronavirus disease. Objecting to demonstrations over racial inequality in America and viewing them as threat to the foundations of the US political system, Trump said, Make no mistake, this left wing cultural revolution is designed to overthrow the American revolution. Our children are taught in school to hate their own country, he added. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Washingtons envoy to Afghanistan on Saturday emphasized the economic benefits of the peace deal with the Taliban, forging ahead with an agreement that has run into new political obstacles in the U.S. and the region. Zalmay Khalilzad was wrapping up a week-long trip that included stops in Uzbekistan, Pakistan and the Gulf state of Qatar, where Taliban negotiators are headquartered. Accompanying Khalilzad for the first time was an economic development team led by U.S. International Development Finance Corporation Chief Executive Officer Adam Boehler. Khalilzad offered no details about the kinds of economic projects being envisioned to jump-start an economy battered by widespread corruption and currently 75% funded by international donations. However, he did suggest joint economic projects involving Qatar and Pakistan, possibly on infrastructure and trade. The U.S. signed a peace deal with the Taliban in February to end 19 years of war in Afghanistan. Khalilzad has sought to stress the economic benefits of the peace deal throughout his tour. In a series of tweets early Saturday, the U.S. envoy said he met with the Qatar Investment Authority and the Talibans chief negotiator Mullah Abdul Ghani, in the tiny Gulf states capital of Doha. We agreed development plans in support of peace can never start too early, Khalilzad tweeted. However, Washington has recently become embroiled in a controversy over intelligence reports that Russia was paying money to insurgents with links to the Taliban to kill American and NATO soldiers. The identity of the insurgents who took the bounty money is still vague but the payments have been traced to an Afghan drug lord, Rahmatullah Azizi, who is living in Moscow, according to Afghan officials who spoke with The Associated Press. The officials said the money was delivered through Azizis brother Wahidullah, who was the go-between for those facilitating the attacks on U.S. troops. The New York Times first reported the U.S. intelligence claiming the payment of bounties as well as Azizis involvement. Added to the uncertainty and delays swirling around the U.S-Taliban peace deal, the Pentagon released a report Wednesday that questioned the Talibans commitment to end its ties with Al-Qaida. The peace deal calls for the Taliban to fight against terrorist organizations and ensure Afghanistan would not be used again to attack U.S. interests or its allies. Critics of the deal say the militants cant be trusted. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid denied contacts with Al-Qaida in the Indian subcontinent, saying the insurgents were committed to the peace deal. Khalilzad embarked on his tour of the region last weekend, even as the rate of coronavirus infections in the United States soared and countries worldwide struggled with the dangers of re-opening. He did not travel to Afghanistan, citing the dangers of the pandemic, and instead held videoconference calls with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and his government partner, Abdullah Abdullah. Pakistans Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi tested positive for COVID 19, just 48 after meeting with with Khalilzad. Both had been pictured wearing masks during their meeting on Wednesday in the Pakistani capital of Islamabad Qureshi said he developed a fever on Friday and tested positive to the virus. But he promised to carry on his official duties from home. Even as Khalilzad winds up his latest diplomatic mission, there was no date for crucial intra-Afghan negotiations that bring the Taliban together with the Afghan government and other local actors. Khalilzad called for a quick resolution of outstanding issues so those negotiations could begin. The biggest hurdle has been the release of prisoners. The peace deal called for the Afghan government to free 5,000 Taliban prisoners in exchange for the Taliban releasing 1,000 government personnel. So far, the government has freed 4,015 and the Taliban has freed 669, according to the Afghan government.. Ghani earlier this week suggested that his government had a problem with some of the names on the Talibans list of prisoners to be released and said alternative names would be given. It seems unlikely that the Taliban will accept anyone not on the list agreed upon during negotiations with the U.S. Suhail Shaheen, Taliban political spokesman in Doha, called the Afghan government reasons for delaying prisoner releases phony excuses and the reason for the delay in beginning intra-Afghan talks. As of Saturday, Afghanistan had recorded 32,600 confirmed cases of coronavirus, but international non-governmental organizations say the rate is much higher and have warned that the countrys war-ravaged health care system risks collapsing. Seemingly indicative of the lack of health care facilities in Afghanistan to deal with the virus, Ghanis special envoy for economic development, Yosuf Ghaznafar, went to Turkey when he became ill with COVID-19. On Friday he died of the disease, according to a statement from the presidency. Ghaznafar is the senior most Afghan official to die of the virus. Afghanistan has so far recorded 826 deaths from the virus. President Donald Trump thanked my friend Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his greetings on the 244th anniversary of the American Independence Day. Thank you my friend. America loves India!, Trump tweeted. Thank you my friend. America loves India! https://t.co/mlvJ51l8XJ Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 4, 2020 Modi had earlier tweeted, I congratulate @POTUS, @realDonaldTrump and the people of the USA on the 244th Independence Day of the USA. As the worlds largest democracies, we cherish freedom and human enterprise that this day celebrates. The two leaders are known to share an easy and increasingly close relationship, and often refer to each other as friends. Trump attended the July 4 American Independence Day celebrations in South Dakota. US Ambassador to India Kenneth I Juster also extended wishes to the Americans on the occasion of the countrys 244th Independence Day. From all of us at the U.S. Mission in India, we wish our United States of America a very Happy 244th Birthday! #IndependenceDay #4thofJuly, Juster tweeted on Saturday. Gettysburg, PA (17325) Today Mostly cloudy with showers and a few thunderstorms. A few storms may be severe. Low 66F. 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 66F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 60%. Small forward Deng Adel is being pursued by the Illawarra Hawks of Australias NBL, according to Sportandos Emiliano Carchinia. The Hawks are based in Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia. This would mark a return to Adels adopted home country. The swingmans family fled from the war-ravaged South Sudan to Uganda before planting roots in Melbourne when he was eight. The 67 Adel went undrafted out of Louisville in 2018. Signed as a two-way player to the Cavaliers, Adel saw limited time in 19 games for Cleveland during the 2018/19 season. The Cavaliers did not retain him in the summer of 2019. After being added and subsequently waived by the Nets prior to the start of the 2019/20 season, Adel latched on with Brooklyns G League affiliate, the Long Island Nets. Before the G League season was paused and ultimately canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic in March, Adel held averages of 11.1 PPG, 4.2 RPG and 2.6 APG. California consumers have the right to opt out of the saleof their personal information. For more information on how we securely process personal information, please see our Privacy Policy Houston hotels are not expected to return to pre-pandemic revenue levels until 2024, according to commercial real estate firm CBRE. Some may not make it that long. The American Hotel and Lodging Association this week predicted the industry is facing massive foreclosures of thousands of hotel properties across the nation. With a sharp decline in travel demand, nine times worse than September 11 and with lower room occupancy than during the Great Depression, our small business owners are struggling to survive, Chip Rogers, the associations chief executive, said in the release. At special risk are hotels that were funded with mortgages that were bundled into securities, known as commercial mortgage-backed securities, or CMBS. Commercial real estate investors are confronting issues similar to those faced by investors in residential real estate mortgages in the years leading up to the housing bust of more than a decade ago. As with homes, most commercial properties are purchased with mortgages, which are then bundled into securities and sold to investors, whose returns depend on property owners making their monthly payments. One-quarter of securitized hotel mortgages were delinquent in June, data from securities data company Trepp show. But hotel owners who are struggling to make monthly payments are finding much less flexibility if their mortgages have been securitized, according to a survey by the hotel association. Only 20 percent of hotel owners whose mortgages had been bundled into securities have received any relief on their loans, compared to 91 percent of hotel owners who had borrowed from banks, making it more likely for such mortgages to foreclose, Rogers said. Without action to shore up commercial debt especially CMBS loans, the hotel industry will experience mass foreclosures and permanent job losses which will snowball into a larger commercial real estate crisis impacting other segments of the economy. Several Houston hotels with securitized mortgages, including Hilton Houston Post Oak and Crowne Plaza Houston on Katy Freeway, began trying in May to receive payment relief due to the effects of the pandemic. If they do not find a solution, they could be foreclosed on in November. In a letter to the Department of Treasury and Federal Reserve, a group of U.S. representatives called for relief for CMBS loans. We request the Federal Reserve devise a relief plan for these borrowers, who through no fault of their own, have experienced a significant drop in revenue on account of the COVID-19 pandemic and related governmental orders, they wrote, saying that a wave of CMBS loan foreclosures would destroy jobs and cause property values to fall, dealing a blow to state and local tax revenues. Those calling for the change included six of the 35 U.S. representatives from Texas: Republicans Van Taylor, Lance Gooden, Will Hurd, Michael Burgess and Roger Williams and Democrat Vicente Gonzalez. rebecca.schuetz@chron.com twitter.com/raschuetz Millions of Americans are discovering the joys of Eurovision, thanks to the success of the new movie "Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga" on Netflix. As they watch Will Ferrell and Rachel McAdams portray a small-town Icelandic duo singing their way to love and fame, they may not see the politics beneath the extraordinary makeup and scantily dressed male dancers. I've carried out the necessary and extremely serious social science research to figure out what Fire Saga needed to know: how to win the Eurovision Song Contest. To do this, I created and analyzed a database of every Eurovision Song Contest since 1975. -- It doesn't matter what your song is about The Eurovision Song Contest is, whatever your opinion of the music, a spectacle. Think of "The Voice" crossed with the U.N. General Assembly, with an added dash of glitter. Eurovision brings together a version of Europe that somehow now includes Australia and Israel to argue bitterly over who gave points to whom. Juries and viewers can allot points to the contestants from other countries (12 points for their favorite, 10 for their second favorite, eight for their third, and it keeps going downhill from there). With over 200 million viewers, Eurovision is far bigger than the Super Bowl. It is also alot weirder. Ferrell's and McAdam's characters worried about which kind of song to submit to maximize their chances of winning. Perhaps they shouldn't have. The first thing that my research discovered is that it doesn't really matter what you sing about. There is no correlation that I could discover between song content and a good score. A tear-jerking ballad is not any more (or less) likely to win than the poppiest entry. They might even have won if they had submitted "Jaja Ding Dong." After all, it seems to be fun to dance to. -- But do sing in English One of the sillier plot points in the movie (there are lots of silly plotlines) is that McAdam's character can only sing in English, not Icelandic. This joke has a basis in truth. Singing in English is one of the things you can do to most to improve your Eurovision score. This is bad news for such countries as France, where singing songs in English is politically controversial. Singing in French (or Icelandic) is a kind of self-sabotage. -- Going later is better than going early The statistics are definitive. If you want to win, you're better off performing later in the running order. This may be a product of songs and stage sets that look to outdo each other - when every act is over the top, voters may simply have forgotten the songs from the beginning of the contest by the time the interval act rolls around. However, for whatever reason, the later you perform, the better you do on average. -- It helps to have good neighbors and be liked Geographic voting is a perpetual topic of controversy in Eurovision, and it's true that countries do tend to vote for their neighbors. This is particularly true of countries in eastern and southern Europe - Russia gets plenty of votes from other former Soviet states, the Nordic countries do exchange votes, and of course, Greece and Cyprus nearly always give each other "douze points" (twelve points). These geographic networks determine about 20 percent of the vote (on average) in Eurovision. It's not just about voting for neighbors, though. Countries vote for other countries that they like or have a connection to. Some countries, such as San Marino, are widely disliked, or at least get very few votes. However, even these countries have some hope. Austria, which also tends to get a lower score than otherwise expected, won thanks to the iconic Conchita Wurst in 2014. Wurst makes a brief appearance in the party scene in "Fire Saga," where another competitor briefly mentions a standard myth of Eurovision - that Britain never wins - not because it submits bad songs, but because everyone hates it. However, the data does not bear this out. My research reveals that Britain actually receives more points than would be expected during the final. Its dismal performance in the past decade has more to do with its song selection than Europe's dislike for the British. -- Eurovision is sometimes war by other means Finally, while Eurovision's organizers may insist that it's an apolitical event, it's clearly not. Sometimes Eurovision has to figure out how to deal with political conflict. There was a brief period of complicated Eurovision politics in the 1990s, when Yugoslavia broke up and Eurovision had to decide who to allow compete. And even in a largely peaceful Europe, there are tensions - the year after Russia invaded Georgia in 2008, Georgia submitted a song with the lyrics: "We don't wanna Putin / I'mma try to shot him." They were promptly disqualified. On average, though, countries give their military allies one more point than they do countries they're not allied with - and are less likely to vote for countries they've had a recent military conflict with. That said though, Eurovision is still (at least partially) about the songs. Thankfully, you don't need Fire Saga's human hamster wheel but you can't win Eurovision without a showstopping banger of a song and stage performance. Eurovision itself has created a handy guide to success. For better or worse, it doesn't mention elves. If you really want to compete, make sure to bring some gorgeous topless men, a traditional instrument or two and of course a violin. - - - Gilbert is a PhD student in political science at UC San Diego. For other analysis and commentary from The Monkey Cage, an independent blog anchored by political scientists from universities around the country, see www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/monkey-cage In 13 years with the Houston Fire Department, Capt. Daniel Soto has dealt with more high-acuity EMS incidents than any human can remember. Heart attacks, shootings, stabbings, drownings, car accidents, fires those are his job. But the woman from a few weeks ago: That case sticks with him. The 911 call to Station 16 described a patient in her mid-30s, no known medical issues. She had a young daughter; Soto remembers the daughter. He remembers the CPR too. It was strange, performing CPR on a person that young. It was stranger still that she died. Maybe it wasnt all that surprising, a few weeks later, that the infection control office called the fire station. That the dead woman had tested positive for COVID-19. Soto still thinks about her daughter. Fewer responders, more emergencies It used to be that when a Station 16 crew hustled out to help a patient, they pulled on gloves, and that was it. These days, for every patient, they put on goggles for eye protection, masks for respiratory. If the 911 COVID-19 screening questions revealed anything like a fever or an unproductive cough, the paramedics add gowns. So far, anyway, they have plenty of PPE. Q&A: Disasters are 'routine' in Houston. An expert explains why it's a blessing and a curse.But they are putting on their gowns more and more often. By the end of June, the Houston Fire Department was fielding around 1,100 calls for service per day, about 30 percent more than in May, and the numbers are still growing. Most of the additional calls are for medical service, often involving respiratory difficulties. Those additional calls come as the fire department has fewer and fewer people to answer them. Last week COVID-19 had sidelined more than 260 firefighters. They were quarantined in a hospital or a hotel room; or they were being treated in one of the hospitals where their ambulances deliver patients. A fire department shift is usually 24 hours, with the option to catch sleep between 9 p.m. and 6:30 a.m., waking up to cover emergencies. Now, to cover the missing firefighters, those who remain work longer shifts 36 hours, 48, even 72, the longer hours crowded with ever more emergencies. And now the calls take longer. Often the nearby ERs, on saturation status, have no room to accept patients. Wednesday, one of Station 16s ambulance crews texted Soto: They had to transport their patient all the way from Montrose to Cypress. Even running emergency, with lights flashing and siren yowling, that drive takes 45 minutes or an hour, and a similar amount of time to return to the station. Too often, too, there was a wait at the hospitals. Before last month, that process was easy: The ambulance crew got to the hospital, transferred the patient to the hospitals gurney, and left. But in the last three weeks of June, more than 560 times, even at a hospital that was accepting patients, the ambulance crew had to wait more than an hour, tending to the patient on their stretcher, before the emergency room could accept. Not a normal emergency Soto is used to seeing people on the worst days of their lives, but now the people he sees are even more stressed than before. Sometimes theyre frustrated that the ambulance took so long to arrive, or that its taking them on a long drive to a faraway hospital. At one call recently, Soto had to break unexpected news to the family of a patient in grave condition: The overcrowded hospital would allow only one of them inside. It didnt matter that the patient might be dying; only one family member could go. Of course the stressed-out family fought over who it would be. Soto used his de-escalation training, but that didnt fix the situations plain awfulness. Day by day, that kind of awfulness grows. In a normal emergency a hurricane, a bad flood other cities might send help for those urgent days. But right now EMTs are spread thin all across the country. And the pandemic wont be over in a matter of days, or even weeks. Sotos crews are battling exhaustion, and Houstons COVID-19 numbers continue to grow far too fast. But the fire department, he said, isnt giving up. Their ambulances might arrive more slowly, but they will still arrive. Station 16 is still on the job. lisa.gray@chron.com, @LisaGray_HouTX The Montgomery County Sheriffs Office says it will not enforce Gov. Greg Abbotts order requiring most Texans to wear masks when theyre in public. In a statement, the agency said it will take NO actions to enforce the order, arguing that it is unenforceable because it doesnt allow law enforcement to detain, arrest or jail violators. This language strips law enforcement of the necessary tools to enforce compliance with the law, the agency said. Abbotts policy, enacted Thursday, requires residents in counties with more than 20 cases of COVID-19 to wear masks when they are in public and cant properly distance themselves. The governor said first-time offenders would get a warning, and that repeated violations could result in fines of up to $250, though he left that up to local law enforcements discretion. Montgomery County is now saying it will use that discretion to forego enforcement altogether. The agency did say, however, that it would respond if it gets a call from a business where a customer is not wearing a mask and refuses to leave the property. MUTANT STRAIN: Evidence growing that Houston's coronavirus is more contagious than original The sheriffs office argued the order could subject it to civil liability if deputies stop someone for failing to wear a mask and it is misconstrued as a detention. The agency said holding someone for the purpose of issuing a citation related to a fine is a legally defined detention under current Texas law. We are in a public health crisis and we will use this opportunity to educate our community while still respecting individual liberties, the sheriffs office said. Kimberly Reese has never visited Ghana, but she is already designing her dream home there. The Ohio mother of five says she doesn't feel safe in the United States. "Some of us are tired," said Reese. "Some of us just want to be in an environment where we don't have to look over our shoulders. Where we don't have to worry about our sons getting pulled over." She'd rather focus on floor plans some 6,000 miles away. As the United States again confronts its history of racism, as outrage again erupts over police killings, leaders in Ghana say they're rolling out the welcome mat for black Americans who want to get away from the turmoil. The government has negotiated with local chiefs to earmark 500 acres of land near the nation's center for newcomers, carving out enough space for about 1,500 families. Survey and registration fees are waived for members of the African diaspora. The effort grew out of a public campaign called the Year of Return, which attracted a record number of tourists to the West African country last year - four centuries after the first slave ship reached Virginia - and aims to convert visitors to residents with special land deals, expatriate guides and easier paths to citizenship. "We want to remind our kin over there that there is a place you can escape to," said Akwasi Agyeman, chief executive of the Ghana Tourism Authority. "That is Africa." Reese, who owns a public relations agency in Cincinnati, heard about the deal from her close friend and business partner, who is from Ghana. She can work anywhere with an Internet connection and has tucked away savings from her time in corporate America, where a manager once said her natural hair was inappropriate for the workplace. Now old pain swirls with renewed fears: What if police stop her teenage son on his walk to the recreation center? "It isn't like that in Ghana," she said. "You don't have to worry about being black." The number of visitors in 2019 from January to September leaped by 237,000 - a 45 percent increase, according to the Ghana Tourism Authority. Most came from the United States. Officials are building on that upswing with a 10-year program, launched in June, to entice people to keep their talents (and money) in Ghana. Outreach has ramped up since the killing of George Floyd in the custody of Minneapolis police, which set off protests worldwide - including in Ghana's capital, Accra. President Nana Akufo-Addo sent the country's traditional kente cloth to Floyd's family after his funeral in Houston. Mourners held their own memorial for the slain American in seaside Accra, chanting some of his last words, "I can't breathe." "We continue to open our arms and invite all our brothers and sisters home," Barbara Oteng Gyasi, Ghana's tourism minister, said at a televised ceremony. "Build a life in Ghana. You do not have to stay where you are not wanted forever." Ghana has extended such invitations for decades. After the country declared independence from Britain in 1957, the first prime minister, Kwame Nkrumah, received a series of American civil rights leaders. "He thought the independence of Ghana was meaningless without the total liberation of people of African descent everywhere in the world," said Kevin Gaines, a professor of civil rights and justice at the University of Virginia. Martin Luther King Jr., one of his first guests, told his congregation that Nkrumah had urged them to come and help build the new nation. A handful of Americans accepted that mission. Among them: Pauli Murray, a prominent activist and lawyer who landed at the Ghana School of Law in Accra. "She lacked professional opportunities and ended up helping Ghana develop its legal and constitutional infrastructure," said Gaines, who wrote a book about the period. The movement stalled after a coup ousted Nkrumah in 1966 and autocracy swept much of the continent. Today roughly 3,000 American expatriates live in Ghana. Some view the arrivals as wealthy outsiders in a country where 30 percent of the population lives on less than $3.20 per day. The government has urged people to stop calling them foreigners. (A previous marketing campaign cast the Americans as "brothers and sisters.") Not everyone feels welcome: A colonial-era law still criminalizes homosexuality. The rule is rarely enforced, but LGBT activists in Ghana say it fuels discrimination and harassment. Leaders play up other cultural and economic selling points, promoting lower costs, glittering shorelines and early investment opportunities in developing industries. Travel restrictions during the pandemic haven't chilled interest, said Maurice Cheetham, who runs a tour company in Accra. People are angry about Floyd and others who met violent ends at the hands of law enforcement. About the coronavirus killing disproportionately high numbers of black Americans. About President Trump retweeting a video that featured a supporter yelling, "White power!" "With the political climate, people are really looking to get here as soon as they can," Cheetham said. One is Kindra Parker, 42, who spent this week packing up her house in Detroit. The music publicist fell in love with Accra when she visited in 2018 and planned to return for two months this spring. Her fiance grew up there. Then the pandemic hit, and Ghana suspended international flights. Parker had never felt so trapped in America. "I'm scouring my house, purging it, throwing everything away," she said. "As soon as the borders open, I'm out." She plans to get married and stay in Ghana for the long haul. Parker had long sensed that racism was holding her back. Her credit was good - why did that bank deny her a loan? And her industry seemed to have a titanium ceiling. Maybe she didn't have to work twice as hard as her white peers to advance in Ghana. "Everyone says, 'Ghana has its problems, too,' " she said. "Of course it does. However, it's 63 years old. How old is America? We've had a minute to get this right." The headlines have exhausted Khadijah Polly, 38, who owns a popcorn company in Houston. Her mind has lately strayed to Ghana, where one trip turned into a three-year visa's worth of regular visits. Polly craves the rooftops, the ocean, the pineapples she swears are uniquely tasty, the relaxation she rarely finds in the United States. "Initially when I got there, I had zero expectations," she said. "Then something felt familiar - like home - and that's when I made the connection: 'Oh, this is what it's like to just walk.' " Now she's sure: The country holds her future. "Do I want to have the feeling of being free and excited and curious?" Polly said. "Or do I want to continue to feel frustrated, sad and disrespected?" Reese made a similar calculation in deciding to leave Ohio. She's eyeing a plot near Kumasi, the capital of the southern Ashanti region. "There are some gorgeous houses going up," she said. "They're making it very reasonable, very affordable." That she has never been to West Africa doesn't concern her. She has felt pulled toward the region for years. Her boyfriend is from Ghana. Her former husband is Nigerian. (She has been to South Africa.) Her ticket to Accra is booked. She's studying one of the local dialects, Twi, and mulling dual citizenship. "Ghana is a very peaceful country," she said. "We want to experience that. We want to reconnect with our ancestors. We want to teach our kids our true history." The next step is the construction blueprint. Reese is torn between a two-story home with a generous veranda and something more original: a circular model meant to blend with the forest. WASHINGTON - When a Waldorf car dealership advertised discounts for medical workers battling the novel coronavirus, Latasha Currie hoped to eke out a hard-won benefit after months on the front lines. The medical assistant, 31, didn't tell the salesman how her 10-year-old cried for days after patients with covid-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, began to roll into the District of Columbia clinic where she works. "She kept saying she didn't want mommy to die," Currie said. She didn't mention her employer told her there were only enough smocks for doctors and nurses during the early days of the pandemic. Yet Currie kept taking vitals and triaging patients, worried what an errant sneeze might spread across her clothes. "I said, 'Yeah, I'm a front-line worker,' " Currie recalled, asking the salesman about the discount. "He said, 'What do you do?' I said, 'I'm a medical assistant.' And he laughed at me. He said, 'Are you really on the front lines?' I took offense and walked out." Doctors and nurses have been saluted from front porches and rooftops for their efforts to contain the coronavirus, but more than 80 percent of essential workers who keep medical facilities running labor out of the spotlight like Currie, according to the Brookings Institution. Housekeepers, cooks, phlebotomists, orderlies and others face many of the same risks as their higher-profile colleagues, but sometimes with less access to protective gear, pay that can fall below a living wage and only a modicum of recognition. With a median wage of $13.58 an hour, some of the largely female and minority cadre of nearly 7 million across the country worry they are a serious case of covid-19 away from financial ruin. "I'm risking my life every single day just like the doctors are," said Currie, who triages patients and takes their temperatures. "I just don't want people to think that because I'm not a nurse or not a doctor, I'm not essential." - - - Sabrina Hopps was stunned as a supervisor announced the room number of the first patient with covid-19 at the Bridgepoint Hospital in Southwest Washington during an April meeting. Hopps instantly recognized it as one she had scrubbed earlier in the day. The housekeeper said she had been wearing protective gear, but to be sure she was free of any virus, she went home that night, measured a cup of bleach and dumped it in a warm bath. Her mind has gone to all the frightening possibilities. There was her health. She had asthma and had recently started carrying an inhaler. What would happen if she came down with a disease that attacks the lungs? There was also rent on her Washington apartment. Hopps, who makes $14.60 an hour, split it with two of her six adult children. They wouldn't be able to afford it if she got sick and couldn't work. Her doctor recommended she get a coronavirus test. After eight agonizing days, she got the news she was negative. The days on the job since have been an effort to block every route the virus could take into her body. Hopps follows the same ritual each time she cleans the room of a patient in isolation: She pulls the gown workers have dubbed the "trash bag" over her uniform of gray cargo pants and blue shirt. She positions her N95 mask and slides a surgical mask over it. She pulls on a face shield. She sanitizes her hands before pulling on a first pair of gloves and then a second. She sanitizes the gloves. She pulls booties over her shoes. Hopps said she begins to sweat almost immediately as she plunges into cleaning toilets and sinks, sanitizing surfaces and mopping the floor of patients' rooms because the protective gear is suffocating. She repeats the tiring routine up to 12 times a day. Still, Hopps said she is dedicated to her work because of the gravity of the pandemic. She said she speaks to patients to keep their spirits up. She said she's even learned to read lips to communicate with those who are unable to utter words. "I'm nervous, but I know this is my fight, so I'm going to continue until I can't anymore," Hopps said. "God put me at Bridgepoint." - - - Lisa Brown, executive vice president of SEIU Local 1199 for the District and Maryland, said essential workers such as Currie and Hopps have faced a constellation of challenges during the pandemic. She said union workers in nursing homes and a handful in hospitals had been sickened or killed by the coronavirus, but she couldn't provide exact numbers because SEIU is not always informed when workers fall ill. The union represents about 10,000 employees locally. Other figures point to a daunting threat for health-care workers on the job. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports nearly 79,000 health-care workers have contracted the coronavirus and more than 420 have died since the outbreak began. An earlier CDC report said a majority of medical workers who were sickened thought they were exposed at work. Brown said in the early days of the pandemic, there was a tiered system for distributing protective gear that left many employees who aren't nurses or doctors without proper masks, smocks and other essentials. She said most receive basic gear now, but there are still problems. At one Washington-area medical facility, she said, workers are sharing smocks from shift to shift. Other workers are forced to buy their own equipment if employers don't provide it. Most workers have health insurance but must use their sick leave and vacation if they contract the virus at work, Brown said. Some have been forced to pay for taxis to get to work because cutbacks to public transit have made commuting slow and difficult. Brown said few low-level medical workers in the D.C. area have received hazard pay, which has helped workers in other industries weather the unprecedented crisis. It's something the union has been pushing for. "Every one of our hospitals received millions of dollars from the Cares Act, but they chose not to spend it to give extra pay or money to the workers," Brown said, referring to the coronavirus relief package signed by President Trump in March. The Heroes Act passed by the House of Representatives in May would provide extra pay, but it faces uncertain prospects in the Senate. Essential workers would receive up to $13 an hour in premium pay on top of their regular salary or $25,000 through the end of 2020. - - - One of Currie's greatest fears is bringing the virus home. Her 10-year-old daughter suffers from severe asthma, while her 6-year-old daughter is so scared of the coronavirus she has balked at coming into their Charles County home with Currie at times. A steady stream of coronavirus news has left them on edge. "She keeps saying, 'Mommy got the coronavirus,' " Currie said of the 6-year-old. "It takes a toll on them." Each day, Currie drops them off at her mom's house before heading to work. But she doesn't pick them up at night - at least not immediately. She heads home first, stripping off her clothes on the front porch. She takes a shower and sprays her shoes and car with Lysol. Only then does she pick up the kids. Brown said many medical workers are single women, heading up households like Currie, while others live with extended family so they can pool resources to pay rent or make mortgage payments. That poses major challenges for essential medical workers who have to be on the job whether day cares are open or not and may come home to crowded houses where the virus could spread rapidly. Some workers potentially exposed to the virus have had to turn to GoFundMe to raise money for hotel rooms or donations of accommodations by Airbnb to quarantine themselves away from family members, Brown said. Those type of sacrifices are why Robyn Jones, a food and nutrition worker at a D.C. hospital, bristles at the celebrations of front-line workers often featured on TV broadcasts. She says doctors and nurses should be thanked for their work, but so should others. She rarely hears anyone offer a word about the janitors, security guards or food workers such as herself. "Since this pandemic came, yes, we are even more invisible in the hospital," Jones said. 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. Domingo Garcia, national president of the League of United Latin American Citizens, said Friday his community is grieiving for Guillens family. 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. 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 Investigators used cellphone data to show that Houston narcotics officers werent where they said they were on overtime claims and in documents stating that they had witnessed drug buys or informant payments. Charging documents for three officers and three supervisors filed by Harris County District Attorney Kim Oggs office detail what investigators said were abuses of overtime and falsification of documents to make it seem proper procedures were followed during informant payments and searches or cover bogus claims of drug buys. Ogg announced the charges Wednesday evening against narcotics officers in Squad 15 who worked with Gerald Goines, the former officer connected to the 2019 Harding Street raid that left two homeowners dead. She announced new charges against Goines and his former partner, Steven Bryant. She also charged another of Goines old partners, Hodgie Armstrong; and three of Goines supervisors: Lt. Robert Gonzales, Sgt. Clemente Reyna and Sgt. Thomas Wood. Houston Police Officers' Union President Joe Gamaldi has criticized the charges as being politically motivated. Police Chief Art Acevedo was not available for comment Friday. The new charges against Goines and Bryant include additional tampering charges of search warrants and confidential informant forms, as well as felony theft; Ogg said they lied about how much overtime they worked to enrich themselves. Armstrong, Reyna and Wood were charged with making false claims about witnessing payments to confidential informants or drug buys. Gonzales, the highest ranking officer charged, was charged with one count of misapplication of fiduciary property, for reckless handling of HPD money. Reyna and Wood were also charged with falsely claiming overtime. Investigators reviewed cellphone data for the officers during the times they claimed to be working overtime and showed that the four officers charged were not at the 1200 Travis police offices or at the scenes they specified in their overtime filings during the hours they claimed to be working. The tampering charges followed similar actions by prosecutors last year when they charged Goines with felony murder, saying he lied about an alleged drug buy that he used as the justification for the Harding Street raid. They also charged his former partner with tampering with a government record, accusing him of lying about witnessing the drug purchase. Court records show investigators homed in on three cases in recent years in which Goines arrested individuals accused of drug possession: informant payments related to a drug buy at an apartment at 4855 Fuqua in 2017; a similar payment related to a transaction at 6807 Goforth in August 2018; and an alleged payment to a confidential informant whod purchased drugs from a woman at 3600 Tuam in November that year. In each of the cases, Goines listed Reyna as a witness, but phone records placed the two men and the alleged informant who denied having conducted any drug purchase at those locations miles apart. Wood signed off as a witness in the Fuqua case, but cellphone records indicated he was 15 miles away at the time. Search warrant records show that in the Fuqua case, police said they recovered 9 grams of ecstacy, 3 grams of marijuana, and arrested a man named George Hawkins, who was sentenced to five years deferred adjudication probation. In the Goforth case, investigators said that the informant Goines said he was paying denied buying drugs and was miles away from the scene specified by Goines. A search warrant used to raid the house the following day alleges an informant bought crack cocaine from a suspect named Slu and police recovered 0.95 grams of crack. Goines wrote that he arrested a man named Allen Raymond. Raymond pleaded guilty and was sentenced to eight months in jail. In the third case, investigators said Goines listed Reyna as a witness to an informant payment after a transaction at an apartment at 3600 Tuam. A day later, narcotics officers arrested Nakeisha Simon, who subsequently told the Chronicle that she had been arrested by officers telling her she was suspected of selling marijuana. When officers failed to find marijuana, they charged her with possession of hydrocodone with intent to distribute, according to court records. Simon told the Chronicle the drugs belonged to her now ex-boyfriend, who lived with her and had a prescription for the medications. Her case was ultimately dismissed, but Simon died after being run over by a car last year. Prosecutors charged Armstrong with one charge of tampering with a government record, saying he wrote in an offense report that he and Bryant met an informant at 4437 Knoxville to perform a controlled buy, but cell data showed Bryant was more than 25 miles away. According to the records, Gonzales signed off on forms for three payments to informants after the payments had been made and without having a lab report verifying the type and quantity of substances allegedly recovered. The money disbursed totaled $6,300. Personnel records show Reyna joined HPD in 1994, after a stint in the Army. His application said he thought he could be an asset to the police department to my ability to work very well within a structured environment. His assignments included narcotics, Internal Affairs, vice, and financial crimes. His personnel file shows he was named investigative supervisor of the year in 2013. He has two reprimands on file, and appears to have joined Narcotics early on. In 1996, former Mayor Bob Lanier commended him for helping hunt down a fugitive wanted for sexual assault of a child, and praised him for his good attitude, professionalism and commitment to his job. In 2007, he received a commendation while working as a financial crimes investigator, after helping arrest a man whod committed identity theft against more than 80 people. Reyna retired on July 27, 2019. Wood joined the department in 1991 after attending the Houston Police Academy. Personnel records show he went to Scarborough High School and spent two years in Houston Community Colleges Criminal Justice program. His personnel file includes one written reprimand for not showing up to a municipal court hearing. He received numerous commendations over the years. He worked a wide array of assignments, including as a patrol officer, a task force officer assigned to the FBI Houston offices Financial Crimes Unit, and stints in Burglary and Theft. His supervisors frequently described him as a highly competent and experienced investigator. Wood retired in August. Gonzales joined the department in 1985 after a tour in the U.S. Marine Corps. His personnel file does not include any major suspensions. He did receive written reprimands and a few short suspensions for failing to respond to court subpoenas and for a traffic accident. He received commendations for helping shut down a drug dealing operation in 2007. His employee evaluations show he received generally positive reviews but struggled with writing reports, and he was urged to improve his administrative skills. One review from 2004 noted he was very conscious of the safety of his officers, but had issues with meeting deadlines and handling reports. Gonzales worked in patrol, as a supervisor at several stations, at the police departments old jail, and the narcotics division. He retired the same day as Reyna, on July 27, 2019. Armstrong appears to have first tried to join the department in 1992 but resigned after failing to meet standards related to report writing, according to a letter in his personnel file. He returned to the department 1995. Like the other officers, his personnel file does not detail any significant disciplinary actions, though he received a two-day suspension after his badge, photo ID and duty weapon were stolen out of his pickup truck in 2014. His employee evaluations reveal little about his performance, but one supervisor noted in 2001 he had developed an uncanny ability to locate and identify narcotics traffickers and initiate investigations that result in quality arrests. Armstrong spent 23 years at HPD, working as a tactical officer, in a gang task force, and the narcotics division and received commendations for shutting down drug dealing activities. He retired abruptly in February 2019, less than a month after the fatal Harding Street raid. Goines and Bryant both retired in March 2019. st.john.smith@chron.com twitter.com/stjbs Evidence is growing that a mutated coronavirus strain, the main one circulating in the Houston area, is more contagious than the original virus in China. Two new research papers show that the newer strain is more transmissible, a possibility first suggested by a team of scientists in May. At the time, that suggestion was considered highly speculative by many scientists, including some in Houston. A summary of the data thus far suggests that this strain has gained a fitness advantage over the original and is more transmissible as a result, said Joseph Petrosino, Baylor College of Medicine chair of molecular virology and microbiology. It is safe to say this version is more infectious. Petrosino said that although Baylor hasnt yet conducted a surveillance study, the area rate of positive tests and increase in hospitalizations point to a significantly higher prevalence of the virus strain now. He said Baylor is finding the mutated strain in as many as 80 percent of viruses it analyzes. Houston Methodist researchers reported the strain was prevalent in the Houston area in a paper in mid-May. The paper said 70 percent of the specimens examined, taken from COVID-19 patients treated at Methodist from early March to March 30, showed a mutation to the spike proteins the coronavirus uses to attach to and enter human respiratory cells. The week before, researchers at Los Alamos National Laboratory reported on the mutation. They said it doesnt make people sicker, but appears to facilitate the spread of the virus. The Los Alamos team expanded on the findings in a peer-reviewed paper published in the journal Cell Thursday. The Methodist researchers were among scientists skeptical of that conclusion. Dr. James Musser, the hospitals chairman of pathology and genomic medicine and a study author, said Friday he would like the science to play out a bit more as studies reviewed by scientists are published. He gave no update on the percentage of mutated strains analyzed at Methodist. The mutation is thought to have occurred in Europe, then was introduced by travelers to the east coast of the U.S., particularly New York. It has since become the worlds most dominant strain, accounting for about 65 percent of cases submitted to a major database from around the world, according to one team of scientists. On HoustonChronicle.com: Most of coronaviruses circulating in Houston are strain reported to be more contagious Except for the new Cell publication, all of the papers are examples of what is known as pre-prints, preliminary reports made public ahead of their peer-reviewed publication because of the discoveries time-sensitive nature. One of the papers, by a Scripps Research Institute team, showed that significantly increasing the number of functional spikes on the viral surface in laboratory experiments allowed the virus to bind to and infect cells. It said that the mutation provides greater flexibility to the spikes backbone, which makes viral particles better able to navigate the process fully intact. Over time, it has figured out how to hold on better and not fall apart until it needs to, Michael Farzan, a paper author and co-chairman of the Scripps department of immunology and microbiology, said in a news release. Another paper, by the New York Genome Center, found a huge increase in viral transmission when researchers switched from the original virus sequence to the mutated one, a change they interpret as an indication the new strain is more efficient at invading the human cell and taking over its reproductive machinery. At least three other lab experiments suggest that the mutation makes the virus more infectious, the Washington Post reported Thursday. Those findings also appeared in pre-prints. The mutation, known as D614G, involves one of roughly 1,300 amino acids that act as building blocks for the spike protein. Not much different from the original virus, it switched genetic instructions for the amino acid 614 from an aspartic acid (D) to a glycine (G). In the Cell paper, the Los Alamos researchers wrote that patients with the D614G mutation have more virus in their bodies. Their laboratory experiments found the mutation is three to six times more capble of infecting human cells. Strains of the virus circulating in the Houston also include the original one from China and one from South America, according to Methodists study. The areas multiple-continent seeding contrasts with relatively single-continent seeding in New York and Seattle. Seattles came mostly from Asia. Many scientists, noting one paper found no evidence of increased transmissibility, say the evidence for D614Gs greater contagiousness is still far from definitive. This is an extraordinarily challenging problem, the evolution and demography are complex, so theres much more work to be done, Marc Suchard, a biostatistician at the UCLA School of Medicine, told the New York Times. Though Baylors Petrosino suggests the mutated strain is more prevalent, he adds that the recent spike is mostly a result of peoples wanting to gather and being willing to take risks to do so. The bulk of it is from people not social distancing properly, not masking appropriately and a reluctance to participate in contact tracing, said Petrosino. I think people have been getting tired of the safety measures and have started becoming more lax in their practices. todd.ackerman@chron.com Texas experienced the second-highest single day increase of COVID-19 cases Friday, which was the fourth straight day of more than 7,000 new confirmed cases, according to a Houston Chronicle analysis. The total of confirmed cases in the state is now 188,364, with 7,919 cases added Friday. Another 42 COVID-19 deaths were reported, bringing the statewide total to 2,593. 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 Many years ago a reader, Wallace Hooper, wrote to the Chronicle publisher with this request: To celebrate this and every July Fourth, print the entire text of the Declaration of Independence. As we have often before, we continue this tradition. *** 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 entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation. 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, - That whenever any form of government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their safety and happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such government, and to provide new Guards for their future security. - Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former systems of government. The history of the present king of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute tyranny over these States. To prove this, let facts be submitted to a candid world. He has refused his assent to laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good. He has forbidden his governors to pass laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them. He has refused to pass other laws for the accommodation of large districts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of representation in the legislature, a right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only. He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their public records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures. He has dissolved representative houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people. He has refused for a long time, after such dissolutions, to cause others to be elected, whereby the legislative powers, incapable of annihilation, have returned to the people at large for their exercise; the state remaining in the mean time exposed to all the dangers of invasion from without, and convulsions within. He has endeavoured to prevent the population of these states; for that purpose obstructing the laws for naturalization of foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migrations hither, and raising the conditions of new appropriations of lands. He has obstructed the administration of justice by refusing his assent to laws for establishing judiciary powers. He has made judges dependent on his will alone for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries. He has erected a multitude of new offices, and sent hither swarms of officers to harass our people and eat out their substance. He has kept among us, in times of peace, standing armies without the consent of our legislatures. He has affected to render the military independent of and superior to the civil power. He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his assent to their acts of pretended legislation: For quartering large bodies of armed troops among us: For protecting them, by a mock trial from punishment for any murders which they should commit on the inhabitants of these states: For cutting off our trade with all parts of the world: For imposing taxes on us without our consent: For depriving us in many cases, of the benefit of trial by jury: For transporting us beyond seas to be tried for pretended offences: For abolishing the free system of English laws in a neighbouring province, establishing therein an arbitrary government, and enlarging its boundaries so as to render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the same absolute rule into these Colonies: For taking away our charters, abolishing our most valuable laws and altering fundamentally the forms of our governments: For suspending our own legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever. He has abdicated government here, by declaring us out of his protection and waging war against us. He has plundered our seas, ravaged our coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people. He is at this time transporting large armies of foreign mercenaries to compleat the works of death, desolation, and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of cruelty & perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the head of a civilized nation. He has constrained our fellow citizens taken captive on the high seas to bear arms against their country, to become the executioners of their friends and brethren, or to fall themselves by their hands. He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavoured to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian savages whose known rule of warfare, is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions. In every stage of these oppressions we have petitioned for redress in the most humble terms: Our repeated petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A prince, whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people. Nor have we been wanting in attentions to our British brethren. We have warned them from time to time of attempts by their legislature to extend an unwarrantable jurisdiction over us. We have reminded them of the circumstances of our emigration and settlement here. We have appealed to their native justice and magnanimity, and we have conjured them by the ties of our common kindred to disavow these usurpations, which would inevitably interrupt our connections and correspondence. They too have been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity. We must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity, which denounces our separation, and hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind, enemies in war, in peace friends. 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, that they are absolved from all allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the state of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as free and independent states, they have full power to levy war, conclude peace, contract alliances, establish commerce, and to do all other acts and things which independent states may of right do. - 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. Signers of The Declaration Of Independence according to the authenticated list printed by order of Congress Jan. 18, 1777. Signed by order and in behalf of the Congress, John Hancock, President Attest: Charles Thomson, Secretary Schools are not a luxury item they are part of the bedrock of society. They not only educate children, they also feed many of them. They provide a safer environment than home for some kids, and they are a beating heart in many communities. Why did the pandemic force schools to close? The reasons are simple: If children can become infected, then they may be at risk of illness, and also could transmit the virus to others their teachers, their families and their communities. The benefits to society of schools being open, though, are greater than the benefits from opening most other institutions. Although we can mitigate transmission within schools to some degree, the best way to ensure that schools can open and stay open is to keep community spread of the virus low. Overall, reopening leads to more transmission, and right now, cases are ticking up across the South, as expected. That means activity in some other sectors of the economy will need to be reduced to preserve the education, feeding, socialization and safety of our children and the ability of parents to do their work. Schools should be prioritized. Its true that children are probably less likely to become infected if exposed estimates for kids hover around half as likely to pick up an infection per contact compared with an adult. And young kids are much, much less likely to become severely ill with the virus than older age groups riding in a car is much more dangerous. However, car crashes are not infectious, and children infected with the virus are. There is some evidence that children are less infectious that they might not transmit the virus as readily as adults as well as less likely to get sick, although this is not altogether clear. Some tools to reduce that risk definitely work: distancing, hand-washing, mask use, testing and effective tracing and isolation of contacts if a case is found. Yet even as they plan for how to operate safely in person, school systems around the country are also preparing now for how to make online learning work well if they have to shut down again in the event of a large fall surge and extensive community transmission that once again threatens to overwhelm hospitals. We can avoid that, and keep schools open, if we shift our priorities. If we want schools to open in a few months and stay open, we need to keep community transmission low. The best way to do that is to suppress the spread of the virus. So what are we all willing to give up to keep in-person education on the agenda? Can you forgo a night out at a bar or a trip to a casino? Can you give up dining inside a restaurant? What are you willing to give up to ensure that school openings dont wind up pushing us over the edge? What are we willing to sacrifice? We need to decide where our priorities as a community lie, and in a way we can all support whether we are ourselves parents, teachers or neither. A single introduction is not a big deal, and a small outbreak can probably be halted with good infection control (with contact tracing, testing and isolating a subset of people). But once transmission outside the school becomes high enough, it will lead to more introductions into school, meaning that outbreaks become inevitable. And at that point, schools will be forced to close. If transmission approaches the levels of March, then entire school districts will likely close again, and we will be back where we started. And in fall and winter, social distancing will be harder than it is now, and everyone will be spending a lot more time indoors, where transmission increases. The virus is still with us. That means all forms of reopening will increase transmission to some degree, though how much each opening (schools, bars, dining at restaurants, etc.) contributes is unclear. The overall risk from schools could be significant, though, given the numbers of children and teachers, and the number of contacts children make with each other and their parents, grandparents and other adults. We should work to keep that risk as low as possible and accommodate it. Deciding exactly how to do that means tough decisions about what is most important. If our society is going to ask businesses to take the hit for schools, the government should support them financially as much as possible, and it should also support those who lose their jobs as a result. But closing schools and the high levels of community transmission that will have caused those closures will result in more unemployment, as well as leaving children hungry and falling behind in their education. We are in the middle of a pandemic. We cannot have our cake and eat it, too. If we try, we might be left with no cake, and only ashes. Jenkins is an epidemiologist at Boston University. Hanage is an associate professor of epidemiology at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. This op-ed originally appeared in the Washington Post. Houston, MO (65483) Today Clear skies. Low near 50F. Winds NNW at 5 to 10 mph.. Tonight Clear skies. Low near 50F. Winds NNW at 5 to 10 mph. ADVERTISE Hypebot & MusicThinkTank With the internet and digital technologies driving rapid change within the music industry, articles about new releases and who has been hired and fired are no longer enough. Our up to the minute industry news alongside insightful commentary helps our readers sift through the rumors and developments to find the information they need to keep their businesses moving forward. Hypebot is read daily by more than 30,000 music industry professionals including executives and senior staff of music related tech firms, internet based music sites, every major label group and most indies as well as many managers, artists and members of the live music community: Contact us for the latesst stats, ad rates and sponosorship opportunites. We also offer combined rates with MusicThinkTank. Rep. Mark, Panel Push County Residents to Be Counted in Federal Census Adams Council on Aging Director Erica Girgenti participates in Wednesday's virtual town hall. PITTSFIELD, Mass. Economic development agency 1Berkshire billed Wednesday's virtual town hall as one in a series of discussions dealing with non-pandemic issues. But, as with most areas of life these days, the novel coronavirus was never far from the conversation. The topic of the agency's weekly webinar was the decennial U.S. Census: its history, its importance and the efforts of local officials to ensure that Berkshire County will be accurately counted. One of the big reasons the Census is important is that it determines how federal tax dollars are distributed throughout the country. State Rep. Paul Mark, D-Peru, was making a point in that regard when he noted how COVID-19 changes the equation. "I believe the estimate is $2,300 [in federal dollars] a year for the next 10 years, and it's an important point to mention," Mark said. "The 2020 Census, the numbers we get now, we're stuck with until 2030. So if you don't fill it out, that's what you're costing your community for the next 10 years at least. "I can only estimate that with [pandemic] relief packages, with recovery packages, the amount of federal and state dollars that are going to be dependent on these Census numbers is only going to grow." Of course, dollars are only one thing that are distributed based on population size. The main historical purpose of the Census, as outlined in the U.S. Constitution, is to decide on apportionment of representation in Congress. Massachusetts, which actually increased in population between 2000 and 2010, lost a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives because it did not increase as much as other states. Although Mark noted the data from Census Bureau analysis since 2010 indicates that Massachusetts may hold onto its current nine congressional districts, the shape of those districts likely will continue to skew toward the eastern end of the commonwealth. "When Massachusetts lost a member in the House [10 years ago], guess where we lost it? Western Mass," Mark said. "The growth is really concentrated in Boston and the surrounding communities. Meanwhile, Berkshire County, we're looking at a decline of 3.7 percent. Franklin County is looking at a decline of 0.5 percent." The impact of that is that U.S. Rep. Richard Neal, D-Springfield, represents a district that spans 87 municipalities. "We're talking about those districts possibly growing more," Mark said. "And when you're talking about not just our voice in Washington but the accessibility of these members of Congress. Through no fault of their own -- getting around to 87 communities or for [state] Sen. Adam Hinds, 52 communities, it takes a lot of work. That's a lot of effort. It's 87 boards of selectmen and mayors and city councils you're dealing with." Filling out your U.S. Census form will not reverse declining population trends. But not filling out the form will make that decline appear worse than it is. Mark was joined in Wednesday's virtual town hall by: Berkshire Immigrant Center Executive Director Michelle Lopez; Berkshire Regional Planning Commission data manager Mark Maloy; Adams Council on Aging Director Erica Girgenti; and Mark Sebastino, a partnership specialist with the U.S. Census Bureau. All emphasized the importance of getting an accurate count of the county's population. So far, the evidence is less than encouraging. "Right now, we're a little bit behind," Maloy said. "Right now, for Berkshire County, we're at 58 percent response rate. In 2010, that was a 63.7 rate, so we're about 5 percent behind. Some of our communities -- for example, Dalton is up at 74 percent response. Other communities are down in the 20 percent response rate. "There's definitely been a lower response than normal. We see that in almost all of our communities." Maloy did not identify a single root of the problem but pointed to a number of possible factors, including apathy, the COVID-19 pandemic (and the reduction of in-person contact with people promoting Census participation), an increase in the number of second homes and distrust of the government. On the last point, 1Berkshire President and CEO Jonathan Butler asked Sebastino to address the fear that some may have about giving personal information to the federal government. "Title 13 of the U.S. Code mandates the safety of the personal information that's collected," Sebastino said. "Every Census Bureau employee has to raise their right arm and do a lifetime oath that they'll protect the data that they come in contact with. Any violation of that is a serious federal crime which could include a 5-year prison sentence, a $250,000 fine or a combination of both. "That data cannot be shared with any other federal agency or court. That includes ICE, DHS, FBI, CIA. No one can have access to the personal information. They can have access to the statistics the Census Bureau creates, but none of the personal information." Lopez said that while the county's immigrant population is undercounted by as much as 40 percent, immigrants she talks to are more comfortable with the idea of the U.S. Census than one might think. "What I was surprised at is that our Census is much less invasive and scary in the majority of immigrants' eyes than what their census is back home," she said. "Censuses back home in a lot of Latin American countries, people are coming into their homes. They're not only counting the number of people, they're counting their appliances, they're checking how much water they're using, they're checking their living situations, etc. "I think there's kind of a misconception that the immigrant population is scared to fill out the Census. I think that may be a perception we're placing on immigrants because we are worried about their immigrant status and the release of that information. But sharing that education and reassuring everyone involved that their information is completely safe has been a number one priority." Adams' Girgenti said her agency runs into town residents who think they've already been counted because they completed the annual town census, and she has to explain the federal count is a different program. U.S. Census Bureau partnership specialist Mark Sebastino talks about the way the Census Bureau protects personal information. And the U.S. Census is particularly important for the older residents served by the Council on Aging, she said. "Doing the Census really helps us better understand the trends that we have," Girgenti said. "For example, when we look at caregivers, we already know that there are millennials who will be the full caregivers for our Baby Boom generation as they age in our country. We already know millennials are less likely to share their caregiver burden with their employers, regarding their needs and demands. "So the way in which we provide services, the support we provide to caregivers the way we fund and pay our caregivers is going to have to change. We're going to have to change the way we fund our long-term care facilities. Because we know that the population of people who are the oldest group in our country don't have the people underneath them to care for them. "The Census numbers will help us show that and help us better understand how we can shape our caregiver services in the future." The COVID-19 pandemic forced the Census Bureau to move back the timetable for this year's count. The deadline for self-responses was shifted from the end of July from the end of October, and the non-response follow-up will begin on Aug. 11, Sebastino said. Mark encouraged anyone who has not completed the survey to take a few minutes and do so. "I can't emphasize enough how important this is," said Mark, who chairs the House Committee on Redistricting. "There are so many different methods to do it. And tell your friends, tell your family. Everyone on this call is, I'm sure, a member of some kind of community group. Get that word out. "If we don't get it right this time, we're stuck with it until 2030." PCTV Documentary Finds Pittsfield Parade Dates Back to 1801 PCTV Documentary Finds Pittsfield Parade Dates Back to 1801 PITTSFIELD, Mass. Pittsfield Community Television's recently released documentary "Fighting For Independence: The History of the Pittsfield Fourth of July Parade" has traced the first Pittsfield Fourth of July Parade back to at least 1801. An article in the Pittsfield Sun from July 7, 1801, says that "at 12:00 o clock at noon a Procession was formed consisting of the Militia of the town." Previously the Pittsfield Parade Committee acknowledged that the parade dated back to 1824. "This was a fascinating discovery, as we researched to put this documentary together," said Bob Heck, PCTVs coordinator of advancement and community production and executive producer of the program. "Not only were we able to trace the parade back further than ever before, but to see how the parade has impacted Pittsfield, and how the community always seems to come together to make sure the parade happens is remarkable." The Pittsfield Fourth of July parade experienced bumps in the road even back in the early 1800s - most notably, when Captain Joseph Merrick, a Federalist, excluded Democrats from the yearly post-parade gathering at his tavern in 1808. The parade ran concurrently from at least 1801 until 1820. In 1821, Pittsfields spiritual leader Dr. Rev. Heman Humphrey, canceled the festivities so the day could be dedicated to God before resuming in 1822 after residents decided they wanted their parade. "Fighting for Independence: The History of the Pittsfield Fourth of July Parade" premiered July 4 at 9:30 am on PCTV Access Pittsfield Channel 1301 and PCTV Select. The program is available on-demand on PCTV Select, available on Roku and Apple TV, or online. 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. 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. When the Greek prime minister announced that the country was open for tourism on the sunset island of Santorini on 13 June, some 36 refugees and migrants were stranded nearby, desperately trying to reach the shores of Lesbos. Included on the boat were children and one pregnant woman, all forced to wait out at sea for more than 14 hours before being rescued by the Hellenic Coast Guard, which was reportedly aware of the boat long before a rescue took place. Tourism accounts for around 20 per cent of Greeces GDP and the country, which has seen a low death count and infection rate from coronavirus, is hoping to attract at least some of the 33 million visitors who came in 2019; but as bars, restaurants and now hotels have opened up, hoping to attract foreign consumers, a very different story is playing out in the refugee camps. A candlelit vigil was held by NHS staff and campaigners to pay tribute to those who have died throughout the coronavirus pandemic. Sunday 5 July marks the 72nd anniversary of the NHS, which was launched in 1948 by then-minister for health Aneurin Bevan. The day will be commemorated with a variety of celebrations, including a nationwide clap, which is hoped to become an annual tradition. Two days prior to the 72nd birthday of the national health service, a vigil took place as part of a procession in central London to honour people who have lost their lives during the Covid-19 crisis, including NHS staff. Organised by the Peoples Assembly and health campaigns Together, Keep Our NHS Public and We Own It, the evening procession started at St Thomas Hospital before travelling across Westminster Bridge towards Downing Street. Around 50 NHS staff and campaigners took part, each carrying a lantern that represented 1,000 people who have died after contracting the virus. It was recently reported that the UKs coronavirus death toll had risen to 44,131. Once the procession reached Downing Street, doctors and health workers read out the names of NHS workers who have died as a 20-minute candlelit vigil was observed. Ramona McCartney, national organiser of the Peoples Assembly, said it was a very sombre and emotional occasion. We are coming up to the 72nd anniversary for the NHS and there will be celebrations, but we think its really important to throw attention to the ways in which the government has mishandled the situation and lots of people have lost their lives unfortunately, Ms McCartney said. People wearing face masks and holding lanterns attend a vigil for the victims of the coronavirus on Westminster Bridge on 3 July 2020 in London, England (Photo by Chris J Ratcliffe/Getty Images) To see the NHS staff reading out the names, it was very moving. It was a real moment of reflection and bearing light to an absolute tragedy that could have been avoided. According to figures released last month, more than 300 NHS and social care workers have died during the coronavirus pandemic. Speaking with regards to the figure at prime ministers questions in late May, the prime minister said: I know the thoughts of the whole House are with their families and friends. People wearing face masks and holding lanterns attend a vigil for the victims of the coronavirus on Westminster Bridge on 3 July 2020 in London, England (Photo by Chris J Ratcliffe/Getty Images) Last week, the Office for National Statistics said that no excess deaths had been registered in England and Wales for over a week, the first time this had happened since March. On 3 July, it was reported that a fifth of care home residents became infected with Covid-19 once the virus was present. A man in his 20s has been shot dead near a childrens playground in north London. An eyewitness described hearing six or seven gunshots before seeing someone on a moped speeding away from the scene. I ran to the window...when I looked out a guy was staggering, then fell, he told The Independent. Video footage shared on Twitter shows police and paramedics at the scene on the Westbourne Estate, in Islington. The estate has been sealed off by police while they investigate. Police confirmed they were called to reports of shots fired in Roman Way, Islington, at 3.20pm on Saturday. Medics were at the incident within four minutes of receiving the call but sadly, despite their best efforts, the man died at the scene. Metropolitan Police said in a statement: Officers were called at 3.20pm on 4 July to Roman Way N7 following reports of shots fired. Officers attended with LAS and found a man, believed to be aged in his early 20s, suffering from gunshot injuries. Despite their best efforts, he was pronounced dead at the scene. Next of kin have been informed. There have been no arrests and enquiries into the circumstances continue. Police and paramedics at the scene of a fatal shooting in Islington, north London, where a man in his 20s died, 4 July 2020. (Alps Lifee) A London Ambulance Service spokesperson added: We were called at 3.21pm to reports of an incident on Atlas Mews, Islington. We dispatched an ambulance crew, three medics in fast response cars and an incident response officer to the scene, with the first of our medics arriving in under four minutes. We also dispatched Londons Air Ambulance. Sadly, despite the efforts of medics, a man died at the scene. Anyone who witnessed the incident, or who has video or images that could assist police, is asked to call 101 ref CAD 4432/4 July. To give information anonymously, contact independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111. More people will receive a flu vaccine free on the NHS this winter, No 10 has said. Older people, nursery school children and those suffering from conditions such as asthma are already able to get the jab free of charge. But Downing Street said eligibility will be expanded as ministers try to protect the NHS amid warnings of a potential second wave of Covid-19 later this year. The government has already ordered extra stockpiles of the vaccine. But it is not clear who will be included in the new enlarged system. There have been calls for all over 50s to get a free flu jab from the doctors groups like the Royal College of Physicians as well as from the Labour leader Keir Starmer. Earlier this year Sage, the scientific group advising the government, recommended everyone receive a free injection, but it is thought that was considered too difficult. Even vaccinating all over 50s in the UK would require an estimated extra 10 million doses. The prime minister's official spokesman said that it was particularly important this year that as many people as possible in at risk groups were protected from the flu, which can kill. "The Government has been working to secure a significant additional supply of vaccines, he said. "We will use these vaccines to increase uptake in existing at-risk groups as a priority. But he went on: We also intend to expand the groups of people that are eligible and we will be setting out more details shortly." Rishi Sunak has urged Britain to eat out to help out in a bid to boost the economy as it emerges from a lockdown slump. The chancellor said he was worried about a generation that is scarred by coronavirus amid reports of job losses across the UK. This is a consumption-driven economy, he told The Times. People used to, three months ago, go out with their friends or family to go and have a meal. Or buy a car, or upgrade their house, or move house. Go camping, come up to the Yorkshire Dales and go to coast to coast. Mr Sunak said that the public had to relearn what its like to go out again and added, in what may become his new slogan: Eat out to help out. Boris Johnson has also called on the nation to support local businesses that will open their doors for the first time in more than three months. However, he added a warning that the success of these businesses ... 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. I can certainly tell you I will buy and drink a pint but not a yard and I will repeat the message to everybody that this is a big turning point for us, weve got to get it right. Lets work together and enjoy summer safely. Loading.... Mr Sunak also told The Times that Treasury analysis showed government support during the lockdown had reduced the damaged to average household incomes from 30 per cent to around 10 per cent. He also claimed that it had helped the poorest the most although he accepted the young would be hardest hit as measures such as the furlough scheme were phased out. While the UK economy shrank by a record 20.4 per cent in April, the Bank of Englands chief economist said earlier this week that the rebound had been sooner and faster than expected. However, annual GDP is still expected to fall by 8 per cent as a result of the pandemic. Nigel Farage has been reported to police after apparently visiting a pub less than a fortnight after a trip to a Donald Trump rally in the United States Anyone returning from overseas is required supposed to self-isolate for 14 days under current quarantine laws, with few exceptions. On Friday, ministers announced the restrictions would be lifted for some countries, but only from 10 July. The former Ukip leader Mr Farage was pictured on social media earlier on Saturday as pubs opened for the first time since lockdown in March. Liberal Democrat acting leader Sir Ed Davey has now written to Kent Police asking them to investigate if Mr Farage has breached quarantine rules. The Brexit Party politician was pictured at the Trump rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma, on the evening of 20 June. Sir Ed said that suggested he did not return to the UK until 21 June at the earliest, meaning he should have remained in isolation until at least Sunday. The former Ukip leader posted this picture on Twitter on Saturday Sir Ed said: There are clearly serious questions to answer for Nigel Farage. It is clear from his social media posts that he was in America on 20 June, and he was pictured at a Trump rally that evening. Given the current requirements for visitors returning to the UK to isolate for 14 full days on their return, Nigel Farage appears to be in violation of the quarantine. He said it was the responsibility of everyone to take lockdown requirements seriously. By choosing to go to the pub when it appears he should have been staying at home, Mr Farage is showing a flagrant disregard for the safety of people in his community. Mr Farage later tweeted to say he had been in the UK for two weeks. He wrote: To all those screaming and shouting about me going to the pub.... I have been back from the USA for 2 weeks and I have been tested the result was negative. Sorry to disappoint you. Cheers! The number of US prisoners who have tested positive for coronavirus, now totals more than 50,000. At least 52,649 prisoners had tested positive for coronavirus by the end of June, which represented an eight per cent rise from the week before, according to data from nonprofit news organisation, the Marshall Project, and the Associated Press. Of the 52,649 prisoners, at least 35,796 have recovered from the virus, while 616 have died. Additionally, more than 11,810 staff members have been reported to have contracted Covid-19 and at least 43 of them have died. Ohio was the state that recorded the most deaths in prisons in June, with 86, while the Federal Bureau of Prisons announced 94 in their facilities. The only two states who had not reported any cases of coronavirus inside their prisons by 30 June, were Hawaii and Wyoming. Recommended Trump threatens protesters who threw paint on statue with prison The amount of coronavirus cases fell in prisons in May, but in June they rose again after Tennessee, Texas and other states reported new outbreaks across jails in their networks. The increase in Covid-19 cases in prisons has come as positive results in the US have risen dramatically, with the country recording record daily figures above 50,000 in the last week. States such as Arizona and Texas have been badly hit, and have halted further easing of measures and closed bars again in an attempt to control the virus. Outbreaks at prisons have been a concern since the start of the pandemic, and many low-risk prisoners, including president Donald Trumps former attorney Michael Cohen, have left early due to fears they would contract the virus in a crowded facility. Nicole Porter, director of advocacy for The Sentencing Project, told the AP that most states have only let a small number of prisoners out early, despite overcrowding. In Louisiana, 1,100 inmates were put forward to have their release date examined, but only 63 have been let out early or are scheduled to be, according to the Advocate. Ms Porter said that this is not good enough, and added that authorities should be looking to release every prisoner early who is due to leave this year. A global pandemic creates a level of urgency that people should not be kept in prison one day longer than necessary, Ms Porter said. Many of those people pose absolutely no threat to public safety and their liberty would have been restored anyway this year. Piet van Lier, a researcher for Policy Matters Ohio echoed Ms Porters comments and said: They could save lives by reducing the prison population as the Covid-19 death toll continues to rise behind bars. According to a tracking project hosted by Johns Hopkins University, there are now more than 2.7 million people who have tested positive for coronavirus in the US. The death toll has reached at least 129,192. Two Oklahoma police officers have been charged with second-degree murder for killing a man by shocking him with Tasers more than 50 times. Oklahoma's State Bureau of Investigation (OSBI) said Thursday that police officers Joshua Taylor, 25, and Brandon Dingman, 34, were charged for their roles in the death of Jared Lakey, 28. The officers' use of Tasers was ruled a "substantial factor" in Mr Lakey's death, according to court records. Mr Lakey died on 4 July 2019 in a hospital two days after being shocked more than 50 times by the officers' Tasers. The officers were responding to a report that a man was running down a street naked and screaming according to the Daily Ardmoreite. The OSBI reviewed dashcam footage of the encounter between Mr Lakey and the officers. Recommended Judge stops Portland police using physical force against journalists "The footage reveals numerous instances of both officers using their X26P tasers to send electrical shocks through [Mr Lakey's] body in an apparent attempt to persuade him to put his hands behind his back as he lay on the ground," an OSBI agent wrote in an affidavit. According to court documents, Mr Taylor allegedly used his Taser 30 times for a cumulative 122 seconds, over a nine minute period. Mr Lakey was Tased for nearly four minutes straight. The OSBI report stated that Mr Lakey never acted aggressively towards the officers and that the officers never attempted to take control of Mr Lakey by physically grabbing him to restrain him. Recommended San Francisco police stop releasing mugshots to prevent racial bias "[The victim] is tased numerous times while merely lying naked in the ditch, presumably for not rolling onto his stomach and complying with the officers' commands to 'Put your hands behind your back'," the affidavit stated. A felony warrant for the officers' arrest was issued on 1 July with a bond of $500,000 each. The officers turned themselves in on Thursday and are facing between 10 years and life in prison if they're convicted. The Wilson Police Department, where the officers are employed, has not issued a statement regarding their continued employment. President Donald Trumps former personal lawyer, Michael Cohen - recently released from jail into house arrest - was spotted dining out on Manhattans Upper East Side on Thursday. The New York Post published photographs of Mr Cohen dining with his wife and another couple outside French restaurant Le Bilboquet on Thursday night. The paper reports legal experts as saying that the meal could cost him his freedom for violating the terms of his furlough from prison, an allegation that his lawyer has denied. Mr Cohen is serving a three-year prison term for tax evasion, bank fraud, and lying to Congress. His sentence is scheduled to expire on 21 November, 2021. As Mr Trumps personal lawyer, Mr Cohen covered up hush-money payments to porn star Stormy Daniels and ex-Playboy model Karen McDougal. The Federal Bureau of Prisons released him on 20 May from Otisville prison, New York, due to the coronavirus pandemic and a heart condition. A judge had refused to reduce his sentence only two months earlier for the same reason. The New York Post reports Mr Cohens lawyer, Jeffrey Levine as saying that his client is currently on furlough and that he did not violate any of the terms and conditions of his release. He added: Any assertion or suggestion to the contrary would be wholly inaccurate and untrue. An application for furlough requires the inmate to provide a destination address and states that they acknowledge they are only allowed in the area of the destination or at points on a direct route to and from there. The paper quotes an ex-Bureau of Prisons official saying that the restaurant outing doesnt look right, and could be considered a violation of furlough conditions. A defence attorney told the Post that it was common sense that he shouldnt be dining at restaurants as it is a privilege to be furloughed. The lawyer said that it should be revisited by the warden and it should be revoked. Tweeting out the New York Post story concerning Mr Cohen, Donald Trump Jr wrote: Dont worry theyll only enforce a crime against someone whos pro Trump not someone who tries to turns against him for a lesser sentence. Im sure Michael, wont get in trouble for breaking the terms of his house arrest hes above the law. On leaving prison on 20 May to serve out the rest of his sentence, Mr Cohen tweeted: there is so much I want to say. He maintains that he violated campaign finance rules under the direction of Mr Trump in order to influence the 2016 election an allegation that the president denies. Mr Cohen recently tweeted that he is working on a book, supposedly due out in late September, in which he will reveal details of his time working for Mr Trump. In late June, Mr Cohen posted a New York Times article about Attorney General William Barrs efforts to undermine New York prosecutors, saying that the article reveals only a part of the full story. #WillSpeakSoon. Mr Barr reportedly tried to overturn the part of Mr Cohens conviction that implicated the president. Judging by his Twitter account, Mr Cohen seems unperturbed by the press he is receiving, tweeting out a safe and happy 4th of July to his followers. Donald Trumps top trade adviser has suggested China deliberately allowed hundreds of thousands of people infected with coronavirus to leave the country to seed and spread the virus abroad. Peter Navarros remarks follow the White Houses accelerated rhetoric against China, where the virus is believed to have originated, as the crisis in the US grows nearly four months after a pandemic was declared. As the US approached its Fourth of July holiday weekend, more than a dozen states saw record numbers of new cases. Cases reached more than 50,000 for a third day in a row. Five more states broke single-day records for newly identified cases on Friday, a day after eight other states saw record high numbers. On Thursday, the US set yet another single-day record for new cases, with more than 55,000 cases identified, for the sixth time within two weeks. More than 2.8 million people in the US have been infected with Covid-19 and more than 129,000 people have died since the onset of the outbreak. While firework displays, parades and other events across the US are cancelled, the president leading a nation that has mostly rolled back on an easing of the lockdown headed to South Dakota for a Fourth of July event at Mount Rushmore. Officials said that physical distancing and face coverings would not be enforced. The president has repeatedly falsely claimed that cases in the US are rising because more tests are being performed. However, scientists says the rate of test positivity is increasing, suggesting the virus is spreading. Mr Navarro claimed on MSNBC that the Chinese communist party is responsible for forcing Americans to stay locked in our homes and lose our jobs despite demands for increased testing and tracing and federal aid to help out-of-work Americans stay home while the virus is brought under control. However, a state-by-state patchwork response of brief lockdowns across the US which several states did not mandate has not been enough to reduce infections. Recommended Trump plays golf even as coronavirus cases again hit record high He said that everybody had believed that come summer, the heat and humidity would get rid of the virus though health officials have warned for months that would not be the case. It doesnt look that way. This looks like a weaponised virus. Asked whether he believed that China had deliberately and knowingly sent people to infect other countries, he criticised China for restricting domestic travel while they freely sent hundreds of thousands of Chinese nationals on aircraft around the world. Let me be really clear about this. I dont think it really matters ... What they deliberately did and this is beyond reproach in terms of the facts they deliberately allowed Chinese nationals to come into the US, Italy and everywhere in between, who were infected, while they were locking down their own transportation network, he added. Critics have argued that the administrations frequent attacks on China are a ploy to distract from its own failures to combat the virus. Mr Navarros remarks follows the presidents Twitter message on 30 June: As I watch the Pandemic spread its ugly face all across the world, including the tremendous damage it has done to the USA, I become more and more angry at China. People can see it, and I can feel it! The president had praised Chinas transparency and his relationship with President Xi Jinping over several weeks leading up to a US outbreak but reversed course as his administration faced criticism for its failure to mobilise a response. In an interview with The Wall Street Journal last month, he suggested that China had intentionally spread the virus, following a conspiracy theory among White House officials that Covid-19 was generated in a lab. Theyre saying, Man, were in a mess, he said. The United States is killing us. Dont forget, my economy during the last year and a half was blowing them away ... I dont think they would do that ... but you never know. This week, the president heralded great news that the nations death rate from coronavirus is down despite the surge in new cases. In the spring, health officials reported as many as 3,000 deaths a day, with the virus proving fatal to nearly 8 per cent of infected patients. In recent weeks, Covid-19 deaths have dropped to roughly 5 per cent. But health officials have warned that the US has probably undercounted the nations death toll. A recently released report from researchers at Yale University compared the number of excess deaths from previous years to non-coronavirus deaths in 2020, finding that the official death toll could present a substantial undercount of the actual deaths from the disease. In May, Dr Anthony Fauci, the nations leading infectious disease expert who is heading the federal coronavirus response, told NBC that its unlikely that Covid-19 deaths are being over-reported and that theres more of a chance of missing some that are really coronavirus deaths that are not being counted but not enough to significantly alter trends. Dr Fauci 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. Weve got to get that message out, that we are all in this together, he said. Anything that favours the use of masks whether its giving out free masks or any other mechanism I am thoroughly in favour of. The president also appeared to reverse his public posturing on masks after dismissing federal guidance in April and stoking a cultural and political war among his supporters and Democrats over wearing them. I dont know if you need mandatory, the president told Fox Business Network on Wednesday. Im all for masks. I think masks are good. Several Republican governors who initially resisted quarantine efforts in their state have since rolled back reopenings or mandated face coverings in public, effective this week. After his state saw a record daily number of new cases on Wednesday, hitting more than 8,000, Texas Governor Greg Abbot has ordered residents to wear masks in public. Arizonas governor Doug Ducey is also requiring residents to wear masks in public after the state saw a single-day spike of 4,000 new cases. Florida saw 10,000 cases in one day on Thursday, the only state other than New York to see a single-day spike to ever breach 10,000. But governor Ron DeSantis has not mandated further closures after he shut down bars and beaches a second time. State lawmakers have pressed the governor to put a statewide mask order in place. Nearly 9,500 new cases were reported in the third most-populous state on Friday, marking the third-largest spike recorded in a single day, as statewide totals since the beginning of the outbreak near 180,000. Veterans group VoteVets has released a new attack ad that criticises president Donald Trump over reports that he was briefed about Russia putting bounties on American military personnel in Afghanistan and failed to act. The group, whose Twitter description states blocked by Donald Trump, has compared the president to Benedict Arnold, who infamously defected from the US Continental Army to the British side in the Revolutionary War. VoteVets published the video to Twitter on 3 July, the day before the USs Independence Day, an annual celebration of the countrys Declaration of Independence from Britain. For the 244 years since we declared our independence, one name has stood as the very definition of the word traitor to the US military, the videos narrator said. Benedict Arnold sold out our troops during our fight for freedom. He tried to sell West Point to the enemy, before defecting to the other side. The narrator adds: No one has betrayed those in uniform like Donald Trump. The narrator of the VoteVets video adds: He consorts with a foreign enemy, puts bounties on the heads of American troops. He takes the word of Putin over the best American military intelligence. It was reported earlier this week that the White House withheld evidence of Russian bounties on American soldiers from Republican representatives. A report from The New York Times on Tuesday alleged that American officials had intercepted electronic data showing large financial transfers from Russias military intelligence agency to a Taliban-linked account that corroborated the initial bounty intelligence. Despite a denial from the Pentagon that Mr Trump knew about the bounties which he himself has called a "hoax" Los Angeles Times legal affairs columnist Harry Litman said: Two officials confirm Trump was briefed. In a different time, wed be talking impeachment. The narrator adds: To Donald Trump, Russian bounties on American troops is just another hoax. This July 4th Benedict Arnold can step aside ... because Benedict Donald is Americas number one traitor. The ad is the second this week that has criticised the presidents role in the bounties, after Republican super PAC The Lincoln Project released one on Wednesday. In a speech in front of Mount Rushmore, President Donald Trump appeared to slur as he stumbled over several words - most notably totalitarianism. The speech to mark Independence Day was an official presidential address that at times felt more like a campaign event, and saw the president accuse angry mobs of deploying cancel culture to demand total submission from anyone who disagrees - referring to protests regarding statues of controversial historical figures. This is the very definition of totalitarianism, he said. George Conway, co-founder of the Lincoln Project and husband of Kellyanne Conway, senior adviser to the president, attempted to spell out what was said phonetically on Twitter: Totallie-tario-tism. The president also appeared to struggle with saying "Ulysses S Grant", and appeared to briefly freeze while talking about Thomas Jefferson. Other than mangling the word totalitarianism, its very use was questioned, given continued attacks on government oversight by the administration. Many on social media decried that the president not only couldnt pronounce the word, but also that he doesnt seem to understand what it means. Michael McFaul, professor of political science at Stanford University, said: Trump obviously has no idea what words like fascism and totalitarianism mean. To those who wrote that speech, shame on you. To those that cleared on this speech, shame on you. Perhaps the most un- American speech ever delivered by an American president, on the eve of July 4th. The Lincoln Project, the group of Republicans vehemently opposed to the Trump administration, quickly tweeted out footage of the president saying the word, preceded by: We must stop the spread of. The group also said that the speech sounded very much like the president hadnt read it before and was unprepared. While the speech was intended to be a bombastic rejuvenation of the president's flagging campaign, in light of the deadly mishandling of the Covid-19 pandemic and the subsequent economic fallout, it also underlined how much the campaign wants to turn the page on current problems. My only solace from his speech is that its degree of craziness is probably best explained by Trump's current level of desperation, Professor McFaul tweeted. A confident president seeking re-election would never have to resort to calling fellow Americans fascists or totalitarians. Donald Trump has gone Awol in his leadership of the US through the coronavirus pandemic, former CIA Director and Defence Secretary Leon Panetta has said in a scathing attack on the president. This president has essentially gone Awol from the job of leadership that he should be providing a country in trouble, Mr Panneta told CNNs Anderson Cooper on Wednesday, branding the situation a "major crisis". "But the president, rather than bringing together some kind of national strategy to confront this crisis, simply resorts to tweeting about vandalism and other things to kind of divert attention from the crisis thats there," Mr Panetta added. The former CIA director, who served under President Barack Obama and as White House chief of staff under President Bill Clinton, went on to signpost recent warnings from Anthony Fauci, the nation's top infectious disease expert, that the outbreak in the US is spiralling. What weve seen over the last several days is a spike in cases that are well beyond the worst spikes that weve seen. That is not good news. Weve got to get that under control, or we risk an even greater outbreak in the United States, Dr Fauci told the BBC on Wednesday. Mr Panetta went on to accuse the president of a dereliction of duty in his handling of the outbreak stating: Hes not good at crises. We have a president that is not willing to stand up and do what is necessary in order to lead this country during time of major crisis. I have never experienced a president who has avoided that responsibility." On Wednesday the president reasserted his belief that the virus is going to just disappear. I think were gonna be very good with the coronavirus. I think that at some point thats going to, sort of, just disappear I hope, Mr Trump told Fox Business on Wednesday. The US has seen a record number of daily infections mounting over the last week with more than 55,220 coronavirus cases recorded across the country on Thursday. California has been at the forefront of the infection spike over the last week having surpassed 240,000 known infections, causing governor Gavin Newsom to rescind re-openings in some regions. Florida and Texas have also been forced to scale back their re-openings after facing a spike in cases, and New York City announced that it will pause plans for inside dining amid fear that the spike in infections could lead back to the city. The US remains the country with the highest number of coronavirus infections with over 2.7 million, almost double the number of Brazil, the country immediately behind. Worldwide infections of the novel respiratory disease have reached over 10.9 million as of Friday, according to data from the Johns Hopkins University. Kimberly Guilfoyle, Donald Trump Jr's girlfriend, has tested positive for coronavirus, according to reports. Ms Guilfoyle was reportedly tested in South Dakota before she was due to attend an Independence Day event at Mount Rushmore with President Donald Trump. Donald Jr reportedly tested negative. Ms Guilfoyle is not thought to have had contact with the president ahead of her test. The New York Times's Maggie Haberman reported that Ms Guilfoyle and Donald Jr were expected to drive back to the east coast to avoid contact with other people. Ms Guilfoyle, 51, attended the Trump rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma on 20 June, which was attended by just over 6,000 people, most of them neglecting to wear face masks or observe social distancing advice. Protests at Trump visit to Mount Rushmore Show all 19 1 /19 Protests at Trump visit to Mount Rushmore Protests at Trump visit to Mount Rushmore Activists and members of different tribes from the region block a road as they protest in Keystone, South Dakota, ahead of a visit by Donald Trump to mark Independence Day AFP via Getty Images Protests at Trump visit to Mount Rushmore A protester faces off with police during protests against the visit of Donald Trump to Mount Rushmore in Keystone, South Dakota AFP via Getty Images Protests at Trump visit to Mount Rushmore Donald Trump at Mount Rushmore for an Independence Day event REUTERS Protests at Trump visit to Mount Rushmore Activists and members of different tribes from the region protest in Keystone, South Dakota, ahead of a visit by Donald Trump to mark Independence Day AFP via Getty Images Protests at Trump visit to Mount Rushmore Activists and members of different tribes from the region block the road to Mount Rushmore National Monument with vans as they protest and confront police and military personnel in Keystone, South Dakota, ahead of a visit by Donald Trump to mark Independence Day AFP via Getty Images Protests at Trump visit to Mount Rushmore Activists and members of different tribes from the region block the road to Mount Rushmore National Monument with vans as they protest and confront police and military personnel in Keystone, South Dakota, ahead of a visit by Donald Trump to mark Independence Day AFP via Getty Images Protests at Trump visit to Mount Rushmore A man shelters behind a sign as activists and members of different tribes from the region block the road to Mount Rushmore National Monument with vans as they protest in Keystone, South Dakota, ahead of a visit by Donald Trump to mark Independence Day AFP via Getty Images Protests at Trump visit to Mount Rushmore Activists and members of different tribes from the region block the road to Mount Rushmore National Monument with vans as they protest and confront police and military personnel in Keystone, South Dakota, ahead of a visit by Donald Trump to mark Independence Day AFP via Getty Images Protests at Trump visit to Mount Rushmore Activists and members of different tribes from the region hold a US National flag upside down and a Lakota flag during a protest in Keystone, South Dakota, ahead of a visit to Mount Rushmore by Donald Trump to mark Independence Day AFP via Getty Images Protests at Trump visit to Mount Rushmore An activist and member of a tribe from the region wears a hat reading "America Was Never Great" attends a protest in Keystone, South Dakota, ahead of a visit to Mount Rushmore by Donald Trump to mark Independence Day AFP via Getty Images Protests at Trump visit to Mount Rushmore Activists and members of different tribes from the region block the road to Mount Rushmore National Monument with vans as they protest and confront police and military personnel in Keystone, South Dakota, ahead of a visit by Donald Trump to mark Independence Day AFP via Getty Images Protests at Trump visit to Mount Rushmore A protester faces a row of police as activists and members of different tribes from the region block the road to Mount Rushmore National Monument in Keystone, South Dakota, ahead of a visit by Donald Trump to mark Independence Day AFP via Getty Images Protests at Trump visit to Mount Rushmore Members of the Cowboys for Trump group demonstrate their support for the president in Keystone, South Dakota, ahead of the president's visit to Mount Rushmore to mark Independence Day AP Protests at Trump visit to Mount Rushmore Activists and members of different tribes from the region take a break in the shade as they protest in Keystone, South Dakota, ahead of a visit by Donald Trump to mark Independence Day AFP via Getty Images Protests at Trump visit to Mount Rushmore Donald Trump at Air Force Base Andrews in Maryland on his way to an Independence Day event at Mount Rushmore in South Dakota REUTERS Protests at Trump visit to Mount Rushmore Tiffany Trump, daughter of Donald Trump, and her boyfriend Michael Boulos arrive at Ellsworth Air Force Base in South Dakota to attend an Independence Day event at Mount Rushmore REUTERS Protests at Trump visit to Mount Rushmore Marine One flies past Mount Rushmore as Donald Trump arrives to make a speech marking Independence Day AFP via Getty Images Protests at Trump visit to Mount Rushmore A man washes the eyes of a protester after he was pepper sprayed by police as activists and members of different tribes from the region block the road to Mount Rushmore National Monument with vans in Keystone, South Dakota ahead of a visit by Donald Trump to mark Independence Day AFP via Getty Images Protests at Trump visit to Mount Rushmore Donald Trump is seen in front of Mount Rushmore as he and first lady Melania Trump attend South Dakota's Independence Day event Reuters Another prominent member of the Trump circle who attended the Tulsa rally, former presidential candidate and businessman Herman Cain, was hospitalised last week after contracting Covid-19. On Friday the United States was on course for a record number of new coronavirus cases for the second successive day. Five more states broke single-day records for newly identified cases on Friday, a day after eight other states saw record high numbers. On Thursday, the US set yet another single-day record for new cases, with more than 55,000 cases identified, for the sixth time within two weeks. More than 2.8 million people in the US have been infected with Covid-19 and more than 129,000 people have died since the onset of the outbreak. President Trump and family members including his son Eric and daughter Tiffany were at Mount Rushmore for an Independence Day event featuring Air Force flyovers and fireworks. The event saw protests by Native Americans who said their right to withhold permission for the event, held on land sacred to tribes including the Oglala Sioux, had been ignored. Fireworks have been banned at Mount Rushmore for years for fear of starting wildfires in the surrounding woods and damaging the monument. However, these restrictions were overridden by the president. Ms Guilfoyle, an attorney, was previously a Fox News presenter. The mother-of-one has been married twice, including to the current Democratic governor of California, Gavin Newsom. She is now involved in campaigning to get Mr Trump re-elected. Donald Trump has heightened his law-and-order threats against Americans demonstrating against racial injustice, a movement that he called a merciless campaign to wipe out our history, defame our heroes, erase our values, and indoctrinate our children. The presidents remarks, invoking his dark vision of an America under siege, were addressed to a crowd of several thousand people at Mount Rushmore National Monument in South Dakota to mark Independence Day. Dozens of Native American protesters who have condemned the presidents appearance at the sacred Sioux Nation site had attempted to block a road to the event. National Guard troops fired pepper spray at several protesters, and a dozen people were arrested moments before the president arrived. While a dangerous spike in new coronavirus cases has forced Americans to cancel celebrations over the three-day holiday weekend, the president has insisted on holding his event, inspired by a growing nationalism that has redefined the cries for justice against police killings of black Americans as a growing danger that threatens every blessing our ancestors fought so hard for. The president has long sought a televised fireworks spectacle at Mount Rushmore to legitimise his presidency, on a stage flanked by red, white and blue banners with a military band and generous crowd. Protests at Trump visit to Mount Rushmore Show all 19 1 /19 Protests at Trump visit to Mount Rushmore Protests at Trump visit to Mount Rushmore Activists and members of different tribes from the region block a road as they protest in Keystone, South Dakota, ahead of a visit by Donald Trump to mark Independence Day AFP via Getty Images Protests at Trump visit to Mount Rushmore A protester faces off with police during protests against the visit of Donald Trump to Mount Rushmore in Keystone, South Dakota AFP via Getty Images Protests at Trump visit to Mount Rushmore Donald Trump at Mount Rushmore for an Independence Day event REUTERS Protests at Trump visit to Mount Rushmore Activists and members of different tribes from the region protest in Keystone, South Dakota, ahead of a visit by Donald Trump to mark Independence Day AFP via Getty Images Protests at Trump visit to Mount Rushmore Activists and members of different tribes from the region block the road to Mount Rushmore National Monument with vans as they protest and confront police and military personnel in Keystone, South Dakota, ahead of a visit by Donald Trump to mark Independence Day AFP via Getty Images Protests at Trump visit to Mount Rushmore Activists and members of different tribes from the region block the road to Mount Rushmore National Monument with vans as they protest and confront police and military personnel in Keystone, South Dakota, ahead of a visit by Donald Trump to mark Independence Day AFP via Getty Images Protests at Trump visit to Mount Rushmore A man shelters behind a sign as activists and members of different tribes from the region block the road to Mount Rushmore National Monument with vans as they protest in Keystone, South Dakota, ahead of a visit by Donald Trump to mark Independence Day AFP via Getty Images Protests at Trump visit to Mount Rushmore Activists and members of different tribes from the region block the road to Mount Rushmore National Monument with vans as they protest and confront police and military personnel in Keystone, South Dakota, ahead of a visit by Donald Trump to mark Independence Day AFP via Getty Images Protests at Trump visit to Mount Rushmore Activists and members of different tribes from the region hold a US National flag upside down and a Lakota flag during a protest in Keystone, South Dakota, ahead of a visit to Mount Rushmore by Donald Trump to mark Independence Day AFP via Getty Images Protests at Trump visit to Mount Rushmore An activist and member of a tribe from the region wears a hat reading "America Was Never Great" attends a protest in Keystone, South Dakota, ahead of a visit to Mount Rushmore by Donald Trump to mark Independence Day AFP via Getty Images Protests at Trump visit to Mount Rushmore Activists and members of different tribes from the region block the road to Mount Rushmore National Monument with vans as they protest and confront police and military personnel in Keystone, South Dakota, ahead of a visit by Donald Trump to mark Independence Day AFP via Getty Images Protests at Trump visit to Mount Rushmore A protester faces a row of police as activists and members of different tribes from the region block the road to Mount Rushmore National Monument in Keystone, South Dakota, ahead of a visit by Donald Trump to mark Independence Day AFP via Getty Images Protests at Trump visit to Mount Rushmore Members of the Cowboys for Trump group demonstrate their support for the president in Keystone, South Dakota, ahead of the president's visit to Mount Rushmore to mark Independence Day AP Protests at Trump visit to Mount Rushmore Activists and members of different tribes from the region take a break in the shade as they protest in Keystone, South Dakota, ahead of a visit by Donald Trump to mark Independence Day AFP via Getty Images Protests at Trump visit to Mount Rushmore Donald Trump at Air Force Base Andrews in Maryland on his way to an Independence Day event at Mount Rushmore in South Dakota REUTERS Protests at Trump visit to Mount Rushmore Tiffany Trump, daughter of Donald Trump, and her boyfriend Michael Boulos arrive at Ellsworth Air Force Base in South Dakota to attend an Independence Day event at Mount Rushmore REUTERS Protests at Trump visit to Mount Rushmore Marine One flies past Mount Rushmore as Donald Trump arrives to make a speech marking Independence Day AFP via Getty Images Protests at Trump visit to Mount Rushmore A man washes the eyes of a protester after he was pepper sprayed by police as activists and members of different tribes from the region block the road to Mount Rushmore National Monument with vans in Keystone, South Dakota ahead of a visit by Donald Trump to mark Independence Day AFP via Getty Images Protests at Trump visit to Mount Rushmore Donald Trump is seen in front of Mount Rushmore as he and first lady Melania Trump attend South Dakota's Independence Day event Reuters But he walked onstage on Friday in the midst of a crisis, as cases of Covid-19 continue to spike across the US, which have reached nearly 3 million, including the deaths of more than 128,000 Americans inside four months. A densely packed crowd at the monuments amphitheatre was not asked to physically distance themselves or wear any face coverings. Rather than addressing the intense division that has dominated American life in recent months, he defended monuments to the Confederacy erected in the Jim Crow era, as well as other controversial public monuments to prominent slavers, as Americans and state and local officials have wrestled for years with their placement in public areas across the US. He announced an executive order creating a National Garden of American Heroes to feature statues of several presidents and other American figures, from Amelia Earhart and Harriet Tubman to former Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia and evangelical leader Billy Graham. Under the massive stone faces of former presidents at Mount Rushmore in Keystone, South Dakota, the presidents remarks echoed his re-election campaigns violent rhetoric, promising a cultural civil war against Americans that only his administration can defeat. He accused anti-racist demonstrators, journalists and educators of a far-left fascism that is designed to overthrow the American revolution. Their goal is to end America, he declared. In its place they want power for themselves. Protests greeted him in South Dakota, where roughly 100 Native Americans and other demonstrators demanded that the president cancel the event and honour a longstanding treaty that allows tribal governance over South Dakotas Black Hills, home to dozens of tribal nations. Construction on Mount Rushmores sculpture began in 1927 and was competed 14 years later, with the faces of former presidents George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln and Theodore Roosevelt carved into the Six Grandfathers, the mountain edifice as its known to Native Americans. The whole Black Hills is sacred, Ricky Gray Grass, a member of the Oglala Siouxs executive council, told The Washington Post. For them to come and carve the presidents, slave owners who have no meaning to us, it was an insult. Its creation also undermined the 1868 Fort Laramie Treaty, which had established the area as part of the Great Sioux Reservation. The federal government routinely infringed on those agreements in the decades that followed, from the peak of the Gold Rush through to the presidents latest visit. In 1980, the US Supreme Court ultimately ruled that the Sioux Nation had not been justly compensated for the value of the land, and must be so with interest. Hours before the presidents arrival, the Oglala Sioux tribal council voted to ban the president and South Dakota governor Kristi Noem from the area. Oglala president Julian Bear Runner wrote to the White House to cancel the event after the president had refused to discuss the matter with native leaders. The people are angry, Bear Runner said this week. All I can do as a leader is stand back and support them ... and to stand with them and help them in every way I can to do what is right. Close Lincoln Project tells Trump his inner circle are "whispering" about him White House officials boasted a "big win" in the US Supreme Court's birth control ruling, which stated employers were not required to provide employees with contraceptives in their health coverage if it went against their religious beliefs. The administration which rolled back an Affordable Care Act policy that aimed to expand women's healthcare marks a significant blow to the landmark Obama-era legislation as Donald Trump seeks the court's ruling to overturn the entire law. Meanwhile, the president has threatened to cut school funding for areas that refuse to reopen amid the coronavirus pandemic, adding he disagrees with the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) very tough and expensive guidelines. The White House coronavirus task force without Dr Anthony Fauci, the nation's leading infectious disease expert announced that the agency would release revised guidelines following the president's threats. Total coronavirus infections in the US have surged past 3 million, with 1 million cases identified within the last month alone. Hospitals in states like Florida and Texas are reporting limited capacity in their hospital intensive care units, and rising infection rates have signalled to health officials that the virus is spreading. In Arizona, as many as one in four tests are returning positive. Meanwhile, key impeachment witness Alexander Vindman has announced his retirement from the army by citing intimidation led by Mr Trump. The president of the United States attempted to force Lieutenant Colonel Vindman to choose: Between adhering to the law or pleasing a president, said Lt Col Vindmans lawayer, accusing the president of a "campaign of bullying, intimidation and retaliation". Follow live coverage as it happened Please allow a moment for our liveblog to load US Army soldier Vanessa Guillen was bludgeoned to death at an army base in Texas where she was due to make a complaint about harassment, an attorney for her family has said. Natalie Khawam announced on Thursday that Guillen, whose body was thought to have been located earlier this week, had been attacked with a hammer in the Fort Hood armoury room where she worked. US Army investigators told Ms Khawarms clients on Wednesday that Guillens body was then transported outside the base, reported CNN. The victim had been due to submit a harassment complaint against Aaron David Robinson, who police named on Thursday as the main suspect in the case, when she went missing on 22 April. He died by suicide on Wednesday when police tried to communicate with him. Agent Damon Phelps told a news conference that while law enforcement agencies attempted to make contact with the suspect in Killeen, Texas, Specialist Robinson displayed a weapon and took his own life. A second suspect, Cecily Aguiliar, was said to have been told by Robinson that he had killed another soldier. Mr Phelps added that Aguilar, the estranged wife of a former Fort Hood soldier, had been enlisted in transporting Guillens body from the base, She faces one count of conspiracy to tamper with evidence in Guillens disappearance. Authorities had announced on Tuesday that human remains were discovered near Fort Hood, but investigators have not confirmed they belong to Guillen. Mr Phelps said some 300 interviews had been conducted in their investigations, and that there was no credible information Guillen had been sexually harassed or assaulted. Mayra Guillen, reported CNN, said this week that she believes Robinson did something. When I first went up to that base, that subject, I met him, not knowing that he had something to do with it. I felt something was telling me that he did something, and I wasnt wrong apparently, she said on Wednesday. And apparently now, he kills himself. Why? I dont know. But whoever is responsible has to pay, and we demand a congressional investigation." 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. 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. Berlins public transport company BVG said on Saturday that completing the renaming of a city centre metro station with a name based on a derogatory word for black people will take until the end of the year. Mohrenstrasse metro station literally means Moor Street, using the medieval term for people from North Africa. It will be renamed after another nearby street, Glinkastrasse, named after 19th-century Russian composer Mikhail Ivanovich Glinka. BVG said on Friday it would change the station name, amid a worldwide reckoning with buried legacies of racism and colonial crimes underpinning many western societies, sparked by the death in the United States of George Floyd, a black man, at the hands of a police officer. The station lies a few hundred metres from the Brandenburg Gate at the very centre of Berlin, and has had a string of names since it was opened in 1908. We will change all network plans, signs at the stations and on buses. Everything must be changed on the subways, said Rolf Erfurt, a BVG board member, in an interview with Reuters TV. We will have completed that by the end of the year, he said. Last month, unidentified activists taped over the stations entrance, temporarily naming it George Floyd Street. I think its fantastic [to rename the station] because I think it is not on in the 21st century to name streets after racist insults against black people, said Akwasi Osei-Dwomoh, a passer-by. I wish that not just the metro station, but also the street itself, will find a better name. Reuters The thought of leaving the place I have spent most of my life is terrible. But now this nightmare has become a reality for me. Sitting on a plane, flying out of Hong Kong and looking out of the window at the citys splendid skyline below, I am reminded of everything that I have committed to the city and the democratic movement. My political journey in Hong Kong has been a turbulent one. In 2016, I was elected as the youngest legislator of Hong Kong with more than 50,000 ballots, but I was subsequently disqualified after serving the council for one year. The Chinese government reinterpreted our mini-constitution in Hong Kong and disqualified my oath made during the councils swearing-in ceremony. I have lost my seat in the parliament and this suppression triggered huge opposition in the local and international community. Yet, the worst lied ahead. The government imprisoned me for my participation in the series of sit-in street protests called the Umbrella Movement 2014. In a month, I was degraded from a parliamentarian to a prisoner because of my commitment in the resistance movement. Later on, I went to Yale university for further studies and was involved in international advocacy work in the ongoing protest movement. As the National Security Law (NSL) came into effect on 1 July, urging the world to impose a mechanism that holds China accountable could be seen as colluding with foreign forces and breach the NSL. Under the law, suspects could face life-long imprisonment and face extradition to China. On the first day of the implementation of the NSL, there were already more than 10 arrests made under the law. Some of the arrested individuals were just in possession of stickers or flags that have the revolutionary of our times slogan on it. It is unimaginable for people who live in democratic societies that protect freedom of speech. It shows that the one country, two systems promise has come to a bloody end. Hong Kong is under Beijings autocratic direct rule now and the freedom that people used to enjoy has vanished. Speaking the truth violates the new norm in the post-NSL Hong Kong. The situation will only get worse when the government swiftly targets prominent political activists like my friend Joshua Wong. I hope that the international community continues to apply pressure to China, and urge them to fulfill the obligation in the 1984 Sino-British joint declaration. Democracy and autonomy are what Hong Kong people were promised and deserve. For the purpose of continuing my work on a global level, leaving the country becomes a forceful yet necessary choice of mine. In this critical time, the international front of the protest movement is vital. Sustaining international advocacy work by a public figure from Hong Kong is important for the movement. The tough choice of leaving is no longer personal, but a strategy that serves the greater good of the movement. I therefore have no regrets. Even though I have to depart from my family, friends and two cats, I hope that my little contribution to the movement will eventually lead to a bright Hong Kong future. I will be able to go back, once we all enjoy the freedom which the movement aims to restore to the city. Nathan Law Kwun-chung is the founding chair of Demosisto and was the youngest elected member in the Hong Kong Legislative Council. OCTOPUS, a British renewable energy firm with assets in Donegal, is eyeing Ireland and 10 other countries for additional investments. The company listed its first investment fund - Octopus Renewables Infrastructure Trust (Orit) - in London late last year. Just prior to that, the group acquired a 15MW wind farm in Donegal. That marked the group's first foray into the Irish market. At the time, Octopus Renewables said the company was interested in acquiring further assets in Ireland. Orit said yesterday that 2.2bn (2.4bn) of operational and construction-ready renewable investments that are potential acquisition targets have been identified. The company also has made non-binding offers on, or secured exclusive rights to, a further 1.7bn worth of potential renewable energy investments. It said this 1.7bn pipeline of projects includes 333MW of solar and onshore wind farms in the UK, France and Spain. The 2.2bn in potential investment targets are spread across Ireland, the UK, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Australia, Sweden, Poland, Spain and the Netherlands. Orit raised gross proceeds of 350m (388m) when it floated on the London Stock Exchange last December. The Octopus Renewables arm of the Octopus group is one of the largest renewable energy investors in the UK, with more than 3bn of assets under management. Orit said that to date, it has committed about 59pc of the net proceeds raised from its initial public offering (IPO). It expects the balance of those proceeds will be committed by early autumn. "Despite the reduction in energy demand and drops in short- and medium-term power prices due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the timing of Orit's IPO and recent transactions has ensured that the vast majority of the recent energy price falls have been incorporated into the prices paid for investments," the company noted yesterday. Octopus Renewables' investment director Chris Gaydon said the firm's pipeline of potential investments has "continued to grow" across geographies and asset types. "We are seeing a broad range of opportunities and are actively pursuing several further potential investments for the company," he said. ALL of Ryanair's more than 400 pilots based in Ireland have signed an agreement that will see their pay slashed by 20pc. And the carrier, whose group chief executive is Michael O'Leary, has insisted that the move will ensure none of them will lose their jobs in the immediate future. But the agreement was also secured after a tense standoff with the pilots. According to trade union Forsa, the umbrella body for the Irish Airline Pilots' Association, Ryanair pilots were warned on Friday of last week to accept the pay cuts or face getting no work from the airline. Forsa said a 30-day consultation period on redundancies had concluded on Friday last week without a collective agreement being reached. "We wrote to Ryanair seeking an extension, as the 30-day period is the minimum consultation period. It can be extended by agreement," said a spokesman for the trade union. "We indicated that the union was happy to work with a third party in order to facilitate reaching a collective agreement," he said. "We have not yet received any response to this from Ryanair." He said that Ryanair pilots received a communication on Friday last week, "which, essentially, offers an ultimatum to the effect that if they sign the agreement they will receive work, but if they don't, they won't receive work". Ryanair did not comment directly on the process when asked yesterday. However, a spokesperson for the carrier confirmed that all its pilots in Ireland had signed the agreement, and that "this agreement is actually protecting all these jobs". The agreement will see pilot pay restored over four years, while also introducing productivity changes to rosters, flexible working patterns and annual leave, according to the carrier. "This agreement gives Ryanair a framework to flex its operation during the Covid-19 crisis and a pathway to recovery when the business returns to normal in the years ahead," it said. Ryanair cabin crew in Ireland that are members of Forsa are currently voting on a proposal that would see them accept up to a 10pc pay cut, which would also be restored by 2024, in order to save jobs. This week, Ryanair's pilots in the UK that are members of the British Airline Pilots' Association (Balpa), also accepted a 20pc pay cut. Balpa said 96pc of Ryanair pilots who are union members voted in favour of the cut in order to save 260 of the 330 pilot jobs that were at risk. Ryanair had planned to axe as many as 3,000 jobs if it could not secure agreements on pay cuts and other measures. The carrier resumed a large number of scheduled flights this week across its network. It's operating more than 1,000 flights a day across 200 destinations. It said that restores about 90pc of its pre-Covid network, but with lower frequencies. Yesterday, Ryanair again criticised Ireland's quarantine rules and said there's "no scientific basis" for advice from the National Public Health Emergency Team not to travel to and from Ireland by air. THE Government must make face masks mandatory in taxis - or too many passengers and drivers won't bother to wear them, according to Free Now. The taxi hailing firm appealed for immediate Government action as it reported a 45pc surge in business among its 14,000 operators since the first restaurants and pubs reopened on Monday. Its director for Ireland and the UK, Alan Fox, said the UK already requires taxi passengers to wear masks. "It is vital that the Government here does the same without delay to avoid any ambiguity around this and enforces a mandatory requirement urgently," Mr Fox said. He and Noel Ebbs, chief executive of rival firm Lynk Taxis, expect this weekend to be the busiest for their drivers since before the lockdown. Both firms have installed polycarbonate screens in most of their drivers' taxis to separate drivers from passengers, and both prefer contact-free payments to cash. But they don't adopt the exact same line on the necessity of universal mask use inside taxis until the pandemic ends. Lynk Taxis has invested more than 150,000 in polycarbonate screening in its fleet and credits its effectiveness. "Masks should be mandatory where there is no protective screen installed in the taxi between the passenger and driver," said Mr Ebbs, whose Dublin firm has about 1,500 drivers and has seen business rise by at least 35pc since Monday. He said Lynk does want all drivers to wear masks, but it's not mandatory. Lynk provides its drivers with masks, wipes and hand sanitiser and requests they use them "as often as possible". More pubs this weekend will be reopening for the first time during the pandemic. This also will be the first time since mid-March that some establishments will extend opening hours past midnight, driving up demand for taxis - and, potentially, the difficulty of managing passengers. "If this Monday to Thursday is anything to go by, this weekend is set to be the busiest we have seen since the beginning of March across the country," Mr Fox said. Lynk sent an email last night titled "Heading out?" that advised customers to wear masks, sit only in the back seats and carry hand sanitiser. "If unwell, don't travel," it said. Mr Fox said: "We are all relieved to be able to leave home more, see loved ones and book to go to restaurants and pubs after what has been a truly terrible time for everyone. However, there is an inevitable lack of confidence in the current safety measures in place for public transport." He said taxis should limit their loads to two customers, both in the back seats. "We have been advising both passengers and drivers to wear face coverings for months now and have been following Government guidelines throughout. However, as they have not yet been made mandatory, this is leading to ambiguity," he said. The sooner that all passengers start to wear masks, he said, "the sooner we can limit any augmented Covid-19 spread and get back to some kind of normal". The Government last month said it would make face masks mandatory on public transport on June 29 - and some State websites continue to say this is the law of the land. However, the health and transport departments are still working behind the scenes on a legally enforceable regulation that may be introduced next week. I can't recall a worse opening to a drama than the first five minutes of The Luminaries (BBC1). In this pre-credits sequence, a young woman in a long dress was dimly perceived running in slow motion through night-time woods and then a shot was heard and she was lying on the ground beside a man's corpse as men gathered around her. What was going on? I hadn't the foggiest, but this was the way Eleanor Catton chose to begin the TV adaptation of her 2013 Man Booker-winning blockbuster, which I haven't read but which concerns gold prospecting adventurers in the New Zealand of the 1860s. Anyway, if truth be told, the main reason why many Irish viewers, myself included, opted to watch this week's first two episodes was to have a gander at Eve Hewson (daughter of Bono, don't you know) in a major dramatic role. Very impressive she was, too, effortlessly commanding the screen, just as Daisy Edgar-Jones did in Normal People. Hewson had to rely on sheer poise and presence rather than any assistance from a sometimes implausible plotline, which asked you to believe that a young, illiterate woman, who had just undergone an arduous sea journey from England, would arrive in New Zealand's south island as if she were on her way to a fashionable salon. Soon, though, she was penniless and working in a brothel and it was a mark of Hewson's luminous persuasiveness that you bought into most of the contrived plot machinations - which included murderous scoundrels, racist misogynists, star-crossed lovers and a good deal of mystical mumbo-jumbo. As the scheming brothel keeper, Eva Green gave one of those flamboyant turns that some people mistake for good acting, but Ewen Leslie was very engaging as her rakish husband, and it's for him and for Hewson that I'll keep faith with this period potboiler for at least another episode or two. The other major dramatic offering of the week came courtesy of Talking Heads (BBC1). Alan Bennett's monologues were first televised, to considerable acclaim, in the late 1980s, with Maggie Smith, Julie Walters, David Haig and Thora Hird among the actors inhabiting the various characters. Now they have been refilmed with a new set of actors, starting off this week with Imelda Staunton playing the sad, monstrous busybody who was performed 30 years ago by Patricia Routledge. She was chillingly good in this reinvention, though in the second playlet (newly written by Bennett) Sarah Lancashire struggled to convince as a mother incestuously fixated on her teenage son. But that, I think, was mainly due to the writing which, unusually for Bennett, failed to engage or even convince. Yet these monologues, delivered by lonely and sometimes miserable characters, are eerily suited to our Covid times. Over the next couple of weeks viewers can also savour dramatic turns by Jodie Comer, Martin Freeman, Kristin Scott Thomas and Lesley Manville. Also worth a look is Perry Mason (Sky Atlantic), though you can banish all memories of the formidable lawyer made famous by Raymond Burr, first in the 1960s and then continuing in the 1980s. Here he's the young Perry, scraping a grubby private eye living in the 1930s by photographing Hollywood starlets in flagrante until summoned by legal mentor Elias to investigate the killing of a baby who had been kidnapped for ransom. This is the world of Chinatown, with corruption polluting the LA air and with dark motives everywhere, along with some extremely dark deeds. I've seen only the first of eight episodes but it looks superb and is greatly enhanced by the playing of Matthew Rhys as the troubled Perry, John Lithgow as the benignly nonchalant Elias and Juliet Rylance as the feisty Della who was to become Perry's loyal and doughty assistant in the long-running Raymond Burr series. I wish I could say even one good word about RTE1's new British sitcom import, Kate & Koji, but it's just dire. With a gruesome laugh track, this could have been made in the 1970s - the 1970s of Open All Hours rather than Fawlty Towers, though I'm being unfair to Open All Hours, which at least had Ronnie Barker and David Jason to keep you watching. Here you have Brenda Blethyn playing a cranky cafe owner in a forlorn seaside town sparring with a snooty asylum seeker from an unidentified African country. "Why is going home a problem?" she asks him. "I'd get killed," he replies. "I'd rather not be killed. Call me a snowflake." Or how about this? "There are four things in life I hate," she declares, "scroungers, foreigners, doctors and posh people, and he's all four." I can't believe that Andy Hamilton and Guy Jenkin (Drop the Dead Donkey, Outnumbered) wrote the lamentable dialogue and nor can I believe that RTE saw fit to buy it. Oh no, I groaned at the outset of Saoi Sa Chathaoir (RTE1), not yet another outing for Micheal O Muircheartaigh - hasn't the former GAA commentator already been interviewed at least a zillion times on every radio and television show you can think of? But I was wrong, because he turned out to be engrossing company in this first instalment of a series that invites celebrities to reflect on their most vivid memories. He recalled teaching Luke Kelly in inner-city Dublin, going to Croke Park for the first time, seeing Christy Ring in his sporting heyday, sharing a state car with former Taoiseach Jack Lynch and being thrilled by Riverdance. This was all delivered in his mellifluously lilting Kerry gaeltacht Irish and it was quite lovely. Hero: Nurse Sinead Moloney (right) was nominated by her aunt Patricia Lordan. Photo: Frank McGrath A nurse who looks after seriously ill children in Temple Street hospital while juggling caring for her extended family has been hailed for her heroic work during lockdown. Limerick-born Sinead Moloney has worked in the endocrine unit at the Dublin hospital for more than 14 years. Now living in Lucan, Co Dublin, the mother of two has been recognised for her tireless efforts in keeping her family going, including posting sweet treats to her cocooning aunt in Co Westmeath. Today, Ms Moloney is named as Irish Independent Frontline Star of the Week. Nominated by her aunt Patricia Lordan, who celebrated her 70th birthday in March, Ms Moloney is described as a dedicated and caring "family woman". "I turned 70 in March and had to cocoon in my home in Athlone. Sinead posted me little treats on a regular basis, like hand cream, simnel cake and chocolate, some jewellery she thought I'd like," said Ms Lordan. Ms Lordan is very close to Ms Moloney and to her sister Josephine, Ms Moloney's mother. "The three of us are a very close unit and I suppose I would have been the other parent for a long time," said Ms Lordan. "I've two mammies," added Ms Moloney. "She's my godmother and I'm very close to them - and they both mean the world to me." Ms Lordan said Ms Moloney was very generous, caring and would do anything for her children. "I wouldn't say she's ever missed a day's work, she's a very hard worker. She's definitely a family woman," she added. "Family is everything," said Ms Moloney. On her work, she says dealing with the pandemic has been tough but she loves what she does. "I'm not more deserving than any other frontline worker at the moment. It's nurses, doctors, the cleaning, porter staff, as well as a bus driver or people working in a shop," she said. "She thought of everyone but herself. She is my hero," added Ms Lordan. :: For more than 60 years, the Irish Independent has honoured the Sportstar of the Week. This year, our nation has faced a challenge far beyond sport. To nominate, email your submission (100 words max) with a photo, telling us about your nominee to frontlinestar@independent.ie Health Minister Stephen Donnelly has come under fire for a "sneaky" cut to State supports for nursing homes struggling to protect residents from the coronavirus. In one of his first acts as minister, Mr Donnelly extended the Government's multimillion bailout fund for nursing homes for another three months. The scheme allows nursing homes to draw down funding based on the number of residents in each centre until September. However, while the scheme was extended, the amount that can be claimed was cut by 25pc. Under the original Temporary Assistance Payment Scheme, nursing homes could claim 800 per month if they had 40 residents, 400 for the next 40, and 200 for each subsequent person staying in their care. However, under the revised scheme announced by Mr Donnelly on Tuesday, nursing homes can now only claim 600 per month for the first 40 residents, 300 for the next 40, and 150 for each subsequent resident. The new minister also introduced a 60,000 cap on how much can be claimed. Labour Party leader Alan Kelly said the new minister pledged "the sun, moon and the stars" to the health service before his appointment. "Yet now one of his first acts is to take away from a sector of society that was hit the hardest by Covid," Mr Kelly said. "The sneaky reduction wasn't even announced, but rather presented as though the status quo was being maintained. He didn't say in the Dail that he was cutting each of the payments by 25pc." In the Dail last week, Mr Donnelly said a "considerable amount of support" had been given to nursing homes in parallel to the scheme. He said this included personal protective equipment supplies, temporary accommodation for nursing home staff and assistance from the HSE's crisis response teams. "The extension of the scheme also recognises that these other supports have been deployed as well. The extended scheme, therefore, will operate with some amendments," Mr Donnelly said. The minister then detailed the new amounts that could be claimed under the revised scheme but did not mention the previous figures. Similarly, a press release announcing the extension of the scheme did not reference what was previously available to nursing homes or how much was being cut. Yesterday, Mr Kelly said: "We need to know did the new Cabinet sign off on this when they met on Monday, was the Taoiseach, Tanaiste and Green Party leader aware of this first cut, and what reasons did the minister give for slashing payments by a quarter." Meghan Markle reportedly included in her court documents that she felt "unprotected" by the British royal family amid pregnancy. Such documents are part of the former Duchess of Sussex's High Court battle. A royal expert has asserted that Queen Elizabeth II and the rest of the royal family will be distressed to hear about Markle's feelings, reported NZ Herald. According to royal editor Russell Myers, the royal family's senior members will find the claims that the former "Suits" actress believes that the Firm was not able to protect her amid her pregnancy with baby Archie last year. Markle is suing the Mail and Associated Newspapers for publishing a confidential letter directed to father Thomas Markle, according to Fox News. The lawsuit alleges that the publication carried out misuse of private information and contravening the data protection law in the United Kingdom. The lawsuit was filed by the Duchess of Sussex's attorneys in June. The legal papers indicate that Markle was "prohibited from defending herself" from the British media by the monarchy, reported NBC News. The legal action was made against articles that were published in the Mail on MailOnline and Sunday tabloid. Upcoming memoirs are slated to be published in summer. Claims will be made to uncover the truth behind closed doors regarding Megxit. The royal expert claimed that members of the royal family would possibly not find Markle's recent court submissions favorable as well. Also Read: Kate Middleton Forewarned Prince Harry From Whirlwind Marriage With a 'Different' Meghan Markle An attorney who wrote on behalf of the former American actress indicated that she had "become the subject of a large number of false and damaging articles' in UK newspapers, specifically by Associated Newspapers titles, which caused 'tremendous emotional distress and damage to her mental health.'" The documents further 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." A source noted that the publishing of the aforementioned letter is a gross contravening of any person's right to privacy which is apparent and unlawful. The court papers also indicate that Markle has specified 5 friends who made statements regarding the letter to "People Magazine." They came forward to air out sentiments against the "global bullying" targetted at Markle. They were also only identified as A-E but were specified in an undisclosed confidential schedule. Thomas Markle revealed the letter's contents following their interview to show that it did not include suggested tender sentiments. Also, the papers argue that security costs for the Sussexes' wedding, funded by taxpayer dollars, would have been surpassed by tourism revenue estimated to be over 1 billion. Funding for the royal wedding was a prevailing subject in the media in 2019. The Duchess of Sussex denied that she gave the said friends permission to air out their sentiments in the narrative published in February last year. Related Article: Meghan Markle: Pregnancy Announcement Ignited Royal Disapproval @ 2021 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. A man has been arrested after shots were fired at gardai in Co Cork last night. When Gardai arrived at the scene at Military Road, Co Cork, at approximately 11:40pm, the suspect (20s) fired a number of shots from a suspected firearm in the direction of uniformed officers. The man then fled the scene in a vehicle and was pursued by members of the Armed Support Unit (ASU). The suspect's vehicle was brought to a halt on the toll plaza on the M8 Northbound by Gardai using a stinger device shortly after midnight. The man exited the vehicle and discharged a firearm at Garda members. Following the use of a less than lethal device by ASU, the male suspect, aged in his early 20s, was arrested. The suspect is currently being detained at Fermoy Garda Station under Section 30 of the Offences Against the State Act 1939. No injuries were reported. The M8 Motorway is currently closed in both directions between Junctions 15 and 17 for a technical examination to be carried out. Diversions are in place. A scene is also currently being preserved at Military Road, County Cork. The incident has been referred to the Garda Siochana Ombudsman Commission (GSOC). Investigations are ongoing. 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 Ms 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. "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 heartbreaking 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. "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. Grieving "That certainly would never have been my intention, Michelle's intention or, let it be said, the intention of the Storey family as they laid Bobby to rest." She added: "After everything that people have been through and particularly bereaved families, I mean my God, nobody wants to cause hurt or upset or any further pressure on families who are still grieving." She said the PSNI was in touch with funeral organisers. "Every effort was gone to, to manage and minimise the crowds and it was streamed online. Social distancing when people come out in those numbers is very, very difficult, if not in fact impossible, so I understand the anxiety looking at that." While the DUP has called on Sinn Fein vice president and deputy First Minister Ms O'Neill to step down, in a statement yesterday morning she said that she kept to all regulations at the funeral, despite a photograph of her taking a selfie with supporters circulating 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". "No family's grief is more important than another." However, DUP leader Arlene Foster suggested Ms O'Neill had not gone far enough. She said there was "no escaping the fact that trust and the creditability of the Executive messaging has been totally undermined by the Deputy First Minister" and that was not rectified by the comments. "In our view the Deputy First Minister has not grasped the depth of feeling and widespread anger that exists across all communities in Northern Ireland," she said. "There has been no recognition that regulations and guidelines were broken and the Deputy First Minister cannot escape that reality." It was one of the few feel-good stories of the pandemic. The country called for help with the battle against Covid-19 and 73,000 people stood up and answered. The HSE's Be on Call for Ireland initiative captured the imagination in a way that few would have expected - and it was a plea that was heard around the globe. From mid-March, Irish doctors and nurses living and working in Australia, New Zealand and other far-flung places returned home to help with the biggest health crisis the State has ever experienced. The photos of young medics arriving in Dublin Airport provided much-needed comfort at a time when the numbers of cases and deaths were rising rapidly every day. The sobering two-part RTE Prime Time Investigates special this week demonstrated the severity of the crisis experienced by our healthcare workers. By capturing what life was like for staff and patients in the busy Covid ward at St James's Hospital, Dublin, the fly-on-the-wall documentary cut through the statistics to show the human strain that went into bringing the coronavirus under control. It captured the pressure our health system was under in April and May - even as it was bolstered by many who had returned from overseas. Expand Close Credit: Eoin Kelleher/the Medical Independent / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Credit: Eoin Kelleher/the Medical Independent But now, as the crisis appears to be under control in this country and with the third phase of easing the lockdown under way since Monday - in effect marking the wholesale reopening of Irish society and business - poor staffing levels in hospitals and in the GP service have been thrown into sharp relief. "It's the same as it ever was," says one hospital doctor with 20 years' experience in the Irish system. "There was so much optimism about so many medics coming back to help control Covid-19, but now that the first wave has been brought under control, you're seeing hospitals understaffed and those that are there - doctors and nurses - are overworked again. "There had been a lot of hope that the crisis would result in a completely new approach to staffing - and, of course, that costs money - but they were pipe dreams. Right now, you've got graduates coming into an environment where there are no positions for them, doctors who've returned from places like Australia are struggling to get any sort of guarantees about where they will be working and for how long, and existing staff overwhelmed with a workload and rosters that would be considered utterly unsustainable in a country with a first-class health system." While Be on Call for Ireland provided heart-warming images, some of those who answered the call have had a tough time of it since coming back. Latest HSE figures show that the 73,000 figure was largely composed of people from outside the healthcare professions who felt their skills could be used in the fight against Covid. Some 14,100 were healthcare personnel from various strands of the sector, with a significant proportion already working in healthcare in Ireland and another large group comprising retired doctors and nurses. In a statement to Review, the HSE said: "As of July 2, 194 doctors, nurses and health and social care appointees have been deployed from the Be on Call for Ireland initiative to HSE services in both community, acute and public health departments. An additional 715 candidates have full recruitment clearances in place and are 'job ready' as per service need. 940 candidates are in the clearance process. "The Be on Call for Ireland recruitment initiative was part of an overall recruitment effort made by the HSE. During the Covid-19 period, over 4,100 jobs were filled by the national recruitment during this period. Substantial recruitment also took place at local level in community and acute settings." Expand Close A sense of betrayal: Paddy Hillery of the Irish Medical Organisation / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp A sense of betrayal: Paddy Hillery of the Irish Medical Organisation However, many of those who returned to Ireland were given short-term contracts - often of no more than three months - and have now been told they are no longer needed. According to Paddy Hillery of the Irish Medical Organisation, many had given up jobs and prospects overseas "to make sure their families and countrymen would be protected" underwent two weeks' unpaid quarantine on their return from abroad. Some were left out of pocket, having to pay rent and being ineligible for pandemic unemployment payments, he says. Expand Close A sense of betrayal: Paddy Hillery of the Irish Medical Organisation / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp A sense of betrayal: Paddy Hillery of the Irish Medical Organisation "To say to these doctors, 'Thank you for coming back, but we don't need you right now, we'll call you again if we do' is unacceptable," Hillery adds. "There is a sense of betrayal. Staff have put themselves on the front line treating people with Covid, putting themselves and their families at risk." It is an especially bitter blow when one considers that the proportion of medical staff infected by Covid-19 in Ireland is among the highest in the world - front-line health workers account for almost a third of the 25,000-plus people who contracted the virus to date. Seven health staff have died from the disease. Review has been contacted by a number of healthcare personnel who returned from abroad thanks to Be on Call and have struggled to find gainful employment since the crisis was brought under control. "I don't want to go public on it," says one, a nurse, who returned from the UK, "because I'd be afraid that that would scupper my chances of work, but the shifts have dried up over the past couple of weeks. I feel a bit stupid now, because I had been under the impression that jobs would be there for those who came back." On March 19, the then health minister Simon Harris told RTE radio that money was not an issue; the key was to get doctors and nurses to return to Ireland to fight the virus. "The only restraint," he said, "is the availability of people, not finances. In many cases, we'll be offering people full-time, permanent jobs - in other cases, contracts of at least three months' duration." Expand Close Promise: Former health minister Simon Harris said money was no object when it came to Be on Call for Ireland. Photo by Steve Humphreys / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Promise: Former health minister Simon Harris said money was no object when it came to Be on Call for Ireland. Photo by Steve Humphreys For psychiatric nurse Aine Gleeson, answering Ireland's call did not turn out the way she had expected. On June 2, in response to a March 17 tweet from Harris launching "a massive recruitment drive for the health service", she tweeted: "Yet to receive even one available shift in the Donegal area since arriving home from Australia 11 weeks ago since this announcement. Now unemployed and unable to qualify for the Covid payment #shambles". Gleeson later recounted her experiences on Highland Radio, although attempts by Review to contact her this week were unsuccessful. Marianne Hennigan had a much better experience. She was working as a hospital doctor in Perth, Australia and was inspired to leave everything and return home to help when Be on Call was launched. She was one of several Irish medics who flew home with assistance from the initiative - her flights and quarantine accommodation in Dublin were paid for by donors to the scheme, which was wound up in May. "We're Irish and we trained in Ireland and I think we wanted to give back," she says. "It was just a case of being able to get home. Flights were being cancelled and those that were going were costing thousands." She got a placing in the emergency ward at a busy Dublin hospital, and quickly found herself in the thick of the work. It was rewarding, but onerous. After the comparative calmness of daily work in Australia, she says it was a tough adjustment. "Staffing levels are much lower than they are in Australia," she says. "So you can end up working really long hours in Ireland. That's never been addressed." One of the reasons she emigrated in the first place was a sense of burnout from her time as a junior doctor. "It was exhausting. You'd work 70-hour week for months on end. About half of my colleagues - young interns - flew out [to Australia and New Zealand] that year." Expand Close Credit: Eoin Kelleher/the Medical Independent / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Credit: Eoin Kelleher/the Medical Independent Hennigan says that on returning to Dublin in May, she was enthused to see so many additional healthcare workers on the wards. "It was manageable, but as those extra people started to leave in the last few weeks, we started to see a rise in the number of people being left on trolleys, and with huge waiting times before anyone could see them." She is now set to embark on a GP programme to become a much-needed general practice doctor. It's a much-needed role given that the IMO has estimated that the country will be short of 2,000 GPs by 2025. For Anthony O'Connor, a consultant at Tallaght Hospital, the adversity of the past few months represented a golden opportunity to sort out staffing once and for all. "We had all this talent back in the country. We have new doctors coming on stream - many of them would be on planes all over the world [had the pandemic not hit]. Here was a chance to put an end to very long hours and burnout and to help us be ready for a second wave of this virus," he says. "When it [the pandemic] all kicked off, they were saying - quite rightly - let's get everybody on board and then halfway though they started worrying about the cost. There are a few nurses that got completely left in the lurch and there were no shifts for them at all." O'Connor is anxious about how the health system will cope with the fallout from the coronavirus. "What worries me is what we're heading into," he says. "There are huge backlogs [for non-Covid-related surgeries and so on that had to be postponed] so we're going to need people more than ever, but instead we're letting people off and telling them they're not needed any more. What if there's a second wave and we put out the call again? They won't come back a second time." Expand Close Promise: Former health minister Simon Harris said money was no object when it came to Be on Call for Ireland. Photo by Steve Humphreys / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Promise: Former health minister Simon Harris said money was no object when it came to Be on Call for Ireland. Photo by Steve Humphreys It's a sentiment shared by Eoin Kelleher, anaesthesia trainee, and author and illustrator of the book Journey Through the Body. "I know people that gave up good hospital jobs and the lives they had made for themselves in places like Australia, and came back here to do their bit and now they face job uncertainty here," he says. "It was a huge upheaval for them." Kelleher says there has been no shortage of platitudes, but little meaningful attempt to improve staffing levels. "It's all well and good to clap for healthcare staff," he quips, "but where are the jobs?" An Irish doctor who returned from New Zealand just last month says the differences between the two countries is stark. "It was commonplace to work a 38-hour week in New Zealand," she says. "Everything was rostered properly. You could make plans. It was the same for nurses. I remember you'd have a nurse saying they had a really busy day if they had to look after five patients - here, it could be 12 or 13. "It's down to how money is spent," she adds. "Of course, it's going to cost more to have a larger volume of staff, but surely the care provided is better when you don't have staff suffering from burnout and your workload is more manageable?" She is keen to highlight a phenomenon where a glut of trainee doctors will be available for internship this year, but may struggle to get work - and may be unable to travel for employment due to restrictions on overseas travel. "But if the system remains as it is - where it can feel really hard to be a doctor, to help people - many will simply leave when they get the opportunity." A doctor who tweets as @IrishHealthInsider paints a stark picture. "It can be exhausting/soul destroying," he tells Review. "I think what many don't realise is that doctors leave for better conditions and training opportunities rather than pay. Most people I know who leave, especially those who don't return, do so because they want their lives back. "They want to be training rather than patching holes in some dreadful small hospital with terrible standards. "Essentially, our staffing levels during the day are usually adequate - not enough to get people out on time or take all their holidays - but most services function. At night, and over weekends, it's skeleton staff - often dangerous to patients and, of course, very stressful for the doctors. "With Covid, the on-call skeleton staff expanded - pretty much doubled - as well as some services moving to seven days a week rotas so they were always around for their patient. This was the success of hiring more doctors - it felt safe; safer than ever despite a pandemic." His prognosis for the immediate future is bleak. "Even without a second surge, I don't know how our current staffing levels will be able to catch-up on the backlog of clinics, diagnostics, procedures, etc - not to mention people who, through no fault of their own, stayed at home with something they should have presented to hospital with [such as a transient stroke], then go on to present later on much sicker. We'll try to [manage the situation] because in fairness to many of the medics in this country, they work themselves to the bone to keep things barely afloat." THERE was no late change of heart for 17 Leaving Certificate students at the centre of last-minute reviews of decisions to refuse requests for special assistance to help them through the exams. The State Examinations Commission (SEC) said last night that it was satisfied that all appropriate procedures had been followed in the processing of applications. An intervention from the Ombudsman's Office led to the reviews by the SEC after the students were told they would not be granted assistance. About 12 of the students from a private school in the Munster area, who have a diagnosed disability that affects their writing, sought the use of a scribe or tape recorder. The Ombudsman also referred cases from a number of students from other schools around the country. Performance A spokesman for the Ombudsman's Office said while they had not taken a view on the individual cases, they were concerned about the timing of the decisions so close to the exams. The Ombudsman will now carry out a full review and is expected to make recommendations to the SEC for next year. The principal of the school in Munster insisted they followed guidelines and worked very closely with a number of highly reputable professionals and diagnostic therapists, to ensure best practice in making applications. The SEC would not comment on individual cases but said it "approves all applications which meet the conditions of eligibility" of what is known as the Scheme of Reasonable Accommodations, which aims to remove, as far as possible, the impact of a disability on the student's performance. There has been a significant rise in the number of special accommodations granted in recent years, to a total of 20,638 last year, up from 17,233 in 2009. After weeks of unending tribulations, Donald Trump arrives at America's Independence Day celebrations with an ominous political cloud obscuring the pyrotechnics of today's traditional fireworks. He and his supporters confront a stark question: Will this be his last July 4 as US president? Throughout his first three White House years, the mogul-media celebrity dodged a full-blown crisis, a dilemma with national implications. He, of course, was impeached by the House of Representatives but that resulted from a self-inflicted wound: withholding military assistance from Ukraine in exchange for political intelligence. What happened then wasn't really a public emergency, such as the 2001 terrorist attacks of September 11 or the Cuban missile crisis in 1962. Beginning in February, however, coronavirus started to spread. At first, the president downplayed the burgeoning health calamity as cases grew and the dying began. On March 10, Mr Trump pronounced: "We're prepared, and we're doing a great job with it. And it will go away. Just stay calm. It will go away." The next day, the World Health Organisation declared Covid-19 a pandemic and US victims started spiking upwards. Three months later, with the pathogen proliferating, America leads the planet in cases (more than 2.8 million) and fatalities (over 130,000). Several states are experiencing surging numbers, overwhelming hospitals. With so-called "hot spots" elsewhere, the disease remains deadly. The crisis quickly metastasised into an economic catastrophe, with unemployment soaring, business sales plummeting and the stock market dropping. During the last weeks of March and into April, Mr Trump appeared to take charge, christening himself a "wartime president" and conducting frequent news conferences projecting hands-on leadership. But he stopped briefings in late April after stumbling during some responses. It looked as though the president got bored and wanted to move on while urging citizens to resume normal behaviour. This past Wednesday more than 50,000 new cases were reported, the first time above that level. The same day, Mr Trump told an interviewer: "I think we're going to be very good with the coronavirus. I think at some point that's going to sort of just disappear, I hope." Besides the still-potent pandemic, the murder in late May of African American George Floyd while in the custody of Minneapolis police provoked widespread demonstrations, denouncing discrimination. Instead of trying to calm a combustible situation with compassion, Mr Trump called himself the president of "law and order". After saying that, he directed the military to disperse peaceful protesters outside the White House so he could stage a strange photo opportunity at a church damaged during a disturbance. As with the devastating coronavirus, the president seemed tone deaf and out of touch. Indeed, an opinion survey conducted for the 'Washington Post' revealed 74pc of Americans supported the protests, with 61pc disapproving of Mr Trump's response. Just 35pc approved. With doubts about the man in the Oval Office expanding, news of a book providing an insider's view began to circulate. The administration even went to court, without success, to stop 'The Room Where It Happened' by John Bolton from being published. What does the former national security adviser say in his memoir? Referring to the president as "stunningly uninformed", "erratic" and "impulsive", Bolton writes, "throughout my West Wing tenure, Trump wanted to do what he wanted to do, based on what he knew and what he saw as his own best personal interests." Concern for the common good? "I am hard-pressed," Bolton admits, "to identify any significant Trump decision during my tenure that wasn't driven by re-election calculations." If Bolton's revelations prompted White House heartburn, another tell-all could produce more. Mary Trump, the president's only niece and a clinical psychologist, is author of 'Too Much and Never Enough: How My Family Created the World's Most Dangerous Man'. Scheduled for publication in late July, another lawsuit seeks to stop its appearance. To counteract unfavourable publicity, the Trump re-election campaign staged a rally two Saturdays ago, the first since March 2. The Oklahoma city of Tulsa was chosen to take advantage of that area's fervour for him and the Republican Party. Before this political revelry, Mr Trump tweeted that "almost one million people" requested tickets for his performance at the 19,000-seat centre. Crowd expectations even pushed electoral advisers to build an outdoor stage, so the loyalist overflow could enjoy a separate speech. Despite the hype, just a third of the arena - about 6,200 citizens, according to Tulsa's fire marshal - welcomed Mr Trump. The second talk was scrubbed. Observers viewed the meagre attendance as, in part, reluctance to participate at a mass gathering amid Covid-19. The word "flop" featured prominently in news accounts. Such problems in governing and electioneering create flashing warning signs in opinion surveys assessing Mr Trump's performance and second-term prospects. Polls collected by RealClearPolitics show a current presidential job approval average of 41.5pc as opposed to 55.8pc disapproval - a gap of 14.3pc. For comparison, on April 1, Mr Trump was approved by 47.4pc and disapproved by 50.4pc - a mere 3pc difference. In national election polling, the president hasn't led former vice president Joe Biden, the presumptive Democratic Party nominee, since mid-February. Of late, Mr Biden has enjoyed nearly a 10pc advantage according to RealClearPolitics, and this week CNBC/Change Research released results of individual polls in six battleground (or competitive) states that Mr Trump won in 2016. Mr Biden holds the advantage in all six: Arizona, Florida, Michigan, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. Specifically, seniors and evangelicals are deserting the president. On Independence Day four years ago, Donald Trump was given little chance of winning the White House. In that respect, history is repeating itself. But what will history - and political sagacity - say four months from today, the day after this November's election? There's a theory doing the rounds in Fine Gael that Leo Varadkar may not be intending to lead the party into the next general election. Suspicious minds believe the newly appointed Tanaiste is paving the way for his exit in the latter half of his tenure in the Taoiseach's Office once Micheal Martin hands over the keys. The theory is that Varadkar will take over as Taoiseach as planned in December 2022 and remain in situ for around two years. The Fine Gael leader would use his EU connections to land a big gig in Brussels or elsewhere. Phil Hogan will be finishing his second term in the Commission and perhaps Varadkar can strike a deal with Martin or who ever is leading Fianna Fail and he could head for the Berlaymont Building. A leadership contest would have to take place but Simon Coveney would be well-placed to succeed. Some in Fine Gael even suggest the two senior figures may even have struck some sort deal with each other about what might happen in such a scenario. The suspicions were raised about Varadkar's future intentions by some of his appointments on entering into coalition with Fianna Fail and the Green Party. A number of previously loyal party supporters were sidelined in favour of people who publicly supported Coveney in the leadership campaign, the two obvious examples being Cabinet ministers Simon Harris and Hildegarde Naughton. Minister of State Damien English, who is a diehard Coveney supporter, was appointed as a junior to Varadkar's department. Meanwhile, Varadkar supporters such as John Paul Phelan, Brendan Griffin and Michael Ring were shown the door. Phelan was offered the position of deputy government whip with the promise of the chief whip role once Varadkar was in the Taoiseach's Office. However, the Kilkenny TD didn't fancy scrambling around trying to convince disgruntled deputies in Fine Gael, Fianna Fail and the Greens to vote for unpalatable legislation for the next two-and-a-half years. Eoghan Murphy is still in Varadkar's inner circle despite not being given a ministerial role. Varadkar said the former housing minister asked specifically not to be reappointed and is instead taking over some new internal party role. He is also seen as Varadkar's mole among the disenfranchised party members. "You know when you're talking to Eoghan it is being reported straight back to Leo," a source said. Former TDs who were active in the leadership contest were also overlooked in the Seanad. There was a lot of raised eyebrows when Regina Doherty was appointed leader of the Seanad. Ms Doherty was unsuccessful in the General Election and refused to run for the Seanad. She was then announced as one of the Taoiseach's nominees to the upper house and given the leader role with its 20,000 salary top-up. Meanwhile, former TDs who were elected as senators such as Michael D'Arcy and Sean Kyne, who both were active in Mr Varadkar's leadership campaign, were overlooked. Another Seanad appointment that sparked discussion about Varadkar's future plans was that of his running mate in Dublin West Emer Currie. Currie polled just over 1,800 votes in the election and was also unsuccessful in the subsequent bid for a Seanad seat. But those results aside, some believe the only political rationale for appointing Currie to the Seanad was Varadkar planning for succession as it is unlikely there will be two seats for the party in Dublin West in the next election. "The Fine Gael seat in Dublin West was hard fought for and there is no room for complacency when Leo decides to move on," a well-placed source said. However, there is also the fact Varadkar has never brought in a running mate and this may be a goal he would like to achieve before retiring. The alternative view to why so many of his supporters got overlooked for jobs was that it was simply based on their performance in the last Dail. The media-obsessed Taoiseach kept tabs on all his TDs' appearances on TV and radio and many of those promoted regularly went out to bat for the Government over the past three years. The good news is that we now have a Government. After a very indecisive election result and 140 days of deliberation and talks, the three Government parties deserve to be commended for agreeing an ambitious and progressive Programme for Government. There is more good news in that we have in Government some very competent people assuming senior ministerial office for the first time. Although Fianna Fail did not secure the justice portfolio, I am very encouraged by the fact we have a highly capable person in Helen McEntee in charge of that department. Anyone who has seen her perform in the European affairs portfolio will know she is a person of real substance and ability. An Taoiseach, Micheal Martin, asked me on Wednesday afternoon if I would become a junior minister. After careful consideration I declined. The reason I declined is because I believe that my energy and abilities would best serve the country not by being a junior member of the Government but by being a backbench Fianna Fail TD. Before explaining this decision I want to point out what I believe is a potential downside in the allocation of portfolios and why I believe Fianna Fail should have sought either the justice or foreign affairs ministries. It would be preferable, in my opinion, in a three-party coalition in which no one party has a majority at Cabinet that the portfolios of justice and foreign affairs were not held by the same party. In the coming months the shadow of a no-deal Brexit will once again loom large over our political landscape. It will have significant consequences for all of the island but it may raise many difficult and unforeseen problems in respect of Northern Ireland. In discussions with the United Kingdom government on Northern Ireland, our ministers for justice and foreign affairs have always played a central role. However, since Fine Gael occupies both these portfolios, Fianna Fail will not have a senior minister in any such negotiations. Obviously our Taoiseach, Micheal Martin, will attend infrequent meetings with the British prime minister but in fairness to him and the demands of his office he cannot be expected to be directly involved in the detailed negotiations between the two governments. Consequently, these negotiations will be carried out by Fine Gael ministers alone. The country and Government would have benefited had these portfolios been divided between the two main parties of Government. When considering the offer made to me by An Taoiseach, I weighed up a number of factors. One of those factors is the increasing polarisation of our politics which seeks to subdivide people into antagonistic groups. Instead of voters arguing about political issues, polarisation seeks to ensure voters believe their interests cannot and will not be served by those of a different political persuasion. We have seen what polarised politics has done in the United Kingdom the United States and, regrettably for decades, in Northern Ireland. The existence and threat of such polarisation means this country has never more needed a radical centre ground national party, such as Fianna Fail, that will govern through strong state intervention not for the benefit of one faction or polarised group but for the benefit of the country as a whole. Unfortunately, we now see a political landscape in this country where Fine Gael has placed itself on the right and Sinn Fein has placed itself far on the left, each representing their own interest groups. Fianna Fail needs to fight for the interests of the whole nation rather than the interests of certain groups. The segmentation of politics into mutually antagonist groups is exactly the problem that has debased and divided the politics of countries like the United Kingdom and the United States. In order to challenge this rising polarisation, Fianna Fail needs to attract the interest and curiosity of young voters. Young people are not burdened with the political prejudices of their elders. They are open to coherent, intelligent and progressive policies irrespective of their provenance. Fianna Fail must become a more attractive option for these voters. I believe the growth of a national centre-left party such as Fianna Fail that can attract the support of young people is the most effective way to confront the increasing threat of polarisation. I want to play my part in advancing policies and strengthening our great party so it can attract this cohort of young people. People aged between 25 and 45 have now experienced two recessions in their adulthood. Most live in a world of economic insecurity where affordable accommodation is beyond their means, and terms of employment are much more insecure than was the case when their parents first started working. Climate change and Covid-19 have imposed even further burdens upon them - burdens they carry for the benefit of older and future generations. Young voters are prepared to carry selflessly these burdens but they want to see a fair, secure and attainable future on the horizon. These people are crying out for a political roadmap to security and certainty. Hopefully, the new Programme for Government will provide that direction. However, government generally becomes bogged down in events. Fianna Fail needs to attract these voters by providing such a roadmap. I will play my part in that assignment. As a party, we also need to recognise that this young cohort of voters on the island, who neither view nor define themselves exclusively as green or orange, see the illogicality of partition. Brexit and Covid underline the benefits of unity. As the Republican Party, we must sell this message to all young people on the island. I believe that I can serve the State better by seeking to protect and grow the centre ground of Irish politics. I wish Micheal and the new Government every success in the years ahead. Albert Reynolds emerged from the marathon talks with his eyes blazing: "Eight billion, Diggy, eight billion tell that to the begrudgers. Now watch me put a government together," he announced. The "Diggy" in question was Sean Duignan, Reynolds's press spokesman and for a long time one of RTE's most accomplished broadcasters. It was 10.30pm on Saturday evening, December 12, 1992, and the end of a landmark EU leaders' summit chaired by then-UK prime minister John Major in Edinburgh. Unsurprisingly, Albert had engaged in a bit of jiggery-pokery and double-counting - but any way you looked at it he and the Irish government team delivered the sweetest ever deal for Ireland, netting IR1bn per year for the coming eight years. In sum, Europe had helped Fianna Fail keep power. Reynolds had got a political kicking in an ill-advised election the previous month. But this EU largesse helped him put together a coalition with Labour and Dick Spring, who had just weeks earlier publicly castigated Reynolds. Times have dramatically changed. Ireland is one of the EU's "petits riches" and has no entitlement to such lavish Brussels transfers. But the EU remains central to the fate of this fragile three-party coalition. Taoiseach Micheal Martin makes his debut at the first post-Covid-19 face-to-face EU leaders' summit in Brussels in a fortnight's time, July 17-18. The outcome of three issues will frame Martin's fate before his term in Government Buildings ends in December 2022. These are: Brexit; post-Covid EU economic aid; and regional, social and farm funds from a new EU budget plan. All are replete with problems and it is vital that Martin achieves a good outcome. He does know the Brussels labyrinth. For the first time Fianna Fail has a proper EU political home in the European liberal grouping 'Renew Europe', which includes the grouping of French President Emmanuel Macron. But otherwise, it will be all uphill. Brexit is on a calamity course with a minimal trade deal the best hope. The deadline for an extension has passed and, as predicted, the UK has not sought one. London is now whistling past the graveyard on this one saying a good deal is still possible. Ireland is in damage- limitation mode. It is in a major scrap for a better share of post- corona virus aid. The Netherlands remains the obstacle to a two-thirds emphasis on grants from money to be borrowed by Brussels for the first time on this scale. Ireland's problem is changing the share-out rules. The related EU 1.1trn budget plan still looks like cuts in farm, regional and farm fund grants, set against bigger contributions from Ireland. Leo Varadkar rejected the proposals on February 21 at the last EU face-to-face meeting. New proposals are due next week from the summit chairman Charles Michel. The circus is back in town. Fianna Fail has returned in style. Only a week into the party's first taste of power in almost a decade and already there is disgruntlement, disaffection and disillusion. Allied to the anger, outrage and upset are allegations of heaves, conspiracies and botched strokes. The skulduggery within the party showed how politics was so boring for the past decade. The selection of ministers has left a dozen Fianna Fail TDs disappointed at being left out. Taoiseach Micheal Martin's rise in politics has been marked by an uncanny ability to dodge the blame. But this time the fingers are only pointing in one direction amid growing uproar in Fianna Fail. Never mind the sweeter-than-light image, the new Taoiseach has a long-standing tradition at local, national and party level of casting aside people who invested in him. Dara Calleary and the rest are the latest in a line of figures to fall foul of the ruthless altarboy from Cork. Expand Expand Expand Previous Next Close Dara Calleary outside the Convention centre this week. Photo: Gareth Chaney, Collins Bertie Ahern. AP Photo/Steven Senne Deirdre Forde. Photo: Tom Burke / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Dara Calleary outside the Convention centre this week. Photo: Gareth Chaney, Collins It's not personal, it's just business. Fianna Fail TDs are realising Martin will let nothing stand in the way of his ambition. Read More THE SCREECH OF JOY Up in the visitors' gallery of the Dail Chamber, there was a nervous giddiness among the small group of family and friends of the youngest member of the Fianna Fail frontbench. Micheal Martin was by no means a certainty to be included in Bertie Ahern's new Cabinet on June 26, 1997. Martin was a big deal in Cork. Fianna Fail had won six of the 10 seats in the second city 20 days earlier. But Joe Walsh was the big beast in Cork Fianna Fail. Martin, the party's education spokesman, at 36, might have to wait his turn. When his name was called out last by the new Taoiseach, a family member, believed to be his wife Mary, let out a screech of joy and relief from the visitors' gallery. The group was quickly shushed by ushers. The incident stood out for observers as it was unusual. Martin had arrived on the big stage. In the following weeks, the Martin gang had a celebration party at the home of a supporter, Deirdre Forde. There was drink taken and rebel songs sung. Along with fellow Martin aides, Humphrey Murphy and Dermot O'Mahony, Forde would soon become known as part of the minister's entourage. The trio were appointed to the governing body of UCC and Forde became a councillor on Cork County Council two years later. Martin had handed his seat on Cork City Council to his brother, Sean, joining his sidekick, Terry Shannon. The base was well covered. When Martin was health minister, Forde was appointed to the Nursing Board. Come the local elections in 2004, a new force arrived on the pitch as young buck Michael McGrath came in with almost 4,000 votes - second only nationally to a fella called Varadkar up in Dublin. Due to constituency boundary changes, either McGrath or Forde would be the general election candidate alongside Martin in 2007. "Micheal dropped Deirdre like a hot potato for McGrath. He probably had to or was told to, but she had worked for Micheal," a local source said. Come the next local elections in 2009, Martin's twin brother, Padraig, was lined up to run in Forde's patch. She got the hint and joined Fine Gael. Martin's brother flopped. Forde was elected handsomely. The alliance ended. BOOT, B*****K, BITE Martin was reared on the cut and thrust of politics in his constituency of Cork South-Central. In an early campaign, he included a photo of him in his UCC graduation gown on a leaflet to portray the 'local boy come good'. But it was a dirty game with no saints. There was a celebrated local rivalry between Martin and fellow TDs Batt O'Keeffe and John Dennehy. Dennehy famously branded the party strategy on candidate cooperation as "boot, b*****k and bite". "The role of the local director of elections in the constituency was akin to the bishop on All-Ireland final day: throw in the ball, and get off the pitch," a party activist reflects. Come the 2002 general election, Martin was a heavyhitter in Ahern's government as health minister. He was expected to deliver three seats. His personal duels saw him miss the big picture. A failure to manage the vote saw Dennehy nearly lose out as Martin romped. As an epic count and recounts continued for the week, Fianna Fail's national director of elections, the late PJ Mara, fumed in the corridors of Leinster House about "f***ing Micheal Martin" possibly costing the party a seat. Martin was among the ministers who stepped up come the next general election as Ahern went missing amid damning revelations about his personal finances at the Mahon Tribunal. "He was very cold, very hard to read. According to those close to him, he has no loyalty. "He was happy to support Bertie through the Tribunal days, he accepted ministers had to do it, but he was complaining that others weren't doing the same," an adviser to Ahern recalls. Once Ahern was gone as Taoiseach, though, all bets were off. When the Mahon Tribunal reported in March 2012, Martin was quick to distance himself from Ahern, who had repeatedly promoted him across 14 years as Fianna Fail leader and 11 years as Taoiseach. He proposed to expel Ahern as a member of Fianna Fail. Ahern ultimately jumped before he was pushed, but not without a lot of internal rancour. Young supporters of Martin's who put the boot into Ahern, like future TD Lisa Chambers, were colourfully nicknamed "child soldiers with loaded Uzis" by Noel Ahern, 'De Brudder' of the former Taoiseach. In the intervening years, while relations are cordial between Ahern and Martin when they bump into each other, Fianna Fail has not deferred to its former Taoiseach's expertise. Ironically, his views on Brexit and the EU are respected in Fine Gael and Leo Varadkar and Simon Coveney used his networking abilities extensively during the recent UN Security Council campaign. OLD TIES SEVERED Bertie Ahern is not the only former close associate to find himself abandoned by Martin. Former MEP Brian Crowley was mooted to be seeking a run for the Presidential election in 2011. Martin was having none of it, ruling the party out of contesting the election, but not before he sounded out the late broadcaster Gay Byrne about running. Crowley was again successfully elected in the 2014 European elections, but left the ALDE liberal grouping the party is aligned to in the European Parliament and effectively became an Independent. The claims Martin and Crowley were close is put down by some to those outside Cork thinking everyone from the Rebel County is tied at the hip. "They were initially close when Micheal was minister for education. Probably that Cork thing. They were always looking for another Jack Lynch," a party source said. Former Fianna Fail minister Mary Hanafin was another who was seen to be dumped on by Martin. Although she was regarded as a friend of the party leader when they were in Cabinet together, Martin and his party headquarters first backed, but then tried to block, her run in the local elections in 2014. Hanafin managed to submit the nomination papers herself to Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council and the party's efforts to withdraw her name were foiled. She was successfully elected to the council twice. However, Martin didn't give her any backing for a European election run in Dublin. Whatever about Calleary who is in Cabinet, the exclusion of Cork North-West TD Michael Moynihan is seen as a sign Martin doesn't recognise loyalty to the leader. "He took the hits on the constituencies committee. It was all cover for the leader to drop candidates or tell people what they didn't want to hear. Moynihan was his number one follower. There is a bond of friendship or loyalty between them - or there was," a former party official says. Read More THE STEELY LONER After a relatively mundane decade in power, Fine Gael figures are watching the Fianna Fail activity with their mouths agape at the carry-on. "Everyone was talking about the Greens. The biggest Achilles heel now is Fianna Fail. I would be very concerned about the longevity of a government with not just with internal, but outright rebellion. "If I was the CEO of Fianna Fail Inc, I would be putting out a profit warning," a Fine Gael minister said. Fianna Fail's own ministers are left in no doubt now about Martin. The treatment of Dara Calleary confirmed the party leader does not consult with any TDs on decisions. The cutting adrift of Jim O'Callaghan is also a mystery. Mara's description of Charlie Haughey's dictatorial style - 'Uno duce, una voce' - springs to mind a little. "It is utterly bizarre. You pick a guy to be your deputy leader and then you don't pick him in your Cabinet. The optics of it are really bad. Did he offend Micheal Martin in some way? Nobody knows how this man's mind works," a minister says. Martin has had to put up with griping about his leadership style for the best part of his nine years in the job. He has reached the pinnacle now, but the fall will be hard when it all comes to an end. "Once he's out of that Taoiseach's role, he's had his day. He's delusional if he thinks he's going to lead us into the next election. He'll find some bolthole in Europe," the minister adds. Certainly in the past six weeks, as there was uncertainty over the coalition deal getting off the ground, there was a lot of chatter within the party about Martin's future One TD, who was not a leadership contender, is said to have been sounding people out about replacing Martin in that 'no deal' eventuality. "There were people sitting back letting the talks process take its course. If the Greens thing went awry, then it was into a completely different realm," a party TD says. A former TD who has been talking to the party faithful this past week is more bleak in his outlook for Martin, with rebellion in the air. "Micheal Martin won't be there in 12 months' time. He'll be taken out by the party. The new TDs are not conditioned to the fight. The older TDs have no say in the party and they are treated like schoolchildren. It's unreal," the former TD said. Across local and national, party and non-party, those who have come into contact with Martin say there is a steely streak beneath the Taoiseach's wholesome image. "What are we surprised at here? He didn't get to where he is today without upsetting people. Micheal Martin only cares about Micheal Martin. Smell the coffee, this is going on for decades: 'Project Micheal'. There was only one motivation recently, not to be the only leader of Fianna Fail not to become Taoiseach," a political figure in Cork says. A former Cabinet colleague reckons his outlook has changed during his time as Fianna Fail leader and that Martin never really had a cabal around him in Leinster House. "I think he's more ruthless now. I think he hardened in the years in opposition because the opportunity to become Taoiseach was drifting away from him, so he had to make decisions. He was definitely softer in tone and more empathetic when he was in government." A former adviser who has observed Fianna Fail leaders closely for the last quarter century accepts there's "a bit of steel there" and that he can be deliberately aloof. "He was always a bit of a loner. Bertie was a networker without being close to many. Cowen was clubbable and would be down having pints. You'd rarely see Micheal with any of the other TDs. He wouldn't have too many friends in the parliamentary party," the official says. A long-time associate sums up Martin's view on personal loyalties versus political pragmatism: "He said it to me and he meant it: 'That's friendship. This is politics'." The missing body of Fort Hood female soldier Vanessa Guillen was found covered in cement. Police claimed that this is the killers' attempt in hiding her body. According to Crime Online, details of the murder were shared by Texas EquuSearch founder Tim Miller, who told unsettling details of the Fort Hood soldier's demise. In the course of searching for the missing soldier, several suspects were considered as persons of interest on the disappearance of the 20-year-old victim. One of the suspects committed suicide Natalie Kwaham, the lawyer for the victim's family, informed that a suspect who was identified as Aaron Robinson killed himself with a pistol. Investigation shows that around 1:30 am on Wednesday, Robinson got information about human remains getting discovered. When asked about it, he ran while only wearing his shorts and committed suicide with his firearm. He died on the spot with a self-inflicted headshot. The dead soldier's remains were discovered in a grave that wasn't too deep, just near the Leon River located in Texas, according to ABC13 Houston. Miller confirmed that the body found is indeed the missing Guillen. The medical coroner also ran identification on the corpse. However, since the human remains are covered up and encased in concrete when found, it will take some time for the coroner to get a positive identification. Miller said the Guillen's killers took time to pour prepared concrete on the corpse to create a casing for it. Further investigation revealed that the killers bought lime, plastic bag, shovels to accomplish the task. Lastly, they covered her body with rocks. Miller told the victim's kin that she was already dead when she was found. The family wanted more answers about Guillen's horrific murder. Also read: Badly Decomposed Corpse of Missing Mom Found in Garage, Cause of Death Still a Mystery While he was on his way to Fort Hood, Miller received a frantic call from the victim's sister. According to Miller, the family were not pleased because the military is keeping them in the shadows when it comes to the details of the case. Based on some eyewitnesses' account, on April 22, Guillen was summoned on her off day by an unidentified individual. One particular witness saw a man lugging a black 3-foot Pelican case at the armory. Guillen works at this particular armory too, as mentioned in the WFTV9. Miller added that the suspect had a hard time boarding his vehicle. To throw anyone off the trail, the suspects kept on defacing the body by trying to burn the corpse by Leon River. The army base was about 26 miles from the Leon River. When the area was cased and examined, a fire pit was found. Investigators also discovered a pelican case that was partially burned, but they were not successful according to Picuki. Miller's idea of how Guillen was killed He said that the 20-year-old was murdered at the armory, in the morning. At 8:30 pm, someone got the body and put it inside the case. Guillen's corpse may have been in the case for 10 hours in the armory before someone retrieved it. A civilian noticed a foul stench by the river, and immediately reported it to the authorities. It is not yet determined if all of the body parts were complete, or if the deceased's body was chopped to the bits. If all body parts are accounted for, the Southwestern Institute of Forensic Sciences in Dallas will verify it. The mother of the deceased told Crimeonline that a sergeant was sexually harassing her daughter. Related article: New Jersey Teens Charged With Murder for Mercilessly Beating Old Man to Death in an Alley @ 2021 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. I'm not usually one for sympathising with the thwarted ambitions of men. 'Jobs for the boys' is a story in which this girl is normally left fuming on the sidelines. But my sad familiarity with the incandescent rage of losing out on a job means that, unlike others, I fully understood the frustrations of Dara Calleary, Willie O'Dea and Michael Moynihan this week. A sense of entitlement doesn't win hearts and minds but many of us have been there. When you believe you'd be brilliant at the job you've always wanted, it's perfectly normal to be angry. In fact, I'm not sure I'd like someone who accepted disappointment passively, despite the popularity of mindfulness these days. I prefer the kind of people who are in touch with their feelings, especially their negative ones. There's something more authentic about raw fury than resignation. What adds salt to the wound, though, is the point Michael Moynihan made about loyalty. He said he had "taken a lot of s**t" for Micheal Martin over the years. Loyalty is an article of faith for me and I, like poor Deputy Moynihan, have seen it go unrewarded. When that happens, it's not about the job any more but an existential-level identity crisis. You thought you were noble and all the time were being taken for granted. Ooooh, I know all about these slings and arrows of injustice which rapidly descend into tortuous self-loathing. If any of the afflicted deputies want to break social distancing rules and unload their troubles on my tiny shoulders, they'll find no more willing listener than me. Of course, one is supposed to maintain a dignified demeanour and Calleary quickly made the right noises about dusting himself down and getting on with the job. It's part of the modern etiquette that a professional person refrains from displaying feelings publicly (unless they're a founder- genius of a high-tech company where insane tantrums are part of the acceptable personality-type). But as my psychoanalyst friend says: "Better out than in." So on this matter too, I forgive the enraged deputies. The trick is not to become a bore on the subject. One weekend of complaining is allowed and then it's time to start planning revenge, which is much more fun. Jim O'Callaghan's chilling refusal of a job offer was, in political terms, a declaration of war on Micheal Martin. The conspiratorial types will be kept busy. My empathy only extends to the personal though. I have much less time for the narrative that constituencies rather than people had been variously neglected or insulted. Feelings in Mayo seemed to run particularly high, with one aggrieved native invoking the Cromwellian slur. That seemed a bit over the top, but then I'm from Meath, where we've never quite forgiven Mayo for banging on too long about losing that All-Ireland. Meanwhile, O'Dea and Moynihan doubled down on the geographic affront. Both claimed the absence of a job offer was not merely a personal slight but an insult to their local communities, representatives of which were in total agreement with them. Maps of Ireland highlighting the absence of ministers in certain locations quickly popped up on social media. The thrust of these complaints was that the counties in question would be neglected by Government when it came to allocating anything from roads to factories. That implies ministers could and should interfere in these decisions. This expectation is so explicitly held that our friends in Mayo complained bitterly that Enda Kenny had failed to look after the county properly when he was Taoiseach. Two weeks ago, columnists David Davin-Power and Lise Hand, when asked by Brendan O'Connor on RTE Radio 1 to rate former Taoisigh, agreed Kenny was the best Taoiseach the country ever had. But this cuts no ice with his former constituents who think he did nothing for them. What the episode demonstrates is the polarisation of the conversation about the purpose of politicians. Commentators are very fond of complaining politicians spend too much time indulging the parish pump; while those back in the parish expect nothing less. I've mixed feelings. I've often been asked to run for the Dail and always said no because I couldn't face the winter nights at angry residents' meetings when I'd rather be creating and implementing lofty policies, and going home to my children. On the other hand, I recognise the intimate relationship between TDs and constituents means they don't lose touch with people's real-life problems. It does politicians a lot of good to get out of corridors of power and into people's communities. I've also benefited from a wizard constituency secretary helping me navigate the social welfare system at a time of crisis. However, even if you value these aspects of politics, this is quite different from the expectation that a road should be built between towns A and B because the cabinet minister is one of your own. Economic and infrastructural decisions should be made on their merits, not political pull. Anything else is corruption. Going back to the unhappy TDs, I often think of the mathematical statement that happiness is equal to expectation minus reality. I hate this equation as it implies that lowering one's expectations is the secret to happiness. It might be true, but where does that leave hope? Resilience is the real trick here. Take defeat on the chin, but never give up. The Fourth of July is traditionally a day when America celebrates its fortunes and the rest of the world salutes admiringly. Patriotism and pride are still in plentiful supply but there is an undeniable level of fear and polarisation that makes this an Independence Day like no other. This week, the US exceeded 50,000 new coronavirus cases on multiple days, more than double the rate of just a few weeks ago. As anxious Americans looked to their president for leadership, Donald Trump turned the White House podium into a political pulpit. Even an issue like wearing face masks in public has become partisan. Midweek, as the bad news emerged the pandemic was reasserting its deadly hold on several states, Mr Trump said: "I think at some point that's going to sort of just disappear, I hope." A day later he pointedly appeared before reporters, without a face mask, and said, "We have some areas where we are putting out the flames, or the fires, and that's working out well." He went on to assert that the United States, like Europe and China, was "getting it under control". But as many worried US medical commentators have noted, the virus is not under control; it is in control. Record-shattering numbers of new cases were reported in six states: California, Georgia, Texas, North Carolina, Arizona and Alaska. It is in the interests of all that the world's most stable democracy regains a sense of equilibrium and finds a way to address its political, structural and societal weaknesses. Mr Trump has undeniably made the pandemic worse in many ways. Critics say he showed far more concern for the health of the numbers on Wall Street than for the health of workers. He allowed the wearing of a mask to become a matter of political persuasion. In an Orlando suburb, protesters chanted, "My body, my choice", after county officials mandated face coverings. Early in the pandemic, people received invoices for thousands of dollars on seeking a Covid-19 test. It is feared the complete inability of the world superpower to suppress a disease that most other countries managed to contain will have real economic costs. As one US columnist put it: "When writers speak of American decline, they're usually talking about international power - the rise of China and the waning of US hegemony." But for most Americans such concerns are now remote. The struggles in their daily lives are more immediate. In five months, the pandemic has killed nearly 19 times as many Americans as have died in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, yet much of the population have had to get used to avoiding hospitals because of the bills they might face. Perhaps the dream of the Founding Fathers was always a little over the rainbow, but it was a vision nonetheless. And its traces are becoming ever more faint in Mr Trump's bid to make America great again. Gardai have reiterated their call for people not to travel to Buttevant for the annual Cahirmee Horse Fair on July 12, warning that anyone who does attempt to come to the event will be turned away. One of Ireland's oldest horse fairs, with a with a lineage stretching back to the days of Brian Boru, Cahirmee steeped in history and attracts thousands of visitors each year to the North Cork town - all eager to take in the sights, sounds and smells and, if they are lucky, grab an equine bargain or two. However, for the first time in its long history the event will not go ahead this year over concerns that it could pose a serious risk to public health in light of the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. While phase three of the Government's roadmap for re-opening the country does allow for outdoor gatherings of up to 200 people, the huge crowds that traditionally attend Cahirmee each year would far exceed that number. The former Mayor of County Cork, Cllr Ian Doyle, said a unique aspect of the fair is that is that it has no organising committee, something he said could potentially pose a problem in getting the message out there that this year event will not be going ahead. "This is primarily horse fair and I think that those involved in the equine and agricultural sectors will understand the concerns surrounding the Coronavirus and would have already had it in their minds this years fair will not be going ahead," said Cllr Doyle. However, there are concerns that some traders and members of the public might disregard advice and turn up for the event anyway. A Garda spokesperson said they will be monitoring the situation closely in the days leading up to July 12, warning that anyone who does attempt to come to the fair will be turned away. "While we have posted a video on social media telling people the fair will not be going ahead this year, we will not know if people still intend to turn up until closer to the date," said the spokesperson. "There will be a Garda operation in place in the Buttevant area. We have the option to implement Government Covid-19 regulations and if necessary will do so. Our message to people is that if they do attempt to turn up for the fair they will be turned away." In the aforementioned video East Cork Traveller co-ordinator TJ Hogan repeated the message that the fair would not be going ahead this year. "I am urging the public at this time to stay at home and stay safe," said Mr Hogan. It has been the subject of much heated debate in Kanturk and at Cork County Council level for many years. Now there is finally light at the end of what has been a long and convoluted tunnel towards a new primary school in Kanturk, with the news that the contract for the multi-million project is to be awarded within the coming weeks. This was after Cllr John Paul O'Shea (FG) revealed he has received written confirmation from outgoing Education Minister Joe McHugh that the tender process for the project has been completed and a preferred bidder identified. It is now hoped that construction work on the new school, which will take between 14 and 18 months to complete, will finally get underway before the end of this year. While a proposal to amalgamate St Colman's Boys NS and the Convent of Mercy NS into a single complex was first mooted by the Department of Education as far back as 2001, a planning application for a 24-classroom school on the 2.3-hectare greenfield site at the Mill Road was not lodged with Cork County Council until 2012. The following year, much to the disappointment of locals, the proposal hit a major stumbling block after it was refused planning permission over concerns regarding vehicular and pedestrian access and the potential for flooding at the site. In February 2015, a new application for a 16-classroom school on the site was lodged with the authority and given the green light the following November with 26 conditions, one of them relating to the construction of a road and/or footpath linking the site with Upper Bluepool. The OPW, in their capacity as agents for the Department of Education, lodged an appeal against the condition claiming it was "unreasonable and unenforceable." "The applicant does not consider this condition to be appropriate as it refers to lands outside the control of the applicant and where the co-operation of a third party is required," they wrote. In late 2016, Cork County Council subsequently agreed to provide a budget for the purchase of lands for a link road to Bluepool Upper and the upgrading of the storm sewer near the entrance to Market Place/Strand Street paving the way for the school. However, since then the lack of progress on the project has caused much frustration locally, resulting in much heated debate at council level over the timetable for the project. Cllr O'Shea said it was his understanding that final discussions between the OPW, who are managing the project, and the preferred bidder are at an advanced stage. "I know how important this development is for our Town, and I will do my utmost to ensure that this School proceeds to construction as soon as is practically possible during 2020," said Cllr O'Shea. "The new school will be a modern, state-of-the-art home for education in Kanturk and will be of enormous benefit to the local area." Kerry teacher Norma Foley TD (FF) settles into her new office on her first day as minister for education. Photo: Twitter Kanturk's new national school is on the way but the long awaited amalgamation of the Duhallow town's primary schools may go down in the history books for another reason. It could well be counted as the first clash between Fianna Fail and Fine Gael, long time rivals but newly minted coalition partners, as they embarked on partnership government together with the Green Party. The race to announce the decision to award the multi million euro contract to build the school was won by Cllr John Paul O'Shea of Fine Gael who released a statement on Tuesday, in which the green light for the school was credited to the former Education Minister, Joe McHugh of Fine Gael, whose final day in office was Friday of last week. The statement states: "Cllr. O'Shea received the confirmation from outgoing Minister for Education Joe McHugh TD. The project is being managed by the Office of Public Works and they have confirmed that a preferred tenderer has been identified." The same day, Deputy Michael Moynihan contacted this newspaper to welcome the decision of the current Minister for Education, Norma Foley, to award the contract for the multi million euro school with a view to getting work underway and 'shovels on the ground' soon. "Minister Foley has confirmed to me that she has instructed the OPW to accept the tender to build Kanturk National School. "I have been working on this for quite some time - it's a project which is twenty years in the making and which has overcome a lot of roadblocks," said Deputy Moynihan. "I hope there will be shovels on the ground in the not too distant future." When he was informed that the story was already done and in the paper, Deputy Moynihan gracefully said that he would merely like to ensure that his welcome for the announcement was included in the coverage. He did express surprise, however, that the announcement had not been made until Tuesday given Minister McHugh had left office on Friday. When Charleville's Ian Doyle took over the chain of office as the Mayor Of County Cork in February, replacing the outgoing incumbent Christopher O'Sullivan following his election to Dail Eireann, he knew his tenure in office would be a short one. However, neither he nor anyone else could have predicted that within a matter of weeks the Covid-19 pandemic would sweep across the globe and he would preside over Cork County Council during arguably the most challenging period in its history. "I knew that County Mayor was a demanding role, but nothing could have possibly prepared me for what was coming down the line," he said. Speaking to The Corkman this week after handing over the chain of office to the newly elected County Mayor, Youghal's Cllr Mary Lenihan Foley, Cllr Doyle reflected on what has been, by any measure, an eventful few months for Cork and its citizens. "You could say that alright. Although I think the word eventful would be something of an understatement," laughed Cllr Doyle. "Before we go into that, I would just like to say how much of an honour and privilege it has been for me to serve as County Mayor. As a local politician you strive to work on behalf of all your constituents and I would like to think that I have done that to the very best of my abilities for all the people of Cork during my short term in office," said Cllr Doyle. "Certainly, I will always look back on the past few months with an immense sense of pride and it would be remiss of me not to thank every single one of my fellow councillors and all of the council staff who have given me their unwavering support during my time as mayor," he added. Cllr Doyle was also full of praise for the people of Cork for the manner in which they had responded to the huge challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic. While the county went into lock-down, Cllr Doyle, hit the highways and byways of Cork, seeing for himself at first hand the work being done by communities across the county to ensure the needs of their most vulnerable members were met. "I have travelled to every corner of the county over the past few months. Along the way I have met so many incredible people who have given their time and efforts, without seeking favour or reward, on behalf of their respective communities," he said. "It has been truly inspiring to see at first hand the good that can come out adversity and what can be done by individuals and indeed whole communities when they come together for the common good." It would be easy to think that Cllr Doyle might have preferred a more orthodox term in office. However, he insisted he has enjoyed every minute of it and would always look back on his tenure with an immense sense of pride and satisfaction. "When I took over as Mayor I said was only took aware of what an honour it was to be able to represent the people of Cork. To be able to do that at a time of such great uncertainty and to look back on how we as a community have overcome the challenges posed by Covid-19 has been a huge privilege," said Cllr Doyle. "Although my term as Mayor has been a short one it has been filled with so many highlights and wonderful memories. I wish Cllr Lenihan-Foley all of the best for her time as County Mayor and hope that she enjoys her time as much as I have done," he added. The Corkman undertook a whistle stop tour of North Cork towns on Monday morning, taking in Newmarket, Kanturk, Mallow and Millstreet. We were out and about on that sad day in mid-March when proprietors pulled the shutters down on their premises, and while several have reopened during the past few weeks it was heart warming to be on the ground again on Monday to see businesses such as Restaurants, Bars, Hair Stylists, Beauty Salons and Barbers re opening for business. The mood was upbeat and optimism was the order of the day with people enjoying a bit of lunch, or a pint, or even a chat with the person sitting (socially distanced) beside them. Needless to say, there was a huge sigh of relief as Hair Stylists, scissors edged and primed, prepared to deal with customers who have been valiantly coping with wild, untamed locks over the past several months! Meanwhile, Mallow Chamber was also delighted to see the town entering into the next phase of re-opening. "Feedback from businesses in the town, as each phase has progressed, is that people feel comfortable and relaxed returning to town, and the free parking has hugely attributed to this," said the president of Mallow Chamber Sharon Cregg. "There is a positive and cheerful atmosphere on the streets, with people being mindful of each other with regards to social distancing." As part of Project, Act rolled out by Cork County Council, there is now one hour free on-street parking. Each car park will also have periods of free parking; these will be clearly marked in the individual car parks. "While we are sad to lose some businesses, we welcome the new businesses that have opened and offer our best wishes to them," added Sharon. "In the midst of all the changes that Covid -19 has brought, having this welcoming feeling on the streets, is vital to the rebuilding of confidence and creating a positive experience for those shopping in the town. This in turn will help the businesses who have re-opened, having adapted to the changes required, to get back on track after being closed. "A huge thank you has to go out to Mallow Tidy Towns who work tirelessly in keeping the environs of the town ship-shape. To give them a helping hand, Chamber asks that businesses 'mind their patch' sweeping outside their premises and maintaining their shop fronts." Here is a flavour of what proprietors said about re-opening after 14 weeks in lockdown: Please note: all below are following stringent guidelines, which we have not repeated each time Mary Murphy, Manager of Banteer Community Childcare: "We are delighted to have reopened on Monday. This is on a much smaller scale than usual with priority given to children of essential workers. Significant changes have been made to policies and procedures to ensure compliance with Covid-19 health and safety regulations. "It's fantastic to have the sound of children laughing and playing again around the place putting the life and soul back into the centre. The community group has spent significant funds to comply with the Covid regulations, a huge thank you to all involved in the preparations in the lead up to reopening" Orla Tomkins, Manager of IRD Duhallow Restaurant and Duhallow Community Food Services: "Monday saw the re opening of the restaurant at Duhallow Community Food Services. While DCFS remained open throughout the lockdown it was great to welcome customers back to the Restaurant. There was a steady stream of people throughout the day. "Our focus over the past few months has been the rural meals service. Full credit to the dedicated team that turned up to work every day throughout the Covid 19 crisis to produce meals and deliver to all our existing and new clients that were cocooning". Anne Collins, Mallow Beauty & Skin Clinic: "Our first day back went amazingly well. Customers were so appreciative of the fact that our services are back with a new normal. One of our new safety measures is a reduction in customer capacity but since our salon spans two floors with individual treatment rooms, social distancing is not a problem. "It is so uplifting to see the smiles on our customers faces and how much they are looking forward to their next appointment". Patricia Roche O'Keeffe, Market 18 Restaurant, Newmarket: "Reopening on Monday went very well. Everyone seemed very happy to be back and able to sit and chat instead of getting takeaways. All our customers seemed comfortable as we are adhering to all social distancing guidelines. We are lucky to have a large, spacious premises so our capacity hasn't suffered too much." Catherine O'Connell, Stunners Hair Salon, Park West, Mallow: "Our reopening went very well, we have a team of 10 working in the Salon so we decided to do two shifts to help us get through the backlog of clients crying out to get their long awaited hair appointment, so for the first two weeks the salon will be open 12 hours a day. "After the first few clients it was like the 'normal' way to work with the masks and visors. We are lucky in Stunners as it's a large salon and we have no problem keeping the two metre distance between clients. It's great to be back and we're looking forward to meeting everyone over the coming weeks". Noreen O'Donoghue Sheahan, Cafe Aroma, Millstreet: "We had a bumper day on Monday, people were delighted to be able to come out and have a meal and it was fantastic to see our regulars and locals again". Breda Sheehan, Breda's Hair Salon, Kanturk: "It's really fantastic to be back doing what we love most and to meet up with and chat to our lovely customers after such a long time off". Something strange has happened to our schools and St. Joseph's CBS is no different perched on the top of the town at Sunday's Gate. When the lock down started that the school doors were closed, we all wondered what would happen to the children's education, when would they be back to restart the classes and the learning. Well Ms. Bradley and her team of dynamic teachers took inspiration from Roald Dahl's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. The gates stayed closed, but the teaching restarted, reaching into the homes of every student, reaching further afield with open lessons for all the teachers of St. Joseph's deployed the full armory of resources that the state could muster. The juniors and the resource teachers teach their children through SeeSaw as a beautifully simple interactive platform. The senior group mainly used Google Classroom, but 5th used Zoom through the interactive Whiteboard. All that technology, but does it work? Well the answer in St. Joseph's case is that when combined with online meetings of parents and children, phone-calls and posted out hard copy work then YES! When asked, Ms. Bradley the School Princpal said "In St. Joseph's CBS Primary we really encourage our teachers to build strong personnel bonds with the children they teach and their parents, we work closely with them to support them where and when needed. These genuine relationships are the corner stone of our success and the various online platforms that we use to deliver our teaching are all based on our connection to the community." From a small bit of research, it is clear that St. Joseph's wears its community pride on their school blog which must be the most active blogsite in Drogheda, with the exception of The Faa Side. The view from this side of the ditch is job well done to the girls and boys in St. Joseph's Sunday's Gate. Scientists at Oxford University are optimistic that efforts to search for an effective COVID-19 cure or vaccine can give protection from the coronavirus in an unspecified period only. There's a race in the discovery of a vaccine that is limited in its ability to ward off strains of coronavirus, or super vaccine which blunts cell hijacking by the COVID-19. The whole scenario is a vaccine which seems to be distant for the meantime, reported News Week. The vaccine in development is in collaboration with pharm company AstraZeneca, which is one of the frontrunners in the quest to find a cure for the coronavirus. It was stressed in a statement by the World Health Organisation's chief scientist Soumya Swaminathan, mentions India Today. But it should not be forgotten that there are other COVID vaccine developers in various stages of development. Before this several promising repurposed drugs like chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine has some side effect, which put doubt in their efficacy. A shortage of chloroquine happened earlier and cause a glut in the world's supply. But with less demand, it can be fixed. Its failure has allowed other vaccine candidates to move forward. But not all vaccines will pan out, which is why many pharmas are alone or working with another company to ensure success. Will there be any effective vaccines? One of the worst fears during the pandemic is that no vaccine will be discovered, and it is expected to be available by next year. But another wrangle is whether the developed vaccine can have full protection, not only for a limited period. Most researchers are fixated by the COVID-19 or the coronavirus. So, they might be missing on other coronaviruses, the common cold, and the flu is just one part. Also read: Coronavirus Oxford Vaccine Effective in Monkeys to be Mass-Produced in India Or the biggest question is whether we can get a vaccine on time, or we'll just get used to it, like the common flu. Who will need these vaccines when it is not effective anymore? According to Professor Gilbert, vaccines have more than one way to activate the immune system, cited Metro. To know if a vaccine works, it has to be tested and analyzed over periods of time, not just a short period. Testing the data and recording the changes if immunity is gained over time, at least to prove the vaccine has some valid effect. Sometimes, achieving immunity through vaccine and artificial ways, is better than natural immunity, confirmed The Scientist. Coming flu season Scientists are warning of a terrible winter coming, and it will be worse for hospitals, accidents, and an emergency should there be no COVID vaccine ready for the flu season. Greg Clark, Science and Technology Committee, inquired and asked if preparations for winter without a vaccine is faced. Sir John Bell, Regius professor of medicine at the University of Oxford, simply said that it should be assumed a vaccine is ready to roll out this winter, in Sky News. He added that the pandemic has been all about guesses that were a mistake all along. His last advice was to prepare for the worst. He said: "This whole epidemic has relied too heavily on assumptions that have turned out not to be true." But Professor Gilbert said that a vaccine might be here earlier. There are 8,000 Britons enlisted for the Oxford vaccine trial. There is hope for a successful result. Related Article: COVID-19 Cure: Tablet Form Coronavirus Vaccine Not Injection May Be Available Next Year @ 2021 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Over 5,000 people signed an online petition calling for the centre not to be sold The proposed sale of the National 1798 Rebellion Centre in Enniscorthy to a private developer is not going ahead, according to senior figures within the local authority. Sources revealed the news to this newspaper late on Wednesday and the outgoing Cathaoirleach of Enniscorthy Municipal District Council, Cllr Kathleen Codd-Nolan, confirmed the news Thursday morning. News of the proposed sale had led to over 5,000 people signing an online petition calling on the council to reverse the decision and, reacting to this latest development, Cllr Codd-Nolan said: '1798 flows deep in our veins and I hope people will continue to support the centre.' She also commented recently that any feedback she received regarding the centre and the 1798 exhibition was that people 'loved it' and thought it was excellent. Other councillors also expressed satisfaction at the news the centre will not be sold, for now. Cllr Jackser Owens said it was a case of 'people power' in action. 'I welcome the news. This is about people power,' he said. 'There were over 5,000 signatures on the petition.' With regard to what the next move should be, he said there should be an open week at the centre to encourage people from around Wexford and beyond to visit it. 'I think there should be a free open week so that people can go and judge it for themselves,' he said. 'I would like to see the council invite RTE down to showcase it to the entire country through something like Nationwide,' he added. Cllr Owens also suggested schools should be invited to visit the centre and consideration should also be given to running buses from Vinegar Hill to the centre and vice-versa. Cllr John O'Rourke expressed his satisfaction at the decision and said: 'I'm glad the officialdom in the county council came to their senses.' Acknowledging that numbers in the centre were dwindling, he said the only way around that will to being the centre to the fore and to look for funding from the Department of Heritage and the Gaelteacht. 'From a tourism position, we need a plan to sell it [as a tourism product] to every county in Ireland and outside of the country,' said Cllr O'Rourke. He said it's important to be able to walk people through the history that occurred in 'our town and county'. He suggested a strong tourism package should be developed between the 1798 Centre, Enniscorthy Castle, Vinegar Hill, Oulart Hill and the Fr Murphy Centre in Boolavogue. 'I think that is the way forward,' he said. Cllr Barbara-Anne Murphy said a permanent place is needed to remember the people of 1798, however, she is not sure if the current centre is the ideal location. 'Unfortunately, it has not been a popular centre for people to visit from outside the county,' she said. 'It's the wrong place and it would possibly be better not to move it until we have somewhere to move it to.' Cllr Murphy then suggested a better location might at Vinegar Hill itself. 'It should be as close to the hill as possible,' she said, citing an example of how such an interpretive centre can work very well being the Cliffs of Moher. 'The visitor centre there is not intrusive at all,' she said. 'Our offering in the 1798 centre is excellent but unfortunately it's not a place that people visit,' she added. Cllr Murphy also said that some of the issues, especially around things like equality, are as relevant now as they were over 200 years ago. 'There is a tourism offering around the history of Enniscorthy that people might be more open to at the hill. Maybe we should also be marketing it on equality, internationally,' she said. 'We could have a passive type building there too that would work with the landscape of the area,' said Cllr Murphy. Deputy James Browne also welcomed the news that the centre is not to be sold. 'I'm glad plans to sell the National 1798 centre have been scrapped. Enniscorthy and County Wexford's rich history boasts many ties to the 1798 rebellion. It would have been a shame to see the closure of the centre,' he said. He went on to express hope that the decision not to sell the centre will now lead to implementation of a plan to refocus efforts on promoting the facility. 'As our National Centre dedicated to preserving and commemorating the history of the 1798 Rebellion, now is the right time to put a plan in place that will re-imagine how we promote this important part of our county, and country's, history,' said Deputy Browne. Cllr Aidan Browne expressed delight that the sale didn't take place. 'I think it's time now to look at the centre and see how it can be developed because the legacy of 1798 needs to be maximised,' he said. 'We need to have a good look at it and develop a better overall attraction and look at ways of making it more relevant in how we present it,' he said. 'I think we need to make it more interactive and now is the time to look at it because it's become very topical and the moment,' he added. 'We need to look at how we can enhance it and just make it more relevant to the time we are now in.' Cllr Cathal Byrne was one of the most vocal councillors in terms of his opposition to the proposed sale of the centre. He expressed relief that the local authority had withdrawn from negotiations and that the sale will not now proceed. He said the proposal to sell the centre at this month's meeting of the local authority came like 'a bolt out of the blue'. 'I spoke strongly against the proposal [and] it contained no plans for what would happen to the existing exhibits,' said Cllr Byrne. He highlighted the fact that many of the exhibits were donated by local Enniscorthy people in the belief they would be put on permanent public display. 'The proposal [to sell] was met with shock by the entire Enniscorthy community,' Cllr Byrne told this newspaper. 'I have been inundated with constituents dismayed, in shock, at the proposal and over 5,000 people signed a petition calling upon Wexford County Council not to proceed with the sale,' he added. Cllr Byrne said selling the centre would have been 'a hammer blow' to the town at the worst possible time of the year. 'Each year, thousands of tourists visit Enniscorthy to see Vinegar Hill and go to the 1798 Centre,' he said. The knock-on effect on jobs in the town of Enniscorthy of a closure of the 1798 Centre would have been huge, he added. Highlighting that tourists are vital for the town, particularly in light of the difficulties caused by Covid-19, Cllr Byrne said the importance of the 1798 centre was recognised in Wexford County Council's submission to the Regional Spatial & Economic Strategy for the Southern Region. 'It never made sense to try to sell it,' he said. Cllr Byrne is now calling on Wexford County Council to put together a comprehensive plan and investment package to secure the future of the centre. Alba restaurant and wine bar in Enniscorthy will be opening up its doors again to the public this coming Friday. Speaking about the reopening process, owner Angelo Bonfirraro said the restrictions and regulations imposed from the lockdown means there is a reduction of around 20 per cent of tables in the restaurant. 'We are opening on Friday because that is when we have the first booking in for and that in itself is a little worrying because normally you would have bookings during the week,' he said. Angelo thinks customers might be a little apprehensive at first about going back out in public but is of the view that everyone is entering uncharted waters. There will be all of the required sanitising stations in place and the tables will be set at an appropriate distance apart. 'We have a reduction or around 20 per cent in tables,' said Angelo. The restaurant has been operating a take-away service for the last few weeks and Angelo said that business was doing relatively well. With regard to impending reopening he said: 'I think people might be hesitant at first and I think people might be more inclined to stay at home but we will have to see how it goes.' However, while he is hopeful that over the summer people will become more relaxed and inclined to go out Angelo is a little concerned about what will happen from September on when schools are back. 'In September, when the schools are back, I would be a little worried about how business would go then,' he said. The Bailey Bar & Restaurant in Enniscorthy will open this week to what manager, James Ryan, described as 'a new normal'. 'We will be adhering to all of the guidelines that are in place,' James told this newspaper. 'We will be essentially opening as a restaurant more so than a bar,' he added. Patrons will be allowed at tables for one-and-three-quarter hours and there will be sanitisation stations as they enter. 'We will be using disposable menus,'said James. 'They will get an A3 sheet when they come in and that will be disposed of when they leave,' he added. 'It will just be a new normal and we all have to get used to it.' The Bailey will also be using state-of-the-art equipment to spray down the bar twice a day as part of the overall sanitising processes. The death occurred on Tuesday, April 21, of Mick Fitzgerald, 10 St Bridget's Terrace, Carrigduff, Bunclody, Co Wexford, surrounded by his loving children. Mick is mourned by his sons and daughters Darren, Wendy, Jacqueline, Robert, Natasha and Michael, his grandchildren and great grandchildren, to whom he greatly doted on, sisters, nieces and nephews, sons-in-law and sister-in-law. Mick, who would have celebrated his 75th birthday on September 27, was diagnosed with cancer some 13 months ago. He was the son of the late John and Eileen Fitzgerald and one of nine children, originally from Lauragh, Co Kerry. Mick is survived by his sisters Nora, Sheila, Maureen and Chrissie. A true Kerry man, he loved to speak of home and whenever he had the chance Mick would head back to Kerry for a holiday. As a young man, Mick went to England to work where he met his soulmate, Chrissie, and quickly knew that they were a forever match. Chrissie used to say that when she walked by Mick's workplace, he would whistle at her - the rest was history. They married in 1969 and started family life straight away. When they returned to Ireland, they settled in Bunclody. Mick began working in Slaney Meats in Clohamon, but went on to work the rest of his career in the construction industry with Byrne & Byrne. While with Byrne & Byrne, he was a well-respected foreman and worked with people who became his lifelong friends. Mick was a hard-working man. 'Sure that's what ye have - a grand working day' was one of his many favourite sayings. In between family life and work, Mick would have always been doing something on the side, especially if it meant being outside. He was secretary of the Gun Club for a time and each Sunday morning, the dogs would be called and off he would go to meet up with his mates for a day of shooting. The fishing season was another time he enjoyed, with all the neighbours benefiting from the catch. Mick enjoyed being helpful to the neighbours and community of Bunclody - from fixing a leak to building an extension. He would never let anyone down and completed his work to perfection, as was noted in the several messages sent to his family after his passing. No rest for Mick during retirement - it just wasn't in his nature. He always had had several activities on the go, from wood turning to clock making. He even turned his hand to restoring furniture. Mick loved the fine weather to be able to get out and about. He enjoyed sport and followed the matches on TV. A big part of Mick's evening was to watch the political programmes each night. And he didn't miss the opportunity when Vincent Browne came to Wexford - Mick headed down to join the audience. In later years, Mick's wife Chrissie became ill and as the devoted husband he was, he cared for her until she passed away in December 2017. Life changed drastically for Mick as he had lost the love of his life. Shortly after losing Chrissie, Mick himself was diagnosed with cancer. For over a year, he fought the battle with dignity and strength and no complaints, no matter what the illness brought. He would attend Wexford and each time brought his sense of humour with him and the nurses would smile, knowing that he would make their day with a bit of banter. Mick had the utmost respect for his consultant and attending nurses for the care they provided to him and his family during this time. And when the time came, while saddened to be leaving his children, he did not see this as a loss as he knew he would be with Chrissie again. Sadly, Mick lost the battle and passed away peacefully at home with his family around him. He was removed from his home on Friday, April 24, to the Church of the Most Holy Trinity, Bunclody. With Covid-19 restrictions in place, many of his neighbours, colleagues and friends lined the streets to pay their respects as the funeral cortege passed through the town and onto Bunclody cemetery where Mick was laid to rest. A celebration of Mick Fitzgerald's life will be held at a later stage. Mia-Lily and Lorcan Ruttle from Caim, heading out again, on their 100k Wheel Challenge for Enable Ireland, along with their parents Ailish and Trevor A family in Caim has been undertaking an innovative fundraising initiative for the month of June to raise money for one of the country's most respected charities. Mia-Lily and Lorcan's Wheel 100 Challenge was organised by the Ruttle family and the children's mother, Ailish, said that it was the first fundraiser the family had taken on together. 'We will wheel our way to 100km to raise money for Enable Ireland,' said Ailish. The family carried out their walk around their local community and began on June 1. Mia-Lily used her specialist buggy while her little brother, Lorcan, used his scooter, bike and cart. Ailish said that she and her husband, Trevor, were 'under a sweat' following their children, 'pushing one and running after the other'. 'I'm raising money for Enable Ireland,' said Ailish, who acknowledged the support the fundraising initiative has received from the public. She said everyone's contribution will make an impact whether they donated a little or a lot. 'It all helps and we thank you for your support,' said Ailish. To support the fundraiser, look up Mia-Lily and Lorcan's Wheel 100 Challenge on social media. Regular patrons of Balrothery Inn would be forgiven for thinking they had entered a different premises on Monday June 29, with the popular pub having been transformed for reopening under new government guidelines. For those customers who were lucky enough to reserve a table, it would be an entirely different pub experience, with social distancing, hand sanitisers and restricted times being the order of the day. As he prepared to open the pub, owner Brendan McCormack explained some of the new measures in place to protect both customers and staff from the spread of the coronavirus. 'We are opening 50% of the property, the restaurant areas and the bigger spaces, we're not opening the local bar until the 20th of July, in line with the guidance. 'We've got guidance from Bord Failte, they've written out specific bar guidance to help to reopen safely so we're following that to the letter. 'We have two metre social distancing areas that you don't have to book, and then we have less than 2 metres social distancing for greater than one, which have to be reserved in advance, and you can only access these areas for 105 minutes as per the guidance.' He says: 'I'm going to give you the best quote, and it's not mine - 'We are in the hospitality business, not the hospital business', so we're here to welcome everybody and make sure they're safe and have a good time, so that's how we're going to deal with everything.' Brendan says that in this 'brave new world', no-one knows what will happen the bar trade. He's lucky, he says, in that he opens on a Monday rather than at a weekend, allowing staff time to adjust to their new working conditions. He says: 'This involves buy-in from all sides, it involves buy-in from our staff...and then of course buy-in from customers. People have proven during the course of this pandemic that they are very good at following guidance in general, and we are hoping that people will support our business and realise that it is a stage to reopening, (but) we are here to have a good time.' Brendan says he does not agree with the 105 minute time-limit imposed on customers, but that he would nevertheless fully comply with regulations set out by the government. The time restriction, he believes, will only encourage people to 'pub-crawl', increasing the risk of spread of COVID-19. Despite the new restrictions and the hardship they have created for the business though, he remains defiant in the face of adversity: 'It's challenging, (but) pubs adapt, we've always adapted throughout the years, in the short-term economically it will not be viable...the pub has been here for over 400 years and we've got through world wars, so we'll get through this. 'We've got through world wars, we've got through Spanish Flus, we've got through everything, I intend to get through this.' daa, the company which operates Dublin and Cork airports, has welcomed the publication of the interim report from the Taskforce for Aviation Recovery, which was established by the Minister for Transport Tourism and Sport. The report calls for 'clarity' in relation to what will be required to ease the restrictions that are currently in place in relation to non-essential travel to and from Ireland. Ideally, these restrictions should be eased by July 1, the report adds. 'Tourism, trade and foreign direct investment are key elements of the Irish economy and over the medium-term, aviation will play a major role in helping the Irish economy to begin to recover from the financial impact of the COVID-19 pandemic,' said daa Chief Executive Dalton Philips. The Aviation Recovery Taskforce has submitted an Interim Report to the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport. The Taskforce, which draws on industry leaders and expertise, was formed by the Minister earlier this month and it was asked to make a Report by 10 July. As explained in its Interim Report, the Taskforce will make a Final Report before or on that deadline, but it chose to submit an Interim Report because it had identified a small number of measures and decisions which it considered urgent and needing the immediate attention of the Minister and the Government. In the Interim Report, the Taskforce makes four recommendations including calling for the beginning of the lifting of international travel restrictions by July 1. The report also calls for the government to lift the quarantine requirement on incoming airline passengers by July 1 and to support the first two measures, finalise and implement in full a national Code of Practice for Safe Air Travel which applies the aviation health and safety protocols developed by the European Centre for Disease Control and the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA). In order to mitigate large scale redundancies and job losses the report also recommends the government confirm continuation of existing financial support measures, including in particular the Temporary Wage Subsidy Scheme to support employment where possible. A Skerries born artist has joined forces with his Drogheda partner in an artistic match made in heaven! Peter O'Neill and Heather Gilroy have launched a range of original prints depicting some of the wonderful heritage unique to both their hometowns, and are now available to buy off their website www.printsofireland.ie. 'We've both got a creative background, and travelled a lot in South America, South East Asia and Europe, and we would pick up beautiful prints abroad, and realised there is nothing like that for people back in Ireland,' says Peter, son of Ben and Martina O'Neill from Shenick Road, Skerries. 'So much of what is available for visitors is very cliched - lots of leprechauns, pints and sheep - so we've picked things the locals like, like the ice cream shop or life guard hut in Skerries.' The couple are still only in their early 20s and are already planning on expanding the series to take in other parts of the country. 'We both had a bit of extra time during lockdown, and it's something we've been thinking of doing for a while, so it seemed the ideal opportunity,' adds Heather, who went to school in Drogheda, and whose grandad Brian still lives in Bryanstown. 'We started doing some of the sights most popular to the locals in Skerries where we now live, and when it was my grandad's birthday, we did one up for him and then we thought others might like to buy them, so we set up the website.' And how right she was, as since the launch last week, they have been flying out the door. The map of Skerries heritage sites has been particularly popular, and they are already designing ones for Malahide, Balbriggan, Rush and Lusk. 'If they go well, the plan would be to create illustrated maps for all parts of Ireland - the cities and counties - and we really have enough beautiful landmarks to keep going,' adds Peter, who works in digital marketing, while Heather normally works in the fashion industry. Whilst Peter takes care of the marketing side of the business, Heather has the artistic background. #I studied fashion design in NCAD, and picked up the skills I need to do the illustrations,' she explains. 'I take a photo of the landmark, and then load it onto the computer, where I use Adobe Illustrated to do a unique interpretation of the it - and they are a contemporary take on our heritage, which would suit a modern home.' The prints are only available online at the moment but they hope to stock some local shops soon. 'It's a bit early to give up the day jobs just yet, but things are going well so far,' says Peter with a laugh. As well as the maps, we can do personalised designs, and it's free delivery in Ireland at the moment, or we can ship worldwide, so if someone has missed getting home, we can send a little bit of home to them.' For more, see www.printsofireland.ie or Instagram Prints of Ireland. For bar and restaurant owner Anthony Reilly, who runs Harvey's American Bar & Grill in Balbriggan, it was with a sense of great uncertainty that he reopened his premises this week to new government restrictions on the sector. Restaurants and bars were permitted to open as part of Phase 3 of the easing of COVID-19 restrictions on Monday June 29, but for many business owners, it was too little, too late. Anthony, whose family owns the Milestone Inn, the Harvest Inn, Harvey's American Bar & Grill and the Balscadden Inn, explains his issues with the new government guidelines. He explains: 'I'm only opening my restaurant because basically you've got loyal customers that have been with you for years and then after an hour-and-a-half you're asking them to leave, it's just not on, you know? 'I'm hoping that they'll bring the whole thing forward, obviously we're going to have restrictions like everybody has, but not to the degree at the moment. 'They've given us a very short amount of time to produce and get the stuff ready and into position under the legislation, it's just not possible to do...they only gave the guidelines four or five days ago, so it's not enough.' He says: 'We're only going to open the restaurant (in the Harvest Inn), because it's much easier to control, you're not asking anyone to leave because it's last orders at half eight and everyone out by ten, so I can work within the guidelines rather than insulting any of my long-term customers, they'd be gone anyway rather than asking someone to leave.' Anthony explains that because of the new guidelines, he has had to remove up to 35% of his tables from Harvey's American Bar & Grill. He explains: 'You don't really make money ticking along', he says, and after wages, insurance, electricity and gas bills are paid, the business will now be forced to rely on weekend trade to make up for lost profit. Anthony says: 'We've restricted hours and we had to convert the whole place to be in line with the guidance they've given us... 'We're stuck to an hour and forty-five minutes and then you have to go as such (so) by the time you give someone their starter, their main course, dessert, tea and coffee, their time is up, and that's basically our problem.. Anthony says he believes it will take 'about two years to get over the shock of all this', and points out it's all about consumer confidence, and building on that confidence. With the family business running since 1977, though, he has no intention of giving up any time yet. On July 2, a newly released statistics showed that the economy of the United States regained around 4.8 million jobs in June and that the total unemployment rate dropped from 13.3% to 11.1% as the U.S continues to recover from the effects of the coronavirus pandemic. Economy is recovering The Bureau of Labor Statistics said in a statement that the improvements with the unemployment rate are a reflection of the continued resumption of economic activity that had been halted in March and April because of the coronavirus pandemic. In June, the employment rate in the hospitality and leisure industries increased. Jobs also opened in education, retail trade, manufacturing, health services, and business services. According to the report, unemployment in the black community dropped from 16.8% to 15.4% and the unemployment rate in the Latino community dropped from 17.6% to 14.5%. A labor economist at the University of Tennessee, Marianne Wanamaker, told The Wall Street Journal that the country is now slowly recovering. But if the U.S does not control the increasing number of coronavirus cases, the recovery will stall out. Also Read: New York Governor Cuomo's Administration Released $10 Billion to Pay Out Unemployment Claims An economics professor at Michigan State University told The Wall Street Journal that even though things are looking up for America's economy, the public should still be cautious because the U.S is still in the no.1 in the world when it comes to coronavirus cases. There is still an emergency and small businesses are still closing. Statistics The Labor Department report showed key statistics. The unemployment rate decreased in June and the number of unemployed Americans fell from 17.8 million to 3.2 million. The number of unemployed Americans who were on temporary layoff decreased from 10.6 million to 4.8 million in June. The number of people who permanently lost their job continued to increase, going from 588,000 to 2.9 million in June. The number of unemployed people who now have jobs increases from 711,000 to 2.4 million. The number of unemployed Americans who did not have jobs for 5 weeks or less decreased from 2.8 million to 1 million in June. Unemployed Americans who did not have jobs for 5 weeks to 14 weeks decreased from 11.5 million to 3.3 million, they accounted for 65.2% of the unemployment rate. The number of Americans who were unemployed for 15 to 26 weeks and those who were jobless for 27 weeks or more increased from 825,000 to 1.9 million. Steve Ratter from MSNBC who used to work in the Obama administration, responded to the report released by the Labor Department and stated that there is no other way to look at the statistics but as good news. Economists have had a very difficult time in forecasting the numbers, including the numbers of jobless people last month. Getting the total unemployment rate down to 11% is better than what the country expected. To help the economy, President Donald Trump talked about "Explore America" tax credit that will give each eligible American family $4,000 so they can use it for travel expenses. It is a way to encourage Americans to travel domestically, check-in at hotels, and dine-in at restaurants. However, there is still no news as to when it will take effect as the Senate is still debating on what the second stimulus check would include. Related Article: Unemployment Benefits Worth $600 Will End a Week Early, Labor Department Says @ 2021 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. A Coast Guard helicopter was involved in the rescue Tragedy was averted at Loughshinny last week when a young boy was dramatically rescued in a multi-agency rescue operation when he slipped and fell on rocks on the southern side of the rocky headland of Dromonagh. Multiple emergency services were tasked to the scene on the evening of Monday 23rd June to rescue the boy. It is understood the young boy was exploring the headland of Dromonagh with friends when he slipped and fell on rocks and sustained injury. Whilst his fall was not believed to be from a significant height, he sustained multiple leg fractures from the fall. The boy's quick-thinking friends rushed to a nearby road to raise the alarm. A passing motorist then helped notify the emergency services. A large scale multi-agency rescue operation immediately began, with several response teams tasked to the scene, including Skerries Fire Brigade, Skerries Coast Guard, HSE and DFB ambulances and local Gardai. The Coast Guard's Dublin based Sikorsky S-92 helicopter, Rescue 116 was scrambled from its nearby base at Dublin Airport. As a precaution, a coast guard cliff team from Howth harbour were also despatched, although ultimately their assistance was not required. The Coast Guard's Rescue 116 helicopter was on scene within minutes and working with the Coast Guard and Fire Brigade teams from Skerries the rescue operation was swiftly underway. The Skerries Coast Guard team operated several hi-line winch cycles with Rescue 116 to lower the winchman, two Skerries Fire Brigade medics and transfer medical equipment down to the casualty's location. Weather conditions on scene at the exposed headland were favourable to the rescue, with strong winds assisting with the helicopter winch operations. Vanessa Gaffney, Officer in Charge Skerries Coast Guard noted: 'This was a challenging rescue due to the exact location of the casualty and the injuries sustained. 'However, this is a rescue scenario that all the emergency services responding are trained and experienced in, and the casualty was successfully airlifted from the scene. We wish the young boy a speedy recovery.' She said: 'We would also thank the passing motorist who stopped and provided assistance in raising the alarm.' Fianna Fail TD Darragh O'Brien has secured his seat on the new Government Cabinet, becoming the new Minister for Housing in the incoming Fianna Fail/Fine Gael/Green Party coalition and ensuring a seat at the Cabinet table for Fingal. Minister O'Brien, as party spokesperson on housing, planning and local government in the last Dail, had previously shown great interest in the portfolio, and sets out with the challenge of addressing the country's ongoing housing crisis. Speaking to The Fingal Independent, Minister O'Brien gave his reaction to the news: 'I'm absolutely delighted, I've a real particular interest in housing and I believe I can bring a lot to that portfolio to end homelessness and make things better for people, to deliver affordable housing and deliver more public housing. 'It's a very important portfolio, so I was honoured when the new Taoiseach called me up to ask me to take on the role.' The newly-appointed Minister said: 'There's literally hundreds of messages I got from all over the constituency, from Balbriggan to Skerries to Malahide to Swords to Donabate. 'All the good wishes are greatly appreciated, and people feel it's an honour for our constituency too, and I'm really looking forward to the task.' Minister O'Brien said his first priority as housing Minister will be to work towards tackling the homelessness crisis, which he feels is an achievable objective. Secondly, he says, priority will be given to delivering homes for working people, and to this end says the focus must now be on the delivery of an affordable homes scheme. An 'absolute core policy', he adds, will be towards getting local authorities to start building homes too. On why he was interested in such a challenging brief, he says: 'I suppose I see the problems in my job as a TD - it's acute. 'The amount of people that are in contact with me that have been on the housing list for eight or nine years, people who have been homeless or are homeless, people can't afford to buy homes or can't afford to rent. 'It's something that I see in Fingal and that I feel, and I really feel for people. 'We've been given (strong support) from people across the constituency, and I'm really delighted with that, and I really just want to get on with the job now. 'I've never shirked a challenge and I'm always up for a challenge and that's why I really relish this. 'Will I get everything right? No, I wont', but I'll tell you what, we're going to do things differently.' Minister O'Brien said that his appointment to the Cabinet would not have been possible without the support of the people in Dublin Fingal. He said, 'I'm honoured to have been appointed Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government and I look forward to the challenge ahead. 'If it were not for the support, I received in the General Election back in February I would not be in this much valued position and I am deeply grateful to the people in Fingal who voted for me.' He concluded: 'Prior to the General Election, as Fianna Fail Spokesperson on Housing, I was acutely aware of the challenges that people the length and breadth of the county were facing in housing and I will be getting stuck in to addressing those.' Outgoing Mayor of Fingal,Cllr Eoghan OBrien, signs the Certificates of Appreciation for those individuals and groups who assisted Fingal County Council through the COVID-19 response The outgoing Mayor of Fingal, Cllr Eoghan O'Brien, has honoured individuals and groups who assisted Fingal County Council through the COVID-19 Community Call Response Forum by presenting them with Certificates of Appreciation. Cllr O'Brien, whose year-long term as Mayor ended last Friday, said that he wanted to finish his year in office by recognising the service that is being provided to the County and citizens of Fingal during the COVID-19 pandemic. 'This year we faced a health emergency which was unprecedented in living memory,' said Cllr O'Brien. He added: 'It saw hundreds of thousands of people out of work, people cut off from their friends and family for months, many of us falling ill, and unfortunately many people dying from Covid-19. 'However, in this historic emergency, a tremendous effort was made to face the many challenges that the emergency created. I was incredibly impressed by how everyone came together immediately and how so many organisations and groups volunteered to help.' Cllr O'Brien said: 'Their sense of community was overwhelming. Their unswerving dedication was immense.' From the outset of the Community Call Forum at the end March, 105 community partners registered to volunteer to deliver supports in their communities, alongside 55 groups registered with Fingal Public Partnership Network (PPN). During April and May, the Community Call helpline received 436 calls. The majority were for delivery and collection requests while Social Isolation supports, Meals on Wheels requests, Garda queries and other health issues made up the rest of the calls that came into the Community Call helpline in that period. 'Volunteers and community groups across the county were called upon and they delivered. It was humbling to watch the mobilisation of hundreds of people across the county to assist those more vulnerable than themselves,' said Cllr O'Brien. The outgoing Mayor also thanked all the Fingal County Council staff who played an enormous role over the past few months in co-ordinating the response to the Covid-19 pandemic. In a video announcing his decision, he said: 'I was never as proud to be from Fingal, and it will be one of the abiding memories of my 12-month term as Mayor. You were called upon and you delivered. 'I am truly amazed and impressed by the work of the volunteer and I would like to thank you for your unwavering work, dedication and commitment over the recent months. 'You have helped and assisted so many people across Fingal over the past few months. The effort that was made by all those involved with the Fingal Covid-19 Community Call Forum was incredible and I could not have been prouder of all the work done for the people of Fingal.' Covid-19 may have had a disastrous effect on the restaurant sector, but for owner of recently opened Sienna's in Malahide, Robyn Higgins, it's the beginning of a new journey towards success. Sienna's, previously Nautilus restaurant, opens this week under new government restrictions, but for Robyn, it's best foot forward as she opens her doors to diners eager to get a taste of her new specialities. Speaking in the run-up to the opening on Wednesday July 1, Robyn explains some of the challenges she faced: 'When we closed in March, we had no idea that Nautilus would be no more, but as time went on we had time to think about it and we realised that the fine dining business model just isn't feasible for this climate, and we don't now how long it's going to go on. 'The style of food that we were doing, it would still require the same amount of chefs to prepare and serve, but we would be operating at a reduced capacity so the numbers just didn't add up, so that's when we decided to change the concept.' Speaking of some of the measures she's had to take to comply with government guidelines, Robyn says: 'We're having to take a couple of tables out of the restaurant, and then I think the tape measure is going to be our new best friend. 'It's a small enough room, so to make it work is going to be difficult. It's not ideal but we're going to give it a go anyway. 'I think because we have re-branded the restaurant, we've got a lot of supportive messages and people maybe interested to see the new concept.' She adds: 'The website went live on Tuesday, and the bookings have been coming in quick and fast, so it's a good sign anyway. We've had a lot of positive feedback, people missed Nautilus because it was a favourite.' Having recently lost her seat in the 2020 Seanad Elections, Lorraine Clifford-Lee was last week re-appointed to the Upper House by Taoiseach Micheal Martin, once again representing the people of Fingal in Seanad Eireann. Speaking to The Fingal Independent, Senator Clifford-Lee said she was 'honoured' to take on the role. 'I'm absolutely delighted, over the moon. One is always surprised when the Taoiseach rings; it's not something I had expected because it was going to be very tight, there was only four nominations, but I was hopeful. 'The Taoiseach rang me as soon as he arrived back into government buildings, actually he came from the Phoenix Park after meeting the president and he arrived back to government buildings at around 3pm and called me then. 'I was very honoured, obviously, we had a good chat on the phone, and he asked me to do this and I said I'd be delighted to.' On some of the priorities for Fingal she will now bring to the Seanad, she said: 'I've been working on a lot of issues around childcare and education and health and transport, and I suppose we have to re-imagine everything now, obviously with the pandemic being such a big bang to the country. 'So job creation, supporting the local economy, and the airport is obviously a massive employer in the area and that's taken a massive massive hit. 'So it's about giving the appropriate supports to the people of North County Dublin and they'll be my priorities.' Senator Clifford-Lee said she hopes to be a 'strong voice' for the people of North County Dublin in the Oireachtas, and deliver 'the vitally important supports and services' needed for the county. Speaking of what it was like returning to the Seanad after her brief hiatus, Senator Clifford-Lee said: 'It's fantastic, it's a great honour, I was deeply honoured for the four years that I was there, I'm delighted to be back. 'It's a massive honour to serve in the Oireachtas, and I'm one of 60 senators going in there today. 'We've a lot of work to do with the Offences against the States Act that needs to be passed by midnight tonight, so we're doing that today and we have a big job of work getting the country back up and running. 'There's an awful lot of people that have lost their jobs, be that temporarily or permanently and there's big challenges, so I'm ready to get working.' It will no doubt be a different experience as people step back into hairdressers, beauty salons and barber shops this week after a long wait but things are sure to feel a little more normal after a much-needed new 'do. Hairdressers and beauticians in north Wexford have spent the last few weeks preparing their new working stations, which for Gorey's Eikon Beauty involved a change in premises also. 'We've been in the process of moving premises to Market Square from St Michael's Road and July was our date. So it has been more of a rush in the last couple of weeks to get ready,' said owner Roisin Leacy. 'There's huge demand. We have extra staff on and extra days due to the demand and there's quite the back log. Particularly for our lazer hair removal, people have missed appointments and are quite eager to get in,' she said. The Covid-19 hygiene relations have not come as a huge shock to Roisin and her team, as she explained that clean practises are a huge part of the beauty industry. 'The beauty industry controls hygiene quite well. We always use disposable equipment like nail files, it's nothing hugely abnormal. Our only concern would be the extra time that's needed between clients. It reduces the amount of clients we can take in a day. 'But in our new premises, our therapists can take a room so there's no large communal area. Clients will feel a bit more secure and we'll be offering all of our services such as facial, massage, etc. We'll be providing gloves and masks for our clients, there'll be extra sanitisation processes at the door and staff will be wearing visors for certain treatments. 'We have consultation Covid questionnaires, they can be done online or here in a secure room,' she said. The new rules in the new normal for Eikon include being on time, coming alone to an appointment and there will be no serving of teas or coffees. The same is true for Dolly Murphy of Dolly's Hair Salon in Kilanerin, who she said that she will miss the social aspect. 'We did appointments before this and I did allow walk-ins but now I can't allow walk-ins, so it'll be different. Sometimes when people come in they nearly go to give you a hug as you're like a counsellor to them. 'I can't offer refreshments like I would usually and I'd always have sweets for the kids like lollipops, so all those personal touches I did as a small business to make it an enjoyable experience, I feel that has been stripped away. I will try my best but I'll miss the social aspects of the teas and coffee with the clients,' she said. Both women said that their landlords had been very understanding during the crisis, but that it had been a challenging time. 'When we originally had to close, we had the fear of how long it was going to go on but the brands and companies that we work with were great. There were a lot of opportunities for learning while we were off and the therapists did extra education online,' said Ms Leacy. 'But it's a worrying time as a boss, but more for my staff. We kept in contact a lot with a WhatsApp group but I made it my duty to call the girls individually to check in on them, personally and mentally, to make sure they were doing okay for the lockdown. They did the same for me, as I was worried about how long we could sustain this before we'd have to consider not re-opening. It's nice to get back,' she said. Although Dolly will be working long hours getting through her waiting list, she said she didn't feel like the industry had a lot of time to prepare to re-open. 'There's been major demand, and guidelines from the Hairdressing Federation are in place now but you were waiting on those guidelines to know exactly what you needed to do. We could have been told a little bit sooner and it's harder for other bigger businesses. 'It has been tough but it could have been worse, I feel if I had a bigger business I would have been suffering more,' said Ms Murphy. Even visiting Dolly's business, clients will sign in when entering and leaving after sanitising, and are asked to bring their own masks and gloves. 'I will supply PPE if needed free of charge but would ask if you would kindly donate to Barretstown children's charity with the box on entry'. She will be keeping windows and doors open as much as possible to provide ventilation and is looking forward to welcoming people back again. As the COVID-19 crisis evolves, vet clinics, just like other businesses, are working out how to run their workplaces safely for customers and for staff members. It has been a difficult time since mid-March: as essential services, vets remained open, but with new ways of doing things, generally using a 'closed door' policy (i.e. taking animals in at the door, dispensing medications and pet foods to the client at the door/their car, etc.) Vets and clinic staff have done far more communicating by phone, which has presented its own challenges, with phone lines busier than ever before. We have all spent more time outside too, with vets talking to clients in car parks beside their cars, and pet owners waiting outside before being handed medications and pet food. It has been fortunate that the weather has been unusually dry: heavy rain would have made everything far more complicated. As we all move towards a new "normal", vets are reviewing precisely how to do this safely. As part of this, the Irish government has published "Return to Work Safely Protocol" which is a compulsory document for every business and organisation in Ireland, including veterinary practices. It's a 29-page document, along with check lists and forms to be completed. Both employers and workers have responsibilities under the document. It makes sense that clients of veterinary practices also know about the protocol, so that they understand changes that will be happening when they next visit their local vet clinic. Under the Protocol, vet clinics, like all businesses, have obligations that are include the need to: + Conduct risk assessments and safety statements. + Implement control measures to minimise any risk of virus transmission. + Introduce protocols for social distancing, respiratory hygiene, and hand-washing or sanitising. + Anyone who has been off work needs to complete a "return to work" form at least 3 days before returning to work. + Provide Covid-19 induction training for workers. + Have in place an emergency response procedure, including an isolation area, for anyone showing signs of COVID-19 in the workplace. + While the advice is still to work from home where possible, where this is impossible (which is the case for most people working in vet clinics), then employers must make sure that any "at-risk" workers are preferentially supported (e.g. maintaining a physical distance of 2 metres). Vets have been busy dealing with these issues behind the scenes, just like other businesses. And as well as these "back of house" measures, vets need use their own medical and health knowledge to work out how to work safely with clients and pets "front of house", in their daily business. As the incidence of SARS-CoV-2 in the community reduces, many vets are starting to feel comfortable about admitting clients into the building for consultations. However, measures still need to be taken to reduce close interactions in the building (i.e. client-client contact in the waiting room, client-staff contact in the consultation room). Whilst it is not compulsory to wear a mask, most vets and staff are likely to follow the Chief Medical Officer's advice regarding use of face masks to decrease risk of viral spread from an infected person. So if members of the public are admitted to veterinary practice premises, then it may be suggested that they wear face masks, and all staff that are in the public areas or otherwise interacting with the public may also wear face masks. Vets are working out specific routines that suit their own premises, staff and routines. These may be posted in signage, on websites, and online. As an example, the following instructions are typical. + All visits strictly by appointment, with client waiting in their car until it's their time. + Entry to and from the building is controlled via a lock linked to an intercom. + Only one healthy adult may accompany the animal into the building. (Sadly, no more family visits to the vet for the time being) + The client is encouraged to don a face mask before entry and must perform hand hygiene on entry to the practice. + The client is directed to the consultation room door and asked to be seated outside it, in the waiting room, at least 2m away from anyone else. + The vet will discuss the details of the case with the owner on the phone or from over 2m away in the waiting room. + The vet will take the animal into the consult room without the owner, to examine and treat the pet. + The pet will be returned to the owner, and an arrangement for collecting medication and paying will be made. + On leaving, owners will be asked to perform hand hygiene before removing their mask if worn. New measures like these can be more time consuming than the "old" normal, so many vet clinics are likely to be under more pressure than ever these days. Please bear with us: we will give your pets the care they need, but we just need to do this in a slightly different way, to keep all of us, animals and humans, safe and healthy. While ordinarily, a priest reaching four decades of service would be something to be celebrated with parishioners, family and friend, it was an altogether quieter affair for Fr Jim Cogley as he marked his ruby jubilee last week. Ordained in Rosslare on June 22 of 1980, Fr Cogley served a year in Cushinstown, 28 years in Kilmore Quay, 7 years in Oylegate and he's been on his most recent assignment at Our Lady's Island for the past four years. While Covid-19 inhibited any kind of celebration, Fr Cogley is hopeful that he will mark the occasion during this year's Lady's Island Pilgrimage, which looks set to go ahead as usual from August 15. 'I suppose there's an awful lot of anniversaries that have taken place during Covid that people have been unable to mark,' Fr Cogley said. 'My hope is that we'll be able to have a special celebration of Mass on one of the Sundays during the pilgrimage for all those who couldn't celebrate and mark occasions, including my own thing.' Speaking of marking the occasion, Fr Cogley says that he's received a lot of well-wishes from friends and parishioners, even though they couldn't be with him. 'Who, even in their wildest dreams, could have envisaged reaching out with the Gospel to thousands of people via webcam, and yet be looking down at an empty church,' he said. 'The word 'webcam' probably wasn't even in existence back when I was ordained. We may not like change but if we don't go with it then it will force itself upon us whether we like it or not. The future is never what we think it's going to be so it's important to live in the NOW, which could stand for No Opportunities Wasted.' Reflecting on his career thus far, Fr Jim said he has few regrets about the way things have panned out. 'On many occasions I have been asked would I do it all over again,' he ponders. 'The truthful answer is yes, a thousand times yes, and without any hesitation. A little saying I had printed on my ordination card back then was; In His Will do we find our true lives. That full-bodied "yes" to Spirit 40 years ago has brought more blessings joys, friendships and fulfilment into my life than I could ever have imagined. Whatever dreams I had for my life back then have been fulfilled many times over and far beyond my expectations.' Having served across south Wexford mostly, Fr Jim is now extremely content in Our Lady's Island where he has become part of the fabric of the community. 'I believe, with every fibre of my being, that this is where the Lord wants me at this time,' he said. 'This is the first place where Christianity came to Ireland as early as the year 300AD and, as an ancient sacred site, it holds the seeds of hope for the future. I deem it a great privilege to be able to nurture those seeds and do my bit to feed the thousands who come for the Word of Life.' Kilanerin National School sixth class pupils with their teacher Sandra Carty, Fr Denis Browne and school principal, Geraldine Carmody, at the graduation at St Peter and Paul Church Kilanerin National School held a special ceremony for its sixth class students to mark the end of their time in primary school as they all go their separate ways. United at a social distance, Father Denis Browne held a small ceremony for the class at St Peter and Paul's church, Kilanerin. During the ceremony, students individually received graduation certs and heard from their Principal Geraldine Carmody as well as their teacher Sandra Cart. A member of staff and organiser Jane Hughes said that things went down really well all thanks to the help of parents and teachers. 'During the little ceremony, students heard about what their friends and family had voted that they will be when they grow up. They did the vote via email in the run up to the event. 'We want to thank all the teachers and the parents for their help and support on the day,' she said. All agreed that 2020 will be a year that the school will never forget, and they wished the students well on their next chapter. A legislation which imposes sanctions on all banks doing a business transaction with officials from China who are involved with the passing of the National Security Law in Hong Kong was unanimously passed by the US Senate, Thursday. The bill, at the moment, is now heading to the White House and is awaiting the signature of US President Donald Trump. If signed, the bill will authorize and legalize sanctions on foreign people who are part of the annual list of individuals who are involved in the new draconian measures that the Communist Party of China has used to subvert the autonomy of Hong Kong. According to The Epoch Times, the same legislation was also unanimously passed on Wednesday by the House of Representatives. It was passed in retaliation to the new law that was passed by Beijing overwhelming the autonomous territory of Hong Kong. The legislation id a reflection of the concerns that have arisen due to Beijing's take over of the former British territory and possible its economy since Hong Kong has become an international financial center. The National Security law was passed by China's National People's Congress (NPC on the 30th of June through ceremonial voting. The said law criminalizes any acts of subversion, collusion with foreign forces, secession, and terrorism. People who will commit such acts may face maximum penalties such as life imprisonment. Critics of the said law have expressed fear that it would be used against individuals who continue to criticize the CCP. Read also: Hong Kong Buys More Than 6 Million Fake Masks from Erroneous Supplier, Four People Arrested During a Senate speech, Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), one of the lead authors of the "Hong Kong Autonomy Act" said that passing the bill is very urgent and that this is a critical time to do so. Meanwhile, on a press conference that was held on Thursday, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi stated that the legislation will help mitigate and eventually end the campaign of cruelty that China has rained down on Hong Kong. "This is a real tragedy. It's so sad," the House Speaker added. 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 According to New York Times, during the first day of the national security law's implementation, the Hong Kong Police Force has already detained 10 individuals composed of six men and four women after they were suspected violations of the law. In addition, officials said that there have been a total of 370 arrests that have been made for several offenses including obstructing the police, unlawful assembly, and possession of weapons. Meanwhile, Zhao Lijian, spokesman for the Chinese Foreign Ministry has already issued a warning to the US that consequences may follow the signing of the said bill. This is due to the fact that the bill may have significant implications for institutions offering financial services in Hong Kong since it would penalize lenders who will do business with the officials involved in implementing the security law. In a report by Bloomberg, it was stated that the bill poses a great threat to about $1.1 trillion worth of funding for the largest banks in China. Related article: US Halts Defense Equipment Export to Hong Kong As China's Grip Tightens on Autonomous State @ 2021 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. More than 2,000 has been raised for North Wexford Hospice Homecare off the back of Councillor Mary Farrell's nightly singing delights that have taken place on social media over the last few months. Since the end of March, the Kilmuckridge based councillor has taken song requests from people of all ages from Wexford and beyond, and is close to having performed 365 times. 'I've kept a list of all the songs I've performed every night, I call them my Lockdown Hits, and I've carried a notebook around with me throughout the lockdown to take down the requests of songs I've to learn,' she said. 'It has been brilliant and people are still engaging so much with it and I'm surprised but I'm delighted by it, it's lovely. It get messages from people that they're looking forward to it, and if I sing a song for a birthday or anniversary, it's nice to see the recipient at the other end'. A friend of Mary's challenged her to get to 365 songs to mark each day of the year for the duration of lockdown, but the fundraising end of things came about for a very special reason. 'North Wexford Hospice Homecare is a cause very close to our hearts as a family. Two years ago we were so grateful for the support of the palliative care team and the hospice that enabled us to care for our Mam, Peg Dempsey, at home for the last two months of her life. 'When she came home from hospital we knew we had six to eight weeks. We all took time away from our commitments, the four of us Johnny, Margaret, Bridget and myself, and we knew that was the only way we could give her what she wanted. She wanted the dignity of being with her family, which was only possible with the fantastic support and advice of palliative care and the hospice. They were truly amazing. 'We had the house set up nearly like a hospital but it was friendly. Her home and her room was bright and airy with flowers, and we wanted it to be comfortable experience for her, and they supported us in every way. 'The daffodil nurses, the night nurses came in during the final week, the only way we can describe them is that they were Angels of Mercy. They were phenomenal. Just the care, empathy and kindness that they showed her, we couldn't have imagined it any other way'. Mary said that the attention to detail kept her mother as comfortable and as happy as possible in her final weeks. 'We knew then that we had done the right thing but we knew we couldn't have done that without the support that we got. This allowed her to be surrounded by her family, the people who loved her, friends and neighbours and the grandchildren and great grandchildren were given the time to make memories and show her how much she meant to them'. All the family remember Peg as a kind-hearted and community-active lady. 'Growing up she was strict but fair, and very proud of all of our achievements. She grew up with 11 siblings, and the Dempsey's were a very musical family and talented in different ways with music. 'She loved music, singing and listening but she wouldn't have been very musical. Every night we'd say our prayers and she'd sing to us. 'My mother was the one who got me to sing up on stage in a local concert when I was very young, about eight or nine and I've been singing ever since. Music became my whole life as I was brought up with traditional, country and Irish music and dancing. She would have fostered all that love for music in us children. She was always one of my most valued critics, as she encouraged us so much'. A special part of this experience for Mary was when she sang her mother's favourite song, Noreen Bawn. 'That's very special to me and it was way back at the beginning when I first played the song, but I did it again last week as it was her second anniversary. I did a different version of it, a slower version and it was meaningful. It's a family favourite 'But when I look back now, I loved all the songs. I had never sang Tennessee Whiskey before, and I remember doing Run by Snow Patrol on Easter Sunday when everyone was trying to honour front line workers and volunteers. I sang Stand By Me and From a Distance, and those songs would have had messages of hope, support and friendship'. If you would like to make a donation, search 'Mary Farrell County Wexford Hospice Homecare' on www.GoFundMe.com. Saturday, Mad Max 2 (1981) ITV4, 10.15pm - Vagabond Max Rockatansky (Mel Gibson) returns to action in a sequel that's even better than the original. The former cop roams around a post-apocalyptic wasteland, until he's reluctantly recruited to help a petrol-producing desert community fend off vicious gangs of marauders determined to take over their oil refinery and steal their precious fuel. Even if you haven't seen the first film, you will be swept up in George Miller's brilliant action movie - it was initially released in the US as The Road Warrior, due to the fact that Mad Max hadn't made much impact there, and still went on to be a critical and commercial success. Fans may note in reality, Max's dog had been due to be put down a day before being cast. He soon bonded with one of the crew, and the rest is film history. SUNDAY Casper (1995) ITV2, 4.35p.m. An angry woman hires a paranormal expert to rid an old abode of its ghostly inhabitants, and the afterlife specialist and his daughter encounter a friendly spook during their mission. Don't let the fact this is a children's movie put you off as it's a very enjoyable fantasy film with something for everyone, and a great cast including Bill Pullman, Cathy Moriarty and Eric Idle. Plus, Christina Ricci scooped an award for her performance while the film was nominated for several others. In case you're wondering, the surname of Ricci and Pullman's characters is Harvey, a tribute to Harvey Comics, publishers of Casper the Friendly Ghost. Erin Brockovich (2000) 5 Star, 10.25p.m. Erin Brockovich (Julia Roberts) is a sassy, twice-divorced single mum who has learned the hard way that there is only one person in this life she can rely upon - herself. So she talks her way into a junior position at Albert Finney's law office, where she stumbles upon medical records relating to a community ravaged by an abnormally high number of serious illnesses. Roberts turns in the best performance of her career, capturing the abrasive, sometimes infuriating, though ultimately courageous spirit of a woman whose desire to fight for the rights of the underdog rewrote American legal history. Director Steven Soderbergh is at the top of his game again here, bringing out the humanity and daring in Erin's quest without ever resorting to emotional manipulation to secure the audience's support. MONDAY Thelma & Louise (1991) Channel 5, 11.05p.m. Bored housewife Thelma and downtrodden waitress Louise plan to leave their humdrum existences behind during a weekend road trip. Unfortunately, the break turns out to be more life-changing than they could ever have imagined when Thelma is attacked by a would-be rapist, and they end up shooting him in self-defence. Instead of going to the police, they make the fateful decision to run from the law, and end up in even more trouble. Ridley Scott's terrific drama puts an engaging, feminist spin on the buddy road movie thanks to Callie Khouri's excellent script. There are strong supporting performances from Brad Pitt as a dashing criminal and Harvey Keitel as a sensitive cop, but this is the ladies' film all the way, with Geena Davis and Susan Sarandon making the most of their meaty roles. Boats being lifted into the harbour for the Courtown Sailing Club summer season Yachts and boats have returned to the marina at Courtown Harbour after a tough time away from the water during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic. The long wait for the summer season to begin is now over, but things look set to be a little different for the local sailors. Advice from Harry Hermon, CEO of Irish Sailing is for sailors to 'sail smart' and respect government guidelines. He said that the focus for water based sport activities such as sailing will be to maintain physical distancing where possible, and to put in place effective measures, such as contact tracing and face masks. Local, regional and national competition has been given the go-ahead to resume and multi-household groups will be able crew on boats. In the interest of maintaining regular crew as much as possible, committee boats and safety boats are encouraged to use a 'pod' system. Training for all age groups will also be encouraged to use such a system, which will see the same groups working with the same instructor for the duration of the course. Support from Irish Sailing is available still, with a Covid-19 toolbox free to view online. Forms for risk assessment are also available to download from www.sailing.ie. Catholic clergy in the Diocese of Ferns are looking forward to a return to celebrating Mass in front of a congregation again, albeit one that is limited in number due to Covid-19 social distancing restrictions. From yesterday (Monday, June 29), churches are allowed to welcome gatherings of parishioners while observing a two-metre distance rule - an earlier suggested limit of 50 on the number attending Mass, was removed by the Government, following concern from church authorities. 'Looking into a camera has not been ideal but we had to go with the guidelines', said Diocesan Press Officer Fr John Carroll of the livestream broadcasting of many Masses for the past few months. 'I think people have been tremendously patient with us - some people were pressuring us to come back - but people have been patient overall', he said. Fr Carroll said the advice to priests in 81 churches in towns and villages throughout the Diocese is: 'We don't want you to open your doors until you are ready.' Preparations have been taking place in many churches in recent weeks in anticipation of the lifting of lockdown restrictions which were brought forward from a later date to June 29. The re-opening measures include sanitising stations and floor markings to encourage hand hygiene and distancing while stewards will attend at Masses to assist people who may be confused about where to sit. According to Fr Carroll, parishioners will see three types of seats in churches: family seating, where related groups can sit together; individual seats; and areas marked 'not for use'. 'We are operating on the principle of two metres until such time as it is reduced to two metres', he said. Priests are advised to wear protective masks and gloves when offering Communion. 'It is up to individual priests to adapt arrangements as they see fit. In Barntown, I will be asking people who wish to receive Communion to stay behind after Mass. That's the way I'm going to do it for the first four weeks', said Fr Carroll. 'When giving out Communion, it's better to wear a mask and gloves but wearing a mask while saying Mass would be difficult because your voice would be muffled.' Mass booklets are discouraged but the provision of once-off material that people take home with them, is being considered. 'I think, generally, we would ask people to bear with us as it as it is a learning moment for all of us and we'll take our time and learn together.' Fr Carroll said the original limit of 50 which was reviewed by the Government, would have been fine for smaller churches but larger churches can easily take more people while observing social distancing. 'One size doesn't fit all. In smaller churches, it's as much as they will get in but larger churches can take more and still observe the guidelines.' Celebrating Mass in an empty church was a strange experience at first. 'Nothing prepared us for that particular reality and it came so quickly. I got used to it but for the first three or four times, it was utterly surreal. It did get easier.' However, the fact that people based around Ireland and abroad were able to tune in to Masses in their local parishes, meant that priests received communications from people they wouldn't normally have reached. 'I had communications from people in Australia, America and even a couple in Ethiopia', said Fr Carroll. The Glynn/Barntown parish priest said the greatest sacrifice of all was made by people who were bereaved during the lockdown. Deputy Frank Feighan says he is "hopeful" of earning a promotion when the junior ministers in the new government are announced. While the historic coalition arrangement involving Fine Gael and Fianna Fail, along with the Green Party, was the major point of note over the weekend, it was somewhat overshadowed by the huge outrage which greeted the make-up of the new Cabinet. It includes no senior minister from the province of Connacht. Indeed, the entire western seaboard from Donegal to Limerick is without a senior position, though Mayo TD Dara Calleary (FF) will sit at Cabinet as a Chief Whip, while Galway West's Hildegarde Naughton (FG) has super junior status. Neither, however, will have voting rights. Deputy Feighan, who is the sole Fine Gael TD in Sligo-Leitrim, believes that the lack of representation in the west may be offset by the appointment of junior ministers from this region. It is understood that as many as 20 junior minsters - also known as Ministers of State - could be appointed. Reports suggest that the new line-up will be revealed later this week. "I'm hopeful of getting a promotion," Deputy Feighan told The Sligo Champion on Monday. "One never knows how these things will unfold. I was hopeful before." The lack of a senior ministry for the west of Ireland was the major talking point of Micheal Martin's ministerial selection - Deputy Feighan too was of the belief that Fianna Fail's deputy leader, Dara Calleary, would have been allocated a department. "It has come as a surprise, I would have assumed Dara Calleary would have been at senior cabinet and I think most people in government assumed that. "However he is sitting at the Cabinet table so he will be a voice at the cabinet table. But that's a matter for Micheal Martin. "This is a government of three parties, Fine Gael had huge representation over the last nine years with the Taoiseach and senior ministers and junior ministers who delivered, but this is a different government so it's a different arrangement that people are used to. "You'd always like to have senior ministers, but I hope the Taoiseach can compensate by appointing junior ministers." If you want to update your wardrobe in a wearable and easy way, it's time to play around with interesting necklines. The fashion crowd is currently obsessed with showing off a bit of collarbone, with asymmetric styles, deep Vs and sweetheart cuts all making their mark. The best thing about this trend? It's super easy to tailor it to the weather, personal preferences and body type. Baring your decolletage might sound racy - or just a bit too chilly - but often these styles are balanced out by covering up more elsewhere, such as teaming a low neck with long sleeves and trousers. Plus, lots of skin on show isn't a must; there is far more to playing around with necklines than opting for a deep, plunging V. It's all very much inspired by the wave of Nineties minimalism we've seen take over catwalks and Instagram in recent years. It's not a time to go for bright colours or loud prints, but instead focus on pared back styles in block colours. The interesting neckline will really stand out, while the rest of your outfit is effortless and simple - basically the epitome of French sex appeal - and you don't need a wardrobe overhaul to get the look. To show off a bit more decolletage and play around with interesting necklines this season, try some of these styles... Sweetheart The sweetheart style is pretty much responsible for our new obsession with interesting necklines. This is all down to New York cool girl brand Khaite and its cult Maddy top - a ribbed style with a sweetheart neckline. The top has proved so popular it constantly sells out and is loved by models like Rosie Huntington-Whiteley and Lily Aldridge. Khaite isn't a cheap brand - the Maddy top costs 920 (1,220.95) - but the silhouette has taken off. Sweetheart styles aren't always seen as the most cutting edge - they can sometimes evoke dodgy images of Eighties outfits or princessy wedding dresses - but thanks to Khaite's modern take on the look, they've been given a minimalist update which has taken fashion by storm. To work this look into your own wardrobe, keep things as pared back and simple as possible, with block colours and sleek silhouettes. ASOS DESIGN Long Sleeve Sweetheart Neck Top in Linen with Contrast Buttons, 14.52 (was 41.48), ASOS ASOS DESIGN Curve Rib Maxi Dress with Sweetheart Neck and Split, 11.06 (was 30.42), ASOS Asymmetric For an edgier take on the trend, experiment with an asymmetric neckline. This essentially means a neckline that isn't even: maybe it's high on one side and lower on the other, but all the time showing flashes of collarbone. These kinds of looks work particularly well in streamlined leotards or bodysuits, which look great with mom jeans or a flowing skirt. You don't even need a specific asymmetric outfit to get the look - all you need to do is place a loose neckline off the shoulder and you'll embody the perfect amount of nonchalant cool. Hush One-Shoulder T-Shirt in Khaki Green, 41 ASOS DESIGN Bodysuit with Long Sleeves and Asymmetric Neckline in Black, 22.12, ASOS Square Few things look as modern and fresh as a square neckline. It's not something you see often, which is odd considering how easy it is to wear. You don't need to style it in any particular way - just chuck it on. As with any of these styles which show off a bit of collarbone, it's a great opportunity to showcase your jewellery too. Either wear a bold statement necklace or layer lots of delicate chains for maximum impact. Dorothy Perkins Square Neck Volume Sleeve Jumper in Pink, 24.50 (was 35) River Island Long Sleeved Square Neck Top in Black, 16.59; skirt out of stock, ASOS V-necks When it comes to interesting necklines, a V shape is probably the most classic on the list. This doesn't have to mean it's boring, however. V-necks have become a fast favourite to combine with other trends. For example, fine knits are incredibly chic right now, and they're perfect for a V-neck top or T-shirt. If this isn't your style, why not combine a deep V with puffy, milkmaid-style sleeves? No fashion trend exists in a vacuum, which is why it's fun to play around with a few of your favourites at the same time. Those with larger cup sizes might shy away from V styles - they absolutely shouldn't though - but if you don't feel comfortable with a low neckline, you can tailor the V to what suits you best and choose a style that's cut higher. Very Michelle Keegan Burnout Ruched Blouse in Yellow, 24.75 (was 45.00), Littlewoods Ireland Oliver Bonas Mesh Stitch White Knitted Polo Top, 54 A Sligo tech start-up is aiming to provide nurses and frontline healthcare workers with more than 1m worth of free employee health and wellbeing benefits. And it has launched a GoFundMe campaign to raise the money to fund the project. It estimates it could cost 100,000 to provide the service at cost price for around 100,000 health care workers. Any extra funds raised would be used to tailor the programme more specifically for healthcare professionals and/or to provide it in other settings such as nursing homes. KudosHealth launched its online engagement tool in 2017 which allows companies to reward staff for their healthy activity and engages employees of all fitness levels. The aim of the digital health platform, which is accessed through the KudosHealth app, is to incentivise and motivate employees to track, manage and improve their own health in the areas of physical activity, nutrition, mindfulness and sleep. By using common wearable devices such as Fitbits or health apps, employees earn points which can be redeemed for discounts in local stores. Participating employees receive perks and discounts worth between 500 and 1,000 every year for tracking and improving their health. KudosHealth, which was established in Sligo in 2017, is an Enterprise Ireland client and has four employees. It is based at the Innovation Centre at IT Sligo. It normally licences the platform to large corporate employers, so they can provide health and wellbeing benefits to their employees. CEO Declan Trumble said he got the idea to try to provide the service for free to healthcare workers when listening to President Michael D. Higgins on The Late Late Show on May 29 speaking about frontline workers' pay. Mr Trumble says:"Our doctors and nurses have some of the most physically and psychologically demanding roles in the community yet typically don't get the same employee health and wellbeing benefits as many in the private sector get from their large corporate employers. "Due to shift work and long working hours, it is often difficult for healthcare staff - who are under even more pressure and stress since the arrival of Covid-19 - to find time needed to look after their own health and participate in workplace health initiatives that can often be time and location dependent. "It's at times like this during a global pandemic we realise the resilience and courage that these frontline healthcare workers have, just to come to work and do their jobs and that's why we wanted to help. "We wanted to provide them with something that would be worthwhile and last long after Covid-19 has been eradicated. "However, as a start-up we just don't have the financial resources to provide new software and continuous support to manage such a large initiative for free, so we opted to run a GoFundMe campaign." Mr Trumble said it was a way the general public could show their support for frontline workers but also a way for the local and national business community to show their appreciation by offering perks and discounts on their products and services for those staff who participate and improve their health. He added that companies in the Irish private spend over 200m a year on health and well-being programmes but it is generally not provided to those in the public sector due to tight budgets. "Corporate well-being programmes have been around for a long time, and large companies understand the value that they bring to an organisation, helping them to create a company culture focused around the health and well-being of the employees, understanding that healthier, happier employees are good for business, employee health programmes can help reduce absences due to sickness and illness, improve productivity, and attract and retain staff," he said. If you would like to donate to the GoFundMe campaign, go to KudosHealth GoFundMe. Any consumer brands or local retailers that would like to find out more about how their brand can become involved can get in touch at info@kudoshealth.com The case was outlined at a sitting of Sligo District Court at Sligo Courthouse A 56-year-old man who threw a microwave at his then partner cutting her head and breaking a kettle across her arm during a drunken row while holidaying in a caravan in Strandhill has had his sentencing adjourned at Sligo District Court where the victim said she would still like to have a future with him. William Brannigan of Swift Hall, College Wood, Castleknock, Dublin was before the court charged with assaulting Leona Daly causing her harm, criminal damage to a rented caravan and the theft of 100 in cash belonging to Ms Daly at Strandhill Caravan Park on September 16th 2019. Sergeant Derek Butler indicated that a robbery charge was being withdrawn. Defending solicitor Mr Colm Conway said that the defendant was entering a plea to all other matters. Ms Daly, who was in court, was told by Judge Kevin Kilrane that she was a victim and was entitled to be heard. She read from a victim impact statement in which she described herself as being the person who knows the defendant best. She went on to explain how alcohol misuse on both of their parts was a significant player in the breakdown of their relationship. She said that Brannigan has since been living in his mother's house and said that so many positives had come out of the incident, adding that she herself no longer drinks and attends outpatient clinics for alcohol misuse. She said she had fallen into addiction and she does believe that redemption was possible. She said Brannigan had never done anything as extreme to her prior to that incident. She detailed that she was drinking heavily at the time and was grateful that this period was now over. She said she would like to see the defendant engage in an anger management course and expressed how difficult the whole thing had been on both their families, including her parents and his mother who is now living in a nursing home. She said she wanted to put it behind them, adding that everyone made mistakes and how she had no doubt that Brannigan had suffered but that she believed he made permanent changes to never let anything like this happen again. Judge Kilrane enquired if they were still together and Ms Daly replied 'No', adding that she would love to have a future with him but he needed to change. "He has a wonderful side when he's not drinking," she said. The judge then asked how he assaulted her and she replied that he threw a microwave at her, which hit her on the top of her forehead and he hit her on the arm with a kettle. She said the scar on her forehead has since gone down. She was taken to Sligo University Hospital and later released. Sergeant Butler told Ms Daly that one thing he would like to say was that she was blameless, that no one deserved to be treated like this. He added that he read that he hit her with such force that the kettle broke but she replied she couldn't give an answer to that as there was so much alcohol. Judge Kilrane asked if there was any other substance other than alcohol involved and she replied 'No, just wine'. The judge asked what Brannigan worked at and she said he had property which he rented out. Mr Conway told the court that firstly he would like to outline on behalf of his client how extremely sorry he was to Ms Daly and how he wished to take the path that caused the least harm to her. He said his client acted in a very, very bad and poor manner towards Ms Daly. He said he was engaging in counselling services since, including those for alcohol and drug misuse. He said the defendant hadn't drank since Christmas and indicated that alcohol clearly was a major factor, although he was not trying to use that as an excuse. His client had never been in trouble of any kind before and up until recently was the full-time carer for his mother who had dementia and was now in full-time care. Before the Covid-19 restrictions, he was visiting her daily. He said Mr Brannigan was prepared to deal with the case in whatever way was necessary. Judge Kilrane said that it was a rather unusual case in that the parties were in a volatile relationship and there was a lot of alcohol on both sides. He said there were a number of worrying aspects to the case. One was that this was yet another assault by a male on a female. This seemed to becoming a feature of society at this time, with serious assaults on partners and wives and so forth, with a number of cases recently. He mentioned this case did precede Covid-19 and the lockdown. Judge Kilrane said the parties were on holidays at the time and through alcohol the assault took place. He said there was a general volatility to the relationship. He said it was positive that there was a guilty plea, adding that Brannigan was a man of considerable years and had no previous convictions. He had expressed remorse and the victim had indicated that she was not totally blameless to the overall volatility of the relationship. He said what that was saying was that there was a lot of alcohol on both sides and when you put volatility with alcohol, then you were dealing with a dangerous combination. "Staying in a caravan by the seaside, there is not much room for distancing," the judge added. He said violence ensued and that throwing a microwave showed a degree of out of controlness on the part of the defendant. "To grab a microwave and throw it indicated being out of control, overcome with anger and frustration", he said. He described it as a spur of the moment, a moment of madness propelled largely by the row and the alcohol consumed. He said the victim said it was only alcohol but from what Mr Conway said there is counselling for other substances too. He said Ms Daly indicates she would like to get back into a relationship with Brannigan and that was her decision to make. He said rather than deal with the matter on the day, he was going to adjourn so that Brannigan could have a chat with himself to understand what he's done. "To use the vernacular, he's not a bad man," he added. He adjourned sentencing until November 29th, to have a report on his counselling, anger management, and method of dealing with alcohol. Judge Kilrane asked Ms Daly if she had any difficulty meeting him on her terms and she replied she did not. The judge said he would leave it between themselves as to if they are going to meet or receive phone calls. A total of four Wicklow 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 2,000 to charities across Wicklow who provide vital services and make a huge difference within their community. Purple House Cancer Support, Blessington Day-care Centre, Arklow Cancer Support and Greystones Cancer Support each benefited from a 500 donation from one of Aldi's four Wicklow 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. 'At Aldi supporting the local communities that our stores serve is hugely important,' said group buying director John Curtin. '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 now, more than ever, 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.' On July 1, U.S Customs and Border Protection officials in New York announced that they had seized a shipment of weaves and other accessories. The beauty accessories and weaves are suspected to be made out of human hair that was taken from people who are currently locked inside Chinese internment camps. Confiscated hair products Around 13 tons of hair products were shipped and they are worth more than $800,000. The U.S Customs said in a statement that the hair products bore signs of human rights abuses of imprisonment and forced child labor. The violations included additional situations of forced labor, use of prison labor, excessive overtime, restriction of movement, and withholding of wages. The Executive Assistant Commissioner of the CBP Office of Trade, Brenda Smith, said that the production of these hair products shows a very serious human rights violation in Chinese internment camps. The confiscation of hair products is the way of the country to send a message to any company that wants to do business in the United States. They want companies to know that any inhumane practices will not be tolerated in the country, as reported by the NY Daily News. A Uyghur American activist, Rushan Abbas, is believed to be locked in a Chinese detention camp. She said that women who use hair weaves should think about who is making them. Her sister went missing in China two years ago. Abbas stated that the idea of inhumane activities in Chinese detention camps is heartbreaking and that she wants people to think about the slavery that people are experiencing. Also Read: Second Stimulus Check: Why Is It Taking So Long? The news of the shipment came to light just a month after John Bolton, the former National Security Adviser, revealed in his book that President Donald Trump told Chinese President Xi Jinping that Uyghur concentration camps were the right thing to do. Despite the anger over that claim, President Trump signed the bipartisan Uyghur Human Rights Policy Act of 2020, which condemns the human rights violations of Muslim minority groups in Xinjiang, China. The shipment was made by Lop County Meixin Hair Product Co. Ltd. The U.S Custom also confiscated hair products from a different Chinese company back in May, but what they got then was synthetic hair. Investigation Both of the Chinese exporters are in China's Xinjiang region. The Chinese government has detained more than 1 million minorities over the past four years. The minorities are being held in internment camps and prisons where they are forced to denounce their language and religion, where they are physically abused and where they are subjected to ideological discipline. As for the company, the shipped the hair products, The Associated Press tried to visit the office back in 2019 during an investigation of forcing people to labor camps. However, the authorities called the cab driver taking the journalists from The Associated Press to the area and ordered the cab driver to turn back and warned that the coordinates of the cab were being tracked. The Chinese Ministry of Affairs responded to the accusation and said that there is no forced labor or detention of ethnic minorities in the region. Related Article: Jeffrey Epstein's Friend Ghislaine Maxwell Arrested by FBI in Sex Trafficing Probe @ 2021 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Joy, one of the frontline staff in the FirstCare Nursing Home in Blainroe, wearing the official Lions Hero Face Shield Wicklow and District Lions Club has been extremely active during the past few unusual few months. The club's involvement in the All Ireland Lions Hero Shield Project has gone international. A shipment of the life-saving shields has arrived in Canada, destined for the Madoc Lions Club in Ontario. The shields are being worn by volunteers who found it incredibly difficult to acquire them locally. Delivering the face shields proved a difficult proposition but was soon overcome by the Lions team. The shields have also been distributed throughout Ireland, including shipments to nursing homes in the Wicklow area, thanks to the local Lions members. Lions president Sean Olohan said: 'We are all extremely proud to be in a position to help out with this very important project and our members' committee will be active throughout the coming months for any need that should arise.' At the time of going to press, the fundraising was continuing, and the ultimate target of 100,000 had just about been reached, thanks to every Lions club in Ireland. If any groups or organisations need some shields, they are asked to contact any member of the Wicklow Lions as soon as possible. Now that restrictions are lifting, it is expected that more people will be using these visors. A proposal has been made to move the planned Hollywood bus stop off the N81. Cllr Avril Cronin (FG) asked for an update on the proposed bus stop for Hollywood during a discussion of roads at the June meeting of Baltinglass Municipal District. Pat Byrne, executive engineer, said there had been no progress on the bus stop. Approval was required from Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) for a design, however, the TII was 'not that anxious to put it on the N81,' Mr Byrne said, adding the TII wanted to locate the bus stop off the N81. Cllr Cronin asked where buses would come off the N81 to do this. Mr Byrne said they could potentially pull off the national road at the petrol station at Heron's Cross, drop passengers off then return to the N81. This was the TII's 'ideal', he said. Breege Kilkenny, district manager, said an application had been made for capital funding for the bus stop. 'We are doing all we can to move it on,' she said. Cllr Patsy Glennon (FF) said he had raised the issue with Frank Curran, chief executive of Wicklow County Council. Cllr Edward Timmins (FG) asked if a reduction in the speed limit between Poulaphouca and Hollywood would assist with the location of the bus stop. Cllr Glennon said there was a need to consult with the TII. However, councillors could use their statutory function to bring the situation to a head, though it would be 'better to keep all singing from the same sheet'. A meeting attended by multi-stakeholders was held in the Glenmalure Lodge on Friday (26th) organised in response to the intensive dumping which took place in the area over the previous two weekends. 'Forest parties' saw revellers leave behind huge amounts of tents, barbecues, sleeping bags, food items, plastic bags and other items discarded in the some of the most scenic spots within the Glenmalure Valley. Local councillors, Wicklow County Council officials, and representatives from the local community, Wicklow Uplands Council and the Pure Project all attended Monday's meeting. Local hill farmer and Chair of Glenmalure Pure Mile, Pat Dunne, is hopeful the meeting will help prevent similar occurrences over the coming weeks. 'We used to some similar issues many years ago but it was very much under control, until very recently. A few weekends ago some visitors decided to create their own festival and left everything behind them, including tents, food and rubbish. There were quite a few visitors this weekend as well, but thankfully there was a huge improvement. A Litter Officer for Wicklow County Council visited the sites and spoke to the campers. He gave them plastic bags and asked them to bring their rubbish hone. There was also a Garda presence in Glenmalure on Saturday and Sunday. As you know the presence of a uniform makes a big difference. 'Most people packed up everything after this weekend and brought it home with them. However, some people left behind black bags of rubbish to be collected, which isn't ideal. Wild animals usually get at the bags and spread the contents everywhere. While taking away all waste is desired, this is a big move back in the right direction.' The previous two weekends had resulted in extensive dumping due to 'forest parties' taking place. 'The parties tend to be spread out over a few miles. There are spots they use in big groups and then they just leave everything behind,' said Mr Dunne. 'It was soul destroying to see the mess they left behind. It's so annoying. Brand new tents were all left behind. They buy them, use them once and then just throw them away. The same with collapsible chairs. They aren't seasoned campers as they show respect for their equipment. They are also causing water pollution as there was rubbish and broken glass left on both sides of the stream.' While things improved over the weekend just gone, there are still concerns that similar parties could take place over the coming weekends, causing more pollution and environmental damage. Mr Dunne added: 'There was rubbish left everywhere two weekends ago and we had over 40 volunteers show up for a clean-up I posted on Facebook. One volunteer came from as far away as Ballyfermot. We left the whole place pristine within a few hours, only for it to be destroyed again the following weekend. I think Covid-19 is playing a big role. None of the usual music festivals are taking place because of Covid and drink is so cheap, large groups are deciding to hold their own parties. Hopefully things will now improve.' The scene on Abbey Street immediately following the extinguishing of the flames. Photo courtesy of John Holly The latest issue of the annual journal of the Wicklow Historical Society has just been published. The cover image is 'Wild Sea at Wicklow in the Late 19th Century' by Edwin Hayes. Inside, 'Life in Wicklow a Century Ago - 1920' by John Finlay provides an insight into the daily life and happenings in Wicklow Town and its environs, during a year in which the political landscape in the country was changing and the tempo in the military campaign of the War of Independence was increasing. Events covered include deaths at sea, the increase in the Old Age Pension to 10s. a week, War of Independence incidents in the area, sporting and cultural activities, people who visited the town, and the opening of the Excelsior Cinema, to name a few. 'Murder in Rathdrum and its Dire Consequences' by Stan J. O'Reilly recalls the 1884 murder of Mrs. Moore at her cottage near Rathdrum by a tramp called Tobin who was subsequently arrested by the police, charged, tried, and convicted of her murder and hanged in Wexford Gaol on August 26 1884. 'Robert Barton Remembers (1881-1975)' based on an Ernie O'Malley interview with him in 1950, is provided by Ben Fagan, covering Cabinet Meetings, Austin Stack, McNamara the 'G' Man, and other aspects of the War of Independence, which he spoke about to O'Malley. At the time of his death in 1975, Robert Barton was the last of the 1921 Anglo-Irish Peace Treaty signatories to pass away. 'Up in his Hat: James Joyce, John Francis Byrne and their contemporaries: the Wicklow connections' by Ken Hannigan is based on the recollections of Mick Fogarty of Carrickmore, recorded by Ken Hannigan and the late Fr James Murphy, Parish Priest of Barndarrig, Brittas Bay in the 1990s, in which he spoke the history of the area and some of the people who lived in and visited it. 'The Day "Hell" Came to Wicklow' by John Finlay recalls the Tuesday, November 5, 1990 major fire in Abbey Street, Wicklow, which was engulfed in flames and smoke following a fire in an heating oil storage tank which released upwards of 8000 litres of burning oil into Abbey Street. This article includes several colour photographs of this incident taken by John Holly. 'An unpopular decision by the railway company' by Vincent O'Reilly recalls the 1874 decision by the Dublin Wicklow and Wexford Railway to build a new railway station in Wicklow Town in place of the existing one based at the Murrough which now a branch line off the main Dublin-Wexford line. The move was opposed by numerous people in the town as well as the Wicklow Township Commissioners but the company succeeded in obtaining parliamentary permission for the new station, the present day one, which opened in 1885. The Murrough station was closed to passenger traffic in 1885 until 1969 when it was re-opened to facilitate a number of daily passenger trains until 1976 when it was closed again. Wicklow has always had a long maritime tradition and is covered in this issue by Tom Byrne who provides 'A short account of some of the seafarers from Wicklow Town who were lost at sea through inclement weather and war' which looks at some of the ships and seafarers lost between 1899 and 1917 for these reasons. '2020...A Year of Anniversaries' by John Finlay recalls some of the anniversaries occurring in Wicklow Town this year including the 150th anniversary of the opening of the Dominican Sisters School, the 70th anniversary opening of Holy Rosary National School, the 320th anniversary of the Church of Ireland Parish, Church Hill, the 130th anniversary of the Assembly Hall, Bachelors Walk, the 120th anniversary of the unveiling of the 'Billy Byrne' monument, the 160th anniversary of the Metal Bridge, the 70th anniversary of the opening of the new Gouldings Fertilizers plant, and the 60th anniversary of the opening of a new sulphuric acid plant by Shamrock Fertilizers. 'Inquest in Rathdrum in 1876' by Stan J. O'Reilly recalls the inquest into the death of a Rathdrum Workhouse resident who died of bronchitis contracted in Wicklow Gaol prior being admitted to the workhouse. Stan J. O'Reilly continues his look at Wicklow and District in Antiquity and Folklore with 'Naoi and St. Ernene (Part 2)' - Part 1 - 'Pre-Christian Wicklow and the coming of the Irish Saints' was published in the 2019 journal. The closing article 'The Society of the Sacred Heart - 1875' by John Finlay is based on the roll book of the Association discovered during the 2019 renovations of Delahunt's by Noel Heatley, and contains an alphabetic listing of members with addresses. Copies are 5 and available from a number of outlets around Wicklow Town. They can be ordered by calling 0404 67887 or 0404 67494. The Wicklow Historical Society extends its thanks to its patrons who have made publication of this year's journal possible. Many businesses in West Wicklow reopened their doors on Monday as the country moved into phase 3 of the lifting of Covid-19 restrictions. Bia Blasta and D'vine were 'thrilled to bits' to be back, said manager Deirdre Brennan. The popular restaurant on Baltinglass's Main Street re-opened with a new layout. 'We have taken out tables and put in screens. We're following all of the Covid-19 guidelines,' Deirdre said. A reduced menu has also been introduced at the popular dining spot. 'We're hoping it will be busy once we open. However, some people might still be worried or scared, but we have followed all the guidelines,' Deirdre added. A likely fall in the tourist trade has led to the Hollywood Cafe in Hollywood village toreducing its opening hours from seven to five days. The cafe opens its doors today (Wednesday) at 10 a.m. and will beo pen Wednesday to Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturdays and Sundays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. 'We'll be open five days from Wednesday to Sunday, but we may go back to seven days if it gets busier,' said owner Chris McNeilly. The cafe adapted its service in recent times to offer take away pizzas and this helped to 'keep us going' during the lockdown, Chris added. 'We will have reduced seating inside, but there is also outdoor seating and customers can choose to sit in or take away their food.' Eve Hewson is a few minutes late for our Zoom call, and full of apologies because of it. She explains she got the timings mixed up, and only realised during the family lunch. It's easily forgiven, especially as it's rare for the Hewson clan to be in Dublin at the same time. In less pandemicy times, her job as an actor whisks her away from everyday life for weeks at a time; her older sister Jordan resides near her in Brooklyn, New York, and her fatherwell, he could be anywhere in the world, given that he's Bono. For lockdown, the Hewsons returned from the four corners to the family home in Killiney. Eve is using it as a time for reconnection - especially as she left Dublin 10 years ago, when her younger brothers weren't even teenagers - and rest. "I've been sleeping like a maniac. I think I've basically slept through half of the entire pandemic," she says in her New York-toned accent. "I'm genuinely enjoying it, because when I'm filming, I have to get up at like 4am." In waking hours, "we've been doing a lot of cooking, drinking, smoking too many cigarettes, and all the things that we shouldn't be doing. Then trying to reverse all of that by drinking green juices. It's actually been quite a good time." The Dublin interlude is much needed after a hectic 18 months. Following the rule of thumb that trends can be identified by three instances, Eve filmed a trio of projects that foretell a leap in profile this year: Tesla (a biopic about the inventor Elon Musk, starring Ethan Hawke) and Netflix miniseries Behind Her Eyes (from the team who produced The Crown), and The Luminaries, based on Eleanor Catton's Booker Prize-winning novel. Currently on BBC One, it's the first to be unveiled, and her first major lead role, which meant little downtime throughout the six-month shoot in New Zealand. Read More "I'd played the lead in a four-week shoot for an indie movie called Paper Year a few years ago, so I remembered how exhausting it was. So going into this, I was really prepared to go hard or go home. I basically went from scene to scene every single day for six months and then at the end of it, I collapsed. I actually had my friends come meet me in Hawaii on the on my way home and we spent a few days just hanging out on the beach. Hawaii got me through, especially with the really hard scenes that are very emotionally disturbing," she says. "As soon as I decided that I was going to Hawaii, a make-up girl printed out a picture of it for me and I stuck it in my trailer. So every day, if I had to do a hard scene, I'd be like 'okay, but countdown to Hawaii in three months'." Later, I scroll through her Instagram in search of a post of this celebratory holiday. But in-between the snapshots of her life, which range from high-fashion photoshoots for Chanel to her recent presence at the Black Lives Matter protests outside the US Embassy, there's no mention of the trip to her 89,000 followers. It's not a total surprise, given that the need for privacy must have been instilled in her from a young age, but it's a move to respect in this 'pics or it didn't happen' world of ours. When I bring up her attendance at the rally, she's unequivocal about her support. "Of course I joined the protest," she says. "I support Black Lives Matter because I believe black lives matter. I think it's so important for more white people to vocalise this. We're seeing that happen across the world now, and it's a beautiful thing to watch. I think for so long, people have been scared to speak out or say the wrong thing, but there's something about this particular moment in the movement that has really opened up a conversation that has been long overdue. I was really proud to be there and see so many Irish people show up and support it." Expand Close Eve Hewson. Photo by Taylor Jewel / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Eve Hewson. Photo by Taylor Jewel Aged 19 to 31, all but the youngest of the four Hewson children have now stepped into public life and, evidently, the apple doesn't fall too far from the (Joshua) tree. Jordan, the eldest, earned a coveted place in Forbes' 30 under 30 list last year thanks to her tech company's Action Button, which makes activism easier in the digital age. Younger brother Elijah, 20, is frontman of rock band Inhaler, who were included in the BBC Sound of 2020 poll. And with The Luminaries, Memphis Eve Hewson, who turns 29 on Tuesday, is at a turning point in her performing career. "My dad couldn't be more thrilled for me. Between us, he thinks he's the Irish Kris Jenner," she says, laughing. "We're going to bring out a line of lip kits any day now." It's common enough for children to follow their famous parents into the spotlight - to pick from thin air, Lily Collins, Alfie Allen and Maya Hawke are also current actors with high-profile family (Phil Collins, Keith Allen and Uma Thurman/Ethan Hawke respectively). But family influence only gets you so far and it's not necessarily a boon; Stella McCartney, fashion designer and daughter of a Beatle, explained it best when she said "it certainly opened a lot of doors, and certainly closed some minds". How does Eve perceive it? "If I thought about it all day long, I wouldn't be in a healthy state of mind," she says. "But my whole philosophy has always been to focus on the work, and the rest will fall into place. I don't really care if people know my name or if they don't. People have been referring to me as Bono's daughter for my entire life, I can't lose sleep over it. If they start to just call me Eve Hewson, fantastic, but it's not something that I would put too much energy into thinking about." It helps that while the family resemblance is there, you'd have to know it to see it; Eve's smoky, dark beauty is reminiscent of her mother Ali, but those aqua blue eyes are inherited straight from her father. It adds up to a striking look that serves her as much in photoshoots as on the small screen. With the style comes substance. Our conversation is lively; she's adept at talking openly and intelligently while staying focused on the subject, which is a skill in itself. Most endearingly, she's devoid of ego - she readily pokes fun at her own expense, and there's no defensiveness. As TikTokers say, she passes the vibe check. The only less-than-full answer comes when I ask about the extent to which the acting profession is viable only to those who are already financially secure, an increasingly salient issue in the industry. In fairness, there's no easy answer here, though she simply explains that "I haven't heard about that. But most of the people that I work with are from many different backgrounds, and have completely different stories". Expand Close Ali Hewson with her husband, U2 frontman, Bono and daughters Jordan and Eve / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Ali Hewson with her husband, U2 frontman, Bono and daughters Jordan and Eve Eve's own break in acting came early on. Though enrolled at St Andrew's College in Blackrock, while accompanying father on tour, her tutor Erica Dunton encouraged her interest in films. When Dunton went on to make The 27 Club - a road-trip movie following a rock star after the suicide of his bandmate - she offered Hewson the part of the hitchhiker he befriends. Filming took Eve to North Carolina aged 17 and, from there, there was no turning back. Aided by her time studying in New York, she skipped the Irish actor's rite of passage through the RTE drama department. Instead, she joined the cast of This Must Be The Place alongside Sean Penn, and appeared in For The First Time, an elongated promo video for The Script's stadium anthem of the same name. Slowly but surely, her career progressed: she worked under the guidance of her hero Steven Spielberg in Bridge of Spies, and Steven Soderberg in The Knick, the medical drama series in which she played a nurse alongside pioneering doctors (Clive Owen and Andre Holland). That's a decent run for the first act of her career. At the very least, it assured her parents that she had the fortitude for the industry, given they warned her against acting because of the way women are judged and the constant rejection. Read More While their advice didn't deter her, Eve understands their points. "The commercial side of it is quite a superficial business in some ways. I think a lot of it sends the wrong message," she says. "You have to be very careful about the way that you represent [women], especially to do with sexuality, and what's deemed sexy in Hollywood. If they're going to decide, 'okay, this girl is the love interest, and this is what she should wear', it can't be just middle-aged men deciding that. There has to be women involved in the conversation too. Because then we are just pitching only one idea to young teenagers, and it has to be more diverse than that." An example crops up later when we're raving about Normal People - she notes the subtlety of a scene in which Paul Mescal walks with his hands in his pockets "and you see his bum in those school trousers. There's something familiar about that. It feels filmed with a female gaze". As to the inevitable rejections, Eve has her head firmly on her shoulders. "I've learned with auditions that you prepare, show up, do your job, and then the minute you leave, just let it go. The more auditions you do, the more rejections you get, so you build up a thicker skin, and it's easier. You just become a cynical old lady," she says, laughing. "But I think competition and failure is healthy and necessary, for any actor, artist, writer, director. That can genuinely feed you. I'm obsessed with the Michael Jordan documentary The Last Dance. In it, he talks about how his dad told him always turn the negative into a positive. If he had a bad game, or if they didn't win, that would feed him so that in the next game, he would come back and smash the floor. I watched it agreeing that's exactly how you have to think about failure. You might do a movie and it might not do well, or nobody thinks it's good, or people just don't see it because of the distribution. You just have to take those blows and try and turn them into something positive." As it was, she did consider ditching the career, but it wasn't for the reasons her parents feared. It ended up being Hollywood's gender imbalance that made acting too restrictive. "Before I took this job, I had a complete existential crisis," she says. "I was going through that period in your 20s where you start to question everything, and I didn't like acting anymore. I was becoming aware of the way women are pigeon-holed in our industry, and how women are represented on film." She recounts meeting a top studio executive and asking how many women were on the board. He had to be reminded that they had one, which spoke volumes about how valued she was. "That kind of stuff really started to bother me. I started to think I don't know if I want to be a part of it, or subject myself to that kind of inequality." In the nick of time, the #MeToo movement started to gain momentum. "All these women were coming out and saying they were sick of doing the same work for less money, and backwards, and in high heels. So this conversation about gender equality and diversity and equal pay happened, and the system started changing. "Then, because of that, all of these interesting female protagonists started popping up in my inbox. Great, demanding female roles that weren't just the mother or the damaged wife. They were women who were at the centre of these stories. And then they sent me The Luminaries. And I thought, 'oh, thank Christ'." Rewritten by Eleanor Catton herself, the TV adaptation is the tale of murder, mystery and mysticism in the 1860s gold rush in New Zealand, but reimagined with prostitute Anna Wetherell as the main character. Her friction with scheming brothel owner and mystic (Casino Royale's Eva Green), and relationship with astral twin Emery Staines (Yesterday's Himesh Patel) are also pulled to the foreground. Given historical fiction often resigns women to bit-parts, it's a fascinating exercise in the power of hidden protagonists. "The show is an epic adventure story about the gold rush in New Zealand, but underneath it, there's a compelling argument about the challenges women face in society back in the 19th century and even to this day. What is our worth? How do we fit into a male-dominated world? What are we capable of? Who are we allowed to become?" Expand Close Sweetest thing: Eve as Anna Wetherell in BBC's adaptation of The Luminaries / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Sweetest thing: Eve as Anna Wetherell in BBC's adaptation of The Luminaries As meaty as the role of Anna was, it did come at a price, as the time zone alone made it difficult to maintain her friendships for the six months. "It's a nomadic lifestyle, doing this," she says. "I came back from New Zealand and I realised that I'd missed half a year of my life. Friends were pregnant and engaged, and had completely different lives than before I left. I realised how hard it is to miss out on big milestones like that. That's one sacrifice that you have to make, unfortunately." Having previously dated James Lafferty, best known as Nathan in One Tree Hill, Eve is now single, and I wonder if the nomadic lifestyle has impacted her own relationships? "Oh yeah. I've been single for eternity - finding someone is tricky if you're moving around all the time," she says, without hesitation. "Even if you do find someone you like, you probably won't be in the same city as them for a long period of time, so it makes things a bit more challenging. "The only thing you can really control is what you have in front of you, and I know how lucky I am to have the career that I have," she says. "Although I'm one more pandemic away from catfishing people. I might start going on dating apps and using a different name and trolling boys on the internet just to pass the time. You've got to get creative in these times." For the moment, she's channelling her creative energy into soaking in culture: reading books, watching films, and reading scripts, in a preliminary effort into becoming more involved behind the scenes, either as a producer or director. "I'm feeling that burn, definitely," she says. "I don't know if you can tell, but I'm a massive control freak. I felt for a long time it probably wasn't a good idea to direct because I'm such a control freak that it would probably be dangerous - like feeding the beast. But now I've been on so many sets and I've learned so much from many different directors. I'm feeling more capable that is something I should do and want to do. I have no specific plans, but I'm definitely open to that." I ask Eve if she has a hankering to work with anyone in particular, and it takes precisely no seconds for her to answer that it's Alec Baldwin, of 30 Rock and Saturday Night Live. "He is a genius. I would like to act with him and I've always said that. I want to put it out into the universe. I think he's just fantastic." Has she met him? "I've never met him. I don't know what I would do," she says, as if genuinely stumped. "I love his podcasts. I just love the sound of his voice. Oh, and you know who I love? Goldie Hawn. I was just watching Private Benjamin the other day, and then me and my sister watched The First Wives Club. She brings me so much joy." But for the next while, it's all about letting her forthcoming projects loose into the world, a flurry that feels like the next phase in her ascent. The Luminaries is halfway through and will receive a US release in autumn. Tesla is due in cinemas in August and Behind Her Eyes, based on Sarah Pinborough's novel, is nearly ready to go, though release dates are to be confirmed as coronavirus impacts schedules across the world. After that, "it's a matter of whenever we can start shooting again. Once people figure out what the protocol is and if it's safe to go back to work, there are a few things that I'm looking at that would be wonderful to be a part of. But everything is so up in the air that we just have to be patient. No studio or production company wants to endanger anybody, or be responsible for anyone getting sick". If all goes to plan, there may be a project to keep her this side of the Atlantic. Is this taste of home is enough to tempt her back permanently? "If I found a nice Irish boy, I certainly would," she says, wickedly. No better advertisement than in a newspaper, I suggest. "Great, you can change the headline to 'Are You Single? Eve Hewson Looking for Boyfriend. Preferably Irish'," she says, laughing. "No I'm just kidding. I think I would [move back], especially because my favourite people live here. It's kind of tricky, being an actor. I say I live in New York, but I don't really - I'm always away wherever the job is. So where do I put down my roots? I guess I'll have to tackle that when the time comes." For now, it's a case of seeing how the pandemic situation plays out and dealing with the influx of suitors from the call-out. Form an orderly, socially-distanced queue, lads. The Luminaries continues on BBC One tomorrow night We have all, now, been recommended to examine our consciences and ask ourselves: "Am I a racist? Do I have subconscious racist attitudes?" It's quite probable that if we are honest, we will sometimes come up with the answer "yes". Since Black Lives Matter hit the headlines, I've heard conversations starting like this: "When I think back on some of the things my mother said even some of the things I thought, or came out with" We consider, appalled, some of the casual attitudes of yesteryear, which are still in the substratum of our consciousness. Black people can recount a litany of insults they have suffered through the years and the decades, from football crowds making monkey noises to people insistently asking, "But where are you really from?" when they are born and bred in these islands. Bullying, verbal cruelty or taunting to anyone is unacceptable behaviour. It's not an excuse, but maybe an explanation, to point out that mockery about "difference" has always gone on, for one reason or another. My late pal Stan Gebler Davies grew up in a richly mixed-faith family - Catholic, Protestant and Jewish - and he claimed he was mocked, sometimes beaten up, by Catholic kids for being a "Prod", by Protestant kids for being a "Teague", and by both for being a "Yid". We live in more sensitive times, and we are more alert to abuse, but it is still probably true to say that most societies are at some level racist. It is even claimed by anthropologists that racism is inborn: babies as young as six months already have "racist" attitudes, in that they show dislike for people or faces who seem strange or different to them. The neo-Darwinists claim that a defensive guile was a necessary element of survival, and that xenophobia - fear of foreigners - helped the human species to be wary of the unknown. The current guru of anti-racism, Ibram X Kendi, author of How to Be an Antiracist, agrees with the idea that racism is so deep, it's inborn. He claims that "we are all racist, sexist homophobes". But that's all the more reason why we must strive to overcome these inner evils within us. It is not enough not to be racist: we must be actively anti-racist. It's undeniable that racism is found in many societies, although sometimes in different ways. My sister had a wonderful romantic relationship with a Japanese lawyer and he wanted to marry her. She went to Japan on an extended stay, and although she greatly appreciated Japanese culture, she concluded that she would never really be accepted as a Japanese wife: she would never fit in. The Japanese have a word for foreigners - "gai-jin" - and it is not particularly complimentary. It's not just about skin colour, either: Korean people have long been treated as inferior. Japan is changing like everywhere else, but many Japanese would still say that the stability of their society is based on its homogeneity. Or consider Finland. Refugees from Vietnam - known as the Vietnamese boat people - were seeking asylum in Europe up to the 1990s. I was in Helsinki when a Finnish politician was asked if Finland would accept her quotient of such refugees. "Yes," he said, "if they look like Finns." Finland is a progressive country, and its present prime minister, the young Sanna Marin, is unlikely to express such views, but Finnish society was until recently quite proud of the uniqueness of ethnic Finnishness, and proud that the Finnish language is so inaccessible to foreigners. Black societies, too, can have their own discrimination. In French-speaking Senegal, more status has been bestowed on Senegalese who are "clair" - light-skinned. Within black culture, this is known as "shadeism": differentiation between shades of skin colour. Kendi calls this "colorism" and deplores the fact that, in America, "Light" people of colour have more advantages than "Dark". Pitifully, "Light" children are more quickly adopted than "Dark". Black people have been the most egregious victims of racism, and it's right that we should examine our attitudes, and correct them, wherever we identify prejudice. Sometimes that's confusing because the goalposts seem to have moved. For example, stories like Uncle Tom's Cabin, which we once thought compassionate tales illuminating the suffering of American slaves, are now considered patronising and an enabler of "white privilege". Some of us were brought up to venerate Blessed (now Saint) Martin de Porres, whose statuette nodded "thank you" each time we dropped a coin in a box for the education of "the black babies". Martin was a good man who cared for the poor, started a hospital for children and was kind to animals. But I wonder, now, if that might be considered a condescending aspect of white privilege? We live in a more sensitive age, but we are also more aware of walking on eggshells. Maybe better than toppling statues or going on marches is an honest question to ourselves - if we have ever, even unthinkingly, entertained personal racism. And how we can change that. It was a blistering August day when I rang my mother on a Greyhound bus somewhere outside Santa Cruz. It was my first time in America. My friend and I managed to latch on to the tail end of a west coast road trip. With us were a group of Irish girls who had been playing football in Chicago for the summer. My mouth hadn't closed once in the seven days I had been there - I was in awe. On the call, my mother asked me if it was everything I hoped it would be. I replied: "It's better." That was August 2016. Three months later, Donald Trump would be elected president. In the four years since, America's divisions have erupted with ferocious brutality. Those chasms have always been there, of course. Questions have always loomed over healthcare, racial prejudice, poverty and gun laws. They didn't just appear following George Floyd's death, nor did they only manifest after the Parkland school shootings. But they may have been easier for the casual observer to overlook. Read More If you watched The Last Dance on Netflix, you will have witnessed an ode to Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls of the 1990s, but it was also a love letter to the culture of the time. In Europe, communism had collapsed and to many the US was a beacon in the darkness - something to model and replicate. Everything was bigger, better and bolder there. Despite its obvious issues, the US was able to gloss over the societal and political cracks with its superstar personality. It was the land of opportunity. In Ireland, our gra for the US started a century before. Ever since Annie Moore set foot on Ellis Island and was immortalised in statue and song, the idea of a better life across the Atlantic has remained an integral element of our psyche. But in an America that becomes more fractured by the day, is the American dream still a reality for the Irish who live there and for those who hoped to emigrate? Or have recent events and an arduous visa processes tarnished the gloss? For Jen, 25, (who asked not to use her full name), a year in the States on a graduate visa cemented her desire to plant roots there permanently. Unfortunately, the Galwegian is back in Ireland and her American adventure has been put on hold. With a place on a business master's secured and a visa approved, the borders shut. "My life is currently on standstill. I am waiting for something that might never happen. With the way President Trump has been speaking about student visas, I'm afraid I won't even get into the country," she says. "America is a divided country. I saw racism all the time when I lived there. All of my American friends are so angry, and it's very inspiring to see the country fighting back - but Trump is inciting the racism. He is adding fuel to the fire, especially now with the immigration bans." Fiona McEntee, an immigration lawyer from Dublin who is based in Chicago, agrees that parts of American society have become unnerving. "Police brutality is present and the lack of gun law is actually petrifying, to be honest," she says. "You hear about these shootings in schools, and I have two kids here, so that is really scary." Under an executive order issued a fortnight ago, President Trump banned the H-1B, H-2B, J and L visas until the end of the year. The J category is a highly popular choice in Ireland and includes the summer working visa and a range of intern, trainee and graduate opportunities. The H-1B is widely used by tech companies and about 85,000 are issued each year. President Trump said the ban is part of a move to preserve jobs for Americans during the pandemic. McEntee believes the decision has nothing to do with protecting the economy. "There has been a systematic effort on the administration's behalf to reduce immigration. It's not just all of a sudden that they want to stop immigrants," she says. "They have been doing this since day one." The US's immigration stance is turning dreams into nightmares for many Irish expats. Stephanie O'Quigley, a beauty publicist and podcast host from Dublin, says although her visa has not been affected, tensions are high. "There's pressure because you are waking up and there are rumours going around of more executive orders and immigration bans. You start thinking, 'Am I going to be deported?' It causes unsettlement for people over here who have visas, have families and have settled here." O'Quigley has been living in New York for four years. She started out on a J1 visa and believes its suspension will prove to a roadblock for a myriad of hopeful Irish professionals. "It's limiting the opportunity to get on that bottom rung of the ladder," she says. Having lived in the US since 2005, McEntee says she is still a "firm believer" in the American dream. "But we can see now how fragile it can be," she says. "I think it has been under attack, and some people are trying to rewrite it. Here in the US, we need to fight for it a lot more, but I think this is a pivotal time and we are on the right side of history. America will always have that appeal." Jen remains optimistic about change and still imagines her future across the water, like the thousands before her. "Even now, I think to myself, why do I want to go to a country that clearly doesn't want me? But honestly, I want to go back. I know how amazing it can be if you just get a chance. You can have such a good life there. Hopefully, the movements and the conversations happening right now will change the country for the better." For O'Quigley, career prospects and the chance to experience the diverse culture, people and spirit of New York city are what keeps her there. "I think the pros definitely outweigh the cons. My opportunity to make money and the scope of my job are much greater. I can't scale up in Ireland the way I can scale up here. Despite the divide and the leadership of the country, that still stands. To me, that's a no-brainer." A man carrying a "Liberate Hong Kong" sign as he drove a motorcycle into police at a protest against the territory's Chinese rulers yesterday became the first person charged with inciting separatism and terrorism under a new security law. Beijing imposed the legislation on the former British colony earlier this week despite protests from Hong Kongers and Western nations, setting China's freest city and a major financial hub on a more authoritarian track. Critics say the law - which punishes crimes of secession, subversion, terrorism and collusion with foreign forces with up to life in prison - is aimed at crushing dissent and a long-running campaign for greater democracy. Police say 23-year-old Tong Ying-kit rammed and injured officers at an illegal protest on Wednesday. A video online showed a motorbike knocking over several officers on a narrow street before the driver falls over and is arrested. Tong, who was hospitalised after the incident, was charged less than 24 hours after the city government said the slogan he was carrying - "Liberate Hong Kong, revolution of our times" - connotes separatism or subversion under the new law. The rallying cry appears on placards, T-shirts, and Post-it Notes stuck to walls around Hong Kong. China's parliament adopted the security law after sometimes violent protests last year triggered by fears Beijing was stifling freedoms, guaranteed by a "one country, two systems" formula agreed when Hong Kong returned to Chinese rule in 1997. Authorities in Beijing and Hong Kong say the law aims at a few "troublemakers" and not wider rights that underpin the city's role as a gateway for capital flows in and out of China. But international anxiety is growing after authorities arrested 10 people under the new law within 24 hours of it taking effect. The European Union has put Hong Kong high on its agenda while the United Nations' rights office expressed alarm over arrests. At another court, dozens gathered in solidarity with a man charged for stabbing a policeman in the arm during Wednesday's disturbances. They held up blank pieces of paper to show fears for free speech. "I'm not scared. Come what may," said a 25-year-old protester who gave his name only as Wilson. On Wednesday's 23rd anniversary of Hong Kong's return to Chinese rule, police arrested about 370 people, with 10 cases involving violations of the new law. Reuters A worker wearing a protective face mask cleans a sunbed in a pool area of a hotel at Playa De Palma beach, as Spain prepares to officially reopen its borders, in Palma de Mallorca, Spain. Photo: REUTERS/Enrique Calvo//File Photo Chinese officials have insisted that any investigation into the origins of the coronavirus pandemic should not be confined to China, pointing to Spain as an alternative source. The statements came ahead of a World Health Organisation "scoping mission" to China next week, to establish a platform to trace the emergence of Sars-Cov-2. "We can fight the virus better when we know everything about the virus, including how it started," said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director general of the WHO. Zeng Guang, the chief epidemiologist for the Chinese Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, told the state-run 'Global Times': "It does not matter which country the scientific identification work starts with, as long as it involves all related countries and is fairly conducted." Wang Guangfa, one of the Chinese government's top health advisers, said the WHO should go to Spain. He referenced researchers in Barcelona who said they detected the presence of Covid-19 in a wastewater sample in March last year, nine months before the outbreak was first reported in Wuhan, central China. Independent experts have been sceptical. So far the hunt for information has centred around the Huanan seafood wholesale market in Wuhan. ( Daily Telegraph, London) Visit our Covid-19 vaccine dashboard for updates on the roll out of the vaccination program and the rate of Coronavirus cases Ireland Telegraph Media Group Limited [2021] After the arrest of Ghislaine Maxwell, Jeffrey Epstein's ex-girlfriend, and accomplice, UK's Prince Andrew is now pressured to talk to FBI investigators about his involvement in Epstein's child sex trafficking ring. The Prince's involvement At a press conference held in New York, the prosecutors detailed all the allegations that are facing Maxwell. They then urged Prince Andrew to come forward. Audrey Strauss, the acting US attorney for the southern district of New York, stated that they would welcome the Prince in the state so they can talk to him and they would like to have the benefit of his statement, according to The Guardian. A source that is close to Prince Andrew's working group said that his lawyers have communicated with the US Department of Justice twice in the past month. The source said that Prince Andrew's team remains bewildered given that they have communicated with the DOJ last month and they still have no response, as reported by The DailyMail. On July 2, Maxwell as arrested at her luxury hideaway in a small town in New Hampshire. Maxwell is the ex-girlfriend and accomplice of the convicted pedophile and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Prince Andrew has always been open about his friendship with Maxwell and claimed she introduced him to Epstein. Also Read: Ghislaine Maxwell Whistleblower? Rich and Powerful Men in Danger With 'Dirty Laundry' She Has on Them Epstein allegedly committed suicide in August 2019 after he was charged for sex trafficking minors. The prosecutors have continued their investigation and they sought testimony from the Prince. He is facing accusations from Virginia Giuffre, who claimed that she was forced to have sex with him at the London home of Maxwell when she was only 17 years old. The Prince denied the claims. On July 2, the investigators accused Maxwell of hiding. They claimed that she had lied repeatedly about her involvement in the abuse and transportation of underage girls because the truth was "almost unspeakable". The federal prosecutor Strauss told the press that Maxwell played a critical role in helping Epstein to identify, befriend and groom minor victims for abuse. There are cases in which she participated in the sexual abuse of the children. She pretended to be someone that the minors could trust. Maxwell's involvement Maxwell has been accused of abuse by several women for years. They claimed that she would pressure them on giving Epstein a massage, then later pressure them into having sex with him. All of the accusations over the years never resulted in charges against her, according to Time. Aside from Epstein, the girls were also given to Epstein's clients, and one of them is alleged to be Prince Andrew. Maxwell has always denied the accusations and everything that connected her to Epstein. Maxwell has always been discreet and her exact location was always unknown since the arrest of Epstein back in 2019 on charges that he raped, abused, and trafficked minors in Florida and Manhattan from 2002 to 2005. The search for Maxwell has been the subject of intense speculation, with reported sightings and rumors of her location popping up across the United States and even on other countries. Maxwell was finally arrested in Bradford, New Hampshire. William Sweeney, assistant director-in-charge of the New York FBI Office said at a press conference that they have been discreetly keeping tabs on Maxwell's whereabouts. Related Article:Jeffrey Epstein's Friend Ghislaine Maxwell Arrested by FBI in Sex Trafficing Probe @ 2021 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. At least 40 restaurants are taking legal action against insurers over the non-payment of business interruption claims arising from the coronavirus crisis. The cases are being taken by members of the Restaurants Association of Ireland (RAI) against a number of insurers, including FBD and Specialist Underwriting Services (SUS). Around 25 of the cases were initiated this week, with a further 15 to 20 cases expected to be filed later this month. All of the restaurant firms are being represented by Dublin solicitors Robinson O'Neill. Although a number of high-profile pub and hospitality businesses have already filed similar cases against insurers and brokers, the RAI cases are the largest tranche of Covid-19-related insurance claims to hit the courts. Among the cases initiated in recent days is an action by the River Cafe in Dundalk, Co Louth, against FBD. Several cases were also initiated against SUS, including actions by Bates Restaurant in Rathdrum, Co Wicklow, The Venue in Strandhill, Co Sligo, An Bistro Rioga in Belmullet, Co Mayo, Toni's Bistro in Donegal town, Cronin's Pub in Crosshaven, Co Cork, and Yeats County Inn in Curry, Co Sligo. RAI chief executive Adrian Cummins criticised the stance taken by many insurers in refusing to pay out on business interruption claims. He said the association represented smaller businesses which were more vulnerable to economic shocks like the one caused by Covid-19. Around 300 of the RAI's 3,000 members have consulted the association about their insurance policies. Roughly 100 of these believe they have very strong cases for their insurers to pay out for business interruption. "The only way we can go about this unfortunately is to go down the legal route because unfortunately the insurance companies have deep pockets and they are going to grind us down," said Mr Cummins. "They are going to make every business in the country jump through 100 hoops to get through this process." Mr Cummins also said it was unfortunate the previous government did not take action on the issue at the onset of the crisis. "Effectively, if the Government was wise at the beginning of Covid it would have brought in the insurance ombudsman, created a fast track unit in it, and said to every business: 'We will turn around your application very quickly'." SUS declined to comment when contacted by the Irish Independent. An FBD spokesman pointed to a statement issued last week in which the insurer said it was strongly of the view its business insurance policies did not cover a pandemic of this nature. FBD has put 22m aside to cover costs that may be incurred from lawsuits it is facing from customers. Gardai are carrying out checks on pubs and restaurants this weekend to ensure they are complying with public health guidelines. In a statement issued after a Cabinet sub-committee meeting on the Covid-19 emergency, the Government said "strong enforcement measures" will be taken against businesses failing to comply with the strict health rules. The committee expressed concerns that pubs operating as restaurants were not adhering to Covid guidelines. "The Government will review a report on compliance from the relevant State authorities, including An Garda Siochana, the public health, and health and safety authorities, at its meeting on Monday," it said. "Strong enforcement measures will be taken against premises that are not operating in accordance with public health guidelines. "Beginning this weekend, An Garda Siochana will conduct checks of licensed premises nationwide in relation to adherence to the public health guidelines," it added. Officers began carrying out the searches under Operation Navigation yesterday evening. Deputy Commissioner for policing and security John Twomey said the initiative comes as some publicans and customers seem to be ignoring the regulations. "When licensed premises were initially shut under the public health guidelines, An Garda Siochana checked thousands of licensed premises to ensure they remained closed, which the vast, vast majority did. "Our intention in this latest phase was to conduct a large number of spot checks of licensed premises. However, it now appears that just a few days after their introduction some licensed premises and their customers are ignoring the public health guidelines. "By doing so, they are putting themselves and everyone they then come into contact with at risk of getting Covid-19. This is not acceptable and we are now expanding our planned checks." At the same time, the Government has eased gathering rules for religious services and drafted guidelines for places of worship where more than 50 people can attend. The committee said each premises should carry out a review to determine how many people it can safely hold. They decided that where the size of the premises allows for a capacity of greater than 50, this may be permitted only if social distancing guidelines can be adhered to. The building must be divided into distinct sections of no more than 50 people and there must be a minimum of four metres between the sections. Each section is required to have separate entrances and exits. The developments come as it was reported another two people have died from Covid-19, bringing the death toll from the infection here so far to 1,740. Another nine people have been diagnosed with the virus, pushing the total to 25,498 since the pandemic began. The Department of Health confirmed deputy chief medical officer Dr Ronan Glynn will take on an acting chief medical officer role from next week. It follows the decision by chief medical officer Dr Tony Holohan to take time out to care for his wife Emer, who is receiving palliative care for cancer. The traditional Irish death notice, one of the most-read daily newspaper columns, has changed forever under Covid-19 lockdown, with terms such as 'broadcast' and 'webcam' now common to describe the conduct of funerals. The sombre images of loved ones being buried under strict Covid-19 rules are reflected in stark death notices since the beginning of the pandemic, a new analysis has revealed. It comes as a report suggests Ireland's official death toll from Covid-19 may have been overstated. Death notices on Rip.ie showed not only the impact Covid-19 has had on death trends in Ireland but also the way in which it has shaped behaviour in the changing language used in death notices, the new report from the Central Statistics Office revealed. "References to 'private' gatherings increased dramatically from March onwards," the report noted. "The term 'broadcast' was used once between October 2019 and February 2020 but was mentioned more than 100 times between March and May 2020. "'Webcam' was used less than 30 times in the five months up to the end of February 2020, but was included nearly 500 times between March and May." The report said there was a pronounced increase in death notices placed in April, with the numbers rising from 2,861 in March to 3,502 in April before falling to 2,635 in May. "Based on the analysis of thousands of death notices, excess mortality is estimated at 1,072 - these are deaths above those likely to be experienced under normal circumstances." It noted a significant rise in death notices related to residential facilities, including nursing homes - increasing to 1,237 in April from 722 in March. "Dublin and surrounding counties were heavily impacted, with notices for Dublin increasing from 763 in March to 1,103 in April, while there were also rises in Cavan, Donegal and Monaghan." It follows a separate report from the watchdog Hiqa which suggested that Ireland's official death toll from Covid-19 may have been overstated. It said between 1,100 and 1,200 more deaths than would have been expected based on historical patterns occurred between March 11 and June 16. However, the official number of people reported to have died from Covid-19 during that period has been put at 1,709. Ireland counts deaths in people with laboratory-confirmed Covid-19 as well as those whose deaths were probably or possibly caused by the virus. Hiqa's Dr Conor Teljeur, said: "Based on an analysis of the death notices reported on RIP.ie since 2010, there is clear evidence of excess deaths occurring since the first reported death due to Covid-19 [here]. "There were about 1,100 to 1,200 more deaths than we would expect based on historical patterns: a 13pc increase between March 11 to June 16. "However, the number of excess deaths is substantially less than the reported 1,709 Covid-19-related deaths over the same period." This could be due to the inclusion within official figures of people who were infected with the virus at the time of death who already had pre-existing illnesses and whose cause of death may have been predominantly due to other factors. Some of those who were reported to have died from the virus were already frail and close to the end of life or had underlying illnesses. Covid-19 may have hastened their deaths. Commenting on the report, acting chief medical officer Dr Ronan Glynn said it shows Covid-19 deaths have been comprehensively recorded, including people suspected of having the virus. Young people do not have a "get-out-of-jail-free card" to attend massive house parties or other gatherings this weekend and should be strongly reprimanded if they attempt to do so. That's the message from Waterford Councillor Donal Barry, who spoke out last weekend after he saw more than 60 young people emerge from a house party in the town before the restrictions on gatherings of more than 50 people indoors were lifted. And he is warning there is absolutely no excuse for anyone - especially young people - to host or attend large house parties as the pandemic continues to rage globally and infect a growing number of young people. Read More Despite reports of young people feeling anxious and stressed as a result of the pandemic, that does not give them a "get-out-of-jail-free card" to do whatever they want, he said. Everyone is feeling stressed and missing social interaction, he added. "Everyone has gone through it. People couldn't even be at the bedside of people who have died. It doesn't matter if you're young or old or middle-aged: we don't want to slip back and bring the whole thing back. "We would be hoping that parents would speak to teenagers about the dangers to themselves, their families and the wider community," he told the Irish Independent. He made the comments after Drinkaware, the national charity working to prevent alcohol misuse, responded to reports that house parties will be taking place this weekend as an alternative to the annual Longitude music festival. The festival was due to take place at Marlay Park in Dublin this weekend, but was cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic. "As we're hearing about potential 'Longitude house parties' taking place this weekend, we urge parents to stay vigilant and if they hear about an event, to caution against attending and share the information with other parents, so they can make informed decisions," said Sheena Horgan, CEO of Drinkaware. "There is a concern that some may see easing restrictions as a time to gather among friends in large groups to reconnect and that alcohol misuse may occur." Celebrity historian Dr David Starkey's career lay in ruins yesterday, set to lose all his academic titles and book deals after making comments about slavery in which he referred to "damn blacks". Dr Starkey, who rose to prominence in the early 2000s for his writing and documentaries on Tudor politics, argued in an interview slavery could not be considered genocide because "otherwise there wouldn't be so many damn blacks in Africa or in Britain". Yesterday he lost his academic positions at Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge and Canterbury Christ Church University, while his role as a visiting fellow at the University of Buckingham is under review. Lancaster and Kent universities are reviewing his honorary graduate status. The news came as Dr Starkey's publisher, HarperCollins, which was expected to publish two more of his history books, said it was cancelling their release. Hodder and Stoughton, which has published the historian, said it would never work with him again. The Mary Rose Trust, a charity that runs a museum in Portsmouth, accepted Dr Starkey's resignation from its board. "He's been saying this stuff for years," said Dr Louise Raw, another historian. "It's only because of the work of #BlackLivesMatter that it's being taken more seriously." "It's just not acceptable, what he said," said Anthony Seldn, Dr Starkey's employer at the University of Buckingham. "With freedom of speech goes responsibility. It's not an absolute right, and you cannot thoughtlessly provoke and incite and inflame, particularly at such a sensitive time." Daily Telegraph, London Telegraph Media Group Limited [2021] A Turkish court put 20 Saudi officials on trial in absentia yesterday for the gruesome killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi which sparked international outrage and tarnished the image of Saudi Arabia's de facto ruler. Mr Khashoggi was killed in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in October 2018 when he went there seeking papers for his marriage. Expand Close Jamal Khashoggi. Photo: AP / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Jamal Khashoggi. Photo: AP Some Western governments, as well as US intelligence agency the CIA, said they believed Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman ordered the hit - an accusation Saudi officials denied. Mr Khashoggi's fiancee Hatice Cengiz waited unknowing outside the consulate while, according to prosecutors, he was suffocated and his body was dismembered. The indictment accuses two top Saudi officials, former deputy head of Saudi Arabia's general intelligence Ahmed al-Asiri and former royal court adviser Saud al-Qahtani, of instigating "premeditated murder with monstrous intent". It says 18 other defendants were flown to Turkey to kill Mr Khashoggi, a prominent and well-connected journalist who had grown increasingly critical of the crown prince. The defendants are being tried in absentia and are unlikely ever to be handed over by Saudi Arabia. The Middle Eastern country has accused Turkey of failing to co-operate with a separate, largely secretive, trial in Riyadh last year. In December, a Saudi court sentenced five people to death and three to jail for the killing, but Mr Khashoggi's family later said they forgave his murderers, effectively granting them a formal reprieve under Saudi law. Rights campaigners hope that the Istanbul trial will throw a fresh spotlight on the case and strengthen the argument for sanctions against Riyadh or the use of universal jurisdiction, which could lead to the suspects' arrest if they were to travel abroad. "Justice in these complex environments is not delivered overnight," Agnes Callamard, the United Nations' special rapporteur on extrajudicial executions, said 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." Ms Cengiz said this week that she hoped the trial would reveal fresh evidence about the nature of her husband's killing, in particular on how his body was disposed of. Turkish officials have said the killers may have tried to burn his remains or dissolve them in acid. Zeki Demir, a local technician who worked for the consulate, told the court yesterday that he had been called to the consul's residence, close to the consulate itself, on the day of Mr Khashoggi's 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 Mr 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. Ghislaine Maxwell will "never" offer any information about British royal Prince Andrew as part of a plea deal, one of her closest confidantes has revealed. As a new photograph last night emerged of the socialite sitting in the Throne Room at Buckingham Palace, Laura Goldman, who has been friends with Ms Maxwell for several years, said she would "never sell out" the Duke of York, Queen Elizabeth's second son. The extraordinary image, showing the 58-year-old lounging on a throne alongside Hollywood actor Kevin Spacey, emerged after she was arrested on sex-trafficking charges linked to Jeffrey Epstein on Thursday. It is believed to have been taken in 2002 - three years before the police began investigating the late financier for child-sex crimes. It is thought Ms Maxwell's arrest could have significant implications for Andrew (60), who was reportedly introduced to the billionaire paedophile by her in 1999. In an exclusive interview, former New York stockbroker Ms Goldman sensationally claims Ms Maxwell had a "fling" with Andrew, with whom she has remained close friends, last meeting at Buckingham Palace in July 2019. Expand Close Virginia Roberts Giuffre. Photo: Emily Michot/Miami Herald/Tribune News Service via Getty Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Virginia Roberts Giuffre. Photo: Emily Michot/Miami Herald/Tribune News Service via Getty Images "The only way she can walk is if she gives someone up, but that definitely won't be Andrew," said Ms Goldman. "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." Ms Goldman suggested Andrew's "sense of entitlement" may have blinded him to what was going on inside Epstein's depraved world. She said: "Ghislaine's always told me that Andrew's kind of stupid and naive and if there were girls in the house while he was there, he would have thought they were servants. "All these people thinking he is evil are just wrong. He is just the kind of entitled person who sees everyone as a servant." Ms Goldman suggested Ms Maxwell is more likely to talk about former US president Bill Clinton and President Donald Trump, who were among the disgraced businessman's high-profile associates. No allegations have been made about either man. Ms Maxwell was discovered in Bradford, a small town in New Hampshire, and charged with helping to entice underage girls to travel for sex and lying to investigators. It is not known how she will plead. It is understood she has been moved from Bradford, Pennsylvania, where she was arrested after evading investigators for a year, to a New York prison before a court appearance next week. The youngest daughter of the late media tycoon Robert Maxwell is central to allegations made by Virginia Roberts Giuffre, who claims she was trafficked from the US to London and forced to sleep with Prince Andrew when she was 17. Andrew has always strongly denied the claims, maintaining he has no recollection of meeting Ms Giuffre. She alleges she was introduced to Andrew 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 at the residence. Ms Maxwell is accused of lying about Epstein's sexual activities, including the recruitment of under-age girls for sexual massages, and his use of sex toys. The perjury allegations are the only charges brought against Ms Maxwell to date that relate to a period of time when Andrew knew Epstein. The more serious offences of child sex trafficking and grooming are alleged to have taken place between 1994 and 1997, two years before Andrew met Epstein. US prosecutors said they would "welcome" Andrew's testimony as part of the ongoing FBI investigation. His lawyers claim they twice contacted the US Department of Justice in the past month but received no response. Yesterday, his legal problems mounted after a new lawsuit from one of Epstein's alleged victims was filed on Thursday. The civil claim is being brought by Caroline Kaufman, now 26, who alleges she was sexually abused by Epstein in 2010 when she was 17 at the financier's New York mansion. She claims she was raped while Andrew was visiting. Ms Kaufman said she was invited to the house for a "modelling interview", according to the claim seen by the 'Daily Telegraph' that was filed at the Manhattan Federal Court against Epstein's $630m (560m) estate. 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 under-age girl for prostitution. Andrew claimed he travelled to the US to cut ties with Epstein, who committed suicide last year in a New York cell while facing fresh charges. The lawsuit does not accuse Andrew of wrongdoing or of being aware of the alleged attack. He has previously said of Epstein: "At no stage during the limited time I spent with [Epstein] did I see, witness or suspect any behaviour of the sort that subsequently led to his arrest and conviction." Audrey Strauss, acting US Attorney for the Southern District for New York, has urged Andrew to come forward to be questioned. ( Daily Telegraph, London) Telegraph Media Group Limited [2021] The vehicle involved in the incident in Seattle (Washington State Patrol via AP) A 27-year-old man drove a white Jaguar on to a closed motorway in Seattle and barrelled through a panicked crowd of protesters, injuring two women, officials have said. Dawit Kelete, of Seattle, drove the car around vehicles that were blocking Interstate 5 and sped into the crowd at about 1.40am local time on Saturday, according to a police report released by the Washington State Patrol. Video taken at the scene by protesters showed people shouting Car! Car! before fleeing the road. Summer Taylor, 24, of Seattle, and Diaz Love, 32, of Bellingham, were in a critical condition with multiple injuries, according to Harbourview Medical Centre spokeswoman Susan Gregg. My hope is, as a result of this tragedy, protesters will reconsider their desire to be on the interstate because I cannot guarantee their safety, plain and simple Ron Mead, Washington State Patrol captain Ms Love was filming the protest in a nearly two-hour-long Facebook live stream captioned Black Femme March takes I-5 when the video ended abruptly; with about 15 seconds left, shouts of Car! can be heard as the camera starts to shake before screeching tyres and the sound of impact are heard. Video on social media showed the car striking two people. The driver, who was alone in the Jaguar, fled the scene after hitting the protesters, trooper Chase Van Cleave told the Associated Press. One of the protesters got in a car and chased the driver for about a mile. He was able to stop him by pulling his car in front of the Jaguar, Mr Van Cleave said. Troopers arrived and the driver was put in custody, Washington State Patrol captain Ron Mead said. He was charged with two counts of vehicular assault and bail was denied. Officials were trying to determine the motive as well as point of entry on to the interstate. Mr Mead said Kelete was suspected to have driven the wrong way on a ramp, and said troopers did not know whether it was a targeted attack, but impairment was not considered a factor. Expand Close The vehicle involved in the incident in Seattle (Washington State Patrol via AP) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp The vehicle involved in the incident in Seattle (Washington State Patrol via AP) Seattle has been the site of prolonged unrest following the May 25 police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis, which sparked nationwide protests. Dozens of people were arrested this past week in connection with protests as demonstrations continue after authorities cleared the Capitol Hill Occupied Protest zone on Wednesday morning. Mr Mead said at the press conference that protesters had shut down the interstate for 19 days in a row. He emphasised that the motorway is simply not a safe place for pedestrians, and said he hoped protesters would cease what he termed unlawful behaviour in blocking the interstate. My hope is, as a result of this tragedy, protesters will reconsider their desire to be on the interstate because I cannot guarantee their safety, plain and simple, Mr Mead said. Protesters were on the motorway for more than an hour before the car drove around the blockade at around 1.36am, Mr Mead said. The state patrol tweeted out two pictures of the drivers car, a white Jaguar with significant damage to its bumper and windscreen. Seattle police tweeted that they were assisting with the scene, as southbound lanes of the motorway remained closed for investigation. Index-Journal Careers PART-TIME POSITION available in our packaging area. Job responsibilities include putting inserts into the newspaper. Must have a positive attitude and be a team player. Applicants must be able to: lift up to 20-lbs; stand for long periods of time; be available to work Sunday thru Friday, late evening to early morning hours; pass drug screen. 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. A centrifuge production plant located above the underground Natanz nuclear enrichment facility of Iran on Thursday was struck by a fire and an explosion. Analysts said that the area is one of the most guarded sites across the Islamic Republic after acts of sabotage has earlier been witnessed. Behrouz Kamalvandi, state's spokesperson, said the fire was downplayed by the Atomic energy Organization of Iran and called it an incident only affecting an industrial shed that is currently under construction. After the incident Kamalvandi and Ali Akbar Salehi, chief of the Iranian nuclear, hurried to Natanz, a facility that was marked by the Stuxnet computer virus and constructed an underground to defy the airstrikes by the enemy. The fire threatened to provoke broader tensions across the Middle East, close to the escalation that occurred in January after an Iranian general was killed by a US drone strike in Baghdad. After which a retaliatory ballistic missile attack was launched by Tehran that targeted the American forces designated in Iraq. According to Fox News, while the cause of the blaze that happened in Thursday was not presented, a commentary addressing the probable sabotage by enemy states like the US and Israel following recent blasts in the country, was issued by IRNA, an Iran state-run news agency. The commentary said the Islamic Republic of Iran has been trying to put an end on the escalating crises and the emergence of unforeseeable situations. It also added that the crossing of red lines by the hostile countries, particularly the US and the Zionist regime, meant the need for revision of the state's strategy. Read also: ISIS Produced Drugs Seized By Italian Police, Tagged As World's Largest Drug Haul Ever According to the collected data of the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration satellite that tracks fires from space, the fire appeared about 2 a.m. local time in Natanz' northwest corner compound in the central Isfahan province of Iran. Iranian state media disclosed images revealing a two-story brick building with burned marks and destroyed roof. Debris were found on the ground and a door with hinges looked blown off signified that during the blaze an explosion occurred. Kamalvandi said they are investigating both physical and financial damages during the explosion. And added that the work in the enrichment site has not been interrupted, stating that the site performs the same operation as before. In Washington, as claimed by the State Department, the US officials were keeping an eye on the fire reports at a nuclear facility in Iran. According to the State Department, the fire incident served as a reminder of how the Iranian regime prioritized the state's misdirected nuclear program to the loss of the needs of its people, CBC reported. Fabian Hinz, researcher at the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies in Monterey, California, pointed out that the recently opened centrifuge production facility has something to do with the site of the fire. Hinz stated that he depended on the satellite captured images and a state TV program on the facility to determine the exact position of the building, which is seated in the northwest corner of Natanz. Related article: Missing Chinese Aircraft Carrier Hull Type 003 Has Resurfaced in Shanghai @ 2021 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Johnson & Johnson made a historic announcement of quitting the fairness cream category in India and the Middle East, owing to protests that had grown over the issue of gender discrimination and stereotyping following the death of George Floyd in the United States. Twitter/@GroceryBroz Soon, Hindustan Unilever Ltd's (HUL's) flagship skincare brand followed their footsteps and announced their re-correction. A week ago, the company had said it will stop using the word 'Fair' in the brand name Fair & Lovely. But was damage-control good enough? Clearly not because from 'Fair & Lovely', they rechristened to Glow & Lovely. Twitter "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 men's range of Fair & Lovely will be called Glow & Handsome. HUL said the next step in the evolution of its skincare portfolio is to have a more inclusive vision of positive beauty. They re-corrected name has triggered equal angst and despair in people who think that 'glow' in no way is better than 'lovely'. Netizens trolled the brand by saying: Me trying to find the basic difference between Fair & Lovely and Glow & Lovely. pic.twitter.com/0n5Ug2GcCx Swati Mehta (@Swaahti) July 2, 2020 Fair & lovely ethically wrong tha par ye glow & lovely to grammatically hi wrong hai. Ya to 'glow and be lovely' hona chahiye ya 'glowing & lovely'. SwatKat (@swatic12) July 3, 2020 I heard fair and lovely is now Glow and lovely? Racism solved? If you think changing a name will solve the problem, then Im changing my name to Wonder Woman #FridayThoughts #GlowandLovely #Mood Diksha Walia (Dk) (@Deewalia) July 3, 2020 fair & lovely really changed their name to glow & lovely and said enough activism for today mridulika (@mridelusional) July 2, 2020 HUL after renaming 'Fair and Lovely' as 'Glow and Lovely'. pic.twitter.com/P7nOY4LK1o khushal jain (@khushaljain_548) July 3, 2020 However, as a dignified suggestion, filmmaker Shekhar Kapur reacted and gave his two cents. He wrote, So Fair and Lovely will now be called Glow and Lovely? Cmon Hindustan Lever. For years youve been profiting by destroying our nations young girls self worth by making rude comments about dark skin. Now prove your intentions by having a dark skinned girl on your packaging. Shekhar Kapur (@shekharkapur) July 2, 2020 However, just after his remark, netizens started quizzing him why he never cast a dark-skinned girl. Twitter To which he replied: Bandit Queen Shekhar Kapur (@shekharkapur) July 2, 2020 A Junior Resident Doctor at Delhi Maulana Azad Institute for Dental Sciences (MAIDS) who had complained of having COVID-19 symptoms has died. Dr Abhishek Bhayana, who, his family says had showing COVID-19-like symptoms some ten days ago died on Thursday. facebook Abhishek who was posted in the department of oral surgery of the dental institute had complained of chest congestion and breathlessness hours before his death, his elder brother said. An X-ray was performed and we were told he has a chest infection, his brother Aman Bhayana told The Indian Express. We were under the impression that it was nothing but viral fever. But he kept saying the symptoms were not of chest infection as he was having shortness of breath, he said. On Thursday morning he started to feel dizzy and as his condition worsened the family took him to a nearby private hospital. The doctors there administered oxygen to him, but it was too late. BCCL/ FILE The family said that the 26-year-old had tested twice for COVID-19, both turned out to be negative. According to family members, though Abhishek was not posted at the COVID-19 ward, he was involved in the screening of suspected patients. The death of the junior doctor, who his friends recall as a bright student once again shows the risk doctors and other frontline healthcare workers put themselves into every day amid the COVID-19 pandemic. AP Last week Delhi lost another frontline worker after a senior doctor at the LNJP Hospital, which is one of the dedicated COVID-19 hospitals in the national capital died of the viral infection. Dr. Asheem Gupta, a senior consultant of anesthetics at the LNJP Hospital, died Sunday, days after he tested positive for Covid-19. In April the Delhi Government had announced that if anybody loses their life while serving any COVID-19 patient, be it sanitation workers, doctors, nurses or any other staff, temporary or permanent, from government or private sector, their next of kin would be given 1 crore as a mark of respect for their service. Though the exact number of frontline workers in Delhi who have contracted the virus while on duty is unclear, it is estimated to be over 2,000. After a brief lull, India has been rocked by another bank fraud, once again running into hundreds of crores, and affecting several banks. The center of the fraud is Punjab Basmati Rice Limited, a firm based in Amritsar, Punjab. According to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), the firm's directors have defrauded several banks to the tune of Rs 350 crores. Manjit Singh Makhni, the director of Punjab Basmati Rice Ltd had fled the country at the beginning of 2018 and is said to be currently living in Canada. BCCL The CBI, in its FIR, has named other directors of Punjab Basmati Rice Ltd, Kulwinder Singh Makhani, Jasmeet Kaur, and unknown bank officials also as accused in the case. "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, UCO Bank to the tune of Rs 350.84 crore (including Rs 174.89 crore to the Canara Bank) by disposing off the stock and prime security without any prior intimation or approval from the consortium lender banks," CBI Spokesperson R.K. Gaur said. FACEBOOK The FIR was filed in the cheating case by the Canara Bank and raid were carried out at the premises of Punjab Basmati Rice Limited and its directors. The company had also taken a loan of Rs 53 crore from Andhra Bank, Rs 44 crore from UBI, 25 crore from OBC, Rs 14 crore from IDBI and Rs 41 crore from UCO Bank. According to the complaint by Canara Bank, the firm had financial dealing with them since 2003 and in 2012 it opted for a consortium arrangement. The banks included were Andhra Bank, IDBI, OBC, UBI and UCO Bank and the consortium was led by Canara bank. Troubles started in 2018 after the firm failed to pay the principal amount and interest. FACEBOOK It also came to light that the firm had disposed of the stock of rice which was the primary security for the loan without informing the banks. Following this Canara Bank had approached the Reserve Bank of India against the defaulting firm. The insolvency case is currently under the consideration of National Company Law Tribunal and Punjab Basmati Rice Ltd is under liquidation. Sikkim Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang on National Doctor's Day announced a one-time incentive for doctors, nurses and other healthcare workers in appreciation of their service while combating COVID-19 in the state. Sikkim Government Speaking at a function at Sir Thutob Namgyal Memorial (STNM) Hospital CM Prem Tamang stated that doctors symbolise the epitome of service to mankind and theirs is considered to be one of the noblest professions. Also Read: After Remaining COVID-Free For Months, Sikkim Confirms Second Case After Man Returns From Delhi The CM announced that doctors will be given Rs 20,000, while the nursing staff and support staff will get Rs 10,000 and Rs 5,000 respectively. He added that the incentives will be distributed within 15 days. "It is due to efforts of the medical fraternity that we have been able to cure 50 out of the total of 88 cases in Sikkim so far," Tamang said. TOI The chief minister said that the state government has given highest priority to improvement of the healthcare system in Sikkim for which it has allocated an enhanced budget of Rs 40 crore for the health sector with a provision for an additional Rs 16 crore as buffer fund to meet exigencies. The CM also spoke to the medical team in isolation wards in the COVID wing of STNM Hospital and those under quarantine via video conferencing. "The State Health Department accepted the challenges posed by the pandemic with all readiness and exhibited a high level of management skills to ensure that each and every COVID-19 patient is handled with utmost care and compassion. The medical team has been quick to respond to the daily incidence of COVID-19 cases and in providing timely treatment. This has resulted in over 50 patients completely cured and discharged within a short span of time," the CM said. ANI Chief Minister Prem Tamang also announced the launch of 'Mobile Village Clinic' in all districts from the next financial year to provide quality health care facilities to the villagers at their door-step. He said that the clinics, to be manned by trained medical staff, will have state-of-the-art equipment. National Doctors' Day is celebrated on July 1 every year in commemoration of the birth and death anniversary of Bharat Ratna Dr. BC Roy, an eminent doctor and the second Chief Minister of West Bengal. Also Read: Sikkim Bans Entry Of Foreigners Into State, No Permits For Nathu La All Inputs PTI Juan Garcia, a 21-year-old student at Pennsylvania State University, died Tuesday from respiratory failure and coronavirus complications, school officials said Thursday. Garcia, from Allentown, is the first Penn State student known to have died from COVID-19-related causes. I know our entire campus community sends our deepest condolences to his family and friends as they grieve this unthinkable loss, Damon Sims, Penn States vice president for student affairs, said in a news release. It is a poignant reminder that no one among us is immune to the worst consequences of this virus. The university said Garcia was living off campus in State College when he began to feel sick. He returned home to Allentown on June 19 and was tested for the coronavirus the next day. He was the most genuine person I ever met, very kind, and he always tried to see the best in people, said fellow Penn State student Lisbeth Brito, 21, who also went to middle and high school with Garcia. Its a shock to everyone we talked about going to grad school together. Im still in disbelief that hes gone. Brito said Garcia had just one semester left until graduation, and described him as someone who was always on top of his work and always striving to be his best. He studied in Penn States College of Earth and Mineral Sciences. Nationwide, many states are reporting a recent increase in COVID-19 cases among younger people. In Philadelphia, there were 99 positive test results among those 16 to 19 the week of June 14, city data showed, more than double the numbers for the previous two weeks. City Health Commissioner Thomas Farley said the surge is partly due to trips to the Jersey Shore and socializing. Penn State is in the process of contact-tracing to notify those who may have been in close contact with Garcia while he was contagious. Those who believe they may have been in contact with Garcia should call the University Health Services 24/7 Advice Nurse at 814-863-4463. READ MORE: What if students wont wear masks in class? Professors want assurances that universities will enforce a mandate. As we mourn the loss of Juan and offer support to his family and friends, I hope we all also will honor his memory by taking every precaution to help slow the spread of the virus and keep ourselves and others safe and healthy, Robin Oliver-Veronesi, Penn States senior director of University Health Services, said in the release. While each of our risk levels are different, this virus has shown that it can have devastating effects on even those who are younger. Garcias family and friends have set up a GoFundMe page to help cover funeral expenses. As of Friday night, the campaign has more than doubled its $10,000 goal. Coronavirus took away Philadelphias fireworks, but the city will celebrate July 4 with the thunderous sound of military jets flying over that will be visible in Center City and in areas along the Delaware River. The Thunderbirds and a group of bombers and fighter jets from the Air Force and Marine Corps and will pass over Philadelphia late Saturday afternoon as part of a nod to cities that played an important role securing the countys independence during the American Revolution. The flyover will begin in Boston around 4 p.m., make its way over New York City at about 5 p.m. and passes over Center City Philadelphia around 5:15 p.m.. According to the Pentagon, residents along the flight path can expect a few seconds of jet noise as the aircraft pass overhead, flying in close formation. The city canceled its annual July 4th fireworks display and is holding its week-long Wawa Welcome America bash virtually to prevent large crowds from gathering. City spokesperson Mike Dunn said Saturdays flyover will be brief, but warned people to wear a mask and practice social distancing if they head outside to watch the aircraft pass over. Unlike the joint Thunderbirds-Blue Angels flyover back in April to honor health care workers combating the coronavirus, the pedestrian walkway on the Benjamin Franklin Bridge will remain open. Heres everything you need to know to watch the joint flyover: What time does the flyover start? The joint mission begins at about 4 p.m. in Boston, where the aircraft will fly over the U.S.S. Constitution and Fenway Park. The planes will then head south to New York City over the Hudson River about 5 p.m. The planes will arrive in Philadelphia from the northeast about 5:15 p.m., flying over Independence Hall and Center City at 1,000 feet above the ground. After passing over Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell, the planes will proceed southwest out of the city and fly over Fort McHenry in Baltimore at about 5:30 p.m. From there the planes will head over Washington D.C. to join with other aircraft in a flyover of the nations capital. Whats the flight path of the flyover? How many airplanes will take part in the flyover? Aircraft from the Air Force and Marine Corps will fly over in five waves, according to the Pentagon. The flyover will feature six of the Thunderbirds F-16C/D Fighting Falcons. The Air Force will also be providing B-1, B-2 and B-52 bombers and F-15 and F-22 fighters. Marine Corps F-35 fighters will also take part in the flyover. According to the Washington Post, each flight hour of the Thunderbirds costs about $60,000, and its unclear how much the other jets cost to fly. The Department of Defense said in a statement the flying hours are a sunk cost because these aircraft and crews would be using these hours for proficiency and training at other locations if they were not conducting these flyovers. Whats the weather expected to be like? According to the National Weather Service, temperatures could reach as high as 89 degrees in the Philadelphia area between 5:15 p.m. and 5:20 p.m., the timing of the flyover that will begin over the city. There is a slight chance of showers and thunderstorms after 2 p.m. The flyover is dependent on weather conditions. According to a Pentagon spokesperson, the minimum ceiling the height of the base of the clouds relative to the ground is 3,000 feet. A visibility of 5 miles will also be required for the flyover to occur, and visibilities are forecast to range from 6 to 9 miles. Impact to Philadelphia International Airport Thanks to the short duration of the flyover and the low volume of air traffic caused by the coronavirus pandemic, the flyovers impact to travelers in and out of Philadelphia International Airport will be minimal, according to a spokesperson. According to their airport, there are just seven scheduled flights during the hour surrounding the flyover. Philip Mead is chief historian of the Museum of the American Revolution. He has a doctorate in American history from Harvard, where he focused on early America, and has authored exhibits and other publications on the American Revolution. The Inquirer spoke to Mead for his views on how current events may provide a new lens into the history and meaning of the Declaration of Independence. Is the Declaration of Independence relevant today? We havent achieved equality, so should we consider it a failed document? I think it was an aspirational document, at least in those first five paragraphs. Most of what the Declaration describes as self-evident truths were, in 1776, far from conventional. Jeffersons language was derivative of contemporary Enlightenment philosophy. However, the idea of equality that the Declaration laid out cut so deeply against the contemporary norms of a hierarchical society, that at the time, philosophers mocked it as a vacuous and meaningless set of platitudes that could never be applied. The continuing relevance of the Declaration is as an aspiration. This is a noble, ongoing, and unfulfilled effort to expand the reach of its ideals and implement them in the real world. And it has had worldwide implications. David Armitage wrote a global history of the Declaration of Independence which documents over 100 statements of independent sovereignty from all over the world that have been made since 1776 which adopt the language and concepts from our Declaration of Independence. And 31 of those international declarations have been made since 1989. It continues to be a relevant document to our international conversation and activism over equality. How do we connect the Declaration of Independence to our lives today, and to the turmoil were experiencing? We tend to think of documents as fixed in time and being sacrosanct that way. But the Revolutionary generation understood the Declaration as an ongoing conversation. John Trumbulls famous painting of the signing of the Declaration is actually showing a delivery of the draft of the document to Congress. What Trumbull is memorializing is the beginning of the conversation, not the end. Because we are supposed to have a government based on deliberation and conversation, with all of us having a seat at the table, to arrive at better resolution than anyone of us could have figured out on our own. Thats the reading of the Declaration that Danielle Allens magnificent analysis of the document, Our Declaration, proposes and I think thats what Trumbulls painting was saying. Did the notion of equality mean something different in the 18th century than it might now? The world of 1776 was a hierarchical one. We tend today to imagine back into history our own attitudes about equality that everyone has always believed equality is the right goal. But many people in the18th century thought the only way you could keep a society together and have law and order was by having a king. Monarchy didnt just mean one person above everyone else, but a great chain of inequality, down to nobility, to gentry, to yeoman, and finally enslaved people who didnt even have possession of their physical bodies. That hierarchal world is the one that many in the Revolutionary Generation grew up thinking as inevitable. They then make this statement as grounds for rebellion, grounded in natural rights and that immediately challenged that whole system. At the same time, the hundreds of thousands of enslaved people did not need the Declaration to fight against their enslavement -- there were numerous uprisings of enslaved people during the 1600s and 1700s. You did have some enslaved and free people of color deploying the Revolutionary rights language in their ongoing fight against slavery, like Elizabeth Mumbet Freeman, an enslaved woman in Massachusetts who sued for her freedom on the grounds that the states new constitution recognized the natural rights of all inhabitants. Over 5,000 people of African descent served in the Continental Army to assert those same rights. What youre describing suggests people in 1776 were struggling with what equality and liberty meant and right now were asking the same questions. History is not linear. Its not always progressing toward the light. It disappoints after periods of hope. Theres this hope and this bitter disappointment that the country just dug in on slavery for a long time. In 1776, there were half a million enslaved people. In 1861, there were 4 million. This is a story thats not just going upward. Its not linear. Its not, unfortunately, always arcing toward the light. It has to be made to bend that way. People have to fight for it and work and talk and come to some kind of solutions. It doesnt just happen. Do todays protests give us a chance to look at this document with a different perspective, or take something new from it? Absolutely. We continually face the question of how well we are living into the promises set forth in the Declaration. Each generation must look at itself and ask, are we making progress? The Declaration did not immediately apply to all people. What were seeing today is an outgrowth of repeated failures over time to live up to its aspirations. The question is, what can we do differently this time? Thats what every new generation has to decide. This Fourth of July weekend comes at an extraordinary moment, with a country in upheaval caught in the dual grip of a pandemic and a reckoning with the systemic racism that has been embedded since our founding. This holiday typically celebrates our independence, but this year, we must confront the truths of our countrys failure to deliver on its original and most fundamental promise: equality. Since that promise was inscribed in the Declaration of Independence, we asked a number of Philadelphians to offer their visions for how that document might be revised or revisited to better deliver on its promise. Our contributors include Anne Ishii of the Asian Arts Initiative, who takes on the Founding Fathers promise of unity. Lawyer and adjunct professor Michael Coard writes that all men were never equal in the United Statesnor have we been granted inalienable rights, argues labor organizer Mindy Isser. While the Founders enshrined the pursuit of happiness among those rights, Inquirer columnist and WURD radio host Solomon Jones contends Americans have too long confused happiness with property. Then two writers consider the paths to change laid out by the declaration: how current protests centering Black life are highlighting the destructive nature of our government, from historian Erica Armstrong Dunbar, and Americans right to alter or abolish sources of power that fail the peopleincluding police, writes Harrietts Bookshop owner Jeannine A. Cook. To read their annotations, click on highlighted sections of the declaration excerpt below. Opening paragraphs of the Declaration of Independence, annotated In Congress, July 4, 1776 The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen United States of America, 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 entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation. We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable 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. That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. On Thursday morning, Jeffrey Epstein's one-time girlfriend and allegedly his accomplice for abusing and sex-trafficking young girls, Ghislaine Maxwell, was arrested and charged in her alleged involvement in enticing and sexually abusing minors, as said by prosecutors. Sexual abuse According to CNN, federal investigators tracked the 58-year-old Maxwell location and was arrested while she was in New Hampshire and charged with six criminal counts. The crimes range from the enticement of young girls to have them commit sexual activities to transport minors for illegal sexual acts. The indictment wrote that between 1994 and 1997, Maxwell allegedly conspired with and managed Epstein's heinous abuse of young girls by assisting the criminal to recruit, groom, and abuse their victims the couple knew were underaged. Maxwell, along with now-deceased Epstein, is claimed to have lured young girls to multiple residences, one of which is their Upper East Side mansion located in Epstein's Palm Beach estate and several others. A year after authorities captured Epstein, investigators took Maxwell into custody. She was later transferred to New York to await her detention hearing. However, prosecutors have noted that Maxwell is an "extreme flight risk" due to her connections and that she holds three different passports to the US, France, and the UK and has frequently traveled to the UK, Japan, Qatar, as reported by NBC News. Prosecutors believe that the severity of the accusations against her, along with the firm evidence officials have and potentially lengthy imprisonment, gives Maxwell a massive desire to escape. Also Read: Ghislaine Maxwell Whistleblower? Rich and Powerful Men in Danger With 'Dirty Laundry' She Has On Them Biding her time Maxwell's defense lawyer said on Thursday the defendant wanted a bail hearing scheduled when her case is transferred to the Southern District of New York. The lawyer, however, declined to comment when reached out by news outlets. Several young women have openly accused Maxwell of being complicit in Epstein's crimes of enticing and sexually abusing young girls. The claims state she either directly recruited or supported the trafficking-ring by managing and scheduling visits to Epstein's residence. One victim, Jennifer Araoz, wrote in a statement that Maxwell was at the center of the abuse operations, adding now that it has been knocked to the ground, she has confidence she can finally lead a safe life. Maxwell sexually abused Araoz when she was still a teenager and sued the youngest daughter of Robert Maxwell, the late British publishing magnate, claiming she and others have worked together to make the sex-trafficking ring possible. Araoz hoped that she would get justice for the heinous crimes she was submitted to and noted that Maxwell's arrest was a step in the right direction towards having her locked up in prison. Allegedly, the couple's victims were treated glamorously to expensive shopping trips, attractive travel, and fantastic education to distract them from the horrific acts they are forced to do by Epstein, said prosecutors. Audrey Strauss, a US attorney, said that with Maxwell's help, Epstein gained the victims' trust whereby the confidant would take her clothes off in front of the young girls and helped put the victims' minds at ease. Maxwell's involvement in the crimes first came to light when unsealed court filings revealed in August depositions from former masseuses, staffers, and associates that worked with Epstein, showing an image of how Maxwell was Epstein's chief enabler. Related Article: Fact Check: Photos of Donald Trump with Ghislaine Maxwell Following Sexual Abuse Charges Real? @ 2021 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. On July 5, 1852, abolitionist and orator Frederick Douglass delivered a scathing speech on slavery its title commonly identified as What to the slave is the Fourth of July? that still echoes today. It took 13 years after the speech for slavery to be abolished 89 years after the signing of the Declaration of Independence. As we confront a new reckoning over the failures of racial justice and equality, we offer these selected passages. This, for the purpose of this celebration, is the Fourth of July. It is the birth day of your National Independence, and of your political freedom. ... This celebration also marks the beginning of another year of your national life; and reminds you that the Republic of America is now 76 years old. There is hope in the thought, and hope is much needed, under the dark clouds which lower above the horizon. ... Fellow Citizens, I am not wanting in respect for the fathers of this republic. The signers of the Declaration of Independence were brave men. They were great men, too great enough to give frame to a great age. ... Fellow-citizens, pardon me, allow me to ask, why am I called upon to speak here to-day? What have I, or those I represent, to do with your national independence? Are the great principles of political freedom and of natural justice, embodied in that Declaration of Independence, extended to us? ... I say it with a sad sense of the disparity between us. I am not included within the pale of this glorious anniversary! Your high independence only reveals the immeasurable distance between us. 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. ... My subject, then, fellow-citizens, is American slavery. I shall see this day and its popular characteristics from the slave's point of view. Standing there identified with the American bondman, making his wrongs mine, I do not hesitate to declare, with all my soul, that the character and conduct of this nation never looked blacker to me than on this 4th of July!! ... O! had I the ability, and could reach the nations ear, I would, today, pour out a fiery stream of biting ridicule, blasting reproach, withering sarcasm, and stern rebuke. For it is not light that is needed, but fire; it is not the gentle shower, but thunder. We need the storm, the whirlwind, and the earthquake. The feeling of the nation must be quickened; the conscience of the nation must be roused; the propriety of the nation must be startled; the hypocrisy of the nation must be exposed; and its crimes against God and man must be proclaimed and denounced. What, to the American slave, is your 4th of July? I answer; a day that reveals to him, more than all other days in the year, the gross injustice and cruelty to which he is the constant victim. To him, your celebration is a sham; your boasted liberty, an unholy license; your national greatness, swelling vanity; your sounds of rejoicing are empty and heartless; your denunciation of tyrants, brass fronted impudence; your shouts of liberty and equality, hollow mockery; your prayers and hymns, your sermons and thanksgivings, with all your religious parade and solemnity, are, to Him, mere bombast, fraud, deception, impiety, and hypocrisy a thin veil to cover up crimes which would disgrace a nation of savages. ... You boast of your love of liberty, your superior civilization, and your pure Christianity, while the whole political power of the nation (as embodied in the two great political parties) is solemnly pledged to support and perpetuate the enslavement of three millions of your countrymen. ... You declare before the world, and are understood by the world to declare that you "hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal; and are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights; and that among these are, life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness; and yet, you hold securely, in a bondage which, according to your own Thomas Jefferson, "is worse than ages of that which your fathers rose in rebellion to oppose," a seventh part of the inhabitants of your country. ... Allow me to say, in conclusion, notwithstanding the dark picture I have this day presented, of the state of the nation, I do not despair of this country. There are forces in operation which must inevitably work the downfall of slavery. The arm of the Lord is not shortened, and the doom of slavery is certain. I, therefore, leave off where I began, with hope. The lawyers are busy. And the future of voting is at stake. With four months until Novembers election, a flurry of lawsuits in state and federal courts is seeking to change election rules in Pennsylvania and dozens of other states around the country. They could shape how people cast their ballots and whether those votes are counted. The latest salvo landed this week when the Trump campaign and Republican National Committee filed a federal lawsuit challenging Pennsylvanias use of mail ballot drop boxes, its procedures for counting mail ballots, and restrictions on poll watchers. It marked a shift, with the GOP on offense in the state for the first time this election cycle instead of defending against Democratic and progressive groups legal challenges. That and other lawsuits are part of a national fight unfolding, particularly across swing states such as Pennsylvania, where small margins could decide who wins the presidency in November. And the fight comes amid the coronavirus pandemic, which has made voting more complicated than normal. We are seeing a surge in litigation, said Wendy R. Weiser, head of the Democracy Program at the Brennan Center for Justice at New York University. Theres been an increasing number of lawsuits around election administration and voting rights across the country. The lawsuits are about the fundamental right to vote and how easy or hard it will be to exercise. The rules that guide how voting happens also play a factor in determining who ultimately gets counted on Election Day. Even small differences matter in Pennsylvania, a state Donald Trump won by less than 1% of the vote. And these are no tiny tweaks being sought. Pennsylvania Alliance for Retired Americans, in a lawsuit funded by Democratic super PAC Priorities USA, seeks an extension of mail ballot deadlines, prepaid postage for ballots, and allowing third-party collection of ballots, among other things. The Pennsylvania NAACP wants mail ballot applications to be sent to all voters, hand-marked paper ballots at polling places, strict limitations on polling place closures, better notice of polling place changes, and in-person early voting. The Trump campaign, the RNC, and a group of Republican congressmen from Pennsylvania want mail ballot drop boxes to be banned, ballots without secrecy envelopes to be thrown out, poll watchers, currently limited to their home counties, to be allowed anywhere in the state. And those are just the cases still alive in the courts. At least two other lawsuits have been thrown out or withdrawn, and there are ongoing attempts by conservative group Judicial Watch to force counties to clean their voter rolls and remove peoples registrations. Thats a reflection of a number of trends, Weiser said, including a general increase in attention over the last decade to how electoral systems affect voter participation and election outcomes. Lawmakers have introduced an increasing number of election-related bills in Harrisburg and across the country. In other states, some of the court fights have come about as legislatures try to impose new limitations on voting, especially in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Courts 2013 Shelby County v. Holder decision. That ruling removed a Voting Rights Act requirement for federal pre-approval of election changes in states with a history of racially discriminatory voter suppression. Democrats and Republicans have gone to court as part of broader campaigns with partisan implications. Generally, their lawsuits fit within a pattern: Democrats tend to focus on making it easier to vote, while Republicans focus on election security and integrity. From the Democratic perspective, its our mission to enhance accessibility to the vote for all Pennsylvanians who are eligible, and to make sure that that vote is counted, said Kay Yu, a Philadelphia-based lawyer who leads voter protection efforts for the Pennsylvania Democrats. We will use any tool that we can to effectuate that set of goals. Top Democratic election lawyer Marc Elias has filed a number of lawsuits in recent months, including the Pennsylvania Alliance for Retired Americans suit, focused on principles he believes vote-by-mail systems must follow to allow maximum voter participation. Vonne Andring, the Pennsylvania Republican Partys head of litigation, noted that election-related lawsuits are not new by any means. But she pointed to what she called a new and very troubling phenomenon of flat-out thefts and misuse of constitutional power in the state Supreme Courts 2018 ruling throwing out the congressional district map as an unconstitutional partisan gerrymander and Gov. Tom Wolfs order extending mail ballot deadlines for six counties in the primary election. (The U.S. Supreme Court twice declined to take up Republican arguments that the 2018 ruling was unconstitutional, as did a lower federal court.) READ MORE: Pennsylvania, gerrymandered: A guide to Pa.s congressional map redistricting fight When we have a governor [who] rules like a king and a high court that rules like a legislature, Andring said in a statement, there is little wonder why the Trump campaign filed a federal lawsuit. Both sides regularly accuse the other of trying to change election rules for partisan gain. Democrats say Republicans are suppressing votes, especially from people of color, to win elections, and Republicans accuse Democrats of trying to expand access in unsafe ways that invite fraud to help their cause. Democrats are using the coronavirus as an excuse to get wholesale election changes that fit their far-left agenda, but we are fighting back to protect the vote, RNC spokesperson Michael Joyce said in a statement. In addition to partisan concerns, the coronavirus is fueling a great deal of this years litigation. Several of the lawsuits take on the electoral system not in general but as it works during the pandemic. For example, mail ballot deadlines that might work in other times may not when county elections offices have to maintain social distancing and when mail delivery is more uncertain than usual. And while there may be multiple voting options normally, the coronavirus makes in-person voting a health risk that some voters are unwilling to take. As voters options change, so do the challenges and their significance. READ MORE: The Philadelphia voters most likely to vote in person or not at all live in coronavirus hot spots The litigation were seeing this year is less of responding to new attacks on voting and restrictions but actually a preexisting set of obstacles that are suddenly salient and unreasonable in the time of the pandemic, Weiser said. The surge in mail voting, for example, puts a spotlight on issues such as tight deadlines. Similarly, confusion around polling places and long lines to vote in person underscore the need for changes. All of these are issues, Weiser and others said, that can be addressed by lawmakers, even in the form of one-time emergency legislation such as what the Pennsylvania General Assembly passed in March to postpone the states primary until June and allow counties to reduce the number of polling places they offer because of staffing issues. Otherwise, thats where courts come in. Pennsylvania lawmakers are on their summer recess, dampening chances of taking up election legislation in the near future. They can be called back to Harrisburg for a specific issue. Otherwise, any legislative changes to voting laws would have to wait until the House and Senate reconvene in September. Manassas resident Cindy Lopez is limiting her trips out, wearing a mask and keeping her distance from others due to the COVID-19 pandemic. For Lopez, who has an 8-year-old son, its scary hearing that the virus is disproportionately impacting Latinos, but, speaking in Spanish, she says she knows everyone is going through this together and taking precautions. Having information in Spanish about how to stay safe during the pandemic is important, because she isnt fluent in English, Lopez said. In Northern Virginia Latinos account for a disproportionate amount of cases and hospitalizations, according to data from the Virginia Department of Health analyzed by the Northern Virginia Regional Commission. Through July 2, of the 24,317 positive cases for which ethnic or racial data was captured, Latinos comprised over 60% of the cases although they are only about 17.8% of the region's population. In the Prince William Health District, Latinos account for two-thirds of the cases in which race and ethnicity is known, even though they comprise only about 24.5% of the countys population, 35.9% of Manassas residents and 38.7% of Manassas Park residents, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. That is the highest percentage of any health district in the region. Latinos are not accounting for disproportionate numbers of total deaths. Of 897 deaths related to the virus in Northern Virginia for which ethnicity was recorded, Latinos accounted for just 17.5%. SURVEYING THE COMMUNITY Starting June 22, the Centers for Disease Control has been knocking on doors in hard-hit communities in Manassas and Manassas Park, as well as nearby neighborhoods in Prince William. The public health officials are asking residents to answer 30 questions in Spanish and may also reach out through phone calls, according to a news release from Manassas. The survey is completely voluntary and no personally identifiable data will be collected, the news release stated. Alison Ansher, Prince William Health District Director, told InsideNoVa that officials are surveying residents to gain a better understanding of why the virus is being spread, because residents in those areas of the district are seeing high incidences of cases. Ansher said surveying could wrap up next week. We are trying to figure out why this county has a high rate of transmission, she added. The data from surveys will help inform officials as they plan next steps, such as providing more information in different languages, visiting work sites to provide training and identifying information gaps that may exist in the community. Well analyze data after that and work with the CDC to improve communication [with the public] and put a plan of what we could to limit the spread of the virus, Ansher said. Speaking to residents will help provide nuanced understanding of how people are impacted by the pandemic and how local public health officials can respond, she added. What is acceptable to this community? We want to tailor [the plan] to whats acceptable to them and whats helpful. NONPROFIT CREATES PSA One local nonprofit has created public service announcements in Spanish related to COVID-19, such as encouraging hand washing and other ways to prevent the spread of the virus. IMPACTO Youth, a Manassas-based nonprofit, and ECU Communications produced the public service announcements on June 16. Jackie Krick, the nonprofits founder and CEO of ECU Communications, said she wanted to make sure Latinos had access to helpful information. Krick said she saw a need for Spanish language information about the pandemic that was easy to understand. We wanted to create something basic about whats going on, health risks and how to take precautions, she said. Although the nonprofit usually helps youth, Krick said she saw this opportunity. IMPACTO Covid-19 PSA A screenshot from IMPACTO's public service announcement. The reality is how do we make it really easy for people to use [the public health announcements] and be safe and take precautions for them and their families? Krick said. She added that the pandemic has highlighted health disparities in the community. Latinos can be at greater risk of contracting the virus if families have multiple generations living in one home or if residents have jobs that require in-person attendance. In addition, they may lack health insurance or not be comfortable or able to afford to visit a doctor, Krick said. Poorer communities with less resources tend to be impacted greater, she said. SAFETY IN THE COMMUNITY Carlos Castro, owner of Todos Supermarket in Woodbridge, said customers and all of the stores 180 employees are required to wear a mask inside. The store has also added plexiglass dividers, increased cleaning and added stickers on the floor to encourage people to stay 6 feet apart. We are fighting it everywhere we can, he said. Castro is working with the countys COVID-19 testing taskforce and business recovery task force. He said access to testing for the virus and public education are important. We are involved because we want to get to the bottom of this and keep the community informed. The areas high cost of housing means many people share living spaces, Castro said. Its so difficult to separate people, because they need to be close to their workplace and their incomes are not the best, so they buy what they can afford, he added. Castro is paying his employees an additional $2 per hour through the end of July and allowing employees to have two weeks paid time off if they are sick or exposed to someone with COVID-19. I just have to do it, he said. They are all my team. We work together. Its the right thing to do. I feel good about it. Castro is paying his employees to complete a training about mental health and adverse childhood experiences in a few weeks. As a company man, I want to make sure we have good working conditions for everybody, he said. * * * The Northern Virginia Regional Commission's complete dashboard on demographic information of COVID-19 cases in the region is available here. It is updated every Thursday. Woodbridge, VA (22192) Today Mostly cloudy with some showers after midnight. Low near 70F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 40%.. Tonight Mostly cloudy with some showers after midnight. Low near 70F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 40%. -- "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. 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. After receiving praises online for standing up to a customer who refused to follow the protocol of the store on wearing masks, a Starbucks employee is set to meet with a financial adviser in order to help him decide on what to do with the $100,000 that was raised for him through a fundraising campaign. Lenin Gutierrez was only doing his job when he had an encounter with a customer named Amber Lynn Gilles, a San Diego based yoga instructor and self-described activist, who became the reason he had received such support. According to CBS News, last week, Gutierrez was working his shift in a Starbucks shop when Gilles came in to order, however, the Gutierrez refused to serve her due to the fact that she was not wearing a mask. After this, Gilles took it to Facebook and posted about her experience with Gutierrez to express her indignation. She posted a photo of the employee and said that next time she goes to the store she will bring the cops and bring a medical certificate so that she won't be forced to wear a mask before being served. However, Gilles' post backfired on her after her post prompted outburst from social media who called her "Karen" - a nickname which is now being used to refer to people who feel entitled while in public, especially white women. After the backlash, she received from social media, "Starbucks Karen" did not make any comments about the incident. But she made several posts in her Facebook account which made it clear that she is against wearing masks. Her posts also clearly expressed how she rejects any science or medical data that says masks can help curb the spread of COVID-19. Read also: Florida Governor Says State Will Still Re-open Despite Surge in COVID-19 Cases After her post became viral, many people expressed their support and lauded Gutierrez for standing up to her. Moreover, many people said that they wanted to give tips to the young man for doing his job and not letting "Karen" stop him from doing what is right. This then prompted a person named Matt Cowan to start a GoFundMe campaign for Gutierrez which was called "Tips for Lenin Standing Up To A San Diego Karen." As of Thursday, the money raised for Lenin has reached $102,296. Thankful for the support that he has received, Gutierrez also took it to Facebook and posted a video of himself thanking the people who gave the donations. He also narrated how surprised he was that the unpleasant encounter that he had with Gilles turned into something that can possibly change his life, while he did nothing but only do his job. Meanwhile, "Karen" has also posted another video of her defending herself from those who called her out and said that she never threatened anyone during the encounter. She also said that she only wanted to get her coffee without being forced to wear a mask. This is because she believes that it begins with masks but could end up with people being forced to get vaccines and eventually something bigger, NBC reported. Starbucks on the other hand released a statement via a spokesperson who said that they are respectfully requesting customers to wear masks and follow social distancing protocols in order to mitigate the spread of COVID-19. Related article: Fauci Says Herd Immunity Against COVID-19 May Not be Achieved Even With Vaccine Due to Anti-Vaxxers @ 2021 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Business Roundup The Irrawaddy Business Roundup -- Myanmar saw the deaths this week of more than 170 jade miners, as of Friday afternoon, in a landslide at a mine in Hpakant, Kachin State on Thursday morning. Though the whole country remains on alert over COVID-19, which has killed 6 people in Myanmar since March, the catastrophe was a reminder that the country still needs to be aware of such man-made disasters. This week, Myanmar has resumed rice exports after stockpiling enough for local demand. Six European Union states suspended Myanmars debt payments for the remainder of the year in order to allow the country to focus on economic recovery from the pandemic. Meanwhile, Myanmar allocated 14.6 billion kyats (US$10.6 million) in loans for 307 enterprises impacted by COVID-19. Myanmar also saw four new investments that are projected to create job opportunities for more than 3,000 people in Ayeyarwady region. Myanmar lifts restrictions on rice exports As of Wednesday, Myanmar rice exporters are allowed to export rice to overseas countries independently as the Myanmar government lifted its restrictions on the sector, according to the Ministry of Commerce. After Myanmar reported its first COVID-19 cases, the government limited rice exports and instructed rice traders to sell rice to the state in order to increase reserves and allow the government to control the rice market. The Ministry of Commerce has now allowed rice traders to export 150,000 tons of rice per month for July and August. Rice traders are still required to make 5 percent of their total sales to the government for the countrys rice reserves The government expects rice exports to total 400,000 tons during each of the next three months. The government also urged the Myanmar Rice Federation to work to meet a total export target of 2.4 million tons for the 2019-2020 fiscal year. EU States suspend Myanmars debt payments Six EU member states have suspended debt payments from Myanmar worth US$100million for this year, in a bid to help the country focus on economic recovery from COVID-19. On Wednesday, the ambassadors of the EU, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Finland and Poland announced that they have agreed to defer US$98 million (134.5 billion kyats) in debt payments from Myanmar due between May and December 2020. The World Bank recently said Myanmars economic growth could drop from 6.8 percent to 0.5 percent this fiscal year. Four investments approved in Ayeyarwaddy Region On Tuesday, the Ayeyarwady Regional Investment Committee approved 8 billion kyats (US$5.9 million) in investments from three local investors and US$4.8 million in investments from a company in China. According to the Directorate of Investment and Company Administration (DICA), the three local investments are focused on producing and exporting rice products as well as garment manufacturing. The Chinese investment is focused on producing and exporting of wood pellets. DICA said that the four investments would create job opportunities for 3,096 people. Government approves 14.6 billion kyats in loans for 307 companies On Wednesday, Myanmars working committee on the economic impact of COVID-19 announced the approval of 14.6 billion kyats (US$10.6 million) in loans for 307 enterprises that have suffered financial losses due to the pandemic. The committee also warned that companies that have been prosecuted by a bank for defaulting on loans are not eligible for loans from the countrys COVID-19 funds. In March, Myanmar created a 100-billon-kyat (US$73.1 million) COVID-19 fund to assist garment manufacturing and tourism businesses, as well as small and medium-sized enterprises. The government has also created a fund to supply 100 billion kyats in loans for the agriculture and livestock sector, according to U Aung Naing Oo, permanent secretary of the Ministry of Investment and Foreign Economic Relations (MIFER). So far, the government has allocated a total of 86 billion kyats (US$62.9 million) in loans to businesses from its COVID-19 fund. You may also like these stories: As Domestic Tourism Reopens in Myanmar, Businesses Struggle to Get Back on Their Feet Around 800 Myanmar Migrants Stranded in Jordan Without Work Amid COVID-19 Lockdown World Bank: Myanmar Economy to See Growth Drop by 6.3% This Fiscal Year Due to COVID-19 Dateline Will a Sexual Exploitation Scandal Force Myanmar Police to Change Course? -- Ye Ni: Welcome to Dateline Irrawaddy! This week, well discuss the talk of the town of last weekthe detention of the police appointment-general who allegedly demanded sex from female officers in exchange for promotions. The scandal led to calls for police reforms. Political analyst Dr. Aung Myo has joined me to discuss how to reform the police force. He did a thesis on Myanmar police for the period from 1886-1945. Im The Irrawaddy Burmese editor Ye Ni. It was a disgraceful case. There were reports that as many as eight female police officers were sexually exploited. The case was the first of its kind in the history of Myanmars police. A similarly disgraceful case happened not long ago, as police revealed the name and address of Victoria [the name used by the media to refer to the child victim of a rape case in a Naypyitaw nursery school]. This has prompted calls for police reforms. Some say that reforms to the police force are possible because the Myanmar Fire Services Department, which was notorious [for its poor performance] in the past, have now become public heroes. Many hope that similar reforms can be done for the police force. As you have conducted research on the Myanmar police force, where do you think the reforms should start? Aung Myo: People have praised the Fire Services Department for its reforms. This was because the sole intention of the department is now just to help, as it no longer needs to be involved in inspections and arrests together with the police. So it was very easy for the Fire Service Department to improve its image, as it provides help in cases of emergencies and is no longer involved in arrests. The nature of police is different. Police have to enforce the law. No matter how much they are reformed, people will not love it as much as they love the Fire Services Department. Their image might improve to an extent if they reform, but they will not enjoy the love of the public like Fire Services Department does. Again, the size matters in reformsthe size of the firefighting force is small compared to the police force in Myanmar. Myanmars police force is, however, small compared to its counterparts in other countries. There are around 200,000 police in neighboring Thailand. There are around 80,000 police in Myanmar. Another major obstacle in police reform is corruption. I have a friend who is a brigadier-general [in the Myanmar military]. One day, his son drove to downtown Yangon and was fined by traffic police. He told his father that he was unfairly fined. His father said he complained like this because he had not seen the living conditions of the traffic police, who have to live in very crowded staff quarters. Usually police have to be based in urban areasunlike the military, they cant live in the countryside. So they have to bear higher living costs, and this leads to corruption. But this doesnt mean reforms cannot be made to the police force. Regarding the scandal of sexual exploitation of female officers, it was an abuse of power, rather than corruption. It might be because a system of checks and balances is missing in the department. To answer the question of how to root out corruption in the police force, my answer is that even the British government could not do it during its rule due to certain conditions in Myanmar, so it is even more difficult for the Myanmar government to do so. Police in Myanmar had to take responsibility for large areas and their salaries were small compared to the salaries of their counterparts in the London police force, so the British government allowed corruption at the lower levels in the Myanmar police force. But as they had a cadre bureaucracy, there was no corruption in district-level officials, who were either European or educated Burmese, and above. The British government practiced that system and it was successful to a certain extent [in curbing corruption in the police]. But today, upper level officials are also corrupt, as even the police brigadier general is involved in the scandal. The government is responsible for this. A strong economy is one of the main contributing factors in fighting corruption. But this requires a lot of wide-ranging changes, and I therefore dont think there can be swift police reforms. The Presidents Office and the Home Affairs Ministry, if they are interested, will only able to control abuses of power to a certain extent at best. YN: I have the same view. In democracies, police are not controlled by the military, but by a justice ministry. As [the 2008 Constitution says] all the armed forces must be under the control of the commander-in-chief of defense services, the home affairs minister is directly appointed by the military. As the top-level positions of the police force are held by military personnel who were transferred from the Myanmar military, people call them people who come from above. So I think there might need to be some political give and take to put the police under the control of civilian government. At the recent press conference, government spokesman U Zaw Htay said the Presidents Office and the Home Affairs Ministry are taking the case seriously. The new home affairs minister [Lieutenant General Soe Htut] apparently is hard-working. The former minister, Lieutenant General Kyaw Swe, apparently had ignored these issues. But the new minister has started to tackle corruption. But given the restrictions of the 2008 Constitution, to what extent do you think he can push for police reforms? AM: The nature of the police force is federal. I mean it has a nature like that of federal states. Police forces are centralized in single nation-states like Thailand, and it is reasonable to have a police chief in such countries. But in federal states like the US and the UK, there is no police chief who is the head of the overall police forces. By its nature, the police force cant be centralized. So the police force functions better with a constitution that supports decentralization. Under the 2008 Constitution, the police force is controlled by a military-appointed minister, so it is against the principles I have mentioned. But this is not so bad that it can disrupt the functions of the police. No matter what the Constitution says, the home affairs minister and police chief have very limited authority. They only have authority over renumeration, logistics, recruitment and human resources. It is in fact the civilian administrators of the General Administration Department that command the police. Along the course of history, police were commanded by administrators at different levels, from regional and divisional to township and deputy township administrators. Though police are apparently commanded by the defense minister and the police chief, it is in fact region and state chief ministers who have operational command over police on the ground. They command the police, but in case problems arise, the defense minister and the police chief have to take responsibility. So there are contradictions between these two systems. The effectiveness or performance of the police depends on how the chief ministers manage the police force in their respective regions, so the attitude of the police towards the public depends on how the region and state chief ministers manage the police. Another problem concerns those who were transferred from the military. The public usually highlights that problem. In the post-independence period, there was Police Major General U Tun Hla Aunghe was also a major general in the militaryand then took the same rank when he took charge of the police force. When the officers from the Union Military Police and the Burma Territorial Force were transferred to the military, they all became commissioned officers. Like military officers have transferred to the police, police officers can also transfer to the military. Though police are complaining about prospects for promotion [due to military officials who have transferred from the military], it was in fact difficult for lower-level police to become high-ranking officials even under the hierarchical system of the British. Those who joined the police force as sub-lieutenant have chances to become police officers, but still it is very difficult for them to get top positions. Yes, there are some police officers who got top positions due to their outstanding performance. Police Brigadier General Aung Naing Thu, who was forced to retire, was a very smart and bold police officer. Setting aside the reason behind his retirement, he was a really smart police officer and rose through ranks after joining the police force as a low-level officer. If the police force wants to get such smart people, recruitment must go through the Union Civil Service Board by inviting applications for police captain positions. In the past, applicants were invited on a few occasions and eligible applicants were appointed directly as police captains. The police force can now use that system as a reform. Through this, it is possible to appoint police captains. Yes, there are military personnel who have transferred to the police. I dont think it is a problem. It is not something that lower-level police should complaint about. The main problem is that they are blocking the promotions of core police officers. The core police may not have high expectations about promotions. They understand they will not get top positions. They understand that only very smart police officers like Ko Aung Naing Thu can rise through the ranks to become deputy police chief. But police officers of a certain caliber should get mid-level positions and vacancies should be kept for them to get promotions. It is unacceptable that the military-appointed home affairs minister has appointed military personnel to all the top positions in the police force. While I worked under Minister [for National Planning and Economic Development] U Soe Tha [under the military regime], he allotted one-third of the mid-level positions for those who transferred from the military and two-thirds for core staff of the ministry. The home affairs minister should reform the police force in that way. Military personnel should not be blamed for transferring to the police force. The two are largely the same in nature. Police can be military personnel and vice versa. The main problem is they should not totally block the promotions of core police officers. As Ive said, all the senior positions should not be held by military personnel, but core police officers should be given promotions to at least 15 to 20 percent of senior positions. There was a time when all the mid-level and above positions were held by military personnel. It is important that promotions are not blocked for core police officers. YN: Police reform had started even before The Irrawaddy returned to Myanmar. For police reform, first Australia and later the EU provided training. Was such training useful for police reforms? AM: It can be said that they were very useful. The man who took interest in and started police reform is retired minister U Khin Yi. He was serving as the police chief around 2009. I had just received my doctorate degree with the dissertation The Police Administration in Myanmar 1886-1945 in 2007. However, I had been appointed as a director-general in 2002 and U Khin Yi was acquainted with me. Therefore, he invited me to the police headquarters where research officers gave a presentation on police reform for officers above the rank of police lieutenant-colonel. Other officers and I took part in the discussions. The police reforms, including new uniforms, started at that time and continued during the tenure of Police Chief U Zaw Win. Just before U Khin Yi left the police, Australia and the EU conducted training for the police during the term of U Zaw Win under former President U Thein Sein. Police Chief U Zaw Win himself pointed out to me that it was wrong in principle to train the police as soldiers instead of training them as police. Australian instructors agreed with him. But it cannot be said that this is true. They were looking at only one role of the police. In rich countries, the richer the countries, the more medical doctors have to select a specialization. Similarly, the more developed the work of the police, the more subjects the police have to select. For example, there are the riot police, the SWAT to rescue hostages, the maritime police and air marshals. However, Myanmar is not developed and the police just before the independence from the British, when communists Thakin Than Tun and Thakin Soe revolted against the government, played a major role in counter-insurgency. That is why Police Chief Sir Charles Crosthwaite wrote in his The Pacification of Burma that the pioneers of law and order are soldiers but the permanent guardians of tranquility are only the police. The Myanmar police played a role in counter-insurgency and played the role of the army. Therefore, police battalions were formed and were trained to fight in unstable areas. A clear line cannot be drawn between the two roles, which go side-by-side. Therefore, Australian instructors said it was a good idea to form the police as a separate force. However, in my opinion, this is not a good idea for Myanmar. It was the police who first set the most successful example of counter-insurgency in Myanmar. Although the army carried out counter-insurgency operations, battalions in regional commands are similar to the military police. During counter-insurgency operations, the army was able to defeat the insurgents in Ayeyarwady Region only because of the role of the police, who implemented the four cuts doctrine. Although the army troops wear military uniforms, they are similar to the police. It was the role of the police who implemented the four cuts doctrine, a strategy adopted by British generals in Malaysia. If the police did not play the role, the army would take up the role. To be successful, it is necessary to promote the role. Therefore, the concept of Australian police officersthat it is wrong to train the police as soldiersis not true for Myanmar. Such an approach cannot be adopted at present. YN: Since the police reforms, which started in 2012, participation of women in the police has been raised to about 20 percent. They are assigned equal duties with men. However, women have been promoted only to the rank of police major. From the perspective of womens rights, it can be said that women cannot enjoy equal rights with men. At the administrative level, women also possess abilities of good governance, critical thinking and good reasoning. What role should women play in police reform in your opinion? AM: It is really necessary for women to join not only the police but also the army. There are many roles women can play in the police. When an offender is a woman, police officers who are responsible for detaining her must be females. It is better for women officers to handle child culprits because they have a maternal mentality. We encourage women to join the police and women should also participate in the police force. Although they cannot do everything because of their body structure, the gap has become narrower in the US. When women can fight on the battlefield together with men, they will be promoted to the same ranks as men. As far as I know, Daw Khin May Htway, who lived in the same village as me and was a daughter of a school teacher, ran away from home as she wanted to join the police. Now, she is in the counter-terrorism squad and is able to fight with three or four men. She is now about 50 years old and has become a police major. There should not be restrictions for women in the police. They should be promoted based on their performance. A writer, I think Tet Toe, wrote that Indira Gandhi, Golda Meir and the prime minister of neighboring Bangladesh did not look like women and their ways of thinking were the same as men. They did not exchange gossip like women. When a woman becomes a leader, she has developed leadership. She is no longer a housewife. We must accept the leadership of women. It is not a good idea to promote a woman just because of the fact that she is female. Her performance must be taken into consideration. I would like to urge the president and the home minister to think about the issue based not on gender but on equality. I hope they will take measures accordingly. YN: Thanks for your contributions! You may also like these stories: Will Myanmars Next Govt Be an Ethnic-NLD Coalition? NLD Confident as Party Plans for Myanmars 2020 Election On Friday, officials with the Walker County Hospital District board announced that they have finalized a $7.8 million purchase of Huntsville Memorial Hospital. Do you feel like this is a good use of tax dollars, and is this the right direction for the struggling health care facility? You voted: Today Partly cloudy skies early will give way to cloudy skies late. Low 79F. W winds shifting to SSE at 10 to 15 mph. Tonight Partly cloudy skies early will give way to cloudy skies late. Low 79F. W winds shifting to SSE at 10 to 15 mph. Tomorrow Sunshine and clouds mixed. Hot. High 108F. Winds SE at 5 to 10 mph. Funeral services for June Ann Leadbetter Arnold will be held at 2 p.m. Wednesday, June 16, 2021, in the Chapel at Boren-Conner Funeral Home, Jacksonville with Bro. George Folmar officiating. Burial will follow at the Jacksonville Old City Cemetery. June was born April 15, 1932 in Hidalgo, Te A fire has consumed a centrifuge assembly plant located in the underground Natanz nuclear site of Iran on Thursday. Online video and messages have claimed responsibility for the incident were spread on Friday, deepening the mystery surrounding the blaze. The Iranian capital, however, announced that it had knowledge of the source of the fire but refused to reveal details for reasons of national security, as reported by AP News. A cyberattack? The group claiming responsibility for the incident is a group known as "Cheetahs of the Homeland" and featured language that was native to multiple different organizations that opposed Iran. The group also emphasized on Iran's nuclear program and how its presence threatens the Israelite. The Atomic Energy Agency of Iran (AEOI) denied the incident was caused by sabotage and later revealed an image that showed the area and the destruction that was caused by an apparent explosion. It could be seen in the footage that some parts of the structure were blackened. The extent of the damage below the ground, however, remains unclear, as the Iranian government previously released videos which suggest most of the work is focused on advanced centrifuges which are responsible for purifying uranium. One Middle Eastern intelligence official, who wished to remain anonymous, spoke out about highly-classified information that an explosive device was responsible for the blast that promulgated from inside the facility. According to The New York Times, the source noted the explosion ruined most of the parts of the building located above the ground that housed the centrifuges while they were being balanced before being used. Also Read: World War 3 Looms as Iran Rattles Sabers With the US in a Heated Row in the Middle East The destroyed structure was located directly adjacent to the underground fuel production facilities that the United States and Israel used to operate modern times' most sophisticated cyberattacks ten years ago that were named "Olympic Games." The attack continued for several years, misconfigured Iran's industrial equipment computer code and sabotaged nearly 1,000 centrifuges, pushing Iran's nuclear program back for at least a year, if not more. What is more likely? Despite the group claiming responsibility for the fire, the CISO at Cyjax, Ian Thornton-Trump, believes the incident is just a mere accident. He notes that a cyberattack would be qualified to conduct the strike but that it was much more likely it was a result of an accident or employee safety issue. Thornton-Trump, however, added the actual reason behind the incident could not be determined as evidence would have to be provided before a conclusion can be reached, as reported by Forbes. A former colonel with the British military intelligence, Philip Ingram, noted that a physical attack most likely caused the incident, but that cyberattack should still be taken into consideration. Ingram emphasizes that Western cyber agencies have become much more aggressive with how the US is targeting Iranian air defence systems after Iran shot down one of America's spy drones last year. The former colonel also said it is too early to conclude any facts about the incident but that Iran would surely be investigating the destruction of one of its most sensitive nuclear sites. Related Article: What Israeli Defense Technology Can Do to Stop Iran's Small Attack Boats @ 2021 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Teton County Reporter Previously the Scene editor, Billy Arnold made the switch to the county beat where he's interested in exploring Teton County as a model for the rest of the West. When he can, he still writes about art, music and whatever else suits his fancy. Managing Editor Rebecca Huntington has worked for newspapers across the West. She hosts a rescue podcast, The Fine Line. Her family minivan doubles as her not-so-high-tech recording studio. 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 Facebook is now investigating charges that numerous people are using private groups in order to sell and solicit human remains. The products include fetal remains, skulls, and mummified six-year-old child that lived back in the 1700s. Illegal activity The social media platform has a policy that bans any buying and selling of human body parts of fluids. Some Facebook users seem to have found a way to go around the prohibition by taking advantage of the private group feature of the platform. The hundreds of remains that are posted on the groups are said to have come from historical or archaeological sites from different countries. One user posted a human skull in which he or she claimed to have been looted from the catacombs at Sousse, Tunisia. The skull was posted for $550. The illegal and private groups on Facebook were discovered and investigated by LiveScience. The news site spent more than 10 months going through the postings and listings and putting the items into a catalog to know what types of items were listed and requested by the members of the group. Legal experts have warned that these types of practices are categorized as criminal under both US and international law. It is also a threat to governmental and academic efforts to preserve artifacts at archaeological and historical sites around the world. Also Read: Hair Weaves From Chinese Prison Camps Seized by U.S Customs in New York Ryan Seidemann and Christine Halling, from the Office of Louisiana's Attorney General in the Lands and Natural Resources Section Civil Division, jointly said that they doubt that any person, even those who donated the remains for science, wanted to be a personal curio for someone. Seidemann and Halling also said that the human remains that are being sold and bought are from burials or tombs. The deceased wanted their remains to stay in their place of rest and the violation of the intent just to seek possessing or owning the remains of the deceased is both illegal and an ethical violation. The listings According to The DailyMail, the investigation documented a massive range of listings, and it included one user attempting to sell a mummified six-year-old child for $12,247. The listing claims that the mummified child dated back to the 1700s. Meanwhile. one seller listed a human skull for $1,300, claiming that it had come from a female teenager but the user did not offer other information on the origin of the skull. Another listing stated that the skull originated from Peru, it was listed for $10,500. The listing looked very similar to elongated skulls that were discovered in Peru back in 2014. The skull is believed to have come fro a group of hunter-gatherers who lived around 2,000 years ago. The whole process of elongated skull involves tying wooden bracing devices or cloths around the head of a child in order to force it to grow into an elongated shape. Another group user listed fetal remains that are placed and preserved in a jar that the user is selling for $2,350. The user claimed that it was a retired medical specimen. Another user listed an almost full-term fetus for $6,495. The seller of the fetus claims that the mother wanted the specimen to be preserved and to help educate the public about the functions of the human body. In the past few years, other illegal markets that buy and sell human organs and remains have emerged slowly on Instagram and eBay, prompting new fears that social medial platforms and online marketplaces might help commercializes something that is considered as rare and hidden practice. According to NewsWeek, Facebook has still not made any official statements about the company's investigation of the illegal private groups. As of today, three illegal groups have been shut down but the reasons behind it were not disclosed. Related Article: After the Arrest of Jeffrey Epstein's Ex-Girlfriend, Authorities are Now After UK's Prince Andrew @ 2021 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. We're always interested in hearing about news in our community. Let us know what's going on! Go to form 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. In my left hand, Im holding the military records of my great-great-grandfather, who was 16 when he enlisted in the US Army from Parsonsfield, For the first time since 2014, the US Navy has sent two aircraft carrier groups into the South China Sea as China conducts military exercises. US aircrafts The two aircraft, USS Ronald Reagan and USS Nimitz, were conducting dual-carrier exercises and operations in the South China Sea to support an open and free Indo-Pacific, according to the statement released by the US Navy on June 27. The People's Liberation Army of China is conducting a drill around the Paracel Islands that will last for five days. Both the Philippines and Vietnam have protested against China's military exercises. The Washington has criticized the protest as counterproductive to easing the tension in the region, as reported by NewsWeek. The exercises of China on Paracel would destabilize the situations further, according to a statement released by the Pentagon on July 2. The Pentagon also stated that the military exercises had violated the commitments that the Chinese had written under an agreement with other neighboring countries. The drills that are done by the United States armed forces and the Chinese military simultaneously in the Paracel Islands are labeled to be the most high profile to date. It is the most high profile out of the series of operations that are all held in close quarters as the United States and China fight for dominance in the Asia-Pacific theater. Back in April, the United States sent warships into the South China Sea numerous times. It was after the Chinese have harassed vessels from Malaysia and Vietnam for fishing and oil prospecting. Also Read: Facebook Investigates Private Groups That Sell and Solicit Human Remains Since June 28, the carriers that were involved in the South China Sea military exercises have been working together in the Philippine Sea, according to Financial Times. The United States military aircraft and the Chinese ships have followed each other frequently in the South China Sea, the Philippine Sea, and the Bashi Channel which connects it to the Pacific. Back on June 24, the Chinese warplane flew near a US military tanker and the surveillance aircraft of Taiwan, according to the Taiwanese military exerts and different sources. The military analysts stated that the surveillance aircraft was refueling between flights to observe a Chinese submarine near Pratas, which is a South China Sea atoll that his held by Taiwan. Military operations On July 1, the Chinese military exercises in the islands began. The US surveillance ship and the US aircraft have been observing the operations. China and the United States have agreements to make sure that both countries will avoid incidents at sea and in the air. Under the agreement, the United States was obligated to keep out of the area in which China is doing their military exercises. The spokesman of the Seventh Fleet, Lt. Joe Keiley, stated that the military operations are connected to the US commitments that states all nations have the right to sail, fly and operate as long as the international law allows it. According to Capt. Chang of China, the United States was aiming to demonstrate its naval capabilities to China. He said that the Chinese public has been enthusing how their country has entered a dual carrier area after the second carrier started service last year. The US Navy is targeting to shake the confidence of China by showing the Chinese that only the US military can stage these kinds of military operations. Related Article: US-Mexico to Bring Help to Businesses in the United States @ 2021 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. The overall pledge would enhance information technology and quality initiatives, improvements to existing facilities, new construction and other strategic capital. We will commit to fund 100% of (New Hanover Regionals) routine and strategic capital needs (or a significant percentage in the case of a joint venture, joint operating company or management services agreement), Novant said. When asked if the Novant-UNC Health partnership is a one-time project, Oliver said May 26. there is a benefit in the blending of models to bring the best of the two worlds together. There have been successful partnerships across the country in this regard that can be models for how to proceed. Theres so much to gain from an academic program and partnership with respect to the training, the research, the innovation from being connected to a university system. On the other hand, there is a lot of operational day-to-day patient care and community care that health systems and medical groups bring to the table, Oliver said. Daily management decisions would remain locally based, according to the Novant proposal. Im excited that Medicaid recipients will be able to now move to managed care and receive the whole person care they have been waiting for, said Krawiec, a primary co-sponsor of the bill. The Medicaid system will likely have huge growth due to the economic downturn caused by COVID-19, she said. Managed care Managed care is a system under which people agree to see only certain doctors or go to certain hospitals, as in a health maintenance organization, or HMO, or a preferred provider organization, or PPO, health-insurance plan. Under the current Medicaid system, providers are paid on a fee-for-service model administered by the DHHS. By contrast, the PHPs will pay health-care providers a set, or capitated, amount per month for each patients costs. The DHHS will reimburse the plans, and people will be able to choose which PHP they want to sign up for, or a provider will be assigned to them. The PHPs are Centene (operating as WellCare of N.C.), AmeriHealth Caritas N.C., Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina and UnitedHealth Group. House Majority leader John Bell, R-Wayne, told The News & Observer of Raleigh on Tuesday that after further conversations and discussions about its unintended consequences, I am confident this will be revisited and corrected once the legislature reconvenes. Cooper concerned Cooper said during Wednesdays press conference that SB168 contains a concerning provision in there about public records. I am concerned about it. I think most people dont want to have this provision, and I think well figure out a way to fix it. Following Coopers press conference, Sen. Bill Rabon, R-Brunswick, and Senate Rules chairman, sent a letter to Cooper expressing a willingness to remove the language, the News & Observer reported. The offices of Cooper and Rabon have not responded to a Journal request to forward the letter. Your team has so far defended the provision, so it appears as if you still support it, but I do respectfully ask that you clarify the situation as soon as possible, Rabon wrote. SB168 was the subject of an 11th-hour gut-and-replace strategy by the House Health committee on June 24. UPDATE: Police say Terrell Jarvis Bethea has been located and is in good health. ORIGINAL POST: Winston-Salem police are asking for the public's help in locating a missing man. Police say Terrell Jarvis Bethea, 26, was last seen at midnight, July 4 in the 5000 block of Longbrook Circle. Bethea is about 5 feet, 8 inches tall and weighs about 170 pounds, police said. Bethea has short, black hair and was last seen wearing a black shirt, black and white pants and black, white and gold Jordan brand shoes. According to a report from the N.C. Center for Missing Persons, Bethea may have been heading toward Greensboro. Authorities ask anyone with information regarding Bethea's wherabouts to call police at 336-773-7700 On Twitter @LeeOSanderlin lsanderlin@wsjournal.com 336-727-7339 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. As the Lakelands and the country respond to the novel coronavirus pandemic, which has led to state and national emergency declarations, it is vital for everyone to have up-to-date information about the virus and its spread. As such, we're providing free access to all of our COVID-19 coverage, which is available on this page. Here's the latest information on COVID-19 from health agencies and hospitals: Monument protestsThe Confederate monument in front of the Alamance County Historic Courthouse in Graham has been the site of multiple demonstrations since 2015, but calls to bring down the soldier statue dedicated in 1914 have grown in the last month. At least three people have been arrested, including one man who was arrested June 27 two days after Graham Mayor Jerry Peterman amended the citys State of Emergency to withhold permits, shutting down the protests. Peterman also instituted a curfew, although that did not appear to be enforced once Alamance County sheriffs deputies and Graham police made the demonstrators leave June 27. Around 9:30 p.m., groups of people were seen sitting on the benches, walking on the sidewalks and skateboarding downtown. ACLU officials said Grahams ordinance mirrors a law the U.S. Supreme Court struck down more than 50 years ago that makes it illegal for one person to walk alone or two people to be outside together without a permit for the purpose of making known any position or thought. It gives the government sweeping discretion to suppress speech based on its content including on the basis of how listeners are likely to respond, the ACLU said. Those roots are the 1969 riots and protests that became known as the Stonewall Uprising, a fight against the practice by New York police of the day to raid gay bars and harass and arrest patrons. The uprising was led by Black gay men, lesbians, trans women and drag queens, including Marsha P. Johnson, the Black drag queen. Natural to join forces Some have said that as communities of color plead for or demand more equitable treatment by law enforcement, its time for the LGBTQ community to return the favor. Johnson sees it as only natural to join forces, because of the overlap of issues but also the layering of identities that lead to multiple forms of discrimination. Johnson is a Black lesbian and says she has experienced prejudice based on her race, her gender and her sexual preference. Weve been creating space where we try to look at how multiple oppressions affect our lives, and the LGBTQ community is a part of every community, she said. And we cant do our work without also considering how race plays a role in the lives of people in our community. In the past, LGBTQ people have not always felt comfortable in the Black community, even among groups advocating for people of color, because of a longstanding bias against LGBTQ people. Pope & Son Farms in Clinton declined to comment on the five COVID-19 cases it reported. According to Tapia, the N.C. Farmworkers Project visited the sick workers there last month to provide medication and other supplies. Four have recovered, but one worker has been hospitalized. The farm houses over 100 workers. The grower at the farm has cooperated with us and was who contacted us, said Tapia. The logistics behind testing all of the workers there are difficult. Many farm workers in general dont want to be tested, Tapia said, because they dont want to risk losing work if they test positive or suffer the stigma of someone thinking they might be positive. Other counties On Thursday, DHHS updated its report to include an outbreak at a farm in Wayne County in the town of Seven Springs east of Johnston County. The N.C. Department of Labor lists Mack L. Grady Farms as requesting immigrant farmworkers in that town. A second outbreak was reported in Hyde County near the Pamlico Sound at an address linked to Mattamuskeet Seafood, a blue crab and oyster processing plant in the town of Swan Quarter. Thank you for reading! We hope that you continue to enjoy our free content. The Black teenager was finally being heard on issues of structural racism, just as other Black youths and adults are being heard today. Kaycee, then 17 and a rising senior at an East Winston High School, spoke to researchers from Winston-Salem State Universitys Center for the Study of Economic Mobility (CSEM) about the fear he feels from others as an African-American male: I dont know what there is to fear, but its like they see us, and theyre like, Its a tall dark man, what is he going to do? Is he going to beat me up? Is he going to rob me? Is he going to rape me or something? And its like, No, Im just here to buy some juice. I feel like my skin color and how people think about me are the biggest steps for me to get over. Sometimes, I dont think Ill even get a job here because Im a Black man. Kaycee spoke to researchers as part of a program that CSEM Research Fellow Charity Griffin started, YouthRise (Youth Research in Sustaining Economics), that is based on youth-led participatory research, a framework that centers on voices traditionally silenced in academic scholarship, Griffin wrote in a paper on the program recently published on the CSEM website. In that northern, free territory, the U.S. Army began building Fort Snelling in 1820 at todays Minneapolis, overlooking the confluence of the Minnesota and Mississippi rivers. A decade and a half later, a newly arriving army surgeon brought with him an enslaved man he had purchased in St. Louis. That man was Dred Scott. While at Fort Snelling in free territory, Scott married Harriet Robinson, she enslaved by a federal Indian agent at the fort. In 1846, Dred and Harriet Scott boldly sued for their freedom based on their being taken into free territory as established by that Missouri Compromise. Through a series of rulings and reversals over 10 years, the case moved to the U.S. Supreme Court, which in 1857 ruled against the Scott family in a 7 to 2 decision. The ruling declared that the Constitution never intended to grant citizenship rights to descendants of Africans. Today, legal scholars regard that opinion, written by Chief Justice of the United States Roger B. Taney, as the worst ruling ever made in the history of the Supreme Courts 230 years so far. Richard Meade North Wilkesboro When its gone Most Americans dont know that they no longer have a democratic form of governance. So ... if you dont know that youve lost something, why go searching for it? Most Americans dont realize that Social Security is the most successful socialist program that they have ever enjoyed. When you lose it, dont bother to go looking for it. Kenneth Brian Scalf Mocksville They were duped I am shocked that you would print a letter that is essentially an apologetic for the Confederacy and slavery (Son of the South, June 27). If the writers ancestors, as he says, thought they fought because their homes were being threatened and overrun by an enemy army, they were duped. The enemy army they fought was the U.S. military. If his ancestors had won the war, they would have won, not their homes, but the right for their state to continue practicing slavery. This breed of men who unashamedly took up arms against an invading army is reviled by millions of Americans who understand that owning a human being as property is wrong. Classes in the Wilkes County Schools will start on Aug. 23 and end on May 25 in 2021-22 as a result of a calendar approved by the Wilkes Board of Education on Feb. 1. Leh/IBNS: A few months shy of his 70th birthday, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was seen defying acclamitisation challenge to walk resolutely and shoulder to shoulder with Indian soldiers on the steep terrains of Ladakh, a mountainous region north of the country located above 10,000 feet, where a fierce encounter between Indian and Chinese troops killed dozens of armymen on both sides. The surprise visit on Friday boosted the morale of the armed forces who have lost 20 of their recruits during the recent clash in Galwan Valley. But the presence of Modi there was not just symbolic. It was loaded with a message for China and its malignant communist regime. Visuals showed the Prime Minister interacting with soldiers as they raised slogans like 'Vande Mataram' and 'Bharat Mata ki Jai'. The visuals speak volumes about India and its solidarity with its frontier warriors when China has not even officially shared a casualty toll of its soldiers. Apart from bolstering the confidence of the troops, Modi sent out a strong message to China by denouncing its 'expansionism' culture and said the enemies have seen the fire and fury of the Indian armed forces. Accompanied by Chief of Defence Staff Gen Bipin Rawat and Army chief Gen MM. Naravane during the visit, the Prime Minister visited those injured in the clash, at the military hospital. Decoding the visit of Modi: Decoding the visit, experts believe the Indian Prime Minister did a good job of sending out a clear message to observers and in particular to Beijing. The visit comes right after the clash, showing the Prime Minister's will to stick with the forces, even if a visit to the area may not be very well suited for his age. With most places in Ladakh located above 10,000 feet, acclimatisation is one of the most important things one has to keep in mind before planning a trip to the area. Health conditions such as dizziness, headaches or even acute mountain sickness (AMS) are common on arrival in Ladakh. However, Modi showed who's the boss and let his actions speak as he walked the extra mile to be with the troops in their hour of need. Strategically, it showed India's willingness to back up its Army and its unwillingness to cower down before Chinese pressure. Modi uses the word enemy to describe China According to Srikanth Kondapalli, a professor in Chinese studies at Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, the words of Modi in Ladakh are significant and indicates a shift in the way China will be dealt with. "His visit had its effect on boosting the morale of the soldiers while he used the word enemy for China, indicating a change," said Prof. Kondapalli speaking to IBNS. Prime Minister Modi and Xi Jinping had their Second Informal Summit in Chennai in October last year where Modi had praised the Chinese president, but now after the Ladakh face-off all that will change as indicated in the words of Modi, he said. "Modi also used the word Sudarshana Chakra (the weapon of Vishnu and his Avatar Krishna). If you know its use in Mahabharata then you should compare it with nuclear weapons in modern time," he said. Modi also mentioned that in Buddhism, courage is compassion. "Well, we know people in Ladakh are Buddhists and in the PLA also there are soldiers who are from Tibet and follow Buddhism," Prof. Kondapalli said, adding that Modi's words were heavily loaded and meant to have a psychological impact on soldiers even on the Chinese side. Jinping to step down, CPC to be relegated? Deepak Vohra, a former Secretary in India's External Affairs Ministry and a diplomat, said " I cannot tell you how important this is for the military and for the people of the region that is in a conflict situation "What is remarkable is the Prime Minister going there despite his health concerns, to see this man walking like a teenager, running around, talking to the troops, speaking, it says volumes about his commitment, about his decisive leadership, which I have not seen," he said on a TV programme. Narrating a story, Vohra said the Chinese have a tendency to form allies only when they are stuck. "When they need help, they will come to you on their knees, talking about brotherhood and when they are strong, they will try to bully you. Their bluffs have been caught." "I hope and pray.... that they [UN] will boot the People's Republic of China. They have no right to be in the UN Security Council. Let them be in the UN but not in the UNSC. India should be there." Vohra said contrary to beliefs about India's diplomacy being a weak link, it is extremely effective. "There was a case when we had to elect a judge to the International Court of Justice. Our candidate was Mr Dalveer Bhandari and the British had put up someone. There were rumours that India, a former colony, would withdraw. Well, we didn't. Ultimately it was the British who withdrew their candidate, because everybody said we are going to vote for India. "In my 47 years of diplomacy, this is the first time I'm seeing an all country approach. The military, the government, the diplomatic service and the people- all four important elements are united and are speaking with one voice. "There will be a few dissenting political comments, but we take them in our stride. The former diplomat said several countries will soon start seeing through China's deceitful tactics and would want to make amends by rejecting Xi Jinping and his Communist Party of China (CPC) "Soon, I believe even the African Union- representing 54 countries- will come up with a statement even though China claims to have invested heavily in that continent. "They will say 'Buddy, enough is enough. We don't like you'. "The Europeans are upset, the liberal democracies are upset about what's going on in Hong Kong. Everybody is upset about what's going on at the borders, at the South China Sea. Predicting China's downward spiral, Vohra said the citizens of the mainland would soon revolt against the totalitarian regime. "By the end of this year, a fellow called Xi Jinping would have resigned on health grounds. Secondly, China would explode in nationwide protests for democracy. Third, the Communist Party of China would be relegated to the dustbin of history. "I see the million mutinies taking place within mainland China and I see that the end is nigh," the diplomat added. Will be unwise to repeat Galwan treachery Speaking to Financial Express Online, Lt Gen Vinod Bhatia (retd), Former DGMO & Director Centre For Joint Warfare Studies (CENJOWS) said, His visit to Leh is also a signal to China not to repeat the Galwan treachery during the agreed-upon disengagement process. "The visit also supports and appreciates the Armys resolute response. The PM visiting frontline troops boosts the morale of the armed forces and reinforces the political belief in the armys top leadership. "The visit to the soldiers injured at Galwan is recognition of their gallant fight despite a savage assault by PLA on 15 June. The visit also is a message to the International community of Indias firm and just stance to ensure territorial integrity and Sovereignty. PM Modi is known to lead in crisis situations and spending time with troops deployed in borders areas and operations. It reinforces his leadership role and style, being seen in full control, Bhatia added. On Thursday, two separate shootings in Kansas City left two police officers injured after being shot. Now, other agencies are stepping up to support their brothers and sisters in blue during this time. SALEM, Ore. Gov. Kate Brown sat down with three troopers involved in a recent mask controversy at a Corvallis coffee house. A video posted by The Oregonian/OregonLive showed Oregon State Police troopers refusing to wear a mask at Allans Coffee and Tea. The company issued a statement, which read in part, "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." Read their full statement here. RELATED: Oregon coffee company says OSP troopers put them 'in a terrible position' by refusing to wear masks On Friday, Brown said that she spoke with three of the troopers about their families and the importance of setting a good example saying that the troopers took responsibility and expressed regret. Heres the thing: Were all having to make adjustments to slow the spread of COVID-19. None of this is fun and some of it is really hard. But wearing a face covering to protect those around us? Thats easy. The officers and I agreed today that face coverings save lives. So youll see them and me wearing a face covering each and every day until we beat this virus, Brown wrote. It was not immediately clear why the fourth involved trooper was not in attendance. "In the world of social media, its easy to condemn someone when they make a mistake and keep scrolling by. But you can judge a persons character by whether they own up and make things right," Brown said. Following the incident, OSP superintendent Travis Hampton spoke out against the embarrassing and indefensible conduct, apologizing to the community. RELATED: OSP superintendent condemns troopers not wearing masks in Corvalls coffee shop One of the troopers was placed on administrative leave. I hope my apology is accepted and the swift actions of my agency provide evidence of our commitment to accountability, Hampton wrote in a Facebook post. OREGON-- The Marine Board, Oregon State Police, and other officials are participating in Operation Dry water during the holiday weekend of July 3-5. Operation Dry Water is part of a national effort to reduce the number of fatalities and accidents related to Boating Under the Influence of Intoxicants (BUII). Marine officers have completed specialized training to recognize drug and alcohol impairment. This includes alcohol, prescription drugs, marijuana, or any other substance that leaves people unable to safely operate a boat. The Marine Board says that the effects of drugs an alcohol are amplified when on the water, and put you at a greater risk of drowning. In Oregon, the consequences of being convicted of BUII include the possibility of jail time, $6,250 in fines, loss of boating privileges and a one to three-year suspension of the boater education card. Marine officers can arrest boaters on observed impairment and can legally obtain blood, breath or urine if a boater fails field sobriety testing. Officers have already arrested three people for BUII this year and at least two fatalities appear to have involved alcohol or drugs. Boating Safety Program Manager for the Marine Board Randy Henry said, Overall, recreational boating is safe if boaters wear life jackets, boat sober, and keep a sharp lookout." Henry wants to keep drugs and alcohol out of the mix when it comes to boat safety and ensure that everyone remains safe and fun. PORTLAND, Ore. After setting a new record single-day high for confirmed and presumptive coronavirus cases on Thursday, Oregon health officials reported another considerable spike on Friday. The Oregon Health Authority 344 new cases as of midnight on Friday morning, bringing the state total to 9,636. The new confirmed and presumptive COVID-19 cases were in the following counties: Benton (7), Clackamas (22), Clatsop (1), Columbia (3), Coos (1), Crook (1), Deschutes (9), Douglas (1), Jackson (9), Jefferson (5), Josephine (3), Klamath (2), Lake (1), Lane (16), Lincoln (18), Linn (2), Malheur (20), Marion (32), Morrow (10), Multnomah (59), Polk (5), Sherman (1), Tillamook (1), Umatilla (49), Union (8), Wasco (10), Washington (46), and Yamhill (1). The agency also released a new table, showing the recent case trends by county between mid-June and the beginning of July. "These trends show where the COVID-19 virus is spreading at the fastest rate and which counties have the highest rates of 'sporadic' transmission i.e., cases that do not have a clear epidemiological link to other outbreaks or clusters of infections and therefore indicate that the virus is spreading uncontained in a community," OHA said. Jackson County had a case rate of 21.47 per 100,000 population, and a sporadic case rate of 8.4. Josephine County had a more modest case rate of 17.55, but a much higher sporadic rate of 16.38. Klamath County, which has seen a boom in cases since reopening, had a case rate of 82.94, but a sporadic cast rate of 16.59. Health officials there have said that many of the new cases were discovered through contact tracing, accounting for the relatively low rate of community spread. Governor Kate Brown on Friday named eight counties that have been placed on a "watch list" based on recent spikes in community spread cases: Jefferson, Lake, Lincoln, Malheur, Morrow, Umatilla, Union, Wasco. "State and local health officials will closely monitor the situation in these counties in coming days and prioritize additional resources to suppress the virus in these hotspot communities," OHA said. Reporting nine new cases on Friday, public health officials in Jackson County urged people in the area to use the utmost caution over the Fourth of July weekend. "COVID19 cases are surging throughout Oregon since the state began its phased reopening. Recent modeling suggests the virus is continuing to spread rapidly in all age groups," Jackson County Public Health said. "COVID-19 is still in our communities, and each of us has a role to play in reducing its spread. As you prepare to celebrate the Fourth of July holiday with families, friends and loved ones, we want you to consider the risks of your holiday activities." "The safest choice for this holiday is to celebrate at home with the members of your immediate household. If you choose to celebrate in other ways, activities that take place outdoors that allow for enough room to maintain physical distancing and involve fewer people are lower risk activities compared to activities that take place indoors that do not allow for physical distancing and involve more people," the agency continued. Josephine County also reported seven new cases, three confirmed and four presumptive. Officials said that they were investigating all of the cases to identify and isolate all contacts related to the cases. Mertens said she contacted Belgium politicians, only to be told that they dont make those kinds of decisions; those are made at the European Union level. Then, when she contacts EU politicians, she is told the EU can make recommendations, but the decisions are left to the member countries. Its frustrating because no one is willing to take up this issue and fight for whats right, basically, Mertens said. Fountain had read on a government website that said if you were in a relationship with a Belgian national, you could travel to Belgium. However, when he called the Belgium embassy in Washington, D.C., he was told that only applied to specific types of relationships, not for him and Mertens. Fountain also was told its up to the individual airlines to decide if passengers may fly. But thats so frustrating because it kind of depends on border control, then, Mertens explained. Youre not going to spend thousands of dollars on a flight to then be told you cant get in. What if the border control in Belgium doesnt allow you in? What are you going to do then? Bates and Green say that while they understand the purpose of the ban, the situation still is disappointing. Those include the shipment of personal protective equipment that arrives every week. Someone must meet the truck, sort out the equipment, take inventory and go through requests for PPE from long-term care facilities, skilled nursing facilities, assisted living facilities and more, she said. Facilities have ordered this equipment, but sometimes, orders are delayed, so the state will ship to local health departments to help them get by while they wait, she said. Two Rivers also keeps COVID-19 testing supplies. In addition, it tests for West Nile virus. It partners with the Tri-Basin Natural Resource District for various projects, and much more. Fankhauser said the move will permit the department to provide coverage and services for all the demographics in our area. The new office is larger than 3,500 square feet and is a perfect fit, Fankhauser said. If we get to the point where COVID is not a main priority, well still have room for people who need to be here. Fankhauser joined the Two Rivers staff in May. She was news director for a radio station in Chadron for 14 years. In 2016, she moved to Punta Gorda, Fla., 100 miles south of Tampa, to work in the senior care field and study for a masters degree in emergency management. A wrongful death lawsuit filed by the widow of a 71-year-old Niobrara man who disappeared and is presumed dead following the Spencer Dam collapse last year has cleared a legal hurdle to go forward against the state agencies that owned and operated the dam. Holt County District Judge Mark Kozisek wasn't addressing the merits of the claims but rather whether the case should be in his court at all. In a recently filed six-page order, he rejected the arguments made by attorneys for the Nebraska Public Power District and the Nebraska Department of Natural Resources, who said the case should be dismissed because, by law, they were immune from such a lawsuit. Kenny Angel's wife, Linda Angel, sued them in October, alleging their negligence had led to the failure March 14, 2019, which sent a torrent of water and ice downstream, sweeping away homes and washing out farmland in its path. NPPD owned the 92-year-old dam and, along with the Department of Natural Resources, was responsible for its operation and maintenance. Kenny Angel lived just downstream from the dam and is believed to have drowned when floodwaters washed away his home and business. His body never was found, but in June 2019 a judge declared him dead. New Delhi: India is a land of religious diversity and true to the spirit of brotherhood the country on Saturday observed Dharma Chakra Day, the event commemorating Lord Buddha's First Sermon to his first five ascetic disciples. Indian President Ram Nath Kovind said that as the pandemic ravages human lives and economies across the globe, Lord Buddhas message serves like a beacon. Lord Buddha advised people to shun greed, hatred, violence, jealousy and many other vices to find happiness. Contrast this message with the hankering of an unrepentant mankind indulging in the same old violence and degradation of nature. "We all know that the moment the virulence of Coronavirus slows down, we have a far more serious challenge of climate change before us," he said. The President was speaking at a virtual event organized by the International Buddhist Confederation on the occasion of the Dharma Chakra Diwas at Rashtrapati Bhavan. The President said that India is proud of being the land of the origin of the Dhamma. In India, we see Buddhism as a fresh expression of the sublime truth. "Lord Buddhas enlightenment, and the subsequent preaching by him for over four decades, were in line with Indias tradition of respect for intellectual liberalism and spiritual diversity," he said. In modern times, two exceptionally great Indians Mahatma Gandhi and Babasaheb Ambedkar found inspiration in the words of the Buddha and went on to shape the destiny of the nation. The President said that following in their footsteps, we should strive to hear the call of the Buddha, to respond to his invitation to walk the Noble Path. Indian PM Narendra Modi also delivered a video address on the occasion of inauguration of Dharma Chakra Day. The International Buddhist Confederation , under the aegis of the Ministry of Culture, Government of India, is celebrating Asadha Poornima on July 4, 2020, as Dharma Chakra Day. This day commemorates Gautam Buddha's First Sermon to his first five ascetic disciples at the Deer Park, Rsipatana in the present day Sarnath near Varanasi, UP. 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. Prime Minister conveyed his greetings on Ashadha Poornima, also known as Guru Purnima, and also paid homage to Lord Buddha. He expressed happiness that copies of Mongolian Kanjur are being presented to the Government of Mongolia. Prime Minister talked about the teaching of Lord Buddha and about the eight-fold path which shows the way towards the well-being of many societies and nations. Modi noted that Buddhism teaches respect for people, women, poor, for peace and non-violence and these teachings are the means to a sustainable planet. The Prime Minister said that Lord Buddha spoke about hope and purpose and saw a strong link between the two. Modi spoke about how he is hopeful about the 21st century, and this hope springs from the youth. He underlined that India has one of the largest start-up ecosystems where bright young minds are finding solutions to global problems. He also mentioned about the recent Cabinet decision to declare Kushinagar Airport in UP as an International Airport, which would facilitate the travel of pilgrims and tourists, while also giving a boost to the economy in the region. A special video address by HRH Norodom Arunrasmy, thd Princess of Cambodia too will be steamed. She is the sister of the King of Cambodia and Chairperson of Cambodian Red Cross. Rest of the day's events, including messages from top Buddhist religious and lay leaders, including eminent Masters and Scholars from different parts of the world will be streamed from Mulagandha Kuti Vihara, near Dhumket Stupa, Sarnath and Mahabodhi Temple, Bodh Gaya in association with the Mahabodhi Society of India and Bodh Gaya Temple Management Committee. While IBC, as the leading world Buddhist body is once again leading the collective aspirations of Dharma followers globally, due to Covid 19 pandemic the whole program is being conducted virtually, like a very successful Virtual Vaisakh on May 7 this year. Dharma Chakra Day would henceforth is being celebrated by IBC as its flagship event. 18 Shares Share Ever since the COVID-19 pandemic gripped New York City, I have come to dread calling home to my parents. Every conversation ultimately leads to the question: Is everyone okay? This is always followed by a pause as my parents consider how much to tell me. Over the past few months, I learned on an almost weekly basis of a new family member, family friend, or neighbor who was hospitalized, transferred to an ICU, or succumbed to the virus. The loss of life and disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on my family and community are a glaring reminder of my roots and how our backgrounds influence health care outcomes. My parents are from Guyana, South America. Guyana is a blend of cultures; the amalgamation of African and Indian Diasporas interspersed with the indigenous tribes, shaped by the British Empire. It is one of the poorest countries in the Western Hemisphere, infamously known for the Jonestown Massacre and the highest suicide rate in the world. Due to the countrys political instability and economic hardship, my parents immigrated to the United States in 1981. They settled in Queens, New York as part of a wave of migration that resulted in the largest Guyanese population outside of the country. Born and raised in Queens, it is where I consider home even as I live in Boston now. With over 800 languages spoken and half of its population foreign-born, it is one of the most diverse places in the world. It is also where I made lifelong friends and met my wife at our public high school in Flushing. Throughout my childhood, there were subtle signs that we were poor, but my parents masked it through their hard work and determination to provide us with a comfortable life. In my eyes, we were living the American Dream, and we had all we needed. However, life as we knew it was upended when my eldest brother died in handcuffs. At the age of 32, he was overweight, diabetic, depressed, and addicted to alcohol and drugs. During one drunken night, he hit a parked car. He was relatively unharmed from the accident; he only had a few scratches but was taken by the police to the county hospital. We never found out why he was hospitalized we were told, You know why hes here. Its because he drinks too much. In retrospect, I wonder if that was their way of saying he was going into alcohol withdrawal. Regardless, he was intubated on hospital day five for agitation, and died two days later from a massive pulmonary embolism, still handcuffed to his hospital bed. We did not question or know to question why an intubated patient needed to be handcuffed on both his hands and feet. We did not know that lying immobile in a bed was a risk factor for a pulmonary embolism. We did not realize that Guyanese individuals were considered a problem minority group at that hospital, and our care more than likely suffered as a result. I did not have the words for it then, but my brothers death was my first lesson on the social determinants of health. Afterwards, I changed my career path to pursue medicine. It wasnt easy; as the first in my family to become a physician, I had little guidance. My college advisor even told me, I would never be a doctor. My journey through medicine has been challenging but serendipitous, and eventually, I met many amazing mentors and colleagues who believed in me and pushed me every step of the way. This path led me to train at Morehouse School of Medicine and now at the Harvard BWH-MGH Neurology program, where I currently serve as a chief resident. During my training, I have witnessed firsthand the impact that diversity and social policy initiatives have on patient care and outcomes. Consequently, I have made it my mission to bring about positive change in public policy in addition to providing individualized care to those who need it most. However, I recognize I cannot do it alone. We need a collective effort to address centuries of institutionalized biases built into our health care system. It is now more important than ever that we collectively push for positive changes as entire communities have been devastated by COVID-19, and the disenfranchised reach a new boiling point of frustration and anger towards a society that has failed so many. Whether it is ensuring our patients have access to professional medical interpreters, calling out unconscious biases in the work setting, or fighting for changes at the policy level, we all have a part to play. Silence or inaction is tantamount to tacit approval of the systemic abuses that have contributed to poverty, lack of health care, and marginalization in our country. COVID-19 and our current political environment have meant many things to me. I think of my hometown, which has been desolated by the pandemic. For every life that is senselessly lost, I see my brother, who also died in police custody. The past few months have been a reminder of how far I have come, but as I reflect on my community and the nation, its a reminder of how much more work still needs to be done. Josh Budhu is a neurology resident and can be reached on Twitter @joshuabudhu. This article originally appeared in Neurology Blogs. Image credit: Shutterstock.com EUGENE, Ore. Eugene Police are investigating after a vehicle vs. motorcycle crash in the Danebo neighborhood Friday afternoon. Police told KEZI 9 News that the driver of the vehicle is cooperating with the investigation. Eugene Police sent an incident command vehicle near the area of Elmira and Bertelsen roads. They said the crash happened around 2:38 p.m. Friday afternoon. They asked drivers to avoid the area while they investigate. The crash affected traffic all the way to Roosevelt Boulevard. Police have not released any information about the drivers conditions as of 11:00 p.m. Friday night. The investigation is ongoing. Stay with KEZI 9 News for updates. 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. SCANDIA, Minn. (AP) Authorities say a 10-year-old boy has drowned at a Minnesota state park northwest of the Twin Cities. The Minneapolis Star Tribune reports that first responders were called to William O'Brien State Park near Scandia on Friday afternoon on a report of a boy missing in the St. Croix River. A host of agencies searched for the boy. He was found about an hour and a half after the search began and rushed to Regions Hospital in St. Paul, where he was pronounced dead. The Washington County Sheriff's Office has not yet identified the boy. Long before the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis, racial equity procedures were in place in schools across Indianapolis. Interdepartmental attempts to address discrimination in schools have gone by many labels over the years: diversity and inclusion, racial equity and so on. But with tensions high across the country and throughout the city Marion Countys 11 superintendents felt acknowledgement of recent events wasnt sufficient. The Anti-Racism Initiative, a collective effort between every public school district in the county, launched in mid-June to actively combat racism in Marion County public schools. We saw what was happening in the larger community, and came to the conclusion that there was a lot of power in coming together collectively and naming our efforts and commitment as being anti-racist, said Aleesia Johnson, Indianapolis Public Schools (IPS) superintendent. On June 19, each of the Marion County public school districts turned on the lights at a stadium in their district for 8 minutes and 46 seconds the amount of time officer Derek Chauvin kneeled on George Floyds neck. Each superintendent also participated in a video intended to reinforce their respective commitments to racial equality and equity. For some of the districts leaders, dealing with racism in everyday life is an all-too-real phenomenon. Im no different than any other African American male Ive been pulled over and Ive been questioned, said Dr. Shawn Smith, Metropolitan School District of Lawrence Township superintendent. It doesnt matter if Im a superintendent or have doctor in front of my name. Ive been mistreated. Jeff Butts, superintendent of Metropolitan School District of Wayne Township, noted his own experiences as a white male reflect the mistreatment of African Americans like Smith. I was profiled early on in my childhood because of some friends I had, and the area I was in, he said. I certainly have not experienced profiling to the level that many of my colleagues have, but I have a very small taste of it. According to Butts, the Anti-Racism Initiatives purpose isnt just to address issues on a surface level. The goal is to dig a lot deeper into systemic racism, privilege and equity work, Butts said. If this isnt important enough for superintendents to acknowledge, then everything eventually falls on deaf ears and doesnt remain at the forefront. One component of the initiative is No Racism Zone signage, which will be publicly displayed on each districts high school campus before school starts to further highlight a commitment to combating racism. Schools with large minority populations arent the only districts participating in this initiative. Other districts with significantly smaller minority populations also see the value in ensuring students learn the importance of being anti-racist. Since were not a majority-minority township, its even more important for us to see through that equity lens, said Bruce Hibbard, Franklin Township Community School Corp. superintendent. Franklin Township schools is more than 70% white. The minority population in Beech Grove City Schools is also on the low end, at 10% to 13%. Were constantly trying to hire staff members that look like our students, said Paul Kaiser, Beech Groves superintendent. Each district will work with the Indiana State Teachers Association to support the efforts of their Minority Affairs Committee, in addition to disseminating a guide for parents to educate themselves and their children about the need for racial equality and equity. It cant be the government. It cant be politicians. Its gotta be the schools. Weve gotta make the difference, Kaiser said. Contact newsroom intern Mikaili Azziz at 317-924-5143. Follow her on Twitter @mikailiazziz. ALBERT LEA, Minn - If you're celebrating this Independence Day weekend with some alcoholic beverages, make sure you don't wind up watching the fireworks from behind bars. Freeborn County Sheriff's Office Sergeant Tim Bennett tells KIMT that because of canceled parades and other community events, he expects more people to be traveling, hitting the road to get to a body of water or meet up with friends. Because of this, the sheriff's office will be extra vigilant of traffic violations this weekend. If you plan to drink alcohol this weekend, make sure you line up a sober driver in the car or on the water. "Be responsible and if youre going to be drinking, have a designated driver. Same thing goes for the lake. If you're going to be enjoying time on the lake and drinking, be responsible, and have a designated driver," says Sgt. Bennett. ROCHESTER, Minn. Police say they caught him after he left his ID behind. Now hes pleading not guilty. Abdalla Abubakar Wallin, 40 of Minneapolis, is charged with fleeing a peace officer in a motor vehicle, 5th degree controlled substance crime, driving after cancellation, and fleeing a peace officer on foot. He was arrested on September 2, 2019, after Rochester police say he drove away from a traffic stop. Officer say they chased Wallin on Highway 52 and onto 19th Street NW before he left his left his vehicle and ray away. Police say they found about 2.6 grams of methamphetamine and Wallins credit cards in a pouch inside his vehicle, which led them to track him down and apprehend him. No trial date has been set due to the pandemic limiting court operations in Minnesota. WASHINGTON (AP) As coronavirus cases spike, public health officials are pleading with Americans to avoid large crowds and hold more muted Independence Day celebrations, but subdued is not President Donald Trump's style, and he aimed to go big, promising a special evening in Washington that could bring tens of thousands to the National Mall. Trump's Salute for America celebration on Saturday evening was to include a speech from the White House South Lawn that he said would celebrate American heritage, as well as a military flyover over the city and an enormous fireworks display that could pack people downtown. The president kicked off the holiday weekend by traveling to Mount Rushmore in South Dakota for a fireworks display Friday night near the mountain carvings of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln and Theodore Roosevelt. In his remarks, he accused protesters who have pushed for racial justice of engaging in a merciless campaign to wipe out our history. In a presidential message Saturday on the 244th anniversary of the adoption of the Declaration of Independence, Trump acknowledged that over the past months, the American spirit has undoubtedly been tested by many challenges. His participation in big gatherings comes as many communities have decided to scrap fireworks, parades and other holiday traditions. The goal is to try to prevent further spread of the coronavirus, which large gatherings could spur. Confirmed cases are climbing in 40 states, and the U.S. set another record Friday with 52,300 newly reported infections, according to the tally kept by Johns Hopkins University. For the Mount Rushmore event, GOP Gov. Kristi Noem, a Trump ally, insisted social distancing wasnt necessary and masks were optional. Trump spent little time in his Mount Rushmore address reflecting on pandemic, which has killed more than 129,000 Americans. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention cautions that mass gatherings like the one scheduled for Washington present a high risk for spread of the virus. Trumps surgeon general, Jerome Adams, who has stepped up his call for Americans to wear a mask in public, sidestepped when asked during an interview Friday whether he would caution a loved one from attending such large gatherings. Its not a yes or no, Adams told NBCs Today Show. Every single person has to make up their own mind." Trump has been aching to see the nation return to normalcy, and has been willing to push the envelope further than many state and big city mayors are willing to go. Last month, he held his first campaign rally since early March in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Trump is accustomed to jam-packed crowds, but the BOK Center was only about one-third full for the president's first rally of the coronavirus era. Days later, he addressed a packed megachurch for a Students for Trump event in Arizona. Few attendees at either event wore masks. Interior officials said they would hand out 300,000 face coverings to spectators who gather on the National Mall. Interior Department Secretary David Bernhardt said visitors would be encouraged to wear masks and keep a six-foot distance from one another. There was no indication that would be mandatory, despite the recommendations of health officials. Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser, who said she didn't have the right to shut down the holiday spectacle because its on federal land, warned the federal government about the obvious dangers of such a large crowd. On Friday, she urged the citys residents to be smart about how they spend the holiday. Just because someone invites you to a party doesnt mean you have to go, Bowser tweeted. In other holiday weekend developments: Californias governor, Gavin Newsom, warned counties that they risked losing state money if they failed to enforce health orders heading into the holiday weekend. He urged residents not to gather with people they dont live with and to avoid crowds. Fireworks shows in Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego and elsewhere in the state were canceled. Gov. J.B. Pritzker, D-Ill., said he would not hesitate to close down businesses that dont abide by capacity requirements, and he encouraged people to avoid large crowds. Beach closures in prime locations are a pandemic fallout. Floridas most populous county, Miami-Dade, was closing down again, imposing a curfew and shuttering the sand. In California, beach closures went from Los Angeles County northward through Ventura and Santa Barbara counties. To the south in Orange County, hugely popular beaches such as Huntington and Newport were affected. Even with large public festivities scrapped, sales of consumer fireworks have boomed. Some officials are concerned about fires and injuries with more pyrotechnics going off in backyards and at block parties. At Caseys Fireworks Friday in Columbia, South Carolina, mostly masked shoppers wove through aisles. The shop, like many around the country, has been an unexpected beneficiary as more Americans have decided to put on their own shows. This whole COVID thing has been really bad all around, said Forest Casey, a fourth-generation fireworks salesman at the family-owned shop. But for whatever reason it makes people really want to buy fireworks. Four East Coast cities were to get their own mini-displays of air power before the extensive U.S. military air show over Washington, The Salute to the Great Cities of the American Revolution involves flyovers in Boston, New York City, Philadelphia and Baltimore. About 150 preachers, rabbis and imams intended to frame holiday sermons around What to the Slave is the Fourth of July on the 168th anniversary of that speech by Black abolitionist Frederick 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. KIMT-TV NEWS 3 Political leaders are calling on their countrymen to celebrate Americas founding. U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar released the following statement in commemoration of Independence Day on July 4th: Today, we celebrate our nations independence the great American experiment in Democracy that began in 1776 when our Founding Fathers adopted the principles penned in the Declaration of Independence. Those principles - justice, equality, and hope - became the bedrock of our democracy, a roadmap for America and the foundation for a new way of governing. But we still have far to go to ensure these principles are a reality for all Americans. During these challenging times, we must seek freedom and justice for each and every American. True equality is long past due, and we must deliver not just in platitudes, but in actual action. Just like our Founding Fathers did. They didnt just talk about it, they actually started a democracy. Well our job right now, our moment in history, is to make sure our democracy works. In the midst of this pandemic, we are faced with new challenges -- isolation -- and we must meet them with extraordinary leadership. We see ordinary people doing extraordinary things all the time. Serving on the frontlines in our nations hospitals, transporting critical supplies, working in the grocery stores, delivering our mail, working every single day protecting our communities. This Fourth of July, even if we cant celebrate with our friends and families just like were used to at big events, we should remember that our principles of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness -- those are as strong as ever -- combined with our desire to create a more perfect union. We never said the union was perfect, we said it was our job to make it more perfect. That means more fairness, that means respecting our fellow citizens, that means being open to reform, being open to people from all walks of life, of all races and creeds, that also means making sure we take care of each other through this pandemic. So yes -- lets celebrate our nations independence and lets also thank those who have served and sacrificed, but who are serving now yes overseas and in our military but also serving us in those hard jobs on the front lines. Thank you. Thank you to all of you. Have a happy, safe, and memorable Fourth of July. Lara Trump, Senior Advisor to Donald J. Trump for President, Inc. issued the following statement: On behalf of everyone at Team Trump, we want to wish America a happy Independence Day. While the past few months have not been easy, this special holiday is a great reminder of Americas unbreakable spirit and our national perseverance. For nearly 250 years, our country has endured every challenge and obstacle that has threatened her survival -- and she will continue to be the brightest beacon of liberty and freedom in the world. Today, we also join President Trump in honoring the brave men and women in uniform who have helped make America great, as well as millions of courageous medical workers, manufacturers, and first responders who have helped defeat the worst of the deadly COVID-19 pandemic. Happy Independence Day, America! Minnesota State Representative Peggy Bennett made the following comment on the patriotic holiday: "This 244-year-old country called the United States of America has seen its highs and lows throughout the years. It has had its times of being beaten up and battered from both without and within, and it has overcome many daunting obstacles. This country is both singularly great and genuinely faulty at the same time - just like the many and varied people who dwell within its borders." "Despite all this, this country is still the most free and prosperous nation on earth. It is full of numerous blessings that many who live outside its boundaries may only yearn and dream to obtain. May America continue to grow and learn from itself, and may it always cherish and protect the unique constitutional freedoms and guidances that are woven into the very fabric of its foundation. Happy birthday, America! Happy Independence Day, everyone!" Republican National Committee (RNC) Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel released the following message celebrating Independence Day: "Happy Independence Day to all Americans! Today we celebrate the fact that 244 years ago, a brave band of patriots pledged their 'lives, fortunes and sacred honor' to advance the cause of freedom and chartered the greatest experiment in self-government the world has ever known." "While our Fourth of July festivities may look a little different this year, nothing can diminish our love for our one American family and this land of liberty we are lucky to call home. As we take time to celebrate today, let us also remember to thank and pray for all the men and women in uniform who fight for our freedom and continue to keep us safe." U.S. Attorney General William P. Barr has also issued the following statement: As we celebrate the 244th anniversary of our nations birth, we are reminded that the words of the Declaration of Independence are just as important today as they were the day they were written: 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. The Declaration goes on to make it clear that governments exist to secure these rights and derive their power from the consent of the governed. These words form the foundation of freedom and justice in the United States, and the framework for the rule of law." :For much of our history, the fruits of justice and freedom were not available to all Americans, and redeeming the promise of the Founding remains a work in progress. As our nation confronts challenges ranging from a global pandemic to serious unrest and violence, we must recommit ourselves to the timeless principles that give birth to our nation and that bind us together as a people. At the Department of Justice, we will continue working to uphold those principles by protecting individual rights and enforcing the rule of law. I wish all Americans a happy Fourth of July, and as the Department of Justice celebrates its 150th anniversary, I extend particular gratitude to all of our Department employees for the work they do each day, on behalf of the nation we love. MASON CITY, Iowa - Iowa Senator Joni Ernst is seeing first hand the impacts of homelessness on our communties. The Senator was in Mason City on Friday afternoon, touring the Northern Lights Alliance Shelter. While there, she talked with residents and staff about issues regarding homelessness. She also spoke about the need for more help for homeless veterans, through mental health resources and medical care. Ernst Says she's been busy on Capitol Hill making sure those needs are met. "We do have a measure that would provide flexibility for the grants for veterans homelessness through the Veterans Administration so there's a number of ways that we are supporting our veterans," said Senator Ernst. Her stop in Mason City is part of her effort to visit all 99 counties in the Hawkeye state. MANKATO, Minn. (AP) A Mankato man accused of leading police on a high-speed chase has been charged. The Mankato Free Press reports that 39-year-old Jordan Christopher Knutson was charged with felony fleeing police and misdemeanor driving while intoxicated in Blue Earth County District Court on Thursday. According to a criminal complaint, a Mankato police officer saw Knutson speeding on Wednesday and tried to pull him over. Knutson fled through the city, running red lights and reaching speeds of 100 mph to 125 mph at times. The chase ended when Knutson finally hit police spike strips and his tires deflated. BRASILIA, July 3 (Reuters) - A federal court ordered the Brazilian government on Friday to expel an estimated 20,000 illegal gold miners from the Yanomami indigenous reservation to protect one of the most isolated major Amazon tribes from the spread of coronavirus. The judge gave President Jair Bolsonaro's administration five days to come up with an emergency plan to protect the Yanomami by deploying agents from the indigenous affairs and environmental agencies and military personnel. Some 27,000 Yanomami live in relative isolation on a vast reservation twice the size of Switzerland and have been invaded for decades by gold miners who have brought diseases fatal to their people. The tribe had appealed to authorities to expel the gold miners who have destroyed forests and poisoned rivers with mercury used to separate the gold from river-bed sediment. A Reuters review of satellite images showed that illegal gold mining has risen sharply over the last five years on the reservation. Yanomami leaders say the number of prospectors on their land has surged since Bolsonaro was elected president in 2018 vowing to develop the Amazon and to tap its mineral riches even by allowing miners onto protected indigenous reservations. In a Twitter post commenting on the court decision, Vice President Hamilton Mourao, a retired army general heading the government's Amazon policies, disputed the number of illegal miners on the reservation, estimating there were 3,500 and not 20,000 cited by the judge. Gold has become a significant export from Brazil's northernmost state of Roraima even though there are no legally registered gold mining operations there. According to official statistics, 486 kilos were exported to India from Roraima in 2019, up from 38 kilos in 2018. (Reporting by Anthony Boadle and Ricardo Brito Editing by Chris Reese) By Nakul Iyer July 3 (Reuters) - Gold prices were little changed on Friday as worries over an accelerating number of coronavirus cases countered a fillip to risk sentiment from positive U.S. and Chinese economic data. Spot gold was mostly unchanged at $1,775.32 per ounce by 1152 GMT. Most U.S. markets are closed on Friday ahead of Independence Day on July 4. U.S. gold futures edged down 0.2% to $1,787.20 per ounce. "Central bank easing policies and uncertainty surrounding the second wave (of COVID-19) are sustaining gold prices," Bank of China International analyst Xiao Fu said, adding that despite a positive U.S. jobs report, more data was needed to suggest the economy was on a strong footing. Gold will likely trade in a tight range, but remains well supported above $1,750 an ounce, Xiao Fu said. Cases of coronavirus continued to increase globally, with more than 10.89 million people infected, while the United States reported a new daily global record number of cases. "Geopolitical considerations are also to the fore," said Jeffrey Halley, a senior market analyst at OANDA. "With a holiday in the United States, and the weekend upon us, some haven-directed buying of gold is definitely evident." Escalating political tensions, more than 75 members of the U.S. Congress sent a letter to President Donald Trump urging him to make a formal determination on whether China's treatment of Muslim Uighurs and other groups constituted an atrocity. Indicative of sentiment, holdings of the SPDR Gold Trust , rose 0.8% to 1,191.47 tonnes on Thursday. But stemming gains in bullion, data showing a recovery in China's services sector and a record addition of jobs to the U.S. economy in June, helped world shares inch towards a four-month high. Palladium fell 0.3% to $1,896.34 per ounce, while platinum rose 0.1% to $803.91 per ounce, set for its first weekly gain in six. Silver gained 0.4% to $17.97 per ounce, heading for its fourth consecutive weekly gain. (Reporting by Nakul Iyer in Bengaluru; editing by David Evans and Pravin Char) CARACAS, July 3 (Reuters) - Venezuela's chief prosecutor on Friday announced arrest warrants for members of the central bank's ad hoc board of directors, appointed by opposition leader Juan Guaido, for several crimes, including treason. The announcement from Chief Prosecutor Tarek Saab came a day after a London court recognized Guaido as Venezuela's interim president, as part of a legal dispute over whether Guaido or President Nicolas Maduro should control $1 billion of the country's gold stored in London. Saab said the orders of apprehension were requested for the crimes of treason, usurpation of functions and association to commit crimes. He added that all those involved lived outside the country, and did not rule out international actions to carry out the arrests. Apart from Ricardo Villasmil, president of the ad hoc board, the prosecutor also included Guaido's representative in London, Vanessa Neumann, as well as three other collaborators of the opposition leader. Saab alleged that Guaido and his collaborators seek to "strip" Venezuela of its wealth in the legal battle over Venezuela's gold reserves. The opposition, meanwhile, says Maduro wants gold to pay his allies. Over the past two years, Maduro's government has removed some 30 tonnes of gold from its reserves in Venezuela to sell abroad for much-needed hard currency. 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. Guaido, the National Assembly speaker who was recognized as Venezuelas legitimate president by dozens of Western countries after invoking the constitution to assume the role in January 2019, has not succeeded in ousting Maduro, accused of rigging his 2018 re-election. Maduro, who has overseen an economic collapse in the once-prosperous OPEC nation and is accused of corruption and human rights violations, calls Guaido a U.S. puppet. (Reporting by Vivian Sequera in Caracas Writing by Sarah Kinosian Editing by Matthew Lewis) Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and may not reflect those of Kitco Metals Inc. The author has made every effort to ensure accuracy of information provided; however, neither Kitco Metals Inc. nor the author can guarantee such accuracy. This article is strictly for informational purposes only. It is not a solicitation to make any exchange in commodities, securities or other financial instruments. Kitco Metals Inc. and the author of this article do not accept culpability for losses and/ or damages arising from the use of this publication. In 2005, Iowa joined many other states in restoring the voting rights of people with past felony convictions, but that order was later rescinded. (Adobe Stock) EDITOR'S NOTE: This is the seventh installment in our year-long examination of the adventures of Knox County farmer Harvey Devoe, who kept a diary for the year 1861, which has been annotated and published by historian Alan Borer and is available through online retailers. The series began on Jan. 4. It continued on Feb. 1, March 7, April 4, May 2 and June 6. Harvey's spelling and punctuation have been left as they originally appear in the diary. On the sweltering and sun-baked weekend that this column is first being published, we can all relate to Knox County famer Harvey Devoe, who began fighting a long battle with drought in July of 1861. While all of Devoe's diary entries are short and to the point, one can sense his growing frustration at seeing storm clouds form and then dissipate or slide north or south of his farm. It was his first year of running his own farm, and he had his work cut out for him. The month started cool and rainy, but soon turned to scorching heat, which Harvey noted was hard weather on corn. In addition to plowing (weeding) his corn and sorghum, Harvey started making hay to feed his animals. He called this mowing, and it consisted of cutting swathes of hay with a scythe, and then turning the piles of grass to evenly dry them, after which they could be put up in groupings called shocks, still a common sight today in Amish country. Unfortunately, Harvey broke his scythe just a couple days into haying and had to borrow one from his friend Ed Wheeler. Harvey was also neighborly to a nearby farmer he identifies in the diary as D Dickie, who must be the David Dickey that shows up on the 1860 census in the neighborhood. Dickey was growing wheat, and Harvey helped him harvest the staff heads. In the days long before combine harvesters, this meant the harvesters took a large L-shaped wooden tool known as a grain cradle, sweeping it across the wheat stalks. It would snap off and gather the seed heads, which could then be processed. The end result, several steps later, was the flour used to bake bread. Throughout this work, Harvey watched several times as thunderheads built up and either dissipated or drifted away, giving little if any rain to the parched ground of Berlin Township. Only a few times, mostly around the middle of the month, did he receive decent rain showers. Enough to keep the plants from dying, but nowhere near enough to make them grow their best. Other ominous elements fall into place alongside the lack of progress on the farm. When Harvey notes that the Independence Day holiday was [r]ather a dry fourth with me, it isn't clear if he's talking about the weather, a lack of celebrating, or just a generally unpleasant time. He notes a local news item without elaborating: Mrs Bechtel hung herself. Harvey said nothing else about that incident, but it's amazing how local history can make connections. Last year, I gave a talk including a few lively incidents from the history of the Ankenytown area at the wonderful Butler Historical Society. I mentioned Harvey Devoe's diary along the way, and an audience member approached me after the talk and asked if I'd noticed the mention of Mrs. Bechtel's suicide on the Fourth of July, which of course I had. My name is Steve Bechtel, the man said. The woman who hung herself was Elizabeth Bechtel. She was my great-great-grandmother. Amazingly, Steve has a photograph of Elizabeth, taken around 1860 at the studio of photographer Fred S. Crowley in Fredericktown. The picture was apparently sent to family in Pennsylvania, where she was born to the Brumbaugh family. The picture itself was later carried by descendents to Virginia, where just a few years ago, a relative sent it to Steve, who lives on Yankee Road, north of Fredericktown. So, this particular photo has made the circle from Fredericktown to PA, VA (who knows where else?) and now back to Fredericktown, taking a century and a half for the trip, Steve wrote to me in an email when he sent me a scan of the photo to use for this article. Elizabeth Brumbaugh (a Brumbaugh cousin became governor of PA in early 1900's) was born Jan 19, 1828 in Bedford County PA. She married Andrew Bechtel on Dec 26, 1852 in Bedford County. Their first son, Simon, my great-grandfather, was born in May 1854, in Berlin Township, so Andrew and Elizabeth had moved to Knox County soon before. I believe they lived on a farm on Syler Road (eastern Berlin Twp); at some point Andrew moved to Roberts Road just east of Palmyra. She and Andrew had four children by 1859. The third one died at a month old. I have no details of Elizabeth's death, other than suicide. While this doesn't reveal the full story to us of what drove this poor woman to hang herself, it does at least put a face to the name so grimly mentioned in passing in the diary. The other ominous news Harvey mentions is the [g]reat battle at manassa. What he was referring to was the battle that happened near Manassas, Virginia. In the north, the battle became known as the Battle of Bull Run, and when a second battle happened later on the same battlefield, the original became known as the First Battle of Bull Run. It was the first major battle of the war, and it was the one which proved that this was not going to be some short incident, it was going to be a long and bloody civil war. On July 27, Harvey and his friend Ed Wheeler went to Mount Vernon to hear a speech by Col. Lorin Andrews. Andrews had been the president of Kenyon College when the war broke out, but famously became the first volunteer to sign up in the state of Ohio. But just as they arrived, they found Andrews had been forced to cancel the speech at the last moment because he had received his marching orders. Harvey and Ed watched the soldiers march out of Mount Vernon, on their way to war. They probably expected great things of Col. Andrews, never guessing that the silent killer of the Civil War disease would take Andrews out of this world before the end of the summer. He limped home to Gambier to die of typhus, and is buried in the cemetery behind Rosse Hall. Harvey ended the month borrowing Ed's paint mill to grind pigment and make paint to repaint his wagon. While the weather remained a challenge, Harvey Devoe was determined to do all he could to make his farm a success. NASA releases another update on how the week ended and it's looking good for everyone! After the recent success of Elon Musk's SpaceX is able to send astronauts to the ISS, you would think NASA would be contented but no, everything is moving forward as usual. On the 1st of July, both Chris Cassidy along with Bob Behnken was outside of the International Space Station to do their second spacewalk in only less than a week. The pair then continues to upgrade the power systems on the station by replacing the previous aging nickel-hydrogen or NiH2 batteries with the newer lithium-ion or Li-Ion batteries. NASA updates These battery upgrades are also expected to continue towards future spacewalks, with certain target dates and times yet to be announced once mission planners finally assess the scope of the existing remaining work to be done. They also noted that the real feeling came when they finally arrived at the international space station and personally see the hardware and the modules that were put together and flying in space. It was also noted that it was truly one of the most incredible engineering achievements thinking of what humanity has been able to achieve. NASA's very own astronaut Kate Rubins also discussed her upcoming second mission towards the space station, during a long July 1 press conference at the Johnson Space Center located in Houston. She was also joined by Sergey Ryzhikov and also Sergey Kud-Sverchkov from the Russian space agency known as Roscosmos. All three of them are targeting to launch to the station by October 14 from the Kazakhstan Baikonur Cosmodrome. NASA has also been working with the contractor Northrop Gruman to finally build the Space Launch System otherwise known as SLS rock-solid rocket boosters in order to support as many as 6 more additional flights, reaching a total of up to 9 flights. Northrop Grumman is also the current lead contractor for these boosters that will finally launch the first three Artemis missions, this includes the one that will also land the very first woman and next man on the moon scheduled in 2024. Read Also: [Video] Watch the Soyuz Capsule Dock on the ISS: Comments Claim that it was Edited? Closer to the moon Progress has also been made with the Orion Structural Test Article which is a twin copy of the very own spacecraft that is needed to verify if Orion is actually ready for Artemis I. The testing previously began in the early 2017 and was designed to thoroughly and keenly evaluate Orion's own ability to withstand the extreme stress of launch, climb towards the orbit, harsh conditions of the deep space transit, and finally return to Earth. Engineers also completed the Space Launch System or SLS rocket's own structural testing campaign for the Artemis mission which should be applying millions of pounds of force towards the rocket's own liquid oxygen structural test tank. The tank previously failed with the parameters expected but in turn, provided critical data for progress. Read Also: Jupiter's Moon Europa Can Harbor Life, New Study on its Subsurface Ocean Shows Due to COVID-19 related travel restrictions, the number of foreign arrivals in South Korea nose-dived again in May dropping nearly 98 percent to slightly over 30,000, official data showed Saturday. According to the Korea Tourism Organization (KTO), 30,861 foreigners visited the country in May, down 97.9 percent from the same month last year. The monthly total of foreign arrivals came after just 29,415 foreign nationals arrived here in April, marking a year-on-year decline of 98.2 percent for the month By nationality, visitors from the United States fell 90.9 percent to 8,735, while those from China dropped 99 percent to 5,124, the KTO said. Visitors from Japan and Taiwan decreased 99.9 percent and 99.8 percent, respectively, to 413 and 189, it noted, adding 24 arrived from Hong Kong, 49 from Singapore, 90 from Malaysia and 195 from Thailand. Visitors from the Philippines and Vietnam did each exceed 1,000, reaching a respective 1,539 and 1,381, , but the year-on-year declines were both 97 percent. "All flights between South Korea and China have been suspended except for one route for each airline. Japan has lifted its coronavirus emergency declaration but still maintains travel restrictions for South Korea," said a KTO official, explaining one of the reasons for the continued dive in foreign arrivals. In the first five months of this year, 2.1 million foreigners visited South Korea, marking a year-on-year plunge of 69.8 percent, the KTO said. Under compulsory quarantine measures, all entrants from overseas both Koreans and foreigners are obliged to self-isolate at their residences or government-designated facilities for 14 days. Foreigners refusing to accept the two-week self-isolation are denied entry to the country, while rule violators are fined and deported. Meanwhile, outbound travelers from South Korea also plunged 98.4 percent year-on-year in May to 37,801, according to the KTO data. (Yonhap) In this June 28, 2019 photo, U.S. Special Representative for North Korea Stephen Biegun sits during a meeting with South Korea's Special Representative for Korean Peninsula Peace and Security Affairs Lee Do-hoon at Foreign Ministry in Seoul, South Korea. AP-Yonhap The top U.S. envoy for North Korea will visit South Korea and Japan next week amid stalled denuclearization talks between Washington and Pyongyang, a diplomatic source here said Saturday. According to the source, Deputy Secretary of State Stephen Biegun will meet with officials in Seoul early next week, likely Tuesday, and spend three days here before hopping over to Tokyo. "Biegun may be accompanied on this trip by Allison Hooker, who is the National Security Council's senior director for Asian affairs at the White House," the source added. Biegun is expected to make himself available for the South Korean press during his stay and to meet with his South Korean counterpart, Lee Do-hoon, and other Seoul officials. Multiple diplomatic sources said Biegun will not visit China during this upcoming trip to Asia. The trip comes after South Korean President Moon Jae-in committed to working toward a fourth meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un before the U.S. presidential election in November. Trump and Kim have met three times to try to reach a deal on dismantling North Korea's nuclear weapons program in exchange for U.S. concessions. The two sides have failed to make progress since their second summit in February 2019 ended abruptly due to differences over the scope of North Korea's denuclearization and sanctions relief from the U.S. Biegun said this week that he believes another summit is unlikely before the election, citing COVID-19 as a reason. But he added there is still time to make "substantial progress." Former U.S. National Security Adviser John Bolton has said Trump could meet with Kim if he believes a summit would improve his chances of being re-elected. That summit could happen as an "October surprise," Bolton added. But earlier Saturday, North Korea's First Vice Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui said Pyongyang saw no need to meet with Washington for talks. "There will never be any adjustment and change in our policy, conditional on external parameters like the internal political schedule of someone," Choe said. "We do not feel any need to sit face to face with the U.S.," she added, as Washington considers the DPRK-U.S. dialogue "as nothing more than a tool for grappling its political crisis." (Yonhap) 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. 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) 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. Wharton, TX (77488) Today Partly cloudy this evening with thunderstorms becoming likely overnight. Low 73F. Winds ENE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 80%.. Tonight Partly cloudy this evening with thunderstorms becoming likely overnight. Low 73F. Winds ENE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 80%. Auburn, IN (46706) Today Some clouds this evening will give way to mainly clear skies overnight. Low 44F. Winds N at 5 to 10 mph.. Tonight Some clouds this evening will give way to mainly clear skies overnight. Low 44F. Winds N at 5 to 10 mph. (ST. JOSEPH, Mo.) A Kansas City man has been charged with the death of a 76-year-old Gower man and driving while intoxicated following a crash Wednesday morning. Joel Queener, 22, has been charged with DWI with the death of another not a passenger in Buchanan County court, according to court filings Thursday. Queener was driving northbound on US 169 at about 10:35 a.m. when his Kia Sportage crossed into the roads southbound lanes, hitting two different cars, according to a highway patrol crash report. Queener headed northbound crossed the centerline and first hit 71-year-old Welma Johnson, of Savannah, driving a Chevy Impala in the southbound lane. Queeners car then spun and hit the drivers side of 76-year-old Steve Petrovicks Toyota Corolla. The 22-year-olds car rolled. Petrovick, of Gower, was pronounced dead at the scene. Johnson was taken by ambulance to Mosaic Medical Center to be treated for minor injuries. Queener is set to appear in Buchanan County court on Monday, July 6. His bond was set at $50,000. Justice Joyce Abdulmalik of the Federal High Court, Ibadan on Thursday convicted and sentenced an internet fraudster, otherwise called Yahoo Yahoo, Olawale Ayomide Fadoju, to 12 months imprisonment. Olawale Fadoju who hid under a pseudo name, April Rozell to dupe his victims online, was found guilty of criminal impersonation in one-count amended charge filed against him by the Ibadan Zonal Office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC. The offence runs contrary to Section 22 (2)(b) (i & ii) of the Cyber Crimes (Prohibition, Prevention e.t.c) Act, 2015. He pleaded guilty to the charge, following which prosecution counsel, Simon Ibekwute urged the court to convict and sentence him accordingly. Beside the jail term, Ayomide will also restitute to his victim, the sum of $750.00 USD (Seven Hundred and Fifty United States Dollars) and forfeit his iPhone 6 phone, being a proceed of crime to the Federal Government of Nigeria. Men of the Nigeria Police, Ogun State Command have arrested two notorious motorcycle snatchers within Mowe/Ofada area of Ogun state. The suspects; Feranmi Ajimosun, 35 and Samuel Awotile, 33 were arrested following a complaint by one Akinola Adenekan who reported at Mowe police division that he picked the two suspects on his Bajaj motorcycle with Reg. No SGM 408 BN as passengers from Mowe. He stated further that on getting to Ofada road, one of them suddenly turned his neck violently from behind while the second one brought out a cutlass with which he cut him on the forehead. He added that while he was struggling with them, some passers-by met them at the scene and the two of them took to their heels. Upon the report, the DPO, Mowe division, SP Marvis Jayeola quickly detailed his detectives to unravel those behind the dastard act. The detectives embarked on an intelligence-based investigation which eventually led them to Ijere Worogudu Village where one of the suspects was apprehended. He led the police to arrest of the second suspect at Ogunrun phase II Abule Afa in Mowe. On interrogation, the two confessed to the crime, and that they were behind cases of motorcycle theft in Mowe/Ofada and its environs. One cutlass, two phones, assorted charms and another Bajaj motorcycle which they confessed to have snatched from another victim were recovered from them. Meanwhile, the Commissioner of Police Cp Kenneth Ebrimson has ordered immediate transfer of the suspects to Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) for discreet investigation. Sarah Boss, executive director of the housing authority, said her organization is still committed to moving ahead with the as-yet-unnamed project in Lake Geneva. As the builder, Keystone is in charge of deciding when construction begins, Boss said. Were still actively involved with them and hoping we have the ability to complete the project, she said. Boss said deadlines associated with the county funding do not begin until 2021. Kuehl, whose company has been active in the Whitewater area, said he hopes to make progress on the Lake Geneva project later this year. He said the company has been focusing on other developments elsewhere, while also discussing exactly what sort of project to propose in Lake Geneva. Keystone remains committed to working with the housing authority and bringing affordable housing to Lake Geneva, he said. Were still evaluating things and deciding what we want to do, he said. A lot of things have to come together behind the scenes. Shortly after the project became public because of the request for county funding in May 2019, opponents and supporters of the project clashed at a Lake Geneva City Council meeting. David Speedling, co-owner the company, said his company manufactures about 3,000 statues a year, including depictions of police officers and firefighters, as well as animals, gargoyles and other figures. Speedling, who operates the business with his wife, Shelly Speedling, said the couple left Minnesota in the wee hours June 28 to deliver the military statue in Bloomfield that afternoon. Speedling enjoyed seeing the communitys heartfelt response when the statue was un-crated and revealed. We dont work very many Sundays, and we normally dont get out of bed at 6:30 a.m., he said. But were excited about coming down and being a part of it. Olenoski said now that the statue is in place, the next steps are to complete the display with the benches, security cameras and lighting. We still have a lot of work yet, he said. Darlene Olenoski, his wife, said her husband worked tirelessly along with other community members to bring the statue to Bloomfield as a tribute to the communitys fallen soldiers. Darlene said the statue will draw more attention to the veterans memorial. Our greatest concern is for the well-being of our staff and clientele, the statement said. We will provide you with more information as it comes in and in relation to how we move forward. Chucks Lakeshore Inn also decided to close its doors after an employee contracted the coronavirus. Chucks Lakeshore Inn, located at 352 Lake St. in Fontana, is a popular spot along the Fontana lakefront. The bar and restaurant announced it was closing for three days on June 22 because two of its employees had tested positive for the virus, also known as COVID-19. In a post on its Facebook page, Chucks said that while there was no legal requirement for the restaurant to close, officials felt responsible to announce the health issue with its employees and to close the business temporarily. Three days after closing, Chucks owner Julie Leronimo said the popular lakeside restaurant was still waiting to receive coronavirus test results for some employees before it reopens. Were still waiting for all the testing, because we want everyone to be tested, she said. Until we have that, we really cant put a date on anything. In What To Read This Week, arts contributor Taylor Worden suggests novels, poetry, articles and other forms of writing, often centering around a timely topic or theme. This week, Worden suggests works to ease into reading for fun. Owen Norris, an AmeriCorps VISTA member with the Laramie Soup Kitchen, serves up a to-go plate on Thursday. The Soup Kitchen has faced many unexpected expenses such as packaging since the COVID-19 pandemic shutdown inside dining. Johannesburg, Jul 4 (PTI) It was third time lucky for Mumbai resident Lopa Mudra as she was among 247 stranded Indian nationals who returned home from South Africa on Saturday on one of the two repatriation flights this weekend. The third flight organised by the Indian High Commission here since last month as part of the Vande Bharat mission left from here on Saturday morning with 247 passengers. Also Read | Goa Records 108 Fresh COVID-19 Cases: Live Breaking News Headlines and Coronavirus Updates, July 4, 2020. Another 203 passengers will leave for home on the second flight on Sunday. Mudra was in South Africa on an international work project with several colleagues. Her colleagues left on earlier flights before the lockdown in South Africa, but her separate flight got cancelled. The lockdown began in South Africa on March 26. Also Read | Fourth of July 2020 Wishes: PM Narendra Modi Congratulates Donald Trump on US Independence Day, Says 'As Largest Democracies We Cherish Freedom'. Mudra could not board her second flight as part of the Vande Bharat mission because she was taken ill. Mudra, who is a diabetic, had to pay the high ticket price for the third time and there were no refunds on the earlier flights. She also lost out on an expensive hotel in Mumbai which she had booked twice for her mandatory quarantine period on arrival. Consul General Anju Ranjan told PTI that most of the passengers will transfer to another flight in Mumbai which will continue to Hyderabad, Chennai and Bangalore to repatriate many of the south Indian citizens who have been stranded in South Africa for more than three months due to the Covid-19 lockdown. On Sunday, a chartered flight organised by the South Africa Telugu Community (SATC), a humanitarian organisation of expatriates working here, is expected to take just over 200 passengers back to Delhi. We organised this flight with the support of the High Commission because our philosophy is to assist all our Indian brothers and sisters at all times, said SATC Chairman Vikram Kumar Petluru. There have been a number of flights to south India, on which many of our friends and members managed to return home, so we decided to help those from north India with his flight, Petluru added. The passengers on both flights had to be cleared first by the Indian High Commission. Because bookings for the flight only opened on Monday, some people who wanted to go back could not meet the requirements in time, said Ashish Sharma of Satguru Travels, which has been coordinating all the flights, including the three earlier flights. Sharma said the incoming Vande Bharat flight also brought back two South Africans, five Zimbabweans, and a passenger each from Botswana and Swaziland, all countries neighbouring South Africa. (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) California truck driver Tommy Macias wrote a tragic last message a day before dying of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) on June 21. In a Facebook post, the 51-year-old truck driver said he regretted attending a barbecue party with friends. Macias believed that he contracted the coronavirus at the party. After isolating for months, this error cost him his own life. According to a report from LA Times, Macias did not know that someone at the party tested positive for COVID-19, but only asymptomatic or showed no symptoms of the disease. Over 10 other people who were in the party also tested positive for the coronavirus, said Macias' 52-year-old brother-in-law Gustavo Lopez. Lopez told NBC that from March until early June, Macias was following health guidelines and had only gone out when needed. He wore a mask whenever he went out and limit his outside activity. It was only on that early June barbecue party that Macias went out 70 miles to Lake Elsinore town. The restrictions were slowly being lifted and the truck driver, "who could never sit still in his life" felt it was safe to go out again. Lopez said what happened to Macias was preventable. "That person knew he had corona and still went," he said. Danielle Lopez, Macias' niece, said "I don't know if they ever [showed] symptoms and they were feeling better and thought they were over it," the FOX 11 Los Angeles reported. In his Facebook post, Macias said his experience was painful and he endangered his family's lives because of his actions. He also asked others to wear a mask when going out and practice social distancing. "I went out a couple of weeks ago... because of my stupidity I put my mom and sisters and my family's health in jeopardy," he wrote. "This has been a very painful experience. This is no joke. If you have to go out, wear a mask, and practice social distancing... Hopefully with God's help, I'll be able to survive this," he added. Macias fell ill in June 15 and thought it was only because of his diabetes. He seemed to be recovering at first. This gave his family hope. He tested positive for COVID-19 later on. On a Sunday morning, he called his mother and sisters to say he could not breathe. His brother-in-law knew it wasn't "going well" for Macias and feared the worst. "There was a high probability he wasn't going to make it," he said. Norma Macias Norris, his sister, rushed to her brother's home to find ambulance attendants had already taken him. She wanted so badly to sit by his bedside and tried to follow him at the hospital, but she was told she can't stay. They talked over the phone and Macias Norris recalled her brother saying his last words to her while breathing heavily and crying, "I want to go home, Sis." In 10 hours, Macias had to be get his oxygen intake raised and was put on a ventilator. That night, the family received a call from the hospital saying the man had died. The Riverside County coroner's office confirmed the death was related to COVID-19. Daily Mail reported that over 6,000 people had tested positive for the virus in California alone on Wednesday. Hospitals and intensive care units had higher admissions too. The numbers made Governor Gavin Newsom promise to roll back plans on reopening. Some beaches also closed for the fourth of July weekend. Newsom also recommended the cancellation of large firework displays. Want to read more? Check these out! Hispanic advocacy group League of United Latin American Citizen (LULAC) has urged women, especially Latinas, not to join the military after the disappearance and death of female soldier Vanessa Guillen. In a statement, LULAC president Domingo Garcia said the military is not capable of assuring that women will be protected and taken care of because of what happened to Guillen. Guillen is a 20-year-old Fort Hood soldier from Houston, who went missing last April. Human remains believed to be Guillen were found in what was described as a shallow grave near the Leon River in Bell County, said a report from ABC 13. One of two alleged suspects were arrested this week, The Hill reported. According to the family's attorney, Natalie Khawam, Guillen was hit with a hammer before her alleged attacker Aaron David Robinson and his girlfriend, Cecily Anne Aguilar, tried to burn her body and tearing her body apart with a machete. Robinson died by suicide after a confrontation with Texas police, said U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command (CID), while Aguilar is in custody facing felony charges. There were reports of CID and LULAC pledging $25,000 for information about the suspects before the arrest. Guillen Family Calls for Congressional Investigation As they ask for justice, Guillen's family and their lawyer believed that the military was slow in investigating the incident. They called for a congressional investigation on the handling of Guillen's case, said a report from FOX News. Guillen's younger sister Lupe accused the military of covering up the case on purpose. She asked why this kind of incident could happen on a military base, while her sister was on duty. Garcia, on the other hand, said the military base had cameras everywhere. He noted that it was impossible for Guillen to go missing in the largest military base in the U.S. without anybody knowing about it. Guillen About to File Sexual Harrasment Case Khawam said Guillem had plans to file a sexual harassment claim against Robinson before she went missing. The case started a social media following of the hashtag #IamVanessaGuillen, where current and former soldiers share sexual harassment stories in the military. Two alleged incidents of sexual harassment were discovered by Khawam - Robinson walking in on Guillen showering and another superior verbally assaulting her with vulgar remarks. The CID has started an investigation into the sexual harassment claims, said Commander of the 3rd Cavalry Regiment Col. Ralph Overland. But special agent Damon Phelps of the CID said "there is no credible information" about the sexual harassment claims. Guillen was last seen on April 22 at around 1 in the afternoon in the parking lot of her Regimental Engineer Squadron Headquarters, 3rd Cavalry Regiment. The Hispanic group called for a third-party investigation into the disappearance. In a media release last Tuesday, LULAC said it will have a meeting with the Secretary of the Army in Washington to also demand for an investigation on reports of sexual harassments. LULAC recognized the fear of reporting sexual harassment incidents due to retaliation, causing these cases to not be reported. The organization added that they would want women to head the investigations to ensure female soldiers would be heard. Want to read more? Check out these related articles! To help weather the recession as a result of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, a second round of stimulus checks may be sent to eligible Americans as early as August based on the Senate's calendar. To be clear, both Congress and the U.S. Treasury have yet to authorize another stimulus payment or even announce a possible date to send the second stimulus checks. The merits of another rescue package or economic impact payment are up to the Senate, which is now on its fourth of July recess. But in a report from CNET, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnel vowed to discuss the next stimulus package after returning from their break later this month. He said he wanted to approve the next stimulus before Congress goes on recess in August. Based on the Senate's schedule, a second stimulus check may be sent as early as August. Here are some other dates to keep in mind: July 3 to July 20 Senate is on break from July 3 to July 20, but Forbes reported that members will decide on the second stimulus check during this time. Senator Roy Blunt said members of the Senate will use this time to collect information they need for a second stimulus package. Blunt believed that the timing is going to be "just about right" to collect the information they need and discuss the merits of another rescue package. July 20 to August 7 The Senate will be holding sessions in the last two weeks of July and the first week of August. This gives them 15 working days to approve a second wave of stimulus checks. August 10 to September 7 The Senate would be on a break for Labor Day from August 10 to September 7. During this break, the Senate will not be working, McConnell said on Tuesday. This gives the Senate 32 free working days from their last session. Thus, the bill approving the second stimulus payment must be passed in both chambers before August 7, so that the Senate will be cleared from work during the break. September 10 to September 25 The Senate would be back in session. Forbes reported that even if it is unlikely for the Congress to wait until September to approve the next stimulus package, it is still possible. McConnell further noted that the next relief package might be the last. When could the second stimulus payment be sent? A timetable for another distribution of checks has not been included in the many proposals regarding the second stimulus payment. Looking at the CARES Act that was approved on March 27 to provide $2.2 trillion financial stimulus check for the first round of payments, the checks were sent out on April 15. That's 17 days from approval to the first stimulus check being sent. Thus, if the second stimulus payment will follow the same timetable, it is possible that the checks may be sent on or before September 1. Trump supports a 'larger' stimulus check In our earlier report, President Donald Trump backed a stimulus check higher than the $1,200 that was given for the first stimulus payment. He also hoped to include a $600 bump in unemployment benefits in the next round of relief checks. "I want the money getting to people to be larger so they can spend it," Trump told FOX Business. He added that he wanted it to be sent "quickly and in a noncomplicated fashion." Want to read more? Check these on Latin Post's US & World! It's an end of an era for Sussex fans as Meghan Markle and Prince Harry take another step away from their former royal life. The couple has reportedly filed the paperwork for the closure of Sussex Royal charity official. When the couple revealed early this year that they will be stepping away from royal life, it was part of their agreement with Queen Elizabeth II to stop using the word "royal" in their charitable arm. It was also part of their agreement to not use their Royal Highness titles, the People reported. As a result, the charity would go into liquidation. While Sussex Royal is in the process of closing down, only Prince Harry will remain as director and trustee until the process is over. In the charity's short life, its only ongoing program was the sustainable tourism initiative Travalyst. It is now operating as an independent non-profit in the United Kingdom and all assets from Sussex Royal will be transferred to it, the Harper's Bazaar said. According to Us Magazine, Prince Harry is no longer using his Royal Highness title on the Travalyst website. As travel and tourism was hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic, a source from People said the organization will focus on helping communities that depend on tourism rebuild and recovery. New Organization in the Works In April, it was revealed that Meghan and Prince Harry plan on starting a new organization following their move to Los Angeles. An article from E! Online said they plan to name the non-profit organization Archewell, from the Greek word meaning "source of action." The name Archewell is also a nod to the name of their one-year-old son Archie Harrison. The new royal book "Royals at War" revisited claims of Meghan driving the palace staff "to distraction by rushing into supporting projects." While some sources say the book is based on rumors, it was not secret that Meghan had clashed with palace officials, earning her the nickname "Hurricane Meghan." Even U.S. former first lady Michelle Obama urged Meghan to take her time when hatching projects. Now, it appears the couple is following advice and slowing things down. The Vanity Fair said Meghan and Prince Harry "learned from the mistakes of the past" and are taking time with Archewell. Meghan Says She Felt 'Unprotected' Meghan claimed she felt "unprotected" by the palace, while she was pregnant. Her lawyers said the former TV actress was the topic of many "false and damaging" articles in British newspapers at that time and this damaged her mental health. This claim was added to the legal findings of her lawyers on behalf of her case with MailOnline's owner Associated Newspapers Limited (ANL). The former royal is suing the tabloid for allegedly invading her privacy, when it published parts of a letter she sent her father in August 2018. The lawyers also argued that while some recoil at the $40 million spent on the wedding between Meghan Markle and Prince Harry in 2018, the event brought over $1.2 billion to UK tourism. But the Mail argued that the effects to tourism may only be about $370 million, The Mercury News reported. Want to read more Entertainment articles from us? Check these out! As coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases rapidly increased in Los Angeles, hospitals in the county are now struggling to cope with the number of patients they're getting, while the undocumented immigrants continue to find it hard to survive this pandemic. The number of infections in LA has been very alarming in the past few days. For three straight days, the county recorded over 2,100 infections. Now, county officials are very worried that it might worsen due to the Fourth of July. Local health officials had indefinitely ban indoor dining in restaurants. Beaches and museums have been closed. Additionally, people inside gyms have been mandated to wear masks. It can be remembered that the county paused all their economic activities last March, following the declaration of a pandemic. However, people protested in the streets in May, following the death of George Floyd. At that time, businesses have started to reopen. Hospitalizations in LA According to a published report of The Guardian, COVID-19 related hospitalizations in LA has increased to 56 percent. A surge of virus infections has also been recorded in neighboring counties. Experts in the county expressed worry that LA could run out of hospital beds at intensive care units. It was also reported that COVID-19 testings have been delayed despite the rise of infections in the county. This means that the increased of COVID-19 cases in hospitals was not because of the test results. Local officials have blamed family gatherings, parties, massive protests due to police brutality in the spread of the virus. However, epidemiologists said that outdoor transmission was very rare and there was no proof that the massive protest could be linked to the surge of infections. Until now, there is no clear explanation on the rise of COVID-19 infections in the county that has already reached over 100,000 with a death toll of 3,000, according to Los Angeles Times. These numbers are half of California's coronavirus cases. Unemployment and Undocumented Immigrants are Disproportionately Affected Meanwhile, human rights and labor groups warned that inequality for equal access to jobs in the county is becoming severe. Partial and uncertain reopening plans have forced undocumented immigrants to return to their dangerous jobs. "This is the explosion we warned about," said Andrew Noymer, associate professor of public health at the University of California, Irvine. He also added that there's "a lot moving in the wrong direction." Neighboring Counties Pause Reopening Plans The spike of COVID-19 infections in LA has led the neighboring counties to pause their reopening plans. Orange County has recorded an increase of coronavirus deaths from homeless people, according to a published article in Voice of OC. Officials speculated that the rise in COVID-19 deaths could be due to the loss of services and supports during the lockdown. LA is the home of one-third of California's undocumented immigrants. Most of them are categorized as essential workers like farmers, grocery employees, house helpers, and more. The infection among the undocumented immigrants is very high because most of them live in overcrowded places and they return to jobs, where contracting the virus is high. Hospitals in at least two Texas counties are at full capacity, prompting county judges to ask residents to stay at home. Judges in Star and Hidalgo counties had sent out emergency alerts on Friday. They warned that local hospitals in the Rio Grande Valley were at full capacity. Starr County Judge Eloy Vera of Starr County posted on his Facebook account that there have been 18 deaths in the county. Two patients, who were severely ill, have to be flown out of the area for treatment. The first patient was taken to San Antonio, while the other one to Dallas. "The local and valley hospitals are at full capacity and have no more beds available. I urge all of our residents to please shelter-in-place, wear face coverings, practice social distancing and AVOID GATHERINGS," Vera wrote on his post. Because of the rapid spread of the coronavirus in the county, Vera issued a public safety alert announcing "Level 1 Severe." Hidalgo County Meanwhile, Judge Richard Cortez of Hidalgo County did the same. On his Twitter post, he also announced that hospitals in the county are at full capacity. Cortez urged the public to shelter in place, avoid public gatherings, wear a face mask all the time, and observe social distancing. He also asked everyone to celebrate the Fourth of July responsibly and only call 911 if necessary. Cortez is seeing a surge of COVID-19 infections if people in Hidalgo would not be cautious. Texas Governor Issues Executive Order Texas Governor Gregg Abbott, on the other hand, issued an executive order (EO) mandating everyone to wear a face mask in public places. The EO targets counties that have more than 20 cases of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Abbott's order also allows the mayors and judges to restrict the gatherings of more than 10 people. Through this, the spread of the virus will be controlled. The Texas governor further stressed that wearing a face mask has been proven to be effective in slowing down the spread of COVID-19. Check these out! Bullwinkles Bar was identified Friday by Lawrence-Douglas County Public Health as the site of an outbreak of the coronavirus. - The FBI has extended appreciation to the UAE for the arrest of alleged internet fraudsters Hushpuppi and Woodberry - Director of FBI, Christopher Wray, particularly commended the efforts of the police in bringing the individuals to book - Hushpuppi and Woodberry have also been extradited to the United States PAY ATTENTION: Click See First under the Following tab to see Legit.ng News on your Facebook News Feed! The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) director, Christopher Wray, has extended his appreciation to the government of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), represented by the Dubai Police General HQ, for the concerted efforts in arresting alleged Nigerian internet fraudsters, Raymond Igbalode aka Hushpuppi and Olalekan Jacob Ponle known as Woodberry. The Dubai Police, via a statement shared on their official Facebook page on Thursday, July 2, disclosed that the FBI director also thanked the security agency for their cooperation in ensuring the extradition of the two individuals who allegedly committed multiple cyber-crimes and money-laundering to the United States. Hushpuppi has been extradited. Photo Credit: Instagram/@hushpuppi Source: Instagram See the full statement below: PAY ATTENTION: Read best news on Nigeria's #1 news app Hushpuppi, Woodberry and some crew members were nabbed in an operation tagged Fox Hunt 2 by security operatives in Dubai. The Dubai Police released a video that captured the operation that led to the arrest of the alleged fraudsters in their hotel room. In the video which has gone viral in the online community, armed policemen were seen approaching Hushpuppis hotel room and busting in unannounced. Everyone present in the room at the time were handcuffed by the police officers and whisked away. Director of Dubai CID, Brigadier Jamal Salem Al Jallaf, disclosed that incriminating documents and other materials were found in the possession of the men. PAY ATTENTION: Get your daily relationship tips and advice on Africa Love Aid group According to Al Jallaf, more than $40.9 million in cash was retrieved from Hushpuppi and his crew. In addition to that, 13 luxury cars with an estimated value of $46.8 million, 47 smartphones, 15 flash drives, 21 laptops and five hard disks containing over 100k files related to fraud as well as addresses of 1,926,400 victims were found. Still in a related story about the arrest of the flamboyant big boy, Legit.ng earlier reported that the chairman of Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM), Abike Erewa-Dabiri, noted that the individual must be made to face the full wrath of the law. Taking to her official Twitter account, the NIDCOM boss said: "While many Nigs abroad are working 3-4 jobs to make ends meet, fraudsters like Ramoni Igbalode are spoiling their image. The law must take its full course." Hushpuppi reportedly arrested by Interpol, will he be jailed?| Legit TV Source: Legit.ng Authorities responding to a report of shots fired recovered about 30 9mm shell casings from a road in southern Lehigh County. Pennsylvania State Police at Fogelsville described the incident in a news release Friday night and say they are looking for the public's help in their investigation. It occurred between 9:58 p.m. and 10:07 p.m. Wednesday, July 1, along West Mill Hill Road in Lower Milford Township, police said in the release. An unknown-type vehicle was seen driving along the rural road around the time about 30 gunshots rang out, police said. "The witness observed what appeared to be 'Tracer' style rounds being fired," Trooper Christopher Zampini wrote in the release. The vehicle was then seen traveling east toward Kings Highway, where another series of gunshots were heard in the distance soon after, according to police. Troopers ask anyone with information that may aid in the investigation to call state police at 610-395-1438. Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to lehighvalleylive.com. Kurt Bresswein may be reached at kbresswein@lehighvalleylive.com. I read the article on lehighvalleylive.com regarding the possibility of Americans receiving a second stimulus check. My stomach turned when I got to the part where Republican Sen. Jim Inhofe of Oklahoma said, What you dont want to do is have a reward given to those who dont want to work. Every years large corporations like Wal-Mart receive corporate welfare for no reason other than to appease politicians donors. Corporations were given millions during the first round of stimulus checks. This after President Trump orchestrated a windfall tax cut for corporations that did not benefit the people one bit. And still Republicans have the gall to attack the working class as if they are the problem. If Republicans hadnt showered big business with millions they didnt need, there would be plenty left over for those who actually need it. Inhofes expressed concern over lazy Americans is an insult to the working class who built this country with their bare hands. Bruce J. Walters Bethlehem A recent article about Christopher Columbus incorrectly mentioned that William Penn stole lands from Native Americans. Penn was a devout Quaker who went to prison for his beliefs. The Quakers were pacifists and believed that the spark of God was in everyone. In establishing his Holy Experiment, Penn had to decide how to reconcile his pacifist beliefs in a dangerous environment. He decided to treat the savages with dignity and respect. His critics said it would never work. Native Americans were encouraged to come to Philadelphia if they had grievances. For almost 75 years, from 1682 to 1755, Pennsylvania was the only colony that didnt have an army but had peace. Word of these special people spread, and Native Americans throughout the colonies respected them. One stated that if they were going to raid a village, they would check the door knobs the night before the raid knowing that Quakers didn't lock their doors. No Quaker was intentionally killed throughout the colonies during this period. For several reasons, this 75-year period came to an end. Penns sons werent as devout as their father. Large number of settlers came to Pennsylvania resulting in land purchases such as the infamous Walking Purchase. The expanding British and French empires land claims in western Pennsylvania resulted in the French and Indian War. Most Quaker politicians resigned from the Assembly rather than vote for military expenses. Though his Holy Experiment came to an end, William Penn taught us how different people could coexist. Walt Cole Pen Argyl The death has occurred of award-winning Kildare photographer Robert Redmond. The successful photographer was renowned for portraiture, capturing special occasions, family groups and local weddings. He also worked, like many of his colleagues in the photography business, as a freelance news photographer for papers and magazines. His work featured in all local publications, including the Leinster Leader, over the past four decades - and occasionally made waves on the international stage. Robert and his wife Patricia in November 2017 celebrated 40 years of their photography studio at William Street in Athy. Robert was joined in the photography business by his son Shane, and the Redmonds also operate a second well-known studio in Portlaoise. The pair have both won awards from the Irish Professional Photographers Association for their work. Robert also produced two books, Athy Town and Achill Voices, the latter being the subject of an RTE One Nationwide documentary. His pictures of the Athy Bank of Ireland raid and siege in 1990 went around the world. He also secured a six-page 'scoop' for Hello magazine when he photographed actor John Hurt and his family in 1993. The star lived for a time at Ballintubbert near Athy, and Robert was asked to snap pictures of the Hurt family's second child. The late actor John Hurt and his family photographed at Ballintubbert House by Robert Redmond in 1993 He was a member of Athy Chamber of Commerce and hugely involved in the local community. Robert, of White Castle Lawn, Athy, passed away peacefully on July 3. He is survived by his loving wife Patricia, children Mark, Shane and Tara, daughters-in-law Emma and Paula and son-in-law Jamie. The family man was a devoted grandfather to Niamh, Clodagh, Aisling, Tadhg, Harry, Finn, Bobby and Charlie. He is deeply regretted by his loving brothers and sisters, nieces and nephews, cousins, relatives, neighbours and his large circle of friends. Robert will repose at his home on Sunday, July 5, with rosary at 8pm. In accordance with government guidelines on public gatherings due to Covid-19, a private funeral will take place at St Michaels Parish Church, Athy, limited to family members only. The Funeral Mass can be viewed by at the Athy Parish website on Monday, July 6, at 11am. The service will be followed by cremation at Mount Jerome Crematorium. Family flowers only, please, with donations, if desired, to the Irish Heart Foundation. House private on Monday. Sympathisers are most welcome to join Robert on his final journey at 10.45am on Monday from his home to St Michaels Parish Church. May he Rest In Peace. A delegation from the Leitrim organisation of the Irish Natura and Hill Farmers Association together with the associations president Colm ODonnell and vice president Padraig Devaney met with farmers and householders affected by recent Dawn of Hope landslide near Drumkeeran The delegation called to the McVeigh and ODonnell homesteads in Corkhill and Drumbrahade which were in the path of the landslide. They then travelled to where the landslide started in forestry at the top of Shass Mountain. In assessing the damage caused by the landslide and where it now stands, local farmers outlined to the INHFA President, how there is still ongoing movement and the fear is that more rain could accelerate this, especially out of the afforested area at the top of the mountain. Slippage from this area they maintain has been very obvious especially in the last two days. Addressing the gathering of farmers whose lands have been affected by the landslide the INHFA President called on Barry Cowen, Minister for Agriculture and the Marine to ensure the landside is treated as force majeure i.e. a natural and unavoidable catastrophe and thus ensure that it does not affect farmers annual payments. ODonnell also called on the Government to begin remedial works as soon as conditions allow and ensure that affected farmers are fully compensated for any loss suffered. Remarking on the natural beauty of the area, some of which is a Special area of Conservation, and on the nearby tracts of coniferous forestry, ODonnell said the blame for disasters like this landslide lay at the door of the local authorities who gave planning permission for afforestation of bogland and at the door of successive governments for grant aiding these afforestation practices. Calling on Pippa Hackett, Minister of State for Land Use and Biodiversity to immediately suspend the Afforestation Scheme pending a full review, the farm leader explained that the scheme allows exchequer funds to be grant-aided to non-farmers to afforest farmland. Many of these non-farmers are rich pension funds, most of whom are non-Irish, and indeed non-European, so little or no benefit accrues to the Irish economy. In concluding, ODonnell emphasised how the continued funding through the public purse of the afforestation programme is nothing short of economic treason and must be ended immediately which will benefit the state and local communities. LifeStyle The best Lifestyle shows are right here, from Australia and around the world. Catch up with the experts on home design and interiors, food and cooking, the property market, and get fresh ideas with the savviest of renovators. Whether you need inspiration for cooking up a storm, to refresh a tired room, or tips to sell your property, Foxtel Lifestyle will always something new for you to watch. Enjoy your favourite experts like Andrew Winter and Neale Whitaker, or Shaynna Blaze and Jamie Oliver live or On Demand. Said to be science fiction and thriller, the upcoming drama "Train" is about a parallel universe caused by a decision made on a mysterious murder incident. There are many things to expect in this drama, but the newly-released is enough to make us ponder on the possible occurrences, the characters' connection to one another, and how they will solve the problems that are and will arise. Yoon Shi Yoon, in character as Seo Do Won, headlines in this series. He's a dedicated police detective who is the leader of his troupe, even at a young age. The actor was born on the 26th of September of 1986. He also began his military enlistment on the 28th of April of 2014 and ended it on January 27, 2016. He has also been awarded as an Excellent Actor on the 2018 SBS Drama Awards in the drama called, "Your Honor." Lee Jung Min (Shin So Yul) is the crime investigator and is the only friend of Seo Do Won. She has a strong personality, but deep inside, she really cares for other people. Being friends for 15 years, Lee Jung Min and Seo Do Won share a strong bond. They discovered the existing two worlds and will help each other solve it. Shin So Yul was born on August 5, 1987 and "Train" will be her first series this year. She began acting in 2006, and she has also appeared in many movies and series as a supporting actress. She eventually gained recognition when she was awarded the Excellent Actress award in the 2014 KBS Drama Awards. In the new still, both Shin So Yul and Yoon Shi Yoon are seen in an investigation site in Mukyung Station. Wearing serious faces, it's as if the characters discovered something alarming and bizarre. Shin So Yul carries a camera with her to prove whatever they can find at the investigation site. Reviews of the fans of both actors stated that they are excited about how they can portray whatever characters are given to them. They added that they can't wait for the show to start. The production staff also mentioned that it was really nice working to both the actors because they have always made the set as lively and as smooth-sailing as it can be. Not only the fans are excited to see what will happen but as well as the staff because of the chemistry of the actors on set. "Train" will premiere on the 11th of July at 10:30 p.m. KST. WATCH THE TEASER BELOW. RESIDENTS of the homeless shelter in Lord Edward Street have vowed to protest after it emerged the facility will no longer be open 24-hours. Occupants are to picket the HSEs offices in Catherine Street after the health service cut funding to the centre, colloquially known as the nine to nine In response to the pandemic, the facility, operated by Novas, was converted into a 24-hour facility to provide safety for its residents. But as of July 16 next, the homelessness charity and the council have both confirmed a cut in funding, meaning the centre will return to operating just 12 hours a day. Jonathan Kelly from Southill is furious with the move, saying: Since this became 24-hour, the crime rate rent down, drug use has gone down, people have rehabilitated themselves. Some drinkers have stopped drinking, and some people who were recidivists have stopped getting in trouble as they had somewhere to go, and somewhere to be. Despite a drop in the number of Covid-19 cases, Jonathan says residents feel uneasy being out on the streets all day. What if you put every man and woman on the street? What are the chances of them coming back to the building with Covid-19? You dont know where these people are meeting. Its killed morale here. Before we used to wake up with a smile on our face. Now its just another day down [until July 16], he explained. Askeaton man Michael Hayes admits he is concerned that he will return to street drinking and taking tablets once residents are asked to vacate the building at 9am. Ive done the nine to nine stuff before and it tears the soul out of you, he said. Dr Una Burns, Novass policy director confirmed the move, adding it has been forced upon them by the HSE and council, who they operated the service on behalf of. She said: We are upset, staff are upset, as our the residents. With the decline in cases and the pandemic stabilising, council made the decision to close it. We advocated to keep it open on a 24-hour basis, to continue the advocacy work. A council spokesperson said Novas is allocated funding to run the facility, which has 30 occupants in two buildings. They said the HSE, having put in place funding to allow it to go 24-hour temporarily, has now rescinded this. Sinn Fein councillor Sharon Benson saw a motion passed last year urging the nine to nines be made 24-hour: Theyve said it couldnt be done in that building. But theyve shown us that it clearly can be done, she said. The HSE has been contacted for comment by the Limerick Leader. JOHN Egan has had some dark days being diagnosed with and battling throat cancer and before that, narrowly losing his council seat in 2014. That is what made last Tuesday in the new socially distanced venue of the hall in Colaiste Iosaef, Kilmallock, all the sweeter. The Murroe man put on the chain and was declared the new cathaoirleach of the Cappamore-Kilmallock municipal district. Im very proud to be elected. It is a great honour. Cllr Mike Donegan (outgoing cathaoirleach) conducted the meetings very fairly; got the best out of councillors and got decisions made. I will continue that and work closely with the council staff. We have a great team, said Cllr Egan. He said he doesnt want to hear the word no. We have to find solutions, said Cllr Egan, who gave a great analogy about a cow falling into a slurry pit. He said you could spend all day giving out about who left the gate open but the cow will die. You get the cow out and you move on, said Cllr Egan. Some of the things he would like to see under his tenure is the commencement of social housing being built in the district. I want shelters at bus stops in our towns and villages. We are all going green and being urged to use public transport but if you wait at a bus stop you will get drowned, said Cllr Egan. Another concern he raised is planning regulations in rural areas and the difficulty in getting permission to build a new house. He said in some cases this is necessitated by a marriage or couple breaking up when a person is going through enough trauma. Cllr Egan also highlighted the incredible work local committees do to keep our towns and villages tidy. Cllr Ger Mitchell was elected as leas cathaoirleach and commended Cllr Donegan on his time. He said they never bring politics into it and they work for the betterment of everyone. Cllr Mitchell congratulated Cllr Egan as did Cllrs Martin Ryan, Eddie Ryan, PJ Carey, Brigid Teefy and Mike Donegan. As outgoing cathaoirleach, Cllr Donegan wished to acknowledge the great work done by all the frontline staff across all sectors. Since the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic there has been a theme that were all in this together. And I hope that, we as a local authority, can do something in the future to acknowledge the work that they are doing, and have done for us during this pandemic, said Cllr Donegan, who also thanked the staff, both indoor and outdoor, for their help and support over the last 12 months, especially during Covid. Cllr Donegan spoke of many highlights in his year. He said one of his main goals as cathaoirleach was to ensure the council develop and promote Kilmallock Business Park, purchased from Shannon Properties. There are ambitious plans by the Fire Services to develop a regional and national training centre at the rear of the park. Also there are companies enquiring about relocating to the business park and one company, Irema, has purchased a unit adjacent to their existing factory for expansion. I would like to thank the council for their continued support and commitment to economic development in our municipal district. We have ambitious plans for the business park, said Cllr Donegan. A MAN who admitted storing large quantities of illicit drugs in the garage of his home has been warned he faces a lengthy prison sentence if he commits any criminal offence in the next five years. Shaun Sparling, 28, of Rath, Murroe had pleaded guilty to possession of a significant quantity of cannabis resin for the purpose of sale or supply. The drugs, with an estimated street value of 176,000, were seized during a garda operation on July 7, 2018. While noting the large quantity drugs, Judge Tom ODonnell accepted there was real and significant duress in the case and that Mr Sparling did not benefit financially. During a sentencing hearing, Detective Garda Marie Haugh of the divisional drugs unit told Limerick Circuit Court the defendants home was searched after she received information from a secret and sensitive source. She said almost 9kgs of cannabis, in 17 vacuum-packed plastic bags or pillows, was located in an upstairs section of the garage which is detached from the house. There were a number of other people in the property at the time but Mr Sparling a father-of-four- made admissions and took responsibility for the drugs. The detective told John OSullivan BL, prosecuting, the defendant had accumulated a drug debt and that he had agreed to store and distribute the drugs to reduce the debt. She said Mr Sparling, who owed around 5,000, became emotional following his arrest. He told gardai he had initially attempted to hand back the cannabis but was told by the owners they would find his father and give him a hiding if he did not cooperate. Judge ODonnell was told large quantities of the drug had been delivered to the house and that Mr Sparling was storing them and would measure out smaller quantities for people who subsequently turned up at his home by arrangement. Imposing sentence the judge accepted the defendant has turned his life around since and that he is now working full time. Imposing five-year prison sentence, which was suspended in full, the judge told Mr Sparling he was being given a substantial chance. What you did was wrong, it is a criminal offence. You were within a whisker of going away for a very long time, he said. AGRICULTURE is the main driver of the rural economy, states Deputy Richard ODonoghue. Employment in the agricultural sector accounts for 260,000 jobs - that is one in eight people - employed in this sector. 90% of the beef produced in Ireland is exported. Our food exports in 2019 was 13 billion, said the Independent TD. The Banogue man said he is very annoyed that farmers are being repeatedly referred to as the cause of greenhouse gases. Recently in the Dail I referred to this point and explained that there is a distinct divide between the cause of emissions and being a contributor. I explained that farmers are conscious of the environment and the causes of carbon emissions. The Irish farmer finds it unbearable to imagine they are being curtailed in production yet there are trade deals to import deforestation beef from Brazil. 99,000 thousand tonnes of beef were set to come into the EU at a value of 21 million January to September 2019. Stopping 99,000 tonnes of beef coming into Europe was tackled by organisations of young farmers around Europe including Macra Na Feirme who signed a petition stopping the entry of beef into Europe. However, UK are no longer part of the EU so deforestation beef can come into UK unencumbered thus damaging our market into the UK and Europe. Deputy ODonoghue believes that if we are serious about emission reduction, we need first to look at land mobility. Land mobility is about moving land from one generation to the next. Macra na Feirme produced a comprehensive paper on succession planning leading to partnerships. In 2019 alone when they secured 500 arrangements for 47,000 acres. For this to happen we all need to look at ways of incentivising the young farmer to take on more land or the older farmer to retire. Technology and practices in farming must be ultra-modern and technology is at the heart of this. If a farmer is nearing retirement or the farm is not performing a farmer may be unwilling to invest in technology. Farmers will need to invest in better farming practices. Are they going to invest in technology? Land Mobility may be the answer. The Independent TD is pushing for a reduction in VAT for milk recording services. Every conversation about emission reduction is about reducing the national herd, he said. Milk recording equipment services carry high VAT which actually tripled to 13.5% in the past year. This is cutting edge technology that highlights high performing animals thus allowing a culling of non-performing animals which ultimately will reduce the national herd. I am calling for joined up thinking. We do not need de-incentivising such important practices. I am also calling on reducing VAT on sexed semen which would also help in reducing emissions e.g. a reduction in Friesian bull calves being born would reduce the national herd. A properly funded set of agri-environmental schemes need to be results based. Farmers by their very nature love animals and nature. Teagasc have the latest cutting-edge results of this. Teagasc have continually stated that when they work with farmers and give them training on what is right for their farm, that the farmer will follow the plan and know what is right for their environment. Many know that traditional schemes will not work. Work with the farmers and not against them. This gets everyones back up and causes the divide. It has often been said that if the Dutch had Ireland they would feed the world because our dairy industry in Ireland is the least intensive in the world. There is huge demand for Irish products in Europe. It is well documented that Irish farmers use the least amount of pesticides. Their animals are grass fed for 8-10 months of the year, and they operate minimal intensified farming practice. Ireland is the fifth biggest exporter of beef in the world and the largest exporter in Europe, he concluded. A YOUNG man who carried out a vicious assault during a night out has been jailed for 18 months. Jonathan Haran, 28, who has an address at Catherine Place, Limerick had pleaded guilty to three charges of assault relating to an incident at Cornmarket Row in the city centre in the early hours of May 14, 2017. Detective Garda Neil OGorman told Limerick Circuit Court two friends were attacked by the defendant shortly after they left a nightclub where they had been socialising. Both men were punched in the face and repeatedly kicked in the head after they were knocked to the ground. Members of the public then intervened as did a security man who was bitten on the forearm by Mr Haran. It became quite a frenetic situation, said John OSullivan BL, prosecuting, who added that members of the armed Regional Support Unit who were in the area had to assist in the arrest of the accused. One of the injured men was knocked unconscious and all three required treatment at University Hospital Limerick. Mr Haran, who could not be interviewed immediately following his arrest, later told gardai he was sickened when shown CCTV of the incident. He was crying and he was upset. He said thats not me, said Det Garda OGorman. Mr Haran went on to describe the incident as an inhumane act which, he accepted, was unprovoked. Barrister Yvonne Quinn said her client is a recovering addict and that he had consumed a lot of alcohol and drugs on the night. He has a very hazy recollection for what happened, she said adding he is ashamed and embarrassed and has not consumed alcohol since. Imposing sentence, Judge Tom ODonnell described the initial assault on two men who were minding their own business as savage and unacceptable. He accepted Mr Haran is genuinely remorseful and that he had lost the plot on the night. He imposed sentences totalling two and-a-half years imprisonment, suspending the final 12 months. The installation of giant street cutlery in Limerick city centre has generated heated debate online as people have their say on the initiative. Ahead of the first weekend since the reopening of pubs, restaurants and hotels, Limerick City and Council installed the street art to signal that the city centre is open for business as the country emerges from lockdown. Giant forks and spoons are hanging from the air on Bedford Row and Thomas Street while a giant table and chairs has been installed on the green space at Shannon Rowing Club. The aim of the initiative is to highlight the fact that various premises offering food and hospitality services are open again having been closed since mid-March. A number of other initiatives are being rolled out by the local authority this weekend in an effort to boost footfall in the city. ______________________________________________________________________ Let us know your views via social media or by emailing news@limerickleader.ie 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. STAFF members made redundant when Debenhams closed its Limerick store have picketed the stores premises in OConnell Street. There was despair after the Irish operation of the department store were placed in liquidation after its British parent firm withdrew its support in April. The move saw 110 workers locally lose their jobs. More than three months on, workers are still waiting for their redundancy entitlement, and have not been able to get into the former premises to even collect their belongings. Their hope is by picketing the outlet, they can prevent stock leaving the store, in the hope that it will persuade liquidator Kieran Wallace of KPMG, to act. Aisling OGorman who had worked at Debenhams for 10 years, said: We are calling on the Limerick public to support our campaign. We are persuading people to boycott Debenhams. The stores are gone. We dont want the online business here. They have replaced us. We are not robots, we are people who have lost their jobs so we dont want goods coming in from the UK. #WATCH: Former @DebenhamsIRE staff member Aisling O'Gorman has urged #Limerick people to consider shopping locally as workers' wait for redundancy pay goes on. Full story on the @Limerick_Leader shortly pic.twitter.com/XcTtUiRkFm Nick Rabbitts (@Nick468official) July 4, 2020 She wants local people to consider also unfollowing Debenhams on its social media channels. Dont support them, they havent supported our own. Theyve not supported us, theyve left us here with nothing. You cannot replace us with kiosks and an online service. If the shops are gone, the online buisness should be gone. Thats why we are calling on the Limerick public to stand with us, she said. Aisling who hopes to have the support of unionised staff in firms like Tesco and Penneys has urged people to shop locally where its possible. Get to your corner shops, support your local people. Just keep your money in Ireland, keep your money in Limerick as well, she added. Mandate officials were present at the demonstration, as was local councillors John Costelloe, Donna McGettigan from Shannon Town and former member John Loftus. Similar protests took place today outside former Debenhams branches in Dublin and Cork. The Limerick Leader has contacted Mr Wallace for comment. Air France and regional subsidiary Hop announced 7,500 job cuts Friday after the virus pandemic grounded most flights and darkened prospects for future air travel. Activists from multiple unions protested at Air France headquarters at Paris' Charles de Gaulle Airport as talks began Friday morning about future job prospects at France's flagship airline. They're particularly angry that the French government didn't require Air France to protect jobs when it won 7 billion euros ($8 billion) in state bailout funds in May. Workers warned that the job cuts will ripple across the French economy, and said bailout funds should be used to rebuild the company instead of pushing people into unemployment. After a day of talks with personnel representatives, company management announced Friday night that it will cut about 6,500 of 41,000 jobs at Air France and 1,000 of the 2,400 jobs at Hop by 2022. The company said most of the losses will come through not replacing retiring and departing workers and that it would encourage voluntary departures and early retirements before imposing layoffs. Airlines around the world are forecast to lose $84 billion this year, with revenue halved. Some have filed for bankruptcy or sought bailouts to survive the near-shutdown in their activity, and officials predict the industry will take years to recover. It's too easy to take COVID-19 as an excuse," said Julien Lemarie, a 35-year-old Hop mechanic demonstrating at the airport. The scale of this plan it's enormous, it's an absolute sledgehammer blow." Air France said its traffic sank 95% over the worst three months of the coroavirus pandemic and it was losing 15 million euros a day and that it doesn't expect to recover until 2024. The airline argued that the state bailout would allow it to withstand the short-term crisis and help it focus on changing its domestic business model and becoming more environmentally responsible. The 7 billion euros in state aid for Air France is in the form of loans and loan guarantees and part of a broader 15 billion euro rescue plan from the government for the aviation sector. The Air France meetings come days after European aircraft manufacturer Airbus, based in France, said that it must eliminate 15,000 jobs to safeguard its future. 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 Forward Airbase near India-China border: The frontline fighter aircraft of the Indian Air Force are flying consistently in and out of this airbase near the border with China, including the Russian-origin mighty Su-30MKIs and the MiG-29s. When the ANI team visited the forward airbase, it could see transport aircraft including the American C-17 and the C-130J along with their Russian counterparts Ilyushin-76 and the Antonov-32. The transport planes are being used to ferry troops and equipment from far away locations to be deployed on the Line of Actual Control with China. Apaches are prominent as they carry out regular sorties with their only mandate of a combat role in the Eastern Ladakh sector. The American-origin attack chopper along with its heavy-lift counterpart Chinook have played an important role in the area after the Chinese Army started building up along the LAC in Eastern Ladakh in May this year. The entire base is seeing a flurry of activity and is playing a crucial role in enhancing the combat preparedness of the country along the China border. "This base plays a very important role in undertaking operations in this area. It is cleared for all contingencies and all combat and support operations to be undertaken in this area," said a Flight Lieutenant when asked about the importance of the forward airfield. A Wing Commander, who is playing a crucial role in ensuring preparedness at the airbase, said, "The Indian Air Force is fully prepared for operations and is ready to meet all challenges. Air power is a very powerful aspect of war-fighting and more relevant today," he said. Asked how the Air Force was readying itself in view of tensions following Galwan Valley clash, he said, "Air Power will play an important role in this area in both combat and support roles. We have all the resources in terms of men and equipment to meet all the challenges." "The Indian Air Force is ready in all aspects to undertake all operational tasks and providing the requisite support for all military operations," the Wing Commander added. The Chinook heavy-lift helicopters along with the Russian fleet of the Mi-17 V5 helicopters deployed at the base are carrying out regular sorties to take Army and ITBP troops to forward locations. To prepare for a long haul, Chinook helicopters could be loaded with important equipment for being delivered to forward bases as China has also dug in heels all along the LAC in this area. The air activities in the Ladakh area and other places along the China border had gone up extensively soon after the Chinese started building up and went up further after the Galwan valley clash on June 15 in which 20 Indian Army personnel lost their lives. 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. Netflix's original travel reality series, "Twogether," starring heartthrobs Lee Seung Gi and Jasper Liu, is a one-of-a-kind reality program wherein they have to gather clues to know their fans' locations. If you watched the series, they you've seen the two celebrities try their best to accomplish each task so that they may be able to uncover the clues of each of their fan's addresses. What makes it fun is seeing them try to converse with the locals, not to mention that viewers get to see a little bit of the culture in every country, how they approach tourists, and their local food. Of course, Lee Seung Gi and Jasper Liu wouldn't want to miss the picturesque tourist spots each country offers! While both the actors are not fluent in English, they nonetheless try their very best to communicate with the people. They also try to learn each other's native language. Indonesia was the first country that the duo visited. They went to the caves of Yogyakarta to gather clues, so they experienced tubing. They went to Prambanan Temple the next day, where they got some sort of a surprise pop quiz to get clues. They also played badminton with the locals and had to win to get the last clue about their fan's location. They had to hurry to meet Jasper's fan to be on time to catch their flight for their next destination: Bali. The meeting was short, but surely memorable. In Bali, Jasper had to do fish-harpooning, while Lee Seung Gi was tasked to do paragliding and have to guess the picture drawn by Jasper to get the next clue. They ended the night with a not-so-relaxing couple yoga class. Next stop, they checked out the busy nightlife in Bangkok, Thailand. There, their skill in axe-throwing was tested. The next day, they went to Damnoe Saduak floating market before heading Chiang Mai to compete against each other through a water bicycle race to meet a particular fan. The two formed their respective teams in Chiang Mai University to play against each other through the traditional sport sepak takraw. After a week of not seeing each other, the duo is now off to Nepal to meet another, but bad weather welcomed them. Their last trip is Seoul and boarded a Han River water taxi to meet a fan. Their adventures were hilarious and entertaining, and this is why Lee Seung Gi is very excited about a possible second season! The actor said, "I would like for the discussions to happen soon, but due to the unfortunate situation all over the world, it's not easy to travel. I would really like to do season 2, but I think it's difficult to say anything concrete officially. When the situation gets better, I would like to travel together and make new memories as soon as possible." He continued that doing a season in Korea would be awesome. It has definitely come up, but if he and Jasper Liu end up visiting each other's homeland, then that might mark the end of it all. "Twogether" is available on Netflix. Reacting to recent China's military exercises in the South China Sea, US State Department spokesperson Morgan Ortagus on Friday said that the US opposes the PRC's unlawful claims in the SCS. "The PRC's military exercises in disputed territory in the South China Sea (SCS) violates their commitment under the 2002 Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the SCS. The U.S. stands with our friends in Southeast Asia and opposes the PRC's unlawful claims," tweeted Ortagus. The US Defence Department has also issued a press statement expressing concern over the military exercises conducted by the People's Republic of China (PRC) around the Paracel Islands in the South China Sea on July 1-5. "Conducting military exerckises over disputed territory in the South China Sea is counterproductive to efforts at easing tensions and maintaining stability. The PRC's actions will further destabilize the situation in the South China Sea. Such exercises also violate PRC commitments under the 2002 Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea to avoid activities that would complicate or escalate disputes and affect peace and stability," said the Department of Defense in a press statement. It further stated that these military exercises are a continuation of PRC's move to assert illegal maritime claims, thus posing a threat to its Southeast Asian neighbours in the South China Sea. "The PRC's actions stand in contrast to its pledge to not militarize the South China Sea and the United States' vision of a free and open Indo-Pacific region, in which all nations, large and small, are secure in their sovereignty, free from coercion, and able to pursue economic growth consistent with accepted international rules and norms," it read. The department also said that it will continue to monitor the situation in disputed South China Sea. 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 The World Health Organization has updated its account of the early stages of the COVID crisis to say it was alerted by its own office in China, and not by China itself, to the first pneumonia cases in Wuhan. The UN health body has been accused by US President Donald Trump of failing to provide the information needed to stem the pandemic and of being complacent towards Beijing, charges it denies. On April 9, WHO published an initial timeline of its communications, partly in response to criticism of its early response to the outbreak that has now claimed more than 521,000 lives worldwide. In that chronology, WHO had said only that the Wuhan municipal health commission in the province of Hubei had on December 31 reported cases of pneumonia. The UN health agency did not however specify who had notified it. WHO director Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told a press conference on April 20 the first report had come from China, without specifying whether the report had been sent by Chinese authorities or another source. But a new chronology, published this week by the Geneva-based institution, offers a more detailed version of events. It indicates that it was the WHO office in China that on December 31 notified its regional point of contact of a case of "viral pneumonia" after having found a declaration for the media on a Wuhan health commission website on the issue. The same day, WHO's epidemic information service picked up another news report transmitted by the international epidemiological surveillance network ProMed -- based in the United States -- about the same group of cases of pneumonia from unknown causes in Wuhan. After which, WHO asked the Chinese authorities on two occasions, on January 1 and January 2, for information about these cases, which they provided on January 3. WHO emergencies director Michael Ryan told a press conference on Friday that countries have 24-48 hours to officially verify an event and provide the agency with additional information about the nature or cause of an event. Ryan added that the Chinese authorities immediately contacted WHO's as soon as the agency asked to verify the report. US President Donald Trump has announced that his country, the main financial contributor to WHO, will cut its bridges with the institution, which he accuses of being too close to China and of having poorly managed the pandemic. The WHO denies any complacency toward China. 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 3 1 of 3 Kenneth C. Crowe II Show More Show Less 2 of 3 (Chris Churchill / Times Union) Show More Show Less 3 of 3 Thou shalt not steal. Sounds simple enough, but there are so many different ways we steal, individually or collectively, that a single caveat is insufficient. I was troubled recently by some remarks from Nikole Hannah-Jones, a Black journalist who conceived the landmark New York Times 1619 Project (which examines the impact of slavery on generations of African Americans). In a TV interview, she seemed to make light of looting in the wake of legitimate protests over George Floyds murder in Minneapolis. Explaining why something is happening does not excuse such conduct, especially when it distracts from greater injustice. Whether its a Madoff-style scam or the Wall Street greed that triggered the Great Recession, its clear that force, fraud and rationalization are forms of stealing that destroy lives. But looting is theft that can instantly destroy the lives of anti-racism warriors natural allies: people of color, immigrants and low income small business owners. Perhaps theft is so commonplace, were becoming numb to it. Instead, consider HOW we violate the eighth commandment, to varying degrees. Armed robbery at gun or knife point, smash and grab through a store display window, rubber checks or counterfeit bills are just a start. Back in the day when we stayed in hotels, souvenir ash trays and towels followed us home. Extra sugar, sweetener or ketchup packets made their way from restaurant to home kitchen. There would be a run on office supplies at work the first week in September. Padded expense accounts or bogus mileage claims hurt employers, while employers often deprive employees of wages by demanding "off the clock" work. Insurance adjusters marvel at the imaginative ways some people seek to come out ahead, at societys expense. Shoplifting is possibly a more polite form of looting. No broken glass or fires, no head bashing or slashing. Just taking merchandise from a faceless corporation that makes enough profit on everyone else. Of course, when the shoplifting or looting hits a small mom & pop business, or minority-owned enterprise, the victims are not anonymous mega-businesses, but your next door neighbor. There are other forms of theft that may not neatly fit in the penal code, but are just as harmful to society, and the world. Profiteering during the COVID-19 pandemic is a prime example. How much should we pay for toilet paper or N95 masks anyway? Then there are those who break the commandment against lying in order to steal. Auto manufacturers falsify mileage claims and exhaust test data. Industries spew out toxins into the air, or chemicals into our ground water like the PFOAs that continue to contaminate Hoosick Falls drinking water. Contractors cut corners on building codes. Mechanics talk us into unnecessary surgery for our family car. Computer hackers know you can steal more with a laptop than a handgun. And how many of us know someone who lost their home during the sub-prime mortgage crisis? Brain-dead, greedy bankers ignored bad credit ratings, creating a housing bubble that led to a recession that cost America nine million jobs in 2008-2009. When people are in denial, looking the other way when they know things are not right, we are heading for disaster. This year we have received multiple warnings about environmental decline, economic injustice, autocratic government and racial inequity while weathering a pandemic. Can we avert another disaster? Hoover, Alabama police say an 8-year-old boy has died after being shot at the Riverchase Galleria Friday afternoon. Three others, including a man, woman and juvenile girl, were injured in the shooting and are being treated at local hospitals. The police department said earlier that calls were made to 911 around 3:18 p.m. reporting shots fired near the food court in the mall. Authorities did not immediately know what led up to the shooting. The City of Laredo and Webb County announced the 28th death related to the COVID-19 pandemic Saturday, and it marked the countys first death for a resident not from Laredo. According to a press release sent out by the City of Laredo, the individual that passed was in his late 40s with underlying conditions, and he was from Rio Bravo. The individuals death marked the first time someone from a city in Webb County aside from Laredo died. Someone from Zapata previously died in Laredo, but their death was attritubted to Zapata Countys totals. The mayor of Rio Bravo sent out a message to the family of the deceased and all of the community that has been shocked by the death of one of their own as the city also confirmed it has nine positive cases. I and the entire Rio Bravo Community offer our most sincere condolences and support to the family during this difficult time, said City of Rio Bravo Mayor Gilbert Agular Jr. This is a tragedy that our whole community will be emotionally affected by. People in the community also began to react to the death. I think we must understand that this thing is real and it is closer than what we think as it can even cause someone from a rural area to die from it, Antonio Sanchez said. Sanchez also alerted people to continue following the orders outlined by the cities and county as he believes this will not go away fully until a vaccine or cure is found. In his message, Aguilar Jr. also extended his condolences to the family and said he hopes they can find peace even amid the current crisis. Our deepest condolences, Aguilar Jr. said. We hope you find comfort and support in the people that surround you and the wonderful memories you carry in your mind and in your heart. Washington Intelligence that Afghan militants might have accepted Russian bounties for killing American troops did not scuttle the U.S.-Taliban agreement or President Donald Trump's plan to withdraw thousands more troops from the war. It did give critics of the deal another reason to say the Taliban shouldn't be trusted. The bounty information was included in Trump's president's daily intelligence brief on Feb. 27, according to intelligence officials, and two days later, the U.S. and Taliban signed an agreement in Qatar. The agreement clears the way for America to end 19 years in Afghanistan and gives Trump a way to make good on his promise to end U.S. involvement in what he calls "endless wars." On March 3, three days after the agreement was signed, the president had a phone call with Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, co-founder of the Taliban. After reports of the bounties broke in June, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo had a video conference with Baradar to make it clear that the U.S. expects the Taliban to live up to the deal, Under the agreement, the U.S. will pull all its troops out of Afghanistan by May. So far, the U.S. has reduced U.S. troop presence in Afghanistan from 12,000 to 8,600 a target reached ahead of schedule. Now, Trump is considering when and how quickly to further shrink the U.S. military footprint. The Taliban committed to reducing violence, cutting ties with al-Qaida and sitting down with other Afghans to craft a political road map for their country's future. The Taliban have pledged to ensure that the areas they control are not used by militant groups to target the U.S. and its allies. On Saturday, Washington's envoy to Afghanistan emphasized the economic benefits of the deal, which has run into new political obstacles. Zalmay Khalilzad was wrapping up a weeklong trip that included stops in Uzbekistan, Pakistan and the Gulf state of Qatar, where Taliban negotiators are headquartered. Critics of the deal like Rep. Mike Waltz, R-Fla., say the agreement is a "cover for withdrawal." "I have serious concerns with how this agreement has been pursued," Waltz said. "The Taliban has shown repeatedly that they are not serious about adhering to the bargain." The White House insists the president was not aware of the intelligence but that the administration responded to the information to protect troops. Administration officials say Russia has been providing the Taliban money and guns for years, although bounties would signal stepped up Russian aggression. Military experts said that the Taliban didn't need any monetary incentive to kill Americans. They also point out that the U.S. worked against the Soviets in the late 1980s, providing militants with shoulder-held anti-aircraft Stinger missiles, which turned around the course of the war and sped-up negotiated Soviet withdrawal from Afghanistan. Both Republican and Democratic lawmakers, defense officials and Afghan experts claim the Taliban has not taken steps to live up to the now four-month-old agreement and they are skeptical the Taliban will ever break with al-Qaida. The U.S. general overseeing American military operations in Afghanistan, Marine Gen. Frank McKenzie, said in mid-June that he is dubious of the Taliban's intentions to fulfill its commitments. McKenzie said it is an open question whether the Taliban will keep Afghanistan from being the launchpad for attacks on the U.S. Mike Morell, former CIA acting and deputy director, told the House Homeland Security Committee's intelligence and counterterrorism panel on June 24 that the Taliban is militarily and politically stronger than at any time since 2001 when the Taliban refused to hand over al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden "I believe that the Taliban, in its peace negotiations with the United States, have told us what we want to hear in order to encourage us to leave the country," Morell said. The Defense Department's latest report on the war said the Taliban has stepped up violence against Afghan forces, but has avoided attacks on U.S. or coalition troops. The City of Laredo continues to see a surge in novel coronavirus cases as it announced 58 new cases on Saturday, giving the city an overall total of 1,831 during the pandemic. Saturdays update also saw the 28th death due to the virus in Laredo. A male resident of Rio Bravo in his late 40s with underlying health conditions was under treatment at Laredo Medical Center when he died Thursday. No further information was immediately available due to Laredos policy of net releasing identifying information on COVID patients. The mayor of Rio Bravo sent out a message to the family of the deceased and all of the community that has been shocked by the death the city also confirmed it has nine positive cases. I and the entire Rio Bravo Community offer our most sincere condolences and support to the family during this difficult time, City of Rio Bravo Mayor Gilbert Agular Jr. said. This is a tragedy that our whole community will be emotionally affected by. Our deepest condolences. We hope you find comfort and support in the people that surround you and the wonderful memories you carry in your mind and in your heart. The city has been hit hard the past week as it has seen 619 new cases within the last seven days. Last Saturdays total of 227 cases remains by far the record total, coming on the heels of the prior days 111. However, Laredos top five daily figures have all occurred in the past nine days. The Gateway City did continue to receive a bit of positive news as it announced 87 hospitalizations, which is down from the 95 it reported Friday. Its the second straight day the citys hospitalizations have decreased as there were 100 hospitalized on Thursday. This is just the second time there has been a local dip in hospitalizations since June 17. However, 31 people remain in the ICU. Overall, the city has had 10,140 tests submitted with 7,328 returning negative. A total of 781 people having been cleared by city health officials and deemed recovered. There are 1,028 active cases, giving Laredo four times the 250 required to put the city into the highest alert category of Red on the citys color-coded advisory system. A total of 981 tests are still pending with 444 presumed negative due to being over 30 days old. Recently, the popular Korean drama "The King: The Eternal Monarch" has wowed fans with Woo Do Han's acting. The actor's dual portrayal of two utter different roles has impressed the public's eye. He portrayed the role of the joyful and carefree public service worker in the Republic of Korea while also playing the role of the cold and passive captain of the Royal Guard in the Kingdom of Corea. Woo Do Hwan has surely won the attention of the viewers for his fluidity in acting, but here are 6 more facts about your current favorite actor that you might not know: 1. He is known for his role in a cult drama titled "Save Me" Making his acting debut in the year 2011, he started doing minor roles until he had the opportunity to play bigger roles and gained fame. Eventually, he stood out as an actor by playing a tough guy personality but with a big heart in the hit series "Save Me" in the year 2017. "Save Me" is a story about a group of friends trying to save their friend from a religious cult. The drama is described to be creepy and intense. 2. He won awards for his acting The year 2017 was Woo Do Hwan's year. After his acting in the hit series "Save Me", Woo Do Hwan won the Best New Actor award in his role as a genius ex scam artist in successful drama "Mad Dog" in the 31st KBS Drama Awards. The drama tells a story about a ex police detective who leads a group of insurance investigators about a fraud case. 3. His first lead role was a romance drama After acting in two very successful action and thrilling dramas, Woo Do Hwan changed his direction by starring in his first romance drama with a title "Tempted". Woo Do Hwan plays a wealthy heir named Chaebol who seduces an over achieving student college student who is portrayed by Red Velvet's Joy. Viewers had mixed feelings about this drama. However, if you want a drama with good looking characters, this is the show for you. 4. He went to college and majored in performance and film Woo Do Hwan went to Dankook University from the School of Performing Arts in the year 2006. Other stars who went to the same university as him are Jang Hyuk, Ha Ji-won, Ji Chang-wook, Jay Park and BIGBANG's T.O.P. 5. His parents were the reasons for starting his acting career Woo Do Hwan was one of the fortunate ones for having parents who supported him with his acting instead of making him choose a more stable career. In one interview, Woo Do Hwan says that he wanted to become a pilot when he was young but his parents encourage him to pursue acting and choose a major in performance and film in Dankook University. 6. His ideal type is a woman he can openly talk with Woo Do Hwan says in an interview that he likes a woman who is honest with her feelings and a person he can easily and openly talk things about. He prefers to date a woman who he misses more than he wants to spend time with. He says missing a person is very important because that is how you know how much you really like the person. Woo Do Hwan's acting career has been thriving because of his immense talent. Watch out for more of Woo Do Hwan in his roles and dramas in the future! As research findings go, this was a Holy Yikes. A study of 50,000 patients throughout the United States showed that those who were the most satisfied with their care (the top quartile) were 26% more likely to be dead six months later than patients who gave lower ratings to their care. The study, "The Cost of Satisfaction," appeared in JAMA Internal Medicine. Oh, the irony. The most satisfied patients not only died in greater numbers but racked up higher costs along the way. Plus, health-care providers receiving the top satisfaction scores were rewarded with higher reimbursements by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), which administers the patient survey. Lead author Joshua Fenton, a professor of family medicine at the University of California at Davis, had set out to measure the relationship between patient satisfaction and hospital resource use, drawing on the CMS Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) survey. Ultimately, his research raised questions about whether CMS is dangerously off target in collecting patient satisfaction data to drive health-care improvements. That was 2012. More research published this year by two sociologists likewise found that a patient's hospital recommendation had almost no correlation to the quality of medical care received or patient survival rate. The researchers looked at CMS hospital data and patient surveys at more than 3,000 U.S. hospitals over three years. The hospitals where fewer patients died had only a two percentage point edge in patient satisfaction over the others. What's going on? Cristobal Young, associate professor of sociology at Cornell University and lead author of the study, calls it "the halo effect of hospitality." Young found that what mattered most to patients in ratings were the compassion of nurses and amenities like good food and quiet rooms. It's why hospital managers are being recruited from the service industry and we're seeing greeters in the lobby and premium TV channels in rooms, he says. Patients tend to value what they see and understand, but that can be limited, Young continues. They give hospitals good cleanliness ratings when they observe waste baskets are emptied and sheets are changed. "They can't see a virus or tell you how clean the room is in ways that matter," he says. Similarly, patients can tell you if a physician communicates well. But most people do not have the medical skills to assess whether a physician provided the appropriate diagnostic test or made suitable recommendations, Fenton says. In his study, patients receiving more medical interventions, treatments and hospitalizations were more satisfied with their experience. Yet, after adjusting the 26% mortality rate of the satisfied patients with data about their baseline health and comorbidities, their death rate soared to 44% over the patients who weren't as happy with their care. One possible explanation is that every surgery, procedure or medication carries the potential to leave you worse off. While a patient may perceive that more aggressive treatment is better, "overtreatment" can hasten death, too. There is a more insidious reason satisfied patients did not track with better medical outcomes, though. The majority of hospitals and medical practices today are rewarded with higher compensation, promotions, bonuses or increased CMS reimbursements for attaining high patient satisfaction scores. The twist is that the path to keeping patients happy can run counter to best medical practices. A patient may give an unfavorable rating to a physician who refuses to write an unsafe opioid prescription or order an unwarranted CT scan. A doctor may not bring up a patient's obesity or cognitive impairment to avoid the person's ire on a survey later. In a 2014 study of 155 physicians by the University of Wisconsin's School of Medicine and Public Health, close to half said that pressure to please patients led to inappropriate care including unnecessary tests and procedures, hospital admissions, and opioid or antibiotic prescriptions. "Time after time, studies show that physicians who accede to patient requests have higher patient satisfaction," Terence Myckatyn and co-authors wrote in a 2017 article exploring how patient satisfaction scores affect medical practice. Keeping patients happy is not always the best strategy for patient wellness or physicians, however, says Myckatyn, a plastic and reconstructive surgeon at Washington University School of Medicine. "Directly tying financials to surveys as a metric to evaluate physicians can be shortsighted and unfair. It's a difficult calculus," says Myckatyn, stressing that patient surveys should be only one measure in the toolbox for assessing health-care providers. CMS posts patient satisfaction data on its Hospital Compare website along with medical statistics about surgery complications, infection rates and mortality. But it's the hotel-like amenities that seem to drive ratings, so that's where many hospitals have invested, Young says. He points to the new $2 billion Stanford Hospital in Palo Alto, Calif., that offers private patient rooms, each with a 55" television and iPad so patients can stream Netflix, order a burger from the cafeteria, or video conference with family. This is how hospitals are competing with each other in a consumer market where medical quality indicators can take a back seat, he says. Whether the 29-question HCAHPS survey has led to better medical care, Fenton credits public surveys for keeping hospitals and physicians accountable for treating patients with respect and dignity. What he objects to is the harm done by conflating patient satisfaction with the technical quality of medical care. Likewise, Nancy Foster, vice president of quality and patient safety policy at the American Hospital Association (AHA), sees patient satisfaction and medical outcomes as apples and oranges. They are each important and don't have to correlate. In addition, whether a nurse responds quickly to a call button is not just about hospitality, Foster maintains in reference to Young's study. "If a patient needs to use the restroom and a nurse doesn't arrive in a timely fashion, patients [who go on their own] can fall," she says. "[The nurse's responsiveness] becomes a crucial clinical outcome issue." Akin Demehin, AHA's director of policy, also believes patient surveys have a place in improving medical care. "Patients have unique insights that only they are in a position to convey," Demehin says. Several hospitals were able to reduce their readmission rates after taking a close look at patient comments regarding problems in care coordination and hospital discharge, he says. Collecting patient feedback began its ascent in 1985 when Press Ganey Associates introduced a survey to measure health-care provider performance. Ten thousand medical institutions today still use it. By 2006, CMS was distributing the HCAHPS survey to randomly selected patients around the country. Once the internet exploded, consumer-driven health care was out of the gate. Online ratings for restaurants, electronics, and the patient experience became "part of our modern day currency," says physician Raina Merchant, director of the Center for Digital Health at the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine and associate vice president at Penn Medicine. Merchant studied the impact of patient ratings on Yelp and found they were strikingly parallel to HCAHPS results. The significant difference, she says, is that Yelp reviews cover a broader range of concerns than standard surveys. You'll find more detailed patient-to-patient information about billing, comfort care, medical costs and the experience of family caregivers, for instance. Health-care providers "miss an opportunity to learn about consumers if they don't pay attention to social media," says Merchant, who sees online reviews as "democratizing." Will covid-19 change how we rate physicians and hospitals? "Think about how much we spend on the health-care system in the U.S. Then when we need basic things like swabs [to test for coronavirus] we don't have them," says Young, ". . . or nurses and doctors straining to have [personal protective equipment]." "It's mind-boggling," he says. "Maybe the coronavirus will help reprioritize everyone's thinking about medical quality. Nobody is thinking about how nice their [hospital room] views are anymore." The beginning of the school year when you got to show off your new duds, new cars, new looks! Sports! Playing, cheering, watching high school athletics. The arts: Dramatic arts, musical groups and shows, graphic arts groups, debate, etc. The prom! No dancing the night away or punch bowl antics. The daily interactions. Just being with the group, hanging with friends and classmates. Access to college recruiters and advisors its harder to line up higher education. Walking onstage to get a diploma while all the family is watching with everyone elses family. Vote View Results Logan, WV (25601) Today Cloudy with rain developing after midnight. Low 61F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 90%. Rainfall near a quarter of an inch.. Tonight Cloudy with rain developing after midnight. Low 61F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 90%. Rainfall near a quarter of an inch. The Minister for Agriculture has been invited to attend a sitting of Longford District Court to explain his department's response to fears of how a rising cohort of 'rogue farmers' are undermining Ireland's beef industry for financial gain. Judge Seamus Hughes issued the invite to the minister after Department of Agriculture officials prosecuted a Co Westmeath man for allegedly procuring medication for cattle without a required veterinary prescription. The case, taken against a Co Westmeath farmer concerning allegations five bottles of Imizol, a sterile solution used for the treatment and prevention of bovine babesiosis or redwater fever were obtained at a veterinary clinic across the border in Co Fermanagh. It was alleged a pre-signed cheque had been handed to another individual as part of the transaction in an offence which took place in May 2018 at Baratogher, Rathowen, Co Westmeath. In evidence provided by Department of Agriculture veterinary surgeon Luie O'Riordan, the court was told of how such incidences were becoming more difficult to detect due to government cutbacks. "I think there is an absence of political will," he said. "In my view, it's a case of don't look, don't find." The comments drew a terse reaction from Judge Seamus Hughes who said there appeared to be an increasing number of what he termed "rogue farmers" that were hellbent on compromising the quality of Ireland's export beef trade for monetary gain. And, in a further unexpected step, Judge Hughes said he would be asking the Minister to Longford in order to explain his department's response to the allegations. "I am not completing this case here today," he said. "I will invite the Minister to come to court. He won't come, I know that and he will send a senior civil servant but I want a representative from the department here in court as this is of grave consequence to the national herd and export trade." Judge Hughes added it was his view the case had shone a light on the level of ambidexterity which now existed in Ireland's beef sector. "This is the tip of the iceberg," he said. "Something is awry here and there is billions of euro at stake." The case was adjourned until September 15 next. (Alliance News) - TheA novel coronavirus pandemic and related restrictions could shrink the Irish economy by up to 14% in 2020, according to the country's central bank. In a report published on Friday, the Central Bank of Ireland saidA that aA "widespread shutdown of businesses caused by the pandemic" led toA "sudden and large-scale job losses" and a "severe negative shock to both consumer spending and investment." The worst-case scenario of a 14% recession is based on the virus lingering throughA the year and prompting some restrictions to be reimposed. The bank'sA best-case outcomeA would see Ireland's gross domestic product cut by 9%,A slightly better than the 10.5% projected earlier by the Finance Ministry. Ireland's latest relaxation of curbs imposed in March to stem the pandemic saw businesses such as restaurants and hairdressers resume work onA Monday. Many retailers andA offices reopened a month ago as daily case numbers fell to low double figures. According to IHS Markit and Allied Irish Banks, whose purchasing managers' index for Ireland's servicesA sectors was published on Friday, the "most severe phase of the hit to business had passed in June." If the pandemic fades, Ireland's economy is expected to slowly recover in 2021. But should Britain and the EU fail to agree termsA on a free trade deal by theA January, thenA growth "will be weaker" next year, the central bank warned. Britain is Ireland's second biggest trade partner after the US, with IrishA agricultureA exportsA highly vulnerable to what the bank terms "a disruptive Brexit." source: dpa Copyright 2020 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved. (Alliance News) - A Ryanair Holdings PLC flight with over 160 passengers and crew on board made an emergency landing at Thessaloniki airport on Friday over a fire alert, officials said. No injuries were reported among the 157 passengers that included a baby, the civil protection authority said. The flight from Berlin, originally heading to Athens, was rerouted after issuing a distress signal as it flew over the Halkidiki peninsula in northern Greece, the agency said. The crew reported a fire in the cockpit, but emergency services deployed to the scene did not have to intervene, state news agency ANA said. source: AFP Copyright 2020 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved. The owner of an 8-year-old pit bull that was fatally shot while in the driveway of her Eastpointe home is hopeful prosecutors will soon file criminal charges in the case. Paulette Creek says Merlin, one of her two pet dogs, died June 20 when he was shot multiple times by a neighbor who had just stepped outside with his girlfriend on Marine Avenue, in the Nine Mile-Kelly roads side of town. A neighbor saw Merlin and the other pit bull, Taz, had somehow gotten out of Creek's house and was trying to corral them into her fenced backyard. - Advertisement - When the other man and and his girlfriend came outdoors, the girlfriend became alarmed, yelled and jumped onto the hood of a nearby car. Her boyfriend went back into his house, retrieved a handgun and came back outside, where he fired several rounds at the Merlin. According to neighbors, Merlin was still in the driveway and not acting aggressively at all. Creek says she wants justice for her late pet and wonders why the alleged shooter remains free. "He should have been charged, he should have been arrested that night for shooting a gun the a residential area," Creek told WDIV-TV (Channel 4). Merlin limped into the backyard and died after he was struck by several of the bullets, witnesses said. Creek was still at work when the shooting took place. She rushed home after receiving phone calls from several of her neighbors. "And I'm like -- what happened, who shot my dog, and why," she told the TV station. "He was in the driveway." One unidentified neighbor said he was trying to usher Taz, the other dog, into the backyard when he heard the commotion from the other side of the house and the sound of gunfire. "I believe it was very unnecessary," he said. "There was no reason for any shot to be fired." Creek said Eastpointe police have conducted an investigation into the incident and have turned their findings over to the Macomb County Prosecutor's Office, which will make a decision on whether the neighbor who shot Merlin will face any charges. Prosecutors were not immediately available for comment over the holiday weekend. Creek has set up a #Justice for Merlin Facebook page to discuss the issue further and share similar stories with other dog owners. Macomb Daily staff +7 Couple draw guns at crowd heading to St. Louis mayor's home ST. LOUIS (AP) A white couple who stood outside their St. Louis mansion and pointed guns at protesters support the Black Lives Matter movement and don't want to become heroes to those who oppose the cause, their attorney said Monday. +3 Oakland County confirms three COVID-19 cases at Fifth Avenue Royal Oak The Oakland County Health Division is reporting that three confirmed cases of COVID-19 visited Fifth Avenue Royal Oak on June 19. Spanish Economy Minister Nadia Calvino said on Friday that all the debt issued by the European Union to help its member states deal with the consequences of the COVID-19 crisis will eventually be paid back. The debt will be sustainable as it will finance projects to help the EU resume the economic growth that was interrupted by the coronavirus crisis, she said in a virtual panel held by French think tank Cercle des Economistes. "Obviously the debt will be repaid," said Calvino, who has been proposed by Spain to head the Eurogroup, the club of 19 finance ministers of the Euro Zone countries. "The long-term sustainability of the debt is guaranteed and we are making plans and act responsibly as Europe ever has," she added. European Union leaders are due to meet in Brussels on July 17-18 to negotiate a proposed COVID-19 economic stimulus package worth 750 billion euros ($840 billion) partly financed by jointly issued debt. The fund was proposed by the European Commission and welcomed by most EU leaders, but still needs to be agreed. Fiscally conservative northern countries led by the Netherlands are loath to see their taxpayers pay for grants to southern European states. Spain would be one of the main beneficiaries of the recovery fund with around 140 billion euros in loans and grants. TERRY LEE LUNDGREN, age 59 of Janesville, passed away following a three year battle with cancer at his home on Saturday, June 19, 2021, surrounded by his family. Per Terry's wishes, a private family service and a celebration of life will be held at a later date. Dennis Funeral & Crematio Who will be the first to get a COVID-19 vaccine? Probably people in the country where the first effective vaccine is developed. About a dozen different vaccines are in various stages of testing worldwide, including in Britain, China and the U.S. This week, Dr. Anthony Fauci, the top U.S. infectious disease expert, said he is cautiously optimistic there will be a COVID-19 vaccine by the end of the year or early 2021. Several wealthy countries have already ordered millions of doses of those experimental vaccines. Britain and the U.S., for example, have invested in a vaccine candidate being developed by Oxford University and produced by AstraZeneca. If it works, U.K. politicians have said Britons will be vaccinated with it. The U.S. expects to start stockpiling it this fall and also has invested in other vaccine candidates. Groups including the vaccine alliance GAVI are also working to buy doses for poor countries and AstraZeneca has agreed to license its vaccine to Indias Serum Institute for the production of 1 billion doses. The World Health Organization is drafting guidelines for the ethical distribution of COVID-19 vaccines. How vaccines are distributed within a country will vary. Last week, U.S. officials said they were developing a tiered system for that. The system would likely prioritize groups at greatest risk of severe complications from COVID-19 and key workers. State and local police are investigating a stabbing Friday at a Montague home. Mary Carey, spokesperson for the Northwestern District Attorneys Office, said two people were stabbed just before 6 p.m. at a home on Randall Road but did not release information about the victims conditions or where they were hospitalized. Montague police and Massachusetts State Police detectives attached to the District Attorneys Office are investigating the incident. Carey said there is no information to indicate that the public is endangered. A 21-year-old Boston man is being held without the right to bail after he was arrested Friday night in connection with a shooting incident in the South Shore Plaza in Braintree, in which a 15-year-old girl was seriously wounded. Jose Rodriguez was taken into custody as he walked with a companion on a street near the plaza. A firearm hidden in bushes outside the mall, police said. Police are calling the incident an act of violence between two specific groups rather than an active shooter incident. Braintree police said two groups confronted each other in the mall at about 4:43 p.m. and the shooting resulted from that altercation. Police from Braintree and surrounding communities converged at the scene, locked-down the mall and ordered shelter-in-place protocols for surrounding properties. The second man, who was walking with Rodriguez when he was taken into custody, was questioned by police and later released. The girl who was wounded in the shooting was transported to a nearby hospital where she is being treated for what appears to be a non-life-threatening wound. Rodriguez is being charged with assault to murder, assault and battery by discharge of a firearm, assault and battery on a child with substantial injury, Reckless endangerment of a child, carrying a firearm without a license, possession of a firearm without an FID card, unlawful possession of ammunition, discharge of a firearm within 500 feet of a building and trespass with a firearm. He will be arraigned by video in Quincy District Court Monday. The Friday night lock-down and shelter in place orders were lifted and the mall reopened Saturday morning. 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) Hong Kong has given full play to its unique advantage as a global hub backed by the mainland since its return to the motherland. China welcomes foreign businesses including U.S. companies to continue operating in Hong Kong and wishes them greater success, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said Friday. Zhao made the remarks at a press briefing when asked to comment on a statement of the American Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong, which said it remains "committed to Hong Kong as a home base for international business." The chamber said it had worked with and supported the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region 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. Zhao said Hong Kong has given full play to its unique advantage as a global hub backed by the mainland since its return to the motherland. Its status as an international financial, shipping and trading center has been consolidated and it has been known as one of the most free, open, prosperous and vibrant places in the world, Zhao said. "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 spokesperson said. Photo taken on June 12, 2019 shows roads after a riot in Admiralty area of Hong Kong, south China. (Xinhua) He pointed out that the national security law in Hong Kong will provide a stronger institutional guarantee for the steady and sustained implementation of "one country, two systems." The law will "help ensure Hong Kong's lasting security, stability and prosperity, safeguard residents' lawful rights and freedoms, and protect investors' rights and interests," he said. "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," said Zhao. "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," the spokesperson added. Kimberly Guilfoyle, the girlfriend of Donald Trump Jr. and a top fundraiser for President Donald Trumps reelection campaign, has tested positive for coronavirus. After testing positive, Kimberly was immediately isolated to limit any exposure, Sergio Gor, chief of staff for the Trump Victory Finance Committee, said in a statement Friday. Shes doing well, and will be retested to ensure the diagnosis is correct since shes asymptomatic but as a precaution will cancel all upcoming events. Donald Trump Jr was tested negative, but as a precaution is also self isolating and is canceling all public events. She was tested prior to President Trumps Fourth of July event at Mount Rushmore. Guilfoyle traveled to South Dakota with Donald Trump Jr. They did not travel on Air Force One with the president, The New York Times reports. Guilfoyle is a former Fox News personality who was appointed national chairwoman of the Trump Victory Finance Committee earlier this year. She is the third person close to the president to test positive for coronavirus. A personal valet to President Trump and Vice President Mike Pences press secretary tested positive in May. Multiple Secret Service agents involved with planning the vice presidents trip to Arizona were reportedly showing symptoms of coronavirus and are in quarantine, sources told The Washington Post. The five road improvement projects planned for the Buckhead area are still on schedule, despite the COVID-19 pandemic, but two other initiativ Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, drivers with Lucky to Go - the first ride-hailing service to launch in Kelowna - must wear masks. The company also recommends customers wear masks. Brian Arbuckle wears his mask while working at The Movies at Meadville and asks customers to wear theirs while in the main lobby. 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.Source: Eurekalert Next week, the World Health Organization will send a team to investigate the source of SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic. The announcement made earlier this week came amid accusations from some quarters that the virus might have originated in a laboratory in China. WHO says that knowing the source of the coronavirus is very, very important. US President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo earlier said that the virus might have originated in a laboratory in China. With no evidence being presented to back the speculations, China has denied the allegations. It has now been more than six months since WHO received the first reports of a cluster of cases of pneumonia of unknown cause in China. A novel coronavirus was found out to be the cause of the disease, now known as Covid-19. So far over 11 million people worldwide have tested positive for the disease which has led to over 5,25,000 deaths, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. Source: IANS "We will be sending a team next week to China to prepare for that and we hope that that will lead into understanding how the virus started and what we can do for the future to prepare. So we're planning to send a team next week," he said.US President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo earlier said that the virus might have originated in a laboratory in China.With no evidence being presented to back the speculations, China has denied the allegations.It has now been more than six months since WHO received the first reports of a cluster of cases of pneumonia of unknown cause in China.A novel coronavirus was found out to be the cause of the disease, now known as Covid-19.So far over 11 million people worldwide have tested positive for the disease which has led to over 5,25,000 deaths, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.Source: IANS " It's science, it's public health. We can fight the virus better when we know everything about the virus, including how it started," WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a media briefing on June 29. Sooraj Pancholi is a name that most of us have heard at some point, mostly due to all the controversies that surround him. It was Salman Khan who handed Pancholi his Bollywood debut with the movie Hero. When others weren't ready to accept him, it was Salman who came like a messiah into his life to help him take his first steps into the Indian film industry. However, more than movies, Sooraj's name has been brought up in a handful of controversies from time to time. Yesterday, we saw him trending once again on Twitter and this time, it was because his name seems to have popped up in one of the conspiracy theories surrounding Sushant Singh Rajput's death. With that in mind, here is a list of some of the controversies in which Pancholi found himself being involved in: 1. Sushant Singh Rajput Suicide Mystery In one of the conspiracy theories around Sushan't death, people on social media started to link Pancholi with both Sushant and his former manager Disha Salian's deaths. It was speculated that Disha was pregnant with Sooraj's child and she confided in Sushant who wanted to expose Sooraj. There were multiple reports which stated that Sooraj and Sushant had a showdown and Salman stepped up to protect his protege again. Addressing the rumours, Pancholi told TOI, "What scuffle with Sushant? I never had any argument with him, which I have clarified before as well. And why will Salman Khan get involved in my life? Does he not have other things to do? I dont even know who Disha is, I have never met her in my life. I found out about her after Sushants death, and I feel bad for the families involved. Someone has written this rubbish on their personal Facebook page, made it into a movie script, and put it out there." When asked about the rumours of a scuffle with Sushant in 2017, he said, "When the article about our tiff came out in 2017, it was Sushant who had reached out to me. He told me, Bro, yeh koi faltu article aaya hai saying Salman bhai is angry with me. Can you please give a statement to clarify this? He thought it would be better if I stated the facts, as the story claimed that he misbehaved with me. I clarified the reports. "We met for dinner at a friends place after that in Bandra, clicked that funny picture where we posed like we are fighting and thats it. We had each others numbers. He called me for movie screenings, and I even went for Raabta screening. We must have met around four-five times." Sooraj's father Aditya Pancholi, too, is upset with how his son is being dragged into such controversies. Aditya told TOI, "Why is my son being dragged into this? The truth will eventually come out, but if he does something to himself tomorrow, who is to be blamed? He has been going through a tough time for seven-eight years now. "Somebody makes up a vague story, puts it online, people lap it up and make him the villain! People need to be responsible about what they share on the web. Shouldnt you let the cops do their job? No one is above the law. You cannot kill anyone and get away with it. Sooraj was cordial with Sushant. If Disha was pregnant, wouldnt that be in the police records? "I never had any argument with Sushant. I don't even know who Disha is. Anyone writes anything and it goes viral," claims @Sooraj9pancholi after social media posts allege his involvement in #SushantSinghRajput and #DishaSalian's deaths#SoorajPancholi https://t.co/C9FrZumhgI Delhi Times (@DelhiTimesTweet) July 4, 2020 shame shame such cr!m!nals .. we will not let them live happily they will have to pay for it ! #CBIMustForSushant And It's shocking that industry mein yeh sabb kab se chal raha hai .. #SoorajPancholi should be arrested and should be hanged to death ! #CBIMustForSushant https://t.co/lXVkEdY3MO Sinthiya.20 (@asinthiya992) July 4, 2020 2. Jiah Khan's Suicide Bollywood actress Jiah Khan committed suicide in 2013 following which, the Pancholi family faced a wave of allegations because Sooraj was in a relationship with her at the time. Well, some gory details also came forth before the public, making it rather hard to believe that Sooraj was innocent in this case, as people started to believe that it was he who triggered Jiah to take her own life. A report in Mumbai Mirror revealed that Jiah was pregnant with Sooraj's child and her mother Rabia Khan dragged him to the court stating that there has been a foul play in her daughter's death. Jiah was allegedly four months pregnant when she informed her boyfriend about the same, after which they visited a physician. The Medical Termination of Pregnancy (MTP), however, didn't help as she was already 4 months pregnant, the report stated. After that, Sooraj and Jiah went to a gynaecologist who prescribed stronger medicines. Citing a source the report further stated, "After taking the medicine, Khan started haemorrhaging and called Pancholi for help. She was in pain and needed immediate medical attention, but Pancholi allegedly asked her to wait and called up the gynaecologist for guidance. He was asked to rush Khan to hospital as the foetus had probably aborted but had not been expelled from the body, which is probably what led to the haemorrhaging." This tragic and gory case has been looming over Sooraj since 2013 and it's been 7 years since Rabia has been fighting for justice for her daughter. In an earlier interview, Sooraj had said, "No one understands that it was her decision to do that (commit suicide), you know, it was her choice. It was her mental state to do that. And I think to blame someone for it is really unfair. Because today what if I do that to myself? Who will get blamed? I would blame the media for it because they have put a lot of pressure on me writing false things about me but you can't really blame things on other people. I think an individual has to be strong and more than boyfriend support, they need family support and I don't know why the family was not there for her." Cause of death: Murder! Toh culprit kaun hai?? Investigation ki gyi thi ya nhi?? #JiahKhan#CBIMustForSushant pic.twitter.com/LuqxMmnb3A Aneesha (JUSTICE FOR SSR!) (@AneeshaChresti1) July 2, 2020 3. Sooraj Pancholi And Mawra Hocane Dating Scandal Sooraj was linked to Pakistani actor Mawra Hocane and reports started coming in indicating that the two were dating, which, again made him appear in a bad light before the public, as he was still under scrutiny for Jiah's suicide. Sooraj and Mawra allegedly first met at a common friend's party and it was said that they two were spending a lot of time together. While Mawra chose to remain silent over these rumours, Sooraj came forth saying there is no truth to them. The actor took to Twitter to deny reports, saying, These rumours about Mawra Hocane and me are false! Dont know how some people get such random thoughts. Imagine being a parent, taking your kids to watch a superhero movie with no interest in the comics they are based on. Angry men and women fighting each other in the most impractical costumes that have been built for combat, with cheesy dialogues taken straight out of decades-old storybooks. Well thankfully, Marvel Studios figured out this problem very early in their venture to establish an entire cinematic universe out of it and decided to slide in some very cheeky, adult humour here and there to keep the parents giggling as their kids marvelled at all the action. Here are five times the MCU added jokes in their movies that only adults could understand: 1. Hiding The Zucchini - Avengers: Age of Ultron Marvel Studios In the second Avengers film, Dr. Bruce Banner aka the Hulk, and Natasha Romanov aka Black Widow were dating. In the middle of the opening fight, the two suddenly disappear (Romanov was trying to calm Hulk down with a really weird technique) and Tony Stark says Romanov, Banner please tell me you guys arent playing hide the zucchini. This is a zucchini. Its green and its big: Twitter/HEB 2. Peter Quills Filthy Ship - Guardians of the Galaxy When Gamora tells Peter Quill how filthy his ship is, he says She has no idea. If I had a black light, this ship would look like a Jackson Pollock painting. Jackson Pollock was an artist famous for making abstract paintings by pouring or splashing liquid on surfaces. If you knew anything about Star-Lord, youd be careful with the only kind of liquid he splashed. 3. Clint Barton Cant Get It Up - Avengers: Age of Ultron The entire team is chilling at Starks house and Thor presents them with the challenge to pick up his hammer. The first volunteer to try it out is Clint Barton. As he makes his way to the Mjolnir, Stark sneaks a sly joke: Clint, you have had a tough week. We wont hold it against you if you cant get it up, as everyone starts giggling. 4. Measuring Sizes - Ant-Man And The Wasp When Scott Lang, Hope, and Hank Pym go to meet Dr. Bill Foster and started talking about the events of Captain America: Civil War, Foster told him that he became as large as 21 feet back when he was working on project Goliath. He then asked Scott how big he got and the latter, almost braggingly said 65 feet to Fosters utter amazement. The awkward conversation came to an end only when Hope jumped in to make them stop comparing sizes and get to work. 5. A Spread On Tony - Iron Man 2 When Tony and Pepper meet Justin Hammer in Monaco he is accompanied by Christine Everhart, a reporter, who according to Hammer, was doing a big spread on him. A spread in magazine terms is a two-page side-to-side coverage or an interview. Pepper replies by saying: She (Christine) did quite a spread on Tony last year, and Tony said, and she did a story, as well. What does he mean? Well, this: How many of these jokes did you honestly catch when watching the first time? Let us know in the comments section. Dr. Jonathan Eric Carroll, KLPC, NCPC, NCCE, is a state-licensed mental health professional, is an ACPE Psychotherapist, and is the Founder of The Clinic @ The Montgomery in downtown Owensboro. Dr. Carroll serves as the Grief Therapist for six funeral homes in the region. He also co-created and cohosts "You'll Die Trying," a podcast available everywhere. Visit www.themontgomeryclinic.com. KABUL Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs Mohammad Haneef Atmar held a telephone conversation with British Ambassador to Afghanistan, Ms Alison Blake CMG. At the onset, both sides exchanged views on the global experience of the COVID-19 pandemic and deliberated the impacts it has had on Afghanistan and the United Kingdom. The main topic of discussion was the Afghan peace process. Both sides exchanged views on the latest developments in the peace process such as concerns on the increase in the level of violence, the mechanisms needed for monitoring a reduction of violence, release of prisoners by the Government of Afghanistan and the Taliban, and the importance of beginning intra-Afghan negotiation. Minister Atmar and Ambassador Blake also deliberated the importance of regional and international engagement and the need for consensus on the Afghan peace process. The British Ambassador reiterated the support of the British government for an Afghan-led and Afghan-owned peace process. Right now, many of my fellow Kent State students are currently in the process of working out exactly how to get enrolled in classes this fall (or possibly summer) and how exactly to get these classes paid for. Seeing as such, I figured it would be appropriate to cover a topic I have been mea Pubs, bars and restaurants in England opened their doors on Saturday, putting a million people back to work, in the biggest loosening yet of the lockdown the U.K. imposed in late March. More than half of food and drink businesses plan to open on what's been dubbed "Super Saturday," but just 19% of consumers say they're planning to go out on the first day. How quickly pubs recover will largely depend on how willing punters are to leave the lockdown behind. "I expect our entire sector will be incapable of making a profit for 12 months," said Roger Ward, owner of Mr. Thomas's Chop House in central Manchester, setting a gloomy tone that matched the northern city's skies. Hospitality represents 5% of the U.K.'s economic output and employs 10% of all workers, trade group UKHospitality said. The industry generates about 38 billion pounds ($47 billion) of tax for the government every year and is the country's third-largest private-sector employer, double the size of financial services and bigger than automotive, pharmaceuticals and aerospace combined. "It's a ghost town" in central Manchester this morning, said Barry Hayes, who has owned and managed the Circus Tavern for a decade. "I'm thinking, will it ever come back?" Boris Johnson urged Britons to act responsibly and sensibly as hotels, cinemas and hairdressers also reopen. The U.K. has suffered one of the deadliest outbreaks of the pandemic, with more than 44,000 deaths and 285,000 confirmed cases. Those brave enough to shake off the shackles of lockdown relished the return of their weekend pint after months of being shut out. "The pubs reopening is a win-win situation, because we can do our bit and support small businesses all while downing a Guinness or two," Penny Hackett, a secondary-school teacher from Wolverhampton in the West Midlands, said in the Railway Tavern where more than 20 customers were queuing outside by 7 a.m. The reopening is a cautious one. At the same time as Johnson was urging Britons to return to pubs, the government was imposing a new lockdown on the city of Leicester in the East Midlands, where cases have been on the rise. The pubs that do reopen will face higher costs for everything from staffing to technology. The New Inn in North Yorkshire expects to lose between 35% and 40% of capacity due to requirements that customers stay at least 1 meter (3.3 feet) from other groups. Staff costs are "massively increasing" said Tom Ledsham, 26, who took over the pub and hotel with his parents in February. An average Monday shift, which ordinarily would only have required one employee, will now need three. Staff will wear protective gear and have their temperatures checked daily and plastic screens have been installed around cash registers. The pub is also using disinfectant fogging machines, more often seen in airplanes and hospitals, to clean its 18 bedrooms and the pub area more quickly and cost-effectively. "We are number-crunching constantly because before you know it, you can have spent 5,000 pounds overnight," Ledsham said. "It is going to be challenging but we need to start bringing some revenue in." Guests will have to provide their names and phone numbers upon arrival, in case an infection emerges and they need to be contacted about possible exposure. Many places are asking people to book ahead. That's adding costs too, Ledsham said. Pub and restaurant owners are counting on pent-up demand to drive a rebound. The combination of billions of pounds in government support for furloughed workers, coupled with a drop in spending during the lockdown that has underpinned savings, could support consumption, said Dan Hanson of Bloomberg Economics. The government aid has replaced about 57% of the hit to take-home pay caused by the job losses during the lockdown, while savings jumped to 21% of disposable income in the second quarter, compared with 8.4% in the previous three months, Hanson estimated. "We've had a very difficult time with the furloughed money; the system doesn't work for us," said Benjamin Iles, landlord of Popcorn and the Marlborough Arms pubs in Chester in northwest England. Iles spent 85,000 pounds of his own wedding fund trying to keep staff afloat. Undeterred though, Iles is opening his larger venue Saturday and has already taken 1,000 reservations for the coming week. "There are many other pubs that won't be able to open yet, which means we're going to be even busier for a while because other venues aren't there for demand," he said. Reopening will be a fragile process, said James Watt, the co-founder and CEO of BrewDog Plc. It isn't just new outbreaks or lockdowns that have him worried -- it's how an industry that's predicated on drinking and socializing responds to a crisis that isn't going away. "We need to build up consumer confidence and show that it's a safe environment, but if some places don't behave responsibly and there's a backlash, that won't just shake confidence in one business but across the entire sector," Watt said. That confidence was clear on Saturday among some regular customers at the Milk House in Sissinghurst in Kent, southeast of London, where staff are enforcing a one-way system and wearing large clear visors. "I've saved a fortune over lockdown, about a grand," said Keith Borough, a dance-floor technician. "I could buy a car." - - - Bloomberg's Edward Robinson, Matthew Miller, Jade Wilson, Eddie Spence, Poppie Platt and Todd Gillespie contributed to this report/ 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. Fifty years have gone by since Milford housed 12 34-foot-long missiles, four per underground magazine, as a base of operations to protect the area from attacks during the Cold War. It was also 50 years ago that the Milford Nike Ajax Missile Site was decommissioned after serving as one of 12 Nike bases in the state. City officials plan to commemorate that anniversary with a plaque dedication at Eells Hill Oct. 15 at 11 a.m. This Cold War part of Milfords history began in 1955, when the U.S. government began buying land on Eells Hill Road and Rock Lane in Milford. By 1956 construction on the Milford sites began and 12-foot-high fences were erected. In 1957 the base was designated as BR (Bridgeport) 17 and was dedicated with the placement of a bronze plaque naming it the Milford Battery Site, an anti-aircraft missile battalion. The Nike Ajax was the worlds first operational guided surface-to-air missile, and it entered service in 1954, according to online encyclopedias. It was designed to attack conventional bomber aircraft flying at high subsonic speeds and altitudes above 50,000 feet. The original Nike missile, the Ajax, used a high explosive fragmentation warhead that could successfully destroy or at least damage a single incoming Russian bomber, according to Coldwar-ct.com. The Nike base in Milford was fully operational from 1957 to 1963. It consisted of missiles housed in the Launcher Control area on Rock Lane, the Fire Control area on Eells Hill, and a support facility on Seemans Lane. Today Eells Hill is like a ghost town with an eerie vibe created by the buildings left over from its Nike days. The buildings are worn and boarded, and the area has been largely deserted and unused since the Milford Board of Education stopped using it for its main offices in the mid 1980s. Today the primary users are an amateur radio club, and sometimes an area astronomy group heads up the hill to observe the skies. When I arrived at Eells Hill in June 1955, the site was still under assembly, wrote Hugh Walker on the coldwar-ct.com website. The buildings were all there, but equipment was just arriving for installation. The Army screwed up and sent the first crews in before they should have. At Eells Hill in that year, Walker would have found radar equipment, computers, generators, a mess hall, medic office, signal and supply rooms, PX and barbershop, barracks, plus an enlisted mens club that offered beer, booze, sandwiches, cards, and more. It was from Eells Hill that military personnel would use the equipment at their disposal to detect incoming targets and direct the missiles if need be. The missiles lay in underground magazines at the launch site on Rock Lane. The elevators would bring missiles up from the pits, then they were slid onto a rail and erected from there. The rails held up to 12 at a time. Seemans Lane housed the Ordnance Support facility. If we ran out of an electronic or other parts for our system or needed technical assistance, it was there for us and other Connecticut sites, said Milford resident Eric Muth. The base was initially manned by the U.S. Army, but was turned over to the National Guard in 1961. There were 48 full-time technicians, augmented by at least another 53 part-time National Guardsmen who performed Tuesday evening, often weekend, and annual two-week training sessions. In the event of a national emergency, they would be called up and the battery would be at full strength. Most positions required security clearances, Muth said. Some, all the way up to top secret. The National Guard technicians took their posts at the Milford site on Oct. 31, 1960, and they assumed the mission on Jan. 5, 1961, after completion of three months of training at Fort Bliss, Texas, and McGregor Range, N.M. The 63rd Artillery Group turned over sites to the National Guard in Milford, Portland, Simsbury, and Westport. With very short notice, annually, the battery would fly out of Sikorsky Airport to Texas and New Mexico to fire Ajax missiles. At the time, the state of Connecticut adjutant general said of them: These guardsmen have become the modern Minutemen of the missile age; these men with supersonic missiles will defend Connecticuts cities and towns. It was a year after the National Guard took control of the base that the biggest test of its existence occurred at the Milford site. On Oct. 15, 1962, the Cuban missile crisis gripped the nation and the site was placed on full alert and battle stations, which was a first, Muth said. All stations were manned 24 hours a day during the two-week crisis, which ended on Oct. 28. For those two weeks, the front line of Air Defense troops worked four hours on and four hours off. None of us could believe that this was actually happening, Muth said. We were hooked up and ready to fire, all but for that red covered button. We were never in a higher DEFCON and we now know how very real that crisis was and how close we came to actually having to push that red button. Milford resident William Finch was a section chief at the missile launch site on Rock Lane. Still with a sense of the secrecy that surrounded the project at the time, Finch is hesitant to say how many missiles were there. His job was to help bring the missiles topside during drills, or in the case of the Cuban missile crisis, when they might be needed for genuine action. During the Cuban missile crisis, we had them up and ready to go, Finch said. Bill Biagoni, also of Milford, was stationed at the launch site as well. A former member of the 82nd Airborne Division, Biagoni had parachuted into Normandy in 1944 before joining the National Guard. He worked in the assembly area at the Rock Lane launching area, but wasnt supposed to be on duty when the base went into full alert in 1962. I was on a back road, and I heard what was going on and knew right away there was a problem, Biagoni said. All the missiles were up, so I reported for duty. Lee Baldieri of Milford was a communication specialist in charge of maintaining all the communications throughout the Nike site. Once a month the battery was on an alert status and worked 24 hours on and 24 hours off, but other than the alert status, it was job like most people had. However, the day the military intelligence confirmed the missiles on the Russian trawlers heading toward Cuba, we began to elevate our alert status until we were at full alert and manning our radar positions, Baldieri said. After announcing our duty position I recall hearing from the battery control officer, All stations, this is the BCO, battle stations, battle stations. These words were strictly used if and when we prepared for battle. We always used the words blazing skies for training, and when we heard battle stations we knew it was the real thing. I recall calling my wife on the telephone and telling her I was not coming home that evening and dont ask me any questions about why or when, he continued. We did work long hours and it wasnt too unusual to come home late, but when I added, Dont ask me any questions about why or when, she knew something serious was happening at the site. When there was no crisis, the military base operated like any other base, and Muth recounted some stories from daily life. When we took over in Milford the closest food was from the Starlight Dairy on New Haven Avenue, which had limited hours and resembled our generator shack, he said. Within a year or so Secondis truck stop was opened and it had the first and only 24-hour-a-day diner operation in this part of town, a godsend. Reveille and retreat occurred daily to the tune of a scratchy bugle recording. Everyone kept close track of their watches so they would not be caught outside at the appointed times, which required standing at attention and saluting for the duration of the recording. The battery sponsored Scout Troop & Post 19 and took part in many community events, such as blood drives and parades. Still, there was much that wasnt known publicly about the missiles and the operation here. On one sunny day in the 1950s a dummy Nike Ajax missile dislodged from its in-transient lowboy trailer onto Merwin Avenue near Riverdale Road in Milford, Muth said. I heard that people came from all around to view this event. Secrecy prevented their knowing better, but many civilians thought they had a nuc lying on their street. Nike virtually ended on paper when the threat of Soviet bombers shifted to ballistic missiles, but the Hercules sites, which replaced the Ajax program, remained around for a while. The United States signed the SALT II treaty in 1974 and that ended the Nike Air Defense program in the nation. As Muth and city officials have been working to observe this part of Milfords history, Muth was also trying to find the original plaque that was placed at the site. A man who had been stationed there reportedly removed the original 1957 plaque and then brought it with him to a reunion several years ago. Muth traced the plaque through several owners before managing to bring it back to Milford. The city mounted the 1957 dedication plaque on a boulder and placed a new plaque dedicated to Nike Missilemen above it. Both will be featured at the dedication ceremony at Eells Hill. The Milford Ajax IFC site belongs to the city of Milford, Muth said. Now and then I take a ride up to the hill, walk around a bit and relive some memories. Though you can go back, you cant go back. (Editors note: According to City Historian Richard Platt, Eells Hill is the proper spelling, although street signs and maps refer to Eels Hill. To get to the dedication site, take New Haven Avenue toward Woodmont, and turn left on Eels Hill Road.) They say one mans trash is another mans treasure. That is the case with an old landmark diner that sat in downtown Milford for years, falling apart due to the weather and neglect. The diner had become a downtown eyesore in recent years, tagged with several health department notices stating it was in violation of the citys blight ordinance. Last Wednesday, Nov. 28, the old Milford Diner arrived at the home of Danny Miller outside of Kokomo, Ind., and Miller was thrilled. Hed never seen it before even though he laid claim to it more than a year ago. When it finally arrived, he said it was in even better shape than hed expected. M&G Rigging and Hauling in Lancaster, Pa., moved the diner from Milford to Indiana. While it was the week of Nov. 12 that Mel Brandt, president of M&G Rigging, and his crew were on the SBC property loading the old diner onto a flatbed truck, it wasnt until the evening of Wednesday, Nov. 28, that the diner finally rolled into Indiana. Brandt had to wait for permits and escorts to start the roughly 800-mile journey, and Miller said Brandt didnt really get going on the trek until Monday, Nov. 26. The diner was well wrapped, but some of the shrinkwrap came off several times along the way, making it necessary to stop and reattach the material. But the diner arrived safely. Miller said Brandt, described as a veteran king of the road of diner movers, arrived by himself, and after parking the diner behind a church for the night, the next day the two got ready to unload it. He showed up by himself and I said, Mel, wheres your help, and Mel said, youre looking at it, Miller recounted. Miller said they used a system of stacking railroad ties 37 inches high, just touching the frame of the diner, and them Brandt pulled a lever and lowered the flatbed so the diner rested on the structure of railroad ties. Saving history Miller is a car and history enthusiast, and he plans to restore the diner over the next three years and then move it somewhere, possibly to Kokomo, to resume its life as a working diner. This isnt exactly out of the ordinary for Miller. In 2004, he bought the Haynes Automobile Co.s factory in Kokomo a four-story, red-brick building and moved his car-restoration business into the former factory, according to an article in the Kokomo Tribune. A developer has since purchased the factory for apartments, Miller said. The Milford Diner was once a city landmark, serving breakfast to Milford area residents for many years. Some people still remember the red vinyl booths and the red counter stools that added color to the small city eatery. The Memaj family ran the restaurant until 2003, at which time it looked like the structure would be demolished. John Lombard, a resident and businessman, stepped in and purchased the diner for $100,000 at the suggestion of his young son to help the Memaj family. His plans to move it and reopen it, and to have the Memaj family run it, however, fell through because, he said, the former owner of the New Haven Avenue parcel where the diner was located claimed ownership of the diner. In the middle of the legal wrangling the [Memaj] family informed me they would not be able to run the diner in our proposed new location due to health issues, Lombard said. At that point we dropped our efforts to move the diner. In 2009, a nonprofit group took up the battle to save the city landmark and assumed control of the Milford Diner. They intended to turn the iconic, stainless steel diner into a tourist and information center. Then, for various reasons the efforts died, leaving the diner to the elements. It was a couple of years ago that Miller learned about the diner through a diner museum website and got permission to take ownership of it. Miller said when the old Milford Diner arrived in Indiana last week, he got his first chance to see it in person. The barstools inside the diner are a bit rusty, but they dont look too bad, he said. I believe I can salvage them. He intends to salvage all of it. The diner, originally thought to be a 1946 Silk City Diner, is actually a 1953 Silk City Diner, Miller said. As of this past weekend, he hadnt done much except secure the diner on his property. Ill start in the spring working on it hot and heavy, Miller said. He bought another diner, by the way: Miller had nearly given up on getting the Milford Diner when he decided to buy a diner in New Jersey. That one doesnt need restoration, however, and Miller said he may just have it moved into storage until he decides where it will go. While some people may question the desire to save old diners, Miller said its a passion based on history, memories and all that chrome. His motto is saving history and bringing the past alive. So many people responded personally on my diner Facebook page, Miller said. They were posting their memories, and thats one of the main reasons for this, to keep their memories alive and allow more to be made in the future. When Miller sees an old diner, he doesnt see a rusty structure with doors and broken glass. He sees what it was, with the people inside and the food cooking on the grill. He hears the owners greeting people by name, and sort of pines for an era that is long gone. The architecture, material and design of that period are an added bonus, he said. Miller is hoping people have photos of the old diner that they can share with him. He would like to restore the inside to the way it once looked. He can be contacted at facebook.com/savethemilforddiner. 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. The sailor who died Thursday after experiencing a medical emergency aboard the deployed carrier Theodore Roosevelt in the Pacific was a Navy chief assigned to one of the carrier's embarked strike fighter squadrons, officials announced Friday night. Aviation Electronics Technician Chief Petty Officer Justin Calderone, assigned to Strike Fighter Squadron 146 out of Naval Air Station Lemoore, Calif., died around 5 a.m. local time July 2 after being evacuated from the ship by an MH-60S Seahawk helicopter and taken to a military medical facility onshore. The carrier has been operating in the Eastern Pacific and was in the vicinity of Pearl Harbor at the time. Read Next: Military Hazardous Duty Pay Could Increase by 10% Under New Proposal Calderone was from Ohio and enlisted in the Navy in 2003, officials with U.S. 3rd Fleet said in a release. He had earned the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal, with four subsequent awards. It's not clear what the nature of Calderone's medical emergency was. Though the ship had nearly 1,300 embarked sailors test positive for COVID-19 in the Navy's largest outbreak earlier this year, officials said Calderone had been tested multiple times and was consistently negative for the disease. "It is a tragedy to lose a shipmate," Cmdr. Kevin McNatt, commanding officer of VFA-146, said in a statement. "Our thoughts and prayers are with the family and shipmates of Chief Calderone during this difficult time." The carrier deployed in late January from its San Diego homeport and got underway again June 4 after a multi-month stopover in Guam to address the COVID-19 outbreak onboard. -- 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 Employees at multiple mid-Michigan restaurants have tested positive for coronavirus, including an Arbys in Shiawassee County; the Legends Diner at Soaring Eagle Casino and Resort; and Os Pub and Grill in Auburn. According to the Argus-Press, the Arbys restaurant on East M-21 in Caledonia Township has been closed after a positive test came June 26, Shiawassee County Health Director Larry Johnson said. Prior to the positive test, the restaurant was only open for drive-thru and the risk was mostly limited to staff rather than customers, Johnson said. All employees were tested and are self-isolating, a spokesperson with Inspire Brands told the Argus-Press. There were no further positive tests as of Thursday. The Morning Sun reports that the Legends Diner, one of the restaurants at the Soaring Eagle Casino and Resort, closed Thursday night after an employee tested positive for COVID-19. The employee developed symptoms away from work, the Sun reports, and it wasnt anticipated that there was significant risk of transmission to anyone in close contact with the employee. The restaurant closed Thursday night for deep cleaning and resort staff are working with the Central Michigan District Health Department to trace contacts of the employee who tested positive, the Sun reports. An employee at Os was exposed outside of the workplace June 20, according to a Facebook post from the restaurant. The employee worked inside June 22 and outside June 23, and they were informed of the exposure June 24, when they tested positive, the post said. HellO Os fans.... All Of the infOrmatiOn is in.... Ill be shOrt and sweet sO yOu can gO enjOy this beautiful weather.... Posted by O's Pub & Grill on Thursday, July 2, 2020 The employee never experienced symptoms, and family members and coworkers in close proximity with the employee all tested negative, the post said. Os said they had a company perform a deep cleaning of the restaurant and the employee will be off for another week even though they were cleared to return by the local health department. The state reported 460 new cases of COVID-19 Friday, the second-highest total since Gov. Gretchen Whitmer lifted the states stay-at-home order June 1. READ MORE: Saturday, July 4: Latest developments on coronavirus in Michigan Whitmer shuts down indoor bar service in most of Michigan Hydroxychloroquine is effective in treating COVID-19, says Henry Ford Health System study LANSING, MI More Michigan residents were confirmed to have coronavirus cases and die from the disease from Friday to Saturday of the Fourth of July weekend. State health officials on Saturday, July 4, reported newly 398 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and three deaths over the last 24 hours, according to data from the Department of Health and Human Services. For comparison, Friday saw an increase of 460 confirmed cases and three more deaths. The additions brought Michigans confirmed totals to 65,533 known cases and 5,972 deaths linked to the infectious respiratory illness since March. Michigan began to average fewer than 300 new cases per day in June, reaching a low of 74 cases on 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. 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. Sorry, but your browser does not support frames. The virus fatality rate in the state is at 9.2%, according to the states website. Though Gov. Gretchen 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. Sorry, but your browser does not support frames. 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. Gov. 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 YPSILANTI, MI Dozens of people showed up to Prospect Park in Ypsilanti Saturday to support Black Lives Matter and to say that the Fourth of July holiday doesnt represent freedom for all. Event organizer Steven Daugherty said the Fourth of July holiday wasnt made for Black people, saying Black people deal with oppression every day, and its been going on for too long. Its on everyone else in this country to stand up for (Black people)... Support from everybody is integral for things to actually change, Daugherty said. Daugherty and other organizers made sure people were taken care of in the steamy weather with sunscreen, water, hand sanitizer and Clorox wipes as the group listened to several speakers before marching to the Ypsilanti Police Department. The Grill Father Ribs and BBQ provided food for protesters as event organizers asked the community to support a Black-owned business. Pastor Edward Pruett led the group in prayer before they listened to speakers and said he hopes some change is enacted so future generations dont have to fight the same fight. What were fighting right now is the same, exact fight our grandmothers and grandfathers fought, said Pruett. He said he and his four-month-old son have been to numerous protests in the area. Im just praying that this fight can be the end, and a long-term, sustainable end to what they fought so my child and children of the community dont have to do it for years to come. Speakers following Pruett included U.S. Reps. Debbie Dingell and Laurie Pohutsky, Washtenaw County Prosecutor-hopeful Hugo Mack and Regina Weiss, who is running for state representative of the 27th District. Weiss said the Fourth of July is typically a day of celebration, but many people still dont have the equality that was promised in the Declaration of Independence. I think the most patriotic thing we can do is to use our voices to fight for equality, said Weiss, a member of the Oak Park City Council. Even in the face of a pandemic, I hope people arent quiet and keep bringing attention to this issue because, just like a virus, systemic racism has infected our entire society. If were not working to eradicate it, then were going to be dealing with the results forever. Event organizer Shaun Whitehead, an attorney based in Independence, Ohio, said he has been studying Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. His speech, The American Dream, echoed the principles of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, Whitehead said, but even more than 50 years after Kings assassination, Black lives still dont matter. Theres police brutality, theres prison industrial complex, theres things that extend from slavery all the way to Jim Crow, Whitehead said. Were not out here red, white and blue. If you want to do that, thats great, but were out here on a blackout. Were trying to make sure that everybody knows that you need people that have power to use that privilege to help those that are being discriminated against disproportionately. Fourth of July cant matter until Black lives matter, until Asian lives matter, until Jewish lives matter, until every peoples lives matter, Whitehead said. JENISON, MI Authorities are seeking information about suspects in a cell phone store robbery that led to a police pursuit through West Michigan Friday afternoon. Ottawa County Sheriffs Office responded to the burglary at 2:35 p.m. Friday, July 3, at a Verizon store, 7589 Cottonwood Drive in Jenison, according to a news release issued by the sheriffs office. Employees at the store reported five or six males walked into the store and demanded cash, according to the release. The men also reportedly stole items from the store, police said. A deputy who was patrolling nearby responded to the incident and saw a vehicle leaving the area that matched a description given by store employees. Police pursued the vehicle into Kent County, but eventually had to stop due to high speeds and heavy traffic, according to the release. The sheriffs office is working with nearby police departments that have reported similar incidents, according to the release. Police ask anyone with information related to the burglary to call the sheriffs department at 800-249-0911, or Silent Observer at 1-877-887-4536. More on MLive: Holland cell phone store robbery leads to short police pursuit More than 36 cars stolen from Grand Rapids area dealerships in about two weeks: police No injuries reported in Kalamazoo house fire Woman found shot to death in Muskegon Heights GRAND RAPIDS, MI For more than 80 years, residents of the Ottawa Hills neighborhood of Grand Rapids have celebrated the Fourth of July with the annual Hollyhock Lane Parade. Amid the coronavirus pandemic, excited residents again gathered in their front yards Saturday along the route, donning patriotic accessories. This years parade came with a few changes. Cookies, candy, frozen treats, and beverages were not handed out. Attendees were told to spread at least six feet apart during the ceremony after the parade, and masks were mandatory. The Calvin-Giddings Patriotic Association emphasized prior to the event that it would honor all COVID-19 social distancing and safety restrictions. This is my seventh year living here and I love the feeling of community, said Ottawa Hills Neighborhood resident Mike Huner. I am glad they were able to maintain some degree of normality in what has been a terrible year. For safety reasons, organizers did not offer the popular childrens decorated bike sections this year. But, while the event was scaled back, families were having fun and there was enthusiasm for the treasured tradition and its activities, such as the family float competition. Traditional aspects of the parade remained, such as community youth portraying Lady Liberty, Uncle Sam and American Revolution Patriots leading the parade. The Independence Day festivities in the neighborhood started as a bike parade for kids in 1934, as a way to entertain the kids at little cost during the Great Depression, according to the Ottawa Hills Neighborhood Association website. The short and informal celebration later became a local tradition, with objectives including " to instill patriotism and to promote neighborliness.' Multimedia specialist Alison Zywicki contributed to this article. More on MLive: Free take-out parking at Grand Rapids businesses extended More social zones to expand outdoor bar, restaurant service opening in Grand Rapids Call for removal of Confederate statue in West Michigan sparks debates, anger, frustration HOLLAND, MI No one was injured after gunshots were fired during a verbal argument in a Buffalo Wild Wings parking lot early Saturday morning. Police were dispatched on the report of a verbal argument at 12:51 a.m. Saturday, July 4, in the parking lot of Buffalo Wild Wings, at 2899 West Shore Drive in Holland, according to a news release issued by Ottawa County Sheriffs Office. A group of people that were part of the argument reportedly left the scene in a red Jeep before police arrived, according to the release. As the suspects were leaving, an occupant of the Jeep fired a handgun into the air several times, police said. No one was struck by the rounds, according to the release. Upon arrival, police reportedly found shell casings at the scene. Sheriffs deputies searched the area for the vehicle but did not find it, the release said. The incident remains under investigation by the sheriffs office. Police ask anyone with additional information to contact Silent Observer at 1-877-887-4536. More on MLive: Woman found shot to death in Muskegon Heights DNR investigates poaching after deer shot near school, 2 fawns orphaned Theres nothing left, says family of 5 that lost home, dogs to house fire One of the most significant backbones of Ghanas economic and social development for a very long time has been small and medium scale enterprises (SMEs). They are the major driving force for business development, employment creation, production of goods and services, and internal income generation in Ghana. 90% of registered businesses in Ghana are SMEs according to the Registrar Generals Department as noted by Graphic Online. An SME Research Report by Ghana Web also indicated that SMEs contribute an estimated 70% of Ghanas GDP and account for approximately 85% of employment in the Ghanaian manufacturing sector. With all these facts in mind, it has become imperative that Ghana intensifies efforts to further develop its existing SMEs and prepare to empower the new ones. Access to credit/capital - The biggest problem facing most SMEs in Ghana is the lack of credit or capital. Many SMEs find it extremely difficult to get the financial backing to boost their businesses. The financial institutions usually decline loan requests because of the positioning of such SMEs. E-commerce plays an integral part of building a good portfolio for SMEs. Having your products online in an organized way helps to reach a larger audience and generates into better sales. This helps create a good portfolio and gives the financial institutions confidence that these SMEs are eligible for the loans requested. Also, being a partner to such credible online retail platforms like Jumia gives these SMEs great credibility to access credit and capital. A platform for small scale vendors - Would you rather have a shop in the middle of nowhere or a shop in the busiest part of the city? How many people will walk into your physical shop in a day as compared to the millions of people likely to see your product online? Business in Ghana has changed and most people would rather shop on their smartphones and laptops than visit physical stores. In the wake of COVID-19, everyone is trying to keep safe and online business has seen a tremendous increase. SMEs can really leverage on this to grow. Placing your products or services online gives you a bigger platform to showcase your shops and increase revenue. SMEs get to learn new techniques, meet partner brands and expand their businesses with the training and guidance from experts in the online retail industry. Employment - One important area of growth for SMEs in Ghana is the area of employment. Over the years, many graduates complete school with the main aim of landing white-collar jobs, earn a decent salary, and build a life from there. With growing numbers of graduates per year and limited opportunities, the best way forward is self-employment. E-commerce has indeed helped many of such unemployed graduates to enjoy good fortunes in developing their ideas. From small scale clothing to mobile phone accessories or cosmetics, platforms like Jumia have made it possible for thousands of unemployed Ghanaians to become gainfully self-employed. This opens the way for these SMEs to then also absorb other skilled people who may not necessarily have their own businesses. Best pricing (increased demand) - One of the greatest advantages that e-commerce has brought to SMEs in Ghana is that of increased demand. This is as a result of the price war among several vendors. In the online business, to get good revenue, one needs to have good quality products at very competitive prices. When that happens, more and more customers are willing and able to buy these products, and that increases demand. This opens the door for SMEs to grow and expand. Best pricing also facilitates quicker sales hence paving a path to profitability. Competition - In the absence of competition, there is always complacency. The e-commerce industry thrives on competition between vendors. Although the is a bigger customer audience online, SMEs have to be at the top of their games to possess a great share of the market. This then triggers an improvement in the quality of goods and services, customer service, management, and other pillars of growth. Without competition, SMEs feel comfortable and do not look for various channels of growth. There is great potential for SME growth and development here in Ghana. However, it is dependent on all stakeholders to identify the right opportunities and leverage e-commerce in order to maximize this potential. The future is bright and we are just getting started. Start a business today and take it online and if you already own a small business, its time to look at it in the e-commerce spectrum. Lets grow! The Bureau of the Boards of Governors of the African Development Bank (AfDB) has announced a panel to review allegations of misconduct against its President, Akinwumi Adesina. In a communique issued Wednesday, July 1, 2020, the Board says it has agreed on the Terms of Reference for the Independent Review at its meetings of June 18, 2020, and July 1, 2020, and selected three persons namely, Mrs Mary Robinson, Mr. Hassan B. Jallow and Mr. Leonard F. McCarthy to constitute a High-Level Panel of Independent Experts to conduct the said Review. The panel will be chaired by Mrs Robinson. The Board describes the experts as individuals with unquestionable experience, high international reputation and professional integrity. The panel, according to the communique, is expected to submit its report to the Bureau within a period of two to four weeks maximum. Mrs Robinson was the former President of the Republic of Ireland, Mr Jallow is the Chief Justice of The Gambia and Mr MacCarthy is President of LFMcCarthy Associates, Inc., an integrity risk management company based in Washington, D.C, USA. A group of anonymous employees of the Bank describing themselves as concerned staff members of the AfDB wrote to the Board of Governors and detailed cases of alleged breach of conduct by Adesina. They indicated that they had initially followed established policies within the Bank to express their concerns, but in early March they came to the conclusion that the Ethics Committee was unable or unwilling to proceed with their preliminary examination of the complaints. The French daily Le Monde first reported the allegations which include various cases of alleged breaches of the Code of Conduct: unethical conduct, private gain, impediment to efficiency, preferential treatment, adversely affecting confidence in the integrity of the Bank, and involvement in political activity. The staff added, It looks as if a conscious effort is done by some staff members close to the President to sabotage all attempts by the Ethics Committee to perform its duties. In the more than a dozen pages long letter dated sometime in April 2020, the aggrieved staff also complained of preferential treatment for Nigeria and Nigerians. They pointed out that while Nigeria owned a little more than 9 per cent of the shares in the AfDB, Nigerians made up roughly 25 per cent of the newly recruited managerial functions under a massive recruitment drive that was launched due to the restructuring of President Adesina between 2016 and 2018. Among the new managers, the staff allege is a brother-in-law of Adesina who is also a childhood friend. In his response, Adesina said, I am 100 per cent confident that due process and transparency, based on facts and evidence, will indicate that these are all nothing more than spurious and unfounded allegations. The staff also raised concerns about awards that Adesina received in 2017 and 2019 of $250,000 and $500,000 from groups in the United States and South Korea. It is not clear if he received these awards as the President of the AfDB or as a private citizen, but dozens of people, Bank staff, executive directors, and others including family members attended the award ceremonies at the Banks costs. The letter queried further: If these awards were private, why did the Bank support associated costs? If they were awarded to the President of the Group of the Bank were the awards returned to the Bank? The Banks Ethics Committee, however, says it has found no evidence to support the allegations against Adesina. According to a Bloomberg news report, the Committee noted in a document dated April 26, that after it has examined the allegations point by point, the complaint was not based on any objective and solid fact. The document the news outlet says has been verified by Niale Kaba, chair of the Banks Board of Governors. But two weeks after the Ethics Committee found no evidence to support the allegations, the US Treasury Secretary, Steven Mnuchin has responded, rejecting plans by the Banks Board to end the investigation, and called for an independent probe into the allegations against Adesina. Adesina is due for re-election at the Banks next Annual Meetings in a contest he is standing unopposed, for another five-year term. A worker walks among stacks of food at the Kumkhop Trading Co. food factory in Pyongyang, North Korea, in this March 13 photo. AP-Yonhap The U.N. World Food Program (WFP) will resume humanitarian food aid to 771,000 North Koreans, the Voice of America said Saturday, citing a WFP report. In the report, the WFP said it needs an estimated US$27.5 million from July to December to help the North handle the COVID-19 pandemic, and it lacks $3 million. Seven Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) and four private citizens, have jointly sued Akufo-Addo government over the exploration and drilling of deep wells in the Atewa Forest Reserve. Mr Martin Kpebu, the counsel for the plaintiffs filed the writ against the Attorney General at the General Jurisdiction Court (High Court) Division. The CSOs are : A Rocha Ghana, Flower Ghana, Concern Citizens of Atewa Landscape, Ghana Youth Movement, Ecocare Ghana, Kasa Initiative Ghana and Save the Frogs Ghana. The private citizens are: Awula Serwah, Oteng Adjei, Boakye Twumasi- Ankrah and Nana Asante. The plaintiffs, in their writ, are seeking an order compelling the Government and its agents to declare the Atewa Range Forest (ARF) as a "Protected Zone" and take steps to protect the forest in accordance with its constitutional obligation, as contained under Article 36 (9) of the 1992 Constitution. They are seeking an order directed at the Government to restore and pay cost for the restoration of damages that have been caused to the ARF. The plaintiffs are also seeking a declaration that the mining of bauxite in the ARF violates the right to life and dignity, as enshrined in the Constitution. According to them, the right to life and dignity, as enshrined in the Articles 13 and 15 of the Constitution, included the right to have the environment protected for the benefit of the present and future generations. It is, therefore, praying the Court to restrain the Government, its agents, workmen, allotees and guarantees from undertaking mining and its related activities in the forest. In their statement of case, the plaintiffs say they were private citizens and organizations involved in advocacy aimed at protecting the environment and they bore the Constitutional duty under Article 41(k) of the Constitution to protect and safeguard the environment. They also had a social responsibility to protect the public from exposure to environmental harm, especially when scientific investigation "has found a plausible risk". "Government has a greater responsibility to protect and safeguard the environment and address Climate Change, as well as secure biodiversity as obligated under two international conventions that it is a signatory to." The plaintiffs said, the Government, however, in 2017 signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Republic of China, with the ARF as one of the sources of bauxite. "Based on the MoU, the Government commenced with the prospecting of minerals and in flagrant disregard of Section 9 of the Minerals Act 2006 (Act 703) as amended," the plaintiffs said. They said the Government, through the Integrated Aluminum Development Corporation (GAIDEC) entered the forest in May 2019 and as at the time of filing the writ, 53 deep wells had been drilled. They were not against the Government's quest to mobilise revenue by exploiting Ghana's natural resources for national development, they pointed out. However, Ghana did not need to exploit the Atewa Forest Bauxite reserve because there were other bauxite reserves, they said. The plaintiffs averred that GIADEC estimated that there were 900-million tonnes of bauxite minerals across Ghana, with Nyinahin alone, holding 700-million tons (77.98 %) while Awaso and Kyebi had 60-million (6.68 %) and 160-million (17.8 %) respectively. They hold that only 17.8 % of Ghana's bauxite could be found in Kyebi, the area within which ARF could be found. Hence more than 82% of Ghana's bauxite could be mined without compromising the existence of the ARF. They held that the ARF was also administratively classified as a Globally Significant Biodiversity Area (GSBA) and protective forest reserve, for which all mining activities were to be excluded. They said persistent efforts to meet the Government and demonstrate the scientific need to exclude the ARF had proved futile. "Government also refused or failed to engage the local communities and environmentalists who maintain that strip mining is not a sustainable approach," the plaintiffs said. The strip mining, which was being used at Awaso in the Western Region and its outcome had been devastating, they said. They had, therefore, petitioned the President to protect the ARF in a letter dated July 6, 2018; but he has no interest in their cause. They hold that considering the critical importance of the ARF to the water supply system and biodiversity among others, it will not be the best to exploit the forest. GNA Listen to article The Communications Minister, Ursula Owusu-Ekuful believes the outgone Deputy Trades and Industry Minister, Carlos Ahenkorah, must be commended for doing the needful after he flouted COVID-19 safety protocols whilst in isolation. Mr. Ahenkorah on Friday, July 3, 2020, resigned after visiting a centre in the ongoing voter registration exercise despite being aware that he was positive for Coronavirus. Revelations of his conduct were met with intense public pressure for his removal from government. But, Mrs. Owusu-Ekuful, who doubles as Member of Parliament for Ablekuma North, has asked Ghanaians to single out her colleague legislator for doing the needful. I think that in the heat of the moment, Carlos felt compelled to go out there and monitored the registration process. My heart really goes out to him. He is an excellent material in the Ministry, he will be missed but we must respect and applaud him for doing the honourable thing once he realised that he was part of a government that was preaching the compliance of all the COVID-19 protocol. He breached it and he has taken personally responsible for it. So instead of condemning him, we appreciate the steps he has taken. It is very rare in this country for people to acknowledge that whatever they have done is wrong so they will lay their position down. Others will have been defending the indefensible, She noted. Commenting on calls for the prosecution Mr. Ahenkorah, Mrs. Owusu-Ekuful said they had no basis. Prosecution for what? unless you can show that an individual contracted the virus by coming into contact with him because he went out on the monitoring. It will be difficult to establish a case for spreading COVID-19 unwillingly. It is easy to say but will you have the evidence to prosecute. I think that if it is a punishment we want, he has laid down his position as deputy Minister to take responsibility for it. You don't beat a dead horse, what else would you achieve by his prosecution? If he had insisted that he hadn't done anything wrong and so he was still going to defend his action then the call for further sanction to be applied would be in order. Resignation shameful Meanwhile, the MP for Bole Bamboi and Deputy Ranking Member on the Trades and Industry Committee of Parliament, Alhaji Yusif Sulemana, described President Akufo-Addos acceptance of Mr. Ahenkorahs resignation as disgraceful, He is my colleague but when someone is wrong, the person is wrong. For me, the President accepting his resignation and eulogizing is a shame, he said in an interview with Citi News. Call for prosecution The General Secretary of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), Johnson Asiedu Nketia, wants Mr. 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. Already, Pressure group, OccupyGhana has also demanded the prosecution of the legislator for violating the COVID-19 protocols. The pressure group further called on the governing New Patriotic Party to withdraw the candidacy of Carlos Ahenkorah as its parliamentary candidate for the 2020 polls in the Tema West constituency. The group described Ahenkorah's action as despicable, outrageous and selfish. citinewsroom Cameroon's government and the leaders of English-speaking separatists have begun ceasefire talks, the rebels said Friday, an unprecedented step towards stemming near daily violence that has killed more than 3,000 people in under three years. The anglophone Northwest and Southwest regions have been gripped by conflict since the separatists declared their independence in October 2017 after decades of grievances at perceived discrimination by the francophone majority. The main separatist leader and self-proclaimed president of "Ambazonia" -- the name given to the breakaway state -- Julius Sisiku Ayuk Tabe said that the negotiations started with government representatives on Thursday evening. "Nine of our leaders in detention were invited to meet with a team from the government of La Republique du Cameroun on initiating a ceasefire following the United Nation's request to bring an end to the war in Ambazonia," Ayuk Tabe, who is in jail serving a life sentence, said in a statement sent to AFP by his lawyer. "Once significant progress is made, the interim government of Ambazonia will update Ambazonians," he said, adding that he remains committed to the independence of the two regions. The nine leaders are self-declared members of the "interim government of Ambazonia". All are in jail in the capital Yaounde, sentenced last August on "terrorism" charges. The Cameroonian government neither confirmed nor denied the meeting had been held, but a senior UN official told AFP that it took place. President Paul Biya's government has previously refused to negotiate with the separatist leaders. By MARCO LONGARI (AFP/File) Despite international pressure, it is the first meeting between separatist leaders and the government since the conflict broke out in the two regions, which account for about a fifth of a population that is overwhelmingly French-speaking. Surprise development President Paul Biya's government has previously refused to negotiate with the separatist leaders. It held a "national dialogue" on the conflict in October, but most separatist groups refused to participate, many pointing out their leaders remained in prison. In early March, the UN called for a ceasefire in the two regions, in part to help combat the coronavirus pandemic. But the appeal went unheeded, with military operations even seeming to intensify -- the army said it killed 24 separatists in two raids last month. The sudden softening towards negotiation therefore took many by surprise. In the statement sent to AFP, the separatist leaders said "no war has ever been wrapped up in the battlefield" and that "real, sustainable peace and independence are a product of the negotiation table". The two anglophone regions account for about a fifth of a population that is overwhelmingly French-speaking. By MARCO LONGARI (AFP/File) The statement, which is addressed to separatist militants, said the Thursday meeting was "an initial confidence-building procedure" and that the leaders' position on a negotiated ceasefire was made "clear and unambiguous" to the government. Cameroon's anglophone protest movement is fragmented into several groups, with the most radical not recognising the "interim government of Ambazonia" and refusing any discussion with the government. The revelation of the talks -- meant to remain secret, at least at first -- comes as four people were injured by a homemade bomb in the capital Yaounde, which has been mostly spared the violence of the separatist conflict. Abuses on both sides Both English-speaking regions were once part of British colonies in West Africa called the Southern Cameroons. They joined French-speaking Cameroon after it gained independence from France in 1960. After months of protests in late 2017, decades of resentment boiled over into an armed campaign for independence that was then met with a brutal government crackdown. The two anglophone regions in majority French-speaking Cameroon. By (AFP/File) There has been almost constant violence in the two regions since, and more than 700,000 people have been forced to flee their homes. Rights monitors have said that abuses have been committed by both sides. The country's armed forces have become mired in a series of high-profile atrocities related to the conflict. On Thursday, the National Union of Cameroon Journalists condemned the "confiscation" of the body of anglophone TV reporter Samuel Wazizi, who died in custody after being detained in the Southwest Region's capital Buea in August last year. The army only revealed Wazizi's death last month after international pressure, saying he had worked for the separatists and had died of "severe sepsis". The union accused the authorities of never releasing Wazizi's body to "hide the bodily harm that the journalist suffered during his incommunicado detention". New French prime minister Jean Castex vowed on Friday to place ecological issues at the heart of his government's revamp of a country emerging from an economic crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic. During his first major TV interview on TF1, Castex said: We have to relaunch the reconstruction of our country. We have to invest in sectors for the future. Ecological issues are not an option. They transcend all the political classes. Castex, 55, a former advisor to President Nicolas Sarkozy, took over on Friday from Edouard Philippe whom he hailed for his diligence I worked with him closely on the plan to come out of the lockdown, said Castex. What I saw was a man completely up to the task. He gave everything to do his job well for France.' Castex is expected to unveil his new cabinet in the middle of next week as part of President Emmanuel Macron's demand to project vigour along what he has deemed a new path for the country following the pandemic that claimed nearly 30,000 lives, savaged the economy and exposed social faultlines. We're in a new context, added Castex. The French have gone through difficult times. There are economic and social problems. I am not here as prime minister to bask in the limelight. I am here to get things done. I am here to confront the economic crisis and reconstruct our country. However Macron's appointment of Castex has drawn criticism from across the political spectrum. Criticism Christian Jacob, president of LR, said: We were expecting a political turning but all we've got is a technocrat." Olivier Faure, the leader of the Socialist party, added: The president has revealed his leanings. The day after it is someone from the right just like the day before. Julien Bayou, one of the leaders of the ecology party, EELV, echoed Faure. A man from the right takes over from a man on the right. What about the ecological issues? The president does not want competition. Rather than preparing the country for the future, he wants to prepare for the next presidential election. That is not a good project for our country. However, during his 25-minute interview on Friday night, Castex dismissed the barbs. I am aware of the comments and I know the weight of the duties ahead. "I will work as best as I can for the country and the citizens. I wasn't a national figure, I was a local politician. But now I am prime minister and I am going to apply myself as I have always done. Listen to article It is about time the masses say enough is enough with the system of governmance that benefit the few around the governing table.The system that suppresses the rights and freedoms of the masses but frees the elite folks.The system that places the interest of the rich and political folks ahead of the interest of the people they represent and serve.We are tired of the inequality and the lack of transparency in our legal and political systems.We are tired of the rich and political class exploiting the masses to fulfill their parochial interest. The time of accountability is now, to demand for the transformation of our resources and laws. The resources of the country must benefit the masses and the laws must be applied in a balance scale . If we don't rise against injustice, mass exploitations and the corrupt systems.if we don't fight for Economic freedom! Poverty will rise to lavage the masses.Peoples rights will be denied.People will die when they deserve to live.People will starve when they deserve to eat. People will be homeless when they deserve to own houses. If we don't curtail the mass exploitations, Injustice and corrupt systems,the future will be full of bitterness and the generation henceforth will not forgive us for not laying a transparent and Economic free country amidst the rich abundant resources. The struggle to hold the systems accountable and get them working efficiently and freely, is an all inclusive fight.The church and mosque should not refrain,they must play a holy role,be independent and impartial.The traditionalist and all citizens must get involve in the emancipation of our freedoms and justice. The EFF-GH is sending the Clarion call to Ghanaians, expecially the youth, to rise and seek for the future now,from our leaders whom the resources and wealth of the country is given to manage. Article by Anthony Akudago. [email protected] Telephone -+233244940504 [email protected] Listen to article Nigeria is one of the largest by territory with a population (estimated currently at 206 million) and a huge economy in Africa. Situated on the southern coast on the Gulf of Guinea in the Atlantic Ocean, this country most often referred to as the "Giant of Africa" has never-ending multiple and complicated internal problems ranging from politics (system of federal governance) to widening economic disparity to cultural differences. The country has 36 states and it is officially called the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Early July, Kester Kenn Klomegah had the chance and interviewed Chief (Mrs) Marie Okwo, President of the Igbo Women Assembly (IWA), about the impact of the civil war, the current politics and the role of the church in Nigeria. She is one of the remaining few Nigerians who have seen Nigeria from the struggle for independence through the development of its democracy. Mrs. Okwor, who is an associate of the late Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, is now the leader of the Igbo Women Assembly and a one-time member of the Advisory Council of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). Established as an NGO in 2006, the Igbo Women Assembly focuses on women empowerment and the youth, it consistently encourages moral values, particularly among young graduates. Headquarters in Enugu, Enugu State of Nigeria. Here are the interview excerpts: The Nigerian civil war (1967-70) was a bitter experience and has also affected expected development in the Biafra State. What are your views about this, especially from womens perspectives? The war of 1967-1070 war was a pogrom; a war of attrition meant to wipe out a whole race for no just cause. It reminded me of the Holocaust against the Jews. Those who died of hunger starvation, bombings were numerous in number. Malnutrition killed many children who developed a disease called "kwashiokor" medical experts explain as lack of protein in the body and the belly fills up with fluid. I feel very emotional as I speak about this. Suffice it to say, that the war could have been avoided, had Nigeria kept her end of the agreement at Aburi, in the Republic of Ghana, which came to be called "the Aburi Accord" that was reached in 1967. This venue offered the delegates security guarantee and that meeting was billed to be the last chance of preventing all-out war. The accord finally broke down because of differences of interpretation on both sides. This led to the outbreak of the war. Markets and places of worship were not spared from bombings and strafing. As a matter of facts, one of my domestic staffs lost her mother in one of the market bombings had been hurt by a shrapnel; she bled to death since medical facilities were scarce. The effect of the war on the State of Biafra was deplorable: So much destabilization as the seat of government had to move from place to place and so could not settle down to the business of governing the people effectively. There were so many things to worry about, such how to get arms and ammunition. There was also the issues food insufficiency. Lack of concentration on the part of the Administrators and the Biafran military officers and soldiers had adverse effects on the Biafrans. As each area fell to the Nigerian military and their superior military weapons, civilians also had to relocate to safer areas. It was really rough and tough especially for nursing mothers most of who lost their babies. So so sad an experience. Assessing the effects of the civil war today, especially from gender perspectives, what else can you say in this regard, will women play a more critical role in the administration of a Biafran state? Before I comment on the role women can play in the administration of a Biafran state, let me mention the important roles they played during the war. It will be recalled that most men were in war fronts fighting to defend Biafraland. Others had lost their jobs and were forced to stay idle at home. The duties of catering for the needs of the rest of the families, therefore, fell on the women/ wives. In short, they became the bread winners. On the roles women can play in a Biafran state, let me say, without fear of equivocation that without the contributions of women in governance, success will be difficult to achieve. Women have great potentials that should be harnessed in order to move the state forward. How do you look at the political governance in the country in relation to Biafra State? The government of Nigeria is vehemently aversed to the name Biafra. Mere mention of that name makes them chilly. This government would rather have Biafrans remain under servitude of the Caliphate North. The slogan after the was "No victor, no vanquished." That was the greatest deceit of the century. Biafrans have never been re-integrated. The basis for unity no longer exists. Biafrans struggle for their survival without depending on any one. Since Nigerian government has refused absolutely to accept Biafrans as a component part of Nigeria, it stands to reason that they should be allowed to go and develop on their own at their own pace. It is pertinent to mention that the North contributes little or nothing to the development of the country. Rather resources from Southern Nigeria are controlled and squandered by Northern Elements. On security in Nigeria, I wish to make it categorically clear that in Nigeria, security is at its lowest ebb. The Fulani Herdsmen are the cause of the unprecedented insecurity in Biafraland. They move about freely with their cattle carrying sophisticated AK 47. They destroy farmlands and crops, kill farmers, gang-rape and kill female farmers in their farmlands. The resultant effect of the destruction of farms and crops will be devastating as there will be monumental scarcity of food soon, this will spell doom for the masses. Government and the security operatives are fully aware of the perilous situations but prefer to look the other way. Sometimes the police offer to pay competitions. A few days ago, a middle-aged woman was gang-raped by Fulani Herdsmen in a farm till she went into a coma she was taken to a hospital and later pronounced dead. The insult by these Fulani Herdsmen is a great insult to Biafrans. Why will these Fulanis not allow us peace in our space? Enough is enough! When people are pushed to the wall, they have no alternative than to fight back. Igbo Women Assembly call for a Referendum to settle the issue, once and for all. Our children have no future in Nigeria. We feel like the Israelites while in bondage under the Pharaohs of Egypt. We desire freedom to follow our own designs and practice our Christian Religion without let or hindrance. Are people really satisfied with the current government? What, in your objective view, are some of their political mistakes? Nigeria has never been so polarized or rancorous as it is now. There's so much unrest which stems from oppression, corruption wrong choices of appointees to important governing bodies. Square pegs are placed in round holes indeed. The bitterness existing in Nigeria, at the present time, is unequalled. Security is non- existent. The reality is that there is unchecked anarchy. As things stand now, Nigeria may just disintegrate without gunshots. Almost all of Nigeria's intractable problems emanate from imposition of candidates during elections; no free, fair or credible elections are conducted. The situation gets worse with every election. In the first place, the Constitution under which elections are held is a fraud. Far from being the "People's Constitution." We have faced these mistakes since the inception of presidential system of governance in Nigeria. The system under reference is wasteful, encourages corruption and dictatorial tendencies. In spite of the flaws in the Constitution, the ruling party has ignored most of the clauses which might enhance the peaceful co- existence of the citizens. Impunity is rife with this current Administration. There is therefore an urgent need for intervention by concerned people of the entire world. Any adversity that befalls a Nation will have adverse effects on other Nations if not nipped in the bud. This is a clarion call by the Igbo Women Assembly for assistance by all who abhor oppression and bad governance. No justice, no peace! No peace, no progress! As a highly devout Catholic, how would you argue that the church could be a tool to fight against all injustices and state maladministration, most probably corruption in the Federal Republic of Nigeria? The church in Nigeria, irrespective of denominations, has a vital role to play in addressing the ills of Nigeria. It is the duty of the church to do all in her power to restore the dignity and moral values of our societies. All of a sudden, acquisition of wealth has taken precedence over integrity, justice and fair play. The church has a duty to inculcate the congregations with a sense of responsibility moral values and discipline. Most criminals and corrupt members of the society are not pagans but Christians driven into such negative behavioral tendencies by the system. It is interesting to say that wrong leaderships beget wrong followers. Unfortunately, some pastors preach the gospel of prosperity instead of salvation, thereby driving people into acquiring filthy lucre through any means whatsoever. People quickly forget that greed and avarice lead to destruction. They do not remember that whatever one has on earth cannot accompany him/her to the great beyond. Others will enjoy the ill- gotten goods. Corruption has eaten deep into the fabrics of the nation and the church must make concerted efforts to bring the menace to the barest minimum. And the Biafra diaspora outside Nigeria, especially in the United States and Europeare they optimistic about break away of the Biafran State? Biafrans in the Diaspora are even more enthusiastic about an independent nation than some Biafrans at home. Any sign that a Referendum is on hand will see a deluge of Diaspora Biafrans flying back home. They will contribute in no small measure to bring rapid development to the new nation-state. Surely, this new nation will overtake Nigeria, which regards herself as the so- called largest country, in Africa. Yes! Largest in all types of vices like kidnappings, rape, sleeze oppression, abuse of human rights and so forth. What are your recommendations here, what should or must be done under the current circumstances in Nigeria? My perspective on the future or the way forward for Nigeria, the country has expired and cannot be revived, neither can it be reactivated. It is my well-considered opinion that any group or ethnic nationality, which wants to leave this contraption, should be granted their peace and freedom. Nigeria is too large to be one country since there are too many differences in religion, cultures and traditions, food and languages and other factors. Nigeria has never and can never be one. Unity has eluded the country. If, however, Biafra becomes unattainable then we should go back to the parliamentary system of governance. A weak center with regional autonomy. As things are now, the country is rudderless and groping in the dark. If no positive action is taken soonest, Nigeria will take a nosedive into a deep precipice, in this case, the name will become irreversibly extinct. Interview by Kester Kenn Klomegah. The United States Ambassador to Ghana, Stephanie Sullivan, in a message ahead of the 244th Independence Anniversary of her country, on Saturday, July 4, 2020 rallied the world's citizens to embrace the responsibility towards ending pervasive systemic racism. She declared: 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. Now it is our turn to respond to the moment. 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. In the message, delivered at a commemorative event, held virtually, on Friday, July 3, Madam Sullivan said times were bound to change, and what was accepted in one generation, could be abhorrent in another. 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, she emphasised. 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 one's skin. And we amended our Constitution to enshrine the right of women to vote. 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). She said Ghana shared that sentiment and, therefore, commended her will and efforts to work together across ethnic lines, religious faiths, and political affiliation for the common good, despite the known divisions. We hear that message in the second stanza of Ghana's 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'. Ambassador Sullivan also commended the Government and the citizens of Ghana for their 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, she sated. Giving the background to the independence, she said: 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. ---GNA Listen to article Ghanas legislature has evolved through various political downturns since the overthrow of our first President; Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, in February 1966. The origin of our current Legislature dates as far back as the British Colonial era, where the Legislative council was introduced with the Executive council to help the governor in his colonial duties in their colonies, including Gold Coast. In its early years, the Legislative council had no local representatives, until notable Educated Gold Coasters, including Nana Sir Ofori Atta, Sir Arku Korsah, and others were appointed into the council. The two councils, per their origin, considered basically, the educated elites, relative to their membership. As a result, their main language of communication was the British English Language. Today, the colonial Legislative council is known as the Legislature(Parliament); which is made up of the representatives of the people, based on the number of constituencies in the country. The legislature is an assembly of the grassroots, where issues of development are discussed extensively to aid the executive in taking project decisions and actions. The Legislature discusses bills that are drafted and presented by the Executive and passes them into laws. All the bills that are presented to the Legislature are written and typed in the English language. Hence one is not far from the truth to say that ones ability to speak, write and understand the English language is necessary to becoming a successful MP, especially during the moving and debating of bills and motions on the floor of parliament. Furthermore, as a nation, the English language has been adopted as our lingua franca. As a result, English is mostly used in our formal establishments and meetings, in which parliament is not an exception. More so, todays world is a globalized village with global and regional representative bodies(parliaments) which co-operate and work together on a host of global issues, therefore one will find it extremely difficult to represent Ghana effectively at these levels (ECOWAS, AU, PAN AFRICAN parliaments) effectively, as a legislator, if he/she lacks the ability to speak and understand English language. This takes me to my main issue, Is a persons ability to speak and understand the English language, a determinant of his/her output as an MP? The 1992 constitution of the Republic of Ghana, spells out clearly in Article 94, the requirement for becoming a member of parliament in Ghana. However, per my perusal, the issue of ones ability to speak English language to be able to represent his/her people, is unfortunately missing. Can we, therefore, fault the framers of this supreme document for this perceived error? In recent times, the issue of English speaking, relative to becoming a member of parliament, has surfaced in our politics. Constituents, especially opponents have campaigned on this tentacle against candidates perceived to lack this ability. Most of such candidates have unfairly been punished during their bids to seek election or re-election to becoming members of parliament, especially in the fourth republic, as a result of their inability to speak and understand the English language. Is it fair to judge peoples capabilities of becoming good MPs based on an adopted English Language? Is the English Language ability; the money or political will, to Execute project? One clear reference point of my argument is that of the Hon. Ama Sey, the outgoing member of parliament of Akwatia. She is a hairdresser, who stood against all odds to secure a parliamentary bid on the ticket of the New Patriotic Party in the 2016 general election to represent her people in the legislature. She has served her people for almost four years but recently lost her second bid to parliament in her partys parliamentary primaries. I do not in any way, attribute her inability to express herself in the medium of English language as the sole reason for her rejection by the delegates but it will certainly not be out of the equation. The above is premised on my deductions and reasoning, stemming from my keen interest in the work of Hon. Ama Sey, since her election in 2016. Most Ghanaians, including her own constituent were surprised and appalled at her being elected in 2016, despite her deficiencies. I have also listened to her political opponents, on radio, make a mockery of her election into the legislature. Even during the recent parliamentary primaries of her party, I listened to renowned Political Scientists who rejoiced at her loss. Simply due to her inability to express herself in the English language. I will like to flatly disagree here and categorically with the above views. Is English Speaking directly proportional to an MPs provision of public goods? One may argue, citing issues of representation, committee meeting participation, international assignments to counter my point but I still believe that the deficiency of such MPs can be catered for, with relevant modern creations. Our legislature has modernized. Therefore, there should be necessary arrangements to cater for the needs and deficiencies of all its members. First of all, I believe it is time for parliament to have translators of our local languages especially Akan, to aid the work of MPs who lack a deep appreciation of the English language. We must bear in mind that; our local languages were there before adopting such modern languages. I do not see the ability to speak English language as being proportional to wisdom. Also, parliament must assist or help such deficient MPs by creating a post parliamentary nurturing sessions for them. To me, what matters most is their ability to learn and become conversant with the parliamentary processes. Once they acquaint themselves with the processes and are helped by specially assigned translators, they will become effective. One may say that the above comes at a high cost. It is true but as is always said, democracy is very expensive. Therefore, any creation and mechanism that will bring on board, the needs of all and sundry, is very apt. Finally, the CSOs, media and well-meaning Ghanaians must embark on a campaign to encourage prospective MPs and disabuse the minds of the people of the above held perception. We must cite the examples of most Asian and Arabic giants, who are doing well despite the use of their own indigenous languages to discuss and do the business of parliament. We cannot afford to discriminate. It is about time we did something seriously to address this language issue especially in our legislature. We cannot be like all other countries. Colonization is long gone. Let us, therefore, craft our own medium of communicating in the house of parliament. NANA OSEI BOATENG (POLITICAL SCIENTIST, BROADCASTER, WRITER, EDUCATOR) Winners of the National Short Story Challenge, an initiative of the Ghana Library Authority which was introduced as part of its COVID-19 intervention to remotely engage Ghanaian students and to stimulate their creativity through writing have been announced in Accra. The project was launched in April 2020 and received 766 entries from across the country. At a short ceremony, 6 students received books and cash prizes from the GhLA. Nana Egyiriba Amissah Arthur (12 years) of Glory Hills International School in Accra and Lois Osei-Sekyereh (17 years) of Aburi Girls Senior High School emerged winners in Junior and Senior groups of the National Short Story Writing Challenge respectively and received GHC1000 each. Kofi Boateng Budu (Age 10) of Angels Ridge School of Accra and Saanvi Mirpuri (Age 9) of Ghana International School placed second and third in the junior group and were rewarded with GHC 500 and 300 GHC with Anna Sarfo Nantwi (Age 13) of World Links Academy and Addy O. Janet (Age 13) of Firmons Montessori school also placing second and third in the senior group. They also received GHC 500 and GHC 300 respectively. Two stories received Honorable mentions and six others were tagged as Promising Stories. Participants in these categories received book prizes from the Ghana Library Authority. All stories in the mentioned categories will be published on the Ghana Library App for other children to read. Speaking on behalf of the Executive Director of the Ghana Library Authority, Mr. Samson Osenda, the Head of School and College Libraries department stated, This is an investment into their future, not just the winners but all participants. Whether your story was selected or not, do not rest on your oars and do not get discouraged too. Use this time to sharpen your skills because the future presents more opportunities. I was very happy with the number of entries received; however, I was disappointed by the number of male entries. Out of the 766 entries received, only 271 were males. As we are empowering young girls to read Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) related subjects, we should also encourage our boys to read. Anybody who does not read has made an intentional effort to fail. He expressed his gratitude towards EPP Books and Smartline for their sponsorship, members of the jury and the voluntary readers who helped in the first reading. On her part, Dr. Mary Ashun, the Chairperson for the jury for writing challenge said, I thought it would be fairly easy to choose winners but it really wasnt. Children, you gave us delightful stories to argue about: rags to riches myths, fearsome women warriors, and tearful moments of confronting the death of a loved one. We were mesmerized by your tales. Our last meeting to decide the winners was fulfilling, as we poured over why each story deserved to move up. She further stated, Our country needs more readers, more communicators of the spoken word and with this competition, we realized we do have some! Even more importantly, it was evident that more work needs to be done to encourage more of us to read and what better place to start than with children. Other members of the Jury included Deborah Ahenkorah, founder of Golden Baobab Literature Prize, Eugenia Tachie-Menson, founder of Young Educators Foundation, Samuel Bentil Aggrey, President of the Ghana Library Association and Elliot Agyare, Chief Executive Officer of Smartline Publishing Limited. Nana Akua Mensah, the representative for Smartline publishers expressed their delight in sponsoring this maiden writing challenge. She noted, We always say at Smartline that, if you come to us with anything associated with reading and writing, youve struck the right chord. So if the GhLA in spite of this pandemic has found another avenue to engage students to display their creative skills in writing, then they deserve to be recognized for their effort. Mr. David Prah, The Director Of Communications for the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the Eastern Region has called on Ghanaians to disregard the statements from the National Democratic Congress (NDC) about the on-going Voters Registration Exercise as lies and propaganda. In a press release signed by Mr. David Prah on behalf of the Eastern Regional Secretariat of the Party, he urged Ghanaians not to take the NDC seriously. His statement is reproduced below: The Eastern Regional Executives of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) wish to state that the on-going Voter Registration by the Electoral Commission in the Eastern Region is proceeding smoothly without any hitches. Also, all the COVID-19 protocols are being followed by all. The statement from the National Youth Organiser of the NDC, Opare Addo that the Eastern Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party has led a group of Party Youth to beat NDC Members in Akwatia is a palpable false and must be said to the marines. The party therefore, wishes to let the Public know that the National Youth Organiser of the NDC, Opare Addo is a Pathological liar and that any statement coming from him should be disregarded. The Eastern Regional Executives of the New Patriotic Party need not to bus people outside to Afram Plains to register before winning that seat this time around, looking at the impeccable records of development and human centered policies carried out by the government of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo. The people of Afram Plains and the entire Eastern Region are the living witnesses of the massive developmental projects going on and will vote overwhelmingly for Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and the NPP Parliamentary Candidate. The only challenge of the NDC is that they as a party are ill-prepared for the voter registration exercise. It should be noted that not a single incidence has happened in the region. We in the NPP are seriously mobilising people to register and for sure, we will continue to do that. Its a shame that the NDC is resorting to lie and propaganda to cover their usual incompetence. The Eastern Regional Executives of the NPP are on the ground carrying effective monitoring to ensure that the voting public register towards the victory 2020 for Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and the NPP. Thank you. David Prah, Eastern Regional Communications Director, NPP A popular night-out area in the Seo District of Gwangju is nearly free of visitors July 3. Having seen a spike in the number of COVID-19 infections since June 27, the city has raised its social distancing level. Yonhap The Korea Center for Disease Control and prevention (KCDC) reported over 60 new COVID-19 cases for the second straight day Friday as those outside the Seoul metropolitan area showed no signs of slowing, raising concerns the country may be returning to an upward infection trajectory. The country added 63 cases 36 local infections and 27 from overseas bringing the total caseload to 13,030, according to the KCDC Of the local transmissions, the number in Gwangju, 330 kilometers south of Seoul, fell to eight after it reported double-digit numbers Thursday and Friday, the KCDC said in a statement. The greater Seoul area reported 28 new infections, with the surrounding Gyeonggi Province adding 19; while Daegu, once the hotbed of the country's virus outbreak, added one. The city accounted for more than half of the country's COVID-19 cases here, due to thousands of infections traced back to a religious sect based there. Over the past two months, the densely populated Seoul and the surrounding area, which house around half of the country's 51-million population, made up most of the country's newly added cases. The trend has prodded health authorities to focus on curbing the spread of the virus in the capital area. Last month, they decided to indefinitely apply toughened infection preventive measures amid the growing number of people infected at nightclubs and door-to-door businesses. With other major cities reporting new infection clusters, the health authorities, however, have been under pressure to consider readopting these elsewhere. The KCDC said Sunday the government will adopt three levels of social distancing and countermeasures, depending on the severity of COVID-19 outbreaks. The country currently recommends Level 1 social distancing, which is implemented when the medical system can manage the number of the coronavirus cases. The government plans to apply Level 2 distancing measures if daily infections exceed 50 for 14 straight days, but remain below 100; and Level 3 measures if daily infections exceed 100, the KCDC said. Under Level 2, all private and public indoor meetings of 50 or more and outdoor meetings of over 100 will be banned. Under Level 3, all meetings of 10 people or more will be banned, and all schools will again be closed. The country reported one additional fatality for a death toll of 283. The 27 new imported cases were the highest since June 23, marking a double-digit rise for the ninth consecutive day. The total number of people released from quarantine after a full recovery stands at 11,811, up 52 from the previous day. This indicates that more than 90 percent of COVID-19 patients here have recovered. The country has carried out 1,319,523 tests since Jan. 3. (Yonhap) Since 1992 when Ghanaians adopted multiparty democracy, the NDC has enjoyed tremendous support from the Volta region. NDC political victories at national elections are as a result of the immense vote the party gets from the Volta region. The region has remained the party stern unbending. Even when the NDC conceived defeat, 99% of the parliamentary candidates of the region who flood the parliament as elected Members of Parliament (MP) are NDC Parliamentary candidates. This undiluted love for the NDC that the people of the Volta region flamboyantly display at anywhere and anytime mesmerized members and supporters of the rival parties. This development brought the Ewes untold insult, hatred and name callings from the other tribes and the NDC political opponents. Yet the people of the Volta region remained obdurate and unstoppable in commitment to the Akatamanso (NDC). It is such a fantastic and fabulous exhibition of greater party assurance without any outlandish attach. Volta region was known as the NDC world bank in terms of voting patterns until 2016 when the then President John Dramani Mahama on the ticket of the NDC declared the region as NDC IMF. One would be compelled to think that the NDC as a party will reciprocate the faithfulness of the Ewes towards the NDC by loving the people of the Volta region just as they have loved the party but the opposite is the case. Despite the faithfulness of the Volta region to the NDC, the NDC has no respect and aorta of love for the region. They paid lip worship to the region and took the region's kindness to be their weakness. The fact is that the NDC has hoodwinked the Volta region for far too long. From 1992, NDC have been the long-serving party in power and they are aware and even part of the discrimination, marginalization of the Volta region. Even in the life of J.J Rawlings when he was the commander in chief of the Ghana Armed forces, I personally walked to the Ministry in Accra, tried to find out why the Volta region have been left undeveloped? I was told in the face by NDC Minister that there is nothing coming from the region. When I further asked what the Minister meant by nothing coming from the Region, He began mentioning names of mineral resources. Surprisingly, this statement had been told by NDC Ministers, mostly under Mr. Rawlings that they are not developing the region that defines their way to power because there is nothing coming from the region. What a wow? If nothing is coming from the Region, what about the taxes that the government is taking from the people? NDC under Mr. Rawlings to date has demonstrated without remorse that timber and Gold are more valuable than the lives of the Volta region. Volta region is part of the UN Trust territory (Western Togoland) that the founding fathers of Ghana fought so hard to annex. Were the founding fathers of Ghana not aware that there was nothing in the Volta region before they annexed the land under the pretext of the union? Under the Presidency of Mr. John Dramani Mahama, a lawmaker Hon. Kennedy Agyapong declares war on the Voltarians on air, NDC was not bold enough to interrogate the said lawmaker. Prior to the 2016 general election, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, then running mate for Mr. Akufo-Addo in Alisa hotel told the press that 76,286 persons from the Volta Region in the Ghana voter register are Togolese and they should be removed from the register. NDC didnt do anything about such comments. During the 2018 NDC delegate congress that gave the mantle to Mr. John Mahama as the party 2020 flagbearer, saw many Voltarians in the party been voted out from key positions in the party and when some people complained that such move will give bad spirit to the people of the Volta region which is NDC stronghold, Mr. John Mahama is one of his speech as a direct response to that, said: President Akufo-Addo did not win the 2016 election from the stronghold. This comment is a total denial of the contribution and input of the Volta region to the Akatamanso success. If the NDC now know how to win an election without stronghold, why are they canvasing capriciously in the Volta region for a vote? When Akufo-Addo decided to create Oti region out of the Volta Region, the good people of the region realized that the motive is more of creating political gerrymandering and a tribal region than the development reason that the government told them. Ordinary Voltarians did their best in fighting for their dear land without the NDC MPs or the Volta caucus in Parliament. What the NDC minority in parliament did was to request that Justice Brobbey committee report on creating new regions be made public before the new regions are created. NDC sent information to all NDC communication platforms, warning the NDC communicators that the issue of creating new regions is very sensitive and for that reasons no one should take a position on that. All NDC communicators are to follow the path of the minority in Parliament. Meanwhile, Mr. John Mahama has donated Ghc 50,000 toward the creation of the new regions, yet NDC would not tell Ghanaians whether they support it or they are against it because Voltarians are not in favor of it and NDC have also projected the same thing in their manifesto. In 2019, Francis Duku, the police commander of the Volta region and his men invaded Alavanyo and open fire into innocent crowd unprovoked. Those who will die, died. Those whose legs will be amputated were amputated. In the face of this atrocity, NDC did not cough a word. Yet when three Takoradi girls were kidnaped, NDC became restless and wild like a cat in labor. I do not support kidnapping but the truth is that NDC actions in these two cases show that the lives of the three Takoradi girls matters than the lives of Voltarians to the NDC. When some people of the Volta region got arrested in a Rambo style for speaking on the union between Western Togoland and Ghana, such a legitimate issue, NDC MPS from the Volta region remained quiet. The best they can say was that the constitution of Ghana does not allow them to speak on separation from Ghana. For goodness sake, Volta MPS are the representatives of the people and if the constitution prevents them from speaking on the will of the people they represent, what good is it then for them to be in parliament? Statistics show that NDC MPs from the Volta region (Volta caucus) in parliament only represent their political party and their parochial interests not the interests of the people who voted them into power. They dont care about the people. I hold an exception to Lawyer Rockson Dafeamekpor who has in many times of difficulties demonstrated his love, support, and care for not only his constituency but the Volta region as a whole. He is one politician who has earned my respect and I wish that the voltarians recognize him and reciprocate his hard work and good intentions for the Volta region. May God bless him. Now that NPP government have deployed military to intimidate the people in the Ketu South of the Volta region, NDC MPS have run to the area to hold a press conference in which they have encouraged the indigenes to come out in their numbers and register so that they can vote NPP out of power. In fact, Politicians do not have shame. If it has not been that we have barely five months to the election, would they have gone there to hold a press conference on the issue? Why didnt they hold press conferences in Alavanyo when Alavanyo innocent citizens were killed? I am sure that the people of the Volta region are wild awake. I wish to remind the Volta caucus in parliament that they cannot ignore the genuine concern of the Voltarians. Volta region is part of the UN trust territory (Western Togoland) and the Volta region is requesting that the union that their forefathers voted for in 1956 should be regularized, in which case Western Togoland would take care of herself and Ghana will not be blamed for the underdevelopment of the land. If the NDC MPs fail or feel they cannot speak on this subject, then, there is no need to ask for Voltarians vote. After all, Voltarians have every right to decide not to vote. #VoltaStrong. Listen to article The acting State Publicity Secretary, of the Rivers State All Progressives Congress APC, Mr.Ogbonna Nwuke has expressed surprise over Hon. Igo Agumas call on Thursday, 2nd July 2020 demanding for the closure of the State Secretariat of the All Progressives Congress, APC, located along the Port Harcourt-Aba Expressway. Nwuke in a statement with the caption Igo Aguma's Call For The Closure Of The State Party Secretariat: A Case Of Two Women Who Appeared Before King Solomon circulated to journalists todad stated that the call by the suspended Caretaker Committee Chairman of the APC who has been in Court ostensibly to protect the interest of his party came as a huge surprise. According to him, It may be that the former Honourable member of the House of Representatives cannot bear to see a return of enthusiasm among members of the APC who have turned the State Party Secretariat into a beehive of activity. The statement reads: Daily, as events have proved, members of the party awakened by the clarion call for unity, peace and progress amongst us throng the authentic State Party Secretariat to reaffirm their belief in the party, and their solidarity with the peoples' Caretaker Committee, which is led by Hon. Sokonte Davies, a seasoned politician, party administrator and technocrat. We would want to imagine that Hon. Igo Aguma was misquoted by the press. But we are shocked that the former lawmaker has not denied ever making such a suggestion. In the circumstance we are led to believe that jealousy, hate for progress, bitterness and desperation have beclouded rational thinking and affected his sense of sound reasoning. His outburst reminds us of the Biblical account of two women who appeared before the Israeli monarch, King Solomon. Whereas the one whose child died at night demanded that the king slay the surviving child of another, the true mother urged the king to spare the life of the baby. It is instructive to note that the mother insisted that the King of Israel as he then was should spare the child, stressing that when the baby grows, it would eventually know who the true mother is. It is clear that the child of circumstance that Igo Aguma wants to slay, going by this Biblical account, is the APC. Can this be the attitude of a true party man? Can this be the behaviour of someone who truly believes in the advancement of the party that he wants to lead? We are certain that Aguma has revealed his true colours to the Rivers people as well as all Nigerians who are watching his dance steps at this point in time. He has proven beyond reasonable doubt, in our opinion, that he has no love whatsoever for the APC. Except for the benefit of his shadowy paymasters who have unleashed him on the APC, the former lawmaker has shown by his actions and comments that he may indeed be an impostor on a mission to destroy. To say that we are shocked by his outburst is an understatement. We are glad that by his own utterances, he has let the rest of us who may believe that his intentions for the APC are genuine into the secret of his most secret mission. Igo Aguma is no better than that bitter woman in the Bible who wanted a poor and innocent child to die. The ability to determine the headquarters of any political party belongs to its National Secretariat. The official records of the APC shows that its State Secretariat exists where Hon. Sokonte Davies and members of his team are operating from. Aguma has none to blame for his fate. He chose to serve those who thrust him upon the APC rather than obeying the spirit of the decision of the High Court which enjoined him to go and rebuild the party in the company of his colleagues. We repeat, for the avoidance of doubt, that 28 out of 38 statutory members voted Aguma out because of the indiscretion he exhibited by acting as a sole administrator. We urge all reasonable minds to ignore the call by Igo Aguma. It is baseless, uncharitable and unbecoming of a Democrat and a Progressive. Listen to article In a previous article, I used an ancient Akan metaphor to describe the nature of the devastation that the Covid-19 pandemic is wreaking on our nation. I said it was like a 'kurotwiamansa' [leopard] lurking along the pathways of human habitation, catching people unawares. 'da amansan kn mu!', I added for good measure. This means it has 'draped itself around the necks of the people of a whole nation'. Think of that it means that Covid-19 can catch the young and the old alike; the rich and the indigent; the powerful and the powerless; the brilliant and the boneheads. If you look at the type of people that have been forced to make the acquaintance of Covid-19 in our country, you can see how true it is to liken the pandemic to the vile and ruthless omnivore, the leopard. Most important of all was our Minister of Health. Hed been soldiering on, under the glare of the television lights, telling everyone how hard his ministry was working to save the nation from the claws of the evil beast. And then the beast caught him! Then it caught 'Napo' one of the most brilliant members of our Cabinet and one who should know the nature of the beast even better than the Minister of Health. We also heard how other doctors had been got; how health workers were working in fear of their lives. Then came news that the former General Secretary of the ruling New Patriotic Party, 'Sir John', had succumbed to the disease. Was there no hallowed ground where this kurotwiamansa rascally fellow would not dare to tread? Meanwhile, politicians of both parties were carrying out their pre-planned 2020 election agenda as if nothing disastrous was happening in the country. Nomination of would-be MPs went on as usual! What? Nomination to some of the most lucrative jobs in the country with the tete-a-tetes that would be required; the caucuses; the late night visits; the involuntary hugs and handshakes; the passing of bundles of cash from one person to the next? Yes. It shows that we are not serious in this country. You live in a world in which the country that has used technology to send people to the moon and bring them back to earth is in danger of losing 100,000 people per day because of this kurotwiamansa, and you carry on political activity as usual? But, we are told, South Korea did hold an election in April 2020, didnt it? And yet isnt South Korea one of the countries least affected by Covid-19? Ahah! Are we not in danger of comparing apples with stones? Which South Korean official, let alone a Deputy Minister, would release himself from quarantine, having tested positive for Covid-19, and drive around election registration centres, to ensure that his would-be supporters would have a smooth path in trying to register to vote for him? Even if he wanted to do that, would the police allow him? The South Koreans, you see, have a culture that is submissive to higher authority. They also have a technological knack that can enable them to photograph and check the movements of huge swathes of their population, plus an enormous digital database that can cross-reference citizens current information with their whereabouts etc. Above all, they have the means of checking the temperatures and state of health of citizens on the hop, and loads of testing apparatus and quick dissemination of test results. And what of us? Out of a population of 30 million, we havent even managed to test more than one per cent to see whether theyve got the virus or not. (The number of 'ROUTINE SURVEILLANCE TESTS' carried out, as on 29 June 2020, was under 110,000, whilst 'contact tracing tests' had been carried out on 191,888 persons, bringing the total number of tested persons to 300,520. That works out to only 1/100th of the population tested.) Yet weve had the confidence to carry out registration of voters; and weve also opened almost all our non-junior schools. Who decides that we can do all this? A Ministry of Health led by a minister who has himself got caught by Covid-19? An administration that cannot even guarantee that the important Minister of Education would have handlers and personal assistants who would keep an eagles eye on him and ensure that his anti-Covid protocols would be strictly adhered to at all times? What are headteachers to say when they read that their minister has caught and recovered from Covid-19? What about assistant head-teachers? Registrars and assistant registrars? Senior teachers? Junior teachers? School workers? Students? To be perfectly honest, I shuddered when I saw that the President had been allowed to go and inspect voter registration taking place. I am afraid that such a decision should not be left to the President. His personal detail should assess the risks he takes and veto any movements that are deemed unnecessary. President Kwame Nkrumah did not enjoy wearing a bulletproof device under his Maoist jacket. But he was obliged to use one. And thereby lies a tale. As for Mr. Carlos Ahenkora [the Deputy Minister who has had to resign because he admitted going out to visit voter registration centres in his Tema constituency, despite knowing that he had tested positive for Covid-19], the least said about him the better. My advice to the President is this: please, when selecting Ministers and Deputy Ministers, please do not only consider whether they can 'deliver' their constituencies for the party at election time or not, but do also thoroughly investigate their intellectual capabilities. 'Animguase mmfata Okanni ba!' [The Akan-born person does not allow disgrace/embarrassment to come near himself!] is another gem from the Ancient Folks! By CAMERON DUODU Hushpuppi, a Nigerian Instagram influencer, has been extradited to US to face charges for allegedly defrauding citizens of that country. Early June, Hushpuppi, real named Raymond Abbas, was arrested by the police in Dubai and Interpol over a 350million cyberscam. He was part of some 12 persons arrested in a raid for their alleged involvement in various cyber crimes. Investigators alleged that the suspects target victims overseas by creating fake websites for well-known companies and banks in a bid to steal victims' credit card information and then launder the stolen money. Hushpuppi allegedly portrayed a billionaire lifestyle on social media in order to lure victims from all over the world, including Europe, America and Nigeria. He was handed over to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in the US, together with Olalekan Jacob Ponle aka Woodbery, Dubai Police said on Thursday. According to a statement, Christopher Wray, Director of FBI, praised the role of the Dubai Police in arresting Hushpuppi and Woodbery, and handing them over to the US. Director of FBI expressed his thanks for the exceptional efforts (of Dubai Police) in fighting organized cyber crimes and arresting Hushpuppi and Woodbery, Gulfnews quoted Dubai Police. Hushpuppi often posted pictures on Instagram with his luxury cars and private jet. Last month, Dubai Police said that the operation called 'Fox Hunt 2' revealed a hidden online fraud network that was committing crimes outside the UAE, including money laundering, cyber fraud, hacking, criminal impersonating, scamming individuals, banking fraud and identity theft. Police said the raid resulted in the seizure of incriminating documents pertaining to a well-planned international fraud worth Dh1.6 billion. According to Dubai Police, the gang used to hack corporate emails and send fake emails to corporate customers to change money transfers to the gang's personal banking accounts. They were designing and mimicking company and bank websites to steal credit card data and illegally obtain victims' money before laundering the cash, Brigadier Jamal Al Jallaf, Director of Criminal Investigation Department at Dubai Police, said. During the arrest, police found a huge amount of data on individuals, companies, bank accounts, credit cards as well as documents of money laundering, online fraud and hacking accounts of victims outside the UAE. The forged documents pertained to online fraud outside the country. The fraud was worth more than Dh1.6 billion. We seized more than Dh150 million in cash from them and confiscated 13 luxury cars worth Dh25 million, Brig Al Jallaf said. Police confiscated 21 computers, 47 smartphones, 15 memory cards, five hard disks containing 119,580 fraud files, as well as addresses of nearly two million victims. The Office of the President says the claims by the Auditor-General, Daniel Domelevo that the directive ordering him to proceed on his accumulated annual leave breaches provisions of the relevant laws is misleading. It is necessary to correct the wrong impression you have sought to create in the public domain regarding the Presidents directive to you to proceed on your accumulated annual leave. The President has at all times acted based on sound legal principles, the rule of law, and good governance practices, and the good people of Ghana will not be misled by your lack of understanding of the position of law, for which you may be forgiven since you are not a lawyer, a letter from the Presidency said. The letter, signed by the Secretary to the President, Nana Bediatuo Asante was in response to a letter the Auditor-General wrote to the Presidency in protest of a directive for him to take his 123 accumulated annual leave. Mr. Domelevo who felt the directive was ill-conceived urged the President to reconsider the decision. In the letter, he argued that, based on recent labour law and practice, no worker is deemed to have accumulated any leave on account of their having failed, omitted, neglected or even refused to enjoy their right to annual leave, which the law guarantees for their benefit, not the employer. I consider it an honour to be of service to the State and urge that you reconsider the directive in order to protect the sanctity of the labour law, the constitution and the independence of the Auditor-General which is of utmost importance in so far as ensuring that the constitutional principles of probity, transparency and accountability are concerned, he added. Mr. Domelevo said he had observed that his work was embarrassing the government based on the posturing of some ministers and correspondence he had had with the Chairman of the Audit Service Board who he noted works at the Office of the Senior Minister. He also noted that the Presidency must have been aware also that several appointees of the President, have not, since the year 2017 taken their annual leave to date. The directive therefore that I proceed on leave, oblivious of the other workers similarly circumstanced, gives the impression that the decision is not taken in good faith, he added. Despite making such complaints, Mr. Domelevo said he proceeded on leave on July 1, as directed, but that will cater for the year 2020 instead. I write to notify you that, I started my leave for the year 2020 on 1st July out of deference to the Office of His Excellency the President of the Republic of Ghana and also out of the deep-seated respect I have for the office. Presidency responds In response, the Presidency insisted that the directive to Mr. Domelevo was apt and thus extended the leave period by 44 days to cater for the year 2020. First of all, for the avoidance of any doubt, your accumulated annual leave of 123 working days, which you were directed to take with effect from Wednesday, July 1, 2020, was in respect of the period 2017 to 2019, which you had worked without taking any annual leave and did not include 2020. If, however you have decided to include your annual leave for the year 2020, then it is expected that you will resume work after a well-deserved leave of 167 working days, with effect from July 1, 2020. On the matter relating to the legality of the directive, the letter signed by the Secretary to the President, Nana Bediatuo Asante maintained that the Auditor-General has no knowledge in law and thus his perception of the directive being an affront to labour laws is extremely misleading and unfortunate. It said the governments decision is well-grounded in law and that, Mr. Domelevo lacks a proper and legal understanding of his legal entitlements. As you are well aware, the power to appoint the Auditor-General is vested in the President and the appointment is done in accordance with article 70 of the Constitution. Per article 297 (a) of the Constitution, that power to appoint includes the power to exercise disciplinary control over persons holding or acting in any such office. Thus, to the extent that you fail to comply with a basic term of your appointment such as taking annual leave, the President has the power to exercise disciplinary control over you to ensure that you comply with the terms of your appointment. The exercise of that constitutional power vested in the President does not affect the independence of your office, which the Constitution so rightly guarantees. Accordingly, the directive of the President stands as amended above to the 167 working days with effect from 1st July 2020. While this letter is being sent to you through normal channels, we have taken the liberty to publish it publicly in the same medium by which your letter came to our attention. Please accept the Presidents best wishes, the statement concluded. ---citinewsroom US President Donald Trump branded protests demanding racial justice as "violent mayhem" Friday. But he avoided talking about a massive resurgence of COVID-19 cases when addressing a crowd which had gathered to celebrated Independnce Day. Trump spoke on the eve of the July 4th celebrations before thousands of closely-packed people. Many chanted "Four more years" while few 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. Symbols of pro-slavery The US is facing large scale protests against police brutality after George Floyd, an African American man, was killed by a white police officer in Minneapolis on May 25. That evolved into a larger movement that attacked 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". Silence on the virus Meanwhile, Trump 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. Trump tweeted that the figures were high because "our testing is so massive and so good," calling it "great news." US testing did increase on a big scale, 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. Infected inlaws 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." (with Agencies) The Peasant Farmers Association of Ghana (PFAG) and SEND GHANA have called on the government to scale up agriculture spending and prioritise the sector to save livelihoods, as it prepares its mid-year budget review and supplementary estimates for 2020. Speaking on agriculture sector led-economy recovery at a public forum, Professor Godfred Bokpin, an Economist, said, the food index in Ghana has surged since the country reported its first case of Coronavirus disease and the fear of COVID-19 is collapsing economies. According to him, more than 70 per cent of local food consumption is produced and supplied by smallholder farmers, adding that, majority of Ghanaians derive their livelihoods from agriculture. Bokpin argues that scaling up agriculture spending in the mid-year budget, not as a favour but as a necessity will help sustain the economy of Ghana and protect livelihoods. He urged the government to improve and scale-up efficiency in existing agriculture sector interventions such as subsidy on fertilizers among others. The forum, organised by Peasant Farmers Association of Ghana (PFAG) in collaboration with SEND GHANA and with support from the International Budget Partnership, was held under the theme: Anchoring Ghanas Post-COVID Recovery on Agriculture: Investing in Smallholder Farmers for Food Security and Growth. On her part, a Deputy Director, Policy Planning and Budget Directorate, Ministry of Food and Agriculture, Madam Josephine Quagraine, mentioned that the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA) is in the process of developing a Post Covid-19 strategy to be aligned with governments COVID-19 response programme. The strategy, which is still at the consultative stage, will assess the effect of the pandemic on the agricultural sector, she added. Margaret Annor, a smallholder farmer at Ashaiman in adding her voice acknowledged the governments investment in the agric sector and requested that more attention should be paid to the sector in order to make it more attractive to investors and the youth. The forum served as a platform to discuss the impact of COVID-19 on the economy as a whole and justify the prioritization of agriculture as the engine to propel Ghana out of economic quagmire due to the COVID. Listen to article Olumanba Akwasi Kesse (Special Aide to Madam Akua Donkor) writes... Honourable Carlos Ahenkorah's resignation is not enough, he must be penalised or incarcerated if possible. How could a lawmaker like Carlos Ahenkorah breach COVID 19 safety protocols? Ordinary Ghanaians who breached those protocols have been penalised. He is a lawmaker and he shouldn't be spared at all. Let's apply the equality before the law principle which can be traced in Article 17 of our Constitution. He being asymptomatic does not mean he should be visiting Registration Centers or mingle with the poor civilians. He must be brought to book. A private legal practitioner, John Ndebugre, believes the President should not have outrightly directed Daniel Domelevo, the Auditor-General, to proceed on his accumulated leave . Mr. Domelevo, in a response to the President, felt the directive breached the labour law and was unconstitutional. Speaking on Eyewitness News, Mr. Ndebugre said there was a point there about the president overreaching and making those directives. Maybe he [the President] should have gone to court to get a court order to compel him [Domelevo] to go on leave. As things stand, Mr. Ndebugre said the best course of action was to himself resort to legal action. The solution for Mr. Domelevo is also to go to court and challenge the President's right to order him to go on his accumulated leave. What he is trying to do is that he is going to go on this 2020 leave, exhaust it and attempt to come back to office and he will be debarred. He will not be allowed to enter the office. The Presidents directive was to take effect from July 1, 2020. Mr. Domelevo had made use of nine out of his 132 annual leave days since assuming office in December 2016. The Presidency said the directive was based on sections 20 (1) and 31 of the Labour Act, 2003 (651). The first part of section 20 indicates that: In any undertaking, every worker is entitled to not less than fifteen working days leave with full pay in any calendar year of continuous service. Section 31 says: Any agreement to relinquish the entitlement to annual leave or to forgo such leave is void. It also cited as precedent, President John Atta Mills asking the then Auditor-General, Edward Dua Agyeman, to also proceed on his 264 days accumulated annual leave back in 2009. Suspicions of bad faith As part of the directive, Mr. Domelevo is to hand over his responsibilities to the Deputy Auditor-General, Johnson Akuamoah. But he feels such a move would have serious implications for the constitutional independence of the office of the Auditor-General. Mr. Domelevo said he had observed that his work was embarrassing the government based on the posturing of some ministers and correspondence he had had with the Chairman of the Audit Service Board who he noted works at the Office of the Senior Minister. He also noted that several appointees of the President have not taken their annual leave since 2017. The directive, therefore, that I proceed on leave, oblivious of the other workers similarly circumstanced, gives the impression that the decision is not taken in good faith, he added. Meanwhile, the Office of the President has responded to Mr. Demelevo defending the directive. The Office further extended Mr. Domelevos 123-day leave by 44 days. citinewsroom The Minister for Communications, Ursula Owusu-Ekuful disagrees with calls for former Deputy Minister of Trades and Industry, Carlos Ahenkorah to be prosecuted. Mr. Ahenkorah has seen the wrath of Ghanaians since Thursday after admitting to breaching COVID-19 protocols by visiting a registration centre despite being aware that he has tested positive for the virus. He has since resigned from his deputy ministerial position. Many Ghanaians however still insist that his resignation is not punitive enough and are therefore calling for him to face the law. One of such people is the General Secretary of the National Democratic Secretary (NDC), Johnson Asiedu Nketia , who says his prosecution is the only way to show the government's commitment to evenhandedly deal with offenders of the coronavirus safety rules. Pressure group, OccupyGhana has also demanded same for the legislator who flouted the COVID-19 protocols. But the Communication Minister says there is no need for the MP for Tema West to be prosecuted since there is no evidence that he actually infected someone with the virus. Prosecution for what? Unless you can show that a particular individual contracted the virus by coming into contact with him because he went on the monitoring. It will be difficult to establish a case for spreading COVID-19 willingly. So lets not rush to tread into such areas. Its easy to say, but would you have the evidence to prosecute? I think that if it is punishment we want, he has laid down his position as deputy minister to take responsibility for it. You dont beat a dead horse. What else would you be achieving by his prosecution? she wondered. Mrs. Owusu-Ekuful rather says this should serve as a lesson for the Ghanaians to learn to take responsibility for their wrong actions. If he had insisted that he hadnt done anything wrong, then the call for further sanctions to be applied will be in order. He has admitted that what he did was not proper and he has resigned and taken responsibility for it. We can use that as a lesson for all of us. Sometimes, we can in the heat of the moment do things that we regret. But once it is pointed out to you that what you did was wrong, the noble thing is to take responsibility for it, she stressed. She commended Carlos Ahenkorah for doing the honourable thing to drop down his position as deputy minister. How we got here On Eyewitness News on Thursday, Carlos 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 him 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 American Legation in the 1880s. Robert Neff Collection By Robert Neff Gertrude Denny, the wife of an American employed by the Korean government as an adviser, described July 4, 1886, as being "the quietest Fourth of July" she had ever experienced. It was, she lamented, "as still and peaceful as a Sunday in the country." At this point, the American community in Seoul was quite small but it wasn't its size that made it so quiet it was, perhaps, the disgust it had for its representative to Korea, William H. Parker. Parker arrived in Korea the previous month on the eighth. When he landed in Seoul, accompanied by several naval officers from the U.S.S. Palos, he was viewed as "a nice old gentleman." This initial impression soon changed. George C. Foulk, an American naval ensign attached to the legation, had daily interaction with Parker and his descriptions of his superior were especially scathing. He described the minister as "being an old navy officer, who fought on the side of the South and glories in it." In Foulk's opinion, Parker was obviously unqualified for the post as he was a "careless old man" who knew nothing about the Far East and was fit to only write reports. Parker's inexperience and unfamiliarity with the Far East were the least of his faults. The medical officer from the U.S.S. Palos warned Foulk that the minister was an alcoholic and that his drinking sprees were steadily getting worse. While traveling from the United States to Japan, Parker had "excited scandal and talk" with his excessive drinking. Later, Parker denied imbibing in "liquor, beer, or wine of any description." Shortly after his arrival in Seoul, Parker began to drink heavily and openly, in front of his staff but was able to keep it secret (at least in the beginning) from the general community. Foulk was furious with his superior's behavior and "denounced him in the worst way." Parker begged him not to report his drunken spree to the State Department and kept moaning that he needed to return to the United States. In a letter to his parents, Foulk disgustedly reported: "[The minister] has drunken so much that he can now not even keep water in him and is the most miserable wreck I ever saw." He also noted the minister was financially ruined and, if recalled, probably could not afford to buy a steamship ticket to return to the United States. Somewhat callously he added: "Perhaps it is best that he die out here and be sent home at freight rates." Within a short time, the minister's drinking problem became well known in not only the American community but also in the Korean government. On June 30, the American minister, along with Foulk, had an official audience with King Gojong. According to Foulk, the Korean monarch was aware of the minister's drunken habits "and it was painful to me to see the old scoundrel wriggle and lie to the questions the King put to him about his late illness." Fortunately for Foulk, he was granted a leave of absence on July 1 and promptly left for Shanghai. While he may have celebrated his departure from Seoul, the American community did not. Within a couple of weeks, Korea would be confronted with one of the worst cholera epidemics it had ever faced tens of thousands would be dead by the end of August. Listen to article The New Patriotic Party in the Damongo Constituency has denied allegations by the MP Hon Mutawakilu that the NPP is busing people to the constituency to take part in the registration exercise. According to the NPP Constituency Chairman Alhaji Adam Braimah, "the said allegation is palpably false and baseless". He disclosed that the NPP in the Savannah Regional Capital were following the due procedures of the EC and not busing people to the constituency as accused by its opponent: "To date, only eligible voters have been registering in the Damongo Constituency. Some are resident and others are ordinarily resident, as dictated by the Constitutional Instrument regulating the ongoing registration exercise." Alhaji Braimah believes that the NDC MP has lost the support of the people and would be voted out in the forthcoming elections: "The good people of Damongo are feverishly registering to vote him out and, indeed, no amount of complaints and desperation will save him. He has failed in every aspect as an MP and the overwhelming majority of voters are saying enough is enough." Alhaji Braimah also indicated that the opposition party agents have failed to follow due processes of law to lay their complaints but instead resort to violence. "Admittedly, the NDC has resorted to violence in their attempt to stop people they perceive to be ineligible from registering contrary to the laid down legal procedure which requires a person to resort to a challenge through the Challenge Form if there is suspicion of ineligibility. Meanwhile, this allegation of busing people to register at the constituency has led to some physical confrontation between the two parties. Narrating the cause of the confrontation in an exclusive interview, an NPP member Abu Lansani said three final year students at the University for Development Studies were brought back for the exercise at a center where they completed in 2014. He said one of the NDC agents who taught one of them ICT challenged the student he once taught at the school which ignited some arguments and subsequent assault. Mr. Lansani also noted that two registration centres Kurabaso Polling Centre and PB Bungalows where the NDC are raising the allegations are strongholds of the NPP. However, a team of military personnel has since been deployed to the exercise to augment the work of the Ghana Police Service. The Reverend Daniel Gyappah, Head Pastor of the Ascension of Christ Chapel International, has called on Ghanaians to pray for peace ahead of Election 2020. He said they should also do things that would ensure peace prevailed before, during and after the December 7 polls. Rev. Gyappah made the call in an interview with the Ghana News Agency in Accra at the weekend. He appealed to politicians to desist from making statements that promoted ethnic sentiments and created tension. Rev Gyappah urged politicians to avoid politics of insults and attacks on personalities and rather do campaigns that addressed issues, which would bring development to all Ghanaians. Ghanaians are looking for political leaders who have the development of the country at heart, and also who are not seeking their own interest but seeking the welfare of the public,'' he said. Rev. Gyappah cautioned the youth to desist from engaging themselves in electoral malpractices since they would not be spared when caught. He urged religious leaders to refrain from predicting the results of the elections since that behaviour tended to tarnish the image of the clergy. The Head Pastor called on Christians to pray for God's guidance in exercising their franchise and pray for His blessing on the candidate to be elected to lead the country. GNA The Economic Fighters League (EFL) has joined calls for the government to press criminal charges against former Deputy Minister of Trade and Industry, Carlos Ahenkorah. Mr. Ahenkorah resigned from his post following public outcry over his decision to visit a voter registration centre within his constituency despite his COVID-19 positive status. In a Citi News interview, Fighter General of the League, Hardi Yakubu, said the government's failure to punish the Tema West MP is likely to cause a repeat of the action. He also insists that Mr. Ahenkorah deserves to be arrested because when his leader, Ernesto Yeboah organized a Black Lives Matter vigil last month, he was arrested and arraigned for failure to comply with COVID-19 restrictions. Ernesto was released from police custody more than 30 hours after his bail was set by the court. His bail requirement was set at GHS100,000. The resignation is not enough. Why is somebody who has knowingly gone with a positive case to a pubic place being left off the hook? We showed picture and video evidence showing clearly that we [EFL] indeed complied with the COVID-19 protocols but that didnt prevent them from still sending Ernesto Yeboah to court. Clearly, this vindicates our position that the law in Ghana punishes people who are in the lower class while the upper-class people are able to flip the law without being held accountable for their criminal actions, he stated. Calls for prosecution Many Ghanaians have condemned the Deputy Trade Minister, and demanded that he is made to face the law even though he has resigned from post. One of such is the General Secretary of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), Johnson Asiedu Nketia, who says the resignation of the Mr. Ahenkorah is not punitive enough for the harm he allegedly caused. Already, Pressure group, OccupyGhana had asked for the prosecution of the legislator for violating the COVID-19 protocols. The pressure group further called on the governing New Patriotic Party to withdraw the candidacy of Carlos Ahenkorah as its parliamentary candidate for the 2020 polls in the Tema West constituency. But the Communications Minister, Ursula Owusu-Ekuful , is of the opinion that the resigned deputy minister needs not to be prosecuted since there is no evidence that he infected someone during the time he was out of home. citinewsroom Dr Bernard Okoe Boye, Deputy Minister of Health has asked health workers to continue to be diligent in their duty. He said the government has noted the sacrifices of all health workers in this COVID-19 pandemic era and would do its best to reward them accordingly. Dr Okoe-Boye disclosed these when he toured the Adidome District hospital in the company of Dr Archibald Letsa, Volta Regional Minister and the District Chief Executive for Central Tongu District to assess their COVID-19 preparedness, response and also inspected some health projects in the district. He said government would play its role to the fullest and can only ask for diligence and hard work from them to contain the virus. Dr Okoe Boye again appreciated the Chiefs of Mafi Anfoe for making available a parcel of land for the siting of the isolation centre and thanked them for their immense support. Torgbui Dra Aboeteka IV, Chief of Mafi Anfoe pledged his personal and the community's commitment to support the government achieve its development programmes. He appealed to the Deputy Minister of Health and the Regional Minister to facilitate work on their town roads due to its deplorable nature. The nurses at the Adidome hospital and the isolation centre appealed to the Minister and his team to assist the hospital to construct a fence wall around the Hospital as encroaches were fast consuming the parcels of land belonging to the hospital. GNA Listen to article Ever wondered why there seem to be more and more prophets in Africa? Some men of God actually brag that they possess powers to perform any type of miracle while some see themselves as superior to others. Strolling through the Nkawkaw Township to ascertain the truth in what a friend told me some years ago, that "on every street in Nkawkaw one can either see an Apeteshe bar or a church, at least. The survey I conducted undoubtedly proved to be true. I observed that it is the society that provided the fertile ground for this canker to grow, in the name of winning souls for God. An article published by Deutsche Welle by Isaac Kaledzi in March 2016 captioned 'Too Many Churches in Ghana?' revealed that there were more than ten thousand churches in Ghana including all faith-based meetings. In my early years during the 1980s, I figured that the only churches were the Orthodox churches like the Roman Catholic, Presbyterian, Methodist, Anglican, and a very few Pentecostal churches. Individually owned churches, sprung up in exponential rates in the early 2000s, the majority of which I perceive to be business entities rather than churches. The sudden explosion in the number of cases where some prophets turn against their own, accusing their colleagues of using juju and sacrificing humans to aid them to perform miracles and to get more members to invest and grow their church businesses is really alarming. I doubted these allegations and saw it as mere envy of those prophets/pastors with more members. It saddens me when I watched Nana Agraada (a fetish priestess) on Thunder TV lambasting occultic prophets/pastors who only use the name of God to amass wealth from their poor congregants. For how long shall these prophets throw dust into the eyes of distressed people? For how long shall they compound the miseries of the poor, innocent and gullible members, who look for respite in the church? I watched in utter shock a banter on the 24th February 2020 between a self-acclaimed prophet (Owusu Kwaakye) and a fetish priest (Okomfo Sakumba) in Sunyani, who allegedly leaked the nude pictures of the prophet for failing to pay for alleged spiritual services rendered to him. What has light got to do with darkness? This situation reminds me of David Diop's poem titled The Vulture which explored the British colonization of South Africa and its ramifications. The poet articulates the inhumane actions of men that resulted in the inevitable exploitation of native Africans. He conveys this through the utilization of the symbolism in the vultures' as symbolic of the prejudicial discrimination the natives had been subjected to. Sadly, these inhumane actions still exist in the Christian religion in this 21st century with these fake prophets executing the role of 'the vultures' to perfection. Again, on the 3rd September 2019, the GhanaWeb published a news article about how a powerful Afrancho fetish priest, Nana Kwaku Bonsam claimed to have helped over four thousand (4000) powerful prophets with voodoo to perform wonders and miracles. It is baffling why these so-called men of God seek spiritual powers from a fetish priest, relegating the Omnipotent God to the background. No wonder these prophets have taken over all the television channels and preaching prosperity at the expense of salvation, just to get people into their web. These prophets hardly preach salvation and the second coming of Jesus Christ. Such prophets demand from poor members an amount of money or material goods (food items, clothing, car, plane ticket, etc) in return for prayer or prophecy. They sometimes demand sexual favours or even certain items like someones picture or hair follicle when consulted for help. Currently, Ghana has more churches that seem to be growing faster than many other sectors of the economy. Unfortunately, this tax-free growth only ends up in the pockets of these pastors who do no social responsibility for the benefit of the nation. Inasmuch as there is the need to spread Gods word amongst the nations, the fake shepherds need to be exposed and expunged from the system before they drain the poor and desperate men and women in the society of their last penny. The so-called prophets who are dinning with the devil use the name of Jesus in vain to deceive people and are being used by the devil to deceive the congregation. A Ghanaian prophet name prophet Elisha (aka Spiritual Bulldozer) on Sankofa radio, confessed being once a member of the occult society and using a demonic power called MAHANTA to perform miracles to influence the congregation. For the past months, there has been some level of attacks on some prophets in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Member of Parliament of Assin South Constituency, Kennedy Agyapong is leading the crusade on television, exposing the alleged dirty deals of some prophets considered as fake. In his expose, he revealed how some prophets used human parts in their dastardly activities just to acquire spiritual powers. The MPs crusade against False Prophets in the country has won the hearts of many, who, hitherto, had doubts whether or not these prophets are fake. The sixth verse of the fourth chapter of the book of Hosea admonished us to seek knowledge lest we perish. Frankly, people have heard the message and yet remain adamant. We should not allow desperation for a husband, a wife, a child, money, a house, and material prosperity to sway us from our Christian values, like Vultures, these falling angels are lurking around dupe unsuspecting victims out of their hard-earned life savings. Beware of these prophets clothed in the wolf skin. It is indeed not easy battling in life but when the breakthrough comes, it shall be smiles forever. Weeping may endure for the night, but joy shall certainly come in the morning. Email:[email protected] Flagbearer of the opposition National Democratic Congress, John Dramani Mahama has paid a courtesy call on the party's founder, ex-President Jerry John Rawlings, to discuss issues of the party. Though details of the meeting were not stated, one of the major things likely to have been discussed includes the choice of his running mate for the upcoming December polls. John Dramani Mahama, taking to his social media platform; Twitter to announce his meeting with J.J Rawlings, said "I called on @officeofJJR, this morning in his office, to discuss a number of NDC-related issues. Very warm discussions as always." Read the post below: Mr Ishmael Ashitey, the Greater Accra Regional Minister, has called on metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies (MMDAs) in the Region to improve market infrastructure to promote hygiene and safety. He said: The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed the challenges of security, safety and unhygienic issues of our markets and, therefore, it is imperative for the MMDAs to transform the infrastructure of the markets to prevent outbreak of diseases and fires. Mr Ashitey made the call at a sod-cutting ceremony for the construction of the Dodowa Market in the Greater Accra Region, which comprised 40 lockable shops, 40 open sheds and a creche. He advised the Shai Osudoku District Assembly to undertake serious supervision of the construction works for the speedy and timely completion of the project to avoid any overhead cost. "It is my expectation that the project would improve the economic well-being of the people, generate more revenue for the Assembly and bring the expected development," the Minister said. Mr Jerry Ahmed Shaib, the Chief Executive Officer of the Coastal Development Authority (CODA), urged the contractor of the project to engage the services of the local artisans to create jobs for the youth. He said a credit union would be launched to facilitate business expansion and the social well-being of market women and farmers in the District. Mr Daniel Akuffo, the District Chief Executive for Shai Osudoku, expressed gratitude to CODA for its financial support to the project, which would help facilitate economic activities in the area. He said the Assembly would continue to implement its developmental agenda by improving on the livelihood of residents through the provision of essential socio-economic infrastructure. Mr Benjamin Nargeh, the New Patriotic Party candidate for Shai Osudoku, asked the people not to politicise the use of the market as that would hinder development. Nene Okukurabour Kwesi Teye Agyeman V, the Chief of Dodowa, who chaired the function, commended the Government for the construction of the market and urged the residents to contribute their quota towards its completion. GNA The Office of the President on Saturday said the decision by President Akufo-Addo directing Mr Daniel Domelevo, Auditor-General, to proceed on his accumulated leave was not borne out of bad faith. Rather, the directive was based on the position of the law, good governance practice, and as a disciplinary control to have persons holding public office to comply with the terms of their appointment, a statement issued by the Presidency and signed by Nana Asante Bediatuo, Secretary to the President, said. President Akufo-Addo Monday June 29, 2020, asked Mr Domelevo to take his accumaluted annual leave of 123 days starting Wednesday, July 1, 2020. The directive which explained that the President's decision was based on sections 20 (1) and 31 of the Labour Act, 2003 (Act 651), asked Mr Domelevo to hand over to the Deputy Auditor-General, Mr Johnson Akuamoah Asiedu, all matters relating to his office until his return from leave. But Mr Domelevo in a three-paged letter dated July 3, 2020 addressed to the Secretary to the President, said that the directive was an indication of bad faith because the work of his office was causing embarrassment to government. He futher said the directive was borne out selectivity on the part of the Presidency because there were other public office holders who should also be directed to go on leave. He held that the instruction should be reviewed because it was unconstitutional and held serious implications for the constitutional independence of the office of the Auditor-General. However, the Presidency stated in the statement that Mr Domelevo's submissions on the matter which was creating the wrong impression in public domain was "unfortunate and without any foundation", and was premised on the lack of understanding of the law. It said the President's instruction was based on sound legal principles, the rule of law and good governance practices. "You can be assured that the decision for you to take your accumulated annual leave was not taken in bad faith. "Rather, given your own publication of deteriorated relationship with your Board, which notified you severely of not taking your annual leave, the Presidemt was the only person vested with the constitutional power to direct you to proceed on your accumulated annual leave," the statement said. The statement pointed out that per the law, the office of the Auditor-General is a public office subject to the labour laws of Ghana and was not part of the categories of workers excluded from the scope of application of the Labour Act. Citing Section 31 of the Labour Act, it indicated that the Auditor-General could not forgo his leave and any agreement to relinquish his entitlement to his annual leave was void. You may therefore not agree with the President (your appointing authority) to relinquish your entitlement to the accumulated leave or forgo same. You may also not agree to be paid in cash in exchange for the accumulated leave. Any such an agreement would be void under section 31 of the Labour Act. The Presidency also disagreed with the Auditor-General's with the assertion by Mr Domelevo in his letter to the Presidency that the constitutional independence of his office was being undermined by the directive was false belief. It stated that "the Auditor-General is an office and not a person such that if the person for the time being occupying same is unavailable the office cease to exist. "Handing over all matters relating to the office of the Auditor-General will not have any implication for its constitutional independence and operation, " the statement said. The statement further pointed out that the President did not see the work of the Auditor-General as an embarrassment to his government, but had at all material times provided the necessary resources needed for the efficient work of his office because the institution was considered critical to the good governance of the country. It said that in line with good governance practices, taking annual leave ensures that an office holder was rested in order to perform the functions of his or her office efficiently. Thus, the President, according to the statement, did not infringe on the independence of the Auditor-General, but was exercising his constitutionally mandated authority to ensure that he complied with the terms of his appointment. The Presidency maintained that the directive was in force and had been amended from 123 to 167 working days, to reflect the Auditor-General's leave for 2020 working year. The earlier directive was in respect of the period 2017 to 2019. GNA Expansion works are ongoing at some health facilities in the Ashanti Region where persons with COVID-19 infections are being treated. This has become necessary due to the continuous surge in the country's case count, which has now crossed 19,000. Recently, health officials in the Ashanti Region disclosed that treatment facilities had become full, a development that is making case management difficult. The Ghana Health Service (GHS) says the upgrade at the main treatment centre in the region will be completed this weekend. The Director-General of the Service, Dr. Patrick Kuma-Aboagye said, The upgrade in Kumasi South will be ready this weekend. They have expanded to move to about 30 beds from 18 beds, and then also adding some eight ICU beds in Kumasi. That is ongoing. Within the week, we are also looking at the centre at Toase; the one donated by Dr, Frimpong Boateng, will be ready. Currently, the staff who will be managing the place are in training and we hope that well also have catering services. Once those things are ready, well move in there and start. The Ashanti Region has consistently been the second region to record high COVID-19 infections after the Greater Accra Region. The region currently has more than 3,000 cases. COVID-19 treatment centres in the Ashanti Region are full as they are forced to turn away positive COVID-19 patients because they are unable to contain any new patients. Dr. Patrick Kuma-Aboagye had earlier disclosed that a major COVID-19 treatment centre similar to the Ga East Municipal Hospital in Accra is to be constructed in Kumasi. President Akufo-Addo had also explained that the government is investing in healthcare in the Greater Accra and Ashanti regions due to the majority of cases recorded there. As I indicated in my address to the nation last week, the great majority of cases are in the Greater Accra and Ashanti Regions. For these two regions, I have approved further investment in the following areas: additional ICU bed facilities in the Greater Accra Region; a new treatment centre for Ashanti Region. citinewsroom The Ghana Medical Association (GMA) has expressed condolences over the death of four of its members who have died after battling COVID-19. The first is a consultant physician and former Rector of the Ghana College of Physicians and Surgeons, Professor Jacob Plange-Rhule, who died in April at the University of Ghana Medical Centre (UGMC). Dr. Harry Boateng, a Specialist Pediatrician and Medical Superintendent at the Kwadaso SDA Hospital was also mentioned. A retired Orthopedic Surgeon, Dr. Emmanuel Twagirayesu as well as Dr. Richard Kisser , a Consultant Surgeon with the Trust Hospital were both remembered. In a statement to pay tribute to the members, the Association described the loss as immense given the contribution and heroism to the medical practice. The National Executive Committee of the Ghana Medical Association informs all members with deep sorrow the unfortunate demise of four members of the association who have sadly succumbed to COVID-19 since the outbreak of the diseases in the country. These fallen heroes have contributed immensely to the medical profession and their untimely demise constitutes a big loss to the fraternity. May their souls rest in perfect peace, the GMA noted. All members of the Association have also been urged to on Monday, July 6, 2020, to observe a minute silence in honour of these gallant soldiers of the medical fraternity, during their clinical meetings. According to the GMA, over 150 medical doctors and dentists have so far been infected with the virus. While assuring members of the provision of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), it has therefore advised its members to abide by the safety measures and observe all Infection Prevention and Control protocols in order to minimise spread among health personnel. The National Association Committee of GMA wishes to assure all members that it is working assiduously to tenure the concerns about inadequate PPE delays in testing and other member welfare issues related to COVID-19 are addressed by the government and will not relent. Over a hundred health workers who are on the frontline have also been infected with COVID-19. Some mortalities have also been recorded although some of the health workers have recovered. It has been reported that about 150 health workers across the country had been infected with COVID-19. Majority of those affected are in the Greater Accra, Eastern, Central, Western and Ashanti regions. citinewsroom The Ghana Centre for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana) has launched the Ghana Manifesto Project to enhance the development of manifestos and policies by political parties in the country through the use of credible data and evidence. Dubbed: Promoting Responsive and Responsible Manifestos for Inclusive Development, the Project also seeks to improve the usage of manifestoes to address critical national and long term development issues. It is a compilation of issues and evidence in 10 key sectors spanning governance and public administration, health, social services, economy and infrastructure. It also seeks to build trust, responsiveness and accountability in the manifesto development process to improve popular participation in its development. Professor Emerita Takyiwaa Manuh, the Vice Chair of the National Development Planning Commission (NDPC), launched the Project, funded by the United Kingdom's Department for Foreign and International Development (DFID). She said the Ghana Manifesto Project was a step in the right direction to engender debates on issues raised within organisations, the media, academia and in the political spheres. Prof Henry Kwasi Prempeh, the Executive Director, CDD Ghana, said the general view among students and scholars of Ghanaian electoral politics was that earlier generation of political parties' manifestoes did not have much of an effect on voter behaviour or on election outcomes. Once in power, political parties and their leaders did not generally govern or feel obligated to govern in line with the promises or commitments they had made in their manifestoes or during their campaigns and voters did not hold governments to their electioneering promises, he said. We, however, believe that there is some evidence that at least this is beginning to change. Madam Clara Osei-Boateng, Governance Advisor, DFID Ghana, said elections afforded individuals to make choices about how their lives were governed and empowered them to hold the government to account. She said the choices made by individuals should be informed by the policy propositions of the contenders, which were enshrined in their manifestoes. Once elected, these manifestoes become the social contracts based on which citizens can demand accountability. This is an important part of democracy and presents the poor the opportunity to influence policy decisions. Part of the definition of being poor is to have no power to shape your own life; no power to make sure government policy meets your needs and no power to hold your leaders to account for what they do. Mrs Clara Kasser-Tee, Member, CDD-Board and Private Legal Practitioner, said CDD-Ghana would continue to work with political parties, media, civil society and all other identifiable interest group to advance the conversation on the need for data-driven manifestoes and policies. Those would be not only be responsive and inclusive but also respond to national and global development frameworks and aspirations, she noted. GNA Listen to article Our hypocritical attitude is obviously a factor that is retarding our progress as a country. Surprisingly, all so-called neutrals and Civil Society Groups who were loud once upon a time have gone quiet; yes they are all quiet because their darling man is now the President of Ghana, and so, they have suddenly turned blind and deaf. A. V Diceys Principle of Rule of Law has been under attack since Akufo-Addo was sworn in as President on January 7, 2017. Cast your mind back to the unprecedented dismissal of an EC Chair, Madam Charlotte Osei. The independent Electoral Commission Chairperson was unconstitutionally sacked from office and none of us spoke against it. Just look at how ACP Dr. Benjamin Agordzor was illegally handled. This Senior Police Officer was detained for over three months for no wrong done. Media Men have not been left out of these unwarranted victimizations and intimidation including Manasseh Azure formerly of Joy FM and Edward Adati of Starr FM. The worst of it all is the murder of an investigative Journalist Ahmed Hussein Suale. Today, its the turn of the Auditor General, Mr. Daniel Yaw Domelevo. A man who has discharged his constitutional duties dispassionately, independently, and diligently. He has been consistent with his quest to unravel rots and eliminate corruption in the Public Sector; an act which President Akufo-Addo and his appointees have demonstrated they are not in support of, and so, doing everything humanly possible to get rid of him. I personally do not blame the President for his gross display of hatred for the Auditor General, rather, I blame the millions of Ghanaians including the castrated Peace Council, the Christian Council, Some CSOs, the Media and some so-called neutrals who have decided to not speak against and criticize the President when he goes wrong. May I take the opportunity to commend the venerable Prof Kweku Asare his for a constant show of statesmanship and patriotism. This a classical example of a man living with Principles. Yes, President Akufo-Addos government may have succeeded in uprooting Charlotte Osei, and victimizing the likes of, ACP Agordzor, Manasseh Azure and Edward Adati, talk less of murdering Ahmed Suale, we should all be up this time round to protect the Auditor General Mr. Daniel Y. Domelevo. It will be of no surprise that those who have gone quiet today may suffer the same treatment by Akufo-Addo someday. Lets stop being hypocritical and use the same energies we used to criticize President Mahama to do the same to President Akufo-Addo. Ex-President, John Agyekum Kufuor has recounted his incarceration at the Ussher Fort Prison many years ago. He describes as humiliating, the 15-month period he had to be imprisoned together with other members of the Busia-led government after they were overthrown in 1972. Kufuor who was a young politician at age 34 and a deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs during the time he was arrested and detained for no reason moments after the coup detat. Revisiting the sad story 48 years after on Foot Prints on Citi TV, the ex-president said the experience will go down in history as one of the shameful moments of his life. We were kept there and I stayed there for a year and three months. The Senior Ministers were there for 18 months. We all lived in there with no charges. It was such an experience so humiliating. I was there on 13th January 1972 but I didnt come out until March 6, 1973. With all due respect, some of the big people [who are humans] had to [bath and attend to natures call] in the open. Can you imagine? Humiliating that was what it was, he told host of Foot Prints, Samuel Attah-Mensah. According to the former statesman, he is yet to come to terms with why a government with many intelligent and knowledgeable members will be made to bristle with indignity after their forceful removal from power. I wondered why all these well-meaning and brilliant people couldnt hold power and we allowed ourselves to be kicked out by someone know body knew, Kufuor remarked. Commenting on lessons learnt, Mr. Kufuor maintained that despite the embarrassment, one of the key things he had had to learn while in prison custody has been the ability to be true to ones principles and ideologies. From prison, well-wishers generally asked me why I am bothering myself with our politics, which is a dirty game so I should go back into practice or get myself some good position or even travel. But I had the opportunity in prison to think and think again especially staying with all these brilliant people. So I said to myself, should you get the chance, stay the course because perhaps, your destiny will give you the chance to show how to do things, he added. John Agyekum Kufuor was Ghanas President from 2000 to 2008. citinewsroom Ajitesh Mullick Agri markets traded with high volatility last week. Even as Monsoon reportedly covered the Indian sub-continent 12 days early (as per IMD), the uptrend was limited on intermittent rains in the main kharif growing areas of Central and North-West India. The movement of agri commodities in the coming week will keep depending on the rains. But traders are not expecting too much fall in prices from these already lower levels. Oil complex looks firm. Evan as some profit booking got noted for Chana and Guar last week (due to Monsoon factor), overall fundamentals remain firm. Not much movement has been noted in Spices. But they may find support as exports gradually pick up in coming weeks. Mustard Seed Even as agri markets remained volatile over last few weeks, one specific counter (which is Mustard Seed) has been regularly moving up. Mustard seed fundamentals and technicals have remained firm. The bearish impact of COVID-19 (as observed in most agri counters due to closure of mandis and low trading activities) have not adversely impacted the price movement for this counter. This can be noted from the daily charts for July contract. Trend remains firm for RM Seed on lower supply in mandis as most sellers in mandis seem to stop their sale for a while unless and until they get good rates again. Futures on the mid-week found support and ended firm. Upside movement in edible oils also supported the price trend. Procurement from the government will end this month which also keeps prices lower currently. Nevertheless price outlook from broader perspective is positive therefore selling interest might halt soon, leading to recovery in price levels. Procurement in Rajasthan commenced April onwards and still continues. Mustard crop procurement began. The Mustard crop is expected to be lower this year due to heavy rainfall across regions of Haryana and Rajasthan during March and April months. As a result the risk of crop damage has increased. Therefore production is estimated to be lower versus last year. As per traders and farmers possible damage is expected around 20-25 percent roughly. This factor shall continue limiting the downside in coming weeks. According to Haryana Agriculture Ministry, mustard has been procured at minimum support price of Rs 4,425 per quintal as fixed by the government. As per reports, total quantity procured in both these states had gone above 11 lakh tonnes. While government purchases may continue in Rajasthan, Haryana government can halt purchases after June, according to trade sources. Trend looks firm for the counter from these levels also. The July contract may well reach the psychological level of Rs 5,000 per quintal. Support for the contract is noted at Rs 4,600-4,620 per quintal. The author is VP - Retail Research at Religare Broking. : 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. An independent director of a Delhi-based maker of optic fibres has written to the board and the finance ministry accusing its promoters of siphoning off at least Rs 600 crore through multiple related party transactions, faking investments in a byzantine collection of shell companies, over-invoicing overseas purchases and fudging company accounts over several years. The actions of Kailash S Choudhari and co-promoter Popatlal Fulchand Sundesha, the promoters of Aksh Optifibre Ltd, caused losses to shareholders and bankers, according to a series of letters written by independent director Arvind Gupta. Moneycontrol has reviewed a copy of the letters sent by Gupta, on June 26, 2020 in which he has called for a forensic audit of the company. The revelations by Gupta, who is credited with exposing several corporate scams, notably the alleged ICICI-Videocon quid-pro-quo loan deal involving banker Chanda Kochhar, is arguably the first instance in which an independent director has attempted to blow the lid off a financial scam in a listed Indian company. Moneycontrol sent a detailed questionnaire and reminders to Chaudhuri, Sundesha, the auditors and company secretary of Aksh Optifibre but did not receive any comment. Related party private companies have been indiscriminately used for over invoicing, plant and machinery, procurement of cheap raw material, over billing other inputs and services to Aksh Optifibre in collusion with the chief financial partner, managing director and other directors on the board, Gupta told Moneycontrol. Aksh Optifibre manufactures optic fibre/optic fibre cables (OF/OFC) and optics lenses. The promoters own 27.95 percent of the company as on March, 2020 while the public holds 72.05 percent. Many firms, same owner According to Gupta, Choudhari and Popatlal created a layer of at least 13 undisclosed related party entities (see chart). The final ownership in these entities based in Tortola (largest of the British Virgin Islands), Seychelles, Mauritius, China and United Arab Emirates lies with Choudhari himself, Gupta alleged. Gupta, who was named independent director of Aksh Optifibre on February 13, 2020, said he has presented to authorities minutes of meetings, internal documents and letters as evidence of Chadhuris ownership links in these companies. One such example is a letter sent by Trident Trusts, a proxy ownership service provider based in British Virgin Islands, to Chaudhari on November 12, 2015 that confirms his ownership of Stockard Overseas Ltd and Hazeleigh Management Ltd through Shawnee Ltd. Share certificates of a company named Africa One Telecom dated October 3, 2010 confirms Chaudahri as the owner through Stockard and Hazeleigh. Minutes of the directors meeting of Stockard Overseas Ltd on September 20, 2011 reveal Chaudhari agreeing to purchase global depository receipts (GDRs) issued by Aksh Optifibre. The GDRs were subscribed by Hazeleigh Management Ltd. A certificate of incorporation of Electrum Mauritius Ltd on November 17, 2011 in Mauritius shows Chaudhari as owner. Declaration of related party transactions is an obligation under section 184 and 188 of the companies Act, 2013. If a listed company is found flouting rules pertaining to related party transactions disclosures, directors can get up to one-year prison term or a fine of up to Rs 5 lakh or both. Three-decade-old Aksh Optifbre went public in 2000 and is listed on National Stock Exchange (NSE) and Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE). The company posted a loss of Rs 237.82 crore in the January-March quarter compared with a profit of Rs 10.62 crore a year ago. Net sales at Rs 55.48 crore in March 2020 were down 27.13 percent. [caption id="attachment_5508011" align="alignnone" width="1000"] Weaknesses in Aksh Optifibre company analysis (Source: Moneycontrol)[/caption] Shares of Aksh Optifibre have been steadily dropping, trading at Rs 6.35 apiece at close on July 3 from Rs 157.50 in November 2000. The Money Route In his letter, Gupta also laid bare the flow of money. The biggest fraudulent transactions, he said, happened in 2010 when the promoters routed around Rs 128 crore raised from a GDR issue by Aksh Optifibre to Africa One Telecom Ltd, one of the many undisclosed subsidiaries. The money first went to a wholly-owned subsidiary named AOL FZE, which advanced money to Africa One Telecom, a company owned by Choudhari. But this money never changed hands to the parent company, Aksh Optifibre, or AOL FZE, a unit registered in Dubai. This amount was later written off the books stating that the advances are unrecoverable and has been provided for fully, according to Gupta. Misleading company statements The promoters allegedly set off a chain of events to make this possible. In March 2010, Aksh Optifibre advanced Rs 128 crore to AOL FZE, which in turn was passed to Africa One Telecom, to expand business in the GSM telephony and data market in Africa, according to Guptas letter. The amount is irrecoverable now, the company deemed. The explanation given was that AOL FZE could not make the remaining payment (to Africa One Telecom) because it was unable to raise money from the Indian parent due to unfavourable equity market conditions. Non-payment of further installments by the company led to failure of the contract (in Africa). As considerable time has elapsed and company do not foresee recovery in near future, it has therefore decided to make provisions for upfront consideration paid of Rs 12833.77 lakhs, company documents said. Gupta alleged that PC Bindal & Co and Rakesh Jain, the auditors of Aksh Optifibre and AO FZE, respectively, have made misleading statements about which company made the advances to whom. The truth is that AOL FZE advanced money to Africa One Telecom Ltd without entering into any agreement, Gupta said. Gupta said Africa One is owned by Aksh Optifibre promoter Choudhari and hence the money should be recovered from him. The auditors and promoters are making misleading statements about the recovery of advances that have vanished into thin air, Gupta said. Jayant Thakur, a chartered accountant, said auditors are the first level of checks in such cases. If auditors are in collusion with promoters, things become even more difficult. The promoter Choudhari draws a tax-free annual salary of Rs 5 crore from AOL FZE, and along with his co-promoter manages the private business based in Dubai, Gupta said in the letters. Undisclosed related party deals Among the undisclosed RTP companies, the Electrum Group of companies were used for most of the layers of related party transactions. Electrum Telecom DMCC, Dubai, a private special purpose vehicle, was used to manipulate procurement and distribution facilities for over-invoicing cheap Chinese plants and machinery, raw material and services to Aksh Optifibre at exorbitantly inflated prices, Gupta said in the letters. While these actions caused losses to Aksh Optifibre, the promoters pocketed unjust illegal profits, he said. According to Guptas letter, the Electrum group of companies are owned by Choudhari himself through proxy firms based in the British Virgin Islands and owned by relatives, trusted funds and aides residing in Switzerland and other foreign countries. Electrum Telecom DMCC, for example, is managed by Mona Kailash Choudhari, the second wife of Choudhari. It is owned by Manoj Wadhwa, brother-in-law of Choudhari. Choudhari has been providing advances to overseas companies secretly owned by him, and has purchased assets abroad and round-tripped money back to India to purchase shares as his company made losses, Gupta alleged. In fact, the wholly-owned UAE subsidiary AOL FZE has never earned any profits and has been incurring losses in the past ten years. Yet the promoters keep on funding the expenses without any justification, said Gupta adding that the entire group is run like a proprietary company. Gold-plating of imports Electrum Telecom DMCC, one of the companies clandestinely owned by the promoters, allegedly long acted as the central procurement agency for Aksh Optifibre for both India and overseas subsidiaries, according to the letter. Through this company, the promoters allegedly executed gold-plating of imports (overstating value of overseas purchases manifold to make illegal profits). Another company, Bharat Telecom, Mauritius, too was used for gold-plating of imports. In all, Gupta has listed nine such transactions to illustrate the allegation of gold plating, including the sale of several machinery sold by Electrum Group of companies to Aksh Optifibre Group firms. Subsidiaries of Aksh Fibre such as AOL FZE, UAE, AOL Composites (Jiangsu, China), which is a so-called step-down subsidiary of AOL FZE, UAE and Aksh Technologies, Mauritius are involved in over invoicing imports and transfer of money from India to overseas, Gupta said. Such transactions have been going on for at least nine years and have caused significant losses to Optifibre over several years, the letter alleged. Call for probe In his letter, Gupta has demanded a forensic audit of Aksh Optifibres accounts. He has raised several piercing questions: How did the auditors of the company miss related party transactions that have been continuing for the past nine years? How can a company make an advance to a foreign subsidiary and suddenly deem it as a loss after several years and make full provisions? Where did this money go? After this story was published, Aksh Optifibre has sent a clarification to the stock exchanges on July 4 regarding the allegations raised by the Independent Director. Heres the link to the communication. In the clarification, Aksh Optifibre said an Independent External Auditor was appointed to check the records and provide its report on the allegations of related party. The independent external auditors submitted the report before stakeholders committee meeting on 3 July 2020. Stakeholders Relationship Committee consisting of four Independent Directors on the Board of the Company adopted the report of Independent External Auditor and concluded that none of the alleged purported related Company (total 13) is related to Company and/or its Directors. Company and its earlier/current Directors/KMPs are in compliance of law and allegations of related party are baseless, the company said. In March, stock market regulator SEBI imposed a fine of Rs 10.75 crore on Aksh Optifibre and its five directors in a matter related to manipulation in issuance of GDR which includes failure of proper disclosure. But, SEBI has confined its probe to only some aspects of the fraud while actual irregularities are much bigger, Gupta alleged. Derivatives data indicates weakness if any could only unfold once below 10400-10300, while upside could remain capped around 10700-10800 zone, Aasif Hirani Director, Tradebulls Securities, said in an interview with Moneycontrols Kshitij Anand. Q) Nifty 50 reclaimed crucial resistance levels in the week gone by, and much of it could be because of short covering. What led to the rally? A) The Nifty scaled above its 200-Days EMA, and also ended the week above its previous weekly swing high of 10,553. The action during the week picked up during the rollovers activity as Nifty saw relatively better rolls around 79 percent against its 3-Month Average of 71 percent while BankNifty remained tepid with rolls of around 81 percent. The recent legs for the rally were contributed by large-cap IT names viz. Infosys & TCS added the fuel in the latter part of the week while RIL, ITC, and Bharti Airtel retained their outperformance. The final day also saw some broad participation from the laggards viz. Infra & CapGoods sector stocks as both the sectors registered gains close to 3 percent while metals remained under severe pressure to end the day with a cut of another 1.3 percent. A) On the daily scale, the Nifty has been oscillating within the upward sloping channel while its corresponding RSI value has been declining. It has managed to close above its 200-Days EMA of 10,514 but with a Doji Star formation. The zone is also of major importance been the 61.8% retracement of its Jan-Mar fall. Derivatives data indicates weakness if any could only unfold once below 10400-10300, while upside could remain capped around 10700-10800 zone. OI PCR is placed 1.54 one shade lower below its previous reading. Technically, the index has been scaling higher with narrow ranged candles but the momentum indicators are diverging & indicating lack of strength. Hence, it is ideal to refrain from leverage longs and maintain a trailing stop strategy. While due to its overbought state fresh shorts are warranted only on a breakdown below 10300 for a move towards 10000. A) The steep value distortion in many of the small and midcaps during COVID-19 paved the way for outperformance as there was a sizable valuation gap between midcaps and large caps. The partial opening of the economy has given confidence to investors resulting in small and mid-caps catching up with large caps. Going forward, we may see outperformance but at tepid pace, as we have already seen the bulk of the rally in small & mid-caps. Any vaccine for COVID-19 and improvement in business activity will drive the rally in the broader markets. A) Most of the technology stocks retained their greens but TCS clearly remained the outperformer for the week as the stock surged towards Rs 2,200 with a wow gain of 3.81 percent. During these uncertain times of lockdowns across the globe, the Global IT player Accenture posted better than expected revenues & upbeat in growth primarily lead due to a surge in digital demand. For India IT companies most of the trends remain in line with the global IT trends which remain positive. On the other hand, expectations from the TCS board to consider an interim divided seems to have added the extra pedigree as the stock surges towards its 52-week high placed around Rs 2,300. A) After partial sales recovery in May, pent up demand has supported a steep recovery in June. Demand for compact small cars by first time users who were earlier dependent upon public transportation have contributed to the growth in June month as it was evident that companies that did not have small cars in their portfolio have lagged the recovery in June. Recovery in rural India is fast compared to urban areas. Going ahead we are positive as inquiries and bookings have reached close to 60-70 percent of pre-COVID-19 levels. A) In the next 6 months, we expect gold to test $1875-$1900 in the international market while in MCX probable levels would be in the vicinity of Rs 52000-Rs 54000. 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. A 26-year-old resident junior doctor at Delhis Maulana Azad Institute for Dental Sciences (MAIDS) passed away on Thursday after testing negative for the COVID-19 twice. Dr Abhishek Bhayana was reportedly suffering from all typical symptoms of the novel coronavirus infection. Hours before he died, Bhayana complained of chest congestion and breathlessness. I am having breathing issues. All my symptoms are of corona I will be 100% positive, Bhayana told his elder brother Aman (31) on Thursday morning. According to a News18 report, Bhayana was posted in the department of oral surgery of the dental institute. His family members performed last rites on Friday afternoon. Track this blog for LIVE updates on the COVID-19 outbreak 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 Despite having all the symptoms of coronavirus, Abhishek's test did not come positive. He died of a heart attack, said a senior doctor from MAIDS. According to family members, Bhayana first showed symptoms of coronavirus around 10 days ago. The family assumed that he had viral fever and took him to a chest specialist. The X-ray showed he had a chest infection. Abhishek kept saying the symptoms were not of chest infection as he was having shortness of breath, Aman said. After the deceased's condition worsened on Thursday, the family rushed him to a private hospital. The doctors administered oxygen, but it was too late, the family said. The Arunachal Pradesh government has urged the Centre for "special consideration" for the state's power sector under the Atma Nirbhar Bharat Abhiyan. Deputy Chief Minister Chowna Mein sought consideration in the implementation of system upgradation for generation, transmission and distribution of power, saying heavy rains, landslides and snowfall in the hilly state damage the power infrastructure. Mein, who also holds the power portfolio, was speaking at a video conference with Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Power and New and Renewable Energy, R K Singh, and power ministers of all states and union territories on Friday. He said a major portion of the existing power infrastructure in the state is very old except those made recently under the Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Gram Jyoti Yojana (DDUGJY) and Saubhagya schemes, an official communiqu said. Mein put forward the need for adequate financial support for replacing and improving existing transmission lines, substations, transformers and other infrastructures, it said. He also requested the Centre for financial support so that the state can reduce aggregate technical and commercial losses. Mein said the remaining works under the Integrated Power Development System and the DDUGJY schemes are likely to be completed by December. While welcoming the amendments proposed in the Electricity Act, 2003, Mein said the proposed amendment should not take away the rights of the state as the matter pertains to the concurrent list, it said. He spoke about the Arunachal Pradesh government's comprehensive plan of developing 135 small hydropower projects with a total capacity of 356 MW across 25 districts, the concept paper of which was submitted to the Union ministry, the communiqu said. Once completed, the projects will be able to mitigate the peak power demand in the state, Mein said. He requested that government buildings in the Northeast be given subsidy for grid-connected rooftop solar projects. Mein urged that the Power Grid Corporation of India Limited (PGCIL) may be pulled up to complete the Comprehensive Transmission Scheme in the state which was started in 2015 and is still incomplete. He said the state has harnessed hydropower from Ranganadi project (405 MW), Pare project (110 MW), Kameng (300 MW), Dikshi (24 MW) and 128 small hydro projects with a total capacity of 63.4 MW. The deputy chief minister said the 2000 MW Subansiri project is at an advanced stage and is targeted to be completed by 2023. He said the state government is making all efforts to resolve land acquisition issues in 2880 MW Dibang multi- purpose project. Mein said notices have been issued to non-performing power developers undertaking 74 projects while 27 projects have been terminated. July 04, 2020 / 09:13 PM IST Coronavirus India News Highlights: Today is the 102nd day since India implemented a nationwide lockdown, to curb the novel coronavirus pandemic. India is the fourth most affected nation in world, and has so far recorded 6,48,315 cases, which includes 18,655 deaths, as per Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Centre. Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Delhi and Gujarat have reported the highest number of cases.Globally, there have been over 110.4 lakh confirmed cases of COVID-19. At least 5.24 lakh people have died so far, as per the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Centre. The United States, Brazil, Russia, India and the United Kingdom are the most-affected countries. Representative image The Indian Army on July 4 issued a statement rubbishing reports pertaining to the questionable status of healthcare facility at Leh which was visited by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on July 4. Calling all accusations "malicious and unsubstantiated", the army said it is unfortunate that aspersions are being cast on how Indian soldiers and armed forces are treated. On July 3, after addressing Indian troops at Nimu base in Leh, Ladakh, Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited a military hospital treating soldiers injured in the violent stand-off between Indian and Chinese forces in the Galwan Valley. Also Read : In pics | PM Modi visits a military hospital in Leh to meet soldiers injured in Galwan Valley clash Following the PM's surprise visit, people took to social media and put up images shared by the government handles following the visit, pointing out that the facility where soldiers were being treated looked like a 'conference room'. The Indian Army, in a statement, said, "It is clarified that the said facility is part of the Crisis Expansion capacity of 100 beds and is very much part of the General Hospital complex. The COVID-19 protocol had necessitated some wards of the General Hospital to be converted into isolation facilities. Hence, this hall which otherwise was normally used as a Training Audio Video Hall was converted into a ward ever since the hospital was also designated as COVID treatment hospital." If you already subscribe to our eEdition edition, sign up for FREE access to our online edition. Thanks for reading the El Campo Leader News. Representative image The Maharashtra government has set up committees headed by district collectors to monitor treatment and health facilities in COVID hospitals. A GR on this was published recently, which also stated that COVID hospitals must have CCTV facilities, which should be made available when the committees visit. Every hospital must have a help desk where kin can call up or meet the patient, said state Health Minister Rajesh Tope who added that the decision to form committees in all districts, except Mumbai, was based on a Supreme Court order. "District civil surgeon, municipal commissioners, deans of medical colleges, heart specialists, Indian Medical Association (IMA) members among others will be members. There will be a separate 12-member committee for Mumbai which will be headed by the municipal commissioner," officials said. All committees will report to the chief secretary. Narendra Modi, Prime minister of India | Though almost all of Indias Prime Ministers have come from the nearly 80% of the population that is Hindu, only Modi has governed as if no one else matters, writes Karl Vick, Time editor. (Image: Reuters) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on July 4 announced the launch of a challenge to facilitate members of the Indian tech and startup community in creating world-class 'Made in India' apps. "To help our start-up and tech community achieve this objective, Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology along with Atal Innovation Mission are coming up with the Aatmanirbhar Bharat Innovation challenge. This shall run in two tracks: Promotion of Existing Apps and Development of New Apps." The challenge aims to promote those who may have such a working product or if feel they have the vision and expertise to create such products. The prime minister urged members of the country's tech and startup ecosystem to participate in the challenge. Lauding the tech and startup community in India, PM Modi said acknowledged the huge potential of the country's market and the scale our products can achieve if they can satisfy the demands of the market. He also noted that there is a huge interest and enthusiasm among the startup and tech ecosystem in India "to innovate, develop and promote homegrown apps". The present time when the country is looking at achieving self-reliance and working towards the goal of an 'Atmanirbhar Bharat', the prime minister said, "is a good opportunity to give direction to the efforts, momentum to the hard-work and mentorship to their talent to evolve Apps which can satisfy our market as well as compete with the world". The announcement comes soon after the government banned 59 Chinese apps in India, including the much-popular TikTok app. The challenge will be jointly hosted by the government and members of the tech community. Delhi | Passengers screened using a thermometer gun before boarding Vistara - Delhi to Bhubaneswar (Odisha) flight. (Image: ANI) Kerala, still basking from international glory over its handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, has suddenly turned a fractioned society over the fate of thousands of hapless expatriates who are desperate to return home amid mass job losses and the fear of the dreaded virus. Matters have taken an unlikely turn with the Left Democratic Front (LDF)-led Kerala government, which till recently rarely lost a chance to bolster the confidence of the Non-Resident Keralite (NRK), began developing cold feet over their home-coming. Why has the Left government had a change of heart? There are many who believe Keralas sensitivity about its image as a safe haven during COVID-19 is the culprit. Perhaps things began going wrong when the State chalked up a massive list of 400,000-plus NRKs who registered on the states NORKA website to come back to Kerala, and the Pinarayi Vijayan-led government almost dared the Government of India about how entrenched it was with the international community. In a clear snub, the Ministry of External Affairs told Thiruvananthapuram in as many words, not to expect any favours during the Vande Bharat Mission. Thus, the painstakingly compiled NORKA list did not pass muster, and Keralas primary demand for special flights to bring home the expatriates got shot down. 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 Once it became apparent that the Centres repatriation narrative was not in sync, the Left government began losing interest, as the NRKs could no longer be its trophy. In other words, the state government lost interest when it realised that the We Got You Home banners could not be flung at the airports. Cynics also attribute this indifference to the recent emaciation of the remittance economy. Clearly, more plausible would be the health scare thrown up by the steep rise in COVID-19 cases accruing from the homecoming NRKs. There were other considerations too. The state government that first decided to offer free institutional quarantine, later opted to impose charges saying the NRKs could afford it. By this time the Opposition, led by the Congress, sensed an opening it was long denied by the state governments till then effective handling of the outbreak. The Opposition began mobilising the desperate expatriates, and began playing a key role in chartering flights home. Clearly, the state government had lost the initiative. The NRKs, whose remittances to the tune of $14,935 million bolstered Keralas badly hit finances, are bewildered by the States sudden U-turn. Immigrants from Kerala still account for 19 percent the highest share of Indias total remittances worth $78,609 million in 2019 that helped the country become the worlds top remittance economy. Yet, the state government made numerous moves reinforcing this hostility the latest being its unsuccessful attempt of insisting that all NRKs possess a COVID negative test result. Once again, the State had to climb down, and for the first time the United Democratic Front (UDF), which upped the ante, could claim a political victory. Both Opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala and former Chief Minister Oommen Chandy have been vocal of the Left governments efforts to discriminate against its own people. Chandy has alleged that the Chief Minister is turning the people of Kerala against NRKs, saying only 713 out of the 84,195 expatriates who came back till June 17 tested positivethat makes it a miniscule 0.85 percent. The state government, however, say only 71,958 have reached Kerala from abroad till June 19. This leads to the question: Is there an underlying political calculus on the LDFs part that can justify its actions? With local body elections around the corner and the assembly polls only 10 months away, is there anything to be gained (or lost) by turning against a minority segment in this case, the NRKs who are portrayed as a health risk to the larger Kerala population? A typical days COVID-19 statistics as provided by Vijayan reads along these lines: The state confirmed 118 COVID positive cases today. Of the confirmed cases, 68 cases were those returning from foreign countries, while 36 came from other states..There were 14 persons who got infected through contact. This was the statement on June 28, and for months now it has been on these lines. The result has been a fear of almost pathological proportions about the arrival of NRKs. This is reflected in the rise of health policing moral policing in COVID-19 times across Kerala, with neighbours turning hostile when they hear of someone in the neighbourhood who has returned from outside the state or country. Many apartments have turned rigid, imposing strict home quarantine rules, even enforcing embargo on waste removal from these suspected hot spots. Both the ruling LDF and the UDF believe they are doing the right thing; and the state BJP is largely a mute bystander. As to how this impacts electoral politics, one only has to wait and see. Nothing like a traditional Indian breakfast to begin your day on a hot, spicy and deeply satisfying note. NAMKEEN JAVE / SEVAI Ingredients: 1 cup jave / vermicelli / sevai; 15 ml oil; 1 tsp mustard seeds; 1 tsp urad dal; 1012 curry leaves; 1 green chilli, finely chopped; 1 onion, finely chopped; 1 cup mixed vegetables (peas, carrots, bell peppers); 1 large tomato, finely chopped; salt to taste; tsp turmeric powder; tsp coriander powder; tsp chilli powder (optional); 1 cups water; juice of 1 lemon; roasted peanuts and coriander for garnish. Instructions: Dry roast the vermicelli in a pan. Once lightly golden, transfer to a bowl and keep aside. In the same pan heat the oil. Then add mustard seeds. Once they crackle, add dal and curry leaves. Once the dal changes colour, add onions and green chillies. Cook till translucent. Add tomatoes and other vegetables, salt, turmeric, chilli powder and coriander powder. Add cup water, cover, cook for about 5 minutes. Add the remaining water and bring to a simmer. Add roasted vermicelli and cover. Keep flame on low heat and let it cook (about 68 minutes). Gently fluff up the vermicelli and add a dash of lemon juice. Garnish with roasted peanuts and coriander. ALOO POORI Ingredients (aloo sabzi): 2 tbsp oil; 1 tsp jeera; tsp hing (asafoetida); 2 tsp chopped green chillies; 1 tsp ginger paste; tsp methidana (fenugreek seeds); 1 tsp coriander powder; 1 tsp red chilli powder; 1 tbsp kasuri methi (dry fenugreek); 1 tsp garam masala; tsp haldi (turmeric powder); 1 tsp jaggery; salt to taste; 3 tomatoes, chopped; 3 tomatoes, pureed; 6 medium-sized potatoes, peeled and chopped; 2 tbsp chopped coriander. Instructions: Heat oil in a pressure cooker. Add jeera and methi dana. Once it splutters add hing, green chillies and ginger paste. Add tomatoes, tomato puree, haldi, coriander powder, red chilli, salt and jaggery. Mix and cook for 3-4 minutes. Add the cut potatoes and mix. Add the kasuri methi. Put 500 ml of water, mix and put the whistle on. Let it cook for two whistles. Open it, add garam masala and cook for 5-7 mins on low flame. Mash some of the potatoes to make the curry thicker. Check the salt and add if required. Garnish with the chopped coriander. Ingredients (masala poori): 2 cups wheat flour; 1 cup besan (chickpea flour); 1 tsp salt;1 tbsp kasuri methi; 1 tsp ajwain (carom); tsp coriander powder; tsp red chilli powder; 1 tbsp oil; Water, as required; 500 ml oil to fry the pooris Instructions: Add ingredients to flour and make a stiff dough. Let it rest for 30 minutes. Heat oil in a pan or kadhai. Make small balls of the dough and, using a little oil, roll the pooris one by one in round shapes. Deep fry in the pan. Enjoy hot! DAL CHILLA Ingredients: 200 gms green split moong dal; 1 tsp finely chopped green chilli; 1 tsp finely chopped ginger; 2 tbsp finely chopped onions; salt to taste; water; lemon. For the filling: Mix of 100 gm mashed paneer, 50 gm boiled peas, salt and red chilli powder. Instructions: Soak the dal for a minimum of 2 hours. Then, drain the water and grind the dal with 1 tbsp water. It should look like a thick paste once done. Take the mixture out in a bowl and add salt, onions, green chillies and ginger. Add water so that the batter has a pourable consistency. Heat a girdle or tava. Pour a ladle full of batter and slowly spread it out in a round shape. Add some oil. Once cooked, flip to the other side. Flip back and add filling on half the chilla. Fold the other half on top. Serve with curd / mint chutney / imli chutney. POHA Ingredients: 125 gms poha (flattened rice); tsp turmeric; tsp chilli powder; 50 gms green peas; 50 gms potatoes, peeled and chopped; 10 ml oil; tsp mustard seeds; 20 gms roasted peanuts; 1 small onion, chopped; 1 small tomato, chopped; 1 green chilli, chopped; 1012 curry leaves; salt to taste; chopped coriander to garnish; dash of lemon juice. Instructions: Rinse poha on a strainer under running water until soft. Add tsp salt and toss to combine. Set it aside. Heat oil in a pan, add mustard seeds. When they crackle, add onion, green chilli and curry leaves. Cook for 2 minutes until onions soften. Then add tomatoes and cook for 2 minutes; add turmeric, chilli powder, salt. Add green peas and potatoes. Splash some water and cook covered until the vegetables are cooked. Add in the poha and toss. Cook for 2 minutes. Then cover the pan with a lid and turn heat to low for another minute. Turn off the heat, add the roasted peanuts and mix. Squeeze in fresh lemon juice. Garnish with coriander. Serve warm. Recipes by Kaveri Jain. Photography by Ananya Jain. In May, bang in the middle of a pandemic, Cartiers Tutti Frutti an Art Deco masterpiece which epitomises a classic synergy between Indian royalty and the French watch and haute joaillerie house sold for a staggering $1.34 million, far beyond its reserve price between $600,000 and $800,000. Despite the pandemic and the global economic crisis that presumably has set in, for the esoteric world of online auctions (or even traditional auctions), this was a new high. Auctioned by Sothebys, it is the highest price achieved for any jewel sold at auction in 2020 by any house. The auction houses jewellery maestro Frank Everett says Cartiers tutti frutti collection is considered a holy grail of all jewels, given its close linkages to Indias royalty and its jewellery heritage. In 1911, the founder Pierre Cartiers brother, Jacques Cartier, set off on his first voyage to India. His travels further influenced the development of tutti frutti jewellery (with coloured gemstones, unlike diamond-studded jewels that were popular, till then) when the master jeweller returned to Paris. Impressed by the bright colours and traditionally carved cabochons used in local designs, he sought to also incorporate those elements into his pieces. The subsequent designs pay homage to Mughal decorative art. This particular piece was commissioned by Queen Alexandra to wear with her three Indian gowns, gifted to her by Mary Curzon, the wife of the Viceroy of India at the time. Social-distancing mandates have put an abrupt halt to auction houses and forced them to transition to online sales. Instead of affecting sales, more people are seemingly parking their money in investment-worthy jewellery in online auctions. Over four sales throughout March and April, Sothebys had estimated that it would bring in, at the most, $5.7 million. But the auction house ended up bringing in $6.1 million. Cartier tutti frutti. In the high-energy world of global auctions, not just Indian jewels with provenance, but even Indian buyers are of immense importance at the moment. An insider at Sothebys requesting anonymity (client privacy is sacrosanct unless theyre open about a pubic revelation) says, Jewels with Indian pedigree have always done extremely well because of their provenance, their link to royalty, their beauty and finesse, and the brilliant use of stones such as rubies and emeralds. Now, Indians themselves are decent-sized participants in the auctions, particularly over the last four months. Lockdowns take auctions online Not that there were no online auctions before, but the industry believes it has seen a major shift in the way the affluent world will buy their jewellery: far more online, far more pedigreed antique jewels, more collectables that can be cherished by generations and are a serious investment, instead of new-age pieces with very little heritage. Christies Jewels Online (June 16-30) auction totalled $4,164,500, with 100 percent sold by value, 93 percent sold by lot, achieving 140 percent hammer above low estimate, and 64 percent of lots selling at or above their high estimate. The star of the show: D Color Diamond, estimated at $1-2m, the 28.86 Carat. The exceptional stone sold for $2,115,000, setting the new record for a jewel sold in an online auction. Rahul Kadakia, international head of jewellery at Christies, is excited about the possibility that has opened up. The spectacular 28.86 carat D colour diamond was the highest valued lot ever offered in a Christies online sale and was competed for by many clients from four continents, spanning America to Asia. It received 31 bids. The stone possesses transparency and purity of colour, which can only be found in the worlds finest natural diamonds. Rahul Kadakia. The entire sale totalled $4,164,500, with 93 percent sold by lot, 100 percent sold by value, and 64 percent of lots selling above their high estimate. Bidders represented 27 countries and five continents. The auction saw a 70 percent increase in unique visitors when compared to the online sale hosted in June 2019. Such high-yielding sales far beyond the reserve price have rarely been seen by auction houses, particularly online, and come in the face of the abysmal losses that the jewellery industry is facing globally. Kadakia reveals, Since lockdown on March 18, all our sales have been conducted online a radical move but the only possibility to continue our business. A total of 83 online sales took place in the first five months of the year, as many as the firm conducted in total in 2019. The jewellery online sales concluded with a combined sell-through rate of 91 percent. Clients from 80 countries have participated in online sales, with 35 percent of buyers new to Christie. Neither of the auction houses is letting us in on who ultimately bought these two pieces, but both have seen higher participation and buying by Indians. As Kadakia has said, Indians know a thing or two about buying jewellery. Indians, with their history of buying jewellery, art, architecture have it in their DNA to be collectors, to be educated connoisseurs of every area of the art market. Rahul Kadakia checks the quality of a diamond. One of the biggest contemporary names in the multi-billion dollar global auction world is an Indian: Mumbai-based jewellery Viren Bhagat. Unfortunately, very few pieces by Bhagat are coming to the auction market and when they do, the pieces tend to sell far above pre-sale estimate. Kadakia, who comes from a family of Mumbai jewellers, mentions a beautiful diamond brooch designed by Bhagat that Cartier offered for $40,000-60,000 in their legendary Maharajas & Mughal Magnificence auction last year in New York, where it sold for $212,500. Bhagat is much in demand for the unmistakable style in which he threads old gems and natural pearls in an east-meets-west design. The answer as to why more people are buying at auctions online could lie in the fact that these are collectible jewels, seen as investments by Indians, and there are more Indians looking for investments beyond real estate, as a Knight Frank Wealth Report 2020 points out. The prices in the recent sales are also designed to be inviting and which Indian does not like a bargain, however affluent. Catharine Becket, Senior Vice President and head of Sothebys Magnificent Jewelry division says, In decades of collections we know that conservative pricing yields the higher price and attracts more bidders. She added that 30 percent of the bidders at the auction were age 40 or under and a comparable percent were new to Sothebys. How do online auctions function? In the regular world, executives and top stars of the auction houses jet-set across the world, armed with the star jewels going up for auction, previewing them in private audience or at glamorous evening showcases within luxury hotels. Now, it is all about online viewing rooms run using cutting-edge technology, with the right-to-entry reserved. The auction houses, of course, are coasting on their past reputation to ensure sales given that physical examination of the jewels is not possible. A gold and diamond retro bracelet. The fact that Indians are ready to buy online speaks of a shift in mindset, according to jewellery historian Usha R Balakrishnan. For centuries, we have been told that we need to look at the jewels, touch them, even those with serious provenance, before we buy. That now we are ready to put serious money into buying jewellery online, speaks of our shift in mindset. Online auctions and retail will become a larger part of our lives. This is where certifying labs will come in: a certificate from a renowned lab is worth its weight in gold, or diamond and gemstones in this case. Indias home-grown jewellery auction industry Interestingly, the country has its own home-grown auction infrastructure, nurtured by auction houses such as SaffronArt and AstaGuru. AstaGuru has reported some interesting sales in the recent past: An 18k gold and diamond retro bracelet, estimated between Rs 6.5 lakh and Rs 7.5lakh, which sold for Rs 9.25 lakh. A set of miniature paintings, rock crystal, turquoise, natural pearl and gold ceremonial necklace, with a Jaipur provenance, sold for Rs 16.44 lakh against an estimate price of Rs 12 to 15 lakh. The stunning neckpiece is a canvas for 61 miniature paintings, with the primary ones mounted on octagon panels with turquoise drops. A two-strand emerald necklace. But what set new benchmarks is a two-strand emerald necklace, with 42 emeralds brushing against each other in two strands, which recently auctioned for Rs 1,64,22,000. Jay Sagar, Specialist Jewellery, of AstaGuru, says, India has a huge potential to grow as a jewellery auction hub. We have merely uncovered the tip of the iceberg. We are at a nascent stage when we compare to the western auction market, but the scope for development is immense. Since 2017, AstaGuru has been conducting standalone auctions for the segment against its earlier decision to bundle it with its collectibles portfolio. Jay Sagar. Over the lockdown, Sagar contends that the Indian jewellery auction market has maintained its stability. The most amount of traction has come from the metropolitan cities. The demand for vintage jewellery has not witnessed a decline. From our understanding, the segment that has been affected the most is the new jewellery segment since it is mass retail in nature. This uptick doesnt mean that Indians will stop buying their jewellery from that family jeweller or their favourite Indian brands. It just means that the jewellery auction market will see far more Indian participation as it evolves. Antique, collectable jewellery has the potential of not just becoming an investment segment for India, but we are more likely to wear those jewels instead of leaving them locked away, which seemingly most of the world does. Deepali Nandwani is a journalist who keeps a close watch on the world of luxury. Amid allegations that China delayed information concerning the novel coronavirus, a team of World Health Organization (WHO) is set to visit China next week to investigate the origin of COVID-19. The number of COVID-19 cases worldwide has crossed the 11 million mark and now stands at 11,048,509. The total number of coronavirus-related deaths recorded globally has reached over 5.24 lakh (5,24,663), according to data released by Johns Hopkins University. WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus in January spoke about an agreement with China for sending a team of international experts to work on increasing the understanding of the outbreak. In an interview with news agency ANI, Dr Soumya Swaminathan, Chief Scientist, WHO, said that a thorough investigation needs to be done into the origins of the virus. "WHO has been working with the Chinese government for the visit. A team is going to China next week to investigate the origins of the virus, Swaminathan said. Track this blog for LIVE updates on the COVID-19 outbreak 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 We need to investigate where and how it jumped from animal to human. It is possible that the virus came directly to humans. However, it is also possible that there was an intermediate animal like in the case of SARS. A thorough investigation needs to be done, she added. United States President Donald Trump has accused the UN health body of failing to provide the information needed to stem the pandemic and of being complacent towards Beijing. WHO has denied the charges. With 22,771 people testing positive for coronavirus in a single day, the highest so far, India's COVID-19 tally climbed to 6,48,315 on Saturday, while the death toll rose to 18,655 with 442 new fatalities, according to the Union Health Ministry data. With a steady rise, the number of recoveries stands at 3,94,226 and one patient has migrated. There are 2,35,433 active cases of coronavirus presently in the country, the updated data at 8 am showed. A day after asking Bharat Biotech to fast-track COVID-19 vaccine, ICMR on Saturday issued a clarification saying the process is in accordance with globally accepted norms. ICMR had on July 2 asked Bharat Biotech in an internal communication to fast-track clinical trials of the indigenous COVID-19 vaccine. In an official statement, ICMR Director General Balram Bhargava had stated that ICMR envisages the launch of the indigenous COVID-19 vaccine by August 15. Bharat Biotech recently got a nod for the clinical trial of its vaccine - COVAXIN. "ICMRs process is exactly in accordance with globally accepted norms to fast-track the vaccine development for diseases of pandemic potential wherein human and animal trials can continue in parallel," it said. Track this blog for LIVE updates on the COVID-19 outbreak 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 letter by DG-ICMR to investigators of the clinical trial sites was meant to cut unnecessary red tapes, without bypassing any necessary process, and speed up recruitment of participants," ICMR added. Several scientists have expressed concerns saying "it is imperative to strike a balance between giving it a high priority and rushing into a process that takes months, even years." "Fast-tracking a vaccine trial in four weeks for safety, immunogenicity and efficacy are just not possible if things are to be done correctly, Shahid Jameel, virologist and CEO of the Wellcome Trust/DBT India Alliance, a public charity that invests in building biomedical sciences and health research framework, told PTI. The ICMR 'letter' is, to say the least, a deeply inappropriate letter, in tone and content, both in terms of the integrity of due processes of product development, and in terms of technically realistic estimates, immunologist Satyajit Rath said. Meanwhile, Opposition leaders have alleged that the ICMR was trying to fast-track the production of a coronavirus vaccine so that Prime Minister Narendra Modi could make the announcement on Independence Day. "A vaccine would be the most decisive redemption from the pandemic. The world is waiting for a safe vaccine, which is universally accessible. But...scientific advances can never be 'made to order'. Forcing the development of an indigenous vaccine as a cure for COVID-19, bypassing all health & safety norms, to be announced by PM Modi on Independence Day is fraught with horrendous human costs," CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury tweeted on Saturday. Congress leader Prithviraj Chavan, too, on Saturday alleged that the ICMR's plans to launch a coronavirus vaccine by August 15 was aimed only at enabling the Prime Minister to make a big announcement from the Red Fort. (With agency inputs) With 22,771 people testing positive for the novel coronavirus in a day, the highest so far, India's COVID-19 tally climbed to 6,48,315 on Saturday, while the death toll rose to 18,655 with 442 new fatalities, according to the Union Health Ministry's data. With a steady rise, the number of recoveries stands at 3,94,226 with 14,335 COVID-19 patients having been cured in the last 24 hours, according to the updated data at 8 am. The number of recovered patients exceeded the active cases by 1,58,793 as of Saturday. There are 2,35,433 active cases of COVID-19 presently in the country, the data showed. Here are the key coronavirus-related developments of the day: > As experts cautioned against rushing the process for developing a COVID-19 vaccine after the ICMR stated it plans to launch one by August 15, the apex health research body on Saturday stressed that it is acting in accordance with the globally accepted norms to fast-track vaccine development for diseases of pandemic potential. > India's recovery rate increased to 60.81 percent. 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 > Delhi recorded 2,505 fresh coronavirus cases on Friday, taking the tally in the city to over 97,000, while the death toll from the disease mounted to 3,004. > Tamil Nadu on Saturday reported over 4,000 new coronavirus cases and the tally touched 1.07 lakh cases. The number of cumulative samples tested in Tamil Nadu crossed the 13 lakh mark and as on date 13,06,884 specimens have been examined. > Kerala's COVID-19 tally breached the 5,000-mark on Saturday with 240 fresh cases being reported, the highest single-day surge so far. Of the positive cases, 152 had come from abroad and 52 from other states. > The Odisha government on Saturday announced a ban on "Kanwar Yatra" by devotees of Lord Shiva during Shravan month this year, amid the rising number of novel coronavirus cases in the state. > The Mizoram government has postponed the opening of schools for the 2020-21 academic session for an indefinite period as part of measures to curb the spread of the coronavirus disease. The government had earlier decided to open educational institutions for the current academic session from July 15. > Andhra Pradesh reported 765 new COVID-19 cases on Saturday taking the overall tally of infections in the state to 17,699. > The death toll due to COVID-19 in Uttar Pradesh reached 773 on Saturday with 24 more fatalities, while the total number of cases in the state mounted to 26,554 as 757 fresh infections were reported in the last 24 hours. > The Arunachal Pradesh government on Saturday announced that a week-long total lockdown will be imposed in the Capital Complex, comprising Itanagar and Nagarlagun, from July 6 in view of the rising number of COVID-19 cases. Representative Image Kolkata Airport has said that no flights will operate from the city to other urban centres including Delhi, Mumbai and Chennai from July 6 to July 19, 2020 or further order. In a tweet posted on July 4, the airport stated: It is informed that no flights shall operate to Kolkata from Delhi, Mumbai, Pune, Nagpur, Chennai & Ahmedabad from 6th to 19th July 2020 or till further order whichever is earlier. Inconvenience caused is regretted. Follow our LIVE Updates on the coronavirus pandemic here It is informed that no flights shall operate to Kolkata from Delhi,Mumbai, Pune, Nagpur,Chennai & Ahmedabad from 6th to 19th July 2020 or till further order whichever is earlier. Inconvenience caused is regretted.@AAI_Official @MoCA_GoI @ushapadhee1996 @HardeepSPuri @arvsingh01 Kolkata Airport (@aaikolairport) July 4, 2020 The move is being seen as a way to contain spread of the novel coronavirus, as COVID-19 cases in West Bengal continue to rise. The number of COVID-19 cases in West Bengal crossed the 20,000-mark as the state reported its highest single-day spike of 669 new infections on July 3, according to a bulletin issued by the state Health Department. 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 fresh cases pushed the virus count to 20,488 in the state. With this, the state also reported the highest number of fatalities on a single day at 18, raising the death toll to 717, the bulletin said. Nishant Pitti, CEO of EasemyTrip.com, however, felt the move is counterproductive. With the increasing number of cases in West Bengal, the government had requested for ban on flights from certain states to Kolkata. This move is in opposite direction to the move of central government of Unlock 2.0 to open economy for income generation, he said. Pitti added that since essential travel is still allowed, people desperate enough will find a way regardless. Only essential travel is taking place these days and with people with desperate desire will find other ways, including road and others, to travel to the desired place. Hence, this move will have very limited impact on the spread of virus, but will definitely add to a lot of chaos for the public in general. Representative image (REUTERS/Randall Hill) Prathap Pillai, a native of Alappuzha in the coastal state of Kerala had an experience that most of us have dreamt of. On June 14, Pillai took a flight from Frankfurt to Singapore on which he was the only passenger to travel. The pandemic and the unanticipated sequence of events that followed has left many with unique travel experiences and Pillai is one such man. Pillai, who works in the maritime industry, had travelled from Singapore to Hamburg, Germany, for work ahead of the lockdown. However, he got stranded there due to the lockdown, and remained in the city for three months, as per a report by the Manorama. He could have chosen to return to India on one of the Vande Bharat flights in early June. But the Vande Bharat flight was till New Delhi and Pillai wanted to return to Alappuzha in Kerala where his wife works as a doctor. 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 Pillai also said that the journey from the national capital to Kerala was one he wasn't keen on undertaking due to the risks involved. He then decided to take a regular flight from Frankfurt to Singapore instead. And that is when the big surprise hit him. On boarding the flight, he realised that all others who were supposed to have been his co-passengers had cancelled their tickets. The man hence ended up being the lone passenger on the flight, with 10 crew members flying along with him. As per the report he said that it was an "unforgettable experience" and that he did not have to worry much for social distancing norms either as he was the only passenger onboard. Firefighters work at the site of an explosion at a firework factory in Turkey's northwestern province of Sakarya, July 3, 2020. At least two people were killed and 74 others were wounded on Friday in an explosion at a firework factory in Turkey's northwestern province of Sakarya, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced. (Xinhua) At least two people were killed and 74 others were wounded on Friday in an explosion at a firework factory in Turkey's northwestern province of Sakarya, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced. At a televised speech in Istanbul, Erdogan said among the 189 personnel of the factory, 74 people were wounded, with one of them in critical condition, and two others were killed. Since the main explosion occurred at 11:15 a.m. local time (0815 GMT), firefighters have been continuing to control the fire at the factory, which contains 110 tons of explosive materials, according to press reports. Meanwhile, Turkish Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said on his Twitter account that 85 ambulances and two helicopter ambulances have been dispatched to the scene. 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. 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. Pediatricians say theyre seeing fewer sick patients overall, and theyre especially seeing fewer patients with infectious diseases. But children can still get sick at home for a variety of reasons and quarantine-induced behaviors, as well as the coronavirus itself, might actually increase the risk for certain conditions. (Alex Kiesling/The New York Times) Melinda Wenner Moyer In April, about a month into a quarantine so careful I almost forgot how to drive, my 5-year-old came down with what I now refer to as The Rash. It started near her right eye, then spread down her right cheek a red, menacing, puffy splotch. A few days later, it appeared on her left cheek, too. We arranged a telemedicine appointment with her pediatrician, who squinted at it and suggested it might be bacterial and ordered a round of topical and oral antibiotics. The medicines worked for as long as we had them: Exactly 48 hours after we stopped using them the splotches came back. Ive had a lot of questions about this rash, the most pressing being, Where could it have come from? I always thought that bacterial infections were spread by germy kids on the school playground, but my daughters rash showed up a month after her last day of school. It turns out Im not the only parent whos been shocked by seemingly impossible infections this spring. Months into isolation, parents have told me that their kids have come down with mystery fevers, strep throat, lice, pinworms and roseola. We were in total isolation, and Lucy woke up with a fever of 102 and was throwing up. Very lethargic, said Maggie Gallant Isenberg of her 3-year-old daughter. I took her to the pediatrician and he said she was, like, the fourth kid that day who was in his office with a virus that wasnt COVID. Isenberg, who lives in Atlanta, also has two stepchildren, ages 10 and 14. Follow our LIVE Updates on the coronavirus pandemic here As it turns out, kids are still getting sick at home for a variety of reasons and quarantine-induced behaviors, as well as the coronavirus itself, might actually increase the risk for certain conditions, such as Lyme disease and diabetes. Still, pediatricians say theyre seeing fewer sick patients overall, and theyre especially seeing fewer patients with infectious diseases. People just arent going in to see their health-care providers as often as they have been in the past, said Dr. Yvonne Maldonado, a pediatric infectious diseases physician at Stanford University and chair of the American Academy of Pediatrics Committee on Infectious Diseases. Even accounting for phone calls and telemedicine visits, which have certainly gone up, some pediatricians say that contact with parents during the pandemic has dropped overall. Many Infections Come From Within If youre wondering how your kid can get sick while isolating, keep in mind that many infections are caused by germs that naturally live inside our bodies and sometimes end up in the wrong place at the wrong time. For whatever reason, these organisms can reach the back of the throat, they can get into the bloodstream, they can enter breaks in your skin and you can become infected, even if youre not around others, Maldonado said. When Karen Benavidezs 3-year-old daughter developed scabs on her face two months into the coronavirus quarantine she didnt think much of it, until a neighbor told her that the scabs looked like impetigo, a bacterial skin infection. I was expecting to have a healthier than normal spring since we were all at home and being so careful, said Benavidez, who lives in Tallahassee, Florida, and also has an 8-year-old son. I could not figure out how she could have been exposed. When she brought her daughter to the pediatrician, the doctor explained that the bacteria that cause impetigo typically staphylococcal or streptococcal bacteria can live in peoples noses and then inadvertently infect the skin through cuts or scratches. Ear infections, pneumonia, boils and urinary tract infections can also be caused by normal bacteria that have migrated to the wrong place. Many infections and infestations also have long incubation periods, meaning it takes a while from the time a child is exposed until they start showing symptoms. The incubation period for scabies, for instance, can be as long as eight weeks. Lice, too, can take quite a while to populate a head; often its just one or two that migrate over, then they have to lay eggs, which incubate for 10 days before hatching and take another 10 to 15 days to grow into adults. Plus, kids may not even notice their lice for as long as six weeks, as it can take that long for them to become sensitized to the lice saliva and start to feel itchy. So if your child has just started scratching their scalp and you discover lice, its possible theyve been there for some time. Parents Spread Germs, Too Even though many families are isolating right now, that doesnt mean theyre completely cut off from outside germs. If parents go to stores periodically, they could be exposed to viruses or bacteria that they then bring back to their kids even if the parents themselves, who have more well-developed immune systems, never get sick. Dad runs to the grocery store and gets something on his hands and comes back in and gives the kid a hug right when he walks in, before he washes and theres a kid who hasnt been around anyone but all of a sudden has a cold, said Dr. Clay Jones, a pediatric and newborn hospitalist at Newton-Wellesley Hospital in Newton, Massachusetts. Adults can also shed germs from previous infections and unwittingly make their children sick. Roseola, which commonly infects kids under age 2, causing a high fever and a distinctive pink rash, is caused by human herpesvirus 6 (HHV-6), a virus that can live dormant inside our cells after we recover from it. The latent virus can then periodically get reactivated, particularly when were under stress like, perhaps, when we find ourselves living through a global pandemic. When this happens, adults can shed the virus and infect their young children; research suggests that many babies actually become infected with roseola via their parents. This same scenario can also occur with coxsackieviruses, which can cause hand, foot and mouth disease, said Dr. Danielle Conley, a pediatrician in Buffalo, New York. New Behavior, New Risks Doctors are also seeing medical issues arise because of pandemic-induced changes in our behavior. In late May, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported an outbreak of salmonella linked to backyard chickens, which have become more popular during the pandemic. The case count is growing at a concerning rate, a CDC spokesperson said about the reports through mid-June. With families taking more hikes than usual, its possible that doctors will see more cases of Lyme disease and other tick-borne infections this summer, too. We presume that people are outside more, and its likely we will see higher numbers than usual, but that remains to be seen as we continue through the summer, said Victoria McGahan, a public health educator for New Yorks Columbia County Department of Health, a county that has among the highest rates of Lyme disease in the country. Some pediatricians report that they have been seeing lots of rashes recently, too. The week before heading into Memorial Day weekend, I saw a huge increase in rashes, Conley said. Many, she noted, were eczema or atopic dermatitis, both of which flare up during allergy season, especially when kids spend lots of time outside. Conley has also seen a huge uptick in juvenile spring eruption, a sun-induced skin condition that can arise in kids in the springtime. Its also possible that some new medical issues are being directly caused by the coronavirus. Dr. Scott Krugman, a pediatrician at the Herman & Walter Samuelson Childrens Hospital at Sinai in Baltimore, Maryland, said that his hospital has recently treated a surprising number of kids with new-onset diabetes. We have admitted a steady stream of children over the past few months, he said. c.2020 The New York Times Company Representative Image Intelligence that Afghan militants might have accepted Russian bounties for killing American troops did not scuttle the US-Taliban agreement or President Donald Trump's plan to withdraw thousands more troops from the war. It did give critics of the deal another reason to say the Taliban shouldn't be trusted. The bounty information was included in Trump's president's daily intelligence brief on February 27, according to intelligence officials, and two days later, the US and Taliban signed an agreement in Qatar. The agreement clears the way for America to end 19 years in Afghanistan and gives Trump a way to make good on his promise to end US involvement in what he calls "endless wars." On March 3, three days after the agreement was signed, the president had a 35-minute phone call with Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, a co-founder of the Taliban and head of their political office in Qatar. After reports of the bounties broke in late June, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo had a video conference with Baradar to make it clear that the US expects the Taliban to live up to their commitments. Under the agreement, the US will pull all its troops out of Afghanistan by May 2021. So far the US has reduced US troop presence in Afghanistan from 12,000 to 8,600 a target reached ahead of schedule. Now, Trump is considering when and how quickly to further shrink the U.S. military footprint. For its part, the Taliban committed to reducing violence, cutting ties with al-Qaida and sitting down with other Afghans to craft a political road map for their country's future. The Taliban have pledged to ensure that the areas they control about half the country at this time are not used by militant groups to target the U.S. and its allies. Critics of the deal like Rep. Mike Waltz, R-Fla., say the agreement is simply a cover for withdrawal. I have serious concerns with how this agreement has been pursued," Waltz said. "The Taliban has shown repeatedly through violence and bombings both before and after the deal was signed that they are not serious about adhering to their end of the bargain. The White House insists the president was not aware of the intelligence but that the administration responded to the information to protect troops. Administration officials say Russia along with other countries, including Iran have been providing the Taliban money and guns for years, although bounties would signal stepped up Russian aggression. Military experts note that the Taliban didn't need any monetary incentive to kill Americans. They also point out that the U.S. worked against the Soviets in the late 1980s, providing militants with shoulder-held anti-aircraft Stinger missiles, which turned around the course of the war and sped-up negotiated Soviet withdrawal from Afghanistan. "Bounties or not, what we judge the Taliban on is whether they honor the deal," said Scott Smith, an expert on Afghanistan peace processes with the US Institute of Peace. Both Republican and Democratic lawmakers, defense officials and Afghan experts claim the Taliban has not taken steps to live up to the now four-month-old agreement and they are skeptical the Taliban will ever break with al-Qaida, which conducted the 9/11 attacks. The US general overseeing American military operations in Afghanistan, Marine Gen. Frank McKenzie, said in mid-June that he is dubious of the Taliban's intentions to fulfil its commitments, suggesting that he would not favour a rapid US withdrawal. McKenzie said it is an open question whether the Taliban will keep Afghanistan from being the launchpad for attacks on the US. They have not yet completely made that case," McKenzie said, adding that "time is now beginning to grow short. Mike Morell, former CIA acting and deputy director, told the House Homeland Security Committee's intelligence and counterterrorism panel on June 24 that the Taliban is militarily and politically stronger than at any time since 2001 when the Taliban refused to hand over al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden, who orchestrated the 9/11 attacks. I believe that the Taliban, in its peace negotiations with the United States, have told us what we want to hear in order to encourage us to leave the country, Morell said. Thomas Joscelyn, a long time critic of the deal at the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies, said the Taliban have repeatedly said al-Qaida has not been in Afghanistan since 2001. Without any verification or enforcement mechanisms and there are no such provisions specified in the text of the deal released to the public there is no reason to think the Taliban is telling the truth now," he said. The Defense Department's latest report on the war said the Taliban has stepped up violence against Afghan forces, but has avoided attacks on US or coalition troops. The militants have joined with Afghan and US forces in hitting Islamic State fighters hard, pressuring the group to relinquish control of an area in eastern Afghanistan. But IS still has the ability to conduct mass-casualty attacks, the report said. The report also said USled counterterrorism operations have degraded al-Qaida, which now poses only a "limited threat to the US. The Pentagon report said, however, that the Taliban maintain close ties to al-Qaida. Pompeo says only a couple hundred active al-Qaida fighters remain in Afghanistan. On Thursday, Pompeo hinted, without elaborating, that he'd seen indications that the Taliban are no longer going to let al-Qaida operate in Afghanistan. File image Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan vowed on Friday that his government would complete the ambitious China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) at "any cost" as the $60 billion project is a manifestation of the all-weather friendship between the two countries. Addressing a meeting held here to review progress on the CPEC projects, Khan said it is an excellent project for Pakistan's socio-economic development and the "gigantic multi-faceted initiative would guarantee a bright future for the nation", the Dawn newspaper reported. Lauding the performance of the CPEC Authority, he said measures must be taken to improve its working as well as capacity. The corridor is a manifestation of Pakistan-China friendship and the government will complete it at any cost and bring its fruit to every Pakistani, Khan said. Khan's statement came a day after Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi discussed the CPEC projects with his Pakistani counterpart Shah Mahmood Qureshi during a phone conversation. Wang called for the two countries to speed up the projects under the CPEC to help Pakistan's economic recovery. He also hoped that the Pakistani government would provide more protection for Chinese companies and citizens working in the country. The CPEC, which connects Gwadar Port in Pakistan's Balochistan with China's Xinjiang province, is the flagship project of China''s ambitious multi-billion-dollar Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). A Chinese official last month admitted that the majority of the projects under the BRI are either adversely or partially affected by the coronavirus pandemic. About a fifth of the projects under the BRI, which aims to boost trade and investment across Asia, Africa and Europe to further China''s global influence, had been "seriously affected" by the pandemic, according to Wang Xiaolong, director-general of the foreign ministry''s international economic affairs department. About 40 percent of the projects were "adversely affected", and a further 30-40 percent were "somewhat affected", Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post quoted Wang as saying. The projects which were disrupted included the CPEC, it said. The CPEC is a collection of infrastructure and other projects under construction throughout Pakistan since 2013. Originally valued at $46 billion, the projects were worth $62 billion as of 2017. India has protested to China over the CPEC as it is being laid through Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. The BRI was launched by Chinese President Xi Jinping when he came to power in 2013. It aims to link Southeast Asia, Central Asia, the Gulf region, Africa and Europe with a network of land and sea routes. The BRI is seen as an attempt by China to further its influence abroad with infrastructure projects funded by Chinese investments all over the world. The initiative also led to allegations of smaller countries reeling under mounting Chinese debt after Sri Lanka gave its Hambantota port in a debt swap to China in 2017 on a 99-year lease. New York Times' chief classical critic, Anthony Tommasini, took on the daunting Opus 110 in college, and now relishes risky recordings. At the center of my program was Beethoven's Sonata No. 31 in A flat (Op. 110), my first attempt at playing one of the composer's visionary late sonatas, Tommasini writes, you had to take listeners with you to its distant cosmos. (Tatjana Prenzel/The New York Times) Anthony Tommasini For my senior piano recital in college, encouraged by my teacher, I took on an ambitious program. I opened with an elaborate Haydn sonata and ended by pairing a Chopin nocturne with his teeming Ballade in G minor. I also played the first three of Schoenbergs Five Piano Pieces intensely complex, atonal works that hooked me. At the center of my program was Beethovens Sonata No. 31 in A flat (Op. 110), my first attempt at playing one of the composers visionary late sonatas. I loved Opus 110, which begins with a sublime, rustling first movement and ends with a formidable fugue. The work seemed to me to occupy a wholly other realm: elusive, mystical, beyond style, beyond era. Just playing it well wasnt enough. You had to take listeners with you to its distant cosmos. Was it rash of me, barely into my 20s, to venture into music considered the province of mature, probing artists? Even Rudolf Serkin, my pianist hero at the time and a magnificent Beethoven player, approached these masterpieces with humility and awe. Fortunately, my teacher, Donald Currier, a professor at the Yale School of Music, boosted my confidence. Students, he used to say, might as well get started learning these extraordinary works; youll have the rest of your life to deepen your performances. The Schoenberg pieces were so hard for me that by the time I learned them, I had embedded them in my brain. I played them from memory confidently and never dropped a note. But I dont think I ever began Beethovens fugue without wondering whether I had made it through the contrapuntal thickets. But at my recital, I did. Only in the cumbersome middle section of the scherzolike second movement did I get a little gummed up. Some weeks later, listening with me to a tape recording of the recital a friend had made, my teacher said, Well, Tony, if you just redid that page in the scherzo, youd have a fine recording. Looking back, I cant believe how much I bought into the masterpiece mystique surrounding the Beethoven sonatas. Today, the word masterpiece itself is problematic. Wasnt the good-humored Haydn sonata I played a masterpiece? Or Chopins stormy ballade? (To say nothing of too often overlooked works by composers beyond these white, male totems.) But if masterpiece can be meaningless, Beethovens 32 piano sonatas, composed between 1795 and 1822, are deservedly touchstones. Hans von Bulow, the first to play all 32 in a series of recitals, likened Bachs Well-Tempered Clavier to the Old Testament and Beethovens sonatas to the New. These works took the sonata genre to a new dimension: multimovement, 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 last 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 Sonata No. 28 in A (Op. 101). Below the bittersweet, undulant surface of this music, as Levit reveals, Beethoven compresses an expansive sonata structure into less than 4 1/2 minutes. Im especially riveted when Levit follows his instincts and takes interpretive risks. In an essay for The Guardian, he wrote of Beethoven as a composer who lives his freedom and achieves it in ever-new ways. But, he concluded: I never know what he wants and what he means. Still less who he is. At the end of the day, Im the one who has to bring the music to acoustical life. And he does. His tempos are sometimes very fast, to the consternation of some critics. Yet even when the speed seems breathless, Levits playing is uncannily clear and alive, with rhythmic bite. So the effect is heady, not heedless, as in the opening movement of Sonata No. 4 in E flat, a long early sonata that tends to get overlooked. In Levits account this movement seems charming, almost Haydn-esque, yet full of heroic swagger and slyness. Levits recordings sent me back to Artur Schnabels landmark set, the first complete recorded cycle, made between 1932 and 1935 in England. Schnabel was the preeminent Beethoven pianist of his day. He was once asked, Why Beethoven? I am attracted only to music which I consider to be better than it can be performed, he answered. What Schnabel strove for is suggested by a comment Beethoven reportedly made, describing his compositional method. The working out in breadth, length, height and depth begins in my head, he said, and since I am conscious of what I want, the basic idea never leaves me. Thats what Schnabels accounts of these sonatas achieve: breadth and sweep, even when the tempos he takes are so rushed that passages turn muddy and phrases gets clipped short. His remarkably fluid technique comes through continually for example, in the buoyant, spiraling finale of Sonata No. 3 in C (Op. 2, No. 3). Yes, he drops some notes, but the shape and character of the playing are marvelous. Still, why did he approve his recording of the demonic finale of the Appassionata, which for all its excitement sometimes sounds just sloppy? Perhaps because back then, capturing music for posterity was still a fairly new concept. I doubt Schnabel imagined these recordings would be taken as deathless archival documents. It also didnt really matter to him. Schnabel had to be enticed into the studio. Recordings, as he later wrote, are against the very nature of a performance, which is meant to happen but once, to be absolutely ephemeral and unrepeatable. Like Schnabel, Levit strives to convey the overall breadth and depth of the music, though he is scrupulously attentive to every note, rhythm and articulation. The finale of Sonata No. 24 in F sharp offers a revealing comparison. In this impish movement, after a needling, jagged theme, the music keeps spinning off into bursts of passagework in which brisk strands of 16th notes are grouped in slurred two-note couplets. Schnabels performance sounds rowdy and mischievous, almost slapstick. The essential racing character of Levits account is very similar. But because his playing is so clean and accurate, and the rhythmic drive so relentless, the music sounds darkly humorous, with a touch of manic danger. If these days I find myself drawn to courageous younger pianists, I will always revere the great elder artists who have played these works with insight and command. Like my beloved Rudolf Serkin. Serkin, who set the highest standards for himself, said in a 1969 interview that he never had the courage to perform a complete cycle of Beethoven sonatas. Then it was announced that in 1970, in honor of the 200th anniversary of the composers birth, Serkin would play all 32 sonatas in a series of programs at Carnegie Hall. He wound up playing less than half of them in four concerts. I attended all four. The last took place on Dec. 16, Beethovens birthday. The second half was devoted to the gargantuan, still intimidating Hammerklavier Sonata, which ends with a complex, tangled fugue to end all fugues. This was not a piece Serkin was known for. Currier, my teacher, and I traveled down from Connecticut to hear it. The performance was majestic and exhilarating. Though I could sense Serkin sweating, as Beethoven would have wanted, he triumphed in the end. Later that season Serkin came to New Haven to give a recital. I was able to greet him backstage and told him that I had been at Carnegie for his extraordinary Hammerklavier. Looking dead serious, Serkin said, It took me 50 years. c.2020 The New York Times Company Two US aircraft carriers were conducting exercises in the disputed South China Sea on Saturday, the US navy said, as China also carried out military drills that have been criticised by the Pentagon and neighbouring states. China and the United States have accused each other of stoking tension in the strategic waterway at a time of strained relations over everything from the new coronavirus to trade to Hong Kong. The USS Nimitz and USS Ronald Reagan were carrying out operations and exercises in the South China Sea "to support a free and open Indo-Pacific," the navy said in a statement. It did not say exactly where the exercises were being conducted in the South China Sea, which extends for some 1,500 km (900 miles) and 90% of which is claimed by China despite the protests of its neighbours. "The purpose is to show an unambiguous signal to our partners and allies that we are committed to regional security and stability," Rear Admiral George M. Wikoff was quoted as saying by the Wall Street Journal, which first reported the exercises. Wikoff, commander of the strike group led by the Ronald Reagan, said the exercises were not a response to those being conducted by China, which the Pentagon criticised this week as "counter-productive to efforts at easing tensions and maintaining stability". China dismissed the US criticism of its drills on Friday and suggested the United States was to blame for increasing tensions. US carriers have long carried out exercises in the Western Pacific, including in the South China Sea, according to the US navy. At one point recently, the United States had three carriers in the region. 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. Vietnam and the Philippines have also criticised the planned Chinese drills, warning they could create tension in the region and impact Beijing's relationship with its neighbours. The United States accuses China of trying to intimidate Asian neighbours who might want to exploit its extensive oil and gas reserves. Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam also lay claim to parts of the South China Sea, through which about $3 trillion of trade passes each year. The US statement said the naval exercises gave commanders the flexibility and capabilities "that only the US Navy can command". GuidelinesA A 1. The Grader captures the first two of the three intrinsic factors that drive a stock: valuation, returns and growth. Since growth is volatile and difficult to capture through a metric, we have used only the first two factors. In place of growth, we have provided long-term price trend. A 2. In this system, A is a higher rank than B and so on. Since,... BOZEMAN- Congressman Greg Gianforte and Lieutenant gubernatorial candidate Kristen Juras are suspending public events after a potential exposure to COVID-19. On Tuesday, Gianfortes wife, Susan, and Juras attended a fundraising event with Donald Trump Jr. and his girlfriend Kimblery Guilfoyle in the Big Sky area according to a spokesperson for the Gianforte campaign. Since learning of their potential exposure, Greg, Susan, and Kristen have adhered to recommended guidelines. Out of an abundance of caution and for the health and safety of others, they will self-quarantine, be tested for COVID-19, and suspend in-person campaign events pending test results, according to the spokesperson. The Trump Campaign chief of staff for the Trump Victory Finance committee confirmed to The New York Times that Guilfoyle tested positive for COVID-19 in South Dakota. Lori Christenson from the Gallatin City-County Health Department explained that if an individual has tested positive whose address is located in another state, local public health is notified by the state of residence if close contacts were identified in another jurisdiction, such as Gallatin County. Local public health would then conduct contact tracing and notify exposed individuals of their potential exposure. ...Results are confidential and we are obligated to protect patient confidentiality and we will not be able to share new or ongoing case investigations and contact tracing efforts. Again, this is the same treatment we provide every one, said Christenson. She did confirm that nobody from Guilfoyles state of residence has contacted Gallatin County. Oak Hill, WV (25901) Today Becoming cloudy with occasional rain late. Low 59F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall around a quarter of an inch.. Tonight Becoming cloudy with occasional rain late. Low 59F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall around a quarter of an inch. Boats docked at Oasis Marinas at Port Lorain located at 301 Lakeside Ave. could see some increased activity over the holiday weekend as water recreation activities ramp up. Local officials are urging boaters and swimmers to exercise caution in respecting the potential hazards of Lake Erie. featured Lorain County Kiwanis clubs name service award to honor Robert Marimon of Avon Lake A crew from Cook Paving & Construction Co. Inc. works on the curb bumpouts at East 31st Street and Vine Avenue in South Lorain, seen here on June 24, 2020. The roadway this summer will get new bike lanes and new curb bumpouts to improve pedestrian safety at five intersections. 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 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. 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 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! 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 For the second day in a row, Horry County set a new single-day record for a jump in COVID-19 cases. The S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control on Saturday announced 358 new cases of COVID-19, and three more deaths from the disease, smashing through the last record, set Friday, of 237 new cases in a single day. DHEC announced a record 1,836 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 throughout South Carolina and 19 more deaths, bringing the state's total up to 43,260 and the number of deaths up to 806. Coast RTA encourages COVID-19 safety measures, provides masks to riders Coast RTA is encouraging riders in all of its vehicles to wear masks or face coverings after As of Saturday morning, the state's hospital occupation rate was 71.4 percent, and Horry County's bed utilization rate was 84 percent, with 560 beds occupied and 107 available. Of the 7,648 occupied hostel beds in the state, 1,190 beds held COVID-19 patients. There are still 3,058 beds available throughout the state. Almost 20 percent of the 9,338 samples tested yesterday came back positive for COVID-19. Health officials say the high percentage of tests coming back positive as well as the increase in COVID-19 hospitalizations are evidence of a sicker population, regardless of the total number of tests that come back positive. Because COVID-19 has no vaccine and no cure, its spread is dependent on how responsibly the population adheres to public health experts' recommendations to wear a mask in public, practice social distancing, avoid large public gatherings, practice good hygiene and stay home when sick. Because Gov. Henry McMaster declined to enact a statewide mask mandate, many local governments across the state and in Horry County are taking action to slow the spread. North Myrtle Beach was the first to pass an ordinance requiring customers and employees who interact with the public to wear masks in retailers and personal services businesses. Myrtle Beach passed a similar but more restrictive ordinance on Thursday. Horry County passed an ordinance on Friday and both Conway and Atlantic Beach are scheduled to vote on mask ordinances on Monday. A Jacksonville business reported having to close overnight Saturday when a crowd started gathering in the parking lot after a confrontation over a theft. Two girls stole Polar Pops soft drinks from Circle K at 602 N. Main St., according to an employee, after which their mothers went to the store and caused a scene, according to a police report. CALFire TCU Fire Engine View Photo Tuolumne County, CA One person had to be hospitalized for burns after a fire broke out on a houseboat on Lake Don Pedro in the Moccasin area of Tuolumne County. CAL Fire reports that when firefighters arrived on the scene around 9 p.m. on Thursday, the houseboat was fully engulfed in flames at the Moccasin Point Marina boat launch off Jacksonville Road. One person was rushed by ground ambulance to Adventist Health Sonora with burns to the lower part of their body. CAL Fire notes that before crews arrived on the scene other boaters had pushed the vessel about 100 feet away from the boat launch to prevent the flames from spreading to nearby vegetation. Once the flames subsided, other boats were used to tug the houseboat back to shore so firefighters could put out the blaze. The fire was contained in about an hour and a half. The houseboat was destroyed. What sparked the fire remains under investigation. Magnolia, AR (71754) Today Overcast. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low near 65F. Winds NNE at 5 to 10 mph.. Tonight Overcast. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low near 65F. Winds NNE at 5 to 10 mph. A man who was killed at a Southwest Side home following an argument over money was identified by the Bexar County Medical Examiner's Office. Richard Rodriguez, 49, was fatally shot multiple times after 6 p.m. Wednesday in the 900 block of Ripford Street, investigators said. Geoffrey Berman, the former U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, is still looking for a buyer for his home in Princeton, NJ. The brick manor, which has been on the market since last fall, is available for $2.7 million. The New York Post first reported on the home's availability last October. The Post noted that the Stanford law graduate had been spending so much time in NYC handling high-profile cases that he had less need for a home in New Jersey. Berman was recently ousted from his position in a high-profile firing, which may further complicate his housing plans. Yves here. Weve been pointing out since virtually the inception of this website, that for many and perhaps most companies, the case for outsourcing and offshoring was weak, particularly if you took risks seriously, assuming the goal was profit. However, the most important effect of moving important activities to areas where labor is cheaper is to effect a transfer from lower-level workers to middle and senior management. Indeed, the higher-ups can argue for more pay both due to the alleged cost saving plus the fact that theyve made their jobs more complicated. But as Marshall Auerback and Jan Ritch-Frel point out, both new concerns about the risk of extended supply chains plus technology reducing the cost of changing production locations is making far-flung trade networks less attractive. By Marshall Auerback, a market analyst and commentator and Jan Ritch-Frel, the executive director of the Independent Media Institute. Produced by Economy for All, a project of the Independent Media Institute Former U.S. Treasury Secretary Lawrence Summers has recently conceded: In general, economic thinking has privileged efficiency over resilience, and it has been insufficiently concerned with the big downsides of efficiency. Policy across the globe is therefore moving in a more overtly nationalistic direction to rectify this shortcoming. COVID-19 has accelerated a process that was well underway before it, spreading beyond U.S.-China-EU trade negotiations and into the worlds 50 largest economies. As much as many defenders of the old order lament this trend, it is as significant a shift as the dawn of the World Trade Organization (WTO) global trade era. Economists, politicians, and leading pundits are often tempted to see new economic patterns through the prisms of the past; we are therefore likely to hear that were back in an era of 19th-century mercantilism, or 1970s-style stagflation. But that misses the momentthe motives are different, and so are the outcomes. What we are experiencing is the realization by state planners of developed countries that new technologies enable a rapid ability to expand or initiate new and profitable production capacity closer to or inside their own markets. The cost savings in transport, packaging and security and benefits to regional neighbors and these countries domestic workforces will increasingly compete with the price of goods produced through the current internationalized trade system. U.S. national politicians from President Trump to Senator Elizabeth Warren will be joined by a growing chorus who see the long-term domestic political benefit of supporting this transition. The combination of high-speed communication, advances in automated manufacturing and computing combined with widespread access to the blueprints and information necessary to kick-start new production capacity increasingly makes the current international network of supply chains resemble a Rube Goldberg contraption, and it lightens the currency outflow challenge that many economies have had to deal with for the past seven decades. Growing political will to restore manufacturing capacity in the national interest will have a shattering effect on countries that built up their economies through a labor price advantage over the past 40 years. No amount of currency depreciation or product dumping can overcome the reality of a countrys foreign customer base suddenly opting to produce and buy their own goods at competitive prices. Taken in sum, the transformation underway isnt just Donald Trump demanding less dependency on Chinas production capacityits a global process. Its also India signaling its going to try to strike its own technological path away from China. New Patterns of Production Theres a lot of froth in moments like these, where old patterns continue at the same time new ones emerge. Factories are still closing in the United States on the NAFTA continuumno punishment for leaving and good incentives to leave; in many respects, its because the corporations are part of the same old regime. But look at sectors of the more advanced economy, and the green shoots and stalks of a new era are quite visible. There is a cascade of new production in the United Statesnot the familiar announcements of new data centers, warehousing and logistics centers, but rather the production of high-tech goods and essential restoration of hard infrastructure that one might expect of a more self-reliant economy. The news website Area Development is as good a radar screen for this process as any. There one can find a running spigot of news items like a new 500,000-square-foot research, development and production center [in Texas] to create electric motors for industries as diverse as electric vehicles, robotics, HVAC, and last-mile micromobility, or a restoration and upgrade of Newport News, Virginias dockyards. The rationales provided by governments to escape the strictures of the existing trade arrangements and into the new era are fairly easy: a mix of opportunism and need tied to the exigencies of the moment, such as the current pandemic, and long-term national security, which of course can ultimately amount to any economic activity of scope. Senator Elizabeth Warrens introduction in July of her sweeping Pharmaceutical Supply Chain Defense and Enhancement Act demonstrates that the U.S. power establishment is beginning to reach a consensus on this issueno longer the sole province of Trump-era nationalism. To defeat the current COVID-19 crisis and better equip the United States against future pandemics, we must boost our countrys manufacturing capacity, Warren said, recasting the consequences of decades of policy to offshore our economic production as an overreliance on foreign countries. Likewise, Senator Tom Cotton has introduced a new bill focusing on domestic production of semiconductors, titled the American Foundries Act of 2020, which aims to rebuild the countrys semiconductor capacity. This bill too has significant bipartisan backing. The government of Japans newly defined restrictions on foreign investment as reported by the Financial Timesof around a dozen sectors including power generation, military equipment, [computer] software [and technology] in effect prioritize the claims of domestic manufacturers on national security grounds. Of course, the Japanese authorities have crafted these restrictions on the vague grounds of national security,which is likely to take on a substantially different meaning in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. Hence, the country is unlikely to face any serious challenge from other WTO members. And it is through that rather simple justification that we can expect a general reshaping of international trade relations and the array of supply chains. The government of Australia has likewise outlined new powers to scrutinize new overseas investment, as well as forcing foreign companies to sell their assets if they pose a national security threat. The proposals come in the wake of an intensifying trade war between the governments of Beijing and Canberra, alongside a dramatic increase in the number of foreign investment bids probed by Australias spy agency ASIO, over fears that China was spying on sensitive health data, according to news.com.au. This is happening at the same time that there has been an overhaul of thought with regard to manufacturing, something Australia hasnt typically done much of. The headlines from Australia are beginning to look a lot like the Area Development stories in the United States. The Canadian government has also announced plans to enhance foreign investment scrutiny related to public health or critical supply chains during the pandemic, as well as any investment by state-owned companies or by investors with close ties to foreign governments, according to the Globe and Mail. This attempt to disaggregate beneficial foreign investment flows from those deemed contrary to the national interest used to be a common feature of government policy in the post-World War II period. Canada established the Foreign Investment Review Agency in 1973 as a result of mounting concerns about rising overseas investment, notably the domination of U.S. multinationals, in the Canadian economy. Its provisions were repeatedly downgraded as globalization pressures intensified, but its value is now being reassessed for compatibility with national health policy and resiliency in manufacturing chains. Predictably, pharmaceutical independence is high on the list. Taiwan, a net importer of surgical masks before the pandemic, [has] created an onshore mask-manufacturing industry in just a month after registering its first infections in January, reports the Financial Times. Taiwans President Tsai Ing-wen said Taipei would repeat that approach to foster other new industries. And world economists have noted that Taiwan and Vietnam lead the world in growth of global market share in exports, at the expense of larger economies like China. In Europe, the EU leadership is publicly indicating a policy of subsidy and state investment in companies to prevent Chinese buyouts or undercutting prices. This was supposed to represent a cross-European effort, but the coronavirus policy response is increasingly driven at the national level. Consequently, it is starting to fracture the EUs single market, which has long been constructed on an intricate network of cross-border supply chains and strict rules preventing state subsidies to national champions. The French government under President Emmanuel Macron has increasingly invoked the spirit of Charles De Gaulle in lieu of French industrialist Jean Monnet, considered as one of the founding fathers of todays European Union. Corporate France has taken heed: In response to French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maires rallying cry to the nations supermarkets this past March to Stock French products, according to France 24, French supermarket chain Carrefour has already moved to source 95 percent of its fruits and vegetables from within the country, which by the way is a fundamental logic of any serious environmental agenda. According to Coalition for a Prosperous America, Le Maire [also] cited pharmaceuticals, the automotive sector, and aerospace as three economic sectors where France needs to reassert sovereignty, i.e., make more products in France. Going further in a national TV interview, the finance minister said that it was unacceptable for France to rely on China and South Korea for 80 percent of its electric battery supply, praising a new France-based battery-making facility that would come onstream in 2022. He praised French drugmaker Sanofi for saying recently that it intends to re-localize some of its production back to France. President Macron himself has likewise reaffirmed a goal for France to ensure the nations health sovereignty after the coronavirus exposed the reliance of his country on imported medical supplies. According to a recent Reuters report, Frances Agriculture Minister, Didier Guillaume, told political news channel Public Senat that while France could not be self-sufficient in all food products, it would look at being more autonomous in areas such as plant protein. Even Germany, with a vibrant export sector that has long made it a beneficiary of globalization, has also signaled a move toward greater economic nationalism. In a recent interview with Der Spiegel (cited in Reuters), the countrys economy minister, Peter Altmaier, said he wanted to support pharmaceuticals companies that are dependent for key reagents on imports from Asia to rebuild their production sites in Europe. In broader terms, part of the governments overall response to the COVID-19 pandemic has featured 400 billion in state guarantees to underwrite the debts of companies affected by the turmoil. A goal of this package is to prevent a bargain sale of German economic and industrial interests, Altmaier was quoted in MarketWatch. Economic nationalist considerations are also driving a shift in Britains negotiating stance in the current Brexit trade negotiations with the EU, with the UK clearly prioritizing national sovereignty over frictionless free trade with its former single-market partners, even if that means a so-called Hard Brexit. The EUs single-market rules specifically preclude state aid to specific industries if it undermines the operation of the single market. But the UKs chief negotiating officer, David Frost, has made it clear that the ability to break free from the EUs rulebook was essential to the purpose of Brexit, even if that meant reverting to the less favorable WTO trade relationship that exists for other non-EU countries. In the words of columnist James Forsyth of the Spectator, EU laws on the single market [deny] to member states what one cabinet minister refers to as the geostrategic premium of encouraging domestic production of personal protective equipment. In the single market, the NHS cannot buy solely from British suppliers to try to build up a domestic manufacturing base; it has to accept bids from any company based in the EU. Economic Nationalism and the New Geopolitics Over the past 40 years, this kind of overt economic nationalism, especially as it has pertained to domestic manufacturing capabilities, has generally been eschewed by the United States, at least until the ascension of Donald Trump to the White House. In part, this is a product of the fact that as global hegemon, the United States used to be able to dominate global institutions (such as the International Monetary Fund and the WTO) and shape them toward U.S. national interests. But when necessary, national security considerations have intervened. Sematech, a government-industry consortium, was created in the 1980s to successfully revitalize the American semiconductor industry, after the Pentagon deemed this to be a strategically key industry that should not leave the United States exposed to the vagaries of foreign manufacturers. The Sematech consortium has represented a great success in national industrial planning, as it enabled the United States to re-establish its global dominance in high-end semiconductor production and design. More recently, national security considerations in the semiconductor industry have again revived in the wake of the Trump administrations growing dispute with Chinese 5G telecommunications equipment maker Huawei. The U.S. Commerce Department has now mandated that all semiconductor chip manufacturers using U.S. equipment, IP, or design software will require a license before shipping to Huawei. This decision has forced the worlds biggest chipmakerTaiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC)to stop taking fresh orders from Huawei, as it uses U.S. equipment in its own manufacturing processes. Paradoxically, then, the Trump administration has exploited pre-existing global supply linkages in the furtherance of a more robust form of economic nationalism. The same policy attitude is now visible with regard to pharmaceuticals (as it is in other parts of the world, to the likely detriment of China and India). A shift like this will have a knock-on effect that will reverberate to the other parts of the world that for centuries have been forcibly limitedby arms and financeto being sources of raw material export, refined if they were lucky. They will watch closely what happens with Australia, which for the majority of the past 150 years has been an exporter of food and minerals, but is now jumping on the project to establish a national manufacturing base. As dozens of countries build their own manufacturing basesomething only a handful of countries controlled for most of modern historybig questions will emerge about geopolitical stabilization and the classical tools of foreign influence. The world today in some respects resembles the 19th centurys balance-of-power politics, even as the majority of countries understand that some minimal level of state collaboration is essential to combat shared challenges. China is party to a growing number of global disputes, as emerging great powers typically experience: the U.S. vs. China, China vs. India, Japan vs. China, China vs. Australia, and the EU vs. China. But hot wars are unlikely to feature as prominently as they did two centuries ago. Expect to see Cold War-style conflict intensify, however, albeit in new forms. Instead of the old geopolitical arenas including access to vital commodities or stable petroleum markets, the new forms of the competition will put greater weight on access to advanced research and technologies, such as the collection, transfer and storage of data and the quantum computing power to process it. The speed at which global supply chains can potentially shift to accommodate the rise in economic nationalism is considerable. The success with which we manage the transition will largely settle the debate as to whether it is in fact the better path to greater prosperity and global stability. By Thomas Neuburger. Produced by DownWithTyranny! Thanks to Trumps mismanagement of the Covid-19 outbreak, the U.S. is on the verge of becoming the Typhoid Mary of major industrial nations Donald Trumps resignation is a topic on many lips these days. Chris Hayes, in a dramatic moment at MSNBC, called for Trumps to resign over his mishandling of the coronavirus epidemic (deservedly so), and at least one newspaper editorial board has called for Trump to step down, as has Washington Governor Jay Inslee. Michael Gerson at the Washington Post called for Trumps resignation because of diminished moral capacity related to his alleged callous indifference to the alleged Russian bounties offered for American lives in the Afghan theater of war. Note that there are a lot of ifs in these bounty reports Gerson himself leads his argument with If, as reported by multiple news sources while skeptics think its awfully convenient timing that leaks from who? American intelligence officials, who proudly admit to lying have reached the Times just as the Trump administration is working on Afghanistan peace agreements that could get the U.S. out of a war its been waging for almost 20 years. (Whether the U.S. has been waging that war successfully or not depends on what you think the U.S. considers success. If military occupation counts as success, weve succeeded. By any other measure, weve failed.) Analysts are also speculating that Trump could leave office voluntarily or be forced out. Robert Kuttner wrote at The American Prospect that Trump may leave on his own, since nothing seems to be going his way lately and the minute hes no longer president hell be subject to quite a bit of prosecution. Kuttners speculation hinges on the possibility of Trump negotiating a deal for resigning that amounts to a giant Get out of jail free card. Trump may conclude, writes Kuttner, that he has more leverage to cut the best possible deal with all players while the bargain includes a widely wished-for resignation, rather than after he loses an election and his term merely ends. At that point, Trumps opponents have no incentive to make deals, and a pardon only goes so far. Sounds plausible to me, but Ive been wrong before. Others feel that increasing pressure from Republicans leaders, fearful of losing both the White House and the Senate in November, will cost him critical support within his party. Most of those discussions are private at the moment, but they are many. The question is the method how to get him to go. Which brings us back to the Russian bounties story. Will that carry such weight with the American people that his already crummy approval rating (39%) and poll numbers (nearly 10 points below Joe Biden) will drop even further? If so, could a combination of public shaming and deep unpopularity force him out of office? Sounds unlikely to me, but Ive been wrong before. The Typhoid Mary of Major Industrial Nations Something that might force his resignation, though, is so far low on peoples radar, but it shouldnt be the EU travel ban on Americans entering Europe. Consider the following from CNN (emphasis added): What EUs new border rules mean for travelers Updated 1st July 2020 (CNN) The European Union has formally agreed a set of recommendations that will allow travelers from outside the bloc to visit EU countries, months after it shut its external borders in response to the outbreak of Covid-19. As had been widely expected, the list of 14 countries does not include the United States, whose current Covid infection rate does not meet the criteria set by the EU for it to be considered a safe country. The criteria requires that confirmed Covid cases in countries on the list are similar or below that of the EUs per 100,000 citizens over the previous 14 days (starting from June 15). Countries must also have a stable or decreasing trend of new cases over this period in comparison to the previous 14 days, while the EU will consider what measures countries are taking, such as contact tracing, and how reliable each nations data is. The US has not only the highest number of reported coronavirus infections of any nation, currently 2,590,582, but also the highest number of deaths, at, 126,141, according to the latest data from Johns Hopkins University. US infection rates will need to dramatically drop if Americans are to be allowed entry to European countries, just as the European tourism industry enters what are traditionally its peak months. The recommendations are expected to come into force as early as July 1, however, it remains up to member states to decide exactly how the implement any changes in border policy. According to CNN, exemptions may be offered to EU citizens or family members of an EU citizen; long-term EU residents or family members; those with an essential function or need, such as diplomats, healthcare workers or certain agricultural workers. Does being wealthy, powerful or connected count as an essential function? How will business travelers be affected? Would Charles Koch be allowed in? Would a high-ranking official of, say, Apple, on her way to a meeting with a German corporate counterpart, be counted as having a need to enter Europe? What if Charles Koch or the Apple CEO wanted merely to look in on their eighth farm in France, bringing the grandkids for visit? Would they be allowed in? If yes, how far down the wealth or corporate ladder would one need to be before the ban would apply? Would mere millionaires qualify? How about junior VPs at smaller companies? The questions, once exemptions are granted, are endless. The Feckless Administration Which brings us to Donald Trump and his resignation. The following two things are true: First, U.S. Covid infection rates are never going to drop under the current regimen and under this administration. They will never come down except naturally, if the virus recedes on its own, period. Trump and his administration are structurally incapable of making this better, and yahoo U.S. governors are incapable of not making this worse. Second, this will be true from now until January 2021 when the next president is sworn in, and perhaps beyond. The American people can be told to suffer and bear with it, but they dont travel to Europe. Our bipartisan betters do, however, and this includes our Republican betters. If the Europeans are as strict as, frankly, they ought to be, do you think that powerful and wealthy Republicans, many of whose lives are essentially international, will tolerate a travel ban for the next six months? When and if Republican elites decide that European governments are serious, that France, Germany, Italy and the rest wont let most of them in, Ill bet any money in the world that Donald Trump will be offered a deal, and both parties will be party to crafting it even if it means letting Vice-President Pence run as an incumbent on the November ballot. And, if Robert Kuttner is right about Trumps legal needs post-election, Ill also bet he takes it. Dead fish are popping up all along the Hudson River New York Post (David L). Eeew. Nagaland dog meat: Animal rights groups hail ban as major turning point BBC (David L) Take a Flight Over Korolev Crater on Mars Universe Today (Kevin W) After Fighting Plastic in Paradise Lost, Sisters Take On Climate Change New York Times (David L) Microplastic in terrestrial ecosystems Science (David L) #COVID-19 Mexico vastly underestimating virus death toll, studies say Financial Times China? U.S. Sends Two Aircraft Carriers to South China Sea for Exercises as China Holds Drills Nearby Wall Street Journal US has been exposed for funding last years Hong Kong protests South China Morning Post (Anthony L). Sigh (in anticipation of overreactions). I have seen this sort of thing in business regularly from early on in my career, people claiming credit for deals they didnt do (I knew it wasnt theirs because I knew first hand who had done them, the brazenness always stunned me). I cant recall who made this observation re Russiagate, but a skeptic pointed out that anyone connected to the GRU whod been spending $ in the US would use the hysteria as proof that theyd been effective and try to get more funding. The US is not even remotely good enough to have made a difference in HK. Look at the failed Venezuela coup. Spending money is no proof of influence or impact. The support for the protests extended very deep into the population. Fleeing protestors be pulled into houses in working class homes en masse to keep them from being arrested. The US agencies dont have enough people who speak Cantonese with the right accent to make a dent. China, US in row over quarantining of diplomats Asia Times (Kevin W) Brexit New Cold War Syraqistan Mysterious Explosion and Fire Damage Iranian Nuclear Enrichment Facility New York Times Big Brother is Watching You Watch Inside the Invasive, Secretive Bossware Tracking Workers Electronic Frontier Foundation (Bob H) Imperial Collapse Watch Trump Transition Sour grapes: California governor Gavin Newsom shuts down wineries in 19 counties hit hard by COVID-19 but keeps his OWN tasting room in Napa open Daily Mail 2020 Biden seeks to supplant Trump in Georgia The Hill Charles Booker, Jamaal Bowman And The 7 Competing Camps In Black Politics FiveThirtyEight (resilc) Big Business Still Has Enormous Control of American Politics at Every Level Tom Ferguson, Jacobin. Laffaire Jeffrey Epstein The Ghislaine Maxwell I know Alan Dershowtiz, Spectator G Max: How Ghislaine Maxwell used numerous bank accounts and aliases to avoid detection Telegraph (Brian C) Photo of Ghislaine Maxwell and Kevin Spacey in Buckingham Palace Stirs Social Media Sputnik (Kevin W). Clive points out: Disappointingly perhaps, a fake or, to be more accurate, not the actual Throne Room at the Palace (having been there, the one in the picture is far too spic and span and made from modern materials the real one has that mellow hued fading of age you get with real historic decor). Its also using American gold tones and that cheap processed lumber or fibreboard you get there. It could be in Donald Trumps NYC apartment though, it matches his house style. Black Injustice Tipping Point How advertiser boycott could yield watershed moment for Facebook NPR (Craig S) This is basically a soft form of censorship by Google-owned YouTube Channels that criticize US imperialism, Western wars, Israeli colonialism, etc are demonetized, which not only discourages political content, it also *hurts these videos in the algorithm*https://t.co/IiGMglYaLO Ben Norton (@BenjaminNorton) July 4, 2020 Fig & Olive, New York Restaurant Chain, Files for Bankruptcy Bloomberg. Another restaurant I patronized occasionally in trouble. Slimy Deal Allows CalPERS President and Staff to Hold Secret Star Chamber Discipline of Dissident Board Member Margaret Brown Tony Butka, LA Citywatch Guillotine Watch Class Warfare Antidote du jour (Cliff V): And a bonus (guurst): See yesterdays Links and Antidote du Jour here. (Natural News) According to every Democrat in America, you should not step outside your house without your mask on, for safety and unity reasons, unless of course, you are protesting something anti-police or anti-Trump. That is the only time you are not susceptible to catching Covid-19, by the way. The entire mainstream (chemical) medicine community supports this theory, as well as every Democrat Governor. So when its time for a Trump rally or to celebrate the REAL independence from tyranny, all of a sudden Covid-19 is back on the prowl, re-activated by Trump supporters who dare to leave their home without a mask in order to watch some fireworks and scream for the Republic (or to attend a rally to vote out the socialist nut-jobs). How dare Trump tell people to gather when its not even for BLM domestic terror riots. How dare these patriots gather on July 4th and stand shoulder to shoulder, waiving flags and caring about something they call independence. They must wear masks! They must maintain social distancing of 6 feet! Stop or youll kill grandma. Our advice: Make a protest sign and its all legal because youre just exercising your 1st amendment rights, just like domestic terrorists Antifa, BLM, and all those other fascist hypocrites. Carry your freedom and independence protest sign on July 4th so the Democrat officials cant put you in jail Notice how the entire lock down farce fell apart when the George Floyd (planned) murder happened? Suddenly, if you hate Trump and want anarchy across America, you simply carry a protest sign that can say literally anything, and you dont need a virus mask and you dont need to maintain social distancing at all. In fact, if your sign reads BLM or Antifa or No Laws! or All Police Are Bastards then you can rob stores, rape people, set cop cars and precincts on fire, and not be arrested, ever. Plus, the Covid virus cannot attack anyone whos destroying property or peoples lives, so youre immune to it as you fight violence in America. How amazing those Democrats are. Theyre all in this together, dont you know. Now Nasty Pelosi and Hitlery Clinton are scolding Trump for planning rallies. Its time to make those protest signs. Got a stick, duck tape, some cardboard and a sharpie? Then get to work, in the name of freedom and justice for all. Dont forget who funded the Ferguson violence George Soros and the BLM Democrats. They are the ultimate hypocrites. Watch and learn fast: Its going to be a different kind of crowd that comes out for July 4th, 2020, because right now a lot of people hate America People do not like Donald Trump because of who he is, Donald Trump. According to all mainstream news of every medium (television, newspapers, websites, social media), Trump is a misogynist and a racist who hates immigrants, plus hes white and super-rich, which must mean hes evil. Most people believe mainstream medias portrayal of him. Thats why millions of Americans who usually come out to watch fireworks and celebrate our country wont this year, as theyre consumed by paranoia of coronavirus, fear of riots, and the worry that they themselves might look like they support Trump if theyre caught on camera with a miniature flag, having a good time. This is the President whos done more for this country in the last 3-plus years than the Democrats have in 40-plus years, including all the ones running for office now. This is just a friendly reminder of what the Democrats and their Gangster-Terrorist leaders are trying to do to this country. They want us all to think the whole country is about hate and division, when its most certainly not. In fact, most Americans are not biased at all, towards anybody, and we show everybody respect, no matter skin color, religion, country of origin or gender. Keep America Great. Stay tuned to independent, truth media, be sure to turn off that damn television news, and burn that useless newspaper in your fire pit. Obama says racism is in our DNA. Really? Racism is NOT in Americas DNA. Have you ever seen a bigoted baby? Children of all colors will run to hug each other on the playgrounds of preschools across this country, without even thinking about the differences between them. Listen to an open-minded point of view right here, with real statistical information: Tune your internet dial to Trump.news for updates on Democrats limiting Republicans constitutional rights (house arrest for months) while exploiting their own distance rules and safety laws for political gains and luxurious vacations. Sources for this article include: NaturalNews.com Trump.news Breitbart.com TheGateWayPundit.com (Natural News) Texas Gov. Greg Abbot issued a statewide order mandating the use of masks on July 2 as the state scrambles to get its Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) surge under control. The order, which takes effect at 12:01 p.m. Friday, immediately applies to all Texas counties, though counties with 20 or fever active cases can be exempted if they choose to opt-out. In addition, exemptions also exist for children who are younger than 10 years old, people with certain medical conditions, people who are eating or drinking, and people who are exercising outdoors. Texas prioritized reopening, then coronavirus numbers hit The order represents a change of course for Abbott. The governor had previously prohibited local jurisdictions from issuing their own mask mandates. However, with Texas caseload rising and its hospital systems overflowing Abbott may have had no choice but to issue the order. Texas was one of the first states to relax its coronavirus restrictions, allowing some businesses to open on May 1. Infections started to increase almost immediately, however, with the state Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) reporting a then-record breaking 1,888 hospitalizations on May 5. Despite early signs that the reopenings were causing infections to increase, the state still continued to reopen. On June 3, Abbott allowed almost all businesses to operate at 50 percent capacity. A little over a week after, that was expanded to 70 percent. Back then, Abbott and other state officials had attributed the increase in coronavirus infections in the state to a combination of expanded testing and a few isolated hotspots. For a while, this seemed to be the case; the states positivity rate the ratio of confirmed cases compared to total tests had actually gone down to just around five percent in May from a high of 13.86 percent mid-April. Hospitalizations due to the coronavirus, however, continued to rise. Despite seemingly plateauing at the end of May, the states coronavirus hospitalizations soon broke records in early June. By month-end, hospital systems in the state had reached a breaking point. In Houston, hospitals, including Texas Medical Center the worlds largest medical complex were running out of intensive care beds, requiring them to start converting remaining beds into ICU beds, or transfer patients to other hospitals. Estimates now show that the need for ICU beds in Houston will reach unsustainable levels within a couple of weeks. Other states also reversing course Texas is not the only state thats reversing previous its reopening in response to a resurgence in coronavirus cases. In Arizona, Gov. Doug Ducey shut down bars, movie theaters, gyms and water parks. Most of these businesses reopened after the governors stay-at-home and business closure orders expired mid-May. In addition, Ducey also ordered public schools to delay the start of classes until at least August 17. In New Jersey, Gov. Phil Murphy announced that he is postponing the restarting of indoor dining in the state. This is due to people not wearing masks and not complying with recommendations for social distancing. In Kansas, Gov. Laura Kelly is following in Texas footsteps. On July 2, Kelly released an executive order that requires people to wear masks in most public spaces starting immediately the next day. In addition to mandating masks in both indoor and outdoor spaces, the order also requires businesses to have their employees wear masks while working in any space visited by customers even if customers are not present at the time. In Florida, on the other hand, Gov. Ron DeSantis has left the decision on whether to require masks up to local leaders. In response, both Miami-Dade and Broward counties have issued orders requiring the use of masks ahead of the Fourth of July holiday weekend. These orders come as the U.S.s daily count of new cases breached 50,000 for the first time on July 1, bringing the country just shy of 3 million cases. As of reporting time, the U.S. has over 2.7 million coronavirus cases. With these numbers in mind, it seems that many leaders are now rethinking their approaches to the coronavirus and what they need to do to curb its spread. Sources include: WSJ.com TexasTribune.org APNews.com Kansas.com Coronavirus.JHU.edu (Natural News) Theres a saying that goes, Play stupid games, win stupid prizes. A recent libtard Harvard grad just learned that lesson the hard way. By now, readers are well aware of all the virtue signaling being done by white and non-black allies of Black Lives Matter as they trip over themselves to express their undying love and support for a movement that is actually becoming far more militant than George Floyd would have wanted. One virtue signaler, Claira Janover, who managed to graduate from an Ivy League school after growing up in a very wealthy Connecticut enclave, took to the Chinese-app Tik Tok to threaten anyone who said all lives matter with deadly bodily harm. The next person that has the nerve, the sheer entitled cauc-acity to say All lives matter, Im-a stab you, Im-a stab you. And while youre struggling, bleeding out, Im going to show you my paper cut, and say, My cut matters, too, she said. And no, she wasnt deplatformed like you know any conservative or Trump supporter would be (not that conservatives and supporters of President Trump make such stupid threats on social media anyway). Janovers video was shared by The Gateway Pundits Cassandra Fairbanks. Reopen mental hospitals pic.twitter.com/GHIz0Zs8r0 Cassandra Fairbanks (@CassandraRules) July 1, 2020 Nice, huh? To this leftist, anyone who dares stand up for the sanctity of all lives which naturally includes black people isnt worthy of life. (Related: Black Lives Matter is a full-blown CULT, and its supporters are mindless FANATICS.) Unfortunately, as weve seen, she is far from the only one who thinks like she does. The Leftist academic cabal has managed to brainwash/inculcate/indoctrinate the last couple of generations in Marxist ideology and anti-American hatred. And, obviously, this kind of dangerous groupthink exists in our countrys supposed top schools. In any event, speaking of conservatives and Trump supporters, Janover is now blaming them for her stupidity. She had lined up a dream job at Deloitte, a top-rated financial services firm, but the company let her know she was being fired after the video which she just posted a few days ago went viral. In another video, a bawling Janover seemed to forget that she put her rant online herself, specifically to be seen. Standing up for Black Lives Matter put me in a place online to be seen by millions of people, she whined. The job that I worked really hard to get and meant a lot to me has called me and fired me because of everything. Well, you did say you were going to stab anyone who said all lives matter, and now youll have time to do that! So, hey, look on the bright side pic.twitter.com/JoR4oyp0Kz James Woods (@RealJamesWoods) July 2, 2020 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 She added, Trump supporters took my job away from me. I have gotten death threats, rape threats, violent threats. Now my futures entirely compromised because Trump supporters have decided to come for my life. She literally took no responsibility for her own actions which is so typical of todays unhinged libs. Im too strong for you! Hanover huffed defiantly. Im too strong for any of you All Lives Matter racist Trump supporters. It sucks. But it doesnt suck as much as systemic racism. And Im not going to stop using my platform to advocate for it. She then trashed her now-former employer, virtually guaranteeing that shell not be going to work there anytime soon. Im sorry, Deloitte, that you cant see that, she howled. That you were cowardly enough to fight somebody whos going to make an indelible change in the world and is going to have an impact. Oh, and of course, Janovers a registered Democrat. And lets not forget the fact that shes an overt anti-white racist. (Warning: Foul language) It might have been the racist slurs too pic.twitter.com/TbfOk2utsM E. (@IPurpleRobot) July 2, 2020 That might have had something to do with getting fired as well. In any case, it should be noted that far-Left lunatics and outrage mob participants have gotten plenty of conservative Trump supporters fired from their jobs and tossed off free-speech platforms in the past. And while no one should support virtual or actual bullying, whats clear in Janovers case is that she got herself canned. See more stories about left-wing crybullies at Crybullies.news. Sources include: ZeroHedge.com NaturalNews.com (Natural News) A forced vaccine is a violent, felony assault with a deadly weapon, and all human beings have the right of self-defense against violent assaults. A few days ago, I posted a video (see below) declaring I will invoke my right of self-defense against any attempt at forced vaccination against my body. This means any government agent, or agency, or personnel who attempt to violate my body against my consent will be met with the deployment of force in an act of self-defense. #TakeTheOath This is not about initiating violence, but halting violence. An assault with a deadly needle is a form of violence, and it must be stopped through all legal means, which includes the legal right to self-defense. No government has any right to invade your body and force you to be injected with a potentially injurious or even deadly substance, and given that todays coronavirus vaccines are skipping most of the normal protocols of safety and testing, the coming forced vaccinations with the coronavirus vaccine are mandatory medical experiments being conducted in violation of the Geneva Convention which forbids such actions on a global scale. Rule 92. Mutilation and Medical, Scientific or Biological Experiments: Biological experiments are prohibited by the First and Second Geneva Conventions, while the Third and Fourth Geneva Conventions prohibit medical or scientific experiments not justified by the medical treatment of the person concerned. Conducting biological experiments on persons protected under the Geneva Conventions is a grave breach and a war crime under the Statutes of the International Criminal Court and of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia. Additional Protocol I prohibits medical or scientific experiments. In the Brandt (The Medical Trial) case in 1947, the US Military Tribunal at Nuremberg convicted 16 persons of carrying out medical experiments on prisoners of war and civilians. Todays vaccine corporations are offshoots of the Nazi chemical conglomerate IG Farben Have we not learned enough from the Holocaust and the forced injection of Jewish subjects with experimental substances under the Nazi regime? In World War II, six million Jews were slaughtered by the Nazis, led by IG Farben, Germanys pharmaceutical giant which was broken up after the war, becoming three different corporations. One of those corporations is known as Bayer, which makes deadly pesticides, herbicides and pharmaceuticals to destroy life on planet Earth. The Nazi regime never really ended; it just morphed into new names and new agenda. Now, the coronavirus vaccine is a global depopulation weapon being deployed against humanity. The goal is depopulation, as has been promoted and endorsed by people like Bill Gates, who also funds coronavirus vaccine development. Its bizarre that Antifa activists who consider themselves to be anti-fascists say nothing about the real medical fascism now threatening them all: Mandatory vaccines, carried out with echoes of Nazi Germany and its crimes against humanity. (Read MedicalViolence.com for more reports of the violence of modern medicine.) If Black lives really matter, then vaccine mandates must be eliminated If you allow yourself to be injected with the coronavirus vaccine, you may be killed by it. Or you might be made infertile, put into a coma or hospitalized with severe reactions. Your brain and gut may suffer permanent, long-term damage. And to top it off, Melinda Gates now says that after medical personnel are vaccinated, black people should be the highest priority for mass vaccinations. Thats because Blacks are the primary target of global depopulation. You would think that if Black lives really mattered, then Blacks wouldnt be prioritized as the human guinea pigs for vaccine experiments, right? This is why we all must defend ourselves against the violent assaults and crimes against humanity of the corrupt, criminal vaccine industry (and all its fanatical zealots who are pushing unsafe vaccines on everyone). Today, I assert my right to defend my body against medical violence. A needle thats loaded with a toxic substance is a deadly weapon, and the jabbing of that needle into someones arm without their consent is a felony assault. Such violence must be halted using every legal means available, which includes concealed carry. My pledge to defend myself against vaccine violence must also be understood alongside my own personal pledge to maintain a state of optimal health through nutrition and lifestyle practices that minimize vulnerability to infectious disease in the first place. I take vitamin D daily. I take vitamin C, zinc, elderberry extracts, quercetin and a long list of other supplements and superfoods. As a result, I am a responsible citizen with a near-zero chance of every becoming infectious to others. Compare that to the careless masses who do nothing to defend their own bodies against infectious disease and therefore become the very people who spread the flu, the coronavirus and everything else thats circulating in the wild. Infectious disease loves nothing more than a society of sheeple who have been taught by the deceptive media to believe that nutrition plays no role in human health. Nearly everyone dying from covid-19 today is someone who had a flu shot. Nearly every person who becomes infectious with covid-19 is someone who is vitamin D and zinc deficient. The real causes of covid-19 transmission are previous flu shots and chronic nutritional deficiencies. Carry concealed and defend yourself against vaccine violence Thats why the answer to mandatory vaccines is concealed carry and the Second Amendment. When they come at you with a deadly vaccine, you have every right under God, under the Constitution and under the laws of every U.S. state to defend yourself against that assault. For the record, we dont condone initiating violence of any kind. We are anti-violence, which is why we urge all Americans to stop medical violence by halting those who are carrying it out the vaccine assault teams that are trying to vaccinate you against your consent. We are also not opposed to individuals who choose to be vaccinated and therefore consent to be euthanized with deadly vaccines. If they wish to remove themselves from the human gene pool, thats their choice. Suicide is always an option in a free society. And frankly, anyone stupid enough to think vaccines are good for them is probably too stupid to represent the future of the human race anyway. Call it compliance Darwinism. I am not alone in asserting my right to self-defense against mandatory vaccines, by the way. ZGoldenReport agrees and has also posted his own video asserting his right to self-defense against vaccine mandates: Brighteon.com/3b9afdb5-7fe5-4e98-9695-621c7d3b310b Join the movement against mandatory vaccines. #TakeTheOath Post your own pledge video at Brighteon.com. (Natural News) The 8 year United States War of Independence, better known as the Revolutionary War, was in the making for ten years in response to the British asserting more and more control over colonial affairs, including the Intolerable Acts. The British crown sent in a military-style government to command British troops, about 4,000 men, to quash the colonists into obedience. All 13 colonies banded together to fight the tyrannical Crown police state. After the French and Indian War, Parliament tried to recoup some of their debt and imposed the Stamp Act and the Townshend Act, taxing a wide range of transactions, overriding the colonies own government. That meant the colonists were buying their goods from the Brits and paying them taxes on those supplies as well. Then came the Coercive Acts of 1774, following the Boston Tea Party. The Crown of England decided the rebellious colonists must be tamed, so they closed Boston Harbor until the colonists paid for the tea they destroyed and replaced important government seats on the elected colony council with British-appointed thugs, who made town meetings illegal without British approval. It also made British officials in the colonies have immunity to any capital offenses. Last came the Quartering Act, that put British troops in unoccupied houses and buildings, which meant a permanent military occupation of towns, and the colonists had to foot the bill for British troops housing and food. That grievance was even cited in the Declaration of Independence. You will notice many parallels to how U.S. Democrat state governors are today, during coronavirus lockdowns, small businesses shuttered or limited, churches and temples are restricted from prayer meetings. The 1st Amendment to the Constitution is NULL & VOID as far as Democrat Governors and Mayors are concerned, but only when it comes to Conservatives The ever-brilliant Republican James Daniel Jordan (Jim Jordan), U.S. Representative for Ohios 4th congressional district since 2007, points out numerous ways the Democrats in charge of state and local governments are acting like the British did leading up to the Revolutionary War, imposing intolerable rules and laws to cripple life, liberty and independent businesses. If the intolerable lockdowns continue with new coronavirus outbreaks and new strains of the virus, will the colonies (republicans and conservatives) rise up and revolt? Ask yourself some questions and decide if the Democrat Crowns are racist, bigoted, imperial dictators that need to be ousted from office. Whats more important, church or protests? Whats more important, going to a funeral or protesting? Whats more important, running your business to pay you bills or protesting? Whats more important, knarking on your neighbors for playing ball at the park, or having the police stop rioters from looting, setting fires, raping and murdering innocents at their protests? Whats more important, making people at temples, churches and business meetings wear masks and stay 10 feet apart from each other, or sending Covid-infected elderly folks back into nursing homes to spread the deadly virus? Democrat governors and mayors are shutting off utilities of small businesses that defy orders, but every large corporation is allowed to function all hours with no restrictions. Democrat politicians enforce rules on everyone that they themselves dont even obey Watch the short video excerpt below, where Representative Jim Jordan exposes all of the Democrat political and tyrannical hypocrisy being imposed on Americans today. So head on out for July 4th, and celebrate independence from dictators and liars and hypocrites that try to take away your Constitutional liberties. Make a fake protest sign that says liberty or freedom and bring that in case the Democrat naysayers try to tell you that youre breaking their senseless rules and laws that are meant to destroy your life. Remember, NONE of those laws are enforced for the thousands of violent protesters out on the metropolitan streets of America, who violate laws, mask rules, and social distancing guidelines. Happy Independence Day everybody! God bless America. Tune your internet dial to HealthFreedom.news for updates on Democrat politicians trying to enforce rules on everyone that they dont even obey themselves. Sources for this article include: History.com HealthFreedom.news NaturalNews.com (Natural News) Its difficult to evaluate the character and actions of individuals from the past. Historical figures were people of their time, influenced by the ideas and moral premises taken for granted then. Besides that, people we consider good simply can do bad things. (Article by Fr. Michael P. Orsi republished from LifeSiteNews.com) A perfect illustration for those of us in the Church is St. Peter. He was Jesuss right-hand man throughout the years of Christs earthly ministry. Yet, he attempted to interfere with Jesuss mission as Messiah, trying to keep him from going to Jerusalem. Jesus rebuked Peter harshly for that, even calling him Satan. Additionally, while Jesus was being examined by the high priest over allegations of blasphemy, Peter denied even knowing him. Peter also insisted on imposing the rigid structures of Jewish law on those seeking to become Christians. He argued over this bitterly with the Apostle Paul, and that argument split the Church deeply. Of course, we know that theres more to Peters story. He realized his errors, repented of his sins, and became the first Pope, giving his life as one of Christianitys early martyrs. But if all we knew about Peter was the first part of the story, would we ever wish to see a statue of him? Would we remove his name from the great basilica that sits at the center of the Vatican? After all, some things he did just werent right. Recently, statues of St. Junipero Serra, the missionary priest of California, were taken down in San Francisco and Los Angeles. Others have been vandalized or are soon to be removed. A Spanish Franciscan, St. Junipero founded missions up and down California, brought native peoples to Christianity, and defended the rights of the indigenous population. His actions were thoroughly documented as part of the vetting process for canonization. But, he is often viewed as a key representative of the Spanish conquest. Some allege that he appropriated native land for his missions, and was often heavy-handed in his dealings with the local folk, stripping them of their culture and even their freedom. Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone conducted a prayer service and exorcism at the San Francisco desecration site. He decried what he called horrendous acts of blasphemy and disparaging of the memory of Serra. The life of every individual includes both good and bad. As good people can do bad things, bad people can do good things (though not necessarily for the best of motives). People are complex beings. Even in evaluating our own behavior, we know that sometimes we act in ways inconsistent with who we think we are as Christians. St. Paul (Peters old adversary) expressed this reality well in his Letter to the Romans (7:15): I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. Things get even murkier when we try to evaluate people from the past. Any view back in time is inherently distorted, because the viewpoint from which we make our assessments is usually that of today. To properly judge the actions of the past we must use the standards of the past. And thats extremely difficult, since we live now. Our assumptions are influenced by current ideas and moral premises. Many people are raising questions about monuments to such luminaries of our history as George Washington and Thomas Jefferson. Those two men played absolutely crucial roles in the founding of our nation and the enunciation of our national ideals. Both were champions of human liberty. Yet both owned slaves. They each knew that slavery was deeply evil. They each knew it contradicted the principles they cherished. But they also knew that if they took firm positions against slavery at that time, there would be no United States of America the nation that two generations later would fight a civil war to end slavery. They had to compromise. Of course, nowhere is it carved in stone that everything we memorialized in the past should continue to be honored. It may be that some statues and monuments portray individuals, events, or principles that so contradict the ideals of today and thus have become so offensive that they should be removed. The challenge is to make such evaluations wisely, with due regard not only for current feelings, but for the historical context in which those memorials were created. I can say categorically, however, that these judgments cannot be left to vigilantism. We have a system of laws by which society expresses its moral convictions. And laws must be obeyed. There are procedures to which those who are offended by public monuments have recourse. When procedures are ignored and protests turn violent, honest objection becomes criminality, aggrieved groups become mobs. And mobs do not have the right to decide for society at large. No fact is more obvious than that America isnt perfect. No society ever is; none ever has been. Its up to us we, the people to work toward making things better for everybody to the extent we can. As we approach this weeks celebration of July 4th, lets pray that God might show us the right way that can be done. A priest of the Diocese of Camden, New Jersey, Rev. Michael P. Orsi currently serves as parochial vicar at St. Agnes Parish in Naples, Florida. He is host of Action for Life TV, a weekly cable television series devoted to pro-life issues, and his writings appear in numerous publications and online journals. Read more at: LifeSiteNews.com (Natural News) A July 1 protest in Los Angeles drew thousands of people after California Gov. Gavin Newsom discouraged residents from holding Fourth of July gatherings with anyone outside of their immediate household. The governor made the order in response to the increasing number of Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) cases in the state. Newsom issued an executive order on July 1 that forbade large gatherings, closed bars and required restaurants and museums to shift to outdoor operations in 19 counties. One of the areas of biggest concern, as it relates to the spread of COVID-19 in this state, remains family gatherings, Newsom said. The governor also urged residents Wednesday to avoid celebrations with others outside their household. Hours after Newsom announced the order, protesters gathered in large numbers outside City Hall and the Hall of Justice in Los Angeles. The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) published a photo showing protesters standing shoulder to shoulder. https://twitter.com/LAPDRickStabile/status/1278485100645122048 The LAPD has not issued permits for mass gatherings since March 3. Back then, Mayor Eric Garcetti issued an executive order forbidding gatherings because of the pandemic. Despite the existing order, police did not intervene to break up the protest, which itself is part of a larger wave of demonstrations in response to the death of George Floyd while in the custody of Minneapolis police officers. Large gatherings, celebrations contributed to Californias growing caseload Newsoms order comes after health officials in the state pointed to crowded situations as possible flashpoints for the spread of the coronavirus. In situations where people are close together for longer periods of time, and its very crowded, we are certain that there is going to be spread, said Los Angeles County public health director Dr. Barbara Ferrer in a press briefing. We have never said that theres no spread from people who are protesting, and we have, in fact, said that those very same conditions that allow for spread among people who may be protesting apply in all kinds of other situations as well. Meanwhile, Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger believes that the current spike in cases in the area was tied to the protests. I definitely think theres a direct correlation between the protesters and the spike, Barger told CBS. I mean, obviously, the opening up probably threw something into it. She added that the size of the crowds made contact tracing for the coronavirus almost impossible. Aside from the protests, state health officials are now also looking at family gatherings especially those that occur around holidays as part of the reason why California is seeing a surge in cases. According to these officials, there are signs that these gatherings on Mothers Day, Memorial Day and Fathers Day fueled outbreaks in parts of the state. California currently has 19 counties in its watch list for worrisome COVID-19 trends. Of these, family gatherings were cited as factors for outbreaks in Glenn, Sacramento, Solano and Stanislaus counties. Gatherings, in general, were listed among causes in Orange, Santa Barbara, San Bernardino, San Joaquin and Ventura counties. Despite the risks posed by these gatherings, state officials admit that it will be hard to police them. You have 40 million people in the state of California, and if 40 million people turn their back on these guidelines and common sense, that is not something we can enforce, Newsom admitted. No one is naive about that. In light of this, some health officials are instead pleading for anyone celebrating Independence Day to do so safely wear masks and observe social distancing. We know people are going to be doing it anyway, said Sacramento County public health department spokeswoman Janna Haynes. So do it outdoors, wear face coverings, physically distance, wash hands. And if anyone is sick, dont attend the gathering. As of press time, California has reported 240,195 cases and 6,163 deaths from the coronavirus. Learn more about how the coronavirus is affecting Fourth of July celebrations at Pandemic.news. Sources include: NationalReview.com Twitter.com MercuryNews.com LACountyBoardOfSupervisors.Webex.com LosAngeles.CBSLocal.com COVID19.CA.gov (Natural News) Towards the end of his reign, Tuthmosis III of Egypt ordered the destruction of all the public monuments to his aunt, Hatshepsut, the former leader of Egypt. It wasnt the first instance of iconoclasm that the world had seen, but it has become one of the most memorable. (Article by Nathan Stone republished from TheFederalist.com) Iconoclasm the deliberate destruction of images has existed almost as long as man has walked the earth. When it took place, there were usually deep and profound reasons for these planned destructions. Rulers sought to erase the memory of their rivals. Leaders like Leo III of the Byzantine Empire believed chopping statues was a good way to get God on their side at the next battlefield. Sometimes, images were destroyed simply because it was believed icons needed to be smashed since they represented an evil to be defeated. Such was the motivation for Protestant sects who destroyed Catholic statues in the Netherlands and Muslim populations who destroyed Christian icons in the Middle East and Africa. Recently, Shaun King, a champion of the Black Lives Matter movement, called for the destruction of Christian iconography, statues, and stained glass, if they represent Christ, His mother, or any of the apostles as white. This, according to King, makes the iconography nothing more than a gross form of white supremacy and racist propaganda created to be tools of oppression. To King, the only proper response to any fossil of racism or oppression is to destroy it. As any depictions of Christ or the Virgin Mary with light skin represent white supremacy, according to King theyve all got to go. True Christianity Was Never About Race The idea that Christianity is or has been infected with white supremacy is not new. Susan Abrahams, the dean of faculty at Pacific School of Religion, blamed White Christians for Charlottesville. Jeannine Hill Fletcher wrote a book in 2018 that purportedly showed racism was a natural outgrowth of Christianity, springing from Christian superiority. This premise is wrong, first because of the existence of black saints. There is a rich tradition of African Christianity. Many of the earliest fathers of the church hailed from Africa, including Cyprian and St. Augustine of Hippo. Furthermore, multiple men and women are recognized by the Catholic Church as saints who were black, including St. Moses the Black, St. Benedict the Moor, and St. Martin de Porres. It is a strange racist and oppressive system that recognizes the sanctity of people from across the world, regardless of their color, and bequeaths upon them the title of saint, a moniker that designates all who possess it as attaining ultimate equality before the throne of God. There have been individual Christians who were racist, just as there have been individual Christians who were murderers, thieves, adulterers, and liars. But Christianity is not a racist or oppressive system. Christianity no more condones those sins than it condones slavery. Indeed, some of the first condemnations of slavery came from Christians. In 1435, Pope Eugene IV demanded that Christians free all enslaved Canary Islanders. The proclaimed punishment for disobedience was excommunication. One hundred years later, Pope Paul III decreed no indigenous peoples were to be enslaved. During the 19th century, Anglican Christian William Wilburforce succeeded in changing the manners and morals of his country so thoroughly that the British Empire outlawed slavery in 1833 and commanded the Royal Navy to treat slave ships as pirates. All this is a reminder that skin color doesnt make an ounce of difference in Christianity. As St. Paul wrote in Galatians, There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for you are all one in Christ Jesus. Pigmentation did not matter in Christianity; what mattered was faith in Christ. This is also why, contrary to the implication in Kings ridiculous tweets, Christianity often adapted itself to the environment of indigenous peoples. Jean de Brebeuf, a Jesuit missionary to Canada, wrote the Huron Carol specifically to transpose the Nativity story to a Huron setting. One 16th-century painting of Christ depicts Him as Japanese. Images of Our Lady of Guadalupe portray Christs mother as a Mexican woman. To buttress this, we even have proof that Africans were accepted in medieval Europe. There is evidence that Christians from Ethiopia pilgrimaged to Spain and were present in medieval Rome to the extent that the church of Santo Stefano degli Abissini was built, and rebuilt, specifically for Ethiopian Christians. The Radicals Want to Cancel Christianity Stained glass and statues do not show Christianity to be racist. A quick Google search would have shown this to King. So why King would make a statement that could be so easily refuted? The answer is that this outrage over white portrayals of Christ and the apostles is a blind meant to detract us from the real goal: canceling Christianity. Just a year ago, believing the radical left had such a goal would have sounded conspiratorial. Within the last four weeks, however, St. Patricks Cathedral in New York City was vandalized. Across from the White House, St. Johns Church was attacked twice. Neither church nor the statue was involved in any way or form with the deaths of George Floyd or Rayshard Brooks. More recently, in the Polish city of Breda, a memorial to World War II Polish soldiers was vandalized with BLM graffiti. Never mind that the memorial features a replica of the Virgin Mary as a black woman, the soldiers the memorial heralds were fighting fascists, and Poland has no history of colonization anywhere. The reason for the attacks becomes clearer when considering that Black Lives Matter and Antifa are Marxist organizations and Marxism is an enemy of Christianity. It has to be. An atheistic system that sees economic Hegelianism as god will have to consider all transcendent religions the enemy. Its why the Soviet Union was an atheistic state, which replaced God with the Communist Party. Another reason comes from the hatred Marxism holds for Western Civilization. The dream of Marxism is to eradicate Western civilization and replace it with itself; its reaction to the legitimate evils that have been committed by Occidentals is not reform but obliteration. Marxism assumes that because the windows are dirty and cracked, the entire house must be demolished. We see this same hatred today in the insurrections occurring right now. There is no reason for mobs pulling down statues of Ulysses S. Grant or Hans Christian Heg or calling for statues of Abraham Lincoln as the Great Emancipator to be removed. But if Western Civilization is evil, that means all the elements that went into creating Western Civilization must also be destroyed. That includes Christianity. Marxists Hate Christianitys Fusion of Faith and Reason Christianity created specific institutions that we identify with the West, like hospitals and universities, but it did much more. Most importantly, it brought about the great fusion between faith and reason. Before Christianity, there had been tension between the two. Greek philosophers, for example, often did not believe in the gods of Mount Olympus, whether we are talking about Plato and his World of the Forms, Aristotles Unmoved Mover, or the atheism of Epicurus. Christianity, seeing faith and reason both as gifts from God, united the two for the first time. As Dr. Rodney Stark has argued, this allowed the West to become the epicenter of learning and science. Because God was logos (reason) and perfect, His universe ran on immutable principles that could be discovered by men, using the reason God gave them. Because Christianity teaches that all men are created by God, it ushered in a radical idea of equality not seen in the world before. And because every person is made in the image of God, all people are endowed with inalienable, natural rights, a strain of thinking first proposed by the later Scholastic philosophers. Christianity was also responsible for Europeans leaving their homes in the Crusades and the Age of Exploration. Land and gold were motivations too, but God was right there in the center. In one famous example, the signers of the Mayflower Compact listed the Glory of God, and the Advancement of the Christian Faith as two of their reasons for journeying to Massachusetts. All of these accomplishments are evil in the eyes of Marxists. They helped build Western Civilization into the glory that it was and encouraged colonization, conversion, objectivity, and logic, all things that have been declared to be hallmarks of white supremacy. As such, Christianity, along with the police, history, and science, must be destroyed to clear the ground of the new utopia. If this trajectory isnt stopped, we should not be surprised if the Marxists among us take King seriously and begin to burn churches like they are burned in France. Read more at: TheFederalist.com A visitation and memorial service will be held for Donald Hawk Sr., who passed away on Nov. 16, 2020, and his beloved wife, JoAnne C. Hawk, who passed away on Jan. 17, 2021. Newburyport, MA (01950) Today Mainly cloudy. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 69F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph.. Tonight Mainly cloudy. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 69F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph. Home > Archives (2006 on) > 2020 > Womens safety, protection and freedom is at stake in Poland | Caroline (...) 26 June 2020 by Caroline Hickson We are witnessing the degradation of the rule of law, democracy and common sense in Poland by ultra-conservative and authoritarian actors only concerned with keeping their grip on power. But at what cost? The cost of the lives and safety of women, minorities, LGBTI people or those that just dont accept the far-right agenda being forced upon their country. Take, for example, the new legislative package of COVID-19 measures that dont protect Polish citizens at all. It is nothing but a Trojan horse, hiding the real intent of its authors to further roll back the freedom of Polish citizens. Women in Poland have been served a new blow, endangering their reproductive safety even more. Already in May, the Polish parliament proposed to remove the legal obligation for medical facilities to refer patients to another facility if they refuse to provide abortion care based on personal beliefs, with potentially dramatic consequences for women, who may be unable to access care. And this week, women are targeted in the new criminal code that dismantles support systems for those who want to access abortion care (and this in a country in which access to contraception and emergency contraception is very difficult). Through a cunning change in the law, now judges are pressured into giving harsh prison sentences to people who support women with abortion care unless within the narrowest of limits allowed by Polands extremely restrictive law. Womens safety, protection and freedom are at stake as their support systems are taken apart though relentless attacks. Women will be completely abandoned by the State with no safety net, alone and unable to ask for help. The court system including the Constitutional Court - is already filled with judges that share the ruling partys agenda, but now even the more progressive ones will be bound by this cruel abortion law. The repercussions go far beyond just tying the hands of judges. Doctors who provide care and solidarity groups that help women across borders to access safe abortion have been taken to court and harassed in the past few years. Now the sentence can be much harsher. Apart from forcing women to go through a pregnancy against their will, the Polish Government also dismisses frameworks that would protect them against violence, like the Istanbul Convention. The European Union signed the Convention in June 2017 and is actively promoting ratification among its member states. The political discourse in Poland runs counter to EU values of protection of women and the most vulnerable. Instead, coercive actors twist the story to serve their own goals related to power and control. The picture being painted is grim. Womens safety, protection and freedom are at stake as their support systems are taken apart though relentless attacks. Women will be completely abandoned by the State with no safety net, alone and unable to ask for help. Because who is left to help? Biased judges or those who are gagged by the law, doctors fearful of prosecution, silenced journalists and teachers, persecuted human rights defenders? The war on women is not the only worrying point. Changes in this so-called package of measures against COVID-19 also include penalties for offending the president, petty thefts and involuntary medical mistakes. This suite of new strikes against the rule of law complement previous efforts to completely ban abortion care, hatred campaigns against the LGBTI+ community and dismissing the EU consensus on gender equality and the protection of minorities from discrimination. If things continue on this path, Poland will be unrecognisable, compared with other EU countries. Caroline Hickson is regional director at the International Planned Parenthood Federation European Network (Courtesy: euronews.com ) Four-year-olds determined to complete 10k challenge and raise vital funds Two girls born with mobility problems will stand side-by-side in a 10km charity fundraiser for the Thames Valley Air Ambulance (TVAA). Friends Selina Sadler and Esme Stannard have set themselves the goal of completing a sponsored 20 laps of The Oaks estate in Newbury for the charity. The four-year-olds, from Newbury and Hermitage, both love emergency vehicles, especially the red Thames Valley Air Ambulance. Selina's grandfather Steve Sadler even made the girls red coverall uniforms, similar to those worn by the flying paramedics, for their challenge. Selina and Esme are high-functioning autistic and both have hypermobility, making the challenge harder for them. Selina also has a rare disorder where one her chromosomes has tripled, which lead to developmental delays. Her mother Charlotte said: "They are really looking forward to it. "They have both got hypermobility, it took them longer to walk. "They have both got autism. "They have had their struggles, everything has been a challenge this is just another one that they are going to smash. Mrs Sadler said the girls' love of the air ambulance and emergency vehicles came from "spending their lives around hospitals and emergency vehicles and staff. "It's just been something they have got to know. "Selina has seen the air ambulance land a few times and loved having her picture taken with it. The girls want to raise 3,325 the cost to send the air ambulance on each mission. Last year the charity was called out 2,670 times to help people in need of urgent critical care and it is called out on average seven times a day. Mrs Sadler said that the family donated to the charity, but the girls wanted to raise lots of money to help and decided on the sponsored laps. They will need to complete 20 laps of the estate to achieve their 10km challenge. She said: "It's brilliant. Everyday they wake up and they ask is it lap day yet? It's like is it Christmas yet, but is it lap day yet?" Esme and Selina said they were excited about the challenge and wanted to raise lots of money. Esme's mother Claire said her daughter was born four weeks early and had to be resuscitated. "She has got lots of allergies, she said. "She spent a year in physiotherapy to get her walking and mobile. "She has come out of herself so much in the last year. This time last year she would not have sat outside." Mrs Sadler said of Selina: "Doctors didn't think she would walk. "She had a frame and bum shuffled until she was three. "She's doing really well now. "You would never know she had hypermobility. They are both thriving now." The girls have raised 1,195 of their 3,325 target so far and donations can be made on their JustGiving page. The walk is scheduled for Saturday, July 18. By PTI BEIJING: Chinese tech giant unicorn ByteDance Ltd. is anticipating a loss of over USD 6 billion after three of its apps, including the hugely popular video app TikTok, were banned by India this week, a media report here said. Besides Tiktok, India banned on Monday 58 other apps with Chinese links, including the popular UC Browser, for engaging in activities "prejudicial to sovereignty and integrity of India, defence of India, security of state and public order". The ban came in the wake of the ongoing stand-off along the Line of Actual control in eastern Ladakh with Chinese troops. The USD 6 billion amount is most likely more than the combined losses for all the other Chinese apps banned by India, China's Caixinglobal. com reported, quoting sources close to the company's senior management. ByteDance became one of China's latest homegrown technology companies to run into growing resistance from foreign governments wary of the perceived ties to the Chinese government and concerns about protecting user data, it said. Describing India's ban of 59 China-developed apps as unprecedented, the report said it is a huge blow to the global expansion of TikTok, which is touted as the most popular Chinese app overseas. India is its largest market in terms of users outside China, where the service is called Douyin. ALSO READ | Tik Tik - Made in India: A Malayali app to beat tiktok ban blues The ByteDance apps banned were its short video platforms TikTok and Vigo Video, as well as its social networking app Helo. Tencent's messaging platform WeChat and five of its other apps were also banned. Other big tech China firms, including Alibaba Group Holding Ltd.and Baidu Inc., also had their products banned. All the 59 apps have now been removed from Apple Inc. and Google LLC's app stores for the Indian market. TikTok was downloaded in India 611 million times in this year's first quarter, equating to 30.3% of its total downloads worldwide in the quarter and nearly double the total number of India downloads for all of 2019, the report quoted another publication, SensorTower, as saying. The consequences of India's latest decision could be more long-lasting, analysts told Caixin. Responding to the Indian government's move, TikTok said it would fully comply with the decision. ByteDance employs over 2,000 full-time local staff in India. Binita Jaiswal By Express News Service CHENNAI: Kitchen appliances major TTK Prestige is eyeing a sharp, over ten-fold increase in its exports over the next five years. The company has set itself a target of reaching Rs 500 crore in exports by 2025 from the current level of Rs 50 crore annually. According to Chairman T T Jagannathan, TTK is confident about achieving the target since its exports have been growing at a substantial pace and their overseas customers have indicated increasing their orders. Our export customers are looking to increase their sourcing from the company. It is a positive sign, said Jagannathan while speaking to TNIE. Currently, the companys exports comprise only 3.5 per cent of its revenue. However, it aims to increase this share to 12.5 per cent in the next five years. Jagannathan said that after the Covid-19 pandemic and subsequent lockdowns pushed people into cooking more at home, dependence on domestic kitchens have increased. This trend will definitely boost the sales of kitchen appliances, he said. Our exports are growing by 50 per cent year after year. Due to the lockdown, our shipments were stuck and we witnessed a little fall in exports this financial year. But, since the last week of May, our exports have picked up, Jagannathan pointed out. He further added that the company will be continuously innovating and launching new products, especially in the pressure cooker category, to enhance its footprint in the international market. The company is expanding its distribution network consistently and expecting robust sales through the online channel. Alongside a significant rise in its exports, the company is also expecting to increase its turnover to Rs 4,000 crore by FY 2024-25. This fiscal year, while the company had expected a turnover of Rs 2,100-2,200 crore, sales were affected due to the lockdown, making achieving the target a difficult task. (But,) we are witnessing an uptick in demand and robust sales will definitely help us to achieve the target, he said. Domestic sales of TTK Prestige accounted for Rs 1,895 crore in revenue in fiscal 2019-20 against Rs 1,917 crore in 2018-19. Exports stood at Rs 42 crore against Rs 51 crore in the previous year. S Lalitha By Express News Service BENGALURU: The toy industry in Bengaluru is gasping for breath and is set to suffer irreparable damage unless there is a dramatic turnaround in fortunes soon. With 70 percent of the much sought after modern toys imported from China, shops are surviving on whatever stocks have been imported already. There appears to be no light at the end of the tunnel as of now. Three events in quick succession this year have created an unprecedented crisis for the industry. First was the supply disruption caused by the outbreak of COVID-19 in China. Then came the increase of import duty by the Centre by 200% in February from 20% to 60% and the need to go in for double quality certification for imports to be implemented from September this year. The latest jolt for the industry is the strained relations between the two countries due to the military standoff and the subsequent campaign across the country to boycott Chinese brands. There are an estimated 700 to 800 small toy shops and 200 to 300 large ones in Bengaluru, according to the Karnataka Toys Association. Its president Mangalchand S Jain, a big name in the toy business in the country, said the trade has never encountered this kind of situation in the past. I own two toy shops in the city and have been running my business for the last 40 years. This is the biggest crisis we are facing, he said. There is not a single electronic toy manufacturer in the country. We can use this crisis to set up our own modern manufacturing units. But it could take up to two years for it to begin operations as the mould of the toy needs to be cast first and then there are the packaging and marketing aspects, he added. The proprietor of Monopoly Marketing shop in Commercial Street and secretary of the association, Nilesh Gurnani, said that ten percent of toys bought from other countries like Thailand, Vietnam and Denmark depended on China for their electronic components. 20 percent toys produced in India are purchased by malls or departmental stores who sell it along with other products. They can replace it with other available products. Only exclusive toy shops that deal with imported branded toys will have to switch to other businesses or shut down, he felt. Online businesses had heavily impacted the industry in the last few years, he added. Federation of Karnataka Chamber of Commerce and Industry president C R Janardhana said the positive aspect of this crisis could be the revival of the Channapatna toy industry at a global level. The Chief Minister has already called for the toy industry here to be upgraded by incorporating electronic and digital elements into it. They are eco-friendly too. It will take some time but Channapatna could emerge as a global toy supplier, he said. S Lalitha By Express News Service BENGALURU: Yet another of Bengalurus iconic landmarks is set to become a part of history. The Central Cottage Industries Emporium on MG Road, a Union Ministry of Textiles undertaking, is moving out of its sprawling premises to a smaller outlet in HSR Layout. Losses over the past few years, compounded by the coronavirus-induced lockdown and subsequent slump in business have forced it to shut shop, said a source familiar with the developments. Spread across 11,750 sqft on the ground floor and basement of the Shubharam Complex, near Trinity Metro station, the emporium has built a huge reputation for its authentic handicraft products. Pashminas, exotic rugs, lamp shades, stonecraft, woodcraft, furniture, knick-knacks, souvenirs from across India it had all these and much more. All items were sourced from artisans in remote corners of the country. Confirming the development, Pramod Nagpal, Chief General Manager, Central Cottage Industries Corporation of India Ltd, told The New Indian Express over phone from New Delhi, The main branch in Bengaluru has been facing losses for some years now. The corona-induced business loss was the last straw. The rent has become too high too. He hastened to add, None of our staffers will lose their jobs nor will the artisans who make these hand-made products lose the platform we are offering them. The products will be shifted to its 6,000 sqft premises at the BDA Complex in HSR Layout as well other units across the country. The staff will also be transferred to our premises in New Delhi, Chennai, Mumbai, Patna or Kolkata. Products can be ordered online and customers can still get what they want, Nagpal said.With a tinge of regret, he added that the Bengaluru showroom used to be both a profitable and popular one in the past. A source familiar with the matter said, The monthly rent on MG Road comes to Rs 12 lakh, which they were struggling to pay. Most probably, they will vacate by July 24 but could take a week longer to do so. The branch-in-charge at MG Road, Clara, however, said she had not received any official order in this connection. By Express News Service BHUBANESWAR: The Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) on Friday asked all contractors and business organisations not to bring labourers and workers to the city from outside Odisha till July end. The direction comes after 34 workers of an industrial unit at Mancheswar tested positive for Covid-19 in the last three weeks. Around 90 workers had been brought from Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and other States. Nine of them tested positive for the virus in last 24 hours. BMC Commissioner Prem Chandra Chaudhary said though the workers were in quarantine during their test, possibility of spread of the virus due to negligence can not be ruled out. Moreover, the number of positive cases in Bhubaneswar is rising and most of them have travel history to other states, he said. Chaudhary added that contractors as well as business organisations in different sectors including industry, construction, hotel and hospitality will not be allowed to bring workers and labourers to Bhubaneswar from outside the State. They will have to utilise the local resources and manpower till July 31, he said. Those who have already brought workers must keep them in mandatory quarantine for 14 days and if symptoms are found, they must conduct Covid test of such workers at their own expense and report it to the civic body. The contractors and business organisations have also been advised that while bringing workforce from within Odisha they should avoid Covid hotspots like Ganjam Gajapati, Balasore, Cuttack and Jajpur. The civic body clarified that the 14 days quarantine and testing strategy will also be followed by workers brought from within the State. The increasing cases of workers being infected , especially in the industrial units and construction sites, has emerged as a fresh challenge for the civic body in its fight against the virus. Last month, the city administration had stopped construction work at a site on Utkal University premises after one of the workers, a West Bengal returnee, tested positive. BMC had also sealed an under- construction apartment in Shree Vihar on June 26 after the surveillance team found out that the labourers at the site were not made to stay under institutional quarantine after returning from West Bengal. By Express News Service CHENNAI: The city corporation is looking to increase its fever camps from 500 to 680 in the coming weeks. Corporation Commissioner G Prakash says the camps have been a big success. We held 120 camps in May and about 6,000 people attended them. Now, the numbers have gone up to 514 and close to 30,000 people attend on a daily basis, Prakash said. Till July 2, a total of 11,736 camps have been conducted and 7.41 lakh people have attended them, where 33,090 cases of Influenza like Illnesses were recorded and 29,051 swab samples were taken. Two camps happen in every ward and 4 in those that are hot spots. Autos ply through city announcing details of camps, said Prakash. Meanwhile, active cases in the city have fallen to 36 per cent and recovery rate has climbed to 62 per cent. Currently, the city has 158 containment zones, of which 50 are from Tondiarpet and 43 are from Anna Nagar. The city is also all set to add more Siddha care centres in the coming weeks. Two to three centres will be introduced soon, said Prakash. Health Department is being consulted about this, he said. This includes a 600 bed care centre which will be attached to a government medical college. On Friday, 30 more people were discharged from the Siddha Care Centre, taking the total up to 539. This includes a person aged over 90, three over 80 and 11 over 70 years of age. He added that the Siddha centres will also have western medicine doctors supervising the treatment. Currently, apart from the Centre at Jawahar College, Siddha treatment is offered at centres in DG Vaishnav College in Arumbakkam and Dr BR Ambedkar College in Vyasarpadi. New app out The Corporation has rolled out a new app to aid those in home quarantine. The app named HQIMS (Home Quarantine and Isolation Management system) will have basic details of people in home quarantine, duration of quarantine and the people can also avail daily essentials like groceries from this app. Once people put their requests for their daily needs, the FOCUS volunteers assigned for their street will get those products for them. By Express News Service KOCHI: A Judicial First Class Magistrate Court on Friday granted bail to three accused persons in the case related to the blackmail attempt on actor Shamna Kasim. The bail was granted to Aboobacker, Harris and Sharath. Aboobacker and Harris had visited Shamnas house pretending to be relatives of Anwar Ali whose marriage proposal was considered by Shamna and family. Harris is the brother of the prime accused. The bail was granted on execution of a bond worth D1 lakh each or two solvent sureties. The accused have been directed to appear before the investigation officer on Monday. Similarly, they should surrender their passports in the court. By PTI MUMBAI: Family of a 64-year-old man who succumbed to coronavirus infection in neighbouring Navi Mumbai has alleged that he had to be kept in an ambulance for a whole day before he could be admitted to a hospital. When he was finally admitted, the family did not have the money to buy an injection that cost Rs 32,000. The man, who performed in a music band, died on June 25. "He developed coughing and breathing problem on June 20. We took him to the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation's (NMMC) COVID hospital at Vashi," his son told PTI. FOLLOW CORONAVIRUS LIVE UPDATES HERE "There was no bed with oxygen supply available, so I was asked to go to another hospital," he said. "I asked them to tell us where to go, but they did not guide us and only said go to a private hospital," he said. "Then I started searching for a hospital. After a few hospitals refused to admit him, I called a cardiac ambulance and put my father in it because he needed oxygen support," said the son, who also performs in a music band. The next day the man was admitted to a private hospital in Kopar Khairane area. When the doctors told him that his father would need an injection which cost around Rs 32,000, he approached the NMMC for help, but the authorities said they could not do anything, he alleged. Four days after he was admitted, his father died on June 25, he said. The hearse arrived after three hours and there was no attendant with it, he said. "I and my brother-in-law donned PPE kits and took the body for last rites," he said. "It is all very unfortunate. We are sons of the soil, this city stands on our land, and I am a regular tax payer, but the NMMC could not provide a single injection to save father's life," he said. "I am telling this to the media now because I don't want any other patient to die in this way. The NMMC should improve its medical facilities," he added. As of Friday, the virus had claimed at least 232 lives in Navi Mumbai. Home > Archives (2006 on) > 2020 > Early India, Goats and Brahmins | Kancha Ilaiah Shepherd by Kancha Ilaiah Shepherd I met Tony Joseph, the author of Early Indians - the History of Our Ancestors and Where We Came From, [1] first in Jaipur Literature Festival in 2019 and next at Mathrubhoomi Literature Festival in January, 2020 at Thivanthapuram. I had a lengthy discussion about his understanding of cattle like goats, buffalos, cows and so on, caste and race relations in ancient India and where the brahminic understanding of India went wrong and they became anti-animal economy and agrarian production. He gave me several clues which engendered a new curiosity in his understanding and his book. Then I started reading his book very seriously line by line. It threw up many new dimensions that were not done by the writings of any other historian, Indologist and writer on ancient India earlier. His book has opened a new perspective to Indian economic and cultural evolution in the context of many discoveries of the economic and cultural evolution of animal, plant and bird domestication and migration to different parts of the world and India. While reading early Indian agrarian system in the chapter The First Farmers a new vision appeared for the first time. He wrote the first evidence for domestication of goats comes from the settlement of Ganj Dareh in the central Zagros mountain region and is dated to 7900 BCE. [2] Even now the Indian shepherds have quite a bit of knowledge how goats live well around shrubby hills and mountains. Goat is known as the most adjustable animal to any new environment and selects its plant food from many available plants quite cleverly. Its selection of plants for food later on has thrown up many medicines that humans used to treat diseases. Its milk and meat is known as most human life sustaining and no wonder that this was the first domesticated animal and exported to many alien lands in pre-historic times. This discovery of goat as earliest domesticated animal economy that brought humans out of hunting and food gathering and also short span of life. As an animal, goat is highly useful for human stable life as its meat and milk are most suitable for human survival. During the corona pandemic the Kerala Government recommended goat milk as an immunity builder more than buffalo and cow milk. Mahatma Gandhi was said to have given up cow milk and took to drinking goat milk when he was attacked by the 1918 plague pandemic. In many pandemics goat meat and milk were said to have saved many people in South Asia. It is quite natural that this animal became the first source of stable food of humans. Even today both goat-sheep economy plays a critical role in global food, leather and wool economy. [3] Tony Joseph also tells how animals once domesticated at one place were carried along with migrant people all over the present continents across the globe, where human habitat became possible. He further says so the broad picture we see is that between 9500 BCE and 6500 BCE---that is a 3000year period immediately following the end of the Younger Dryas and the beginning of Holoceneboth plant and animal domestication had spread across most of the Fertile Crescent, after progressing in fits and starts during the last glacial period, with littering regions contributing in different times and probably with multiple instances of domestication for the same species. He further adds: As we saw, even as the transition was on, people were taking their plants and animals, perhaps still in the process of being domesticated and perhaps not even that, migrating to newer places. Many places in the Fertile Crescent itself saw plants or animals being importedan example being goats in the Southern Levant. The Indian subcontinent certainly comes under this Southern Levant. [4] Tony Joseph established it with more evidence than any other historianincluding Romila Thapar [5], R.S.Sharma [6] did earlier that Aryan migration took place as part of the third and last ancient wave of human migration, perhaps with horse as a war animal and white cow as food animal. This book established that for Aryan Brahminism horse was more significant and that animal was central to Rigvedic forces. Horse was not known to Harappans, as they were not war lovers like the Vedic Brahmins. Goat, though such a crucial food animal was mentioned just in one Rigvedic hymen. Tony Joseph says The Indian pizza got made, with the base or the foundation being laid about 65000 years ago, when the Out of Africa migrants reached India. The sauce began to be made when the Zagrosian herders (shepherds) reached Baluchistan after 7000 BCE, mixed with the first Indians and then together went on to build Harappan Civilization....Then came the Aryans after 2000 BCE.... [7] It is very clear that the Aryans had no role in building the Harappan Civilization of India. In my view the name Harappa itself is Pre-Aryan and nativist. Such names do not appear in Vedic-Sanskrit literature but in South Indian literature and in real life Appa and Ayya names are very common in Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and other places in South. Joseph tells the migration to South first reached Karnataka crossing the Western plains. Similar names are also common in the Old Testament like Messiah, Jeremiah, Isaiah of the Bible. It appears that Old Testament of the Bible is quite older than Rigveda, constructed around cattle economy and agriculture as it deals with goats and sheep extensively as positive and respectable animals. Horse was not such major animal in the life of Abraham and Moses, as it is in the life of Indra in Rigveda. Once Rigveda constructed animal herders as Shudras and Mlecchas putting Brahminism on the highest spiritual and social pedestal the Brahmins seems to have disassociated themselves with all agrarian productive and animal herding activity, a process that continues till today. Production is pollution is their main spiritual theory even now. Brahmins as community and Brahminism as ideology got formulated after that Aryan migration from the Central Asia. Brahmins as people and Brahminism as socio-spiritual and cultural ideology never treated the first human settlers (Out of Africa settlers) in the Indian subcontinent as great civilization builders, in spite of the fact they were the first urban civilization builders or what Tony Joseph calls first urbanitesHarappans. Tony Joseph also disagrees with Ambedkars theory of no racial segregation in India. He says ..... Perhaps he (Ambedkar) did not go far enoughhe seems to have still considered the tribals to be different from everyone else. We now know that this is not correct---because their genes run through every one, (According Tony they have more OoA genes about 65 per cent) no matter where in the caste hierarchy one is. Ambedkar [8] was also wrong in denying Aryan migration altogether, though he cannot be blamed for the mistake since he did not have the genome data that we have today [9] The mythology of Indian civilization started with writing of Rigvedic text in Sanskrit and that went to construct anti-civilizational assertions to establish Indian caste system and Brahminic negativism. The Indian pattern of development deviated from the rest of the global pattern of civilizational developments once the Aryan casteism got constructed and indignity of animal economy became spiritually respectable. By the time of writing of Rigveda the goat, sheep, buffalo and cow economy became fully expanded and that was the pivot of pastoral agrarianism. In entire Brahmin literature the first domesticated goat was not referred to as very prominent animal and people who were involved in the advancement of animal economy were constructed as Shudras and unsuitable to have respectable status in the realm of Brahminic God/Gods. The goat and sheep economy universally acquired high cultural value both spiritually and socially but in India the Brahmin writers projected that civilization builders as mlecchas (at that time untouchables) and all those communities now are known as backward, as they were not allowed to get education. The anti-animal herding Brahmins gradually built a culture of opposing agrarian production by deploying enormous amount of violence by the time of writing Rigveda and thereafter, which must have hindered Indian economic progress by that standard. Shudra resistance to their anti-productionism was suppressed by using horse power, perhaps by consuming Shudra animal wealth itself. That tendency continues till today. After the Rastriaya Swayamsevak Sangh was formed in 1925 cow was adopted as their Gomata and other economic animals like goat, sheep and buffalo were seen as unworthy of any respect as animal Mlecchas. This Brahminism runs through the present Rastriya Swayamsevak Sangh and Bharatiya Janatha Party regime. The Shudras still are only usable muscle power, which became evident in constituting the Ram Temple Trust in 2020, as no Shudra is found suitable to be on the Trust. What is surprising is how and why the Shudra animal economists became so historically subservient to Brahmins? The answer could be found only in hierachised caste control of spiritual and state power. Brahmins and Ksatriyas, who have strong Aryan blood ownership but not of out of Africa migrant blood, which they attribute to Shudra/Dalit/Adivasis now, though according to Tony Joseph, all races are mixed by now unitedly oppressed the animal economy builders. However, all nationalist Brahmin-Bania (hardly any Ksatriya writers emerged in India) writers owned Aryan heritage whereas the first modern Shudra writer Mahatma Phule proudly asserted his Dravidian (OoA) lineage. [10] This book has come at a time when insecure Brahminism is doing all sorts of negative things as the new common language English education is spreading among all sections of India. The Shudra/OBCs of India must realize that they can become equal spiritual, social and economic citizens only when they fight brahminism, wherever it existstemples, political parties of all ideologies right, left and centre. Tony Josephs book must be read by students, scholars in the universities and outside and policy makers in Indian system to gaze what went wrong in building our nation and economy and how to move forward. By Express News Service THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A total of 17 people tested positive for Covid-19 in the district on Friday, the highest ever daily number here. While 14 are those who arrived from abroad and other states, the source of infection of two cases are unknown. One is the primary contact of the Poonthura native who tested positive earlier. A 46-year-old police officer from Nagaroor who worked at the Secretariat and AR camp in Nandavanam recently and a 25-year-old Kozhivila native who do not have any travel history are the two patients with no known source of infection. A 38-year-old from Paruthikkuzhu in Manacaud is the nephew and primary contact of the Poonthura native. A 49-year-old Thiruvattar native from Kanyakumari district who arrived from Saudi Arabia on Monday, a 27-year-old Tamil Nadu native who arrived from Sharjah on Monday, a 31-year-old Nedumangad native who got down at Karipur International Airport and is now under treatment at Mancheri Medical College, a 36-year-old Varkala Sreenivasapuram native who returned on Tuesday and is at Mancheri hospital, a 31-year-old soldier who arrived from Jammu Kashmir on June 16, a 27-year-old Thirumala native who arrived from Chennai by road on Tuesday, a 53-year-old Ayiroor native who arrived from Dammam, a 36-year-old Nemom native from Dubai, a 47-year-old Neyyattinkara RC street native along with his 7-year-old-daughter and 1-year-old son who were under home quarantine, a 52-year-old Kulathummal native from Dubai, a 30-year-old Kuttralam native who arrived on Monday from UAE and a 45-year-old from Chemmaruthy who returned from Saudi Arabia are the patients with travel history. As many as 773 new people were put under observation in the district on Friday. Currently, 233 people are under hospital isolation in the district. As many as 18,009 people are under home quarantine. On Friday, 46 people were newly admitted to hospital and 49 people were discharged. A total of 427 samples were sent for testing, and 416 results received on the day tested negative. Minister calls for vigil Minister Kadakampally Surendran said there was no cause for worry in the district. People should be careful and follow social distancing. The Covid tests will be increased. The situation doesnt call for a complete closure of the district. Special preparations to do tests at the local level will be done through 2,750 booths. The service of the government officials who are unable to attend the work will be utilised to ensure this. Each booth will have at least six officials on duty, said the minister after a Covid evaluation meeting here on Friday. The district collector will send a letter to VSSC director to ensure that they do tests of officials and staff travelling to Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka. MLA in self-quarantine Neyyattinkara MLA K Ansalan is under self-quarantine after Vazhuthoor in Neyyattinkara where he lives has been declared a containment zone. The MLA will be available on 9995191282. All his official programmes have been cancelled until further notice. By Express News Service VIJAYAWADA: The 63-year-old man who was reported missing from a COVID-19 State Hospital in Vijayawada was found dead on Friday. His body was traced to the hospital mortuary, exposing the negligence of the staff. The body had been in the morgue for a week. T Vasanta Rao, a resident of Pujarivari Street in One Town area of Vijayawada, had gone missing from the New Government General Hospital, where he was taken to on June 24. The One Town Police, who registered a case on June 29, questioned the hospital staff, and on checking CCTV footage from the institute, found that Vasanta Raos body was in the mortuary. They said the staff had entered his name as Venkateswara Rao instead of Vasanta Rao, causing much agony to his wife Dhanalakshmi. "During our probe with the hospital staff, we learnt that the man succumbed to illness early on June 25 and the body was sent to the morgue. Initially, the hospital staff took him near the outpatient ward to enter his details. The staff then asked Dhanalakshmi to bring Raos Aadhaar card and return the next day to complete the formalities," a police official said. When Dhanalakshmi returned with the Aadhaar card on June 25, the doctors initially claimed there was no person admitted there named Vasanta Rao. She then lodged a missing complaint with the police as she was not informed about her husbands death, the official explained. "During our investigation, the hospital staff said an elderly man was brought in but there were no admission records. We went through CCTV footage and inquired with the staff who were working on June 24 morning, and found that the body was in the mortuary for more than a week," he said. Collector orders probe into patients death Collector A Md Imtiaz appointed sub-collector HM Dhanachandra as inquiry officer to probe the death of the elderly man and submit a detailed report. Vasantha Rao had tested negative for coronavirus, and was taken to the hospital for respiratory problems By PTI MUMBAI: Bollywood actor Akshay Kumar's helicopter trip to Nashik in north Maharashtra during lockdown has sparked a controversy. Maharashtra minister Chhagan Bhujbal said on Saturday that he will order inquiry into the special permission which the actor reportedly obtained for the air travel and stay at a resort in Nashik during the visit earlier this week. While the actor's spokespersons did not offer any comment immediately, sources said he flew to Nashik with a special permission to see a doctor. "I read about his visit to Nashik in newspapers today. I have no idea when he came and left. I will have to check," Food and Civil Supplies Minister Bhujbal, who is also the `guardian minister' of the district, told reporters in Nashik. "I will have to check, where he lived etc. I have received complaints about how he could be allowed to stay in a resort (amid coronavirus outbreak). "We will ask the police to look into it. I have no idea who gave him the permission, why it was given. Officials will be questioned if something wrong has happened," the senior NCP leader added. Sources close to the actor said that he had flown to Nashik in a helicopter with special permission "to see a doctor". A Sharadhaa By Express News Service Director Anup Bhandari expressed his gratitude toward the Kannada film audience while reminiscing the release of RangiTaranga in 2015 tweeted, 5 years ago, on the same day (July 3) our RangiTaranga became your RangiTaranga! Thanks to each and every one of you who made Rangitaranga so special for us. (sic) Anup Bhandari also attached a special video, in which he makes a special mention of the Kannada audience, and says he owes the films success to them. Rangitaranga was the directorial debut of Anup, who also wrote the film, which was produced by H K Prakash. The mystery thriller starred a host of newcomers, including the directors brother, Nirup Bhandari, along with Avantika Shetty, Radhika Chetan and Sai Kumar. The latters performance was hugely appreciated and was also one of the highlights of the film. RangiTaranga, which opened to a positive response, also made its presence felt on a global level when it was released in Europe, Canada, New Zealand, USA, Australia and UAE. The film was hailed for its technical aspects, such as the work of cinematographers Lance Kaplan and William David, and the background score composed by Anup, who also penned the lyrics. Ask Anup how he would want to describe his memories of RangiTaranga, and he says, Wherever I have spoken about Rangitaranga in different parts of the world, I have only mentioned that the successful run happened because of the audience. This was a film, which didnt have huge publicity and it still managed to garner a lot of attraction, only through word of mouth. The director is now looking forward to repeating the history of his debut directorial. I will come back with another RangiTaranga, and I already have thought about it. However, I cant mention a specific deadline, and I want to keep the audience guessing, says Anup Bhandari, adding that he has done the groundwork for the film, and will take it further only after he fulfils his current commitment. I will take up my next project only after I am completely done with Phantom, Anup tells Cinema Express. The new project is being produced by Manjunath Gowda under the banner of Shalini Artss. This has Anup collaborating with Sudeep for the first time. Ajaneesh B Loknath has been brought on board to compose the music. By ANI CHENNAI: With disruption in the film business due to the coronavirus crisis, a Chennai-based film director Anand opened up a grocery store to make his ends meet during the pandemic. After being in the Tamil film industry for over 10 years, Anand had been hoping to return to the film industry until he realised that the movie theatres in the country will remain shut until the next year. Using his savings, the director rented in a building from his close friend and started a grocery store in Chennai's Mowlivakkam. "During the lockdown period, I was simply confined within my house. When I came to know that only grocery and provision shops have been allowed to open in Tamil Nadu, I decided to open one. I sell all products including oil, pulses, rice and that too at a very less price to get more buyers. I am happy," Anand said. When asked about what prompted him to take the decision of ditching filmmaking and opening a grocery store, the director said, "I don't see the future of unlocking film industry this year because firstly people's fear has to go away." "Movie theatres will open only after opening up of malls, parks, and beaches. We only have a career after that, until them I will be here at my grocery store," he added. The filmmaker is known for making budget films like 'Oru Mazhai Naangu Saaral,' and 'Mouna Mazhai' and others. His last film 'Thuninthu Sei,' is in the final stages with its production completed, and just two songs pending. By PTI BHOPAL: 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". By IANS LUCKNOW: 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. By PTI IMPHAL: On returning from Delhi where he met Union Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP president J P Nadda, Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh has said the political crisis which recently engulfed the state will settle down soon. This was Biren's first visit to the national capital after braving resignations by four ministers from ally National People's Party (NPP) and their subsequent return to the NDA fold following the intervention of Shah and Nadda. On arrival from Delhi Friday evening, the chief minister underwent a coronavirus test at Imphal airport itself and left for home only after the sample tested negative for the virus. "Delhi visit was quite well and central leaders were very happy about the crucial victory in the Rajya Sabha election in Manipur," he told reporters at the airport. In the June 19 election for the lone Rajya Sabha seat from Manipur that took place in the background of the political crisis triggered by resignations of nine ruling coalition members, BJP's candidate Leishemba Sanajaoba had defeated the Congress rival. Besides the four NPP ministers, three BJP rebels, the lone All India Trinamool Congress legislator and an Independent MLA had quit the BJP-led coalition in Manipur on June 17. After deft handling of the situation by BJP's key leader in the Northeast Himanta Biswa Sarma and Meghalaya Chief Minister and NPP national president Conrad Sangma in close cooperation with the central leadership, the four NPP legislators later submitted letter of support in favour of Biren Singh to Governor Najma Heptullah. Responding to queries about the portfolios which are yet to be announced for the NPP ministers, Biren said, "Central leadership doesn't interfere much. Ours is a national party. It is my duty to seek the advice and suggestions of the national leaders". Distribution of portfolios in the cabinet was one of the important reasons cited by the NPP ministers while walking out of the government. "I think, at the earliest, there will be a solution for everything with the blessings of the central leaders for the convenience of all," he said. On being allotted Z security cover, he said he had no knowledge and came to know about it after meeting the Union Home Minister on July 1. "I myself did not have any knowledge of it and I was surprised," he said, adding that it must be based on the inputs of intelligence agencies. Days after overcoming the political crisis, Biren Singh had gone to Delhi on Tuesday to meet NDA's central leadership to discuss allocation of portfolios to his ministers. After end of the political trouble, Biren Singh is facing another challenge in meeting ministerial aspirations of his own party MLAs and also allies for which he is likely to seek guidance from the central leaders. While the four NPP legislators are all set to regain their position in the cabinet, the chief minister has to deal with the heightened aspirations of some BJP legislators to become ministers, besides those of the former Congress legislators who had defected to the saffron party shortly after the last state election in 2017. Out of the seven defecting Congress MLAs whose cases under the anti-defection law were heard by the Manipur High Court and the Speaker's Tribunal, the membership of four has been restored and they even voted in the Rajya Sabha election for the lone Manipur seat. There have been reports that another ally - the Naga People's Front (NPF) with four legislators in the 60-member House - which stood with the saffron party during the turmoil is demanding parity with NPP in the cabinet. While NPP has four ministers, the NPF has two members in the cabinet. As per constitutional provisions, there can be a maximum 12 ministers in the state, including the chief minister. PTI CORR SNS RDM RDM 07041523 NNNN Prasanta Mazumdar By GUWAHATI: Amidst troop mobilization along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the Ladakh sector, the Indian Army is raising three companies of porters, comprising 1,800 local youths, in Arunachal Pradesh. There is nothing strange in the drive that is conducted in collaboration with the states Labour Department but the timing of it this year and the high number of vacancies advertised by the state government assumes significance. The porters are employed for six months on fixed daily remuneration and they are required to extend their service during winter. The onset of winter is nearly three months away. The employment usually takes place in August and September. The exact number of people employed last year was not known but some locals said it was a few hundred. For reasons I dont know, they are heavily being employed this year, a government official in the state told this newspaper. Chief Minister Pema Khandu, who attended the porter raising ceremony at Sapper in West Kameng district on Friday, motivated the hundreds of the youth who had turned up. He hailed them for their service to the nation. This is a great time for our unemployed youth to showcase their unflinching patriotism by working alongside the brave Indian Army. This opportunity offers you not only employment but also the best chance to serve the nation, he said addressing the ceremony. An NGO, Yuva Arunachal, had mobilized the youth from all over the state. To be employed within this month, they will form the three porter companies in the Kameng sector, of which the border town of Tawang is strategic for India. China claims Tawang and vast swathes of Arunachal as parts of its southern Tibet region. The Auxiliary Labour Corps or porters the remnant of the British Raj are still indispensable in the mountainous Arunachal. Given the rugged and near inaccessible terrain, the porters are employed to transport materials for the Army. Their regular appointment was stopped after Arunachal had become a full-fledged state in 1987. The porters are entitled to leave and healthcare facilities and their lives are insured by state authorities during the period of service. They extend logistical support on a temporary basis and are treated like soldiers. They stay with the troops and dine with them. Being locals, they are adapted to the climate and they know the terrain. They are more than useful, an Army officer said. Sumi Sukanya Dutta By NEW DELHI: An expert panel under the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has proposed using the recovered Covid-19 patients as volunteers as part of an epidemiological exercise. To begin with, the cured coronavirus patients in isolation and quarantine centres in Tamil Nadu and West Bengal could be studied, sources privy to the development said. While it is not yet clear how long do the antibodies generated in those infected with coronavirus last, it has now emerged that the virus triggers T-cell mediated immunity in the infected people - which is considered good. T-cells are memory cells which means that even when the antibody levels go down in those infected, the person will have long-lasting protection against the disease in case of any future exposure, a member of the expert group on Covid-19 surveillance and epidemiology under the ICMR said. So while we are not confident enough to call it an immunity passport yet, we do have some understanding now that exposed people will have a long-term protection against the disease. We are thinking of utilising it and also studying its impact, he said. ALSO READ | COVID-19 immune response may remain stable for two months after diagnosis, scientists say A recent research by the scientists at Sweden's Karolinska University, which studied over 200 patients, has shown that robust T-cell mediated immunity was found in all convalescent patients even in the absence of antibodies. The scientists said that exposed family members and about 30 per cent of healthy individuals who donated blood in May, were found to have T-cell immunity against the infection as well - apart from previously infected patients who were studied. Though, those with severe disease had a more robust T-cell response than those with mild or asymptomatic disease. Another member of the expert panel said that in India many states, on the other hand, are struggling to find enough frontline workers for a large number of quarantine and isolation centres as sometimes even nurses are wary of going close to the infected or suspected patients. Therefore, it will serve the dual purpose of solving the problem of manpower shortage in required places and also studying the immunological response behaviour in recovered patients who are otherwise healthy if we use them as volunteers," he said. As a pilot, the experiment could soon start in some districts in Tamil Nadu and West Bengal two states that have shown interest in the proposal mooted by the ICMR expert group so far and could be later expanded in other states as well. Kali9/iStockBy WILLIAM MANSELL, ABC NEWS (TOLEDO, Ohio) -- A Toledo police officer is dead after being shot in the chest while responding to a 911 call of an intoxicated person in a Home Depot parking lot overnight. Witnesses, according to Toledo Police Chief George Krahl, said that the suspect was walking away from officer Anthony Dia when he "for some reason turned and fired a round from the handgun." Dia, who leaves behind a wife and 2-year-old child, was taken to a local hospital where he died from his injuries. Police deployed a drone and canine to try and locate the suspect. After police heard a lone gunshot, the 57-year-old white male suspect, who has not been publicly identified, was found dead of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound in a nearby wooded area, Krahl said at a press conference Saturday morning. Toledo Mayor Wade Kapszukiewicz said as Americans gather Saturday to celebrate their independence and reflect on the sacrifices service members have made in this country's history, that they also reflect on the sacrifices that local authorities make every day "with little fanfare, often vilified and always under-appreciated." "Our hearts are broken today over the loss of Toledo Police Officer Anthony Dia, who was killed in the line of duty earlier this morning," Kapszukiewicz said in a statement Saturday. "We are all in mourning, and we will never forget his sacrifice." Police are scheduled to hold a follow-up press conference Monday to discuss more details about the suspect and the timeline of events. "Sacrifice comes in all forms and we cannot forget the struggle that our police officers face on a daily basis," Kapszukiewicz said a press conference Saturday. Copyright 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved. Ngari, a remote prefecture located in the border area of Southwest Chinas Tibet Autonomous Region, is now connected to the rest of the country by the Ngari Gunsa Airport. Covering an area of 304,000 square kilometers, Ngari is home to over 120,000 permanent residents. It is nicknamed the top of the roof of the world for its average altitude of over 4,500 meters. File photo: Ngari Gunsa Airport. Photo by Phurbu Gyatso/WeChat account of the Ngari Tourism Bureau Shiquanhe township is the seat of the Ngari administrative office, which is over 1,300 kilometers from its nearest city, Hotan in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region to the north, 1,400 kilometers from Tibets capital Lhasa, and 5,100 kilometers from Beijing. Roads were the major way of transportation for the people in Ngari to go to Hotan, and Tibets Shigatse and Lhasa before the Ngari Gunsa Airport, southwest to Shiquanhe township, was officially put into operation in 2010, said an executive at the airport, adding that the trip to Lhasa would always take at least 40 hours. The Ngari Gunsa Airport, which started construction in May 2007, is the first civil airport ever built in northwest Tibet. By overcoming difficulties such as harsh weather conditions, short construction period, and long-distance transportation of building materials, engineers and technicians completed the construction in just three-odd years and built an air bridge between Ngari and Lhasa, as well as the rest of China. File photo: Ngari Gunsa Airport. Photo/Courtesy of official website of Ngari administrative office On July 1, 2010, an A319 aircraft landing on the new airport marked the official operation of the civil aviation facility, making it the fourth one in Tibet under operation. So far, it has opened four routes linking the cities of Lhasa, Kashgar, Urumqi and Xian. A total of 7,169 takeoffs and landings have been completed in the airport in the past 10 years, carrying 491,367 passengers and 365 tons of cargos. Ngari Gunsa Airport, situated at 4,274 meters above sea level, is the fourth highest airport in the world. With a terminal building covering about 4,000 square meters, the airport can operate a maximum of 4 flights and 300 passengers per hour at peak time, and its annual throughput capacity was planned at 120,000 passengers. Due to the thin air, high altitude and other climate conditions, the airport faces troubles in water, power and heating supply, altitude sickness of equipment and facilities, high pressure on safe operation, and lack of daily necessities. However, it has ensured overall safe operation in the past 10 years and accumulated experiences that could set a reference for other plateau airports. Over 800 newly recruited soldiers of the Ngari Military Sub-District in Southwest Chinas Tibet Autonomous Region arrive at the Ngari Gunsa Airport by a civil flight, April 11, 2019. Photo by Liu Xiaodong/Peoples Daily Online The airport has initiated barbed wire fences to eliminate potential dangers, tailored insulation layers for water heating pipes to protect them from freezing and cracking in winter and solved through trials equipment failures caused by extreme climate conditions on the plateau area. The airport shortens the travel time between Ngari and Lhasa from over 40 hours to two hours, and allows residents in the prefecture to arrive in Chinas major cities within one day. The fast and convenient air flights have greatly improved the travel experience of residents in Ngari and granted visitors easier access to the prefecture. The airport has significantly improved the transport links in the previously isolated prefecture, ignited the dynamism of the society and brought significant changes to the prefectures economic and social development thanks to smoother travel and logistics channels, the executive of the airport said. Photo shows picturesque scenery of Ngari in Southwest Chinas Tibet Autonomous Region. Souce: Peoples Daily Online Civil aviation has served as a powerful driver for the economic development of Ngari, laying solid foundations for investment attraction and bringing the prefectures high-quality tourism resources to more visitors. According to data released by the Ngari administrative office, the prefecture received over one million visitors in 2019 from 61,300 in 2010, growing an average of 38 percent every year. With an average annual increase of 42 percent, Ngari reaped over 1.37 billion yuan ($194 million) of tourism revenue in 2019 from 60 million yuan in 2010. Besides, the prefectures GDP increased by an average of 14 percent annually to over 6.2 billion yuan in 2019 from 1.85 billion yuan in 2010. The airport has also improved the livelihood of the local people. At present, it is no longer difficult for local residents to by stuffs from outside the region such as fresh vegetables, fruits and seafood. It is also more convenient for them to seek jobs, pursue education and seek medical treatment. Home > Archives (2006 on) > 2020 > Tribute to Jolly Mohan Kaul | Sankar Ray Jolly Mohan Kaul who ceased to breathe on 29 June 2020 with less than three months to set his foot in his 100th year of life could be described in the briefest way as one who never ceased to dream of a society of working people in a profoundly humanitarian life and livelihood irrespective of caste, religion, creed and nationality. Which was he was deeply concerned about the planet earth where the life support system is increasingly threatened by climate change and global warming. He looked forward to political parties and their mass fronts, especially trade union movement to expand their commitment to reversal of global warming whose relationship with climate change is significant. His domain was trade union movement and class struggle but he was more worried about the environmental degradation that is a big question-mark on the existence of mankind due to perishing flora and fauna, But environmental issues were not the principal concern for Jollyda who for several years was the conscience-keeper for many of us over several decades. When he chose to be a whole time political functionary and theoretically committed to scientific socialism, he plunged into trade unionism wholeheartedly, He reposed faith unflinchingly to the working class and toilers unto the last. He believed in what can be called as humanism. One of his last talks was on the state of trade union movement and its crisis in India in 2011 when the internationally renowned Marx scholar Paresh Chattopadhyay had come to Calcutta and delivered a two-day talk on Marx and new research and revelations on Marx and Engels at the International Centre, Calcutta. Ever since he was at the head of the historic 87-day strike (beginning in February 1947) of port and dock workers for raising their wage (a worker receiving unbelievably low wage of Rs15 a month), he believed that the working people are by their nature against communal divide. He was the general secretary, Calcutta Port Trust Employees Association, one of the largest unions of workers in Calcutta and around He had elaborately narrated in an interview with Andrew Whitehead in April 1997 when he was un his 76th year. And the strike took place when he was 25-plus. The interview (video) is preserved at the SOAS University, London (Partition Voices: Jolly Mohan Kaul - https://youtu.be/PePi_AZ9yVc). He remembered the general strike on 29 July 1946. There was a general strike on 29 July 1946, probably the first general strike in IndiaThe entire working class was completely united. Within three weeks thereafter, there was the Direct Action Day, at the call of the president, All India Muslim League, Mohammad Ali Jinnah on 16 August 1946. Jollyda stated firmly that the workers did not participate in communal riots. Rather they prevented clashes between Hindus and Muslims. And this happened when there was a communal divide in national politics. On the Direct Action Day, port and dock workers decided to go to the Calcutta Maidan to campaign for communal harmony but the communal frenzy was so intense that the workers had to give up the plan. Recalled the septuagenarian man, We got to the Maidan but by the time we reached the Maidan, we realised that the riots had broken out. We found dead bodies on the way, so we immediately folded our flags and told the workers: lets march back, let us try to see if we can save our locality from the riots at least And they did it successfully to maintain the solidarity of Hindu and Muslim workers. But Jolly Kaul was a man of colure. Along with Debabrata Bose, son of Prof Debendra Mohan Bose, a physicist and director, Bose Institute and nephew of Jagadish Chandra Bose, FRS, Jollyda led the Youth Cultural Institute (YCI) in 1940. He wrote several lyrics for mass singing, one of which was Mazdoor mazdoor mazdoor hyay hum [We are Workers], set to a song by Nikhil Sen. YCI was the first step towards not only the Indian Peoples Theatre Association and Progressive Writers Association in Bengal. A cultural historian and one of the top leaders of IPTA, Chinmohan Sehanabis wrote on the historic 46 Dharmatala Street (now Lenin Sarani): the story of No 46 began with the YCI which, in 1941, shifted from Kent House on P-33 Mission Row Extension to the second floor of No. 46. Many of the YCI members were university students, and although they were well aware of the devastation caused by the world war and the threat of fascism, they were also keen on having a good time. Jollyda joined the Communist Party of India (CPI) in 1941 and started working among railway workers. His parents thought of him as a member of Indian Civil Service after he passed B A with first-class honours in English, but his life changed after he befriended Prasanta Sanyal, a bright leader of All India Student Federation, a frontal organisation of undivided CPI. He was elected a member of Calcutta district committee in 1943. He attended all the party congresses as an observer or delegate from the First Congress (Bombay.1943) to the sixth (Vijajwada, 1941). He was elected to the national council of CPI at the Amritsar Congress (1958). He was chosen to be a member of the central executive council but he declined as his disillusionment with the official communism in India had just begun. Thats a different story. On his recommendation to the then CPI general secretary Ajoy Ghosh, Harekrishna Konar was inducted in the CEC. Jollyda was elected secretary of Calcutta district committee in 1953 and remained in the post (later Calcutta district council) until January 1963. Jollyda got married to the legendary and gifted communist organiser Manikuntala Sen in the early 1950s. She was an MLA [Member of Legislative Assembly] between 1952 and 1962 and was deputy leader of CPI group in the West Bengal Legislative Assembly. They quit the CPI after the Chinese aggression that led to bitter and scandalous factionalism. There was a concerted personal slander against them by a section of those that joined the split-away CPI (Marxist). He strongly believed the controversial letter by Sripad Amrit Dange (Chairman of undivided CPI between 1962 and 1964 with Elamkulam Malakkal Sankaran Namboodiripad as the General Secretary) as a forged document created by British colonial-police police detectives. Dange was then imprisoned under the Kanpur Communist Conspiracy Case in the early 1920s. He was alleged to have secretly written to the colonial authorities offering collaboration as a condition of being acquitted and released. But he was not released. In this connection, Jollyda told me why he could not leave Indian shores, despite being elected a CPI delegate to the Twenty-Second Congress of the now-defunct CP of the Soviet Union and another Congress of an East European CP. Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru himself had instructed that Jolly Kaul be never given a passport. Because a sleuth sent a report that Jolly Kaul had set fire to the national flag and trampled the burnt flag under foot. It was a complete lie and I came to know about this lie almost a decade and a half after leaving the party when he had an invitation to visit the USSR. The document was admitted as a lie and I had gone to the USSR. I say this to tell you that the police can do everything. And I believe that Dange letter is fake Dange was alleged to have written to the British Viceroy on 28 July 1924 You hold an exceptionally influential position in certain circles here and abroad. Government would be glad if this position would be of some use to them. I think I still hold that position. Rather it has been enhanced by the prosecution. If Your Excellency is pleased to think that I should use that position for the good of Your Excellencys government and the country, I should be glad to do so, if I am given the opportunity by Your Excellency granting my prayer for release But the so-called letter was signed as Sripat (not) Amrit Dange. And this letter was handy for those who wanted to set up another party under open inspiration of CP of China with Mao-Tse Tung at the helm. Jollydas exit from the mundane scene makes me remember T S Eliots Four Quartets In order to arrive at what you do not know/You must go by a way which is the way of ignorance. In order to possess what you do not possess/You must go by the way of dispossession. In order to arrive at what you are not/You must go through the way in which you are not. And what you do not know is the only thing you know/And what you own is what you do not own/And where you are is where you are not. The world of us will never/ never be same again without Jolly Mohan Kaul. Salute to you, Jollyda Rajesh Kumar Thakur By Express News Service PATNA: Going by all indications, Bihar is all set to go to the polls in October-November despite a rapid rise in coronavirus cases. State Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) HR Srinivasa told this paper that it would be a big challenge: the number of ballot papers will go up following an amendment in the rules on Thursday under which voters above 65 years of age, suspected and confirmed COVID-19 patients can use postal ballots. Srinivasa said voters, who opt to come to the polling booths for casting their votes, will be given small wooden sticks to push the EVM button as a safety measure against corona infection. Also, if a voter is spotted standing in a queue without wearing a mask, a free three-ply khadi mask would be given to him by the EC, besides making proper arrangement for hand-washing. For social distancing at polling booths, election officials are working on keeping only 1,000 voters at one polling booth. The most challenging task would be ensuring voting for over 18,000 centenarian voters in addition to those above 65 years of age, who could prefer postal ballots. The state will have to create 45% new polling booths, tentatively depending on the finalisation of electoral rolls to ensure one polling booth for every 1,000 voters. Currently Bihar has 1.98 crore voters of 32-39-year age group besides 8.70 lakh voters of above 70 years of age. This year, around 7.43 lakh new voters have been added to the electoral rolls, Srinivasa said. As per official figures, there are 2.37 lakh voters in 90-99-year age group, 10.59 lakh to 80-89-year of age, 31 lakh to 72-79-year age and 33.27 lakh to 62-69 age group. Ensuring safety to the poll personnel and the electorate would be the top priority for us at a time when the state is battling the pandemic, Srinivasa said, adding the EC would provide 3-ply khadi masks and bacteria-proof hand gloves. On whether the EC has decided to go with online polling, Srinivasa said the Commission would have to take a call on it. Somrita Ghosh By Express News Service NEW DELHI: The Human Energy Research Centre an organisation based on Public-Private Engagement model in the national capital has claimed to have found a way to cure the COVID-19 by using an extraordinary sound therapy, electro-frequency vibration. The therapy, developed by Dr Ramesh Vaish, Ikwan Onwuka and Dr Harsh Rastogi, is claimed to be based on the principle derived from the ancient Vedic philosophy that the entire universe is eternally in a state of subtle vibrations called cosmic sound. Combining this knowledge with the principles of quantum theory applicable to a wave, the experts developed three sound waves. Vibrational frequencies of coronavirus and two enzymes were decoded, and since each of them have different frequencies, the three sound waves have been designed to deal with each of them. This sound therapy is completely harmless, drug-free and does not have any side-effects. There is a lot of physics involved in this technique; it is not a medical process. The sound waves will attack the virus and create resonance. The virus, which has a protein cell layer, starts vibrating and therefore the chemical bond breaks down. The virus cannot sustain beyond a certain energy level, said Dr Vaish. A trial was conducted in May on some symptomatic patients in home isolation, who volunteered for it. Along with the therapy, the patients continued their medicinal routine. According to Dr Vaish, the patients showed improvement within days. After promising results, we pitched the idea to some hospitals to implement it on interested patients. Some private hospitals have agreed and one is likely to start it in two days, he said. The researches claimed that since this therapy doesnt involve any medical treatment and was to be provided to patients on voluntary basis, any approval from a regulatory authority wasnt required. However, they claimed to have informed the Delhi government and received a go-ahead from health minister Satyendar Jain. During the hour-long therapy, the patients are made to listen three different sounds including Gayatri Mantra and Maha Mrityunjay Mantra stage-wise. Each stage has a duration of seven minutes and theres a gap of five minutes between each stage. Four to six sessions in a span of two-three days are required to complete the course. They have approached the Health and AYUSH Ministries to implement the therapy on a regular basis and larger scale. If approved, it will be the first of its kind in the world. Weve come to know that a US institute is working on the same concept, he said. ALSO WATCH: Mayank Singh and Pushkar Banakar By Express News Service NEW DELHI: Sending out a strong signal to China, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said the days of expansionism were over and that Indias commitment to peace should not be interpreted by any country as a sign of weakness. The era of expansionism has come to an end. This is the era of development. History has proved that expansionist forces have either lost or were forced to turn back, he said while addressing troops during a surprise visit to Nimu in Ladakh. Paying tribute to the courage and devotion of Indian soldiers, Modi said the enemies of India have seen the fire and fury of our forces. The world had taken note of Indias strength and the exemplary bravery of the armed forces, the Prime Minister said. Although he did not mention China even once in his address, it was clear he was referring to Indias northern neighbour. Reacting to Modis speech, the Chinese embassy here said it was wrong to view China as expansionist and to fabricate its disputes with its neighbours. China has demarcated boundary with 12 of its 14 neighbouring countries through peaceful negotiations, turning land borders into bonds of friendly cooperation. Its groundless to view China as expansionist, exaggerate and fabricate its disputes with neighbours, tweeted Ji Rong, the Chinese Embassy spokesperson. The PMs visit came on a day when India also reached out diplomatically to the US, Germany, France, Russia and Japan. Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla briefed the countries on the situation along the Line of Actual Control (LAC). 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, Japanese envoy to India Satoshi Suzuki tweeted. During his interaction with the troops, the Prime Minister spoke at length about how the virtues of peace, friendship and courage have been a part of Indias culture. India has always given a befitting reply to anyone who has tried to disturb peace, he noted. India is stronger today, be it in naval might, air power, space power or the strength of our army. Modernisation of weapons and upgradation of infrastructure has enhanced our defence capabilities multifold, Modi said, adding that Indias spending on border infrastructure has been enhanced almost three times. The Prime Minister also visited the military hospital in Leh and interacted with soldiers who were injured during the border clash with China on June 15. Modi was accompanied by Chief of the Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat and Army Chief Gen M M Naravane. Modernisation of armed forces a priority: Modi Speaking to soldiers, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said modernisation of the armed forces is a priority. India manufactures modern weapons today. We are bringing modern technology from around the world, he said Japan throws its weight behind India Japan on Friday extended support to India over its border stand-off with China. Japan opposes any unilateral attempts to change the status quo, said Japanese Ambassador Satoshi Suzuki on Friday Miffed China says dont complicate matters Reacting to Modis visit, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman said India and China are in touch via military and diplomatic channels and neither side should make any move that may complicate the border situation By PTI NEW DELHI: The Indian Army on Saturday termed as "malicious and unsubstantiated" criticism in some quarters about a medical facility in a military hospital in Leh where Prime Minister Narendra Modi interacted with the soldiers injured in the Galwan Valley clashes. In a statement, the Army said "it is unfortunate that aspersions are being cast on how our brave Armed Forces are treated. The armed forces give the best possible treatment to their personnel." PM Modi made an unannounced visit to Ladakh on Friday, signalling India's firmness in dealing with the border row with China in several areas of the region. Modi also interacted with the soldiers who are undergoing treatment at the hospital, and told them that their bravery will be a source of inspiration for times to come. Following release of photographs of Modi's interaction with the injured soldiers, there were comments on Twitter that the facility did not look like a hospital as there were no medicine cabinet, I V (intravenous) stand, and other medical equipment. "There have been malicious and unsubstantiated accusations in some quarters regarding the status of the facility visited by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his visit to the General Hospital at Leh on July 3," the Army said. The Army further said: "It is clarified that the said facility is part of the Crisis Expansion capacity of 100 beds and is very much part of the General Hospital complex." It said the COVID-19 protocol had necessitated some wards of the hospital to be converted into isolation facilities. "Hence, this hall which otherwise was normally used as a Training Audio Video Hall was converted into a ward ever since the hospital was also designated as COVID-19 treatment hospital," it said. The Army said the "injured braves have been kept there since their arrival from Galwan to ensure quarantine from COVID areas. "The Chief of Army Staff General M M Naravane and the Army Commander have also visited the injured braves in the same location." 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. Namita Bajpai By LUCKNOW: The autopsy report on Saturday has revealed gruesome details of how the gangster and his henchmen targeted the cops during an operation against him at Bikru village under Chaubeypur police station area in Kanpur on Thursday. As per the sources, the investigators including UP STF, forensic experts and police believe that around 60 people were there who charged at the police team which had gone to raid the house of the dreaded criminal Vikas Dubey. As per the autopsy report, Billhaur Circle Officer (CO) Devendra Mishra was killed in an inhuman manner. While he was shot point blank, his head was cut off by a sharp-edged weapon, possibly an axe; his toes were severed off his feet. ALSO READ | Kanpur encounter: Vikas Dubeys house bulldozed, Chaubeypur inspector suspended, detained Similarly, Shivrajpur SO Mahesh Yadav was shot on the face, chest, and shoulder blades with bullets, Sub-Inspector Anup Singh also sustained seven bullet injuries all over his body. Constable Jitendra Pal suffered gunshots possibly fired from an AK-47, said forensic experts who examined his body after his death. Other constables also suffered bullet injuries. According to doctors who performed the autopsy on the cops, constables Rahul, Bablu, and Sultan Singh had sustained injuries of bullets fired from .315 bore weapon. Kanpur IG Mohit Agarwal on Saturday said that the pattern of attack was similar to that of Naxals. The officer also claimed that the account of the injured cops and the site of incident suggested that around 60 criminals were involved in the ambush. By PTI LUCKNOW: More than 25 teams have been formed by the UP Police to nab history-sheeter Vikas Dubey who was yet to be apprehended 36 hours after eight police personnel were gunned down by criminals during an attempt to arrest him. Inspector General of Police, Kanpur, Mohit Agarwal on Saturday told PTI, "To nab Vikas Dubey and his accomplices, as many as 25 teams have been formed which are conducting raids in different districts of the state and other states as well." Police officials also said the surveillance team was scanning over 500 mobile phones and efforts were on to retrieve information pertaining to Dubey, who has faced about 60 criminal cases. The Special Task Force of UP Police has also been roped in. Agarwal said a cash reward of Rs 50,000 has been announced for providing information about Dubey and the identity of the information provider will be kept secret. He also said seven policemen, who were injured in the encounter, have been admitted to a private hospital where their condition is stable. ALSO READ | Kanpur encounter: UP lost 70 police personnel in action in 2018, maximum in India Police had late on Friday night raided Dubey's house in Krishnanagar area of Lucknow. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath rushed to Kanpur on Friday to meet the family members of the slain policemen and announced financial assistance of Rs one crore each to the bereaved families. Eight police personnel, including a DSP, 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. 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 Dubey. The attackers fled, snatching weapons from the dead and the wounded policemen. ALSO READ | Kanpur encounter: Absconding Shivli don Vikas Dubey faces over 60 cases Promising that those behind the heinous crime will not be let off, the chief minister said a government job would be given to a member of each of the bereaved families besides extraordinary pension. Stressing that the government was with the families, Adityanath said it would work to ensure that justice was done and those behind the crime were punished as per the law. "Some of the weapons which the miscreants had fled with have been recovered. None of those responsible for this heinous act will be let off and the sacrifice of the slain policemen will not be allowed to go in vain. The brave jawans were killed while they had gone for carrying out a raid as part of their duty," he said. Sana Shakil By Express News Service NEW DELHI: The Kanpur encounter on Friday morning is the latest in a string of daring attacks against the police that shows how increasingly dangerous Uttar Pradesh has become for its law enforcement force. Uttar Pradesh lost 70 police personnel in action in 2018 the maximum in the entire country. More policemen were killed in UP than even in militancy-hit Jammu and Kashmir and Maoist-afflicted Chhattisgarh. After UP, Telangana and Punjab came second with 54 followed by Maharashtra 51, and Jammu and Kashmir 50. Worse, the state saw a 72% jump in the crimes against police personnel in 2018 over the previous year, according to the latest data available with the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB). In 2018, 244 police personnel were attacked in the state whereas 142 cops faced hostile action in 2017. This was significantly higher if it is compared with the national data as the percentage rise was nearly 24% for the rest of the country in 2018. On Friday, eight police personnel, including a deputy superintendent and three sub-inspectors, were killed during a raid to nab gangster Vikas Dubey. ALSO READ | Kanpur encounter: Absconding Shivli don Vikas Dubey faces over 60 cases As per the Crime In India Report 2018, 2,963 personnel were attacked marking an increase of 24% from the previous year when a total of 2,384 public servants were attacked. Notably, the 2017 data comprised not just attacks on police personnel but also those involving other public servants. As many as 555 personnel were killed during police operations and 2,408 cops got injured in 2018. Among those who were killed on duty, 275 were constables, 141 were head constables, 56 were Assistant Sub-Inspector level officers, 47 were Sub-Inspectors and six were Inspectors. The rank of 30 cops who were also killed during police operations was not known, according to the NCRB. Among the injured, the NCRB data shows, constables suffered brunt of the attacks as compared to other ranks. As many as 1,428 constables got injured during police operations. While riotous mobs were involved in 1,358 attacks, gangsters and criminals came second with 549 assaults on police personnel in 2018. CM declares ex gratia UP CM Yogi Adityanath announced Rs 1 crore ex gratia to kin of all eight policemen killed during an operation against gangster Vikas Dubey. Meanwhile, UP DGP announced a cash award of Rs 50,000 for giving a tip-off on the absconding gangster By PTI SRINAGAR: Two Hizbul Mujahideen terrorists were killed and an Army man suffered injuries during an encounter between the ultras and security forces in Kulgam district of Jammu and Kashmir on Saturday, police said. Security forces launched a cordon-and-search operation in the Arrah area of Kulgam district of south Kashmir on Saturday based on specific information about the presence of terrorists there, a police official said. He said the militants were given the opportunity to surrender and repeated appeals were made through local elders. However, the terrorists fired indiscriminately upon the search team of the forces, which was retaliated leading to an encounter in which two terrorists were killed. ALSO READ: Terrorist hideout busted in Jammu and Kashmir's Rajouri Their bodies were retrieved from the site of the encounter, he said. One of the killed ultras was a foreigner and identified as Ali Bhai alias Hyder and the identity of the second militant was being ascertained, the official said, adding they were affiliated with the proscribed Hizbul Mujahideen. During the operation, an Army man was injured and he was taken to a hospital, he added. Incriminating materials including arms and ammunition were recovered from the site of the encounter and all the recovered materials have been taken into case records for further investigation and to probe their complicity in other terror crimes, the official said. He said the bodies of the militants have been sent to Handwara for their last rites after conducting medico-legal formalities. By Express News Service NEW DELHI: Aviation regulator DGCA has made this clear that there will be no normal international operation of flights till July 31 this year. The new circular by the regulator has come amid the opening of booking by some airlines on international destinations. DGCA has once again said that international operation on selected routes may be allowed on case to case basis. 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. Scheduled international passenger flights were suspended in India on March 23 due to the coronavirus pandemic. 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. (With PTI Inputs) Bala Chauhan By Express News Service BENGALURU: PM Narendra Modis visit to Ladakh is a clear message to China and Pakistan that India will give a fitting reply to anybody who challenges the countrys sovereignty and intrudes in our territory, said a security expert. With China engaging the Indian troops in Eastern Ladakh, Pakistan has intensified terrorist operations in Jammu and Kashmir and is pushing terrorists and arms and ammunition into Kashmir from its launch pads across the LoC. What is happening on either side of our borders is clearly a joint operation of China and its ally Pakistan, he added. This year the forces have eliminated 128 militants till June 30, according to Dilbag Singh, DGP, J&K. In June, 48 militants were killed. Pakistan has intensified its terrorist operations and is also radicalising and arming Kashmiri Muslim youth, who are joining the militant ranks for want of better alternative and for mass identity and following, said a source. Those who have joined militancy are not rabid religious or political ideologues. They are internet-driven educated youth, who are drawn to violence and the publicity they get as poster boys of terrorist organisations flaunting assault rifles. Thousands would turn up for the funerals of terrorists and this is used as a bait for recruitment of local youths, he said. Home > Archives (2006 on) > 2020 > Jolly Mohan Kaul (22 Sept 1921 - 29 June 2020) | Aditi Roy Ghatak by Aditi Roy Ghatak KOLKATA, 29 JUNE Photio: Jolly Mohan Kaul | Credits: The Statesman, 30 June 2020 Jolly Mohan Kaul would have stepped into his 100th year on September 22. That he fell a trifle short of his century does not detract from the scintillating innings that he has played, nor the stout defence" "against death that he put up at Bellevue, where he breathed his last at 5.55 pm. Having begun his public life as a Marxist, Jolly Kaul, a Kashmiri Brahmin, ended up spending his last 30 years as a devout Gandhian, prior to which he had turned to Ramakrishna Paramhansa Dev and Swami Vivekananda" for spiritual strength. Add to this is an alliance with Christianity during his school and college days at St Xaviers and his deep engagement with Islam and its teachings as a trade union leader in the Calcutta port area amongst others and later as the Calcutta District Committee Secretary of the Communist Party of India, he was a man of many faiths founded on an abiding faith in humanism. The inner urge to help humanity must have been stoked by the experience of having watched the extend edam1ofabeggarboythrough the rolled-up window of his fatherscar and to have the car drive away when he was a boy of eight. Thus when the family believed that he was well on his way to qualifying for the Indian Civil Service in 1941, no more than 19 years of age, he convinced himself that only the Communist Party could fight the fascist and imperialist forces and establish a fairer society. Jolly Kaul went underground. Later, on 4 May 1997, he pledged his body along with all organs, skeletons and tissues for the promotion of medical science and wrote in his will: "I stand by this pledge and desire that the Executors of my will should see to it that this is carried out". It is for Marxian experts to discuss his contribution to the party along with that of his remarkable better half, Manikuntala Sen. For someone who has been an intimate part of his life since 1980, when he came to edit the Capital, where I worked, after a very significant stint with lndian Oxygen as the head of communications, Jolly Mohan Kaul was a friend, a father figure and even the boy next door, for whom age, status, stage of life meant not a whit as he embraced those around him with the warmth of a bear hug and often a wicked or gentle sense of humour.life had taught Jolly Kaul well. Reviewing his memoirs, In Search of a Better World, his equally illustrious friend and also a former editor of this newspaper, Sunanda K.Datta Ray wrote: "Not for Jolly, who doesnt talk Left and walk Right. He isnt Bengali either though he went to school and college in Calcutta and married the indomitable Manikuntala Sen who gave an impression of cold hauteur until the radiance of a sudden smile illumined her entire features. ! remember as Sethji in Ahmedabad, which we visited in 1964, telling us he had happy memories of Calcutta and would like to meet the Bengali in our group. Mischievously, I pointed out Jolly,"calling him Jaladhar Chatterjee. It worked. Both chattered away in Bengali, Sethji brokenly, Jolly, with his sense of fun and gift for mimicry his take-off of P. C. Joshi amused even the target - fluently." It was surely his sense of humour that helped him overcome his parting with the party; his last days with having been quite traumatic she was to recall later in private conversations. Suffice to say that his politely-drafted resignation letter at the end of January l963 said that "a neighbouring Communist country" was behaving "in a manner which weakens the democratic and progressive forces in the country" leaves one in no doubt about his agony over the sense of betrayal of the country that he could no longer suffer. He used his smiling visage with disarming effect on those that he interacted with from a managing director to a mazdoor, as he seamlessly wove together several careers, using effective communications as the skein, from a political leader to journalist to a corporate communicator to edi or of an economic journal, Capital, before a final stint in social activism at the Gandhi Labour Foundation at Puri. Jolly Kaul was generous with sharing his experiences from every facet of his career, even as a nonagenarian, equally happy to interact with people from the pastor teenagers with whom he could engage on their terms and talk of building a better world. The optimism slowly fading over the last few years as he warned: "I have seen the ugly face of fascism and what is happening in the country fills me with fear". (Courtesy: The Statesman, Tue, 30 June 2020 This article appeared earlier under the title I have seen the ugly face of fascism ) Pushkar Banakar And Mayank Singh By Express News Service NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modis surprise visit to Ladakh amid the ongoing border tension along the LAC may have thrown everyone off guard, but experts feel the move was the need of the hour and will help boost the countrys morale. With this visit, the PM has sent a good signal and sent out four messages, apart from showing that he is leading from the front. It demonstrates our resolve to China. Secondly, it gives a message to the armed forces that he supports them for their professional performance. This was further underlined by meeting the soldiers injured in the Galwan Valley clash. Third is the message to the people of India that we are up to it and facing the Chinese. Fourth is the message to the world that China cannot browbeat us, we stand firm and we will resolve the matter without third party, Lt-Gen (Retd) Vinod Bhatia, former DG, Military Operations, said. B R Deepak, Sinologist and chairperson of the Centre for Chinese and South Asian Studies at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), feels the visit also helps the PM take stock of the situation on the ground. It is meant to take stock of ground realities along the border in Eastern Ladakh in terms of deployment of forces, equipment and logistics on the one hand and conveying to China that India will never accept the change of status quo along the LAC and China shifting its own coordinates at the border further west on the other. To the world, India is demonstrating that it will stand up to China, if challenged, he said. Lt Gen DS Hooda (Retd), former chief of the Northern Command, echoed Deepaks views. It is a good step. Since two months, there was no move forward, no de-escalation or disengagement. So, some message was needed to be sent out that we are serious about it, he said. A former diplomat, who did not wish to be named, said the PMs visit was a morale booster for the forces and also acted as an assurance that the country was with them. Apart from being a morale booster, the timing of his visit, which coincided with Indias diplomatic outreach on the issue, was very important. It is a clear message to China that we will look you in the eye and also tell the world of your wrongdoings, he said. Debasish Chaudhari of the Institute of Chinese Studies, however, had a different view. Questioning the objective of the visit, he said, PM visited an integral part of Indian territory almost in a clandestine manner. Is it a personal visit or formal visit or a visit of a statesman to a war zone? He likes to break protocol, but what does he want to achieve by going there? BJP hails, Congress questions visit BJP hailed PMs visit. PM Modis words give words to the emotion of 130 crore Indians and act as a great morale booster for our armed forces! tweeted party chief J P Nadda. However, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi took a veiled swipe. Ladakhis say: China took our land. PM says: Nobody took our land. Obviously, someone is lying, he tweeted. By PTI CHANDIGARH: The Punjab police SIT, probing sacrilege incidents, on Saturday arrested seven followers of Dera Sacha Sauda in Faridkot district for their alleged involvement in a 2015 Guru Granth Sahib theft case. "We have arrested seven persons who are Dera Sacha Sauda followers," said Deputy Inspector General of Police (Jalandhar Range) Ranbir Singh Khatra, who is leading the Special Investigation Team. The seven accused were allegedly involved in the theft of a 'bir' (copy) of Guru Granth Sahib from Burj Jawahar Singh Wala gurdwara in Faridkot in 2015, as per police investigation. They were later presented before a local court in Faridkot where five of them were sent to two-day police remand while two were let off when their counsels claimed they had already secured bail in this same case. A SIT of the Punjab police has been probing the 2015 sacrilege incidents after the state government withdrew these cases from the Central Bureau of Investigation. The three sacrilege cases were -- theft of a 'bir' of the holy book of Sikhism from the gurdwara on June 1, 2015; putting up hand-written sacrilegious posters in Bargari and Burj Jawahar Singh Wala on September 25 and torn pages of the holy book being found at Bargari on October 12, 2015, in Faridkot. Another Punjab police SIT, led by Inspector General Kunwar Vijay Pratap Singh, is probing firing incidents of 2015 in Behbal Kalan and Kotkapura. By PTI LUCKNOW: "Shoot him wherever he is," said the angry mother of history-sheeter Vikas Dubey, whose hencemen killed eight policemen in an ambush when they came to arrest him from his hideout in a village near Kanpur. Uttar Pradesh Police has announced a Rs 50,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of Dubey, who has at least 60 cases against him including murder and attempt to murder. An official said there was a possibility that Dubey may have fled to Nepal or taken shelter in a neighbouring state. He was named an accused in the murder of Santosh Shukla, a minister of state-rank BJP leader, inside a police station in 2001 but was acquitted. His mother Sarla Dubey is angry over the brutal killing of the police personnel. She says no mercy should be shown to her son. "Maar dalo unko, jahaan rahe maar dalo (He should be gunned down, wherever he is found)," she told a news channel. "People came and told me about the incident. I also saw it on TV. One who has given so much pain to others must pay for his sin," she said. Her husband left it to the government to take appropriate action against his son. "The government will act as per the norms, what can I do? The government will take steps, which it feels are appropriate," Ramkumar Dubey told reporters on Saturday. "I did not have any information about the incident. I had taken medicines and was lying in a semi-conscious state. When I cannot speak for myself, then how can I speak for others," he said. When asked whether he had asked his son to stop criminal activities, Ramkumar merely said, "He had left this place during his student days and had been living with my brother-in-law." By PTI BARUIPUR: A Trinamool Congress (TMC) worker was allegedly hacked to death in West Bengal's South 24 Parganas district, while an SUCI member's body was found hanging from a tree in the area, police said on Saturday. Workers of the SUCI and the ruling TMC clashed in the Kultali area of the district on Friday over a power tussle in Maipith-Baikanthapur panchayat, sources said. The TMC alleged that its member Ashwini Manna was beaten up and hacked to death allegedly by members of the SUCI. The SUCI, which was once a formidable force in the area, alleged that its district committee member, Sudhashu Jana, was abducted from his house by TMC workers, following which he was beaten to death and the body hung from the tree. It alleged that Jana's house was vandalised as well. Police said Manna was killed, but Jana is suspected to have committed suicide. "The bodies have been sent for post-mortem. Jana's body was found hanging from a tree, so we suspect that he has committed suicide. The exact cause can be ascertained only after we get the post-mortem report," an officer said. Eleven persons have been arrested in connection with the clashes, officials said, adding that three more have been detained. Former SUCI MLA Joykrishna Halder said several houses of his party members were looted, vandalised and set ablaze. Police said forces have been deployed in the area to tackle the situation. Several members of the TMC and SUCI are admitted to different hospitals with injuries, officials said. Sources said though the TMC has only eight members in the Maipith-Baikanthapur panchayat, it still managed to hold on to power for more than two years. However, the SUCI, with eleven members, decided to move a no-confidence motion recently, leading to the clash. By PTI LUCKNOW: Uttar Pradesh Rural Development Minister Rajendra Pratap Singh (Moti Singh) and his wife have been admitted to the Sanjay Gandhi Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences here after they tested positive for COVID-19. Asked about his health, Singh told PTI on Saturday, "I am fine." Asked how long is he expected to stay in the hospital, he said, "I came here only on Friday. I will follow the doctors' advice." Singh is a four-time MLA from Patti in Pratapgarh district. Vineet Upadhyay By DEHRADUN: In an attempt to fill communication gaps in border areas in Uttarakhand, the state government is distributing satellite phones to selected people on Nepal and China border. The aim is to keep an eye on the ground amidst ongoing tussle with China and Nepal in border areas. The phones will be distributed to keep an eye on the border areas.This will enable us to strengthen communication lines in border areas, a senior police official told this newspaper on the condition of anonymity. According to sources, 200-300 satellite phones will be distributed.Last month, 49 villages in Pithoragarh district along the China and Nepal border were equipped with satellite phones amidst ongoing tensions. The locals, however, say this is not sufficient and a robust infrastructure is needed to tackle the problem. Uttarakhand border villages are compelled to use Nepalese Sim cards due to poor availability of Indian network providers, including the government owned Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL). However, high call rates are a matter of concern for people of the area. The call charges are fixed at Rs 12 per minute and an SMS also costs the same. International calls and SMS rates have been fixed at Rs 260 per minute and per message. Receding population along border cause concern to Indian forces The receding population on the Uttarakhand-Nepal-China border has become a source of worry for Indian security forces amidst increasing border tensions with Nepal. According to reports of Uttarakhand Rural Development and Migration Commission, 14 villages have become totally empty since 2011 while in many parts population has declined 'significantly'. The commission, set up by Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat in 2017 which released its survey report in the year 2018, stated that between 2007 and 2017, 1,18,981 people from 3,946 gram panchayats migrated permanently, and 3,83,726 people from 6,338 gram panchayats shifted temporarily in search of work and better life. According to the commission's report, a total of 1702 villages in the state have become totally depopulated becoming 'Ghost Villages'. A total of 565 villages are such which have lost more than half of their population to migration. However, a trend of coming back home was also registered in over 850 villages across the state. This comes after Nepals cabinet endorsed a new political map showing Lipulekh, Kalapani and Limpiyadhura as its territory. (With ENS inputs) By PTI BHOPAL: The Madhya Pradesh government on Saturday sanctioned Rs 781 crore for an expressway through Chambal, a region which along with Gwalior accounts for 16 of the 24 seats for which bypolls are needed. Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan announced the sanctioning of money for the project in a virtual meeting with Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari, an MP public relations officer told PTI. The virtual meet was also attended by Union Rural Development Minister Narendra Singh Tomar and BJP Rajya Sabha member Jyotiraditya Scindia, he added. "The proposed expressway will have a length of 309 kilometres in MP and will be a connector to Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh," Chouhan said. Incidentally, the money has been sanctioned two days after a cabinet expansion in the state in which 10 leaders from Chambal and Gwalior got berths. The region now has 11 ministers, including powerful state BJP leader Narottam Mishra. "So 11 MP ministers will be from Gwalior and Chambal regions," said political analyst Keshav Pandey. Twenty-two Congress MLAs, including 16 from Gwalior- Chambal, had resigned from the Assembly in March, bringing down the Kamal Nath dispensation and paving the way for Chouhan to become CM for a fourth time. Two seats are vacant due to death of legislators. By PTI PATNA: Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and 14 staffers of the CMO tested negative for COVID-19 on Saturday, official sources said. According to the sources, one of the 15 staffers in the Chief Minister's Office who had undergone the test was found positive for the infection. Kumar, earlier in the day, underwent a COVID-19 test after acting Chairman of the Bihar Legislative Council Awadhesh Narayan Singh tested positive for the virus. He had shared the dais with Singh at an official event here on July 1, officials said. The swab samples of Kumar and 15 staffers of the CMO were sent to the Indira Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences (IGIMS) here for COVID-19 test. "Out of the 16 samples, the chief minister and 14 staffers of CMO have tested negative for COVID-19 while one staffer has been found positive in the test," a source at IGIMS said. A video of the oath ceremony on July 1 shows the CM sitting next to Singh. Speaker of the Legislative Assembly Vijay Kumar Chaudhary was on the other side of the infected leader while Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Modi was seated next to Nitish Kumar. Sushil Modi and Chaudhary had also sent their samples for testing. Singh was admitted to the isolation ward of AIIMS-Patna for treatment after his test report came in, the hospital's nodal officer on COVID-19 Sanjeev Kumar had told PTI. By PTI KOLKATA: The Visva Bharati University has decided to do away with written exams for final year semester and will instead award 60 per cent marks as the average of two best semester scores and the rest 40 per cent under two other heads in view of the COVID-19 pandemic, officials said. The Executive Council of the Central University in a meeting on Friday also decided that for the remaining papers of school certificate examinations, there will be 80 per cent internal assessment and 20 per cent viva by affiliated schools, they said. For terminal semester exams of undergraduate and post-graduate courses, the EC resolved while no written on practical tests will be held, there will be an internal assessment of 20 per cent of the full marks of each programme. For 60 per cent of the total marks, an average of two best semester scores will be given while rest 20 per cent of the marks will be allotted based on dissertation, project and home assignments which will be sent online by the candidate to the teacher concerned for evaluation, the notice issued by the university authorities said. For the papers where there is no provision of internal assessment, the evaluation of such papers may be made on the basis of the total marks submitted by the head of the department such as dissertation/project works/home assignments. The EC is the highest decision-making body of the central institution. Reacting to the notice Students Federation Of India leader of Visva Bharati, Somnath Sau said, "We have been opposing conducting written exams and opting for an alternative way of evaluation." He expressed satisfaction that finally Visva Bharati authorities have decided to go for alternative ways of evaluation in the present situation. Pradip Phanjoubam By The BJP-led coalition government in Manipur, which faced a severe existential crisis recently after three of its legislators resigned and major partner National Peoples Party walked out, has seemingly weathered the storm for the moment. The NPP has now tamely returned to the BJP fold after its MLAs were whisked away to Delhi to meet BJP and NPP leaders. The Speaker, Y Khemchand, has ensured that the BJP would continue to have a majority by selective application of the Tenth Schedule. But there are troubles ahead. The first of these is an unrest among the BJPs own legislators, unhappy that there are not enough Cabinet berths left for them. The seeds for this were sowed at the very start of the governments tenure. The March 2017 Manipur Assembly election threw up a hung verdict, with the Congress emerging as the single largest party winning 28 of the 60 seats. The BJP won 21. However, Governor Najma Heptulla invited the BJP, which needed to rope in at least 11 outside MLAs, to form the next government. The BJP managed this, but by buying loyalties with Cabinet berths. As the ceiling on Cabinet size for the state stipulated by the Tenth Schedule is 12 including the chief minister, this is proving very expensive. The BJP ended up giving away seven spots to allies leaving only four for BJP legislators, besides the CM. This underlying discontent remains even after the immediate storm, especially since the next elections are just a year-and-a-half away and many would be contesting against these allies in ministerial positions. But this is not the only problem in front of the ruling party. As a minority party in power, in its self-preservation bid, the BJP invited eight Congress MLAs to defect to it. The Speaker then refused to act on the disqualification petitions against them under the Tenth Schedule for three-and-a-half years, except for one who was disqualified after the Supreme Court intervened. However, when some of the remaining defectors wanted to return to their original party, he promptly disqualified three of them. A lone Trinamool Congress MLA also wanted to leave the BJP-led alliance, and in this case, the Speaker took up a suo motu case and disqualified him within a day, without even giving the MLA an opportunity to defend himself. It is unlikely that these MLAs will not seek legal intervention. What also needs to be noted is, although a no-confidence motion against the government did not materialise this time, the Assembly will have to be convened for its Summer Session probably sometime in August and this is when trouble can resurface if the mess within the ruling party and the Assembly is not swept clean by then. Overturned with impunity in all this is the idea of rule of law, and it is a tragedy that the state Assembly and government are responsible for this, setting a precedent that can only be characterised as dangerous in this strife-torn border state. The Manipur case also reminds one of what Fareed Zakaria contended in his influential book Future of Freedom. Democracy, he said, can only be meaningful if it is predicated by a culture of liberalism. At its crux, this liberalism is about an innate sense of rectitude that all civilised societies acquire. This manifests more pronouncedly in the treatment of rule of law as sacrosanct. This idea cannot have been better illustrated than in the famous verbal duel in Robert Bolts play A Man for all Seasons between Thomas More and his young assistant William Roper on what an offence against the law is. When More had an opportunity to arrest a known tormentor spying on him, Roper asked him to do so immediately. More refused, saying the man has broken no law. To which a bewildered Roper reminded More that the man has broken Gods law. Mores retort was classic: Let God arrest him then, he told Roper. The esteem with which a liberal democracy is expected to hold the idea of rule of law is beautifully encapsulated in this. This is also probably the best picturisation of secularismdefined as separating religion from state. By contrast, in an illiberal society, Zakaria notes, democracy would end up not only reduced to a farce but can even be dangerous. He goes to the extent of saying liberal institutions such as liberal education, courts, free media, etc., can flourish even without democracy, such as in Singapore, but democracy without liberalism can tear nations apart, as it happened in the former Yugoslavia. It is anybodys guess which of these scenarios Manipur would fit in. This is a state where the idea of rule of law has been almost completely done to death, that too outrageously in the highest institution of democracy. This is a state that has brazenly reduced the Tenth Schedule to a convenient tool in the hands of the party in power to either coerce or encourage legislators to defect, whichever profits those in power the most, defeating the very purpose of this legislation when it was conceived. Pradip Phanjoubam Editor, FPSJ Review of Arts and Politics (phanjoubam@gmail.com) Home > Archives (2006 on) > 2020 > Russian bounty killing forces Trumps hands on troop withdrawal from (...) As expected, the controversy over Russias alleged bounties for killing American and NATO troops in Afghanistan is steadily snowballing. The New York Times has come out with more leaks such as bank transfers from accounts identified with the Russian military intelligence to the Taliban, hawala transactions as well as the Afghan governments assistance to the US intelligence to zero in on the Russian-Taliban nexus. Meanwhile, the US Congress is seized of the matter, possibly triggering another Russiagate. The Democrats are on the warpath. Top White House aides are briefing the Senate Intelligence Committee later today. The Times also featured today an Op-Ed on this topic by former National Security Advisor Susan Rice, who is widely mentioned as a possible vice-presidential running mate on the Democratic presidential nominee Joe Bidens ticket in the November elections. Rice tore into President Trump and his key aides. To be sure, the controversy will seriously impact the endgame in Afghanistan. The first sign of it appeared on Tuesday when Secretary of State Mike Pompeo held a video conference with the Talibans deputy head and chief negotiator at Doha, Mullah Baradar. The White House readout said Pompeo discussed with the Taliban leader the implementation of the Doha pact of February on the Afghan peace process and made clear the (US) expectation for the Taliban to live up to their commitments, which include not attacking Americans. Evidently, the White House is directly warning the Taliban against against any attacks on the US troops. An AP report cited the Taliban spokesman Suhail Shaheen as tweeting that Pompeo and Baradar also discussed ways of moving forward the implementation of the Doha pact. The White House is anxious that the intra-Afghan peace talks should take place without further delay so that the US troop withdrawal can be announced. There were reports recently that a decision to withdraw another 4000 American troops out of the 8600-strong contingent is under consideration. In the light of the present controversy over alleged Russian bounty killings and given the likelihood of Congressional hearings, Trump will be keen to summarily withdraw all troops from Afghanistan. The US special representative for reconciliation with the Taliban Zalmay Khalilzad has also reached Doha for discussions with Mullah Baradar. All in all, the series of Times reports since June 26 has compelled the White House to kickstart the intra-Afghan peace talks somehow, where a complete ceasefire tops the agenda of discussion. The Times reports significantly weaken the US capacity to influence the outcome of the intra-Afghan peace talks. The US stands badly isolated in the region. The controversy over bounty killings has upset Moscow and in turn makes it impossible to carry forward any US-Russian cooperation and coordination over the intra-Afghan peace talks, as was envisaged earlier. At the same time, the US-China tensions are spinning out of control and Washington is no longer in a position to leverage Beijings cooperation in the Afghan peace process. Similarly, Washington is on a collision course with Tehran following Pompeos appearance at the UN Security Council on Tuesday to formally table the US proposal seeking an extension of the UN embargo on arms supplies to Iran. Russia and China have made it clear that they will veto any such US resolution, which, in turn, may lead to Pompeo pressing a claim to invoke the snapback clause of the Iran nuclear deal to kill the 2015 agreement. Heightened tensions can be expected between Washington and Tehran in the weeks and months ahead. With Russia, China and Iran on a path of confrontation with the US, the burden falls entirely on the Trump administration to carry froward the Afghan peace process. The US reliance on Pakistan becomes more critical than ever before. (Khalilzad is set to travel to Islamabad this week.) Clearly, the initiative is slipping out of the American hands to script its exit strategy in Afghanistan. To be sure, Taliban will negotiate from a position fo strength. Mullah Baradar reportedly made humiliating demands to Pompeo during the videoconference yesterday. Given the unfriendly mood in the three key regional capitals Moscow, Tehran and Beijing Washington may be left with no choice now but to cut loose and make its way for the exit door as quickly as possible. Trump will not risk a prolonged stay for the troops in Afghanistan. Curiously, there is an eerie similarity to the Afghan situation around the Geneva Accords of April 1988 between Afghanistan and Pakistan, with the US and the Soviet Union serving as guarantors. The Geneva Accords had envisaged a matrix of several elements principally, a bilateral agreement between Islamabad and Kabul on the principles of mutual good neighbourly relations; a declaration on international guarantees, signed by the Soviet Union and the US; and a Pak-Afghan agreement on the interrelationships for the settlement of the Afghan situation as such, which was witnessed by the Soviet Union and the US. It was an impressive peace agreement but it was still-born and its only positive outcome was that Moscow faithfully (and eagerly) observed the agreements provisions for the timetable of the withdrawal of Soviet troops from Afghanistan. (The Soviet contingent completed the withdrawal on 15th February 1989.) The intra-Afghan peace talks will also be taking place in a dismal setting involving two intransigent protagonists (Afghan government and Taliban), and two guarantors (the US and Pakistan) pursuing different priorities. Again, the only positive outcome of the intra-Afghan peace talks might be that it will have put an end to the 2-decade old American occupation of Afghanistan. By Express News Service VIJAYAWADA: Condemning the arrest of former minister Kollu Ravindra, TDP chief and Leader of the Opposition N Chandrababu Naidu has described it as an act of "vendetta politics" by the YSRC government. In a statement issued on Friday night, he alleged that the government had deliberately implicated Ravindra in the murder case of YSRC leader Moka Bhaskar Rao. The State did not see such atrocities even during the Emergency, Naidu said. "Never before were leaders booked in so many false cases or the Opposition was targeted to this extent. It is unprecedented that so many leaders are being put in jail. The YSRC has adopted a vindictive attitude towards the BCs with false cases being filed against Atchannaidu, Ayyanna Patrudu, Yanamala Ramakrishnudu and Kollu Ravindra. Everyone must condemn these arrests, which are being made only to take revenge," Naidu said. The TDP chief also said BC leaders of the party were being ruthlessly suppressed and oppressed by the government. Naidu had a telephonic conversation with Kollu Ravindra's wife and his father-in-law Narsimha Rao, and assured them of his moral support. Ravindras family lamented he was being harassed and victimised intentionally. Ravindras father-in-law said he was never involved in any controversies. Earlier in the day, the TDP supremo called upon people to extend solidarity to the protesting farmers, women and farm labourers of Amaravati capital region area. The agitation will complete 200 days on Saturday. Conducting a teleconference with party leaders, Naidu felt that people of all the districts should support the farmers of Amaravati, who have given their lands for the development of the State. No country or state has ever prospered by dividing regions or people, he pointed out. By Express News Service VIJAYAWADA: Krishna district police on Saturday arrested former minister and TDP leader Kollu Ravindra for allegedly supporting his associates like a 'big brother' to eliminate Machilipatnam former Agriculture Market Yard chairman and ruling YSRC leader Moka Bhaskar Rao. Ravindra, who was produced before a magistrate through video-conferencing facility, was sent to 14 days judicial remand. The YSRC leader was stabbed to death in broad daylight when he was supervising repair work at the local fish market in Machilipatnam on June 29. ALSO READ| TDP chief Chandrababu Naidu decries former minister Kollu Ravindra's arrest Investigating the murder, Krishna district police earlier arrested five of the accused including the local TDP leader Nancharaiah alias Chinta Chinni, who was having a turf war with Bhaskar Rao for the past few years. "Both of them belong to the same community and were fighting for oneupmanship in the town both politically and also within the community. Chinni is in charge of the TDP in the 24th ward while Bhaskar Rao contested from the same ward in the municipal elections," Krishna district superintendent of police M Ravindranath Babu told reporters on Saturday. With the YSRC coming back to power, Bhaskar Rao got active locally for the past six months and Chinni though that his political survival would be at stake, if Bhaskar Rao's popularity continues to grow. "According to the statements of the accused, Chinni and others decided to eliminate Bhaskar Rao and told Ravindra about their plans. Ravindra acted as a 'big brother' to the accused and extended support to them," the SP said. ALSO READ| Cant consider it now: Special court dismisses K Atchannaidu's bail petition Ravindranath Babi said that 15-20 days back, Chinni went to Kollu Ravindra's residence and discussed his plans to eliminate his rival. "Chinni sought permission and support from the former minister to eliminate his rival. Ravindra told his associate that a decision will be taken at an appropriate time and asked Chinni to calm down," the SP said. However, the differences between the two leaders intensified in the 10 days before the day of murder. "Chinni, who felt it will be difficult for him to survive in politics any more, held discussions with Ravindra and made clear his intentions to eliminate Bhaskar Rao and sought the latter's support. Ravindra told Chinni that his name should not come out at any cost in the case and assured support for the accused in their plans and asked them to plan perfectly. Ravindra also warned that Bhaskar Rao will not stay calm, if the murder plan goes awry and he survives the attempt," the SP said adding the former minister's personal assistant Raju was the only one present in the room when the talks took place. Ravindranath Babu said the accused conducted a recce and started tracking the movements of Bhaskar Rao five days prior to the killing. On June 28, the accused planned to eliminate Bhaskar Rao but could not. "The next day, on June 29, after planning perfectly and training the attackers on how and where to attack, the murder was executed," the SP said. In the subsequent investigation, five accused were arrested and based on the confession of the main accused, Ravindra's role was established, the SP said, adding that they have collected call record data also to establish the former minister's role. Ravindra's personal assistants Rizwan and Nagaraju played a key role, the SP said adding, "As per the plan, Ravindra asked his associates not to call him over his mobile phone and instead call on the mobile phone of his personal staff. Before and after committing the offence, the other accused spoke with Ravindra on his personal staff's number. Minutes after committing the murder, Chinni called on Rizwan's number and the former minister asked his associates to flee the spot. Ravindra was at the district collectorate when the call was made on Rizwan's mobile. The former minister spoke with the accused till 4.30 pm on multiple occasions over mobile phone and the calls were made to Ravindra's PA's and other associates," the SP said. "After the day of the meeting (on June 25), no phone calls were made by the main accused to Ravindra directly and all conversations were made by calling the latter on his PA's and associates' mobile phones," Ravindranath Babu said. "Ravindra participated in the planning and also supported the accused. After collecting prima facie evidence including technical, when our team went to serve notices, the former minister fled from his house by jumping over the compound wall using a ladder," Ravindranath Babu said. Special parties were formed and sent towards various places like Hyderabad and Visakhapatnam and Ravindra was caught by a special party of Chilakalapudi inspector at Tuni, the SP said. Ravindra was interrogated on Friday night and after completing the formalities, he was produced before the Magistrate. Ravindra and other accused were booked under Section 302 (murder) and Sec 109 r/w 34 and arrested. Reacting to the allegations of political pressure and police acting hastily by arresting the former minister without proper investigation, the SP denied them and said they could have arrested the former minister merely based on the statement of Chinni. "However, we collected technical evidence and also questioned several witnesses. What is the need for Ravindra to jump over the compound wall using a ladder, if he is not involved in the case?" he questioned. By Express News Service CHIKKAMAGALURU: Revenue Minister R Ashoka and Industries Minister Jagadish Shettars visit to Chikkamagaluru earlier this week fuelled speculation of a secret meeting of senior ministers in the government. But Tourism Minister CT Ravi, who is also Chikkamagaluru district-in-charge minister, has rubbished the speculation as rumours. Ravi said that though Ashoka and Shettar were in the district on Wednesday for official engagements, they did not meet each other and had stayed at separate resorts. Ashoka, whose birthday was on Wednesday, had arrived in Chikkamagaluru on Tuesday night and stayed at Primrose Villa Resort near Pandaravalli, on the slopes of Mullayanagiri hill range. On Wednesday, he visited a site identified for constructing the new deputy commissioners office complex on Saganipura Road. He stayed overnight at the same resort before leaving for Bengaluru on Thursday. Shettar arrived in Chikkamagaluru from Shivamogga on Wednesday, and stayed overnight at a separate resort. On Thursday, he visited the Amble Industrial Area on the outskirts and later held a review meeting at the ZP auditorium with stakeholders on the growth of industries in the district. Minister Ravi was also in Chikkamagaluru on those days. The presence of three senior ministers in the town on the same day led to speculation of a secret meeting at a resort. Some senior ministers in the government are said to be unhappy over not getting due prominence. Ashoka was temporarily made in-charge of citys Covid management when Minister Dr K Sudhakar was in quarantine after his family members tested positive. However, Sudhakar resumed his responsibilities this week. Party workers honoured Ashoka at the party office on his birthday. I was there too. Nothing more than that, Ravi added. By IANS BENGALURU: Karnataka High Court Justice Krishna Dixit expunged the controversial remarks he made against a rape survivor in an order granting anticipatory bail to the accused, an official said on Saturday. "On an application by the state government, the judge expunged the controversial remarks made against the rape survivor, while granting anticipatory bail on June 22 to the accused, as they were also objected to by lawyers and civil activists across the country," the state legal department official said here. In the revised order, the judge said he deemed it appropriate to expunge the last four lines in para number 3 (c) at page 4 of the June 22 judgement, as sought in the state government application. Granting anticipatory bail to the accused, an employee in a private firm owned by the victim, Justice Dixit had made the remarks in the judgement. "Taking note of the contents of the respondent (state's application)..., and no objection by the petitioner-accused, I deem it appropriate to expunge the last four lines in the para of the subject judgment dated 22.06.2020, as sought for by government pleader Nageshwarappa," said the revised order. The judge clarified that his observations shall not influence the investigation in the case and its likely trial. Voicing concern over the controversial remarks, lawyers and civic groups, advocate Aparna Bhat last week wrote to Supreme Court Chief Justice S. A. Bobde and Justices R. Banumathi, Indu Malhotra and Indira Banerjee of the apex court to issue an advisory to all courts to refrain from commenting on the conduct of victims of sexual offence. By PTI BENGALURU: Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa on Saturday re-allocated COVID-19 related responsibilities to his cabinet colleagues for better management of the pandemic in the state. At the COVID-19 task force meeting chaired by him, the Chief Minister ordered stringent sealing measures at areas of Bengaluru that have reported more number of positive cases, as several Ministers expressed opposition to re-imposition of lockdown for now. "We are working as a team and we have to work like that. We have a COVID-19 task force committee, along with that Revenue Minister R Ashoka and Chief Minister's Political Secretary S R Vishwanath have been given the responsibility of ensuring availability of beds at private hospitals," Medical Education Minister K Sudhakar said. Speaking to reporters after the meeting, he said, "While Deputy Chief Minister Ashwath Narayan has been given the responsibility of COVID-19 care centres and has been asked to increase their numbers; I have been directed to take care of policy-making, guidelines, war rooms and the responsibility of briefing the media regarding the virus-related matters." The task force committee consists of Health Minister Sriramulu, Home Minister Basavaraj Bommai, Deputy Chief Minister C N Ashwath Narayan and Minister Sudhakar besides the Chief Secretary T M Vijay Bhaskar. Lack of coordination between Sudhakar and Sriramulu during the early days of the pandemic had forced Yediyurappa to step in and appoint Primary and Secondary Education Minister S Suresh Kumar as the COVID-19 spokesperson, but subsequently, Kumar was relieved of the responsibility as he had to manage the smooth conduct of SSLC (class 10) exams. Recently there were reports that Yediyurappa's decision to hand over charge of Bengaluru's COVID-19 affairs to Ashoka in the absence of Sudhakar, who was under quarantine after his family members were tested positive, had not pleased some of his Cabinet colleagues. Stating that there was also discussion about the lockdown at the task force meeting, Sudhakar said, "A few of us (him, Narayan and a few officials) suggested that it was not a permanent solution and for no cost it should be implemented." He said the Chief Minister has directed that areas that have more number of cases in Bengaluru have to be sealed to control the spread, and also sought to ensure more tests to those in market areas, street vendors among others. As lockdown on Sundays has been announced by the Chief Minister, it will continue, he added. By PTI BENGALURU: Only those who are asymptomatic or mild symptomatic and aged less than 60 years shall be permitted to be in "home isolation", according to a new set of COVID-19 related guidelines issued by the Karnataka government on Saturday. The guidelines for home isolation of COVID-19 cases have been issued by the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and in view of the evolving coronavirus situation, the state has issued the guidelines, a circular issued by Additional Chief Secretary, (Health and Family Welfare) Jawaid Akhtar said. "Only those who are asymptomatic or mild symptomatic shall be allowed to be in isolation at home and they shall be oriented to the protocol of home isolation," it said. Stating the health team from district health authority or authorised private institution shall visit the house and assess its suitability for home isolation and also do triage of the person, it said, dedicated tele-monitoring link shall be established for daily follow-up of the person during the entire period of home isolation. According to the circular, the person shall report to the physician/ health authorities about their health status every day, and they shall have pulse oximeter, digital thermometer and personal protective equipment (facemasks, gloves) to be used during home isolation. The release of the person from home isolation shall be as per the existing discharge protocol of the state for COVID-19, it said, adding the home isolation shall be with the knowledge of the family members, neighbours, treating physician and local health authorities. During a meeting chaired by Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa on Wednesday, experts had suggested that treating asymptomatic and mildly symptomatic patients in home isolation would be appropriate as it would lessen the burden on hospitals. As per the guidelines, after receipt of Covid positive report, the person shall isolate himself/herself at home in a separate room and health team shall visit and assess the suitability of the house for isolation of the person at home and also do triage of the person. The eligibility of home isolation include- the person shall be clinically assigned as asymptomatic/mild case by the treating medical officer/ physician, such cases should have the requisite facility at their residence for self-isolation and also for quarantining the family contacts, and a caregiver should be available on a 24 x 7 basis. "Mild fever < 38 c. Oxygen saturation should be > 95 per cent. Age shall be less than 60 years," it said, they shall not have any comorbid conditions like kidney diseases including persons on dialysis, heart diseases, stroke, tuberculosis, cancer, people living with HlV, immune-compromised, on steroids and immune-suppressants, etc. Requisite facilities for home isolation include a separate well-ventilated room with a separate toilet for the person in isolation, the guidelines said. The person shall stay in the identified room and away from other persons in the home (especially the elderly and those with comorbid conditions like hypertension, cardiovascular disease, renal disease, etc). By Express News Service PUDUCHERRY: Faced with resistance from the managements of private medical colleges over the establishment of COVID care centre on their premises to take care of patients, the Director of Health and Family Welfare Dr S Mohan Kumar on Saturday sought the assistance of Lt Governor Kiran Bedi and Chief Minister V Narayanasamy to resolve the issue. In a note sent to them, Dr Mohan Kumar stated that COVID care centres are mandated to be started as per the instructions of the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare to states and UTs. Puducherry is ideally placed to tide over the crisis of beds for COVID patients as the cases rise by getting private medical colleges to establish such centres in their institutions. "But resistance to establishing the centres puts the whole of the UT in a very critical and grave situation in view of the increasing number of cases," he said. There are currently 485 active COVID-19 cases in the UT. Establishing these centres in private medical college hospitals is more practical and viable than doing so in marriage halls, auditoriums and other buildings. This is the only way out to save the lives of people in the UT of Puducherry, he said. Out of seven private medical colleges in the UT, only one -- Aarupadai Veedu Medical College -- has established a centre where COVID patients have been admitted since June 25. The director also sent the note to Chief Secretary Ashwani Kumar and District Collector cum Health Secretary Dr T Arun. The Chief Minister has already warned medical colleges and others opposing the establishment of COVID care centres that the matter would be taken up with the Centre as the medical colleges are violating the Union health ministry's directions. S Godson Wisely Dass By Express News Service THOOTHUKUDI: Hours after CB-CID Inspector General K Shankar hinted about taking all the five accused police officers into custody for investigation next week, the Tamil Nadu Prison Department shifted the cops imprisoned at the district jail in Perurani, Thoothukudi to Madurai Central Prison, on Saturday. Accused policemen shifted to Madurai prison Thoothukudi SP S Jeyakumar said that he has provided escort vehicles to shift the five policemen to Madurai Central Prison, as requested by the Tamil Nadu Prison Department. According to sources, the vehicles escorting the five police personnel arrested on charges of murdering the two traders - P Jeyaraj and J Beniks, left the jail premises at around 4.30 PM and they were expected to reach Madurai Central Prison by 8 PM, said sources. ALSO READ| Sathankulam custodial deaths: Man tortured by Sub Inspector Raghu suffered brain damage? Arrest of fifth accused Late on Friday, Vilathikulam DSP Peer Mohideen and Kulathur inspector Ramalakshmi nabbed head constable M Muthuraj, who was on the run for the past few days, from Poosanur village here. He was immediately handed over to CB-CID who had booked him and the four other cops for murder, disappearance of evidence and wrongful confinment of the two deceased traders. Early on Saturday, the CB-CID sleuths produced Muthuraj before Chief Judicial Magistrate S Hema who remanded him for 14 days and imprisoned him at the district jail at Perurani here. Custody of five police officers next week CB-CID Inspector General K Shankar told the media that the agency had decided to take all the five cops into custody for interrogation, after analysing the witness statements, documents, material evidence collected so far, as per the investigation procedures. The investigation is on from all angles, and more than 10 witnesses had been inquired, he said. Media outlet summoned Meanwhile, the CB-CID investigation agency had summoned a media outlet for sharing morphed pictures of Jeyaraj and Beniks, and called the editor for an inquiry. Shankar said that the pictures published by the online media outlet did not match with the post mortem report and seems to be morphed with an intention to create unrest among the public. Such posts with distorted facts will hamper the investigation, he said. Shankar appealed to the public to not circulate false and unverified information regarding the Sathankulam custodial case on social media. He warned of strict action against those vested interests circulating fake news and photographs with ulterior motives. They shall take down the posts or face legal action, he said. By Express News Service MADURAI: The three robots donated by Thanjavur SASTRA Deemed-to-be University to the Covid ward of Government Rajaji Hospital (GRH) on May 14 have fallen into disuse, allege patients and medicos. Named ZAFI GO, the robots cost Rs 1 lakh each. They are programmed to serve food and medicines to Covid patients. Trichy-based start-up Propellor Technologies designed the robots for doctors and nurses. The robot has a range of 1,500 metres of radio-controllable system. A 48-year-old man from Chockalingapuram, who was at the block for Covid treatment until May, said he did not see any robot serving patients. A GRH doctor, who had worked in at least two shifts in the last couple of months, said she never saw any robot in action. TNIEs attempts to identify at least one person who had either seen or benefitted from the robots proved futile, despite conversations with a cross-section of patients and hospital staff. Speaking to TNIE on condition of anonymity, a GRH worker said, The reason for disuse could be due to the increasing number of patients. Home > Archives (2006 on) > 2020 > Page from History: Nehru and Dange | Nitin Deshpande by Nitin Deshpande This is just a note on a piece of history that no one seems to remember in the ongoing debate on the issue of the Chinese problem facing India today. Surprisingly even the media seems lost in endless debate on whether the government was ready or not and so on. In the year 1962 when China attacked India, there was an intense debate the world over about the line the Chinese Communist Party had taken especially in the Socialist countries when the then USSR had declared that China is their brother and India their friend. This was a second body blow for Pandit Nehru after he fell for the Hindi Chini bhai bhai [Indians and Chinese are brothers] slogan. In India too there was a heated debate within the Left, over the issue. So a National Council meeting was held as a section of the party (which is todays CPI M) was of the view that it was an opportune time to carry out a revolution with the aid of the Chinese army and overthrow the imperialist government of Pandit Nehru. It was Com. S A Dange who vehemently opposed this line in the meeting. Panditji was anxiously awaiting the outcome of the meeting as he was worried whether Com. Dange would win if the issue was put to vote. Com. Dange didnt let him down and got the majority to support his Nationalist line. In 1963 Dange organised a huge rally outside Parliament from where he called on Nehru to come and see the lakhs of communists standing in support of their country. It was then that Panditji asked Com. Dange to help him convince the Socialist block about Indias standing as a peaceful democratic nation and that China was an aggressor. As always a staunch nationalist all through the freedom movement, having undergone 18 years of imprisonment under British rule, and taken stands at times against the official party line, Dange accepted Panditjis request and immediately left for the USSR where he met the then General Secretary of the Soviet party and after a long discussion that went on for hours managed to convince Khrushchev of the non-Marxist-Leninist role of the Chinese party. Completely convinced, Khrushchev immediately announced that China was indeed the aggressor and India had been wronged. Com. Dange from there went to all the countries of the Socialist block and successfully convinced them of Indias stand. This sudden turn of all the Socialist countries stunned Mao and led to the end of Maos adventurist course against India in 1962 coinciding with the Cuban missile crisis at that time. It is interesting to mention here that Com. Danges book India From Primitive Communism To Slavery was part of the curriculum on ancient Indian history in Chinese universities. This part of history is probably not known or maybe purposely ignored by the media and todays established opposition parties. As Com. Danges grandson I thought it prudent to remind the media among others of this part of history in the light of todays problem with China By Express News Service HYDERABAD: Private diagnostic laboratories in Hyderabad, which were given permission to test samples for Covid-19, have stopped conducting the tests. According to officials of a well-known diagnostic lab, the testing was stopped following verbal orders from the State government officials. The lab officials, however, informed that they plan to start collection of samples from Monday. The lack of clear information from the State government on a variety of matters regarding Covid- 19 has left many people angry and frustrated in the city with people posting desperate messages on social media asking for help or complaining. Lack of information regarding lab closures is the latest in the series. With the dramatic rise in Covid cases, many people in Hyderabad are desperate to get tested at private diagnostic labs, as testing is going on at a snails pace in government laboratories. The State government in its media bulletin on June 27 informed that the private labs were told to rectify all their mistakes within 48 hours, failing which their operations will be suspended. However, most of the labs stopped conducting tests from June 28. The State government blamed private labs for the steep spike in Covid-19 cases after government health officials conducted inspections at 16 private diagnostic labs and found that these labs were uploading false information on the ICMR portal. By Express News Service HYDERABAD: All India Congress Committee (AICC) secretary and former MLA A Sampath Kumar on Friday demanded that the Telangana government help the victims of the scam orchestrated by realty firm Swadhathri Infra Pvt Ltd. The firm, run by Yarlagadda Raghu, defrauded hundreds of people to the tune of over Rs 500 crore, Sampath Kumar said. Using a front of various companies and schemes, Raghu, Nivas, and Minakshi cheated hundreds of people, including those from my constituency (Alampur), he alleged. The former MLA went on to say that the scam indicated a nexus between the accused and Ministers. After there were reports that the accused were detained, I spoke to the police officials concerned. But there was no such information about where the accused were lodged and how far the investigation has progressed. It seems that they were receiving royal treatment at a police station. All this indicates a nexus between the accused and Ministers, Sampath Kumar alleged. Raghu, who along with his associates, cheated many in Hyderabad by posing as a realtor, had floated a real estate firm and collected huge investments from gullible people to make a quick buck. Investigation so far revealed that Raghu, who is at large, is not affiliated with any political party. While his office is in Madhapur, his victims are spread across the city. He had employed a few staff to manage his office affairs. On speaking to the victims, the police learnt that Raghu enjoyed a luxurious lifestyle and lured people with it. He told them that they too could lead such a life by investing in his firm, which would fetch them high returns. Though he moved to Hyderabad around two years ago from Vijayawada in Andhra Pradesh, Raghus business grew rapidly by word of mouth. So far, around 40 people, who invested a total of around `80 lakh in his firm, lodged a complaint against him at the Madhapur police station. The police formed special teams to arrest Raghu and his associates. For easy money Yarlagadda Raghu cheated many in Hyderabad by posing as a realtor. He had floated a real estate firm and collected huge amounts from people to make a quick buck. By Express News Service HYDERABAD: Energy Minister G Jagadish Reddy said that Telangana government was strongly opposing the Electricity (Amendment) Bill. The State government conveyed its opposition to the Electricity (Amendment) Bill 2020 to Union Power and New & Renewable Energy Minister RK Singh. Reddy was participating in a video conference conducted by the Union Minister on Friday on the Bill and other Energy related matters on Friday. Reddy told presspersons that the TRS would oppose the Bill when it gets introduced in Parliament. Reddy said that the provisions of the proposed Bill were detrimental to the interests of Telangana farmers and some sections of the domestic power consumers. The small domestic consumers and the farmers would have to forego their power subsidy being provided by the State government, if the Bill was adopted by Parliament, Reddy added. Reddy also stated that the Bill was usurping the States rights and trying to take control over power sector. The Bill, if adopted, would pave way for the private players in power distribution system. The Bill was against the federal spirit of the country, Reddy said. Though, several States were opposing the Bill, the Centre have not made any changes in the draft, he alleged. The Union Minister informed the conference that liquidity infusion up to Rs 90,000 crore for Discoms was being given under a package announced by the Central Government recently for losses up to March 31, 2020. The Union Minister said that against this demand of Rs 93,000 crore received from States/UTs and an amount of Rs 20,000 crore had been approved, while the remaining demands were being processed expeditiously. By PTI ISLAMABAD: 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. By PTI DHAKA: Bangladesh has reported 3, 288 fresh COVID-19 cases, taking the total number of infections in the country to 1,59,679, while nearly 2,000 people have succumbed to the novel coronavirus, a senior health official said on Saturday. A total of 29 people died from coronavirus infections in the last 24 hours, pushing the number of fatalities to 1,997, said Dr Nasima Sultana, additional director general (administration) of Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS). Bangladesh remains the 18th worst affected country in the world in terms of the number of cases. Globally, 5.2 lakh people have died due to the disease and more than 11 million have been infected. The US leads both in terms of the number of deaths and infections, According to Johns Hopkins University data. In Bangladesh, the total number of infections stands at 1,59,679. A total of 3,288 people have tested positive for COVID-19 in the last 24 hours. With this, the current infection rate is 22.33 percent. The total infection rate so far stands at 19.19 percent, The Daily Star reported. As many as 2,673 COVID-19 patients have recovered in the last 24 hours. The total number of recoveries has reached 70,721 and the current recovery rate is 44.29 percent, the DGHS said. The DGHS official said 13,871 samples had been collected from the suspected COVID-19 patients around the country in the last 24 hours. In total, 832,074 tests have been conducted so far of which 19.19 percent tested positive, she said. "No personal protective equipment (PPE) has been collected in the last 24 hours. The government now has 120,881 in reserve. There are also enough general and ICU beds available in all hospitals dedicated for COVID-19 treatment," Sultana was quoted as saying by the Dhaka Tribune. On March 8, health authorities in Bangladesh had reported the first three cases of COVID-19. The country recorded its first fatality on March 18. The novel coronavirus originated in China's Wuhan city in late December last year and quickly spread throughout the world, becoming a pandemic in less than three months. By ANI ONTARIO: Canada has also joined the international community in expressing "strong concern" over China's new national security legislation in Hong Kong and updated advisory warning citizens from travelling to the special administrative region citing potential impacts of the new legislation. Canada's foreign minister Francois-Philippe Champagne said in a statement posted on his official Twitter page on Friday that "This legislation was enacted in a secretive process, without the participation of Hong Kong's legislature, judiciary or people and in violation of international obligations." "This process demonstrated disregard for Hong Kong's Basic Law and the high degree of autonomy promised for Hong Kong under the 'one country, two systems' framework. Hong Kong's role as a global hub was built on that foundation. Without it, Canada is forced to reassess existing arrangements," he said. "Effective immediately, Canada will treat exports of sensitive goods to Hong Kong in the same way as those designated for China. Canada will not permit the export of sensitive military items to Hong Kong," the Canadian minister added. Canada has also suspended the Canada-Hong Kong extradition treaty. "The Government of Canada will continue to work with partners to protect human rights and the rule of law around the world," Champagne said. ALSO READ | First Hong Kong citizen arrested under China's new security law "Canada will continue to support the many meaningful exchanges between Canada and Hong Kong, while standing up for the people of Hong Kong," he said further. According to media reports, several pro-democracy activists are fleeing their homeland. Nathan Law, a former lawmaker and pro-democracy activist, on Thursday, announced on his Facebook that he has left Hong Kong, with China imposing the national security law in the city. Chinese government has appointed Zheng Yanxiong as head of a powerful new agency being established in Hong Kong to oversee implementation of controversial national security law. The Chinese Parliament on Tuesday passed the controversial legislation for Hong Kong, ignoring the worldwide outcry and protest in the semi-autonomous city against the law. ALSO READ | UK grants asylum to ex-staffer at its Hong Kong consulate, first such case after new security law The Hong Kong government has no jurisdiction over the national security agency in Hong Kong and its staff when they were discharging duties provided in the law. According to the new law, arson and vandalising public transport with an intent to intimidate the Hong Kong government or Chinese government for political purposes will constitute acts of terrorism, the Hong Kong Free Press reported. The law also states that certain national security cases will be held behind closed doors without juries in Hong Kong if they contained state secrets, although the verdict and eventual judgements would be made public. As per the new law, Beijing will be setting up an office for safeguarding national security in Hong Kong, with personnel dispatched from relevant Chinese security agencies. By PTI NEW YORK: A large number of Indian-Americans chanting 'Bharat Mata Ki Jai' and other patriotic slogans staged a protest against China at the iconic Times Square here, demanding an economic boycott and a diplomatic isolation of the country for its aggression against India. Indians living in New York and New Jersey states along with the officials of the diaspora organisation -- Federation of Indian Associations (FIA)- raised slogans of 'Boycott Made in China', 'Bharat Mata Ki Jai' and 'Stop Chinese Aggression' among others. The protesters, wearing face masks in view of the coronavirus pandemic, held placards that read 'We salute our fallen heroes'. Members of the Tibetan and Taiwanese community also joined the protest and raised slogans against China and called for an economic boycott of the Communist giant. They also held placards that read 'Tibet stands with India', 'Stop Chinese Abuse', 'Justice for human rights, minority religions, Hong Kong', 'China out of Tibet', 'China stop crimes against humanity' and 'Boycott Chinese Products.' The protest titled 'Boycott China' was organised on Friday by community leaders Prem Bhandari and Jagdish Sewhani. "The India of today is different from the India of 1962. We will not tolerate Chinese aggression and its international bullying. We will give a befitting reply to the arrogance of China," Bhandari, Jaipur Foot USA Chairman and a prominent social activist, told PTI. Bhandari said that he and the Indian community were deeply disturbed by the killing of 20 Indian soldiers during the violent clash with the Chinese troops in Ladakh's Galwan Valley last month. "We are sending a strong message to China. The Indian community around the world is standing with its homeland," he said. China shares its borders with 14 nations and is fighting with 18 countries. It shows that it is a bully. Now is the time to stop this bullying and people believe India can do that, he said. India believes in the philosophy of the 'World is one family' and while focusing on its self-reliance, it will also work for international peace and solidarity, he said. Bhandari said he is planning to bring together diplomats from various nations -- from Australia to India -- on a common unifying platform against China. President of the American India Public Affairs Committee Jagdish Sewhani said at the protest that at a time when the entire world is battling the deadly coronavirus, the "naked aggression" by China against its neighbours including India has exposed the true intentions of this "rogue Communist regime." I say it is rogue because the way China is treating its own people in Hong Kong" and is undertaking ethnic cleansing against the Muslims/Uyghurs in Xinjiang, he said. The peace-loving people of the world want China to know that enough is enough. It immediately needs to stop its aggressive behaviour against its neighbours, including India, Sewhani said. India has always called for a peaceful global order but "this approach of peace should not be considered as our weakness," he said. Sewhani underlined that the India of 2020 is militarily and economically strong and has a strong leader in Prime Minister Narendra Modi. India under him will give a befitting reply to the nefarious designs of President Xi Jinping of China. He pointed out that the international community can hit China on three fronts -- trade, Tibet and Taiwan. The world should boycott Chinese products, support the independence of Tibet and support Taiwan. "The three Ts can be successfully handled by a global coalition led by three world leaders Prime Minister Modi, US President Donald Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe," he said. He added that today, China's entire population is under constant surveillance and now it wants to convert the entire world into a surveillance state. Its recent behaviour and action only prove this, Sewhani said. He called for China's diplomatic isolation and urged the international community to immediately start boycotting Chinese products. Sewhani said that China should be ready to pay a "heavy price" for its aggression. "It's time for the democratic and peace-loving people of the world to give a befitting reply to China. Time has come for the whole world to unite against this bully," he said. Chairman of FIA Ankur Vaidya urged the international community to unite as one to express collective and noticeable displeasure about China's unauthorised and unacceptable extension of boundaries in breach of UN treaties and disregarding the sovereignty of free countries. The Tibetan community said at the protest that it strongly condemns China's actions against India and its forces and the Chinese regime must be held accountable for flouting international law. Among the community members participating in the protest were FIA President Anil Bansal, former President of FIA Alok Kumar, Rajendra Bafna and Pritam Shah. Bhandari said that he is throwing away all made in China furniture from his house in solidarity and to show that he is walking the talk, urging others to discard Chinese products from their homes. The fact that so many people gathered in Times Square for the protest despite the COVID-19 pandemic demonstrates the strong show of support for India and against the Chinese aggression. By IANS KATHMANDU: Nepal's tourism industry is estimated to lose over $330 million due to the government-enforced lockdown imposed in the wake the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation. "The loss is expected to cross 40 billion Nepali Rupees ($332 million) until July 21, the extended deadline of lockdown," Xinhua news agency quoted the Ministry as saying in a report on Friday. A task force formed by the Nepal Tourism Board and the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal has estimated the loss of $83 million each month during the lockdown in the hospitality sector such as hotels, travels and aviation. Although the government on June 10 relaxed lockdown, allowing most of the economic activities to operate, the tourism sector, particularly hotels and airlines sectors have not been allowed to reopen. Nepal's cabinet also decided to continue suspension of domestic and international flights till July 21. CLICK HERE FOR COVID-19 LIVE UPDATES As the tourism sector faces huge losses, a delegation of Nepali tourism entrepreneurs on Friday submitted a memorandum to Tourism Minister Yogesh Bhattarai demanding that the sector should reopen too. A statement issued by the Ministry on Friday said that the tourism entrepreneurs asked the Nepali government to allow the airlines to operate the scheduled domestic and international flights on condition that certain health protocols are complied. Currently, the government has been allowing just chartered flights for humanitarian purposes and taking delivery of medical goods. The tourism entrepreneurs also demanded that the Nepali government should allow operating tourist vehicles, remove garbage from the mountains and carry out infrastructure development in tourism destinations in the mountain regions where there is not thick settlement. Binayak Shah, first vice-president of the Hotel Association of Nepall, told Xinhua on Friday that they asked the government to reopen the hotels and airline sectors as they are struggling to pay staff amid continued closure. ALSO WATCH: By ANI BRASILIA: The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Brazil has increased within the past 24 hours by 42,223 to 1,539,081, the national Ministry of Health said on late Friday. The death toll has increased by 1,290 to 63,174 people within the same period of time. Over 868,000 have recovered since the start of the outbreak, the ministry added. A day earlier, Brazil registered 48,105 new coronavirus cases and 1,252 fatalities. ALSO READ | Despite surging COVID-19 tally, President Bolsonaro waters down law requiring face masks in Brazil Brazil comes second on a global tally of coronavirus cases after the United States, which has recorded over 2.7 million COVID-19 patients. The World Health Organization declared the COVID-19 outbreak a pandemic on March 11. To date, more than 10.9 million people have been infected with the coronavirus worldwide, with over 523,000 fatalities, according to Johns Hopkins University. ALSO WATCH: By Associated Press TOLEDO: An officer who was responding to a disturbance call in a store parking lot was shot and killed early Saturday morning by an intoxicated man holding a beer, police said. Toledo Officer Anthony Dia was shot in the chest just after midnight in the parking lot of a Home Depot, and later pronounced dead at a hospital, Police Chief George Kral said at a news conference. Witnesses told police the man shot the officer with a handgun and then went into a wooded area. At some point, officers heard a single gunshot coming from the woods, Kral said. The gunman, only described as a 57-year-old white male, was found dead of an apparent gunshot wound to the head around 3:15 a.m. Dia leaves behind a wife and a 2-year-old child, the chief said. Mayor Wade Kapszukiewicz said he was at Toledo Hospital where Dia was taken after the shooting. I will never forget the sight of Officer Dia being wheeled out of the hospital on a gurney, his body wrapped in an American flag, flanked by about 30 Toledo police officers, saluting and weeping, the mayor said. Neither Kral nor Kapszukiewicz took questions during the news conference. More information was expected to be provided at another news conference Monday. Stock Market Russell 2000 Gaps Present Real Targets Recent Gaps in price action in the IWM (Russell 2000 ETF) presents a clear picture of future price targets and support/resistances. Gaps are one of the most common forms of Technical Analysis techniques. They represent voids where price activity has skipped a range of price as it advances or declines aggressively. Gaps are commonly used as targets for future price activity where price attempts to fill the gap. In Technical Analysis theory, any gap that appears should eventually be filled by price in the future. Thus, any open gap that does not fill is still considered an open target range. IWM PROVIDES A UNIQUE PERSPECTIVE Were focusing on the Russell 2000 because we believe it provides a unique perspective on the markets related to the recent COVID-19 downside price swing and the recent recovery. The Mid-Cap market sector tends to trend more quickly than the US major indexes and can sometimes provide a clear picture of more true price trends. In this case, weve highlighted the downside price Gaps in YELLOW and the upside price Gaps in BLUE. Two of the downside price Gaps have been filled recently as price advanced higher after March 21, 2020. Additionally, the two highest downside price Gaps have also been filled leaving the lower two still open (unfilled). This presents a very easy to understand the method of identifying future price targets for both bullish and bearish price trends. Either price will rally to fill the upper Gap, near $163~166, or price will breakdown into a bearish trend attempting to fill the $125~130 Gap or the $108~109 Gap. The recent low price level near $133.28 broke previous Fibonacci low price levels from May 29. Because of this, we believe the current trend is moderately Bearish. We would like to see a new lower low setup to confirm this new trend. When we consider the next price move in the Russell 2000 ETF, two very clear targets become evident, either the recent upper BLUE Gap range between $145~149 or the lower BLUE Gap range between $125~129. IWM Weekly Chart The IWM Weekly chart does not illustrate the shorter term Gap patterns as price volatility has consolidated into longer-term price bars. Still, we have to very clear Gaps on the Weekly IWM chart- the upper Gap, near $163~166, and the lower Gap, near $136~141. This lower price Gap is currently acting as a support/resistance channel for the price as the IWM price consolidates within this range. A breakout/breakdown move is very likely as the future price trend will likely exit this Gap range with an aggressive price move. The lower Gaps that are evident on the Daily chart are still valid price levels on this chart were just not seeing them on this Weekly chart because of the compressed interval. Before you continue, be sure to opt-in to our free-market trend signals before closing this page, so you dont miss our next special report! As we near the end of June 2020 (Q2), it is fitting that the IWM price level has stalled near this 50% Fibonacci retracement level and within the middle Gap level. This level will likely continue to attract price as it consolidates before entering the breakout or breakdown trend. Again, based on the Fibonacci price theory, the recent low suggests the current trend is Bearish. The 4th of July holiday weekend is nearing and prices tend to consolidate, absent any major news or earnings data, before any major holiday. Therefore, we may see price levels stay rather narrow this week as we await Q2 earnings and prior to the 4th of July holiday. Stay properly protected in this market. Any breakdown/breakout move will likely happen very quickly in the near future. In short, I hope you glean something useful from this article. If this is the start of a double-dip, its going to be huge, and if its the start of a bear market, it is going to be life-changing. If you are new to trading, technical analysis, or are a long term passive investor worried about what to do, you can follow my lead. I share both my investing signals and more active swing trade signals using simple ETFs at www.TheTechncialTraders.com Chris Vermeulen www.TheTechnicalTraders.com Chris Vermeulen has been involved in the markets since 1997 and is the founder of Technical Traders Ltd. He is an internationally recognized technical analyst, trader, and is the author of the book: 7 Steps to Win With Logic Through years of research, trading and helping individual traders around the world. He learned that many traders have great trading ideas, but they lack one thing, they struggle to execute trades in a systematic way for consistent results. Chris helps educate traders with a three-hour video course that can change your trading results for the better. His mission is to help his clients boost their trading performance while reducing market exposure and portfolio volatility. He is a regular speaker on HoweStreet.com, and the FinancialSurvivorNetwork radio shows. Chris was also featured on the cover of AmalgaTrader Magazine, and contributes articles to several leading financial hubs like MarketOracle.co.uk Disclaimer: Nothing in this report should be construed as a solicitation to buy or sell any securities mentioned. Technical Traders Ltd., its owners and the author of this report are not registered broker-dealers or financial advisors. Before investing in any securities, you should consult with your financial advisor and a registered broker-dealer. Never make an investment based solely on what you read in an online or printed report, including this report, especially if the investment involves a small, thinly-traded company that isnt well known. Technical Traders Ltd. and the author of this report has been paid by Cardiff Energy Corp. In addition, the author owns shares of Cardiff Energy Corp. and would also benefit from volume and price appreciation of its stock. The information provided here within should not be construed as a financial analysis but rather as an advertisement. The authors views and opinions regarding the companies featured in reports are his own views and are based on information that he has researched independently and has received, which the author assumes to be reliable. Technical Traders Ltd. and the author of this report do not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any content of this report, nor its fitness for any particular purpose. Lastly, the author does not guarantee that any of the companies mentioned in the reports will perform as expected, and any comparisons made to other companies may not be valid or come into effect. Chris Vermeulen Archive 2005-2019 http://www.MarketOracle.co.uk - The Market Oracle is a FREE Daily Financial Markets Analysis & Forecasting online publication. Whippany, NJ (07981) Today Thunderstorms early, then mainly cloudy after midnight. A few storms may be severe. Low 68F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 100%.. Tonight Thunderstorms early, then mainly cloudy after midnight. A few storms may be severe. Low 68F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 100%. 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. 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. Free access for current print subscribers As a home delivery subscriber, you get free unlimited digital access to news-daily.com including stories, photos, obituaries, e-edition and more on your computer, tablet or phone. All you need is your print subscription account number and your last name. Don't know your subscription number? Email access@news-daily.com with your delivery address. Activate your account now. 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 One of Editor & Publishers 10 That Do It Right 2021 Reporter Mary Schenk is a reporter covering police, courts and breaking news at The News-Gazette. Her email is mschenk@news-gazette.com, and you can follow her on Twitter (@schenk). Joseph L. Thomas is escorted out of the courtroom in July 2019 after being found guilty on 10 of 11 charges in Annie McSween's Nov. 26, 2010, death. He was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole plus 36 years. Marje Shook, left, office manager for the Madison Historical Society, and Dianne Cross, the group's president, pose for a photo on June 25 in front of the former Madison Village Hall at 126 W. Main St. Madison Historical Society also was approved to receive funding from a Community Development Block Grant for improvements to the building's exterior. 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. Industry body FICCI has recommended various measures, including the continuation of the FAME -II scheme till 2025, to enhance demand for electric vehicles. The recommendations, submitted by FICCI's EV committee to the government, seek immediate support from policymakers to enhance attractiveness for these vehicles in the short term and to encourage continued investments in the sector, a release said. These suggestions have been submitted to NITI Aayog, the Department of Heavy Industry, Ministry of Road Transport and Highways and other relevant authorities in the government, it said. The industry body has also requested the government to take certain steps urgently to prevent derailment of the sector and to help create demand so that India can attain leadership in EV technology and sales. "As demand and investments in the electric vehicles sector are severely hit due to disruptions caused by COVID-19, FICCI has suggested to the government, a series of measures to ensure continuity of the EV growth road map and achievement of the targets as envisioned by the government for the sector in the next decade," the FICCI release said. However, the industry body is apprehensive about the adverse impact of the introduction of this green technology due to factors such as a reduction in demand for automobiles, higher risk aversion among customers towards new technology, disruption in the supply chain, among others. "There is also a likelihood of a reduction in demand for shared mobility leading to reduced demand for electric three-wheelers and postponement of investments in EV technology by local component makers," FICCI stated. Despite these short term setbacks, India must continue to encourage EVs along with all other electrified vehicle technologies, such as plug-in hybrid electric vehicles, strong hybrid electric vehicles and fuel cell electric vehicles. This would also be in line with the country's long-term vision towards electric mobility to lessen air pollution, achieve fuel security and technology leadership in this sector, FICCI said. FICCI has sought continuation of FAME (Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Hybrid and Electric Vehicle)-II scheme for two more years to 2025, along with the short term 'booster incentives' under the scheme for 12 months to enhance demand. "This should be done within the overall existing budget allocation of Rs 10,000 crore for FAME II. This booster incentive will help create demand for EVs in the short run and continue the momentum," it said. Besides, FICCI has sought extension of subsidy support for electric two-wheelers and electric three-wheelers with swappable battery to encourage EV ecosystem. The move will also encourage states to finalise EV policies considering all electrified vehicle technologies. FICCI has also recommended that retail financing for EVs should be made part of priority sector lending, for higher financing availability by banks to these vehicles. The other recommendations include a review to improve the e-buses procurement criteria and scheme design under FAME II with industry consultation to promote e-buses, as well as a Rs 10 crore support towards setting up in-house R&D infrastructure to come up with Make-in-India product and develop advanced technology for EV two-wheelers. FICCI has also sought formulation of a policy to incentivise all major e-commerce players to convert their last-mile delivery operations to all-electric by 2025, in a staggered manner. Worldwide, the automobile sector is undergoing a transformation with various technologies and it is essential that India is also a part of this change and take a leadership role. Therefore, for innovative and vibrant industry and to attract investments for newer technologies, it is necessary that the government policies are technology agnostic," said Shekar Viswanathan, Chairman, FICCI EV Committee and Vice Chairman and Whole Time Director, Toyota Kirloskar Motors. The key national objective to be met is the reduction of carbon emission. Just as the government has wisely introduced BS-VI fuel ahead of time, India must encourage all those technologies that will progressively reduce carbon footprint, he added. Also Watch: Palash Roy Chowdhury, Co-chair, FICCI EV Committee said, "The country should outline a clear nationwide policy to phase out old - pre-BS-IV ICE vehicles being used in public transport. Under this policy, a set of pilot cities (with most pollution and urban congestion) can be selected with a time-bound policy road map to mandatorily phase out polluting public transport vehicles. The road map should be designed to incentivise vehicle conversion/migration to environmentally sustainable electrified vehicle technologies starting with the lowest capital impact category, such as 2/3-wheelers, followed by public transport buses and then 4-wheeler taxis," Passengers wanting to travel to Kolkata from July 6 to July 19 will have to reschedule their calendars if they belong to one of these six cities Delhi, Mumbai, Pune, Nagpur, Chennai and Ahmedabad -- after flight operations from these cities was suspended. The six cities have a heavy load of coronavirus cases and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had earlier written to the Center seeking suspension of flight operations to and from these places. The official Twitter handle of the Kolkata Airport on Saturday made the announcement, saying no flights will operate to the West Bengal capital from Delhi, Mumbai, Pune, Nagpur, Chennai and Ahmedabad from July 6-19. It is informed that no flights shall operate to Kolkata from Delhi,Mumbai, Pune, Nagpur,Chennai & Ahmedabad from 6th to 19th July 2020 or till further order whichever is earlier. Inconvenience caused is regretted.@AAI_Official @MoCA_GoI @ushapadhee1996 @HardeepSPuri @arvsingh01 Kolkata Airport (@aaikolairport) July 4, 2020 According to sources, the Ministry of Civil Aviation has already notified the airlines about the suspension. The West Bengal government had requested the ministry to suspend flight services to the state from COVID-19 hotspots like Delhi, Mumbai, Pune, Nagpur, Chennai, Indore, Ahmedabad and Surat for two weeks from July 6. Expressing concern over the rise in the number of COVID-19 cases, West Bengal Chief Secretary Rajiva Sinha had written to ministry secretary PS Kharola and requested him to consider the concern raised by the state government. The ban by the Kolkata Airport comes after aviation regulator DGCA on Friday extended 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. 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. Fitch Solutions Country Risk and Industry Research on Friday said the motorcycle segment in India would perform better than the rest of the auto industry as more consumers will be forced to enter the bike segment due to increased financial pressure amid coronavirus pandemic. Domestic motorcycle production would gain some support from a shift in demand but more benefit would accrue from the export market as the demand for motorcycles remains relatively robust in many emerging markets (EMs), the Fitch Group unit said in a statement. In India, motorcycle producers have largely returned to normal operations and the segment does not depend on imported components as much as other parts in the country's automotive industry, which reduces the risk of further supply chain disruptions, it added. "While we forecast that India's motorcycle sales will contract by 23.7 per cent year-on-year in 2020-21, we expect motorcycle production to contract by just 16 per cent year on year," it said. This contraction in both output and sales is largely due to the production and dealership operation stoppages that occurred during the first two countrywide lockdowns, it added. "That said, while we believe that the continued growth in COVID-19 infections will see consumers hold off on making large purchases, the fear of public transportation will motivate some consumers to commit to purchasing motorcycles in 2020-21, it said. Others are likely to return to the motorcycle market towards the end of the fiscal and into 2021-22 as the economic uncertainty from COVID-19 starts to subside. "We forecast that motorcycle sales will increase by 28.1 per cent in 2021-22 and that motorcycle production will increase by 14 per cent over the same period," it added. Exports will remain strong over short to medium terms, which will support the country's motorcycle production industry, it said. In 2019-20, the country exported around 16.7 per cent of its locally produced motorcycles, and this share is expected to increase in the current fiscal, it added. Bike exports from India go mainly to Nigeria, Colombia, Bangladesh, the Philippines and Kenya. Furthermore, as the global e-commerce industry's growth accelerates under COVID-19 related lockdowns, it will further elevate the need for motorcycles to execute last-mile deliveries, Fitch Solutions Country Risk and Industry Research noted A new report into the Federal Aviation Administration's decision to certify the Boeing 737 MAX may help proponents seeking reforms to the long-standing practice of delegating some aircraft certification tasks to manufacturers. On Wednesday, the Transportation Department's inspector general released a 52-page report that said Boeing withheld key information about a crucial safety system known as MCAS, that is tied to two fatal crashes and raises questions about whether Boeing employees performing work for the FAA faced undue pressure. On June 16, Senate Commerce Committee chairman Roger Wicker and the top Democrat on the panel Maria Cantwell introduced legislation to strengthen FAA oversight of aircraft certification. It aims to eliminate the ability of aircraft makers like Boeing to unduly influence the certification process, marking the most significant step toward reforms following the 2018 and 2019 crashes in Indonesia and Ethiopia that killed a total of 346 people. Representative Peter DeFazio, who chairs the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, told Reuters last week he planned to introduce his airplane certification reform bill in September. He praised some aspects of the Senate measure but said, "our bill will be stronger." DeFazio praised the inspector general's report. Also Watch: "The more scrutiny we put on Boeing and the FAA, and the more we dig into why and how the system failed so horribly and led to the deaths of 346 innocent people, the better chance we have of fixing the system to ensure no family has to endure this nightmare again," DeFazio said in a statement. DeFazio said the IG report reinforced some findings in the committee's ongoing 737 MAX investigation, "including Boeings efforts to conceal critical information from regulators in its rush to get the MAX to market." Boeing said Tuesday it was "committed to transparency with the FAA during all aspects of the airplane certification process." FAA said it is making significant changes to how it oversees certification tasks delegated to Boeing. The three-day nationwide strike by coal workers, which entered the third day on Saturday, has been "100 per cent peaceful", a trade union leader said. Five trade unions, including RSS-affiliated Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh (BMS), of Coal India (CIL) have been on strike since Thursday to protest against the government's decision to start commercial coal mining. The five unions have a virtual meeting scheduled on Saturday to decide the next course of action. "The three-day strike has been 100 per cent peaceful, which in itself is a success," Nathulal Pandey, president of HMS-affiliated Hind Khadan Mazdoor Federation, said. Stating the protest has been "self-oriented", he said coal mines across the country which were closed on Friday are not functioning on Saturday as well. "The law and order situation is normal," he added. S Q Zama, secretary general of the Indian National Mineworkers' Federation, affiliated to INTUC, said the strike is still continuing. The participation of workers in the strike has been around 80 per cent, he said, adding "75-80 per cent of the coal production has been hit (this is the position as on the first shift)." At some places, the management is trying to start work through contract/outsourced workers with the help of local police, but activists of the five Central Trade Unions (CTUs) are resisting this and trying to stop contract workers from going to work in a peaceful and democratic manner, he added. Tapan Sen, general secretary of the Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU), said that in comparison to the previous two days, more workers have joined the strike on Saturday. "All trade unions are against commercial mining by private players. We are determined to resist that in the days to come," Sen said. Amid the ongoing strike, CIL had on Friday said it despatched 5.78 lakh tonnes (LT) of coal on Thursday. This is around 42 per cent of the normal off-take of 14 LT per day, calculated as the average of 10 days immediately prior to stoppage of operations, Coal India had said in a statement. Coal production was 4.81 LT, which is close to 38 per cent of the normal level of 13 LT per day. Average attendance was close to 34 per cent on Thursday, which is likely to improve further as some workmen have started resuming their duties, Coal India had said. CIL CMD Pramod Agrawal on Thursday had appealed to the striking workmen to resume their duties. "Considering the Covid situation in the country and the international scenario, Coal India's role assumes all the more importance and I earnestly appeal to you to resume your duties in the larger interest of the nation," he said in a statement. Coal Minister Pralhad Joshi too had on Thursday urged Coal India workers to end their strike and resume work. Royal Dutch Shell is not ruling out moving its headquarters from the Netherlands to Britain, the oil company's chief executive Ben van Beurden said in a Dutch newspaper interview published on Saturday. Anglo-Dutch consumer products giant Unilever said last month it plans to ditch its dual Anglo-Dutch legal structure and create a single entity in Britain. Van Beurden did not explicitly say Shell wants to move its headquarters, het Financieele Dagblad said. "You always need to keep thinking," Shell's Van Beurden told the newspaper. "Nothing is permanent and of course we will look at the business climate. But moving your headquarters is not a trivial measure. You cannot think too lightly about that." A Shell spokesman confirmed the CEO's comments to Reuters and said the company was looking at ways to simplify its dual structure, as it had been doing for many years. Shell has a complex Anglo-Dutch holding structure with a tax residency and headquarters in the Netherlands and a registered office in Britain. Unilever's decision to move followed the scrapping in 2018 of a plan by Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte to do away with a 15% dividend withholding tax. Shells corporate structure features the parent company headquarters in The Hague but two share classes and other arrangements to prevent the Dutch government from levying withholding tax on dividends paid to shareholders of its former British arm. The arrangement has come under renewed scrutiny after the Dutch government tried to scrap the dividend tax as an incentive to convince Unilever to unify its dual structure in Rotterdam. Rutte abandoned the plan after a popular outcry over the tax cut, which was seen as a gift to rich foreigners. Shell has consistently lobbied against the dividend tax, which it says makes financing dividends, share buy-backs and acquisitions more difficult. India's COVID-19 tally neared 6.5 lakh cases on Saturday with a record single-day spike of 22,771 new infections even as the recovery rate improved to 60.81%. While the nationwide tally climbed to 6,48,315, the death toll rose to 18,655 with 442 new fatalities, according to Union Health Ministry data. The numbers are led by Maharashtra, which crossed the two lakh-mark on Saturday after 7,074 new cases were reported from in 24 hours. The number of fatalities reported was 295 -- of this 124 deaths occurred in the last 48 hours and the remaining 171 were from the previous period. The central government said several people-centric measures taken as part of the "test, trace, treat" strategy and that facilitation of widespread testing by states has spurred the number of samples tested daily. During the last 24 hours, 2,42,383 samples have been tested, pushing the cumulative number of tests to 95,40,132, said the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. This was the second consecutive day when cases increased by more than 20,000. There has been a surge of 4,57,780 COVID-19 cases from June 1 till date. Of the 442 deaths reported in the last 24 hours, 198 are from Maharashtra, 64 from Tamil Nadu, 59 from Delhi, 21 from Karnataka, 18 each from Gujarat and West Bengal, 14 from Uttar Pradesh, 10 from Rajasthan, eight each from Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, five from Punjab, four each from Haryana, Madhya Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir, three from Bihar, and two each from Assam and Odisha. Of the total 18,655 deaths reported so far, Maharashtra accounted for the highest 8,376 fatalities, followed by Delhi with 2,923 deaths, Gujarat with 1,904, Tamil Nadu with 1,385, Uttar Pradesh with 749, West Bengal with 717, Madhya Pradesh with 593, Rajasthan with 440 and Karnataka with 293 deaths. The death toll reached 283 in Telangana, 255 in Haryana, 206 in Andhra Pradesh, 157 in Punjab, 119 in Jammu and Kashmir, 80 in Bihar, 42 in Uttarakhand, 29 in Odisha and 25 in Kerala. Jharkhand has registered 15 deaths, Chhattisgarh and Assam 14 each, Puducherry 12, Himachal Pradesh 10, Chandigarh six, Goa four and Meghalaya, Tripura, Ladakh and Arunachal Pradesh have reported one fatality each, according to the Health Ministry. More than 70% of the deaths took place due to co-morbidities, it said. (With inputs from PTI) In Allegheny County, where the state Health Department flagged an alarming spike in cases this week, 150 more positive cases of the virus were reported Saturday, 16 fewer than on the previous day and 87 fewer than two days previously. 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 Lok Sabha Secretariat has issued a series of guidelines to ensure smooth functioning of Committee meetings in the Parliament complex. These guidelines will ensure that due Covid-19 protocols are followed to the best way possible. The communication of the secretariat accessed by CNN News18 reads, "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." It further says that not more than five officers can be summoned by the Committee from any ministry/ department for such a meeting. In case the number exceeds, the other officers would be seated in the lobby, etc. and can come into the meeting room by taking turns. No written recording of the proceedings of such meetings can happen, it said. In fact, audio recordings would be permissible and these devices would be arranged by the CPWD. At the end of the meeting, these devices would be handed over to Verbatim Reporting Service Branch department for translation and transcript. The members/officers would be discouraged from bringing any bags or any papers to the meeting and all report or important documents will be distributed digitally as soft copies. The notification also states that social distancing must be followed by all members as they sit for such meetings and a distance of at least six feet must be maintained between two individuals. Sanitisers must also placed outside the meeting room, it says. The committee branches would also be advised to keep their staff/supporting staff at the minimum to avoid any violation of the Covid-19 rules. It was earlier decided that after the meeting no tea or refreshments would be served as was the provision in the pre-COVID times. In case of day-long meetings, members would advised to return home for lunch breaks and come back for the meeting. Lok Sabha related Standing Committees resumed function after more than three months since complete lockdown to cure the spread of the virus. The Committee on Welfare of Other Backward Classes (OBCs) had met last week in Parliament. Other meetings slated are Committee for Petroleum and Natural.Gas chaired by BJP Delhi MP Ramesh Biduri on July 7 and Committee for PAC chaired by Congress floor leader in Lok Sabha, Adhiranjan Chowdhury, on July 10. Congress MP Shashi Tharoor-led Committee on Information & Technology is slated to meet on July 14. A final decision is yet to be taken by authorities on the shape that the upcoming Monsoon Session would take and how seating arrangements, etc. would be implemented. Lok Sabha Speaker has held a number of meetings with the officers of the Secretariat Om Birla, and Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu has also held joint meetings to work out the modalities. The Lok Sabha Speaker has also received the request of MPs asking for virtual meetings of committees to take place, given their reservation to travel to the national capital in the middle of pandemic. No decision in this regard has been taken. It was, however, agreed to by the custodians of both Houses, that any change of rules to allow virtual meetings of the committees will have to be passed by the Parliament. It cannot happen any sooner than when the Monsoon Session happens. Quite a few MPs have written to their committee chairman who, in turn, wrote to the Lok Sabha Speaker about concerns of travelling to Delhi for meetings as quarantine rules in various states would then mean they remain locked at home or institutionally as the case may be in some states that have mandated. The MPs have thus requested for amendment in quarantine rules for them to travel for such meetings. That matter is under consideration. With the government soon to take a decision on when to call for a session, the Lok Sabha Secretariat is preparing itself for all the possibilities keeping in mind the Covid-19 guidelines in place. Holding these Committee meetings successfully with all protocols in place is the first big step in this direction. Fire broke out on the 10th floor of a residential building in Kolkata's Alipore area on Saturday evening, police said. There are no reports of any casualties, they said. Five fire tenders are at the spot to douse the blaze that broke out around 8.40 pm, police said. The entire building, located on upscale Belvedere Road, has been evacuated, a senior officer of the fire department said. "The fire is under control at the moment. Our officers are still working there," he said. The cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained, he added. The Indian Air Force (IAF) is significantly enhancing deployment of its frontline jets, attack helicopters and transport fleet in all its key bases guarding the airspace along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in view of heightened border tension with China in eastern Ladakh, people familiar with the development said on Saturday. 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 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. The IAF has pressed into service a fleet of C-17 Globemaster III transport aircraft as well as C-130J Super Hercules in transporting heavy military equipment and weaponry to several forward bases to further ramp up India's military preparedness in the region. The IAF is also using its Ilyushin-76 fleet to transport troops to various areas along the LAC, the 3,500 km de-facto border between India and China, the people cited above said. They said the force has already moved a sizeable number of its frontline Sukhoi 30 MKI, Jaguar, Mirage 2000 aircraft to several key air bases including Leh and Srinagar. It has also deployed Apache attack choppers and Chinook heavy-lift helicopters to transport troops to various forward locations. The frontline fighter jets have increased their sorties in Ladakh and nearby areas in the last few days as part of increased alert level, and probably as a response to expanded activities of the Chinese air force, they added. "We are fully ready to deal with any situation," said a senior official when asked about increasing activities of the IAF in Ladakh and other regions. "We have all the resources in terms of men and equipment to meet all the challenges. The IAF is ready in all aspects to undertake all operational tasks and for providing requisite support for military operations," news agency ANI quoted a squadron leader as saying. Another squadron leader said the flight base plays an important role for undertaking operations in this area. "It's cleared for all contingencies and for all combat and support operations that are planned to be undertaken in this area," he added. #WATCH A squadron leader of Indian Air Force at a forward airbase near Indo-China border says, "Every air warrior at this base and across IAF is fully trained and capable to meet all the challenges. Our josh has always been high and touching the sky with glory." pic.twitter.com/LsyMlq9iSf ANI (@ANI) July 4, 2020 Last month, Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhadauria made a quiet visit to Ladakh and Srinagar air bases to review the Indian Air Force's preparedness to deal with any eventualities in the region. India has been insisting on restoration of status quo ante in all areas of eastern Ladakh to restore peace and tranquillity in the region. 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. All the front-line bases of the Indian Army and the air force along the nearly 3,500 km de-facto border with China are on high alert in view of the worst border clash between Indian and Chinese troops. The Army has already rushed in additional troops to all its key front-line bases and formations along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Arunachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh and Ladakh, they said. The Indian Air Force has already raised the alert level in all its front-line bases tasked to keep an eye on the LAC, the de-facto border. (With inputs from agencies) The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), the apex medical research body, 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, instructing them to fast-track clinical trials. ICMR and Bharat Biotech are jointly working on the preclinical as well as clinical development of this vaccine. Human trials for Covaxin, the vaccine in question, will begin this month itself. The results of the pre-clinical trials the company had carried out were promising and exhibited substantial safety and effective immune responses. Bharat Biotech developed the inactivated vaccine at its high-containment facility located in Genome Valley. Before that, the NIV had isolated the SARS-CoV-2 strain and passed it to the company. Bharat Biotech is also the maker of the worlds cheapest Hepatitis vaccine. Besides, it was also reportedly as the first firm in the world to find a Zika virus vaccine. The Hyderabad-based firm was formed with a total funding of Rs 12.5 crore, of which Rs 5 crore was equity (promoters, Rs 3 crore and IDBI, Rs 2 crore). The balance capital was funded by way of loan from Technology Development Board (Department of Science and Technology) and IDBI Bank, Dr Ella told Rediff.com. Dr Krishna Ella, chairman and managing director of the company, is a pioneer in molecular research in India. As per an interview conducted by Rediff, Dr Ella, the son of a Tamil Nadu farmer, had advised former Andhra CM Chandrababu Naidu to set up a Biotech Park, which later played a major role in the emergence of over 100 knowledge-based firms. The company has used Vero cell culture platform technologies to make several vaccines for polio, rabies, rotavirus, Japanese encephalitis and chikungunya. "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. "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. What exactly will Bharat Biotech do in COVID-19 vaccine development? 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 was Bharat Biotech chosen? 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 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. How realistic is the deadline? 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. Dr Davinder Gill, vaccine expert and former CEO of Hilleman Labs, told CNBC-TV18 that developing a full-fledged vaccine by August 15, 2020, was scientifically not possible. "ICMR should admit it was a typo. (The date) should be 2021...that will take away the hysteria and make people focus on real work." Vaccines are complex to develop, largely owing to stringent safety studies needed because it is meant to be given to healthy humans. Compressing the stages of testing and trials severely compromises on the safety assurance, say experts. Dr Suresh Jadhav, executive director at Serum Institute of India, has also voiced doubts if ICMR will be able to meet the August 15 launch date target. In my opinion, vaccine launch is not possible by Aug 15, he told CNBC-TV18. A 53-year-old Indian worker in the UAE has missed a special repatriation flight after he dozed off at the Dubai International Airport, a media report said. P Shajahan, who worked as a storekeeper in Abu Dhabi, was supposed to fly to Thiruvananthapuram on the Emirates jumbo jet chartered by the Kerala Muslim Cultural Centre (KMCC) Dubai, Gulf News reported. It was the first-ever jumbo jet chartered for repatriation. Shajahan, who had paid 1,100 dirham ($300) for the ticket, said that he did not sleep on the previous night as he kept on waiting for the confirmation of his ticket for the jumbo jet flying 427 stranded Indians to Kerala, it said. He reached the airport early in the morning and after finishing the check-in procedures and rapid test, he reached the waiting area of the boarding gate at Terminal 3 around 2 PM local time, the report said. "I sat away from most of the others. But I fell asleep after 4.30 PM," he said. S Nizamudeen Kollam, who coordinated the charter flight, said that the airline officials could not trace Shajahan when the flight was to take off. "He woke up and called us after the flight left. It is sad that he missed the flight, which was the first-ever jumbo jet chartered for repatriation. We are now trying to send him on another Emirates flight that we are chartering on Saturday," Kollam said. Since Shajahan did not have any money, Jasimkhan Kallambalam, organising secretary of KMCC Thiruvananthapuram, went to the airport to meet him on Friday. "Since his visa was cancelled, he could not come out of the airport. He had only eaten the snacks in the kit KMCC had given. We managed to give him some cash for buying food through KMCC volunteer Alamsha Latheef," Kallambalam said. In March, another Indian expat had fallen asleep in the same terminal and missed the last flight home before flights were suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He was stranded here for over 50 days before getting repatriated. Unable to log in, unable to download, no electricity and wrong question paper were among frantic messages and emails Delhi University teachers received from students on the first day of the mock test for open book examination which will be held online in view of the Covid-19 pandemic. Final-year students and former students making up for arrears will appear for the open book examination on June 10. The examination was to be held on June 27 initially, but was postponed for 10 days given the coronavirus situation. The mock tests, which began on Saturday, was organised to help students prepare for the online open book format. Sharing their experience with teachers, several students said the format is a failure, with some being unable to even log in. Writing to the Delhi University Teachers Association (DUTA), a student of MA (Sociology) said, It showed that a one-time password was sent on my registered phone number, but I didnt receive it. The student added that her registered email id, which is also mentioned on her admit card, was declared invalid. Law student Urvashi Gupta complained that LLB students did not receive the date sheet on July 3 despite an earlier notification which said the students would be given the new schedule by the eve of the mock test. In the mock test for LLB, we received a question paper meant for Political Science (Hons) students, she wrote to her teachers. Every notification has a mistake, she added. She also said law students do not have any case materials and that studying judgments in PDF format was proving to be difficult. This is not an open book exam for law students because it is very difficult to access case materials during the exam in PDF format, said Gupta. Aman S, a final year DU student, said that instead of preparing the students for an open book examination, the mock test has demotivated them. We are already facing so many issues during this pandemic, this new system of examinations that too without proper guidance and learning facilities provided (sic), he wrote. Aman said he was among students who received error messages like This Verification Code Is Incorrect and had to go through multiple links when trying to register. It is actually a total waste of our time. If we have to find the (question) paper after multiple links, we may actually solve the wrong paper in our already confused state of mind, he Aman. He added that even when the links opened, they took students to the wrong subjects. Finally, we found a link with Commerce and when we clicked on it, it was a paper for Cost Accounting, which is not part of our 6th semester syllabus. There is a size limit to uploading a file and there is no clarity about the size of the file we will be uploading So now we also have to waste some time to compress those files, Sharma said in an email. Hina Mahrotra, who is pursuing Political Science (Honours) from Delhi University, went through a similar ordeal. I am facing problems in registering for OBE Mock Test, she said in an email to her teachers. She said the link to register appeared on the website a night before the mock test but the website kept crashing. When she tried to register on Saturday morning, an error message said No Record Found. This was followed by Your Email Is Invalid, and even the OTP failed to reach her. Manjari Das, a student of DUs Department of English, said she could find neither the paper not the paper code, with repetition in titles adding to the confusion. Other issues faced by students included low data speed, error in downloading, faulty file prompts, limits set on file size and the absence of a confirmation message after submitting the exam. The feedback received from students was shared by members of Academic Council and Executive Council with DU Vice-Chancellor Yogesh Tyagi. Apart from these glitches, issues like power cuts also kept students from taking the mock test. There is no power at our home since morning. I am one of the privileged few in my town to own a laptop, but with no electricity, I couldnt charge it. Hence, I was not able to take the mock test today. I am worried the same might happen on the day of the actual exam, DU student Bhavya Kumar said. Hitting out at the Delhi University, DUTA president Rajib Ray said the varsity is treating its students as lab rats when other universities have put exams on hold due to the Covid-19 pandemic. He also said its unfortunate that the University Grants Commission is yet to notify its report on reworking the exam calendar. Heavy rains will continue to lash Mumbai and the coastal districts of Maharashtra for the second consecutive day on Saturday, an official of the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said. As incessant rains lashed Maharashtra's Thane city, the civic authorities on Saturday reported two incidents of wall collapse. No casualties were reported in both these incidents, an official said. The IMD had issued a red alert late on Friday for Mumbai, Raigad and Ratnagiri. It had predicted heavy to very heavy rainfall on Saturday in many places in Palghar, Mumbai, Thane and Raigad districts. Various places in Mumbai are witnessing heavy showers, including the Bandra Court Road. After IMD's warning, Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) asked citizens to avoid the sea-shore amid expectations of a high tide in the day. At Marine Drive in Mumbai, a high tide of 4.5 was also witnessed at around 11.30 am today. Widespread heavy rainfall was witnessed across Mumbai in the last 24 hours, IMD Mumbai's deputy director general K S Hosalikar tweeted on Saturday. The showers on Friday morning moved from the city to the suburban areas as the day progressed, he said. "Another heavy RF day for Mumbai & west coast today," he said on Twitter. After 8.30 am on Saturday, the city and its surrounding areas recorded moderate rainfall of 25 mm to 30 mm, Hosalikar added. As per the IMD's data, Mumbai's Colaba weather bureau recorded 169 mm rainfall in the last 24 hours, while the Santacruz weather station reported 157 mm rainfall in the same period. Meanwhile, the Ratnagiri bureau recorded 69.3 mm rainfall and the Harnai weather station registered 165.2 mm rains since Friday. In the arid regions of Marathwada, Nanded district received 22 mm rains during the span, the IMD said. The Alibaug bureau in Raigad district recorded 18 mm rains during this period. While travelling from Noida to Shikohabad on a UP Roadways bus, a young woman died near Mathura on June 15, amid a scuffle in which her family alleges that the bus driver and staff threw her off the bus after suspecting that she had Covid-19. According to officials and the police, 19-year-old Anshika died due to a cardiac arrest. Her family said that while travelling, she fainted due to heat and exhaustion, prompting the bus driver and conductor to believe that she was infected with coronavirus, a report by Indian Express states. That fuelled an argument, the family said, after which the bus driver, conductor threw her off the bus, near a toll plaza in Mathura. Anshika suffered a cardiac arrest at some point during the argument, her family alleged. However, Mathura Police said that there was no evidence of assault, and the woman was dropped midway. According to Mant Police Station SHO Bhim Singh, a post-mortem was conducted at the district hospital after the victim's family approached the police. The report revealed that Anshika died of a natural cause; a heart attack, which is why the case did not merit any FIR or action, he said. Singh said that there was a Covid-19 scare due to her being unwell, but that the driver dropped her near a toll plaza so she could pick another transport. Anshika's father, Sushil Kumar, works as a security guard in Patparganj, Delhi. As the capital registers increasing Covid-19 cases everyday, the family thought it would be best for mother and daughter to go back to their home in Shikohabad. Sarvesh Devi and Anshika boarded the bus at 2 pm from Noidas Sector 37. Her brother Shiv was informed that she had died, at 4.20 pm. Shiv said that his sister was fine when she boarded the bus, but that at some point in the journey, due to heat and exhaustion, she fainted. The entire bus behaved as if she was infected with coronavirus, he said, adding that due to this, the driver and conductor began to harass her, after which they wrapped her in a blanket and threw her out of the bus. Anshika and her mother also tried to reason with the bus staff, but to no avail, the family alleges. Shiv said that they went to file an FIR but were denied on the grounds that she died a 'natural' death. Lucknow: Mother of notorious gangster Vikas Dubey, the prime accused in murder of eight policemen in Kanpur who is currently on the run, on Friday said her son should either surrender to the police or get killed in an encounter. Speaking to News18 in Lucknow, Vikass mother Sarla Devi said, I think Vikas should surrender else he might be killed in the encounter. If the police manage to catch him then he should be shot dead because what he has done is very wrong. Sarla Devis strongly worded reaction came on the same day when eight Uttar Pradesh police personnel, including a deputy superintendent of police, were shot dead by the members of a gang in Kanpur. At least seven others, including a civilian, were also injured in the incident. Teams of UP STF and police have been formed to nab the dreaded criminal. Earlier on Friday, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath reached Kanpur and met the family members of the deceased policemen. Adityanath also announced government jobs, pension benefits and a monetary compensation of Rs 1 crore each for the kin of the martyred cops. He also visited the injured cops at Regency Hospital in Kanpur. The police team was ambushed around 1 am on Friday when they had gone to raid a house in search of 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. 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. A terrorist hideout was busted in a remote village in Rajouri district of Jammu and Kashmir on Saturday, leading to the recovery of a huge cache of arms and ammunition, officials said. The hideout was unearthed during the course of a joint search operation by police and the Rashtriya Rifles in Dardasan village of the Thanamandi area, the officials said. They said the recoveries made from the hideout included two Chinese pistols with two magazines, an Under Barrel Grenade Launcher (UBGL) with 11 rifle grenades, 14 magazines of AK assault rifle with 920 rounds and a Chinese hand grenade. A large quantity of material used in the making of Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs), including batteries and wires, was also seized from the hideout, the officials said. However, no one was arrested in connection with the recovery so far, the officials said. Allen purchased 5,000 acres of land in 1735 and hoped his community would turn into a commercial center located along the Lehigh River. He was clearly on to something. In 1838, the city officially adopted the name Allentown as the American Industrial Revolution was ushered in while big changes were in store for our town along the Lehigh River. A 26-year-old resident junior doctor suffering from all typical Covid-19 symptoms, died on Thursday morning in Delhi, after testing negative for the virus twice. Just before he passed away, Dr Abhishek Bhayana complained of chest congestion and breathlessness to his elder brother Aman. I am having breathing issues. All my symptoms are of corona I will be 100% positive, he had said. Bhayana was posted in the department of oral surgery of the dental institute at Maulana Azad Institute for Dental Sciences (MAIDS). He secured rank 21 in the AIIMS MDS exam and in June last week, he travelled to Rohtak, Haryana to appear for counselling. His family members performed last rites on Friday afternoon, Indian Express (IE) reported. He was a diligent and hardworking doctor. Despite having all the symptoms of coronavirus, his test did not come positive. He died of a heart attack, said a senior doctor from MAIDS. On Thursday morning, he started to feel dizzy. Before that, he was perfectly fine. We still cant believe he is not with us, our parents are in shock, recalling the last night he spent with his brother, Aman told IE. Family members claimed Bhayana showed first symptoms of coronavirus around 10 days ago, he repeatedly complained of throat pain and cough. While the family was under the impression that he had just viral fever, they took him to a chest specialist and an X-ray was performed. Results showed he had a chest infection. But he kept saying the symptoms were not of chest infection as he was having shortness of breath, Aman said. On Thursday, Bhayanas condition worsened and the family rushed him to a nearby private hospital. He was fit and healthy. The negative result of Covid-19 tests may come due to several other reasons, Aman added. Till his last breath, Bhayana said that he had symptoms of coronavirus and when the doctors finally started administering oxygen, it was too late by then, the family stated. Lucknow: The Uttar Pradesh district administration on Saturday demolished the house of history-sheeter Vikas Dubey, a day after eight police personnel were gunned down by criminals during an attempt to arrest him. Police officials also said the surveillance team was scanning over 500 mobile phones and efforts were on to retrieve information pertaining to Dubey, who has faced about 60 criminal cases. The Special Task Force of UP Police has also been roped in. Inspector General of Police, Kanpur, Mohit Agarwal said a cash reward of Rs 50,000 has been announced for providing information about Dubey and the identity of the information provider will be kept secret. He added that to nab Dubey and his accomplices, as many as 25 teams have been formed, "which are conducting raids in different districts of the state and other states as well." Eight police personnel, including a DSP, 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. 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 Dubey. The attackers fled, snatching weapons from the dead and the wounded policemen. Promising that those behind the heinous crime will not be let off, chief minister Yogi Adityanath said a government job would be given to a member of each of the bereaved families besides extraordinary pension. Stressing that the government was with the families, Adityanath said it would work to ensure that justice was done and those behind the crime were punished as per the law. The Andhra Pradesh Police on Saturday said the killers of a leader of the ruling YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) had said that Telugu Desam Party (TDP) leader and former Andhra Pradesh minister Kollu Ravindra knew about the murder. "As per the other gang members' confession, the murder occurred with the full knowledge and guidance of the former minister. The police are trying to apprehend the remaining accused in the case," said Krishna Superintendent of Police M Ravindra Babu. Ravindra was arrested in Tuni in East Godavari district on Friday night when he was heading towards Visakhapatnam. A police team from Krishna district stopped the TDP leader and arrested him and he was 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. Revealing more details, Babu on Saturday said that Ravindra guided the accused to attack the victim on his chest to ensure his death. Apart from the statements of the three accused who have been arrested, multiple calls planning the murder have been traced back to Ravindra, he added. Wronged women rising up as supernatural beings against their oppressors is a tale as old as time, narrated in literature and cinema over and over again. What is against convention, deviant from patriarchal norms, has been termed supernatural quite often. And most of these otherworldly beings have been female, as representatives of the more oppressed, exploited gender. The film Bulbbul, which released on Netflix recently, is set in 19th century Bengal. It starts with the now-abolished custom of Gauridaan (giving away the child bride) and builds up a story of a free-spirited woman forcibly shackled by society. Writer-director Anvita Dutt upends the idea of the witch, often portrayed as a conniving, evil woman with magic powers by the Brothers Grimm, German authors who collected and published folklore during the 19th century. The women painted as evil, more often than not, were victims of patriarchal diktats. A woman who tries to break free, whose desires are misunderstood, has often been termed a 'chudail'. Bulbbul's chudail haunts the forest and hunts men who abuse women. The men refuse to acknowledge her as a natural being, and so she remains an enigma, something to be feared. In that, Bulbbul echoes of another Bollywood film, 2018's Stree, which mixed horror and comedy to present a feminist concoction the modern-day audience lapped up gladly. The men in the town of Chanderi are captured by a spirit of a woman scorned in love. All she is looking for is the dignity denied to her by society. Weve seen instances of this in the Victorian Era novels of Charlotte Bronte Jane Eyre and Villette. The female protagonists of Bronte's fiction are repressed and subdued. Jane Eyre and Lucy Snowe hide the passionate side of their personalities from the outside world, the male-dominated society. This repression manifests itself in the form of mysterious figures that haunt both novels. In Bronte's time, outspoken and aggressive women were considered unladylike. The ideal woman was calm, quiet, and submissive. Powerful women were often viewed as threatening. Much like Anvita Dutt's Bulbbul, who questions everything from a young age, and so her spirit needs to be caged with a toe-ring, lest she fly away. Anvita's story might be set in 19th century, but she has made the film for a 21st century audience. What makes these Victorian era story-telling tropes relevant to the smartphone-wielding generation, we ask. Anvita says, "What was true then is also true now. Even though Bulbbul is a period film, the issues being addressed in the story are resonating today because they are relevant today. It has changed, it has evolved, but it is still very much a reality, and that is our tragedy." Bulbbul and Stree are rather uncommon examples of horror films with feminist narratives in current Hindi cinema. Priyadarshan's Malayalam film Manichitrathazhu (1993), later remade in Tamil as Chandramukhi and in Hindi as Bhool Bhulaiyaa, also had a female protagonist manifesting her suppressed psychological turmoils into the spirit of a dancer wronged by a powerful man. Satyajit Ray's Teen Kanya (1961) examined the gender equations of those times in an unconventional way. One of the three stories in the anthology film, Monihara, used horror to draw attention to the assertion of feminine independence, in the form of the spirit of a woman who is obsessed with her jewellery. Gold, or streedhan, as a symbol of female independence or power, was again explored in Aparna Sen's directorial Goynar Baksho (2013). The period horror comedy shows the spirit of the family matriarch becoming the guardian angel of a stammering, unconfident niece-in-law, with the help of her box of jewels. Talking about the scarcity of such stories in Hindi cinema today, Anvita says, "We have a very rich source of mythology in our oral tradition, and our folktales. But we don't make much of that in our films, which is pretty surprising. Even in our folktales usually the supernatural being is a woman. It comes from the fact that demons usually are of your own creation. Only when you opress a woman she becomes a force that you can't understand and you're frightened of it." "I remember Raj Nidimoru (of Raj and DK, producers of Stree) narrating the core idea of Stree to me many years ago. And I found it fascinating. I think Raj and DK, Amar Kaushik, Aparna Sen are also feminists, and so was Satyajit Ray, and they were fascinated by the supernatural because we actually grow up with our grandmother's tales. They leave an impression on you. And some filmmakers then choose to revisit that way of storytelling, Anvita adds. Anvita finds the genre fascinating and continues to work in that zone to tell more stories with a supernatural touch. Meaningful horror movies are rare, feminist horror movies, even rarer. Heres hoping that Bulbbuls popularity leads to more such stories for the Netflix-watching generation. Follow @News18Movies for more Actor-producer Ajay Devgn is all set to announce a film based on the attack on Indian soldiers by Chinese troops in Ladakh's Galwan Valley. According to the film's description, it will narrate the "story of the sacrifice of 20 Indian army men who fought the Chinese army". It is not clear if Ajay will star in the film. The cast and other crew are under finalisation. The film will be co-produced by Ajay Devgn Films and Select Media Holdings LLP. On June 15, 20 Indian soldiers lost their lives in a violent faceoff in Galwan Valley in eastern Ladakh with the Chinese forces. The Galwan clash occurred at the south bank of the river, which flows in an east-west direction, before its confluence with Shayok river. 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. Coming up for Ajay soon is Bhuj: The Pride of India. The film also stars Sanjay Dutt, Sonakshi Sinha, Ammy Virk, and Sharad Kelkar and is written and directed by Abhishek Dudhaiya. The film is slated to premiere digitally on an OTT platform soon. Talking about the direct-to-digital release, Ajay earlier said in a virtual press conference, The film is based on a true story. The story is about one day and one night. It tells this story of common people who rebuilt a road overnight to help the armed forces during the 1971 war. We need to have more stories of such bravery and valour. Bollywood woke up to the shocking news of their beloved 'masterji' Saroj Khan's death on Friday due to cardiac arrest. She was 71. The three-time National Award winner was not keeping well for some time. She was admitted to Guru Nanak Hospital in Bandra on June 20 after she complained of breathing issues. She had tested negative for COVID-19. Her funeral was held on Friday morning at a cemetery in suburban Malad. The family has decided that given the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, no prayer meet will be held for the veteran choreographer. In a statement released on Instagram, her family wrote, "Thank you for all your messages and for keeping Mummy in your prayers. Given the current COVID-19 situation, there will be no prayer meet. Whenever the situation improves, we will meet and celebrate the life of Saroj Khan." In a career spanning over four decades, Khan choreographed more than 2,000 songs. Khan's best work was with actors Sridevi and Madhuri Dixit, the prominent dancing stars of the '80s and '90s. The choreographer, whose parents migrated to India after the Partition, started her career in the film industry as a child artiste at the age of three and later worked as a background dancer. Starting as an independent choreographer in 1974, Khan received acclaim as a dance choreographer of repute. She last choreographed "Tabaah Hogaye"for Madhuri in filmmaker Karan Johar's production "Kalank" in 2019. Khan's death comes at a time when the film industry is already grappling with the loss of Irrfan Khan, Rishi Kapoor, Basu Chatterjee and Sushant Singh Rajput in recent months. She is survived by son Raju Khan and daughter Sukaina Khan. (with inputs from PTI) Follow @News18Movies for more Netflix is seeking to bring back all your nightmares after watching The Grudge, with Ju-On: Origins, their first Japanese horror Original. It stems from the Japanese-American horror franchise created by Takashi Shimizu, which began in 1998. The franchise consists, to date, of 13 films, including 4 American-produced films starting with The Grudge starring Sarah Michelle Gellar. After doing the rounds of festivals, Manoj Bajpayees film Bhonsle is now streaming on SonyLiv. The story about Mumbais decades-old anti-North Indian conflict, releasing amid the nationwide migrant crisis, has found renewed relevance. Here are more titles that you should check out this week. Bhonsle (SonyLIV) A terminally-ill Maharashtrian cop Bhonsle, retired against his will, finds himself forging an unlikely companionship with a 23 year old North-Indian girl and her little brother. As the raging conflict destroying the world around them reaches Bhonsles doorstep, he preps for one last battle worth fighting for, but will we succeed? Directed by Devashish Makhija, the movie features Manoj Bajpayee along with Santosh Juvekar, Ipshita Chakraborty Singh and Virat Vaibhav in lead roles. JU-ON: Origins (Netflix) The six-episode limited series tells the story of how the house in the JU-ON movie franchise, created by Takashi Shimizu, got its reputation as a cursed home. The house is cursed because of a grudge started when a woman, her son and his cat was killed by her jealous husband. Now, when people see her white-clad visage in the house, theyre haunted for life. But the series is not about how the woman in white came to occupy the house, but how its reputation to haunt whoever has been in the house and seen the woman started. Hanna Season 2 (Amazon Prime Video) Created and written by David Farr, directed by Sarah Adina Smith, the thrilling series stars Esme Creed-Miles in the lead, along with Joel Kinnaman, and Mireille Enos. The latest edition revolves around Hanna's survival after her successful escape, and how she experiences life as a typical teenager while being engineered to combat and fight. Hamilton (Disney+ Hotstar Premium) An unforgettable cinematic stage performance, the filmed version of the original Broadway production of Hamilton combines the best elements of live theater, film and streaming to bring the cultural phenomenon to homes around the world.Hamilton is the story of America then, told by America now. Featuring a core that blends hip-hop, jazz, R&B and Broadway, Hamilton has taken the story of American founding father Alexander Hamilton and created a revolutionary moment in theatrea musical that has had a profound impact on culture, politics, and education. Sufiyum Sujatayum (Amazon Prime Video) Malayalam title Sufiyum Sujatayum has globally premiered on Amazon Prime Video. Produced by Vijay Babu and directed by Naranipuzha Shanavas, the Jayasurya and Aditi Rao Hydari starrer is the first Malayalam title to release directly on Amazon Prime Video. Sujata (Aditi Rao Hydari) is an innate mute single daughter of Mallikarjunan (Siddique) and Kamala (Kalarenjini). She falls in love with her neighbour, a Sufi (Dev Mohan) but her father gets her married off to a well-do-to NRI Rajeev (Jayasurya), in Dubai. Ten years have passed since and she thinks that shes left that love in her past until, one day, she gets a call bringing the death news of Sufi. Her husband Rajeev decides to bring her back to the village. 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. #BreakTheSilenceForShushant One day we will definitely win and that day will come soon. We will continue this campaign in this way.#CBIInvestigationForSushant #CBIEnquiryForHSSC pic.twitter.com/LLNue5ZzuZ Aamir Khan (@Aamirkh72538391) July 4, 2020 It's 20 days. We want justice he is dead, he can't come n say what had happen to him that day ,who killed him,what actually was s whole story,so plz it's our req plz give justice to his soul .#BreakTheSilenceForShushant #CBIMustForSushant pic.twitter.com/BVjfzO8ZNd Hindu Ssuman Raaj (@ssuman_raaj24) July 3, 2020 #BreakTheSilenceForShushant Stop watching movies of star kids Siddharth Prasad (@prasad5_prasad) July 3, 2020 The allocation of portfolios to newly inducted ministers appears to have emerged as a fresh headache for the BJP government in Madhya Pradesh. On Saturday, two-time BJP MLA Rameshwar Sharma was appointed pro-tem Speaker by acting Governor Anandiben Patel. Earlier, Jagdish Devda had resigned from the post after his inclusion in the Madhya Pradesh cabinet. Almost three days have passed but there is no indication of portfolio allocation amid reports of the Jyotiraditya Scindia camp exerting pressure for prominent ministries. Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan had no major say in the cabinet expansion as was visible in his ministerial choices and with the portfolio allocation getting stuck, it seems the party high command is required to step in to mediate. According to sources, the Scindia camp is seeking most of the prominent departments, including school education, transport, tourism, women and child development, urban administration, health, general administration and others. However, Chouhan and his senior party colleagues are also in no mood to let go of these prominent ministries. Two Scindia loyalists Tulsiram Silawat and Govind Singh Rajput -- hold key departments of Water Resources and Food and Civil Supplies respectively. Many claim that in order to avoid an internal tussle Chouhan has decided to leave the matter to the party high command and was scheduled to leave for New Delhi late on Saturday evening. Besides meeting party seniors, Chouhan is expected to hold a meeting with Scindia. Sources claim the Scindia camp, which needs by-poll wins to keep their ministerial berths, plans to keep key ministries so as to keep their ministers visible ahead of by-elections. Out of the 33 ministers in the cabinet, 14 belong to the Scindia camp, including 11 of his loyalists and three others who had left Congress party with him. State Assembly's Principal Secretary AP Singh on Saturday said the governor has appointed Sharma as the pro-tem speaker until the permanent speaker is chosen. Devda was made the pro-tem speaker after the resignation of previous speaker NP Prajapati. However, Devda resigned on July 2 as he was included in the cabinet of the BJP government headed by Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan. Sharma represents the Huzur seat of Bhopal district. Amid a growing clamour for holding a Parliament session soon and a constant increase in coronavirus cases, Members of Parliament are concerned about travelling to Delhi if a call for the session does come through. A series of meetings have already been held by Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu, the ex-officio chairman of Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha speaker, in this regard. Top sources in 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 any external location such as Vigyan Bhawan. Space constraint for staff and security arrangements with so many people, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, would be an important matter of concern. Officials told News18 that in Parliament there is a dedicated gate for arrival and departure for Prime Minister, Vice President and Lok Sabha Speaker which may be an issue in Vigyan bhawan that has just a couple of exits for all. The staff from ministers office, availability of other technical equipment, including inbuilt translation systems in both Houses, may also be difficult to manage at an external location. At another meeting conducted by Venkaiah Naidu on Friday, he took feedback from presiding officers of the Rajya Sabha Secratariat. Secretary General and other senior officials of the Rajya Sabha Secretariat discussed with Naidu about the best possible way to conduct the session viz a viz the Upper House. 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. It was suggested by the Chairman that since the chamber and the galleries of Rajya Sabha can accommodate 127 members while adhering to the physical distancing norms, all galleries except the media gallery be utilised for seating the members. Seating of media persons in the media gallery would also be in conformity with the physical distancing norm for which guidelines would be issued separately. The officials said screens also need to be arranged both within the chamber of the House and outside as required for viewing of member participation in debates, etc. Naidu 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 such as preparing a list of the participants in the proceedings of the House for the day. Other important discussions involved working out how question hour, voting on bills and oath taking of newly elected members of Rajya Sabha would take place keeping in mind the current rules of social distancing, santisation, etc. Officers have been asked to draw up an effective and workable plan, including how members can be brought to the House, various sanitising points etc can be fixed. 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 norms in mind. Top sources in the government have been contemplating on the possibility of the session. The session dates have to be decided by CCPA (Cabinet Committee for Parliamentary Affairs), but the meeting hasn't taken place so far. However, a short or curtailed session is being ruled out as, according to sources, 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 last session. The monsoon session was abruptly adjourned because of Covid-19 scare. This means 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 CCPA and the final approval by Prime Minister Modi. While officers in the Rajya Sabha Secratariat 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 the government's prerogative. Only 17% of Americans of any party say they are proud of the U.S. while 71% say they feel angry and 66% fearful. Just 12% of Americans say they are satisfied with the direction of the country, less than half of the 31% who said the same in a study in April; 87% now say they are dissatisfied. 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 is 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. The ruling NDA in Bihar on Friday tore into Tejashwi Yadav for his attempt to stave off, in the run up to assembly polls, attacks on the RJD over lawlessness and corruption which routinely made headlines during the 15 years when his parents - Lalu Prasad and Rabri Devi- ruled the state. Both the JD(U), headed by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, and the BJP have embarked on a strategy to build a "15 years versus 15 years" narrative with a view to surmounting the incumbency factor as the coalition seeks a fourth consecutive term in power. The strategy is reflected in slogans inscribed on posters and banners put up by both parties. Also, a Union Home Minister Amit Shah's speech at a "virtual rally" last month and addresses by the Chief Minister to JD(U) workers through video conference recently pointed in the same direction. Yadav, who has been named by his party as its chief ministerial candidate, sought to counter the strategy by asserting that his fathers "contribution towards ensuring social justice is unquestionable". At a party meeting here on Thursday, the 30-year-old also said, "I was too young when we were in power to have realised how things were back then. But, if there were any mistakes, I seek apology for the same". Nitish Kumar, who headed the NDA government that replaced RJD from power in November 2005, is on the chief ministerial chair for almost 15 years, barring a few months when he had anointed Jitan Ram Manjhi on the post after JD(U)'s massive defeat in 2014 general election. RJDs rivals term the partys 15 years rule as "jungle raj" (lawlessness), while Nitish Kumars tenure is trumpeted as "sushasan" (good governance). The RJD has always contested the allegations. Yadavs father rose to power in 1990, riding the Mandal wave that had gripped the state. Seven years later, he stepped down as Chief Minister, faced with imminent arrest in connection with the fodder scam, bequeathing the chair to his homemaker wife in a controversial move. Rabri Devi ended up enjoying a tenure that outlasted that of her husband and came to an end only in November, 2005 when the RJD-Congress combine was defeated by the JD(U)-BJP coalition. In a couple of stinging tweets, Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi referred to the "poverty and violence that brought shame to Bihar" while Lalu Prasad was at the helm of affairs. "No apology sounds convincing if it comes from a member of the family which has sought to glorify this abominable model of governance by calling it Laluvaad (Laluism)", said Modi, without referring to Yadav by name. A veteran BJP leader, Modi was among those who had filed a PIL in the Patna High Court seeking a CBI inquiry into the multi-crore fodder scam. The RJD supremo has been convicted in a number of cases filed in connection with the scam relating to illegal withdrawal of money from government treasuries in united Bihar in 90s, leading to his disqualification from contesting elections. He has been in Ranchi for more than two years, serving sentences awarded by a special CBI court. Jharkhand was carved out of Bihar in 2000. Coming down heavily on Yadav, state minister and senior JD(U) leader Neeraj Kumar fumed, "Tejashwi should give up equivocation and categorically admit that his parents were squarely responsible for the scams and the 118 massacres that took place while they enjoyed power". Notably, in the 1990s Bihar used to witness massacres carried out by rivalling ultra-Left groups and private militias of landlords. The figure of 118, routinely peddled by the NDA, is contested by the RJD. After sharing power with the JD(U) for less than two years, the RJD-Congress combine was left high and dry when Nitish Kumar abruptly returned to the NDA after the name of Yadav, then his deputy, cropped up in money laundering cases. A spanner has been thrown in the opposition combines attempts to garner voters sympathy over what it calls "betrayal of mandate" received in 2015 when JD(U), RJD and Congress formed a Grand Alliance and won the polls hands down. NDA sources also admit that given the checkered relations between BJP and JD(U), the long shadow cast by Lalu Prasad on the states politics is the glue that can hold the two parties together. On returning from Delhi where he met Union Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP president J P Nadda, Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh has said the political crisis which recently engulfed the state will settle down soon. This was Biren's first visit to the national capital after braving resignations by four ministers from ally National People's Party (NPP) and their subsequent return to the NDA fold following intervention of Shah and Nadda. On arrival from Delhi Friday evening, the chief minister underwent a coronavirus test at Imphal airport itself and left for home only after the sample tested negative for the virus. "Delhi visit was quite well and central leaders were very happy about the crucial victory in the Rajya Sabha election in Manipur," he told reporters at the airport. In the June 19 election for the lone Rajya Sabha seat from Manipur that took place in the background of the political crisis triggered by resignations of nine ruling coalition members, BJP's candidate Leishemba Sanajaoba had defeated the Congress rival. Besides the four NPP ministers, three BJP rebels, the lone All India Trinamool Congress legislator and an Independent MLA had quit the BJP-led coalition in Manipur on June 17. After deft handling of the situation by BJP's key leader in the Northeast Himanta Biswa Sarma and Meghalaya Chief Minister and NPP national president Conrad Sangma in close cooperation with the central leadership, the four NPP legislators later submitted letter of support in favour of Biren Singh to Governor Najma Heptullah. Responding to queries about the portfolios which are yet to be announced for the NPP ministers, Biren said, "Central leadership doesn't interfere much. Ours is a national party. It is my duty to seek the advice and suggestions of the national leaders". Distribution of portfolios in the cabinet was one of the important reasons cited by the NPP ministers while walking out of the government. "I think, at the earliest, there will be a solution for everything with the blessings of the central leaders for the convenience of all," he said. On being allotted Z security cover, he said he had no knowledge and came to know about it after meeting the Union Home Minister on July 1. "I myself did not have any knowledge of it and I was surprised", he said, adding that it must be based on the inputs of intelligence agencies. Days after overcoming the political crisis, Biren Singh had gone to Delhi on Tuesday to meet NDA's central leadership to discuss allocation of portfolios to his ministers. After end of the political trouble, Biren Singh is facing another challenge in meeting ministerial aspirations of his own party MLAs and also allies for which he is likely to seek guidance from the central leaders. While the four NPP legislators are all set to regain their position in the cabinet, the chief minister has to deal with the heightened aspirations of some BJP legislators to become ministers, besides those of the former Congress legislators who had defected to the saffron party shortly after the last state election in 2017. Out of the seven defecting Congress MLAs whose cases under the anti-defection law were heard by the Manipur High Court and the Speaker's Tribunal, the membership of four has been restored and they even voted in the Rajya Sabha election for the lone Manipur seat. There have been reports that another ally - the Naga People's Front (NPF) with four legislators in the 60-member House - which stood with the saffron party during the turmoil is demanding parity with NPP in the cabinet. While NPP has four ministers, the NPF has two members in the cabinet. As per constitutional provisions, there can be a maximum 12 ministers in the state, including the chief minister. Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi on Saturday sent his swab sample for COVID-19 test after he attended a function with Legislative Council Acting Chairman Awadhesh Narayan Singh, who has been found infected with the highly contagious disease. Besides Sushil Modi, samples of some officials and his staff members have been sent for testing, sources close to the deputy chief minister said. "Deputy CM has sent his swab sample today for COVID-19 testing. Besides, samples of around 10 other officials and staff of the deputy chief minister's office have been sent for testing," they said. Sushil Modi along with Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and others had shared the dais with Singh, a BJP leader, at the oath-taking ceremony of the newly elected MLCs here on July 1. Kumar has also sent his sample for COVID-19 test. 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. OnePlus recently announced its new smart TV range with three new models in India. The entry-level 32-inch variant will be going on a special sale tomorrow (July 5) on Amazon India at 12PM noon. The company will be selling the TV with some offers for its customers. The new OnePlus TV range was announced on July 2 where the company introduced three models- OnePlus 32Y1, OnePlus 43Y1 and OnePlus 55U1. The 32-inch variant is priced at Rs 12,999 and will be available in limited quantities during tomorrows sale. According to the listing on Amazon India, customers will be able to buy the television using up to 12 months no-cost EMI through Bajaj FinServ as well as all major bank debit and credit cards. There is also a special bundle offer where customers can get the Amazon Echo Dot at a reduced price of Rs 1,999. The OnePlus TV 32Y1 features a 1366 x 768-pixel resolution HD panel with 93% percent colour gamut and bezel-less design. It runs on Android TV 9.0 interface with Oxygen Play UI, to offer a connected TV interface on a budget TV. In terms of audio, it features two 10W speakers, along with Dolby Audio. The TV also comes with Chromecast built-in, support for Google Assistant, and OnePlus Connect that lets your OnePlus phone act as a remote. As for hardware, it is powered by a 64-bit processor with 1GB of RAM and 8GB of inbuilt storage. As for the ports, the OnePlus 32Y1 comes with two USB ports, two HDMI (one with ARC support), an ethernet port, standard RF and AV ports, optical audio, and 3.5mm audio jack. There is also Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 5.0 onboard. The United States is sending two aircraft carriers into the South China Sea at the same time as China is conducting military exercises in the contested waterway, the Wall Street Journal reported. The USS Ronald Reagan and USS Nimitz would be in the South China Sea from Saturday, the US news outlet quoted the strike group commander as saying. "The purpose is to show an unambiguous signal to our partners and allies that we are committed to regional security and stability," Rear Admiral George M. Wikoff was quoted as saying. He said the exercises were not a response to those being conducted by China, which the Pentagon criticised this week as "counter-productive to efforts at easing tensions and maintaining stability". China dismissed the US criticism of its drills on Friday and suggested the United States was to blame for increasing tensions. Wikoff did not give the location of the US exercises. The Wall Street Journal said they would be conducted by the two carriers and four other warships and would include round-the-clock flights. 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. Vietnam and the Philippines have also criticised the planned Chinese drills, warning they could create tension in the region and impact Beijing's relationship with its neighbours. The United States accuses China of miniaturising the South China Sea and trying to intimidate Asian neighbours 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. Canada is suspending its extradition treaty with Hong Kong in the wake of new Chinese national security legislation and could boost immigration from the former British colony, top officials said on Friday. China imposed the legislation this week despite protests from Hong Kongers and Western nations, setting what is a major financial hub on a more authoritarian track. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Canada would continue to stand up for Hong Kong, which is home to 300,000 Canadians. Canada will not permit the export of sensitive military items to Hong Kong, he told reporters. "We are also suspending the Canada-Hong Kong extradition treaty ... we are also looking at additional measures, including around immigration," he said. He did not give details. Foreign Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne condemned the "secretive" way the legislation had been enacted and said Canada had been forced to reassess existing arrangements. "This is a significant step back in terms of freedom and liberty ... we had been hoping Beijing would listen to the international community and reverse course," he said by phone. German and British leaders also expressed concerns about the new law. "(There's) a deep reflection in many capitals around the world as to how best to deal with China and its assertiveness," Champagne said. China's embassy in Ottawa was not immediately available for comment. The two nations are locked in a dispute which erupted in late 2018 after Canadian police detained Huawei Technologies Co's chief financial officer on a U.S. warrant. The new law has prompted a jump in inquiries from families looking to relocate to Canada, immigration lawyers said. Possible measures Ottawa could take include favoring Hong Kong residents who have family in Canada and allowing more people to apply for a work program that is a step towards gaining citizenship, lawyers say. A crucial meeting of Nepal's ruling communist party to decide the political future of embattled Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli was postponed until Monday to allow more time for the top leadership to iron out their differences over his autocratic style of functioning and anti-India statements. The meeting of the Nepal Communist Party's 45-member powerful Standing Committee was scheduled to be held on Saturday at 11 AM local time. But it was postponed at the last minute. Prime Minister's press advisor Surya Thapa said the meeting was postponed until Monday as the top leaders of the NCP required more time to forge an understanding on the outstanding issues. The meeting has been postponed as NCP chairpersons Oli and Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda were busy holding internal consultations amid the rift in the party. "The Standing Committee meeting has been postponed until on Monday as both the chairs needed time for further discussions," said Bishnu Sapkota, the press advisor to Prachanda. The meeting was supposed to begin at the Prime Minister's official residence in Baluwatar to find a way out from the intra-party crisis which is dragging the ruling communist party close to a split. During the meeting, majority of the party leaders were expected to demand Oli's resignation from the post of Prime Minister accusing his government of failing to live up to the people's expectations and responding effectively to the COVID-19 pandemic. Many top leaders, including former prime minister Prachanda, have also slammed Oli for his anti-India remarks. "The Prime Minister's remarks that India was conspiring to remove him was neither politically correct, nor diplomatically appropriate," he said on June 30. Oli, 68, on Sunday claimed that there have been various kinds of activities in the "embassies and hotels" to oust him from power. He said some Nepalese leaders were also involved in the plot after his government updated the country's political map by incorporating three strategically key Indian territories - Lipulekh, Kalapani and Limpiyadhura. The Prachanda faction, backed by senior leaders including Madhav Nepal and Jhalanath Khanal, has been demanding that Oli step down both as party chair and prime minister. Earlier, the Standing Committee meeting scheduled for Thursday was also postponed. The three hour-long informal meeting between Oli and Prachanda on Friday to rescue the party from possible split failed to make any headway. Some NCP leaders doubt that the party can remain united, given the serious intra-party differences during in recent days. "I don't think our party will remain intact now," said Matrika Yadav, a Standing Committee member who is close to Prachanda. "I don't think the party will tolerate his (Prime Minister Oli's) autocratic style of functioning any more," The Kathmandu Post quoted Yadav as saying this week. During Friday's meeting, the two leaders reviewed the overall situation, including party unity and ways to rescue the party from the present crisis, senior leader Ganesh Shah told PTI. They also discussed the agenda to be put forth for discussion during the upcoming meeting, he said. During their Friday talks, Prachanda demanded that Oli should step down but the latter refused, saying he was open to discuss any other issue, except for his resignation, The Kathmandu Post reported. Oli and Prachanda have failed to agree whether to follow the May 16, 2018 agreement or the November 20, 2019 understanding reached between them to share power. In May 2018, when Oli and Prachanda announced the formation of the Nepal Communist Party, they had reached a gentleman's agreement to lead the government in turn, two-and-a-half years each. But according to the November 2019 agreement, Oli would lead the government for the full five-year term and Prachanda would run the party as "executive chairman". Prachanda has maintained that Oli failed to uphold the spirit of the November 2019 agreement, hence he should abide by the May 2018 gentleman's agreement, making way for him to lead the government. As the meeting failed to break the ice, with both the sides sticking to their stands, Oli and Prachanda briefly met on Saturday morning to iron out their difference, according to party sources. As the Saturday morning's meeting also could not bear any fruit, the party's Standing Committee meeting scheduled to begin at 11 AM was put off until Monday, party sources said. Prachanda has time and again spoken about the lack of coordination between the government and the party and he was pressing for a one-man one position system to be followed by the NCP. The differences between the two factions of the NCP -- one led by Oli and the other led by Prachanda -- intensified after the prime minister unilaterally decided to prorogue the budget session of Parliament on Thursday. According to political analysts, the ruling party may split if Oli did not compromise with the dissident faction led by Prachanda. Monday's Standing Committee meeting will decide whether the party will split or not, and whether Oli gives up one of the two positions. Currently Oli is the prime minister as well as the co-chair of the NCP. Oli has been cornered in the party as the majority of the senior leaders are with Prachanda. Oli has the support of only 15 members in the 45-member Standing Committee. The NCP has 174 seats in the 275-member House of Representatives, the lower house. A fire broke out at a power station in southwestern Iran on Saturday, Iranian media reported, the latest in a string of fires and explosions, some of which have hit sensitive sites. The blaze, which affected a transformer in the power station in the city of Ahvaz, was put out by fire fighters and electricity was restored after partial outages, Mostafa Rajabi Mashhadi, a spokesman for state-run power company TAVANIR, told the semi-official news agency Tasnim. There have been several other incidents at facilities across the country recently. A chlorine gas leak occurred at a unit of the Karoon petrochemicals plant near the port of Bandar Imam Khomeini on the Gulf, the Iranian oil ministrys SHANA news agency reported. "Some employees who were present near the unit suffered minor injuries (because of chlorine inhalation)," the plant's director told SHANA, adding that the leak was stopped. On Thursday, a fire broke out at Iran's Natanz nuclear facility but officials said operations were not affected. A former official suggested the incident could have been an attempt to sabotage work at the plant, which has been involved in activities that breach an international nuclear deal. On Tuesday, 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. On June 26, an explosion occurred east of Tehran near the Parchin military and weapons development base that the authorities said was caused by a leak in a gas storage facility in an area outside the base. The Law of the Peoples Republic of China on Safeguarding National Security in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) was passed unanimously by the Standing Committee of the 13th National Peoples Congress (NPC), Chinas top legislature, on June 30. The NPC Standing Committee also listed it in Annex III to the HKSAR Basic Law to be gazetted and enacted in Hong Kong by the SAR government. As a strong support for the long-term and sustained implementation of one country, two systems principle, it will help Hong Kong go back to the right track and start again, and guarantee the rights and interests, as well as freedoms of Hong Kong residents. It is also in compliance with the universal truth that the rights and freedoms of residents will be guaranteed to the maximum extent possible, if the security of a country is guaranteed and its society remains stable. Chinese President Xi Jinping remarked, Without a harmonious and stable environment, how can people live in peace and enjoy their work! What he said was particularly proved true in the protests over the proposed amendments to the HKSARs extradition bill in June 2019. Guests attend the opening ceremony of celebrating activities for the 23rd anniversary of Hong Kong's return to the motherland in Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Center in Hong Kong, south China, July 1, 2020. China's Hong Kong celebrated Wednesday the 23rd anniversary of its return to the motherland. (Xinhua/Li Gang) Planed and instigated by anti-China forces who attempt to disrupt Hong Kong, black-clad rioters and mutual destruction tactic once swept the HKSAR. Extremists and violent radicals set fire and hurled gasoline and petrol bombs, confronted the police enforcement with violence, restricted and beat up policemen and civilians, illegally possessed guns and ammunition, installed explosive devices, created fear and panic with anthrax and made many terrorist attacks. Living and working in peace and contentment, and enjoying the rights and freedoms has become a luxury when the most basic personal safety and daily life are threatened. Today, people are fully aware that those who provoke violence and apply mutual destruction tactic are the biggest enemies of the rights and freedom of the residents of Hong Kong. Anti-China forces attempting to destabilize Hong Kong, by particularly taking advantage of Hong Kongs national security loophole in legislation, have recklessly engaged in activities that jeopardize the principle of one country, two systems. Moreover, they pitted safeguarding national security against protecting the rights and freedoms of residents, and stigmatized and demonized Article 23 of Hong Kongs Basic Law, in a bid to better carry out secession, subversion, infiltration and sabotage activities against the mainland. The legislation will target a small minority of severe criminals jeopardizing national security, including secession, subverting state power and organizing and carrying out terrorist activities, as well as interference in the HKSARs internal affairs by foreign or external forces. Preventing, prohibiting and punishing these illegal acts in accordance with the Law aims to safeguard national security and maintain prosperity and stability of Hong Kong, better protect life and property of a majority of Hong Kong residents, and rights and freedoms prescribed in the Basic Law. Safeguarding national security overlaps with protecting rights and freedoms in essence. It is clearly stipulated in the Law that the HKSAR must act in line with rule of law. And the Law also underlines respecting and protecting human rights. When the law is enacted, Hong Kong citizens rights and freedoms of speech, press, publication, assembly, association, procession and of demonstration that are enshrined in the Basic Law of the HKSAR and the provisions of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights as applied to the SAR will remain the same. Besides, normal exchanges and contact between residents and legal persons of the international metropolis and other countries, regions and international organizations will be protected, too. A flag-raising ceremony is held by the government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region to celebrate the 23rd anniversary of Hong Kong's return to the motherland at the Golden Bauhinia Square in Hong Kong, south China, July 1, 2020. (Xinhua/Li Gang) Admittedly, some Hong Kong residents understanding and trust of the country, especially the rule of law of the mainland is another deep-seat issue. Thanks to the sheer endeavor in the past four decades since reform and opening up, China has made remarkable achievements in establishing the rule of law. A law-based environment is the best environment for doing business. The Chinese mainland remains one of the most attractive destinations for foreign investment, which speaks volume for the rule of law in China. The mainland and Hong Kong do not differ greatly in terms of criminal justice systems. Since security organizations perform tasks in accordance with the law and follow a rigorous procedure in the mainland, there is no need to worry that these organizations will not respect the rule of law in the HKSAR. In recent years, many foreigners based in the mainland have repeated on many occasions that China is the safest place in the world, which serves as the best demonstration. Since the return of Hong Kong to the motherland, the principles of one country, two systems, Hong Kong people administering Hong Kong and a high degree of autonomy have been implemented in good faith. It is acknowledged by all that all the rights and freedoms of the residents of the HKSAR are fully protected, and that the residents are entitled to a wider range of rights and freedoms than what they had under the British colonial rule. With the Law of the Peoples Republic of China on Safeguarding National Security in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, the new guardian for the HKSAR, the residents will be sure to better enjoy the institutional advantages of the one country, two systems principle, and work and live in an even safer, more stable and more harmonious social environment. When chaos and fear disappear and peace and harmony is restored on the land of Hong Kong, the Pearl of the Orient will embrace a more splendid future. The accident occurred around 3:30 a.m. as the sedan was traveling north in the southbound lane, state police said. An ambulance from Wind Gap EMS, which was traveling south in the left lane, swerved into the grass, while the sedan did a 180-degree rotation, police said. Russia is not in talks with Washington about its potential role at an expanded Group of Seven summit later this year, Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said on Saturday, insisting that China should also be included in the event. His comments to TASS news agency countered those of John Sullivan, US ambassador to Russia, who told RBC TV on Friday that Washington was "engaged with the Russian Foreign Ministry and with the other G7 governments about whether there is an appropriate role for Russia at the G7." US President Donald Trump has raised the prospect of Russia's return to the group, which includes the world's most advanced economies, after it was expelled in the wake of its annexation of Crimea from Ukraine in 2014. Trump said last month it was "common sense" to invite President Vladimir Putin to rejoin the group. Russia had been part the group, then known as the G8, since 1997. Other G7 nations, including Canada and France, have objected to Russia's return, however. Ryabkov said that the absence of China from an expanded G7 summit would make it impossible to discuss international issues. "The idea of this so-called extended G7 is flawed because it's not clear how the authors of this initiative plan to address the Chinese factor," he was quoted as saying. "Without China it's simply impossible to discuss any issues in the modern world." Trump in May announced he was postponing a G7 summit until September or later and expanding the list of invitees to include Australia, Russia, South Korea and India. Australia has accepted the US invitation to take part. The World Health Organization has updated its account of the early stages of the COVID crisis to say it was alerted by its own office in China, and not by China itself, to the first pneumonia cases in Wuhan. The UN health body has been accused by US President Donald Trump of failing to provide the information needed to stem the pandemic and of being complacent towards Beijing, charges it denies. On April 9, WHO published an initial timeline of its communications, partly in response to criticism of its early response to the outbreak that has now claimed more than 521,000 lives worldwide. In that chronology, WHO had said only that the Wuhan municipal health commission in the province of Hubei had on December 31 reported cases of pneumonia. The UN health agency did not however specify who had notified it. WHO director Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told a press conference on April 20 the first report had come from China, without specifying whether the report had been sent by Chinese authorities or another source. But a new chronology, published this week by the Geneva-based institution, offers a more detailed version of events. It indicates that it was the WHO office in China that on December 31 notified its regional point of contact of a case of "viral pneumonia" after having found a declaration for the media on a Wuhan health commission website on the issue. The same day, WHO's epidemic information service picked up another news report transmitted by the international epidemiological surveillance network ProMed -- based in the United States -- about the same group of cases of pneumonia from unknown causes in Wuhan. After which, WHO asked the Chinese authorities on two occasions, on January 1 and January 2, for information about these cases, which they provided on January 3. WHO emergencies director Michael Ryan told a press conference on Friday that countries have 24-48 hours to officially verify an event and provide the agency with additional information about the nature or cause of an event. Ryan added that the Chinese authorities immediately contacted WHO's as soon as the agency asked to verify the report. US President Donald Trump has announced that his country, the main financial contributor to WHO, will cut its bridges with the institution, which he accuses of being too close to China and of having poorly managed the pandemic. The WHO denies any complacency toward China. Despite the impact of coronavirus in New York, the demonstrations saw dozens of Indian origin Americans standing in solid with members of the Tibetan community and Taiwanese Americans. (Image: Special Arrangement) Costa Rica Coronavirus Update - Coronavirus cases climb to 4,311, Total Deaths reaches to 18 on 04-Jul-2020 In Costa Rica total confirmed cases of Coronavirus (COVID-19) have increased to 4,311, while 18 people died due to the growing infection in the country. Coronavirus (Covid-19) update from around the world: New Delhi, 04-July-2020: BJP President JP Nadda said that over 8 lakh BJP workers joined hands to help the people during the lockdown. Today New Delhi reported over 2,505 raising the total count to 97,000 in the city. New Delhi reported total of 3,004 new cases in past 24 hours. BJP President JP Nadda said, "over 8 lakh BJP workers distributed nearly 22 crore food packets, 5 crores 'Modi ration kits' and more than 5 crore face covers during the lockdown period. Our workers encouraged about 58 lakh people to contribute to 'PM CARES Fund.'" New Delhi, 04-July-2020: New Delhi reported over 2,505 new cases in last 24 hours. Total deaths in Delhi rise to 3,004 in Delhi. The health department announced revised guidelines today, according to the new guidelines Covid patients suffering from immunity-targeting health conditions like cancer, HIV and others are not eligible for home isolation. Total cases in Delhi inches behind to reach 1 lac. France: France is reporting higher number of deaths but but slightly fewer people with severe conditions were admitted into ICU in past fourth day. France reported 315 deaths last day as compared to 345 deaths the day earlier. In France 133,670 confirmed cases and 14,412 deaths reported so far. Here are the latest cases of Coronavirus (COVID-19) infection in Costa Rica: Sr. No. Date Total Cases New Cases Total Deaths Deaths 1. 29-Jun-2020 3,269 139 15 0 2. 30-Jun-2020 3,459 190 16 1 3. 01-Jul-2020 3,753 294 17 1 4. 02-Jul-2020 4,023 270 18 1 5. 03-Jul-2020 4,311 288 18 0 6. 04-Jul-2020 4,311 0 18 0 TOP 10 Deaths by country due to Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak: 1. Europe (193,357) 2. North America (174,288) 3. USA (132,196) 4. South America (91,085) 5. Brazil (63,409) 6. Asia (61,029) 7. UK (44,131) 8. Italy (34,854) 9. France (29,893) 10. Mexico (29,843) Total Deaths Worldwide (530,847) Globally till now over 530,847 people died due to the outbreak of deadly Coronavirus (COVID-19). The new infection and death cases are increasing fast. Authorities in the Costa Rica and other countries are taking proper measures to contain the deadly Coronavirus (COVID-19). As of now Europe is the worst affected country in the world with over 193,357 deaths and 2,465,307 confirmed cases. Check latest update: Coronaviurs Covid-19 cases around the world (Newser) A prominent pro-democracy activist in Hong Kong has fled the territory days after China's introduction of a draconian new security law. Former student leader Nathan Law, who spent time in prison for his role in the 2014 pro-democracy protests, says he has left Hong Kong and will continue advocating for democracy from overseas, the BBC reports. The 26-year-old says "based on risk assessment," he will not disclose his new location. Under the lawthe contents of which were not made public until it was formally enacted Tuesday nightLaw and other activists could face long prison sentences for activities considered subversive, including "inciting hatred" of the Hong Kong or Beijing governments. story continues below "While the situation has been deteriorating in Hong Kong for the past year with regard to freedom of speech, no one could foresee that kind of acceleration," Law tells the Guardian. "We did not think we would be in a situation that makes us consider fleeing." Law became Hong Kong's youngest elected lawmaker in 2016, but was not allowed to take his Legislative Council seat because the government decided he had taken his oath of office insincerely. On Thursday, Hong Kong authorities banned the popular protest slogan "Liberate Hong Kong, revolution of our times," deeming it "subversive" under the new law. Law says he is confident Hong Kong people will continue the fight despite the "bleak" situation. He notes that to avoid being accused of displaying anti-China messages, some people are now turning up at protests holding blank placards. (Read more Hong Kong stories.) (Newser) The latest member of President Trump's entourage to test positive for COVID-19 received the news right before she was set to attend his event at Mount Rushmore on Friday eveningand she's the closest one to Trump yet. The New York Times and CNN report that Kimberly Guilfoyle, girlfriend of Donald Trump Jr. and a major fundraiser for the Trump 2020 reelection campaign, was tested for the coronavirus as routine procedure before the July 4 event, and was "immediately isolated to limit any exposure," per Sergio Gor, the chief of staff for the Trump Victory Finance Committee, which Guilfoyle chairs. Gor says Guilfoyle will be retested, as she hasn't shown any symptoms, but that she'll be canceling "all upcoming events" as a precaution. story continues below Guilfoyle and Trump Jr. hadn't traveled on Air Force One to attend the Mount Rushmore event, and they'd never met up with the rest of the Trump group before she tested positive. She also is said not to have had any recent contact with the president. The couple plan on driving back to the East Coast from South Dakota rather than flying. Last month, Guilfoyle attended President Trump's rally in Tulsa, Okla., as well as his rally in Phoenix a few days later. A source tells CNN that Guilfoyle has also been busy on the fundraising front as of late, and has "been with a lot of the campaign donors," apparently not wearing a mask at any of those events. Page Six also notes a "Hamptons insider" spotted Guilfoyle last weekend with Trump Jr. at a crowded Bridgehampton party on Long Island, sans mask. Trump Jr. has mocked the efficacy of wearing face coverings on social media. (Read more Kimberly Guilfoyle stories.) (Newser) An 8-year-old boy was killed Friday in a shooting at an Alabama shopping mall that left three other people injured, police said. Hoover Police Chief Nick Derzis said the child was killed in the afternoon shooting at the Riverchase Galleria, per the AP. The police chief said a girl and two adults were also hospitalized after the shooting. Authorities didn't release the victims' names, and police didn't give a motive for the shooting. Derzis said police are working promising leads, but he didn't say if they had identified suspects. "This is certainly a tragic situation when you have an innocent child who gets caught in the middle of an altercation between others," Derzis said. Multiple shots were reported near the food court inside the mall, police said. The mall was evacuated after the shooting. story continues below "We don't know at this point what led to the shooting or how many gunmen were involved," Police Capt. Gregg Rector said earlier. Hoover Mayor Frank Brocato said he visited with the boy's parents Friday evening. "This was just a very senseless tragedy, and of course they are devastated by this," Brocato said. Annalisa Pope, who works at Hollister in the mall, told WBMA-TV in a telephone interview that she heard six to seven shots fired. "It wasn't just one or two," she said. "[The shots] just kept going." She added that the gunshots "sounded like they were coming from every direction." Hoover police are asking anyone who was in the mall and witnessed the shooting to call authorities. The mall in suburban Birmingham was the site of a 2018 police shooting where an officer fatally shot a black 21-year-old, Emantic "EJ" Bradford Jr., with a gun after mistaking him for the gunman in an earlier shooting at the mall. (Read more shooting stories.) (Newser) On the eve of the Fourth, President Trump gave a speech in South Dakota, at the foot of Mount Rushmore, and it wasn't a staid one. Fox News called it "fiery," the Guardian went with a similar take of "incendiary," while the New York Times deemed it a "divisive culture war message" and the AP noted the address (full transcript here) "[pushed] racial division." Trump turned much of his focus on recent protests for racial justice and the vandalism and removal of statues across the US, lamenting "cancel culture" and decrying what he called a "merciless campaign to wipe out our history, defame our heroes, erase our values, and indoctrinate our children." He also called for his supporters to rise up against what he referred to as a "new far-left fascism." The Times notes he barely referenced the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. More coverage: Protesters were pepper-sprayed, and more than a dozen were arrested, before Trump's speech after using vans as roadblocks to Mount Rushmore, USA Today reports. Demonstrators that included Lakota Sioux noted that the Black Hills of South Dakota are sacred grounds to Native Americans, and that the Trump administration hasn't been working in their best interest. "We shut down Mount Rushmore," one Lakota activist said. "We put this place in lockdown for three hours and we did it in a good way." story continues below 'Beyond irresponsible': That was the take of epidemiologist and infectious disease expert Celine Gounder, who blasted the event for its lack of social distancing and for not requiring masks as coronavirus numbers continue to rise in many states. "This is extremely dangerous behavior and unfortunately, this has become so politicized where you abide by public health and scientific recommendations on the basis of your political beliefs, not based on the science," she told CNN. "And people are really going to be harmed as a result of this." That was the take of epidemiologist and infectious disease expert Celine Gounder, who blasted the event for its lack of social distancing and for not requiring masks as coronavirus numbers continue to rise in many states. "This is extremely dangerous behavior and unfortunately, this has become so politicized where you abide by public health and scientific recommendations on the basis of your political beliefs, not based on the science," she told CNN. "And people are really going to be harmed as a result of this." Pyrotechnic brouhaha: Fireworks lit up the sky after Trump spoke, Mount Rushmore's first such display in more than a decade. Forbes notes that's because there's been a ban on fireworks there since 2010 due to the risk of wildfire, though that didn't stop Trump from pushing ahead with the plan. "What can burn? It's stone," he said in January of the July 4 plans in South Dakota. Thankfully, it appears nothing went awry during Friday night's show. Fireworks lit up the sky after Trump spoke, Mount Rushmore's first such display in more than a decade. Forbes notes that's because there's been a ban on fireworks there since 2010 due to the risk of wildfire, though that didn't stop Trump from pushing ahead with the plan. "What can burn? It's stone," he said in January of the July 4 plans in South Dakota. Thankfully, it appears nothing went awry during Friday night's show. Neil Young criticism: The 74-year-old singer-songwriter and activist wasn't pleased to find out two of his songs, "Like a Hurricane" and "Rockin' in the Free World," were blasted at the Mount Rushmore event before Trump spoke, per the Hill. "This is NOT ok with me," one tweet from the Neil Young Archives read in response to a video showing one of his songs playing. That message was reiterated in a second tweet, along with: "I stand in solidarity with the Lakota Sioux." The Independent notes Trump also played "Cowgirl in the Sand," though Young didn't reference that song. Decree for a new 'garden': Earning special attention was Trump's announcement of an executive order to create a "National Garden of American Heroes," which he described as a "a vast outdoor park that will feature the statues of the greatest Americans who ever lived," per the AP. Some of the statues he'd like in the park include such nonsurprising choices as Martin Luther King Jr., Abraham Lincoln, Harriet Tubman, and George Washington, as well as some more eyebrow-raising ones, including Billy Graham and Antonin Scalia. Earning special attention was Trump's announcement of an executive order to create a "National Garden of American Heroes," which he described as a "a vast outdoor park that will feature the statues of the greatest Americans who ever lived," per the AP. Some of the statues he'd like in the park include such nonsurprising choices as Martin Luther King Jr., Abraham Lincoln, Harriet Tubman, and George Washington, as well as some more eyebrow-raising ones, including Billy Graham and Antonin Scalia. Pushback from Martin Luther King Jr.'s family: Trump also referenced the civil rights leader in his speech, noting that "our opponents would tear apart the very documents that Martin Luther King used to express his dream" and that "we must demand that our children are taught once again to see America as did Reverend Martin Luther King." Bernice King, MLK's youngest child, responded in a since-deleted tweet: "A 1968 poll found that my father was among the most hated men in America. For speaking truth to power & confronting the very injustices we are fighting to eradicate today. And was assassinated. So to hear his words used in rebuke of those truly seeking a great America..." Trump also referenced the civil rights leader in his speech, noting that "our opponents would tear apart the very documents that Martin Luther King used to express his dream" and that "we must demand that our children are taught once again to see America as did Reverend Martin Luther King." Bernice King, MLK's youngest child, responded in a since-deleted tweet: "A 1968 poll found that my father was among the most hated men in America. For speaking truth to power & confronting the very injustices we are fighting to eradicate today. And was assassinated. So to hear his words used in rebuke of those truly seeking a great America..." And from her brother: Martin Luther King III had his own take, tweeting, "Despite the way Trump attempted to characterize my father this evening, here's what my father, Martin Luther King Jr., really said: 'The whirlwinds of revolt will continue to shake the foundations of our nation until the bright day of justice emerges.'" (Read more President Trump stories.) (Newser) Two women were struck by a car whose driver sped through a protest-related closure on a freeway in Seattle, authorities said early Saturday. A 24-year-old woman from Seattle suffered critical, life-threatening injuries, and a 32-year-old woman from Bellingham had serious injuries, Washington State Patrol Capt. Ron Mead said. The driver, a 27-year-old man from Seattle, was in custody, Mead said, adding that impairment wasn't considered a factor. Charges remain under investigation, as does the motive and point of entry onto the interstate, but Mead said the unnamed man faced multiple felony charges and was suspected to have come the wrong way on a ramp. Mead said troopers didn't know whether it was a targeted attack, per the AP. Protesters were on the freeway for more than an hour before the car drove around the blockade around 1:30am, Mead said. story continues below Video on social media showed a white Jaguar traveling at a high rate of speed navigate around two vehicles positioned across the lanes as a barrier. The car careened toward a small crowd of protesters on the freeway, striking two people who flew into the air before landing on the ground. Seattle has been the site of prolonged unrest following the May 25 police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis, which sparked nationwide protests. Mead said that protesters had shut down the interstate for 19 days in a row. He emphasized that the freeway is "simply not a safe place" for pedestrians and that he hoped protesters would cease what he termed "unlawful behavior" in blocking the interstate. "My hope is, as a result of this tragedy, protesters will reconsider their desire to be on the interstate because I cannot guarantee their safety, plain and simple," Mead said. (Read more Seattle stories.) (Newser) Johnny Depp's lawyers have failed to stop the American actor's ex-wife, Amber Heard, from attending his libel trial against the British tabloid newspaper the Sun until she is called to give evidence, the AP reports. In a court order published on Saturday, trial judge Andrew Nicol said that excluding Heard from the London courtroom before she testifies in the case "would inhibit the defendants in the conduct of their defense." Depp, 57, 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. story continues below Depp's lawyers had asked the judge to keep Heard from attending the trial until the 34-year-old actress and model appears to give evidence, arguing that her testimony would be more reliable if she were not present in court when Depp was being cross-examined. The judge noted it is News Group and Wootton, and not Heard, that are defending the claim, while conceding they will be relying "heavily" on what Heard says. The trial, which was postponed from March because of the coronavirus pandemic, is scheduled to start Tuesday and to last three weeks. Other witnesses are likely to include Depps ex-partners Vanessa Paradis and Winona Ryder, who have both submitted statements supporting the Pirates of the Caribbean star. (Read more Johnny Depp stories.) 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. (Newser) Not everyone was barbecuing and having a beer this Fourth of July. Some Americans hit the streets for sit-ins and marches in Los Angeles, Chicago, Washington, New York, and over a dozen other towns and cities to protest police brutality and shine a light on what they consider a one-sided celebration of freedom, USA Today reports. Among the protests: New York: AP photos showed protesters burning US flags near the Trump International Hotel in New York City as activists gathered in Brooklyn for a "Confronting July 4th" march and rally. A Brooklyn organizer praised the words of abolitionist Frederick Douglass"What to a slave is the Fourth of July?"saying "so much of it is still relevant. What does the Fourth of July mean to people who are still oppressed, marginalizedwho don't have all the freedoms we're supposed to have in this country?" story continues below Los Angeles : Dozens of protesters gathered in Los Angeles for a "Farce of July" event highlighting the Tongva, a native people of Southern California, the LA Times reports. Protesters called for America to appreciate the Tongva "reclamation, guidance and direction in overcoming white supremacy and recovering our interdependence and connection to Mother Earth." : Dozens of protesters gathered in Los Angeles for a "Farce of July" event highlighting the Tongva, a native people of Southern California, the LA Times reports. Protesters called for America to appreciate the Tongva "reclamation, guidance and direction in overcoming white supremacy and recovering our interdependence and connection to Mother Earth." Chicago : Hundreds of protesters assembled in Chicago to boycott the Fourth of July and heard speakers recite Douglass' famous speech about a slave's view of Independence Day, the Chicago Tribune reports. "What, to the American slave, is your Fourth of July?" the abolitionist asked, per CNN. "I answer: a day that reveals to him, more than all other days in the year, the gross injustice and cruelty to which he is the constant victim." : Hundreds of protesters assembled in Chicago to boycott the Fourth of July and heard speakers recite Douglass' famous speech about a slave's view of Independence Day, the Chicago Tribune reports. "What, to the American slave, is your Fourth of July?" the abolitionist asked, per CNN. "I answer: a day that reveals to him, more than all other days in the year, the gross injustice and cruelty to which he is the constant victim." Tallahassee : The Tallahassee Democrat reports that a hundred people protested police misconduct in Tallahassee, Fla., chanting "enough is enough" and "say their names; too many!" as they marched through the streets, some raising their fists in the air. : The Tallahassee Democrat reports that a hundred people protested police misconduct in Tallahassee, Fla., chanting "enough is enough" and "say their names; too many!" as they marched through the streets, some raising their fists in the air. Des Moines : Des Moines Black Lives Matter members gathered at the Iowa State Capital for a protest led by indigenous and black activists, the Des Moines Register reports. They demanded that authorities remove "monuments to white supremacy" in Iowa. : Des Moines Black Lives Matter members gathered at the Iowa State Capital for a protest led by indigenous and black activists, the Des Moines Register reports. They demanded that authorities remove "monuments to white supremacy" in Iowa. Atlantic City and Philadelphia: A Black Lives Matter event in Atlantic City led to seven arrests after protesters blocked the Atlantic City Expressway, the Philadelphia Inquirer reports. A Protest Police Terror rally in Philly called for the release of Mumia Abu-Jamal, who is serving life for the murder of a Philadelphia police officerand heard from Abu-Jamal speaking on a call broadcast over the megaphone. "This is a special time," he said. "A time like someone my age hasn't seen in my many years." (Read more protests stories.) (Newser) A conservative power broker told Texas' governor to have National Guard troops "shoot to kill" amid protests last month against racial injustice and police brutality, the AP reports. The Texas Tribune reports that Steve Hotze left that message in a voicemail (hear it here, with warning for language) to Republican Gov. Greg Abbotts chief of staff on the weekend of June 6. "I want you to give a message to the governor," Hotze told the chief of staff, Luis Saenz. "I want to make sure that he has National Guard down here and they have the order to shoot to kill if any of these [expletive] people start rioting like they have in Dallas, start tearing down businessesshoot to kill the [expletives]. That's the only way you restore order. Kill 'em. Thank you." story continues below Hours after the Tribune's story broke, Hotze defended his message on Facebook: "It's not about race but has everything to do with the future of Americathe freest and most progressive country in the world," he wrote. "It's about those who burn homes and businesses, including those owned by African-Americans, and attack law enforcement. Enough is enough." Yet Hotze's voicemail earned a scolding rebuke from Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas), who called it "absolutely disgusting and reprehensible." And it's unlikely to allay critics of Hotze's opposition to gubernatorial emergency orders, like the state's recent mask mandate. Hotze sued the state Friday, saying "this draconian order is contrary to the Texas spirit and invades the liberties" of the people. (Read more Texas stories.) It comes as a rehab centre says the rebranding of Dry July to "Dry-ish" July is harmful. Stella Hart was sober for almost a year before lockdown began at the end of March. Worried she'd relapse she tried to get help but nobody called her back. "Already that thought was placed in my alcoholic mind that, I might pick up a drink," Hart told Newshub. She tried to seek help before lockdown but nothing was available to her. She relapsed and started drinking again. "My health went on a very severe decline through COVID, physically, mentally," Hart said. Anaru Anderson wanted help in lockdown too but he couldn't get it. "There was no support, trying to do phone calls and messages, but it just wasn't cutting it. I became isolated," Anderson told Newshub Janet Thompson, from the Retreat Rehab Centre told Newshub an alcoholic or an addict left in their own company is in very very bad company. There aren't any official figures but detox clinics say many addicts relapsed in lockdown. "There's been a huge increase in people seeking help," Thompson said. Rachel Scaife, Haven project manager told Newshub on average the centre sees about 100 visitors through over the weekend, since lockdown they are seeing about 300 plus people. It's not just a problem in New Zealand, alcohol sales jumped almost 70 per cent in the UK in March. An editorial in the British Medical Journal said without preperation "we will see the toll of increased alcohol harm for a generation. But the New Zealand Government hasn't announced any additional help for detox services, and their need comes as some in the sector says the usually helpful Dry July may this year actually be harmful. "Saying it's dry-ish July kind of seems to say that it's okay to use alcohol to help you get through stressful times," Thompson says. Dry July CEO Brett MacDonald declined an interviewed but in a statement said the change to 'Dry-ish' was to "encourage more people to get involved". Both Stella Hart and and Anaru Anderson will be having a dry July, They've been sober for two months now. Both are crossing their fingers we don't go back into lockdown. By Harriet Robinson for RNZ Protesters marched through Wellington's CBD on Saturday, in solidarity with similar protests in the US and calling for better support for the black transgender and non-binary community in Aotearoa. The Black Trans Lives Matter march ended outside Parliament, where about 200 people gathered to listen to guest speakers. Organiser Chinwe Okomah said the Black Lives Matter movement in New Zealand so far had been "fantastic and powerful", but the experiences and voices of the most vulnerable members of the black community had been missing from it. She said the "black transgender, non-binary and queer" population is small, but they still need to be heard. Okomah said the event was "not for them to be here marching to say that their lives matter" but for the people showing up to demonstrate their support for the community. A New Zealand teacher has been found dead in a rental room in Cambodia, local media report. Kiwi man Daniel Lee Robinson was discovered at his rented house in Siem Reap city, according to Cambodian media outlet CNE. An examination by a court physician found the 63-year-old had died from a heart attack about two days before his body was found. According to Cambodian police, Robinson had been working as a teacher in the area of Svay Dangkum, the northwest of Cambodia. Cambodian officials told CNE Robinson's body will be temporarily stored in Phnom Penh before discussions with his family and the New Zealand Embassy in Thailand over the next steps. New Zealand authorities say they're aware of the death, but will not comment. "The Ministry is aware of the death, and for privacy reasons, we are unable to provide further details," a spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade told media. The forecaster said Fiordland could expect between 130 and 190mm of rain between 3pm Saturday and 9pm Sunday. "Heavy rain may cause streams and rivers to rise rapidly," MetService said in its warning. "Surface flooding and slips are also possible and driving conditions may be hazardous." Late Saturday morning, MetService said it also expected similar amounts of rain in Otago. Westland, meanwhile, can expect between 200 and 250mm between 10am Saturday and 10pm Sunday and snow above 1400m. Eighteen active cases have been caught in the quarantine net but when it came to keeping their information secret there was a snag. The patients' names, their dates of birth and contact details were sent to several media outlets. Not even the patient in Auckland City Hospital was spared. "Somebody clearly had it who shouldn't have had it. If it was a malicious act, then clearly there will be consequences for whoever did that. It is not okay," Hipkins said. National too says the leak is "unacceptable" - but blames the Government for it. "Government had been struggling to join information up where people had had tests or not had tests, and the Government didn't even know about it," National Health spokesperson Michael Woodhouse said. "Now we know that the information they did have, they could hardly keep secure, and that's highly unacceptable." The Ministry of Health regularly reveals the sex of confirmed cases, their age group and where they've flown from. It also shows the facility they were staying in when they confirmed positive, and if they've been moved to another facility like the Jet Park hotel near Auckland Airport. But the ministry does not reveal any other identifying details. The Privacy Commissioner is yet to receive any complaints from the COVID patients, but was told of the leak on Friday. "It is concerning. You know it's hard to imagine more sensitive information than people's health information and that shouldn't be circulating in the way that this document clearly is," Privacy Commissioner John Edwards said. Hipkins has asked the States Services Commission to investigate, so he isn't pointing fingers just yet. However he says the information is mainly in the hands of staff at managed isolation facilities. "The chain of people who could have had access to this information is not an unlimited one," he says. National says it isn't them. "I have absolutely no knowledge of the information or how it got into the public domain," Woodhouse said. The Government hasn't contacted the COVID patients but is apologising through the media. "I unreservedly apologise on behalf of the New Zealand Government," Hipkins said earlier today. A baptism of fire for the new Minister of Health, fronting the latest COVID controversy. Despite his resignation, Ardern told Newshub Nation on Saturday Dr Clark had "all of the knowledge and the technical knowledge" to lead the country's health response to the pandemic. "We've always put the COVID recovery first, and at that time, we were at the height of our response. I wanted to prioritise continuity, I wanted to prioritise holding onto the knowledge base that the minister had in driving our response, and my view that that was not the time to lose a Health Minister." She said Dr Clark's skills and knowhow helped New Zealand eliminate the virus. All the country's current cases are in people arriving from overseas - despite tens of thousands of tests being carried out over the past few weeks, zero evidence of local transmission has been found. Newshub Nation host Tova O'Brien put it to Ardern that Dr Clark was "incompetent" and wouldn't have been able to handle another outbreak of the virus, which has killed more than half-a-million people overseas. "Obviously minister Clark himself has reflected on what's happened in that period of time, and of course, prioritised our COVID response by making the choice to stand down," said Ardern. "I would still reflect, though, that we are a country that is in a unique position, because of the work that's been done, because of the work of our health officials, but also his role has meant that New Zealand is in that position in the first place. So I would not characterise him in that way." Ardern said in a Facebook video on Saturday the new slogan was a "rallying call". But not dissimilar to its last slogan "Let's do this", the internet has reacted in its usual mixed way. "The new Labour slogan just reminds me of the Madagascar movie," one Twitter user said, referring to the song which featured in the animated film - I Like to Move It by Reel 2 Real ft The Mad Stuntman. It could also be a lifeline for one of the country's oldest industries. "The wool industry is really struggling at the moment," says William Beetham, Federated Farmers' new meat and wool industry group chairman. "And that's a real frustration for farmers and for the entire wool industry when we know how fantastic this product is." Craig Smith, chair of the National Council of New Zealand Wool Interests, supports the petition, but thinks it shouldn't be necessary. "I think it's extremely exciting that there is a petition out there but I'm extremely disappointed that it comes to this to put pressure on the Government to hopefully make it happen," he told Newshub. "We all know that wool's one of the most exciting fibres and products in the world but it's really unfortunate that the Government doesn't seem to see it that way." He accused the Government of "greenwashing", saying the failure to use local sustainable products in public buildings goes against its claims of being focused on the environment. "How can the Government, any sector of the Government, in their own right mind put synthetic carpets or insulation into their houses," he said. "I just don't see how the two go hand in hand...to the point now where I really am believing that this Government is greenwashing. They need to actually start stumping up." Smith said if he had his way wool would be everywhere in public buildings. "There's only one product that's allowed to go in there regarding carpets and insulations and furnishings - and it has to be 100 percent New Zealand wool. That is the only outcome that really is acceptable to our industry and the farming sector, and the primary industries sector. "I know that is not going to solve the crossbred wool price overnight but at least it shows that our Government does actually walk the walk. Because at the moment there's a lot of talking and not a lot of doing, and everyone's getting extremely frustrated about that." Agriculture Minister 'fully supportive' of more wool use When asked what he thought of the petition, Agriculture Minister Damien O'Connor said he was "fully supportive" of using wool products in public buildings. "Our primary sector produces important sustainable products that could support our construction industry," O'Connor told Newshub. "I'm a strong believer in the sustainable qualities that wool has to offer. Compared to the synthetic or petroleum-based textiles and insulation used in construction, wool is a natural product that is less toxic, and fire retardant. Wool is an available resource that is biodegradable and easy to dispose of. An increasing focus of its use in construction would not only support the wool sector in recovery but also send a signal about the sustainability and human health benefits wool offers over other materials." A working group involving the Government and industry was set up last year to find a solution to the industry's struggles, though publication of its report, expected months ago, has been delayed. O'Connor said the group had recently reported back to him with a number of suggestions and the report was set to be released "shortly". One option is to treat any child with a cold who tests positive for the virus. But since 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. Shamokin, PA (17872) Today Scattered thunderstorms early, then variable clouds overnight with more showers at times. Low 62F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 50%.. Tonight Scattered thunderstorms early, then variable clouds overnight with more showers at times. Low 62F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 50%. TDT | Manama Are you thinking of becoming a teacher? If then, the time has come for you to reach Bahrain Teachers College (BTC). Especially if you have a bachelors degree. BTC is inviting application from eligible candidate for its 2020-2021 programme. Registration will start on Sunday and run until Thursday. To apply log on to ministrys portal www.moe.gov.bh.Eligibility criteria Prospective candidates have to be Bahraini nationals, holders of the high school degree (unified tracks, vocational apprenticeship, advanced stream, technical and religious tracks), with a minimum cumulative average of 80 per cent. Public and private school candidates have to be a graduate of the academic year (2019- 2020) or the two previous ones, who have completed 12 school years and have registered with the University of Bahrain. Students who were excluded from the University of Bahrain or the Bahrain Teachers Colleges are not allowed to register. Eligible candidates should pass evaluation tests, physical and medical fitness, and have a clean legal record unless rehabilitated, and good conduct. www.uob.edu.bh UoB admission criteria are available on the universitys portal (www.uob.edu.bh). For queries and follow up, dial Human Resources Directorate hotline: 17278222. Of course, America has a racist past, and much has yet to be done, but statues of Columbus should also remind us of how the struggles of our historical heroes also helped make much of what is good in America today. Their memory should be treasured and respected or at least placed in the proper context of the time in which they lived, not reviled and desecrated. When the Rev. Henry Wight arrived at the First Congregational Church in Bristol, R.I., in 1785, he was a 33-year-old veteran of the Revolutionary War. His church, which consisted of just 36 members, had just built a new building and was looking forward to engaging with the wider community in new ways. Wight had a very specific idea for what the First Congregational Church might bring to the town of Bristol. He thought the community should observe patriotic exercises on the Fourth of July, and that very year he initiated the first such celebration. Strictly speaking, this wasnt the first time Americans had set the Fourth of July apart for commemoration. Previous celebrations, however, had been small and localized. For whatever reason, it was Wights vision for the holiday that caught on and spread across the new country. Bristol became the birthplace of the holiday we now know as Independence Day. Wight played the role of patriotic speaker, which involved reading the Declaration of Independence out loud and exhorting the assembled crowd to give thanks for the veterans who won the war and the new nations freedoms. He would continue to do so for more than 40 Fourth of July celebrations to come. As a minister at a New England congregational church myself, I was amused when I learned about Wights connection to the holiday I grew up celebrating amused, but not surprised. Congregationalism came to America with the Pilgrims in 1620; you dont have to look very hard to find examples of congregationalists playing important roles in our nations history. Over the course of more than two hundred years, it shouldnt surprise anyone that those roles have been both positive and negative. As congregationalists, we have much to be proud of, but we also have much for which we should repent. For both purposes, it is necessary to begin by recognizing that our coreligionists have left an indelible mark on American history. Personally, I think Wight is a part of our history we can be proud of, but not only because of his role in establishing Independence Day as a national holiday. On its own, thats nothing but an interesting bit of trivia. But when you look at it in the larger context of Wights life, it takes on a deeper meaning. The more Ive learned about Wight, the more impressed Ive been by him. He was not a minister who was content to preach in his church on Sundays, provide pastoral care when necessary, and otherwise remain isolated from the concerns of his community. On the contrary, he sought out a second profession, and became a doctor as well as a minister. For years, members of the First Congregational Church who fell ill could count on their pastor to bring them both spiritual counsel and medicine. Wight also believed his congregation had a religious obligation to help the less fortunate. Bristols poor knew that they could visit his church and be provided with food and medical services, no questions asked. Wight loved his country. That much is clear from his decadeslong commitment to leading the people of Bristol in their Fourth of July celebrations. More than that, though, he understood that the love of ones country cannot come before the love of ones neighbor. He showed his regard for his nation by being a staunch advocate for other people in that nation. This year, Independence Day celebrations will not look like they have in years past. Most local fireworks shows have been canceled, and social distancing has thrown a wrench into many peoples backyard barbeque plans. Im as sad about this as anyone; pyrotechnical displays and cheeseburgers are dear to my heart. However, Wights story reminds me that Independence Day is about more than just the festivities weve come to associate it with. Anyone can cheer as the night sky lights up in red, white and blue, but that doesnt actually say very much about whether or not you love your country. Loving our country is a year-round affair. It requires us to work for the good of all our neighbors, especially our neighbors who are at risk of being left behind. Wight knew that. This Fourth of July, the lessons of his life are lessons Ill take to heart, and I hope my church and my wider community will as well. The Rev. Jane E. Moran is a faith leader at First Church of Christ, Congregational in Redding. She can be contacted at jane.eliz.moran@gmail.com or 203-938-2004. MP Board class 10th result 2020 declared: The Madhya Pradesh board has announced MP Board class 10th results. Other than the official websites, students can check their results on some other websites and mobile apps as well. Here's a complete list. Madhya Pradesh board has announced the result of class 10 or Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) on its official websites mpbse.nic.in and mpresults.nic.in today. As per a previous notice issued by the board, the result was scheduled to go live today at 12 pm. This year, over 10 lakh students appeared in MP Board class 10th exams. The exams were conducted by the board in the month of March but they couldnt be completed due to coronavirus outbreak. For the remaining exams, students were allotted marks based on the average of internal assessment. The board has allowed several other website hosts to upload the results as well. The websites are, mpbseresults.nic.in, fastresults.in, mpbse.mponline.gov.in Students are advised to cross-check their results from the official website as well to ensure authenticity. This year, students will be passed based on their best 3 papers. If a student fails in one subject but passes in 3, he/she will be promoted to the next class. How to check MP Board result 2020: Step 1. Go to the official website mpbse.nic.in Step 2. Youll be directed to the homepage of the website. Click on the link that says MP Board 10th result 2020 Step 3. Enter your login credentials in the login menu that appears. Step 4. Your MP Board 10th result will open with your subject wise scorecard. Step 5. You can now access, print, and download your result. Also read: 2020 Board Examinations: An emotional rollercoaster for students amidst the pandemic Also read: DU releases date sheets for open-book exams of SOL and NCWEB How to check MP Board 10th result on mobile apps: This year, students will be able to check their MP Board class 10th result 2020 through mobile apps as well. The first app in the series is, MPBSE Mobile app, second is MP Mobile app and third, being Fastresults app. They are available on Google Play Store. MP Mobile app is available on Windows Play Store as well. 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 The University Grants Commission (UGC) is expected to announce new guidelines and academic calendar for its final year exams anytime soon. Reports are rife that the guidelines will be out in a day or two. The University Grants Commission (UGC) is expected to release on final year exams and a new academic calendar anytime soon. Reports say the final year exams in universities and other institutes, which were to be conducted in the month of July, will most probably be cancelled in the wake of ongoing coronavirus outbreak and the new session/semester will begin in October. MHA has instructed all schools and colleges to remain closed till July 31 in its latest guidelines. Union Human Resource Development (HRD) minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank has asked UGC to review its guidelines and academic calendar due to increasing number of coronavirus cases in India. On June 24, the Press Trust of India (PTI) said that the revised guidelines should be announced by UGC within the week. The Gujarat government had earlier announced that exams would be conducted in state-owned facilities and proper social distancing shall be followed. However, this decision was reversed hours after being announced due to the orders given by the Union HRD Ministry. In the meantime, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, and Maharashtra, Punjab and Rajasthan have cancelled examinations of all university students. They will be graded based on their previous performance. , Ashok Gehlot (@ashokgehlot51) July 4, 2020 CM @capt_amarinder Singh postpones exams for Exit classes in all universities of state till July 15 amid concerns by students & parents over safe conduct of exams amid #Covid_19 pandemic. But makes it clear that final decision on the subject will depend on new #UGCGuidelines pic.twitter.com/2yG7GaXgJK CMO Punjab (@CMOPb) June 28, 2020 Also read: Microsoft to help 25 million people acquire new digital skills Also read: ICAI cancels May 2020 examinations, to merge with November 2020 attempt A panel has been put together by UGC to revise its guidelines and the academic calendar, are in the process of making appropriate changes. This panel is led by R.C. Kuhad, the vice-chancellor at Haryana University. Students and parents alike are hoping for the exams to be cancelled altogether. Now that the Kuhad committee's report has come in, can we please get the revised guidelines? We've been waiting for too long @ugc_india #ScrapOBE #DUAgainstOnlineExams pic.twitter.com/Cf4wnjtyy1 Anwesha (@anweshasahoo2) July 3, 2020 I don't know why @ugc_india is taking so much time to release new guidelines. Does the Kuhad committee acknowledges why students and their families want exams to be cancelled. Please listen to student voices before any decision.@DrRPNishank #NoExamsInCovid @ashokgehlot51 Yomesh Paliwal (@paliwal_yomesh) July 2, 2020 Year 2020-21 is practically a Zero Academic Year in India now. Govt must accept it and take decisions accordingly. Reduce school, college, Univ fee by 50% at least. Plan for entrance exams through online / remote-proctored methods. Accept the inevitable and move on. Ideas? Sandeep Manudhane (@sandeep_PT) July 4, 2020 Also read: MP Board 10th result announced: Check your results @mpbse.nic.in For all the latest Education and Jobs News, download NewsX App Prime Minister Modi has launched the 'Aatmanirbhar Bharat App Innovation Challenge' to encourage the creation of Made in India apps; challenge will endorse both creation of new apps and promotion of those existing. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday launched Aatmanirbhar Bharat App Innovation Challenge to facilitate the techies and start-up community to create world-class Made in India Apps. The challenge is an endeavour of Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology and Atal Innovation Mission. Taking to Twitter, Prime Minister said that there is immense enthusiasm among the tech and start-up community to create world class Made in India Apps. Today there is immense enthusiasm among the tech & start-up community to create world class Made in India Apps. To facilitate their ideas and products @GoI_MeitY and @AIMtoInnovate are launching the Aatmanirbhar Bharat App Innovation Challenge, he tweeted. Today there is immense enthusiasm among the tech & start-up community to create world class Made in India Apps. To facilitate their ideas and products @GoI_MeitY and @AIMtoInnovate are launching the Aatmanirbhar Bharat App Innovation Challenge. https://t.co/h0xqjEwPko Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) July 4, 2020 Also read: JioMeet: Reliance Jios take on Zoom Also read: Google News to partner with local news publishers to widen coverage on Covid-19 In another tweet, Prime Minister Modi urged tech community to participate. This challenge is for you if you have such a working product or if you feel you have the vision and expertise to create such products. I urge all my friends in the tech community to participate. Sharing my thoughts in my @LinkedIn post, he tweeted attaching LinkedIn post. This challenge is for you if you have such a working product or if you feel you have the vision and expertise to create such products. I urge all my friends in the tech community to participate. Sharing my thoughts in my @LinkedIn post. https://t.co/aO5cMYi4SH Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) July 4, 2020 In his LinkedIn post, PM Modi wrote, Nowadays, we are seeing huge interest and enthusiasm among the start-up and tech ecosystem to innovate, develop and promote homegrown apps. Today, when the entire nation is working towards creating an Aatmanirbhar Bharat, it is a good opportunity to give direction to their efforts, momentum to their hard-work and mentorship to their talent to evolve Apps which can satisfy our market as well as compete with the world. He wrote that this challenge will run in two tracksPromotion of existing apps and development of new apps. Track-01 will work in mission mode for identifying good quality Apps for the leader-board and shall be completed in around a month. Track-02 initiative will work to help create new champions in India by providing support in ideation, incubation, prototyping and roll out along with market access, he wrote in the post. The outcome of this challenge will be to give better visibility and clarity to existing Apps to achieve their goals, and to create tech products to find solutions to tech conundrums with the help of mentorship, tech support and guidance during the entire life-cycle, he wrote. Prime Minister Modi in his post said that there is tremendous scope among these sectors for new Apps that solve specific issues for India and the world. Can we think of making traditional Indian games more popular via Apps? Can we develop Apps with targeted and smart access to the right age group for learning, gaming, etc? Can we develop gaming apps for people in rehabilitation or getting counselling to help them in their journey? There are many such questions and technology alone can give answers in a creative manner, said PM Modi. Recently, the government has banned 59 mobile apps linked to China including Tik Tok, UC Browser, Helo, YouCam makeup and Mi Community in view of the information available that they are engaged in activities which are prejudicial to sovereignty and integrity and defence of the country. Almost all the apps banned on Monday have some preferential Chinese interest and the majority have parent Chinese companies. The ban came amid border tensions with China in Eastern Ladakh. Also read: Dont fret, follow me on Instagram: Tik Tokers to their fans after ban For all the latest Gadgets News, download NewsX App If Trump was president when Nazi Germany attacked, Congress would pass a war resolution granting powers to the president to direct the response of the U.S. The president would have the power to direct the states to follow his orders and to demand private businesses to alter/change what they manufacture. Indian Army on Saturday has released a statement that stating that it is unfortunate that aspersions are being cast on how armed personnel are treated. Indian Army on Saturday said that there have been malicious and unsubstantiated accusations regarding the state of the facility visited by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his visit to the General Hospital at Leh on Friday. Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Ladakh with no prior notice or announcement on Friday, he interacted with the forces who are on duty. He met the soldiers who are undergoing treatment after the India-China standoff and told them that they are the inspiration of future generations. The Army said that The Armed Forces give the best possible treatment to their personnel and It is unfortunate that aspersions are being cast on how our brave Armed Forces are treated. The Army clarified that the facility is part of the crisis expansion capacity of 100 beds and is very much part of the General Hospital complex. The statement also said that the COVID-19 protocol had necessitated some wards of the General Hospital to be converted into isolation facilities. Hence, this hall which otherwise was normally used as a Training Audio Video Hall was converted into a ward ever since the hospital was also designated as COVID treatment hospital. Also read: Caste-ghost haunts in Andhra, community angle surfaces when some leader is arrested Also read: Priyanka backs Sonia Gandhis demand for OBC reservation in NEET The forces of both India and China are in a standoff in various regions of eastern Ladakh for several weeks now. The army further noted that the injured have been kept there since their arrival from Galwan to ensure quarantine from COVID-19 areas. The Chief of Army Staff General MM Naravane and the Army Commander also visited the injured soldiers in the same location. Also read: Mars Orbiter Mission: ISRO shares image of mysterious moon Phobos For all the latest National News, download NewsX App Indian Americans have called for Boycott China, a protest demonstration against China at the iconic Times Square in New York. This protest comes in the aftermath of the deadly border clash in the Himalayas that left 20 Indian soldiers dead and 76 injured. Despite the impact of coronavirus in New York, the demonstration saw dozens of Indian origin Americans standing in solidarity with members of the Tibetan community and Taiwanese Americans. Since the Galwan standoff between India and China, anti-China protests have broken out in several cities in the United States and scenes in New York looked no different as people were seen holding placards, raising the Indian and Tibetan national flags along with chanting pro-India and anti-china slogans. 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 The protestors believe that even though the boycott China campaign has already been more successful than anticipated, there is still a lot to be done apart from simply stalling the use of Chinese products. Pegged as the three Ts to defeat China, the protestors stressed and demanded to put an end on Trade- the boycott of Chinese products, complete independence of Tibet and total support of Taiwan. Protestors at Times Square also pressed on how the three Ts can be successfully handled by a global coalition led by mainly three world leaders Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, U.S President Donald Trump and Prime Minister of Japan Shinzo Abe. Jagdish Sewhani, President of the American India Public Affairs Committee, who has been at the forefront of calls for the boycott on China protest in New York, described China as a rogue communist regime, that is displaying its naked aggression against its neighbors including India I say it rogue, because the way it is treating its own people in Hong Kong, it has been busy doing ethnic cleansing against the peace-loving people of Tibet. And now it is doing the same against the Muslims / Uyghurs in Xinjiang province of China, Sewhani told ANI. Joining Sewhani and the Indian community in the protest were also Tibetan and Taiwanese activists living in asylum in the United States. Addressing the gathered protestors Dorjee Tseten, Member of Tibetan Parliament in Exile & Executive Director, Students for a Free Tibet said that the people of Tibet strongly condemn the Chinese military intrusions on Indian soil. We call India and world governments to take immediate multilateral action against Beijings authoritarian rule by rejecting the One China Policy in theory and practice, Dorjee told ANI. The protestors also told ANI that similar demonstrations will be seen in other parts of the country in the coming days. Also read: US calls Chinas stance along India-China border a larger pattern of its aggression For all the latest National News, download NewsX App M.Bhaskar Rao, a former chairman of the Market Yard, was stabbed using a blade dipped in cyanide by unknown assailants on June 29. It is no hidden secret that caste plays a major role in politics of Andhra Pradesh. However, to what extent? Is the question. The arrest of former TDP minister Kollu Ravindra for the murder of a BC leader Bhaskar Rao from Machilipatnam who was brutally stabbed to death in broad daylight on Friday has become a major political flashpoint in the state. On the 29th of June, M.Bhaskar Rao , a former chairman of the Market Yard was stabbed using a blade dipped in cyanide by unknown assailants. The family of the victim have been demanding he arrest of the former TDP minister Kollu Ravindra since day 1. After preliminary investigation, 3 of the accused including a minor were arrested by the local police on Thursday. After interrogating the 3 accused , the name of ex minister Ravindra surfaced. Also read: Priyanka backs Sonia Gandhis demand for OBC reservation in NEET Also read: Key responsibilities given to old guards in YSRCP: Jagans confidante Vijay Sai Reddy gets all party affiliates So Ravindra was arrested when he as in his way to visakhapatnam last night . the Telugu Desam Party lead by its president and former CM Chandra Babu Naidu alleged that this government is anti BCs so that one after another BC leaders like Ravindra , Achemnaidu were arrested. The former CM portrayed this arrest as anti-BC. The former CM took to Twitter to drive the narrative home. Using the hashtag #AnotherBCLeaderHarassedByYCP , Naidu put out a serious of tweets calling this vendetta politics. But the government of Andhra representatives and MPs like Vijay Sai reddy countered the ex CM by saying law does not discriminate on the basis of caste and the person who was murdered was also BC leader . And the law is equal to all . Whenever there is a case or arrest of any leader , the caste angle becomes a big issue. The narratives are changed on the basis of caste. Also read: YSRCP seeks disqualification of rebel MP, Vijay Sai Reddy says he gives up membership voluntarily For all the latest National News, download NewsX App YSRCP president and Andhra Pradesh CM Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy has chosen three of his closest aides and entrusted them with the responsibility of handling the party affairs in three regions of the state namely Northern Andhra, Rayalaseema and coastal Andhra. Rajya Sabha MP and YSRCP National General Secretary, V.Vijay Sai Reddy , TTD chairman and senior leaders YV Subba Reddy and Sajjala Ramakrishna Reddy see known to be close aides of Andhra Pradesh CM, YS Jagan Mohan Reddy. Similar to popular belief , the party rolled out key posts to these senior leaders. While chartered accountant turned politician Vijay Sai Reddy has been given the responsibility to handle party affairs in the key districts of North Andhra Visakhapatnam and Vizainagaram which became all the more important since the Government announced its decision to shift the executive capital to Visakhapatnam. Since Vijay Sai Reddy has already been doing a lot of developmental work based out of Visakhapatnam from Covid 19 awareness camps to Investment summits . The port city is going to centre of administation soon and its the biggest city in Andhra Pradesh. Also read: YSRCP seeks disqualification of rebel MP, Vijay Sai Reddy says he gives up membership voluntarily Also read: Andhra Pradesh: Murdered fishermans wife seeks justice, arrest of former TDP minister These districts which are usually said to be bastions of opposition TDP, handling them is not easy job for Vijay Sai Reddy thats why he travels every nook and corner of them to run as YSRCP bastions. Not only these district responsibilities for the party, he is entrusted with responsibilities of Partys affiliated organisations. Already He is the Chief of parliamentary party of YSRCP. Vijay Sai Reddy has been CM Jagans right hand man since the inception of YSRCP and a back bone for the party. He was with Jagans father YSR before that . He stood firmly beside Jagan Mohan Reddy in his difficult times . He prepared strategies both at state and New Delhi which ensured victory. Whatever big responsibilities are given to him, Vijay Sai says he is ready to work at any level for Jagan Mohan Reddy with a great spirit and discharge Whatever responsibilities are given. Ex journalist Sajjala Ramakrishna Reddy who is known to be close to Jagans family has been tasked with the Kurnool, Ananthapur, Kadapa, Nellore and Prakasam districts with an added responsibility of overseeing party activities at the party headquarters. CMs uncle and TTD board chairman Subba Reddy will be the incharge for West Godavari, East Godavari, Krishna, Guntur and Chittoor districts . This allocation becomes all the more important considering the fact that the ruling party will have to start from scratch when the revised dates for the local body polls which were unilaterally postponed by the SEC citing the Corona outbreak as the reason. Also read: After PMs Ladakh visit, China calls for refrain on any action that may escalate LAC situation For all the latest National News, download NewsX App Priyanka Gandhi tweets support for Sonia's "legitimate demand" on OBC reservation in NEET, medical institutions; pens letter to the Prime Minister citing need for social justice. Lending her support to Congress President Sonia Gandhis demand for reservation of seats for Other Backward Class (OBC) students in medical institutions in the states and union territories under the national quota in the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET), AICC General Secretary in-charge of eastern Uttar Pradesh, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Saturday said the demand is legitimate and would ensure social justice. Taking to Twitter Vadra wrote in Hindi, Congress President Sonia Gandhi has raised the legitimate demand for reservation for OBC students in medical institutions in the states and union territories under the national quota in the seats being filled by NEET. This is a demand for social justice. It is expected that the Central Government will implement this. Sonia Gandhi in a letter to the Prime Minister wrote, I would like to bring your attention, denial of reservation for OBC candidates under All-India Quota being filled through NEET, in State/UT Medical education institutions. Also read: Priyanka Gandhi calls party meeting over UPs law and order situation Also read: YSRCP seeks disqualification of rebel MP, Vijay Sai Reddy says he gives up membership voluntarily NEET pic.twitter.com/32M2rdtvoF Priyanka Gandhi Vadra (@priyankagandhi) July 4, 2020 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) candidtates respectively, in both Central and State/UT Medical education institutions. However, reservation for OBC candidates under All India Quota is restricted to Central Institutions, she added. 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, the letter read. The 93rd Constitution 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 inadmission to educational institutions including private educational institutions, whether aided or unaided by the State, other than the minority educational institutions, the letter further read. Denial of the reservation to OBCs in the state medical institution All India Quota, being administered by government of India, violates the very objective of the 93rd Constitution Amendment and is a barrier to access medical education for deserving OBC candidates, Sonia Gandhi wrote. 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 the State/UT Medical education institutions, she added. Also read: Ban on International flights extended till July 31: DGCA For all the latest National News, download NewsX App The Himachal Pradesh government is likely to open tourism in a week. Tourists will have to carry proof of Covid-19 negative test results from an authorised lab. Himachal Pradesh has decided to open the state for tourists and the tourism department of the state government will issue standard operating procedures (SOPs) for the functioning of the tourism industry. The government has made it mandatory for tourists to show COVID-19 negative test reports from an ICMR recognised lab. Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur said that on the basis of the guidelines from Ministry of Home Affairs, there will not be any restrictions on movements of people. We have taken up the matter to MHA that registrations would be mandatory and we would keep a record if someone is tested positive and this record will help in contact tracing. As far as tourism is concerned, the tourists will have to come minimum for five to seven days and SOPs would be issued by Monday, Thakur said. We have also made negative COVID-19 test mandatory for tourists, there are two points on it we would see it. We are also studying the other states who have started it. In two-three days time by Monday SOPs would be finalised. Tourism is likely to begin in a weeks time. This is peak time of tourism in the state. We are trying this for revival of economy in the region as tourism has ben shut for long here, added Thakur. Also Read: Complete lockdown in Bengaluru for 33 hours due to Covid-19 surge Also Read: WHO team to visit China next week to investigate origins of coronavirus Thakur further stated that he has held meetings with Deputy Commissioners and Block Development Officers for development projects regarding interacting with the beneficiaries of different schemes. Meetings with the officials for finance and review of the budget approval were also headed by the Chief Minister. Also Read: Kolkata restricts flights from Delhi, Mumbai and others from July 6 Canada has also joined the international community in expressing strong concern over Chinas new national security legislation in Hong Kong and updated advisory warning citizens from travelling to the special administrative region citing potential impacts of the new legislation. Canadas foreign minister Francois-Philippe Champagne said in a statement posted on his official Twitter page on Friday that This legislation was enacted in a secretive process, without the participation of Hong Kongs legislature, judiciary or people and in violation of international obligations. Canada takes action following passage of National Security Legislation for Hong Kong. Read my statement: pic.twitter.com/VnAsgsOdNT Francois-Philippe Champagne (FPC) (@FP_Champagne) July 3, 2020 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. Hong Kongs role as a global hub was built on that foundation. Without it, Canada is forced to reassess existing arrangements, he said. Also read: WHO team to visit China next week to investigate origins of coronavirus Also read: Boycott China: Indian Americans, Taiwanese Americans and Tibetans protest at Times Square Effective immediately, Canada will treat exports of sensitive goods to Hong Kong in the same way as those designated for China. Canada will not permit the export of sensitive military items to Hong Kong, the Canadian minister added. Canada has also suspended the Canada-Hong Kong extradition treaty. The Government of Canada will continue to work with partners to protect human rights and the rule of law around the world, Champagne said. Canada will continue to support the many meaningful exchanges between Canada and Hong Kong, while standing up for the people of Hong Kong, he said further. According to media reports, several pro-democracy activists are fleeing their homeland. Nathan Law, a former lawmaker and pro-democracy activist, on Thursday, announced on his Facebook that he has left Hong Kong, with China imposing the national security law in the city. Chinese government has appointed Zheng Yanxiong as head of a powerful new agency being established in Hong Kong to oversee implementation of controversial national security law. The Chinese Parliament on Tuesday passed the controversial legislation for Hong Kong, ignoring the worldwide outcry and protest in the semi-autonomous city against the law. The Hong Kong government has no jurisdiction over the national security agency in Hong Kong and its staff when they were discharging duties provided in the law. According to the new law, arson and vandalising public transport with an intent to intimidate the Hong Kong government or Chinese government for political purposes will constitute acts of terrorism, the Hong Kong Free Press reported. The law also states that certain national security cases will be held behind closed doors without juries in Hong Kong if they contained state secrets, although the verdict and eventual judgements would be made public. As per the new law, Beijing will be setting up an office for safeguarding national security in Hong Kong, with personnel dispatched from relevant Chinese security agencies. Also read: After Pompeo, Haley backs Indias decision to ban Chinese apps For all the latest World News, download NewsX App The international pressure stems from China's dealing of the Covid-19 strain, as clashes with forward regions in India and treatment of Uyghur Muslims become common topics of discussion among locals in Pakistan, compelling it to alter its China policy at a tangible level. Pressure is mounting on the Pakistan government to review its China policy or risk the prospect of facing global isolation and condemnation along with China in the wake of Chinas clash with India in Eastern Ladakh. Informed sources have revealed that the Foreign Office has told Imran Khans PMO that unless Pakistan did a quick course correction on its China relationship, it would face the wrath of the worlds major economic powers who were determined to isolate China consequent to the clash with India and Chinas behaviour during the Covid pandemic. The first indication of what awaits Pakistan for its blind support to China was the manner in which the European Union banned the national airline PIA from landing in Europe. Pakistan has made all-out efforts to convince the EU that only internationally qualified pilots would fly those routes but the EU refuses to listen. The European nations are moving to isolate China at the diplomatic level for its aggressive stance against India and here Pakistani sources believe that Islamabad could face collateral damage. Also read: Philippines warns China of severest response on drill exercises in South China Sea Also read: Canada advises citizens against travelling to Hong Kong Already there is great anger against China in Pakistan, especially in Balochistan and in Gilgit Baltistan at the manner in which Pakistans resources are being exploited by China under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor or CPEC to the detriment of local people. The Baloch and the people of Gilgit Baltistan are denied local jobs, as Chinese companies prefer to bring in cheap Chinese labourers to do the tasks. Moreover, the Chinese companies are unmindful of local customs and traditions and have kept themselves aloof from local people and are, therefore, viewed with suspicion. The word has also spread that China has usurped land in India and could do the same in forward areas in Pakistan. Getting swamped by Chinese culture is a definite fear among the people of Gilgit-Baltistan, who have expressed their concern to several officials. News reports of the cruel treatment of ethnic Uighur Muslims by the Chinese government are also the topic of conversation in many religious WhatsApp groups. Also read: WHO team to visit China next week to investigate origins of coronavirus For all the latest World News, download NewsX App Philippine foreign secretary expressed concern over China's naval exercises around territory in South China Sea, asked China to exercise self-restraint or be ready to face Philippines' response. The Philippines has warned Beijing of the severest response if ongoing Chinese military exercises in the disputed South China Sea spill over into Philippine territory. Philippine Foreign Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr., in a video message cited by CNN on Friday, was quoted as saying that the Chinese Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) has been conducting naval exercises around Paracel Islands since July 1. The disputed Paracel Islands in the South China Sea is being claimed by China and Vietnam. Also read: WHO team to visit China next week to investigate origins of coronavirus Also read: Boycott China: Indian Americans, Taiwanese Americans and Tibetans protest at Times Square Locsin said that 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 added. He cited the diplomatic protest earlier filed by the Philippines over Chinas creation of two new districts in what it calls Sansha City. Chinas self-proclaimed districts include the Xisha or Paracel Islands and some areas Manila claims and occupies as part of the West Philippine Sea. Locsin said 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 recognise the Philippines 2016 win at the Permanent Court of Arbitration, which invalidates Beijings sweeping claim to almost the entire South China Sea, the media reported. In a similar move last month, Vietnam had objected to Chinas recent reported laying of undersea cables in the disputed Paracel Islands, saying it was a violation of Vietnamese sovereignty. Also read: India briefs Japan on LAC situation amid tensions with China For all the latest World News, download NewsX App The announcement comes more than 6 months after the first report on an apparent outbreak was reported in Wuhan; role of an intermediate animal in the spread of the virus will also be investigated. Amid global concerns that China delayed giving information regarding the novel coronavirus outbreak, a team of WHO (World Health Organisation) will visit the country next week to investigate the origins of the virus and its spread to human beings. The visit will take place more than six months after the WHOs Country Office in China picked up a statement from the Wuhan Municipal Health Commission on cases of viral pneumonia. WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus spoke in January about an agreement with China for sending a team of international experts as soon as possible to work on increasing the understanding of the outbreak. COVID-19 has killed over 500,000 people in the world and cases and deaths are increasing by the day. Also read: Global coronavirus tally touches 11 million Also read: India briefs Japan on LAC situation amid tensions with China In an exclusive interview with ANI, Dr Soumya Swaminathan, Chief Scientist, WHO said that a thorough investigation needs to be done into the origins of the virus. She said that the WHO has been working with the Chinese government for the visit. A team is going to China next week to investigate the origins of the virus, Swaminathan told ANI. What is needed now is a good investigation going back before December to find out where and how it jumped from animal to human. Was there any intermediate animal or not or it directly jumped from bat to humans which are also possible? Bats have been implicated in other viral diseases Nipah for example. It is possible it came directly. It is also possible that there was an intermediate animal-like in the case of SARS. That thorough investigation still needs to be done, she said. Dr Swaminathan said that the Chinese government had reported an outbreak of typical pneumonia cases from Wuhan on December 31. Our WHO country office in China picked it up and on January 1, WHO activated its international mechanisms which we do as part of international health regulations whenever theres any new signal gets reported. It is conveyed to everyone so that the whole world knows about it, she said. Dr Swaminathan said that sequences show that the virus causing COVID-19 is very similar to bat viruses. We do not know more than that in the sense where and how it originated. We know from the virus sequences that it is very similar to bat viruses. A lot of studies have been done in South-East Asia to show that bats have lots of coronaviruses. There are over 500 types of coronaviruses. There are also previous studies showing that populations living in southern China and even in other countries of South-East Asia have antibodies to coronaviruses, she said. The pandemic has grown to more than 10 million cases and has caused over 500,000 deaths across the world. The WHO Director-General had talked on January 29 of his agreement with Chinese President Xi Jinping that the organisation would lead a team of international experts to China as soon as possible to work with the government on increasing the understanding of the outbreak and to guide global response efforts. On December 31 last year, WHOs Country Office in China picked up a media statement by the Wuhan Municipal Health Commission from their website on cases of viral pneumonia in Wuhan. The next day, WHO requested information on the reported cluster of atypical pneumonia cases in Wuhan from the Chinese authorities. WHO reported on January 9 that Chinese authorities have determined that the outbreak is caused by a novel coronavirus. The organisation said on February 11 that the disease caused by the novel coronavirus would be named COVID-19. There have been reports of China delaying information and warning concerning the novel coronavirus which could have helped in containing its spread in the initial days. Also read: US calls Chinas stance along India-China border a larger pattern of its aggression For all the latest World News, download NewsX App Sayre, PA (18840) Today Cloudy skies early, then off and on rain showers overnight. Low 58F. Winds NW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 50%.. Tonight Cloudy skies early, then off and on rain showers overnight. Low 58F. Winds NW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 50%. 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 NEW HAVEN Nearly 3,000 people have signed an online petition urging Mayor Justin Elicker to maintain the name of Wooster Square, as discussion continues about who will be honored in the area after a statue of Christopher Columbus was removed. The square is named after Maj. Gen. David Wooster, who was in charge of the militia in New Haven when it entered the Revolutionary War following the Battle of Lexington. Wooster went on to command the Connecticut militia, then died after being wounded fighting British troops in Danbury in 1777. The petition cites the Italian American history of the neighborhood as a reason to maintain the areas name. In the late 19th century, many Italians immigrated to the U.S. and found a home in Wooster Square, where they started businesses and their own Catholic parish for the 1,500 Italians then in the neighborhood by 1884 and shaped the area for generations. This purpose of this petition is to keep the history of Wooster Square alive for future generations to enjoy, just as so many generations have enjoyed for the past 100+ years, an organizer wrote on Change.org. Wooster Square has been home to some of the best Italian pizza parlors, pastry shops, restaurants and local businesses, making it one of the most sought after neighborhoods in which to live in New Haven. Leaders of the cultural organizations REVA.A.R.T.LUTION and the Lineage Group organized a sit-in Friday calling for changing the parks name in honor of William Lanson, a Black engineer and developer who laid the foundation of modern-day Wooster Square. The sit-in came two days after the Christopher Columbus statue was taken down in in the park. That was done, in turn, after protesters took to the streets to call for racial justice, both in New Haven and across the country, following the death of George Floyd. Lanson is credited with being the only contractor able to complete the complicated 1,350-foot extension to the towns Long Wharf and purchasing substantial acreage and houses in New Havens largely undeveloped New Township in the 1810s and 20s, where many Black families then settled and mingled amicably with people in the nearby Irish neighborhood, according to historian Peter Hinks. Lanson also owned a hotel, grocery store and livery service; fought for Blacks right to vote; and helped to form Temple Street Church, now the Dixwell Avenue Congregational United Church of Christ. william.lambert@hearstmediact.com Jacom Stephens / Getty Images MYSTIC Stonington police have received warrants to charge a man and woman with assault after they allegedly attacked a clerk at Quality Inn late last month, potentially using racial slurs in the process. Police responded to the hotel at approximately 11:30 a.m. on June 26 for a reported physical disturbance, officials said on Facebook Friday. After officers were dispatched, but before they arrived, a second, much more violent, attack occurred, according to the department. Niagara Falls, NY (14301) Today Mostly cloudy. Low 51F. Winds NW at 10 to 15 mph.. Tonight Mostly cloudy. Low 51F. Winds NW at 10 to 15 mph. The Associated PressA mannequin wears a face mask at the Citadel Outlets in Commerce, Calif., on Thursday. Officials are urging celebrating Americans to turn to use common sense over the holiday weekend by wearing a mask and skipping traditional gatherings with family and friends. When the province announced restaurants could open their outdoor patios as part of the second phase of Ontarios recovery plan, one restaurateur looked up - not out. Napoli Ristorante & Pizzeria, one the longest-running restaurants in Niagara, has been a popular spot with tourists and locals alike since 1962. Manager Anthony Pingue was elated after the province gave the green light for restaurants to offer patio dining. The only problem was, however, Napoli didnt have any room in its small parking lot to add an outdoor dining area. As necessity is the mother of invention, Pingue decided to work with what he had and converted the roof into a patio that can accommodate 24 guests. We had this space but it was never really utilized, he said. I sort of had it in the back of my mind to do something like this but COVID-19 accelerated getting it done. The rooftop patio opened late last month and Pingue said customer feedback has been positive. People are enjoying it. One regular said it reminded them of a rooftop dining experience they had in Rome. Napoli has been offering takeout orders since the global pandemic led to the shut down of all non-essential services. We have received tremendous support from our regulars, Pingue said. Some of our regulars come from Hamilton and GTA and they come down just to order take out to support us. Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Reservations for the rooftop patio are not required, but are recommended as seating is limited. For further information visit www.napoliristorante.ca. On a normal day in July almost a quarter of a million people would cross the border from the United States into Canada. These are not, of course, normal days. The frontier between the United States and Canada, the longest border in the world, has now been closed to non-essential travel for more than three months. In April, entries by non-residents had fallen by 97 per cent compared to the previous year. At some point, Canada must decide when, and how, to reopen the border. In general, economists favour fewer restrictions to travel, trade and commerce. Our own research on the U.S.-Canada border points to the benefits of facilitating cross-border travel. Consumers get access to a wider variety of goods and services at potentially lower cost supporting businesses providing those products. Back in normal times, we argued to the Senate that Canada should increase exemptions for cross-border travellers and encourage travel. But this is the new normal. And while, COVID-19 infections appear to have declined to manageable levels in Canada, this is not the case in the U.S. where a modest decline has been replaced by a mid-June resurgence. COVID-19 cases are rising in 40 states. The surge is primarily driven by southern states, whose governors reopened before suppressing the spread of the virus. U.S. federal government inaction bears heavy responsibility as well. In these circumstances, the only prudent option available to Canada is to indefinitely extend the closure of the border with the U.S. to non-essential travel until the U.S. can demonstrate that it has brought the virus under control. The current chaos and the irresponsible behaviour by U.S. state and federal governments, as well as the widespread denial of the infection by regular people, means we cannot trust that their citizens will comply with quarantines or obey distancing and mask-wearing rules. There are 50 million car trips across the U.S.-Canada border each year. According to our research, only five to 10 per cent of entries into Canada would fit the criteria for being essential or work-related. Each trip brings the possibility of infection, but trips have very different purposes, and therefore different benefits for the Canadian economy. There is no reason to believe that workers and leisure travellers are different in their likelihood of spreading infection. The key difference is that leisure travel can be delayed or diverted elsewhere without incurring an excessive burden. Tourist spending does bring economic benefits to regions such as Niagara Falls, but these benefits would be massively outweighed by the costs if, say, Toronto or Montreal have to undergo lockdowns again. By contrast, Canadas universities, hospitals and businesses desperately rely on a steady supply of specialized skilled foreign talent, just as our farms rely on seasonal foreign workers. Currently, many potential foreign workers are unable to apply for work permits due to the closure of Canadian consulates. Likewise, many Canadians are being kept apart from their families as permanent immigration for family reunification is suspended. We cannot halt our regular immigration system forever. And those trips can be monitored, travellers tested and quarantined. By contrast, leisure travellers engaging in same-day slightly longer travel cannot feasibly be tested or quarantined. Extending the ban on leisure travel will affect certain communities, and the government should consider compensating those mainly border towns that will be most affected. A silver lining is that Canadians will likely to reduce their own international travel due to the need to quarantine on return, and vacation at home boosting domestic tourism. It is time for Canada to set a clear date on reopening for immigrating workers, family reunification, and regular (permanent) immigration, even as it extends the restrictions on non-essential travel indefinitely. Ambarish Chandra is Associate Professor of Economics at the University of Toronto at Scarborough, cross-appointed to the Rotman School of Management. Keith Head is the HSBC Professor of Asian Commerce at the Sauder School of Business, University of British Columbia. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is being investigated for the third time by the federal ethics watchdog, this time for his governments decision to outsource management of a $900 million COVID-19 student grant program to the WE Charity, where the prime ministers wife is an ambassador and ally, as well as a podcast host. Its the third conflict of interest complaint NDP ethics critic Charlie Angus has made to the watchdog about the prime minister. Angus also wrote to the office about prime ministers role in the SNC-Lavalin affair and the Trudeau family vacation to the Aga Khans private island in 2016, both instances where Trudeau was found in violation of the federal Conflict of Interest Act. Now hes up for a hat trick, Angus said. What I found exceptional with this one is that I wrote the letter this morning and this afternoon the ethics commissioner responded. Ive never, ever seen him respond that quickly Angus said of Ethics Commissioner, Mario Dion. This tells me this has been on his radar for some time. In his letter, Angus detailed a potential breach of the act involving preferential treatment, citing the Trudeau familys close ties with the WE organization. He also noted that the group has received a series of single-source contracts from the government. If preferential treatment has been given it would be another significant breach of the public trust and the act by this prime minister, he wrote. The governments decision to outsource the student grant program to the charity founded by Craig and Marc Kielburger has come under fire since it was announced June 25. The Conservatives called for an investigation by the auditor general, and Conservative MP and Ethics Critic Michael Barrett wrote to the ethics commissioner on June 28 with concerns about the prime ministers connections to the charity. Trudeau has appeared at WE rallies, and his wife, Sophie Gregoire Trudeau, is an ambassador and ally for the charity and hosts a podcast on mental health for the organization. As he faced criticism this week, Trudeau said the decision was made not by him, but by the public service, because WE, a Toronto-based charity, was the only organization that was capable of networking and organizing and delivering this program on the scale that we needed it. Then things quickly shifted. Early Friday afternoon, the government backtracked and said the civil service would be managing the program, not WE. By early evening, Dions office confirmed that the prime minister was being investigated under the Conflict of Interest Act, for possible contraventions of subsections of the law, involving decision-making, preferential treatment and the duty to recuse. Dion could not be reached for further comment. A spokesperson from the Prime Ministers Office said they would co-operate with Dions investigation. We will, of course, collaborate with the commissioner and answer any questions he may have, the spokesperson said Friday night. Barrett, the Conservative ethics critic, said the prime minister should have recused himself. We know from one of the principals at the WE group that it was the Prime Ministers Office who personally informed them that they would be administering the program, he said. Thats very problematic. Barrett was referring to a recording, obtained by several media outlets, in which WEs co-founder Marc Kielburger told a conference call that Trudeaus office reached out one day after the grant was announced in April. Kielburger later said he misspoke, that it was a public servant who had called. Representatives of WE could not be reached for comment Friday evening. Barrett said the fact that this is the third investigation by the ethics watchdog shows a pattern that the prime minister and his office put friends first and believe that theyre above the law, above the rules, he said. Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Barrett called for more serious penalties for breaching the act. I think that Commissioner Dion will probably need his investigators to have a permanent dedicated revolving door to the PMO, theyre there so often, he said. In 2019, Dion found that Trudeau broke the law when he applied inappropriate political pressure on then-attorney general Jody Wilson-Raybould to intervene in a prosecution to spare SNC-Lavalin a criminal conviction. The fallout from the scandal took its toll on Trudeaus government. Trudeaus principal secretary Gerald Butts resigned, Wilson-Raybould quit her cabinet post and Treasury Board president Jane Philpott later resigned to protest the way the government handled the matter. Both women were later ejected from the Liberal caucus. At the time of his ruling, Dion wrote that Trudeaus actions and the interventions by his senior staff with Wilson-Raybould were tantamount to political direction, and he rejected Trudeaus defence that he acted to protect the public interest. In 2017, then-conflict of interest commissioner Mary Dawson said the prime minister broke several laws in accepting a 2016 family vacation at Bells Cay, the Aga Khans private island, in December 2016. In her damning report, Dawson blamed the prime minister and his family for accepting rides to the island on private aircraft organized by the Aga Khans staff. Dawson wrote that Trudeau knew about the Aga Khans official dealings with the federal government and that should have been warning enough. Mr. Trudeau failed to arrange his private affairs in a manner that would prevent him from being placed in a conflict of interest. Neither Mr. Trudeau, nor his family, should have vacationed on the Aga Khans private island, she said. Trudeau apologized and said he would clear all future personal travel with the ethics commissioner. Angus called the number of investigations without precedent. He said the prime minister has built up a lot of goodwill across Canada during the pandemic and questions why the government would want to privatize the management of a grant program when the civil service has done a very efficient and targeted job providing relief to Canadians. Thats going to be the question, and its going to damage the prime ministers credibility on his whole COVID response, he said. With files from Alex Boutilier, Bruce Campion-Smith, Tonda MacCharles, Alex Ballingall and The Canadian Press Read more about: OTTAWA Migrant workers and other non-permanent residents many of whom have been working on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic took to the streets in cities across Canada on Saturday, calling on Ottawa to grant them greater rights and protections. Temporary foreign farm labourers, care workers, international students and undocumented workers who have been working throughout the pandemic as essential workers say they are being left behind by the Canadian government. Our people are literally starving. People are dying, not even to grow food, but to grow flowers and grapes for wine. Domestic workers are trapped in homes by employers who wont let them out because migrants are seen as carriers of disease, said Syed Hussan, executive director of Migrant Workers Alliance for Change. COVID-19 has exacerbated an existing crisis. Many migrant workers have fallen ill and cannot access medical treatment, while others have not received wage top-ups offered to other essential workers. Meanwhile, migrant or undocumented workers and asylum seekers who have lost employment due to the pandemic are ineligible for emergency income supports such as the Canadian Emergency Response Benefit, making them even more vulnerable. It all stems from their non-permanent status in Canada. Canadas labour laws, social services, health care and education systems offer different levels of access to non-permanent residents a reality that advocates have long decried as intrinsically unjust. The pandemic has now exacerbated those inequities and has placed migrant workers at significant personal risk, Hussan said. What we werent planning for is the absolute misery and chaos that would be caused in a public health pandemic, he said. Demonstrations organized by the Migrant Rights Network were held Saturday in Montreal, Toronto, Vancouver and Halifax in front of offices of members of Parliament, including the office of federal Immigration Minister Marco Mendicino. Around 100 protesters plastered Mendicinos Toronto office windows with posters of Juan Lopez Chapparo, Bonifacio Eugenio Romero, and Rogelio Munez Santos three migrant workers who died from the COVID-19 virus in June while working on Ontario farms. Their demands to Mendicino and to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau were simple: provide full immigration status to all migrants who are working in Canada. Alina Przybyl, a member of Migrant Students United, says the struggles migrants face in Canada are wide and vary from person to person, but that all migrants in Canada face a two-tier immigration system that favours the wealthy and privileged. I cant speak for everyone but I think I can say that everyone (who has migrated to Canada) has a story like what were hearing here, Pryzybyl said. Participants in the Montreal demonstration, which was attended by a few hundred people Saturday morning, held signs that read, Status for all and We are all essential, among others. It feels very sad that people who have been providing essential services to our society have been left behind, said Elroy Ribas, a migrant worker from Mexico. One of the things that made me feel very proud about living in Canada is that people care. But in this context we havent seen that. The federal Liberals have said they are working on a program to grant permanent residency specifically to asylum-seekers working in health care during the COVID-19 pandemic. Many of their refugee applications are in limbo due to a backlog at the Immigration and Refugee Board and further delays caused by the pandemic, meaning their status in Canada remains uncertain in the long term. But Hussan says the government should commit to regularizing the status of all non-permanent residents, not just a select few. Everyone must have the same rights, the same protections. Thats only possible if everyone has the same status, Hussan said. Floriane Payo, an asylum seeker from Cameroon who came to Canada last year, joined the rally in Montreal on Saturday to demand status for herself and others whove been working throughout the COVID-19 pandemic who are not in the health-care sector. Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Payo was working in a call centre in Montreal at the height of the pandemic in March and April, but the company closed temporarily in April, she said, after a worker tested positive for COVID-19. It would be unfair for the government to regularize the status health-care workers only, she said. We too are essential workers, said Payo. OTTAWACanadas sex work laws are creating undue harm and contribute to human rights violations during COVID-19, sex workers and human rights advocates say, which is why theyre now pushing Ottawa to stop enforcing them. Amnesty International Canada has joined a number of rights and sex work advocates in a lobby effort asking federal Justice Minister David Lametti for a moratorium on prostitution laws. We need to make sure the existing laws on the books arent enforced, said Jackie Hansen, womens rights campaigner for Amnesty International Canada. Government has put them in a position where they wont provide them income supports and yet will criminalize them if they work. That just needs to stop. They say decriminalizing sex work would help ease the burden workers have faced by taking away police surveillance of their work and their lives. Because sex work is not recognized as work, the labour standards and protocols that other industries are receiving right now are not available to the sex industry, says Jenn Clamen, national co-ordinator of the Canadian Alliance for Sex Work Law Reform. Businesses employing sex workers often operate in the shadows, so as they reopen they have no way to formalize and co-ordinate safety protocols or access supports for personal protective equipment, which are available to other industries, Clamen said. These groups have also been raising alarm about how the criminalization of sex workers has caused them to remain ineligible to receive emergency income supports despite seeing their incomes disappear overnight when the pandemic hit. There are provisions in Canadas prostitution laws that make workers immune from prosecution, but not from arrest, which has led many workers to prefer to remain undocumented, their incomes undeclared. This means they dont have the necessary paperwork to prove eligibility for the Canada Emergency Response Benefit a program being administered through the federal tax system. Criminalization is a direct barrier for accessing CERB and is a direct barrier for sex workers accessing other legal and social, medical supports in the community, said Jelena Vermilion, executive director of Sex Workers Action Program (SWAP) Hamilton. Vermilion, who is also a sex worker, says organizations like hers have been raising money through grassroots campaigns to provide aid to those who are struggling. But despite the relative success of some of these local initiatives, this aid has only been able to offer $50 or $100 gift cards and cash transfers to workers. That doesnt pay rent at the end of the day, she said. A lot of us are not surviving. Its really pushing people who dont have the option to access CERB into destitution, into further entrenched poverty. Its going to cause people who were already on the margins, just surviving, to be ruined. The federal government has shovelled out millions in COVID-19 aid to shelters, sexual assault centres and a number of organizations that serve women and marginalized groups, including a $350-million investment to support charities and non-profit organizations serving vulnerable populations. Clamen says these funds, while necessary, are not providing the help sex workers need. Middle-class Canadians who lost their jobs are getting access to income supports, but sex workers are being helped by charities giving out gift cards, she said. The $100 grocery card that dictate where sex workers or people who dont have income should shop or get their groceries is an extremely paternalistic response to people who actually need income supports, Clamen said. The money needs to go into the hands of people. While they continue to push for more direct financial aid, Amnesty International Canada, the Canadian Alliance for Sex Work Law Reform and other rights advocates say halting the enforcement of the laws that criminalize their lives would do much more. This is about the human rights of sex workers. When you are just furthering marginalization and you are furthering inequality, this is not where we want to be, Hansen said. In a pandemic it cant be a response that leads to some groups being disproportionately marginalized and impacted because government finds it hard to figure out how to handle this issue. Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... In a statement Friday, Lamettis office says officials are aware of the specific concerns that sex workers and advocates have highlighted but offered no comment on whether it is considering this legal move. We continue to engage with individuals and groups affected by the former Bill C-36, the statement said, referencing the federal prostitution law brought in under the Conservative government of former prime minister Stephen Harper. That law is up for its mandatory five-year review this year, which Lamettis office says will provide an appropriate forum for parliamentarians to examine the full range of effects that this JOHANNESBURG - Pubs, hair salons and movie theatres across England reopened Saturday as part of Britains biggest step toward post-outbreak normal, while South Africa and other parts of the world signalled anything but reporting another day of record confirmed coronavirus cases. Many people relished the easing of restrictions on public life that had shuttered U.K. restaurants and bars, although a trade group estimated that only about half of Englands pubs elected to open on the first possible day. The ones that decided to start pouring at the earliest hour allowed - 6 a.m. had customers to serve. Lets not blow it now, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said as some in England rushed to restaurants or barbers for the first time in more than three months. Critics pointed to the experience elsewhere in Europe and in some U.S. states, where the reopening of bars and restaurants is blamed for a spike in infections from patrons losing their inhibitions among strangers and abandoning social distancing after imbibing a few drinks. Reinforcing the concern the British government had been too hasty: the World Health Organization said its member nations reported more than 212,000 new COVID-19 cases to the U.N. health agency Saturday, the highest single-day increase since the start of the pandemic. WHO said more than half of the new confirmed infections were reported from the Americas region, which includes Brazil and the United States. In the U.S., where many Fourth of July parades and fireworks displays were cancelled because of the virus, health authorities warned that Independence Day would be a crucial test of Americans self-control. Confirmed cases are climbing in 40 states, and the U.S. on Saturday reported more than 50,000 new cases nationwide. g to the tally kept by Johns Hopkins University. More than 11.1 million people around the world are known to have been infected with the virus, 2.8 million of them in the U.S., according to a tally kept by Johns Hopkins University. With shortages of testing materials, the real number of cases is unknown. More than 527,000 people have died in the pandemic, according to the Johns Hopkins data. In South Africa, a growing hot spot as the pandemic picks up speed in parts of Africa, confirmed cases have climbed to more than 177,000, with a record 9,063 reported in the most recent 24-hour period. If Africas most developed country is struggling to manage the pandemic, thats ominous for less-prepared African nations. Confirmed cases across the 54-nation continent are now above 433,000. India also reported its highest single-day spike, with 22,771 new confirmed cases for a total of more than 648,000, including 18,655 deaths. Russia marked a milestone as the death toll rose above 10,000. The national coronavirus task force also reported 6,632 new infections, raising the total for the outbreak to 674,515. Russias caseload is the worlds third largest behind the United States and Brazil, but its reported deaths are lower than many other countries. Officials have denied speculation that the figures are being manipulated. Elsewhere, authorities targeted communities for special measures as virus clusters emerged. Australias Victoria state locked down nine public housing towers and three more Melbourne suburbs after 108 new cases. Premier Daniel Andrews said 3,000 people in the towers will go into hard lockdown, meaning there will be no one allowed in ... and no one allowed out. Authorities in northeast Spain ordered the lockdown of El Segria county around the city of Lleida, home to over 200,000 people, after health officials recorded a jump in 60 cases in 24 hours. The outbreaks are linked to agricultural workers in the rural area. And Tokyo confirmed 131 new cases, exceeding 100 for the third day in a row and hitting a new two-month high, prompting Governor Yuriko Koike to ask residents to avoid nonessential out-of-town visits. Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Concerns are rising about a resurgence of infections as Japan is now nearly back to business as usual after its state of emergency was lifted in May. France said it is sending medics to its South American territory of French Guiana, where infections have surged as the virus swept neighbouring Brazil. Of the roughly 5,000 new cases confirmed across France over the past week, 1,400 were in French Guiana, with a population of just 300,000, according to the health agency. The military is flying patients from saturated facilities to the French Caribbean island of Martinique for treatment. In Germany, Chancellor Angela Merkel said that the way our country reacted to the pandemic has largely proved to be right. The country, which has over 190,000 confirmed cases and five times fewer deaths than Britain, has started testing asymptomatic people in care homes. Merkel paid tribute to the elderly, who like elsewhere in the world, have been particularly hard hit. The most painful thing was surely not to be able to see children and grandchildren for many weeks, she said. Determined to enjoy a holiday from months of uncertainty, thousands of tourists waited at the Bulgaria-Greece border for up to five hours under the scorching sun after setting off for Greeces beaches. ___ Associated Press writers around the world contributed. ___ Follow AP pandemic coverage at http://apnews.com/VirusOutbreak and https://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak ISLAMABAD - Washingtons envoy to Afghanistan on Saturday emphasized the economic benefits of the peace deal with the Taliban, forging ahead with an agreement that has run into new political obstacles in the U.S. and the region. Zalmay Khalilzad was wrapping up a week-long trip that included stops in Uzbekistan, Pakistan and the Gulf state of Qatar, where Taliban negotiators are headquartered. Accompanying Khalilzad for the first time was an economic development team led by U.S. International Development Finance Corporation Chief Executive Officer Adam Boehler. Khalilzad offered no details about the kinds of economic projects being envisioned to jump-start an economy battered by widespread corruption and currently 75% funded by international donations. However, he did suggest joint economic projects involving Qatar and Pakistan, possibly on infrastructure and trade. The U.S. signed a peace deal with the Taliban in February to end 19 years of war in Afghanistan. Khalilzad has sought to stress the economic benefits of the peace deal throughout his tour. In a series of tweets early Saturday, the U.S. envoy said he met with the Qatar Investment Authority and the Talibans chief negotiator Mullah Abdul Ghani, in the tiny Gulf states capital of Doha. We agreed development plans in support of peace can never start too early, Khalilzad tweeted. However, Washington has recently become embroiled in a controversy over intelligence reports that Russia was paying money to insurgents with links to the Taliban to kill American and NATO soldiers. The identity of the insurgents who took the bounty money is still vague but the payments have been traced to an Afghan drug lord, Rahmatullah Azizi, who is living in Moscow, according to Afghan officials who spoke with The Associated Press. The officials said the money was delivered through Azizis brother Wahidullah, who was the go-between for those facilitating the attacks on U.S. troops. The New York Times first reported the U.S. intelligence claiming the payment of bounties as well as Azizis involvement. Added to the uncertainty and delays swirling around the U.S-Taliban peace deal, the Pentagon released a report Wednesday that questioned the Talibans commitment to end its ties with Al-Qaida. The peace deal calls for the Taliban to fight against terrorist organizations and ensure Afghanistan would not be used again to attack U.S. interests or its allies. Critics of the deal say the militants cant be trusted. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid denied contacts with Al-Qaida in the Indian subcontinent, saying the insurgents were committed to the peace deal. Khalilzad embarked on his tour of the region last weekend, even as the rate of coronavirus infections in the United States soared and countries worldwide struggled with the dangers of re-opening. He did not travel to Afghanistan, citing the dangers of the pandemic, and instead held videoconference calls with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and his government partner, Abdullah Abdullah. Pakistans Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi tested positive for COVID 19, just 48 after meeting with with Khalilzad. Both had been pictured wearing masks during their meeting on Wednesday in the Pakistani capital of Islamabad Qureshi said he developed a fever on Friday and tested positive to the virus. But he promised to carry on his official duties from home. Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Even as Khalilzad winds up his latest diplomatic mission, there was no date for crucial intra-Afghan negotiations that bring the Taliban together with the Afghan government and other local actors. Khalilzad called for a quick resolution of outstanding issues so those negotiations could begin. The biggest hurdle has been the release of prisoners. The peace deal called for the Afghan government to free 5,000 Taliban prisoners in exchange for the Taliban releasing 1,000 government personnel. So far, the government has freed 4,015 and the Taliban has freed 669, according to the Afghan government.. Ghani earlier this week suggested that his government had a problem with some of the names on the Talibans list of prisoners to be released and said alternative names would be given. It seems unlikely that the Taliban will accept anyone not on the list agreed upon during negotiations with the U.S. Suhail Shaheen, Taliban political spokesman in Doha, called the Afghan government reasons for delaying prisoner releases phony excuses and the reason for the delay in beginning intra-Afghan talks. As of Saturday, Afghanistan had recorded 32,600 confirmed cases of coronavirus, but international non-governmental organizations say the rate is much higher and have warned that the countrys war-ravaged health care system risks collapsing. Seemingly indicative of the lack of health care facilities in Afghanistan to deal with the virus, Ghanis special envoy for economic development, Yosuf Ghaznafar, went to Turkey when he became ill with COVID-19. On Friday he died of the disease, according to a statement from the presidency. Ghaznafar is the senior most Afghan official to die of the virus. Afghanistan has so far recorded 826 deaths from the virus. _____ Associated Press writer Rahim Faiez in Kabul, Afghanistan contributed to this report. MOUNT RUSHMORE NATIONAL MEMORIAL, S.D. - The Latest on President Donald Trumps July Fourth celebration at Mount Rushmore (all times local): 9:30 p.m. President Donald Trump says he will establish a National Garden of American Heroes, which he is describing as a vast outdoor park that will feature the statues of the greatest Americans who ever lived. Trump made the announcement as he opened the Fourth of July weekend with a speech and fireworks at the iconic Mount Rushmore. He led into the announcement by paying tribute to a litany of American icons, from political figures like Ulysses S. Grant and Frederick Douglass to entertainers like Elvis Presley and Frank Sinatra. The executive order released Friday by the White House says the garden will feature statues of several presidents as well as other historic notables, including Davy Crockett, Amelia Earhart, Billy Graham, Harriet Tubman and Orville and Wilbur Wright. __ 9:15 p.m. Kimberly Guilfoyle, the girlfriend of President Donald Trumps oldest son, has contracted the coronavirus. Sergio Gor, chief of staff to the Trump campaigns finance committee, says Guilfoyle was immediately isolated after the positive result to limit exposure. He says she will be retested to confirm the diagnosis because she isnt showing any symptoms of COVID-19, the disease the virus causes. Gor says Guilfoyle is doing well and cancelling her public events. Gor says Donald Trump Jr. tested negative but is self-isolating as a precaution. He is also cancelling his public events. The couple was in South Dakota to hold fundraisers for Trumps reelection. Trump is giving a pre-Fourth of July speech at Mount Rushmore in South Dakota. __ 8:50 p.m. With the U.S. setting another record in newly reported coronavirus cases Friday, thousands have gathered at President Donald Trumps Independence Day celebration at Mount Rushmore and few are wearing protective masks. Nor was there any evidence of social distancing in the tightly packed audience assembled for Trumps speech and a fireworks display. Trump did offer thanks to the doctors, nurses and scientists working tirelessly to kill the virus. Republican Gov. Kristi Noem, a Trump ally, had said social distancing wouldnt be required during the event and masks would be optional. Event organizers were to provide masks to anyone who wanted them and planned to screen attendees for symptoms of COVID-19. Many parades and fireworks displays across the nation were cancelled over the holiday weekend, with confirmed cases climbing in 40 states. The U.S. saw 52,300 newly reported cases Friday, according to the tally kept by Johns Hopkins University. Ivanka Trump, the presidents daughter, put out a tweet Friday night urging Americans to Practice proper hygiene, social distancing & wear a mask when in close proximity to others. __ 7:55 p.m. President Donald Trump is accusing activists who want to remove monuments to American leaders of conducting a merciless campaign to wipe out our history, defame our heroes, erase our values and indoctrinate our children. The White House provided excerpts of Trumps remarks before he was to deliver them at Mount Rushmore Friday night. Trump says, This movement is openly attacking the legacies of every person on Mount Rushmore. The monument depicts the faces of presidents George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln. Trump says, Those who seek to erase our heritage want Americans to forget our pride and our great dignity, so that we can no longer understand ourselves or Americas destiny. He says protesters who have called for the removal of statues seek to dissolve the bonds of love and loyalty that we feel for our country, and for each other. Trump did not explicitly mention statues of Confederate leaders, though he previously has criticized taking down Confederate symbols. Dozens of the statues removed in response to racial injustice protests in recent weeks have been tied to the Confederacy. __ 7:25 p.m. About 15 protesters were arrested after a demonstration that blocked the main road into Mount Rushmore ahead of President Donald Trumps arrival for a Fourth of July fireworks show. More than 100 protesters, many Native American, lined the road leading from Keystone, South Dakota, to the monument on Friday, 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. Protesters barricaded the road with vans, prompting police and National Guard soldiers to move in. A standoff ensued, with police using pepper spray on several protesters but taking no further action for several hours. Police finally used tow trucks to remove the vans and gave the demonstrators 30 minutes to leave. All but a group of about 15 people holding a banner that read Land Back left. When the deadline arrived they were arrested without incident, turning and putting their hands behind their backs to be cuffed. The protest wouldnt have stopped Trump from arriving. He was scheduled to touch down near the monument in a helicopter. Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... __ 6:45 p.m. President Donald Trump has arrived in South Dakota to get a head start on Independence Day weekend with a fireworks show at Mount Rushmore. Trump planned to give a speech at the national monument Friday night. A person familiar with its contents described it as fiery including fresh denunciations of people the president says are trying to tear down the nations history. Trump has forcefully opposed efforts by protesters as well as by government officials to remove Confederate statues, monuments and other honours for American leaders who benefited from slavery. Native Americans protested Trumps presence at the monument, which was carved into mountains they consider sacred. Some South Dakota officials are concerned about the absence of social distancing requirements including wearing face coverings for the thousands of people expected to attend. Others are concerned that wildfires could be sparked by the first fireworks show at Mount Rushmore since 2009. __ 6:20 p.m. Tow trucks are removing vans that protesters parked on the main road into Mount Rushmore to block access to the monument ahead of President Donald Trumps arrival for a Fourth of July fireworks show. More than 100 demonstrators, mostly Native Americans, lined the road leading from Keystone, South Dakota, to the monument on Friday, holding signs that read Protect SoDaks First People and You Are On Stolen Land. Protesters barricaded the road with vans, prompting police and National Guard troops to move in. A standoff ensued, with police using pepper spray on several protesters but taking no further action. After nearly two hours the crowd began to dwindle and police advanced past the vans as the remaining protesters retreated down the road. Tow trucks pulled up behind the officers and troops to remove the vans. Trump was expected to arrive at the monument by helicopter. __ 5:30 p.m. Protesters blocked the main road into Mount Rushmore ahead of President Donald Trumps arrival Friday for a Fourth of July fireworks show. More than 100 protesters, mostly Native Americans, lined the road leading from Keystone, South Dakota, 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. Protesters used vans to barricade the road. Police wearing riot gear and holding shields moved in on the protesters from both sides and warned them to disperse but took no further action. Most of the fireworks show attendees had already arrived before protesters blockaded the road. Trumps schedule indicates he will arrive at the monument by helicopter. __ This story was first published on July 3, 2020. It was updated on July 6, 2019, to clarify that President Donald Trump did not explicitly mention monuments to Confederate generals in his speech at Mount Rushmore. ST. PETE BEACH, Fla. - Florida and Texas reported record daily increases in confirmed coronavirus cases Saturday, the latest sign that the virus is surging in many parts of the United States, casting a pall over Fourth of July celebrations. Officials and health authorities warned people to take precautions or simply stay home on Independence Day, as confirmed cases are climbing in dozens of states. The U.S. reported more than 50,000 confirmed cases on Saturday for the third day in a row, according to a tally kept by Johns Hopkins University. The U.S. has more than 2.8 million confirmed cases about a quarter of the 11 million worldwide infections, according to the tally, which is widely thought to understate the true toll, partially because of asymptomatic cases and limited testing. More than 525,000 people have died around the globe. While the rise in cases in the U.S. partly reflects expanded testing, experts say there is evidence that the virus is also spreading more as states reopen their economies. Deaths have begun to rise in some states that have seen a surge in cases including Texas, Arizona and Florida and the coming weeks will be telling. Still, some experts have expressed doubt that deaths will ever return to the peak of around 2,200 deaths per day, hit in mid-April, because of advances in treatment and because more young adults who are less vulnerable to serious complications are among those diagnosed recently. In another worrying sign, the World Health Organization said member states reported more than 212,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19 around the world on Saturday, the highest single-day increase since the start of the pandemic. The Geneva-based organization said more than 60% of the confirmed cases reports it received were in the Americas, which includes the United States and Brazil. WHOs count can differ from other global case tallies due to reporting delays. The sobering updates came as local officials and health experts across the U.S. tried to minimize opportunities for the virus to continue spreading on a holiday weekend typically spent eating at backyard gatherings or crowding elbow-to-elbow to view parades and fireworks shows. Many communities cancelled those events and cautioned people against gathering on their own. Texas, which reported a record daily increase of 8,258 confirmed coronavirus cases Saturday, is retreating from what had been one of the countrys swiftest reopenings. Much of the state began mandating face coverings Friday, with a $250 fine for scofflaws. In Florida, which reported 11,445 confirmed infections on Saturday, bars statewide are shut down and some regional attractions, such as Zoo Miami and Jungle Island, have closed. Officials in South Florida including in Miami-Dade County and the Florida Keys closed beaches through the weekend. Other beaches in the state remained open. At St. Pete Beach on the Gulf of Mexico, parking spaces were scarce Saturday afternoon and hundreds of people clustered in groups under umbrellas and in cabanas on the sand. Deputies from the Pinellas County Sheriffs office patrolled on ATVs, telling folks they should stay with their own families or groups and away from others. Keisha Pereira came to the beach from Osceola County more than 100 miles (160 kilometres) inland with her daughter and two other children and said the group planned to stay away from others. She brought along hand sanitizer and masks in case they go anywhere other than the beach. Were going to stay with each other, she said. I feel pretty safe outside. In several of Californias tourism-focused counties, economic woes prompted campaigns to convince state residents to travel within its borders. But public health experts and mayors of popular beach towns Santa Cruz and Half Moon Bay have pleaded with people to stay home for the holiday. Crista Luedtke said demand has been bonkers since reopening the 14-room Boon Hotel and Spa that she owns in the Sonoma County town of Guerneville. Guests must stay at least two nights and are assigned chaise lounges near the pool. Tourism is not dangerous, Luedtke said. I think people not following the rules is dangerous. The holiday weekend coincides with a big step back this week for Californias efforts to reopen the states economy. Gov. Gavin Newsom ordered a three-week closure of bars and many indoor establishments in counties that are home to about three-quarters of the states population. Law enforcement workers turned away disappointed sun-seekers from some beaches that have been closed to discourage large crowds. Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Local efforts to discourage holiday gatherings are in stark contrast to President Donald Trumps weekend agenda, including a fireworks display Friday night at Mount Rushmore in South Dakota and Saturdays Salute for America celebration with a presidential speech on the White House South Lawn and an enormous fireworks display in downtown Washington. In Britain on Saturday, some signs of normalcy returned as pubs and barbers reopened for the first time in months. But other countries continued to report record highs in new confirmed cases, including South Africa and India. In Australia and northeast Spain, authorities ordered lockdowns for specific counties or communities aimed at stomping out increases in cases. Authorities in the Bolivian city of Cochabamba said they are collecting about 17 bodies per day during the pandemic. Relatives of one apparent victim of the virus left his coffin in the street for several hours on Saturday to protest difficulties in having him buried. Police Col. Ivan Rojas said the demand is collapsing the police personnel and funeral workers in the city of some 630,000 people. The Andean nation has reported nearly 37,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and more than 1,300 deaths. ___ Associated Press writer Tamara Lush reported this story in St. Pete Beach, Fla.; AP writer Kim Chandler reported from Montgomery, Ala.; and AP writer Kathleen Foody reported from Chicago. AP writers around the world contributed to this report. ___ This story was updated to correct that the daily U.S. infection toll reported Friday was more than 54,000, not 52,300. ___ Follow AP pandemic coverage at http://apnews.com/VirusOutbreak and https://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak You board the subway. A mask is mandatory. Obviously, you are protecting your fellow passengers from contamination and reducing the risk for yourself. You board a GO train or UP Express to the airport. It is mask-free but not risk-free. Curiously, viral particles yours and others are free to waft across the train compartment unimpeded and unfiltered. Don a mask for the TTC. Doff a mask for GO or UP? Peculiarly, Union Station is now more than a transfer point. It is today doing double duty as the intersection of infection transmission. Two transit systems, one station, two masking situations. Mind the gap because we dont know whether were coming or going. How to explain this and so many other COVID-19 contradictions? The answers depend on the day of the week and the government of the day. This isnt medical science. Its political science. The TTC, under municipal authority, is wisely protecting us from ourselves. By contrast, provincially run GO is entrusting people with their own safety or more precisely, expecting you to entrust your personal safety to other people you dont know. In a pinch or a pandemic you cant. As we now know, masks cut both ways. Yes, they offer some protection to the user from the transmission of other peoples emissions. But according to the science, the primary beneficiary isnt yourself but the rest of us. Unless its a medical grade N95, a mask mostly reduces the spread of your own viral droplets. It doesnt shield you as effectively from someone elses infection. You can look it up. Just dont look to the provincial government to do the right thing. The premier opted out of province-wide masking on the grounds that the epidemiology and enforceability were complicated. He passed the buck to municipal governments, but when it comes to Ontarios regional transit system Metrolinx and GO the buck stops with Ford. Metrolinx, always reluctant to rock the boat with its rolling stock, says it is abiding by provincial norms while flouting municipal rules that require masks indoors. A Ministry of Health spokesperson, jumping through hoops, notes that masks are surely optimal but strictly optional. In ordinary times, such political footsie would be merely impenetrable. In pandemic times, it is inexcusable. It sends a message that were not serious about safety, epidemiologist Dr. Colin Furness told the Stars Ben Spurr this week. I would advise nobody to ride on a GO train at all until they put a (mask) policy in place. Time to close the gap. If Metrolinx can deliver a seamless payment system through Presto, it can surely make mandatory masks a seamless proposition across the region or we may pay a high price. Heres another COVID-19 conundrum: Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Everyone wants us to get tested and get the results, on the grounds that information is power. Our politicians talk about trust and transparency daily. Now imagine if you took a test and couldnt get the results. Thats precisely what Canadian Blood Services is planning for donors. We deserve your blood donation, but you dont deserve your blood diagnosis. In the next few weeks, it will start testing for COVID-19 antibodies which indicates whether youve had the coronavirus in the past, as distinct from a nasal swab test that confirms you have it in real time. The antibodies test is considered quite reliable, with very low false-positive rates, it adds. So why not disclose to donors who are dedicated enough to visit a clinic in mid-pandemic, given that antibodies testing is growing rapidly elsewhere? Cant trust us Canadians with the information. We dont want to give people false assurance that you wont get COVID-19 again, explained Chantale Pambrun, who heads the centre for innovation (and obfuscation) at Canadian Blood Services. COVID-19 isnt spread through blood, so this isnt a screening methodology. Its a research project meaning donors are not only giving blood, but donating information. Canada frowns upon giving blood money to those who give blood. But for donors who give the gift of life of our own volition, getting information about our antibodies surely isnt too much to ask. Why not issue a pamphlet or email explaining the results, notably that a positive antibodies test does not necessarily confer immunity from future infection? Surely thats not too risky for donors who are deemed sufficiently trustworthy to answer dozens of questions about their medical history and sexual activity honestly. The approach is reminiscent of the old discredited U.S. armed forces approach to LGBTQ questions Dont ask, dont tell. The current thinking at Canadian Blood Services is, Well ask, but we wont tell. Trust us, they say. Just dont expect us to trust you with the knowledge that youve had COVID-19 in the past. After, all, a donor armed with positive antibodies might take reckless risks like ride the GO or UP Express train without a mask. Come to think of it, even with a mask youd still be taking an unjustifiable risk riding the rails, thanks to a government that wants to bend the curve without giving us the straight goods. It began like an American horror story. Police say a man armed with a gun slammed his huge black truck into the gates of Rideau Hall, skulked, and then hid in a greenhouse. After talking to police for about two hours, he was arrested. As is often the case in Canadian government and policing, few details were immediately released not even the suspects name. As the Stars Alex Boutilier reported, sources identified him as Corey Hurren, a sausage-maker and Canadian Forces reservist who had apparently been following American COVID-19 conspiracy theories. He appears to be heavy, bearded, devoted to making and selling his Ring of Fire hot sausages and, from his online posts, appears to think COVID-19 is the product of a global conspiracy. Luckily the Governor-General and the Trudeau family had not been present, for it sounded like an American news report and could well have ended badly. Previously in Canada, if you wanted to speak to the prime minister, youd go to one of his town hall meetings. This is the Canadian way. Have we fallen into the sleep of reason and produced monsters? In a time of great stress and fear, are more of us becoming more American? The CBC reports that in the past six months, some Canadians have been posting on Facebook Boogaloo pages. Its a horrible world view that celebrates the American pro-gun movement, and discusses killing #BlackLivesMatter protesters and RCMP officers. One page popular with Canadians discussed pink-misting protesters, referring to the JFK-like pink mist that follows a shot to the head. Boogaloos criticized Prime Minister Justin Trudeau for his anti-racism stance and upcoming tougher gun rules. Guns and racism are the fuel of Trump world, the essence of American hate. Canadian media are filled with U.S. stories, partly because of thinning newsrooms seizing on easily available news, the explosion in American tragedies, and the fact that the American cultural invasion is over. Canada lost. Almost all our pop culture is American. If we didnt have CBC Gem, wed have almost nothing. Our local literacy faded; Disney and Netflix guaranteed that. Arts journalists dont bother to describe movies, books and games as American any more; the reader must simply assume this is so. The hunt for eyeballs means that stories about violent American grotesquerie are often posted online without locale mentioned in the headline. A Canadian cop claimed there was a used tampon in his Starbucks coffee? No, he was American, it was L.A. and it wasnt a tampon, didnt even look like one. A Walmart employee killed and four wounded? Saskatchewan? No, that was last week in California. Some local police forces hope to militarize just as U.S. police have done in grand style and the Nova Scotia RCMP, post-massacre, are revealed to be as viciously incompetent as the Sheriffs Office in Cook County, Georgia. As men fail to help at home, women are losing jobs as no provision is made for free daycare and schooling. We think this an American phenomenon; it is not. Premier Jason Kenney is doing his level best to turn Alberta into a red state for no reason beyond ideology and personal spite. Our Parliament has become Americanized, with stupid questions and assertions being hurled. They call it debate but its just loud childish arguing. Canada did not have slavery or civil war followed by 150 years of white retribution. #BlackLivesMatter lifts my heart. I yearn to see Americans celebrate Juneteenth next year. But in Canada #BlackLivesMatter is a wonderful renewed call for fair treatment and non-violent policing, a call that has, I say cynically, failed Indigenous people repeatedly. I hope were not so overwhelmed by the avalanche of American racism that we underrate our impulse to fight for justice. As for the U.S. Battle of the Masks, the phenomenon of two Canadian groups rarely wearing masks (men and young people) is very strange. U.S. news flows so fast through me that I sometimes feel like an oyster flushed with ocean water. For this reason, I try not to ask unmasked men in case I get punched in the head, American-style. Americans turn everything into a fight. Here we use judicious silences. I ask a middle-aged Benjamin Moore paint store clerk in Toronto why he isnt masked. He is annoyed. He deplores masks. He tells me about a woman his wife met at her hair salon. She put sanitizer on her hands and then mopped them with paper towels! OMG what a stupid lady, he says. Can you believe it? Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... I displease him by refusing to laugh. I am greatly relieved when I ask two young men in the Eaton Centre basement why they are unmasked. Their answer boils down to We dont have any. They are friendly. I know they will soon be given masks in a store. We exchange warm goodbyes. This is still Canada. Read more about: Residents of my neighbourhood in Ottawa, which sits right next door to Rideau Hall, are pretty casual about the RCMP and conspiracy theories. Its not unusual to see members of the prime ministers family passing through New Edinburgh, conspicuous only because of their constant RCMP accompaniment. Conspiracy theorists have been telling us for nearly 15 years now that these sightings are actually complex political staging because everybody knows that the prime ministers family has split up. (Stephen and Laureen Harper were the target of these rumours for nine years, Justin and Sophie Gregoire Trudeau for the last five, proving that the trick to an enduring conspiracy theory is to have interchangeable actors.) But this long-running lore is looking pretty tame right now in light of what happened early on Thursday morning, when an armed intruder came crashing onto the grounds of Rideau Hall, not long after a pandemic-related conspiracy post appeared on a Facebook page associated with his business. If this doesnt cause some more reflection by Facebook, Twitter and other social-media outlets about whats getting circulated on their platforms, it should. Corey Hurren, the man arrested outside Rideau Hall, is the founder of a Manitoba-based store called GrindHouse Fine Foods, and a Canadian Forces reservist with a keen interest in conspiracy plots around the pandemic, as the Star and others have been reporting. The RCMP was not talking on Friday morning about any connections between his social-media posts and Hurrens actions at Rideau Hall. But those two nervous hours in New Edinburgh remind us that the layers of security around the prime minister are not just for show, and that talk of threats to politicians can too easily turn into real-life deeds. Only the day before the truck crashed through the gates of Rideau Hall, on Canada Day, gaggles of protesters were roaming around Parliament Hill, spouting conspiracy theories and ill wishes toward Trudeau. When I stopped briefly in front of the building that houses the Prime Ministers Office, I listened to a man preaching over a loudspeaker about Canadas complicity with communist China. I could only last 10 minutes or so, but from what I could gather, most of Canadas current problems, including COVID-19, were manufactured in China and it was our own fault for not noticing. Over in front of the U.S. embassy, not far away, a protest the same day featured calls for Trudeau to be arrested and chants of lock him up. Peoples Party Leader Maxime Bernier made an appearance at that gathering, proving perhaps that hes still interested in cultivating the darker side of Canadian politics. Twitter has been buzzing with theories conspiracy and otherwise linking all these events. At least one very active Twitter account, with thousands of followers, was pushing the idea that the Rideau Hall incident was used to cover up Trudeaus actual arrest that morning. This is an echo of my favourite conspiracy theory during the early days of the pandemic that the prime minister was only pretending he was in COVID-19 isolation and was in fact under house arrest. Its all hilarious until someone believes it, as so many people were discussing in comparison to the famous Pizzagate saga of the last U.S. election, featuring a way-out-there story about Hillary Clinton running a satanic child-abuse ring from a Washington pizza shop. Who would believe that? A fellow named Edgar Maddison Welch did, arming himself with two guns and a knife and storming into the Comet Ping Pong restaurant to thwart the evil plot. Regardless of whether Hurren turns out to be Canadas version of Edgar Welch, it does seem that this Canada Day week in the capital has put the political fringe far too close to the centre. Is it because much of politics during the pandemic is now being conducted in the virtual world, where anyone with a social-media account can be a carrier of the misinformation virus? Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Twitter recently introduced a fact-checking feature, much to the annoyance of Donald Trump, but it does not look like it is doing much to check the kind of conspiracies that were circulating this week around Canadian politics and the intruder at Rideau Hall. I asked a Twitter representative about it on Friday. The company is aware of some of the more egregious posts, but no word on what measures it could or would take, at least not now. Nothing in the scene around my neighbourhood on Thursday morning felt staged or choreographed the flashing police lights, the fearful residents, the roads blocked. Its going to be a little harder to be casual about conspiracy theories in future if this turns out to be a case of one of them leaping right off the fringe of social media and right on to the doorstep of the prime minister. Susan Delacourt is an Ottawa-based columnist covering national politics for the Star. Reach her via email: sdelacourt@thestar.ca or follow her on Twitter: @susandelacourt Read more about: Two crashes on the Atlantic City Expressway have left several people injured over the July 4 holiday, according to authorities and published reports. In the first crash, two cars collided about 11:30 p.m. Friday in the westbound lanes of the expressway, near the Cross Keys Road exit in Winslow Township, causing one of the vehicles to burst into flames, according to 6abc.com. Three victims were extricated and taken to a nearby hospital with injuries that were not considered life-threatening, according to the report. About 7:30 a.m. Saturday, a tractor-trailer and another vehicle collided on the expressway near mile marker 9 in Egg Harbor Township, injuring several people, according to 511nj.org. The injured were taken from the scene in a medical helicopter, according to 6abc.com. Both crashes are under investigation. 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. A man from New York City was killed Thursday night after he stepped out of his vehicle on the Palisades Interstate Parkway in Bergen County, according to NorthJersey.com. The victim, a 41-year-old man from Brooklyn who was not identified, reportedly got out of his car in the northbound lane of the parkway in Alpine because he thought he had hit an animal. He was struck by a passing car, according to the report. The man was taken to a nearby hospital, where he later died. The Bergen County Prosecutors Office Fatal Accident Investigation Unit and the Bergen County Sheriffs Office are investigating. 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. A 6-year-old Philadelphia boy drowned Friday evening at a Wildwood hotel, police said. The Wildwood police were called to Beachside Resort on Atlantic Avenue in the city at 6:30 for a report of a possible drowning with CPR in progress, according to a joint release from the Wildwood Police and Fire Department. Once police and firefighters arrived they took over life-saving efforts on the child and he was taken to Cape Regional Medical Center where he was pronounced dead after medical staff were unable to revive him, police said. The drowning remained under investigation Saturday by the Wildwood Police Department Detective Division and the Cape May County Prosecutors Major Crimes Unit. It was unclear if a lifeguard was present when the boy drowned, but local officials warned people We are absolutely devastated at this tragic and senseless loss of a life so young, Wildwood Police Chief Robert N. Regalbuto and Wildwood Fire Chief Ernie Troiano III said in a joint release. We strongly encourage everyone whenever youre swimming, swim near a lifeguard, especially when on our beaches. 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. If there were ever a time we needed ice cream, this would be it. Nothing chases the blues away like a long lovely luscious lick of your favorite flavor at a neighborhood ice cream shop/stand. Many ice cream businesses have stayed open the past three months, and seem destined to despite the uncertain economic future, with much less overhead (staff, ingredients, equipment, etc.) than most other food businesses. July is National Ice Cream Month, but isnt every month ice cream month? This list is based on my widespread ice cream travels around New Jersey; my most recent ice cream road trip covered 900 miles and 18 (mostly newer) stops. Ive visited every place on this list. The list is not ranked. Love soft-serve? Well have a separate list on August 19, National Soft-Serve Day. Das' Creamery, Budd Lake Das Creamery, Budd Lake A father-daughter team Pankaj and Komal Das run Das Creamery, a bright. cheery strip mall store. Komal uses her culinary school background to test and push ice cream boundaries. Black licorice ice cream? Its in the Black Knight Rises. Theres pomegranate ice cream and and fresh basil/Junior Mint ice cream and Kulfi toasted coconut almond and excellent vanilla and chocolate, too. Insider tip: theres a secret'' flavor every day. Its not on the store menu board or its Facebook page; you have to ask for it. Cookman Creamery, Asbury ParkAlex Remnick Cookman Creamery, Asbury Park Star-strewn lavender walls, and a compact but wide-ranging flavor board: Cookman Creamery is a far cry from your usual 50-flavor neighborhood ice cream shop/stand. Its about a mood and mellowness here, but theres passion behind the laid-back vibe. Cookman Creamery was started by a mother-daughter team Norah and Melissa Marler and now its owned by a father-son duo, Jimmy and Mike Johnson. There are traditional and vegan flavors, and if you think vegan ice cream equates flavorless ice cream, you need to stop here. My favorite flavor may be the Almond Joy vegan ice cream. A recent addition to the menu: cashew cherry bourbon, the latter from Asbury Distilling. Black raspberry, Conrad's Confectionary, Westwood (Peter Genovese I NJ Advance Media for NJ.com) Conrads Confectionary, Westwood Conrads opened in 1928 as a candy store. Even today, the chocolates, hot fudge, caramel, whipped cream, even the syrup are made from scratch in small batches. Check out the vintage artifacts and newspaper clippings in the window. Line forms to the right at the takeout window and make sure that mask is on! The chocolate ice cream is thick and fudgy, but the winner here is the black raspberry, sweet, silky and oh-so-good. And, oh by the way, black raspberry is way down the list of my favorite flavors. Milk Sugar Love, Jersey City She started with a simple hand cart, taking her ice cream to local farmers markets. Now Emma Taylor, owner of Milk Sugar Love, runs a store across from Hamilton Park, another one in the Heights, and an ice cream truck besides. Her journey to ice cream enlightenment began as a kid eating Kohrs soft-serve on the Ocean City boardwalk; her genre-bending flavors now include Thai tea, lemon olive oil, and honey lavender. Her chocolate peppermint ice cream, sublime and sensational, was the best thing I ate in 2013. Not just best ice cream, best thing, period. Royale Crown, Hammonton (Alex Remnick I NJ Advance Media for NJ.com)SL Royale Crown Homemade Ice Cream, Hammonton Hammonton is the blueberry capital of the world, so it comes as no surprise that Royale Crown makes blueberry ice cream. Make that unbelievably good blueberry ice cream. The diner-shiny ice cream stand opened in 1953 on the White Horse Pike; the waitresses wore white majorette boots, short skirts and gold crowns. There are about 40 kinds of hard ice cream and eight flavors of soft ice cream. Another must-try: the black raspberry soft-serve. Owner Lou Graziano is not afraid to push the envelope, especially with such flavors as Italian pizzelle, Southern pecan and chocolate Milano. Nicholas Creamery, Atlantic Highlands Nicholas Creamery, Atlantic Highlands It would take exceptional ice cream to knock Cookman Creamery off its previously-held perch as Monmouth Countys best ice cream, but newcomer Nicholas Creamery has done just that. Nicholas is Nicholas Harary, owner of Restaurant Nicholas in Middletown. Small-batch ice cream using natural dairy and working directly with local farmers and food artisans to source the freshest, seasonal ingredients'' is the mission statement here. The ice cream is uber-rich and impossibly creamy. In the photo are the Jersey blueberry and the Chocolate Valrhona. The Monster Mash is a killer mint ice cream. There is another location in Fair Haven. Latteria. Swedesboro (Peter Genovese I NJ Advance Media for NJ.com) Latteria, Swedesboro You can go home again, especially when ice cream is involved. Jaclyn Ilacqua, originally from Alloway, Salem County, was making ice cream wholesale in North Carolina. But she wanted more control over the creative side, missed her family, and moved back home to open Latteria in Swedesboro. About 30 flavors rotate on and off the big chalkboard behind the counter, everything from Mr. Vanilla Chip and cheesecake Oreo to strawberry cake batter PopTart. There is no ice cream shop interior in New Jersey quite like Latteria the tables and wall are painted in swirly kaleidoscopic colors - think Cezanne, Van Gogh and Peter Max meeting over ice cream. Chocolate, coconut cups, Cranberry Junction, Hackensack (Peter Genovese I NJ Advance Media for NJ.com) Cranberry Junction, Hackensack The new kid on the ice cream block, Cranberry Junction sits on a massive lot alongside the railroad tracks, with seven picnic tables outside. Inside the little red house youll find about 20 flavors, including banana pudding, dulce de leche and vanilla chocolate chip. If you love chocolate ice cream, this place makes one of the states best seriously rich and deep. If I didnt have more stops the day I visited, I would have polished off the whole darn cup, and maybe ordered another. The coconut ice cream tastes like the real thing; theres a lot of fake-tasting coconut ice cream out there. The Bent Spoon, PrincetonAlex Remnick The Bent Spoon, Princeton Call Gabrielle Carbone and Matthew Errico the mad scientists of New Jersey ice cream. The owners of The Bent Spoon (named after an object in The Matrix') are constantly fiddling and fussing with ingredients before unleashing another crazy flavor on the world. (An ice cream, named Dads Hat, made from rye whiskey? Why not?) The tiny ice cream shop is a frequent visitor on statewide and nationwide best ice cream lists. Recent flavors include blueberry mascarpone, blackberry, and strawberry sorbet. Pick one, any one. Ice Cream by Mike, Ridgewood Ice Cream by Mike, Ridgewood Bergen Countys best ice cream? Many would say longtime favorites Bischoffs in Teaneck or Van Dyks in Ridgewood, but Ive been to both, and think Ice Cream by Mike is better. Mike Elias moved from a tiny, narrow space in Hackensack to a bigger, brighter spot in Ridgewood. He uses high-end ingredients and is always creating creative if not crazy flavors. Youre not going to find 40-50 flavors here; more like ten. Try the French vanilla or lemon ice cream; youll thank me later. His soft-serve is splendid. Assorted flavors from Owowcow.SL Owowcow Creamery, Lambertville Winner of our N.J.s best ice cream showdown in 2016, Owowcow is a high-ceilinged ice cream hangout in New Jerseys best small town. OwowCow started in Ottsville, Pa.; there are four other stores, in Easton, Pa., Chalfont, Pa., Wrightstown, Pa. and Lambertville. There are three kinds of high-end vanilla: Madagascar, Indonesian and Tahitian; and I Hate Chocolate, despite its name, is a chocolate lovers vision of paradise. They push the ice cream envelope here; flavors include lime cilantro; chocolate jalapeno and I Hate Chocolate, a sweet, rich chocolate overload that fortunately doesnt live up its name. The mint chocolate chip is not the usual bright green and boasts mint leaves, and may be the best Ive had anywhere. Tahitian Vanilla, Halo Pub, Hamilton (Peter Genovese I NJ Advance Media for NJ.com) Halo Pub, Hamilton Halo Farms main store is next to the Trenton Farmers Market in Lawrenceville, but right now its just pints and quarts there, so if you want a cone or cup, head to their sister locations in Princeton or Hamilton. The chocolate chocolate almond is delightful and delicious. Vanilla is the worlds most popular and most boring flavor, but the Tahiti vanilla bean here is slightly spicy and tangy and altogether delicious. Double dark chocolate fudge crunch, Cliff's Homemade Ice Cream, Ledgewood (Peter Genovese I NJ Advance Media for NJ.com) Cliffs Homemade Ice Cream, Ledgewood My single favorite Jersey ice cream flavor: The double dark chocolate fudge crunch at Cliffs, shown in the photo. Its a choco-holics vision of the sugar-coned pearly gates. There are about a dozen flavors of soft serve and 60 flavors of hard ice cream, so good luck picking one. Cliffs made my list of 20 Essential Jersey Food Experiences. Polar Cub Ice Cream, Whitehouse (Alex Remnick I NJ Advance Media for NJ.com)SL Polar Cub, Whitehouse I was always looking for an ice cream place,' the owner of Polar Cub told me on a recent visit. I saw an ad (for the Polar Cubs sale) in The Star-Ledger.' He laughed. Ill always be thankful for the Star-Ledger. He makes about three quarters of the 12 flavors of hard ice cream; the rest comes from Welsh Farms. He also makes the ices. Springers, Stone Harbor Springers is one of the Jersey Shores two or three best-known ice cream shops. Taylor Swift knows it well. From age 2 to 14, her parents owned a summer house in Stone Harbor. Springers was a mainstay of her Jersey Shore summers. The original owners apparently changed it from a bar to an ice cream store during Prohibition. If you like creamy ice cream, Springers is your place; all those Ive sampled in recent visits were surpassingly smooth. My favorites: Dark Nite, Prohibition Tradition. Dairy Swirl, Vernon (Alex Remnick I NJ Advance Media for NJ.com)SL Dairy Swirl, Vernon Dairy Swirl is the northernmost ice cream spot on this list, proof you can find great ice cream all over the state. Hard ice cream, soft-serve, yogurt, shakes, smoothies, floats theyre all here, beneath the peach-colored walls. Scoop to My Lou,. East Brunswick (Peter Genovese I NJ Advance Media for NJ.com) Scoop to My Lou, East Brunswick Scoop to My Lou opened this Valentine Day (how sweet!) and is proof theres always room for ice cream on the American roadside. When the owner, Lou, told his wife he wanted to open an ice cream stand, she replied, Ill scoop for you, Lou,' thus the business name. There are about 40 flavors, including lemon poppy, orange pineapple, and espresso bean. The chocolate is creamier than most, but the standout here is the rum raisin, a great alternative to plain old vanilla and one of the three favorite flavors on my most recent ice cream road trip. Richs Ice Cream, Toms River Rich Gutweins first ice cream store was a Carvel in 1955, when Route 37 was one lane in either direction. Twenty years later, he opened Richs. The store closed in 2014 when the property was sold, and now his grandson, Hunter Gutwein, owns the new store, which sells a dizzying variety of hard and soft ice cream, flurries, cakes, ice cream sandwiches (known as Richie Bars) and more. The banana-strawberry soft-serve swirl is a must-try, and so is the chocolate chocolate chip. Vincents Ice Cream, Mount Holly Youve got to like any place with Train Wreck Rum Raisin on the menu. Vincents started in Trenton, opening a location in Mount Holly in 2013. Owner Vincent Amico makes his ice cream in small batches, two and a half gallons each time. The chocolate is nice and creamy, but the must-order is the coconut Almond Joy, with real coconut flakes and almonds. Luigi's Ice Cream truck (Peter Genovese I NJ Advance Media for NJ.com) Luigis Ice Cream, Metuchen, Red Bank, Summit Luigi Beltran, owner of Luigis Ice Cream, opened the states first ice cream speakeasy inside Ani Ramen in Jersey City in 2018, stocked with boozy'' alcoholic-infused - ice cream. Hennessy and pineapple ice cream (my favorite), Patron XO Cafe and chocolate chip ice cream, and Godiva Dark Chocolate Liqueur and fudge brownie ice cream were the initial offerings. Mint Oreo chocolate chip and Thai tea are among their regular flavors; they also do rolled ice cream and ice cream donut sandwiches. Sundaes, Berlin (Alex Remnick I NJ Advance Media for NJ.com)SL Sundaes, Berlin Classic ice cream rock rules at Sundaes. Flavors include Sympathy for the Devil (chocolate ice cream with brownies, chocolate icing, red jimmies); London Calling (dulce de leche ice cream clashing,' according to a sign, with caramel and English toffee Heathbar); and Purple Rain (raspberry ice cream). And dont forget Thunder Road (chocolate ice cream with marshmallow, Oreos and chocolate chips); Sticky Fingers (vanilla ice cream with caramel, marshmallow, cashews, hard-shell chocolate), and U2 Crazy (mint ice cream with fudge, Oreos, M&Ms). Assorted flavors, Cow's Brow, Fredon (Peter Genovese I NJ Advance Media for NJ.com) Cows Brow Creamery, Fredon Jack Hunt, managing partner at Windy Brow Farms, where Cows Brow is located, is the guy who unleashed Taylor ham ice cream and tomato pie ice cream on an unsuspecting world. But classic ice cream flavors are here, too, and theyre done surpassingly well. The dark chocolate is the stuff of legend, and the vegan coconut blueberry lime is nothing short of sensational. Summer Ville Homemade Ice Cream, Somerville Elio DeFranco, owner of Summer Ville Homemade Ice Cream, first thought about opening a bakery, then switched to ice cream because he didnt want to put in the backbreakingly long hours a bakery would demand. He could work his computer tech job during the day, and make ice cream at night. One of his most popular flavors is Somerville Mud, a mix of chocolate chip cookies, M&Ms, Reeses pieces and Oreos. I have little kids crying when they cant get their Mud,' DeFranco told me. Also recommended: the Earl Grey and the tart Key Lime. Nasto's Ice Cream Co., Newark (Peter Genovese I NJ Advance Media for NJ.com) Nastos Ice Cream Co., Newark One of the great food institutions in Newarks Ironbound, Nastos opened in 1939 in a former brewery. Secret to its success and long life? Put the good stuff in and get good stuff out,' Frank Nasto III once told me. The blue-awninged shop supplies ice cream to about 750 restaurants around New Jersey. Try the key lime if they have it. Assorted flavors, Fajji's Homemade Ice Cream (Alex Remnick I NJ Advance Media for NJ.com)SL Fajjis Homemade Ice Cream, Perth Amboy Theres no Fajji at Fajjis Homemade Ice Cream that was an employee of the former owners but current owner Tom Griffin doesnt mind if you call him Fajji. They buy my ice cream, they can call me anything they want,' he says. The staff wears tie-dyed t-shirts, and many of the flavors are Caribbean-accented, including coconut (Griffin cracks the coconuts himself), pineapple and passion fruit. The Thin Mint ice cream tastes just like the real thing. Torico Homemade Ice Cream, Jersey City (Peter Genovese I NJ Advance Media for NJ.com) Torico Homemade Ice Cream, Jersey City In 1968, Pura and Peter Berrios started making slushes and sorbets in a former deli on Erie Street. Their ice cream shop was initially called Tropical Delight; it was later changed to Torico, a contraction of todo rico'' everything is delicious. Today, the couples daughters, Christine and Denise, run the casually stylish ice cream store. The stores tropical roots are still in evidence; the 40 or so flavors include ube (purple yam), jackfruit, soursop and mamey. Ummm Ice Cream Parlor, Burlington City Maybe the states most gorgeously retro ice cream parlor, with wooden booths and chairs, UMM Ice Cream Parlor is housed in what was once a detective agency, hearing aid store and maybe a bookie joint. My favorite flavors are the chocolate-covered espresso bean and Rosanna Banana Dana, a tribute to Gilda Radners character on Saturday Night Live. And this is the place to try Boost! a lemony cola little-known outside Burlington and Camden counties. Last Licks, East Hanover (Peter Genovese I NJ Advance Media for NJ.com) Last Licks, East Hanover Say hello to the cow out front and walk up the inclined stairs to the ice cream window at Last Licks. They offer 32 flavors of hard ice cream, 12 flavors of Italian ice, plus vanilla and chocolate soft-serve. Along with some dazzling-looking ice cream cakes. The peach ice cream is nice and fruity-tasting, and the Triple Chocolate, astoundingly thick and fudgy, is one of the top two or three chocolates Ive had all year. Gabriels Fountain, Martinsville Lemon lavender blueberry. If the sound of that doesnt make your heart flutter, you need to check for a pulse. Its my favorite flavor at Gabriels Fountain, which offers burgers, sandwiches, wings and salads in addition to ice cream. Like chocolate? Youll love the Milk Chocolate here, smooth and creamy. Van Dyk's Homemade Ice Cream, Ridgewood (Alex Remnick I NJ Advance Media for NJ.com)SL Van Dyks Homemade Ice Cream, Ridgewood From the outside, it looks like just another house on the block, and the interior isnt much to look at, but Van Dyks has been scooping out cups and cones for nearly 50 years. Vanilla, chocolate and strawberry, those three ice cream standards, top the menu board, but youll also find cappuccino Oreo, lemon vanilla and Baileys Cream. Its cash-only. Point Creamery, Point Pleasant Whats your favorite flavor?' was a question I often asked of ice cream shop employees during my most recent ice cream road trip. It worked out well at Point Creamery; she suggested the Almond Joy, and it does the candy, and flavor, proud. I liked it so much I hid it in my freezer to keep it from prying eyes, and mouths. The Death by Chocolate could have been richer, but more than satisfied my chocolate cravings. They also offer a variety of Dole Whip flavors. Thai rolled ice cream, Arctic Freeze Creamery, Collingswood (Peter Genovese I NJ Advance Media for NJ.com) Arctic Freeze Creamery, Collingswood Never had Thai-style rolled ice cream? What are you waiting for? Arctic Freeze does it, and well. First of all, its quite a production: Milk, cream and sugar are poured, pounded and scraped on a flat surface, then fashioned into a half dozen rolls. Choose your flavor of ice cream first (vanilla, chocolate, coconut), add your choice of toppings later, and youre good to go. I tried the Mint Dip, a mint sandwich cookie and brownies, with vanilla ice cream and jimmies; and the Brownie Overload, brownies and chocolate chips, with chocolate ice cream, then bananas and coconut flakes (a perfect combo if say so myself). Rolled ice cream may not be for everyone, and it may be gimmicky, but give it a try. Beenies, Morristown The biggest difference between Beenies and just about everyone else? Were one of the few places that makes our own dairy base,' informs the web site. What this means is we actually buy gallons of fresh milk and heavy cream, hundreds of pounds of granulated sugar. . . ' The owner is Tony Franco, who opened the shop in May 2017 in between art classes and a stint as a professional drummer. There are 38 flavors year-round; Columbian Coffee, Rice Krispie Treat and Nutella Pretzel are among the unique ones. The chocolate is rich, rich, rich, but the standout here is the honey lavender, fragrant and pretty close to fantastic. Penguin Ice Cream, Bernardsville (Peter Genovese I NJ Advance Media for NJ.com) Penguin Ice Cream, Bernardsville With its red awning, mock picket fence and American flag flying out front, Penguin Ice Cream is the very picture of ice cream Americana. Not-so-ordinary flavors include Gracies Ginger Snap Cookie, Pink Peppermint Stick and Bourbon Vanilla Bean. The Double Chocolate lives up to its description, and the lemon lavender blueberry makes for a terrific trio of flavors. Alaura Kitchen, Pitman Newest flavor at Alaura Kitchen: Blueberry bourbon smash. We took Jersey blueberries and cooked them in butter, brown sugar, bourbon, and a dash of cinnamon,' reads their Facebook post. Smash! Lastly we topped it off with graham crackers mixed throughout.' Yes, please! This candy/ice cream shop, founded in 2015, grew out of a family tradition of making caramels. About 20 ice cream flavors are available at any one time; the more adventurous ones include lemon basil, guava and blueberry Nutella swirl. 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. A person died early on July 4th in a fireworks incident outside a public housing complex in Jersey City. Witnesses said the victim, who has not been identified, was struck in the neck with fireworks outside the Booker T. Washington housing buildings on Bright Street just before 1 a.m. The person was pronounced dead at the Jersey City Medical Center. Liquor bottles and debris from illegal fireworks was strewn about the area as police conducted an investigation Saturday morning. Jersey City, like many other places across the area, has been besieged by the proliferation of illegal fireworks over the past month. Details on the fatal incident were not immediately available. In 2017 the state made certain fireworks, such as sparklers, poppers, and other no-aerial items legal, but explosive and aerial products have remained illegal. The city created a task force to deal with the fireworks after numerous videos appeared on social media showing young men engaged in shootouts involving Roman candles, which are illegal in New Jersey. The Coast Guard medevacked a man off a fishing boat Friday afternoon 60 miles southeast of Sandy Hook. The 45-year-old man experienced symptoms of a stroke and was in need of medical assistance and the Coast Guard was called in to assist, according to a social media post from U.S. Coast Guard Tri-State. An Air Station Atlantic City MH-65 Dolphin helicopter aircrew was launched and airlifted the man to AtlantiCare Regional Medical Center in Atlantic City. The mans condition was not released late Friday afternoon. 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. In a Salute to America on the Fourth of July, a group of U.S. Air Force and U.S. Marine Corps planes including a B-52 bomber will fly over New York City and Philadelphia Saturday, but you may catch a glimpse if youre in certain parts of New Jersey. Although the Department of Defense would not say which New Jersey towns will be able to see the planes, maps showing the planes flight path and timing show the aircrafts will be flying from New York City and across Central New Jersey to get to Philadelphia. The planes are scheduled to fly down the Hudson River in New York City at 5 p.m. in five waves and pass just east of the Statue of Liberty, according to a release from the Department of Defense. Based on that, anyone in New Jersey with a good view of the Hudson River should be able to see and hear the flyover. Then the aircrafts are set to fly over the center of Philadelphia around 5:15 p.m., approaching from the northeast at 1,000 feet above the ground, officials said. They will be able to be seen flying over Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell, then proceed southwest out of the city, officials said. The scheduled flight path over New York City.Department of Defense The flyovers provide an opportunity for DOD to demonstrate the capabilities and professionalism of the United States Armed Forces, a press release said. Flying hours are a sunk cost for the Department of Defense, and these aircraft and crews would be using these hours for proficiency and training at other locations if they were not conducting these flyovers, the release continued. The Salute to America military flyover path also includes Boston and Washington as the nation celebrates its 244th birthday. The scheduled flight path over Philadelphia.Department of Defense In April, the Thunderbirds and Blue Angels performed a flyover in honor of healthcare workers on the frontlines of the coronavirus pandemic, and another military flyover was held the next month. Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com. Brianna Kudisch may be reached at bkudisch@njadvancemedia.com. Tell us your coronavirus story or send a tip here. By Christina Beviano As a New Jersey college student gearing up to begin my third year of undergrad studies, I am no stranger to the accumulation of student debt. From attending a private liberal arts school in northern New Jersey, I hardly even knew what I was getting myself into as I signed my online signature for accepting federal student loans in my senior year of high school. As a first-generation student, my family had no clue what the requirements were for colleges or the process of even applying. There are no high school or college classes to teach young adults like me about the choices they are making and the debt they will get into. Teachers and family members push high school students to go to college and get a degree to better themselves in the workforce. But these same people never tell those same students about the debt and payment processes they will go through after graduation. Community College was an option for me, however, my local school is ranked in the lower percentile, nationally, with only a 30% success rate according to CNN Money, none of New Jerseys 18 county colleges made over a 50% success rating, with Cumberland County College at 48%. Which is shocking as New Jersey has been a top state for a K-12 education, according to U.S. News & World Report. Like many others from my area, I wanted to be able to expand my resources and strive with people who wanted to learn like me. A four-year school is where I best saw myself, even with the loans. College Tuition Compare illustrates that the average tuition cost in New Jersey is $8,419 in-state and $18,108 out of state. Colleges such as Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken had tuition prices as high as $52,202 in 2019. Colleges like Stevens are why New Jersey is in the top 10 states with the highest student debt. Its not just tuition that makes college expensive, there are fees upon fees for meal plans, dormitory, technology, and so much more. Nationally, LendEDU states student debt towering at $1.67 trillion with the 44.5 million student loan borrowers averaging $28,565 in debt. With having student debt, the average college graduate misses out on benefits of their degree as they settle for a low-paying, low skilled job in order to begin paying back the student loan bills, stated by Scholarship America. Then, if a federal loan is not paid back on time, the consequence is to pay even more money, which may lower the borrowers credit scores. Sure, scholarships are a great way to save money and pay for school. However, scholarships are not always guaranteed to everyone and are not permanent. If a students grades go down, the money is easily taken away. I applied for numerous scholarships but scholarships are like the lottery and I did not win any. I had no choice but to rely on the financial aid packet from the school and to take out loans. Former Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders wanted to make public colleges, universities, and trade schools free for all citizens in the United States. Current student debt would have also be erased, getting rid of the burden of debt for many Americans. Sanders was not the only one looking at free college. Former presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren proposes nearly the same concept, with other former candidates trailing behind in forming different ways to make sure the American people have the opportunities to pursue their dreams. Granted, my private university would not be drastically affected by these possible changes, as the institution is allowed to set its own tuition prices. However, with a possible change and ever-changing education system, private universities could be seeing fewer students, if any, who would be willing to pay to attend. Instead, many students might opt to attend free colleges. But until then, and if these proposed changes happen, millions of college students and graduates, like myself, have to manage the weight of student loan debt. Is college worth the money right now? Probably not. But employers still want to see a college background and degree on candidates resumes. So for now I will continue to attend and work toward graduation and paying back the loans. Christina Beviano is a political science and history major at Drew University. She hopes to graduate in 2022. 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. The superintendent of the Hudson County Schools of Technology and the administration of the districts High Tech High School in Secaucus need to act quickly to replace a page in the schools 2020 yearbook that includes what the Anti-Defamation League calls one of the most common white supremacist symbols. Students and parents spotted 88' which the ADL says is code for Heil Hitler'' on a page where students included quotes to represent themselves. An investigation showed the student intended to reference a park on 88th Street in North Bergen, school officials said yesterday. Replacement pages clearly stating 88th Street Park'' or something similar should be in the works now so they can be out speedily to all students and institutions, such as libraries, that have purchased yearbooks. Students should not have to take a yearbook with them for the rest of their lives that remind them of the time the adults let hate speech stand and turned a blind eye,' a Change.org petition on the matter states. Instead, they should be reminded that the adults in charge took action to correct a mistake. We agree. Send letters to the editor and guest columns for The Jersey Journal to jjletters@jjournal.com. In April, Matthew Sullivan watched his neighbors in Morris Township gaze out their windows. Many were newly unemployed or working from home in the beginning days of New Jerseys coronavirus crisis, placing heightened focus on the state of their lawns. Sullivan, an enterprising 14-year-old who started a lawn care business last year, has capitalized on the boost in demand, employing a cadre of able-bodied 13 and 14-year-olds for mulching, weeding, leaf-blowing, weeding, planting and fence-painting. The business, cheekily named Leaf-It To-Us, donates 10% of its proceeds to a local Morris food drive. Last Saturday, Sullivan and his partners Christian Vander Groef, Eric Ottaiano and CJ Piccola, presented local charity Help MorrisNOW with a $500 check. They also stuck around to volunteer at the drive, clad in their branded olive-green Leaf-It To-Us shirts. The Leaf-it to-Us kids they brought tears to my eyes, I can tell you that, Nestor Bedoya, the founder of Help MorrisNOW, told NJ Advance Media. When they came up to me and said were presenting you with this check and this is the hard work weve been doing, I couldnt have imagined those kids at their age, doing what theyre doing, with the purpose of helping others. The Leaf-It To-Us boys present a check for $500 to the local charity, Help MorrisNOW. Though the company had originally been donating proceeds to St. Jude Childrens Research Hospital, this season it switched causes. Now weve gone local, Sullivan told NJ Advance Media, So now were helping out people in our community. Sullivan predicts that the company has made more than $8,000 total since its inception last summer and $5,000 since this April. Last year, they completed around two to three jobs a week. This year, theyve scaled up to two jobs a day. Having learned landscaping skills from shadowing older kids or helping with tasks around the house, the boys used to just do jobs within their neighborhood. As the business grew, most of their jobs were further away. Their parents typically drop them off at jobs, or, if the house is close enough, theyll ride their electric dirt-bikes. The Leaf-It To-Us boys' vehicle of choice for getting to jobs: electric dirtbikes. The boys earn a lot of business through word-of-mouth. Sullivan fields calls, texts and emails as the small businesss founding entrepreneur, with help from his partners, all friends from the neighborhood. They plan to keep the landscaping business running as long as they can while maintaining their charitable giving. Those kids are going to go far, man, Bedoya said. Its a quality that you dont acquire, its a quality that youre born with, and those kids all have it. Its a gift, the gift of giving, my friend. Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com. Josh Axelrod may be reached at jaxelrod@njadvancemedia.com. Tell us your coronavirus story or send a tip here. The controversial Three Gorges Dam in China, the biggest project for hydroelectric power not only in the country but also in the whole world, has been scrutinized for issues on environmental damage and structural flaws from the very first time it was proposed for construction around 1950s. (Photo : Wikimedia Commons) The controversial Three Gorges Dam in China, the biggest project for hydroelectric power not only in the country but also in the whole world, has been scrutinized for issues on environmental damage and structural flaws from the very first time it was proposed for construction around the 1950s. Currently, with torrential rainstorms ravaging half the country, an expert in hydrology is warning of a collapse due to increased water pressure, which will endanger the millions of people living in nearby areas. Since early June of this year, widespread heavy rainfall and flooding have devastated 11.2 million citizens living in 26 municipalities and provinces in southern and central China. Over 9,300 homes have been destroyed, and 171,000 more have been damaged. According to the local authorities, the financial toll has already reached beyond 3.4 billion dollars or 24.1 billion yuan. This devastating rainfall is expected to rage for ten more days. The mountainous province of Guizhou in southwest China already experienced a 16-foot higher rain or stormwater beyond the acceptable threshold. Meanwhile, in Yanhe County, severe flooding has already caused cascading waters. To flow over a bridge, washing away the houses beneath it. READ: Heavy Rains, Earthquake Strike China, Residents Fear Landslides and Dam Spillage Southwestern Qijiang County, Chongquing City resident Mr. Liu calls it a hotpot, except in water. He said that the flooding is a warning call to the rest of the country. He predicted that if the Dam is already unable to withstand flooding waters now, then Yangtze River's lower reaches, which consist of one of China's most populous and fertile regions, will be in grave danger. The dam was intended to tame the Yangtze River because it is prone to floods. It was also designed to generate clean energy. The Three Gorges Dam project has a budget of 25.4 billion dollars or 180 billion yuan and has been troubled by environmental and corruption costs. The fact that authorities forced the relocation of more than a million residents worsened public perception against it. Hydrologist Wang Weiluo said that a lot of regions are below the dam's reservoir, which places them directly under the currents of the water during flooding. The Yangtze River reaches 11 regions and provinces in western and central China, which include Sichuan, Shanghai, Tibet, Hubei, and Chongqing. Sichuan Bureau of Geological Exploration and Exploitation of Mineral Resources senior engineer Fan Xiao wrote extensively about the dam's issues. In 2004, he tackled the subject of the landslides and earthquakes caused by the reservoir. In 2016, his article cast doubt on the net capacity of the dam to mitigate floods after the dam's construction and operation destroyed local habitats. The people of the upper reaches of the river also has a fundamental conflict with those living in the lower regions, because when heavy rain occurs, the upper residents want the water from the dam discharged. In contrast, the lower residents have trouble with additional flooding. The dam's structural integrity is also in danger of breaking. Wang urges those living nearby to have emergency kits ready for protection. Sichuan Province resident Mr. Chen is worried that a catastrophe will befall the country under the current mismanagement of the regime. He said the government considers the dam a show project, and its disastrous consequences will have commoners footing the bill. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: Lingering China Floods: 14Million People, 26 Provinces Affected | Buildings Collapse, Roads Inaccessible Watertown, NY (13601) Today Partly cloudy skies this evening will become overcast overnight. Low 53F. Winds W at 10 to 15 mph.. Tonight Partly cloudy skies this evening will become overcast overnight. Low 53F. Winds W at 10 to 15 mph. The Central Pennsylvania Food Bank has been keeping up with the demand for food throughout central Pennsylvania in several creative ways. A food rescuing program takes perfectly good food with no market and distribute it to families in need. The program has helped during the COVID-19 situation, but it has been tough as grocery stores have overbought to keep shelves filled. We are now serving 175,000 people per month, up from 135,000 served in months just prior to the crisis, said Joe Arthur, executive director of the Central Pennsylvania Food Bank. So many families in our area continue to face an uncertain financial future and we are committed to making sure that everyone has enough nutritious food to stay healthy," he added. "It is through partnerships such as operation BBQ and the many others that we can truly make a difference and stop hunger. It has been challenging at times, but the Food Bank has partnered with groups like Crisis Response Box and local farmers to help get food to people who need it. One of those events was the recent Operation BBQ Relief that helped turn donated food into family friendly frozen meals that were distributed to local families. Each box included a healthy protein, vegetables, and another side dish. It was a complete meal for a family of four. Operation BBQ was a welcome resource as food demand skyrocketed with the tremendous increase in unemployment from the COVID-19 pandemic and the shelf-stable food chain was heavily disrupted for months, said Arthur. The program aligned with our mission of providing the most healthy, nutritious food we can to those in need and it also ensured a longer shelf life since the meals were precooked and frozen. We are thankful that Operation BBQ helped us get more food to those in need, provided support to our food service businesses, and ultimately brought more hope during these trying times, Aurthur said. The mass-cooking campaign in Pennsylvania is a partnership with Operation BBQ Relief, a disaster-relief organization created in 2011 to feed tornado victims in Joplin, Mo. The group provides know-how, money and ingredients from its supplier network to restaurants joining the effort to feed people. According to Feeding Pa Executive Director, Jane Clements-Smith, the program will produce 520,000 meals a week that will be distributed to 9 Feeding Pennsylvania Food Banks including the Central Pennsylvania Food Bank, who serves 27 counties. It is funded into June by money from the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the state, but a similar operation could extend into the summer. Keeping up with the increase in demand while navigating the disruptions in the food supply chain has been the greatest challenge. Food Banks rely on shelf stable healthy food to distribute to agency partners. But with any challenge, there is an opportunity for innovation. The beginning of May, the Central Pennsylvania Food Bank began distributing meals from Operation BBQ Relief (six-week program). The organization turns donated food that comes in restaurant-size packaging into family-friendly frozen meals for charitable distribution. Each frozen container has a complete ready-to-eat meal including healthy protein, vegetables, and another side dish for a family of four. The meals go easily from the freezer to the oven to the dinner table, with easy to follow cooking instruction on the package. Operation BBQ Relief is using a network of barbecue restaurants and food distributors across PA to provide the freshly prepared and pre-packaged meals per week to individuals, seniors and families in need. The Central Pennsylvania Food Bank will distribute the boxes of much-needed food to those in need across their service area. To date 119,888 total meals have been distributed. A family in Pennsylvania recently sent this note of gratitude. "Your meals were wonderful, and this food has helped us tremendously. We wanted to just send a quick note to thank you all for everything that you do! Bless you all." The Wolf Administration has invested in several initiatives to address food insecurity, including $50 million through the USDAs Farmers to Families Food Box program to purchase surplus milk and other dairy products, chicken, pork, and fresh produce from Pennsylvania farmers who lost markets for their products because of the COVID-19 pandemic, and $40 million in funding through the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act to support Pennsylvanias dairy industry and food security programs, following months of uncertainty and loss from the COVID-19 pandemic. Specifically, $15 million will provide an opportunity for dairy farmers to receive direct relief payments and $5 million will go to reimburse farmers donating dairy products through the Pennsylvania Agricultural Surplus System (PASS). This Department of Agriculture program helps food producers donate safe food to food banks and be reimbursed for harvesting, processing, packaging, and transporting costs of donated food. An additional $15 million will be used for cash grants to counties for the purchase and distribution of food to low income individuals through the State Food Purchase Program and $5 million will go to the PASS program to reimburse the agricultural industry for the costs involved in harvesting, processing, packaging and transporting food that they donate to the charitable food system. 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, Pa. The holiday is here and people are out celebrating. State Police Bureau of Liquor Control Enforcement and the Liquor Control Board reminded licensed liquor establishments and their patrons to abide by social distancing and masking requirements to help slow the spread of COVID-19. On June 17, updated guidance for businesses in the restaurant and retail food service industry were released as part of the commonwealth's ongoing response to the COVID-19 public health crisis. Among other requirements, all businesses and employees in the restaurant and retail food service industry authorized to conduct in-person activities are mandated to: Require all customers to wear masks while entering, exiting or otherwise traveling throughout the restaurant or retail food service business (face masks may be removed while seated). Further, employees are required to wear masks at all times. Provide at least six feet between parties at tables or physical barriers between customers where booths are arranged back to back. Ensure maximum occupancy limits for indoor and outdoor areas are posted and enforced. On June 18, the PA Liquor Control Board issued guidance to licensed liquor establishments choosing to resume on-premises service of alcohol counties in the yellow and green phases of reopening. The guidance incorporated and reinforced the governor's mandates, including those noted above. "Pennsylvania's COVID-19 mitigation efforts have been among the most successful in the country in slowing the spread of this dangerous virus and allowing for the cautious reopening of restaurants and other licensed liquor establishments," said PLCB Executive Director Charlie Mooney. "Just as the PLCB requires masks for employees and customers at our Fine Wine & Good Spirits stores, licensees must remain vigilant in order to stay on the path to recovery and keep our businesses operating." A licensee that fails to comply with requirements mandating the wearing of masks, providing at least six feet between parties at tables, and ensuring that maximum occupancy limits are observed risks citation by the Bureau of Liquor Control Enforcement. Penalties may be assessed for each violation and include a fine of up to $1,000 and possible suspension and/or revocation of the liquor license. Continued operation in violation of the guidance after a warning or citation risks further enforcement action by BLCE and ultimately puts the liquor license at risk, both through the citation process and upon application for renewal to the PLCB. Licensees are reminded that any person who violates the Liquor Code may be charged criminally with a misdemeanor. "Our enforcement officers have found that the vast majority of licensed liquor establishments statewide are voluntarily complying with mitigation requirements, and we remain focused on education and working with licensees during this challenging time," said Major Jeffrey Fisher, director of the Pennsylvania State Police Bureau of Liquor Control Enforcement. "However, the commonwealth remains in the midst of a public health emergency, and serious consequences are possible for businesses that fail to take the necessary steps to keep their employees and customers safe." Since mid-March BLCE officers have conducted compliance checks at over 15,100 licensed liquor establishments. Officers conduct an average of 1,500 compliance checks each day and have issued 162 warnings and 103 notices of violations to date. Complaints regarding licensees not complying with COVID-19 mitigation mandates may be directed to the BLCE at 1-800-932-0602 or reported through the BLCE's online complaint form. For many of us in the Coal Region, halupki cabbage rolls are at the top of our comfort food list. They evoke fond memories of family dinners and holiday celebrations; our grandmother or the church ladies in the kitchen, boiling cabbage, stuffing and rolling the leaves electric roasters or baking pans filled to almost over-flowing with deliciousness. In my neck of the woods, youd be hard-pressed to find a block party or church festival where these are not on the menu among the offerings at food stands. What you call cabbage rolls is dependent on where youre from; halupki, golumpki, gwumpki, or golabki, holubtsi, sarma, balandeliai (Lithuanian for little doves), or any spelling of the aforementioned just to name a few. My home town area of the Anthracite Region of Northeast Pennsylvania Schuylkill County usually identifies them as halupki, sometimes golumpki. The bituminous region (Southwestern Pennsylvania), where I find myself now, refers to them as pigs in a blanket which, I confess, confused the heck out of me when I first moved to Johnstown. To me, pigs in a blanket always meant some sort of hot dog/sausage rolled in a pastry dough then baked. Imagine my surprise when the person in front of me in line at a local ethnic food fest ordered a pig in a blanket then turned toward me holding a luscious-looking halupki on a plate! Although I try to embrace the local moniker for foods wherever I am, I just cannot call cabbage rolls anything other than halupki; its true that you can take the girl out of Schuylkill County, but you cannot take Schuylkill County out of the girl Cabbage rolls are known in some areas as blind pigeons, that name likely originated from an 18th century French dish in which pigeon was wrapped in cabbage leaves. Polish and French aristocracy traveled back and forth and in Poland, the dish became known as golubtsy; little pigeons. Variety is the spice of life Seems every cooks recipe is a little different than every other and I mean every cooks! Cabbage rolls in general are subject to great debate with every cook weighing in and convinced theirs are the best; ask 100 cooks for their recipe and you will get 100 different versions. Although they vary slightly with the cook and region, the concept is the same; boil a whole cabbage head, pull off the leaves as they loosen, stuff the leaves with a filling, layer them into a vessel, pour a broth or sauce over top, cover and cook. Fight nicely Hotly contested among cooks are several factors: should you use cooked rice or un-cooked in the filling mixture? What ratio/types of meat? Should the rolls be cooked in a tomato-based sauce or a meat broth? Even rolling techniques are a matter of personal preference! And, of course, what they are called is even debatable which we already covered. All mine My version of halupki has been in my repertoire for decades and was born from a combination of recipes from two cooks who showed me how to make them. I took my favorite traits from each, combined them, and my Coalcracker Kitchen halupki recipe was born. It became a family favorite that I stuck with throughout the years. I use a meat mixture that is equal amounts ground pork and 80/20 ground beef, un-cooked rice, and tomato soup sweetened with a little brown sugar as the sauce to cook my halupki in because I like its flavor and seasonings. I also caramelize the diced onion for the stuffing; I like the added flavor and touch of sweetness it provides, but you can simply grate the onion if you prefer. I always trim off the thick vein of the blanched cabbage leaf to make rolling easier; you can trim the vein flat with a sharp knife, or if the leaf is large enough, cut it off/out completely. If rolled properly, there should be no need to use toothpicks to hold the rolls together; something your diners will thank you for. There are several ways to roll the halupki, the video below shows the method I use. Some people roll the halupki like an eggroll. The cabbage challenge Cooking the cabbage for the individual leaves is, honestly, many cooks least favorite part but its not rocket science, it just takes some patience and planning. Find a pot large enough to fit the whole cabbage inside. Step #1: Fill a stockpot about half way with water, salt it lightly, and bring to a boil. Also bring to a boil an extra kettle of water to add to the pot if needed. Core the cabbage using a short, sharp knife. Make sure the core is completely removed. Submerge the whole cabbage, cored end up, in the pot of boiling water. Use the extra boiling water to cover the entire head if necessary, pouring directly into the cored out end. As the cabbage leaves soften, you can gently work each individual leaf away from the head with a pair of tongs. Allow the leaves to remain in the water until they get a waxy look to them and are flexible, but dont get then get mushy. Take each out of the water, place on a baking tray, and let set until they are cool enough to handle. Keep working the leaves away until they get too small to make a cabbage roll with (less than the palm of your hand), any that are too small to cover the palm of your hand. Remove the cabbage center left over from the boiling water, set aside to cool. Use any torn or less than desirable leaves for lining the cooking pan to help prevent scorching. The left-over center can be chopped and layered in, too Read the whole article and find the recipe on A Coalcracker in the Kitchen The year 2020 marks the 75th anniversary of the founding of the United Nations (UN). An online event held recently in commemoration of the 75th anniversary of the signing of the UN Charter has attracted great attention, indicating that the international community believes multilateralism is of practical significance. The U.S., however, has never stopped attacking the multilateral system with unilateral actions. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, for one, is particularly dedicated to undermining international solidarity and cooperation as he has gone out his way to deny the constructive role that China has played in multilateral organizations and even accused China of advancing its "narrow interests." With such clumsy tricks, Pompeo and other U.S. officials have revealed their true colors as the trouble makers for multilateral cooperation. What the U.S. has been performing on the world stage--withdrawing from international organizations and agreements, as well as threatening to freeze the funds for world organizations--deviates from multilateralism and has caused widespread concerns in the international society. Unfortunately, as years go by, some people seem to have forgotten about the UN Charter and the original intentions of founding the organization, said David Chikvaidze, Chef de Cabinet of the Director-General of the UN Office at Geneva. The world has witnessed more and more unilateralist approaches, instead of seeking solutions via consultation and negotiation to deal with problems, which has increasingly put itself into a dangerous situation, he added. "Certainly, the U.S. and many of our free-world friends have our differences on the subject of multilateralism." Such remarks of Pompeo have made it pretty clear that the U.S. has already isolated itself from the rest of the world. No matter what excuses and lies the U.S. has come up with, it could never justify its withdrawal from international organizations and agreements. The country has already pull out of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the UN Human Rights Council, the Paris Agreement, the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, the Treaty on Open Skies and announced that it would terminate its relationship with the World Health Organization (WHO). Such practices of the U.S. have fully exposed its unilateral nature and power politics driven by "America First". Photo shows the online forum held in commemoration of the 75th anniversary of the signing of the UN Charter. (Photo from the website of the Center for China and Globalization (CCG)) Richard Horton, editor-in-chief of leading medical journal The Lancet, called the U.S. administration's decision to halt its funding for the WHO a "crime against humanity". The European media criticized America, a super power, for withdrawing from the Paris Agreement, saying it's a betrayal of the world. Pompeo has always tried to stir up trouble by talking about rules, yet the most important rule for him is that all rules should change according to the needs of the U.S. Even after the country left the UN Human Rights Council, it still interfered in the formulation of the agencys election rules and other affairs of the body and criticized the human rights conditions of other countries. When the Human Rights Council adopted a resolution to condemn the U.S. for its racial discrimination after the U.S. police caused the death of an unarmed black man George Floyd by violent law enforcement, Pompeo made a statement to "defend" the government, even by slandering the agency. While the U.S. has continuously provoked trade disputes, bullied other countries in global trade, threatened the international trade order and undermined the rules of multilateral trade, Pompeo, however, is trying to pass the buck on China. Facts speak for themselves. The U.S., a true bully in international affairs, has always applied the law of multilateral organizations and international society in a selective way. If any country is advancing its narrow interests in the multilateral system, it is without doubt the U.S., as many people have agreed. Only by practicing and safeguarding multilateralism can countries resolve global crises and protect international fairness and justice. In the face of COVID-19, the worst global public health emergency since the World War II, countries are more determined than ever to promote multilateralism, which is mirrored in the G20 Extraordinary Leaders' Summit on COVID-19, the Extraordinary China-Africa Summit on Solidarity against COVID-19, the 73rd World Health Assembly and the Global Vaccine Summit. Multilateralism is supposed to be a key driver of global cooperation in combating the epidemic and Pompeo, who has been busy provoking disputes among countries, stands in the exact opposite of multilateralism. "The U.S. will no longer be seen as an international leader because of its governments narrow self-interest and bungling incompetence," said Kori Schake, deputy director-general of the International Institute for Strategic Studies, in an article published in American news publication Foreign Policy. "The global effects of this pandemic could have been greatly attenuated by having international organizations provide more and earlier information," the author continued, adding that this is something the U.S. could have organized and yet Washington has failed the leadership test, and the world is worse off for it. A time of great fear and danger requires solidarity, humanity, sacrifice and hope, and not hysteria or hatred, said a U.S. media outlet. Without integrity, a person wouldn't gain a foothold in the world and a country will definitely be abandoned by its partners. Some American officials, who have lied to make troubles and sow discord in the international society, have already become a stumbling block to multilateral cooperation and the common interests of the world. Pompeo and other U.S. politicians have reversed the trend of multilateral cooperation at their personal will, only to stain the reputation and international image of the country itself. (Zhong Sheng is a pen name often used by Peoples Daily to express its views on foreign policy.) Baysider GWRSD board acknowledges retirees by Elissa Paquette WOLFEBORO The Governor Wentworth Regional School District acknowledges the retirement this spring of teachers and staff representing many years of service throughout the district. Kingswood Regional High School is saying good bye to Administrative Secretary Alice Bartlett, after 27 years of service in a number of capacities over those years; Administrative Secretary Nancy Bell, who has served for 31 years; Peter Howard, who taught Small Engines/Electricity part time, for three years; Spanish teacher Kristen Shea, who is leaving after a 24 year stretch; and Industrial Arts teacher Glenn Wilson, who served the district for 36 years. The Kingswood Regional Middle School will miss Robin Cornwell after 38 years of teaching art, paraeducator Gail Doherty following 23 years; Craig Howland, World Language teacher, after 18 years; and Dean Little, who has taught English/Language Arts as well as doing turns as principal and physical education over the past 39 years. Retiring employees who held district positions are: Cindy Joseph who worked with food service for 26 years, ending her tenure as Food Service Director; School Resource Officer Pate Llewellyn: and Jo-Ann Piper, who leads in years served 51, in Transportation. Kevn Coffey taught Special Education for 20 years at Ossipee Central School, Carol Viens taught for 39 years at Effingham Elementary School, Kathy Lee Thornton served as a Speech and Language Pathologist at New Durham Elementary School for the past 4 years, Liese Tierney, grade 3 teacher and President of the Teachers Union is retiring after 17 years of teaching at Carpenter Elementary School, and nurse Peg Hart, who has served Crescent Lake School is retiring after 11 years. To hear the video commentary in praise of each of the retirees from Superintendent Kathy Cuddy-Egbert and school administrators, visit GWRSD.org. WOLFEBORO The Governor Wentworth Regional School District acknowledges the retirement this spring of teachers and staff representing many years of service throughout the district.Kingswood Regional High School is saying good bye to Administrative Secretary Alice Bartlett, after 27 years of service in a number of capacities over those years; Administrative Secretary Nancy Bell, who has served for 31 years; Peter Howard, who taught Small Engines/Electricity part time, for three years; Spanish teacher Kristen Shea, who is leaving after a 24 year stretch; and Industrial Arts teacher Glenn Wilson, who served the district for 36 years.The Kingswood Regional Middle School will miss Robin Cornwell after 38 years of teaching art, paraeducator Gail Doherty following 23 years; Craig Howland, World Language teacher, after 18 years; and Dean Little, who has taught English/Language Arts as well as doing turns as principal and physical education over the past 39 years.Retiring employees who held district positions are: Cindy Joseph who worked with food service for 26 years, ending her tenure as Food Service Director; School Resource Officer Pate Llewellyn: and Jo-Ann Piper, who leads in years served 51, in Transportation.Kevn Coffey taught Special Education for 20 years at Ossipee Central School, Carol Viens taught for 39 years at Effingham Elementary School, Kathy Lee Thornton served as a Speech and Language Pathologist at New Durham Elementary School for the past 4 years, Liese Tierney, grade 3 teacher and President of the Teachers Union is retiring after 17 years of teaching at Carpenter Elementary School, and nurse Peg Hart, who has served Crescent Lake School is retiring after 11 years.To hear the video commentary in praise of each of the retirees from Superintendent Kathy Cuddy-Egbert and school administrators, visit GWRSD.org. Harrisburg, Pa. -- DCNR is expanding a program offering visitors free sunscreen at state park beaches and swimming pools throughout Pennsylvania. "We are extremely grateful that the Department of Health and its Division of Cancer Prevention is again partnering with us to support and expand this important project," Secretary of DCNR Cindy Adams Dunn said. "With the approach of July Fourth signaling the 'Fun in the Sun' season's in full swing, we want to promote safe outdoor activity, while reminding outdoors enthusiasts that more than 8,500 Americans are diagnosed with skin cancer each day. These dispensers should prove invaluable to visitors to our lakes, beaches, and pools who may overlook sunscreen when packing for a day's outing." Beginning in summer 2017, DCNR'S Bureau of State Parks began supplying free sunscreen at Fuller Lake in Pine Grove Furnace State Park, Cumberland County, and at the swimming pool at Codorus State Park in York County. The program now has been expanded to 13 state parks and an additional swimming beach at Presque Isle, Erie County. Beyond Presque Isle's Beach No. 6, free sunscreen dispensers are offered for the first time at swimming pools at Mount Pisgah State Park, Bradford County, and Marsh Creek State Park, Chester County, and lake swimming areas at Cowans Gap State Park, Fulton County, and Beltzville State Park, Carbon County. Feedback from Pine Grove Furnace and Codorus state parks encouraged DCNR to expand by adding additional parks to what began as a pilot program. Other state parks offering sunscreen include: Bald Eagle (beach), Centre County; Gifford Pinchot (beach), York County; Nockamixon (swimming pool), Bucks County; Little Buffalo, Perry County; Laurel Hill, Somerset County; Presque Isle, Erie County, and Caledonia, Franklin County. Before this summer's expansion, the Bureau of State Parks noted the sunscreen dispenser program had the potential of reaching more than 500,000 Pennsylvanians. Some of the recently added locations are within counties reporting a high incidence of melanoma, a life-threatening form of skin cancer. Health officials report one in 40 Pennsylvanians will be diagnosed with melanoma in their lifetime. For a fourth year, all park costs are again covered by the Department of Health's Cancer Fund, with each park receiving close to $750 worth of equipment to participate. Throughout the summer season, state park staff will oversee and maintain sunscreen dispensers. Two pole-mounted, battery-operated dispensers, supplying 30+ SPF BrightGuard sunscreen applications, will be positioned at each park. Sunscreen ingredients are listed on sides of the tamper-proof units by the company, which has provided educational training for park staff. Experts say daily application of a sunscreen with a Sun Protection Factor (SPF) of 30 or higher can aid in prevention of skin cancer. At season's end, the Bureau of State Parks will continue to evaluate the program to determine if further expansion is warranted. It also is pursuing opportunities to collaborate with local health organizations for future expansion of the program. Wellsboro -- Hills Creek State Park, 111 Spillway Road, Wellsboro, is offering free in-person programs throughout July. Attendance for most events is limited; anyone who wishes to attend must preregister by calling the park office at (570) 724-4246 no later than 5:30 p.m. on the day of the event. Everyone who joins must bring a mask and observe social distancing. The park is seven miles northeast of Wellsboro in Charleston Township via Charleston Street and Hills Creek Lake Road. Fish-for-Free All Day at Hills Creek - Saturday, July 4 No registration is needed for this event, nor is a fishing license required. Other fishing regulations still apply. Bring your own bait and tackle and fish up some fun! The concession stand will be open from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. and offers hot dogs, burgers, fries, chicken fingers, soda, and Gatorade. Update on Pennsylvania Black Bears - Sunday, July 5 A one-hour update on Pennsylvania black bears will begin at 8 p.m. on Sunday. Pennsylvania has one of the largest black bear populations in the U.S. Learn about the new management plan for black bears and bear nature studies. Photos, preserved skulls, and videos are part of the program. Registration is required. Coyotes in Pennsylvania - Friday, July 10 A one-hour program that will start at 8 p.m. on Friday, July 10. Coyotes are well-established members of the wildlife community in this area. Find out where they came from and how to identify them. Mounted specimens, hides, skulls, and demonstrations will help tell the story of Pennsylvania's largest wild canines. Registration is required. Whitetail Deer: Built to Survive - Sunday, July 19 This one-hour program will begin at 8 p.m. on Sunday, July 19. Whitetail deer face daily challenges to survive in Pennsylvania's woods. Learn about their anatomy, physiology, and behaviors, which help these mammals to overcome disease, predators, and injuries as they thrive among us. Photos, video, a skeleton and anecdotes will tell their story. Registration is required. Critter Call - Sunday, July 26 At 8:30 p.m., this nighttime one-hour program offers a chance to see nocturnal wildlife in a unique way. Following a brief orientation, participants will travel to spots in and around the park to "call in" gray fox using night lights and an electronic game call. Deer, raccoons, owls and coyotes may also be encountered as participants hike discreetly into the woods and call from several locations. Be prepared to drive short distances, wear dark, scent-free clothes and remain quiet at all times. This program is not suitable for young children or anyone who has difficulty walking at night in a woodland setting. It is limited to 12 people, ages 10 and above. Registration is required. Call the park office at (570) 724-4246 weekdays between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. and on Saturdays and Sundays, between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. for more information. Harrisburg, PA The Pennsylvania State Police announced today that troopers made 22,139 driving-under-the-influence (DUI) arrests in 2019, which reflects a 10 percent increase from the total number of DUI arrests (20,143) in 2018. In addition, troopers investigated 4,692 DUI-related crashes in 2019. "Impaired driving is a serious crime that occurs every day in Pennsylvania, often committed by people who would otherwise consider themselves to be law-abiding." said Colonel Robert Evanchick, commissioner of the Pennsylvania State Police. "The PSP has a zero-tolerance approach toward DUI, whether a driver is impaired by alcohol, legal or illegal drugs, or another substance. We remain committed to working with our local law enforcement partners to keep our roadways safe through a combination of education and enforcement." In Pennsylvania, a driver is guilty of DUI if they are impaired by any substance. Troopers certified as drug recognition experts (DREs) receive specialized training to identify the physiological signs of impairment caused by a wide range of controlled substances. State police DREs conducted 1,044 drug influence evaluations in 2019. A list of 2019 state police DUI arrest totals, DUI crash investigations, and DRE drug influence evaluations broken down by troop is available here. These figures reflect information from the Pennsylvania State Police and do not include information from other law enforcement agencies in the commonwealth. State police community services officers regularly speak about DUI prevention and other traffic safety topics at schools, community events, and businesses. Their presentations are offered at no charge and may be requested by contacting your local state police station. "PSP Community Services Officers staffed more than 2,300 traffic safety presentations in 2019 for a variety of audiences," said Colonel Evanchick. "Our troopers would rather prevent DUI with age-appropriate, in-person education than arrest an impaired driver; or worse, respond to a DUI-related crash involving death or injury." Penalties for a DUI conviction in Pennsylvania are based on several factors, including an individual's criminal history, blood alcohol content level, and whether injuries or property damage occurred. Potential consequences include thousands of dollars in fines, license suspension, and prison time. Lock Haven -- Alexander Clair Bartlett, 26, of Baltimore, Maryland, formerly of Lock Haven, passed away on Tuesday morning, June 30, 2020, surrounded by his loving family. Born June 13, 1994 in Lock Haven, he was the son to Patrick Bartlett of South Williamsport, and Holly (Ronald) Bickle of Mill Hall. In addition to his parents, he is survived by his maternal grandparents, Bonnie Bowes (Larry Duck) of Lock Haven; paternal grandparents, Kathleen (Lonnie) Engle of Williamsport; his sister, Carrie Ward (Todd Love) of Jersey Shore; brother, Shawn Steckenfinger (Amanda Ugartechea) of Ypsilanti, Michigan; his nephew, Cane Alton Ward; several aunts, uncles, and cousins; and his much beloved, jet-black feline friend, Jameson. He was preceded in death by his maternal grandfather, Gordon Sonny Haskins; paternal grandfather, Robert Bartlett. Alex was a 2012 graduate of Central Mountain High School (CMHS). As an active participant in CMHS musicals, in 2012, he was presented with the Ray of Light Award for best performance by a leading actor in a musical. Subsequent to his years at CMHS, Alex went on to earn a Bachelors of Science in General Biology with a minor in Political Science from Lock Haven University of Pennsylvania (LHU) in 2017. As a research student at LHU, Alex contributed to genomic research at the world-leading McDonnell Genome Institute, part of Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri. During Alexs undergraduate years, he served as a Pharmacy Technician at Weis Markets, a Circulation Desk Clerk at LHUs Stevenson Library, and a Lifeguard at the YMCA. While attending LHU, Alex joined Alpha Chi Rho (AXP). Early on, Alexs contagious personality and charisma made him a great fit for the fraternity's Social Chair position. He built close connections with many of the sororities at LHU and in 2015, earned the title of Alpha Sigma Tau Sweetheart. His legacy and kindness were met around campus. Alex served as an Interfraternity Council Liaison for AXP and helped discuss current fraternity events. His role in AXP continued and his hard worked paid off he achieved a position on the executive board of AXP as Secretary. Alex graduated LHU as a mentor and role model to undergraduate men and women. After graduation from LHU, Alex accepted a temporary position in biosurgery at Osiris Therapeutics in Columbia, Maryland. Due to his excellence, Alex was hired-on as a permanent employee and quickly moved up the ranks. He received no less than three promotions in under two years. Beginning as a Manufacturing Associate, up through two levels of Manufacturing Technician, Alex finally earned the title of Compliance Specialist. Doing his part to improve patients' quality of life, Alexs career at Osiris required him to ensure tissues for transplantation and research were held to the utmost highest standards. Burning the candle at both ends with his desire to be at the forefront of public health, Alex was concurrently pursuing a Masters of Science in Biotechnology, specializing in Biosecurity and Biodefense, at the University of Maryland Global Campus. Alex was an active member of the community. Baptized on May 15, 2006, at Swissdale United Methodist Church, Alex was a member of the L.I.F.T. youth group and a youth summer counselor at Wesley Forest United Methodist Camp for many years. In his pursuit of noble causes, Alex acted as a fundraising volunteer for both the American Cancer Society and the Testicular Cancer Awareness Foundation. At this time, there will be no service. In true Alex form, he would want to go out in style, helping others. A memorial benefit in his memory to the Testicular Cancer Awareness Foundation will be announced at a later date. Alex had a zest for life and a courageous, fun-loving soul, with a smile and a personality to light up any room. Throughout his short but incredibly meaningful life, Alex touched more lives than can truly be counted. His final wish was to selflessly donate his body to science. Even in eternal rest, Alex will continue to aid medical researchers, in the hope of finding a cure for the future. The family would like to give a very special thanks to Alexs wonderful hospice nurse, Kylie Green, and his social worker, Stacey Treece, for their loving care and dedication to Alex during his final days here with us. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions in Alexs name may be made to the Testicular Cancer Awareness Foundation at www.testicularcancerawarenessfoundation.org. Arrangements are entrusted to Frederick B. Welker Funeral Home, Jersey Shore. Fond memories and expressions of love may be made at www.welkerfuneralhome.com. To follow Alexs courageous journey, please visit https://anincrediblelife-blog.tumblr.com. "Living with Stage 4 cancer at 25 years old surely wasnt my plan. But I have to learn to live with it and keep fighting. It doesnt just affect you, it affects everyone around you. My words of advice: dont be afraid to talk to someone; dont be afraid to admit youre having a bad day. Seek all the help that you possibly can, because when youre diagnosed with cancer, so is everyone else around you." Alex A naked Mill Hall man was tased last night after allegedly assaulting a Jersey Shore police officer, the Tiadaghton Valley Regional Police Department reported. Jason Kinley, 34, was "running around yelling at cars going by" in the 200 block of Calvert Street around 10:45 p.m. Thursday, Sergeant Brian Fioretti told NorthcentralPA.com. "We're assuming it's drug related by the way he was acting and talking," Fioretti said. Motorists noticed the naked man and called police. "The officer said he had his taser out because the guy wouldn't comply to get on the ground. The guy kept saying, 'Tase me, tase me.' Finally he turned and came at the officer and that's why he ended up using the taser," Fioretti explained. He kicked a police officer during the struggle, according to police. Kinley was jailed at the Lycoming County Prison in lieu of $50,000 unsecured bail set by Magisterial District Judge William C. Solomon, who was on-call last night. He's being held on charges of aggravated assault, resisting arrest, indecent exposure, simple assault, disorderly conduct, public drunkenness and harassment. Rome, GA (30161) Today Isolated thunderstorms early, then mainly cloudy overnight with thunderstorms likely. Low 68F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 80%.. Tonight Isolated thunderstorms early, then mainly cloudy overnight with thunderstorms likely. Low 68F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 80%. Berlin Reporter Berlin Library offers Grab-and-Go service BERLIN Due to the ongoing concerns brought about by COVID-19, the Berlin Public Library will continue to be closed to the public until further notice. For our library patrons, we are offering a Grab-and-Go service. This service is done in a contactless manner. Patrons may call/email to reserve books, DVDs, and/or magazines between 8 a.m.- 2 p.m. Monday-Friday. Once the order is placed a pick- up time will be scheduled. Items are deposited in a bin adjacent to the lower level entrance to await retrieval. Non-library patrons may sign up for this service by calling to set an appointment. Valid photo ID and proof of residency required. Please place returned items in the book drop at the front of the library or mail slot in front door for DVDs. All Berlin residents are welcome to sign up for New Hampshire Downloadable Books (NHDB). This service allows residents to access e-books, e-magazines, and audiobooks through home computer and/or mobile devices. Please call or email with any questions. Inter Library Loan (ILL) service is not operational at this time. We are in the process of expanding our book catalogue for both adult and juvenile sections to include a more diverse selection of fiction, large print, young adult, and non-fiction books. Our online catalogue can be accessed via City Website Library Department, https://berlinplnh.booksys.net/opac/bpl/#menuHome or join us on Facebook where new books are highlighted daily. We are now offering copying, faxing, and scanning services by appointment. Access to our genealogy web databases (HeritageQuest Online and Ancestry Library) are currently available for remote use. The Summer Reading Program (SRP) is still being developed. Please look for future postings. Until then, play a game of Book BINGO with us! The cards and rules are posted on BPL Facebook page, mailed to your home at your request, available with each Grab-and-Go pick-up or available through email kgodin@berlinnh.gov. Staff is available Monday-Friday from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. to answer your questions. We look forward to seeing you again soon. BERLIN Due to the ongoing concerns brought about by COVID-19, the Berlin Public Library will continue to be closed to the public until further notice.For our library patrons, we are offering a Grab-and-Go service. This service is done in a contactless manner. Patrons may call/email to reserve books, DVDs, and/or magazines between 8 a.m.- 2 p.m. Monday-Friday. Once the order is placed a pick- up time will be scheduled. Items are deposited in a bin adjacent to the lower level entrance to await retrieval. Non-library patrons may sign up for this service by calling to set an appointment. Valid photo ID and proof of residency required. Please place returned items in the book drop at the front of the library or mail slot in front door for DVDs.All Berlin residents are welcome to sign up for New Hampshire Downloadable Books (NHDB). This service allows residents to access e-books, e-magazines, and audiobooks through home computer and/or mobile devices. Please call or email with any questions.Inter Library Loan (ILL) service is not operational at this time.We are in the process of expanding our book catalogue for both adult and juvenile sections to include a more diverse selection of fiction, large print, young adult, and non-fiction books. Our online catalogue can be accessed via City Website Library Department, https://berlinplnh.booksys.net/opac/bpl/#menuHome or join us on Facebook where new books are highlighted daily.We are now offering copying, faxing, and scanning services by appointment.Access to our genealogy web databases (HeritageQuest Online and Ancestry Library) are currently available for remote use.The Summer Reading Program (SRP) is still being developed. Please look for future postings. Until then, play a game of Book BINGO with us! The cards and rules are posted on BPL Facebook page, mailed to your home at your request, available with each Grab-and-Go pick-up or available through email kgodin@berlinnh.gov.Staff is available Monday-Friday from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. to answer your questions.We look forward to seeing you again soon. Berlin Reporter City Council discusses spending request Berlin softball rallies, but Belmont gets the win Thanks for visiting SalmonPress.com George Washington and his Continental Army would struggle seven more years so the infant United States could fulfill the bold vision expressed by Jefferson and embraced by the other Founders. It imagined a land where we have bound our lives, our fortunes and our sacred honor to govern ourselves. We cannot unless we offer, exchange and strongly urge ideas and opinions in our quest (in the words of our 1787 Constitution) for a more perfect Union. We stumble over our compact from time to time, but it still stands. It requires us to respect each others ideas and opinions. Respect need not equal agreement. But as the Founders might say, we cannot hang together unless we listen and compromise as they did. Yet just 10 years after the Constitution took effect, the very lawmaking bodies it created passed a law including these words: (I)f any persons shall unlawfully combine or conspire together, with intent to oppose any measure or measures of the government of the United States ... he or they ... shall be punished by a fine not exceeding five thousand dollars, and by imprisonment during a term not less than six months nor exceeding five years ... This Sedition Act of 1798 went further: Retired Rev. Larry Johnson speaks on the life of American Patriot Major General Dr. Joseph Warren, the namesake of Warren County, during a flag ceremony in Warren County earlier this month. Johnson has two programs this weekend where he will read the Declaration of Independence and talk about area history. Coos County Democrat Porcfest event draws 900 to Lancaster despite pandemic by Tara Giles Sports reporter - Coos County Democrat and Berlin Reporter Sports reporter - Coos County Democrat and Berlin Reporter write the author LANCASTER It was a 'show must go on' moment for Crosby Peck, the owner of Roger's Campground when he decided to let the annual Porcupine Festival take place. The pro- Libertarian event lasts for one week and brings in roughly 1,500 people every year. According to pictures circulating on social media from the 2020 event, social distancing was not happening, and no one could be seen wearing a mask. That being said, Peck relayed that despite photos some people were wearing masks. "I did see a considerable amount of people wearing masks," Peck said. "There were people from all over the country here, and I did see people shake hands, then step back six feet." When asked if he was concerned with Covid-19 spreading into the community of Lancaster, Peck said, "If I was concerned, I wouldn't have had the event. I have a health background and a business background so I looked at this from both sides." He went on to say, "We don't want to scare people, we need to educate them. This is a serious pandemic, anything that causes death is serious. Maybe things opened up too soon, maybe not." Peck said he does wear a mask when he's out in public. The campsite has a capacity of 3,000, which means that Peck was in compliance with operating at a 50 percent capacity. Peck said that every other campsite was used to create space. Calls were made to the Attorney General's office and Peck did receive a letter from Weeks Hospital stating concerns for the community if a gathering of that magnitude was held in the middle of a pandemic, in a place with no cases. Peck said that on Monday, two of his employees were sent home sick. He did say that all employees undergo a temperature check before coming to work each day, and that each individual sent home did not have a temperature. Lancaster Selectman Leon Rideout said, "We did talk to the owner and reminded him of his obligations, but under the state guidelines, they are not in violation. Despite that, everyone did have concerns and still do with outside people coming in and staying at our campgrounds and potentially bringing this disease to a place where we don't have it." Rideout said, "As long as they are complying with the guidelines, there is very little we can do. The Attorney General was made aware of it ahead of time, and inquiries were made to the Governor's office on how it should be handled. There is a growing concern with so many out of state plates, but unfortunately there's nothing we can do to stop it. The North Country has done a great job, and has made sacrifices that we need to make, so I'm hoping the out of staters don't ruin it for us." The Governor's guidelines by law, cannot be enforced, leaving town officials across the state with a no-win situation. LANCASTER It was a 'show must go on' moment for Crosby Peck, the owner of Roger's Campground when he decided to let the annual Porcupine Festival take place. The pro- Libertarian event lasts for one week and brings in roughly 1,500 people every year.According to pictures circulating on social media from the 2020 event, social distancing was not happening, and no one could be seen wearing a mask.That being said, Peck relayed that despite photos some people were wearing masks."I did see a considerable amount of people wearing masks," Peck said. "There were people from all over the country here, and I did see people shake hands, then step back six feet."When asked if he was concerned with Covid-19 spreading into the community of Lancaster, Peck said, "If I was concerned, I wouldn't have had the event. I have a health background and a business background so I looked at this from both sides."He went on to say, "We don't want to scare people, we need to educate them. This is a serious pandemic, anything that causes death is serious. Maybe things opened up too soon, maybe not."Peck said he does wear a mask when he's out in public.The campsite has a capacity of 3,000, which means that Peck was in compliance with operating at a 50 percent capacity. Peck said that every other campsite was used to create space. Calls were made to the Attorney General's office and Peck did receive a letter from Weeks Hospital stating concerns for the community if a gathering of that magnitude was held in the middle of a pandemic, in a place with no cases. Peck said that on Monday, two of his employees were sent home sick. He did say that all employees undergo a temperature check before coming to work each day, and that each individual sent home did not have a temperature.Lancaster Selectman Leon Rideout said, "We did talk to the owner and reminded him of his obligations, but under the state guidelines, they are not in violation. Despite that, everyone did have concerns and still do with outside people coming in and staying at our campgrounds and potentially bringing this disease to a place where we don't have it."Rideout said, "As long as they are complying with the guidelines, there is very little we can do. The Attorney General was made aware of it ahead of time, and inquiries were made to the Governor's office on how it should be handled. There is a growing concern with so many out of state plates, but unfortunately there's nothing we can do to stop it. The North Country has done a great job, and has made sacrifices that we need to make, so I'm hoping the out of staters don't ruin it for us."The Governor's guidelines by law, cannot be enforced, leaving town officials across the state with a no-win situation. Coos County Democrat Baseball Spartans win extra-innings playoff thriller North Country educators honored by School Administrators Association Recent Tara Giles City Council discusses spending request 2021-Jun-10 City Council discusses abatement applications 2021-Jun-03 More than 100 locals vaccinated at Lancaster Fairgrounds 2021-Jun-03 Friedman takes Division III pole vault title 2021-Jun-03 City Council discusses proposed budget 2021-May-20 Jury delivers verdict in Woodburn trial 2021-May-20 More... Thanks for visiting SalmonPress.com PORTAGE School board officials announced Thursday a comprehensive plan for students to return to school for the 2020-21 school year amid the COVID-19 health crisis. Classes are slated to resume Aug. 12 with health precautions in place, the district said. "We have taken a lot of care in developing a plan that is research-based and has, at the forefront, the safety and health of our entire school community," Superintendent Amanda Alaniz said. This upcoming school year, protocols require students and staff to abide by several new measures. Students and employees will be required to wear masks when social distancing isn't possible, such as on a school bus. Each student will be provided two reusable face masks, the district said. Officials said in a survey taken by about 2,000 parents, about half said they'd prefer students be required to wear masks while another half said the opposite. We know that regardless of individual opinions of face coverings, when were talking about 8,000 students and 1,400 employees, Id be irresponsible to recommend anything to this board other than required face coverings when social distancing cannot be achieved, Alaniz said during a Thursday board meeting. In recent weeks, as cases doubled in Arizona, Mr. Ducey has put some restrictions back in place, ordering taverns, theaters and gyms closed and reversing his order that local governments not set more restrictive rules. But health experts say those steps may be too modest to quickly bring the cases under control. Even now, Mr. Ducey is meeting resistance in a state that prizes self determination. Asked to address criticisms of Arizonas handling of the virus, including concerns about the enforcement of social distancing since reopening, Daniel Ruiz, the states chief operating officer, defended the states response. He said that while Arizona had relied more on voluntary compliance early on, it has toughened enforcement since the resurgence in infections, which officials say they trace, in part, to Memorial Day gatherings. We wanted to give the operator the ability to come into compliance before taking legal action, he said of people running businesses. He added that the state was taking a different tack now: I would say we are really working with our citizens, the business community and law enforcement to make sure that these practices are followed. The governors office did not make Mr. Ducey available for an interview. Over the last week, Maricopa County, which includes Phoenix and is home to 4.5 million people, has averaged more than 2,500 new cases each day. Pima County, which includes Tucson, averaged nearly 300. As known virus cases reached above 91,000 statewide, Mr. Ducey this week activated crisis protocols that could permit overwhelmed hospitals to deny care to patients whose age or health history make them poor candidates for recovery. When Vice President Mike Pence visited Phoenix on Wednesday, Mr. Ducey asked him to send another 500 medical workers to the state to help hospital teams depleted by exhaustion and illness. FAMILY ROMANCE, LLC (2019) Stream on Mubi. You may not be able to choose your family, but a thriving rental industry in Japan allows you to get pretty close. In his latest film, a hybrid work of fiction and documentary, Werner Herzog goes inside the countrys rent-a-family industry, which pairs actors with those in need of a replacement relative, spouse or friend for a fee. The film follows Ishii Yuichi, the founder of the rental company Family Romance, and the various roles he plays to fill the voids in his clients lives. Things get complicated when Yuichi takes a job portraying a young girls missing father. JOHN LEWIS: GOOD TROUBLE (2020) Rent or buy on Amazon Prime, iTunes, Google Play, Vudu and other streaming platforms and pay TV operators. This documentary from the director Dawn Porter delves into the life, career and civil rights activism of the Georgia congressman John Lewis. The film chronicles Lewiss Alabama upbringing; his work with Martin Luther King, Jr.; the march from Selma to Montgomery, Ala.; and his tireless work as a legislator. At age 80, Lewis continues to fight for voting rights and gun control, while battling pancreatic cancer. Covid has presented some novel contract issues that people now need to contemplate, she said. Contracts moving forward in 2021 need to have some new provisions. Ms. Hulse advises that the force majeure clause, which essentially frees both parties from liability or obligation when an extraordinary event takes place, be updated to include pandemic, epidemic, or Covid-19 explicitly. Ms. Hulse said couples need to look for language that discusses what happens in the event of a rescheduling, cancellation, termination, or incapacitation. A safe working environment clause may also be included to allow vendors to adequately replace themselves if they no longer feel comfortable providing the service. If your contract is a couple pages long that a wedding professional is sending to you, do not balk at that, Ms. Hulse said, A long contract, especially if its from an upstanding professional within the industry, is something that is going to protect both parties. But theres just a lot of terms that need to be discussed. Hire a Professional Days after Ryan Kelly, 27, a center for the Indianapolis Colts, proposed to Emma Zieverink, 30, a design consultant for California Closets, this spring, the couple who live in Indianapolis, quickly settled on a May 1 wedding in Cleveland for next year. After watching friends cancel weddings, their intention to hire a wedding planner was reaffirmed. They wanted to feel secure that should they need to reschedule, their planner could handle the chaos on their behalf. Hiring the wedding planners has taken an insane burden off our shoulders, Mr. Kelly said. Ms. Hulse urges recently engaged couples to reach out to the wedding professionals they might like to hire now. Theyve been through the war a bit and now they know how to handle it in the future, she said. Moving forward, Mr. Kahn says he is only recommending vendors to his clients who will operate with complete flexibility. Ive been very direct with vendors, he said, and I would have those conversations in advance before I would present them to a client. More than six months into the pandemic, the coronavirus has infected more than 11 million people worldwide, killing more than 525,000. But despite the increasing toll, scientists still do not have a definitive answer to one of the most fundamental questions about the virus: How deadly is it? A firm estimate could help governments predict how many deaths would ensue if the virus spread out of control. The figure, usually called the infection fatality rate, could tell health officials what to expect as the pandemic spreads to densely populated nations like Brazil, Nigeria and India. In even poorer countries, where lethal threats like measles and malaria are constant and where hard budget choices are routine, the number could help officials decide whether to spend more on oxygen concentrators or ventilators, or on measles shots and mosquito nets. The question became even more complex last month, when the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released data suggesting that for every documented infection in the United States, there were 10 other cases on average that had gone unrecorded, probably because they were very mild or asymptomatic. Coos County Democrat Three North Country teachers earn Louise Tillotson Fellowships REGION In recognition of their creativity, commitment to ongoing professional development, and extraordinary dedication to students, three North Country educators have been awarded 2020 Louise Tillotson Teaching Fellowships by the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation. This is the 13th year of the fellowship program, which aims to retain good teachers in public schools in the North Country and recognize excellence in teaching. This year's awardees are Keri Wade of Gorham Middle High School, Erica Hicks of White Mountains Regional High School and Patti Dugan-Henriksen of Groveton High School. These educators, along with their peers, have faced the exceptional challenge of quickly transitioning to teaching remotely for the last three months of the school year, as the COVID-19 pandemic closed schools throughout New Hampshire and the country. "These challenging times have brought into sharp relief the incredible work that teachers do for our communities and our children every day," said Jean Clarke, who administers the fellowship program at the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation. "The Louise Tillotson Fellowship committee is thrilled to recognize the outstanding and innovative work of these educators who have committed themselves to the students and families of the North Country." Awardees are selected each spring by a committee of past fellowship recipients, and each receives a $10,000 stipend. "I am extremely excited and humbled to receive such a wonderful honor," said Wade, who teaches science at Gorham Middle High School. "It means a lot to be recognized for many years of hard work and dedication. It is wonderful to be recognized by a group of your peers." Wade, who began her career in the fields of nursing and field biology, has been teaching since 1999 and has been at Gorham Middle High School since 2008. Her students call her classroom "Wade's World," and she describes her teaching style as hands-on, with lessons individualized so students may work at a pace that is simultaneously comfortable and exciting. Figuring out how to reach students at all levels has been paramount to Hicks' teaching career, which began in 1998 at White Mountains Regional High School when she stepped in mid-year to fill a mathematics teaching vacancy. Although she'd studied psychology in college, not education, Hicks quickly fell in love with teaching. "Being a part of shaping the lives of our youth is extremely rewarding and exciting," she said. "The biggest challenge I've faced as an educator is trying to get students to believe in themselves as much as I do. My goal is for students to celebrate small steps so they can eventually turn into large strides." Hicks has worked with a colleague in the science department to develop a new course Math/Science 1 that meshes both subjects, allowing students to learn math skills through science content, demonstrating the usefulness of mathematics in real-world situations. But her teaching goes beyond mathematical concepts. Dugan-Henriksen, who teaches middle school science in Groveton, has embraced the idea that not all learning happens in the classroom and has worked to provide her students with opportunities to learn both through in-school projects and citizen-science endeavors in partnership with groups like New Hampshire Fish and Game and the Appalachian Mountain Club's A Mountain Classroom. She also serves as the on-site coordinator at Groveton Elementary School for the White Mountain Science (WMSi) STEM-Works Lab. "I love to see the look on a student's face when they suddenly 'get it' or when a student talks about science and is passionate about it," Dugan-Henriksen said. "I want to help students realize that they have the chance to be whatever they want to be, wherever they are or wherever they want to travel, and despite the many challenges some of them face. I want them to realize that determination and hard work, as well as a sense of humor, will take them far in life." The New Hampshire Charitable Foundation is New Hampshire's statewide community foundation, founded in 1962 by and for the people of New Hampshire. The Foundation manages a growing collection of 2,000 funds created by generous individuals, families and businesses, and awards $40 million in grants and $6 million in scholarships every year. The Foundation works with generous and visionary citizens to maximize the power of their giving, supports great work happening in our communities and leads and collaborates on high-impact initiatives. Visit REGION In recognition of their creativity, commitment to ongoing professional development, and extraordinary dedication to students, three North Country educators have been awarded 2020 Louise Tillotson Teaching Fellowships by the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation. This is the 13th year of the fellowship program, which aims to retain good teachers in public schools in the North Country and recognize excellence in teaching.This year's awardees are Keri Wade of Gorham Middle High School, Erica Hicks of White Mountains Regional High School and Patti Dugan-Henriksen of Groveton High School.These educators, along with their peers, have faced the exceptional challenge of quickly transitioning to teaching remotely for the last three months of the school year, as the COVID-19 pandemic closed schools throughout New Hampshire and the country."These challenging times have brought into sharp relief the incredible work that teachers do for our communities and our children every day," said Jean Clarke, who administers the fellowship program at the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation. "The Louise Tillotson Fellowship committee is thrilled to recognize the outstanding and innovative work of these educators who have committed themselves to the students and families of the North Country."Awardees are selected each spring by a committee of past fellowship recipients, and each receives a $10,000 stipend."I am extremely excited and humbled to receive such a wonderful honor," said Wade, who teaches science at Gorham Middle High School. "It means a lot to be recognized for many years of hard work and dedication. It is wonderful to be recognized by a group of your peers."Wade, who began her career in the fields of nursing and field biology, has been teaching since 1999 and has been at Gorham Middle High School since 2008. Her students call her classroom "Wade's World," and she describes her teaching style as hands-on, with lessons individualized so students may work at a pace that is simultaneously comfortable and exciting.Figuring out how to reach students at all levels has been paramount to Hicks' teaching career, which began in 1998 at White Mountains Regional High School when she stepped in mid-year to fill a mathematics teaching vacancy. Although she'd studied psychology in college, not education, Hicks quickly fell in love with teaching."Being a part of shaping the lives of our youth is extremely rewarding and exciting," she said. "The biggest challenge I've faced as an educator is trying to get students to believe in themselves as much as I do. My goal is for students to celebrate small steps so they can eventually turn into large strides."Hicks has worked with a colleague in the science department to develop a new course Math/Science 1 that meshes both subjects, allowing students to learn math skills through science content, demonstrating the usefulness of mathematics in real-world situations. But her teaching goes beyond mathematical concepts.Dugan-Henriksen, who teaches middle school science in Groveton, has embraced the idea that not all learning happens in the classroom and has worked to provide her students with opportunities to learn both through in-school projects and citizen-science endeavors in partnership with groups like New Hampshire Fish and Game and the Appalachian Mountain Club's A Mountain Classroom. She also serves as the on-site coordinator at Groveton Elementary School for the White Mountain Science (WMSi) STEM-Works Lab."I love to see the look on a student's face when they suddenly 'get it' or when a student talks about science and is passionate about it," Dugan-Henriksen said. "I want to help students realize that they have the chance to be whatever they want to be, wherever they are or wherever they want to travel, and despite the many challenges some of them face. I want them to realize that determination and hard work, as well as a sense of humor, will take them far in life."The New Hampshire Charitable Foundation is New Hampshire's statewide community foundation, founded in 1962 by and for the people of New Hampshire. The Foundation manages a growing collection of 2,000 funds created by generous individuals, families and businesses, and awards $40 million in grants and $6 million in scholarships every year. The Foundation works with generous and visionary citizens to maximize the power of their giving, supports great work happening in our communities and leads and collaborates on high-impact initiatives. Visit www.nhcf.org to learn more. Coos County Democrat Baseball Spartans win extra-innings playoff thriller North Country educators honored by School Administrators Association Thanks for visiting SalmonPress.com With Independence Day celebrations canceled around the country, one distinctly American tradition continued on Saturday despite the pandemic: the annual pilgrimage of competitive eaters to Coney Island for the Nathans Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest. But with cheering crowds turned away to promote social distancing, contestants instead chowed down amid a chorus of gulping and chewing from their competitors. Held without fail every Fourth of July since the early 1970s, the event ordinarily draws thousands to the original Nathans location in Brooklyn. Spectators sweat beneath foam hot dog hats, cheering as they watch a panel of competitors dunk the sausages into water to soften the buns all in the name of America. The Nathans Famous contest is synonymous with July Fourth, America and the celebration of freedom, said the events host, George Shea, who is known for his extravagantly patriotic commentary. He introduced the winner of the 2019 mens competition as the very vessel of our freedom and the champion of the Fourth of July. How does this compare to your normal professional life? My work is generally up and down I dont work every day, but during shows I do. For some shows, I might have to arrive at 5 a.m. to get the models ready, and then that night, I might have to get a private client ready for a dinner. The only other time thats remotely comparable, where I might have four jobs in one day, is the Cannes Film Festival. But what is it like now? For three months, everything stopped. I was lucky, because as a self-employed person, I qualified for the government assistance. They gave everyone 1,500 euros [about $1,700] if they had lost 70 percent of their income, and I lost 100 percent. Ad campaigns that were postponed during lockdown are happening, and since no one can fly in, they are asking local teams. And we are lucky, in that clients have not used the excuse of Covid to lower the rates. I had an option on a video that one of the brands was going to do instead of a couture show, but it didnt work out. The problem with the videos is they involve very small teams. They really only need one artist, or maybe one and an assistant, whereas a show like Dior might use up to 40 makeup artists. So its a big loss for my income. And also my creativity. What do you mean, creativity? What I miss most, I think, is watching the creative process of a show, because that inspires me a lot, especially when it comes to trends for the next season. And I miss my colleagues. Actors Equity Association has barred its members from performing onstage, and the Alhambra is one of several theaters that have adjusted as a result, deciding for the first time in years to use nonunion actors. The Salt Lake City production of Mockingbird recast the role of Atticus Finch after an Equity actor would not perform. And in western Virginia, the American Shakespeare Center, which normally has both Equity and non-Equity companies, is planning to use only its nonunion performers this summer. Equity is not happy, and warning that moving forward, we will shine a spotlight on theaters that decide to make the reckless and irresponsible choice to put the safety of their audience and workers at risk, according to Mary McColl, the unions executive director. Thinking small, staying big Summer is beautiful. But this summer is strange. Denvers Buntport Theater, which usually presents work in a 100-seat warehouse, decided to create outdoors, and, like several other theater companies around the nation, looked to the drive-in for inspiration. The result: The Grasshoppers, in which four actors wearing adapted onesies perform an isolation-themed piece for patrons in cars. It both feels like youre doing theater and not like youre doing theater, said Erin Rollman, a company member. Then there is street theater, getting a new look from artists idled by the pandemic. In Chicago, the ad hoc collective Random Acts of Theater dons costumes to perform for passers-by some weekends. They dressed as seniors, carrying babies, in a work called The Future is Watching Us, and marked Juneteenth in oversized masks. Up next: something involving large bird puppets. This is a time when everyone feels frightened and weird, said one of the organizers, Jessica Thebus, who runs the graduate directing program at Northwestern University. Bringing art to people walking down the street feels really important. Weve got a possible Covid. 52-year-old male. 10 minutes out. H.F.D., shortness of breath. Covid, possibly. Ill be honest with you, I can barely keep track. This is Dr. Aric Bakshy. Hes an attending physician here at Houston Methodist Hospital. And I asked him how many patients have you seen here just on your single shift since 1 oclock this afternoon? One, two, three, four, five. I mean, I have over a dozen people here, at least. And these are all Covid. A lot of them are Covid. He actually trained at the hospital, Elmhurst, that sort of came to represent one of the hardest-hit hospitals in New York City. Im Sheri Fink. Im a correspondent at The New York Times. Ive been reporting from hospitals in New York City from the beginning. I looked at the emergency room, new I.C.U.s, pregnant mothers who had coronavirus, and now Im in Houston. So we are here at Houston Methodist Hospital, which is the largest hospital in Houston. And right at this moment, the number of coronavirus cases is really rising dramatically in the city. How does it feel? Similar or different to March? Although they had a moderate peak in April, now theyre more than double the peak that they ever reached at that time. And the numbers look like theyre going to just keep rising. Since March weve had a trickle of patients. Everyone was everyone stayed at home. People were not really getting sick in numbers that would overburden the system. Dr. Bakshy here. In fact, some of us cut our shifts down because there werent enough patients to see. Since, probably, Memorial Day its been a lot busier. Every patient who comes into the hospital now, were testing for Covid. Deep breath. So this is Carlos Clara. He has a confirmed case of coronavirus. He had gone for a test when he was an outpatient, and hes here in the emergency room because hes having trouble breathing. Body aches? Are you having chest pain? Like many patients were meeting, hes part of a family where multiple members have tested positive. His wife is sick, one of his sons tested positive, and even though he goes out every day to work, he suspects the virus came into his family through his sons work as a cashier. Your oxygen is a little low. OK? Were going to have to keep you in the hospital for treatments, OK? But youre going to be OK. Actually, for most of these patients, we can take care of it you can take care of them medically. But I think a big issue is a lot of them are really scared. And its not just that theyre scared. Theyre lonely, too. Genevieve J. McCall is 96, and she shares with us that she hadnt seen her daughter since the coronavirus took hold here. I have not been able to see her or touch her for three months. She didnt come to the E.R. thinking she had Covid. She had symptoms of worsening heart failure. But as Dr. Bakshy talked to her, it became clear that she may also have been exposed. Do you have any Covid contacts? OK. When was that? OK. What theyre finding now at the hospitals is that people who are coming in for all kinds of what seem to be just their regular illnesses may, in fact, have Covid, too. Or at least been exposed to it. Tell me about your experience with coronavirus. You look good right now, but youre breathing with some extra help. We had a little party for my 8-year-old. Lives with me. Granddaughter. Just a birthday cake. This is Rosa V. Hernandez. Like many people, she had really tried to be careful, but she let her guard down and she got sick and was very close to having to have a breathing tube yesterday. People are not taking it seriously. Theyre like, oh my God, Ive got to party hearty. I got to go to bars, Ive got to go to the beach, Ive got to go eat out. Really? Like youve never done it before? Please, please, please take it serious. The fear is that nobody really knows what the trajectory is. You can have models, but models only can do so much. It really, really depends on human behavior. Whether they stay home more. Whether they wear masks. And then there could just be mysteries that we dont even understand about how this virus passes. And those numbers for now? They just keep rising. What I want to know is why the networks keep showing that video of George Floyd over and over and over again. How dare they do that? There should be fines for every one of those networks that keep showing that. Do they show it so that white people will see how awful it is? Or do they show it so that young Black boys and their mothers will realize what could happen to them? It is insensitive to the point where the networks dont even realize the message that they are sending to Black women and their sons. For the past few decades, youve been doing anti-racism lectures and workshops around the country. Have you noticed a shift in how they have been received over the years? Ive been doing the exercise with adults for about 35 years. But in the last few years, Ive only been doing speeches about it because we now live in a situation where people turn off immediately if they think theyre going to learn something counter to their beliefs, and I dont want to be threatened with death anymore. Im tired of receiving death threats. Youve been receiving death threats? Yes. Just recently, a year ago, I was giving a speech at a college in Southern California and my daughter was there and these kids behind her three white males said, Wouldnt you like to go up and just shoot her? And the other one said, Id like to go up and beat her and then rape her. When my daughter told the security person, those three boys jumped up and ran out of the building. In a recent interview with Jimmy Fallon, you said it frustrates you when people say I dont see Black or brown. Can you elaborate on why that makes you angry? Teachers will stand up in front of classrooms and say, I dont see people as Black or brown, I just see people. What these teachers are actually saying is that they have the freedom to ignore the largest organ on your body. [Joe Biden selected Senator Kamala Harris of California as his vice-presidential running mate.] There will be blood tests. Interrogations about junior high. An analysis of tax returns. It is an experience Joseph R. Biden Jr. knows all too well from his time on the vice-presidential short list 12 years ago. Much about Mr. Bidens own search for a running mate has been nontraditional. He has publicly mused about his criteria. He is not considering men. Above all, his choice could be the most important in years: At 77, Mr. Biden has said he views himself as a transition candidate. Left unsaid: His vice president could very well end up being the president next. Yet as much as Mr. Bidens process is unique, its contours are familiar. Late last month, he told a local television station that his campaign had begun doing the background checks the latest sign that he is moving toward a short list of candidates. Their thinking is that if enough Chinese citizens have this software to bypass the Great Firewall of government censorship, the citizens will see news about repression by the Communist Party. But pieces of circumvention software like Ultrasurf are considered old, and they are not widespread in China, according to cybersecurity experts. Just as important, Chinese patriots or nationalists who have access to reports critical of the Communist Party including students in the United States often do not change their views. Anyone who has studied Chinas information control regimes and the evolution of Chinese technology knows that funding a set of circumvention tools is not going to bring down the Chinese Communist Party, said Rebecca MacKinnon, a former Beijing bureau chief for CNN who directs an internet freedom program at the New America Foundation that has received State Department funds before. Critics also warn that if lobbyists get their way and shift the funds focus toward solely supporting software like Ultrasurf, it could set back the fight for internet freedom by decades. Both Democrats and Republicans are worried. Leading Republican senators, Marco Rubio of Florida and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, wrote to Mr. Pack in a letter on Wednesday with five other senators expressing their deep concern about his staff cuts, saying the moves raised serious questions about the future of the U.S. Agency for Global Media under his leadership. Other Republican members of Congress said earlier that they were concerned about the Open Technology Fund. The group started in 2012 as a pilot program within Radio Free Asia. It was founded by Libby Liu, then the president of the broadcasting outlet. Seven years later, Congress allowed it to become an independent nonprofit grantee of the Agency for Global Media. Lawmakers appropriated $20 million to the group for its 2020 fiscal year. michael barbaro From The New York Times, Im Michael Barbaro. This is The Daily. Today: In a major speech at Mount Rushmore, President Trump said that the goal of nationwide protests is not, quote, a better America. Their goal, he said, is the end of America. Maggie Haberman on what that speech reveals about the presidents re-election campaign. Its Tuesday July 7. Maggie, heading into this July 4 weekend, what was our understanding of what this Mount Rushmore speech from President Trump, what it was for, what it was intended to do? maggie haberman So Michael, the month of June was pretty calamitous for President Trump politically and in terms of his legacy. It began with the federal government having protesters forcibly cleared using chemical irritants from Lafayette Park across from the White House, so that the president could then take a photo op. To mass protests across the country. To a huge spike in coronavirus cases in areas of the country where it really had not been that prevalent, and where the governors in those states were looking toward reopening. So the president tried for a reboot of his campaign with a rally in Tulsa on June 20. That rally was sparsely attended compared to what they had advertised as their likely attendance. And so Mount Rushmore and this event was supposed to be the reboot of the failed reboot. This was going to be an effort by the president to show he was in charge and trying to look toward the general election. michael barbaro And from your reporting, what was this reboot of the reboot going to look like in a speech? maggie haberman So the president needs an enemy to fight against. In 2018 during the midterms, you saw the president try to galvanize support against a looming threat, as he put it, of a caravan that was headed across the southern border with Mexico. And this was basically a threat of a foreign invasion. And he talked about this a lot and he tweeted about it a lot. And the main enemy that the U.S. is dealing with right now is the coronavirus, which is spreading rapidly. Thats an issue on which his polling is pretty bad. And his advisers know it. And another force that the country is dealing with right now is police brutality. Neither of those are issues that Donald Trump is seen as particularly strong on, or areas where he has shown he wants to lead. So instead, looking for this enemy, aides described in his speech he was going to go after a left-wing culture coming after people who dont agree with it. Now the threat is other Americans. The threat is people who dont think like you. archived recording (donald trump) Well, thank you very much. And Governor Noem, Secretary Bernhardt, we very much appreciate it. Members of Congress, distinguished guests, and a very special hello to South Dakota. michael barbaro OK, lets talk about how this speech actually unfolds. I watched it. I know you did as well. So I want us to walk through it and pick out a few key passages that illuminate what hes actually up to here, kind of a close reading of this speech. So where do you think we should start? maggie haberman I would start just understanding what it looked like. He was standing at this podium, surrounded by flags, in front of this historic monument. archived recording (donald trump) There could be no better place to celebrate Americas independence than beneath this magnificent, incredible, majestic mountain monument to the greatest Americans who have ever lived. maggie haberman And that was supposed to underscore this current conversation about monuments and statues around the country. archived recording (donald trump) I am here as your president to proclaim before the country and before the world, this monument will never be desecrated. These heroes will never be defaced. Their legacy will never, ever be destroyed. Their achievements will never be forgotten. And Mount Rushmore will stand forever as an eternal tribute to our forefathers and to our freedom. maggie haberman Much of the conversation has been around Confederate totems, Confederate statues, the Confederate flag. The president has resisted those conversations. But even members of his own party have said that it is time to remove some of those monuments. Where he is drawing the line is when the conversation moves to George Washington or Thomas Jefferson. Those are two of the faces on Mount Rushmore. And thats part of why hes choosing to have this conversation there. michael barbaro And what is he saying about that debate around statues to presidents like that? maggie haberman What he is suggesting is that the political left is trying to rewrite history archived recording (donald trump) 1776 represented the culmination of thousands of years of Western civilization and the triumph of not only spirit, but of wisdom, philosophy and reason. And yet maggie haberman by calling into question those men, by suggesting that their legacies need to be thought about again. archived recording (donald trump) As we meet here tonight, there is a growing danger that threatens every blessing our ancestors fought so hard for, struggled. They bled to secure maggie haberman And the reason that people are saying that their legacies need to be reconsidered is because they were slaveholders, and that you cant have an honest conversation about race if you do not acknowledge that. archived recording (donald trump) Our nation is witnessing a merciless campaign to wipe out our history, defame our heroes, erase our values and indoctrinate our children. maggie haberman What hes really trying to do is convince Republicans who are feeling shaky about him and he hopes some independent voters that the protests around the country have gone too far. He is trying to get them to see it the way he sees it, which is, this isnt just a movement about the Confederacy. Theyre coming for our whole history our. They are coming for the history of white America. archived recording (donald trump) Angry mobs are trying to tear down statues of our founders, deface our most sacred memorials and unleash a wave of violent crime in our cities. maggie haberman It is in keeping with what President Trump has done for many, many years now, which is an us versus them approach to his base of older, white voters. archived recording (donald trump) 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. michael barbaro OK, what stands out next to you in this speech? maggie haberman So the president very quickly went on to talk about how a, quote unquote, political weapon of the Americans he is talking about in this speech is archived recording (donald trump) Cancel culture. maggie haberman so-called cancel culture. archived recording (donald trump) Driving people from their jobs, shaming dissenters and demanding total submission from anyone who disagrees. maggie haberman He is describing it as anyone who disagrees with certain folks are going to get chased out of polite society. And thats not really what this. archived recording (donald trump) This is the very definition of totalitarianism. And it is completely alien to our culture and to our values. And it has absolutely no place in the United States of America. maggie haberman So in part, this is appealing to a longstanding sense among conservatives that they are being attacked by the left for their beliefs. Also notice his emphasis on our values and our culture. He has used the words culture and values repeatedly to appeal to his base since 2017. This is the thing that he shares with his voters. It certainly is not geography in many cases theyre in the Deep South. And he is a man from Queens. But this sense of our way of life is being taken over is what he has used time and again to appeal to people. archived recording (donald trump) This attack on our liberty, our magnificent liberty, must be stopped. And it will be stopped very quickly. We will expose this dangerous movement, protect our nations children, end this radical assault and preserve our beloved American way of life. In our schools, our newsrooms, even our corporate boardrooms, there is a new far-left fascism that demands absolute allegiance. If you do not speak its language, perform its rituals, recite its mantras, and follow its commandments, then you will be censored, banished, blacklisted, persecuted and punished. Its not going to happen to us. michael barbaro So Maggie, what is the next passage in this speech that strikes you? maggie haberman Sure. So keeping up with these themes, the president went on and said archived recording (donald trump) This left-wing cultural revolution is designed to overthrow the American Revolution. maggie haberman This left-wing cultural revolution is designed to overthrow the American Revolution. And then he went on a little bit later to say their goal is not a better America. Their goal is the end of America. archived recording (donald trump) In so doing, they would destroy the very civilization that rescued billions from poverty, disease, violence and hunger, and that lifted humanity to new heights of achievement, discovery and progress. maggie haberman You would think that he was talking about the British the way that hes describing this archived recording (donald trump) In its place, they want power for themselves. maggie haberman as opposed to talking about primarily Black people in this country, but not only, who have been trying to right historic wrongs. He is making it sound, once again, as if something is being taken from him and his supporters. michael barbaro In this case, American civilization? maggie haberman Yes. And he is trying to drive that home with everything he says. michael barbaro I mean, this feels like race baiting. maggie haberman I think it more than feels that way, Michael. I would argue it is race baiting. Look, I dont think that Donald Trump is suddenly a different person. I think this is who he has been for a very, very long time, going back decades. But I do think he is getting explicit in what he is saying, both as protests are growing in the country and as his own poll numbers are sinking. archived recording (donald trump) But just as patriots did in centuries past, the American people will stand in their way. And we will win, and win quickly and with great dignity. maggie haberman He is not explicitly using the words black and white. But he is explicitly describing one version of America versus another. And that, I think, is different, along with the fact that we have really not seen a president before use an Independence Day speech to be so divisive and to pit Americans in two, the way he is here. michael barbaro So Maggie, how does this speech end? archived recording (donald trump) Americans must never lose sight of this miraculous story. maggie haberman So the president concludes this speech by saying he wants to build archived recording (donald trump) I am signing an executive order to establish the National Garden of American Heroes. maggie haberman a garden of statues. archived recording (donald trump) A vast, outdoor park that will feature the statues of the greatest Americans to ever live. maggie haberman And in this garden, he wants to put a variety of American figures presidents, artists, sports figures. archived recording (donald trump) From this night maggie haberman And with that archived recording (donald trump) and from this magnificent place maggie haberman the president applauded for himself and for the crowd. archived recording (donald trump) God bless your families. God bless our great military. And God bless America. Thank you very much. maggie haberman And there was a fireworks display over Mount Rushmore. [music] michael barbaro Well be right back. Maggie, what most surprises me about this speech, and the fact that it is supposed to be a reset of a presidential campaign, is that the message seems to fly in the face of polling that shows Americans dont agree with this version of how to deal with race. And I want to read a question that The Times asked voters in six swing states about these protests. And here was the question: Would you rather have a candidate who says that we need to be tough on protests that go too far, or whether they would rather have a candidate who says we need to focus on the cause of those protests, even when they go too far? And voters told The Times in those swing states by a 40 percent margin that they would rather have a candidate who focuses on a cause of the protests, even when they go too far. So doesnt that suggest that the president, this speech, this message is profoundly out of sync with the electorate? maggie haberman Look, Michael, you read the polls. I read the polls. They all make clear that the president is wildly out of step with where the majority of voters are right now, where conservative voters are, where independent voters are, where a broad spectrum of voters are. This is a president who likes to do things his own way. He has ideas that he wants to put out there, regardless of how much it upsets his advisers, regardless of how scared senators are about losing their seats because his rhetoric is making things very hard for them. But he is not where the majority of Americans are in those polls. michael barbaro So Maggie, what is the thinking here? If the presidents re-election campaign has seen those polls that you and I have all seen, do they see something that were not seeing? Do they have a theory that extends beyond these poll numbers? maggie haberman Many of the people in the presidents campaign believe the direction that the polls are taking, even if they argue with some of the margins. Some of the people around the president share with him a belief or theory, or whatever you want to call it, that people are not being honest with the pollsters when they talk about how much support they have for these protests, and that the numbers will come around in President Trumps favor when we get to the fall. michael barbaro And help me understand that. When they say that they dont think the polls reflect the real support for this movement, what do they mean? maggie haberman They think that people are inclined to lie to pollsters on matters of race. Now there have been campaigns where that has happened. The margins that were talking about are so large that it would be really hard to fathom that. But that is the bet that some of his advisers are making. Now are they making that on science? Not necessarily. Are they making that on political research? Only on the margins. For the most part, this is wishcasting that the president is not doing himself the damage he seems to be doing. michael barbaro Maggie, campaigns tend to be defined by debates in their ranks about what is the right approach to a moment. So I have to imagine that inside the Trump campaign there is a debate about whether this is the right approach to this moment. Is that your sense? maggie haberman No, Michael. I dont think theres much of a debate going on. michael barbaro Why not? maggie haberman Because theres the way the president wants to campaign. And they try to shape it around that. This is what Donald J. Trump thinks his campaign message should be. Now, there are areas where his advisers have gotten him to stick to that script that was written out and say things that they consider to be less potentially divisive. So for instance, he spoke broadly about culture and history. But he did not explicitly give a defense of Confederate statues, which really turns off suburban voters, in particular suburban women. And his advisers were very pleased with that, that he stuck to the script and didnt say Confederate. But then on Monday morning, he tweets support of the Confederate flag being aired at NASCAR events. So it undoes a lot of what had taken place before. michael barbaro Maggie, when you talk to people in the Trump campaign and you present them with what seems like a pretty significant dilemma here a president with a message and a national mood that seems very out of sync with it what do they say? maggie haberman There is no evidence that this message is going to help the president win again. There is no evidence that this is a successful approach to the voters he needs in order to win. But advisers are pretty candid that he thinks this is how he won last time. And he is convinced he can do it again. michael barbaro Right, so what youre saying is the president is assuming that the country is more or less exactly where it was in 2016, and that this will all work out the same way and yield the same result an electoral college victory based on white voters supporting him? maggie haberman Correct. The president is of the opinion and again, this is not his campaign. There are people in the campaign who understand this is not the same electorate. But the president has convinced himself that nothing has changed, that he can turn Joe Biden into Hillary Clinton. And so far there is no reason to believe that either of those things is true. michael barbaro So Maggie, at this point, is this the message that you expect the Trump campaign to be using between now and November? A message of the left being the enemy and white America needing to be afraid of this movement seeking racial equality. maggie haberman The campaign itself, I think, would like to be delivering a less blunt instrument version of what the president is saying. But because the president is able to speak only the way hes comfortable, he will not change. And so yes, I think this is what you will see for the next few months. michael barbaro Thank you, Maggie. maggie haberman Thank you, Michael. michael barbaro NAIROBI, Kenya Attacks in two of Somalias largest cities killed five people and wounded 16 others Saturday, in the latest example of the chronic failure of the countrys security sector to crack down on terrorist groups. In the capital, Mogadishu, a suicide car bomber targeted a tax collection center in the Hamar Jajab district in the citys southeast, the Somali Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism said in a statement. While security officers were able to stop the attacker from reaching the collection center, the blast damaged a nearby wall and wounded six people, including police officers. The bomber died in the attack. In Baidoa, the capital of the southwestern Bay region, a land mine detonated near a restaurant on the outskirts of the city, killing five people and wounding 10 others, government officials said. No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attacks, but the Shabab, which is linked to Al Qaeda, has carried out similar assaults in the past. Coos County Democrat A Stark profile in history by Tara Giles Sports reporter - Coos County Democrat and Berlin Reporter Sports reporter - Coos County Democrat and Berlin Reporter write the author STARK The town of Stark, originally named Percy after the first Duke of Northumberland, Hugh Percy, was changed and named after the well known General John Stark. A recent drive through the small town, along with the upcoming holiday piqued some curiosity. The town was granted in 1774, during the heart of the Revolutionary War. In 1795 it became an incorporated town, then renamed 'Stark' in 1832. A statue of the General can be seen upon entering Stark Village. Stark is best known for coming up with New Hampshire's state motto, 'Live Free or Die.' Stark was born in Londonderry in 1728 to immigrant parents. His mother from England, his father from Scotland. He served as an officer for the British during the French and Indian War, then became a major general for the Continental Army during the Revolution. Stark married Elizabeth 'Molly" Page, and together they had 11 children. In 1752, a hunting trip led to the capture of Stark by Abenaki warriors from Canada. One night, attacked his captors, which ended up impressing the chief. With that, Stark was adopted into the tribe. A ransom was eventually paid for the release of he and his friend Amos Eastman. Stark along with his brother William served under Major Robert Rogers during the French and Indian War. The story of the famous Rogers' Rangers would become widely retold in history books. Stark was ordered to go to Quebec to attack an Abenaki village, but he refused out of respect and returned to the Granite State. After a hiatus, he returned to military service during the Battles of Lexington and Concord in 1775. Shortly after, he took charge of the 1st NH Regiment. With his army, he made headquarters in Medford, Mass. at the Isaac Royall House. Stark's men provided crucial backup during the Battle of Bunker Hill. George Washington, took note of Stark's experience and offered him a command in the Continental Army. Stark and his regiment joined Washington's army in New Jersey, in late 1776. Stark, per Washington's request, was to head back to New Hampshire to recruit more men. However, when he returned home, he discovered that Enoch Poor was promoted to Brigadier General. Stark resigned 'in disgust' stating that Poor had no combat experience, however did offer his service in the future, if it was needed. Stark wasn't resigned for long before being offered a commission as brigadier general of the New Hampshire Militia just four months later. As per the history books, Stark was well aware of the 'limitations' of his soldiers. With that he was able to keep casualties extremely low, while keeping enemy casualties higher. His famous rallying cry, as shown on the statue, says "There they are boys! We beat them today, or Molly Stark sleeps a widow tonight!" At the age of 81, Stark sent a letter to his fellow soldiers from the Battle of Bennington, in which he wrote, "Live free or die: Death is not the worst of evils." That motto became official for NH in 1945. Stark died at his Derryfield farm in 1822 at the age of 93. STARK The town of Stark, originally named Percy after the first Duke of Northumberland, Hugh Percy, was changed and named after the well known General John Stark. A recent drive through the small town, along with the upcoming holiday piqued some curiosity.The town was granted in 1774, during the heart of the Revolutionary War. In 1795 it became an incorporated town, then renamed 'Stark' in 1832. A statue of the General can be seen upon entering Stark Village. Stark is best known for coming up with New Hampshire's state motto, 'Live Free or Die.'Stark was born in Londonderry in 1728 to immigrant parents. His mother from England, his father from Scotland. He served as an officer for the British during the French and Indian War, then became a major general for the Continental Army during the Revolution. Stark married Elizabeth 'Molly" Page, and together they had 11 children.In 1752, a hunting trip led to the capture of Stark by Abenaki warriors from Canada. One night, attacked his captors, which ended up impressing the chief. With that, Stark was adopted into the tribe. A ransom was eventually paid for the release of he and his friend Amos Eastman.Stark along with his brother William served under Major Robert Rogers during the French and Indian War. The story of the famous Rogers' Rangers would become widely retold in history books. Stark was ordered to go to Quebec to attack an Abenaki village, but he refused out of respect and returned to the Granite State.After a hiatus, he returned to military service during the Battles of Lexington and Concord in 1775. Shortly after, he took charge of the 1st NH Regiment. With his army, he made headquarters in Medford, Mass. at the Isaac Royall House. Stark's men provided crucial backup during the Battle of Bunker Hill.George Washington, took note of Stark's experience and offered him a command in the Continental Army. Stark and his regiment joined Washington's army in New Jersey, in late 1776. Stark, per Washington's request, was to head back to New Hampshire to recruit more men. However, when he returned home, he discovered that Enoch Poor was promoted to Brigadier General. Stark resigned 'in disgust' stating that Poor had no combat experience, however did offer his service in the future, if it was needed. Stark wasn't resigned for long before being offered a commission as brigadier general of the New Hampshire Militia just four months later.As per the history books, Stark was well aware of the 'limitations' of his soldiers. With that he was able to keep casualties extremely low, while keeping enemy casualties higher. His famous rallying cry, as shown on the statue, says "There they are boys! We beat them today, or Molly Stark sleeps a widow tonight!"At the age of 81, Stark sent a letter to his fellow soldiers from the Battle of Bennington, in which he wrote, "Live free or die: Death is not the worst of evils." That motto became official for NH in 1945.Stark died at his Derryfield farm in 1822 at the age of 93. Coos County Democrat Baseball Spartans win extra-innings playoff thriller North Country educators honored by School Administrators Association Recent Tara Giles City Council discusses spending request 2021-Jun-10 City Council discusses abatement applications 2021-Jun-03 More than 100 locals vaccinated at Lancaster Fairgrounds 2021-Jun-03 Friedman takes Division III pole vault title 2021-Jun-03 City Council discusses proposed budget 2021-May-20 Jury delivers verdict in Woodburn trial 2021-May-20 More... Thanks for visiting SalmonPress.com Torrential rains in southern Japan caused widespread flooding and mudslides on Saturday, with at least 16 people dead as officials warned 75,000 residents to evacuate. The public broadcaster NHK said on Sunday that at least 16 people had died, including at least 14 at a nursing home. Another 17 were feared dead. Thirteen others were reported missing. Japan has been battered by heavy flooding from typhoons and other storms in recent years, with its mountainous terrain leaving it prone to mudslides and inundations. Such storms have taken hundreds of lives, and climatologists say the problem has been exacerbated by global warming. Under the governments regulations, people quarantined in hotels cannot leave their rooms, and they can come to the door only four times a day three times to pick up meals left by staff, and once to leave trash outside. Closed-circuit cameras monitor the Ramadas corridors, and entrances are watched by police around the clock so that no one comes or goes without permission. That leaves the foreigners with little hope of escaping the daily torment, even if they wanted to try. Mr. Thompson, 59, whose quarantine began Sunday, has asked to be moved to a room at the back of the hotel, away from the protest site. But nearly every room was already taken by others in quarantine, and his request was rebuffed. The only suggestion that government officials could offer was to keep his windows shut, he said. He has been using noise-canceling headphones and a white-noise app to cope. I feel sorry for residents who didnt come equipped with them, he said. Oh Sung-il, an official from the Ministry of Health and Welfare who oversees the quarantine at the Ramada, said protesters worries that Covid-19 might spread from the hotel were groundless. The one foreigner who tested positive for the virus was quickly moved to a separate facility, and there have been no cases at the hotel since, Mr. Oh said. But the protesters said fear of infection was enough to threaten their livelihoods. Restaurants, motels and other businesses in Jeondae-ri depend on visitors to nearby Everland, South Koreas largest amusement park. They had already been badly hurt by the damage the pandemic did to Everlands attendance figures. But things have gotten even worse since the Covid-19 case at the Ramada was confirmed, residents said. Fewer people have stopped in our town as bad rumors about our town spread, said Cha Ki-cheon, 59, who runs a 21-room motel in Jeondae-ri called Ever Park. The rumor was more fearsome than the virus itself. If the government plans to run the quarantine center here until the epidemic is over, our local economy will be dead by then. Gilford Steamer Selectmen to review out of state training by Erin Plummer The selectmen will review removing the bans on training out of state and outside groups in town hall in another month with a better view of coronavirus numbers. On Wednesday town administrator Scott Dunn gave the selectmen an update on coronavirus response in town including discussions on what could reopen and resume now and what would be best to wait on. In March, the board halted out of state employee trainings, Dunn asked the selectmen on Wednesday if they wanted to start allowing these again or keep the restriction. He said food for thought is that most conferences are not being held. Selectman Gus Benavides asked the department managers if they had any trainings or conferences still scheduled. Aside from a scheduled FBI training hosted at town hall, other meetings have bene canceled or being held virtually. Selectman Kevin Hayes said they could make any out of state trainings subject to Dunn's approval. He said if the police chief got a chance to train with the FBI and the town had a ban in place he would be in favor of suspending the ban. Dunn said out of state trainings require board approval anyway. Eddy said they could revisit this on a monthly basis to see what happens. Dunn also brought up the town's current ban on outside groups meeting in town hall. Dunn said a lot of groups use town hall for meetings including homeowners associations and other residence groups and have relied on the building to hold their annual meetings. He said things are different now with New Hampshire not seeing the kind of COVID-19 numbers other states are seeing. "I've made it very clear I want to open things up as quickly as possible; however, I think where if those groups still wanted to meet, we're finally in great weather that if they had to meet outside somewhere, they can still hold their meetings," Benavides said. "If we were talking wintertime, it would be a different story." Hayes said he favored continuing the ban until they are absolutely sure the coronavirus numbers are down. Eddy said they could also revisit this next month. The selectmen will review removing the bans on training out of state and outside groups in town hall in another month with a better view of coronavirus numbers.On Wednesday town administrator Scott Dunn gave the selectmen an update on coronavirus response in town including discussions on what could reopen and resume now and what would be best to wait on.In March, the board halted out of state employee trainings, Dunn asked the selectmen on Wednesday if they wanted to start allowing these again or keep the restriction. He said food for thought is that most conferences are not being held.Selectman Gus Benavides asked the department managers if they had any trainings or conferences still scheduled. Aside from a scheduled FBI training hosted at town hall, other meetings have bene canceled or being held virtually.Selectman Kevin Hayes said they could make any out of state trainings subject to Dunn's approval. He said if the police chief got a chance to train with the FBI and the town had a ban in place he would be in favor of suspending the ban. Dunn said out of state trainings require board approval anyway. Eddy said they could revisit this on a monthly basis to see what happens.Dunn also brought up the town's current ban on outside groups meeting in town hall.Dunn said a lot of groups use town hall for meetings including homeowners associations and other residence groups and have relied on the building to hold their annual meetings. He said things are different now with New Hampshire not seeing the kind of COVID-19 numbers other states are seeing."I've made it very clear I want to open things up as quickly as possible; however, I think where if those groups still wanted to meet, we're finally in great weather that if they had to meet outside somewhere, they can still hold their meetings," Benavides said. "If we were talking wintertime, it would be a different story."Hayes said he favored continuing the ban until they are absolutely sure the coronavirus numbers are down.Eddy said they could also revisit this next month. Gilford Steamer Golden Eagles battle, but fall in Division III finals Graduation kicks off end of year events Thanks for visiting SalmonPress.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 716-372-3121 or email nfinnerty@oleantimesherald.com. She pointed out that Germany is the first developed country to move away from nuclear power and coal. "We are banking on sun and wind energy for our entire energy needs," the minister added. But Germany has a long way to go before meeting that goal, with renewable energy currently generating just under 40% of the country's power. Under the road map passed on Friday, the first coal site is to be closed this year, with eight of the most polluting plants to follow by 2022. Assessments are planned in the coming years to see if the phaseout can be completed ahead of the 2038 target. The Bundesrat upper house also approved the legislation later Friday, in what was the last legislative hurdle for the plan. Climate activists and some opposition lawmakers have argued that the gradual transition is too little, too late. Green party leader Annalena Baerbock said the phase-out must be completed before 2030 and called the governing coalition's plans "oblivious to the future." She had vowed to vote for the financial support for regions but not the coalition government's timeline. But then a high school friend saw Elonichs tale of woe on Facebook and shared it with her dad. Tony Reese has actually been part of theringfinders.com for nine years, and had recently started to work with a scuba diver, Matthew Ryle, on underwater searches. The pair needs to find a Rolex watch in a body of water near Lincoln, and thought helping the couple would be good practice. They and Reeses fiancee and assistant, Rachel Dyrda, showed up with lots of metal detecting and scuba diving equipment. At first, no luck. Then Ryle moved closer to the dock, where Elonich thought the ring might have left his hand. Seeing bubbles in the same place in the water is a good thing, Reese told an anxious Elonich after Ryle moved to the new spot. It was a sign that Ryle had found something. A few minutes later, he comes up with a ring on his finger, Elonich said. That was kind of surreal. I was not optimistic we were going to find it. I could have cried when I saw it. The search took just an hour and a half. 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 pastureland near 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 reception 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. Damrow 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. A 41-year-old man died early Sunday of gunshot wounds suffered while driving near 60th Avenue and Northwest Radial Highway, Omaha police reported. The police identified the victim as Obdoo Walker and said they had responded to a car crash at that site about 1:50 a.m. when they found the man in the car. Medics pronounced him dead at the scene. Shortly after that, a man near 61st Street and Bedford Avenue was found with a gunshot wound. The 43-year-old man said he had been in the car in which Walker was shot and that he had fled after the shootings and the crash. The Omaha Police Department said that man went by ambulance to the Nebraska Medical Center with injuries that were not life-threatening. This was one more shooting incident in a three-day weekend in which gunfire and injuries were all too common. That was the only one, however, in which a person was killed, police said. Omaha experienced three nights of violence early Friday into early Sunday, with police responding to at least eight shooting incidents. Eleven people were injured, including the fatal shooting of Walker. That wasnt surprising, especially in an election year, but it was still disappointing. This bill could have been an exception to the rule. I called Sen. Angus King of Maine, an independent who usually votes with Democrats, to find out why the bipartisan push failed. King had voted with Republicans to allow McConnells bill to move forward. He said he thought it was a mistake for Democrats to block the bill. I think there was space for a compromise, and now Im afraid were not going to get anything, he told me. My concern was that if Democrats refused to go forward, McConnell would say, OK, I tried, and move on and thats pretty much what happened. But King also faulted the Republican leader for refusing to let Democrats participate in drafting the bill. The only way to get things done in the Senate is with a bipartisan process, he said. This was a bill on a very complex topic drafted by one party. Even as McConnell cut the Democrats out, he submitted his bill to the White House to make sure President Trump wouldnt denounce it. Thats a normal part of legislating but in the process, some measures were watered down. Confiscation of Palestinian land started In 1948, when the United Nations created a homeland for Jews living around the world. Seizure of the land was based on the idea that no one lived there. The clever motto was, A land with no people for a people with no land. How would you feel if your home and property were suddenly seized? What would you do if your relatives were banished and never allowed to return? Palestinian refugees now number 7.2 million worldwide. They are now the people with no land. The Palestinians who remain in the occupied territories comprise almost 21% of Israels population, but they are discriminated against by 65 Israeli laws, so the State of Israel is not a democracy for them. Yet our Congress sends $3.8 billion per year to Israel, three-fourths of which is used to buy American military equipment. We give away more than $10 million per day that could provide for basic human needs in the USA. This year, without including any Palestinian leaders in planning, Trump proposed annexation of Palestinian land in the West Bank, including Jewish settlements, which most of the world views as illegal. Karen Pierce, the United Kingdom ambassador to Washington, reiterated the U.K.s long-standing position that annexation is contrary to international law. Out of my fathers company of 200 soldiers, about 10% were black. Among fellow soldiers he befriended, three happened to be black. One of those black friends, who would become a mathematics professor, was being harassed by a group of fellows. The ringleader, a white fellow from Georgia named Hodges, called him racial epithets. My dad, who stood just under 6-foot-2, angrily confronted the harassers. Every one of them backed down and never bothered his friend again. But the story gets better. See, Hodges father was a connected politician in Georgia, who arranged for Hodges to become squad leader. In that position, Hodges tormented a black member of his squad, also my fathers friend, by assigning him the worst duties. Until Hodges got busted for theft. Stolen items were found in his locker. The captain told Hodges squad they could vote for their new squad leader. They elected the black fellow Hodges had been tormenting. As the new squad leader, he assigned Hodges the dirtiest, most awful job there was cleaning the kitchens grease pit. That sweet little piece of justice happened in 1953 11 years before the Civil Rights Act would become law. Granite State News Wolfeboro to bid on broadband expansion subgrant by Elissa Paquette WOLFEBORO On June 26, the Board of Selectmen signed a letter of support for a bid currently in process to expand broadband coverage to underserved areas within the environs of Wolfeboro. $50 million in CARES funding of the $625 million received by the state so far (half of the anticipated total) is designated for broadband infrastructure. The state released Request for Proposals for subgrants on June 18, and "We're going for it," declared Selectman Paul O'Brien. "I've been in the (telecommunications) industry for 40 years...It's tough, there are a lot of strictures, but Wolfeboro is going to bid it." O'Brien told the board that the town has no relationship with the NH Electric Co-op because it has its own municipal electric department (MED), and no relationship with Spectrum Communications, but "in the next few days we hope to." Sen. Jeb Bradley and MED Director Barry Muccio have been enlisted to seek the support of the NH Co-op and Town Planner Matt Sullivan and Town Manager Jim Pineo have rolled up their sleeves to develop the hard cost figures. "They are incredible, incredible people," enthused O'Brien. At stake is bringing service to clearly defined areas of need. In the North Wolfeboro segment, Cowper, Chick, Bickford, Stoddard, and Stoneham roads, explained O'Brien, telephone service doesn't meet minimum thresholds, there is no cable service, and the wireless coverage is spotty. He said the estimate for expanding coverage to the 23 homes in that area, which includes adding about three and a half miles of fiber, is $170,000. The Warren Sands area, including around 17 homes, has the same situation. The estimated cost is $40,000. O'Brien expressed disappointment that N Wakefield Rd. will continue to go unserved. He explained that the engineering work made it "literally impossible to see how we can serve them at this time." O'Brien says he is also seeking letters of support from Wolfeboro's legislators, John McDonald and Edie DesMarias, and citizens in the specified areas, to attach to the application. The grant does not include planning (Carroll County Broadband has asked for $11 million from the $50 million set aside for broadband to distribute to the 19 towns in Carroll County to cover planning costs) and the project has to be shovel ready by Dec. 20 this year. As O'Brien says, "There are a lot of moving parts here." An answer from the state is anticipated by mid-July. If we can do this, said O'Brien, "It will show what happens when the dog actually does catch the bus. We will be aufully busy." WOLFEBORO On June 26, the Board of Selectmen signed a letter of support for a bid currently in process to expand broadband coverage to underserved areas within the environs of Wolfeboro.$50 million in CARES funding of the $625 million received by the state so far (half of the anticipated total) is designated for broadband infrastructure. The state released Request for Proposals for subgrants on June 18, and "We're going for it," declared Selectman Paul O'Brien. "I've been in the (telecommunications) industry for 40 years...It's tough, there are a lot of strictures, but Wolfeboro is going to bid it."O'Brien told the board that the town has no relationship with the NH Electric Co-op because it has its own municipal electric department (MED), and no relationship with Spectrum Communications, but "in the next few days we hope to." Sen. Jeb Bradley and MED Director Barry Muccio have been enlisted to seek the support of the NH Co-op and Town Planner Matt Sullivan and Town Manager Jim Pineo have rolled up their sleeves to develop the hard cost figures. "They are incredible, incredible people," enthused O'Brien.At stake is bringing service to clearly defined areas of need. In the North Wolfeboro segment, Cowper, Chick, Bickford, Stoddard, and Stoneham roads, explained O'Brien, telephone service doesn't meet minimum thresholds, there is no cable service, and the wireless coverage is spotty. He said the estimate for expanding coverage to the 23 homes in that area, which includes adding about three and a half miles of fiber, is $170,000.The Warren Sands area, including around 17 homes, has the same situation. The estimated cost is $40,000.O'Brien expressed disappointment that N Wakefield Rd. will continue to go unserved. He explained that the engineering work made it "literally impossible to see how we can serve them at this time."O'Brien says he is also seeking letters of support from Wolfeboro's legislators, John McDonald and Edie DesMarias, and citizens in the specified areas, to attach to the application.The grant does not include planning (Carroll County Broadband has asked for $11 million from the $50 million set aside for broadband to distribute to the 19 towns in Carroll County to cover planning costs) and the project has to be shovel ready by Dec. 20 this year.As O'Brien says, "There are a lot of moving parts here."An answer from the state is anticipated by mid-July.If we can do this, said O'Brien, "It will show what happens when the dog actually does catch the bus. We will be aufully busy." Granite State News Brewster Class of '21 graduates Graniteman Triathlon suspended until 2022 Recent Elissa Paquette Graniteman Triathlon suspended until 2022 2021-Jun-10 Building permit fee increases tabled for further study 2021-Jun-10 GWRSD lifts outdoor mask mandate 2021-Jun-03 GWRSD lifts outdoor mask mandate 2021-Jun-03 GWRSD lifts outdoor mask mandate 2021-Jun-03 GWRSD election, warrant results are in 2021-May-20 More... Thanks for visiting SalmonPress.com CORONAVIRUS LIBRARIES REOPENING Who needs the library? Community resources are bouncing back during the pandemic Littleton Courier Multiple units respond to Bethlehem brush fire by Angel Larcom BETHLEHEM Last Friday, the Bethlehem Fire Department responded to a brush fire in a remote development area of Bethlehem. The blaze started on private property near Cleo's Way and multiple fire departments were called in to assist. Approximately 50 firefighters from Littleton, Whitefield, Sugar Hill, Franconia, Woodstock and Twin Mountain assisted the Bethlehem crew as they attempted to extinguish a nearly two-acre fire in rough terrain. Two tankers were brought in, as well as representatives from the New Hampshire Department of Forest and Lands. Crews worked until sundown on Friday night and returned for another six hours on Saturday morning. According to Bethlehem Fire Chief Jack Anderson, the burn had gone underground and come back up again. He said, "We contained the fire on Friday but had to dig it all out on Saturday to make sure it was extinguished. The real challenge came from the decaying vegetation. We couldn't put it out by putting water on it." Anderson said no one was harmed, no structures suffered damage and there would be no penalties for the landowner. "It was one of the bigger wood fires that we've had to deal with this season. It was the type of fire where it gets down in the ground and is difficult to work with when you have to dig every spot that's smoking and find a hot pocket of fire," he added. The blaze came one day after officials announced moderate drought conditions for the southern and central parts of the state. The State Department of Environmental Services recommended that residents attempt to conserve water from private wells. Chief Anderson also expressed concerns with Independence Day around the corner. Both fireworks and lightning could be problematic due to unseasonably dry conditions, he said. "The dryness is so deep if lightning hits a tree, it could travel down into the roots and burn underground for quite a while before surfacing. If any hot firework embers fall into the woods right now, it could take several days to kindle before anyone noticed it," noted the Fire Chief. Anderson said the dry conditions made it difficult to determine the cause of the Bethlehem brush fire. He said, "Even if we had gotten a good rainstorm, it probably would have still required that we dig it out. The fire was so deep, we would put water on it and it would be smoking again five minutes later." BETHLEHEM Last Friday, the Bethlehem Fire Department responded to a brush fire in a remote development area of Bethlehem. The blaze started on private property near Cleo's Way and multiple fire departments were called in to assist.Approximately 50 firefighters from Littleton, Whitefield, Sugar Hill, Franconia, Woodstock and Twin Mountain assisted the Bethlehem crew as they attempted to extinguish a nearly two-acre fire in rough terrain. Two tankers were brought in, as well as representatives from the New Hampshire Department of Forest and Lands.Crews worked until sundown on Friday night and returned for another six hours on Saturday morning. According to Bethlehem Fire Chief Jack Anderson, the burn had gone underground and come back up again.He said, "We contained the fire on Friday but had to dig it all out on Saturday to make sure it was extinguished. The real challenge came from the decaying vegetation. We couldn't put it out by putting water on it."Anderson said no one was harmed, no structures suffered damage and there would be no penalties for the landowner."It was one of the bigger wood fires that we've had to deal with this season. It was the type of fire where it gets down in the ground and is difficult to work with when you have to dig every spot that's smoking and find a hot pocket of fire," he added.The blaze came one day after officials announced moderate drought conditions for the southern and central parts of the state. The State Department of Environmental Services recommended that residents attempt to conserve water from private wells.Chief Anderson also expressed concerns with Independence Day around the corner. Both fireworks and lightning could be problematic due to unseasonably dry conditions, he said."The dryness is so deep if lightning hits a tree, it could travel down into the roots and burn underground for quite a while before surfacing. If any hot firework embers fall into the woods right now, it could take several days to kindle before anyone noticed it," noted the Fire Chief.Anderson said the dry conditions made it difficult to determine the cause of the Bethlehem brush fire.He said, "Even if we had gotten a good rainstorm, it probably would have still required that we dig it out. The fire was so deep, we would put water on it and it would be smoking again five minutes later." Littleton Courier Resilience celebrated at LHS graduation Bethlehem celebrates Patsie Bonardi Thanks for visiting SalmonPress.com Florida, aka The Sunshine State, is known for its sunny, sandy beaches, low taxes, and colorful characters. And as the Trump.. Wochit 14 Jan 2021 Foreign Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. on Friday warned China of the severest response diplomatic and whatever else is appropriate from Manila if it holds military exercises within Philippine territory in the South China Sea. READ: Pentagon: China military exercises will 'further destabilize' S. China Sea My first reaction was to check the coordinates in the Navigation NoticeThe Chinese naval... Newfound Landing Hebron voters gather for historic town meeting by Donna Rhodes write the author Voters in Hebron cast their first ever drive-through votes for town offices last Tuesday, then gathered on the common June 24 to take part in their 2020 outdoor Town Meeting under sunny summer skies. (Photo by Donna Rhodes) (click for larger version) HEBRON Hebron officials had planned to hold their annual elections and town meeting on May 12, but when the Corona virus changed the way people are living and conducting business in 2020, town officials went back to the proverbial drawing board and found a new way to conduct their town business too, by holding drive-through voting and an outdoor town meeting last week. "Thank you all so much for being here at this historic town meeting," said Town Moderator Roger Larochelle on June 25. "I can't imagine there's been any others like this here since we used to meet in February." Socially distanced under sunny skies on the common, the 78 Hebron voters in attendance set out to see if they could meet Larochelle's light-hearted challenge to further add to the historical night by breaking the previous 58-minute record for their town meeting. The night kicked off with tabulations from Tuesday's drive-through voting process, where voters picked up a ballot outside the former town office, parked to record their votes, then drove on to place them in the ballot box beside the church. Larochelle said the only contested race this year was between incumbent selectman John W. Dunklee and challenger Roger A. James. With 133 voters participating in the unique election process, it came down to a tie between Dunklee and James with 65 votes for each. After reviewing state laws on such an event, they drew lots to break that tie and it was James who prevailed. In a write-in only contest for an opening as Library Trustee, Jennifer Larochelle also accepted the winning vote. "This process (of drive-through voting) all went very smoothly," Moderator Larochelle noted. "In fact, it's something we may consider for the state elections in September." Besides the election for town officials, Hebron's Town Warrant this year contained just 10 other articles, most of which were passed unanimously with little to no discussion. Among those were articles to place $3,000 from the unreserved fund balance in the Police Capital Reserve Fund and $750 in the Conservation Fund. Voters further approved the establishment of a Hebron Town Forest Capital Reserve Fund to help maintain the property and perform any necessary improvements. As a result of that unanimous vote, $1,000 was approved to open the fund, with selectmen named as agents for the account. A total of $85,700 was approved for Capital Reserve Fund requests and the $1,424,308 operational budget was also approved unanimously without discussion. Additionally, a request to raise and appropriate $15,000 for the purchase of computer software designed for the town clerk's office drew not only approval, but a slight round of applause from voters. Among the many benefits of the software program will be the ability for taxpayers to make payments with credit cards in the future. The only talking points this year occurred briefly over authorization to accept the dedication of three roads in the new Kill Mountain housing development as Class V roads, and a request for $87,100 to purchase and install an emergency back-up generator in the new town office building. The road approval discussion was brief as selectmen were asked a few questions on what acquisition of those roads would mean. Selectman Dunkee explained that upon final inspections and approval by town officials on or after May 15, 2022, the town would then take responsibility to plow and perform summer maintenance duties. While there are few residents in that neighborhood at this time, the area is still undergoing sales and development. Recommended by selectmen, voters agreed to the future change in designation as well if the roads are approved in two years. The topic of the installment of a generator at the town offices did stir up a livelier debate that brought one resident, Don Franklin, forward with questions as to why one wasn't installed during the construction process. Selectmen Dunkee explained that all the money approved for that construction project was spent on renovations for the building. "There were a lot of things taken out then so we could afford the building," he explained. Adding a generator in this year's warrant was the only means of getting that final portion of the process funded. The generator matter, which would include underground gas tanks to fuel it, was put out to bid and the best price came in from local resident Maynard Young. As proposed the generator will maintain heat, lights and water to the building for two weeks if necessary and allow the offices to not only maintain operations but be utilized as an emergency center in the event of a long term ice storm or any other natural disaster. Franklin did ask that the town consider tabling the plan until next year but that motion failed and the article soon passed by a hand count vote. Once the entire warrant had been discussed and voted upon, Larochelle was pleased to bring the meeting to a successful close, just 56 minutes after it began with the Pledge of Allegiance. A new record for the Town of Hebron on a historic and successful night. HEBRON Hebron officials had planned to hold their annual elections and town meeting on May 12, but when the Corona virus changed the way people are living and conducting business in 2020, town officials went back to the proverbial drawing board and found a new way to conduct their town business too, by holding drive-through voting and an outdoor town meeting last week."Thank you all so much for being here at this historic town meeting," said Town Moderator Roger Larochelle on June 25. "I can't imagine there's been any others like this here since we used to meet in February."Socially distanced under sunny skies on the common, the 78 Hebron voters in attendance set out to see if they could meet Larochelle's light-hearted challenge to further add to the historical night by breaking the previous 58-minute record for their town meeting.The night kicked off with tabulations from Tuesday's drive-through voting process, where voters picked up a ballot outside the former town office, parked to record their votes, then drove on to place them in the ballot box beside the church. Larochelle said the only contested race this year was between incumbent selectman John W. Dunklee and challenger Roger A. James. With 133 voters participating in the unique election process, it came down to a tie between Dunklee and James with 65 votes for each. After reviewing state laws on such an event, they drew lots to break that tie and it was James who prevailed. In a write-in only contest for an opening as Library Trustee, Jennifer Larochelle also accepted the winning vote."This process (of drive-through voting) all went very smoothly," Moderator Larochelle noted. "In fact, it's something we may consider for the state elections in September."Besides the election for town officials, Hebron's Town Warrant this year contained just 10 other articles, most of which were passed unanimously with little to no discussion. Among those were articles to place $3,000 from the unreserved fund balance in the Police Capital Reserve Fund and $750 in the Conservation Fund. Voters further approved the establishment of a Hebron Town Forest Capital Reserve Fund to help maintain the property and perform any necessary improvements. As a result of that unanimous vote, $1,000 was approved to open the fund, with selectmen named as agents for the account.A total of $85,700 was approved for Capital Reserve Fund requests and the $1,424,308 operational budget was also approved unanimously without discussion. Additionally, a request to raise and appropriate $15,000 for the purchase of computer software designed for the town clerk's office drew not only approval, but a slight round of applause from voters. Among the many benefits of the software program will be the ability for taxpayers to make payments with credit cards in the future.The only talking points this year occurred briefly over authorization to accept the dedication of three roads in the new Kill Mountain housing development as Class V roads, and a request for $87,100 to purchase and install an emergency back-up generator in the new town office building.The road approval discussion was brief as selectmen were asked a few questions on what acquisition of those roads would mean. Selectman Dunkee explained that upon final inspections and approval by town officials on or after May 15, 2022, the town would then take responsibility to plow and perform summer maintenance duties. While there are few residents in that neighborhood at this time, the area is still undergoing sales and development. Recommended by selectmen, voters agreed to the future change in designation as well if the roads are approved in two years.The topic of the installment of a generator at the town offices did stir up a livelier debate that brought one resident, Don Franklin, forward with questions as to why one wasn't installed during the construction process. Selectmen Dunkee explained that all the money approved for that construction project was spent on renovations for the building."There were a lot of things taken out then so we could afford the building," he explained.Adding a generator in this year's warrant was the only means of getting that final portion of the process funded. The generator matter, which would include underground gas tanks to fuel it, was put out to bid and the best price came in from local resident Maynard Young. As proposed the generator will maintain heat, lights and water to the building for two weeks if necessary and allow the offices to not only maintain operations but be utilized as an emergency center in the event of a long term ice storm or any other natural disaster. Franklin did ask that the town consider tabling the plan until next year but that motion failed and the article soon passed by a hand count vote.Once the entire warrant had been discussed and voted upon, Larochelle was pleased to bring the meeting to a successful close, just 56 minutes after it began with the Pledge of Allegiance. A new record for the Town of Hebron on a historic and successful night. Newfound Landing Newfound announces top graduating seniors Newfound inducts fifth Hall of Fame class Recent Donna Rhodes Plymouth vote a rousing success 2021-Apr-21 Plymouth to hold the final session of alternative Town Meeting 2021-Apr-08 PACC fights through challenging times 2021-Mar-17 Boomerangs steps up in support of PACC 2021-Mar-10 Alexandria fishing derby draws strong turnout 2021-Mar-03 Bristol voters to decide on recycling proposal 2021-Mar-03 More... Thanks for visiting SalmonPress.com President says US under assault from far-left fascism Coronavirus infections near 130,000; senior Trump official sick Supreme court gives conservatives blues whats really going on? Sign up to our First Thing newsletter 1.50pm BST The president is most likely asleep at the moment, given that he... We take a look at President Trump's speech at Mount Rushmore, where he held an early Independence Day celebration amid protests and warnings from public health officials on holding the public event. President Trump is touting the economy and heading to an Independence Day celebration at Mount Rushmore, where attendees will not be required to wear masks or social distance. The trip comes as the president's top pandemic adviser warns of spikes in COVID-19 cases across the country. Paula Reid reports. The Oregon Health Authority on Saturday reported 303 new confirmed and presumptive cases of COVID-19 and four new deaths, bringing the states toll to 213. This is the third day Oregon has surpassed 300 new cases. The state set a record Thursday with 375 daily cases, eclipsing 281 the day before. On Friday, health authorities reported 344 new confirmed and presumptive cases. The Fourth of July holiday weekend has left Oregon health officials worried about a spike in coronavirus cases. They are urging people to remember that the phased reopening does not mean going back to business as usual and ask Oregonians to choose low risk activities to celebrate the July Fourth holiday weekend. Oregons medical director Dr. Paul Cieslak said in a Thursday press conference that people should absolutely cancel their holiday weekend plans. The safest choice is to stay home, but if Oregonians choose to celebrate away from home, they are urged to maintain distance and opt for doing things outdoors. Where the new cases are by county: Baker (1), Benton (2), Clackamas (26), Clatsop (2), Columbia (2), Deschutes (11), Douglas (1), Gilliam (1), Jackson (7) Jefferson (1), Josephine (8), Klamath (5), Lake (1), Lane (12), Lincoln (1), Linn (1), Malheur (31), Marion (18), Morrow (11), Multhnomah (58), Polk (3), Tillamook (1), Umatilla (49), Wasco (4) and Washington (46). New Fatalities: Oregons 210th death was a 93-year-old Umatilla County man who had underlying medical conditions, the state reported Saturday. He tested positive June 27 and died July 1 at home. The 211th death was a 74-year-old Umatilla County man who had underlying medical conditions. He tested positive June 21 and died June 26 at Good Shepherd Medical Center. A 94-year-old Clackamas County woman was the state's 212th COVID-19 death. She had underlying medical conditions and tested positive June 16. She died June 29 in her residence. The 213th death was an 84-year-old Lincoln County woman who tested positive June 19. Her place and date of death are still being confirmed by health officials. Since it began: Oregon Health Authority reports the state has 9,930 total confirmed or presumed infections and 213 deaths; 250,637 people in Oregon have been tested. --Alex Hardgrave | ahardgrave@oregonian.com | @a_hardgrave Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories. Umatilla County saw one of the largest spikes in daily coronavirus cases this week with an average of 44 cases per day, the second most in Oregon, as the countys top health official cited workplace outbreaks spurred by sick employees returning to their jobs as a major contributor. A county commissioner said some people also are refusing to wear masks. With just under 78,000 residents, the county saw 17% of Oregons total cases in the past seven days despite accounting for just 2% of the states total population. The surge in cases comes as state officials reported two days of the states highest daily counts of COVID-19 cases with 375 Thursday and 344 Friday. Among other counties, Umatilla had the highest single-day case count statewide this week with 88 on Thursday. The countys daily average places it just behind Multnomah County and just ahead of Washington County, which both have over 500,000 more residents. Joseph Fiumara, Umatilla Countys public health director, said workplace infections are pushing the surge. Employees with minor symptoms are returning to work to pay rent and support their families as businesses reopen, he said. They have unintentionally caused small outbreaks throughout the county, he said. A lot of time, people just dont think they have the virus, Fiumara said. They think its allergies. The symptoms are so minor that they go to work for a few days slight runny nose or scratchy throat then they go in and get tested and it comes back positive. The countys largest workplace outbreaks have occurred at the Lamb Weston potato factory in Hermiston. State officials have so far reported 72 cases connected with the factory. Fiumara said the factorys close working quarters and its favorable climate help the virus spread. Food processing plants, with cold temperatures and aggressive ventilation systems that are required to prevent contamination, have been the source of multiple coronavirus outbreaks in the past several weeks due to these conditions, experts say. Lamb Weston took early and decisive action after its first 4 cases were reported on June 15 at the Hermiston facility, closing its doors, a company spokesperson told The Oregonian/Oregonlive in an email. All staff at the facility were tested by public officials on June 25-26, and the facility doors will remain closed until it is safe to reopen, the spokesperson said. Umatilla is now one of eight rural counties placed Friday on a watch list by Gov. Kate Brown because of their alarming levels of coronavirus spread. 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. While contact tracing throughout Umatilla County has remained manageable within 24 hours, Fiumara said it lately has become much more difficult and county officials have requested help from the Oregon Health Authority. Dr. Paul Cieslak, the states medical director for communicable diseases, said seven health authority officials have been dispatched to the county. He called the increase in the countys cases very concerning. Cieslak said this week that outbreaks statewide were often being traced back to multi-household gatherings such as graduation and birthday parties. The situation becomes even more dire as Oregonians travel for the Fourth of July weekend, increasing the risk of infection, he said. A year ago, at this time, around the Fourth of July, graduation time, you could undertake these activities, Cieslak said. But in the time of COVID its just not a wise thing to do. These are the things that are going to drive our case counts up and make us rethink whether we can safely reopen the state to business. When asked at a news conference whether people should cancel their holiday weekend plans, Cieslak responded, Absolutely. As part of an effort to slow the spread of COVID-19, the governor has announced a new statewide rule this week that requires Oregonians ages 12 and up to don a face mask in indoor public spaces. I do not want to have to close down businesses again like other states are now doing, Brown said in a statement. If you want your local shops and restaurants to stay open, then wear a face covering when out in public. George Murdock, an Umatilla County commissioner who oversees the countys response to the virus, said mask-wearing is now a politically divisive topic around the county. It has become a certain badge of honor to not wear a mask, he said. Were trying to dispel that notion. Though he was initially confident in his countys ability to handle the challenges of COVID-19, Murdock has grown more concerned as cases rise. A decline in total cases will be the only way that he would feel confident in the countys ability to flatten the curve. We went for months with pretty low numbers, Murdock said. I remember when we were deciding whether or not wed see over a hundred cases. And we went for months like that. And now, boom, were over 500 in a very short period of time. I dont think any of us will be satisfied until we reverse that trend. -- Bryce Dole bdole@oregonian.com 541-660-9844 @DoleBryce Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories. Seemingly overnight, calls to find alternatives to police have moved from the fringes of the progressive movement into the U.S. mainstream. As elected officials in communities around the country feel pressure to shrink police budgets, they are suddenly looking to a more than 30-year-old crisis assistance program in Portlands backyard. At the southern end of the Willamette Valley, pairs of medics and crisis workers patrol the streets of Eugene and surrounding towns and respond to 911 calls to take care of situations that dont require someone with a badge and gun typically involving homeless people, mental health crises or drug use. In many ways, the program is one of the nations only examples of how police abolition works in practice. It was launched with money originally earmarked for hiring more police officers and has grown steadily since then. By most metrics, it succeeds at its primary mission: reduce the interactions between police and people who could end up in jail or harmed by those encounters. Though it originally defunded police to some degree, however, the Eugene-area program was neither conceived nor retooled to reduce police violence toward Black and brown people. It was designed largely by white hippies to decrease policing and increase humanity in their overwhelmingly white community. Some say that as Portland shifts money from its police bureau to begin a pilot version of the Eugene-area program, called Portland Street Response, leaders should be wary of expecting it to better serve Black Portlanders unless that community gets a central voice in its creation. INTERSECTING CRISES Portland Commissioner Jo Ann Hardesty made Portland Street Response one of her priorities when she took office in 2018, long before Black Lives Matter! became a nightly rallying call. She and the mayors office convened a group of more than 50 agencies, advocates and homeless service providers to decide on how to adapt Eugenes Crisis Assistance Helping Out on the Streets program, normally short-handed to Cahoots, to Portlands needs. The momentum grew from news reports that showed that 52% of all arrests in the city were of homeless people and the majority of 911 calls were for homelessness-related issues. Homelessness serving nonprofit Street Roots, which works closely with Hardestys office, raised a call for an alternative response other than police. A small pilot version of Portland Street Response -- one member of the Fire Bureau paired with a certified mental health worker -- was supposed to launch this spring but was delayed because of the pandemic. Hardestys office said this week that the mental health worker is expected to be hired this month, then the first team can launch. The pair would be dispatched through the citys 911 system for calls of unwanted persons and welfare checks. As the team waited to launch, Portlands streets were taken over by tens of thousands of people protesting police violence toward Black people in the wake of the killing of George Floyd. With their support, Hardesty was able to coalesce enough buy-in to eliminate three specialty teams from the police budget and a promise to use the money for investments for the Black community. She pushed her fellow council members to agree to use $4.8 million from eliminating the Gun Violence Reduction Team -- formerly the gang enforcement team -- to expand the Portland Street Response pilot to six teams to serve multiple parts of the city. Her office said that is expected to reduce interactions between police and homeless people, and because Black and Native American people are disproportionately affected by homelessness, its a way to help the Black community. Black people make up about 16% of Multnomah Countys homeless population while just over 7% of residents identify as Black. Overall, about 30% of the countys total population are people of color yet nearly 40% of homeless people in 2019 were. This moment demands we rethink what community safety looks like, and what a world with police alternatives looks like, Hardesty said. Portland Street Response is a much-needed answer to several intersecting crises: systemic racism, housing crisis and police violence. She said that the ability to move the funds from a police response to a non-police response is a testament to the movement. IS PORTLAND STREET RESPONSE THE ANSWER TO THE MOMENT? There are some who worry that simply pointing to the intersection is not enough to address it. Michael Hames-Garcia, a professor at the University of Oregon who studies inequalities of race, class, gender, sexuality and disability in the criminal justice system, said that there have been attempts to shift responsibilities from police to other agencies before. And those have also had destructive impacts on Black and brown communities, they said. Hames-Garcia pointed to welfare agencies and child protective services as agencies that have treated families in poverty or in the midst of mental health or addiction issues differently based on race. Theres no doubt cities should look to remove police from situations that do not warrant an armed and uniformed officer from showing, they said, but the replacement for police need to be chosen with input from the Black community and steeped in ideas around how governmental and criminal justice systems can be racist. They have watched Cahoots in Eugene for years and know that it is effective because the White Bird Clinic, the nonprofit that runs it, is well-regarded in the community. Its dental and medical clinics are also gathering places for Eugenes homeless population. The nonprofit operated for 20 years before Cahoots vans first hit the road. That presence and respect from the people the program primarily serves makes it effective, Hames-Garcia said. Nevertheless, they think that if Cahoots wants to better serve people of color, it still has a problem -- its ties to the police. The vans are dispatched by the same system that triages response for Eugene police and fire crews. The programs funding is also embedded in the police budget. Hames-Garcia worries that as long as issues like mental illness and drug use are law enforcement responsibilities, police can use wide discretion over who should show up on those calls -- a decision that has historically disadvantaged the Black community. MODEL PROGRAM RETHINKS RACIAL EQUITY Tim Black, who heads Cahoots, agrees to some extent. The city will try to create a separate phone line for Cahoots so that people who call for that service wont be answered by a greeting from the Eugene Police Department. Black said program officials have recognized that can be scary, especially for people in communities who are already unlikely to call the police for help, fearing that they might die because of it. We realize now that just having a phone number that is answered Eugene police is going to make our program inaccessible to some people and some communities, Black said. The staff also started trainings to identify their own biases and learn more effective approaches to people of color. Chelsea Swift, a medic and crisis worker with the program, said that work started before the police killing of George Floyd and before the coronavirus pandemic pushed police to rely more heavily on Cahoots because of a mandate to take as few people to jails and hospitals as possible. The reckoning came when a Latino teenager was beaten by Springfield police, Swift said. The person who called 911 to report a person possibly being violent requested that Cahoots, not police, make the check. The call started conversations about Cahoots founding and who the organization serves well. The program grew from Oregon Country Fair culture and an attempt by Eugene counterculture to get care for people having bad trips without law enforcement involvement. Three decades later, the staff remains primarily white, a reflection of Eugenes demographics. The city is 83% white. We have this great culture at our agency, but it very much reflects who has worked there, Swift said. Cahoots fields about 20% of calls to 911 and the non-emergency line. Only about 10% of Cahoots responses require help from the police or other public safety agencies. In 2018, of the 22,000 calls that Cahoots responded to, less than 150 led to Cahoots requesting police for backup. Program leaders estimate it saves $7 million annually in medical costs because the so many of the people they help would otherwise end up in emergency rooms. Swift said part of what accounts for the programs success is its connection to police. A drug harm reduction worker by training, she has long been a believer in reducing the impact of police and was reluctant to accept a connection to police when she took the job with Cahoots. But she has found that carrying a radio and sharing a dispatcher helps legitimize the program and garner buy-in from the community and from police and city leaders who control funding. It also means she has the ability to intervene with someone who would otherwise be arrested, cited or injured by police. Cahoots is good for our community and there are ways we can make ourselves even better for our community. Right now, its pretty imperative we remain within the 911 system because that does allow us to have access to create different outcomes, Swift said. That doesnt mean there cant be systems that are not looped into a dispatch system that can be as effective as how our model stands. She hopes that this moment when police abolition is suddenly on so many peoples tongues can be an opportunity to keep thinking about who else can respond to the communitys needs and how. Not every call needs someone attached to police, Swift said. Some people just need a wound cared for, not a trained medic. Some families need a person trained specifically in domestic violence and family mediation that Cahoots crisis workers find themselves navigating on the fly. Adding in more and varied people to respond to calls for help would free up Cahoots workers to focus on the calls they do best, and enable police to do the same, she said. Both Swift and Black also want cities that are considering replicating their program to invest in the rest of their social service systems as well. Often, Cahoots workers must tell people who need shelter or behavioral health treatment that there is nowhere to take them. Police have even fewer resources when Cahoots vans are unavailable. I listen to cops run around all night responding to issues with housing, health care, food, education that could likely be prevented, Swift said. RACIAL FOCUS STILL UNKNOWN The city of Portland does not yet have a timeline for when the five additional Portland Street Response crews will be dispatched, nor whether they will consist of an emergency medical technician and a mental health counselor, like the inaugural team. Hardesty plans to reconvene the large group that helped conceive Portland Street Response to figure out those questions. Onlookers like Hames-Garcia hope that Black community groups and Black people who have been homeless will be featured prominently at the table. Alan Ferschweiler, head of the Portland firefighters union, said he is pushing to have a firefighter on each of those teams -- at least initially. Firefighters are trained as medics, know the 911 system, how to use radios and have relationships with hospitals, so he sees it as a way to ensure the pilot is successful. The news that Portland Street Responses pilot would expand so quickly came as a surprise to him. He found out about it from news articles. Not only is he wary of ramping up an untested program so quickly, he is reluctant to do so in the midst of a conversation about moving police responsibilities to other agencies. As firefighters and medics, were not interested in doing police work, we have no desire to do police work, we have no desire to be in confrontational situations with people, Ferschweiler said. They also do not do racial justice work. Ferschweiler said he has never received training on bias or how to respond with care to people whose racial identities differ from his: white. Its those types of things I would really be excited about being able to learn more about, Ferschweiler said. I think those are nuanced things that would be really great to have that type of training provided. A spokesperson for Hardestys office said that there is no such training planned yet for Portland Street Response workers. Hardesty has said that there need to be more first responders from backgrounds that match the community they are serving. Her office did not fully address questions about whether Portland Street Response will explicitly require that as part of its hiring process and training process. But when the City Council approved the police bureau cuts last month, Hardesty vowed that she would work toward a community safety plan so you dont have to worry about who shows up when you call 911. -- Molly Harbarger mharbarger@oregonian.com | 503-294-5923 | @MollyHarbarger Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories. This years Fourth of July falls during two pivotal events in recent American history a pandemic and a social justice movement setting up a holiday unlike no other in decades. The growing coronavirus outbreak has caused most places to cancel fireworks shows, Gov. Kate Brown has instituted a mask requirement in indoor spaces and the states public health officials have urged Oregonians to forego travel and barbecues. At the same time, the 244th Independence Day comes as hundreds of people continue to gather in Portland and elsewhere to decry the death of George Floyd under the knee of a Minneapolis police officer. The Oregonian/OregonLive headed out to ask people at a proper physical distance about their plans for the Fourth and what words like freedom and patriotism mean to them today. Here are their words: Jordan Rock, 27, sits in Mt. Tabor Park on July 2. Rock said he doesn't celebrate the Fourth of July because he sees Juneteenth as his Independence Day. JORDAN ROCK, 27, MONTAVILLA, PORTLAND I dont really celebrate Fourth of July. I dont see it as my Independence Day. I see Juneteenth as my Independence Day. So, on the Fourth of July I sit inside, I hang out with friends on Discord, maybe Ill drink for the fun of it. But I dont have many big patriotic thoughts about America. What do freedom and patriotism mean to you right now: You grow up in America and you get patriotism implanted in you. Youre made to salute the flag and stand and sing the anthem and all that. The older you get the more educated you get, the more you learn about the history of this country, the less patriotic you tend to feel, at least from my perspective. I guess the main takeaway is that America is not so great. And for me, specifically, was built on the backs of my people, our blood, sweat our tears. When I feel a national sort of loyalty, its not to the country, not to the soil, its to the people. And my people. Im an American, and Im proud to say that. But when I say Im proud to be an American, Im proud to be an American person. I dont feel any sort of connection or semblance of patriotic flame in my heart when I think about our administration, about our government, because its built upon a system that oppresses people. This protest is not just for the lives of me and people with my level of melanin and above, its for everybody. I live in constant fear that when Im walking through, take for instance the walk over here (to Mt. Tabor), its about a 30-minute walk through a very nice neighborhood. Ive got my hands in my pockets, got my shoulders squared, got my head up trying as hard as possible to not look suspicious with a mask on. If I make somebody uncomfortable in that neighborhood, that could be the end of my life. The police get called, then Im two steps away from being beaten, arrested or dead. Thats the end of my story. Its a constant, niggling anxiety. You want to feel safe and secure in your country, but you cant. Chelsea Bean, 23, lives in South Waterfront, Portland. She said it's hard to be patriotic right now for the Fourth of July weekend when there's a social justice movement going on, as well as a pandemic. CHELSEA BEAN, 23, SOUTH WATERFRONT, PORTLAND Id usually be doing the average barbecue thing, watching fireworks. Ive never been too keen on doing the major celebrations. Probably doing nothing this year, especially with the climate. Its hard to be patriotic right now. How do you be patriotic right now? Freedom and patriotism: When it comes to equal rights, everyone is treated the same regardless. Its hard because our history just kind of screws up with that. There are so many systems screwed up. Theres just too much wealth inequality. There are certain environments where people dont agree. People are looking at people in power. Things like freedom and justice should be clear cut. I dont know how people can celebrate. Its hard to be like, oh we have people in charge here. Everyone knows our history has been devastating and not fair. When you celebrate it, youre like, Oh, look at how far weve come, things are great, but recently, and I think its so important things are being brought to light, because its not like this has just started. I think its difficult to celebrate right now because its so obvious now. I dont think people really have read into it before now. " Jamie Fletcher, 31, said she usually goes out of state on trips for the Fourth of July. She said she doesn't have much patriotism this year and isn't sure what freedom means right now in the wake of a social justice movement and a pandemic. JAMIE FLETCHER, 31, KILLINGSWORTH, PORTLAND Most every Fourth of July I get out of town anyway and backpack with friends. This year its going to be my partner and I in his backyard with a barbecue with our dogs. Freedom and patriotism: Not a lot. Not a lot. I dont have much patriotism and Im not certain what the meaning of the first one is. In light of everything thats going on, I think the best way that I can spend the time that I have off from work for the holiday is self-educating about Black Lives Matter, this movement and about how to be a better anti-racist and a better ally. I dont have a whole lot of allegiance to the flag. I think that now is a really amazing time for us to be questioning the foundation that this country was built upon, and I think reflection more than celebration is probably called for. Blair Hennessy, 35, sits with her 2-year-old son Miles at Peninsula Park on July 2. Hennessy said she's a social studies teacher and insists on the right to criticize the United States. BLAIR HENNESSY, 35, KENTON, PORTLAND Its (my) fifth wedding anniversary on the Fourth, we decided to go camping just to get out and get some fresh air. Freedom and patriotism: Im a social studies teacher. I always love James Baldwins words: Just because I love America, I insist on the right to criticize her perpetually. Just really thinking about what it means to love our country and hope for the best for our country. For me, Ive been thinking a lot about freedom, particularly when I think its very hard for Americans in an individualized society, one of the most individualistic societies, to be like, Im going to wear a mask for the collective good or Im going to give up some of my freedoms for this collective. But I also think were just in this moment of reckoning where those who have privilege and have freedom and have had it their whole lives and never even known that theyve had it, its time to really step up and center that question in our lives, in our conversations. What does it mean for us to all be free? Im focusing a lot on the racial piece of it, for white America to question the cost of our freedom if were not fighting for that for everyone. Jason Williams, executive director of the Taxpayers Association of Oregon, organized a flash-rally in front of the former location of the statue of George Washington on Friday in Rose City Park. Williams said this year's Fourth of July matters more than ever because symbols of freedom are being attacked. JASON WILLIAMS, 50, BEAVERTON I usually have quiet Fourth of Julys. This time, the Fourth of July matters more, because we feel like our symbols of our freedom are being attacked. We stand against the destruction of private property and public art, like what happened to George Washington behind us. We just want to have a chance to celebrate the best of America. Freedom and patriotism: Its more important than ever. We get reminded that we have rights that other people dont have around the world. In fact, most of the world probably doesnt have most of the bill of rights that they live under, and thats troubling. Our job of taking the message of oppression and justice is not just for America, its for the whole world. Dona Russie, 67 and of Beaverton, attends the Taxpayers Association of Oregon's flash-rally on Friday to celebrate George Washington, whose statue was toppled in the Rose City Park neighborhood on June 18. Russie said she's happy people still have the freedom to worship during the pandemic and social justice movement. DONA RUSSIE, 67, BEAVERTON I have a friend that has an annual Fourth of July picnic in their backyard, thats what Id be doing. I chose not to participate this year because were usually in and out of the house. Her roommate has MS and I dont think thatd be good for her. My family is getting together. Freedom and patriotism: I think freedom, theres a couple different levels you can look at. We still have the freedoms to worship. I realize were not able to gather in churches and stuff, but we still have that opportunity. The freedom to express our opinions. we dont have to all agree. I think its important to listen to everybody, not just the popular side thats being pushed. The independence and the freedom to have a gathering like this where we can celebrate people who helped us get our freedom. Kelly Park, 17, attends the PDX Black Futures Protest at Pioneer Courthouse Square in downtown Portland on Friday. Park said now is a good time to reexamine how the past is affecting the present. KELLY PARK, 17, NORTHWEST PORTLAND I think Fourth of July weekend, its kind of a time where we are really collectively reexamining what all these figures and events and holidays really mean. I think thats a really positive change that people are looking closer into the past and seeing how the past is impacting the present. And so, this Fourth of July weekend I think its important to participate in that collective reexamination and then also focus on staying safe and healthy. Freedom and patriotism: Freedom is one of those things that is constantly having to be fought for. Theres never been a time where every single person has been free. I think thats a really important thing to remember. -- Ty Vinson tvinson@oregonian.com 503-221-4315; @ty_vinson_ Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories. The 37th day of protests, which had largely remained calm, ended in a riot being declared by Portland Police around 4 a.m. Saturday. It is the third day this week that a riot has been declared during the nightly protests. Police said Saturday that the federal courthouse was attacked, causing them to declare a riot and disperse the crowd in downtown Portland. Police have not released further details. The rallies, demonstrations and marches began in late May after the Minneapolis police killing of George Floyd. Since then, people in Portland and across the state have consistently protested against police violence and broader racism. Video of Saturday mornings protests shows smoke going through the crowds. Police have not said yet what less-lethal munitions were used, but did say they did not use CS gas. The protests had remained calm until around 1 a.m. Saturday, when a few people threw rocks at the Federal Courthouse building, breaking windows, police said. Later, other protesters lit fireworks and shot them toward the Justice Center. A few fires were lit in trash bins throughout the night. Some demonstrations used fencing and barricades to build a fence on the street near the intersection of Southwest Third Avenue and Main Street. By 7:30 a.m., police were removing the fences that had been put up. Police have not said if arrests were made. Many protests are planned for the Fourth of July holiday. A protest drive is planned at noon in Peninsula park and people will likely gather near Revolution Hall starting at 1 p.m. Gov. Kate Brown on Friday urged the Portland Police Bureau to de-escalate nightly tensions with a group of protesters that she said have repeatedly taken to the streets with the intent to destroy property. While she noted that this group has repeatedly lit fires, thrown rocks, bottles, fireworks and other objects and have put the safety of others at risk, Brown said the police response has gone too far. --Alex Hardgrave | ahardgrave@oregonian.com | @a_hardgrave Fedor Zarkhin contributed to this report. Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories. Police are still searching for the hit-and-run driver who struck and killed a 2-year-old boy on a residential street Thursday in Milwaukie. An unknown vehicle struck Jack Barrett outside his grandparents house on S.E. Wichita Avenue in Milwaukie. Police said he was hit at 12:06 p.m., shortly after opening the front door of the home on his own and wandering into the street. Detectives said Thursday that they eliminated a white two-door truck, which initially was a vehicle of interest, after reviewing video collected. During a news conference Friday afternoon, Officer Brad Walther, a Milwaukie police spokesman, did not offer any information on other possible suspects, but said there are multiple leads that detectives are looking into. Wichita Avenue is a narrow, residential street without curbs or sidewalks that is often used as a cut-through for drivers between the major thoroughfares of King Road and Johnson Creek Boulevard. The speed limit is 25 mph. On Friday, yard and street-pole signs urging drivers to slow down and drive like your kids live here dotted the length of Wichita Avenue. Police asked that any drivers who were on Southeast Wichita Avenue between 11:30 a.m. and 12:15 p.m. Thursday to call the non-emergency dispatch number at 503-786-7500 and ask to speak with detectives. Even though the information they have they feel may not pertinent to the investigation, a lot of times that information can be the missing piece that ties a lot of other information together, Walther said. -- Samantha Swindler; sswindler@oregonian.com; @editorswindler Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories. Governor Kate Brown met Friday with three of the Oregon State Police officers who sparked outrage after they were seen on video not wearing masks in a Corvallis coffee shop earlier this week. In sharing a photo of herself and the officers sitting down at Mahonia, the governors official residence in Salem, to discuss the issue, Brown said on Facebook that she is focused on saving lives, not firing people. The three officers can be seen wearing masks in the photo. They took responsibility and expressed real regret for their actions, Brown said in the Facebook post. And they pledged to do better. She wrote that Fridays discussion led to officers agreeing with her that face coverings save lives, and that they will be wearing them now. In the world of social media, its easy to condemn someone when they make a mistake and keep scrolling by. But you can... Posted by Governor Kate Brown on Friday, July 3, 2020 On July 1, the day that Browns mask order went into effect, the uniformed troopers entered Allans Coffee & Tea without wearing required face coverings, video obtained by The Oregonian/OregonLive showed. When the first trooper arrived, the shops assistant manager, Travis Boss, said he told them they needed to wear masks. Governor Brown has no authority to take our civil liberties. We arent going to wear masks, the trooper said, according to a written statement from Boss provided to The Oregonian/Oregonlive. Three other law enforcement officers entered the business soon after and also refused to wear masks. Boss said he felt compelled to fulfill their orders because they were in uniform. The involved trooper was placed on administrative leave pending an internal investigation, Capt. Timothy Fox said Thursday. Oregon State Police Superintendent Travis Hampton addressed the issue Thursday morning on Twitter. Let me be clear, Oregon State Police Troopers are not above the law and this conduct is being immediately addressed, Hampton wrote. As the leader of the Oregon State Police, I would like to offer my apology to the coffee shop employees and the community. --Alex Hardgrave | ahardgrave@oregonian.com | @a_hardgrave Brad Schmidt contributed to this report. Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories. Newfound Landing Visitors can rest easy at New Hampshire's bed & breakfast inns by Donna Rhodes write the author New Hampshire Bed and Breakfast Association President Heidi Milbrand encourages everyone to consider one of the association's 42 inns, located from the seacoast to the Great North Woods, for a safe and enjoyable stay at any time of the year. (Photo by Donna Rhodes) (click for larger version) REGION As most facets of commerce have come back into operation after the COVID-19 quarantine, New Hampshire Bed and Breakfast Association President, Heidi Milbrand, said she would like to encourage vacationers, "staycationers" and even local residents with out-of-town guests who may need accommodations to consider a clean, comfortable bed and breakfast inn to meet those needs. "People are afraid of traveling because of the pandemic, but we innkeepers still keep our bed and breakfast inns as clean as we always have while following the CDC guidelines now, too," said Milbrand, who is also the owner of Pleasant View Bed and Breakfast near Newfound Lake in Bristol. In fact, she recently had one guest arrive with her own cleaners and sanitizers, only to find Milbrand's inn was "sparkling clean," as are all of those in the NHB&B Association. "We're clean! This is where we live, and we take pride in our inns. We want our guests to have a safe and enjoyable stay," Milbrand said. Innkeepers also want to be sure their guests are well cared for, and that their needs are met. Unlike Air B&B facilities, she said that someone is always on hand at a bed and breakfast inn to assist in any way possible. Owners live onsite but are typically found in a wing off the main building or in separate quarters on the property to allow their guests the privacy they seek while still being available to meet their needs. State guidelines also require that bed and breakfast inns carry commercial insurance in the event that anyone is injured while staying on their property and the owners undergo regular inspections of their kitchens, water, boiler systems and more to insure they are all up to code specifications. "Air B&B's just throw you the keys, and you're on your own. At a real bed and breakfast inn, we're here to make sure the place is clean and our guests are well cared. This is our living. Our whole job is to make sure that everyone who comes to our inns are happy and safe," she said. During the recent shut down in the hospitality industry most businesses took a financial loss, but Milbrand said New Hampshire's B&B inns were hit even harder because the owners are self-employed and have no employees. That meant they weren't eligible for any of the government financial assistance packages. "The biggest concern we have is that we've just been forgotten during all of this, even by the state," Milbrand said. Ever resilient, though, the B&Bs are open once again and NHB&B Association wants to encourage people to realize they are a safe and comfortable place to stay when vacationing. The association currently has more than 40 members, with inns ranging from the seacoast to the northern reaches of the state. These aren't your grandma's house with old doilies and dust that you're staying in though, cautioned Milbrand. Each inn has its own unique style and atmosphere that invite guests to relax and enjoy whatever area of the state they're visiting. Some B&B's are located along the seacoast with nearby beaches, restaurants and nightlife available. Others might be lakeside or situated in rural locations with mountain views, bike trails and hiking opportunities nearby. While some may have modern amenities like WiFi, hot tubs or pools, others may offer simply the beauty of the nature surrounding them. But the best part of all is that a stay in a bed and breakfast inn comes with a full home-cooked meal each morning, not the bland continental breakfasts hotels might provide, Milbrand said. At a B&B, the innkeepers will offer foods such as homemade waffles or pancakes with real maple syrup, omelets, scones, fresh fruits and other breakfast favorites. With social distancing a priority right now, Milbrand pointed out that New Hampshire B&B Association inns also provide private bathrooms, spacious common areas, and dining that has been adjusted to meet the latest CDC requirements. "Unlike hotels or motels, most of the B&Bs are 10 rooms or less, which gives you privacy and a lot of space from other guests if that's what you prefer," said Milbrand. She added that Bed and Breakfast inns are among the oldest businesses and the New Hampshire owners are proud to say they see 80-percent or more of their customers coming back to visit them time and time again. "We're professionals, and take everything about our inns to heart. Our guests tell us that it's like coming home when they come back for another stay," said Milbrand. She said that those looking to relax and enjoy time in any region of New Hampshire should consider an online visit to StayNH.org where there is a full roster of the association's members, each listed by region or town. By selecting a region, like the seacoast, lakes or mountains, people are directed to a map that pinpoints all the B&B accommodations in that area. Links to the specific inns then provide photos, details on their amenities and lists of nearby attractions to help guests decide where they would most like to stay. "Each inn has its own personality that actually reflects the personality of the innkeeper, or sometimes vice versa; the personality of the inn comes to reflect upon the owner," Milbrand said. "People just need to do that little bit of searching on our Website and they'll find one that fits their needs and personalities, too." REGION As most facets of commerce have come back into operation after the COVID-19 quarantine, New Hampshire Bed and Breakfast Association President, Heidi Milbrand, said she would like to encourage vacationers, "staycationers" and even local residents with out-of-town guests who may need accommodations to consider a clean, comfortable bed and breakfast inn to meet those needs."People are afraid of traveling because of the pandemic, but we innkeepers still keep our bed and breakfast inns as clean as we always have while following the CDC guidelines now, too," said Milbrand, who is also the owner of Pleasant View Bed and Breakfast near Newfound Lake in Bristol.In fact, she recently had one guest arrive with her own cleaners and sanitizers, only to find Milbrand's inn was "sparkling clean," as are all of those in the NHB&B Association."We're clean! This is where we live, and we take pride in our inns. We want our guests to have a safe and enjoyable stay," Milbrand said.Innkeepers also want to be sure their guests are well cared for, and that their needs are met. Unlike Air B&B facilities, she said that someone is always on hand at a bed and breakfast inn to assist in any way possible. Owners live onsite but are typically found in a wing off the main building or in separate quarters on the property to allow their guests the privacy they seek while still being available to meet their needs. State guidelines also require that bed and breakfast inns carry commercial insurance in the event that anyone is injured while staying on their property and the owners undergo regular inspections of their kitchens, water, boiler systems and more to insure they are all up to code specifications."Air B&B's just throw you the keys, and you're on your own. At a real bed and breakfast inn, we're here to make sure the place is clean and our guests are well cared. This is our living. Our whole job is to make sure that everyone who comes to our inns are happy and safe," she said.During the recent shut down in the hospitality industry most businesses took a financial loss, but Milbrand said New Hampshire's B&B inns were hit even harder because the owners are self-employed and have no employees. That meant they weren't eligible for any of the government financial assistance packages."The biggest concern we have is that we've just been forgotten during all of this, even by the state," Milbrand said.Ever resilient, though, the B&Bs are open once again and NHB&B Association wants to encourage people to realize they are a safe and comfortable place to stay when vacationing.The association currently has more than 40 members, with inns ranging from the seacoast to the northern reaches of the state. These aren't your grandma's house with old doilies and dust that you're staying in though, cautioned Milbrand. Each inn has its own unique style and atmosphere that invite guests to relax and enjoy whatever area of the state they're visiting.Some B&B's are located along the seacoast with nearby beaches, restaurants and nightlife available. Others might be lakeside or situated in rural locations with mountain views, bike trails and hiking opportunities nearby. While some may have modern amenities like WiFi, hot tubs or pools, others may offer simply the beauty of the nature surrounding them.But the best part of all is that a stay in a bed and breakfast inn comes with a full home-cooked meal each morning, not the bland continental breakfasts hotels might provide, Milbrand said. At a B&B, the innkeepers will offer foods such as homemade waffles or pancakes with real maple syrup, omelets, scones, fresh fruits and other breakfast favorites.With social distancing a priority right now, Milbrand pointed out that New Hampshire B&B Association inns also provide private bathrooms, spacious common areas, and dining that has been adjusted to meet the latest CDC requirements."Unlike hotels or motels, most of the B&Bs are 10 rooms or less, which gives you privacy and a lot of space from other guests if that's what you prefer," said Milbrand.She added that Bed and Breakfast inns are among the oldest businesses and the New Hampshire owners are proud to say they see 80-percent or more of their customers coming back to visit them time and time again."We're professionals, and take everything about our inns to heart. Our guests tell us that it's like coming home when they come back for another stay," said Milbrand.She said that those looking to relax and enjoy time in any region of New Hampshire should consider an online visit to StayNH.org where there is a full roster of the association's members, each listed by region or town. By selecting a region, like the seacoast, lakes or mountains, people are directed to a map that pinpoints all the B&B accommodations in that area. Links to the specific inns then provide photos, details on their amenities and lists of nearby attractions to help guests decide where they would most like to stay."Each inn has its own personality that actually reflects the personality of the innkeeper, or sometimes vice versa; the personality of the inn comes to reflect upon the owner," Milbrand said. "People just need to do that little bit of searching on our Website and they'll find one that fits their needs and personalities, too." Newfound Landing Newfound announces top graduating seniors Newfound inducts fifth Hall of Fame class Recent Donna Rhodes Plymouth vote a rousing success 2021-Apr-21 Plymouth to hold the final session of alternative Town Meeting 2021-Apr-08 PACC fights through challenging times 2021-Mar-17 Boomerangs steps up in support of PACC 2021-Mar-10 Alexandria fishing derby draws strong turnout 2021-Mar-03 Bristol voters to decide on recycling proposal 2021-Mar-03 More... Thanks for visiting SalmonPress.com On the first day of July, Portland Police Chief Chuck Lovell did his best to meet the community halfway. The previous night, the cops were roundly condemned for deploying tear gas against protesters near union headquarters on North Lombard Street. While Ron Herndon, a long-time Black activist, thought police showed admirable restraint, House Speaker Tina Kotek blasted the police action as completely unacceptable. What needed to be protected last night? An empty office building? Kotek said in an open letter to Ted Wheeler, the mayor and police commissioner. Was this need more important than the health of neighbors, of children in a neighborhood, of people returning home from work? The declaration of a riot was an abuse of the statute. Therefore, the ensuing actions by the PPB (Portland Police Bureau) were unlawful. Lovells response a two-and-a-half-minute video on Twitter lays bare the issues that must be resolved if the cops are serious about protecting and serving this city. Lovell admits his officers are exhausted. He expressed concern for the residential neighborhood. He argued tear gas was a legitimate, less-lethal response to the violence and destruction. CS gas is uncomfortable but effective at dispersing crowds, Lovell said. We would rather not use it When tools are restricted that help us disperse crowds, the options are limited to batons or physical force. That makes it more likely that people will be injured. Lovell has been a Portland cop for 18 years, and that argument speaks to 18 years of training. Training kicks in when youre threatened or exhausted. Training keeps you alive. You stay ahead of the force curve. You watch the bad guys hands. You dont wait to see the gun. You make sure you go home at night, no matter what it takes. For as long as I can remember, most of us bought that argument. We allowed cops the pretext stops, the benefit of the doubt, and the budget requests, trusting their training and warrior pride would keep us safe. That changed when George Floyd didnt make it home on the night of May 25. Lovell is right. Tear gas has a certain charm compared to a cop in riot gear, swinging that baton. But between I cant breathe and the masked imperative of this pandemic, the stinging optics of tear gas are no longer acceptable. The communitys standards and expectations have evolved, and the Portland Police Bureau must evolve with them. On Wednesday night, I heard the Terry Gross interview with Radley Balko on NPRs Fresh Air. Balko is the author of Rise of the Warrior Cop, and he was reviewing the history of police SWAT teams. The first such unit was created by Daryl Gates after the 1965 Watts riots, a dozen years before Gates took command of the Los Angeles Police Department. Balko believes the units make sense when you bring such force to bear on an active shooter or a bank robbery. But in the late 80s, Balko notes, police began using SWAT teams to serve drug warrants, which means youre breaking down somebodys door in the middle of the night. Nobodys life is at immediate risk Youre actually creating violence and confrontation and volatility where there wasnt any before. When that confrontation goes awry, as it did in Louisville in March, Breonna Taylor, an emergency room technician, dies in her bed, shot eight times by police. What protesters have demanded, night after night, is for Portland Police to train peacekeepers, not warriors, to interact with the community. They want cops to change their rules of engagement. Will Aitchison was the lead attorney for the Portland Police Association for 35 years, retiring in 2010. He believes the cops are receptive to new marching orders. As a society, we have the obligation to tell them what we want them to do and what we dont want them to do, Aitchison says. Cops need to know what the rules are. Theyll go out and follow the rules. I just hope we make those decisions rationally instead of emotionally. An irrational decision would be what the Portland City Council did, which was to lop $15 million off the police budget without any study or consideration on what the alternatives would be. The rational starting point? A conversation between the community, our elected officials and the police, Aitchison says. Thats not happening right now. I would fault police management and unions for not engaging in that conversation in the past. Thats not the case today. Theyre willing to have that conversation. Youd hope so. Portland police also watched George Floyd die on a Minneapolis street, surrounded by bad cops. The good citizens of this city share in the responsibility for a transformation and reformation as Georgias Stacey Abrams describes it that may take years to complete. We need to accept the risk of what might happen when cops are trained to step back, de-escalate, keep the peace, whatever the cost. We need to pay for services for the homeless, the addicts and the mentally ill, groups that never belonged on the cops watch. And we need to remain engaged in the difficult discussions ahead. -- Steve Duin stephen.b.duin@gmail.com A long line of Gresham police officers gathered Tuesday morning along one of the citys busy commercial strips, applauding and exchanging hugs with a woman walking by. It was Robin Sells, Greshams police chief, making her triumphant return in a show of solidarity and defiance. Sells and her department emerged the victors in a bitter power struggle that gripped Oregons fourth-largest city last month. Political bedlam ensued after the deputy city manager and Sells hurled accusations of racism and incompetence. Longtime Mayor Shane Bemis, who had also clashed with Sells, allegedly maneuvered to take her out. The chaos peaked when Greshams city manager, police chief and mayor all quit in the space of a week. Reform proponents hoped this was Greshams Black Lives Matter moment, when it would adopt sweeping racial equity measures. Instead, the citys thin blue line carried the day. After Bemis quit, Sells rescinded her retirement and returned as police chief. It was a stunning setback for Bemis. The deep personal animosities inside city hall together with the simmering racial issues that came with greater diversity made for a combustible mix he was unable to control. To believe Bemis, he was little more than a passive observer through those crazy weeks. He knew he was leaving soon and was content to let events unfold as they may. There is an alternative narrative that is more complicated, a version of events some city leaders suspect but cannot prove: That Bemis helped create the chaos when he leaned on Sells to resign; that he offered the job of interim city manager to a city official on the condition that he fire Sells; and that Bemis finally quit because he was concerned that in his behind-the-scenes maneuvering he may have violated city rules. Eddy Morales, a member of the city council since 2019, is among the proponents of that theory and one of the few who will voice it publicly. Morales, 40, said one of his goals when he ran was to end the backroom deals that he claimed were the norm under Bemis. Bemis flatly rejects Morales accusation. The ugly infighting has left much of the city troubled and wanting answers. Some are calling for an investigation into the events of the last three weeks, including Bemis role in the whole affair. Ive been involved in Gresham city politics for 30 years and the last few weeks have been some of the most troubling in my political career, said David Widmark, a member of the city council. I want an investigation because we were kept in the dark. Its a sad state of affairs. Until three weeks ago, this town was Mayberry. A city changed Actually, Gresham stopped looking like the small town from 1960s television years ago. As recently as 1990 it was a relatively small city on Portlands eastern fringes, 92% white. It grew to become the economic hub of east Multnomah County, once a largely agricultural area known for its verdant fields of strawberries. Many of those fields were long ago plowed over to make way for subdivisions and large warehouses. Major corporations including Albertsons, Honda and Staples built distribution centers here, attracted by cheap land and Greshams location near several major transportation corridors. The population ballooned 60% over the last three decades as it became a relatively inexpensive alternative to Portlands urban core. And it grew into one of Oregons more diverse communities today, one in five residents are Hispanic. The number of African Americans in Gresham has nearly tripled since 2000, now representing more than 5% of the citys population. English is a second language for more than a quarter of residents. The political infighting that roiled city hall last month is inextricably linked to those demographic changes, as the entrenched leaders inside city hall and the police department reckon with a community transforming all around them. The operator Bemis has been the face of Gresham for 18 years. A pro-business, moderate Republican, hes become one of the most visible mayors in the state, often mentioned as a politician destined for bigger things. Bemis says his departure from city government is simple. He needs to tend to personal business. Hell help out with the family restaurant, an Italian place in Greshams charming downtown core. He also will spend more time with his three sons. I resigned for three reasons, Bemis said in a recent interview. This COVID has wreaked havoc on the restaurant business. The National Restaurant Association now says 85% of restaurants will fail by the first of the year. Also, Ive got three kids at home ages 17, 15, and 9. They are at home raising themselves, sitting at home with no help from their parents. Lastly, Bemis said, hes become convinced by the Black Lives Matter movement that its time for him to make way for other, new voices in city hall. I just couldnt keep things going, Bemis said. It became untenable. Even Bemis friends wonder about that explanation. They ask why, if the family restaurant is facing an uncertain future, Bemis would give up a job with decent pay and great benefits? The Bemis riddle becomes even more puzzling when you listen to him speak passionately about the need for racial justice and equal opportunity. On June 10, he led a listening session at City Hall with leaders of the African American community. An emotional Bemis said the murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis police offers us a great opportunity to tackle police reform. Its unfortunate we didnt launch this conversation a long time ago. The mayor promised that this first meeting was the first of many. Bemis seemed the image of the engaged politician. Six days later, he quit. Chaos arrives There was nothing ordinary about 2020 even before the events of June. The coronavirus had infected thousands of Oregon and devastated the economy, which led to plunging tax revenue and major budget problems for the city. Then came the George Floyd killing and resulting protests all over the country. Activists marched through the streets of Gresham and neighboring Troutdale. Corey Falls decided he could no longer remain silent. A career cop, Falls came to Gresham from southern Oregon four years ago to join the police department. Two years ago, he left the police and became deputy city manager. On June 8, he issued an internal letter claiming both city hall and Greshams police department were rife with racism. "My reception into the city of Gresham has been at best dismal," Falls wrote. "It was very clear to me that those in (leadership) were not going to accept or support a black man in a leadership position." "I would not be doing my job as city leader, African-American man and concerned community member if I did not shed light on current events and take these issues head on," Falls wrote. "I sit here today with a heavy heart." "The black community is fully aware of problems in Gresham, and I am disappointed the city has moved so slowly through this process," Falls wrote. The Gresham Outlook, the local newspaper, got a leaked copy of the letter and gave it big play. Falls declined multiple requests for an interview. The dominos fall A day after Falls bombshell letter, his boss, Gresham City Manager Erik Kvarsten stunned city hall watchers when he abruptly announced his retirement. Though just 60, Kvarsten said he was ready for a change after 15years on the job. He gave 30 days notice. While Bemis got the headlines, Kvarsten was responsible for overseeing the citys various departments and its 500 employees. On June 10, the city council held an emergency meeting to choose Kvarstens temporary replacement. Bemis made clear his preference was Steve Fancher, head of the citys environmental services unit. Morales immediately objected that Falls was the obvious choice. He was Kvarstens lieutenant, after all. The matter was tabled. Adding to the intrigue of recent events is the fact that several crucial minutes at the beginning of the June 10 meeting are not available on the citys video recording. For at least some of the missing minutes, Bemis was addressing the council on the topic of Kvarstens replacement. City officials blame the problem on a technical glitch. Sells turn The wild rollercoaster ride at the city took another loop-de-loop on June 11 when Sells announced her own retirement. The accusations by Falls of endemic racism inside her department had cost her plenty of political capital. And then there was the ceramic gnome. A running gag had developed in the department when officers took the chiefs gnome and photographed it in various locales, sometimes in costume. At an awards banquet months ago, Sells said it was time for the little statuette to be returned. She closed the show with the line Gnomes lives matter. The joke offended many. To Morales and others, it trivialized the Black Lives Matter movement and reflected the departments dismissive stance. The clash over messaging and symbols broadened. This spring, some city residents were offended by a sticker on police cars: "Do you get nervous when we follow you? Follow us back," the sticker said. The sticker was intended to encourage locals to visit the police departments Facebook and Twitter pages. But after a long series of police killings of Black men, there was nothing humorous about the decal, critics said. The car sticker war escalated on June 25 when a city employee drove to work with a sticker on his truck saying All lives splatter We dont care about your protest. As reported by The Outlook, the sticker included the image of car running over three people. In several demonstrations since 2016, political adversaries have used their cars as weapons to take out demonstrators. Who pressured Sells? Bemis was no fan of Sells. In an op-ed published in the Outlook after he quit, Bemis said he has long expressed concerns, publicly and privately, about municipal policing practices. Reform is needed. And we should expect action from law enforcement leadership. If they are unwilling or unable to make the changes demanded by their community, they should step aside. But Bemis denies it was him who pressured Sells to quit. Morales suspects otherwise. He claims that Bemis told Fancher that he would make sure he got the position of interim city manager, but only if he promised they would fire Sells. Moreover, Morales claimed, the mayor met with Sells and told her that Morales and his progressive allies were determined to take her out. Bemis does not dispute that he met with Sells and warned her that popular sentiment was increasingly against her. As for the rest of claims that he was pulling strings behind the scenes, thats just simply false. Sells did not respond to phone calls and emails. Likewise, the departments public information office did not return calls. But in an email that went public, Sells made it clear that she felt pushed out. I truly wanted to ride this out, but in this day and age, somehow truth doesnt matter, and I felt pressured to leave, she said in message to her troops. My departure has caused a huge divide between city hall and the police department one that will take years to repair. Sells had a special message for Falls, her former police colleague who had leveled the first charges of prejudice and unfair treatment. Despite what you may have heard, I can flat guarantee you I am not a racist, she wrote. But I do abhor lazy people. (Falls) came here with great ideas and a great speech. But we did not see any results. Gresham cops lashed out after their chiefs departure. Lori Stegmann, a former Gresham city council member and now a Multnomah County commissioner, was among those to receive a threatening message. What you did to Chief Sells is reprehensible and will not be forgotten. You have awoken a sleeping giant and that was a fatal flaw to your political career. She has the integrity that you clearly lack. . The sender was Bob Dorsey, chaplain of the Gresham Police. Stegmann was mystified. She insists she played no role in Sells departure. Dorsey could not be reached. What now? Gresham officials are trying hard to return to some semblance of normal. City council member Karylinn Echols was selected interim mayor. City employees are bracing for cutbacks due to the citys dire financial situation. The city manager and interim city manager positions remain vacant. Gresham offers a valuable lesson for all cities, said Mary Fan, a law professor and expert on criminal law at the University of Washington. Black Lives Matter and racial equity are volatile topics. Throw in police reform and the discussion gets even more heated. Police reform in general is divisive, Fan said. The issue can be perceived as an attack on ones identity. Its intensely personal and polarizing. It can so quickly become a question of are you with us or against us? As for Bemis, he said hes eager to watch others take on those problems. There are whole bunch of really difficult, substantive issues that have to be handled, he said. It became clear that other voices had to be allowed into the political process. Gov. Kate Brown on Friday urged the Portland Police Bureau to de-escalate nightly tensions with a group of protesters that she said have repeatedly taken to the streets with the intent to destroy property. While she noted that this group has repeatedly lit fires, thrown rocks, bottles, fireworks and other objects and have put the safety of others at risk, Brown said the police response has gone too far. Use of force, regardless of its legal justification, will do nothing to solve the underlying concerns of racial justice and police accountability raised by the protests, she said. In a statement, Brown made a distinction between the large-scale, peaceful protests across Oregon (that) have brought attention to the need for police reform and a small group of individuals in Portland bent on targeting property. Still, the governor said she is disturbed by the bureaus use of crowd-control munitions, which include distraction grenades, pepper spray and tear gas. Under a court order signed in June, Portland police arent allowed to use tear gas unless officers believe there is a serious risk to life or safety. Police did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The protests, now in their second month, have continued to be volatile, with police trying to subdue the crowds with tear gas this week and declaring the Tuesday and Thursday night protests riots. While the governor had strong words for Portland police, her office acknowledged that state police participated in the bureaus efforts to control crowds Tuesday night, which included using tear gas. Oregon State Police officers assisting the bureau are under the Portland bureaus command, a spokesman for her office said. While they are in Portland in such a capacity, OSP officers work at the direction of and under the command control of the Portland Police Bureau, spokesman Charles Boyle said in a statement. State police have in recent weeks mostly declined the bureaus regular requests for help, Boyle said, but Tuesday night was an exception. That protest came on the eve of a vote to extend the citys contract with the Portland Police Association. Several hundred people marched more than a mile from Peninsula Park in Northeast Portland to the unions headquarters. Tensions rose through the evening as police declared the gathering an unlawful assembly and forced people away from the building. Police later said protesters threw rocks, water bottles and full cans at officers and that several officers needed medical attention after being struck by rocks. Police deployed tear gas soon after declaring the protest a riot. Its unclear if Oregon State Police will join Portland police in responding to future protests. Brown said she told the agencys superintendent, Travis Hampton, to take another look at how OSP decides if they should help the bureau. We can do better, we must do better, to heal the divisions in our community. We have a duty to keep the peace, not escalate confrontation, Brown said. Superintendent Hampton and I are committed to ensuring that OSP upholds and reflects those values. Staff writer Everton Bailey contributed to this report. -- Fedor Zarkhin fzarkhin@oregonian.com desk: 503-294-7674|cell: 971-373-2905|@fedorzarkhin This story has been edited to reflect the following correction: Under a court order signed in June, Portland police arent allowed to use tear gas unless officers believe there is a risk to lives or safety. An earlier version of this report incorrectly reported the conditions required under the order. The devastating economic climate brought on by the coronavirus pandemic has caused many businesses to close and others to get creative. In an attempt to not only strive, but to thrive, Jeff Martin, chef-owner of the Silver Salmon Grille (1105 Commercial Street, Astoria; 503-338-6640; silversalmongrille.com) in Astoria and John Sowa, chef-owner of the (recently closed) Sweet Basils Cafe in Cannon Beach decided on the latter and joined forces together at the Silver Salmon Grille. Diners can still expect to see award-winning clam chowder, halibut fish and chips, blackened salmon, housemade desserts and many other favorites of the Silver Salmon Grille on the menu, but now with the addition of Executive Chef Sowas excellent Cajun & Creole dishes that will make you feel like youre in New Orleans. Hush puppies, gumbo, jambalaya, po-boys and crawfish etouffee are just a handful of the exciting additions John has brought to the table in this great marriage of two iconic North Coast chefs both of which, might I mention, have more than 40 years of cooking experience and multiple wins at various culinary competitions. Enjoy the new dishes and the old classics 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily. Now open for dine-in service. One of my favorite places to stay in Astoria is at the Cannery Pier Hotel & Spa (10 Basin Street, Astoria; 503-325-4996; cannerypierhotel.com), located right on the Columbia River. If you enjoy learning about the fishing industry and ship-watching, this is the place for you. Folks can easily learn about the hotels rich history with a stroll through the small museum located on the second floor as well as experience some of the best ship-watching from the comfort of their room balcony. Great views can also be enjoyed in the beautiful open lobby next to a comfortable window seat. With the changing times, the lobby has been rearranged to allow for more personal space this is one of the many enhanced safety precautions that the hotel and staff has incorporated. The 38-rooms and eight suites have everything one might need for a comfortable night or day in: private balconies with river and bridge views, gas fireplaces, in-room mini-fridges, microwaves, dining tables and more. Those looking to adventure into Astoria will appreciate the convenient location to the downtown area shops and restaurants as well as the popular Riverwalk; plus, the hotel is just a short drive from the Astoria Sunday Market. This luxury boutique hotel offers many other amenities. I recommend getting in touch with them prior to your visit for updates on the changes and current offerings. The all-new fourth edition of Gerry Franks Oregon guidebook is available through oregonguidebook.com; 503-585-8411; gerry@teleport.com; amazon.com; Macys; and P.O. Box 2225, Salem, OR 97308. Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories. The owners of all 46 homes at Village West Condominiums unanimously accepted a purchase offer ahead of a Friday night deadline, Modern Realty owner Logan Richetti, spokesman and broker for Village West, said in a news release on Friday afternoon. "Thanks to the good faith efforts and persistence from the Board of Directors and Mr. Loose, we have successfully accomplished our objective of creating a consensus agreement to the amended proposal terms, and we have collected fully executed contract documents from all 46 owners," Richetti said. The purchase contract is scheduled to close in mid-August. Village West, at 3314 Pine Grove Drive off of West Main Street and just east of Northwood University, was heavily flooded in May after the Edenville and Sanford dams failed and the Tittabawassee River flooded. "The ultimate objective is still far from completed, but at least now the residents can breathe a sigh of relief knowing that we now have an official contract in place," Richetti said. For his part, Loose certainly felt some weight lifted off of his shoulders. "It's a huge step. Getting to this point took a lot of work," Loose said. "Logan (Richetti), myself, the board, and everybody else put in a lot to get (to this point). "Now we have a direction and a mission, and now I just have to execute," Loose added. Loose has spent the past few weeks meeting with banks, City of Midland officials, contractors and Village West homeowners. His proposal, in a nutshell, is to buy all 46 condos, restore them to livable condition, and rent them at a discount from the market rate on a lifetime lease to all current owners who wish to stay. The current owners are almost all seniors. "The next step to get the units cleaned, dried and secured, and to secure financing in the next month," Loose said. He planned to take a little time to exhale on Saturday before tackling the major work ahead. "We'll be in very good shape to hit the ground running next week. We'll get more detailed bids and, hopefully, we'll knock (the restoration process) out of the park," Loose said. 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 The Emancipation Memorial is seen behind a fence and concrete blocks at Lincoln Park in Washington, D.C., the United States, on June 25, 2020. (Xinhua/Liu Jie) This year's Independence Day comes against an unusual backdrop. Some 20 protests are scheduled for Saturday and could extend through the night. The Fourth of July weekend is drawing near in the United States, but this year's Independence Day comes against an unusual backdrop, marked by protests and unrest that have spanned more than a month over racism and police brutality. In addition to fireworks displays and flyovers by military aircraft, U.S. media said that the celebrations will be joined by protests prompted by the death of George Floyd, and that some 20 protests are scheduled for Saturday and could extend through the night. Fireworks explode in the sky to celebrate the upcoming Independence Day in New York, the United States, June 29, 2020. (Photo by Zhao Hailang/Xinhua) Nationwide protests have been going on against police violence in response to the fatal arrest of Floyd, an African American man who died after a white Minneapolis officer pressed his knee into Floyd's neck for nearly nine minutes in May. Citing recent polls, U.S. news daily the New York Times said Friday that about 15 million to 26 million people in the country have participated in related demonstrations, and the figures "would make the recent protests the largest movement in the country's history." After the Black Lives Matter protests broke out, numerous controversial statues across the country have been targeted. Protesters supporting the statues' removal have said that the monuments are in memory of figures believed to be symbols of racism. Protesters take part in a demonstration in Tulsa, Oklahoma, the United States, on June 20, 2020. (Photo by Alan Chin/Xinhua) U.S. President Donald Trump said on social media in late June that he has signed an executive order to protect the country's monuments. "Long prison terms for these lawless acts against our Great Country!" the president said on Twitter. On June 22, a few days before his announcement, protesters attempted to topple a statue of former U.S. President Andrew Jackson in a park near the White House, but were dispersed at night by police using a chemical irritant. The White House and the statue of former U.S. President Andrew Jackson are seen in Washington D.C., the United States, on June 24, 2020. (Xinhua/Liu Jie) Police and protesters briefly clashed on the day as city officials attempted to clear out tents erected on a street near the White House and the Black Lives Matter Plaza, saying they were creating a potential safety hazard. In New York City in late June, hundreds of people camped outside the City Hall in Lower Manhattan to demand cuts of police funding. People attend the "Occupy City Hall" protest outside the New York City Hall in New York, the United States, June 30, 2020. (Xinhua/Wang Ying) The "Occupy City Hall" movement is asking the city government to slash 1 billion U.S. dollars off the annual budget of the New York City Police Department, which is often 6 billion dollars. The movement came as many protesters across the nation have called for the defunding of police forces. It also came at a time when the city was experiencing a spike in gun violence. Protests have continued to see casualties, with a recent case occurring in the U.S. city of Louisville, Kentucky. On June 28, one person was killed and another injured in a shooting incident during a protest in the city. Reports of shots fired at Jefferson Square Park came in at night, after which Jefferson County Sheriff's Department personnel arrived at the site and found two victims suffering gunshot wounds. Police were performing life-saving measures on the man who later died at the scene. The second victim was hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries. Video image taken on June 19, 2020 shows a session of the UN Human Rights Council held in Geneva, Switzerland. (Xinhua) In mid-June, the United Nations Human Rights Council 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 Floyd in Minneapolis and other people of African descent. The resolution came as protests in response to Floyd's death and police brutality also took place in some other countries. Home Salmon Press Coverage Map Print Advertising Rate Card About Us Advertisers Info Pay My Advertising Bill Subscribe Your Account Single Paper Multi-paper Buy Log out Archives Meredith News Winnisquam Echo Gilford Steamer Record Enterprise Granite State News The Baysider Carroll County Independent Coos County Democrat Littleton Courier Berlin Reporter Mountain Ear Newfound Landing Photo Reprints Facebook Coos County Democrat Salmon Sports (Wolfeboro) NH Front Page Plymouth Record Enterprise Ashland Fourth of July Committee salutes 2020 honorees ASHLAND Every year, the Ashland Fourth of July Committee recognizes individuals or groups for their contributions to the community through two honors, the Mary Ruell Citizen of Ashland Award and the Grand Marshall of the Parade. This year, two individuals were selected for those honors before the pandemic led to the cancellation of all the formal Fourth of July activities. The Committee nevertheless would like to recognize Mark Liebert, the Mary Ruell Award winner, and Ron Shaw, the Grand Marshall. Mary Ruell Award Mark Liebert, the current President of the Ashland Area Recreation Association (AARA) works diligently to enrich the Town of Ashland through recreational, cultural, and substantive opportunities. He also serves as a Trustee of Memorial Park. Born in the Netherlands, he moved to Missouri at age eight. While attending Forestry School at the University of Missouri Columbia, he met his wife, Renee. It was she who introduced Ashland to Mark. Renee's family has vacationed in Ashland for decades. Mark, Renee, and their two children, Laura (14) and Sam (12), enjoy living in Ashland. Whether they are ice fishing, boating on Squam, or hiking the local mountains with their dogs; they love the outdoors and feel really lucky their kids are growing up in such a beautiful area full of natural resources. Mark is the owner of a small tree care company, Tree Solutions LLC, since 2010 where he plies his forestry skills throughout the area. As President of the AARA, he works hand in hand with the Town through the Parks and Recreation Department to provide recreational opportunities for Ashland and surrounding communities. Under his leadership, the AARA helps decorate for Christmas in Ashland and provides scholarships for Ashland Elementary School student for summer camp or after school programs. The big project on their agenda has been to replace the playground at the L.W. Packard Ball Field. Mark strives to get community involvement to solve issues that we all have in common. He believes that if we can get more people to volunteer just a little time, we can make a real difference in our town. His outstanding civic pride and commitment to the betterment of Ashland is beyond question and we are proud to honor him with the Mary Ruell Award. Grand Marshall Ron Shaw moved to Ashland in 1940 as a child. He grew up on a farm where the mobile home park on Rt. 132 is presently located. He is a member of Ashland High School's Class of 1954. After high school, Ron joined the Army with five other classmates from Ashland. He served as an Administrative Supervisor during his enlistment to include serving 18 months in Korea during the war and later in Viet Nam for more than three years. Among the many medals awarded to Ron, he is the recipient of two Bronze Stars and a third Bronze Star with Valor. Retiring after more than 21 years in the U.S. Army, Ron returned to Ashland in 1975. He worked at Radio Shack and Irving and found time to attend a part-time police academy to serve with the Plymouth Police force for 17 years. You may recall he was the traffic patrol officer at Plymouth High School where he kept traffic moving and students safe. He also was a member of the NH Marine Patrol on Squam. Ron served as the Commander at the Dupuis Cross Post 15 and was a member in the Bridgewater Mt. Snowmobile Club. A long-time member of the Ashland Fire Department, Ron was instrumental in establishing the first Emergency Response Team. This crucial team is the forerunner of our present Emergency Medical Services. Ron presently and has been for many years a safety instructor for NH Fish and Game, teaching students 12-16 years old how to properly and safely utilize a snowmobile, four wheel, and two wheel vehicles on the snow. Ron was awarded the Annual Fish and Game Safety Education Instructors Award for the year 2014. Although in his 80s, Ron continues his service to the community by delivering Meals on Wheels. He says he does it because "I just love my people". And we know, they love him, too. If you see Ron on his black and burnt orange cowl Can-Am Spyder cruising through town, give him a wave to thank him for his service to his country and to Ashland. ASHLAND Every year, the Ashland Fourth of July Committee recognizes individuals or groups for their contributions to the community through two honors, the Mary Ruell Citizen of Ashland Award and the Grand Marshall of the Parade.This year, two individuals were selected for those honors before the pandemic led to the cancellation of all the formal Fourth of July activities. The Committee nevertheless would like to recognize Mark Liebert, the Mary Ruell Award winner, and Ron Shaw, the Grand Marshall.Mary Ruell AwardMark Liebert, the current President of the Ashland Area Recreation Association (AARA) works diligently to enrich the Town of Ashland through recreational, cultural, and substantive opportunities. He also serves as a Trustee of Memorial Park. Born in the Netherlands, he moved to Missouri at age eight. While attending Forestry School at the University of Missouri Columbia, he met his wife, Renee. It was she who introduced Ashland to Mark. Renee's family has vacationed in Ashland for decades. Mark, Renee, and their two children, Laura (14) and Sam (12), enjoy living in Ashland. Whether they are ice fishing, boating on Squam, or hiking the local mountains with their dogs; they love the outdoors and feel really lucky their kids are growing up in such a beautiful area full of natural resources. Mark is the owner of a small tree care company, Tree Solutions LLC, since 2010 where he plies his forestry skills throughout the area. As President of the AARA, he works hand in hand with the Town through the Parks and Recreation Department to provide recreational opportunities for Ashland and surrounding communities. Under his leadership, the AARA helps decorate for Christmas in Ashland and provides scholarships for Ashland Elementary School student for summer camp or after school programs. The big project on their agenda has been to replace the playground at the L.W. Packard Ball Field. Mark strives to get community involvement to solve issues that we all have in common. He believes that if we can get more people to volunteer just a little time, we can make a real difference in our town. His outstanding civic pride and commitment to the betterment of Ashland is beyond question and we are proud to honor him with the Mary Ruell Award.Grand MarshallRon Shaw moved to Ashland in 1940 as a child. He grew up on a farm where the mobile home park on Rt. 132 is presently located. He is a member of Ashland High School's Class of 1954. After high school, Ron joined the Army with five other classmates from Ashland. He served as an Administrative Supervisor during his enlistment to include serving 18 months in Korea during the war and later in Viet Nam for more than three years. Among the many medals awarded to Ron, he is the recipient of two Bronze Stars and a third Bronze Star with Valor. Retiring after more than 21 years in the U.S. Army, Ron returned to Ashland in 1975. He worked at Radio Shack and Irving and found time to attend a part-time police academy to serve with the Plymouth Police force for 17 years. You may recall he was the traffic patrol officer at Plymouth High School where he kept traffic moving and students safe. He also was a member of the NH Marine Patrol on Squam. Ron served as the Commander at the Dupuis Cross Post 15 and was a member in the Bridgewater Mt. Snowmobile Club. A long-time member of the Ashland Fire Department, Ron was instrumental in establishing the first Emergency Response Team. This crucial team is the forerunner of our present Emergency Medical Services. Ron presently and has been for many years a safety instructor for NH Fish and Game, teaching students 12-16 years old how to properly and safely utilize a snowmobile, four wheel, and two wheel vehicles on the snow. Ron was awarded the Annual Fish and Game Safety Education Instructors Award for the year 2014. Although in his 80s, Ron continues his service to the community by delivering Meals on Wheels. He says he does it because "I just love my people". And we know, they love him, too. If you see Ron on his black and burnt orange cowl Can-Am Spyder cruising through town, give him a wave to thank him for his service to his country and to Ashland. Thanks for visiting SalmonPress.com Accra, Ghana (PANA) - The Ghana Medical Association (GMA) said here Saturday that over 150 of its members had tested positive to coronavirus (COVID-19) with four of them passing away as the virus continues to spread rapidly in the West African country Bujumbura, Burundi (PANA) - Three systematic free testing centres for the coronavirus (COVID-19) will be set up here with effect from next Monday, the ministry of Public Health and the fight against HIV/AIDS said Saturday Lome, Togo (PANA) - Togo Friday recorded 4 new cases of coronavirus (COVID-19), bringing the confirmed total to 671, 233, with 424 recoveries and 14 deaths, official sources told PANA here Saturday Tripoli, Libya (PANA) - The chairman of the presidential council of the government of national accord (GNA), Fayez al-Sarraj, Friday held talks with the Turkish minister of Defence, Hulusi Akar, on the latest developments in Libya and military cooperation between the two countries, an official source said here Tunis, Tunisia (PANA) - A Takfirist fighter belonging to the terrorist organization, Islamic State (Daech), has been arrested by the anti-terrorist unit, the Tunisian ministry of Interior said here Friday SPRINGFIELD The figure at the center of a statue debate in the city of Edwardsville has a final resting place in Central Illinois at Springfield's Oak Ridge Cemetery. Ninian Edwards, who served one term as Illinois' third governor from 1826 to 1830, is buried in the "Aristocracy Hill" part of the cemetery. Edwards served as territorial governor for three terms before Illinois was granted statehood in 1818. He settled in the Metro East region known as the American Bottom when he was appointed territorial governor in 1809. When Edwards served as governor, Vandalia was the state's capital, though two of his sons, Ninian Wirt Edwards and Benjamin Edwards, became prominent Springfield residents. A Facebook group of nearly 650 people has petitioned Edwardsville's leaders to remove Edwards' statue and his name from the plaza where it sits, arguing that he owned slaves and used his power to protect the practice. Edwardsville, in Madison County, is about 75 miles southeast of Springfield. The action comes in light of Confederate monuments and other statuary of controversial figures like Christopher Columbus being removed in the wake of George Floyd's death at the hands of Minneapolis police on May 25. Protests sparked by the killing of Floyd and others like Rayshard Brooks and Breonna Taylor have signaled for an end to police brutality and racism. A representative from the Edwardsville group did not respond to an inquiry from The State Journal-Register last week. William Furry, executive director of the Illinois State Historical Society, said while it was true that Edwards owned slaves when he came to the Illinois Territory from Kentucky, it was "the law of the land." "It wasn't as if slavery didn't exist," Furry added. Edwards was "a citizen of his time, just as we all are," Furry said. "Times change, attitudes change, laws change and people change. Chattel slavery was wrong. Denying and repressing the equal rights of women and African-Americans was wrong, but not knowing history is unforgivable." Furry suggested the group "take a step back and examine history." "The statue is something for us to learn from, not run from," he added. Sunshine Clemons, the president of Black Lives Matter Springfield, said as a general rule she is supportive of statues of Confederate leaders and slaveholders, like Edwards, coming down. 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}} "It's not a reminder of history," Clemons said, but a glorification of the beliefs people held. "There can be a place for them in history museums," Clemons added. "We don't need them permanently displayed. The more prominent places that are representative of everyone, that's the wrong place for them." Clemons also advocated for the removal of statues of former U.S. Senator and presidential candidate Stephen Douglas over his views on slavery. Douglas advocated for popular sovereignty, the belief that each territory should be allowed to determine whether to permit slavery within its borders. There is one statue of Douglas inside the Illinois Capitol Building and one on the Capitol grounds. There is also a painting of Douglas, a political foe of Abraham Lincoln's known as the "Little Giant," in the Illinois House chamber. Slavery or indentured servitude in Illinois is part of the state's "complicated story," acknowledged Illinois State Historian Samuel Wheeler. Edwards "owns slaves, buys slaves and rents out slaves," Wheeler said, unlike his predecessor as governor, Edward Coles, who set his slaves free. Edwards defeated a measure passed by the Illinois Territory legislature in 1817 that would have stopped indentured servitude, a contractual form of slavery, "because he has a vested interest in those assets," Wheeler said. Taking down monuments, Wheeler noted, "doesn't mean you erase history. (The group in Edwardsville) isn't erasing (Edwards') name from the history books. Those folks are sending a message to future generations that they don't stand behind the things (Edwards) stood for." Edwards was buried in Belleville when he died in 1833, but his remains were later moved to Hutchinson Cemetery, the present site of Springfield High School. Edwards' remains were re-interred at Oak Ridge in 1866, said Lashonda Fitch, the cemetery's executive director. Edwards Place has been owned and operated by the Springfield Art Association since 1913 and is Benjamin Edwards' former residence where Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas, among others, visited. Ninian Wirt Edwards' residence on South Second Street, demolished in 1918, is where Lincoln came to call on his future bride, Mary Todd. Ninian Wirt Edwards was married to Elizabeth Todd and would become Lincoln's brother-in-law. PHOTOS: Neon signs in Central Illinois Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 With a chaotic spring semester behind us, universities are immersed in intense discussions about what to do in fall 2020. Illinois State University has announced plans to reopen, welcoming back students to a combination of face-to-face, hybrid, and online classes; new safety regulations; and diminished opportunities for extracurriculars. The need to follow guidelines for masks and social distancing will inevitably take a toll on the residential campus experience central to ISUs institutional identity. Faculty are caught between fear that the necessary safety measures will be impossible to implement sufficiently to keep everyone safe, and utter exhaustion at the prospect of building and teaching online alternatives that at least come close to replicating the experiences of the classroom. While ISU has for years offered some remote learning, the university has historically taken a measured approach to online instruction, ever committed to its identity as a residential campus. In addition to the individualized attention of a small college with the resources of a research university that ISU promises, the residential campus experience additionally offers campus and community events that critically engage important topics and issues through lectures, theater, art exhibits, films, and concerts. All of this has been affected by COVID-19. As faculty, we reflect on the transition to remote learning in the middle of a pandemic. The issues faced in the crisis-driven shift to online teaching are multi-faceted. Some students do not have continuous internet service or reliable technologies. These inequities are replicated in the living circumstances of our students: some in comfortable homes, others holding down jobs as essential workers, struggling with lost income, or coping with illness or death in their communities. These factors shaped our decisions about what online tools to use (synchronous instruction via zoom or asynchronous discussion boards, for instance) and our policies about deadlines and exams. As we consider returning to campus in the fall, how will we level the playing field for all our students to participate equitably in their classes, be they in person, online or hybrid? Please log in to keep reading. {{featured_button_text}} Enjoy unlimited articles at one of our lowest prices ever. Online instruction is unidimensional and while we were able to connect with students, that communication is always mediated by time, space, and technology. In contrast, learning in the face-to-face classroom is multidimensional: the teacher not only lectures, but leads class discussions; students engage with one another and share with the class; teacher and student communicate one-on-one. The energy of the face-to-face classroom is impossible to replicate remotely, even in smaller classes held synchronously online. Face-to-face instruction is spontaneous, often messy; lessons are modified based on the knowledge and questions of the students in the room, and the back and forth of the exchange defies the logic of learning as measurable outcomes. In the face-to-face classroom, there is an emotional connection that aids in the process of not only acquiring knowledge but transforming that knowledge into what feminist scholar Gloria Anzaldua calls conocimiento. Conocimiento is Spanish for knowledge, but Spanish has two words for the English knowledge, the other being "sabiduria." While sabiduria refers to the cerebral accumulation of information, conocimiento is rooted in lived experience. That lived experience when shared in the face-to-face classroom transforms our understanding of ourselves and each other. To do so online requires tremendous investment in developing pedagogies and the technologies to support them, and the time required to implement them. And this time commitment to effective pedagogy online is in addition to the time required to record lectures, upload materials, and organize a course website. These pedagogical concerns raise multiple questions: Do universities have the resources available for the necessary technology and training of faculty to pivot, as we are now asked to do, into the various formats proposed: face-to-face with safety measures, fully on online, or a hybrid combination? Do faculty have the resources to prepare in time to resume classes in the fall? Is the expectation that we will give up our research and writing time -- which frequently takes place more intensely over the summer, despite being off contract -- to redesign our classes? If summer is assumed to be devoted to preparation of well-crafted online or hybrid courses, is there an additional assumption that we will do this without monetary compensation and at the expense of conducting our research, which is more highly valued for tenure, promotion and merit raises? Will the sacrifice of our research time be expected to continue into the fall or will there be an adjustment to our teaching and service responsibilities? It goes without saying, that even if research projects can be paused, to resume them typically requires even more time. The intensity of these issues is discipline-specific, yet they cut across all fields. As we move forward, what guarantees do we have that these demands made in crisis mode will not become the new normal? These questions are of utmost importance not only to faculty but to the university as a site of the production and dissemination of new knowledge as a public good. It bears stating that at ISU, we have a dedicated Center for Teaching and Learning Technology (CTLT) that supports educators to pursue excellence and innovation in teaching. At the forefront of new pedagogies and technologies, they offer faculty professional development workshops, foster a community of mentors, and provide individualized attention to assist faculty. In response to the current crisis, they have culled resources for faculty under the banner Redbirds Keep Teaching. However, the shift to online or hybrid courses involves pedagogical challenges that cannot be addressed by technological fixes. Faculty have been asked to prepare classes such that we can pivot between online and in person instruction as needed. However, this mandate seems grounded in the notion that on-line and face-to-face instruction are interchangeable with sufficient preparation of uploading materials to be downloaded by students. What is even more daunting is the realization that we are coming to the classroom to engage our students in an environment transformed by the pandemic. The conocimiento our students will gain, whether online or in a classroom transformed by safety regulations, will be mediated by the pandemic. Classroom dynamics with masks and social distancing will inevitably be different; our conocimiento will be filtered through this new physical environment. Likewise, online learning will be laced with the awareness of the sacrifice of not being able to physically come together, but all in the interest of preparing students to live and thrive in a post-Covid world. The options are not simple and there is a lot at stake for students, faculty, and the future of the university. The writers are faculty at Illinois State University: Dr. Juliet Lynd, Associate Professor of Spanish, Department of Languages, Literatures and Cultures; and Dr. Maura Toro-Morn, Professor of Sociology, Department of Sociology and Anthropology. Love 4 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 2 Angry 7 On the morning prior to WWDC20 commencing, Patently Apple posted a report titled "A Trademark Filing for 'Apple Rosetta' was recently made by Apple in Japan for 'Translation Software' likely Aimed for ARM based Macs." Apple in fact introduced "Rosetta 2" later that day during the WWDC20 Keynote. This week Apple filed three distinct trademarks applications for which "Rosetta" was one of them. Apple can't trademark a numeric value such as "2", so they simply kept it to the basics of "Rosetta." Three Notable Trademark Applications from Apple As noted in our jumbo graphic below, Apple filed trademark applications this week for Rosetta, iPhone SE and an image with no link as to what app it refers to. Rosetta filed under International Class 09 with the following protection: "recorded and downloadable computer operating system software for translating third party application software to operate on different computer operating systems." iPhone SE filed under International Class 09 with the following protection: "Mobile telephones; smartphones; mobile devices for the sending and receiving of telephone calls, text messages, electronic mail, and other digital data, and for use in providing access to the internet; network communication apparatus, namely, mobile electronic devices for the sending and receiving of text, data, audio, image, and video files across networks; electronic communication equipment and instruments, namely, mobile electronic devices for sending and receiving of text, data, audio, image, and video files; wireless communication devices for the transmission of voice, data, images, audio, video, and multimedia content; computers; handheld computers; recorded and downloadable computer software for accessing, browsing and searching online databases; cases for mobile phones; cases for smartphones." Apple's Figurative Trademark was filed under International Class 09 with the following protection: "recorded and downloadable computer software; recorded and downloadable computer software for editing, organizing, encrypting, exporting, annotating, sharing, combining and converting documents and images." Trademark classes are important because the trademark registration will only protect Apple's trademark(s) in the classes that have been identified in their application. Fake Patent News from India Earlier today India's Zee Media news posted a report about a fake Apple patent for a MacBook with 5 displays. The report stated that Apple "labeled this technology as "Dynamic Display Interface" that indicates the 4 smaller displays along with a main one." The report further noted that "The current MacBook Pro has one main display and a Touch Bar, but it looks like the iPhone maker wants to possibly add another three more screens. Based on the patent's illustrations, these displays then take up roles similar to how Apple tries to use the Touch Bar on its current MacBooks. In the patent, it is mentioned that the base part of the laptop consists of a keyboard and light-transmitting cover." There was no patent filed this week under that title in the U.S. or Europe. The title was entered into Justia's historical database for Patents and no such title for Apple was filed in the U.S., ever. The article didn't provide anything to prove the patent was officially from Apple. While they mentioned "Based on the patent's illustrations," they didn't provide us with said images to see if the images resemble Apple patent figures. Unless the media company can prove it's an Apple patent, this is simply fake patent news. Patently Apple was unable to reach the media company by email to discuss the issue. It's very possible that they mistakenly found a patent with such patent figures that wasn't originating from Apple Inc. Patna: Former Congress national president Rahul Gandhi on Friday held a Zoom meeting with party leaders in Bihar where he reviewed poll preparation of the party ahead of the upcoming state elections in which Nitish Kumar seeks his fourth term as the Chief Minister of Bihar. Gandhi told the party leaders gathered at Sadaqat Ashram in Patna to prepare for the election as the people of Bihar were sick and tired of the failed NDA government and were hungry for an alternative that believes in working for the people of the state instead of engaging in useless talks with no action to back up. The former Congress chief urged Bihar leaders and others to join force with all opposition parties to take on the NDA in the state Assembly elections slated to be held later this year. "We should strive to build a new government in Bihar with new, innovative ideas because the current government run by Nitish Kumar has failed on all fronts. People are basically tired of this administration that has turned out to be a complete disaster for the state. Despite Bihar's rich heritage, today it remains in the bottom of the list of developed states solely due to the failure of this government," he said. Party state president Madan Mohan Jha asked Gandhi to make a swift decision on the face of the Grand Alliance in Bihar to cement a cohesive policy to take on the joint front of Janata Dal-U and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to successfully rid Bihar of this failed government. Those present at the video-meeting included Bihar party spokesperson Rajesh Rathod, Bihar election in-charge Shakti Sinh Gohil, senior party leaders Sadanand Singh, Kaukab Qadri, Dr. Ashok Kumar, Shakeel Ahmed Khan, Shyam Sundar Singh Dheeraj, Pappu Yadav's wife Ranjit Ranjan, and Akhilesh Prasad Singh, among many others. Payson, AZ (85541) Today Mostly clear. Low 68F. NW winds at 10 to 15 mph, decreasing to less than 5 mph.. Tonight Mostly clear. Low 68F. NW winds at 10 to 15 mph, decreasing to less than 5 mph. Winnisquam Echo Tanger Outlets launches Virtual Shopper concierge service TILTON Tanger Factory Outlet Centers, Inc., a leader in the outlet industry, has announced the launch of an innovation to the outlet shopping experience, a virtual shopping concierge service that gives shoppers the best of outlet shopping without leaving home. "The Virtual Shopper program will open a new lane of engagement, driving sales to our retail partners, while also expanding shopping opportunities for our customers," said Steven B. Tanger, CEO of Tanger Outlets. "Given the ever-changing landscape related to the COVID-19 pandemic, constant innovation is more critical than ever before when it comes to serving retailers and customers. The Virtual Shopper program is part of the solution and one of our new initiatives to support the ecommerce and omni-channel ecosystem." Through Tanger's new 'Virtual Shopper' program, shoppers can now shop remotely for their favorite brands, styles and outlet value deals across multiple retailers via onsite shopping specialists and stylists. The new program serves to drive in-store sales for brands and retailers, functioning as a digital, service-minded extension of the brick-and-mortar retail experience. The Virtual Shopper program provides a range of services, from finding a specific product to customer styling, all at no cost to shoppers. It also gives shoppers the ability to access Tanger's entire portfolio, not just the center nearest them. "Now, more than ever, it's critical for Tanger to come up with new and innovative ways to meet the needs of our shoppers and retailers," said Stephen Yalof, COO and President of Tanger Outlets. "Our Virtual Shopper program gives shoppers an insider VIP experience by connecting them with a personal Tanger associate that knows the hottest and best deals as well as new product launches offered in each store. With the wellbeing of our customers being a top priority, we wanted to provide more options for those who may not be ready to visit us in-person but still want to experience the fun and savings Tanger has to offer." Shoppers simply fill out a virtual shopping form, detailing their preferences, explore their favorite brands and share the items they want with their personal shopper, who then shops in-store at Tanger Outlets on their behalf. After selecting their products, shoppers can either opt for curbside pick-up or have the items delivered to their home. Tanger shoppers have access to locations in the U.S. and Canada and more than 2,800 stores to find exactly what they're looking for. In addition to the new Virtual Shopper program, Tanger Outlets is open for in-person shopping in accordance with local, state and CDC regulations, having implemented a wide range of safety protocols in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. With many brands now offering curbside pick-up, Tanger also established convenient locations around each center where shoppers can pick up items from multiple retailers. About Tanger Factory Outlet Centers, Inc. Tanger Factory Outlet Centers, Inc. (NYSE: SKT), is a publicly-traded REIT headquartered in Greensboro, North Carolina that presently operates and owns, or has an ownership interest in, a portfolio of 39 upscale outlet shopping centers. Tanger's operating properties are located in 20 states and in Canada, totaling approximately 14.3 million square feet, leased to over 2,800 stores which are operated by more than 510 different brand name companies. The Company has more than 39 years of experience in the outlet industry. Tanger Outlet Centers continue to attract more than 181 million visitors annually. For more information on Tanger Outlet Centers, call 1-800-4TANGER or visit the Company's Web site at TILTON Tanger Factory Outlet Centers, Inc., a leader in the outlet industry, has announced the launch of an innovation to the outlet shopping experience, a virtual shopping concierge service that gives shoppers the best of outlet shopping without leaving home."The Virtual Shopper program will open a new lane of engagement, driving sales to our retail partners, while also expanding shopping opportunities for our customers," said Steven B. Tanger, CEO of Tanger Outlets. "Given the ever-changing landscape related to the COVID-19 pandemic, constant innovation is more critical than ever before when it comes to serving retailers and customers. The Virtual Shopper program is part of the solution and one of our new initiatives to support the ecommerce and omni-channel ecosystem."Through Tanger's new 'Virtual Shopper' program, shoppers can now shop remotely for their favorite brands, styles and outlet value deals across multiple retailers via onsite shopping specialists and stylists. The new program serves to drive in-store sales for brands and retailers, functioning as a digital, service-minded extension of the brick-and-mortar retail experience.The Virtual Shopper program provides a range of services, from finding a specific product to customer styling, all at no cost to shoppers. It also gives shoppers the ability to access Tanger's entire portfolio, not just the center nearest them."Now, more than ever, it's critical for Tanger to come up with new and innovative ways to meet the needs of our shoppers and retailers," said Stephen Yalof, COO and President of Tanger Outlets. "Our Virtual Shopper program gives shoppers an insider VIP experience by connecting them with a personal Tanger associate that knows the hottest and best deals as well as new product launches offered in each store. With the wellbeing of our customers being a top priority, we wanted to provide more options for those who may not be ready to visit us in-person but still want to experience the fun and savings Tanger has to offer."Shoppers simply fill out a virtual shopping form, detailing their preferences, explore their favorite brands and share the items they want with their personal shopper, who then shops in-store at Tanger Outlets on their behalf. After selecting their products, shoppers can either opt for curbside pick-up or have the items delivered to their home. Tanger shoppers have access to locations in the U.S. and Canada and more than 2,800 stores to find exactly what they're looking for.In addition to the new Virtual Shopper program, Tanger Outlets is open for in-person shopping in accordance with local, state and CDC regulations, having implemented a wide range of safety protocols in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. With many brands now offering curbside pick-up, Tanger also established convenient locations around each center where shoppers can pick up items from multiple retailers.About Tanger Factory Outlet Centers, Inc.Tanger Factory Outlet Centers, Inc. (NYSE: SKT), is a publicly-traded REIT headquartered in Greensboro, North Carolina that presently operates and owns, or has an ownership interest in, a portfolio of 39 upscale outlet shopping centers. Tanger's operating properties are located in 20 states and in Canada, totaling approximately 14.3 million square feet, leased to over 2,800 stores which are operated by more than 510 different brand name companies. The Company has more than 39 years of experience in the outlet industry. Tanger Outlet Centers continue to attract more than 181 million visitors annually. For more information on Tanger Outlet Centers, call 1-800-4TANGER or visit the Company's Web site at www.tangeroutlets.com Winnisquam Echo Hall pitches Raiders into Division III Final Four Tilton to host Plan NH charrette Thanks for visiting SalmonPress.com The Minister of Works and Housing, Samuel Atta Akyea, has said his outfit has detected a US$55,285,866 difference in what parliament approved for the Conti Group of Companies and what government finally entered into with the group for the Conti drainage project. He said despite parliament approving US$538,299,497 for the drainage project, the contract sum of agreement between the government and the group was US$593,585,636. The difference of US$55, 285,866 cannot be traced to any justifiable expenditure, particularly against the backdrop that, the estimate was computed without proper and adequate engineering drawings, design and bills of quantities. If the difference was the Exim Bank exposure fee on the loan facility as stated in the memorandum to parliament, we are yet to comprehend why the bank would waive such a huge sum of money in respect of the reduced contract price, he said. Mr Akyea made this known in parliament, Accra, yesterday when responding to a question by the Member for Nsawam/Adoagyiri, Frank Annoh-Dompreh who wanted to know what had become of the Conti project. The Conti project agreement, signed in 2012, was to address Accras decades old sanitation and flooding challenges. According to Mr Akyea, MP, Abuakwa South, evidence from the Architectural and Engineering Services Limited (AESL) in a value for money audit report in 2013 concluded that, the so-called engineering drawings, designs, and bill of quantities could not in any way justify the loan amount of US$593,585,636. AESL asserts that the figure US$593,585,636 is US$14,700,000 higher than the estimated fair and reasonable price of US$581,036,642, adding that the AESL was emphatic that Conti did not have a complete feasibility report on the project and neither did it have the bill of quantities which will pass any international test, he said. Describing the Conti project as excessively exorbitant, Mr Akyea said the cost of nine drainage basins in total was US$423,372,400, saying it is very difficult to come to terms with the fact that a single project should be priced at US$593,585,636. The AESL as the official consultants on the project, he said, was not allowed to vet Contis incomplete engineering document as well as the amount before it was submitted to parliament for approval. He said despite no work done, government advanced the payment of US$9,581,210 to the Conti Group for expenditures like airfares, hotel accommodation for Conti officials, and uncertified engineering works. On why the facility could not be received for the project to take off, Mr Akyea said there has been a restructuring which saw the Exim Bank of America reducing its US$538 million to US$280 million and the Standard Chartered Bank component of US$125 million abandoned under a new arrangement of phasing out. His outfit, the Abuakwa South MP said, was in talks with the Attorney Generals Department to consider the civil aspect of the matter and refer the criminal aspect to the Ghana Police Service for investigation and prosecution. To address the challenges the Conti was contracted to fix, the Minister said the current government had reached an alternative to fix the annual flooding menace in the national capital and other parts of the country. The Akufo-Addo government has secured a better alternative. This is cost-effective and will give this great nation value-for-money, he said. Source: Ghanaian Times Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video The political culture of secrecy borne out of fear to share personal views fully evinces the alarming suppression of the human right of freedom of speech of the individuals, one of the core tenets of the Worlds organization, United Nations (UN). Many dissidents have been sacked from their jobs, to say the least. Under the Xi government, Chinese officials have purged political opposition; bloggers, activists, and lawyers have been unjustly prosecuted; stringent controls have been imposed to censor not only media but universities, businesses, and non-governmental organizations; citizens and corporations have been targeted with surveillance; and people perceived as dissidents have been subjected to arbitrary detention, torture, and abuse. The intolerable nature of Xi is by far exhibited in his government. The members of the government even dare not add voice to their dissensions. Decision making in Xis government lacks that quality due to a lack of quality arguments emanating from different perspectives. By far decision making does not portray collectivity. Very recently, South China Modern Post reported that Lou Jiwei, a former Chinese finance minister who is well known and highly respected among financiers and economic policymakers was replaced as chairman of the countrys National Social Security Fund. Even though the Chinese government assigned no reason for this action, it is no secret that Lou has been branded as one of the very few government officials who are able to criticize Xis obnoxious policies. He has recently emerged as an outspoken critic of Chinas ambitious industrial policy agenda, Made in China 2025, calling it a waste of public money. Therefore, his sacking has come as no surprise at all. This is just one of many of Xis actions that reflect a profound change, under him, in the way Chinese leaders govern: from a collective decision-making process in which disagreements and debate were allowed, to a centralized leadership style in which loyalty and conformity are prized. This curtailing of freedom of speech by CCP sharply contrast the system in the US where the chief of defense staff can go against his own president to give the opposition solid grounds to press for an impeachment process to be initiated against H.E. Trump. Opposition makes quality input in decision making. And structures are in place not to curtail the rights of the individuals as much as possible. The 2019 US annual report on Human Rights indicated China is being ruled by a brutal, authoritarian regime, a communist regime and compared Xi Jinpings China to Nazi Germany and Stalinist Soviet Union. Even though the CCP passionately take exceptions to been branded as autocrats and calls China's system a "socialist consultative democracy" system which guarantees widespread and effective participation in politics through consultations carried out by political parties, peoples congresses, government departments, peoples organizations, communities, and social organizations", it must be stated, unequivocally, that theCCP preaches all this just in principle but far-fetched in practice. For several decades, nations like the US have thought the regime would become more like them through trade, scientific exchanges, diplomatic outreach, but the situation has worsened. In the words of Mike Pompeo, US secretary of States We greatly underestimated the degree to which Beijing is ideologically and politically hostile to free nations. The whole world is waking up to that fact, there seems to be a strong call by the worlds superpower for all nations to add their voices to denounce Chinas violations more crucial at the time that Xi has removed the presidential term limits to entrench himself in power indefinitely. Source: Dominic Afful Mensah/[email protected] 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 Nine Malian soldiers have been killed in an ambush in the conflict-wracked centre of the country as they made their way to the site of a massacre of villagers, the army said. The latest attack took place on Thursday at the entrance to Gouari, one of the villages where armed men killed about 30 civilians the day before. A military unit was dispatched to the site on Wednesday to help bury the 31 bodies, army spokesman Colonel Diarran Kone told AFP news agency. Read Full Story .... aljazeera.com >>> : Source: aljazeera.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video A Magistrate Court at Garu in the Upper East Region has remanded in police custody, a Togolese who allegedly attempted to acquire a Ghanaian voter identification card. The accused, Kouguilique Kouaasi Kampe, was arrested at the Pulimakom border post in the region after his failed attempt to register in the ongoing voters registration exercise with the name Yaro Kosi. His plea was not taken and he would reappear in court on Thursday July 9,2020. Arrest The Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the Upper East Regional Police Command, Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Mr David Fianko-Okyere, told the Daily Graphic yesterday that the arrest of the man followed a phone call placed to officers of the Ghana Police Service and the Ghana Immigration Service who were on joint patrol duties in the border area. He said the Togolese admitted to the offence on his arrest. Different name According to ASP Fianko-Okyere, Kouguilique told the police that he attempted to register for the voter ID card with the name Yaro Kosi. The police PRO further stated that the man said he used unapproved routes to enter the country to register with the support of two guarantors. ASP Fianko-Okyere said Kouguilique did not have the Ghana Card or a Ghana passport. He said the Police and Immigration Service had launched a joint investigation into the incident to arrest the persons who attempted to serve as guarantors for the Togolese. 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 management of the Kanton Senior High School in Tumu has appealed for the completion of abandoned projects in the school to enhance academic work. Mr Mohammed Luriwie Kanton, the headmaster of the school made the appeal when the Deputy Upper West Regional Minister, Mr Amidu Chinnia Issahaku paid a visit to some Senior High and Basic Schools in the Sissala East and Sissala West to acquaint himself with how final year students were reporting. The visit will also help the deputy Minister to receive first-hand information after final years students were asked to resume in preparation for their final examination following the easing of Covid-19 restrictions. The visit took him to the Kanton Senior High school where he interacted with the headmaster, staff, and assessed students who had reported. The rest were the Tumu Girls Basic model school, Tumu Senior High Technical, Hilla Liman Senior High in Gwollu in the Sissala West district. At Kanton Senior High, the headmaster appealed for the completion of the school's dining hall and other projects including, an uncompleted GNPC sponsored classroom, a toilet, and a borehole, which had all stalled and was affecting academic work. Out of 504 students, 458 had so far reported with 46 left to report after the second week", Mr Kanton said. Mr Abass Wiyor, the Headmaster of the Tumu Senior High School on his part said the school was bedevilled with accommodation problems due to the strict enforcement of social distancing protocols as part of measures to reduce the infection of coronavirus among students. He said The school has started implementing the protocols set out by the President through the Ghana Health Service to curb the menace of the coronavirus in the school. He explained that the school had made it mandatory for non-members of the school not to use the school compound as a route of access either entering or exiting. The headmaster cited another major challenge as the social distancing of the dormitories had led to inadequate space in the already congested school. The minister indicated that tenders had been opened to get the school wall fenced to prevent the public from accessing the compound. Mr Amidu Chinnia advised students to strictly abide by the COVID -19 protocols and study hard to pass their examinations for which they are on campus. 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 Inside one of Britains meat processing factories, where there is an ongoing outbreak of Covid-19, Alex is working shoulder to shoulder with his colleagues. One of hundreds of migrant workers employed at the plant, he works for 30-40 hours a week on a cold, damp production line with poor ventilation. While some colleagues have recently been issued with visors, very few wear masks, and the protective screening promised by Alexs employers has yet to arrive. They are putting people at risk, he says. He asked us not to name him or his employer as he said people who had spoken out had lost their jobs. Alex and his housemates recently tested for coronavirus using home testing kits after colleagues began falling ill. A worker at a factory pulls pallets (stock photo) (Image: Getty Images/Cultura RF) He had no symptoms but the result turned out to be positive. I had to go on statutory sick pay, explains Alex, who has been employed at the factory for five years, after coming to the UK from Romania. Thats 94 a week. Our rent is around 90 a week for a room. The company did nothing to help people who might be experiencing hardship. We just had to try our best to survive on 4 a week. Friends helped with food. All the company is bothered about is that we can produce, and their profit. People have been in hospital for three weeks with Covid, and the company has paid them nothing. Now hes back on a production line where some colleagues have felt forced to come to work when theyre ill. Women working on the assembly line (stock photo) (Image: Getty Images/iStockphoto) It can be hard to effectively socially distance in a factory setting (stock photo) (Image: Getty Images) Loss of taste and smell is a symptom, but people are still going into work with that because they are too afraid to lose the money, to slip into hardship, he says. We get 280 a week so it is impossible to save. No one can afford to lose their job. About three-quarters of the people here are foreigners so they are scared to lose their jobs. Around 550 cases of Covid have been discovered in the last few days at food factories in towns including Merthyr Tydfil, Wrexham and Llangefni in Wales, and Cleckheaton in West Yorks. The outbreak in Leicester has been linked to the prevalence of fast fashion factories in the city. Yesterday, a bed factory in Batley, which is near Cleckheaton, also reported a number of cases. Leicester has gone under the UKs first regional lockdown due to its outbreak (Image: Getty Images) Meanwhile, Bradford, Barnsley and Rochdale, the three towns with the next highest number of new cases after Leicester, also have high numbers of people in insecure, low-paid, often zero hours, work. Some of the factories worst hit employ large percentages of migrant labour. In normal times, these are vulnerable and easily exploited workforces. Yet so far, instead of strengthening support for these workers and targeting unscrupulous employers, the Governments only response has been a dog-whistle suggestion by the Prime Minister that Leicester has had particular problems understanding Government advice. As Unite the Unions national officer for food, drink and agriculture Bev Clarkson says: Exploitation driven by corporate greed is a major factor in the public health emergencies amongst meat processing plants here and in other countries. There is a real danger, however, that migrant workers many of whom simply cannot afford to be ill because their employers refuse adequate sick pay will prove to be an easy target for those looking to shift the blame elsewhere. Employers must not be allowed to escape responsibility for the dire working conditions, low pay and insecure employment that blight the meat processing industry, and which have now come back to bite the nations efforts to defeat the coronavirus. Unite conducted a survey this week in one of the factories with a serious outbreak. It found 64.5% of staff had worked while unwell, and 77% had chosen not to self-isolate when someone in their household was showing symptoms. One worker said that even after a temperature check showed they had a fever, they were still told to get themselves into work. A guy on our line was in hospital with Covid, the worker said. Another was off with it and was told if anyone asks, he was ill because of the air conditioning. Other workers told Unite: Im afraid, but I cant not come into work; People going up and down the line have to push past each other. Theres nothing being done to keep social distance on the shop floor; Some people are coming in sick at work because they cant afford to lose money; We didnt have soaps or hand sanitiser for more than two months and they still forced us to keep working. A worker said that if they complained they were told go home forever. Another colleague said: Because we are not British people, the majority are Eastern Europeans, we are worth nothing for them. Another said: Furloughed staff receive 80% of their salary, yet if we go to work as key workers and become sick we only get 94 a week. That doesnt sound like being a key worker it sounds like were The Expendables. Like many migrant workers, Alex lives in accommodation he shares with others from the same factory. The outbreak has left many of these households with no one bringing home more than their rent. The employer doesnt care if people cant afford to put food on the table, Alex says. He adds that his company said social distancing rules only needed to be applied where possible.138208672551 It is possible if they reduced production, he says, but they have actually raised production. Meanwhile, we are on the same money. For a while we had a small bonus, but now thats stopped. They are making more profit. One of the workers Unite spoke to put it another way. We put our life in danger for them to get rich. Source: mirror.co.uk 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 Consultant Surgeon at the Trust Hospital, Osu, Dr. Richard Kisser, has reportedly died of Covid-19. The death of the surgeon has influenced former President John Mahama, to issue a statement on Friday afternoon, July 3, through his Facebook account to mourn Dr Kisser. 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, he wrote. 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, according to him. 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, Mr Mahama said. On behalf of the National Democratic Congress, I also extend our sympathy to all others who have lost loved ones to COVID-19, he wrote. 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. 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 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. 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 Ghana Medical Association (GMA) wants a review of the countrys strategy for combating the COVID-19 in order to arrest the alarming rate at which the disease is spreading in the country. It said with the numbers increasing, its members also had to bear the brunt as the increasing numbers mean our members are being overstretched to provide the needed healthcare services and, unfortunately, some are even paying the heavy price. In an interview with the Daily Graphic, the General Secretary of the GMA, Dr Titus Beyuo, said it was important to review the strategy to manage the pandemic in the country to ensure that, particularly, doctors were spared the pain of having to work in fear. He was reacting to the death of a Consultant Surgeon, Dr Richard Kisser, of the Trust Hospital who reportedly died of COVID-19 last Thursday. Big blow Dr Beyuo described the death of Dr Kisser as another big blow to the medical profession in Ghana, stressing that it is not just about the loss of life but the gap such losses are creating. Dr Kissers death brings to four, the number of our members who have succumbed to the infection. Of the number, the least qualified person was a specialist, the other three were consultants and that is the highest level of our profession. These are people who have reached the level where they are training and mentoring people, so for us to lose them leaves a big void, considering the number of years it takes to train a specialist. One is a death too many and to have four is overwhelming and we pray that it does not happen again, he said. Critical intervention To help the situation, Dr Beyuo said it was important to have three critical areas addressed, as a matter of urgency, calling for the provision of adequate personal protective equipment (PPE) of the right quality at the right place, prioritising the test for all health workers as well as addressing the real turn around time in the release of results. At this moment, it is important to prioritise the testing of all health workers and in-patients to avoid the treatment of suspected cases, retrospectively. That is taking a toll on the frontline staff as it exposes them to the infection, he explained. He further described the new policy of management of the cases as worrying, describing the situation as one that could contribute to the increase in the case count. Per the new policy, what it means is that until the results of a test is positive, one cannot be made to self-isolate or held in isolation. He added: Until the results are out and if the person is not sick to be on admission or not dead already, he could be left unattended to. That is risky because that person could go out and unknowingly spread the infection. Therefore, he said, for such a policy to be effective, the turn-around time in the release of the results must be quick, but, unfortunately, that was not happening so the problem was being compounded. The existing strategy is not working because the protocols are not being adhered to because they are not being enforced and that is affecting all the gains made at the beginning, he noted. Avert helpless situation Also in an interview, the Chairman of the Greater Accra GMA, Dr Ernest Yorke, said all efforts must be put in to ensure that the fight against the disease did not get into a helpless situation, since the consequence could be dire for the nation. The lessons of the unfortunate demise of our beloved colleague last Thursday must guide us to rethink our strategy in dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic before it completely gets out of hand. Also, the issues of shortage of PPE is real and it has to be addressed to ensure that all staff in the frontline of the battle will feel safe and confident going about their duties, Dr Yorke stressed. Great asset lost Dr Yorke described Dr Kisser as a proud and active member of the Greater Accra branch of the GMA. He was not only a fine doctor, but also a great asset as he had trained many doctors and specialists. Dr Kisser Dr Kisser worked as a Consultant Surgeon at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, the Koforidua Regional Hospital and The Trust Hospital. He becomes the fourth medical specialist to have succumbed to the infection in Ghana. Last April, the Rector of the Ghana College of Physicians and Surgeons, Professor Jacob Plange-Rhule, was reported to have died of COVID-19 at the University of Ghana Medical Centre (UGMC). Last week, the Medical Director of the Kwadaso SDA Hospital, Dr Harry Owusu Boateng, also passed away reportedly after testing positive. According to information from the GMA, 150 doctors have so far been infected. Rising case count The current positive case count of COVID-19 in Ghana stands at 19,388 out of which 14,330 have either recovered or discharged per the new protocols for discharging patients. The casuality list has increased to 117 persons, leaving the active cases at 4,467. The latest new cases recorded are 393. 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 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: BBC Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video In November 2016, a Glen Forest Development Centre deputy headmaster conspired with two teachers to have one of them write that years O Level Mathematics Paper 2 on behalf of a candidate. Glen Forest Development Centre, trading as Glen Forest Secondary School, is a trust school in Goromonzi District. The deputy headmaster, Thomas Augustine Mabvuregudo (37), mathematics teacher Patrick Kolopa (29), science teacher Stewart Munaka (31) and the candidate, Neville Roia, were sentenced to 210 hours of community service. The United States Ambassador to Ghana, Madam Stephanie Sullivan, in a message ahead of the 244th Independence Anniversary of her country, on Saturday, July 4, rallied the worlds citizens to embrace the responsibility towards ending pervasive systemic racism. She declared: Today, once again, we face such a reckoning. The killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis five weeks ago, the murders of Ahmaud Arbery, Breon?na Taylor, and so many similar unjust deaths over the years, have filled the hearts of Americans, Ghanaians, and people across the globe with grief. Now it is our turn to respond to the moment.... 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. In the message, delivered at a commemorative event, held virtually, on Friday, July 3, Madam Sullivan said times were bound to change, and what was accepted in one generation, could be abhorrent in another. 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, she emphasised. 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. 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). She said Ghana shared that sentiment and, therefore, commended her will and efforts to work together across ethnic lines, religious faiths, and political affiliation for the common good, despite the known divisions. 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. Madam Sullivan also commended the Government and the citizens of Ghana for their 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, she sated. Giving the background to the independence, she said: 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. 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 Popular Tanzanian evangelical preacher Josephat Gwajima has been falsely claiming the push for 5G technology is behind the spread of coronavirus. The founder and head of Glory of Christ Tanzania Church urges Tanzania not to install the 5G technology and also not to accept any vaccine against coronavirus. Videos of his sermons are available in Swahili on Instagram and YouTube. The preacher, who has hundreds of thousands of followers on social media, claims the outbreak in Wuhan started when China started operating a 5G network, saying radiation from the masts was to blame. He alleges that all countries that were badly affected were using 5G technology. "All who have been badly affected have 5G, here [Tanzania] we dont have. My advice is that Tanzania doesnt install 5G now," he says. He however believes there is a coronavirus in circulation and advises people to strictly follow the health measures including washing hands with water and soap, sanitizing and not touching hands. "If we refuse to embrace this corona [5G], there are people who will bring to us the real corona," he says. The alleged connection between the current epidemic and 5G technologies has been widely debunked, although this hasnt stopped the conspiracy from spreading. The World Health Organization says viruses cannot travel on radio waves or mobile networks. And in China, the city of Wuhan had 5G technology operating as far back as April 2018 - well before coronavirus was detected at the end of last year. What's more, Covid-19 is spreading in many countries that do not even have 5G mobile networks. Source: BBC Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video The Ghana Hajj Board has announced it will refund monies paid by Ghanaian Hajj pilgrims following the cancellation of this years Hajj by Saudi Arabia due to the Coronavirus pandemic. Saudi authorities a couple of days ago ended the uncertainty surrounding this years Hajj by officially announcing the suspension of international pilgrims to this years Hajj next month. The announcement by Saudi Arabia, effectively ended the dreams of Ghanaian pilgrims who had paid up for this years Hajj before the Coronavirus broke out earlier this year. Now the Ghana Hajj Board has indicated it has commenced process to refund monies to all Pilgrims after meeting Hajj agents in Accra. In a joint press release issued on Friday and signed by the Chairman of the Hajj Board, Sheikh I. C. Quaye and Chairman of the Ghana Hajj Agents Association, the Board confirmed it has received request from pilgrims for refund and assured that payments would be made as soon as the Board received refunds of payment it has made in Saudi Arabia. The statement explained that prior to the outbreak of the Coronavirus, the Hajj Board had payment commitments for services such as accommodation, transportation, feeding, etc. in Saudi Arabia in order to ensure smooth pilgrimage for Ghanaian pilgrims. We have received indication from from Saudi authorities that, refunds would be processed by September 2020, which is after the local Hajj has been concluded, the statement said. Respectfully, we ask all persons who have directly or via Hajj agents , paid monies to the Hajj Board through the Bank, to cooperate with Management as we work to successfully address their concerns, the statement assured. Source: thezongomail.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video The Deputy Trade Minister and Member of Parliament for the Tema West Constituency Carlos Kingsley Ahenkorah has resigned after he breached COVID-19 protocols even though he had tested positive for Coronavirus. However, some Ghanaians have said that the Minister and MP resigning from his position is not enough as they argue that he must also leave his position as a Member of Parliament. Private Legal Practitioner, Lawyer Abraham Amaliba speaking on the issue has opined that people have every right to call for the removal of Carlos Ahenkorah as an MP because he endangered the lives of his constituents. In an interview with Kwame Afrifa Mensah on the Epa Hoa Daben show, he explained: I can see where they are coming from and I agree with them because we need to show leadership in this case. If you observe the way people living in our villages perceive this disease, when you have an MP behaving this way, you cannot forgive him. The people believe that COVID-19 is a disease only for the elite. So if you are a member of this administration what you can do is to ensure that you respect the protocols." "Now we dont do contact tracing because everyone is tired and the health facilities have said that they dont have supplies. Noguchi is also saying that they dont have PPEs. So at this stage that he has come out to put the lives of his constituents in danger, I agree with the people calling for his removal as an MP. This is to show that we need to begin to hold our leaders accountable. That is the only way that our democracy can grow. This is about good governance apart from the health and scientific implications." "Dont forget that he and his driver have all tested positive for COVID-19 and this is a double risk. We dont know who the driver had contact with. But because he is the minister the focus is on him. To show leadership he has to resign as a member of parliament. He furthered that as an MP, Carlos was present when the Imposition of Restrictions Act was passed into law in parliament and as such what he did was inexcusable. The imposition of restrictions act was emanated from parliament. He was there when the law was passed. So for him to sit in parliament pass a law and then come out to flout the law is a no-no, Lawyer Amaliba emphasized. Source: Happyghana 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 Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) has denied reports of civilian molestation by soldiers deployed at Aflao and its environs. It said the deployment of troops in conjunction with other security agencies along Ghanas Eastern border was to ensure the protection of the citizenry and not to intimidate them. A few days ago, there was a report of alleged intimidation and molestation of residents of Aflao by military personnel who were deployed there to protect the country against external aggression. The report draws comments from the chiefs and people of the area, the Member of Parliament for Ketu South, Fifi Fiave Kwetey and former President Rawlings. But the GAF in a statement signed and copied to the Ghanaian Times by the Director of Public Relations, Colonel E. Aggrey-Quashie said, we wish to state that, this issue has been investigated, and no soldier has been involved in any such act. The statement encouraged residents to go about their normal duties without any fear or anxiety. We also wish to assure all and sundry that the troops will uphold the high standards of professionalism in the performance of their duties, it said. It further stated that any incident of infraction of the law, involving any service person, will be thoroughly investigated and the case dealt with in accordance with GAF Regulations. Source: Ghanaian Times Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video More security personnel, comprising military and police, have been dispatched to Damongo in the West Gonja constituency of the Savannah Region to maintain law and order, following series of disturbances in some voter registration centres in the constituency. Some supporters of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) are said to have engaged in scuffles at the registration centres, thus disrupting the registration process. The Member of Parliament of Damongo, Mr Adam Mutawakilu, and the constituency executives of the NDC have accused the NPP parliamentary candidate, Mr Abu Jinapor, Deputy Chief of Staff of bussing people they described as outsiders to register in the constituency. This has led to the exchange of blows between supporters of the two parties. An eyewitness, Mr Osman Salifu, in an interview with the Ghanaian Times said, supporters of the two parties in the constituency were engaged in fighting in some of the registration centres. He said, but for the timely arrival of the security personnel in the area, there would have been mayhem in some of the centres on Thursday. Mr Salifu said that some supporters of the two parties were seen hitting each other with plastic chairs and other objects at some registration centres. He told the Ghanaian Times that, there was, however, high turnout in all the registration centres across the Savannah Region. Mr Sulemana Abudu in a telephone interview from Salaga said that, there were long queues at the registration centres in the Salaga South constituency. He emphasised that the registration exercise was relatively peaceful and smooth in the constituency. Reports reaching the Ghanaian Times indicated that, three persons were referred to the health authority when their temperatures were recorded as above the normal. Checks from registration centres in the North East Region also indicated that the exercise was peaceful. Source: Ghanaian Times Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video It was a euphoric moment for the Minister of Railway Development, Joe Ghartey as highly respected Chiefs of the Western Region, rise from their seat to applaud him for his excellence and dedication in transforming the countrys railway infrastructure. Joe Ghartey who is the Member of Parliament for Essikado-Ketan was appointed as the Minister for Railway Development by President Nana Addo in 2017. His appointment came with some speculations and doubt from his constituency, the Western Region, and the country at large, as to whether or not it was a limitation or say a demotion to the caliber person he is. Joe Ghartey had served as the Attorney General and Minister for Justice under the John Agyekum Kuffours administration from 2006 to 2008. Adding to his portfolio, Joe Ghartey became the Second Deputy Speaker of Parliament in the 6th Parliament of the 4th Republic, under the John Dramani Mahamas administration, from 2013 to 2016. With such a credit to his profile and competence, especially for his acumen in constitutional and legal affairs, many had expected to have him serve in a related capacity under Akufo Addos government, rather than a most impoverished and defunct sector as the railways. Unknown to the masses, the astute politician promised himself to challenge the odds and make it one of his legacies in serving the country he said. In acknowledging his effort and the dignity hes accorded the traditional authorities, President of the Western Region House of Chiefs, Ogyeahoho Yaw Gyebi II, during a briefing from the Minister, called on the house to hail some praise on Joe Ghartey for beating their imaginations He said; some of us were saddened by the news of his appointment by the President as the Minister for Railways Development. We know him to be an esteemed lawyer, an Attorney General and Minister for Justice, and other positionsbut we felt it was that odd for him to be have been appointed to head a new sector. I pondered and realized that this challenge that the President placed on him usher him into greatness and that we shall share in that repute. And we are happy that he never disappointed us 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 Kimberly Reese has never visited Ghana, but she is already designing her dream home there. The Ohio mother of five says she doesnt feel safe in the United States. Some of us are tired, said Reese, 54. Some of us just want to be in an environment where we dont have to look over our shoulders. Where we dont have to worry about our sons getting pulled over. Shed rather focus on floor plans some 6,000 miles away. As the United States again confronts its history of racism, as outrage again erupts over police killings, leaders in Ghana say theyre rolling out the welcome mat for black Americans who want to get away from the turmoil. The government has negotiated with local chiefs to earmark 500 acres of land near the nations center for newcomers, carving out enough space for about 1,500 families. Survey and registration fees are waived for members of the African diaspora. The effort grew out of a public campaign called the Year of Return, which attracted a record number of tourists to the West African country last year four centuries after the first slave ship reached Virginia and aims to convert visitors to residents with special land deals, expatriate guides and easier paths to citizenship. We want to remind our kin over there that there is a place you can escape to, said Akwasi Agyeman, chief executive of the Ghana Tourism Authority. That is Africa. Reese, who owns a public relations agency in Cincinnati, heard about the deal from her close friend and business partner, who is from Ghana. She can work anywhere with an Internet connection and has tucked away savings from her time in corporate America, where a manager once said her natural hair was inappropriate for the workplace. Now old pain swirls with renewed fears: What if police stop her teenage son on his walk to the recreation center? It isnt like that in Ghana, she said. You dont have to worry about being black. The number of visitors in 2019 from January to September leaped by 237,000 a 45 percent increase, according to the Ghana Tourism Authority. Most came from the United States. Officials are building on that upswing with a 10-year program, launched in June, to entice people to keep their talents (and money) in Ghana. Outreach has ramped up since the killing of George Floyd in the custody of Minneapolis police, which set off protests worldwide including in Ghanas capital, Accra. President Nana Akufo-Addo sent the countrys traditional kente cloth to Floyds family after his funeral in Houston. Mourners held their own memorial for the slain American in seaside Accra, chanting some of his last words, I cant breathe. An activist holds a placard in Accra, Ghana, on June 6 during a demonstration against the death of George Floyd. An activist holds a placard in Accra, Ghana, on June 6 during a demonstration against the death of George Floyd. (Nipah Dennis/AFP/Getty Images) We continue to open our arms and invite all our brothers and sisters home, Barbara Oteng Gyasi, Ghanas tourism minister, said at a televised ceremony. Build a life in Ghana. You do not have to stay where you are not wanted forever. Ghana has extended such invitations for decades. After the country declared independence from Britain in 1957, the first prime minister, Kwame Nkrumah, received a series of American civil rights leaders. He thought the independence of Ghana was meaningless without the total liberation of people of African descent everywhere in the world, said Kevin Gaines, a professor of civil rights and justice at the University of Virginia. Martin Luther King Jr., one of his first guests, told his congregation that Nkrumah had urged them to come and help build the new nation. A handful of Americans accepted that mission. Among them: Pauli Murray, a prominent activist and lawyer who landed at the Ghana School of Law in Accra. She lacked professional opportunities and ended up helping Ghana develop its legal and constitutional infrastructure, said Gaines, who wrote a book about the period. The movement stalled after a coup ousted Nkrumah in 1966 and autocracy swept much of the continent. Today roughly 3,000 American expatriates live in Ghana. Some view the arrivals as wealthy outsiders in a country where 30 percent of the population lives on less than $3.20 per day. The government has urged people to stop calling them foreigners. (A previous marketing campaign cast the Americans as brothers and sisters.) Not everyone feels welcome: A colonial-era law still criminalizes homosexuality. The rule is rarely enforced, but LGBT activists in Ghana say it fuels discrimination and harassment. Leaders play up other cultural and economic selling points, promoting lower costs, glittering shorelines and early investment opportunities in developing industries. Travel restrictions during the pandemic havent chilled interest, said Maurice Cheetham, who runs a tour company in Accra. People are angry about Floyd and others who met violent ends at the hands of law enforcement. About the coronavirus killing disproportionately high numbers of black Americans. About President Trump retweeting a video that featured a supporter yelling, White power! With the political climate, people are really looking to get here as soon as they can, Cheetham said. One is Kindra Parker, 42, who spent this week packing up her house in Detroit. The music publicist fell in love with Accra when she visited in 2018 and planned to return for two months this spring. Her fiance grew up there. Then the pandemic hit, and Ghana suspended international flights. Parker had never felt so trapped in America. Im scouring my house, purging it, throwing everything away, she said. As soon as the borders open, Im out. She plans to get married and stay in Ghana for the long haul. Parker had long sensed that racism was holding her back. Her credit was good why did that bank deny her a loan? And her industry seemed to have a titanium ceiling. Maybe she didnt have to work twice as hard as her white peers to advance in Ghana. Everyone says, Ghana has its problems, too,? she said. Of course it does. However, its 63 years old. How old is America? Weve had a minute to get this right. The headlines have exhausted Khadijah Polly, 38, who owns a popcorn company in Houston. Her mind has lately strayed to Ghana, where one trip turned into a three-year visas worth of regular visits. Polly craves the rooftops, the ocean, the pineapples she swears are uniquely tasty, the relaxation she rarely finds in the United States. Initially when I got there, I had zero expectations, she said. Then something felt familiar like home and thats when I made the connection: Oh, this is what its like to just walk.? Now shes sure: The country holds her future. Do I want to have the feeling of being free and excited and curious? Polly said. Or do I want to continue to feel frustrated, sad, and disrespected? Reese made a similar calculation in deciding to leave Ohio. Shes eyeing a plot near Kumasi, the capital of the southern Ashanti region. There are some gorgeous houses going up, she said. Theyre making it very reasonable, very affordable. That she has never been to West Africa doesnt concern her. She has felt pulled toward the region for years. Her boyfriend is from Ghana. Her former husband is Nigerian. Her ticket to Accra is booked. Shes studying one of the local dialects, Twi, and mulling dual citizenship. Ghana is a very peaceful country, she said. We want to experience that. We want to reconnect with our ancestors. We want to teach our kids our true history. The next step is the construction blueprint. Reese is torn between a two-story home with a generous veranda and something more original: a circular model meant to blend with the forest. Source: washingtonpost.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video The Voter Registration Exercise in the Eastern Region is progressing smoothly with the observance of the covid-19 preventive protocols. A visit by the Ghana News Agency (GNA) to some selected registration centres in the New Juaben South Municipality including the Wesley International School, St Dominic Primary School and the Housing Corporation Centre saw party agents and security personnel at all the centres. The Wesley International School Registration Centres 1 and 2 at Adweso near Koforidua had registered 549 and 317 applicants, respectively, for the first three days. The St Dominic Primary School Registration Centre 1 had registered 233 applicants, Centre 2 had registered 305, with the Housing Corporation Centre registering 354. The Registration Officer at the St Dominic Primary 1 Registration Centre, Mr Ampate Kodua, told the GNA that the exercise had been smooth except for the intermittent slowing down of the machines. Mr Robert Opata Mate-Wayo, the Registration Officer for the Housing Corporation Centre, mentioned a few challenges with the registration machine but said measures had been put in place to rectify it. In all the centres visited, there were hand sanitizers, veronica buckets with water and soap for hand washing, and thermometer guns to check the temperatures of applicants before being allowed to the centres. 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 Flagbearer of the National Democratic Congress, John Dramani Mahama has paid a courtesy call on the party's founder, former President Jerry John Rawlings, to discuss issues related to the party. Though details of the meeting were not stated, one of the major things likely to have been discussed includes the choice of his running mate for the upcoming December polls. An earlier reportage indicates that John Dramani Mahama may choose one person amongst these five persons Prof. Jane Naana Opoku Agyemang, Dr. Kwabena Duffuor, Kwesi Botchway, Kwame Awuah Darko and Dr. Cadman Mills as his running mate. John Dramani Mahama, taking to his social media platform; Twitter to announce his meeting with J.J Rawlings, said "I called on @officeofJJR, this morning in his office, to discuss a number of NDC-related issues. Very warm discussions as always". Read below former president Mahama's tweet; I called on @officeofJJR, this morning in his office, to discuss a number of NDC-related issues. Very warm discussions as always. pic.twitter.com/Jv4pzE8Qof John Dramani Mahama (@JDMahama) July 4, 2020 Read below J.J Rawlings' tweet too below; Flagbearer former President @JDMahama called on me at my office on Saturday morning during which we held warm discussions on party matters. pic.twitter.com/KVlczrZ2sM Jerry John Rawlings (@officeofJJR) July 4, 2020 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 Now, more than ever, the world needs trustworthy reportingbut good journalism isnt free. Please support us by subscribing or contributing today. Stakeholders including the Champions of Change in the Wa Municipality have deliberated on the need to harmonize and gazette community child protection by-laws to ensure girls are well protected against any form of abuse. The move is part of the implementation of the Girls Advocacy Alliance (GAA) project by the Centre for the Promotion of Democratic Governance (CENPRODEG) and the Defense for Children International Ghana with sponsorship from the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The project is focused on four thematic areas namely, child marriage; child abuse and gender-based violence; commercial sexual exploitation; and Technical, Vocational Education and Training (TVET) and employment. Speaking during the stakeholder deliberation forum dubbed: Regional Advocacy on Promoting Equal Rights and Opportunities for Girls and Young Women, Madam Edith Naaza, Project Coordinator of CENPRODEG, an NGO, said the absence of a well-recognized community child protection by-laws was affecting the fight to protect the girl-child. She said the harmonization and gazetting of the by-laws would give power and authority to community leaders to be able to sanction perpetrators of child abuse as prescribed by the by-laws. When community members become aware that in their own community they have by-laws prohibiting them from engaging in child marriage, impregnating teenagers, or commercially exploiting young girls, they will restrain themselves from those abusive acts, Madam Naaza said. Madam Matilda Doopireh Chireh, the Acting Upper West Regional Director of the Department of Children, said both boys and girls at their adolescent age have high sexual desires that often pushed them into taken wrong decisions, hence the need for parents to understand and give them adequate protection. She urged parents to also endeavour to provide the basic needs of the girl-child to ensure that men do not take advantage of that to abuse them. Madam Chireh called on communities to come up with their by-laws and own them so that they could use them to protect their children. Mr Umar Musah, Wa Municipal Director of Social Welfare and Community Development, urged parents to take very good care of their children by ensuring that before they themselves go to bed their children especially the girl-child was already on bed. 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 journalist has been shot dead 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. Source: BBC Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video The European Union has approved the use of remdesivir to treat severe cases of Coronavirus. The announcement was made on Friday July 3, days after the US effectively stockpiled the worlds entire supply of the antiviral medication. Its approval came after two major US studies showed that remdesivir can reduce the duration of hospital stay for COVID-19 patients. EU Health Commissioner Stella Kyriakides said in a statement; Todays authorisation of a first medicine to treat COVID-19 is an important step forward in the fight against this virus. We are granting this authorisation less than a month after the application was submitted, showing clearly the EUs determination to respond quickly whenever new treatments become available. Remdesivir which is the only anti-coronavirus medication to be given the green light in the EU, was originally intended as a treatment for Ebola. It was approved in UK at the end of May, with health officials outlining that it would only be used to treat the sickest patients. It is one of two drugs approved in Britain to treat COVID-19, the other being a cheap steroid called dexamethasone. Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Mr Jeffery Adda, the Builsa North District Director of the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) in the Upper East Region says self-education and attitudinal change among citizens are needed to contain the spread of COVID-19. He called on members of the public to imbibe in themselves the culture of self-education to acquire knowledge on the COVID-19 protocols and also propagate the message in their various communities. Even though we are doing our part as a Commission, to sensitize the general public, we cannot do it all, Mr Adda said in an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA) at Sandema. He said the media and other stakeholders including citizens, need to join the NCCE in the COVID-19 education in the District and across the entire country. The Director said the NCCE has the constitutional mandate to undertake civic education on rights and responsibilities of members of the public and reiterated the need for citizens to educate themselves on the COVID-19 safety protocols and adhere to same. The COVID-19 pandemic is real, and we as NCCE have been tasked by the President to reach out to Ghanaians to sensitize them on the reality of the pandemic, it is our duty to inform members of the public on the need to observe the safety protocols, he said. In line with the Commissions mandate to educate citizens, a public address system was mounted on its vehicle which moves into communities in the District to propagate safety precautionary messages mostly in Buli, the local dialect. Mr Adda said the NCCE visited several communities in the District including Seniensi, Zogsa, Kaasa and Yikpieng to educate them on how to properly wash their hands, put on their face masks and how to remove it. He said even though they had challenges in the exercise, Once the disease is here with us, we have to make sure we hit every corner, every village, and every hamlet of this District. The GNA observed that in spite of the education from his outfit, most prospective registrants at designated centres for the Ghana Card registration exercise, especially at Sandema, defied the Ghana Health Service protocols of social distancing and the use of face masks. Responding to the attitude of registrants at the designated centres for the Ghana Card registration which seemed to suggest efforts of the NCCE was in vain, Mr Adda said, this has to do with attitudinal change. It will take time, but we hope that with the rest of the days, things will change. We have gone round the centres, both the voters registration and Ghana Card registration centres and encouraged officials there to constantly educate the people to observe the protocols. 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 total of 175 projects have been executed in the Ashanti Region over the last three years to facilitate quality educational delivery, Mr. Simon Osei-Mensah, the Regional Minister, has disclosed. The projects, he said, ranged from classroom blocks, dormitories, staff bungalows to the provision of furniture. They were delivered to expand facilities in educational institutions in the Region, following the implementation of the Free Senior High School (SHS) Programme. Mr. Osei-Mensah, who was speaking at an awards ceremony at Patase in Kumasi, said the governments educational initiative had seen an overwhelming increase in student enrolment There is, therefore, the need to up infrastructural development to address the expected challenges while providing the requisite space and environment for an interrupted academic work. The awards ceremony was organized by the Kumasi Senior High Technical School (KSTS), Patase, to honour the Minister, as well as the Metropolitan Chief Executive (MCE), Mr. Osei Assibey-Antwi, for their commitment to educational growth in the Region. It had in attendance Nana Adu Ansere Sarpong, Chief of Patase, who is also the Abenasehene to the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II. The two awardees were presented with citations - recognizing their unalloyed dedication to bringing educational development in the Region to standard. The programme coincided with the inauguration of an 18-unit classroom block funded by the Ghana Education Trust Fund to create more learning space at the KSTS, a school with over five thousand student enrolment. Mr. Osei-Mensah observed that the Free SHS Programme was strategically introduced to enhance human resource development in the country. Posterity will vindicate the Nana Addo Dankwa-led Administration for introducing this novelty programme, he remarked and took a swipe at critics of the initiative for being short-sighted. Mr. Assibey-Antwi lauded the KSTS for the honour, saying, education featured prominently on the governments development agenda since the sector held the prospects of transforming Ghanas growth. For this reason, the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA) would not relent in spearheading projects meant to improve literacy amongst the people. The MCE, who started his basic education at the KSTS Primary School, said the Assembly would continue to support distressed schools in terms of infrastructural development for the benefit of pupils and students. Mr. Haruna Oppong-Boateng, the Headmaster of KSTS, said the authorities were grateful to the two awardees for the zeal they had demonstrated to making the School one of the best in the Region. 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 man known as Thomas Macias called himself an idiot for breaking social distancing guidance to attend a party then the worst happened, he died of coronavirus the next day. Thomas Macias, 51, was killed by the deadly disease on June 21, just a day after he lamented his decision to attend the family gathering, and on Friday, Riverside County health officials since confirmed Covid-19 as Maciass cause of death to NBC News. Marcias from Riverside County in California, after attending his family burial, infected at least 12 people and took to his Facebook account to lament on how bad he felt for breaking the rules. Posting on his Facebook account, Macias said: Some of you may know, but most dont. I fucked up and went out a couple of weeks ago and I contracted the corona virus. Because of my stupidity I put my mom and sisters and my familys health in jeopardy. This has been a very painful experience. This is no joke. If you have to go out wear a mask and practice social distancing. Dont be a fucking idiot like me. Hopefully with Gods help. Ill be able to survive this. Tragically, he died the next day after his post was made. Macias, suffered from diabetes and was overweight. He was strictly adhering to social distancing guidelines from March, when Governor of California Gavin Newsom announced new lockdown rules to combat the virus spread but decided to go to the event after the governor announced plans to begin easing distancing regulations in June. Afterwards, a friend whod also attended contacted Macias to say theyd tested positive for Covid-19. He took the test on June 16 and received a positive result two days later. According to NBC news, Macias condition deteriorated rapidly on June 21, and he was rushed to hospital. He was put on a ventilator at between 6pm and 7pm that evening, and died two hours later. Marcia's sister Veronica Lopez wants to share her familys tragic story to warn others of the dangers of Coronavirus. Lopez, said: I think what he wanted people to know, this is a real thing. Its serious, and it kills people. In California there is a total of 223,000 positive Coronavirus results, and close to 6,000 deaths . 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 African countries have lost almost US$55 billion in travel and tourism revenues in three months due to the coronavirus pandemic, the African Union (AU) commissioner for infrastructure and energy said on Thursday. Amani Abou-Zeid told a news conference the economic impact of lockdowns and border closures to curb the spread of the virus would be severe, with the continents air industry hit particularly hard. She said tourism and travel represented almost 10% of the gross domestic product of Africa. We have 24 million African families whose livelihood is linked to travel and tourism, Abou-Zeid said, adding the downturn had come in a year when Africa was expected to see an increase in travel and air transport. The blow is very hard, between the economic losses and the job losses, Abou-Zeid said. African airlines have seen a 95% drop in revenues, or about $8 billion, along with other losses such as the deterioration of assets, she said. Some airlines in the continent will not make it post-COVID-19, she said, adding the blow came at a time when some airlines were in the early stages of development, while others, such as South African Airways, were in difficulties even before the pandemic. Abou-Zeid said more resistant carriers such as Ethiopian Airlines were using the opportunity to acquire smaller struggling companies, but the outbreak had put a halt to the AUs plan for a single African air transport market. Prosper Zoo Mintoo, regional director for the International Civil Aviation Organization, told the news conference that African airlines would need an estimated $20 billion to resume operations. Ivory Coasts national airline Air Cote dIvoire, which restarted domestic flights on Friday, said it had received 14 billion CFA francs (US$24 million) from the government to keep it afloat. Source: reuters.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 NPP Member of Parliament for Adenta constituency, Yaw Buaben Asamoa has asked Kweku Baako Jnr. to allow Kennedy Agyepong to combine the 12 apologies into one after an Accra High Court ruling that the Assin Central MP should apologise to him over some defamatory comments. The Assin Central MP has been given a 30-day ultimatum to retract and apologize three times on the platforms he used to defame Kwaku Baako. This was after Kweku Baako sued him for defamation. Mr Baako has already indicated that he will go back to court if the MP fails to apologize or renders a superficial apology. Yaw Buaben Asamoa speaking on Peace FM's morning show 'Kokrokoo' suggested that instead of Kennedy Agyepong moving around from one media house to the other rendering an apology to the renowned journalist, he (Kweku Baako) should allow him (Kennedy Agyepong) to combine all probably in a press conference. 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 Popular Neat FM Broadcaster, Adakabre Frimpong Manso has described the late Sir John as a loyal person who does not think evil of anyone. According to him, Ghana has lost a leader who will forever be remembered because of his way of practising politics. He was speaking on UTV's 'Adekye Nsroma' programme Friday. Greater Accra Regional Chairman of the NDC, Joseph Ade Coker also recalled how both engaged in 'friendly fire' on the platform. According to him, he was confused when he heard the news. Listen to them in the video below: Source: Elizabeth Semiheva Bedi, 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 There are two aspects of last weeks New Patriotic Party (NPP) primaries that must be of concern to all Ghanaians including members of both the NPP and the National Democratic Congress (NDC). The first is the alleged buying of votes and the second is the apparent abuse of executive appointments in the pursuit of higher political office. Even before the primaries, many candidates had spoken of the infusion of money into the political game; one former parliamentary aspirant who contested twice to be an NPP candidate has documented his experiences in a book I recommended in this column some weeks ago. The Boneshaker Politician details how the author, Mr. A. K. Opoku, lost out to his opponent because the latter provided more money than he did in buying the affection of delegates in his constituency. According to the author, he made the mistake the first time he contested by sticking to his principles and refusing to pay money. On the second time of asking, he went in with his eyes open and did the deed. The night before the election, he settled all the delegates whose votes he could count on and they, in turn, gave him their word. The following morning, he noticed that even his delegates were avoiding eye contact with him. One bold delegate decided to put him out of his misery by spilling the beans. He told the author that his main rival had provided twice the amount he had doled out so the delegates had switched their votes to the man who had paid more. Many candidates, including victorious ones, have spoken of the huge sums of money and other material incentives they had provided to delegates to secure their votes. One candidate revealed that he had spent over one million cedis on delegates, while an angry loser has gone round delegates homes to collect 250 bicycles he had given to them for their votes. As someone quipped on social media, this person thought we were still in 2012. Apparently, even in 2016, bicycles were no longer sufficient. Some candidates provided motorcycles and cash; in some constituencies, smartphones were de rigueur. The overwhelming impression from these primaries is that money and material gains are the main considerations delegates take into the voting booth. This has been known to everyone in the party, including party bigwigs. Remember the immortal quote by Kwadwo Owusu Afriyie, better known as Sir John: FEAR DELEGATES. He said this after the Delegates Conference at Tamale in 2014. He was the NPP General Secretary. Whatever corruption prompted him to make that statement has become far worse in the six years since that time. One may ask why we should be worried; after all, these are private gifts from candidates own resources and it is nobodys business how they choose to spend it. The answer is simple. We should be worried BIG TIME. The party delegates are performing a public duty by electing men and women to whom we, as a nation, will entrust our future. Whenever people make a private profit from public duties it is called corruption, and that is what these candidates and delegates are doing. The candidates and delegates engage in corruption, not only of individual delegates but of the system. The country deserves and demands in Parliament men and women with the commitment and vision to drive our Ghana forward. When the main consideration is money, it means we cannot be assured that the people who eventually get into Parliament have the qualities to undertake that task. What is worse, the practice of money-cracy means that our democracy is shortchanged; better people with the right experience, attitude and credentials are prevented from giving their services to Ghana. It is the equivalent of using counterfeit money driving out good money with bad. In last weeks primaries, as many as 10 chairpersons and deputy chairpersons of important parliamentary select committees lost their seats. Of course, no-one is guaranteed a seat or a job in Parliament or in politics generally, but political parties ought to be sensitive to the needs of the nation for experience and competence. This can only happen when the main political parties that realistically provide both government and opposition develop politics that can aid that process. The other issue that must cause us concern is the apparent abuse of executive office in pursuing political ambitions. Our Constitution gives the President the power to appoint heads of several state and parastatal institutions, especially the state-owned enterprises and regulatory agencies. These appointments tend to be political and go to party members of the victorious party after elections. Of course, the President also appoints ministers who are not members of parliament. Increasingly, we see people holding ministerial and executive positions scrambling for parliamentary seats while still holding office. We understand that as politicians they are in the market to seek high office but as the saying goes, no-one can serve two masters; it would be hard for them to campaign effectively only in their own private time. They are likely to use official time for which they are being paid from the public purse to pursue their political ambition. How can we be sure that these people concentrate on the job at hand when their main focus is on becoming their partys candidate for Parliament? Similarly, we cannot be sure that they are not using their official vehicles and fuel or even staff to work on their political activities. We can all agree that it is not good for people to use state resources to pursue private interests, and without evidence, we cannot say that this is what is happening. But it makes sense to speculate that this is what is going on because given the nature of the competition for parliamentary nominations, only total dedication to the cause will do. No-one would argue for a ban on these state-employed politicians from seeking parliamentary seats. That will not be fair. However, we must protect public resources, so the solution is simple: anyone wishing to compete in primaries or any political office while in office must first resign. We have to set a time frame, say, six months to any primaries, when people in executive positions in public institutions must resign. One has to concede that this is not a new idea. In fact, the NPP in opposition went as far as the Supreme Court to have this idea established as law but failed at the Supreme Court. It was the right thing to do, so one has to ask, what stops the party from living its own principles? 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 Speaker of Parliament Prof Aaron Michael Oquaye on Friday directed that officials of the Electoral Commission (EC) must be in Parliament, two weeks after the voter registration exercise is over, to appraise the House on its preparations towards the conduct of the 2020 general elections. I have directed that the EC should come and brief us and that if any honorable member has any issues, questions, queries, he or she is entitled, Speaker Oquaye said. His directive follows a signal he gave last week that he would be compelled to fix a date for the ECs briefing if it was not made part of the Business Statement of the House in a weeks time. The EC on Tuesday, 30th June, 2020, began the conduct of a new voter registration exercise that would span 38 days and is targeting between 16 million and 16.5 million people to register. And in the Business Statement for the for the Eighth Week ending Friday, 10th July 2020, Mr Kwasi Ameyaw Cheremeh, the Majority Chief Whip, on behalf of Majority Leader and Leader of Government Business Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, announced that the Office of the Majority Leader is liaising with the Chairperson of the Electoral Commission to attend upon the House for a briefing on their work programme. The Majority Leader added: Mr Speaker, mindful of the busy schedule of the Commission, in view of the ongoing registration exercise, a favourable date, as may be agreed upon, would be communicated to Honourable Members. Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu also announced that in order to meet the constitutional requirements relating to the coming into force of subsidiary legislations presented to the House, the Business Committee proposes that the House sits on Mondays, 13th July 2020, to Monday, 3rd August 2020. This, Mr Ameyaw- Cheremeh, explained related specifically to CI 94, which is related to the Transfer of Votes, and sitting on Mondays which would enable them fill the 21 sittings days constitutional requirement for the instrument to mature. As the House discussed the Business Statement, Mr Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, MP for North Tongu Constituency, drew the nations attention on who are acting for the Ministers for Health, Education, and Regional Reorganisation and Development, who are now Covid-19 patients. Who is acting, we need to know so that in our dealings, we know who to direct our issues to. They are very important portfolios, Mr Ablakwa said. Mr Ameyaw-Cheremeh, in response, said the response to the query was not in the purview of the Business Committee and that when the President provides names those who would act for the affected Ministers to the Speaker, it would be made known to the House. 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 Council of Elders of the Convention Peoples Party (CPP) has inaugurated a five-member Interim Oversight Committee under the chairmanship of Mr R.O. Frimpong-Manso to oversee the activities of the Party towards its National Delegates Congress. The Council, which inaugurated the committee at a special meeting in Accra on Friday, also named Dr Adolf Lutterodt and Professor Nii Noi Dowuona as the chairmen for the Extended Congress Planning Committee and Vetting Committee respectively. This was contained in a statement signed by Mr James Kwabena Bomfeh Junior, the Acting General Secretary of the Party and copied to the Ghana News Agency in Accra. The statement said the action by the Council of Elders was in keeping with the terms of the consent judgment adopted and granted by Madam Mariama Sammo of the Accra Commercial High Court 3 dated Thursday July 2, 2020. The Party wishes all comrades well and invites each member to eschew tendencies that undermine the fortunes and progress of the Party. Let the conduct of every member reflect our much cherished song. There is victory for us, it said. 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 ongoing voters' registration exercise has been described by many as generally peaceful except some few incidents of violence in selected areas. A shooting incident was reportedly recorded at Kotobabi a suburb of Accra few days ago. According to reports, three unidentified gunmen on motorbikes fired indiscriminately from some 100 metres away from the centre, sending prospective registrants running helter-skelter. Apart from that Member of Parliament for the Asutifi South, Collins Dauda, was attacked whilst monitoring processes at some registration centres at Acherensua, a town in the Asutifi South Constituency in the Ahafo Region. I went on monitoring to see how the registration is going on and at the Methodist Primary School, a gentleman pulled out something. Without provocation, he pulled out something and sprayed into my eyes and it turned out to be pepper spray. It happened in the midst of policemen deployed from the regional command at Goaso. They are the ones who helped me into their car because my car wasnt around, and took me to the hospital where I received treatment at Acherensua Health Center, he narrated. Meanwhile, adherence to COVID-19 safety protocols is still a challenge at some registration centres. Commenting on this, Kwesi Pratt Jnr. also narrated an incident where his team covering the registration exercise was attacked at a centre in Accra. His cameraman was slapped by an NPP woman only known as Auntie Ama who was also openly bragging that she was a National Security official. 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 The General Secretary of the NPP, John Boadu, on Thursday, July 2, 2020, visited some registration centres in the Greater Accra Region to assess the ongoing voter registration exercise of the electoral commission. He was accompanied by some of the regional executives of the NPP in the Greater Accra Region including the Regional Chairman, Divine Agorhum Otoo; the regional organizer, Prince Obeng; Regional Secretary, Daniel Parker Odarlai, among others. In the Bortianor Ngleshie Amanfro Constituency, the team visited the Galilia, Amanfrom, and Mahemy registration centres. The team proceeded to the Anya Sowutoum Constituency where they visited the Odorgonno model school registration centre, and then to the Mount Amalipo and St Jude Roman School registration centres in the Weija-Gbawe Constituency. They wrapped up their tour for the day at the Odododiodioo Constituency where they visited the Fire Service registration centre, Water and Sewage registration centre and the Ayalolo 6&8 Primary School registration centres in the central business district of Accra. They were joined by the respective Parliamentary Candidates of the NPP in the constituencies they visited. At each registration centre, John Boadu and the members of the team interacted with the registration officials who walked them through the registration process and also gave an account of the exercise in their respective centres including where applicable, challenges they encountered in the process. Speaking to some media personnel after visiting the centres regarding his observation, John Boadu expressed general contentment about the exercise and urged all eligible Ghanaians to go out there and register in order to entitle them to exercise their constitutional right to vote come December 7. He was however concerned that in some of the registration centres the team visited, the compliance level to the Covid-19 health protocols particularly the restrictions on social distancing was low, whereupon he appealed to prospective registrants to adhere strictly to the protocols. Source: peacefmonline.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video The National Executive Officers of the NPP led the National Chairman, Hon Freddy Blay, on Friday, July 3, 2020, paid a visit to the residence of Lawyer Kwadwo Owusu Afriyie, the former General Secretary of the party who passed on to glory two days ago. The essence of the visit was to commiserate with the immediate bereaved family of the late party colossus, whose shocking demise shook the very foundation of the nations political landscape owing to his extraordinary attributes and disposition which endeared him to all. On behalf of the delegation and for that matter the national party, Chairman Freddy Blay, John Boadu and Sammi Awuku signed a book of condolence opened in honor of the Late Former General Secretary. The delegation also donated an undisclosed amount of money to the bereaved family and assured them of the partys commitment to supporting the family in these trying times. The delegation comprised the NPP National Chairman, Freddy Blay; the General Secretary, John Boadu; the 1st National Vice Chairperson, Madam Rita Talata Asobayire; the 3rd National Vice Chairman, Omari Wadie; the National Treasurer, Mr. Abankwa Yeboah; and the National Organiser, Sammi Awuku. Other members of the delegation were the National Nasara Coordinator, Abdul Aziz Futah; the National Women Organizer, Madam Kate Gyamfua; the Director of Research and Elections, Evans Nimako; the Director of Finance and Administration, Collins Nuamah; a Deputy Communications Director, Maame Yaa Aboagye; a Deputy MASLOC CEO, Mame Afia Akoto and a Deputy YEA CEO, Madam Lydia Atiemo among others. 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 Veteran Ghanaian actor, Kofi Adjorlolo has said he misses the relationship he shared with his late wife, Charity Nyarko and the role she played in his life some years ago. "My late wife," his response when asked who he misses most. Taking his turn on the '30 questions' segment on Angel Drive hosted by Quophi Okyeame, he expressed how he cherished the wife. "Wherever she is, she should rest in peace and I know shes resting in peace. Recounting some fond memories of his late wife, Kofi Ajorlolo said she was always calm and collected even in periods he faulted in their relationship. anytime Im being stubborn, she just takes it cool; thats why I sometimes miss her, he said. Kofi Adjorlolo, lost his wife Charity Nyarko, at a private hospital in Awoshie, August 2011. Mr Adjorlolo had planned to tie the knot with 49-year-old Charity Nyarko in December 2011 when she unfortunately passed. It is true; I lost the woman I have planned to marry after a very long time," he told the media at the time. 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 Forme hiplife great turned evangelist, Lord Kenya, has revealed that he foretold many years ago that Ghanaian pastors are going to meet their downfall. According to Lord Kenya, he predicted many years ago that the Ghanaian pastors behaving in wicked ways would eventually be exposed, which is what is happening currently. He told BTM Afrika in an interview: Some of us spoke about this years ago but people would just not pay attention. We spoke about how some pastors are duping others, sleeping with the wives of church members, falsifying things and thats exactly what Kennedy Agyapong is going after on TV, he said. Lord Kenya added: I cautioned these abominable acts would cause disaffection for the church and cause others to chase us in the churches and thats exactly whats happening, Lord Kenyas call comes after Honourable Assin Central MP Kennedy Agyapong turned himself into an unsolicited soldier of God, fighting all fake pastors in Ghana and exposing their evil deeds. So far hes taken on Bishop Daniel Obinim and Prophet Nigel Gaisie with many more to come. 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 Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, has denied having any links with arrested suspected fraudster, Hushpuppi. Earlier today, the ruling party, APC released a statement in which it urged the EFCC and other security agencies to investigate the links between Hushpuppi and some PDP chieftains. The party in its statement said Hushpuppi has been photographed with Atiku and some other PDP stalwarts like Bukola Saraki, Dino Melaye, and Yakubu Dogara and so they should be investigated to determine if they have any link with Hushpuppi. Reacting to the statement by APC, Paul Ibe, media aide to the former Vice President, said the photo of Atiku and Hushpuppi making the rounds was a mere photo-op and not at any meeting as is being speculated. Read the statement from Ibe below ''It is curious that the All Progressives Congress is mischievously trying to link Atiku Abubakar to the alleged fraudster, Ramon Abbas, AKA Hushpuppi, simply because he was photographed with Atiku at an event where many Nigerians had gathered. For the avoidance of doubt, it was a mere photo-op and not at any meeting as being ingloriously speculated. We would advise the APC and Mr. Nabena to be very mindful of such senseless statements in the future especially as the case under reference is a subject of litigation in another country. Had they been more sensitive, they would have come to terms with the reality that the case is a national embarrassment - not something to cheer about for any political blackmail.'' 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 One of Lancaster Countys most iconic eateries, the all-you-can-eat Shady Maple Smorgasbord, has announced plans to reopen Thursday, July 9. The restaurant, which specializes in Pennsylvania Dutch foods from chicken pot pie to whoopie pies and claims to serve 1.5 million people each year, says on its Facebook page that when it opens, it will feature a "touchless" buffet. The restaurant in East Earl Township said it also will continue to provide Meals To Go to allow it to "continue serving our high risk guests and those that may not be ready for the touchless buffet experience." In order to prepare, the restaurant says it will close its current Meals To Go program starting on July 4, to prepare for a "new and improved launch" at 11 a.m. Thursday. To comply with the recent mandate, we will be asking all guests to wear a mask during your visit unless youre seated at your table, said the smorgasbords Facebook page. We will be providing all the necessary precautions to move you through the buffet keeping you and our team as safe as possible. Among other changes, the restaurant's web site said it will operate at 50 percent capacity. It is asking guests to maintain a six-foot distance and will be placing signs and guides throughout the building as reminders. It also has installed plexiglass shields between the customer service counter and registered, and plans to sanitize dining tables before each party is seated. The "touchless" buffet will require guests hands to be gloved gloves and hand sanitizer will be provided when getting food, and serving utensils will be changed every 30 minutes, according to the website. Extra staff has been added to clean high-traffic areas every 30 minutes, and do a thorough cleaning after closing each day. Employees will be required to wear masks during their shift and maintain social distance in the employee break room, the website says. Handwashing breaks are scheduled every 30 minutes. We look forward to seeing you and serving you with the same Shady Maple excellence as before but in a slightly different way, says the notice on the restaurants Facebook page. A suspected shootout inside the Riverchase Galleria in Hoover, Alabama, Friday afternoon killed a young boy, who was shot in the head, and injured three others, police confirmed Friday night. The gunfire erupted at 3:18 p.m. on the first floor of the states largest mall. Among the injured was 8-year-old Royta Giles Jr. His mother did not want her name used, but spoke to AL.com about what happened. The 8-year-old boy was transported to Childrens Hospital by a Hoover Fire Department rescue unit. He was pronounced dead shortly after his arrival at the Birmingham hospital. A girl also was transported to Childrens Hospital. A man was taken from American Family Care to UAB hospital. And one woman was transported by ambulance from the Galleria to UAB Hospital. All three of their conditions are unknown. Roytas mother said she and her three children and the childrens stepfather were waiting to get into Childrens Place, a childs clothing store. Because of COVID-19 precautions, the store allows only a certain number of people inside at a time. The mother said three people had just come out, but since there were more of them, they had to wait for one more person to exit. All of the sudden, shots rang out. We heard the gunshots and I grabbed them and we hit the ground,' she said. When we all got up, he was the only one who didnt get up. She said Royta just finished the second grade at Jonesboro Elementary in Bessemer. Thats my baby, my firstborn,' she said. Family members said he was energetic and always smiling. He had aspirations to become a rapper. To the people who did this, if I could say anything to them, its I dont care about justice or anything like that,' she said. I wouldnt say Im religious, I would say Im more spiritual, and the person who did this is going to have to answer for that whether it is to whoever they pray to or if its the streets. This one hits home,' the mother said. They took a good one. Hoover police Capt. Gregg Rector said officers responded to the mall at 3:18 p.m. after receiving multiple calls of shots fired inside the Galleria near the food court. He said they dont yet know definitively what led to the shooting or how many gunmen were involved. Bessemer City Schools on Friday night discussed the loss of Royta. 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, said Bessemer City Schools superintendent, Dr. Autumm Jeter. Royta was heading to the third grade this fall. Jonesboro Elementary Principal Anjell Edwards and staff described 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 Van James. We have not gotten details about how many people have been shot. I saw one conscious female taken on stretcher to ambulance pic.twitter.com/mt81Xp7Esy carol robinson (@RobinsonCarol) July 3, 2020 Mayor Frank Brocato and Police Chief Nick Derzis held a press briefing Friday night. After learning what transpired this afternoon at the Riverchase Galleria, I was heartbroken, Brocato said. The mayor praised Hoover police and firefighters for their quick response to the shooting. The Shelby County Sheriffs Office, the Alabama State Troopers and Pelham police are among other agencies who responded to the Galleria. He said they treated the injured and contained the scene in a matter of minutes. Our prayers go out to all of those affected by this senseless event. Brocato said he visited with Roytas parents after the boy had been pronounced dead. Its a very senseless tragedy and of course they are devastated by this,' he said. I want to ask all of the citizens of Hoover and the metropolitan area to pray for this family, keep them in your prayers. This is certainly a tragic situation when you have an innocent child who gets caught in the middle of an altercation between others,' Derzis said. Detectives continue their efforts to collect evidence and try to identify possible suspects. Were currently following up on some very good leads and I can tell you were already making progress. We will use every available resource to our disposal to make sure that we solve this senseless crime. Jefferson County District Attorney Danny Carr arrived later at the shooting scene. This is another unfortunate incident involving young people and guns and at some point weve got to get a handle on it,' Carr said. They dont understand the ramifications of their actions. The Riverchase Galleria will remain closed Saturday, according to a press release issued by the mall. AL.com reporter Connor Sheets contributed to this story. More: 2 women seriously injured as car drives through protest on closed Seattle highway Man killed at barbershop moved to Harrisburg from Puerto Rico for a better life Pa. man, 22, faces homicide charges in triple-fatal crash while street-racing his Ford Mustang Fairbanks, AK (99707) Today Rain showers this evening with clearing overnight. Low 54F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 40%.. Tonight Rain showers this evening with clearing overnight. Low 54F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 40%. RIO RANCHO, N.M. (AP) 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 he's 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, Sadhana's 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 People's Moral Justice Jubilee Policy Platform. That platform seeks more attention to poverty and police reforms. Last month, the Poor People's Campaign held a virtual march that attracted more than 2.5 million viewers on Facebook. By RUSSELL CONTRERAS, The Associated Press More: 2 women seriously injured as car drives through protest on closed Seattle highway Take A Knee protest against against racism, police brutality set for July 4 in Harrisburg Another Confederate monument falls, this time on the West Shore Amazon briefly stopped delivering packages to part of a York County town recently, citing an unspecified incident. But what the incident was that left some packages undelivered is not yet known. There was a recent incident involving an Amazon customer and a delivery driver, the York Dispatch is reporting, citing several emails from Amazon Logistics Customer Service. Packages shipped from the fulfillment center in Edgewood, Maryland, to New Freedom were being marked as undeliverable by drivers and returned starting last week, according to reports. The Southern Regional Police Department was aware of the situation with the undelivered packages but did not know of a particular incident that would have spurred the halt in delivery. Emails customers received indicated the halt in deliveries was permanent, the York Dispatch is reporting, but now, whatever it the situation was appears to be over. Delivery operations have resumed in the area, Amazon public relations specialist Katelyn Richardson told PennLive through an email today. Amazons top priority is the safety of our associates and delivery partners. She would not say what the incident was but indicated the delivery disruption in part of New Freedom was temporary. We temporarily adjusted our typical delivery operations in some areas to ensure the safety of our teams, she said. Our customer service team is available to work with any customer who is experiencing an issue to resolve as quickly as possible. 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 Hadriana Lowenkron, The Philadelphia Inquirer 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. 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. Approximately 100 community members lined Front Street and took a knee for 8 minutes, 46 seconds in solidarity with Black Lives Matter Saturday morning in Harrisburg. Participants held signs reading Black Lives Matter and White silence is white violence as cars driving by honked their horns in support. At 11 a.m. participants took a knee, and stayed there for the precise amount of time a Minneapolis Police officer knelt on the neck of George Floyd, who died after being so restrained. Floyd Stokes, founder of the African American Memorial Fund, organized the demonstration after being frustrated with police brutality against unarmed Black people. I cant think of a better day to protest, to exhibit our freedom of speech, than July 4, Independence Day, Stokes said. 10 Take a knee protest in Harrisburg Participants gathered after this demonstration to hear remarks from Stokes, retired state police officer Byron Lewis and others. Lewis said that being a former police officer and a Black man gives him a unique perspective on current events. He said the African American Memorial Fund is not anti-police but instead supports anyone negatively affected by police brutality. Law enforcement has been, for the most part, a little behind the curve for dealing with folks of diverse backgrounds, he said. It is encouraging to me to see such a cross-section of this community here. The group had positive energy and many members bumped elbows and introduced themselves to those around them. Stokes asked the participants to thank each other for coming at the end of the event. Stokes promoted social distancing at the demonstration by appointing block captains who made sure participants were spaced six feet apart and monitored the crowd. President of Black Lives Matter Harrisburg Claudie Kenion said We just want justice, we want equality for the Black race. Rafiyqa Muhammad, a Harrisburg resident, said she came to the demonstration to stand up for injustices and represent her son, Ishmael Muhammed who was killed by local police in 2013. The district attorney ruled that the shooting was justified. I havent been able to get any justice for my son, I dont even have his death certificate, she said.Im here to support and I feel compelled to speak for all mothers who maybe cant, or dont know how. Muhammad spoke to the crowd at the end of the demonstration as well. We have to do better, she said. Its awesome that we all came together, but we still got a lot of issues. Hundreds of protests and demonstrations have sprung up across the country after George Floyd, a 46-year-old Black man, died while in police custody last May. Pennsylvania lawmakers recently passed legislation in response to local demonstrations that strengthen police hiring, training and mental health evaluations. It heads to Gov. Tom Wolfs desk for enactment. Take a knee, because none of us is free until all of us are free, the Facebook post advertising the protest read. Doreen Sawyers, a former corrections officer in Harrisburg, has participated in two other kneeling demonstrations this year. George Floyd is my awakening, she said. A lot of people have been passive, me for one, and Im not passive no more. He was my awakening. Participant Destiny Brown, a member of the Total Deliverance Ministry, said Im going to stand here and Im going to take a knee for George Floyd and for the other people who have went on before him and those coming after him. Stokes founded the African American Memorial Fund last month to support Black families that have been affected by police brutality. The fund plans to raise money for everything from burial expenses to college scholarships. Were grateful for the outpour of community support, Stokes said. Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water, it turns out you cant go into the air, either. Thats what some South Carolina beach goers may have been thinking when they saw a shark-like fish. In the air. Being carried by bird of prey. The Track Sharks Twitter account shared the viral video of a large bird-of-prey carrying the fish over a crowded section of Myrtle Beach. You can watch the video here: Anyone know what type of bird this is and is it holding a shark? #myrtlebeach Kelly Burbage pic.twitter.com/gc59xihiM7 Tracking Sharks (@trackingsharks) June 30, 2020 The video was taken by Tennessee native Ashley White last weekend, which she shot from the 17th floor of the building where she was staying, CBS News is reporting. Experts who were among those weighing in said the fish, wiggling to get free from the birds talons, was likely a ladyfish or an Atlantic Spanish Mackerel and not s shark, reports indicate. The bird is likely an osprey, according to reports. 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. The rumors of a flag burning and the threat of possible violence in Gettysburg on the Fourth of July is likely just a hoax again. Thats what Snopes.com concluded after examining a posts made on social media and by what the fact-checking website described as a far-right media outlet. The posts described a flag burning planned in Gettysburg on Saturday, July 4, as well as a threat of violence under the cover of fireworks, Snopes reports. The posts claimed anti-fascist groups, or Antifa, were planning a series of violent actions against white communities. This was not the first time Antifa was accused of making similar plans in Gettysburg. Similar rumors cropped up in July 2017. Although no protest occurred, several hundred heavily armed individuals arrived to counter protest and one person accidentally shot himself in the leg. Snopes said much about the source of the latest rumors is unknown, but the rumors are peppered with falsehoods. According to Snopes, the far-right Hal Turner Radio Show posted an article accusing Antifa of plotting to burn flags at the Gettysburg National Cemetery on the Fourth of July and using fireworks to mask gunfire when Antifa would attack and murder in white, suburban neighborhoods. A Facebook post shared this theory on the same day. The source of both was a Facebook event page, billed as a peaceful flag-burning by a group called Left Behind USA, which had since been taken down, by Facebook. The Central PA Antifa group told Snopes the event posting was a hoax. Snopes concluded: This years rumor of violence around the Fourth of July was no doubt playing off of the current reckoning in the U.S. over racism, while feeding on longstanding fears about backlash against white people within right-wing movements. Based on precedent, there was little evidence to support the notion that such events could actually take place, but they certainly put everyone on their guard once again. Authorities with Gettysburg Borough, Cumberland Township and the Gettysburg National Military Park said they were aware of the rumors of a demonstration. They issued a press release last week stating: We asked all concerned to call their respective law enforcement agencies to report suspicious acts or things they feel may be out of place. We do appreciate the outpouring of support we are receiving from various groups. They added: We want to assure those we serve that we are taking all precautions at our disposal to maintain the safety of all residents and visitors to the area as well as the protection of property to include businesses, homes, monuments, churches and other historical treasures located in the greater Gettysburg area. 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. I had the great privilege of being raised by a mother who was a Harrisburg city native. Her storytelling of the Burg, back in the day, always ignited my imagination. From roller-skating with her sisters on the protective arms of the State Street Bridge to attending family events and dances at Catholic High, Mom relayed a spirited journey of her youth, darkened only by the death of her father when she was 14. Today, I realize there were stunning pieces of the Citys story that were seemingly left out or just not known. But, no longer. I now encourage explorers of local history to settle their eyes and checkbooks on an amazing up-and-coming exhibit known as the Commonwealth Monument Project. This exhibit, named A Gathering at the Crossroads, is expected to be unveiled next month (August) and will appropriately live on the Capitol grounds adjacent to the (K. LeRoy) Irvis Building at 4th and Walnut streets. Privileged to meet Speaker Irvis early in my Harrisburg career, I regarded him as larger than life. His booming voice and energy could fill an entire room. For me, it makes so much sense that the placement of this monument will be next to the building named in Speaker Irvis honor, since he was the Commonwealths first Black Speaker of the House. It feels both befitting and honorable. But there is much more to the story. This monument commemorates when residents of Harrisburgs Old 8th Ward learned in May of 1870 that the 15th Amendment had become federal law. While the amendment ensured the right to vote for Black Americans, it reinstated the right for Black Pennsylvanians to vote. According to historic newspaper reports, residents of the very diverse and largely Black community known as the 8th Ward poured onto the streets in spontaneous celebration when the news was announced. Current historic markers near the selected site confirm that it was at one time Tanners Alley, the gateway to the once-valued, now vanished, Old 8th Ward. Collaboration with the National Parks Services Network to Freedom reveals that the Old 8th Ward was not only home to many Black-owned businesses, it was also a Freetown of safe houses and places of respite along the Pennsylvania Underground Railroad. So much great history! Monument visitors will also be able to explore the names of 100 engraved historic women and men of Harrisburgs Black community. The experience will offer an avenue for a more compassionate understanding and the scars that linger can be acknowledged. In the early 1900s, the entire 8th Ward was demolished by the Commonwealth in order to create what we know today as the Capitol Complex. Over 100 homes, businesses and houses of worship (including synagogues) were razed for the progress of our government. Sit with this for just a moment. As I read about this, I thought immediately of the chill I experienced two years ago as I walked up to the actual house in Harrisburg, where in 1910 my grandfather lived at the age of 10. A few blocks from the 8th Ward, this Irish-section went untouched by this development. The monuments centerpiece will be the orators pedestal, which became the symbol of advocacy for abolition and equal rights. Its important to remember that 2020 is not only the 150th anniversary of the 15th amendment, but also the 100th anniversary of the 19th amendment ratification, confirming a womans right to vote. As president of a woman-owned business operating its 40th year in this city, this resonates in a most powerful way. This project is the result of many years of planning and fundraising. Becky Ault, of A.R.T. Resources of Lancaster, Pennsylvania was commissioned to oversee the two-year process which guided the monuments design and resulted in an interactive experience for visitors. The story of this monuments journey, its organization by IIPT Harrisburg Peace Promenade, including fiscal oversight by TFEC (The Foundation for Enhancing Communities), and the bringing together hundreds of donors is nothing short of spectacular. The City of Harrisburg, Dauphin County, M&T Bank, Highmark, Messiah College, Harrisburg University of Science and Technology and the Andrew Mellon Foundation have also played amazing roles in its development. On the eve of its unveiling, the initiative stands at 90 percent of its fundraising goal. I write to invite anyone with a heart for some of the most powerful history of our city to join me and contribute toward telling this story. My mother would be pleased to see this story shared as she often reminded me the time is always right to make things right. I dont pretend this will make things right, but knowing the truth of our history helps to illuminate issues allowing for more informed conversation. My hope is that generations to follow will see this action in this current tumultuous time as one very thoughtful step toward honoring stories that should be known and with hope, some healing. Join me and to learn more visit www.mounumentpaus.com. Virginia Roth, Duncannon 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. KAMPALA The High Court will on July 13 hear an application intended to freez the decision of Makerere University Vice Chancellor Barnabas Nawangwe suspending the University Secretary Dr. Charles Barugahare pending an investigation. In an application for judicial review filed before the High Court in Kampala on Friday, Dr. Barugahare, through his lawyers of M/s. Akampumuza & Co. Advocates, also protests his removal as the Universitys Accounting Officer, and a accuses Prof. Nawangwe of witchhunt. The second respondent (Prof. Nawangwe) in all his actions is victimising me for having performed my duties and refused to bow to his pressures to approve questionable expenditures, consents, contracts and decisions that would have cost the (Makerere University) huge sums of money, Dr. Barugahare says in his affidavit before High Court adding; Prof. Nawangwe orchestrated a scheme to remove me from my job of University Secretary and asked the Permanent Secretary/Secretary to the Treasury (PS/SST) of the 4th Respondent to irregularly appoint my deputy, the 3rd Respondent as Accounting Officer effective 1/7/2020. Prof. Nawangwe in his suspension letter of Dr. Barugahare notes that the University Secretary was responsible for the embarrassing gown scandal which marred the Universitys 70th graduation ceremony, a claim Dr. Baruhagare vehemently describes as false and concocted accusations aimed at removing him from office. Dr. Baruhagare says he was away on study leave during that specific procurement. In his court petition, he says the second respondent (Nawangwe) in the said letter made outright false and concocted accusations against him trumped up to achieve his scheme to get him out of office. And that [he] set up what he called a concocted management investigation committee to allegedly try me on his trumped up charges. Prof. Nawangwe claimed that the internal investigations show that Dr. Barugahare flouted several procurement guidelines when he awarded a procurement contract to Team Uniform Ltd, a private firm to supply 13,500 gowns for this years graduation in January. The contractor only managed to deliver 6,383 gowns, 900 caps and 6,792 hoods a few days to the event triggering panic among graduands who had already paid for the gowns. Makerere had managed to collect up to UGX.1.3 billion from the 13,500 graduands for the patented gowns. Prof. Nawangwe adds that even the few gowns that were delivered were insufficient with some lacking hoods or caps. Now, Nawangwe says investigations have pinned Dr. Barugahare for the mess. The accounting officer did not seek the Solicitor Generals approval of the draft contract document in contravention of regulation 1 (1) of the PPDA (Contracts) Regulations, 2014 and Statutory Instrument No. 97 of 2014, Prof. Nawangwe quotes findings of investigating team. But Barugahare says; I am the statutory secretary to Council and any decision to force me on leave or punish me for any reason requires the direct deliberations and approval of the Council. He says all these process is being flouted as Prof. Nawangwe seeks to replace him. Makerere University has recently had staff trouble with court fining the University millions of shillings out of poorly handled staff disputes. Comments KAMPALA The Ministry of Health says 16 people including 11 truck drivers have tested positive for coronavirus. The cumulative total confirmed cases of Ugandans has 927 while recoveries are 868. Of the 11 cases identified from truck drivers; 9 arrived via Malaba, 1 via Kerwa PoE in Yumbe District and 1 via Elegu. Of the other five cases of contacts and alerts, 4 were identified from Amuru while one from Namisindwa Districts. Additionally, 42 foreign truck drivers tested positive for COVID-19 at border points of entry and their entry into the country was not permitted. To date, active cases on admission are 205 (173 are Ugandans, 25 foreigners and 7 refugees). The government on Friday July 3 suspended the return of Ugandans who are stranded abroad, Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. Foreign Affairs Ministry in a statement on Friday indicated the country will not handle any new returnees after July 4, 2020, after the quarantine facilities got congested. Last months, June, the Ministry of Health gazetted 37 quarantine centres in Kampala and Entebbe that have a total capacity of 2,500 rooms. It is estimated that around 1,500 returnees will be affected. Those who will have to reschedule their travel are Ugandans from; North America, Qatar, UAE, China and Malaysia. These were scheduled to arrive next week. Ambassador Patrick Mugoya, the permanent secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, says that the return of Ugandans will resume after health officials have attended to those in quarantine centres. Comments Killings of Black people by white police officers and others have once again sparked conversations and demonstrations nationwide by religious leaders in urban areas denouncing racism. In metropolitan areas such as Charleston and North Charleston, diverse groups of pastors have walked the streets to demonstrate unity and ask God's forgiveness for the sin of racism that still stains many holy spaces. But conversations also are taking place in less-populated, more rural areas, such as Moncks Corner, a town of about 11,000. For the past month, white and Black spiritual leaders of the "Lowcountry's hometown" have engaged in conversations about racism and used personal social media pages as a platform for dialogue. In past years, topics of white supremacy among Moncks Corner's faith community haven't been as out in the open as in other, larger cities such as Charleston, where the murder of nine Black parishioners by a self-avowed white supremacist inside Emanuel AME Church sparked a wave of combined, multiethnic worship services across denominations. But things are beginning to change in the small community. Pastor Tory Liferidge, who leads Grace Reformed Episcopal Church, started a Facebook series in February dubbed "the minority report," where he shed light on injustices and inequalities in Berkeley County. He was criticized by some for "destroying the harmony" in the municipality that, amid the county's explosive growth, has been clinging to its small-town feel. Dont confuse lack of fight with harmony," Liferidge said. "Sometimes, it's like Im out here by myself. Now were seeing more and more people recognizing we have to begin to fight for fair representation. My work has been continuing the work. Moving forward, that work will include meeting with spiritual leaders and meeting the educational needs of students who didn't have in-person classes last spring because of the coronavirus. The recent killings of black men has seemingly sparked others to begin the fight against racism with honest dialogue. Pastor Tim Dorn, who leads North Pointe Church in the town, opened up his church for a "living room session" with Liferidge, Elder Steve Reid of Freewill Family Ministries and the Rev. Timothy Scoonover of First Presbyterian Church. Dorn and Scoonover are white, and Liferidge and Reid are Black. The group talked about the history of racism in the county, including Liferidge's recollection of Hanahan being called "Klanahan." They spoke of the need for a platform to share different perspectives. Sign up for the Charleston Hot Sheet Get a weekly list of tips on pop-ups, last minute tickets and little-known experiences hand-selected by our newsroom in your inbox each Thursday. Email Sign Up! "I believe its important for leaders to lead," Dorn said. "We can't just choose ... to lead when it's convenient. We have to lead through difficult times as well. We have a responsibility to our congregation ... to our communities, who God has called us to be a light and lead through difficult times." Dorn hopes the conversation will eventually lead people to stop characterizing people based on the color of their skin, he said. "We all have equal dignity and value in the eyes of God," he said. The memories of racial profiling are fresh in the minds of those who can recall darker days. It was the late '80s when Reid, then in sixth grade, walked into a white-operated store with his white friend in Berkeley County. The man at the cash register placed a shotgun on the cash register. When Reid's friend asked why, the man said "I thought you guys were in here to rob me. That let me know immediately that fear can cause reactions to happen in an instant," said Reid, who added he feels he might have been shot by the store employee had it not been for his friend's presence. The minister, who returned to Moncks Corner after 20 years of military service, feels the rural town has come a long way, pointing to the number of interracial marriages and mixed congregations. Similar to Liferidge, others have attempted to advance conversations on race using their personal social media platforms. Scoonover recently started a Facebook series entitled "That's my Brother," in which he discusses his responsibility as a white pastor to address white privilege, white supremacy and racism. In one video, he speaks of the need to be anti-racist, which he said doesn't involve the absence of fear. "To be anti-racist, that can be scary," he said. "If you're going to step out, it's going to put you in some difficult spots ... but be courageous. Just because you're fearful doesn't mean you shouldn't do it." He then pointed to a quote that notes anti-racism involves the commitment to fight discriminatory views, even if they are found in oneself. A slow, but steady increase in the number of patients being treated for COVID-19 at the Medical University Hospital in Charleston has prompted a decision among leaders of the health care system to admit some adult patients to the new MUSC Shawn Jenkins Children's Hospital. Prisma Health in the Midlands and Upstate regions has similar moves in place. The MUSC decision, in part, is intended to make room in other parts of the hospital to treat patients with both COVID-19 and other illnesses. Dr. Mark Scheurer, the chief of Children's and Women's services at MUSC, and Dr. Andy Atz, chairman of the Department of Pediatrics, told pediatricians and staff on Friday evening in an email that there "has been a slow, but steadily increasing, number of adults with COVID-19 admitted to MUSC Charleston over the last two weeks. ... In order to support our overall mission and allow for further expansion of adult COVID care in Main (hospital) and ART (Ashley River Tower), it is appropriate that we take our first step in directly supporting our adult colleagues." In this email, Scheurer and Atz explained that as of Friday night, adults younger than 30 years old with or without COVID-19 will be admitted to the pediatric intensive care unit at the Shawn Jenkins Children's Hospital, which opened in February. "Although volumes of these ICU level patients are likely to be small, non-ICU pediatric consultants may be called to support their care," the doctors wrote. The children's hospital is located at Calhoun Street and Courtenay Drive on the peninsula. In a statement on Saturday, MUSC Health CEO Pat Cawley said, "The entire state of SC is seeing a rise in COVID cases, with all hospitals seeing increasing numbers of patients. This move to house young adults in SJCH is simply one we potentially planned for if the number of young adults with COVID needing hospitalization was greater than the number of children infected. We also need to be able to care for people with non-COVID related illnesses in our adult hospital, and this flexibility helps us with that capacity." 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! In recent weeks, coronavirus cases and the number of hospitalizations related to COVID-19 in South Carolina has substantially increased. Public health officials have been laser-focused on monitoring hospital capacity across the state. Failure to stop the spread of the disease could potentially overwhelm the health care system's ability to care for the sick. "Prisma Health has an extensive surge plan in place to increase capacity across the entire system in order to provide care for COVID-19 and other patients," spokeswoman Tammie Epps said on Saturday. "The surge plan does include using its Childrens Hospitals for adults, if needed." Prisma Health Childrens Hospital-Upstate "shifted one of its units to care for non-COVID-19 adults," she said. "The patient units are completely separate, with children hospitalized in the Childrens Hospital main tower. In the Midlands, Prisma Health Childrens Hospital-Midlands is not currently being used for adults." According to the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control, more than 43,260 South Carolinians have been diagnosed with COVID-19 this year. By July 18, the department anticipates that number will top 65,000. In Charleston, Berkeley and Dorchester counties, more than three-quarters of all hospitals beds were used as of Thursday. Statewide, 71.44 percent of the nearly 11,000 hospital beds were in use, 1,190 of them by COVID-19 patients. Jessica Holdman contributed to this report. 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. The Charleston chapter of Black Lives Matter celebrated July Fourth with a forum designed to address some of the areas where Black people are most marginalized: criminal justice, education and economics. Instead of the peaceful marches that the group has been leading through the city since George Floyd was killed by a police officer in late May, organizers invited speakers specializing in targeted reform to discuss the progress they're hoping to make. Dozens gathered at Hampton Park, where leaders addressed the crowd in front the Denmark Vesey statue before splitting into focus groups under shady trees for targeted discussions. "This ain't my independence day," Pastor Thomas Dixon told the audience. "But I look forward to that day when Independence Day celebrates everyone." Dixon and activist Lester Young described the difficulties they faced in getting jobs and returning to independent life after their own imprisonments, while Marcus McDonald, who founded the Charleston chapter of BLM, pushed for mandatory bias audits of the police departments across the state. "We can't let the police police themselves," McDonald said. "We need police to know ... you're not the judge and you're not the executioner." And the police presence and discipline at schools is part of the problem, Eastside Community Development Corp. President Latonya Gamble said, describing how schools criminalize rowdy children before they're old enough to do algebra or drive. Ajay Davis said Burke High School, where he works, has long been disparaged as underperforming by leaders who didn't involve parents and students in their proposals for new programs. BLM organizer Brandon Trollinger, voice still hoarse from a Friday protest in North Charleston, highlighted the need for a diverse curriculum that doesn't reduce students to test scores. State Representative JA Moore and George Freeman focused on possible solutions to economic disparity, with Moore highlighting the need for better funding in areas like social work and independent childcare. The infrastructure around Black communities, especially drainage and sidewalks, were also a key point for many in the audience. For Charleston Activist Network leader Tamika Gadsden, the holiday was a perfect opportunity to celebrate the work of Black Lowcountry residents who'd fought for independence for all, and to build on the work of Vesey, Septima Clark and Esau Jenkins. "That energy that took us to the streets, let's pivot and put it towards civil action and engagement," Gadsden said. July Fourth is a Black holiday, Gadsden told the crowd, to be celebrated with a continued fight for policies to bring equality and liberty to all. With the nation focused on stemming the pandemic and police brutality, former Charleston Mayor Joe Riley said the eighth annual reading of the Declaration of Independence was an appropriate reminder that the work of perfecting the nation is difficult and ongoing. Since 2013, the Washington Light Infantry has celebrated July Fourth with a reenactment of the first public reading of the document in the Palmetto state, with a crew of local leaders taking turns reading the declaration. After ratifying the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, leaders printed hundreds of copies to be read aloud in each of the newly recognized states. A courier carried a bundle of documents to John Rutledge, riding into Charleston on Aug. 2 that year. Rutledge and Gen. Charles Lee arranged for three public readings on Aug. 5: first to the Charleston Regiment of militia outside the South Carolina State House on Broad and Meeting streets, then to more militia members and hundreds of citizens at the Exchange building, and finally to the Liberty Tree, where the revolution's local leaders had gathered, likely near Charlotte and Alexander streets, to discuss rebellion. From there, more copies of the Declaration were taken throughout the state for all to hear. And so dozens of Charlestonians gathered on Saturday to hear local politicians, leaders and educators read the document. "We do as our Founding Fathers would've insisted: We do our part in making a more just and perfect nation," Riley told the crowd before the reading. "(We're) making it a more just nation and a more racially inclusive nation. That's in furtherance of the goal to make it more perfect." After the reading, infantry members led about two dozen people to St. Philip Church, where they laid a wreath of red, white and blue flowers on John Rutledge's grave. Despite an outsize role in American history and an 18th-century reputation as an opulent metropolis, the city of Charleston was less than 4 miles long from tip to tail for its first three centuries. Charleston celebrates its 350th anniversary this year as the most populous city in South Carolina, with boundaries that extend across 140 square miles; east to the Francis Marion National Forest in Berkeley County, west past the historic plantations on S.C. Highway 61, and southwest across Johns Island to Bohicket Creek. Charleston was one of the largest cities on the Atlantic Coast in the 1700s right up there with Boston, New York and Philadelphia despite consisting of only the tip of the peninsula below Calhoun Street, which was called Boundary Street at the time. Today, there are subdivisions in Charleston that cover more acreage than the entire city once did. The city's boundaries didnt extend beyond the peninsula until the 1960s, but once Charleston started growing, it grew exponentially. Sails on the horizon The historic Charleston peninsula is what tourists come to see, with its cobblestone alleys and well-preserved architecture. It's where most enslaved African Americans first landed in the U.S. It was occupied by the British during the Revolutionary War, and from its harbor the Civil War began. These days, cruise ships carrying more than 2,000 guests regularly visit, but it was a lone sailing ship with about 150 passengers that established Charles Town in 1670. That first ship brought colonists, servants and slaves by way of Barbados, where sugar cane farming with enslaved and indentured labor had made English colonists wealthy. "Because they constituted the majority of the white population for the first two decades of settlement, the Barbadians set their cultural stamp on the South Carolina society that would evolve during the colonial period," wrote Walter Edgar in "South Carolina: A History." Barbados is where the "Charleston single" house design originated, according to Jacob Lindsey, Charleston's director of Planning, Preservation and Sustainability. Were really the only place in the world where that still exists," he said. Barbados is also where most Charleston area parishes got their names, such as St. Andrews, according to Edgar. Splendor, lust and opulence Once established, the city's population quickly grew, clustered on the tip of the Charleston peninsula where the port was the engine of commerce, serving the farms and plantations well beyond the peninsula. It was a city known for religious tolerance and for the wealth of its moneyed class. The splendor, lust, and opulence there has grown almost to the limit," German Lutheran Rev. Johann Martin Bolzius wrote in 1750. In a passage that modern-day Charleston residents would find relatable, Bolzius also wrote: "House rent is excessively dear in Charlestown." Charleston's city boundaries did not grow until the 1800s, and that was not unusual among Americas first port cities. Until the 1800s, New York City was limited to the island of Manhattan and Philadelphia was only 2 square miles smaller than Charleston, which was 3 square miles. By 1898 New York City had grown to its present-day size, and Philadelphia in 1854 grew from 2 square miles to nearly 130. Charleston expanded its boundaries in 1849, but only to the extent that the city limits were moved up the peninsula from Boundary Street (Calhoun Street) to Mount Pleasant Street. That change roughly tripled the size of the city of Charleston, to almost 9 square miles. And the city did not grow its incorporated boundaries again until the 1960s, even as the surrounding Charleston area grew and developed. Even when Mayor Riley took office (in 1975), it was pretty much the peninsula and a little bit of West Ashley," Lindsey said. Westward Ho! The city's first annexations beyond the peninsula, into West Ashley, came during the administration of Mayor J. Palmer Gaillard Jr., who took office in 1960. The number of people living on the peninsula had been falling from a peak of 71,275 in 1940, and would decline to 46,755 by 1970. The peninsulas shrinking population echoed what many U.S. cities experienced during the baby boom after World War II a decades-long population shift to the suburbs that accelerated after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled school segregation unconstitutional in 1954. The peninsulas white population dropped sharply in the 1950s, a trend that continued through the 1970s, while the African American population remained steady. The shrinking city responded by following the population to the suburbs, first annexing parts of West Ashley and about 10,000 people living there. "It's the best thing that ever happened to the city of Charleston," Gaillard said in 2005, 30 years after leaving office. "I annexed territory every year I was mayor." The West Ashley annexations were challenged by the St. Andrews Public Service District, leading to an important state Supreme Court ruling in Charleston's favor. Later, that ruling and others would help clear the way for Charleston to annex the properties that would become Citadel Mall, and the tax revenues the mall would generate. As Charleston celebrates its 350th anniversary, the peninsula is now home to only about a quarter of its residents and a small fraction of its land mass. The peninsular population hit a low of 34,636 in 2010, but has been rebounding since. City officials expect that the 2020 Census will record about 40,000 residents on the peninsula. That's part of another large demographic shift underway in Charleston. During the past 100 years, the city had a majority-white population from 1920 into the 1950s, a majority-Black population on the peninsula from 1960 to 2000, and a majority-white population on the peninsula in the years that have followed. In Charleston, as in other U.S. cities, a renewed enthusiasm for urban living has caused rents and home prices to soar. Over the river One key to Charleston's expansion was the combination of South Carolina's complex annexation laws and the city's skilled legal team, which took multiple annexation disputes to the state Supreme Court. Charleston's challenges prevented the town of James Island's first three attempts to incorporate, allowing Charleston to annex more of the island each time before James Island succeeded in becoming a town on the fourth try. A mastery of annexation law also allowed Charleston to outfox North Charleston and Mount Pleasant, winning the race to annex Daniel Island after it became clear that Interstate 526 would open that part of Berkeley County for development. Never mind that to get from the Charleston peninsula to Daniel Island, one must drive through either North Charleston or Mount Pleasant; it's the river that made annexation possible. Towns and cities can only annex properties adjacent to those already incorporated by agreement with the property owner, or agreement of most property owners involved but roads and rivers don't count. That's how Charleston was able to grow into West Ashley under Gaillard, and that was just the start. Mayor (Joe) Riley just took that to another level with James Island, Johns Island and Daniel Island," said Frances Cantwell, an attorney who defended Charleston annexations in court repeatedly, fought James Island's incorporations, and worked on the annexation of Daniel Island. The citys age of territorial expansion began when Charleston crossed the Ashley River in the 1960s, and peaked in the 1990s when the city annexed more than 64 square miles of land on Daniel Island and the Cainhoy Peninsula, in Berkeley County. It was a huge, strategic move that more than doubled Charleston's size. The city worked on the annexation plan secretively, using state laws to their fullest to claim a huge land mass controlled by the Harry Frank Guggenheim Foundation, initially without its consent. I remember that I went up to Berkeley County to get the maps, because I was probably the least-known person (employed by the city), and I gave them a fake name for the receipt," Cantwell said. The key to annexing Daniel Island was that, because the land was used primarily for agriculture and hunting at the time, its assessed value was very low. That's important because South Carolina municipalities can annex multiple properties together if 75 percent of the owners involved, representing 75 percent of the assessed property value, agree. So, Charleston found cooperative property owners adjacent to Daniel Island whose lands were assessed at high values. That allowed the city to launch the annexation of all of the land a move the city made one night between Christmas and New Year's Eve in 1990. North Charleston was upset, Mount Pleasant was upset, Berkeley County was upset and the Guggenheims were upset," Cantwell said. At the end of the day, they ended up coming into the city voluntarily." Through the woods Eventually, Charleston's annexations reached the Francis Marion National Forest along S.C. Highway 41, and the undeveloped timber tracts of far West Ashley. In both cases, plans for large planned communities followed 4,500-home Long Savannah, west of Bees Ferry Road, and 9,000-home Cainhoy Plantation above Daniel Island. At the same time, the city fought to establish the Urban Growth Boundary, a line meant to mark the end of the city's development. That boundary line, which is respected by Charleston County and the Charleston Water System, is the citys vision of where urban-style development should end. Its particularly important on Johns Island, which is mostly outside the city limits. However, the Urban Growth Boundary hasn't prevented other municipalities and counties from pursuing growth on the other side of the line, particularly in the vast stretches of former timberland that extend from West Ashley to the Edisto River. Charleston's neighbors North Charleston, which did not exist until 1972, and Mount Pleasant, which had only 6,879 residents in 1970 have also grown exponentially by expanding their boundaries through annexation. Charleston, North Charleston and Mount Pleasant are now South Carolina's first-, third- and fourth-largest cities, with a combined population of about 350,000. North Charleston has used the same rivers-don't-count rule that Charleston relied upon for years to annex across the Ashley River and claim land beyond West Ashley for development. Charleston and North Charleston are currently in litigation over several annexations in that area in a modern-day border dispute. Spreading out Density has been a regular point of contention as the city has grown and changed, with city planners extolling the benefits of lively and walkable urban spaces, and opponents decrying multistory apartment buildings. Mostly simply, density is about the number of people who live in a particular area, such as the Charleston peninsula. Behind the arguments about density sits the fact that the Charleston peninsula had more residents in 1850 than it did in 2010. In 1940 the peninsula's population was more than twice the number recorded in the 2010 census. The city was a bustling urban place," Lindsey said. "It was full of life and full of people and not so full of cars." More density is the future, for the growth of Charleston. That, and the ongoing annexation of unincorporated properties that sit within the city's larger footprint. Looking ahead, Charleston officials have said repeatedly, during the current and former administrations, that the city has no intention of expanding its boundaries beyond where they now stand. The citys outward expansion has ceased, Lindsey said. The Urban Growth Boundary is in place and will remain there for the indefinite future. That means Charleston's growth in the decades ahead will come primarily in three ways. They are: The construction of already-approved homes in subdivisions including Cainhoy Plantation and Long Savannah. Just those two developments could add about 33,000 residents to the city's population in the coming decades. Annexation of "doughnut hole" properties, particularly in West Ashley. About 27,000 West Ashley residents live in unincorporated Charleston County, surrounded by the city of Charleston but served by the St. Andrews Public Service District. Charleston has for years been annexing West Ashley properties that touch properties in the city, one at a time, when owners petition to join Charleston. Density and redevelopment. This is most evident on the Charleston peninsula, where multistory apartment complexes have been rising along Meeting Street and Morrison Drive, creating homes for thousands of people. The next 150,000 Long ago, when Colonial-era coastal cities were small and compact places ringed by farms and fields, Charleston and Philadelphia were each no larger than 3 square miles. Today, Philadelphia is more than 130 square miles and Charleston is nearly 140 both far larger, but still nearly the same size. It's the mostly single-family-home suburban nature of today's Charleston, and the urban nature of Philadelphia, that makes Charleston a city of fewer than 150,000, while Philadelphia is home to 1.58 million. South Carolina's population, and Charleston's, have soared during the past 50 years. The state's population has doubled, and much of that growth has been concentrated in coastal areas. One result is that, in mid-2016, Charleston overtook Columbia to reclaim its title as the largest city in the state. As in the city's Colonial days, most of the population growth came from people moving to the area although in Charleston's early days, many residents were moved to the area involuntarily, in chains. Residential real estate development, such as Daniel Island and the large subdivisions in West Ashley, has accommodated much of the recent growth, and Lindsey said that's nothing new. One of the stories that is often forgotten is that much of downtown Charlestons growth was a series of speculative real estate developments," he said. In just the past decade, Charleston's population has grown by nearly 30,000. If that growth rate continues, the city could be home to more than 300,000 when its 400th anniversary arrives in 2070. Protesters marched to North Charleston City Hall on Friday afternoon, calling for liberty and justice ahead of the Independence Day holiday. The demonstrators began at the North Charleston Performing Arts Center, as the humid air sweltered at 90 degrees, before they reached the government building around 2 p.m. The roughly 20 people who gathered there demanded that city officials come out and speak with them. The building was closed in observance of the holiday, but security staff watched from inside. Brandon Trollinger, who led the protest, and others, called for improvements in criminal justice, education, housing affordability and better support for people who are homeless. Trollinger asked for citizens to unite and defeat North Charleston Mayor Keith Summey, who was first elected in 1994 and was re-elected last year. The group repeated chants heard at rallies across the nation and also ones that addressed local matters. That included: No Summey. No KKK. No racist North Charleston. Neither Summey nor a city spokesman responded on Friday to requests for comment. Trollinger, in an interview, said Summey, not Police Chief Reggie Burgess, is the obstacle for the reforms he wants to see. He called for North Charleston to create a review board of citizens that have subpoena power and for the city's police department, and others, to have annual racial bias audits. Regarding the holiday, Trollinger, who said he recently finished five years of National Guard service, does not feel that it is a good time to be an American in the United States. There are too many unresolved issues. We should not celebrate this time period," he said. No one came out to speak with protesters before they left the building just before 4 p.m. They vowed to return to protest again and a rally is planned in Hampton Park on Saturday from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Charleston, SC (29403) Today Partly cloudy this evening. Scattered thunderstorms developing after midnight. Low around 75F. Winds SW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 40%.. Tonight Partly cloudy this evening. Scattered thunderstorms developing after midnight. Low around 75F. Winds SW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 40%. West Columbia police arrested the woman suspected of vandalizing a memorial dedicated to nine Charleston firefighters who died in the 2007 Super Sofa Store blaze. Eman Mubarak Brown, 32, faces charges of malicious injury to real property, attempts to burn and petit larceny following the acts of vandalism late last week. Brown was arrested near the state's Capital City, some 120 miles from the memorial, Thursday and was held at the Lexington County Detention Center. She remained in the jail on Saturday without the availability of bail. No other information was available Saturday on her arrest. Police claim Brown, of West Ashley, ripped PVC pipe crosses from the ground and tore American flags from their poles at Charleston Nine Memorial Park on June 26, dousing some in gasoline. It was bank surveillance footage from two hours later, where Brown is suspected of taking a state flag and American flag from the pole at the CresCom Bank on Orleans Road, that investigators used to identify her, according to police spokesman Charles Francis. The nine crosses at the memorial park in West Ashley honor the nine firefighters who died that fateful night some 13 years ago when the roof of the furniture store caved in on them as they tried to douse the massive flames. A passerby noted damage at the memorial and firefighters made repairs as police began investigating. This memorial celebrates how they lived their lives, more so than how they died, Fire Chief Daniel Curia said after discovering the damage. It also is a symbol of hope for all of us, that we are standing together, that we can do better, and as a society we can move forward. Police havent announced any suspected motive. The Work Zone My son and I were running errands on a recent day, when he said, Dad, did you ever think about suicide? Read more 'A POLITICAL TOOL': Hyon Song Wol, head of the North Korean Samjiyon art troupe takes a photo of Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Choe Son-Hui (C) ahead of the welcoming ceremony of North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un (not pictured) at the Presidential Palace in Hanoi, Vietnam March 1, 2019. Luong Thai Linh/Pool via Reuters 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. France, Italy and a number of European countries have relaxed entry restrictions from Japan, Nikkei has learned. As of Saturday, the two fellow Group of Seven members along with the Netherlands, Sweden, Greece, Croatia, Latvia, Luxembourg and Cyprus had lifted measures blocking visits from Japan, according to government announcements or local media. Each country had imposed strict regulations to combat the novel coronavirus. The move follows the announcement of a European Union-compiled list of 15 "safe" countries, including Japan, South Korea, Thailand and Australia but controversially not the U.S. China is also on the EU list -- but only on the condition of reciprocal action by the Chinese authorities. But the list is not legally binding, and member countries can exclude any country they deem unsuitable to open their borders to. France now does not require a period of self-quarantine after entering from these countries, but Italy still does. Switzerland plans to relax the restrictions from July 20. Japan, meanwhile, has not announced reciprocal measures. It looks to continue a blanket entry ban on foreigners from the EU and to impose two-week home quarantines on Japanese nationals who have traveled to EU countries. Lin-Manuel Miranda and the cast of "Hamilton" perform at the Tony Awards in New York in 2016. Readers' Views Biden part of most corrupt administration in US history RealClearPolitics has made available its Independence Day Series for publication with attribution. Below is Dan Mahoneys column What Does Our Nation Mean to Us? Rejecting the Culture of Hate, followed by Steve Haywards podcast with Professor Mahoney on the themes of this column. Daniel J. Mahoney holds the Augustine Chair in Distinguished Scholarship at Assumption University. He has written numerous books, essays, and reviews on statesmanship, religion and politics, totalitarianism, European and American politics, and the history of political thought. He writes: As we approach this Fourth of July, the United States is consumed by reckless violence, nihilistic silencing, and a systematic assault on the nations cultural and political patrimony. The voices of sanity are few, and civic courage is in short supply. The exemplars of such courage in the Anglo-American tradition Washington, Lincoln, U.S. Grant, Teddy Roosevelt, and Winston Churchill are under assault from angry extremists who topple statues with impunity and demand absolute conformity. Government at every level appears impotent as indignant fanatics rule the streets. We have arrived at the unthinkable: Americas Jacobin moment, as an editorial in the Wall Street Journal aptly put it. What has happened to our republic? Our talking heads, the so-called chattering classes, pretend that this eruption of insanity has something to do with the quest for racial justice. That could not be further from the truth. Black Lives Matter the movement, not the slogan is in fact a racialist and ideological organization that denies common humanity and a morality applicable to all human beings. Professed enemies of decency and restraint, these Maoists and para-Marxists demonize all white people and anyone of any race or religion who challenges their bizarre and fanatical worldview, as well as the police (whose immediate abolition they demand). Of course, they do not believe that all black lives matter: Those black people, including children, cut down by urban violence in Chicago or Baltimore every weekend, or aborted at higher numbers than they are born in New York City, dont pass ideological muster. Black lives matter, of course, because all lives matter, but that elementary truth is now verboten. All races are equal, but in BLMs universe, some are more equal than others. This is a recipe for hatred and perpetual social conflict. To affirm the moral law, the natural law, the spirit of the Ten Commandments, the true ground of all human dignity, is now said to be an indelible mark of racism. The mob dictates, and subservient elites shamelessly comply. We are witnessing nothing less than a Cultural Revolution marked by voluntary servitude or self-enslavement. American democracy risks committing suicide. Things are just that stark. And our pusillanimous cultural elites risk plunging us off the cliff like the Gadarene swine described in Scripture, but with the demons in charge rather than exorcised. True democracy presupposes mutual accountability and mutual respect. Our greatest and most noble president, Abraham Lincoln, loathed slavery, as Frederick Douglass, the greatest black American of the 19th century, rightly said. As I would not be a slave, so I would not be a master, Lincoln wrote in a note to himself in August 1858. This, he said, expresses my idea of democracy. And in his Gettysburg Address of November 1863, he called for a new birth of freedom that would bring black Americans fully into the American civic community. Lincoln knew that proud black men had spilled their blood for the Union and liberty and that Americans owed them honor and due respect for their sacrifices on behalf of the republic. As Douglass said in his dedication to the Freedmens Monument in Washington, D.C., in April 1876 a statue dedicated by former slaves in memory of Lincoln one must show gratitude and appreciation to those loyal, brave, and patriotic black soldiers who fell in defense of the Union and liberty. Both they and Lincoln died at the service of a republic worthy of free men and women, one where citizens shared in rule and were neither masters nor slaves. We should be proud of that shared civic legacy, that mutual struggle for liberty and human dignity. But now even the Freedmens Monument is threatened by a mob of angry thugs. These Bourgeois Bolsheviks, as The American Conservative recently described them, despise the mutual accountability and respect for law that undergirds true liberty and equality. They mock the greatness of Lincoln and Douglass. They are defined by ignorance, ingratitude, and envy. Their ignoble passion for equality, as Tocqueville called it, is a grotesque perversion of the noble moral and civic equality that underlies the American proposition. This desire to tear down, to destroy and repudiate the patrimony of our fathers, is incompatible with civilized existence. It is time to reopen Dostoevskys Demons, the most penetrating expose of modern nihilism ever written. Even in the early 1870s, Dostoevsky exposed the spirit of pure destruction that could only pull down and never build anything worthy of human beings. The revolutionaries portrayed in his pages promise to cut off Ciceros tongue and poke out Shakespeares eyes, to the applause of an educated society that fawned before fashionable barbarism. Dostoevsky, in his most prescient and prophetic mode, predicted that 100 million people would perish if such nihilists and fanatics ever came to power. It was given to that great soul to see many things, as another great Russian writer once observed. Now is a time for Lincolnian and Churchillian fortitude. Let us reject the path of nihilism and hate and renew our own civilized patrimony and our noble civic tradition. Nothing less than the survival of republican self-government is at stake. If we are to renew our commitment to racial justice and civic reconciliation, we must take our bearings from the best of the Western and American traditions. Freedom has died many times in history; let us not witness new death pangs on the anniversary of its birth. On July 9, 1858, Illinois Senator Stephen Douglas gave a campaign speech to a raucous throng from the balcony of the Tremont Hotel in Chicago. Abraham Lincoln was in the audience as Douglas prepared to speak. Douglas graciously invited Lincoln to join him on the balcony to listen to the speech. In his speech Douglas sounded the themes of the momentous campaign that Lincoln and Douglas waged that summer and fall for Douglass Senate seat. Douglas paid tribute to Lincoln as a kind, amiable, and intelligent gentleman, a good citizen and an honorable opponent, but took issue with Lincolns June 16 speech to the Illinois Republican convention that had named him its candidate for Douglass seat. In that speech Lincoln had famously asserted that the nation could not exist half slave and half free. According to Douglas, Lincolns assertion belied the diversity in domestic institutions that was the great safeguard of our liberties. Then as now, diversity was a shibboleth hiding an evil institution that could not be defended on its own terms. Douglas responded to Lincolns condemnation of the Supreme Courts Dred Scott decision a condemnation that was the centerpiece of Lincolns convention speech. I am free to say to you, Douglas said, that in my opinion this government of ours is founded on the white basis. It was made by the white man, for the benefit of the white man, to be administered by white men, in such manner as they should determine. Lincoln invited Douglass audience to return the next evening for his reply to Douglass speech. Lincolns speech of July 10, 1858, is one of his many great speeches, but in one respect it is uniquely great. It concludes with an explanation of the meaning of this day to Americans with incomparable eloquence and insight in words that remain as relevant now as then (I have added some paragraphing in the interest of readability): Now, it happens that we meet together once every year, sometime about the 4th of July, for some reason or other. These 4th of July gatherings I suppose have their uses. If you will indulge me, I will state what I suppose to be some of them. We are now a mighty nation, we are thirtyor about thirty millions of people, and we own and inhabit about one-fifteenth part of the dry land of the whole earth. We run our memory back over the pages of history for about eighty-two years and we discover that we were then a very small people in point of numbers, vastly inferior to what we are now, with a vastly less extent of country,with vastly less of everything we deem desirable among men,we look upon the change as exceedingly advantageous to us and to our posterity, and we fix upon something that happened away back, as in some way or other being connected with this rise of prosperity. We find a race of men living in that day whom we claim as our fathers and grandfathers; they were iron men, they fought for the principle that they were contending for; and we understood that by what they then did it has followed that the degree of prosperity that we now enjoy has come to us. We hold this annual celebration to remind ourselves of all the good done in this process of time of how it was done and who did it, and how we are historically connected with it; and we go from these meetings in better humor with ourselveswe feel more attached the one to the other, and more firmly bound to the country we inhabit. In every way we are better men in the age, and race, and country in which we live for these celebrations. But after we have done all this we have not yet reached the whole. There is something else connected with it. We have besides these mendescended by blood from our ancestorsamong us perhaps half our people who are not descendants at all of these men, they are men who have come from EuropeGerman, Irish, French and Scandinavianmen that have come from Europe themselves, or whose ancestors have come hither and settled here, finding themselves our equals in all things. If they look back through this history to trace their connection with those days by blood, they find they have none, they cannot carry themselves back into that glorious epoch and make themselves feel that they are part of us, but when they look through that old Declaration of Independence they find that those old men say that We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, and then they feel that that moral sentiment taught in that day evidences their relation to those men, that it is the father of all moral principle in them, and that they have a right to claim it as though they were blood of the blood, and flesh of the flesh of the men who wrote that Declaration [loud and long continued applause], and so they are. That is the electric cord in that Declaration that links the hearts of patriotic and liberty-loving men together, that will link those patriotic hearts as long as the love of freedom exists in the minds of men throughout the world. [Applause.] Now, sirs, for the purpose of squaring things with this idea of dont care if slavery is voted up or voted down [Douglass popular sovereignty position on the extension of slavery to the territories], for sustaining the Dred Scott decision [A voiceHit him again], for holding that the Declaration of Independence did not mean anything at all, we have Judge Douglas giving his exposition of what the Declaration of Independence means, and we have him saying that the people of America are equal to the people of England. According to his construction, you Germans are not connected with it. Now I ask you in all soberness, if all these things, if indulged in, if ratified, if confirmed and endorsed, if taught to our children, and repeated to them, do not tend to rub out the sentiment of liberty in the country, and to transform this Government into a government of some other form. Those arguments that are made, that the inferior race are to be treated with as much allowance as they are capable of enjoying; that as much is to be done for them as their condition will allow. What are these arguments? They are the arguments that kings have made for enslaving the people in all ages of the world. You will find that all the arguments in favor of king-craft were of this class; they always bestrode the necks of the people, not that they wanted to do it, but because the people were better off for being ridden. That is their argument, and this argument of the Judge is the same old serpent that says you work and I eat, you toil and I will enjoy the fruits of it. Turn in whatever way you willwhether it come from the mouth of a King, an excuse for enslaving the people of his country, or from the mouth of men of one race as a reason for enslaving the men of another race, it is all the same old serpent, and I hold if that course of argumentation that is made for the purpose of convincing the public mind that we should not care about this, should be granted, it does not stop with the negro. I should like to know if taking this old Declaration of Independence, which declares that all men are equal upon principle and making exceptions to it where will it stop. If one man says it does not mean a negro, why not another say it does not mean some other man? If that declaration is not the truth, let us get the Statute book, in which we find it and tear it out! Who is so bold as to do it! [Voicesme no one, &c.] If it is not true let us tear it out! [cries of no, no,] let us stick to it then [cheers], let us stand firmly by it then. [Applause.] Yes, no matter what Yes, but it depends on variety No, for medical reasons, uncertainty No, principle Vote View Results ADVERTISEMENT The federal government has said it will start up a programme, The Green Imperative, which will lead to the establishment of 632 farm mechanisation centres in the country. The government said the mechanisation centres will support food production in all the local government areas of the country so as to boost the nations food sufficiency. The Minister of Information, Lai Mohammed, alongside the Agriculture and Rural Development Minister, Sabo Nanono, said this in Abuja on June 3, while giving details of the implementation of The Green Imperative programme. The minister reported that the government is ready to revolutionise the agricultural sector, strengthen the nations economy as well as bring in many other benefits through the Green Imperative programme. The stage is now set for an agricultural revolution that will strengthen food security, create massive jobs, transfer technology, revive or reinvigorate many assembly plants, strengthen the economy, save scarce resources, mechanize farming and lead to the emergence of the value-added agriculture, among other benefits, the minister said. The Green Imperative Programme is a Nigeria-Brazil led bilateral agriculture development program launched by the vice president, Yemi Osinbajo, in January 2019, with the aim to strengthen the productive capacity of smallholder farmers through provision of tractors. African agriculture relies mostly on direct human energy due to the lack of machines and this has negative effects in the agricultural production level. In Nigeria, majority of smallholder farmers are often too poor to pay for farming machines, therefore the size of farmland covered with the human effort remains small. According to Mr Mohammed, The Green Imperative Programme, expected to be funded by Brazil and other international bodies, is worth US$1.2 billion and is billed to be implemented over a period of 5-10 years. The programme, worth US$1.2 billion, is to be implemented over a period of 5- 10 years with funding from the Development Bank of Brazil (BNDES) and Deutsche Bank with insurance provided by Brazillian Guarantees and Fund Managements Agency (ABGF) and the Islamic Corporation for Insurance of Export Credit (ICIEC) of the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) and coordinated by Getulio Vargas Foundation (FGV), the minister said. With the governments plans to establish these mechanisation centres across the country, there will be increased productivity, timeliness of operation and improved quality of farm produce. The Nigerian technical team also embarked on a study tour of three African countries (Ghana, Kenya and Senegal) where MFIP is being implemented to study their challenges as well as their success or failures. The Nigerian technical team has also visited the selected assembly plants in the six geopolitical zones to determine in-country capacity to handle the assembly of a CKD-based program of this magnitude, the minister said. The minister listed other benefits of the planned Green imperative programme to include assembly plants for tractors and other implements. The program will import the completely knocked down (CKD) parts of about 5,000 tractors and numerous implements (for local assembly) annually for ten years and reactivation of six motor assembly plants in the six -geopolitical zones of the country for assembling tractors and other implements, he said. Lagos State Government has disbursed N19.2million to 300 victims of Abule-Egba pipeline explosion. The money was paid out on Frida... Lagos State Government has disbursed N19.2million to 300 victims of Abule-Egba pipeline explosion. The money was paid out on Friday at the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) camp in Igando. The agency disclosed that some of the victims have been living at the camp. The January 19 disaster claimed no fewer than five lives. LASEMA Director-General, Olufemi Oke-Osanyintolu, said Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, was concerned about the welfare of victims. We were able to keep them in our camp since January 22. We ensured a clean environment, and a hospital was provided with adequate drugs and equipment to treat the IDPs. Oke-Osanyintolu disclosed that the victims acquired skills in collaboration with Lagos State Ministry of Poverty Alleviation. Equipment such as clippers, basic fishing tools, soap making materials, among others were donated to them. We are giving 69 households N225,000 each,; we are also giving 25 individuals N150,000 each, the DG announced. Oke-Osanyintolu warned miscreants to stop vandalizing petroleum pipelines. He advised residents to always inform the government and security agencies of suspicious activities in their area. The Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Sadiya Farouq, has said no fewer than 109,823 beneficiaries of the N-Power Programme are now business owners. Ms Farouq, in a statement on Saturday in Abuja by her Special Assistant on Strategic Communication, Halima Oyelade, said the beneficiaries of Batch A and B of N-Power have established businesses in their communities. Statistics like this gives me joy and once again, I want to say congratulations; I look forward to hearing amazing testimonies and meeting beneficiaries of this programme who will be doing great things in the future. The minister reiterated President Muhammadu Buharis vision of lifting 100 million Nigerians out of poverty in 10 years by creating opportunities to enhance the productivity of Nigerian youths for entrepreneurship or employment. Ms Farouq stressed that the vision was imperative because youth represented 70 million of the Nigerian Population while youth unemployment stood at over 20 per cent with 4.5 million entering the job market annually. Thus, the need to find ways to engage them is of utmost importance. However, the commencement of the enrolment of Batch C was predicated on the need to give more Nigerian youths the opportunity to benefit. This is because, keeping only 500,000 beneficiaries for four years defeats the purpose of Mr Presidents vision, hence the need to scale up and was in no way meant to be punitive, she said. Ms Farouq thanked the beneficiaries while acknowledging the contributions and efforts of those who commenced the programme before it was transferred to the ministry. She noted that it was a collective team effort and would continue to be so. You are our model N-Power beneficiaries. Please avail yourselves of all opportunities provided by the government like interest free loans and leverage on those opportunities while using N-Power as a stepping stone. The minister said challenges facing the programme include delays in the payment of stipends, beneficiaries not showing up at their places of primary assignments and people accessing the programme while gainfully employed elsewhere. However, we are frantically working to resolve them. The minister also assured beneficiaries that outstanding payments would be made and transition plans were ongoing and would be duly communicated to them on their platform. Also, according to the statement, some of the beneficiaries of the programme gave glowing testimonials. It said Angela Nabu, a graduate of Agriculture from Ladoke Akintola University, was enrolled into the programme without knowing anyone or connected to anyone. I gained practical experience working with the Ogun State Agricultural Development Programme, Ilaro Zone. I was able to save some money from the stipends to start my own fish farm. ADVERTISEMENT Today I have 12 ponds. I have people working for me and I have trained one IT student and I am willing to train more, Ms Nabu said. Similarly, Saddiq Mustapha, a beneficiary from Katsina State and graduate of Ahmadu Bello University, said he was idle after his one-year mandatory National Youth Service to the nation. By virtue of the experience gained and training in video production and editing, I was able to set up a multimedia company and run the largest online media business in the state with thousands of followers, he said. Ali Dapil from Plateau, living with disability, said he had gone through a lot of discrimination. However, he applied for N- Teach and was sent to Gindiri as his Primary place of Assignment. He was also provided a device to aid him. They all expressed their gratitude to the federal government for the opportunity. (NAN) Nigerian novelist, Chimamanda Adichie, has said that the death of her dad has profoundly changed her life and that grief is a cruel kind of education. James Adichie, an emeritus professor of Statistics and Mathematics, University of Nigeria Nsukka, passed on June 10 in Anambra after battling a brief illness. He was 88 years old. Sleep is the only respite, Ms Adichie said in a piece she published about her grief, Saturday, on her Facebook page. She lives in the U.S with her family. On waking, the enormity, the finality, strikes I will never see my father again. Never again. I crash and go under. The urge to run and run, to hide from this. The shallow surface of my mind feels safest because to go deeper is to face unbearable pain. All the tomorrows without him, his wisdom, his grace. She narrated her final moment with her dad and how significant he was in her life. June 7, there was Daddy on our weekly family zoom call, talking and laughing. June 8, he felt unwell. Still, when we spoke he was more concerned about my concussion (Id fallen while playing with my daughter). June 9, we spoke briefly, my brother Okey with him. Ka chi fo, he said. His last words to me. June 10, he was gone. Continuing, she said, Because I loved my father so much, so fiercely, so tenderly, I always at the back of my mind feared this day. But he was in good health. I thought we had time. I thought it wasnt yet time. I have come undone. I have screamed, shouted, rolled on the floor, pounded things. I have shut down parts of myself. The last Ms Adichie saw her dad was on March 5 in Abba, she said. She said she had planned to be in Nigeria in May. We planned to record his stories of my great grandmother, she said. Ms Adichie was, however, in constant touch with her dad. They talked daily and she usually sent her travel itineraries to him, she said. Stuck in U.S. We are broken. We are bereft, holding on to one another, planning a burial in these COVID-scarred times. I am stuck in the US, waiting. The Nigerian airports are closed. Everything is confusing, uncertain, bewildering, Ms Adichie said. Nigeria, like other countries of the world, is battling to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus. The total number of confirmed cases of coronavirus in Nigeria is 27,564 as of July 3, according to data released by Nigeria Centre for Disease Control. The Nigerian government has just lifted a ban on interstate travel. But in some parts of the country, the ban on public burial and other forms of public gathering is still in place, to halt the spread of the virus. My father was Nigerias first professor of Statistics. He studied Mathematics at Ibadan and got his PhD in Statistics from Berkeley, returning to Nigeria shortly before the Biafran War. A titled Igbo man Odelu Ora Abba deeply committed to our hometown. A Roman Catholic with a humane and luminous faith. A gentle man and a gentleman. For those who knew him, these words recur: honest, calm, kind, strong, quiet, integrity. I am writing about my father in the past tense, and I cannot believe that I am writing about my father in the past tense. My heart is broken. ADVERTISEMENT Grief is a cruel kind of education. You learn how ungentle mourning can be, how full of anger. You learn that your side muscles will ache painfully from days of crying. You learn how glib condolences can feel, Ms Adichie said. Beginning from 12 midnight on Tuesday, June 30, doctors in Ekiti State under the aegis of the National Association of Government General Medical and Dental Practitioners (NAGGMDP) withdrew their services from the public hospitals with the exception of the Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital (EKSUTH). The affected hospitals are the states 19 general hospitals, three specialist hospitals and more than 100 healthcare centres scattered across the 16 local government areas. The medical practitioners accused the government of neglecting the health sector, acute shortage of manpower, unpaid arrears of three-month-salaries, backlog of unpaid allowances, non-implementation of agreements on hazard allowances, poor working tools, among numerous others. In a letter addressed to the governor by the doctors association, a copy of which PREMIUM TIMES exclusively obtained, the government was accused of encouraging a massive exodus of healthcare workers from the state by making the working environment hostile to them. The letter, which was dated May 29, and signed by the associations chairman and secretary, Adeniyi Sunday and Adeleye Crave respectively, said merely 65 medical officers and five consultants are working at the 22 secondary healthcare facilities. According to the group, between October 2019 when a comprehensive report on the state of the facilities and suggestions on the way forward was presented to Governor Kayode Fayemi, and May 29 when a 21-day ultimatum was issued to the state, 24 medical doctors including 11 consultants have left the states service. The associations letter reads in part; Your Excellency Sir, our members feel neglected and marginalised but despite this we continue holding forte at the forefront of COVID-19 and other diseases at the state isolation centre, general hospitals, state specialist hospitals and all the primary healthcare facilities across the state. We are the same set of doctors to see the patients first even at the early stage before they are referred to the isolation and while in the isolation, our members continue to provide seamless clinical services. Your excellency Sir, the inability of the state government to address these issues we have raised at different fora is the main reason why all effort to employ more doctors into the health service of Ekiti State under the hospitals management board has repeatedly suffered a lot of setbacks. As recently as seven months ago before we wrote our last letter and position paper on achieving the fourth point of the four-point agenda of this government, there were 96 doctors at the hospitals management board including not less than 16 consultants. It is disheartening to know that as at today, the HMB is left with just five consultants and less than 67 medical officers to man our three specialist hospitals and 19 general hospitals. It will shock you to know that Ekiti East Local Government has just one doctor. Many of our general hospitals have only one doctor providing care to a whole community such as Omuo, Ilawe, And Ilupeju-Itapa, just to mention a few. Demands The doctors, therefore, demanded immediate implementation of skipping allowance with full consolidated medical salary structure (CONMESS), immediate implementation of financial benefits of promotion up to date, immediate implementation of full rural posting allowance, immediate payment of teaching allowance, and immediate implementation of regular hazard allowance. Other demands include the immediate payment of special covid-19 hazard allowance as contained in the MoU between the federal government and health workers unions, payment of three months salary arrears, and consequential adjustment of our salary based on the new minimum wage law. The striking doctors have insisted that until there is clear evidence of implementation of the demands in their respective salaries, there will be no end to the ongoing strike. According to a member of the association who does not want to be quoted for fear of sanction, the situation is worse at the primary healthcare centres, where less than 12 doctors serve more than 100 primary healthcare centres that are scattered across the towns and villages within the 16 local government areas. Each of the 16 local government areas has about 10 healthcare centres and none of these health centres has medical doctors working there. The about 10 doctors in service of the primary healthcare board only sit at the local government headquarters while the community health extension workers (CHEW), who are products of schools of health technologies, take charge of the healthcare centres. As a medical doctor who is the only one serving my general hospital I am permanently on call duty, yet my take-home isnt up to N200,000. Most doctors working in this state are only passers-by, we take off as soon as opportunity comes. According to another medical officer, the last time the state recruited doctors was in 2018 during the administration of former Governor Ayodele Fayose. 17 doctors were recruited then but only six are left in the service of the state. Passing the buck The spokesperson to Governor Kayode Fayemi, Yinka Oyebode, in a telephone interview with PREMIUM TIMES, said he could not confidently speak on the matter. He directed our reporter to the commissioner for information, Muyiwa Olumilua. In a short message to our reporter, Mr Olumilua also said he was not in a good position to comment on the issue and referred this newspaper to the states commissioner for health, Mojisola Yaya-Kolade. The latter also declined comment, saying she would issue a statement through the ministry of information. ADVERTISEMENT READ ALSO: But the permanent secretary in the ministry of health, Folake Olomojobi, told this newspaper on the phone that in any society, workers agitations cannot be ruled out. Mrs Olomojobi, a medical doctor, said there is no perfect system anywhere in the world, insisting that allegations leveled against the state are well across the country. She said; You would recall that recently, the resident doctors embarked on strike over some agitations but the government is looking critically into it, she said. What I can say clearly is that what we have in the existing circulars are being paid and what they are agitating for now is a new circular from the Federal Government. And what the government has said is that the establishment should look into it and see what is affordable and bring it to the table for negotiation with the doctors. That is the process we are in now. Speaking on the manpower shortage, the official said there are inadequacies globally, and Ekiti State is not an exception. I am not saying that we have a 100 per cent system, she said. And like I said earlier, inadequacy is all over the world and we are all witnesses to the exodus of doctors abroad from Nigeria. In the northern part of Nigeria, there are local governments without doctors at all. Though those statistics given by the doctors may not be exactly correct, but we have inadequacies and we are addressing it. She said the matter is being addressed and that the doctors would soon return to their duty posts. ADVERTISEMENT The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has launched a course on Infection Prevention and Control (IPC), in the context of coronavirus disease (COVID-19). This online course is available to the general public but targeted at health care workers, to reduce the risk of transmission of COVID-19 and other infectious diseases while administering health care in Nigeria, a statement by the Centre made available to PREMIUM TIMES, revealed. As of July 3, 2020, a total of 27,564 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 628 deaths have been recorded by NCDC. Additionally, as at 02 June 2020, about 812 health care workers have been infected in-country with over 230,000 infected globally, the statement issued on Saturday, highlighted. The national strategy in response to COVID-19 has been multifaceted. In the absence of a vaccine or cure, compliance with IPC measures remains one of the most effective interventions to control the ongoing outbreak. The NCDC has made efforts to rapidly strengthen the capacity of frontline healthcare workers in infection prevention and control wherever health care is provided. Since the first case in Nigeria was confirmed in February, NCDC has supported the training of about 17,436 health workers in IPC and works in collaboration with the Departments of Hospital Services and Food and Drugs of the Federal Ministry of Health (FMOH), to ensure that health workers are provided with the required personal protective equipment (PPE) to reduce the risk of health workers infection. To ensure that IPC training, knowledge and information is easily accessible to all who need it, the Infection Prevention and Control Unit of the NCDC, with technical assistance from eHealth Africa, has developed a COVID-19 IPC online course. The course features modules on standard and transmission-based precautions, use of personal protective equipment (PPE) and other essential aspects of infection control in healthcare. A certificate of participation will also be awarded at the end of the course by NCDC. READ ALSO: The online course is also designed to document vital information to monitor IPC compliance across health facilities at the primary, secondary and tertiary levels, both in public, private and faith-based facilities in Nigeria. Infection prevention and control measures cuts across all other components of the COVID-19 response in Nigeria and is critical for strengthening national health security. Registration for the free online course on infection prevention and control can be done using the link here. The NCDC, under the guidance of the Federal Ministry of Health and her other agencies, remains strongly committed to protect the health of Nigerians. We urge the public to remain aware of the risks of COVID-19 and to adhere to the preventive measures advised by the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 and the Federal Ministry of Health. ADVERTISEMENT The police have arrested the chairman of Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Ebonyi State chapter, Tony Nwizi. Details of his arrest which is still sketchy at the time of this report suggest that he was allegedly arrested by policeman from outside the state. The Vice Chairman of NUJ in the state, Nworie Benjamin, confirmed the arrest in a statement. He said Mr Nwizi was arrested at his house in Abakaliki, the state capital, by the Police IRT team from Enugu based on a petition by two members of the union. Confirmed information indicates that IGP IRT team Enugu arrested Ebonyi State NUJ chairman, Tony Nwizi. We have established contact with him that his gestapo arrest was actually from men of the police force. Mr Nwizi is currently in Enugu with a team of IGP IRT over a petition written by the Ex- VP of NUJ, Zone C, Mr Petrus Obi and Chibota Edozie. The officers who arrested him went to the area command in Abakaliki before moving to his house. A source said at the police command, the operatives refused to disclosed who they were. They told the policemen on duty that they were in the state to effect an arrest after which they zoomed off in their unmarked white bus to Mr Nwizis residence. READ ALSO: But police spokesperson in the state, Loveth Odah, gave a conflicting statement. While she said she cannot precisely say where the policemen who arrested Mr Nwizis came from, she nonetheless linked them to the Lagos command. I know some policemen came into Ebonyi yesterday from anti-kidnapping (unit) of Lagos State Police Command. They wanted their papers to be signed, so that they can effect an arrest. We are still on the matter, in order to confirm if he was the one that they came for. The identity of whoever they came for is not usually disclosed. Mr Nwizi is a staffer of the state broadcast station, EBBC. Force spokesman, Frank Mba, could not be reached for comments. He did not take calls sent to him at the time of filling this report. The first major war of the new scramble for Africa is being fought in Libya as the country appears headed towards some form of partition with Vladimir Putin and Recep Erdogan emerging as the kingmakers. On the western side is a Turkish-led force that has been converging on Sirte, the strategic city at the midpoint of the countrys Mediterranean coastline, which is held by General Khalifa Haftars Libyan National Army (LNA). Sirte, the hometown of Muammar Gaddafi, is the gateway to the coastal east, the oil crescent and the al-Jufra desert base. READ ALSO: Defending the city are Russian mercenaries from the Wagner group, supported by tribal militias and former Gaddafi loyalists, Russian fighter jets and Sudanese and Chadian mercenaries, underwritten by Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan (MBZ), the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, who has been described as the most powerful Arab ruler. President Abdel-Fatah al-Sisi of Egypt has threatened to send his army to defend the city, which would lead to an all-out confrontation between Turkey and Egypt. France and Saudi Arabia are also, to varying degrees of public commitment, part of this alliance. Both armies consist largely of proxies and tribal militias. The forces of the Tripoli-based Government of National Accord (GNA) have been fortified by Turkish weapons, Syrian mercenaries and a mishmash of Islamist militias who sense an opportunity to inflict defeat on the Arab coalition. They are also backed by Qatar and quietly supported by the former colonial power, Italy. The United States has remained aloof from the conflict since General Haftar attacked Tripoli in April last year. President Donald Trump sent out conflicting messages, at one stage calling up Mr Haftar when he appeared poised to take Tripoli, congratulating him for his successes. More recently, Secretary of State Mike Pompeos team, appear to be siding with the Turkey/Tripoli alliance. Richard Norland, the U.S. Ambassador to Libya, and Gen Stephen Townsend, the commander of Africom, last week met with the GNA and said they supported a truce, but appeared open to the GNA first recapturing Sirte. The government in Tripoli is often described as UN recognized, which is true, but the countrys elected House of Representatives sits in Tobruk and its President Aguila Saleh has emerged as the most important leader in the East, eclipsing Haftar. General Khalifa Haftar (Photo Credit: Twitter) The lack of national unity has echoes in Libyas past. Before the country was colonized by Italy in 1910 it consisted of three vilayet under Turkish Ottoman rule that roughly adheres to the current split between west (Tripolitania) and east (Cyrenaica), as well as the mostly desert lands of the south (Fezzan). Tripolitania was part of the Maghrib (western Arabic) world and Cyrenaica was part of Mashrek (the eastern Arabic world). In many ways these deep cultural and historical distinctions have been re-emerging since 2011, triggered by the civil war. The underlying politics of the country remains tribal, a reality that Gaddafi managed to navigate for decades without a central bureaucracy by wheeling and dealing with the tribal elders and sharing the oil booty with them. But this unity was blown up by the uprising of 2011 and the western-led mission that ousted Gaddafi. The country has battled to unify since then and the 2015 Skhirat agreement that laid the basis for the existing political structure of the country left many things undone, including failing to resolve the allocation of the oil revenue. Mr Haftar, a former Gaddafi general who had worked for the CIA for decades, began his march across Libya from his base in Benghazi by first capturing the oil fields before turning towards the coast and marching on Tripoli in April 2019. But he got bogged down in the outer suburbs of the city. Fayez al-Sarraj, the Prime Minister in Tripoli, whose government has historic ties to the Muslim Brotherhood, was on the ropes until a dramatic rescue operation launched at the end of last year by the Turkish President, Recep Erdogan. It was preceded by a maritime treaty between Tripoli and Ankara defining the boundaries of territorial waters in the Mediterranean. President Recep Erdogan On December 26, 2019, Mr Erdogan vowed to back Mr Fayez in Libya by sending him soldiers but chose not to send Turkish regulars. Instead, he sent North Syrian mercenaries from near Idlib, members of the Turkmen minority. ADVERTISEMENT After Mr Haftar received reinforcements in the form of mercenaries from Sudan and Russia, Turkey started to deliver large amounts of military equipment of a much better technological quality; for example hunter drones that largely cleared the sky of the UAE drones used in support of Mr Haftar. Turkeys full-scale engagement in the conflict broke the siege of Tripoli in early June and ended Mr Haftars bid to control the whole of Libya. Turkey is now in the driving seat in Tripolitania and appears likely to remain the dominant power. Russia is the only force with the strength, the will and the smarts to stop the Turkish march. Along with the UAE, Egypt and other members of the alliance, they are concerned that a Turkish victory will lead to the establishment of a new ISIS or Al Qaeda beachhead in Libya. In order to prevent this from happening, the GNA has to be stopped at Sirte. A victory there would open the way not only to Libyas main oilfields but to Benghazi and Tobruk, which would be threatening to Egypt. Vladimir Putin is determined not to allow this to happen. Russia has elevated the Libyan conflict from a sideshow to a major strategic consideration. Mr Putin appears not so much focused on a military victory but rather wants to stop Erdogan from fostering a radical Islamist state in Libya. It would be a big victory for Mr Putin to deny the Islamists, secure Russian influence in the eastern part of Libya, entrench a diplomatic alliance with Egypt and emerge at the other end as the statesman who brought peace to Libya. Russian President, Vladimir Putin [Photo Credit: Washington Times] The Turkish-led forces have, as of the first week in July, been stopped outside Sirte by a force of largely Russian mercenaries. Russia sent a vanguard of Wagner mercenaries and used their al-Jufra-based planes in combat, bombing and strafing the Turkish force which had no air cover. The Turks had moved so quickly on Sirte that their logistics were hurried and they lacked artillery or proper armour. Additionally, the local population in Sirte is Cyrenaican, hostile to the GNA and thus pro-LNA. At the same time, the Russians sent forces to Sharara to keep the western oil fields out of Turkish hands. An impending showdown between Egypt and Turkey that would rock the Middle East has been averted for now. There is, however, a growing likelihood that Libya will be left with a de facto separation. Since Mr Putin kept his lines of communication with Mr Erdogan open after the Idlib operations in Syria, he has a ready-made negotiating channel to discuss Libya with the Turkish government. Libya is already viewed as an extension of Russian-Turkish relations in Syria. To achieve a political deal, Mr Putin seems ready to allow Turkey to revive its unfinished projects dating back to the Gaddafi era about $20 billion in contracts and to offer a compromise whereby Tripoli would get control of the western Sharara oil fields. In exchange, he wants a de facto separation of Cyrenaica, even if gift-wrapped in some kind of Libyan confederation structure rather than turned into a de jure independence. Sharara would be the financial compensation for Tripolitania for the loss of the main oil crescent sites which would stay with the East. This scheme is financially supported by the UAE which bankrolled the Russian counteroffensive on Sirte and Sharara. It also has the backing of Egypt. Mr Haftar has been politically marginalized and the Russians are dealing with Aguila and the Tobruk Parliament, for the time being. Despite the seeming setback at Sirte, the battle for Libya has seen the emergence of Turkey as a military power in Africa to add to the extensive diplomatic and commercial links that the country has forged on the continent over the last decade. Turkey sees Africa as a major avenue of commercial opportunity and political influence. Mr Erdogan has visited 19 African countries and since the attempted coup in 2015 has been rolling up the extensive Gulenist networks throughout the continent. At home, Mr Erdogan has the backing of an alliance of Islamists and secular nationalists who support the Libyan intervention and it is a welcome distraction from the countrys internal problems. The Russians have sought to seal out Turkeys Jihadi allies in Libya, potentially shutting down a fresh pipeline of support for the Jihadi groups in the Sahel and Northern Nigeria. The overthrow of Gaddafi in 2012 had a catastrophic impact on the African countries to the south. The crisis in Mali, in which the north broke away to form its own state, was precipitated by Gaddafis Tuaregs moving south. There has long been fear that the hostilities in Libya could precipitate a fresh crisis across the vulnerable states of the Sahel. Competition between Turkey and Saudi Arabia, UAE and Egypt in which the Sunni world is split between two adversarial empires could yet have a major impact in Africa. MBZs singular concern is to rid the Middle East of Islamists while holding the line against the Shiites. Right now the element of moderation appears to be coming from Moscow. Washingtons lack of serious engagement in Libya reflects an administration that is focusing its entire energy in getting re-elected. This is a first in the series of PREMIUM TIMES pioneering foreign reporting and analysis on the new power actors seeking to reshape and renature the political, economic and cultural fortunes of Africa. ADVERTISEMENT The governor of Ebonyi State, David Umahi, has tested positive for COVID-19. The governor made the announcement in a statement he signed on Saturday. He, however, noted that he is asymptomatic and has since isolated himself in line with Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) protocols. He said he has handed over the running of the state to his deputy, Kelechi Igwe. Mr Umahi said some of his close aides also tested positive for the virus. He however did not reveal the identities of those who tested positive. READ ALSO: The governor appealed to residents in the state to take preventive measures. He added that he is working from home and will conduct all meetings virtually. Governor Umahi joins other state colleagues who have been infected from the ailment. These include Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna, Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia, Bala Mohammed of Bauchi, Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta, Seyi Makinde of Oyo and Rotimi Akeredolu, Ondo. Messrs Makinde, Mohammed and El-Rufai have since recovered. The Federal Government has said due process was followed in the suspension of the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF) management. Charles Akpan, the Deputy Director, Press and Publicity in the Ministry of Labour and Employment, said this in a statement on Saturday in Abuja. Mr Akpan debunked claims by the Nigeria Employers Consultative Association (NECA) that the suspension of the management of NSITF violated the disciplinary procedure approved by the President. NECA made the claim in a letter signed by its Director-General, Timothy Olawale, and addressed to the Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige. In the said letter, Mr Olawale referred to the presidential procedure released by the Secretary to Government of the Federation, put in place to stem the arbitrary removal of Chief Executives of government and to ensure stability in the system. Mr Akpan however explained that the removal of the NSITF management followed due process, as the Federal Government hundred per cent owned the parastatal. He insisted that the minister acted in line with the Constitution, Public Service Rules and NSITF Act. He, therefore, insisted that the NSITF Act empowers the minister to recommend fit and proper persons to Mr President for an appointment for the post of Chairman, Managing Director, and three Executive Directors to manage the day to day affairs of the agency. Mr Akpan reaffirmed that the suspension of the management became imperative after a preliminary investigation on allegations of corruption against the NSITF top officials, established prima facie infractions on the extant financial regulations and Procurement Act and other acts of gross misconduct. According to him, some of the infractions uncovered include N3.4 billion squandered on non-existent staff training split into about 196 different consultancy contracts in order to evade the Ministerial Tenders Board and Federal Executive Council (FEC) approval. Non-existent unexecuted N2.3 billion was documented and paid while N1.1 billion is awaiting payment without any job done, all totalling N3.4 billion. Same goes for projects of construction of 14 Zonal/Regional Offices in 14 states running into billions of naira a policy issue being done without Board or Ministerial knowledge not to talk of Approval. This was done in 2019 by the MD and his three-man Executive. Some of the projects are duplications and hence waste of funds, yet you are in the Board supposedly supervising, he said. The statement maintained that the ministry operated within the law in suspending NSITF management and assured NECA that the Board would be expected to play her role in this matter with her members purged of their already jaundiced stand. The spokesman added that NECA does not have the full facts nor do they know that the SGF conveyed the Presidential approval to the Minister of Labour and Employment for full implementation. He said: If a minister observes there are financial breaches earlier reported and gross misconduct he does not need to go back to a Board that has been complaining to the same Minister. We hope that NECA does not expect the minister to fold his hands like his predecessor who watched helplessly when the last Board Chair in cahoot with the two NECA representatives, MD and officials looted N48 billion from the Fund and are being tried as of date by the EFCC. NECA leadership should have been more restrained and responsive to the mantra of this administration like their Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) counterparts as the NSITF is a Federal Government Parastatal operating within the realm of the Constitution, Public Service rules. ADVERTISEMENT The NSITF Act, empowers the minister to recommend fit and proper person to Mr President for appointment for the post of Chairman, Managing Director and the three Executive Directors for the day to day Management of the agency, he said. He also noted that the breaches in question started since 2016 to 2019 and were not limited to 2018/2019 as NECA claimed. Mr Akpan added that the ministry does not intend to go into a media altercation with a social partner. He called on NECA and the director-general to emulate the NLC who liaised with the ministry to be adequately briefed and were satisfied after the briefing, moreso when they had also received a brief from their person on the Board. He stressed that Mr Olawale as representative of NECA on the Board was there when the suspended MD of NSITF and some members of his Executive lavished N3.4 billion on non-existent Staff training split into about 196 different consultancy contracts in order to evade the ministerial tenders board and FEC approvals. The President on recommendation of the minister also has powers to discipline, suspend or even remove totally, depending on the circumstances of each situation, Mr Akpan stated. (NAN) A popular Lagos plastic surgeon, Anuoluwapo Adepoju, was on Friday arraigned before a Federal High Court in Lagos for alleged evasion from an investigation into a failed plastic surgery. Ms Adepoju was charged for alleged failure to comply with FCCPCs requirements to appear and provide information relevant to an ongoing investigation. The prosecution was led by the CEO of Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC), Babatunde Irukera. Ms Adepoju, alongside her hospital, Med Contour Services Limited, was arraigned for allegedly obstructing the investigation by FCCPC into the case. She is standing trial before Justice Mohammed Liman. The FCCPC had in April, sealed the second defendant (Med Contour), a plastic surgery hospital, over suspicion of illegal activities. In the same month, FCCPC also revealed on its official Twitter handle that it has commenced an investigation into a case of failed plastic surgery performed by the cosmetic surgeon. Trial In a five-count charge brought against the defendants on Friday, the prosecution alleged that without sufficient cause, the first defendant failed to appear before the FCCPC in compliance with the commissions summons dated April 15. The prosecution alleged that without sufficient cause, the first defendant refused and failed to produce a document which she was required to produce in compliance with the commissions notice of investigation dated April 14. The defendant was also alleged to have prevented and obstructed the commission from carrying out its investigation into the said issue. The offences were said to have contravened the provisions of sections 11(1)(a), 33(1)(a), 110, 113(1)(a) and 159(4) of the FCCPC Act, 2018. The defendant, however, pleaded not guilty to all counts. After her plea, defence counsel, Maria Jonnes, informed the court of a preliminary objection challenging the charge. She had argued that the law setting up the FCCPC does not empower the court to entertain the case filed by the commission, adding that the defence had already filed a pending suit before a brother judge, Justice C. Aneke challenging the Act of the commission. In response, the prosecutor, who is Director-General of the FCCPC, Babatunde Irukera, argued that there was no legal basis for the preliminary objection of the defense. According to him, the subject before the court is not on the issue of a violation, and so, there is nothing in the preliminary objection that can stand. He also submitted that the objection that the court lacks jurisdiction to hear the case is misinformed. ADVERTISEMENT Court proceedings In a six-paragraph affidavit of completion of investigation attached to the charge sheet, the commission said it received complaints against Ms Adepoju from one Marlene Oluwakemi, Taiwo Temilade and Vivian Onwuzuligbo that the surgeons services are unsafe for consumers, and that she made false, misleading and deceptive representation in relation to the marketing of their services. It said, In particular, the above-mentioned Vivian Onwuzuligbo, a member of the Mrs Nnneka Miriam Barbara Onwuzuligbo (now deceased) alleged that the deceased died as a result of the failed defendants cosmetic surgery and she is privy to the events that led to the demise of the deceased. Ms Irukera said the incidents happened between April 15 and May 4, 2020, at No. 11a Ladi Alakija Street, Lekki Phase 1, Lagos. He said Ms Adepoju acted contrary to sections 33(3)(a) and 113(4)(a) of the FCCPC Act 2018 and was liable to be punished under sections 33(3) and 113(1) of the same Act, among others. After listening to the submission of parties, Justice Liman upheld the submission of the prosecution. He also held that the criminal jurisdiction of the Federal High Court is activated by the provisions of sections 251(f) of the Constitution. The court held that subsection 1(f) of the section, includes organisations like the Consumer Protection Council as well as the Standard Organisation of Nigeria (SON) Justice Liman granted the defendant bail on self recognisance and adjourned the case until July 9 for trial. ADVERTISEMENT The Nigeria Employers Consultative Association has said it is against the decision of the Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige, to suspend the Managing Director of the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund, and 11 other officials of the agency. 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. Mr Ngige 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. This suspension is coming over a month after secretary to the Government of the Federations (SGF) restrained cabinet ministers from removing heads of agencies and parastatals they supervise. In a letter to the minister of Labour and Employment on Friday, the Director-General of NECA, Timothy Olawale, said the board of the fund, of which NECA was a member, was not aware of the allegations of gross misconduct and infraction of the Financial Regulation and Procurement Act. He said the corporate governance structure of the NSITF, as provided for in the enabling Act, entrusted the board with the responsibility of dealing with these and other related matters. Mr Olawale said the enabling Act governing the NSITF and activities of the board stipulated that the allegations should have been brought to the knowledge of the board for necessary actions as it unfolded. Lawful duties He advised the labour minister to allow the managing director, executive directors and other suspended general managers continue their lawful duties without hindrance. We were caught unawares and surprised at the purported suspension from office of the top management and Executive Committee of the Fund, effective from July 1, 2020, by your good self, Mr Olawale said. READ ALSO: He said the suspension was in disregard of the disciplinary procedures approved by President Muhammadu Bihari. Mr Olawale said disciplinary procedures were established to stalk the arbitrary removal of chief executive officers by government and to ensure stability in the system. We wish to put on record that the board to which the NECA and other statutory Institutions like the Nigeria Labour Congress, the Central Bank of Nigeria, etc. are members, were not aware of any of the claims made by your office as a subject before it, he said. According to him, any observed infractions on the Financial Regulation and Procurement Act and every other act of gross misconduct in the fund should be referred to the duly constituted governing board through the established procedure for attention and appropriate actions. I am aware the Bureau of Public Procurement and the Office of the Auditor General of the Federation were currently auditing the books, processes and affairs of the fund for the period 2018 to 2019 and were yet to conclude the task, he said. SGF directives 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. According to the new procedure, when a 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. Chinese President Xi Jinping said Friday that the Communist Party of China (CPC) is willing to strengthen exchanges and cooperation with the Mongolian People's Party (MPP) at all levels and in all fields to lead the China-Mongolia comprehensive strategic partnership to greater development and make due contributions to regional peace and prosperity. Xi, also general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, made the remarks in a verbal message to Ukhnaa Khurelsukh, chairman of the ruling MPP and prime minister of Mongolia. China and Mongolia are friendly neighbors linked by mountains and rivers, Xi said, adding that since the onset of the COVID-19 epidemic, the two sides have cooperated closely against the coronavirus disease, which has fully demonstrated their profound friendship of helping each other and jointly overcoming difficulties. Noting that Khurelsukh speaks highly of China's contribution to the global fight against the pandemic, Xi said the Chinese side is ready to strengthen anti-epidemic exchanges and cooperation with Mongolia and other countries, and jointly build a community of health for all. The Chinese president said he is glad to see that with joint efforts of the MPP, the Mongolian government and all sectors of Mongolian society, Mongolia has achieved remarkable results in epidemic prevention and control, maintained steady economic and social development, and successfully held parliamentary elections recently. Recalling that Khurelsukh sent a message to him not long ago on the occasion of the 99th founding anniversary of the CPC, Xi said it fully demonstrated the great importance Khurelsukh and the MPP attach to relations between the two parties and countries. In a previous letter to Xi, Khurelsukh said that with the CPC's relentless efforts, China's success in beating COVID-19 has not only safeguarded the health security of the Chinese people, but also made great contributions to protecting the health of people around the world, which he deeply admires. Khurelsukh also said that he is happy to see that the MPP and the CPC have successfully pushed bilateral cooperation at all levels to a new height in recent years within the framework of the memorandum of exchanges and cooperation between the two parties. He added that he believes that the two parties will further cement their cooperation achievements and deepen Mongolia-China ties so as to promote prosperity in both countries. Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom, has announced that Secretary to the State Government, Tony Ijohor and his Chief of Staff, Terwase Or... Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom, has announced that Secretary to the State Government, Tony Ijohor and his Chief of Staff, Terwase Orbunde have tested positive for COVID-19. Ortom confirmed that the Head of Service, Veronica Onyeke, and Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Administration) Benue State University, Godwin Achinge, are also positive. The governor made the disclosure on Saturday while briefing newsmen in Makurdi, the state capital. He said it was no longer news that my wife, one of my sons and staff tested positive to the virus. Ortom noted that the test was carried out about a week ago. He said when the result came out, 35 people tested positive. My test result came out negative. But the medical officers said that another test will be carried out on me after three days. Ortom told newsmen that he would isolate himself until he has clearance from the medical officers, noting that COVID-19 is real. He enjoined people to take preventive measures seriously. I want my people to be alive and free from the disease. We have to stop the spread of the disease by maintaining all the COVID-19 protocols. The governor added that even if someone who tests positive to the disease has underlying ailments and the virus is detected early enough it will not kill the person.. ADVERTISEMENT The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has linked top leaders of the main opposition party, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), to Ramon Abbas (Hushpuppi), who was recently arrested alongside his associates in Dubai for cyber enabled fraud. Mr Abbas, notorious for his lavish lifestyle on Instagram, has been extradited to the United States of America to face trial for alleged cyber-fraud, possibly money laundering, among other crimes. However, the APC, in its first reaction since Instagram celebrity was arrested accused Nigerias former vice-president, Atiku Abubakar; immediate past Senate president, Bukola Saraki; a former speaker of House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara; a senator, Dino Melaye, among partys stalwarts of shady links with Mr Abbas. That the PDP leadership turned Dubai into their Strategic meeting place ahead of the 2019 general elections in Nigeria and Hushpuppis affinity with the PDP leadership is not mere coincidence, the APCs deputy spokesperson, Yekini Nabena, posited in a statement issued on Saturday morning. At different times, Hushpuppi was seen photographed in Dubai meeting with the PDPs 2019 presidential candidate, Alh. Atiku Abubakar; former Senate President, Bukola Saraki; former Speaker, House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara; Senator Dino Melaye among other PDP stalwarts. While relevant authorities investigate the nature of their relationship and business partnership, we also challenge the PDP leadership to do same by opening up on the nature of the relationship, particularly the kind of services the arrested Hushpuppi provided them, he added. However, other than some circulated pictures of Mr Abbas with some leaders of the PDP in the past, there is no other evidence to show that they are close affiliates as portrayed by the APC. Even though members of the two dominant parties in Nigeria have been fingered in vote-buying scandals in past by different election monitoring groups, Mr Nabena, in the statement, said the PDP is notorious for vote-buying and projected the possibility it employing the same means the forthcoming governorship elections in Edo and Ondo states. READ ALSO: PREMIUM TIMES contacted the PDPs spokesperson, Kola Ologbondiyan, through a phone call for a reaction to these claims. He said he would need to speak to the highlighted names before he can release an official statement. This reporter also called Paul Ibe, the spokesperson to Mr Saraki but he said he would rather not comment on the allegation until the party, (PDP) releases an official statement since it more on the party than individual. Mr Melayes was switched off when contacted. Turaki Hassan and Yusuf Olaniyonu, spokespersons to Messrs Dogara and Saraki, respectively did not answer their calls. ADVERTISEMENT The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has linked top leaders of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party to Ramon Abbas (also known as Hushpuppi), who was recently arrested alongside his associates in Dubai for alleged cyber fraud. Mr Abbas, known for his lavish lifestyle on Instagram, has been extradited to the United States of America to face trial for alleged cyber-fraud, possibly money laundering, among other crimes. However, the APC, in its first reaction since Instagram celebrity was arrested, accused Nigerias former vice-president, Atiku Abubakar; immediate past Senate President, Bukola Saraki; a former speaker of House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara; a senator, Dino Melaye, among partys stalwarts of shady links with Mr Abbas. That the PDP leadership turned Dubai into their Strategic meeting place ahead of the 2019 general elections in Nigeria and Hushpuppis affinity with the PDP leadership is not mere coincidence, the APCs deputy spokesperson, Yekini Nabena, said in a statement issued on Saturday morning. At different times, Hushpuppi was seen photographed in Dubai meeting with the PDPs 2019 presidential candidate, Alh. Atiku Abubakar; former Senate President, Bukola Saraki; former Speaker, House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara; Senator Dino Melaye among other PDP stalwarts. While relevant authorities investigate the nature of their relationship and business partnership, we also challenge the PDP leadership to do same by opening up on the nature of the relationship, particularly the kind of services the arrested Hushpuppi provided them, he added. READ ALSO: However, other than some circulated pictures of Mr Abbas with some leaders of the PDP in the past, there is no other evidence to show that they are close affiliates as portrayed by the APC. Even though members of this two dominant parties in Nigeria have been fingered in vote-buying scandals in past by different election monitoring groups, Mr Nabena, in the statement, said the PDP is notorious for vote-buying and projected the possibility it employing the same means the forthcoming governorship elections in Edo and Ondo states. PREMIUM TIMES contacted the PDPs spokesperson, Kola Ologbondiyan, through a phone call for a reaction to these claims. He said he would need to speak to the highlighted names before he can release an official statement. This reporter also called Paul Ibe, the spokesperson to Mr Atiku, but said he would rather not comment on the allegation until the party, PDP, releases an official statement since it is more on the party than individual. Mr Melayes line was switched off when contacted while Turaki Hassan and Yusuf Olaniyonu, the spokespersons to Messrs Dogara and Saraki respectively, did not answer their calls. ADVERTISEMENT Former Senate President, Bukola Saraki, has described an attempt by the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to link him to a cyber-crime suspect, Ramon Abbas (Hushpuppi), as irresponsible. Earlier today, the ruling party linked top leaders of the main opposition party, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), to Mr Abbas, who was recently arrested alongside his associates in Dubai for cyber fraud. Mr Abbas, known for his lavish lifestyle on Instagram, has been extradited to the United States of America to face trial for alleged cyber-fraud, possibly money laundering, among other crimes. The APC, in its first reaction since Instagram celebrity was arrested accused Nigerias former vice-president, Atiku Abubakar; immediate past Senate president, Bukola Saraki; a former speaker of House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara; a senator, Dino Melaye, among partys stalwarts of shady links with Mr Abbas. At different times, Hushpuppi was seen photographed in Dubai, meeting with the PDPs 2019 presidential candidate, Alh. Atiku Abubakar; former Senate President, Bukola Saraki; former Speaker, House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara; Senator Dino Melaye among other PDP stalwarts. The APCs deputy spokesperson, Yekini Nabena further called on relevant authorities to investigate the nature of their relationship and business partnership. Meanwhile, Mr Saraki, in a statement issued by his media aide, Yusuph Olaniyonu, stated that he has no form of association with Mr Abass in any way. The statement credited to the APC, the ruling party in our country, is one of the ways by which our anti-graft agencies are weakened and why the fight against corruption in the country is often viewed with suspicion by the international community. RAMON OLORUNWA ABBAS, aka Ray Hushpuppi, aka Hush, This is because when these cyber-crime suspects were operating freely and openly displaying wealth, the APC saw nothing bad in their activities. Also, the party at that time did not deem it necessary to call on the anti-graft agencies to investigate their activities, the statement read. Mr Olaniyonu added that his principal had, on several occasions, condemned the activities of these cyber criminals and called on the law enforcement agencies and other stakeholders to make decisive interventions to checkmate their activities. He has also got a research institution, the Politeia Institute, whose board he chairs to commence a research on the best ways to tackle the menace. ADVERTISEMENT The National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) has issued a fresh certificate to Edo State governor, Godwin Obaseki. Mr Obaseki was disqualified by the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) from participating in its governorship primary election in the state as a result of an inconsistency noticed in his submitted credentials to the partys screening panel. The panel controversially faulted Mr Obasekis NYSC certificate where his surname Obaseki was written as Obasek and that of his Higher School Leaving Certificate (HSC) he claimed to have obtained from an Institute of Continuing Education in Benin, capital of Edo. This led to the exit of the governor from his APC to the main opposition, PDP, where he eventually clinched the ticket to contest for a second term. His exit was also linked to his political conflict with the now-ousted ex-APC chairman, Adams Oshiomhole. Following the investigation conducted in respect to the error, the NYSC said it has issued a new certificate to Mr Obaseki. I refer to your letter referenced EOG/ABI/99/VOL IV/172 dated 18th June, 2020, on the above subject matter please, the letter read. I am directed to inform you that after investigation, the management of the National Youth Service Corps has approved that a new Certificate of National Service reflecting the Surname OBASEKI be produced as the earlier Certificate number 063107 dated 6th August, 1980 has been cancelled due to error in the surname i.e OBASEK. READ ALSO: Accept the assurances of the Director-Generals regard, the corps said in a letter dated June 19 and signed by Okonofua K .N on behalf of the NYSC Director-General. On September 19, Mr Obaseki will face his main opponent, Osagie Ize-Iyamu, and other in the Edo polls, He had defeated Mr Ize-Iyamu, who ran on the PDP platform in 2016. The governor was elected under APC then. ADVERTISEMENT The Chief Operating Officer in charge of Joint Ventures and Business Development of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Roland Ewubare, has resigned. The Edo State-born top NNPC official is believed to have resigned, on Friday, due to health reasons. No official statement has been issued by the NNPC as to why Mr Ewubare left barely one week to the first anniversary of his appointment. The NNPC spokesperson, Gabriel Obateru, did not respond to calls when our reporter contacted him on Friday evening. Also, Mr Ewubares telephone was switched off when PREMIUM TIMES contacted him. But, a reliable source close to the NNPC who is familiar with the matter told our reporter Mr Ewubare had to take a bow from office as a result of his failing health due to an undisclosed illness. The source requested that his name should not be disclosed as he was not authorised to speak on the issue. My brother, everybody in NNPC who is close to the man knew that he has been battling with some very serious health challenges for a long time due to some undisclosed illness. The ailment did not allow him to concentrate on his official duties. Maybe he feels its time for him to go home and rest, to enable him find time to take proper care of himself, the source said. The source said Mr Ewubare may have tendered his resignation letter to the NNPC management last Monday. Prior to his appointment on July 8 last year, Mr Ewubare was the Chief Operating Officer in charge of the Upstream of the national oil company. He was a close affiliate of the former Group Managing Director of NNPC, Maikanti Baru. While at the NNPC, Mr Ewubare headed the investments management subsidiary of the corporation, the National Petroleum Investment Management Services (NAPIMS). Previously, he served as the Managing Director of Integrated Data Services Limited, the Benin City-based seismic data acquisition arm of the NNPC. ADVERTISEMENT President Muhammadu Buhari has sent warm greetings and commendation to a Nigerian doctorate student in University of Tsukuba, Japan, Ikenna Nweke, who returned a missing wallet with huge sums of money to the police, and also turned down offer of a percentage by the authorities. President Buhari salutes Mr Nweke for projecting the values of honesty, integrity and contentment that should be the hallmark of a people, presidential spokesperson Femi Adesina said in a statement Saturday. The president said good virtues and propriety are the hallmark of every culture in Nigeria, while crimes and criminalities are exceptions. The president believes Nwekes behaviour, coming at a period that the country needs a positive spotlight and close-up on its real values, clearly signposts what should hold the nation together, inspired by solid foundations laid by most families, religious bodies and communities for success in life, the statement said. President Buhari wished Mr Nweke all the best in his studies and work as a teaching assistant in same university. He urged all Nigerians, home and abroad, to keep celebrating the age-old, irreplaceable attributes of honesty and decorum, and shun the microwaved, get-rich-quick tendencies that bring individual and collective shame. Mr Nweke is a native of Imo State, and moved to Japan in 2013. ADVERTISEMENT I have always been worried about how the media and politicians have turned to spreading a poverty mentality as a mode of attacking successful people most times for political blackmail. Even though they have succeeded with the public to a large extent, it is high time that some of us begin to make the public aware of some of these games especially knowing fully well the sort of damage some of these baseless insinuations could make to the society and its moral fabric. Friday evening, Sahara Reporters came up with such kinds of cheap blackmail and this time it was on someone I hold dear and one that could make a damage to a very revered institution of ours. They went as far as posting some houses and purported them to belong to Dr Isa Ali Pantami and I wondered how that was news even if it was true but I then remembered the poverty stricken mentality of lots of the public who could give it some meaning and such inspired my write up for this evening. Let me take us back to 2016 when the President declared his assets and then there was argument in the public on whether he owned a house in Aso Drive or other places in Abuja and I personally wondered how as a nation we have reduced ourselves to wondering why a former Head of State and an elder statesman would own a house or a few houses, was he supposed to be living under a bridge simply so he will satisfy Nigerians. The United States of America is usually our benchmark for comparison and I see so many beautiful houses on the streets of Washington and New York, must all of them be proceeds of corrupt practices? That is if we are insinuating owing houses is synonymous to corruption or ill act. These same narrative has been set and has affected a large chunk of the populace even though a large chunk of it is an opposition to President Muhammadu Buhari because of his position on anti corruption. They have succeeded in making everyone feel like its a crime to make money. Part of the shout about poverty from all parts of the country is resultant from this because even people who make legitimate money and have philanthropic tendencies have chosen to keep their money to themselves and not share because of fear of such kinds of mischievous interpretation and a gullible public who could accept it as their truth. For how long will such kind of narratives be continued to be spread while it affects the psyche of the populace into believing that its a crime to be rich, successful or wealthy. Young people now shun from getting into businesses and making money because of narratives like these. This is the basic reason why laziness has become the hallmark of the youths. Their most potent trade is to buy airtime and share mischievous stories like those of Sahara Reporters on purchase or not of homes. After reading such kinds of stories whether true or lies, has anyone sat or attempted to make a research over what life Dr Isa Ali Pantami has lived before venturing into public service. Why should sharing a picture of a home just translate into something abnormal? When are we ever going to fill up the large deficit in critical thinking that has been bedeviling us and eating deep into the fabric of the society. The much I have known Dr Isa Pantami has been working at the prestigious Islamic University of Madina where he must have made some savings from his earnings and his lifestyle never portrays that of somebody who is extravagant with money meaning he could keep savings for a long time. Furthermore, he has been a Director General at the National Information Technology Development Agency, a position that naturally attracts a good salary that could make good savings. He has made several travels outside the country on official duties that could fetch the country goodies and such travels attract statutory allowances that could again make good savings. He has also been a minister for almost a year now and must have legitimately earned remunerations for the position and also add to his savings. Would it then be a crime if such an individual chooses to live a moderately good life from his savings? This is assuming if the allegations of the bought house is true but there was no iota of evidence to prove the ownership of the purported property. Dubai, one of the most visited destinations by Nigerians has Sheikh Al Makhtoom as its king and he owns a palatable palace and several businesses and companies, they not proceeds of corruption. Infact his countries anti corruption crusade is strong enough to have captured Ray Hushpuppi who was flaunting funds he could not account for, now this one right here is bad, let Sahara Reporters concentrate on such and their likes and stop spreading lies to imply that its a crime to utilize legitimate earnings. The lesson the youths have to learn from such shenanigans is that of desisting from notions which suggest its wrong to work hard, make legitimate earnings and also utilize them for wellbeing. We must work as a unit to defeat platforms who continue to spread poverty stricken mentality as a norm. Finally, President Muhammadu Buhari has to continue to be wary of platforms which continue to spread narratives that suggest utilization of legitimate earnings as synonymous with ill doing. What such narratives are aiming is to deplete the Presidents team of the star lights and thereby setting the stage for failure and then they celebrate. They also wish to take away strong people from critical sectors so they can plant their pliable individuals who could embezzle for the entire club including the owners of the platforms who spread such kinds of blackmails. For their information, Nigeria and its citizens are daily getting wiser past such cheap blackmail. As for the President, he can help them write a script of such kinds of cheap blackmails, he has seen tons of them. The owners of the platforms that spread such empty allegations have not come clean over the request by their political parties for audit on crowd funding of seeking elective positions. He who comes to equity must come with clean hands. As for Dr Isa Ali Pantami, it is within his God given right to utilize earnings from business and life advancement for the betterment of his wellbeing and that of his family, there is nothing wrong with that even though we cannot authenticate the ownership or not of the purported property. All legitimate earners are also free to do same. May the Lord continue to increase in wisdom to discern. Hashim Suleiman oneheartnaija@yahoo.com ADVERTISEMENT The Court of Appeal in Abuja on Saturday dismissed four appeals brought against the re-election of Yahaya Bello and affirmed him the governor of Kogi State. The appeals were filed by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the Actions Peoples Party (APP), the Social Democratic Party (SDP) and the Democratic Peoples Party (DPP). In four separate unanimous judgments delivered on Saturday, the five-member panel of the appellate court led by Justice Adamu Jauro, dismissed the four appeals for lacking in merit. In its appeal, APP had claimed that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) unlawfully excluded it from the governorship election in the state. Delivering judgement on the APPs appeal, Justice Mohammed Shuaibu dismissed the appeal. He also affirmed the decision of the Governorship Election Petition Tribunal, which dismissed the petition filed by the APP and awarded a cost of N100,000 against the party. The appellate court also dismissed the appeal filed by DPP against the governors re-election. On the appeal filed by SDP and its candidate, the Court of Appeal held that Ms Akpoti could not prove the allegations of corruption and voter intimidation against Mr Bello. Following this, the appellate court dismissed the SDPs appeal. On the main challenger (Musa Wada)s appeal, the appellate court held that the allegations, which includes multiple thumbprinting and results in falsification, were not proven by the appellants. The Court of Appeal then ordered Mr Wada to pay a sum of N100,000 each to Mr Bello, the APC, and INEC, who were listed as respondents in the appeal. In the election held in November 2019, Mr Bello polled 406,222 votes to defeat his closest opponent, the PDPs candidate, Mr Wada, who scored 189,704 votes. Ms Akpoti of SDP, came a distant third with a score of 9,482 votes. ADVERTISEMENT An apostle, Joseph Alhassan, of Faith Agape Church, Narayi Kaduna, Kaduna State, has been arrested for allegedly raping a 16-year-old girl for the past five years. Mr Alhassan was arrested at his residence, No 158 B, Abdulrahman Road, Shagari Low Cost, Barnawa Kaduna, by officers of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC). The apostle, who is also the Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Orphans and Widows Welfare Foundation International, was arrested following a complaint filed by the Kaduna State Ministry of Human Services and Social Development. The victim (name withheld), while interacting with Brenda Bartholomew, the Social Welfare Officer-in-charge of the case, in Kaduna on Saturday, alleged that Mr Alhassan sexually abused her over the last five years. Ms Bartholomew said that the victim, from Saminaka, Lere Local Government Area of the state, had been living with the accused since she was 11 years old as a house-help. She explained that the case was reported to the ministry by a non-governmental organisation, Bridge that Gap Initiative, after which the ministry intervened to investigate the issue. After receiving the information, we reported the case to the NSCDC, Kaduna South Local Government Area Division, Kakuri, who thereafter arrested Alhassan and (are) currently investigating the matter. We have taken her (victim) to the Sexual Assault Referral Centre, Kakuri, for medical examination while we wait for NSCDC to conclude their investigation before we will proceed with the prosecution process, she said. On her part, Gloria Bulus, the Executive Director, Bridge that Gap Initiative, told NAN that she found out about the victims predicament through a neighbours child who attended the same school with the victim. In late October 2019, we heard that a 12-year-old girl, also a house-help in Mr Alhassans house, had told some of her friends at school that her fellow house-help was being sexually molested by Alhassan. We decided to visit the school, Aliyu Makama Primary School, Barnawa, to investigate the alleged crime. We met the Assistant Head Teacher, Mrs Rebecca Sambo, who claimed ignorance of the issue. But the 12-year-old girl reaffirmed the allegation and we were able to contact her parents in Kagarko, who came and took her away. To ensure justice for the victim, we decided to approach the Ministry of Human Services to investigate the allegation. I am glad that the ministry did, Ms Bulus said. When contacted, the Child Protection Desk Officer, NSCDC Kaduna, Shehu Maiyaki, confirmed to NAN that Mr Alhassan was in their custody and that the matter was being investigated. However, Mr Alhassan denied committing the crime, saying it is a baseless accusation. (NAN) On June 9, the Kaduna State government relaxed restrictions imposed on the state to curtail the spread of COVID-19, a deadly respiratory ailment. In a state-wide broadcast, the state governor, Nasir El-Rufai, announced the re-opening of places of worship and many other businesses. However, the relaxation followed laid down guidelines that must be followed by all places of worship and businesses that will resume activities. Church services are allowed only on Sundays and Mosques are allowed to conduct only Friday Jumaat services, for the time being, subject to compliance with the safety stipulations in the guidelines. Also, the restriction of intra-state movement was lifted, subject to a night-time curfew of 8 pm to 5am imposed in the state. The guidelines also included the provision of hand sanitisers, washing of hands and wearing of face masks always. The gesture was welcomed by most residents of the state who have been under quarantine for over 70 days with places of worship, as well as markets not selling essential goods, closed. Meanwhile, the supposed good gesture of the state government may not yield benefits at the end as people in the state are not adhering to the guidelines as stated by the state government. Violation of guidelines A PREMIUM TIMES reporter took a walk around the popular Gumi market on Ahmadu Bello Way and many communities in the metropolis including, U/Rimi, Barnawa, Malali, U/Dosa, Sabon Tasha, Kakuri among others. Residents, traders and shop owners operated without adhering to social distancing or wearing of face masks. Although the main Gumi market is not among those allowed to open, all the many plazas and big shops around its surrounding were opened for business. It was like a normal busy market day before the Coronavirus pandemic. Residents flouting the NCDC rules on curbing the spread of COVID-19 in Kaduna People were seen going about their normal daily business without adhering to the social distancing order while many commuters both in public and private cars were seen not wearing a face mask. In most public transportation, bus drivers violated the only five-man passengers, they filled the busses with passengers, most of who did not wear a face mask. READ ALSO: Even tricycle riders filled up their popular Keke Napep with passengers also not wearing face masks. At some major plazas like the Royal Plaza along with the Gumi market, there was a provision of sanitizers and handwashing facilities. Every person going into the market was asked to wear a face mask and apply hand sanitizer, but inside the market, social distancing did not exist. Events like wedding ceremonies and parties are now taking place at weekends without social distancing in place. Residents reactions Many residents who spoke to PREMIUM TIMES on lack of adherence to the guidelines blamed poverty. ADVERTISEMENT Abdulkadir Inuwa, a civil servant in the state, said people are not sure of the existence of the virus. Many people do not believe Coronavirus really exists. They see it as a government propaganda, so they go about doing their businesses at every opportunity without wearing a face mask and/or practising social distancing, Mr Inuwa said. Abdullah Isa, a trader said I only hear people saying there is Coronavirus, calling figures but for once I never see one. I dont care. It is just a lie and government propaganda. Stella Jatau, a shop owner, said people are not sure and hunger is another reason. All they are after is what to eat because of poverty. Kids being offered hand sanitizer by a concerned officer Shafiu Mohammed, a medical doctor, said it is quite unfortunate that people do not want to believe that Coronavirus is real. It is very sad that people still think this virus does not exist. We only need to keep telling them, making them understand the importance of practising social distancing and wearing a face mask once they are going out. And maybe the government should be strict in making sure people follow the orders. COVID-19 in Kaduna According to the NCDCs reports on the spread of COVID-19 in Nigeria, Kaduna State stands at number nine with 818 cases. 554 have been discharged, while there are 263 active cases and 16 deaths. Kaduna State has recorded a significant increase in the number of cases of Coronavirus. The NCDC COVID-19 cases as of Friday, July 3, shows that Kaduna recorded an increase of 17 more cases. The Federal College of Education, Osiele, Abeokuta, Ogun state capital, has been shut down following the death of a health worker who ... The Federal College of Education, Osiele, Abeokuta, Ogun state capital, has been shut down following the death of a health worker who contracted COVID-19. In a statement on Friday, Adedayo Adebayo, registrar of the institution, said two other workers at the medical centre also tested positive for the disease. He added that the infected workers are already undergoing treatment. A report carried out attributed the cause of death of one of the medical personnel that transited to immortality lately to complications that arose from COVID-19, he said. Regrettably, the two other staff of the medical centre similarly tested positive to the viral infection and have been placed on isolation and undergoing treatment. Arising from this untoward development, it is incumbent on the college management to immediately close down the college so as to forestall further spread of the virus. He advised everyone who had been in contact with the affected medical workers to subject themselves to COVID-19 test. The college management further advises everyone that has had recent contact with the affected medical personnel to subject themselves to COVID-19 test in order to ascertain their health status and to seek necessary medical intervention, he said. The management condoles with the bereaved family and the college community and prays that God grants all the succour to bear the irreparable loss. It also prays for the speedy and total recovery of the affected staff and commits all other staff and students of the College into the care and protection of the Almighty as we all stay safe to outlive this trying period. ADVERTISEMENT The governor of Ondo State, Rotimi Akeredolu, and his deputy, Agboola Ajayi, have disagreed over running of the states affairs following the current health status of the governor. Mr Akeredolu, on Tuesday, disclosed that he had tested positive for Coronavirus and was currently in self-isolation. He also directed his commissioners and other aides go for compulsory test. Addressing Journalists in Akure on Friday, the governor speaking through the Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Donald Ojogo, explained why he could not hand over to his deputy. When questioned whether the government would be handed over to Mr Ajayi following his illness, the commissioner said there was no such plan. Though Mr Governor is on self-isolation, the government is not grounded. He is working from isolation, so the state cannot be grounded. The governor cannot hand over to the deputy, Agboola Ajayi. The deputy has left governance, though he is still in government. So, you cannot hand over to such a person. We are not considering that; no one will advise the governor to hand over to the deputy. Mr Governor is still strong enough to work. Deputy kicks Reacting to the position of the governor, Mr Ajayi said ordinarily, one expects Mr Governor to bring to the front burner the background of his profession as a lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, (SAN) but surprisingly, the Governor has chosen this perversion of justice, by allowing his media aides to go astray in a matter of constitutionality. Agboola Ajayi {Source: Official Twitter Handle} The deputy governor, who reacted on the matter through his media adviser, Allen Sowore, on Saturday said: Section 190(2) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended) is apposite in this circumstances. On our part, we will continue to pray fervently for Mr Governors quickest recovery. However, it should be noted that, Mr Governor is at liberty to handover or not within 21 days after which the constitution becomes operational. Ostensibly, refusal and failure of Mr Governor to handover the running of government to his deputy while in self isolation and temporarily incapacitated underscore his absolute disregard for the rule of law; a spite on the people and a direct assault on the provisions of the constitution which he swore to uphold. Not only that, his deliberate obstacles to ensure that government continues to run while hes in self isolation as a result of the fact that he has been tested positive for the COVID-19 puts lips service to his hypocratic war against the ravaging pandemic. The assertion by the commissioner that the Deputy Governor is a threat to good governance is illusionary or perhaps the Honourable Commissioner for Information now suffers amnesia. Its imperative to inform the general public that, Mr Governor and members of his kitchen cabinet have deliberately barred the Deputy Governor from all government activities as all the daily itinerary and work schedules released from Chief Of Protocols, have not allocated any function or duty to the person or office of the Deputy Governor in recent time. PREMIUM TIMES reported a series of reports on the war between Mr Akeredolu and Mr Ajayi over the upcoming governorship election in the state. Last month, Mr Ajayi dumped the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) for Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), where he has been cleared to contest for the partys primary. ADVERTISEMENT Following the rise in coronavirus (COVID-19) cases recorded in Osun lately, the governor of the state, Gboyega Oyetola, has ordered the total lockdown of four of the local government areas of the state. The areas are places where recent cases were recorded. They are Ilesa East, Ilesa West, Atakumosa East and Atakumosa West. This was communicated to journalists on Saturday in a statement by the states commissioner for information, Funke Egbemode. She disclosed that the lockdown which would be for seven days in the first instance was a resolution between the government and the stakeholders from the area. It is expected to commence on Tuesday, July, 7. She said government had every reason to believe that it was already witnessing what looked more like a community transmission in the area and as such there was need to come up with measures to arrest the trend. Only those on essential duties such as health, fire service, environmental officials, security personnel, power and water supply agencies, media and telecommunication officers will be allowed to move, she added. As you are all aware, the Federal Government, a few days ago lifted the ban on inter-state travel in the country. We have, therefore, lifted ours too. But our relaxation guidelines still subsists except for four local government areas, namely; Ilesa West, Ilesa East, Atakumosa West and Atakumosa East Local Government areas where we have now ordered a one-week lockdown, effective Tuesday, July 7. READ ALSO: For the avoidance of doubt, our curfew will still run from 9.p.m to 5.a.m daily in other parts of the State, except the locked down LGAs. In furtherance to the above, for the other parts of the State, the ban on political, public, religious, and any kind of gatherings under whatever guise remain in force, while worship centres must adhere strictly to governments guidelines guiding their re-opening. Government will not hesitate to shut down any of the worship centres that violates our guidelines. For the four local government areas, all markets will remain shut, only neighbourhood markets and pharmacies will be allowed to open. There must be strict adherence to stipulated physical distancing, the use of face masks, and observance of all other precautionary measures and established protocols of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC). To this end, we urge citizens and residents of the affected communities to take advantage of the hours between now and Monday to stock up provisions that will last them one week in the first instance.We have mandated and mobilised the states task force and security operatives to strictly enforce the measures. So far, Osun has 151 confirmed cases. It currently has 87 active cases and had discharged 59 patients. Five deaths have been recorded Officials have been anxious about the protest for a week, many condemning Youngs plans to shut down the city on the Fourth of July, which is also the first weekend casinos were open after being shuttered for almost four months to mitigate the spread of COVID-19. They cautioned that if the demonstration devolved into criminal activity, such as the May 31 protest that ended with looting and vandalism, arrests would be made. The Atlantic City Police Department and our law enforcement partners have been preparing for this protest due to threats made by organizers, police chief Henry White said. While we respect and support those that exercise their First Amendment rights, we will not allow a major roadway to be blocked cutting off access for our community members, emergency personnel or visitors to the city of Atlantic City. We are grateful that the Atlantic City community did not participate in this misguided attempt to shut down the city. Mayor Marty Small Sr. has largely condemned the protest, detailing his attempts to speak with Young ahead of the event. Last week, tensions rose after an anonymous caller who identified himself as a member of the Pagans motorcycle club called in to WPG Talk Radio 95.5s Hurley in the Morning and said about 300 club members would be out to support the police. Jobless claim help Im grateful to Rep. Jeff Van Drew and his staff for helping me get my unemployment benefits. I wrote to Van Drew explaining my situation with unemployment and the problem I was having. I received an email from his office asking me questions about what I had done so far. After about a week a person from unemployment sent me an email asking me questions about my problem. I answered all of the questions and a day later I received an email stating that there was a mix up with another worker from unemployment who did not enter my right information. That is why it was held up for 10 weeks. I received 10 weeks of benefits and if it wasnt for Van Drew and his staff I would still be waiting for my checks. Robert Kupcha Mays Landing Implode Rushmore next? I see now that they are taking down Robert E. Lees statue. And also taking down statues all over the world all of a sudden. These are part of all of our history. If people are going to take down one statue, I think they must take them all down, including the Statue of liberty and imploding Mount Rushmore. Gary Shoff Plattsburgh, NY (12901) Today Thunderstorms during the evening will give way to cloudy skies after midnight. Low 59F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 80%.. Tonight Thunderstorms during the evening will give way to cloudy skies after midnight. Low 59F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 80%. Dahiru Usman Bauchi, an Islamic cleric, has rejected the ban of Almajiri system by northern governors. In an interview with The Su... Dahiru Usman Bauchi, an Islamic cleric, has rejected the ban of Almajiri system by northern governors. In an interview with The Sun, Bauchi said his rights and that of those who believe in the system are being violated by the ban. The Almajiri system is a process where children leave their homes in search of Islamic knowledge. The cleric said the countrys constitution gives every citizen the rights to movement and practice of their religions. The constitution of the country gives us the freedom to practice our religion the way we want it. Our biggest religion is the Quran. Since the Quran has given them (those in power) laws that they have refused to abide with, what right do they have to give instructions or law to the Quran? Based on that, we will not accept the ban on Almajiri by northern governors, he said. Our right to freedom of worship is being violated. We will not accept violation of our right to go to any part of the country to practice our religion. The reason is because there is a government and the government operates by a constitution. The constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria gives every citizen the right to movement, the right to practice their religion. These students (Almajirai) are Nigerians. Packing our people like animals and moving them from one place to the other, we will not accept. As Nigerians, we have a right to practice our religion. The Quran is the basis of our religion. We will not accept any violation of our rights. We will not accept the ban on Almajiri. We have the right to go anywhere in the world to read the Quran. Bauchi said the governors did not consult him before they banned the system. The governors had taken a firm stance on almajiri during the COVID-19 pandemic. Police arrest two Karela fans over attack on Medeama players Police have arrested two persons believed to be Karela United fans who attacked Court adjourns #FixTheCountry case to June 25 The Accra High Court has adjourned the #FixTheCountry case to June 25. ECOWAS postpones launch of Eco single currency to 2027 The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has adopted a new road Judiciary not above criticism NDC tells CJ, stands with Dr Ayine The NDC has jumped to the defense of Dr Ayine after the Chief Justice seeks to Sperm count not harmed by Covid-19 vaccine, study says If you are a man who has hesitated to get the Covid-19 vaccine due to concerns Ghana to establish cocoa processing plant in Rwanda Ghana is collaborating to establish a chocolate production plant in Rwanda to National File July 4, 2020 In an opinion piece published Friday by Spectator USA, former Jeffrey Epstein legal defense team member Alan Dershowitz reminded the public that alleged Epstein madame Ghislaine Maxwell must be presumed innocent, and insisted that he and his wife never saw her do anything inappropriate during the many occasions on which they socialized with Epstein. The piece, titled The Ghislaine Maxwell I know, starts off by explaining how Dershowitz and his wife were introduced to Maxwell by none other than Sir Evelyn and Lady Lynne de Rothschild. We subsequently met her on several occasions generally in the presence of prominent people such as Bill and Hillary Clinton, Nobel Prize-winning scientists, presidents of universities, and prominent academic and business people, Dershowitz says of Maxwell, who coincidentally happens to be the daughter of alleged Mossad spy Robert Maxwell. Dershowitz insists that the only reason most people will presume Maxwell to be complicit in Epsteins activities is because of a Netflix series based largely on the accounts of two women with histories of making dubious accusations. Interestingly, some of the dubious accusations referenced by Dershowitz regarding one of the women, Virginia Roberts Giuffre, are against Dershowitz himself. Dershowitz has responded to Giuffres accusation that he had sex her multiple times with at St. James Island by claiming that he only visited the island accompanied by his wife and daughter. Giuffre is currently pursuing a defamation lawsuit against Dershowitz. Epsteins former lawyer references additional accusations by those he describes as Epsteins alleged victims in the piece, including accusations involving former Vice President Al Gore and former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak. Barak has a long history of close ties to Epstein, having admitted to visiting Epsteins island and various private residences on multiple occasions. A d v e r t i s e m e n t The former prime minister was such a fixture at Epsteins New York apartment building that residents could reportedly always tell when he was crashing there thanks to his flashy motorcade and Hebrew-speaking bodyguard detail. Dershowitz also suggested that Maxwells lawyers may argue that she cannot be charged with crimes because the statute of limitations on those crimes has expired. Dershowitz has previously claimed that the cushy plea deal he negotiated for Epstein in the late financiers 2008 underage sex abuse case, during which Epstein could leave prison 7 days a week for 16 hours a day, including for visits to the luxury mansion where he sexually abused his victims, and enjoyed an unlocked cell door and private television set, was completely fair and that he would have no problem with negotiating the same deal or a better one. This article was posted: Saturday, July 4, 2020 at 4:58 am Print this page. Infowars.com Videos: Usually, Brian conducts these seminars at iTecs or the client's offices, but being in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic, attending these seminars online is the safest choice. The workshop is relatively short, usually lasting between 35 and 45 minutes, including the presentation and a Q&A session. Hackers find interesting and creative ways to trick users into divulging their passwords and personal information. Not just that, but they can easily impersonate someone in your company to trick users into buying gift cards, wire large sums of money, and much worse. Learn some of the chilling statistics iTecs has on their website here. Information About iTecs Brian Desmot founded iTecs in February 2002 to provide Dallas businesses white-glove managed IT services during a time that the Internet was evolving and companies were adjusting to the new online frontier. Since iTecs inception, the company has grown in reputation and client base working with businesses of all sizes. Large enterprises such as Frito Lay, Miller Brewing, Pizza Hut, and Kraft to smaller organizations have leveraged the expertise and services iTecs provides. iTecs provides businesses with IT support, managed IT services, consulting, procurement, VOIP, disaster recovery & backup, employee monitoring, work from home solutions, and much more. With the launch of iTecs Promus, a white-glove managed cloud hosting services provider, iTecs can provide any company, anywhere in the world, IT services at an affordable cost with the MSP mindset and approach. If you are interested in learning more about iTecs and the free online cybersecurity seminars, please visit the website to register at the contact us page. About iTecs IT Outsourcing and Support Brian Desmot founded iTecs in 2002, a white-glove IT support, consulting, managed IT services provider. The firm delivers an umbrella of IT services from break-fix, consulting, cybersecurity, to procurement for businesses of all sizes. If you need a professional, customer-centric offsite IT department, iTecs is the best choice. Press Contact: Brian Desmot 214-744-3354 https://itecsonline.com SOURCE iTecs Related Links https://itecsonline.com Washington, July 4 : Four persons have been injured in a shooting at the Riverchase Galleria shopping mall in a suburb of Birmingham, in the US state of Alabama, local media reported. Police responded after receiving multiple calls of shots fired near the food court on Friday around 3.18 p.m. (local time), Hoover Police Lt. Keith Czeskleba said, Xinhua reported. "Scene is contained. Still gathering information. Unknown victims & injuries," Hoover Police Department said on Twitter. Washington, July 4 : Four persons have been injured in a shooting at a shopping mall in a suburb of Birmingham in the US state of Alabama, the media reported. Police responded after receiving multiple calls of shots fired on Friday near the food court at the Riverchase Galleria shopping mall around 3.18 p.m. (local time), Hoover Police Lt. Keith Czeskleba said in a press release, Xinhua reported. "We don't know at this point what led to the shooting or how many gunmen were involved," Rector said, adding that the victims were transported to area hospitals for treatment and their conditions are unknown at the moment. The mall has been evacuated "and the scene is secure", police said. Annalisa Pope, who works in the mall, told a media outlet that she heard six to seven shots fired. She said the gunshots "sounded like they were coming from every direction." The mall was the site of a 2018 police shooting where an officer fatally shot a Black man with a gun after mistaking him for the gunman in an earlier shooting at the mall. Police asked whoever witnessed the shooting in the mall to call authorities. New York, July 4 : With the number of confirmed coronavirus cases surging in 40 out of the 50 US states, the masked American has finally emerged as the signature image of the country's Independence Day weekend, after months of flip-flop federal messaging on masking up has evolved into an almost-national level warning from state level leaders. "Mask it or casket", "6 ft apart or 6 ft under" are the flavours of bare knuckle messages flying thick and fast from US state governments as Americans head for familiar hotspots in droves. Not everyone is following public health guidance designed to stop the virus from attacking an ever larger population. Those who are masking up and keeping 6 feet apart remain fearful about those who aren't practicing these measures. "Can you believe it? Our neighbours just drove out to Florida this morning. We're dreading what they'll bring back," Natalia Tucher, a Morristown, New Jersey resident told IANS. Florida is among four the US states along with Arizona, California and Texas which have together a combined total of 25,000 new COVID-19 cases. Tucher pulled the plug on a planned weekend gathering of barely 10 people because her guests were resisting masks. Yet, she remains anxious because "it makes normal relationships with people in the neighbourhood very tense". Like Tucher's neighbours, Americans continue to criss-cross the country to holiday spots despite nightmarish data on new infections. The roads seem oddly full on the evening before July 4; fireworks and community events remain on the agenda across the nation although their scale is greatly diminished. Public health experts are bracing for outcomes from this weekend which they say will be a crucial marker for the trajectory of the domestic outbreak which stalled in April and then roared back in May as states reopened. Doctors on the frontlines say Americans' discipline around social distancing on the July 4 weekend will be decisive for planning hospital surge capacity all of this month. America's top infectious diseases expert Anthony Fauci had warned this week that the effects of irresponsible, "devil may care" social behaviour will lead to outcomes much worse than America has seen yet. Fauci has called for societal responsibility among younger Americans in particular, especially those with less risk of falling severely ill but who remain potent carriers of the virus to vulnerable populations. "Don't forget that you're part of the dynamic process of this disease," he reminded Americans. Even as Fauci reminds Americans of the interconnected nature of the virus spread, President Donald Trump begins his Independence Day weekend on Friday headlining the antithesis of social distancing. Trump will speak against the backdrop of the historic Mount Rushmore in South Dakota, an event expected to draw more than 7,000 people where masks and social distancing aren't required. The country's alarming infection surge has been blamed in large part on Americans not covering their faces or following social distancing rules as states lifted their lockdowns over the past few weeks. The Mount Rushmore spectacle is a real-time alternative reality show, where the President's hardcore supporters have already begun packing the venue, sporting Trump T-shirts and hats. Masks are optional. As of Saturday, the US accounted for the world's highest number of infections and fatalities with 2,793,425 and 129,432, respectively, according to the Johns Hopkins University. (Nikhila Natarajan is on Twitter @byniknat) -- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text July 04 : Bollywood and south Indian actor Pooja Batra, who had a private marriage with actor Nawab Shah a year back, is celebrating her first wedding anniversary today. Pooja came to fame in Bollywood with her role in the film Virasat opposite Anil Kapoor. Pooja is also known for her roles in the hits like Haseena Maan Jaayegi and Nayak. Taking to her Instagram handle a while ago, Pooja shared a bunch of her wedding photos. In the first throwback pictures, the actress is looking gorgeous in a red gown, while Nawab is in a casual wear. In the other pictures the couple is seen with their close family members on the wedding day. Last year, much was written about Pooja Batras hush-hush wedding with Nawab Shah. Even before the couple announced their marriage, stories started flooding the internet after Nawab Shah posted a video on Instagram, where Pooja was seen wearing wedding bangles. While the two shared photos on their social media, they did not confirm the wedding rumours till late. In May this year, Pooja had dropped an adorable throwback picture on her Instagram, where we can see Nawab kneeling in front of her and holding her hand, while Pooja can be seen smiling happily. Sharing the pictures, Pooja wrote that it was the day when Nawab proposed to her in the presence of his mom. North Korea says there would be no nuclear weapon negotiations with the United States any time soon. First Vice-Minister of Foreig... North Korea says there would be no nuclear weapon negotiations with the United States any time soon. First Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs, Choe Son Hui, made the declaration on Saturday. He stated that Washington was only using the dialogue as a tool for grappling its (own) political crisis. We do not feel any need to sit face to face with the U.S., Dpa quoted him as saying. There are speculations that a new summit between President Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un would take place before the U.S. election in November. But Choe said some dreamers were hoping to leverage our denuclearisation measures for the conditional lift of sanctions while raising hope for October surprise. The official added that America is mistaken if it thinks things like negotiations would still work on us. Ottawa, July 4 : 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 city, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said here. "Effective immediately, Canada will not permit the export of sensitive military items to Hong Kong," CBC News quoted Trudeau as saying in a news conference on Friday. Canada will also treat sensitive goods being exported to Hong Kong as if they were being sent to mainland China. China's new security law, which came into effect in Hong Kong on Tuesday night, lists four categories of offences - secession, subversion, terrorism, and collusion with a foreign country or external elements to endanger national security. The maximum penalty for each crime is life imprisonment, although the suggested sentence for some minor offences is less than three years' imprisonment. Suspects can be extradited to mainland China in cases that involve "complicated situations" of interference by foreign forces; cases in which the local government cannot effectively enforce the law and ones where national security is under "serious and realistic threats". Trudeau suggested the new law was a threat to the "one country, two systems" philosophy that was supposed to last 50 years after the UK returned Hong Kong to China in 1997. "We will continue to support the many connections between Canada and Hong Kong while also standing up for its people," Trudeau said. About 300,000 Canadians live in Hong Kong. Canada's moves follow measures taken by the US earlier this week to tighten trade with Hong Kong and stop selling it military equipment, said the CBC News report. The UK announced that up to 2.6 million Hong Kong residents will be able to move to the country for up to five years and ultimately seek citizenship. During Friday's conference Trudeau also 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 Ottawa considers retaliation for the arrest of Huawei's Chief Financial Officer Meng Wanzhou in Vancouver in 2018 on a US extradition warrant. New Delhi, July 4 : President Ram Nath Kovind on Saturday urged people to follow discipline and maintain physical distance to protect themselves from the COVID-19 pandemic. He said this on the occasion of Asaadh Poornima while inaugurating the Dharma Chakra Day from the Rashtrapati Bhavan. "We are in the midst of a virulent pandemic that has overwhelmed the entire humanity. Perhaps no part of the world remains untouched by this calamity that adversely affects every individual. We have to follow certain discipline and maintain physical distance," the President said. Delivering his address on the occasion to emphasise the teachings of Lord Buddha and the eightfold path shown by him, Kovind said, "The world has suffered much this year, and I sincerely wish that this sacred day heralds a new ray of hope and grants a glimpse of happiness. "I also pray that it lights the lamp of wisdom in the heart of everyone," President Kovind said. Union Minister of Culture Prahlad Patel, Minister of State (MoS) for Minorities Affairs Kiren Rijiju and Member of Parliament Vinay Sahasrabuddhe also addressed the opening ceremony of the event. This day is also aptly observed as Guru Poornima by both Buddhists and Hindus as a day to mark reverence to their Gurus. President Kovind said the Buddha's cure for human suffering remains as relevant today as it was over two and half millennia ago. He said there is no doubt that the urgency of abiding by the values that the Buddha preached is eternal. "Today, as the pandemic ravages human lives and economies across the globe, the Buddha's message serves like a beacon." He advised people to shun greed, hatred, violence, jealousy and many other vices to find happiness. The President said, "In India, we see Buddhism as a fresh expression of the sublime truth. In modern times, two exceptionally great Indians -- Mahatma Gandhi and Babasaheb Ambedkar -- found inspiration in the words of the Buddha and went on to shape the destiny of the nation." Following in their footsteps, the President suggested that we should strive to hear the call of Buddha to respond to his invitation to walk the Noble Path. "Contrast this message with the hankering of an unrepentant mankind indulging in the same old violence and degradation of nature," the President said and added, "We all know that the moment the virulence of coronavirus slows down and we have a far more serious challenge of climate change before us." Expressing his happiness to host the Asadh Purnima celebration in the Rashtrapati Bhavan, the President said it is part of our civilizational journey for the welfare of the universe since time immemorial. "The day is also known as Guru Purnima. Hindus and Jains also celebrate it as a mark of reverence for their spiritual teachers. This day is an unbroken link to India's eternal pursuit of wisdom without dogma." On Asadh Purnima, some 2,500 years ago, the Word of Wisdom was spoken out by the Buddha for the first time. On attaining enlightenment, the Buddha spent five weeks in a state beyond description and then he started sharing with people the nectar he had discovered. -- Syndicated from IANS Amaravati, July 4 : Telugus from Andhra Pradesh settled in various parts of the world have expressed solidarity with the people of Amaravati, whose protests against the state government's decision to trifurcate the state capital entered 200th day on Saturday. Holding placards and candles and raising slogans, NRIs staged protests in major cities across the world, urging YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) government to withdraw the move and continue developing Amaravati as the only state capital. An estimated one lakh Telugu NRIs staged protests in more than 300 cities across the world, expressing solidarity with the farmers and other people of Amaravati opposing the government's move. In response to the call by Jayaram Komati, a prominent NRI in the US, Telugus in various countries staged protests. Telugu NRIs from the United States Ireland, Kuwait, South Africa, France, Germany, Austria, Canada, Saudi Arabia, and other countries have come forward to voice their solidarity with the slogan 'Don't Kill Amaravati, Build Amaravati'. According to leaders of the opposition Telugu Desam Party (TDP), the idea was to express solidarity in 200 cities all over the world to mark the 200th day of the movement but in the US itself, NRIs have joined the solidarity event from more than 230 cities and the global number went up to 300. Women, men, children, elderly all expressed their support to the cause. The rulers were stunned to see such a massive support to Amaravati cause, said Jayaram Komati. This event was conducted across the world in full adherence to COVID rules. NRIs from different countries joined the Amaravati solidarity event as per the rules of the local governments. Due to COVID-19 concerns, they participated in the event in small groups of 15-20 people. Many more participated in the event from their homes in virtual mode. The protesters alleged that the dream of Amaravati as the capital of six crore people has crumbled. The efforts to bring Singapore -- one of the most respected countries in the world -- on board have gone waste as the Jaganmohan government dubbed it as a real estate project and scared the country away. "This was the respect shown by the Jagan government to the country which is respected all over the world and came forward to help us," a protester said. The government's decision to kill a booming city and trifurcate it has not only altered the status of the state capital, it has destroyed the people's faith in government systems. The protesters feel that the decision strangled the sacrifice and made sure people can never trust a government. TDP leaders say the solidarity is unprecedented. "Never in history, NRIs have taken part in a protest movement on such a large scale. Now, they have come out in a single voice with one state one capital slogan," they said. Washington, July 4 : Kim Guilfoyle, the girlfriend of Donald Trump Jr. and a top Trump campaign official, has tested positive for the novel coronavirus, it was reported. Guilfoyle, who travelled to Mount Rushmore to attend President Donald Trump's July 4 kick-off address on Fridat, was not in contact with him and did not travel on Air Force One, Politico news said in a report. Sergio Gor, chief of staff for the Trump Victory Finance Committee, said in a statement on Friday: "After testing positive, Kimberly was immediately isolated to limit any exposure. She's doing well, and will be retested to ensure the diagnosis is correct since she's asymptomatic, but as a precaution will cancel all upcoming events. "Donald Trump Jr was tested negative, but as a precaution is also self isolating and is cancelling all public events." Guilfoyle however, did not have coronavirus symptoms prior to the rally, Politico news quoted a New York Times report as saying. Guilfoyle, a former Fox News personality who now works for the Trump campaign, is the latest person close to the President to test positive for coronavirus. In May, a member of the US military who worked in the White House tested positive for the virus. Days later, Katie Miller, Vice President Mike Pence's spokeswoman, also tested positive. Last weekend, Guilfoyle and Trump Jr. were spotted without a mask at a crowded party in the Hamptons, the New York Post reported. New Delhi, July 4 : With the population figures statistics, one would find it hard to believe the India is "the impotence capital of the world." Unfortunately, India is a country where conversations about Erectile dysfunction (ED) are often a taboo and left unspoken. However, a study by Pfizer Upjohn reveals facts about the high prevalence of this lifestyle disease and how women play a crucial role in in ensuring that their partners get timely and correct treatment for ED by visiting the doctor. ED is the inability to achieve/ maintain penile erection which leads to unsatisfactory sexual intercourse. While treatment is readily and easily available, men often shy away from addressing this condition, which can lead to relationship and health problems. In light of this, the pharmaceutical company launched a survey to gauge people's knowledge of ED, its treatment and the factors that influence treatment. According to other research, about 30 percent of the men below the age of 40 years and 20 percent of men across age groups had experienced difficulties in getting/maintaining an erection. 53 percent of men are not even aware of ED and 42 percent of men are willing to substitute medicines prescribed by their doctor with a cheaper option or opt for what their pharmacist suggests. 35 percent of men think that stress is the major catalyst for ED. However, the survey reiterates women are slowly finding their voice and becoming more vocal about the issues that matter to them. Interestingly as per the Pfizer Upjohn survey, 78 percent women are aware about ED, and 82 percent of women said that they would ask their partners to visit a doctor to get the right treatment instead of talking to friends or relying on home remedies. In general the survey also sheds light on the fact that 21percent of women are not sure if their partners satisfy them physically and 28 percent of women might consider separation if their partner does not take any corrective measure for ED. 96 percent of doctors agreed that partners play a significant role in the success or failure of the man's ED treatment and may influence decisions regarding treatment and even its continuation. The survey included 1042 men and women and 307 urologists, andrologists, sexologists and consulting physicians. (IANSlife Features can be contacted at ianslife@ians.in) -- Except for the title, this story has not been edited by Prokerala team and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed Mumbai, July 4 : People of Palghar were shocked as the sensational case of a shopkeeper - who allegedly killed a 32-year old woman customer and later had sex with her corpse - unravelled at the height of the ongoing lockdown, police officials said here on Saturday. The accused Shiva Choudhary, 30, owner of a novelty shop in Nalasopara town was arrested on Friday and remanded to police custody till July 12, said crime branch official Santosh Gurjar. The probe started when a resident of Priyanka Complex on Achole Talav Road registered a complaint with Tulinj Police Station a day after his wife went missing on June 26. Guarjar said that according to investigations, the victim had gone to make some household purchases at Choudhary's shop on June 26 and had an altercation with him on the price of some goods. After the brawl, Choudhary slapped the victim, dragged her by the hair to the back of his shop, tried to strangulate her and then slit her throat with a knife. Around 3 a.m. of June 27, Choudhary wrapped her body and carried it to a jeep van parked around half a km from his shop and dumped it there. A day later on June 28, locals complained of a foul stench emanating from the van and alerted the police. A team was rushed to find the body which was later identified by her husband. The autopsy report also made the shocking revelation - that she had been sexually assaulted after her murder. Hot footing into the probe, police teams fanned out in the area and after scanning the CCTV footage of the neighbourhood, zeroed in on the possible suspect Choudhary. "He was picked up and during sustained interrogation, confessed to murdering the woman and then having sex with her corpse. Thereafter, he was placed under arrest and further investigations are on," Gurjar told IANS. A police official said that Choudhary was living alone in the shop as his wife and children are in Pali village of Rajasthan since nearly a year, and could not control his urge after killing the woman. "He had no previous acquaintance with the victim and we shall also probe whether he had any mental issues after he violated the body," said the official. Gurjar, who helped crack this first of its kind case in the district, said the accused is charged with murder and rape. Jerusalem, July 4 : Israel was responsible for two blasts at Iranian facilities, one related to uranium enrichment and the other for missile production, over the past week, a Kuwaiti newspaper has claimed. The Al-Jareeda daily cited an unnamed senior source as saying that an Israeli cyberattack caused a fire and explosion at the largely underground Natanz nuclear enrichment facility on Thursday morning, reports The Times of Israel. According to the source, this was expected to set back Iran's nuclear enrichment program by approximately two months. Natanz, located some 250 km south of Tehran, includes underground facilities buried under some 25 feet of concrete, which offers protection from airstrikes. The facility is a Fuel Enrichment Plant covering 100,000 square meters. Photographs of the site showed significant damage to one above-ground building, which was covered in scorch marks and had its roof apparently destroyed. The Al-Jareeda daily also reported that on June 26, Israeli F-35 stealth fighter jets bombed a site located in the area of Parchin, which is believed to house a missile production complex - an area of particular concern for the Jewish state, in light of the large number and increasing sophistication of missiles and rockets in the arsenals of Iranian proxies, notably Lebanon's Hezbollah. Neither of these claims have been confirmed by Israeli officials as of now. The reported Israeli strikes followed an alleged Iranian attempt to hack into Israel's water infrastructure in April, an effort that was thwarted by Israeli cyber defences. But if successful, it could have introduced dangerous levels of chlorine into the Israeli water supply and otherwise seriously interrupted the flow of water throughout the country, reports The Times of Israel. Ultimately, the alleged Iranian cyberattack caused minimal issues, according to Israeli officials. Meanwhile, Iran's Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) said on Friday that the country's experts have determined the main cause of the inciden at the Natanz nuclear facility and will announce it at an "appropriate time". Experts from different sectors started investigating "different hypotheses" about the "incident" at the Natanz site in central Iran immediately after its occurrence, and have determined its main cause, SNSC spokesman Keyvan Khosravi was quoted as saying on Friday by Xinhua news agency. "Due to some security considerations, the cause and manner of this incident will be announced at a proper time," said Khosravi. Hyderabad, July 4 : Historic Charminar and Golconda Fort, the two major tourist attractions in Hyderabad, will be re-opened from July 6. Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) officials said not more than 2,000 visitors would be allowed at the centrally protected monuments every day. The entry tickets for visitors will be sold online. There will be no physical sale of the tickets. Tourists can book the ticket on ASI website. Officials said they would ensure strict adherence to safety protocols issued for all the centrally protected monuments and visitors. Superintendent archaeologist (Hyderabad circle), Milan Kumar Chauley held a meeting with the officials to given a final touch to the arrangements for re-opening of Charminar and Golconda Fort. Wearing face mask will be mandatory for visitors. They will also have to maintain social distancing. Entrance to the monuments will have mandatory hand hygiene and thermal scanning provisions. Only asymptomatic persons will be allowed. No group photography will be allowed within the premises. Officials said eatables would not be allowed. As per the Standard Operating Procedure (SoP) formulated by ASI, only digital payment is allowed at the parking and cafeteria. The cafeteria and kiosk inside the monument shall only serve bottled water on digital payment. Charminar and Golconda Fort were closed for visitors ever since the lockdown was imposed in the last week of March to contain the spread of Covid-19. Built in 1591 by Hyderabad's founder Mohammed Quli Qutb Shah, Charminar is the symbol of Hyderabad. According to ASI data, about a lakh people visit the monument every month. The majestic Golconda Fort was the capital of Qutb Shahi kings from 1518 to 1687. It also attracts thousands of visitors every day. Union Minister of State for Culture and Tourism (Independent charge) Prahlad Singh Patel on Friday announced that the Ministry of Culture and ASI have decided to open all the centrally protected monuments from July 6. Only those monuments which are in the non-containment zone will be open for visitors.A All the monuments will be bound by the protocols like sanitization, social distancing and other health protocols issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs and Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. -- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text Seoul, July 4 : The South Korean Army has decided not to allow a former non-commissioned officer, who was forcibly discharged after a sex reassignment surgery, to return to the military, officials said. 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, reports Yonhap News Agency. 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 on 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, Yonhap News Agency reported. 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. Bengaluru, July 4 : Karnataka High Court Justice Krishna Dixit expunged the controversial remarks he made against a rape victim in an order granting anticipatory bail to the accused, an official said on Saturday. "On an application by the state government, the judge expunged the controversial remarks made against the rape victim, while granting anticipatory bail on June 22 to the accused, as they were also objected to by lawyers and civil activists across the country," the state legal department official said here. In the revised order, the judge said he deemed it appropriate to expunge the last four lines in para number 3 (c) at page 4 of the June 22 judgement, as sought in the state government application. Granting anticipatory bail to the accused, an employee in a private firm owned by the victim, Justice Dixit had made the remarks in the judgement. "Taking note of the contents of the respondent (state's application)..., and no objection by the petitioner-accused, I deem it appropriate to expunge the last four lines in the para of the subject judgment dated 22.06.2020, as sought for by government pleader Nageshwarappa," said the revised order. The judge clarified that his observations shall not influence the investigation in the case and its likely trial. Voicing concern over the controversial remarks, lawyers and civic groups, advocate Aparna Bhat last week wrote to Supreme Court Chief Justice S. A. Bobde and Justices R. Banumathi, Indu Malhotra and Indira Banerjee of the apex court to issue an advisory to all courts to refrain from commenting on the conduct of victims of sexual offence. -- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text Ondo State Governor, Rotimi Akeredolu, has claimed that there is a plan to blackmail and discredit him ahead of the October 10 governo... Ondo State Governor, Rotimi Akeredolu, has claimed that there is a plan to blackmail and discredit him ahead of the October 10 governorship poll. A circulating video shows a bottled whiskey named Aketi (his nickname) with Ondo States official logo. In his reaction on Saturday, an angry Akeredolu said he did not order the production of customized drinks for his re-election. The governor stressed that no associate, friend or aide was asked to do such. His Senior Special Assistant on Media, Ojo Oyewamide, said Akeredolus lifestyle was modest and non-ostentatious. A statement he signed disclosed that an investigation had commenced to fish out the producers. It said those behind the grand plot are desperate power mongers who will stop at nothing to create despicable and imaginary scenarios to play their game. The spokesman noted that the motive is to create the impression that so much State money has been spent to produce the whiskey. He added that many more are expected from these political scavengers on an impossible mission. Mr. Governor, having been briefed of this devious act, has taken steps to unravel those behind it through lawful means, Oyewamide said. Hong Kong, July 4 : The US has no right to intervene in Hong Kong's internal affairs, the city government said in an online statement, a day after the American Senate unanimously passed a punitive sanctions bill in reaction to the controversial new National Security Law imposed by China. "Once again, we urge the US Congress to immediately stop interfering in HKSAR's internal matters," the South China Morning Post quoted the statement, by an unidentified spokesman, as saying on the Hong Kong government's website on Friday. "The act and the so-called sanctions are totally unacceptable. They will not deter us but will only harm the relations and common interests between Hong Kong and the US," the statement said. "The implementation of the one country, two systems principle in the HKSAR is entirely the internal affairs of the PRC (People's Republic of China)." The Hong Kong Autonomy Act passed the US House of Representatives without objection on Wednesday, and was approved by the Senate unanimously the following day. It now awaits President Donald Trump's decision to enact it into law or veto it, though a veto would likely be overturned by a broad bipartisan majority in the Congress. The legislation would require the US government to punish individuals, along with financial institutions that knowingly conduct business with them, for "materially contributing" to any failure by the Chinese government to live up to its obligations under the Sino-British Joint Declaration or Hong Kong Basic Law. The national security law, which Beijing put into effect and made public late on Tuesday night, on the eve of the 23rd anniversary of Hong Kong's handover from British to Chinese rule, criminalises a wide range of behaviour and acts under four categories of secession, subversion, terrorism and collusion with a foreign power. -- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text Hong Kong, July 4 : Canadas decision to suspend its extradition treaty with Hong Kong is a political move overriding the rule of law, the citys senior officials said on Saturday. They added that such a decision was an attempt to interfere in China's internal affairs after the city's promulgation of the national security law, reports the South China Morning Post (SCMP) newspaper. The criticisms came as Secretary for Justice Teresa Cheng also said on Saturday that offenders under the new law could be disqualified for life from running for local elections. China on Tuesday imposed the legislation on Hong Kong that prohibits acts of succession, subversion, terrorism and collusion with foreign forces. Canadian Foreign Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne announced on Friday that his country would suspend its extradition treaty with Hong Kong. The government will also halt the export of any sensitive military items to the city. Also on Saturday, Hong Kong Security Minister John Lee expressed his disappointment over the move, saying: "If the Canadian administration allows politics to overrule the rule of law, it must also explain to the world on what grounds could they allow fugitives to go scot-free." Meanwhile, Opposition lawmaker James To said the Canadian government's decision underlined that the new law had threatened the city's judicial independence, reports the SCMP newspaper. "The suspension is a very clear signal to the Hong Kong government that our legal system - the independence of our judiciary - is voted upon with no confidence by at least one government, the Canadian government. This is a very serious matter," he said. Canada's moves follow measures taken by the US earlier this week to tighten trade with Hong Kong and stop selling it military equipment. The UK announced that up to 2.6 million Hong Kong residents will be able to move to the country for up to five years and ultimately seek citizenship. -- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text Dubai, July 4 : An Indian expat worker, who was eagerly waiting to be repatriated after cancelling his visa, missed a jumbo jet flying 427 stranded Indians to Kerala after he fell asleep in the Dubai International Airport, the media reported. P. Shajahan, 53, who worked as a storekeeper with a company in Musaffah in Abu Dhabi, told Gulf News on Friday that he had fallen asleep as he had not slept on Wednesday night waiting for confirmation about the flight and had caught an early morning taxi to reach Dubai. He was supposed to fly on the Emirates jumbo jet to Thiruvananthapuram in Kerala, which was chartered by the Kerala Muslim Cultural Centre (KMCC) Dubai. After finishing the check-in procedures and rapid test, he reached the waiting area of the boarding gate at Terminal 3 in the afternoon. "I sat away from most of the others. But I fell asleep," he said. S. Nizamudeen Kollam, who coordinated the charter flight, said airline officials could not trace Shajahan when the flight was to take off. "He woke up and called us after the flight left. It is sad that he missed the flight, which was the first ever jumbo jet chartered for repatriation. We are now trying to send him on another Emirates flight that we are chartering on Saturday," Kollam told Gulf News. In March, Gulf News had reported that Arun Singh, another Indian expat, who also had fallen asleep in the same terminal and missed the last flight home before flights were suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He was stranded here for over 50 days before getting repatriated. -- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text Washington, July 4 : Three police officers in the US state of Colorado have been sacked after they shared photos re-enacting a chokehold used on a black man last year who later died. Elijah McClain, a 23-year-old African-American in Aurora, Colorado, was killed last August after an encounter with police while walking home. The officers who were fired were identified as Jason Rosenblatt, Erica Marrero and Kyle Dittrich. The fourth, Jaron Jones, has earlier resigned on Tuesday. Vanessa Wilson, the acting police chief in the Denver suburb of Aurora, where the McClain incident took place, called the images a crime against humanity and decency. "We are ashamed, we are sickened, and we are angry about what I have to share," the BBC quoted Wilson as saying at a news conference on Friday. "While the allegations of this internal affairs case are not criminal, they are a crime against humanity and decency. To even think about doing such a thing is beyond comprehension and it is reprehensible." One of the pictures shows Dittrich and Jones imitating a neck hold, while Marrero smiles to their left. Rosenblatt was sent the photos by text and responded "ha ha". Chief Wilson said she held off releasing the photos until she could share them with McClain's family. McClain's case attracted renewed focus in the wake of the death of George Floyd, another unarmed African-American who died in police custody on May 25 in Minneapolis. Panaji, July 4 : Goa Health Minister Vishwajit Rane on Saturday lauded the Kerala government for implementing some of the best practices in Covid-19 management, even as he announced a blood plasma collection drive in the state from patients who have recovered from the viral infection. Addressing a press conference in Panaji, Rane said the state government was in the process of procuring rapid nasal swab testing kits, which are currently being used by the Kerala Health Department for faster testing of suspected Covid-19 cases. "I just spoke to the Kerala Health Minister about plasma transplant. They have tried in their state on eight patients who were critical and the patients have recovered with the treatment. We have asked our doctors to get in touch with their Kerala counterparts to learn their best practices," Rane said. The Health Minister said that the state's central blood bank had the capacity to store 4,000 units of plasma, which he said could be a lifesaver for critical Covid-19 patients. Rane added that an awareness campaign would be carried out by the state Health Ministry to motivate cured Covid-19 patients to donate their blood plasma. "FM and other mediums will be used to motivate them to donate their plasma in order to save other lives," Rane said. The Minister said that the key to keeping Covid-19 under check was the speed with which testing is carried out. The Kerala Health Ministry had sent a nasal swab testing kit to the Goa government which can yield results in just half an hour, he informed. "Kerala has sent us a nasal swab rapid test kit. The Kerala government is using this. The only answer to Covid is fast, speedy testing," Rane said, adding that government doctors involved in Covid-19 management in the state were being asked to familiarise themselves with the new swab kits. Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19) -- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text New Delhi, July 4 : While tension between India and China continues to be high, the bickering between the ruling BJP and the main opposition Congress is also no less. Taking recourse to history, Congress leader Kapil Sibal said Nehru was unrelenting on China drawing its own LAC and claimed that China during his time accepted that the Galwan Valley belongs to India. "The term, Line of Actual Control, or LAC, was coined by Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai in 1956 and then repeated in 1959, and during and following the 1962 war. After China's invasion of India, Zhou Enlai sent Nehru a letter asking India to accept the 1959 Chinese claim line and saying China was willing to withdraw 20 kms from this claim line," said the Congress on Saturday. It went on to claim, "In response, Nehru's letter of November 4 said Zhou's proposal was nothing short of a victor's diktat." The Congress on Saturday quoted Nehru where he wrote, "The demand for India to accept the Chinese 1959 line is a demand to which India will never submit whatever the consequences and, however, long and hard the struggle may be." Taking a sharp jibe at the Centre, the Congress alleged that the Chinese who in the 1959 line clearly depicted the entire Galwan Valley in India has now formally laid claim for the first time ever to the "entire Galwan Valley." This attack comes a day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi, while at Leh, said in a clear warning to China without naming it, "Age of expansionism is over." Addressing India's armed forces, he said, "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 go back." This assertion by the Indian Prime Minister in the Ladakh region was extremely significant given the ongoing tension at the border with China in eastern Ladakh, barely 18 days after a violent standoff. Ankara, July 4 : Twenty Saudi nationals have gone on trial in absentia in Turkey for the 2018 murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, who was a prominent critic of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Khashoggi's Turkish fiancee, Hatice Cengiz, was one of those who testified at the opening session on Friday, reports the BBC. Cengiz later told journalists gathered outside the courtroom that she found the process spiritually and psychologically debilitating. She expressed confidence in the Turkish judicial system and declared: "Our search for justice will continue in Turkey as well as in everywhere we can." The defendants at Friday's hearing include two former aides to the prince, who denies involvement. Another witness who gave evidence was Zeki Demir, a Turkish citizen who worked as a handyman at the Saudi consulate. Demir told the court that he was called to the consul general's residence on the day Khashoggi disappeared and asked to light an oven used for barbecues. "There were five to six people there," the BBC quoted Demir as saying. "There was an air of panic... It was as if they wanted me to leave as soon as possible," he said, adding that he returned to the residence a few days later and noticed how the marble around the oven had been bleached. The next hearing will take place on November 24. The 59-year-old journalist, who went into self-imposed exile in the US in 2017, was last seen entering the Saudi consulate on October 2, 2018 to obtain papers he needed to marry Cengiz. The Saudi government said the journalist was killed in a "rogue operation" by a team of agents, the BBC reported. Saudi Arabia, which rejected Turkey's extradition request, convicted eight people over the murder last year. Five were sentenced to death for directly participating in the killing, while three others were handed prison sentences for covering up the crime. The journalist's remains were never found. Mumbai, July 4 : Bollywoods new-age star Tiger Shroff says that while life is easier for people from the film industry, it also takes "double the effort" to emerge from the filmy family shadow. "Being my father's son, there's an added pressure of being a star's son. People think it's very easy for us. I won't lie, in a way to get a little attention it helps. It's easier for people who are from the film industry but it's double the effort to make it on our own. I managed to get out of my father's shadow," added Tiger, son of actor Jackie Shroff. The young actor also opened up about his parent's reaction to social media comments on his looks in the initial days of his career. He said: "My father has been in this industry for 30 odd years. He has seen the highs and lows of the industry and he protected me from that from a very young age. Now, that I am out there in the open, I have become an easy target." On being constantly trolled for his roles in movies, Tiger said: "I enjoy some of the memes and trolls people share. It's interesting and it's good to be talked about." Asked if he loses his cool ever, he said: "I do get angry but at myself when I'm not able to get a shot right or not able to get a step. I am harsh at myself sometimes in order to improve." "In an industry where there is so much competition, just to find one's identity is so important. I want people to think something synonymous with my name," said Tiger on him being typecast with generic movies of action cum dance sequences. Speaking about how he handles criticism, Tiger said: "I like to give it back to them with my work, and therefore, I take what they say to heart and take it sportingly." He is fascinated with the whole superhero universe. "I would do anything to do a Spiderman film. Ever since I was a kid, I was enticed by the whole superhero genre. I have tried to imbibe their attributes and qualities," he said. Asked who he thinks would best suit superhero roles, Tiger said: "I think Hrithik Roshan would be perfect to play Captain America because this superhero is the perfect superhero and Hrithik is a perfect hero as well. I feel Ranveer Singh would pull off Thor because Thor is so electric, and he is the god of thunder as well." On the personal front, Tiger said he is not a party person. "I'm very awkward at social gatherings. I usually tend to stay away, I'm not much of a party guy nor am I a late kind of person. I go to bed at 10 while these clubs open around 10:30," he said on Zee Cafe show, "Starry Nights Gen Y". -- Syndicated from IANS Amaravati, July 4 : The protest in Amaravati over YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) government's move to create three state capitals in Andhra Pradesh entered 200th day on Saturday with former chief minister N. Chandrababu Naidu stating that the Centre has the responsibility to save Amaravati. Addressing a protest organized by Telugu Desam Party (TDP) to mark the occasion, Naidu called up on people to continue 'save Amaravati, save Andhra Pradesh' movement. Paying tributes to 64 farmers who died during Amaravati movement, the TDP chief alleged that Jaganmohan Reddy government hatched many conspiracies to kill new Andhra Pradesh's capital Amaravati, which would have brought investment to the state and jobs to its people. "Was it our mistake to build a state capital which the whole world should admire," asked Naidu who wanted to build Amaravati as a world-class city. The Singapore government had prepared the master plan for Amaravati, the foundation stone for which was laid by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in October 2015. Amaravati was planned to be developed on the banks of Krishna river at a cost more than Rs 1 lakh crore. The farmers had given 33,000 acres of land for development of the state capital under land pooling scheme. After Naidu's TDP lost power in the elections last year, Jaganmohan Reddy had announced review of all projects launched during TDP rule. Alleging insider trading in development of Amaravati, the YSRCP government stopped all work in Amaravati and launched a probe. It was in December last year that the Jagan government decided to develop three state capitals, shifting some capital functions from Amaravati to Visakhapatnam and Kurnool. It announced that Amaravati will continue as the legislative capital while Visakhapatnam and Kurnool will be developed as executive and judicial capitals respectively. Alleging that the move would harm their interests, Amaravati farmers have been staging protests against the government's decision. They are demanding that Amaravati be developed as the only state capital. The former chief minister recalled that his government had embarked on developing Amaravati as the state capital as it was centrally located. Naidu said the TDP government built buildings for Assembly, Secretariat, High Court and Raj Bhavan. He said 72 per cent work on MLA and MLC quarters was also completed. He revealed that Rs 9,000 crore were spent on all the work. Naidu claimed that 139 companies had come forward to make investments in Amaravati and this would have created thousands of jobs. He alleged that Jagan government tried to suppress Amaravati movement and used repressive measures against the protestors including women. The leader of opposition said the government violated human rights. Meanwhile, barring YSRCP, leaders of all political parties addressed a virtual rally organized by Amaravati Joint Action Committee (JAC) spearheading the protest. They assured their continued support to the people's movement and urged Jagan government to withdraw its three capitals move. YSRCP rebel MP Raghurama Krishna Raju also addressed the rally. Extending his support to Amaravati movement, Raju said three capitals were not part of YSRCP's election manifesto. The Narsapuram MP urged the government to respect the sentiments of people of Amaravati and drop its move to develop two more capitals. "Government is a continuous process. As 80 per cent of the capital works were completed in Amaravati, the government should not shift the capital," Raju said. -- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text Paris, July 4 : A French court has launched an inquiry into the government's handling of the coronavirus pandemic, focusing mainly on three senior figures, including former Prime Minister Edouard Philippe, following complaints from unions and doctors. On Friday, Philippe resigned amid a cabinet reshuffle, reports the BBC. Hours after Philippe's resignation, it was announced that the Law Court of the Republic, which deals with claims of ministerial misconduct, would open an inquiry into the way his government handled the pandemic. Along with thilippe, those under investigation include Agnes Buzyn, who stepped down as health minister in February, and her successor Olivier Veran, senior public prosecutor Francois Molin said on Friday. Philippe's future as Prime Minister had been in doubt for several weeks and he will now take up the post of mayor in Le Havre, after winning the local vote on Sunday. His successor, Jean Castex, 55, is little known in France, but he is a senior civil servant and has played a key role in the government's response to the COVID-19 pandemic, said the BBC report. On Friday evening, Castex warned in a speech that "the health crisis is, unfortunately, not over" and that "the economic and social crisis is already here". France has so far reported 202,673 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 29,875 deaths. Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19) The federal government says it has received over three million applications for 400,000 N-Power jobs in the Batch C programme. Rhoda... The federal government says it has received over three million applications for 400,000 N-Power jobs in the Batch C programme. Rhoda Iliya, the deputy director, information, ministry of humanitarian affairs, disaster management and social development, disclosed this in a statement on Friday. The N-Power application for Batch C commenced one week ago. Enrolment of beneficiaries for N-Power Batch C commenced on June 26, 2020 and has received over three million applications since the portal opened, Iliya said. The application process will be concluded as soon as possible to provide additional Nigerian youths access to the programme. On the previous batches that participated in the programme, the ministry says it will conclude activities of the independent monitors enrolled with those two batches by July 31, 2020. The federal government appreciates their support during the period of engagement and looks forward to on-boarding a new set of monitors with the roll-out of the Integrated National Social Investment Programme, set to kick off when the new N-Power Batch C beneficiaries come on board, Sadiya Umar-Farouq, minister of humanitarian affairs, disaster management and social development, was quoted as saying. More than one million Nigerians applied for the N-Power Batch C programme in less than 48 hours between June 26 and June 28, 2020. The N-Power programme has so far enrolled 500,000 beneficiaries; they include 200,000 from Batch A that commenced in September 2016, and 300,000 from Batch B which started in August 2018. Bengaluru, July 4 : Karnataka Medical Education Minister K. Sudhakar has ordered an enquiry into the alleged harassment of a woman doctor at a city medical college on Saturday, after she complained of faulty masks and personal protective equipment (PPE) and later tested Covid-19 positive. "I have taken note of supply of defective masks and PPE kits to Kempegowda Institute of Medical Science (KIMS) doctors and ordered an enquiry," said Sudhakar. The minister said the management of the hospital will be held responsible if found guilty. According to the information shared by Sudhakar, a woman doctor at KIMS raised an alarm about the faulty PPE kits and shortage of N95 masks but was shunned and ridiculed by the management. "Last week she raised an alarm about faulty PPE kits and shortage of N95 masks. But the administrative medical officer at KIMS shunned and chastised her for raising this issue," said one of the doctor's cousins in a viral post. Following the alleged ridiculing, the doctor started buying her own N95 masks but she later tested positive for Covid-19. Inspite of her predicament, when the doctor again brought her condition to the notice of the hospital management, she was not spared and again harassed and humiliated. "She tested positive for Covid-19 and she appealed to the hospital authorities and raised her genuine concerns over the faulty protective gear, but she was again harassed and humiliated," he said. Taking a serious note of the development, Sudhakar, a medical doctor himself said the government has taken all necessary measures. "Doctors are our frontline warriors battling the pandemic. Government has taken all necessary measures to ensure the safety of our doctors," he said. Located at Banashankari in the city, KIMS was established in 1980 by the Vokkaligara Sangha and is affiliated to the Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Health Sciences. Chennai, July 4 : The Crime Branch-Crime Investigation Department (CBCID) of Tamil Nadu Police has arrested suspended constable Muthuraj. Wanted in the Tuticorin custodial deaths of P. Jeyaraj and his son J.Bennicks, Muthuraj was arrested on late Friday Muthuraj was later remanded to the judicial custody till July 17. Jeyaraj and Bennicks had been booked for not closing their mobile shop in time on June 19 by the Sathankulam police. They were sent to judicial custody and lodged in the Kovilpatti jail on June 21. Jeyaraj died on June 22 night and Bennicks on June 23 morning in judicial custody, allegedly due to the police torture. The Madras High Court while hearing the case had said there was prima facie evidence to register a murder case against the Sathankulam police officials. The court also transferred the probe into the deaths of Jeyaraj and Bennicks to the CBCID to gather and protect the evidence till the case is handed over to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). It has also initiated criminal contempt cases against three police officials -- Additional Superintendent of Police Kumar, Deputy Superintendent of Police Prathapan and constable Maharajan -- for their behaviour at the Sathankulam police station in front of Kovilpatti Judicial Magistrate M. S.Bharathidasan who had gone for an inquiry. -- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text Kanpur, July 4 : A day after eight police personnel were shot dead by history-sheeter Vikas Dubey and his gang in Bikru village under Chaubeypur police circle in Kanpur, authorities on Saturday reached the village along with a team and started to demolish the well-fortified house of the gangster. It was learnt that police had got Vikas Dubey's father and his family along with servants to vacate the premises and cordoned off an area of 50 metre around the house before launching the demolition drive. Even the structures used to park vehicles within the compound have been demolished. Even the media has been barred from the area during the demolition drive at the house, which has not only 30- to 40-feet-high thick walls on the perimeter, but is also secured by concertina wire and 50 CCTVs. Sources said that Vikas Dubey had illegally occupied land worth crores of rupees in Kanpur and other places. He also owned a number of luxury vehicles, apart from expensive furniture and electronic gadgets. After the encounter, police had sealed the house and conducted a thorough search at the house, where a bunker was also discovered in an old house within the premises. Villagers said that the new residential building within the compound had come up only seven-eight years ago and that the ancestral house within the compound was now used to lodge servants. Three of the four gates on the perimeter walls were wide enough for four-wheelers to enter and exit and were secured by CCTVs, both inside and outside. It is pertinent to mention here that a police team comprising about 50 police personnel had gone to the village around 3.30 am on Friday after a tip-off about the presence of Vikas Dubey at his village house. Dubey and his men had parked a JCB in a village bylane to block their way. As soon as the police team reached there, the gangsters started firing from the terrace of an adjacent house. The criminals, numbering about a dozen, had also pelted the police team with stones. The deceased police personnel had received multiple bullet wounds in the incident. New Delhi, July 4 : The Delhi police Economic Offences Wing has arrested a former Indian Engineering Service (IES) officer for duping a Vaidyacharya (Ayurvedic practitioner) of Rs 5 crore after luring him to buy a TV channel. The accused Sunil kumar Jha earlier worked as Deputy Director in Doordarshan in Jodhpur and had been convicted in a criminal case filed by Doordarshan with regard to cheating and misappropriation of goods from the stores of Doordarshan. According to police, the complainant Pandit Laxman Das Bhardwaj is a Vaidycharya by profession. For the promotion of his Ayurveda items and also for spiritual purposes, he came in contact with accused Sunil Kumar Jha, who introduced himself as the channel head of a devotional TV channel. The complainant started telecasting his programmes through the said channel. Sunil Kumar Jha also introduced his wife Bindu Jha as an expert having technical knowledge to run a TV Channel. Jha also apprised the Vaidyacharya that he had earlier worked in Doordarshan and they are also the directors of another company M/s Viceroy Engineers Pvt Ltd. The complainant alleged that after developing good relations and trust with him, the couple made a proposal and induced him to establish his own TV channel by purchasing major shareholding in a company M/s Express Broadcasting Pvt Ltd. They said they will create the required infrastructure for the TV channel. "On this, the complainant had given an amount of around Rs 5 crore for the purchase of the TV channel. Later, the complainant came to know that accused Sunil Kumar Jha purchased the TV channel Sanskriti in the name of his wife Bindu Jha and Vineet Vashisht through shareholding of M/s Express Broadcasting Pvt Ltd and cheated the complainant Vaidyacharya," said O.P. Mishra, Joint CP, Economic Offences Wing. The accused Sunil Kumar Jha was arrested on July 3, 2020. July 04 : Gone are the days when audiences used to only love die-hard romantic films, these days people want good content and films based on true events. Many Bollywood filmmakers and producers are coming forward and are making films based on true events. Ajay Devgn is next to follow the bandwagon as it is official that he will be making a film based on Galwan Valley clash. Film Analyst Taran Adarsh confirmed the news and wrote," IT'S OFFICIAL....#AjayDevgn to make a film on #GalwanValley clash...The film- not titled yet- will narrate the story of the sacrifice of 20 #Indian army men, who fought the #Chinese army...Cast not finalized...Ajay Devgn FFilms and Select Media Holdings LLP will produce the film." IT'S OFFICIAL... #AjayDevgn to make film on #GalwanValley clash... The film - not titled yet - will narrate the story of sacrifice of 20 #Indian army men, who fought the #Chinese army... Cast not finalized... Ajay Devgn FFilms and Select Media Holdings LLP will produce the film. pic.twitter.com/yaM6rPcK7Z taran adarsh (@taran_adarsh) July 4, 2020 On 15th June, a violent face off between India and China at Ladakh's Galwan Valley took place which left the whole country angry. 20 Indian army personnel were killed in a clash with Chinese troops. This is termed as one of the biggest military confrontation in over five decades between the two countries. Indian Government has banned 59 chinese apps post that and is ready to give the right answer to China for this. Ajay Devgn will be making a film showcasing the valour and fearlessness of our brave soldiers who laid their life for the safety of our country. No more details have been shared about the film as of yet. On the work front, he himself will soon be seen in 'Bhuj: The Pride of India' which is a war action film set during the Indo Pakistan War of 1971. It is about IAF Squadron leader Vijay Karnik played by Ajay, the then in charge of Bhuj Airport who and his team reconstructed the IAF airbase with the help of 300 local women. The film also features Sanjay Dutt, and Sonakshi Sinha. The film will soon be released on Disney+Hotstar. New Delhi, July 4 : Indian power exchanges may soon host buyers and sellers from neighbouring countries as India looks to operationalise cross-border sale and purchase of electricity for which regulations were finalised last year. As per the plan, the country's largest power exchange, India Energy Exchange (IEX), will begin hosting buyers and sellers from countries such as Nepal, Bhutan and Bangladesh to participate in power trading with both buy and sell calls initially. Such participation from overseas entities on Indian exchanges would not be direct but through any electricity trading licensee of India. Trading will be through bilateral agreement between two countries, bidding route or through mutual agreements between entities. "We have recently created a framework on how cross-border power trading can be initiated on the exchange. The CERC has already come out with regulations in this respect. Now we expect that this should begin in the next couple of months," said Rohit Bajaj, head (business development) of IEX. While cross border transactions in TAM (Term Ahead Market) segment is currently operational with India exporting power Bangladesh, the same is yet to pick up for short-term power purchase through exchanges. The CERC regulations allow power producers to offer electricity directly to distribution entities in neighbouring countries through Indian power exchanges. Bajaj said the operationalisation of cross-border trade in the short-term market would provide Indian generators additional market access for sale of their surplus power. Both Nepal and Bangladesh import power and trade through exchanges here would be possible. Bhutan, which has surplus power, could look at offloading some of it through Indian exchanges in markets closer to its borders. This could also help India increase the share of renewable power in its generation mix. India already has transmission links with Nepal, Bhutan and Bangladesh so power trading through exchanges could be started with them quickly. The facility could be extended to other neighbouring markets such as Myanmar and Sri Lanka once necessary infrastructure is created. The power market has been going through a downturn for some time now and the present Covid-19 crisis has further depressed power demand putting the country's generators to lower their plant load factor and look for opportunities to sell surplus power. Trade through exchanges would provide them some outlet. Experts point out that cross border transactions would only be successful once the monopoly of state distribution entities is broken and a multi-buyer-multi-seller market is developed for trading for efficient price discovery. Though correct estimates are yet to be made, industry sources said that there could be demand for 300 to 400 MW from cross border trade in the spot market initially. Currently, just about 3,000 Mw of power is traded in the South Asia region among seven countries including India, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Myanmar. India annually imports about 1,200-1,500 MW power from Bhutan and exports about 1,200 MW to Bangladesh, 500 MW to Nepal and 3 MW to Myanmar. A vibrant power exchange market with ability to trade in spot market for consumers in domestic as well as overseas market would also be good news for power generators as they could tide over any situation of low demand in the domestic market to transfer capacities overseas. (Subhash Narayan can be contacted at subhash.n@ians.in) London, July 4 : Former England batsman Kevin Pietersen's Twitter account has been locked for violating rules, British journalist Piers Morgan said on Saturday. "BREAKING: Kevin Pietersen suspended from Twitter for threatening to slap me...Amusing though this is, it was an obvious joke and a) I don't feel remotely harassed b) he can't slap his way out of a paper bag. So, please reinstate him UK Twitter," Morgan said in a tweet. Along with the tweet, the journalist posted a snapshot in which it was informed to Pietersen from Twitter that his account has been locked by the micro-blogging website for violating rules. In the snapshot, Twitter further said: "Please note that repeated violations may lead to permanent suspension of your account. Proceed to Twitter now to fix the issue with your account." Apparently, the former England batsman had said he would slap Morgan when he gets the opportunity. "Piers Morgan I slap you when I see you. That won't be nonsense." Morgan recently found himself embroiled in a war of words with Pietersen over the reopening of pubs in England amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The unfriendly exchange saw the former England captain brand the broadcaster a "fat boy" and Morgan threaten to "crush" the South Africa born former batsman. New Delhi, July 4 : Banned pro-Khalistan group Sikhs For Justice (SFJ) on Saturday launched its much-publicised online voter registration for 'Referendum 2020' for people in Punjab through a Russian portal. The Ministry of Home Affairs had in July last year banned the SFJ for advocating Referendum 2020, an online campaign to demand Khalistan, which seeks a separate homeland for the Sikhs. As per the inputs, the SFJ launched the Referendum 2020 voter registration through the Russian website www.punjabfree.ru, appealing to the people in Punjab and aged 18 or above from any religion as well as the Sikhs living anywhere else in India to register their votes for participation in the non-governmental Punjab Independence Referendum. Detailed information regarding the registration process was put up in English and Punjabi languages on the Russia-based website, which mentions three steps for registration of votes and the sign-up to receive updates about the Referendum 2020. The SFJ has a ground-level plan to ensure that voter registration form for Referendum 2020 reaches every household in Punjab, despite the Indian government's crackdown on the pro-Khalistan activists. Designated US-based terrorist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun made the voter registration announcement through a video, putting Punjab Police as well as central security agencies in a tizzy. The Indian government has since been in touch with the authorities concerned as to how the SFJ used Russian cyberspace to launch the voter registration for Referendum 2020. In the backdrop of July 1 commitment of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin to further strengthen the "special and privileged strategic partnership between the two countries in all spheres", use of a Russian portal by the anti-India campaign is a matter of concern. The development has also raised questions on the India-Russian historical ties. As Russia has one of the most stringent legal frameworks for web portals to operate from its soil, the matter has been taken up through diplomatic channels as to how SFJ managed to use the cyberspace of that country to fulfil its agenda against India. Meanwhile, Punjab Police cordoned off the area around the Golden Temple complex in Amritsar city apart from the deployment of a posse of policemen around the shrine and barricades at vulnerable spots. Though police officials were tight-lipped about the heightened security, sources in the intelligence agencies said it was done as a precautionary measure. The sources said July 4 was chosen by the SFJ for voter registration for Referendum 2020 as the government had "ordered the police to enter the Golden Temple precincts to disperse assembled separatist Sikh volunteers on this day in 1955". The radical group SFJ is supported by Pakistan-based handlers to provide money and logistical support to radical Sikh elements in Punjab to carry out subversive activities. The SFJ is headed by Avtar Singh Pannun and Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, who have started advocating Khalistan as well as the online secessionist campaign for Referendum 2020. SFJ's key member Pannun is among nine individuals who were designated terrorists by the Ministry of Home Affairs on July 1, 2020, for trying to revive militancy in Punjab through anti- national activities and involvement in the Khalistan movement. Punjab Police booked Pannun and SFJ in April for seditious automated calls aimed at instigating the people, particularly the youth, against the state government during the COVID-19 curfew. Cases have been registered against Pannun and US-based SFJ under Section 124A of IPC, and Sections 10 (A) and 13 (1) of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967, at the State Special Operations Cell in Mohali. The Punjab police has registered 10 cases against the SFJ and its members, while the National Investigation Agency (NIA) is also probing the group in one case. Indian agencies found that Pakistan is making all attempts to revive and activate other banned organisations such as Khalistan Liberation Force, Babbar Khalsa International, Khalistan Commando Force, Khalistan Zindabad Force and International Sikh Youth Federation. (Rajnish Singh can be contacted at rajnish.s@ians.in) New Delhi, July 4 : A good vaccine usually takes at least 18 months, before it could be rolled out for production after fast-tracking all the mandatory regulatory approvals, said N.K. Ganguly, former director general of Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR). It is expected that India's first indigenous Covid-19 vaccine, Covaxin may be released on August 15 under a fast-track mechanism. According to the government's top medical research body, a dozen institutes have been selected for clinical trials of the indigenous COVID-19 vaccine (BBV152 COVID vaccine). Ganguly said the strain of the virus was given to BBIL in May end, and in July, human trials have been scheduled. Elaborating on the lengthy process involved in vaccine development, he insisted that after spending many months and infusing a lot of funds, the uncertainty continues to linger. "It may be difficult to say whether the vaccine is successful or not", he added. The ICMR in a letter said, "It is envisaged to launch the vaccine for public health use latest by August 15, after completion of all clinical trials. BBIL (Bharat Biotech International Limited) is working expeditiously to meet the target, however the final outcome will depend on the cooperation of all clinical trial sites involved in this project." Before the vaccine is tested on humans, challenge studies are done on mice and monkey, then a toxicology report is prepared, to check if the developed vaccine produces harm to cells, and it takes at least three to four months to finalize this report, said Ganguly. After this phase, the vaccine is tested on two rodents and a large animal and after successful completion of this stage the vaccine is ready for human trials. "In Phase 1, the age group profiling is done (wherein vaccine study is done on people in different age groups). In Phase 2, nearly 600 to 700 people are vaccinated, and if the vaccine performs successfully in this phase then it progresses into Phase 3, which is called the efficacy study (in this phase, thousands of people are enrolled). Even after fast tracking regulatory approvals, it will take at least 18 months to develop a good vaccine", said Ganguly. He insisted that the vaccine being developed by Moderna (RNA vaccine is set to begin Phase 3 trials later this month and targets a vaccine by 2021) and BioNTech-Pfizer (Phase 3 trial is expected to begin in July). Gennova biopharmaceutical is also working on a vaccine and it looks positive, Ganguly added. (Sumit Saxena can be contacted at sumit.s@ians.in) Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19) -- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text Thiruvananthapuram, July 4 : The opposition Congress in Kerala is trying to put in place a performance assessment system (PAS) to appraise the working of its office-bearers at all levels, with general secretary K.P. Anil Kumar already on the job. Amid the restrictions in place due to the coronavirus crisis, it would be done online, to start with. According to Kumar, PAS will be applicable from top to bottom in the party's state unit and the format for this is now ready. The party leaders would be rated in three categories -- green, orange and red -- which indicate good, average, and bad. "Once every two months, state Congress president Mullapally Ramachandran will engage in one-to-one interaction with all office-bearers in Kerala and every three months the report would be forwarded to the AICC," said Kumar. The first such performance appraisals of Kerala Congress general secretaries and 14 district presidents will be done on July 10 and on on 5th of every month thereafter. In August, such appraisals on all district office-bearers and lower party levels will be taken up. All thus comes ahead of local body polls in October and Assembly polls in May next year, in the hope that the endeavour will help revive the Congress at all levels in Kerala before it hits the campaign trail. Incidentally, such activity rarely takes place in the Congress, while it is taken up with precision and discipline in the ruling CPI-M. Dolce Hanoi Golden Lake, a hotel in Vietnam which has been dubbed the worlds first gold-plated in the hospitality industry, recently ... Dolce Hanoi Golden Lake, a hotel in Vietnam which has been dubbed the worlds first gold-plated in the hospitality industry, recently opened its doors to visitors, showcasing its luxury furniture, notable among which are golden bathtubs, toilets even cutleries. The five-star hotel, which sits by in the Giang Vo Lake in the centre of the Hanoi, capital of Vietnam, is said to be the first property in the world clad in gold tiles, having taken up to 11 years to build. Spanning 400-rooms, the 25-story property operating under the American Wyndham Hotels brand includes apartments set aside for a rent pricing from 5,200 per square metre and upward. On Thursday, during the opening, the hotel had showcased bathtub bling and even coffee cups plated in the 24-carat metal. It is understood that the price per night will start from $250 while there are also a number of apartments to rent, with costs starting from $6,500 per square metre. It is also believed that it cost about $200 million to construct the property with a 24-carat plating across lobbies, an infinity pool, walls, and toilet seats receiving the touch of gold. See pictures from the luxury building below: Geneva, July 4 : China did not come forward on its own to report to the World Health Organization (WHO) that it had a problem in Wuhan following the virus outbreak late last year, according to the updated information the UN health agency posted about how it has handled the Covid-19 crisis so far. On December 31, 2019, the WHO's Country Office in China picked up a media statement by the Wuhan Municipal Health Commission from their website on cases of "viral pneumonia" in Wuhan, according to the chronology of events enumerated by the WHO. On January 1, the WHO requested information on the reported cluster of atypical pneumonia cases in Wuhan from the Chinese authorities. On January 2, the WHO representative in China wrote to the National Health Commission, offering WHO support and repeating the request for further information on the cluster of cases. According to the WHO, Chinese officials provided information to it on the cluster of cases of "viral pneumonia of unknown cause" identified in Wuhan only on January 3. The updated timeline of WHO's response to Covid-19 posted this week covers events up to June 26. This timeline supersedes the timeline statement published in April 2020. US President Donald Trump had earlier accused the WHO of being lenient on China. Trump also suggested that the virus might have originated in a laboratory in China. However, he did not present any evidence to back up the claims. The UN health body in a media briefing earlier this week said that it would send a team to China next week to prepare to investigate the source of the virus responsible for Covid-19 which has so far killed over 525,000 people worldwide. Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19) -- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text New Delhi/Mumbai, July 4 : Rural demand has emerged as a green shoot in an otherwise worrisome demand outlook for the Indian auto industry in FY21. Accordingly, not just accelerating agricultural growth, the fiscal support package along with a healthy monsoon are expected to generate some demand for automobiles that might avert a total sales wipeout in FY21. Notably, two-wheelers and tractor demand has seen some healthy traction. Speaking to IANS, Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers' Director General Rajesh Menon said: "There is clearly a pick-up in rural demand. We are also seeing some green shoots in demand for two-wheelers, Small Commercial Vehicles (SCVs), and small cars." "The agricultural sector package announced by the central government, under the 'Atmanirbhar Bharat' initiative, coupled with a healthy monsoon, is likely to benefit the auto sector." Nevertheless, he said, the Covid-19 induced economic contraction will make a substantial dent on India's auto sector. The industry fears that sales might decelerate between 26 and 45 per cent on a year-on-year basis in 2020-21. As per SIAM's FY21 outlook, auto industry will degrow in the range of (-) 26 to (-) 45 per cent, given that GDP growth plunged into the negative territory. The forecast is, in part, co-related to the prediction of an overall dip in India's GDP growth rate. Recently, national and international monetary agencies have cited a range of minus 4.5 to 5 per cent contraction in India's GDP growth rate. However, this initial estimate can change, given an uptick in sales performance during the coming festive season and expected growth of agricultural sector on the back of a good monsoon. The auto industry has already witnessed an 18 per cent degrowth in FY20 and the likely demand contraction now can only lead to severe production cuts, low capacity utilisation, lack of future investments, and high risk of bankruptcy and consequent job losses across the entire automotive value chain. The pandemic will definitely have an impact on auto demand in FY21. This can be attributed to a drop in disposable incomes, general sentiment of uncertainty, plummeting economic activities, amongst others," Menon told IANS. "As per SIAM's Outlook for FY21, if the overall Indian GDP growth is negative as stated by the RBI Governor recently, the Indian auto industry will degrow in the range of (-) 26 per cent to (-) 45 per cent in various industry segments." According to Menon, auto industry is facing both supply and demand related challenges. "The key supply-chain related operational issues faced by OEMs include continued restrictions in some locations where suppliers are based; availability of trained labour who have moved back to their hometowns and villages; delay in clearance of import consignments due to congestion at ports; and demurrage charged by sea ports and container freight stations," he said. The major challenge, however, is on the demand side, he added. Lately, SIAM has called upon the Centre to consider fiscal measures to boost demand, including reduction in GST, implementation of incentive-based vehicle scrappage scheme, and initiating a major procurement programme by state transport undertakings (STUs). "It is also imperative for the Union government to include wholesale and retail trade and repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles in MSME Development Act of 2006," Menon said. "The subsidies and incentives received under this Act would provide much-needed relief to the thousands of our network partners and dealers and help improve their liquidity. This will have a long-term positive impact on the sector as a whole." Furthermore, Menon said that localisation is the way forward for the auto industry, but the Centre's support is required to develop the sector. "There is a major import dependency in the auto component industry, leading to high cost," he said. "While the auto industry recognizes the need for deep localisation, it needs government support to make it a reality." (Rohit Vaid can be contacted at rohit.v@ians.in) -- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text Surat, July 4 : Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani on his visit to Surat on Saturday announced an immediate grant of Rs 100 crore for setting up two dedicated Covid-19 hospitals in the City. Looking at the rising number of corona cases he also announced that 200 ventilators will be provided to the city within two days. The Gujarat Chief Minister said, "We have assessed the situation here and we are taking steps to curb the virus outbreak. The stemcell hospital will be converted into a dedicated Covid-19 hospital shortly. The kidney hospital in the city too will be converted into a dedicated Covid-19 hospital within a month's time. One hundred crore rupees have been allocated for the purpose. We have already appointed 6 to 7 agencies to implement it." "Further, we are sending 200 ventilators to the city to be setup in different hospitals, so that if the need arises they can be utilised. We are also provisioning one hundred Dhanwantari Raths which have been very successful in Ahmedabad to bring the virus under control," added Rupani. "These Dhanwantari Raths will move across the city and carry out maximum number of OPD functions at different places," added Rupani. Vijay Rupani and the Deputy Chief Minister of Gujarat, Nitin Patel were in the city along with senior officials of the state administration after Surat emerged as the new hotspot in the last few days. "It is the responsibility of the state government to provide proper care, medication and treatment to the corona patients. We should not now have any complaints from patients saying that there are no beds available for them in hospitals," added Rupani. "Since the last couple of days, the number of cases are on the rise in Surat and other places. We have been worrying about Surat right from Day 1 and have sent our top officials to the city. The principal secretary, health and family welfare, Jayanti Ravi is in the city since a couple of days and will be here for some more days," added Rupani. The chief minister on his arrival to the Diamond City took a tour of the hospitals and affected areas. Thereafter he held talks with officials, political leaders and also met the medical fraternity and representatives of the IMA. "Tonight, our party leaders like CR Patil and others will have discussions with the diamond and textile industry representatives and will chalk out a plan on how to move ahead while keeping safety and vigilance regarding the outbreak," added Rupani. Since the last fortnight, the number of corona positive cases has been gradually moving upwards in Surat, where the daily spike is around 200 at present. From June 20, when the total tally of Surat was 3,057 cases, the Diamond City's tally today has reached 5,461. Over 1400 cases have been reported in the last 13 days. Alarmed by the situation, the Gujarat Chief Minister and the Deputy Chief Minister had decided to visit the city on Saturday. Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19) New Delhi, July 4 : Reminding Prime Minister Narendra Modi to follow the 'raj dharma' (royal duty), the Congress, here on Saturday, asked him to tell the people truth about Chinese incursion, give its army a befitting reply and force it to back down from illegal occupation on the Line of Actual Control (LAC). Raising a series of questions over Chinese transgression into the Indian territory, a senior Congress leader, while addressing the media through video link, showed May to June satellite images of Ladakh's Pangong Tso to pinpoint Chinese structures and asked the Prime Minister to speak truth about that. Noting that "pictures don't lie", Kapil Sibal asked the Prime Minister to tell the nation truth about the latest and the first Chinese occupation of the Indian territory up to Finger 4 Ridge in the Pangong Tso Lake area. "Is this the Indian territory on which radars, helipads and other structures been set up by the Chinese in a brazen act of transgression," Sibal asked. He said the local councillors of Ladakh, including BJP councillors, had submitted a memorandum to the Prime Minister in February about the capture of our land by China. "What action did the Prime Minister take? Had he acted, we would have pre-empted the brazen Chinese transgressions. The time warrants India to look into the face of China and tell them to retreat," said the noted lawyer who headed several ministries in the Congress-led UPA government. "Mr Prime Minister, this is the 'raj dharma' you must follow," the Congress leader said. Sibal asked whether China had occupied the Indian territory in the Galwan Valley, including 'Petrol Point - 14', where 20 Indian soldiers made the supreme sacrifice, and also in Hot Springs. "Has China occupied our territory up to Y-Junction (18 km inside the LAC) in the Depsang Plains, threatening our strategic D.B.O. airstrip, the military supply lifeline to Siachen Glacier and Karakoram Pass," Sibal said. On Modi's Friday visit to Nimu, Leh, Sibal said former Prime Ministers Indira Gandhi and Lal Bahadur Shastri too had visited the forward locations to boost the soldiers' morale. "Did Pandit Jawahar Lal Nehru not visit soldiers at forward locations in NEFA in 1962 to boost their morale? It appears that our Prime Minister (Modi) stayed 230 km away in Nimu," he said. Modi on a visit to Ladakh on Friday, barely 18 days after a violent stand-off in Galwan Valley, without naming China issued it a clear warning by saying 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 witnessed that expansionist forces have either lost or were forced to retreat." Modi's assertion in the Ladakh region was significant given the tension at the LAC in eastern Ladakh. Mumbai, July 4 : Cine And TV Artistes' Association (CINTAA) Senior Vice President, actor Manoj Joshi, held a meeting with Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari on Saturday to discuss the regulation issued by the state government that bars senior actors above 65 years from shooting, owing to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. State BJP Secretary and Vice-Chairman of Maharashtra Film, Stage & Cultural Development Corporation Ltd (MFSCDCL), Amarjeet Mishra, was also present at the meeting held at the Governor's residence. "The honourable Governor gave us a patient ear. It was a good 40-minute meeting. He was very positive and assured that he would help us in the best way possible. He had received the letter from CINTAA that we had sent him. We are glad the meeting was an eventful one and are hopeful that the outcome will be positive. The meeting was indeed reassuring," said Joshi. Joshi mentioned in his conversation with the Governor that senior citizen actors, who are members of CINTAA and were unable to work in the last three months owing to the lockdown, also need to earn a livelihood. Besides, suddenly replacing an actor from a film or a show might lead to a continuity issues for the project. Apart from meeting the Governor, CINTAA also sent letters to Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray and a few others overt the issue. Chennai, July 4 : Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K. Palaniswami on Saturday announced restrictions of time and functioning for Chennai businesses during the Covid-19 lockdown from July 6 onwards. In a statement issued here, he said the government had earlier announced a complete lockdown in four districts till July 5. He said from July 6 onwards, only food takeaways are permitted in hotels/restaurants between 6 am and 9 pm while tea shops can offer only parcel service while remaining open between 6 am and 6 pm. Vegetable and grocery shops can function between 6 am and 6 pm while standalone showrooms and shops can function between 10 am and 6 p.m. According to Palaniswami, restrictions and relaxations in force before June 19 would continue to be applicable for areas under Greater Chennai police jurisdiction. Chicago, July 4 : COVID-19 pandemic has reached its "disease break point" in the US and Europe such that population-level spread is now in inexorable decline, according to a report by David Capital Partners. David Capital Partners, LLC is an investment advisory firm. It put out a note on the Covid as it was tied to the US economy. "Importantly, we believed we could do it. For though the pandemic is first a question of science, in practice it is really a question of statistics, mathematics, and modeling/forecasting. These disciplines are in our sweet spot," the firm said. "Many believe that the only two paths out of the pandemic are either a vaccine or 'herd immunity'. We see this as a false choice. In fact, we believe the most likely outcome is a third and different path: that C19 has reached its "disease break point" in the US/Europe such that population-level spread is now in inexorable decline", the report said. Based on these and other data sets, the report estimates the COVID-19 asymptomatic rate is roughly 75% of infections. For each symptomatic C19 infection, three more are asymptomatic. The multiplier is 4x. Combining the estimates for symptomatic and asymptomatic infections yields a multiplier of 24-40x. With 2.3 million confirmed cases to-date, this indicates between 55 million and 92 million Americans(17%-28% of the population) may now have infection-acquired specific resistance to COVID-19. The report says that if C19's R0 is 2.5-3.0 and its herd immunity threshold is 60%-65%, then the disease break point would be only 15%-20% specific resistance (a population's precise disease break point likely varies somewhat due to differences in susceptibility and social graphs). "Our research indicates Europe and the US reached this disease break point in March and April, respectively. We believe spread of COVID-19 in these geographies has peaked and is now in irrevocable, sustained decline", the report said. "We believe the US reached its disease break point (15%-20% specific resistance) in April and that population-level specific resistance in the US today may be closer to 30%," it said. "In a perfect world, public health agencies would be independent and evidence-based. That is not reality. Both the CDC and WHO are fundamentally political organizations. Their leaders are politicians, subject to all kinds of outside pressures from countries, funders, pharmaceutical companies, media, and other special interest groups," the report said. As a result, CDC and WHO guidance has often proven unreliable or outright incorrect during the pandemic. In January, the WHO repeated Chinese talking points by declaring it saw "no clear evidence of human-to-human transmission." In March, US health officials encouraged Americans to go on cruise ships and told doctors surgical or cloth masks were "acceptable alternatives" to N95 respirator masks when treating C19 patients. The CDC and WHO have repeatedly flip-flopped on public mask-wearing, reinfections, travel restrictions, asymptomatic spread, the safety of hydroxychloroquine, and the allowable size of gatherings. Communication has been a total mess, the report said. It should be self-evident that two million identified COVID-19 cases in the US is a material undercount. The first confirmed cases in the US were in January 2020. Data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (the "CDC") indicate a surge in unexplained US deaths with "symptoms, signs, and abnormal clinical and laboratory findings, not elsewhere classified" beginning in mid-November 2019 that correlates with the spread and then April peak of C19 in this country. "We think it likely COVID-19 was in the US by October/November 2019 - and that this readily-transmissible disease had already swept across the nation a few months later" the report said. The magnitude of the undercount is subject to debate - but the number is large, with many untested symptomatic infections for each confirmed case. An analysis published in April (using CDC outpatient data) by researchers at Cornell, Penn State, and Montana State estimated a 6-10x multiplier. "We think this is a sensible figure", it added. With serology results (even on a lag) showing 5% to 20% specific resistance - and population-level resistance likely far higher due to non-antibody resistance and cross-resistance - the evidence is strong that for the US/Europe, the disease break point is firmly in the rearview mirror. The research does not see a second wave in US. "We don't see a scientific basis for the idea of a broad-based spike or "second wave" as society re-opens. This is consistent with two months of evidence from countries that have exited lockdown. While new infections may continue at a low level and localized outbreaks may occur in certain sub-populations, both the US and Europe are likely past their disease break points such that future COVID-19 infections will have great difficulty spreading (and be quickly contained) by the sheer force of population-level resistance," it added. The research says that the lockdowns did not work. Once a disease is widespread (beyond the CDC's 1% threshold), however, the sole course of action is disease mitigation. "Halting the outbreak is impossible - it's like trying to catch the wind", it added. Some policy actions are sensible such as isolating the sick, promoting hygiene and respiratory etiquette, aggressively monitoring and protecting vulnerable sub-populations, and scaling testing to support early identification and treatment of infections. "But for policies like contact tracing and lockdowns, the scientific literature is clear. They simply do not work. Evidence from the COVID-19 pandemic is confirmatory", it added. The goal should be to minimize severe cases by protecting the vulnerable and taking sensible precautions. Lockdowns do not do this. By confining people together and maximizing initial viral loads, lockdowns actually may lead to worse health outcomes, the report argues. The research makes the point that positive tests only matter if they lead to severe cases and deaths or cause healthcare systems to be overwhelmed. "For the 'second wave' states, we don't think either outcome is likely," it added. "We find such a scenario unlikely. The number of C19 patients currently in US ICU's is 65% below peak. In May, fatality numbers reached 2,700 in a single day. As of this writing, the 7-day trailing average just fell to a new low of 566 - a drop of 80% in barely more than one month. We empathize with every family who has lost a loved one, and recognize each of these numbers represents a person impacted by this terrible disease. But to us, the data is incredibly hopeful. Severe cases and fatalities have plummeted - and we think the trend is likely to continue", it added. The report says that iIt's difficult to overstate the sheer panic that gripped the United States in March. "We conservatively estimate this could require 48 million hospitalizations" in the US over the next 3-7 months, intoned University of Minnesota epidemiologist Dr. Michael Osterholm on a widely-disseminated podcast with Joe Rogan. "This is a very serious situation," he added. "We will overwhelm the American health care system", the report said. According to the research , the worst of the lot was Neil Ferguson and his team at Imperial College in London. On March 16, Ferguson published a report estimating COVID-19 deaths reaching 510,000 in the UK and 2.2 million in the US. He also predicted peak ICU demand would be "over 30 times greater than the maximum supply in both countries." The dire forecast led to cascading lockdowns first in the UK, and then across the US, as politicians panicked. "They should have looked more closely at Ferguson's record of alarmist predictions. In 2009, Ferguson forecast tens of thousands of Brits would die from swine flu (H1N1). The actual number was 477. In 2005, Ferguson suggested 150-200 million people across the globe could die from bird flu (H5N1). The total figure was 282", it added. In the US, policymakers (especially US Governors) justified lockdowns with a model produced by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington (the "IHME model"). This model proved equally flawed. The IHME model is trend-following and extrapolates past outcomes into the future. This led to dramatic overestimates as the worst outbreaks (Wuhan, Italy, Spain) were projected onto US states. "A third prize goes to researchers at Columbia University who predicted 136,000 hospital beds would be required in New York City at peak demand in late-April. The actual maximum need was just over 18,000. Columbia University missed the mark by almost 700% in four weeks", the report added. "With their models in tatters, these researchers have now turned to a new task: revisionist history. In recent weeks, (1) Columbia University published a study estimating 36,000 fewer people would have died in the US if lockdowns had been implemented a week earlier, (2) Imperial College published a study estimating 3.1 million deaths were averted due to lockdowns across 11 European countries, and (3) researchers at the University of California-Berkeley published a study saying community NPI's prevented 500 million global C19 infections. These "studies" are total nonsense. All three use modeled results (no actual data) based on the same models that showed zero predictive power during the pandemic", the research said. "We also are positive on the much-discussed hydroxychloroquine ("HCQ") plus azithromycin ("ZPAK") and zinc combination therapy (the "combo therapy"). HCQ has unfortunately been politicized, but our view is optimistic. The known properties of HCQ and ZPAK provide a solid basis for a hypothesis of efficacy against C19", it added. Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19) Chandigarh, July 4 : People on Saturday rejected the Referendum 2020 of the Sikhs For Justice as not even a single person from Punjab registered as a voter, said senior BJP leader Vineet Joshi. The Indian government has banned the Sikhs For Justice for calling Punjab's liberation for the past few years through its Referendum 2020 campaign. The organisation started a voter registration programme on Saturday that didn't evoke any response from the masses. Challenging Gurpatwant Singh Pannu, US-based legal adviser to the banned Sikhs For Justice (SFJ), BJP leader Joshi asked him to name even one Punjabi who had registered as a voter. He added that Pannu is a product of Pakistan, which is trying to disintegrate India. Punjabis will thwart any such attempts on the soil of Punjab, added Joshi. Mumbai, July 4 : Debanjan Majhis Bangla web series "Its Complicated", which was shot without a script, will release on July 7. Starring Roosha Chatterjee, Rahul Dev Bose, Aryan D Roy and Titas Bhowmik, "It's Complicated" is about four individuals and how their relationships take a turn when they start revealing the truth about each other. Aakash Ghoshal has led the music and sound department, while Rupanjan Paul is the DOP. " 'It's Complicated', as a concept was conceived over a cup of coffee with Aryan and Rahul. The whole story was divided into segments or a group of scenes, which had a beginning and an end, but it would be on the actors how they reach that point," Majhi said. The three-episodic experimental series was shot without any script, but only a beginning and an end. The actors were briefed about the scene on what is expected and the entire narrative took shape on the edit table. Talking about the series, Titas, who will be seen in the role of Anmol, said: "Apart from the usual preps which we actors go through, the approach adopted for this was completely different. We were given secret chits on the shooting floor, which had different instructions for each actor, which made the experience all the more exciting." Same was the experience with Aryan who said: "Each one of us were given the freedom to explore our own lines within the character peripheries which made it more challenging." Rahul said: "It was a project which pushed me to explore the craft beyond the known." The series will be aired on CineShorts Premiere, an indie short film distribution platform. Mumbai, July 4 : A 'flying visit' by Bollywood megastar Akshay Kumar for medical treatment to a Nashik doctor has apparently sparked off a social media controversy, though the star himself has not commented on the issue yet. It was a couple of days ago (July 2) when a chopper carrying Akshay landed at a private helipad in Sapkal Knowledge Hub at Anjaneri-Wadholi on the outskirts of the city, where he was received by several people, and later he reportedly stayed at a local resort. However, when questioned about this on Saturday in a function here, Maharashtra Food & Civil Supplies Minister Chhagan Bhujbal claimed that he was not aware of the incident coming at the height of the ongoing lockdown. "I have no information about this. I have sought information from the Collector who granted the permission before commenting on the matter," Bhujbal said. The local media fired a volley of questions at Bhujbal, including how the actor was permitted to fly in a chopper from Mumbai to Nashik, given the serious Covid-19 situation raging in Nashik, the continuing lockdown with partial relaxations, the heavy rains and other aspects. There were other questions related to alleged felicitation accorded by the Nashik Police chief and providing a police escort to the actor although the area fell within the jurisdiction of the Nashik Rural Police. To all this, Bhujbal made it clear that he would not comment without getting full information from the Collector. Dismissing speculation in some quarters, local officials said that the police escort was intended for the Nashik police chief, which was reportedly misconstrued, but no probe has been ordered into the matter. Akshay's flight to Nashik has thrown up other questions like the urgency of his medical treatment, especially since even top VVIPs have been avoiding air travel in the current scenario. Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray travelled by ferry from Mumbai to Raigad last month to assess the Cyclone Nisarg damage, and drove by road from Mumbai to Solapur for the Ashadhi Ekadashi annual 'puja' at Pandharpur town, while cabinet minister Ashok Chavan last month made a road journey from Nanded to Mumbai for his Covid-19 treatment. Former Governor of Rivers State, Rotimi Amaechi has raised an alarm over plans by a certain group to rope him into litigation in the A... Former Governor of Rivers State, Rotimi Amaechi has raised an alarm over plans by a certain group to rope him into litigation in the All Progressives Congress, APC. He raised the alarm following President Muhammadu Buharis order for all members to withdraw all litigations for or against the party as the APC moves to reconcile angry members. According to Ameachi, the individuals sponsoring what he called the, false, ill-conceived narrative are warned to immediately desist from their evil plot, adding that he is not unaware of their sponsors and paymasters. Amaechi, now Minister of Transportation in a statement by his Media Office, on Friday said the unnamed group is plotting to tarnish his image by alleging he has a phantom interest in a court case involving the All Progressives Congress, APC in Rivers State. He warned the alleged group not to drag his name into any court matter involving the APC in Rivers or anywhere else. The APC leader in Rivers State added that the group has perfected plans to rubbish his image by falsely claiming that he plans to influence the outcome of a court matter. According to him, We are aware of plots by a group attempting to muddle the name of the Honourable Minister of Transportation, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi by dragging him into an ongoing court case involving the All Progressives Congress, APC in Rivers State. We will shame them publicly in due time if they dont put a stop to their nefarious, ungodly, treacherous plans. Chandigarh, July 4 : Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Saturday announced cancellation of college and university examinations in the state in view of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the online exams being conducted by some universities will continue uninterrupted. In his weekly #AskCaptain Facebook Live session, the Chief Minister said that the college and university students would be promoted on the basis of their previous years' results. However, students who want to improve their performance will have the option to take a fresh examination later once the COVID-19 crisis is over. The colleges and universities are in the process of working out the modalities for implementing the decision, he said, adding that the decision would be announced in the next few days. On the school board examinations, Singh said the state is following the CBSE decision announced in the Supreme Court some days ago. The Chief Minister, however, urged all students to continue with their studies in right earnest despite the cancellation of their examinations. "You have to continue to work for your future," he told the students. Meanwhile, in a major initiative for ex-servicemen, Singh announced increase in the number of attempts for taking the Punjab Civil Services examination. While the SC candidates among the general category will continue to get unlimited chances, as per the existing system, the general category ex-servicemen will now get six attempts, in line with the overall general category, instead of the earlier four chances. For the BC category of ex-servicemen, the number of attempts has been increased to nine, he said, adding he had received several petitions from ex-servicemen to be put at par with the overall general category of aspirants. Pune, July 4 : Political and medical circles went into a tizzy after Pune Mayor Murlidhar Mohol announced on Saturday that he has tested positive for Covid-19 at the height of the war against the virus. In a tweet, the wrestler-turned-politician said that after he complained of mild fever, he underwent a Covid-19 test which turned out to be positive. "My condition is stable. I shall recover soon and return to your service again," Mohol said on Saturday evening. He added that during his treatment, he would remain in touch with all the government apparatus to monitor the coronavirus status in Pune. With 826 deaths and 25,454 patients, currently, the Pune city and the district are the third worst-hit by Covid-19 after Mumbai and Thane in the state. Mohol was elected the Bharatiya Janata Party Mayor in November 2019. He becomes the fourth high-profile politician to test positive for Covid-19 after Cabinet ministers Jitendra Awhad, Ashok Chavan and Dhananjay Munde, who were also infected in the past few months and have recovered. Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19) Bhopal, July 4 : BJP legislator Rameshwar Sharma will be the new pro tem Speaker of the Madhya Pradesh Assembly, a senior official said on Saturday. Assembly Principal Secretary AP Singh said acting Governor Anandiben Patel had appointed Sharma, MLA from Huzur constituency in Bhopal district, to the post after Jagdish Devda resigned on Thursday after his appointment as a Cabinet Minister. Sharma will discharge the duties till the election of a regular Speaker. The Assembly monsoon session is slated to start on July 20. The BJP is also eyeing the Deputy Speaker's post due to its majority in the House. Sharma was also lobbying for a ministerial berth. New Delhi, July 4 : The Parliamentary Standing Committee for Science and Technology, headed by senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh, will meet on July 10 to discuss the Covid-19 preparations. It will be the first committee of the Rajya Sabha to hold a meeting since the pandemic brought India under a lockdown. "The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Science & Technology is meeting on July 10 to discuss R&D issues relating to Covid-19, and what more we can do to deal with future pandemic," Ramesh tweeted He has sought suggestions on the official email address. Senior government officials, including the scientific advisor to the government, are believed to have been summoned for the meeting. On Friday, the Lok Sabha Secretariat said House panels could start their meetings, following the guidelines issued to curb spread of coronavirus, like maintaining 6 feet distance from each other. The relaxation comes after 'Unlock 2' kicked in on July 1. "Ministry/Departments appearing before the committee may be advised to restrict the number of officials to a maximum of five," the notification reads. Meanwhile, the Rajya Sabha Secretariat is exploring seating arrangements for members in the House chamber as well as the galleries in conformity with the physical distancing norm and enabling virtual participation of members from either the Central Hall or Balayogi Auditorium in the Parliament premises for the Monsoon Session. Rajya Sabha Chairman Venkaiah Naidu on Friday had detailed discussions with the Secretary General and other senior officials of the Rajya Sabha Secretariat on options for conducting the House proceedings during the Monsoon Session. New Delhi, July 4 : As India entered Unlock 2 mode from Wednesday, one of the most popular hangouts in the national capital, 'Dilli Haat', reopened on Saturday after over three months to a low footfall of visitors. Several safety measures like thermal scanning of all visitors, hand sanitization at the entrance are in place at Dilli Haat. The shops, however, reported a slow trickle of visitors on the first day but on the other hand, shop owners have optimistic outlook for the coming days. Ratan Singh, Incharge, Dilli Haat, INA told IANS, "We are strictly following all the guidelines laid by the MHA and Delhi government where wearing a mask is made mandatory, social distancing is maintained and sanitization will be done periodically." He added, for the first 15 days, entry will be free in order to encourage high footfall. Dilli Haat will open from 11.00 am to 8.00 pm, Singh said. He urged all visitors to strictly adhere to the safety measures and protocols the government has set. Singh further said, "Dilli Haat has its own unique identity where artisans from all over India come and showcase their handmade talent, it's one of the largest living art and craft traditions. So, definitely in sometime we'll be back on track." C.B. Singh, one of the shop owners said, "I am taking all the precautions inside the hall where I am allowing only 4-5 customers at a time to maintain proper social distance. Only 30 per cent of the staff will be present inside the shop." He is hopeful that they get business in the coming days. The decision to open Dilli Haat and other tourist destinations in the capital came after the Ministry of Culture allowed reopening of all monuments on July 6. Chandigarh, July 4 : Accusing the Akalis of "selling Punjab's interests" by agreeing to what he dubbed the "anti-farm ordinances" brought forth by the Centre, Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Saturday said that he would take his fight against these steps to the Union government. Amarinder Singh said he would soon write to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to seek an appointment for a meeting with an all-party delegation from all Punjab parties, except the BJP. "No matter what (Akali Dal leader) Sukhbir Badal or the BJP say, once these ordinances are passed, the Centre's next step would be to end the MSP regime and dismantle the Food Corporation of India," warned the Chief Minister, pointing to the recommendations of the Shanta Kumar committee on the matter. Underlining the need to save Punjab and protect its interests, the Chief Minister said the ordinances were 100 per cent against Punjab and anti-farmers, as agreed to by all political parties in the state, except the BJP and the Akalis. Representatives of all the kisan unions whom he had recently met also wanted immediate scrapping of these ordinances, he added. Responding to questions during Facebook Live edition of #AskCaptain, the Chief Minister said he welcomed central permission to his request for using helicopters to spray insecticides on crops to prevent locust attacks. He said that an MI-17 chopper had been earmarked for spraying chemicals and the operation would start from Rajasthan soon. On the Covid-19 situation, the Chief Minister said things were not looking good as new cases continued to rise across India, and even Punjab had touched the 6,000-mark, with 157 deaths reported so far in the state. He stressed the the importance of taking all health precautions, including social distancing and wearing of masks. Mumbai, July 4 : With staggering 7,074 new coronavirus cases in a day, Maharashtra's total tally crossed the 2-lakh mark on Saturday apart from a record daily high of 295 deaths, health officials said here on Friday. The number of fatalities in the state on Saturday shot up from the June-lowest of 62 to 295 -- highest ever after the earlier daily high of 248 deaths notched on June 23. However, on June 16, Maharashtra had reported the highest 1,409 fatalities, taking into account reconciliation of earlier deaths, which drastically escalated the state toll. With Saturday's 295 declared fatalities, the state death toll climbed from 8,376 a day earlier to 8,671 and total cases to 200,064 till date, both the highest in the country. This comes to roughly one death recorded every 5 minutes and a staggering 295 new cases notched every hour in the state on Saturday. The recovery rate in the state fell marginally from 54.24 per cent a day earlier to 54.02 per cent, while the mortality (death) rate stood at 4.33 per cent. July started with three-digit high of deaths and 6K plus new patients daily for the past three days, causing massive concerns among the health officials. The Health Department said of the total cases declared till date, 83,295 are 'active cases' (ill), which is lower than the number of cured patients, indicating a positive development. On the positive side, 3,395 cured patients returned home on Saturday, taking the total discharge cases to 108,082. Of the total 295 fatalities on Saturday, Thane alone notched a staggering 179 deaths, outstripping Mumbai for the first time since the pandemic broke out. Mumbai notched 68 fatalities, pulling up the city's death toll to 4,830, whereas the number of corona patients shot up by 1,163 cases to touch 83,237. Besides Thane's 179 and Mumbai's 68, 15 deaths were reported in Pune, 9 in Solapur, 7 in Jalgaon, 6 in Aurangabad, 5 in Palghar, 3 in Akola, 2 in Latur, and 1 in Yavatmal. The MMR (Thane division) continues to be tense as deaths and cases continue to pile up, with a total of 6,312 Covid-19 fatalities and a whopping 4,045 new patients pushing up the number of positive cases to 141,828. Thane cases have shot up to 45,833 with 1,254 fatalities to emerge as the second worst-hit district after Mumbai in the state, and outstripped the country's commercial capital in the number of deaths (179) on Saturday. Pune district comes third with 26,956 patients and 841 deaths till now. Even the Pune division (comprising Pune, Solapur and Satara districts) fell way behind Thane and the MMR with 31,336 patients and 1,181 fatalities on Saturday. The next major area of concern is Nashik division with 573 fatalities and 10,897 positive cases, followed by Aurangabad division with 312 deaths and 7,360 cases, and finally Akola division with 143 fatalities and 2,990 cases. Kolhapur division has notched 55 deaths and 2,250 patients, Latur division had 51 fatalities and 1,174 cases, and finally Nagpur division recorded 19 deaths and 2,118 cases. Among the eight divisions in the state, only Kolhapur and Nagpur recorded zero fatalities on Satuday, though there were new corona cases. Meanwhile, the number of people sent to home quarantine increased from yesterday's 589,448 to 596,038, while those in institutional quarantine decreased from 42,371 to 41,566 on Saturday. Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19) New Delhi, July 4 : The Centre is creating digital platforms for increasing the working capacity along with transportation efficiency of the country's logistics sector, a senior government official said on Saturday. According to Pawan Kumar Agarwal, Special Secretary, (Logistics), Ministry of Commerce & Industry, digitisation of logistics is the need of the hour that will enhance the working capacity and transportation efficiency. Speaking at PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry's virtual conference on 'Streamlining the Logistics and Warehousing Sectors Post Lockdown', Agarwal said the government is working on creating digital platforms and mobile apps for logistic sector. He said that 'Warehouse Information Tracking and Trading Yard' and other such platforms will help in mapping of warehousing and logistics capacity. Besides, Agarwal said that logistics is a sector that needs to realise the vision of 'Aatma Nirbhar Bharat'. "In these indispensable times, we realized the importance of essential services with their regular supply chains," he was quoted as saying in a PHD Chamber's statement. "During the times of COVID-19, there has been a disruption in the supply chain, movement of truck drives, and other forms of transformation that have been resolved in the best possible way." New Delhi, July 4 : The Intelligence Bureau, the country's elite intelligence agency, has been roped in to trace wanted criminal Vikas Dubey for killing eight policemen in Kanpur. The Intelligence Bureau sleuths are now helping the Uttar Pradesh Police's Special Task Force (STF) to trace the whereabouts of one of the gangsters Dubey, who has around 60 cases in his name and also has political patronage. Sources said the Intelligence Bureau and the Special Task Force suspect that the gangster is in hiding in the ravines of Beehad in Chambal. They have also sought from the Madhya Pradesh Police in finding the whereabouts of Dubey. The police are looking for the whereabouts and if he is not being traced within the next 24 hours, it is learnt that the state government will announce a huge reward to know his whereabouts. During probe, it was found that Dubey had close links with various state lawmakers and the law enforcement agency -- UP Police. "If caught, he would a Pandora's box. The entire nexus between gangsters, politicians and bureaucrats in UP would be exposed," said a top IPS officer. Earlier in the day, the UP government demolish the well-fortified house of the gangster in Kanpur. He shot dead eight police personnel in Bikru village under Chaubeypur police circle in Kanpur Dubey's father and his family members, along with their servants, were asked to vacate the premises and were cordoned off from an area of 50-metre around the house before launching the demolition drive. Even the structures used to park their vehicles within the compound were demolished. The house, which not only has 30-to-40-feet-high thick walls on the perimeter, was secured by concertina wire and 50 CCTV cameras. Dubey had illegally occupied land worth crores of rupees in Kanpur and other places. He also owned a number of luxury vehicles, apart from owning expensive furniture and electronic gadgets. The Dubey gang shot dead eight police personnel early on Friday. During a police operation to nab Dubey, eight policemen, including a deputy superintendent of police, were shot dead and seven others injured. Acting on a complaint filed against Dubey for attempt to murder, the police team which went to nab the gangster was ambushed, in one of the bloodiest attacks on the police in the state. Dubey has enjoyed political patronage over the years under various parties, and has 60 cases lodged against him since 1993 for murder, robbery, kidnapping and land grabbing. In 2001, he was accused of killing a BJP leader and Minister of State, Santosh Shukla, inside the Shivli police station. Dubey was not arrested due to lack of evidence, which a political watcher in the state owes to the sway of terror and influence he wielded. New Delhi, July 4 : Delhi BJP MLA Mohan Singh Bisht was discharged from AIIMS on Saturday afternoon, days after he tested positive for Covid-19. Bisht, (62), is an MLA from the Karawal Nagar constituency. According to a senior official at AIIMS, Bisht had developed moderate symptoms of Covid-19 and was on supportive treatment for nearly 10 days. He was admitted in the AIIMS trauma centre, which has been turned into a dedicated Covid-19 facility, under the supervision of Naveen Nischal. According to an official in Bisht's office, his oxygen levels were perfectly fine during the tenure of his admission to the hospital, but his sugar levels and blood pressure became an issue during the treatment. "He is doing absolutely fine now, and there is no issue with his health. We are very happy that he has now come back home from the hospital," said Bisht's office. According to a senior official at AIIMS, Bisht was discharged on Saturday 4 p.m. Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19) Bengaluru, July 5 : The opposition Congress has picked its Man Friday D.K. Shivakumar to revive its fortunes in Karnataka after three consecutive electoral defeats since May 2018 state Assembly polls, with the worst being in May 2019 general elections, when it retained one and lost 20 of the 21 Lok Sabha seats it contested in a pre-poll alliance with the Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S) in the southern state. In a stunning performance, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won 25 of the 27 parliamentary seats it contested and supported Independent Sumalatha Ambarish to win the 28th seat in Mandya, about 100km from Bengaluru. The JD-S, which contested 7 Lok Sabha seats, also retained one. In the December 5, 2019 by-elections to 15 Assembly seats, the grand old party won 2 and lost 12 to the BJP and one to an Independent in triangular contests as it did not have pre-poll tie-up with its estranged ally -- the JD-S. Ironically, the 12 who won on the BJP ticket were defectors from the Congress and the JD-S, whose resignations from their Assembly seats led to the fall of their 14-month old coalition government on July 23, 2019 for losing majority in the 225-member House under its JD-S Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy. Though the Siddaramaiah-led Congress government completed 5-year term from 2013 to 2018 and hoped to retain power, a hung verdict in the 2018 Assembly elections forced it to enter into a post-poll alliance with its arch rival JD-S to keep the BJP out of power and formed a coalition government on May 23, 2019, after the 3-day BJP government fell on May 19, 2019. Resignation by Congress' state unit president Dinesh Gundu Rao on December 9, owning moral responsibility for the party's humiliating defeat in the Assembly by-elections caused a huge void to fill in. After 3 months of deliberations, especially the caste equations in the faction-ridden party, the Congress high command in mid-March pitched for Shivakumar, its troubleshooter, who rose from the ranks to become a strong leader in the politically dominant Vokkaliga community across the state. Shivakumar, 58, is a 7-time legislator from the Kanakapura assembly segment, about 60km south of Bengaluru. His younger brother D.K. Suresh is the party's Lok Sabha member from the Bangalure Rural seat for the second time. Covid-19 induced lockdown and its extension delayed Shivakumar from taking charge as president of the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) along with three working presidents - Eshwar Khandre, Sameer Ahmed and Satish Jarkiholi. "The Congress high command is betting on Shivakumar to bring the party back to power in the state after the next Assembly elections, due in 2023. The onerous task is cut out for him, as he has to take on a formidable BJP, which consolidated its position by securing a majority in the lower House through its time-tested operation kamala strategy," a political analyst told IANS here. Though the BJP will be gunning for him as a tainted politician who was arrested and jailed in money laundering and tax evasion cases during 2017-19, Shivakumar remains unfazed in view of his popularity as a mass leader with huge resources and as one of the richest 'netas' in the country. "Knowing my strength and capabilities, the BJP and its governments at the state and centre tried to finish me off politically by misusing the enforcement agencies and sending me to jail though I did not commit any offence. I am not afraid of anyone," thundered Shivakumar on July 2 while addressing the party's leaders and cadres across the state through video-conferencing. With the backing of party president Sonia Gandhi and party leader Rahul Gandhi, Shivakumar is upbeat on galvanising the Congress in the state by rebuilding it from the booth level, a strategy the BJP mastered over the years to win elections at the hustings across the country. "The high command assessed Shivakumar's popularity and the following in the party after he returned to Bengaluru on October 26, 2019 from New Delhi on release from Tihar jail to a rousing welcome from the airport to the party office in the city centre and the protests that were held across the state against his arrest in Delhi early September in 2019," the analyst recalled. The party leaders are also of the view that by projecting Shivakumar as the chief ministerial candidate in the next Assembly elections, it will be able to get more Vokkaliga votes, especially in the old Mysuru region, where it lost badly in the 2018 Assembly elections to the JD-S, which is a Vokkaliga-dominant party in its traditional bastions. Taking over the reins of the party's state unit, Shivakumar vowed to bring the Congress back to power in the state with the support of its leaders and cadres. "Though it's the high command, which names the chief minister after the Assembly elections in the event of winning the mandate, the party's state unit president is favoured for the top executive post, as in the case of S.M. Krishna and Dharam Singh who became Chief Ministers after leading the party in the elections in the past," said party leader M.A. Saleem. (Fakir Balaji can be reached at fakir.b@ians.in) New Delhi, 4 July : In a shocking incident, an NRI from Chuna Mandi in Delhi's Paharganj area was brutally murdered in Sadar Gohana in Haryana's Sonipat. According to the police, 68-year-old Rajendra Abott came to Delhi from London in January but could not return due to the coronavirus-induced lockdown. He was staying at his home in Paharganj. According to the police, his mother had expired some time back. "He went missing and a missing report was filed at Paharganj police station," said a senior Delhi police officer. On June 22, he left for Sonipat, his house maid Hema was with him at the time. She allegedly took Abott to Gohana in Sonipat where she allegedly conspired with some others to kill Abott. The police said that it seems that Hema had borrowed some amount from the Abott, and when he asked it back she conspired to murder him. Sources said that Hema was in an estranged relationship with her husband and was living separately for the last three years. "He was overpowered and strangulated in a vehicle and later his hands and feet were tied and his body was thrown in a drain. The killers wanted to make sure he doesn't survive. The maid is absconding and our teams are working to find all those who were involved in the murder," said a senior Haryana Police officer. Later, the Sadar Gohana Police recovered Abott's body from a drain. A team of Delhi Police reached the Sadar Gohana Police Station of Sonipat where they found that the police there had performed the last rites of the victim. The Sonipat police are now investigating the murder case. New Delhi, July 5 : Union Minister Nitin Gadkari on Saturday called for the formation of Chambal Development Authority for progress of the region. The Road Transport & Highways and MSME Minister said this in a meeting which was held to review the proposed Chambal Express Project through video confe rence. Speaking during the meeting, Gadkari opined that a Chabal Development Authority can be formed for better coordina tion and progress of this region and called upon the states to sort out fore st, environment and land acquisition issues. He emphasised on expeditious environment clearance, land acquisition and roy alty, local tax exemptions to expedite the project. According to Gadkari, land acquisition should cater to the development of wa y side amenities besides industrial and commercial clusters. The Rs 8,200 crore project passes through MP, UP and Rajasthan. It envisages connecting Bhind to Kota and will provide cross connectivity wi th Golden Quadrilateral's Delhi-Kolkata corridor, North-South Corridor, East -West Corridor and Delhi-Mumbai/Expressway. New Delhi, July 5 : Leader of Congress party in the Lok Sabha, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking a review and roll back the decision of the imposition of tax on disability pension of defence forces including Army, Navy, and Air Forces. "I must appreciate your visit to the army hospital (crisis expansion capacity of 100 beds) at Leh where scores of Indian soldiers have been admitted who have sustained grievous injuries during their valiant fight against Chinese intruders at Galwan Valley," said Chowdhury in a letter to the PM. He cited that 20 Indian soldiers including commanding officer also had attained martyrdom on the fateful night of June 15. He insisted that some of them, god forbids, may also be disabled. "In future how would those disabled army personals earn and run the livelihoods? Disability pension comes as succour to those brave soldiers," he added in the letter. New Delhi, July 5 : The volunteers of an NGO, 'Neighbourhood Woof', were thrashed by locals in Rani Bagh of outer Delhi. The NGO workers, including a woman, were out in the area to catch dogs when the locals confronted them. In view of late night hours, local residents enquired about their identities on which heated argument started and a scuffle broke out between them. Later, the Delhi police registered a case against the residents on the complaint of the NGO worker. On the night of July 3 at around 10.30 p.m., 3 PCR calls were received in Rani Bagh police station regarding a quarrel between two parties, i.e., one belonging to an NGO named "Neighbourhood Woof" and the local residents of Rishi Nagar, Rani Bagh. Immediately, the police reached the spot and it revealed that some persons from an NGO named "Neighbourhood Woof" had come to catch stray dogs in Rishi Nagar, said a senior police officer. However, the locals grew suspicious and raised questions on the operation of the NGO staff which also had a woman with them. An argument started between the NGO workers and the local residents which soon turned ugly. The NGO workers alleged that they were brutally assaulted by the locals. The police said that when the people from the NGO tried to flee from the spot in their car, 3 local residents were hit by their car, inflicting some minor injuries. "On the complaint of the NGO worker Ayesha Christina, a case u/s 323/341/506/427/34 IPC has been registered against residents. Further investigation is under progress," the police said. On June 22, US President Donald Trump issued an executive order suspending the entry of a number of non-immigrant work visa holders into the US till the end of the year. The visa categories affected include, most notably, H-1B, which has been used by more than a million Indian information technology professionals since the 1990s and L1 visa used by US companies to bring in workers from their Indian offices. During his campaign for President four years ago, candidate Trump consistently railed against the H-1B programme. However, after he moved into the White House, Trump left the visa programme untouched in the first 43 months of his presidency, even as he delivered on most of his controversial campaign promises, such as the Muslim ban and dumping of multilateral treaties like NAFTA and Paris Agreement, through executive actions. There were two compelling reasons Trump didn't act on the visa programme until now. The US economy had been doing very well until Coronavirus hit the American shores early this year. And, the tech industry, which employs three-fourths of the H-1B visa holders, has been doing even better. The second reason is the formidable lobbying power of the industry. The four most valuable companies in the world, Amazon, Google, Apple and Microsoft, and Facebook have historically used the H-1B workforce to augment their profits. They were not going to let it go without a fight. The influence these organizations wield was evident when Trump spared H-1B in his first executive order to curb nonimmigrant work visa holders issued on April 22. According to reports, H-1B was to be part of that proclamation but the White House was talked out of it by the industry. So, what has changed between late April and today? A number of things, but primarily it is Trump's dimming re-election prospects. A steady stream of polls in the past few weeks has shown that the incumbent is trailing badly in the race against presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden. The President's handling of the Covid-19 pandemic -- his initial refusal to see it as a threat and then his inability to provide the leadership to contain it -- has shaken people's confidence in Trump's presidency. Prior to the onset of the Coronavirus, Trump was banking on making the election a referendum on his stewardship of the economy. But the pandemic, which has claimed more than 125,000 American lives, has also eliminated up to 40 million jobs. Although some of the jobs have come back thanks to the multitrillion dollar stimulus package, the re-opening plans promoted by Trump have not produced substantial results. Now, with parts of the country closing down again, and the deadly virus spreading in southern and western states, there's no sign of the economy turning the corner before the November election. Consequently, Trump needs to be seen as doing something to save the economy and American jobs. H-1B, which has been a bogeyman for the protectionists and economic nationalists, is an easy target during this downturn, even though study after study has documented that the visa programme actually helps create jobs. The administration claims that the executive order is going to save more than half a million American jobs without giving details. It should be noted that the order mainly impacts petitioners who are outside of the US who have not gotten their visas stamped on their passports yet. As a result, it will only have little impact in the short term on those seeking work in the US. The US Citizenship and Immigration Service issues roughly 85,000 new H-1B visas annually of which 20,000 are for those with US master's degrees. Most petitioners in this category are already in the US and they will not have any problem in starting their jobs in October, typically the time new visa holders enter the work force. According to immigration attorneys, a significant percentage of the remaining 65,000 visas are claimed by dependents of H-1B and L-1 visa holders, as well as foreign students who have graduated from US schools, but did not get the visa under the master's degree quota. These groups will also not come under the purview of the executive order, as they are already in the country. The real impact of the presidential proclamation, therefore, will be two-fold. First, as long as Trump is President, it will undoubtedly cause many international students, who are looking at the US as a potential destination for higher studies to reconsider their decisions. During the Trump era, the US has already been losing potential students to nations such as Canada, Britain and Australia. Second, despite the massive job losses in the broader economy, there are still vacancies in the tech industry that will have to be filled to move its economy forward. The US tech sector has said for years that the country doesn't produce enough skilled workers and the industry will suffer without the intake of manpower through H-1B and L1 visa programmes. If it becomes more difficult for these companies to hire foreign workers, they would probably outsource more and more of these jobs to foreign destinations, including India. It is an irony that, while Trump is trying to bring manufacturing jobs back to the US, his nonimmigrant worker visa policy could force more high-paying service jobs offshore. What makes it doubly ironic is that this action which Trump has taken to try to save his job as President will not do so. Given the current state of affairs, it is likely that on election day November 4, the American people will fire Donald Trump. After that, the decision on what to do with information technology visas in 2021 and going forward will be in someone else's hands. And, Trump will have to find a new place of employment for himself. The good news is Biden has already stated that his administration will lift the H-1B ban. (Frank F. Islam is an entrepreneur, civic and thought leader based in Washington DC. The views expressed are personal) Welcome to Bonita Means Business, Southwest Florida's premier full service digital marketing agency. We are proud to open our doors to Businesses in Bonita Springs and the surrounding areas. Service Areas: Proudly serving small businesses in Bonita Springs, Naples, Estero, Fort Myers, Cape Coral, Sanibel and Marco Island. 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To find out how childrens booksellers are doing four months after the coronavirus outbreak upended the economy and business as usual, PW spoke with booksellers and owners at bookstores whose staff it has sponsored, or planned to sponsor this year, to go to Childrens Institute. When they were homeschooling their four children, Jeffrey and Pamela Blair were frustrated that they couldnt find books in which their kids could see themselves. So Pamela wrote three books of her own featuring Black children and launched EyeSeeMe in 2011 to sell multicultural books online. Four years later, the Blairs opened a bricks-and-mortar bookstore, EyeSeeMe African American Childrens Bookstore in University City, Mo., a suburb of St. Louis. This summer the bookstore is on its firmest footing ever, but that almost didnt happen. Last year the store moved to a larger location with an events space, and the Blairs hoped for an increase in revenue. But holiday sales were not as strong as the couple had anticipated, and neither were sales this past February for Black History Month. Then came the pandemic in March. As the coronavirus hit, we just saw the calendar go overnight, Jeffrey says. We thought, how do we recover from that? That business is not coming back. All of the stores school events and book fairs were canceled. Reluctantly, the Blairs launched a GoFundMe campaign asking customers for Covid-19 help and applied for the Paycheck Protection Program. The store received the loan, and to date the Blairs have raised more than $33,000. They used the money to boost their online presence, just as protests over the killing of George Floyd led to a resurgence in community support. By mid-June the store had not yet reopened for foot traffic, but with the bigger online presence the Blairs daily sales were higher than in the months leading up to the outbreak. Jeffrey says he feels honored that so many new customers understand the purpose and importance of having a vibrant Black-owned childrens bookstore in the St. Louis area. People dont come because of the price, he says. They come because they see it as being part of the community, being a neighbor. They see it as a vision. As terrible as it is, all that has happened, there is such a silver lining in that. Wishful thinking When the pandemic hit, business also skidded to a halt for Wishing Tree Books, a childrens specialty bookstore in Spokane, Wash. Janelle Smith opened the store with her husband, Ivan Smith, last year after working as a bookseller for more than 20 years. Smith was disappointed to have to close her store to foot traffic during the shutdown but has continued to meet her financial needs thanks in part to rent relief from her landlord, Tegan Tigani, with whom she worked at Queen Anne Book Company in Seattle. Despite the temporary closure, Smith has continued to support community causes, such as one led by local author Sarah Bain, who honors her stillborn daughter with a charity event each year. This spring, to mark the 17th anniversary of her death, Bain held a 17-day fund-raiser to buy books for children of color. Smith raised $1,200 for the campaign and will use the money to buy books for children in the public school system. Smith has been using social media to reach people interested in reading a wider and more diverse set of books in the wake of the Floyd protests, and customers have also been coming to her. Recently, students and families approached her about buying a small library of multicultural titles as a gift for their teacher at the end of the school year. One favorite book that has emerged is Maddie Frost and Amy Pixtons My Neighborhood, part of Workmans Indestructible Books series. The new normal In St. Petersburg, Fla., Tombolo Books, which began as a pop-up several years ago and opened a bricks-and-mortar location last December, started slowly reopening in early June, with limited store hours. During the coronavirus shutdown, the store did bicycle deliveries, but bookseller Amanda Hurley has been excited about selling books in person. As she looks toward the fall selling season, Hurley is buying childrens books with the idea that online sales may still be the larger source of the stores income. Ive been picking books that dont have to be seen to be sold, she says. She cites titles such as I Am Every Good Thing by Derrick Barnes, illustrated by Gordon C. James; The Invisible Alphabet by Joshua David Stein, illustrated by Ron Barrett; and Raybearer by Jordan Ifueko, which did well during the pandemic. At the same time, the event-focused bookstore has begun holding digital events with local authors as a way to stay in touch with readers. Its first one with Rob Sanders, author of the picture book The Fighting Infantryman, took place in mid-June. Hurley is optimistic that the change to a partially online, partially in-person retail operation will work because of the adaptiveness of independent bookstores. I think were sort of setting the tone and being leaders in that way, she says. Its another new normal. In October 2017, the radical press Verso published police abolition activist and scholar Alex S. Vitales The End of Policing. An examination of the destructiveness of Americas policing system, the book also considers what alternatives to public safety might look like. When it was first published, abolishing the police was considered a niche leftist topic. Brought out as a hardcover, the book's reviews were better than its sales. Then in June, protests erupted across the country in response to the police killing of George Floyd, and defund the police became a prominent demand. Seemingly overnight, police abolition became the hottest topic in America. The time for The End of Policing had arrived. Verso made the e-book edition available for free and within two weeks it had been downloaded more than 200,000 times; the publisher ordered a new print run of 45,000 copies. When the world is going badly, people turn to books on the left in search of explanations, said Jake Stevens, Versos managing director. Our sales go up with political and economic turmoil and down during times of prosperity. This year may well be remembered as a hallmark year of upheaval. Coronavirus, the protests over Floyds killing, and the presidential election have put normality on trial. Political and social ideas once considered fringe have suddenly become urgent and necessary, and the books that expand upon them are the wheelhouse of leftist publishers. This year is the 50th anniversary of both Verso and the Feminist Press, two of the oldest and most respected radical English-language publishers. For half a century they have weathered changing political and social climates along with changing markets and readerships. Contributing to their longevity, however, is an adherence to their underlying principles and a willingness to reassess time and again what it means to be radical. Looking back at 50 years, said Jisu Kim, Feminists Presss marketing and publicity manager, its really amazing to see all the different types of books that we experimented with as a publishing company, and the varied directions our publishing vision has traveled, but also how much we still stick to our foundational editorial pillars. Both presses celebrated backlists are full of theory, social criticism, and fiction by storied authors like Theodore Adorno and Judith Butler (both Verso) and Zora Neale Hurston (Feminist). Their frontlists demonstrate a continued tradition of bringing out forward-thinking work. Versos current catalogue includes a history of Black abolitionist poets, Noam Chomsky and Robert Pollins treatise on the climate crisis, and a novel by acclaimed musician and writer Jenny Hval. Among the Feminist Presss new and forthcoming titles are a guide to raising Black children, a visual history of radical postering, and a collection of writings on violence by Mexican writer Cristina Rivera Garza. With some corporate presses publishing feminist books, where their model leans more on focusing specifically and formulaically on what works in the market, we have been able to publish the books that bring up the conversations that need to be had, explained Jamia Wilson, the Feminist Presss director and publisher. "Cutting-edge feminist issues we see rising to the topas well as issues that need to be unearthed in a mission-driven way. Wilson said she has a mission of publishing the kind of work where everyone recognizes themselves in a book and recognizes themselves in the people that make books. Being able to accomplish that means addressing an issue that has long dogged publishing institutions. According to Lee & Lows 2019 Diversity Baseline Survey, 85% of editorial staff working in publishing identify as white. Only a very small number of nonwhite editorial staffers are African American, said Wilson, who is herself Black. Power concedes nothing without demand, she added, citing Frederick Douglass. You cant really change an industry when you dont have enough people represented in decision-making positions. You have to push for it. This means, in part, being able to keep up with evolving ideologies. Versos continued success, Stevens pointed out, lies in fostering relationships with left-leaning periodicalsespecially with younger editors. When I arrived at the U.S. office in 2007, Stevens said, it was right before the financial crash. There was a changing of the guard at places like Dissent and the Nation. And then you had younger journals cropping up like Jacobin, n+1, and the New Inquiry. It has really helped us to make connections with this new generation of editors and writers, and to ensure that we are connected to the political and intellectual currents that have shaped the last decade. The origins of both presses were engendered by similar cultural and political fervor. 1970 bookended a period of civil unrest that largely began in 1968: protests of the Vietnam War raged on, National Guardsmen massacred students at Kent State, and second-wave feminism was at its height. You have this whole intellectual context and this whole political and editorial context where its clear that radical books suddenly had a new audience, said Sebastian Budgen, an editor at Verso who is compiling a history of the press. When Alexander Cockburn and Robin Blackburn, two of the editors of the British intellectual journal the New Left Review, copublished a popular anthology of radical student writing, the rest of NLRs editors took notice and decided they could start their own publishing company. Initially known as New Left Review Books and based in London, Verso developed a degree of editorial autonomy from the NLR in the early 1980s. It has since grown to include two offices totaling 29 employees (17 U.K., 12 U.S.), with global revenue of $7.5 million. Starting with seven titles in 1970, Verso has published 1,800 books, including 85 this year. Despite the pandemic, the press said its sales are up 40% for the year to date compared to the same period in 2019, a result of a 200% increase in online sales. In addition to The End of Policing strong sellers so far this year include Judith Butlers The Force of Nonviolence, Mike Daviss Set the Night on Fire, Breanne Fahss Burn It Down, and a new edition of Vivan Gornicks The Romance of American Communism. (All that said, Stevens noted, we need the bookstores back.) To celebrate its list and legacy, Verso plans to launch a book club this summer. Subscribers will have digital access to its entire archive and will receive print copies of new books by mail. This service will charge $5 per month for the first three months, then $10 per month. The Feminist Press wasnt founded to respond to a demand, but rather to create demand. Discovering that the nearly all-male curriculums were discouraging female PhD candidates in American English and language departments, Florence Howe had an idea to publish biographies of deceased women writers, written by living ones, that could be taught in these programs. When no university would finance the project, the Baltimore Womens Liberation group raised money on Howes behalf and Feminist Press was born. The Feminist Press is now based in New York City and has six full-time employees and two part-timers overseeing a backlist of approximately 375 active titles. Like Verso, its 2020 titles have done well, including Trina Green Browns aforementioned Black child-raising guide Parenting for Liberation, Juli Delgado Loperas novel Fiebre Tropical, and Bishakh Soms graphic short story collection Apsara Engine. Though the pandemic has stymied plans for in-person galas, early this year, as part of its celebrations, the Feminist Press raised enough money to launch a new edition of I Love Myself When Im Laughing, the Zora Neale Hurston reader edited by Alice Walker. Wilson said that feminism will always be a part of the presss mission. In 2017, the year I came on board, there was a lot of momentum following the Womens March on Washingtonthe biggest womens march in history. It led to feminism being announced as Merriam-Websters word of the year. And we were glad about that, but it remained clear it was also the word driving us over our 50 years of existence. From what I can tell, we will have our work cut out for us for another 50100 years or more. Michael Barron is a writer and editor living in New York City. Since the pandemic began shutting down parts of the U.S. economy earlier in the year, Humble Bundle has been an indispensable fund-raising platform for book-related and pandemic nonprofits. Under the Humble Bundle model, consumers can pay what they wish for DRM-free digital content, with some of the proceeds going to nonprofits. In partnership with the Book Industry Charitable Foundation (Binc), Humble Bundle has helped raise more than $450,000 to support independent booksellers and comics retailers since the beginning of 2020. In addition, Humble Bundle has helped raise more than $70,000 over the same period for the Hero Initiative, a fund that supports comics creators in need, as well as more than $40,000 for EveryLibrary, a political action committee that supports initiatives related to library funding. Kelley Allen, Humble Bundles director of books, said that, though the site has partnered with Binc for the past three years, the past four months have been "record breaking. She adds, Its been inspiring for us to work together with Binc to help pull the industry through this period. And theres more Humble Bundle support for Binc and the Hero Initiative to come. On July 1, the site launched the Humble Bundle Image Comics Showcase, which offers a variety of DRM-free Image comics titles. In April, with the help of e-book and graphic novel publishers, Humble Bundle raised more than $6.5 million via its Conquer Covid bundle to support those affected by and responding to the pandemic. And in the wake of the death of George Floyd at the hands of the Minneapolis police on May 25, Humble Bundle has raised more than $4.3 million via its Fight for Racial Justice bundle, with all proceeds going to three organizations: the Bail Project, the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, and Race Forward. Since early April, Humble Bundle has launched seven bundles aimed at raising funds for the book industry and for victims of the pandemic. Among the publishers that have supported these bundles with e-book content are Abrams, Adams Media, Frog God Games, IDW, Image Comics, John Wiley & Sons, Mango Media, Morgan & Claypool, No Starch Press, and Quarto. Allen also said that noted comics writer Gail Simone, who has written for DC, Dynamite, Image, Marvel, and many others, is teaming up with culture journalist Karama Horne; Mikki Kendal, author of Hood Feminism; and L.L. McKinney, author of the A Blade So Black trilogy, to launch a new bundle in support of Black Lives Matter nonprofits. Allen said this new bundle will likely launch in early July. Allen noted that its unusual for Humble Bundle to offer two major fund-raising bundles such as Conquer Covid and Fight for Social Justice, in which all the funds raised go to nonprofits, in one year. Were in a period of huge social movements, and the need is there, she said. It is exceptionally welcome news that hotels, restaurants and pubs are to begin opening their doors, the 71-year-old royal said in a video published by the ITN-run Royal Family Channel early Saturday local time. Hospitality connects people. It enables them to create wonderful memories with families and friends be it over a pint of beer, a special meal with family or an overnight stay to explore new places. 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... Coronavirus Wolf: Masks key to keep Pa. open Here's what you need to know about new mask mandate in Pennsylvania An American Airlines employee wears a face mask while standing in front of flight status displays in Admirals Club lounge at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport. The company will permanently discontinue many of its international routes. Egypts prosecutor-general ordered on Friday the detention of two young men pending investigation for assaulting, bullying, insulting, and stealing from a Sudanese child. The prosecution also accused the two men of filming the incident and uploading it on social media to garner more views and profits. The incident took place a few weeks ago. The video shows a 14-year-old Sudanese boy attacked by two young men in Giza's Ard El-Lewa neighborhood. The boy had just bought grocery for his mother. One of the two men threw rocks at the boy and insulted him, while the other filmed the incident using his mobile phone. When the Sudanese child tried to defend himself, the two men showered him with racial slurs and attacked him. The child ran away, leaving behind the grocery bag, which the men took. The Tiktok video went viral, stirring a massive wave of anger among social media users who demanded the young mens arrest. Short link: Life Time, meanwhile, is shutting down the indoor fitness portion of our clubs as of now through Monday evening, a spokeswoman said in a statement to the outlet, noting the move was out of respect for the Governor. As Pride month drew to a close, The New York Times was busy informing readers that after decades of progress, the gay rights movement was still not as inclusive as it needs to be. Transgender women of color led the uprising at the Stonewall Inn 51 years ago on Sunday, but they were never put at the center of the movement they helped start: one whose very shorthand, the gay rights movement, erases them, began a recent Times report. The problem is that its hard to erase what wasnt there to begin with. Whatever contributions transgender women of color have made to the gay rights movement, they did not lead the riots at the Stonewall Inn that touched off that movement the Times story was factually incorrect. The Times later stealth-edited the paragraph, but its just one of three Times stories in the last six months perpetuating this false narrative about trans women of color and Stonewall. (See here and here.) The leaders and participants in the Stonewall riots, which involved hundreds in the streets clashing with the NYPDs public morals squad, were overwhelmingly white men. But in woke Americas rapidly evolving hierarchy of who gets to claim theyre oppressed, being gay isnt enough for todays activists and their media allies. So theyre perpetuating myths about the involvement of trans women of color at Stonewall to give the historic gay rights battle intersectional bona fides. The claims made about trans people leading the Stonewall riots centers almost exclusively on two people, Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera, both of whom were part of the gay scene in Greenwich Village in the late 1960s. Rivera claims to have participated in the riot, but that claim is undercut by witnesses who say they saw Rivera sleeping on a bench when the revolt began after taking heroin. Johnson personally told a historian that he didnt arrive until after the riot started. Despite this, a persistent myth has emerged that not only did the pair lead the Stonewall uprising, but that Johnson even threw the brick that started it. As recently as last year, the Times seemed clear about the facts: The impact of Ms. Rivera and Ms. Johnson on the trans and gay movements cant be overstated, but it doesnt take much digging to learn that they didnt start the Stonewall rebellion. Heres where it gets even more controversial were Johnson and Rivera even transgender? David Carters history of the event, Stonewall, describes Johnson as drag queen. You can watch Johnson in his own words describing himself as a boy in drag. Drag certainly subverts gender conventions, but it is a distinct and storied tradition within the gay community, and being gay and wearing womens clothes hardly makes you transgender. At one point Rivera decided to take female hormones, but quickly stopped. In his definitive book on the event, Martin Duberman quotes Rivera as saying, I came to the conclusion that I dont want to be a woman. I just want to be me. I want to be Sylvia Rivera. Both Johnson and Rivera could be described as gender fluid and supportive of transgenderism, but transgender activists themselves are quite militant about being misgendered. By that standard, calling Johnson or Rivera transgender doesnt quite comport with the identities they created for themselves. Nonetheless, scores of media outlets including the Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, and PBS have been pushing a dubious transgender narrative about Stonewall. Politicians such as Kamala Harris and Joe Biden have also gotten into the act. Even the gay establishment, which ought to know better, is complicit in rewriting history. Pete Buttigieg, Americas first openly gay major party presidential candidate, incorrectly tweeted #Pride celebrates a movement that traces back to the courage of trans women of color 50 years ago this weekend. An article currently on the Human Rights Campaign website incorrectly asserts that the majority of rioters at Stonewall fit Buttigiegs description: Stonewalls LGBTQ patronsmost of whom were trans women of colordecided to take a stand and fight back against the brutal intimidation they regularly faced at the hands of police. Some notable gay writers are pushing back. Last month, gay marriage champion Andrew Sullivan called out the Times for falsely transgendering Stonewall, asking Does the NYT have fact-checkers? Or is the narrative more important than reality? In a Tablet magazine essay last year, another notable gay writer, Brookings fellow James Kirchick, concluded that the political narrative was subsuming historical truth. As America has essentially come to accept gay equality, the intersectional leftperpetually in need of an adversarial posture against society, and for whom trans women of color is now a sloganhas settled on radical gender ideology as its next front in the culture war, he wrote. Stonewall loses its cachet as an inspiration for contemporary resistance if it retains its actual gay character, as that renders it achingly bourgeois, and so the event has been distorted into a transgender story, thereby making it more subversive. To be clear, many in the LGBT community either remember Johnson and Rivera fondly or were inspired by them, and they are lauded for their activism in the years following Stonewall. But at this point its impossible to say whether they would enjoy their current posthumous fame absent the media regurgitating false claims about their participation in Stonewall and unfounded speculation about their sexual identity. Johnson and Riveras legend has now grown to the point that New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announced last year the city would build a statue of the pair near the Stonewall Inn. The announcement was accompanied by a statement from de Blasios wife, Chirlane McCray, touting their leading role at Stonewall. If Johnson and Rivera are to have a statue, contextualizing it in relation to Stonewall is clearly wrong, and the rush to turn the pair into trans rights icons seems to be doing the exact opposite of what the New York Times suggested its erasing a pivotal event for gay men by making the dominant narrative transgenderism. Much has been said lately about the problems of wantonly tearing down statues to erase history, but the ideology behind erecting statues to invented historical narratives might be even more alarming. The Rohingya, a Muslim minority group from Myanmar, has been brutalized for years. Government security forces burned down hundreds of their villages and raped their women and girls. More than a million Rohingya refugees are temporarily housed in neighboring Bangladesh, which has provided them safe haven. International organizations have repeatedly demanded that Myanmar be held to account for these atrocities. The UNs Human Rights Commission has formed an Independent International Fact-Finding Mission. The International Criminal Court and the International Court of Justice are investigating. But in Myanmar, theres been only impunity. Despite decades of first-person accounts of ethnic cleansing, the government of Myanmar has stoutly denied wrongdoing against Rohingyas. Instead, it has blamed the victims, accusing them of being threats to Buddhism or terrorists to justify their serious violations. Myanmar has claimed to have examined the allegations. But its inquiries have only been for show. Myanmars inquiry mechanisms are neither credible nor impartial. Accountability for crimes against Rohingyas remains off limits in Myanmar. The sham investigations date back to 2012 when anti-Muslim violence erupted in Myanmars northern Rakhine State. Myanmar formed the Rakhine Investigation Commission to identify the perpetrators. Instead, the commission accused Rohingyas of fanning the flames of sectarian violence. The Commission called for increased an military and police presence. Myanmar formed a legislative commission to examine similar violence in 2016. But again, the group called the Rakhine State Investigation Commission found no wrongdoing by the government. Instead it said that attacks on police posts in the region were pre-planned by dangerous dissidents. It called for tighter security at schools and in ethnic Rakhine villages where Buddhists live. The report did not identify any perpetrators of violence on either side. The next year, another group called the Maungdaw Investigation Commission headed by Myanmars vice president, Myint Swe, dismissed credible allegations of rape and religious persecution. Its final report refuted the findings of widespread violence against Rohingyas by the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights. The Myanmar military offered its own report, also in 2017. The so-called Military Commission headed by Lt. Gen. Aye Win stated that that it had uncovered no wrongdoing except in two minor incidents. The Military Commission also said the UNs High Commissioner for Human Rights was totally wrong. The Reuters news service famously unearthed the massacre of 10 Rohingya men in the village of Inn Din in February 2018. Seven soldiers who took part in the extrajudicial executions were sentenced to 10 years in prison. But all ten were secretly released in less than a year. The reporters who documented the killings were jailed for longer than the perpetrators before they were finally released. The last of the Myanmar commissions, completed in January this year, was probably the most sinister. The Independent Commission of Enquiry looked into attacks on Rohingyas dating back to 2017. The commission included members from the Philippines and Japan as well as from Myanmar. Nonetheless, it was as much a whitewash as its predecessors. It endorsed Myanmar's official version of events, denying well-documented allegations of genocide, ethnic cleansing and rape. It came to this conclusion without interviewing any of the Rohingya victims, survivors or witnesses who were forcibly deported to Bangladesh. Thats where the majority of such witnesses and victims had fled for their safety. Myanmars many inquiries into the obvious abuse of Rohingyas have been a sham. Their goal has been impunity for the wrongdoers rather than any serious effort at fact-finding. Justice has not been served. The only hope for finding the truth lies with international organizations. Governments around the world need to endorse these efforts and keep pressure on Myanmar to allow real inquiries to proceed. The Rohingya victims and their families deserve nothing less. Hunter Strupp is a former Staff Director of the House Subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific. Taking aim at Trump, one of the employment posters reads: Well, Donald, dont you want to become a bus driver instead? Think about it! You give the directions, youll always have a reason to swear, you can rip people off, being overweight isnt an issue, neither are small hands and no one expects you to be tactful. Nancy Krcek Allen has been a chef-educator for more than 25 years and has taught professional and recreational classes in California, New York City and Michigan. Her culinary textbook is called Discovering Global Cuisines. Athens, GA (30605) Today Thunderstorms likely this evening. Then a chance of scattered thunderstorms overnight. Low 71F. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 70%.. Tonight Thunderstorms likely this evening. Then a chance of scattered thunderstorms overnight. Low 71F. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 70%. July 04, 2020 10:24 IST Looking into the current situation on the China boarder, IOC has stocked up enough winter-grade fuel for the region. With army movements increasing, the demand for this fuel is expected to increase multifold from the 350 metric tonnes last winter. IMAGE: Indian Army trucks move along a highway leading to Ladakh at Gagangeer in Kashmir's Ganderbal district. Photograph: Imran Nissar/ANI Photo. With the coming winter likely to be one of the most tense for Indian soldiers in Ladakh, Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) has launched, only for the region, a special winter-grade diesel, to be used by the armed forces. This fuel can withstand extremely low temperatures of around minus 33 degree Celsius. With army movements increasing, the demand for this fuel is expected to increase multifold from 350 metric tonnes last winter -- November, December, and January, said a company source. Upping the ante against Chinese aggression, Prime Minister Narendra Modi made a surprise visit at a forward position of Nimu in Ladakh on Friday, with Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat and Army Chief M M Naravane. In a violent clash between soldiers of the two countries at Galwan on June 15, at least 20 Army persons died. On Friday, Modi, addressing the soldiers, said: The enemy has seen your fire and fury as well. The Indian Oil executive said looking into the current situation, the company had ensured and stoked up enough winter-grade fuel for the region. Last year, the demand from armed forces was less than this, he added. On November 19 last year, Home Minister Amit Shah had launched the special fuel for Ladakh, soon after its separation from Jammu and Kashmir on October 31. The launch of this fuel was part of the Rs 50,000 crore investment initiated in the region by the home minister then. What is winter-grade diesel? The fuel was specially designed for motorists in high-altitude sectors like Ladakh, Kargil, Kaza and Keylong. In these regions, motorists face the problem of freezing of diesel during the winter season. Normally, a major component of diesel is paraffin wax that improves viscosity and lubrication of the fuel. However, according to temperature, it melts or thickens, affecting the normal performance of vehicles. IOC had launched this special fuel to tide over this issue, including additives to diesel helping it to remain in a fluid situation. This fuel has a low pour-point of minus 33 degree Celsius, which does not lose its fluidity function even in extreme winter conditions. To ensure cooking gas supply to the region, IOC runs a liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) bottling plant at Phey Village of Ladakh, which is 11,800 feet above the sea level. The plant ensures cooking gas access to far-flung areas of Ladakh and Kargil, besides serving the Indian security forces. This plant, with a capacity of 8,000 metric tonnes (tmt) per month, came to the limelight as women make up for more than half of the total staff strength of 20, braving the temperature of minus 30 degrees. July 04, 2020 10:31 IST Insurance experts said since it may be difficult to set a tariff or fixed rates for Covid-19 treatment, an indicative rate chart has been proposed. IMAGE: Medical workers wearing personal protective equipment take care of a patient suffering from the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), at the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of the Max Smart Super Speciality Hospital in New Delhi. Photograph: Danish Siddiqui/Reuters. The General Insurance Council (GI Council) has come up with an indicative rate chart for the treatment of Covid-19 patients to guide insurance companies during the claim settlement process. The rates will be reviewed every month. For cases where the rates charged are more than the indicative rates because of various medical exigencies, insurance companies will consider them while processing claims on a case-to-case basis. Insurance experts said it may be difficult to set a tariff or fixed rates for Covid-19 treatment, hence an indicative rate chart has been proposed. Without this, in the event of exorbitant charges being levied by hospitals, the medical cost payable as insurance claims would go up. This would ultimately result in premia going up. Covid-19 is a new illness with no established protocols and standardised treatment costs. This may at times result in an insurance company raising questions on the amount spent on the Covid-19 treatment. This creates a huge uncertainty in the minds of unsuspecting Covid-19 patients," the GI Council said. In the absence of any standardised rates for Covid-19 treatment, it has been seen that hospitals, in some cases, were charging a lot for Covid-19 treatment, forcing insurance companies to question the claims. The GI Council has taken an overall view and has standardised the Covid-19 treatment costs, in consultation with insurers. This will benefit both customers and insurers. Insurers have a negotiated agreement with hospitals and these rates will act as the upper limit to the rates negotiated with hospitals," said Bhaskar Nerurkar, head, health claims, Bajaj Allianz General Insurance. Initially, claim amounts were a bit high and now we are seeing them stabilise. The average claim amount may not come down any further but it (the GI Council's move) will help standardise the claims and act as a deterrent to hospitals asking exorbitant charges," he said. The average claim amount for Covid-19 treatment is Rs 1.2-1.5 lakh. But in metro cites, it may be even higher. So far, insurers have received Covid-related claims to the tune of over Rs 300 crore. It (the indicative rate chart) will quicken the process of claim settlement," said Amit Chhabra, business head-health, Policybazaar.com. If the rates announced by the GI Council are implemented properly, policyholders will be benefitted the most. This may become a milestone in standardising treatment cost, said Dr S Prakash, MD, Star Health and Allied Insurance. The council has proposed creating a consensus on billing pattern for Covid patients on a per-day basis, based on criteria such as type of stay and treatment, city or district hospital, and type of hospital. Accordingly, hospitals have been segregated as National Accreditation Board for Hospitals & Healthcare (NABH)-accredited hospitals and non-NABH hospitals. As far as NABH-accredited hospitals are concerned, they can charge up to Rs 10,000, including the cost of PPE, isolation bed and supportive care, and oxygen, in case of moderate sickness. In case of ICU beds without a ventilator, accredited hospitals can charge up to Rs 15,000 (including the PPE cost) and for ICU with ventilator, they can charge up to Rs 18,000 (including the PPE cost). Non-accredited hospitals for isolation beds can charge up to Rs 8,000 for isolation beds, Rs 13,000 for ICU beds without a ventilator and Rs 15,000 for ICU beds with a ventilator. The proposed hospital cost per day will include consultation, nursing charges, coronavirus testing, PPE, drugs, and other consumables. However, it excludes treatment of any co-morbidity conditions, for which Rs 5,000 will be charged. Metropolitan hospitals can charge up to 100 per cent of the ceiling rates per day, while state hospitals can go up to 90 per cent of the ceiling rates and hospitals in the rest of the country can go up to 75 per cent of the proposed rates. Also depending on the type of the hospital and the number of beds, the GI Council has proposed rates for hospitals treating Covid-19. The GI Council's proposed Covid-19 treatment rates should be adopted by insurance companies so that patients get some relief from the financial burden of Covid treatment. Insurance companies should also reduce the waiting period and extend the ceiling for patients suffering from co-morbidities," said Abhishek Kapoor, executive director, Regency Healthcare. The standard rates proposed by GI Council will bring transparency in the settlement of Covid-19 related insurance claims. The inclusion of PPE and coronavirus testing charges will help in the faster settlement of claims," said Abhijit Chatterjee, EVP and head-claims, IFFCO Tokio General Insurance. Differing with insurers, Dr Kousar A Shah, group COO, Aakash Healthcare & Super Speciality Hospitals, Dwarka said: "Mandating one particular price for all type of hospitals, irrespective of their size, facilities, clinical specialists, infrastructure, etc, appears to be a decision taken in a hurry. A nursing home, which has its ACPB (average cost per bed) cut short due to its practices (asking patients to buy their meals and medicines) cannot be compared with a tertiary care, five-star hospital." "This difference could have been minimised by creating a different type of price capping in a laddering form, based on facilities and type of care a hospital provides," Shah added. July 04, 2020 13:07 IST When China protested strongly over the August decision on J&K -- not once but twice -- we ignored it. And to compound matters, we simply turned our back and walked over to the 'Quad' alliance with the US, upgrading it to ministerial level, and thereafter began following the American footfalls on Taiwan and COVID-19 to taunt and humiliate Beijing, observes Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar. IMAGE: Havaldar Sunil Kumar's son pays tribute to his father, who was murdered by People's Liberation of Army thugs in the Galwan Valley on June 15/16, in Patna, June 18, 2020. Photograph: ANI Photo Indian analysts have been comparing the military build-up on the India-China border in eastern Ladakh to the Doklam standoff in 2017. This was only to be expected since the leitmotif was once again road construction in disputed border regions. In Doklam, India feared that the Chinese road would give it military access to heights from where it could threaten the Siliguri Corridor, India's tenuous link with its north-eastern regions. In Ladakh, Indian analysts estimate Chinese military has positioned itself to challenge road construction by India that could threaten Aksai Chin and NH 219, the tenuous Xinjiang-Tibet highway. Interestingly, China did not protest when we re-opened the Daulat Beg Oldie air base in 2008 after abandoning it during the 1962 war or even when the Indian Air Force built it up rapidly to such a scale that by 2013, one of its newly acquired Lockheed Martin C-130J-30 transport aircraft could land there. Nor did China protest at any point through a two-decade period when the 255-km long Darbuk-Shyokh-Daulat Beg Oldie (DSDBO) all-weather road was completed. This is notwithstanding the fact that the DSDBO road cuts down the time taken for sending reinforcements or making forward deployments of Indian troops and equipment from two days previously taken to just six hours -- a game changer, so to speak. Amidst the tumultuous events in the most recent days in eastern Ladakh, we somehow lose sight of all this. Therefore, a primary question arises while making our assessments: Why is China now all perked up when it was reconciled with the reopening of the Daulat Beg Oldie military base at the eastern-most point of the Karakoram range in a cold desert region in the far north of India, just 8 km south of the Chinese border and just 9 km northwest of the Aksai Chin Line of Actual Control between the two countries, and just 10 km from the Karakoram Pass that separates Tibet from Xinjiang? The answer is, China no longer thinks that it can afford to take lightly the steady Indian build-up of military infrastructure in that region -- known as Sub Sector North (which lies just to the east of the Siachen glacier and is the only area that provides direct access to Aksai Chin from India.) Clearly, China does not want any threatening build-up of military infrastructure in the Sub Sector North. However, we have also begun constructing branch roads from the DSDBO in the northerly direction, which allows us to get behind Chinese defences via a number of spurs, known as 'fingers', coming down from the north. Now, through the Indus Valley to the north of Sub Sector North on the Chinese side runs the immensely strategic highway NH 219 which connects Tibet with Xinjiang and where the Chinese base with an airfield is located at Ngari. To put things in perspective, Ngari is only 50 km from Demchok and here we have the terrain advantage; while, Ngari can also be threatened from Chumar. Historically, before the 1962 War, China thought it had secured all territories it needed to that was required for the security of the Tibet-Xinjiang NH 219 highway. In fact, following the 1962 War, when China unilaterally declared a ceasefire and vacated all additional captured territory, it also gave up control of the tactically important areas in Ladakh that could give access to Aksai Chin and NH 219. But they have become hotspots today. Suffice to say, the Chinese seem to think we have reoccupied those vacant spaces and are building sinews that enable us to challenge the NH219 if push comes to shove in the relations. China has become highly suspicious of Indian intentions. Arguably, China has somehow come to believe that in the long term, India's strategic aim is to restore the status quo ante 1950 by recovering Aksai Chin and other areas secured by China prior to the 1962 war. A former commander of the Indian Army's Northern Command, Lieutenant General H S Panag (retd) wrote recently, 'Much as I would like to speculate about China's broader political aims, the direct political aim is simple -- to maintain the 'status quo' along the LAC on its own terms, which is to forestall any threat, howsoever remote, to Aksai Chin and NH 219.' How did this breakdown in trust happen? The roots lie in the UPA era. In strategic terms, India's 'forward policy' in eastern Ladakh that began during the UPA rule can only be regarded as a template of the overall militarisation of the country's foreign policy, which accelerated during the 2010-2014 period. This was a period, following the signing of the US-Indian nuclear accord in 2008, when the US-Indian relationship underwent a historic transformation and the doctrine of 'interoperability' with the American military surreptitiously began permeating the Indian strategic calculus. That process eventually turned into one of tying India down somehow in the American stable. Conceivably, some among the Indian bureaucratic elite would have facilitated this happening at a time when the UPA leadership of Manmohan Singh was getting battered and distracted and hopelessly besieged, and domestic politics had entered a turbulent phase signifying the Congress party's terminal sickness. The Americans should be eternally grateful to their war horses in the Indian wood work. Be that as it may, India's foreign policy got co-related to the alliance with the US, and a belief grew, which the present government inherited, that a muscular approach towards China becomes sustainable and that is the language China will come to fear, now that the Sino-American tensions are also cascading. On the other hand, given the ultra-nationalist fervour sweeping the country, sections of the Indian public also began believing in our own rhetoric that the Indian military is today more than a match for China's -- that, in a conflict in the Himalayas, India can give a 'bloody nose' to the Chinese military. Indeed, such beliefs are delusional. China is a superpower. Although Indian military strength has increased in the recent decades, the fact remains that China has phenomenally modernised its armed forces with technologies that have a force multiplier effect that are way beyond India's capability. Nonetheless, delusional thinking is rampant in our country, including among sections of the elite who ought to know better. This is further compounded by the 'testiness' in India's posturing toward China in the period since the Doklam standoff, which the establishment spin had touted as a victory, but experts increasingly debunked as a mere face-saving retreat. Meanwhile, provocative moves such as the presence of the Tibetan government-in-exile in India; the aggressive claims on Pakistan occupied Kashmir and Gilgit Baltistan; talk of abandoning the 'One China' policy; the dalliance with the US over 'Wuhan virus'; the challenge to the $60 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor; and of course the overall lurch toward 'Quad' signalling an intention to bandwagon with the US' containment strategy against China -- all these were manifestations of such 'testiness'. They might have been intended as pinpricks we do not know, but they have indeed contributed significantly to vitiate the climate of India-China relationship and create mutual suspicions. However, the red line was breached when the government followed up its decision last August on abrogating Article 370 of the Constitution to change the status of J&K by making a breathtaking territorial claim on Aksai Chin, enshrining the claim on a map, which in military terms could only imply from the Chinese perspective a strategic intention on our part to severe Tibet's link with Xinjiang -- nothing more, nothing less. Indeed, while all these shenanigans were playing out, strategic communication was conspicuous by its total absence in the relationship during the period since 'China Connect' in October last year. Quite obviously, in the light of all these major shifts in Indian policies, China began to read a new meaning into the feverish road construction activities close to the LAC, the attempts to create feeder roads of the DSDBO leading to Aksai Chin and so on. A cloud of suspicions has formed which is going to be extremely difficult to dispel in a near term. Unless we properly assess the Chinese motivations, negotiations with that country will be meaningless. Is it the case that China is seeking territorial expansion? If so, there is no scope for negotiations. But China insists it doesn't war with India, nor does India want war with it. Is it that Chinese Communist party leadership has become so weak due to the coronavirus pandemic that it is punching India to flex its muscles? Ridiculous as this may seem, this question must be asked because some of our top China hands do read the tea leaves this way! Or, is China on a deliberate path to humiliate India? But then, to work on such a motivation, China has other non-military means instead of enacting a gruesome murderous scene in the Himalayas. Is China conspiring with Pakistan/strong> to create a two-front war for India? For sure, there is no empirical evidence whatsoever in that direction. What else could be there in the Chinese calculus? Surprisingly, there is hardly any willingness in the Indian narratives to consider whether China too might have its own security concerns over our long-term intentions. An honest appraisal becomes difficult because it is entangled with the government's decision on Article 370, which of course is cast in iron and is apparently irrevocable, as it is linked to the ruling elite's ideology -- plus, our 'pivot' to America, which is at the core of India's foreign policy. We do not realise that the government's words and actions are taken seriously by India's neighbours -- be it China or Nepal or Bangladesh. Perhaps, we can convince Dhaka some day that we actually do not regard Bangladeshi nationals as 'termites'. But how can the government possibly say that the claim to Aksai Chin is a mere posturing for domestic consumption only and not to be taken seriously as a statement of policy when it was stated in all solemnity that we do intend to gain control of that region some day? When China protested strongly over the August decision on J&K -- not once but twice -- we ignored it. And to compound matters, we simply turned our back and walked over to the 'Quad' alliance with the US, upgrading it to ministerial level, and thereafter began following the American footfalls on Taiwan and COVID-19 to taunt and humiliate Beijing. Most certainly, the public opinion in India is furious over the cruel killing of so many Indian soldiers in Ladakh on June 15-16. Feelings are running high. There is loud clamour for 'retaliation'. But unless there is public awareness of the eddies in India's China policy, a rational response to the horrific incident is not going to be possible. The buck stops with the Indian leadership. Whereas Indian nationalism should have been utilised to spur the country's transformation as a middle income country in a conceivable future and to eradicate the poverty affecting the lives of hundreds of millions of Indians, it has degenerated into jingoism and the stuff of grandstanding. What purpose the annulment of Article 370 achieved is debatable. But without doubt, it has damaged the India-China relationship. Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar served the Indian Foreign Service for more than 29 years. He has served as India's ambassador to Turkey and Uzbekistan and has been a contributor to Rediff.com for well over a decade. Feature Production: Aslam Hunani/Rediff.com July 04, 2020 09:43 IST The India-Japan joint naval exercises are a strategic signal for China, observes Dr Rajaram Panda. IMAGE: Japanese Ship Kashima and Japanese Ship Shimayuki conducted an exercise with INS Rana and INS Kulish in the Indian Ocean, June 27, 2020. Photograph: Kind courtesy Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force/Twitter Over the years, India-Japan relations have assumed a multidimensional perspective covering economic, political, strategic and cultural areas. Backed by historical and civilizational commonalities, the narrative in the current times has not only been shaped by mutual economic interests but is also shaped by regional strategic congruence. Both are confronting a common hegemon, which is threatening to challenge the existing established global order in utter disrespect to rules of law and global norms that have shaped relations among nations during the post-War years. In order to cope with this new challenge, countries in the region and also in Europe have expressed concern about China's increasing assertiveness and threat to use of force to achieve its objectives. China's claim of its peaceful rise is false as evidenced by its recent activities. How to cope with this new situation? The smaller nations in the South East Asian region individually are no match to challenge China's military muscle. China's forays in the South China Sea that it claims as its own despite that the international tribunal ruled against China having any legal basis and disregarding the legitimate claims of some Southeast Asian nations, its threat of use of force against Taiwan to integrate the island nation with the mainland, suppression of human rights in Hong Kong, territorial spat with India, pursuing its strategy of economic domination through its Belt and Road Initiative are some of the issues that send alarm bells across the world. These have prompted the adversarial countries to be prepared to face any eventuality of Chinese wrath. After eyeing on the South China Sea, China is attempting to extend its strategic maritime footprint into the Indian Ocean region, where India's own interests - economic and strategic - are enmeshed. In the light of these, several bilateral and multilateral initiatives are being developed to strategise a counter narrative. In the light of these and amid recent stand-off with China, the India-Japan naval exercise held in the Indian Ocean on 27 June 2020 assumes significance. Days before this bilateral exercise, Japan and the United States also held a joint exercise in the South China Sea. China has not only threatened Japan over Senkaku Islands, it also threatens the use of force against Taiwan. In order to check China's increasing maritime footprint in South China Sea and Straits, the United States also deployed three of its aircraft carriers - USS Ronald Reagan, USS Theodore Roosevelt and USS Nimitz -in the maritime region near China, which did not go down well with China. If one connects these dots, the joint exercises are to send a clear message to China that its overdrive is unacceptable. The India-Japan joint naval exercises, though was "largely a PASSEX (passing exercise)", it definitely amounts to some strategic signalling for China. IMAGE: JS KASHIMA (TV 3508) and JS SHIMAYUKI (TV 3513), the JMSDF Training Squadron, conducted an exercise with INS RANA and INS KULISH, Indian Navy at the Indian Ocean, June 27, 2020. Photograph: Kind courtesy Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force/Twitter In fact, the Japanese Navy has become one of the principal partners of the Indian Navy. On many regional issues, both the countries are on the same page and shared concerns, most recently being Japan's public support to India during the Doklam crisis. Japanese warships JS Kashima and JS Shimayuki of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force Training Squadron joined the exercise with the Indian Navy's INS Rana and INS Kulish. This was the 15th such exercise undertaken by the Indian and Japanese navies in the last three years. Though naval exercises are now common between the two countries, the timing of the present exercise is significant as it took place amid the military stand-off between India and China in Ladakh. The Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force was cautious in describing the manoeuvres as designed to 'promote mutual understanding'. Indeed, as described by Vice Admiral Pradeep Chauhan, director-general of the National Maritime Foundation, India used the exercises for 'strategic communication' and that the navies were 'not there for combat purposes, but for signalling'. Toshihide Ando, spokesperson for the Japanese embassy in New Delhi, was emphatic in saying that the 'content of this exercise is tactical training and communication training, with no specific scenario'. In view of the stand-off in Ladakh, India has put its navy on high alert and deployed its assets to thwart any misadventure by the People's Liberation Army Navy from the sea. Greater understanding between the Indian and Japanese navies by bilateral exercises compliments the Malabar exercises, which includes the United States. Though the Chinese are far away from developing a carrier in the Indian Ocean, greater presence of the Indian and Japanese navies can deter Chinese naval assets from making inroads in the Indian Ocean. So far Indian policy has been to deal with China on issues such as the ongoing Ladakh crisis bilaterally and has shunned outside mediation or intervention, which is why it rejected Unite States President Donald J Trump's offer of mediation. As regards Japan, it only publicly supported India during the Doklam crisis and only expressed condolences over the deaths of 20 Indian soldiers in the Galwan Valley and made no comments on Chinese casualties. Japan itself has territorial disputes with China over the Senkaku Islands and has been strengthening its naval capabilities to deter an increasingly assertive China, though it kept on hold recently on the missile defense system that was planned to secure from the United States. Japan perceives threat both from China and North Korea, with the latter firing missiles that flew over the northern island of Hokkaido no long ago. However, though the North Korean threat is limited to the North eastern Asia, threat from China spans a larger swath of Asia. IMAGE: Prime Minister Narendra Damodardas Modi with United States President Donald J Trump and Japanese Premier Abe Shinzo on the sidelines of the G-20 summit in Japan, June 28, 2019. Photograph: @MEAPhotogallery Though Prime Minister Abe Shinzo has made it his life mission to amend the country's pacifist constitution, especially Article 9, in order to convert the Self Defense Forces into a full-fledged army, the challenges he faces are huge. By reinterpreting the constitution, some of his objectives such as collective self-defence have been achieved. As a part of the reinterpretation, Abe has allowed the country such as inducting a 'helicopter destroyer' that has some tonnage as India's aircraft carriers and is now building a 'helicopter carrier' which has a full flight deck. Japan has one of the best non-nuclear submarines in the world and cutting edge anti-submarine warfare technology. Masashi Nishihara, the well known Japanese defence and strategic expert, observes: 'We are leaders in submarine detection. Not only can we find them, we can identify any variety of submarines.' Hereafter, the high-voltage Malabar naval combat exercises between India, Japan and the United States are going to be more important. These three countries, like small neighbouring nations, are concerned about China's muscle-flexing in the Indo-Pacific region, especially in the South China Sea. There is a possibility that Australia would also be invited to join this war game. India is keen that Australia joins the exercises as it has already developed deeper understanding on regional issues and signed the logistics agreement recently. As per reports in the Chinese government owned tabloid Global Times, the Chinese navy will conduct military exercises in waters off the disputed Xisha islands in the South China Sea from July 1 to 5 to send a signal to its rivals in the region. Therefore, a counter-narrative by other combatants is not irrelevant. Even while China continues to expand its defence capability, it remains sensitive when other nations make marginal increase in their defence spending to meet their security needs. When South Korea agreed to the US decision to deploy the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD), a transportable, ground-based missile defence system, China claimed that its security was breached. The THAAD is an anti-ballistic missile system. It was developed after the US experiences in the Gulf War, 1991. THAAD has been deployed in Israel, the UAE, Romania and South Korea. THAAD is capable of destroying missiles by colliding with them. Similarly, China strongly objected to the India-US Malabar exercise in the Bay of Bengal in 2007 when it was expanded to include Japan, Australia and Singapore. India had then restricted Malabar to a bilateral one with the US for several years, and included Japan only when the exercise was held in the north-western Pacific in 2009 and 2014, to avoid antagonising China. The situation has changed now and India does not feel it necessary to take note of Chinese sensitiveness. Therefore, the Malabar war games have emerged as a significant programme to address the region's security needs. The Malabar exercise started in 1992 as a bilateral one between the Indian Navy and the US navy in the Indian Ocean. Japan became a permanent member of the Malabar exercise in 2015. The last Malabar joint exercise by the navies of the United States, India and Japan was held in September 2019 in Sasebo. IMAGE: Japanese Premier Abe hosted a private dinner for Prime Minister Modi at his personal villa near lake Kawaguchi in Yamanashi, October 28, 2018. Photograph: @MEAIndia/Twitter Alongside such exercises, the Quadrilateral Initiative or QUAD will acquire greater salience in the changed strategic environment in the region. The idea of QUAD was originally floated by Japanese Prime Minister Abe back in 2007, but it did not take off because of Australia's reluctance as it was perceived to be a forum to contain China. Even within India, opinions were divided. The situation now is dramatically different. There is talk of inviting other middle powers like Vietnam, South Korea and New Zealand to join QUAD. If these seven powers come together to a common platform with a common agenda and discuss issues impinging the region and the world, it will not only contribute to secure peace and security, but also economic prosperity in the region. The larger objective of checking the Chinese menace would also be met. Deepening cooperation with other like-minded partners could also be worth-considering. Besides the joint naval exercises, India and Japan have also bolstered their military ties by conducting an annual joint land military exercise -- 'Dharma Guardian' -- since 2018. Both countries elevated their relationship by holding their first 2+2 defence and foreign ministerial dialogue in November 2019 and are now finalising a reciprocal military logistics pact to further strengthen their strategic partnership. Such level of cooperation between the two countries is relevant in view of China's expanding maritime footprint in the Indian Ocean region where it sails its warships and submarines on a regular basis. Dr Rajaram Panda, former Senior Fellow at IDSA, was until recently ICCR India Chair at Reitaku University, Japan. He is currently Lok Sabha Research Fellow, Parliament of India, and Member of Governing Council, Indian Council of World Affairs, New Delhi. Feature Production: Aslam Hunani/Rediff.com July 04, 2020 16:45 IST 'Barriers have come across roads marking the end of Noida, the start of Gurgaon, the hard borders allowing no passage -- at least by day,' observes Kishore Singh. Illustration: Uttam Ghosh/Rediff.com Seventy-two days ago, at the end of an inconclusive meeting in New Delhi, I left for home -- a 20-minute ride across the Yamuna -- in Noida. There were no checks or barriers or visible boundaries to imply territorial exclusion. This was still days ahead of Modi's exploratory, one-day lockdown, though already a sense of uneasiness had set in. Offices were voluntarily shutting down; work from home still had a novel ring to it that no one took seriously. My daughter, who worked unenviably further in Gurgaon, had set up temporary office in our bar room a week earlier. Eighty days later, it seems more permanently an office than a bar, making the act of pouring oneself a drink in the evening delightfully subversive. One night, the children sneaked across the UP-Delhi border to meet with family and have dinner with them, and the following evening my wife and I managed ditto to celebrate Eid with friends in the capital. At night the borders are more porous, but in the day the constabulary of Uttar Pradesh and Haryana treat the residents of Delhi as criminals with but one intent -- to infect the good citizenry of their respective states. For the first time it was brought home to our family that though we think of ourselves as Dilliwallahs, the city to which we still pay our state taxes, has entirely disowned us. And the suburb in UP where we live thinks of us as bothersome migrants. As for the national capital region, its seamless expanse has been exposed as a chimera. Other than one shared meal in a friend's house across the border, I have not been to or seen Delhi in nearly three months. Barriers have come across roads marking the end of Noida, the start of Gurgaon, the hard borders allowing no passage -- at least by day. Fed up of staying home in Delhi for so long, our driver has taken to arriving for 'work' in Noida, passing by the authorities at the crack of dawn -- a pointless exercise because there is nowhere we can go. So he dusts and cleans and washes the car with unparalleled zeal, waits in the driver's seat for a while before calling it a day and returning home across the border once more. We are now aware of that border in more ways than one, using it as a meeting point for the exchange of essential goods. When we could not get the medicines for my mother in Noida, my brother in Delhi ferried them to the border, where they were collected by my son. Other things have followed -- coffee, because the stores in Noida ran out; books, some foodstuff and general non-essentials. Our fish supplier brought us a haul of surmai and rohu that we carted home under the nose of uniformed officials who have probably deemed such intra-border trade inoffensive, so, our old Delhi takeaway owner agreed to ply us with mutton at the barrier provided we would deliver his consignment of chicken from his wholesale supplier. The driver finally had a purpose, the exchange went off without a hitch, and we have the satisfaction of knowing that somewhere there will be people in Delhi enjoying their tikka, or biryani, thanks to a little sleight-of-hand by us Noidawallahs. Feature Production: Rajesh Alva/Rediff.com Johnson who suffered a bout with coronavirus himself, and has been criticized for lifting the lockdown to boost the economy said that scientific evidence shows people are appreciably less likely now to be in close proximity than they were early into the outbreak. July 04, 2020 13:20 IST 'But India needs to remember Dr Roy, the multifaceted genius who excelled as a physician and was most loved as a leader,' notes Dr Sudhir Bisht. IMAGE: Leaders pay tribute to Dr Bidhan Chandra Roy on the occasion of National Doctor's Day, July 1, in Kolkata. Photograph: Utpal Sarkar/ANI Photo Let us see how many can answer this right. He was a physician, a freedom fighter, an educationist and one of the greatest sons of India. Who was he? A BA (Hons) in mathematics from Patna and an MBBS from Calcutta, he went to England and became both a member of the Royal College of Physicians (MRCP) and a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons (FRCS), a rarest of rare feat. And he achieved it in under three years. Who was he? He was an unwilling politician, but was mayor of Calcutta and chief minister of Bengal from 1948 to 1962. Who was he? Prior to that, he was the governor of Uttar Pradesh for one year. Who was he? He was a physician who was trusted for his diagnosis by the rich and poor alike. The only physician who could force Bapu to take allopathic medicine. Who was he? The people of West Bengal idolised him and worshipped the ground he treaded. Patients would flock to him for treatment of their ailments even though he was the chief minister of one of the biggest states of India. And he never was found wanting in discharging his duties either as a doctor or as a chief minister. Who was he? He was a Congressman, again an unwilling Congressman to start with and soon became one of its tallest leaders, without forcing himself into any political games. He achieved greatness by his deeds and people were more than willing to thrust greatness upon him. Who was he? National Doctor's Day is celebrated on July 1 every year. That is his birthday as well as the day of his passing away. Who was he? The answer to all the above questions is Dr Bidhan Chandra Roy, the the man who helped set up the Medical Council of India and the Indian Medical Association. A year before he died, he was awarded the highest civilian award, the Bharat Ratna. So why does this generation know so little about him? Firstly, because he left no political successors behind in the form of children who could reap the benefits of his legacy. Dr Roy was a bachelor by choice. Secondly, Dr Roy was a Congressman and the undisputed top-notch servant-leader of Bengal. But the deification of leaders was a domain which was exclusively reserved for one family of the Indian National Congress. This peculiar syndrome took over the Congress party after the ascent to power of Indira Gandhi, though a great leader in her own right. Thirdly, from 1967 onwards, the surge in Communism began in Bengal and for the Communists, the only hero is their party's red flag and the hammer and the sickle. The Communists refused to lionise their own superstar, Jyoti Basu, who led them to successive election victories for quarter of a century. So Bengali rulers did nothing to put Dr Roy's name centrestage. I may add here that the prestigious Bidhan Chandra Roy Award was instituted by the Medical Council of India in 1962, the year Dr Roy passed away. It is a national award and Nehruji was behind it. It would be apt to mention here that Nehruji absolutely admired and respected Dr Roy. Fourthly, the reason why Dr Roy is a forgotten name today is that his karm-bhoomi was Bengal, a state that has fallen by the wayside today in terms of industrialisation or in respect of growth of services sector or even agriculture. Gone are the days when Bengalis occupied top positions in the fields of bureaucracy, judiciary, sports, cinema and politics. When a state gets marginalised in the power hierarchy, formal and informal, the portrait of its heroes of yesteryear also gather dust in the august hall of fame. But India needs to remember Dr B C Roy, the multifaceted genius who excelled as a physician and was most loved as a leader. Even while leaving, he donated his bungalow to set up a medical facility. Long live austerity! Long live the breed of Dr B C Roy! India needs hundreds of them. Dr Sudhir Bisht, author and columnist, is a frequent contributor to Rediff.com. You can e-mail him at sudhir_bisht@rediffmail.com July 04, 2020 11:54 IST 'This virus came in December 2019 and how this virus is going to behave in October and November, we don't know yet.' IMAGE: A medic collects a sample from a boy for COVID-19 in Sarojini Nagar, New Delhi. Photograph: Kamal Singh/PTI Photo In early June, the Delhi government issued a dire warning for its citizens: Coronavirus cases in the national capital would likely reach 550,000 by the end of July. On July 2, the nation's capital saw the total number of cases crossing 92,000 and the fatalities standing at 2,864. In the last few days, Delhi has stepped up with increased testing. Now, looking at the renewed efforts by the Arvind Kejriwal-led government, Professor Mahesh Verma, vice-chancellor, Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University Delhi, believes that the COVID-19 tally won't reach the estimated number of 5.5 lakh cases and that the Delhi government's efforts will soon see a positive result. Dr Verma is a part of a five-member committee that was constituted by the Delhi government last month for healthcare infrastructure augmentation and strengthening of overall preparedness of hospitals to battle COVID-19. Speaking to Syed Firdaus Ashraf/Rediff.com, Dr Verma says, "home care is the key. Only moderate and severe cases should go to hospitals. If we flood the hospitals with routine cases, then the entire health service system will go bust." The COVID-19 situation in Delhi is bad. But is it really as bad as is being portrayed in the media which says Delhi will reach 5 lakh cases by end of July? I totally disagree with that. The COVID-19 situation in Delhi is not bad and in fact it is quite okay. A couple of days (ago), the cases did rise for some days, but today the situation is in control. There is no hue and cry regarding beds today as there are ample beds made available by the government. They have also increased the number of beds in anticipation. I hope that doesn't happen. What is your own estimate of what the coronavirus tally will be at the end of the month? When the figure of 5 lakh patients was estimated for the end of July, the doubling rate was 12 to 13 days. Today, the doubling rate has gone up to 18 to 19 days. There is a decline seen in Delhi for the last few days and I hope the numbers will reduce even more. You seem to be very confident that the nation's capital can arrest the growth of the cases? Nobody can predict how COVID-19 will behave. We don't know this virus as there is no past history for us to predict how things will go in the future. It is wishful thinking. We have seen trends in other countries where it had its effects and we are learning from them. And as I said earlier, Delhi's doubling time was 13 days and now it has gone to 18 days and that is how decline happens. In these countries where a decline was seen, the doubling time went up to 35 days and that is how decline begins. With the monsoon setting in, do you feel that coronavirus crisis will worsen? As the disease is increasing, so is the immunity. It will be more like routing cough and cold when immunity increases. In rains we all run to get cover and gather under a bridge not to get wet. This leads to violation of social distancing. That is the worry, but with the immunity increasing I don't think the number of cases will increase. Moreover, there is no evidence that humidity or temperature affects this virus. We feel more and more people if they get asymptomatic and develop anti-bodies, then the growth of COVID-19 can be arrested. Let us not hope that the monsoon will affect the COVID-19 scenario. Do you feel Delhi should adopt a new strategy to contain coronavirus? There are two things that needs to be done. Home care and cluster containment. Suppose there is a case in a house, then the first floor and the second floor of the house should be contained so that others don't contract the virus. That is the only strategy. Most of the cases are very mild and they can be treated at home. I think home care is the key. Only moderate and severe cases should go to hospitals. If we flood the hospitals with routine cases, then the entire health service system will go bust. And if we keep a track on 'Testing, Tracing, Treatment, Team work and Tracking', we will solve the problem. 5Ts -- Testing, Tracing, Treatment, Team work and Tracking -- are the key to solving the COVID-19 problem and Delhi is doing that. Has community transmission taken place in Delhi? I am not an epidemiologist or virologist to tell you if this is community spread or not. We come across cases where people say they don't know where they got it from even though they did not step out of their home. So, we don't know at this moment. And the answer is very blurry on community spread. But these kinds of cases are not true to Delhi, but happening all over. This is a viral infection and droplet infection and there has to be a source for another person to infect you. So, whether it is in the community or not I don't know as I am not expert on this. Do you think unlock 1.0 was a bad strategy for Delhi? Lockdown was imposed for almost 75 days. Life is important, but means of livelihood is also very important. The first case in China was reported in December and we are now in the month of July. Therefore, we have to get back to life in a phased manner with all precautions. Night curfews are still on. Shopping malls are shut. And one has to understand people have to get out and buy food, so I will not say unlock 1.0 strategy was bad. Except in June for a few days when there were high cases, about 4,000, but today if you see the cases are around 2,300. We cannot keep everything shut for a long time. If the doubling rate is now 18 days, why is Delhi starting Unlock 2.0 now? It has been announced on July 1 and only two days have passed. The system has to run and even if you want arrangements for COVID-19 patients you need to get workers and staff to treat them. The government has emphasised on social distancing and other things that need to be followed with utmost precaution. There is a solution for everything. The objective is to find a solution and not remain stuck to the problem. The number of COVID-19 deaths in Delhi is 2,000 at the moment. What can be done to prevent more deaths? And in what way can citizens help in containment? Citizens have to follow the rules of COVID-19. Sometimes what happens is that after a certain time citizens become complacent and take things easy. They need to follow all the norms. When do you think the curve will flatten in India? What would be the early signs of it? That is a million dollar question. Nobody can answer when the curve will flatten. As far as I see in Delhi, there is a certain decline and I hope this decline continues. I think in coming weeks or months we will reach that place, whatever that place is. It is said that unless 25 per cent of our population gets infected herd immunity will not come. And in most of the cases if they are asymptomatic, then they develop bodily immunity. They do get infected and the impact of infection is not severe. When that happens, the flattening of the curve will happen. Hopefully in some weeks we will reach there. Has any country reached this state of herd immunity and flattening of the curve? Lot of countries have reached the flattening level, but then again experienced a second wave, like Singapore. Hong Kong is going through a third wave. Viruses are known to come back again. Just like a viral infection they decline and come back again, but they do not come back with virulence. This virus came in December 2019 and how this virus is going to behave in October and November, we don't know yet. Hopefully by then, the number of cases will fall. Do you think Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal failed to roll out a proper strategy to contain the pandemic, as many suggest? Not at all. He co-ordinated well with the central government and that is why you see so much of preparedness on the ground. There is pro-activeness of the Delhi government and there is total support from central government. This controversy between the Centre and state is being unnecessarily raked up. There is no fact in that. There is fantastic harmony between the Delhi state government and the central government. You must have seen central and state governments have held joint meetings to solve the problems. July 04, 2020 16:31 IST 'We must not compromise with the standard, the quality. We don't need to be the first to launch a drug but what we need is a Made in India vaccine that the entire world can rely on' Photograph: Courtesy www.bharatbiotech.com India's COVID-19 vaccine programme has gained sudden traction but it is imperative to strike a balance between giving it high priority and rushing into a process that takes months, even years, several scientists said on Saturday, a day after the Indian Council of Medical Research announced it envisaged a preventive by next month. There was hope but caution too as the Indian Council of Medical Research on Friday said it aims to launch the world's first COVID-19 vaccine by August 15. The same day, Ahmedabad-based Zydus Cadila announced it has got the Drugs Controller General of India's nod for human clinical trials for a potential vaccine. Fast tracking a vaccine trial in four weeks for safety, immunogenicity and efficacy is just not possible if things are to be done correctly, Shahid Jameel, virologist and CEO of the Wellcome Trust/DBT India Alliance, a public charity that invests in building biomedical sciences and health research framework, said. Immunogenicity is the ability of a foreign substance, such as an antigen, to provoke an immune response in the body of a human or other animal, he explained. Virologist Upasana Ray added that an accelerated launch or promise for launch of a vaccine against the novel coronavirus deserves applause but it is important to ask whether 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, the senior scientist at CSIR-IICB, Kolkata, said. India's premier medical body ICMR has said 12 clinical trial sites for the indigenous Covaxin, being developed in collaboration with the Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech and the National Institute of Virology, have been identified. It asked medical institutions and principal investigators to ensure that the subject enrolment is initiated no later than July 7. "It is envisaged to launch the vaccine for public health use latest by August 15 after completion of all clinical trials, ICMR Director General Balram Bhargava said in his letter to the principal investigators of the 12 sites. The tone of the letter and the haste it indicated had some scientists worried. They questioned the timeline of the announcement mentioned in the letter, and advised against subverting the due vaccine development process. The ICMR 'letter' is, to say the least, a deeply inappropriate letter, in tone and content, both in terms of the integrity of due processes of product development, and in terms of technically realistic estimates, immunologist Satyajit Rath said. Vaccine development is a multi-phase process. Phase 1 trials are small-scale, usually involving few participants, to assess whether the vaccine is safe for humans. Phase 2 trials often involve several hundred subjects, and mainly evaluate the efficacy. The final phase involves thousands of people to further assess the efficacy of the vaccine over a defined period of time, and can last several months. Ray added that a vaccine normally takes at least 12-18 months to pass all necessary clinical trial phases. From now till August 15, the company has just over a months' time to wrap up everything that normally a vaccine development process requires for releasing a vaccine for clinical use, she said. How can such a sharp timeline be even decided? Where does the evidence come from that by such a short time all the essential steps will be completed? What about the safety and efficacy, the fundamental steps of any drug development? Have even the pre-clinical studies been completed? Too much rush comes with possible risks, she said. Ray noted that there are some broad mandatory steps for developing a vaccine. Preclinical tests in small animals and mammals, she stressed, are essential to assess neutralising antibody titers and that itself can take at least a month or two. A titer is a laboratory test that measures the presence and amount of antibodies in blood. Next, we check for safety. Then is the human trial. Even if we are in a deep rush we have to wait for some time for immunised individuals to start generating antibodies. After that a population needs to be monitored over time to investigate if people are still being infected, she explained. Skipping steps could either be dangerous or lead to poor product, Ray said. We must not compromise with the standard, the quality. We don't need to be the first to launch a drug but what we need is a Made in India vaccine that the entire world can rely on, she added. The vaccine landscape in India has been also bolstered after the approval for Zydus Cadila's vaccine candidate. It was fast-tracked following a 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 were found to be successful," an official source said. Jameel, winner of the 2000 Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize for Science and Technology, one of the highest Indian science awards, noted that it is a vaccine funded by Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC) and the Department of Biotechnology. Congratulations to Cadilla, BIRAC and DBT. We would look forward to properly conducted trials and good news in due course, he said. I am glad that a locally made vaccine candidate is making the same progress that others elsewhere in the world are making, not just with SARS-CoV-2 vaccine candidates but with DNA-based SARS-CoV-2 vaccine candidates, and I will look forward to the results, added Rath from Delhi's National Institute of Immunology. Gautam I. Menon, professor from the Departments of Physics and Biology at Ashoka University, said Zydus Cadila's vaccine appears to have shown safety and efficacy in animal trials and so they have been allowed to go to the next step, to human trials. This is the standard procedure. It is the human trials that are time-consuming and it is important to get this right, Menon said. In another development, Serum Institute of India CEO Adar Poonawalla told The Tribune newspaper that the Covid-19 vaccine being developed at the University of Oxford will hit the market by the year-end. ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 is made from a virus, which is a weakened version of a common cold virus (adenovirus) that causes infections in chimpanzees, and has been genetically changed so that it is impossible for it to reproduce in humans. I think it is likely that the ChAdOx1-S vaccine candidate which has entered a phase 3 clinical trial in Brazil, will give at least somewhat promising results by late this calendar year, Rath said. Whether this will lead to the 'vaccine' becoming available in the market, and in the public health system, more importantly, by the end of this calendar year in India is much more uncertain, Mr Poonawala's welcome optimism notwithstanding, he added. Last updated on: July 04, 2020 22:03 IST The frontline fighter aircraft of the Indian Air Force are flying consistently in and out of the airbase near the border with China, including the Russian-origin mighty Su-30MKIs and the MiG-29s. When the ANI team visited the forward airbase, it could see transport aircraft including the American C-17 and the C-130J along with their Russian counterparts Ilyushin-76 and the Antonov-32. The transport planes are being used to ferry troops and equipment from far away locations to be deployed on the Line of Actual Control with China. Apaches are prominent as they carry out regular sorties with their only mandate of a combat role in the Eastern Ladakh sector. The American-origin attack chopper along with its heavy-lift counterpart Chinook have played an important role in the area after the Chinese Army started building up along the LAC in Eastern Ladakh in May this year. WATCH: IAF's Su-30MKI fighter flies near India China border The entire base is seeing a flurry of activity and is playing a crucial role in enhancing the combat preparedness of the country along the China border. "This base plays a very important role in undertaking operations in this area. It is cleared for all contingencies and all combat and support operations to be undertaken in this area," said a Flight Lieutenant when asked about the importance of the forward airfield. A Wing Commander, who is playing a crucial role in ensuring preparedness at the airbase, said, "The Indian Air Force is fully prepared for operations and is ready to meet all challenges. Air power is a very powerful aspect of war-fighting and more relevant today," he said. Asked how the air force was readying itself in view of tensions following Galwan Valley clash, he said, "Air Power will play an important role in this area in both combat and support roles. We have all the resources in terms of men and equipment to meet all the challenges." WATCH: IAF's Su-30MKI fighter flies near India China border "The Indian Air Force is ready in all aspects to undertake all operational tasks and providing the requisite support for all military operations," the Wing Commander added. The Chinook heavy-lift helicopters along with the Russian fleet of the Mi-17 V5 helicopters deployed at the base are carrying out regular sorties to take army and ITBP troops to forward locations. To prepare for a long haul, Chinook helicopters could be loaded with important equipment for being delivered to forward bases as China has also dug in heels all along the LAC in this area. The air activities in the Ladakh area and other places along the China border had gone up extensively soon after the Chinese started building up and went up further after the Galwan valley clash on June 15 in which 20 Indian Army personnel lost their lives. Source: Edited By: July 04, 2020 22:10 IST Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Saturday sent his swab sample for COVID-19 test after he shared the dais with Legislative Council Acting Chairman Awdesh Narayan Singh, who has been found infected with the contagious virus, at an official event, officials said. The sample has been sent to Indira Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences in Patna, they said. Besides the chief minister, samples of 15 staffers of the Chief Minister's Office have been collected for COVID-19 test, the sources said, adding results are expected Sunday. Kumar had shared the dais with the Council Acting Chairman during the oath ceremony of newly elected MLCs on July 1. Source: Edited By: Last updated on: July 04, 2020 11:23 IST With 22,771 people testing positive for coronavirus in a single day, the highest so far, India's COVID-19 tally climbed to 6,48,315 on Saturday, while the death toll rose to 18,655 with 442 new fatalities, according to the Union health ministry data. IMAGE: A health worker collects a swab sample of a woman for COVID-19 test via Rapid Antigen, at Sirhaul village in Gurugram. Photograph: PTI Photo With a steady rise, the number of recoveries stands at 3,94,226 and one patient has migrated. There are 2,35,433 active cases of coronavirus presently in the country, the updated data at 8 am showed. "Thus, around 60.80 per cent of patients have recovered so far," an official said. The total number of confirmed cases also include foreigners. According to Indian Council of Medical Research, a cumulative total of 95,40,132 samples have been tested up to July 3 with 2,42,383 samples being tested on Friday. This is the second consecutive day when coronavirus cases have increased by more than 20,000. There has been a surge of 4,57,780 COVID-19 cases from June 1 till date. IMAGE: A priest and a labourer wear personal protective equipment at a crematorium, amid the spread of the coronavirus disease, in New Delhi. Photograph: Anushree Fadnavis/Reuters Of the 442 deaths reported in the last 24 hours, 198 are from Maharashtra, 64 from Tamil Nadu, 59 from Delhi, 21 from Karnataka, 18 each from Gujarat and West Bengal, 14 from Uttar Pradesh, 10 from Rajasthan, eight each from Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, five from Punjab, four each from Haryana, Madhya Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir, three from Bihar, and two each from Assam and Odisha. Of the total 18,655 deaths reported so far, Maharashtra accounted for the highest 8,376 fatalities, followed by Delhi with 2,923 deaths, Gujarat with 1,904, Tamil Nadu with 1,385, Uttar Pradesh with 749, West Bengal with 717, Madhya Pradesh with 593, Rajasthan with 440 and Karnataka with 293. The COVID-19 death toll reached 283 in Telangana, 255 in Haryana, 206 in Andhra Pradesh, 157 in Punjab, 119 in Jammu and Kashmir, 80 in Bihar, 42 in Uttarakhand, 29 in Odisha and 25 in Kerala. Jharkhand has registered 15 deaths, Chhattisgarh and Assam 14 each, Puducherry 12, Himachal Pradesh 10, Chandigarh six, Goa four and Meghalaya, Tripura, Ladakh and Arunachal Pradesh have reported one fatality each, according to the Health Ministry. More than 70 per cent deaths took place due to co-morbidities, it said. IMAGE: A suspected COVID-19 patient arrives at the LNJP hospital , during the Unlock 2.0, in New Delhi. Photograph: Manvender Vashist/PTI Photo Maharashtra has reported the highest number of cases at 1,92,990 followed by Tamil Nadu at 1,02,721, Delhi at 94,695, Gujarat at 34,600, Uttar Pradesh at 25,797, West Bengal at 20,488 and Telangana at 20,462, according to the ministry data. The number of COVID-19 cases has gone up to 19,710 in Karnataka, 19,052 in Rajasthan, 16,934 in Andhra Pradesh, 16,003 in Haryana and 14,297 in Madhya Pradesh. It has risen to 10,954 in Bihar, 9,673 in Assam, 8,106 in Odisha and 8,019 in Jammu and Kashmir. Punjab has reported 5,937 novel coronavirus infections so far, while Kerala has 4,964 cases. A total of 3,065 people have been infected by the virus in Chhattisgarh, 3,048 in Uttarakhand, 2,695 in Jharkhand, 1,525 in Tripura, 1,482 in Goa, 1,316 in Manipur, 1,033 in Himachal Pradesh and 1,001 in Ladakh. IMAGE: Women health workers wearing PPE suits check the temperature of residents, during the house to house screening of people to detect the COVID-19 patients, in Mumbai. Photograph: ANI Photo Puducherry has recorded 802 COVID-19 cases, Nagaland 539, Chandigarh 457 and Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu together have reported 257 cases. Arunachal Pradesh 252, Mizoram has 162 cases, Andaman and Nicobar Islands has 116, Sikkim has registered 102 infections so far, while Meghalaya has recorded 62 cases. "Our figures are being reconciled with the ICMR," the ministry said, adding that 4,999 cases are being reassigned to states. State-wise distribution is subject to further verification and reconciliation, it added. Source: Edited By: July 04, 2020 19:47 IST A large police contingent kept a vigil as the house of gangster Vikas Dubey was being demolished on Saturday by the same earth mover which was "used" in the ambush by criminals just metres away to kill eight police personnel who had come to arrest him in Bikru Village. Most of the houses were locked and only a few anxious people were visible in the village, located almost 45 kilometres from the district headquarters of Kanpur and now scene of the deadly crime on Thursday night that has shaken Uttar Pradesh authorities. "It was a hub of crime," Inspector General of Police Kanpur Mohit Agarwal said when asked about the razing of the house. "Most of the villagers have said that he (Dubey) grabbed people's land using muscle power, and built his house. He used to extort money from people," he said. Police officials claimed that a large team had to be deployed as angry villagers could have attacked Dubey's family. "But the situation did not go out of control due to the police presence," the IG said. Soon after Senior Superintendent of Police Dinesh Prabhu reached the village, police officials hired a driver who was asked to demolish Dubey's mansion by using an earth mover. It was the same earth mover that the criminals had used to block the road and ambush the police team near the house, police officials said. Before the demolition, Dubey's father and a domestic help were evicted from the premises. "I have been ailing, so I don't know what has happened. I can't see or hear properly," he said to queries from reporters. Hundreds of policemen were present in and around Dubey's house and in Bikru village as the house spread on two bighas of land was torn down along with two luxury SUV vehicles and two tractors parked there. A 12-ft high boundary wall with barbed wires was also razed. According to the villagers, the new house was built about seven year ago and had CCTV cameras at various conspicuous places inside the premises as well as outside the four entry gates and one main gate. Around 80 metres from the main gate, there was a four-room luxurious accommodation where Vikas Dubey used to live. It too was demolished Local police said that Dubey, who had 60 cases against him, maintained a "private militia"' and recruited mostly local youths. He also provided them with weapons. The tension in the air was palpable in the almost deserted village and locked doors stared at visitors. A few villagers, when approached, were reluctant to speak. A young girl when asked why many houses in the villages were locked said that most of the people living in the vicinity of her house work in Kanpur, and come to the village on Sundays. Chaubeypur's station officer Vinay Tewari, whose role in the events that night has come under scanner, was suspended. "In view of the allegations levelled against SO, he has been suspended, and all the allegations are being thoroughly looked into. If his involvement or that of any other personnel of the police is found in this incident, then they will be sacked from the department, and also sent to jail," IG Mohit Agarwal told reporters. It is suspected that information on police movement was leaked to Dubey. Police sources said Tewari claimed that he had gone to Dubey's house "in a bid to persuade him to settle an issue" with Rahul Tiwari who had lodged an FIR against him just hours before. However, Dubey allegedly assaulted and threatened the SHO who informed circle officer (Bilhaur), Devendra Kumar Mishra. Mishra, accompanied by a police team from three police stations of Chaubepur, Shivarajpur and Bithoor, then carried out the operation to arrest Dubey. Deputy SP Devendra Mishra (54) was among those killed. "Police had not gone there (Dubey's house) anticipating that firing will take place. Police had gone only to arrest him. In sudden firing, a big loss of lives took place," Tiwari said. He denied any wrongdoing. "Some people are floating this theory only to benefit him (Dubey)," he said. An official said over three dozens people have been detained in the case for questioning. All the borders in Kanpur and Kanpur dehat and its neighbouring districts have been sealed. The other slain policemen were SHO Shivrajpur police station Mahesh Kumar Yadav (42), Sub-Inspector Anoop Kumar Singh (32), Sub-Inspector Nebu Lal (48), constables Jitendra Pal (26), Sultan Singh (34), Bablu Kumar (23) and Rahul Kumar (24). BJP MLA from Bilhaur(SC) Bhagwati Prasad Sagar said that the village has a mixed population. Sagar claimed that despite efforts made by Vikas Dubey during 2017 UP Assembly elections to defeat him, he emerged "victorious". Source: Edited By: Last updated on: July 04, 2020 19:38 IST Shoot him wherever he is," said the angry mother of history-sheeter Vikas Dubey, whose henchman killed eight policemen in an ambush when they came to arrest him from his hideout in a village near Kanpur. Uttar Pradesh Police has announced a Rs 50,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of Dubey, who has at least 60 cases against him including murder and attempt to murder. An official said there was a possibility that Dubey may have fled to Nepal or taken shelter in a neighbouring state. He was named an accused in the murder of Santosh Shukla, a minister of state-rank Bharatiya Janata Party leader, inside a police station in 2001 but was acquitted. His mother Sarla Dubey is angry over the brutal killing of the police personnel. She says no mercy should be shown to her son. "Maar dalo unko, jahaan rahe maar dalo (He should be gunned down, wherever he is found)," she told a news channel. "People came and told me about the incident. I also saw it on TV. One who has given so much pain to others must pay for his sin," she said. WATCH: 'One who has given so much pain to others must pay for his sin' Her husband left it to the government to take appropriate action against his son. "The government will act as per the norms, what can I do? The government will take steps, which it feels are appropriate," Ramkumar Dubey told reporters on Saturday. "I did not have any information about the incident. I had taken medicines and was lying in a semi-conscious state. When I cannot speak for myself, then how can I speak for others," he said. When asked whether he had asked his son to stop criminal activities, Ramkumar merely said, "He had left this place during his student days and had been living with my brother-in-law." Source: Edited By: July 04, 2020 18:57 IST A day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Leh and addressed frontline soldiers, the Congress on Saturday said the time has come for him to follow his "raj dharma" and tell the people of the country about the reality of Chinese "incursions". IMAGE: Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses the Indian troops, during his visit to Nimu in Ladakh. Photograph: Press Information Bureau Addressing a virtual press meet, Congress leader Kapil Sibal used satellite images of Ladakh's Pangong Tso from May and June to show Chinese structures in the area and asked the prime minister to at least speak the truth about it. He also asked Modi to stop doing the politics of "illusion and delusion" and showing "red eyes" to China, and protect Indian territory. "The times warrant India to look eye-to-eye at China and unequivocally tell them to retreat from their illegal and brazen occupation of Indian territory. Mr Prime Minister, this is the only 'raj dharma' that you must follow," Sibal said. Posing a set of five questions to the prime minister, he asked Modi to say whether the actual picture of "Chinese occupation of our territory" up to the "Finger 4 Ridge" in the Pangong Tso area depicts the truth on the ground. "They say 'pictures do not lie'. Will the prime minister now tell the nation -- is this Indian territory on which radars, helipad and other structures have been built by the Chinese in a brazen act of transgression? "Have the Chinese occupied our territory in Galwan Valley, including 'Patrol Point 14', where our 20 jawans of the 16 Bihar Regiment made the supreme sacrifice? Has China also occupied Indian territory in Hot Springs?" the Congress leader asked. "Has China occupied our territory up to 'Y-Junction' (18 kms inside the LAC) in the Depsang plains, threatening India's strategic DBO airstrip, which is the lifeline for our military supplies to the Siachen glacier and Karakoram pass?" he asked. On Modi saying this is not the India of 1962 and the era of expansionism is over, the former Union minister said Jawaharlal Nehru, the first prime minister of the country, had told China then that India will never accept the Chinese claim-line. According to Sibal, Nehru wrote to China, saying India will never submit to the demand for it to accept the Chinese 1959 line, whatever the consequences and however long and hard the struggle may be. The Congress leader said paradoxically, the Chinese 1959 line clearly depicted the entire Galwan Valley in India and it was only on June 16, 2020, a day after the fatal clashes, that China formally laid claim, for the first time ever, to the entire Galwan Valley. Sibal said former prime ministers Indira Gandhi and Lal Bahadur Shastri had visited forward locations to boost the morale of Indian soldiers and Nehru had also visited soldiers in the forward locations in NEFA in 1962 to boost their morale. "But it appears that our prime minister stayed 230 km away in Nimu, Leh," the he said, taking a swipe at Modi's visit. "Isn't it correct that the local councillors of Ladakh, including BJP councillors, submitted a memorandum to Prime Minister Modi in February about the capture of our land by China? What action did the prime minister take? Had he acted, wouldn't we have been able to pre-empt the brazen Chinese transgressions?" Sibal asked. In a clear 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, as he made an unannounced visit to Ladakh, signalling India's firmness in dealing with the border row with the neighbouring country. In an address to troops in Nimu, the prime minister paid glowing tributes to the 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. "Bharat Mata's enemies have seen your fire and fury," Modi said, in an apparent reference to the military clashes between the Indian and Chinese troops, and asserted that bravery is a prerequisite for peace and that the weak can never accomplish it. July 04, 2020 14:44 IST Amid global concerns that China delayed giving information regarding the novel coronavirus outbreak, a team of World Health Organisation will visit the country next week to investigate the origins of the virus and its spread to human beings. IMAGE: Employees in suits work at a factory in Beijing. Photograph: Reuters The visit will take place more than six months after the WHO's country office in China picked up a statement from the Wuhan Municipal Health Commission on cases of 'viral pneumonia'. WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus spoke in January about an agreement with China for sending a team of international experts "as soon as possible" to work on increasing the understanding of the outbreak. COVID-19 has killed over 500,000 people in the world and cases and deaths are increasing day by day. WHO's chief scientist Dr Soumya Swaminathan said that a "thorough investigation" needs to be done into the origins of the virus. She said that the WHO has been working with the Chinese government for the visit. "A team is going to China next week to investigate the origins of the virus," Swaminathan said. "What is needed now is a good investigation going back before December to find out where and how it jumped from animal to human. Was there any intermediate animal or not or it directly jumped from bat to humans which are also possible? Bats have been implicated in other viral diseases -- Nipah for example. It is possible it came directly. It is also possible that there was an intermediate animal-like in the case of SARS. That thorough investigation still needs to be done," she said. Dr Swaminathan said that the Chinese government had reported an outbreak of "typical pneumonia cases" from Wuhan on December 31. "Our WHO country office in China picked it up and on January 1, WHO activated its international mechanisms which we do as part of international health regulations whenever there's any new signal gets reported. It is conveyed to everyone so that the whole world knows about it," she said. Dr Swaminathan said that sequences show that the virus causing COVID-19 is very similar to bat viruses. "We do not know more than that in the sense where and how it originated. We know from the virus sequences that it is very similar to bat viruses. A lot of studies have been done in South-East Asia to show that bats have lots of coronaviruses. There are over 500 types of coronaviruses. There are also previous studies showing that populations living in southern China and even in other countries of South-East Asia have antibodies to coronaviruses," she said. The pandemic has grown to more than 10 million cases and has caused over 500,000 deaths across the world. The WHO Director-General had talked on January 29 of his agreement with Chinese President Xi Jinping that the organisation would lead a team of international experts to China "as soon as possible" to work with the government on increasing the understanding of the outbreak and to guide global response efforts. On December 31 last year, WHO's Country Office in China picked up a media statement by the Wuhan Municipal Health Commission from their website on cases of 'viral pneumonia' in Wuhan. The next day, WHO requested information on the reported cluster of atypical pneumonia cases in Wuhan from the Chinese authorities. The WHO reported on January 9 that Chinese authorities have determined that the outbreak is caused by a novel coronavirus. The organisation said on February 11 that the disease caused by the novel coronavirus would be named COVID-19. There have been reports of China delaying information and warning concerning the novel coronavirus which could have helped in containing its spread in the initial days. On social media, the health agency urged people to do their part to contain the spread. Help protect the most vulnerable this 4th by wearing a mask as well as avoiding crowds and crowded spaces, the Florida Department of Health tweeted. Source: Edited By: Last updated on: July 04, 2020 22:29 IST Maharashtra's coronavirus case count on Saturday rose to 2,00,064 with a record single-day spike in patients of 7,074. IMAGE: A healthcare worker collects a swab sample from a woman during a medical campaign for coronavirus in Mumbai. Photograph: Francis Mascarenhas/Reuters With 295 deaths, the death toll due to the pandemic in the state rose to 8,671, said the health department. 3,395 patients were discharged, taking the number of recovered patients to 1,08,082. There are 83,311 active cases in the state now while 10,80,975 people have been tested. On Friday, the state had reported 6,364 new patients, while on Thursday 6,330 new patients had come to light. Of 295 deaths, 124 occurredin the last 48 hours -- 68 of them in Mumbai. Of remaining deaths, 163 deaths in Thane district had taken place over the last three months but were recorded as COVID-19 fatalities only on Saturday. The recovery rate in the state is 54.02 percent while the case fatality rate is 4.33 percent. Currently, 5,96,038 people are in home quarantine and 41,566 in institutional quarantine. Of the new patients found on Saturday, Mumbai accounted for 1,163 , Pune city 1,120, Aurangabad city 147. The Mumbai Metropolitan Region including Mumbai city accounted for 4,045 new cases, taking the tally in the region to 1,41,828. The intensely ubranised MMR has also witnessed 6,312 coronavirus deaths so far. Mumbai has reported total of 83,237 cases and 4,830 deaths to date. Meanwhile, Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray told the officials in Mumbai that coordination was necessary to tackle the coronavirus pandemic as well as monsoon-related illnesses in the city. He held a review meeting with officials of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, an official release said. The need of the hour was to increase tracing and testing of suspected coronavirus patients, he said. Mortality rate of the pandemic in the city too should be reduced, the chief minister said. BMC officials were working hard to contain the pandemicand even the central team had praised their efforts, he noted. "The war is not over yet," he said. Elsewhere in the MMR, Thane city and Kalyan-Dombivali belt has reported 11,610 and 9,804 cases, respectively. Maharashtra's coronavirus figures are: Total cases 2,00,064, New cases 7,074, Total deaths 8,671, Recoveries 1,08,082, Active cases 83,311, People tested so far: 10,80,975. TORRINGTON Officials will hold a news conference on Tuesday to celebrate the launch of the Five Points Arts Center on the former UConn Torrington campus. The agreement for the city and Five Points Gallery to purchase the former college campus, which was closed in April 2016, as part of a public-private partnership was completed June 30, according to city officials. With the sale, the grand vision of creating a world class contemporary art center in the hills of Northwest Connecticut is officially underway, officials said in a release. City officials and gallery representatives will discuss their plans July 7 at 10:30 a.m., as a news conference is scheduled to be held on the campus at 855 University Drive. The UConn Board of Trustees previously voted in December 2018 to sell the property to Five Points, which planned to create a 220-seat auditorium, a cafe, artists residences and outdoor classrooms for children, with unincorporated land to go to the city in some fashion. UConn sued Attorney General William Tong to prompt a review of the legality of the sale in July 2019. The property was constrained by the wishes of former Torrington resident Julia Brooker Thompson, who donated $650,000 to the university in her will to create the campus. Brooker Thompson indicated that the funds be used for the purchase or construction of a building or buildings in Torrington or in the vicinity of Torrington for use by the Torrington Branch of the University of Connecticut, according to court records. The funds were ultimately used to construct a building containing classrooms on the campus, which opened to students in 1965 and operated for more than 50 years. Assistant Attorney General Ralph Urban, representing the university, argued the decision to close the campus meant that it was now impossible, impracticable or illegal to comply with Brooker Thompsons request. Under state law, a charitable donation shall forever remain to the uses and purposes to which (it) has been granted according to the the intent and meaning of the grantor and to no other use, unless it becomes impossible, impracticable or illegal to use it in the way the donor wished it to be. In those cases, Urban said the equitable doctrine of approximation (also known as cy-pres), which requires an alternate charitable use that as nearly as possible approximates the original intent, is applied. UConn planned to use the proceeds of the sale, expected at the time to bring in $375,000, to create a scholarship fund for Torrington students. It argued that this scholarship fund complies with the equitable doctrine of approximation, and thus state law. The case was completed in October 2019, according to state records. william.lambert@hearstmediact.com Amid the Vande Bharat mission that has aimed to repatriate Indian nationals living in foreign countries amid the Coronavirus pandemic, 14 Indian nationals who arrived at Jaipur International Airport from UAE & Saudi Arabia were found with nearly 32 kg of gold. The Indian nationals arrived by chartered flights were intercepted by the customs team at the airport. The gold found with them amounts to Rs 15.67 crore according to Commissioner of Customs, Jodhpur. READ | Centre Revises Home Isolation Rules, Include Asymptomatic Patients In List Of Mild Cases READ | HM Amit Shah Chairs High Level Meet To Review Flood Situation In Country Ahead Of Monsoon Vande Bharat Mission The Central governments biggest evacuation exercise Vande Bharat mission has so far evacuated over five lakh citizens from 137 countries and brought them back to the country. It was launched on May 7 to rescue Indian nationals from foreign lands in the wake COVID-19 pandemic. "The Vande Bharat Mission operations commenced on May 7, 2020, and in less than two months 5,03,990 stranded Indians from 137 countries, including from remote areas, have returned to their homes. Considering that the initial target to bring stranded Indians with compelling reasons was only 2 lakh, this is a significant achievement," MEA said in a release. The Vande Bharat mission undertook 860 Air India flights; 1,256 charter flights and eight naval ships. The number of stranded Indians returned by Air India were 1,64,121; the Indian Navy evacuated 3,987 in 8 ships from Maldives, Iran and Colombo. Chartered flights transported 2,30,832 passengers and foreign carriers evacuated 3,969, and about 60 air ambulances were operated under the mission. The largest number of stranded Indians who returned under Vande Bharat Mission is from UAE (57,305), followed by Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, Saudi Arabia and the USA while a total of 91,193 Indians returned from Nepal through land border check posts, according to Ministry of External Affairs. READ | DRDO To Name Wards Of New Sardar Patel COVID-19 Hospital After Galwan Martyrs READ | '60,000 Cr In PM Fund, 3,200 Cr Spent, Where Is The Rest?' Siddaramaiah Slams Karnataka CM A huge consignment of drugs, including brown sugar and yaba tablets, worth Rs 2 crore was seized in the India-Myanmar border town of Moreh in Manipur on Friday and one person was arrested in this connection, police said. Acting on a tip-off, police personnel intercepted a car and seized 75 packets of brown sugar weighing 958 gm and 5,000 yaba tablets from the vehicle in the Kondong Lairembi area in Moreh, Tengnoupal district Superintendent of Police T Vikramjit Singh said. Seeing the police personnel, the two occupants of the car tried to flee abandoning the vehicle. While one person was nabbed, the other managed to escape, he said. A manhunt has been launched to nab the other person and a case registered at the Moreh police station, the officer added. (image from PTI) Mirandas title character locks lips with two women during the show, and you dont want to be around Nadal in the room where it happens. Nearly 32 kg of gold worth over Rs 15 crore was seized from 14 passengers who arrived here in two chartered flights from the UAE and Saudi Arabia, officials said on Saturday. "The gold bars/bricks were concealed in baggage and were recovered by a customs department team at the Sanganer airport on Friday," a press release issued here said. Eleven passengers from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, were carrying gold bars weighing 22.65 kg, while three passengers from the UAE had 9.3 kg gold with them, it said. The total value of the gold is Rs 15.67 crore, the release said, adding the gold has been seized under the Customs Act and the passengers are being interrogated. Marking 200 days of the Amaravati protest, over 1 lakh Telugu NRIs from USA, UK, Ireland, France, Germany, Saudi Arabia, and other places held a virtual rally on Saturday, urging Andhra Pradesh CM Jagan Mohan Reddy to not go ahead with his 3-capital plan. Speaking on this occasion, former CM Chandrababu Naidu, urged Reddy to rethink his decision to move the capital from Amaravati. He pointed out that farmers under Amaravati Joint Action Committee (JAC) have been agitating against this move and 66 of them have lost their lives due to this protest. HISTORIC: Jagan govt approves Andhra's 3 capitals- Visakhapatnam, Kurnool & Amaravati Naidu: "Don kill, build Amaravati" "This is the 200th day for protecting Amaravati - the capital of Andhra Pradesh. Farmers under the Amaravati Joint Action Committee (JAC) have been agitating and have lost 66 lives, with the police and government behaving badly. People all over the world and in India are expressing their solidarity. The foundation stone was laid by PM Modi and was supported by all political parties, people of Andhra Pradesh. The present CM who was then in the Opposition had voted for Amaravati in the Assembly," he said via virtual conference. Amid farmers' protest in state, TDP's Naidu accuses Andhra govt of 'behaving very badly' Andhra Assembly reintroduces and passes 3-capital bill Failing to repeal the AP Capital Regional Development Authority (APCRDA) and decentralisation of administration at the State Legislative Council, the YSRCP government reintroduced and passed the bill in the state assembly via voice vote, with no Opposition members present on June 16. The two bills which had been passed by the Assembly in January, were referred to a select committee by the Legislative council where the TDP holds a majority. The bills propose the Secretariat to be situated in Visakhapatnam, High court in Kurnool and State Assembly at Amaravati - naming them the executive, judicial and legislative capital of the state. While the select committee was rejected by the legislature secretary, the government had concluded that both bills were rejected by the Council. With the passage of the bills by the Assembly again, the governor can directly sign his assent without the need of the Council to pass it. It will then only require the President's assent. Andhra: Social distancing goes for a toss as YSRCP leaders welcome new ambulances Amaravati farmers protest Farmers have been protesting for 200 days since Reddy's '3-capital' idea was announced, demanding the government to drop the move to shift the state capital from Amaravati. After coming to power, the Jagan Mohan Reddy government had scrapped the Start-Up Area Development Project in Amaravati which had been started by the previous TDP government. Reddy claimed the 3-capital idea will decentralise growth and shift economic development across the state. TDP's Naidu urges Andhra govt to announce Amaravati as sole capital for 'larger interests' The Amaravati Development Corporation which had allotted Rs. 2118 crores to develop infrastructure in the new capital has been stalled since World bank stopped its $300 million funding in developing the new capital. This was done after complaints were reportedly received from farmers and various organisations. In 2018, after the government's announcement, farmers who had voluntarily offered about 90% of the 38,581-acre land required for the new capital city in Amaravati, are now jolted by the stalling of development in Amaravati. Also known as Vyasa Purnima, Guru Purnima or Guru Poornima marks the birth anniversary of Ved Vyasa and is a special day dedicated to all the Gurus/teachers across the country. It is a spiritual tradition in the Hindu, Buddhist and Jain culture, observed for celebrating the spiritual and academic Gurus who share their wisdom with no or very little monetary expectations, based on the Karma Yoga. Guru Purnima is celebrated as a festival across India, Nepal and Bhutan and is observed on Purnima (full moon day) of Ashadha (June-July) as per the Hindu calendar of India. This year, Guru Purnima will be celebrated on July 5, 2020. Also Read | Doctor's Day Drawing To Send To One's Family Doctor On National Doctor's Day Significance of Guru Purnima The word 'Guru' is derived from two Sanskrit words, 'Gu' which means darkness or ignorance and 'Ru' which means the remover of darkness. Thus, a Guru is credited to remove the darkness of one's life by enlightening them with knowledge and wisdom. On this day, many offer pooja (worship) or pay respect to their Gurus (spiritual guide). In addition to having religious importance, Guru Purnima also has great prominence in Indian academics. Traditionally, this festival is celebrated by Buddhists across the world to honour Lord Buddha, who gave his first sermon on this day at Uttar Pradesh, India. In the yogic tradition, Guru Purnima is celebrated as the occasion when Lord Shiva became the first Guru and began the transmission of yoga to Saptarishis. Several Hindus celebrate this day in the honour of the legendary sage Vyasa, who is deemed as one of the greatest Gurus in ancient Hindu traditions. Also Read | World Milk Day Drawings To Share To Spread Awareness About The Day How to celebrate Guru Purnima? This year the festival will be celebrated on Sunday, July 5. Usually, the celebration of Guru Purnima witnesses a pooja in honour of one's gurus while a lot of people observe a fast on this day for the long lives of their gurus in order to continue getting guidance from them. The common tradition followed on this day by all the students is that they visit their teachers with flowers and garlands as a sense of gratitude. However, while visiting one's teacher, this year around, might not be a good idea due to the on-going pandemic. Thus here are some Guru Purnima drawings and drawing ideas which you can use and share with your teachers to wish them on this special occasion: (Image credit: Shutterstock) (Image credit: Shutterstock) (Image credit: Shutterstock) (Image credit: Shutterstock) (Image credit: Shutterstock) Also Read | Sonakshi Sinha Says She Likes Drawing Faces, Shares Video Of Drawing 'The Enlightened One' Also Read | These World No Tobacco Day Drawing Have A Deeper Meaning Attached To It That You Must Know Guru Purnima is also known as Vyasa Purnima and for Hindus, Jains and Buddhists, it is considered to be one of the most auspicious days. This day is celebrated by devotees with rituals, dedicated to the gurus (religious and secular) and devotees to thank them for enlightenment. This year, Guru Purnima will be celebrated on Sunday, July 5, 2020. This day is observed on Purnima, which is the day of the full moon in Asadha's Hindu month that falls between June and July. The day also bears witness to the first lunar cycle period after the solar cycle. On this auspicious day, many people send Guru Purnima wishes, messages and images to each other. Heres taking a look at Guru Purnima images that you can send to your loved ones. See below. Also read | Puri Servitors Undergo Corona Test Before Lord's Festivals Guru Purnima Wishes: Some people come to life and make you a better being, all these people are the Gurus who give you wings to fly. Happy Guru Purnima! There will be no darkness in my life when there will be a ray of light from your blessings and teachings. Happy Guru Purnima! As you walk with the Guru, you walk away from the darkness of ignorance in the light of existence. You leave behind all the problems of your life and move towards the height of life's experiences. The whole work of the Guru is to bring back the flow of life so that you can begin to be joyful and completely happy and blissful for no reason at all. Guru is an aspiration, Guru is an inspiration, Guru is all. May the blessings of Guru always shower on you. Happy Guru Purnima! Also read | Lockdown: Lord Jagannath's Chandan Jatra, Akshaya Tritiya Festivals To Be Held On Puri Temple Premises About this day The word, 'guru' has a profound meaning behind it. 'Gu' stands for darkness, and 'Ru' means to eliminate darkness. This is why a guru 's role has a lot of significance in somebody's life. Gurus are known as someone who takes away all the negativity and darkness from one's life. The day also has a historic significance and is known for the day that Lord Shiva became the first guru. This day is significant for Buddhists as Lord Buddha delivered his first sermon to the seven sages. This day is also known in Nepal as the day of teachers, where devotees honour their gurus. Also read | Prez Greets People On Harvest Festivals, Lauds Contribution Of Farmers Also read | PM Modi Greets People On Various Festivals (Images courtesy: Shutterstock) July 5 is marked as Guru Purnima in the Hindu calendar. The auspicious day is also known as Vyasa Purnima. It is a spiritual day dedicated to honour our Gurus and teachers, someone who shares their knowledge with no expectation in return. Guru Purnima is observed in India, Nepal and Bhutan by the Hindus, Jains and Buddhists. The day is celebrated on the full moon day, Purnima, in the Hindu calendar month Ashadha (JuneJuly). Guru Purnima was also restored by Mahatma Gandhi to pay tribute to his spiritual guru Shrimad Rajchandra. Check out Guru Purnima sketch images and art pieces to share with your teachers and spiritual gurus on this propitious day. Also Read | Canada Day fireworks 2020 Toronto: A look at the celebrations this year Happy Guru Purnima 2020 Also Read | What is National Fried Clam Day in USA? History, Significance and Celebration of this day Image Credits - D Design Facebook Also Read | What is International Plastic Free Day? Read meaning and significance Guru Purnima timings Purnima Tithi starts at 11:33 am July 4 Purnima Tithi end at 10:13 am on Jul 5 Significance of Guru Purnima Guru Purnima is a holy day where people honour and thank their Guru and teachers. On this day, people perform religious activities and may include ceremonial events to praise the Gurus, which is called Guru Pooja. The word "Guru" is formed from two Sanskrit words "Gu" and "Ru". Gu means darkness or ignorance, and Ru denotes the remover of that darkness. According to the Hindu writings, a person who cleans the darkness in your life is known as a Guru. This day does not only have religious importance, but Guru Purnima also has great significance for Indian academics and scholars. Indian academics celebrate this day by thanking their teachers as well as remembering past teachers and scholars. Guru Purnima is celebrated in Buddhism to honour of Lord Buddha. On this day, he gave his first lecture at Sarnath in Uttar Pradesh. According to Hindu mythology, on Guru Purnima, Lord Shiva, the Agi Guru or the original teacher, started the transmission of yoga to the Saptarishis. Guru Purnima also marks the birthday of Ved Vyasa, known to be one of the greatest gurus of India and the author of Mahabharata. Other than India, Guru Purnima is also celebrated in Nepal as Teachers Day, which in India is marked on September 5. Also Read | Jayaparvati Vrat meaning, history, significance & celebration; all you need to know For a long time, it has been considered that Moon was formed as a result of a collision between a Mars-sized protoplanet and young Earth, leading to a chemical composition that closely resembles Earth. However, new findings from Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, NASAs robotic spacecraft, have evidence of a higher amount of metal than earlier thought. The rocks from the bright plains of the Moons surface contain a smaller amount of metal-bearing minerals compared to Earth which indicates the impact with the protoplanet occurred after Earth had fully differentiated into a core, mantle, and crust. But the large, darker plains of Moon, called maria, have richer metal-bearing minerals than many rocks on Earth. The discrepancy in the metal amount has led to numerous questions and hypotheses and left scientists wondering how much the protoplanet may have contributed to it. According to NASA, the Mini-RF team, which maps the lunar poles and searches for water ice, found a curious pattern that could lead to an answer. Read: NASA Astronaut Shares Earth's Day And Night Boundary From International Space Station The researchers sought to measure dielectric constant, a number that compares the relative abilities of material and the vacuum of space to transmit the electric field, within lunar soil piled on crater floors in the Moons northern hemisphere. The team observed that the dielectric constant increased with the size of the crater. NASA said that for craters approximately 2 to 5 kilometres wide, the dielectric constant of the material steadily increased as the craters grew larger. On the other hand, the property remained constant for craters 5 to 20 kilometres wide. 'Exciting result' Since dielectric properties are directly linked to the concentration of these metal minerals, researchers argued 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. If the hypothesis is to be believed, only the first few hundred meters of the Moons surface is scant in iron and titanium oxides and theres a steady increase in the metal amount below the surface. 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, Noah Petro, the LRO project scientist at NASAs Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, said in a statement. Read: NASA-designed Outer Space Perfume May Soon Be Available For General Public 2020 has truly been a year of eclipses. As per reports, another eclipse is set to take place on July 5. This eclipse will be a penumbral lunar eclipse. All the lunar eclipses that have taken place this year were penumbral lunar eclipses. Further, the full buck moon will rise on the 4th of July. Coincidentally, the United States of America is also celebrating its Independence Day today. ALSO READ: Lunar Eclipse Time In Germany To Experience The Celestial Phenomenon What is a full buck moon? The full moon phenomenon that is taking place in the month of July is known as Full Buck moon. Here, a reference has been made to the animal. As per studies, a bucks antlers are in full growth mode at this time of the year. Hence the full moon in July is referred to as the Full Buck Moon. The Full Buck Moon is also known as Thunder Moon because thunderstorms take place quite frequently during this period of time. ALSO READ: Full Moon Eclipse: What Time Will The Lunar Eclipse Occur & Which Planets Will Be Visible? What is a penumbral lunar eclipse? A penumbral lunar eclipse is a phenomenon that occurs when the Sun, the Earth and the Moon form an imperfect alignment in the astral sky. This phenomenon causes the Earth to partially block the rays of the sun. Since the suns rays are unable to reach the moon, a shadow is cast that causes subtle dimming of the lunar surface. When the moon moves through the faint shadow of the Earth, it leads to the occurrence of a penumbral lunar eclipse. ALSO READ: Lunar Eclipse Time In UK 2020: Here Are The July Lunar Eclipse Timings In The Country Buck Moon timings: As per reports, the phenomenon will take place at 11:04 P.M as per the Eastern Daylight Time Zone and (8:04 P.M. as per the Pacific Daylight Time Zone). The full moon July 2020 will come to an end on the 5th of July, Sunday at 1:56 A.M. as per the Eastern Daylight Time Zone and 10:56 P.M on July 4 in the Pacific Daylight Time Zone. Countries that will be able to witness the penumbral lunar eclipse: Unfortunately, the July 5, 2020, penumbral lunar eclipse will not be visible in India. This is because the moon is below the horizon. According to the Indian Standard Time, the eclipse will start at 08:37:23 pm and end at 11:22:21 pm. Some of the places that will be able to witness this phenomenon are North America, except in the northernmost regions of Canada and Alaska, Southern and Western Europe, western parts of Africa, Pacific, Atlantic, Indian Ocean, and Antarctica. ALSO READ: Lunar Eclipse Time In Spain: When Will It Be Visible In Different Cities Of The Country All Image Source: Shutterstock A Nigerian national appeared in federal court in Chicago Friday accused of orchestrating an international cyber fraud scheme that federal prosecutors say defrauded U.S. businesses in six states out of tens of millions of dollars. Olalekan Jacob Ponle, 29, originally of Lagos, Nigeria, was arrested last month in the United Arab Emirates, where he was living, according to a statement from the U.S. Attorney's Office in Chicago. He was expelled from the country and into FBI custody, and arrived in Chicago Thursday night. He appeared in court Friday morning to face a charge of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. It was unclear whether Ponle, who prosecutors say was also known as Mr. Woodbery and Mark Kain, has an attorney to comment on his behalf. He is scheduled to appear in court July 9 for a detention hearing. Prosecutors say the scheme spanned at least the first nine months of 2019 and involved multiple unknown subjects who gained unauthorized access to U.S.-based companies' email accounts. They sent email messages to employees that were nearly identical to prior legitimate emails sent over the company's accounts, according to a criminal complaint. The fraudulent emails instructed people to wire funds to a bank account set up by money mules at Ponle's direction, prosecutors say. The complaint alleges Ponle directed the mules to to convent the proceeds of the fraud into Bitcoin and send them to a virtual wallet that Ponle owned and operated. According to the complaint, an unnamed Chicago company was defrauded into sending wire transfers totaling $15.2 million. Companies based in Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, New York and California also were victims of the fraud, prosecutors say. Conspiracy to commit wire fraud is punishable by up to 20 years in federal prison. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Friday, without naming the country, warned China from Nimu in Ladakh during his address to Indian Army personnel. He declared that "the era of expansionism is over, this is the era of development. This statement is significant considering it comes at a time when there is growing anger against the Chinese modus operandi of creeping land acquisitions. As global backlash builds against China, here are the 10 battles the country is embroiled in: In trouble with India over aggression in Ladakh The Chinese attempts to change the status quo at the Line of Actual Control (LAC) have caused tensions with India. On 15 June, this resulted in the horrific Galwan clashes that resulted in the deaths of 20 Indian jawans while leaving dozens of others injured. Now, India is pushing China to a corner. While PM Modi is calling out Chinas expansionist policies and boosting military morale, China is being taught a lesson economically as well. #WATCH "From Leh, Ladakh to Siachen and Kargil...and Galwan's icy waters...every mountain, every peak is witness to the valour of Indian soldiers," PM Modi to soldiers in Ladakh pic.twitter.com/JTcHM4cSSV ANI (@ANI) July 3, 2020 Currently, 59 Chinese apps have been banned by the Ministry of Electronics and IT (MeitY), a decision not to import power equipment from China has been made by Union Minister RK Singh, and restrictions on FDI from China have been put in place. In trouble over military drills in the South China Sea Chinas expansionist agenda in the South China Sea has been spewing trouble for the nation. The Chinese military exercises in the highly contentious Paracel Islands from 1 to 5 July have irked numerous nations in the region. Vietnam has lodged a formal diplomatic note of protest over the Chinese military drills in the resource-rich sea from where one-third of the world's shipping passes and is an important artery of global trade. #SouthChinaSea#MoFASpoz on a report that #China has performed a drill around the Paracel Islands of #VietNam: "Viet Nam made a presentation to and lodged a diplomatic note of protest and demanded the Chinese side not to repeat similar violations in the future." pic.twitter.com/IwvFirU1Bv MoFAVietNam Spokesperson (@PressDept_MoFA) July 3, 2020 The Philippines has warned China. Its Secretary of Foreign Affairs Teodoro L. Locsin Jr. in a video message unflinchingly declared, 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. Secretary @teddyboylocsin Statement on Chinese Military Exercises in Paracel Islands, 01-05 July 2020: https://t.co/AW7U9IyNOz DFA Philippines (@DFAPHL) July 3, 2020 The US has also put its weight behind the growing protests against Chinas actions in the South China Sea region. America agrees with our Southeast Asian friends: The PRCs military exercise in disputed waters of the South China Sea is highly provocative. We oppose Beijings unlawful claims. Period. https://t.co/i6TRac2WuJ Secretary Pompeo (@SecPompeo) July 3, 2020 READ | China Vows To Shield Chinese Firms From US Sanctions Over Xinjiang In trouble over its Xinjiang policy The growing outrage over Uyghurs being placed in internment camps has put China in a spot. Most recently, it has been called out by the U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo over it's Xinjiang policy. Since 2017, the Chinese Communist Party has detained more than one million Uyghurs and members of other Muslim minorities in internment camps across the Xinjiang region. This is a brutal, systematic effort erase ethnic, cultural, and religious identity in China. pic.twitter.com/WHK5VUDTjP Department of State (@StateDept) July 1, 2020 After this, Chinas foreign ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian was left worriedly saying stop using Xinjiang as a pretext to disrupt normal cooperation between Chinese and American companies. Pompeo has been spreading many lies on Xinjiang. The so-called issue of "forced labor" is pure fabrication. pic.twitter.com/j5yf4djtQV Lijian Zhao (@zlj517) July 3, 2020 In trouble over crackdown in Hong Kong China has spread itself thin, with Britain taking on its brutal Hong Kong policy and offering citizenship to Hong Kong residents, and the US Congress approving a bill to impose sanctions on Chinese officials threatening Hong Kongs limited autonomy. China, Your human rights abuses will not be tolerated. Signed, United States Congress#FreeHongKonghttps://t.co/g5arG8rBZR Rep. Mark Walker (@RepMarkWalker) July 2, 2020 In trouble with defence intelligence sharing against China The trouble for Beijing is mounting as a result of it's brazen insult to international comity. Now, Japan is reaching out to expand cooperation in sharing defense intelligence with India, Australia and the U.K., potentially putting Chinese troop movements under the microscope. In trouble with Russia over Vladivostok claims China has been put in a tough spot even with countries like Russia. In what could be seen as global signalling, the Russian Embassy in India tweeted a video celebrating the 160th anniversary of the founding of Vladivostok. Good morning, #India! #OTD, 160 years ago, the Russian military post named #Vladivostok was set up in the Golden Horn Bay of the Sea of Japan. In May 1880, Vladivostok received the status of a city. Full video https://t.co/QM7cYyscCO pic.twitter.com/6yD4NJVFds Russia in India (@RusEmbIndia) July 2, 2020 Significantly, Vladivostok was a piece of land once under Chinese control. It was founded following the humiliating defeat of imperial China in the second opium war of the 1860s. The tweet caused an uproar amongst the Chinese who tried to claim it was Chinese territory in the 19th century. This tweet of #Russian embassy to #China isnt so welcome on Weibo The history of Vladivostok (literally 'Ruler of the East') is from 1860 when Russia built a military harbor. But the city was Haishenwai as Chinese land, before Russia annexed it via unequal Treaty of Beijing. pic.twitter.com/ZmEWwOoDaA Shen Shiwei (@shen_shiwei) July 2, 2020 READ | China's Patrol Ships Enter Japanese Territory After Japan Backs India On LAC Issue In trouble with Bhutan over territorial overreach Seems like everyone is ready to stare China down, with Bhutan joining the list of countries miffed with China. This time China attempted to block funding to Bhutans project in the Sakteng Wildlife Sanctuary by claiming it as its own territory at the 58th meeting of the Global Environment Facility (GEF) Council. This has triggered the Bhutanese government to issue a formal letter to the GEF Council strongly opposing China for questioning its sovereignty. In trouble with the Japanese demanding Xi's visit be cancelled Meanwhile, Chinese President Xi Jinping may be left in an embarrassing position with lawmakers of Japans ruling party Liberal Democratic Party drafting a resolution calling for the cancellation of a state visit by him. The anger seems to be palpable even amongst the ordinary public of Japan. Late last month, human rights activists were protesting against China at the Hachiko statue near Shibuya station in Tokyo. Japan: Several human rights activists of various nationalities staged a demonstration against China at Hachiko statue near Shibuya station in Tokyo. pic.twitter.com/zM0oz04379 ANI (@ANI) June 28, 2020 In trouble as the potential emanator of COVID-19 With resolutions being passed at WHO meetings, and the US President Trump calling coronavirus, a plague from China, China appears to be on the backfoot. It seems to have gained the tag, world over, as the country responsible for a pandemic. READ | Trump Calls COVID 'plague From China', Laments It Entered US Just After 'new Trade Deal' In trouble at the UNGA In fact, the Chinese were left in an awkward spot even at the UN General Assembly. The UNGA President Tijjani Muhammad-Bande changed a key line on a resolution China tabled for the 75th anniversary of the international organisation. The action came after 6 countries India, US, UK, Australia, Canada and New Zealand opposed the attempt to inject Xi Jinping's much-publicised vision into the resolution. China had included the phrase "community with a shared future for mankind which is known to be used by the Chinese President on multiple occasions while laying out his global vision. All in all, the writing on the wall for China seems to be clear. It needs to halt its aggressive tactics and reign in its expansionist actions. The global enchantment with China is wearing-off, both economically and militarily. Wolf-warrior diplomacy at the cost of international comity will do the country no favours. READ | Indian, Tibetian & Taiwanese communities protest against China in NY's Times Square A French court has now launched an inquiry into the governments handling of coronavirus response which will probe the role of senior figures including former Prime Minister Edouard Philippe. The 49-year-old leader resigned from the post on July 3, paving the way for lesser-known civil servant Jean Castex. As many as 90 complaints were filed against top government officials but the Court of Justice of the Republic, which only deals with ministerial misconduct, threw out 44 complaints. The court retained the accusation of failing to fight a disaster and disposed of other allegations including manslaughter and endangering lives. If the top officials are tried and convicted on the charges, they could face up to two years in jail and fine. The other government officials who face the inquiry include Health Minister Olivier Veran and the former health minister, Agnes Buzy. France has reported over 166,000 confirmed cases of coronavirus and nearly 30,000 deaths related to it so far but has managed to flatten the infection curve. Read: French Court Holds State Responsible For Epilepsy Drug Linked To Birth Defect Rising popularity of Philippe On July 3, French President Emmanuel Macron appointed Jean Castex as new Prime Minister after Philippe handed over his resignation. The Elysee Palace announced that Castex has been given the charge to form the new government after the acceptance of Philippes resignation. Edouard Philippe will remain, with other members of the government, to deal with current matters until the nomination of a new government, the Elysee said in a statement. Philippe was at the forefront of coronavirus crisis and became popular for his detailed briefings on measures implemented by the government. He was known for keeping a calm and reassuring outlook while announcing lockdown rules and other unpopular regulations that were necessary for containing the virus. Philippe was recently re-elected as mayor of Le Havre with a large majority and the local election results for Macrons party didnt augur well with Phillipes rising popularity. According to media reports, Philippe had started to outshine Macron with his handling of the health crisis, enough for the French President to announce radical changes in the government. Read: French Open To Allow 60% Of Stands To Be Filled With Crowd, Sanitizers To Be Provided (Image: AP) He was really nice, said one neighbor, who only wanted to be identified as Alyssa. He was always outside with his friends, he would play with the kids in the neighborhood ... when you see him hed always say Hey. Over 52 soldiers of the Pakistan army deployed in the Pakistan occupied Kashmir and Gilgit Baltistan area have so far died because of Covid-19 and more than 800 continue to be under treatment. As per the information available, Pakistan army deployed in Pakistan occupied Kashmir and Gilgit Baltistan area has reported a total of 2535 positive cases whereas 827 are still active. "Pakistan army men deployed in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir and Gilgit Baltistan area has been battling with the pandemic as so far they have reported 2535 positive cases, 52 soldiers including officers have lost their lives due to Covid-19 whereas 827 continue to be active cases", a source said. READ | Pakistan Reports 3,387 New COVID-19 Cases Reports suggest that there have been protests within the Pakistan army as the soldiers are complaining of inadequate medical facilities within the units to contain the spread of the disease. The soldiers say that while the officers are given best available facilities the soldiers tested positive are left at the mercy of God. "Recently some soldiers dared to protest in one of the Pakistan army units in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir as the complained of inadequate facilities and also alleged that while the officers were treated well, the soldiers were left to fend for themselves", a source said. The Pakistan army has been hiding the data of the number of Covid-19 positive cases in the army, but with every passing day the number has been increasing drastically. READ | Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi Tests COVID Positive, Quarantined At Home Residents join protests The residents of Pakistan occupied Kashmir have also been protesting against the Pakistan army as they allege that Pakistan army was shifting all the Covid-19 positive cases to the Pakistan occupied Kashmir. "Pakistan army has opened a few quarantine centres in Pakistan occupied Kashmir, that too in thickly populated areas risking the health and lives of the common people there, hence there are reports of daily protests in that area", a source said. READ | India Conveys Protest To Pak Over Unprovoked Ceasefire Violations Along LoC, IB Recently the Director General of Jammu and Kashmir police Dilbag Singh had said that Pakistan was attempting to send across the terrorists who were infected with the corona virus. "Whenever an encounter takes place, we ensure that all precautions is taken as the killed terrorists could have been a carrier of the disease, these terrorists are also responsible for spread of the disease in the Pakistan army", the source said. READ | PM Modi Condoles Loss Of Sikh Pilgrims In Pakistan, Prays For Recovery Of Injured (Image credits: PTI) Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi was shifted to a military hospital in Rawalpindi on Saturday, a day after he tested positive for the coronavirus and went into self-isolation. Qureshi on Friday announced that he had tested positive for the coronavirus, joining a long list of Pakistani lawmakers who have contracted the deadly virus. "I have now tested positive for Covid-19. By the grace of Allah, I feel strong and energetic. I will continue to carry on my duties from home. Please keep me in your prayers, he said in a tweet. Qureshi has been moved to Combined Military Hospital in Rawalpindi, the Geo News reported on Saturday, citing sources. Two weeks ago, Muttahida Qaumi Movement Pakistan (MQM-P) leader and Federal Minister for Information Technology and Telecommunications Syed Aminul Haq had tested positive for the coronavirus, while a week earlier than that PML-N spokesperson Marriyum Aurangzeb said she had tested positive. Railways Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) MNA Jai Prakash, former prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, Minister of State for Narcotics Shehryar Afridi and PTI's chief whip in the National Assembly Aamir Dogar have also been diagnosed with COVID-19. In June, Member of the National Assembly (MNA) Munir Khan Orakzai died, days after recovering from the coronavirus. Eight members of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly have been infected with the coronavirus. National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser was also infected but recovered. Pakistan reported 3,387 new coronavirus infections and 68 deaths on Saturday, taking the total number of cases in the country to 225,283. The death toll stands at 4,619, according to official figures on Saturday. Amid growing border tension between India and China, Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi held a telephonic conversation with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi. As per reports, both the leaders raked up the Kashmir issue and the situation in Afghanistan. Alleging that India is imperiling peace in the region, Qureshi, during his telephonic conversation with Wang, underscored that the regional security situation was deteriorating. 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). Moreover, blatantly interfering into india's internal matter, Quereshi also raised J&K's new domicile laws in his discussion with Wang Yi. READ | Coronavirus Live Updates 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." Even as China faces world criticism, Qureshi underlined that Pakistan is committed to the One-China policy and firmly supports China on its core interests including Hong Kong, Taiwan, Tibet and Xinjiang. He also reiterated his country's support to the Belt and Road Initiative and China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). READ | China fumes at PM Modi's 'expansionism' jibe, claims India 'fabricating' border disputes According to Indias 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. Since 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, Pakistan has been raising the issue at various platforms despite India's clear stance that the abrogation of Article 370 is its "internal matter". READ | PM Modi's FULL Ladakh Speech: 'The world has united against expansionists,' China warned PM visits Leh The talk comes at the backdrop of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's surprise visit to the Indian Army's Nimu base in Ladakh.Prime Minister Modi addressed the soldiers and reviewed the situation along the border. The Prime Minister was accompanied by Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Bipin Rawat and Army Chief General Manoj Mukund Naravane. His visit comes as a major move amid growing border tensions with China. Moreover, in a veiled dig at China, PM Modi stated that the era of expansionism is over as he addressed the personnel of the Army, Air Force and ITBP at one of the forward locations in Nimu - located at 11,000 feet, surrounded by the Zanskar range in Leh. Even as the Prime Minister did not name China, Beijing reacted and rejected the statement, adding that it has 'through peaceful negotiations' resolved boundary disputes with 12 of its 14 neighbouring countries. READ | Sambit Patra lashes out at Chidambaram for asking 'why PM Modi didn't name China' (with PTI inputs) As Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Leh and took a dig at China's expansionist ways, Pakistan PM Imran Khan called for an emergency meeting of top security personnel. The meeting reviewed "internal and external security situation & expressed the resolve that sovereignty of the country would be protected at all costs." The meeting was attended by Minister for Defence Parvez Khattak, Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee Gen Nadeem Raza, Army Chief Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa, Navy Chief Admiral Zafar Mahmood Abbasi, Air Force Chief Air Chief Marshal Mujahid Anwar Khan and DG ISI Lt Gen Faiz Hamid. Pak FM dials Chinese counterpart Moreover, amid growing border tension between India and China, Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi held a telephonic conversation with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi. As per reports, both the leaders raked up the Kashmir issue and the situation in Afghanistan. Alleging that India is imperiling peace in the region, Qureshi, during his telephonic conversation with Wang, underscored that the regional security situation was deteriorating. 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). Moreover, blatantly interfering into india's internal matter, Quereshi also raised J&K's new domicile laws in his discussion with Wang Yi. READ | Coronavirus Live Updates 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." Even as China faces world criticism, Qureshi underlined that Pakistan is committed to the One-China policy and firmly supports China on its core interests including Hong Kong, Taiwan, Tibet and Xinjiang. He also reiterated his country's support to the Belt and Road Initiative and China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). READ | China fumes at PM Modi's 'expansionism' jibe, claims India 'fabricating' border disputes READ | PM Modi's FULL Ladakh Speech: 'The world has united against expansionists,' China warned PM visits Leh The developments in Pakistan comes at the backdrop of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's surprise visit to the Indian Army's Nimu base in Ladakh.Prime Minister Modi addressed the soldiers and reviewed the situation along the border. The Prime Minister was accompanied by Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Bipin Rawat and Army Chief General Manoj Mukund Naravane. His visit comes as a major move amid growing border tensions with China. Moreover, in a veiled dig at China, PM Modi stated that the era of expansionism is over as he addressed the personnel of the Army, Air Force and ITBP at one of the forward locations in Nimu - located at 11,000 feet, surrounded by the Zanskar range in Leh. Even as the Prime Minister did not name China, Beijing reacted and rejected the statement, adding that it has 'through peaceful negotiations' resolved boundary disputes with 12 of its 14 neighbouring countries. Japan seeks to share defence intelligence with India, UK, Australia amid tiff with China Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan expressed grief after as many as 19 Pakistani Sikh pilgrims were killed when a mini-bus carrying them rammed into a passenger train at a railway crossing in Pakistan's Punjab province on Friday. Chouhan hoped for peace for those who passed away in the accident. READ: 19 Sikh Pilgrims Feared Dead In Collision In Pakistan; Akali Dal Demands Probe Leaders pay tributes West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee also paid tributes to those who died in the accident and paid for the quick recovery of those who passed away in the incident. A bus carrying Sikh pilgrims, who were returning from Nankana Sahib in Punjab, hit the Shah Hussain Express, which was going from Karachi to Lahore at a crossing near Sheikhupura district at around 1.30 pm. "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," ETPB spokesperson Amir Hashmi told PTI. READ: PM Modi Condoles Loss Of Sikh Pilgrims In Pakistan, Prays For Recovery Of Injured Pakistan Railways said that as many as 19 Sikhs were killed and those injured were shifted to hospitals in the district and Lahore. The bodies were shifted to Mayo Hospital in Lahore. READ: Saddened To Hear About Death Of 19 Pakistani Sikh Pilgrims: Punjab CM Soon after the reports of the incident were published, Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid tributes to those who passed away in the tragic incident and prayed for the recovery of those who were injured. Akali Dal Spokesperson Manjinder Sirsa expressed condolences and urged PM Imran Khan to order a probe into the incident. Sirsa added that strictest punishment should be announced in case of any foul play. READ: Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi Tests COVID Positive, Quarantined At Home Shivraj Chouhan, Mamata Banerjee pay tributes to victims of Pakistan accident At least four people were killed and three others went missing in a landslide triggered by heavy rains in western Nepal on Saturday, police said. The landslide occurred at Mallesi village in Bajhang district at around 2 am following an incessant rainfall, they said. Four people, including two children, were killed and three others went missing in the landslide, which also damaged and swept away several houses, police said. The Nepal Police and the Nepal Army are carrying out rescue works in the area. In a major development, Bhutan alleged that China attempted to declare a Bhutanese wildlife sanctuary along their border as a disputed territory and issued a demarche. According to sources, the demarche was a follow-up to protests earlier against Beijings attempt to make a non-dispute into a quarrel. This comes at the backdrop of the 58th Global Environment Facility Council where the Chinese member raised objections to the Sakteng Wildlife Sanctuary project and argued that it was in a disputed area between China and Bhutan. Sakteng lies in a zone of Bhutan that borders Arunachal Pradesh and China. It was also reported that at the meeting, Bhutan had vehemently opposed to the references made by China against its sovereignty. READ: EAM Jaishankar calls India-Bhutan relationship 'unique', assures help in fighting COVID Furthermore, the Bhutan government later issued a formal letter to the GEF, strongly opposing references that questioned the countrys sovereignty. However, it was made clear by Thimphu that Sakteng is Bhutans sovereign territory, adding that there is no dispute. Bhutan has urged the GEF to purge all references to Chinas baseless claims from the councils documents. READ: Agreement for Indo-Bhutan joint venture hydroelectric project signed 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, Botswana's government also announced an alarming surge of rhinoceros poaching in the Okavango Delta in recent days. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is being investigated by the country's ethics commissioner for the third time since 2017 in a conflict of interest case. Ethics Commissioner Mario Dion launched an inquiry into a government contract awarded to a charity that has ties with Trudeau's family. The ethics commissioner's office will look into whether Trudeau broke rules while picking WE Charity to administer the Canada Student Service Grant (CSSG), a government program for post-secondary students to take part in service activities supporting communities during the era of COVID-19, which in return will help them earn necessary funds for tuition and other expenses. Read: Man Who Crashed Gate Where Trudeau Lives Facing 22 Charges The probe was opened after Canada's main opposition Conservative Party alleged that Trudeau broke rules and participated in decision making while awarding the contract to WE Charity with which his family has close ties. According to reports, Prime Minister and his wife Sophie Gregoire Trudeau regularly appear at charity events organised by the WE Charity. Sophie Gregoire also hosts a podcast on WE Charity's website. Following the controversy, WE Charity has decided to pass on the program's operations to the Canadian government, which was outsourced to them as a partner. Read: Man Who Crashed Gate Where Trudeau Lives Had Several Weapons "Even as CSSG take-up has been very strong, the program has also been enmeshed in controversy from the moment of its announcement. Questions have been asked about the programs origin, about the concept of outsourcing the programs operations, about the choice of WE Charity as the governments partner, and the underlying merit of paid service. Our concern is that to continue in this way, the program itself will begin to suffer and as a consequence, opportunities for students might be negatively affected. WE Charity and ESDC have mutually agreed that the operational responsibility will be passed to the Government of Canada," WE Charity said on its website. Read: Canada's Trudeau Rules Out Releasing Huawei Tech Executive Trudeau's earlier 'conflict of interest' cases Justin Trudeau in 2017 was investigated by the ethics commissioner over accepting a vacation to Aga Khan's private island at a time when the latter was discussing funding for projects with his government. Trudeau was then investigated again in 2019 for seeking to influence a corporate legal case against an engineering company by asking his attorney general not to prosecute it. Read: Justin Trudeau Steps Out For Ice Cream With Son As Canada Eases Lockdown Restrictions A group of street performers in Bogota are using their show earnings to buy food and prepare soups for impoverished people during the virus lockdown. "We saw many red lights and decided to give some support with food, something that is a daily need," said Daniel Ceballos, one of the members of Circo Encuentro. On Saturday three performers from the company walked around poor neighbourhoods in Bogota outskirts, looking for people in need and collecting vegetables. Later, they dressed up to perform a one-hour show, aiming to warn people about the virus spread and urging them to take care. After the show, they prepared a sancocho, a Colombian traditional soup based in potato and yuca that they renamed as "bat soup," in reference to the supposed origin of the new coronavirus. Later the performers handed soup pots to people in the neighbourhood. The Encuentro Circus started their shows about 11 years ago, and have always staged in the streets, something that they consider the seed of their social work. The Circus Encuentro members intend to keep delivering food to people in Bogota until the sanitary lockdown finishes. According to the Johns Hopkins University tally on Saturday, Colombia has recorded more than 109,000 COVID-19 cases and 4,001 related deaths. (Representative Image) The Fourth of July is about our countrys commitment to its underlying values: freedom, equality, independence, nationhood, said Greenwald. 9/11 is so much a part of the history of this nation. It was the worst terrorist attack on our soil in our nations history. That said, its also an emblem, this place, of how we can meet adversity and come through it. Heavy rains on Japan's southern island of Kyushu have caused major flooding and several landslides. According to reports, the floods have already killed 15 people -- 14 victims being from the same nursing home while the authorities have reported nine more people to be missing. Around 200,000 on the island have been asked to evacuate and nearly 10,000 soldiers are being mobilised in an effort to aid rescue and evacuation efforts. Read: Heavy Rain Floods Southern Japan Meteorologists issue extraordinary rain warning As per reports, experts have claimed that the heavy rains are likely to continue till June 5. Japans Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has requested the people of Kyushu to be on maximum alert and has also set up a task force. The Japanese leader has pledged all possible resources to aid rescue efforts. Kumamoto and Kagoshima are the two prefectures in Kyushu that have suffered the brunt of the floods and landslides. Read: China's Patrol Ships Enter Japanese Territory After Japan Backs India On LAC Issue According to reports, Japanese meteorologists have claimed to have never seen such intense rainfall in the area before. The authorities had issued an extraordinary rain warning but have downgraded the warning to regular as the rains have subsided. According to footage from local broadcaster NHK, the town of Hitoyoshi which is in one of the worst-hit districts of Kumamoto can be seen heavily inundated with muddy water. The footage also shows cars and houses in the area partly submerged in the muck. According to reports, the severe flooding has caused a disruption in power lines as well as communications. Currently, about 8,000 homes in Kumamoto and neighbouring Kagoshima are having to make do without electricity according to a statement by the Kyushu Electric Power Company. Read: 'JU-ON: Origins' Review: Is Netflix's First Japanese Horror Original Really Worth It? Read: Japanese Are 'used To Wearing Masks' - Twins Maeda On MLB Safety Rules (With AP inputs: Image Credits -AP) North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has declared the countrys fight against COVID-19 pandemic as a shining success. As per Korean state media reports, while speaking at the Workers Party Of Korea meeting, Kim Jong-un said his government had prevented the inroad of the malignant virus and maintained a stable anti-epidemic situation even as the world continues to battle COVID-19. Read: North Korea's Kim Jong Un Urges 'maximum Alert' On Virus; Claims Not A Single Covid Case 'Value Success' North Korea has reported no cases of COVID-19 infection to date; however, the country had repeatedly been slammed by experts who accuse Jong-un of concealing information. Meanwhile, the Korean leader stressed that the success has been achieved by far-sighted leadership of Party Central Committee as well as a voluntary spirit for the people who followed all the governments directives. Kim Jong-un went on to ask people to "value such success" in anti-epidemic works and consolidate it further to ensure the safety of the nation. As per WHO reports, the country has reopened schools but kept a ban on public gathering and mandated the use of masks. North Korea has also sealed all its borders from January 30 onwards. According to reports, hundreds of foreigners have been quarantined in the North Korean capital. Read: North Korea Installs Loudspeakers, Satellite Images Show Damaged Liaison Office: Report Earlier this month, the Korean leader 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 reported that Kim Jong-un reaffirmed the government claims that there hasn't been a single case of COVID-19 in North Korea. The North Korean leader said at a ruling party meeting that the country has 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. Read: North Korea Says No Need Of Talks With US Ahead Of Envoy's Visit To South Korea Read: North Korea's Kim Urges 'maximum Alert' On Virus Nepal's ruling communist party's crucial Standing Committee meeting to decide Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli's future has been postponed until Monday, according to an official announcement. Prime Minister's press advisor Surya Thapa said that the meeting was postponed until Monday as the top leaders of the Nepal Communist Party (NCP) required more time to forge an understanding on the outstanding issues. The crucial meeting of the NCPs 45-member Standing Committee, the most powerful body of the party, was scheduled to be held on Saturday. Top NCP leaders have demanded Prime Minister Oli's resignation, saying his recent anti-India remarks were "neither politically correct nor diplomatically appropriate." Image credits: PTI A North Korean diplomat on July 4 said that his country does not feel the need to have talks with the United States. The remark by North Korean Vice Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui came ahead of US envoy's visit to South Korea. Choe Son Hui said that North Korea does not feel the need to have talks with the United States because negotiations between Pyongyang and Washington will not work and the latter will use it as a political tool. Son Hui further said that there will be no change in North Korea's policy. Read: North Korea's Kim Urges 'maximum Alert' On Virus "We do not feel any need to sit face to face with the U.S., as it does not consider the DPRK-U.S. dialogue as nothing more than a tool for grappling its political crisis," Son Hui was quoted as saying by KCNA, North Korea's state-run news agency. The United States wants North Korea to denuclearize themselves, while the Pyongyang wants Washington to lift all the sanctions imposed on DPRK in the fast few years. Read: North Korea Says It Has No Plans For Talks With US US envoy's visit US Deputy Secretary of State Stephen Biegun is scheduled to visit South Korea next week, reportedly to restart stalled diplomatic talks with North Korea. South Korean President Moon Jae-in on July 1 said that his US counterpart Donald Trump and North Korean Supreme Leader should meet again before the upcoming elections in the United States, which is scheduled for November this year. Kim Jong-un and Donald Trump had met for the first time at a historic summit in Singapore in June 2018. Read: North Korea's Kim Jong Un Urges 'maximum Alert' On Virus; Claims Not A Single Covid Case Read: South Korea: North Korean Leader's Video Meeting 'very Unusual' A former judge from Iran sought by his country to face corruption charges died Friday after a fall in a hotel, Romanian media reported Friday. Romanian police said only that a man had fallen from a high floor at a hotel in Bucharest, the Romanian capital, and was found dead at 2:30 p.m. (1130 GMT). They didnt identify him. Romanian media identified the victim as Gholamreza Mansouri, who fled Iran last year after authorities there alleged he took about 500,000 euros ($560,000) in bribes. Mansouri, who was facing an extradition request by Iran, had denied the allegations. He said last week in a video statement that he left Iran for unspecified medical treatment and that coronavirus travel restrictions prevented him from returning to face the charges. Earlier this week, journalist rights groups and Iranian dissidents urged Romania to not deport Mansouri, saying he should be prosecuted in Europe for ordering the mass arrest of reporters while serving as a judge in Tehran. The German chapter of Reporters Without Borders filed a complaint with federal prosecutors in Germany last week, urging that Mansouri be investigated on allegations of torture and human rights abuses for ordering the arrest of 20 reporters in Iran in 2013. German prosecutors confirmed Wednesday they were looking into the complaint, and Reporters without Borders said it had now filed a second complaint with Romanian authorities after learning Mansouri had slipped away from Germany already. It was not clear when Mansouri traveled to Romania, but Irans judiciary spokesman, Gholamhossein Esmaeili, said June 13 that Mansouri had been arrested there and was expected to be returned to Iran in the following days. According to Romanian authorities, Mansouri had been released from custody but kept under judicial control, during which he was banned from leaving the country and was obliged to present himself to authorities at their request. Mansouri is best known for ordering the mass arrest of the reporters in 2013 toward the end of hard-line President Mahmoud Ahmadinejads time in office. But in 2012, he also banned the reformist Shargh daily newspaper and detained its editor-in-chief over a published cartoon that authorities deemed insulting to those who fought in the Iran-Iraq war. In a dire warning to the nations, the World Health Organization on July 3 urged countries to wake up to the coronavirus pandemic realities on the ground as the situation continues to spiral out of hand with millions infected, and to take control. At a briefing hosted by the UN correspondent's association in Geneva, WHO warned the world about the lackadaisical approach to the health crisis, hinting at reopening and non-adherence of protective masks use in many countries that were now witnessing a surge in cases. 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. WHOs warnings come as the coronavirus impacted at least 11.01 million people and claimed the lives of 525,392 worldwide. The United States, among the hardest-hit regions, continues to witness the skyrocketing numbers with over 57,000 cases in the past 24 hours, as per reports. Further, many Latin American and Asian countries witness a rise in the infections with the reopening of the economies and the resumption of businesses. There are good economic reasons that the countries need to bring their economies back online, Ryan said, adding, It's understandable, but you can't ignore the problem either. The problem will not magically go away. With a record level of new daily COVID-19 cases worldwide, WHO urged the countries to halt the pandemic and not stay in denial. Speaking about the dilution of lockdown measures and the use of protective face-covering in Brazil and Mexico despite rising death toll, Ryan said, too many countries are ignoring what the data is telling them, warning about the surge in casualties. While insisting that it is never too late in an epidemic to take control, WHO acknowledged that with the new normal, countries had some pretty stark choices to make while addressing the press conference. Read: WHO Endorses Tests By ICMR, 2 Others For TB Diagnosis, Drug Resistance Detection Read: WHO Expects Results From COVID-19 Drug Trials In 2 Weeks, Says Dr Tedros Adhanom A long and hard road ahead Earlier, during an online briefing, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus accused some nations of adopting a fragmented approach towards the coronavirus pandemic. Warning that the countries were not taking the crisis seriously, he said that the health emergency will face a long and hard road ahead to recovery. Further, the WHO urged the Southeast Asian nations to focus on mental health and suicide prevention during the ongoing pandemic as more and more people were now socially isolated. Read: WHO Says World Needs To Fight Virus Now Read: WHO Says No Hidden COVID-19 Clusters In Africa, Working Towards Improving Surveillance WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on June 3 said that results from clinical trials it is conducting of drugs that might be effective in treating COVID-19 patients can be expected soon. According to reports, the WHO was conducting clinical trials for drugs that will be effective in treating COVID-19 and has recruited over 5,000 patients spanning over 39 countries. WHO close to concrete results As per reports, the Director-General has claimed that preliminary results can be expected in the next two weeks. Reportedly, the Solidarity Trial started out in five parts looking at possible treatment approaches to COVID-19: the first is standard care of the infected patient, the second is a drug called remdesivir, the third involves testing the viability of hydroxychloroquine, the anti-malaria drug which was championed by US President Donald Trump. the fourth is the testing of the HIV drug lopinavir/ritonavir and the last stage involves combining lopinavir/ritonavir with interferon. According to reports, the WHO has stopped testing hydroxychloroquine after it was proven that the anti-malaria drug has no benefit for those who have the disease, but further study is still needed when it comes to determining whether the drug has benefits as a form of preventive medication. Read: COVID-19 Vaccine By Ahmedabad-based Zydus Cadila Gets DCGI Nod For Human Clinical Trials Read: Potential COVID-19 Vaccine By Zydus Cadila Gets DCGI Nod For Human Clinical Trials Head of the WHOs emergencies programme, Mike Ryan, had said that it would be unwise to predict when a vaccine for the deadly coronavirus could be ready. He added that even if a promising vaccine candidate was discovered, the question was how soon it could be mass-produced. While there is no vaccine for COVID-19 at the moment, 18 potential vaccines are being tested on humans by different companies worldwide. Read: Zydus Gets Nod For Human Trials Of COVID-19 Vaccine Read: Horseshoe Crab Blood To Be Utilised By Swiss Pharmaceutical Lonza For COVID-19 Vaccine Blood of horse shoe crab a possible cure As per reports, Swiss multinational, chemicals, and biotechnology company Lonza, will manufacture a COVID-19 vaccine with horseshoe crab blood this month. Horseshoe crab blood is used by several pharmaceuticals because it contains a natural source of Limulus amebocyte lysate, a substance that helps to detect the presence of a contaminant called endotoxin. This contaminant is capable of making its way into vaccines, injectable drugs, or other sterile pharmaceuticals such as artificial knees and hips. The presence of endotoxins in drugs can severely damage human health. Hence it is necessary to use horseshoe crab blood to detect its presence. (Image Credit AP) The United Kingdom's Duke of Cambridge visited a pub on Friday, a day ahead of the reopening of bars, cafes and restaurants in England and Northern Ireland. Prince William was served a pint and chips at the Rose and Crown pub in Norfolk, as he spoke to the landlord and staff members about returning to business under new health guidelines. Pubs in England have been closed since March 20, under restrictions to prevent spread of the coronavirus. 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. Myanmars military is conducting offensives against the Arakan Army in Rakhine states Rathedaung township, according to villagers who have taken refuge in the state capital Sittwe as talk of a gathering army campaign drove 20,000 from their homes over the past week. Among some 300 displaced Rakhine villagers from the Mu-sae Kan area of southern Rathedaung who made it to Sittwe, about 25 miles (40 kilometers) south of the conflict zone, were men and women who said they heard gunfire as they fled their communities and feared possible arrest and torture by government troops. They were part of a mass flight of an estimated 40,000 internal refugees that began during the last week of June when the military told the state government that it would conduct clearance operations to ferret out AA soldiers said to be near the Kyauktan village tract of northern Rathedaung township. Rathedaung and other townships in Rakhine have been at the center of the fighting in a 19-month-old conflict between government forces and the AA that has killed about 260 civilians and now displaced nearly 200,000 others in the state. Refugees from several villages in southern Rathedaung township said government troops were firing around settlements as they fled. As we were on our way here, we heard gunfire coming from nearby Kanpyin village, [and] we had to hide beside the road, a woman from the Mu-sae Kan area told RFA on Wednesday. She said her family made their way village by village to Sittwe, encountering abandoned communities on the way. Aye Ma Sein, who left her home in Shwe Long Tin village, said the soldiers were firing guns near the community as she left for Sittwe. They fired guns in the river for no reason, so we cannot go fishing, she said. It causes hardships for our villagers [because] we earn our livings as fishermen. RFA could not reach Myanmar military spokesman Brigadier General Zaw Min or Rakhine states municipal affairs minister and spokesman Win Myint to confirm the accounts of the displaced villagers. The latest fighting came after the military ordered Kyauktan village tract emptied for clearance operations prompting an initial 10,000 villagers to leave the area before military operations had begun. On June 26, however, the border affairs minister revoked the June 21 order to empty Kyauktan village tract saying that the term clearance operation exaggerated the scope of the mission. Clearance operation strikes fear in Myanmar civilians as the term the military uses to describe the scorched-earth expulsion of more than 740,000 Muslim Rohingya to Bangladesh in 2017. Word of the withdrawn order did not reach villagers in time, and those living in nearby communities also fled, raising the number to around 20,000. Fearful villagers As of Thursday, about 20,000 of roughly 30,000 ethnic Rakhines living in 24 villages in the Mu-sae Kan area of southern Rathedaung had fled following the arrival of Myanmar troops since Monday, including the 300 now in Sittwe, local lawmakers said. Khin Maung Latt, a Rakhine lawmaker in Myanmars upper house of parliament, told RFA that more than 1,000 villagers took ferries from the Mu-sae Kan jetty to the Parda jetty in Sittwe township. Residents of the Mu-sae Kan area who are now in Sittwe have been temporarily housed at Buddhist monasteries. In Sittwe, Zaw Win Naing from Mu-Sae Kan told RFA that Myanmar soldiers have arrested and interrogated young locals they suspect of collaborating with the AA. They always look at young men with suspicious eyes and interrogate them, he said. They then torture them during interrogations by hitting them with rifle butts. Nan Soe, who also fled the Mu-Sae Kan area and went to Sittwe, said that locals are afraid of the soldiers and what they might do to them. I heard that people were killed by their gunfire, she said. Though Nan Soe acknowledged that she had never witnessed any brutality by soldiers, she said that she and others decided to flee to avoid any chance of abuses happening to them. Because of a government-ordered yearlong internet service ban in northern Rakhine state, including Rathedaung township, refugees said they do not know which information to trust as rumors swirl amid the conflict. Reported by RFAs Myanmar Service. Translated by Ye Kaung Myint Maung. Written in English by Roseanne Gerin. One woman caught in a black-and-white top and a ponytail is smiling from ear to ear as she rummages through the store with what appears to be a shopping bag on her arm. Though there have been some rough times before, it's fair to say no Turkmen president has ever been in such a difficult position as Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov is right now. Okay, so there have admittedly only been two presidents of Turkmenistan but the first one, Saparmurat Niyazov, certainly never faced the serious problems that Berdymukhammedov has staring at him now. Berdymukhammedov and his government's responses to recent crises in Turkmenistan have been shockingly inept, and the authoritarian leaders reputation, such as it was, has certainly suffered because of the inaction. The Global View Prior to the coronavirus pandemic, many people had heard little about Turkmenistan, other than perhaps its brief mention on an episode of The Simpsons or comedian Stephen Colbert's late-night talk show. And from those appearances, what people might remember is that the country has a rather goofy president, with Berdymukhammedov's antics on state television ranging from Rambo-like demonstrations of staged martial skills and hellbent off-road driving through the Turkmen desert, to alleged mastery of musical instruments with a grandson, and various attempts to excel at different sports. But that is where it ends for most people. His segments on Colbert's program and the similar John Oliver show remind people that Berdymukhammedov runs one of the most repressive governments in the world. But Turkmenistan has now distinguished itself in a new way. It is one of the only countries in the world that remains free of the coronavirus, at least according to Berdymukhammedovs government. Such a claim leaves many people wondering how a country that borders Iran (more than 230,000 cases of coronavirus as of July 3), Kazakhstan (some 44,000 infections), Uzbekistan (where there have been some 9,200 cases), and Afghanistan (more than 32,000 infections) is able to keep itself virus-free. Any quest for more knowledge about Turkmenistan should invariably lead to the many reports from international rights organizations or from scholars and journalists who paint a bleak portrait of the countrys government. So the increased international exposure means Berdymukhammedov is likely much better known today than he was several months ago as a despot who has abused the rights of Turkmen, most of whom are deprived of all basic liberties. He is no doubt also seen as an authoritarian who frivolously spends enormous amounts of money on unnecessary projects while generally ignoring the worsening living standards of his citizens. Added to that is the crude ruse he is attempting on the international community by insisting his country is coronavirus-free when, in fact, there is growing evidence the situation is spiraling out of control. The World Health Organization (WHO) has been trying to send a delegation to visit Turkmenistan for more than two months to check on this alleged medical marvel going on in the mostly desert country of some 6 million people. But Turkmen officials have prevaricated, and it is still not clear exactly when a WHO delegation will arrive, though July 6 is the latest tentative date. To those who have been watching Turkmenistan for years, the answer is obvious. The government is being untruthful about the coronavirus in its country and is doing everything possible to cleanse potential sites of a WHO delegation visit of any trace of the virus and those who have contracted it. The Turkmen government has another problem with the WHO visit. The only airport that has been receiving international flights since not long after the global pandemic started is the eastern city of Turkmenabat, in the Lebap Province. That is also where the main quarantine camp is located for those arriving in the country. So a WHO delegation would presumably fly there and be conveniently exactly at one of the places it would want to visit. But the area -- and the neighboring Mary Province -- suffered substantial damage from high winds and heavy rains at the end of April and early May. The Turkmen governments reaction to the disaster was to do virtually nothing. It has not even reported the news of the destruction on the state-controlled news. So both the camp and the city -- at least the area around the airport and the route to the camp -- need to be fixed up and put in order before any visits by the WHO. The Turkmen government and state media might not be talking about the natural disaster in Lebap and Mary, but Turkmen outside of the country are. In early May, two young Turkmen stood outside Turkmenistans Embassy in Washington holding signs with messages of condolence for the victims of the storm in Lebap and Mary. On May 11, a small group of Turkmen in Northern Cyprus gathered publicly to demand the government provide assistance to the victims of the storms. And on May 20, there was another such rally in Northern Cyprus, this time the group was calling for Berdymukhammedov to resign -- which they did again on June 14. In Turkey, some 20 people demonstrated outside the Turkmen Consulate in Istanbul on May 15, and there was another anti-Berdymukhammedov demonstration in Istanbul on June 26. The same thing occurred on May 29, when seven people demonstrated against Berdymukhammedov and his government outside the United Nations in New York. Less than two weeks later, another group demonstrated against the Turkmen leader in the U.S. city of Pittsburgh, and on June 28 -- the eve of Berdymukhammedovs birthday -- there were demonstrations outside the Turkmen Embassy in Washington and at the UN building in New York. The number of people demonstrating was never large, but always boisterous and, as the many rallies attest, quite persistent. On June 24, Eurasianet.org published an article by two top officials (Gayle Manchin and Gary Bauer) from the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom that detailed the abuses Berdymukhammedovs government has committed over the years and said, Supporting an outlandish dictator who tramples on the basic rights of his people is not in the interest of the United States." The U.S. ambassador to the OSCE had already said in a June 4 statement that the exercise of human rights and fundamental freedoms is severely restricted in Turkmenistan, and The United States remains concerned about the many prisoners of conscience in Turkmenistan who still have not been allowed to communicate with the outside world for years." The People's Growing Anger But of course the citizens of Turkmenistan know the reality of life in their country better than anyone. Since independence in 1991, there has not been an independent media outlet or an independent political party registered in Turkmenistan. Citizens have no say in politics and critics of the government are imprisoned and sometimes simply disappear in unknown prisons. In the last five years, the economy has crumbled as the global price for Turkmenistan's major export -- natural gas -- plummeted, and the country lost two of its three gas customers (though one, Russia, resumed buying modest volumes of Turkmen gas in 2019 at a reportedly low price of $76 per 1,000 cubic meters). To make matters worse, there are now shortages of even the most basic goods in Turkmenistan, such as flour, cooking oil, and sugar. Even cash is in short supply. Prices for goods at the bazaars have doubled or tripled in recent years and some people have been reduced to selling their possessions to get money to eat and pay bills. In the capital, Ashgabat, there are people fighting -- and at least one reportedly dying -- over food scraps and other refuse in garbage bins. And the damage caused by the strong winds and rains in the Lebap and Mary provinces in April/May and the governments failure to respond to those natural disasters sparked the biggest domestic demonstration of popular dissatisfaction since Turkmenistan gained independence. 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 Russia is not in talks with the United States about its potential role at an expanded Group of Seven (G7) summit later this year, Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said on July 4. "We have not had negotiations of this kind and are not having any," Ryabkov told TASS. Ryabkovs comments countered those of John Sullivan, U.S. ambassador to Russia, who told RBC TV on July 3 that Washington was "engaged with the Russian Foreign Ministry and with the other G7 governments about whether there is an appropriate role for Russia at the G7." U.S. President Donald Trump raised the prospect of Russia's return to the group of leading economic powers in May when he announced plans to postpone the meeting until September because of the coronavirus pandemic. At the same time he said he would expand the list of invitees to include Australia, Russia, South Korea, and India. Russia was formerly in the group but was expelled in the wake of its annexation of Crimea from Ukraine in 2014. Trump said it was "common sense" to invite President Vladimir Putin to rejoin the group, but other G7 countries, including Canada and France, have objected to the idea. Ryabkov also said an expanded G7 meeting should include China. "The idea of the so-called expanded G7 summit is flawed, because it is unclear to us how the authors of that initiative plan to consider the Chinese factor. Without China, it is just impossible to discuss certain issues in the modern world," he said, according to TASS. Ryabkov also noted that Russia has proposed holding a summit of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council. "This is a completely different format. We believe that work in that format, including on the most pressing current issues, is optimal," Ryabkov said. Ryabkov said Moscow has continued diplomatic efforts to draw up the agenda of a summit. We have submitted appropriate proposals to other partners in the P5 (permanent members of the Security Council), and we are waiting for their reaction," he said. With reporting by Reuters, dpa, and TASS Editor's Note: This story was originally published on Richland Source in 2014. Friends and family from the Village of Lucas set out on an adventure one day in 1912 and they took a camera with them. T he album of photos they left behind tells the story of their visit to a riverside hollow up the Rocky Fork where they explored a unique natural wonder a place where a dramatic work of sculpted sandstone was cut from the earth. If you were to happen upon this wonderful stonework coming down from the top of the hill, it would seem as if the Earth had just cracked open to its depths so sudden and steep is the planet broken that a kind of vertigo takes hold to make you catch your breath. Thats why the place got its name over a hundred years ago when tourists visiting the spot called it Hellhole. A more peaceful hell one could not imagine though, nor a more lovely place of quiet repose. It has shallow reflecting pools that are so clear they look like a glass showcase protecting the colored pebbles beneath its surface. There is something that quietly stirs the soul to be in a place where the mighty, coarse and solid rock is unexpectedly shaped in graceful carves and arches, smooth and cool and living green. At some remote point in the distant prehistoric past presumably due to the epic melt-off of great mountains of glacial ice that invaded from the north our geography shows that terrific amounts of water went racing through Richland County like a stupendous spring flood. And like every spring runoff it carried away dirt, only because it was such an unbelievably colossal washout huge rivers of it the water swept out so much soil that the bare bones bedrock and the sandstone underpinnings of our landscape were exposed. And because that layer of rock holding up our hills was sandstone made of compressed sand it was not difficult to carve, so the hurling waters sculpted for us the picturesque array of cliffs, waterfalls, caves, and scenic rock formations that have been sight-seeing destinations ever since humans first discovered them in the forest. It is interesting that the notable stone-made features of this area no matter how many miles apart are all cut from the same gigantic piece of sandstone. Fleming Falls, north of Mansfield, and Hemlock Falls by Butler; Gatton Rocks along the Clear Fork and Lyons Falls in Mohican all of these natural beauties are related just below the skin of the green earth, and were all sculpted out of the planet in the same dramatic manner. One of the lesser pieces of our local rock collection, and the one least recognized or accessible, is Hellhole. That Which is Not Hellhole The old joke goes: How do you carve an elephant? You take a big piece of stone and cut away everything that doesn't look like an elephant. When the carving is finished everyone is looking at the elephant and no one particularly wonders about all the rest of the stone that was cut away everything that doesn't look like an elephant. That is the unspoken question posed by the presence of Hellhole, Fleming Falls, Hemlock Falls and all the other Richland County rocky ravine features: what happened to all the rock and earth that was cut away in order to make the sculptures? The rolling hills and scenic valleys of our home were all shaped by the removal of earth. Somewhere there must be a prodigious pile of dirt. When you dig out a hole for your basement cellar all that dirt has to go someplace where did all of our fill dirt go? The answer to that enigma can be found on any roadmap of the United States. If you drive out of Richland County and head south about 600 miles youll pass through the Great Smoky Mountains and then come out on the flat countryside of Georgia, Alabama, Florida. All of these Gulf Coast states are built of nothing but fill dirt: all the runoff that washed out of Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee to carve the mountains and foothills. So sometime when youre on the beach on the sunny south coast of America and you look down at the sand on your toes, you may be looking at grains of sandstone carved away from Monroe Township in order to chisel out Richland Countys Hellhole. SYLVANIA -- The Northwest Ohio Scholarship Fund will host its 8th annual Raise the Cap Event virtually on Aug. 6 at 6 p.m. to help raise funds for scholarships. All donations will support scholarships for the 2020-2021 school year and will be entered into a raffle for prizes. Proceeds for this annual event help children in the Northwest Ohio community receive an education that best meets their needs which includes private education or homeschooling. Grand Slam event sponsors include Checker Distributors, HART, and The Aurora Group at Morgan Stanley. Raise the Cap helps make private education affordable for parents in need. NOSF provides scholarships for students in 19 counties across Northwest Ohio including Allen, Crawford, Defiance, Erie, Fulton, Hancock, Henry, Huron, Lucas, Ottawa, Paulding, Putnam, Richland, Sandusky, Seneca, Van Wert, Williams, Wood and Wyandot. NOSF has assisted parents since 1999 with need-based scholarships for their children for private education or homeschooling. NOSF has awarded more than 16,000 scholarships since 1999. NOSF alumni have a 100 percent high school graduation rate. The Northwest Ohio Scholarship Fund is part of the Childrens Scholarship Fund (CSF) national network of scholarship granting organizations. CSF and its partner programs are committed to empowering families in need with the ability to choose the K-8 schools that best meet their childrens needs, regardless of their ability to pay or where they live. To learn more about NOSF and Raise the Cap event, visit www.nosf.org or call (419) 720-7048. MANSFIELD -- Joy, praise and elbow bumps abounded at the official dedication of Walter Jordan Drive on Friday. The sweltering heat didn't dampen the enthusiasm as friends, family and parishioners gathered to celebrate and honor Bishop Walter Earl Jordan and his son, Dr. Walter Jordan Jr., in the Oasis of Love Church parking lot. In March, Mansfield City Council 4th Ward representative Alomar Davenport requested approval of fellow legislators to rename part of Chester Avenue in honor of the two men. Davenport said the idea was suggested by a community member after the passing of Dr. Jordan in January. "It was a no-brainer," he said. "Dr. Walter touched me in ways that I can never even adequately describe." After Davenport and multiple citizens voiced their support, council unanimously approved the change. Walter Jordan Drive now runs between Grant and Lida streets, home of the Greater St. John Church of God in Christ/Oasis of Love Church, whose address will now be 190 Walter Jordan Drive. The senior Jordan helped build the church and served 40 years as its pastor. Upon his retirement, his son took over and pastored the church for the next 15 years. During Dr. Jordan's tenure, he launched Oasis Charities and started the annual summer Block Party where students can get free book bags, food, clothing and haircuts. Lady Shirley Jordan, the wife of Bishop Jordan and mother of Dr. Jordan, called the street sign bearing her husband and son's name a legacy. But an even greater legacy could be seen in the number of people who came out to celebrate the impact that father and son had on their lives. "I was overwhelmed and blessed," Lady Jordan said. "People drove from Cleveland, Youngstown, Pittsburgh." Addi Jordan, the daughter and sister of Bishop and Dr. Jordan, was also moved by the number of people in attendance. "It's so amazing. It's so hot, but to see so much from support from everybody, it's wonderful. We're honored the city of Mansfield is doing this," she said. As the event went on, it became clear that the Jordan's leadership had influenced a new generation of pastoral leadership. Oasis of Love Pastor Raymond Cochran Jr. spoke of the profound impact that both men had on him. "He had a mark on me in character. I watched how he walked, how he talked, how he lived and it inspired me," Cochran said of Bishop Jordan. Dr. Jordan later served as Cochran's youth pastor, pastor and mentor. "He pushed me, he gave me the confidence to go into ministry and I will never forget him for that," Cochran said. "We have people that read history and then you have people who make history," said Bishop William Morris Jr. of Shiloh Baptist Church. "We're here today because of two individuals who made history." Jeff Jones, pastor of First Baptist Church on Fifth Avenue, also counted the two Jordans as mentors. "They not only said that they love you, they showed it," he said. "They really confirmed that love is an action." WASHINGTON President Trump signed bipartisan legislation Saturday morning, extending and revising the Paycheck Protection Program until Aug. 8. The new law had rare bipartisan support in Congress. On May 27, the House passed the measure by 417-1 and the Senate approved it by unanimous consent on June 3. The bill is an attempt to address concerns expressed by the small business community around the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) aimed at providing COVID-19 relief. The Paycheck Protection Program has been instrumental in helping employers keep workers on payroll during the pandemic and, thanks to this extension signed into law today, it will continue to play an important role as our economy reopens and Ohioans get back to business, said U.S. Rep Troy Balderson, whose district includes part of Richland County. Balderson serves on the House Committee on Small Business, which is the primary committee of jurisdiction over small business relief programs implemented by the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA). Administered by the SBA, the PPP is a forgivable loan designed to provide direct support for small businesses to keep their workers on payroll and their lights on. Enactment of H.R. 7437 means small businesses will have access to apply for the remaining $130 billion in relief until August 8. Eligible small businesses may apply for PPP loans through any existing SBA-approved lending institution before the Aug. 8 deadline. According to published reports, the new act: -- reduces the amount of the loan needed to be spent on payroll from 75% to 60%, thus increasing the amount of funds available for other expenses from 25% to 40%. -- extends the time period to spend the loans to 24 weeks. While businesses will still need to spend the money on payroll and authorized expenses, they now have until the end of 2020 to do so. -- gives businesses until until Dec. 31, 2020, to rehire workers in order for their salaries to count towards forgiveness. -- gives businesses forgiveness on payroll amounts if it is unable to rehire an individual who was an employee of the eligible recipient on or before February 15, 2020; is able to demonstrate an inability to hire similarly qualified employees on or before Dec. 31, 2020; or is able to demonstrate an inability to return to the same level of business activity as such business was operating at prior to Feb. 15, 2020. COLUMBUS -- Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine ordered flags in Toledo and at the Statehouse be lowered to half staff in honor of a Toledo police shot and killed in the line of duty early Saturday morning. Officer Anthony Dia, 26, was shot while responding to a disturbance in the parking lot of a Home Depot just after midnight, according to published reports. According to Toledo TV station WTVG, Dia was dispatched to check the well being of a man who reportedly seemed intoxicated. Witnesses told police the suspect was walking away before turning and firing one shot at Dia, striking him in the chest. Dia was transported to Toledo Hospital, where he later died. Police later said the 57-year-old suspect, who fled into a wooded area, was found dead a few hours later, apparently of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. "Fran and I were deeply saddened to learn of the death last night of Toledo Police Officer Anthony Dia in the line of duty," DeWine said. "We extend our sympathy to his wife and 2-year-old child, his other family members, and his colleagues in the Toledo Police Department. To honor the life and service of Officer Dia, I have ordered that the flags in Lucas County and at the Statehouse be lowered to half staff beginning tomorrow and through his funeral service," DeWine said. Dia left a wife and two children. A GoFund me page to assist his family has been created with a goal of $150,000. Dia is the first Toledo police officer killed in the line of duty since 2007. Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost said Saturday in an email, "Officer Dia lost his life doing what police do during every watch of their lives trying to help someone. His memory will stand tall forever, a man who was fulfilling his duty in his final act. My heart breaks for the family he left behind." On July 4, 1776, America declared its independence from the British monarchy. On Nov. 3, 2020, voters across Ohio and across the country will head to the polls to participate in the very self-governing that our founders envisioned in Philadelphia 244 years ago. That day a bold and courageous idea about justice, equality and human freedom became a nation -- the first nation founded on an idea. We know that for much of our 244 years of history we have failed to live up to those lofty ideals of our founding. We know that for more than half of our history women and people of color were excluded from the franchise and even systematically subjugated by the laws enacted by those in power. As with any human endeavor, this nation has always been imperfect, but unlike most others we are also empowered with ways to make it better -- and each American generation since the founding has done just that. The preamble to the U.S. Constitution speaks of creating a more perfect union and thats exactly what we as Americans do. We try to leave it a bit better than we found it and many times that includes improving the very functioning of our democratic processes. This year we mark the centennial of womens suffrage and celebrate the brave activists who worked to bring it about. As we see the fight against racism and for true equality continue to this very day, were reminded of the fight for voting rights. Just 55 years ago visionary leaders utilized nonviolent protest for the very right to vote -- a right which too many now take for granted. Through their efforts our nation was truly made more perfect. That work of making America more perfect continues, and now its our job. The bare minimum is to take your citizenship seriously and vote - its never been easier and in Ohio you will have the same three choices youve had for years. In the Buckeye state were blessed to have lots of options so regardless of lifestyle, preferences or even pandemic related concerns, there is a style of voting for you. For this falls general election you can choose: four weeks of in-person early voting including evening and weekend hours, four weeks of convenient absentee voting from the safety and convenience of home, or in-person election day voting at a convenient location close to where you live. Of course you have to be registered and you can do that in just minutes at VoteOhio.gov. You can also go to VoteOhio.gov to check your address and ensure your registration is current and accurate. Consider being a voter registration evangelist and passing this along - perhaps to a young Ohioan you know so they can be a voter also! These four months leading up to the Nov. 3rd election are a time for every Ohioan to consider ways that they can serve and help strengthen our democratic republic. One way is to answer the call to be a poll worker. Elections are run locally at each of Ohios 88 county boards of elections where four board members, two Republicans and two Democrats, rely on hundreds, if not thousands, of poll workers on election day. On average it takes over 35,000 poll workers across the state to open the polls by 6:30 a.m. and serve voters at the polling location until 7:30 p.m. Now with a pandemic that is disproportionately affecting the elderly, and considering that the majority of poll workers in Ohio are seniors, this call to duty takes on a new urgency. If you want to defend democracy and serve our state and nation, go to VoteOhio.gov/DefendDemocracy and sign up to be a poll worker. Rest assured that on Nov. 3, polls will open in Ohio. Unlike when in-person voting was scuttled for the March primary election by a last minute order from the Ohio Department of Health. Ohio will be prepared to observe appropriate social distancing and to use personal protective equipment, sanitizer and safety practices to keep voters and poll workers healthy as we conduct in-person voting. This nation is not perfect, but there is no nation on earth that has done more than America has to advance the cause of human freedom - and we have the power to make it more perfect. Celebrate America by recommitting to active citizenship! Social media posts alone wont do it - be a voter and be a poll worker. Get started by visiting VoteOhio.gov! On April 1, the U.S. consulate in Nuevo Laredo issued an alert citing reports of multiple gunfights and blockades throughout the city. U.S. government personnel are advised to shelter in place. Strong earthquakes rattle Puerto Rico SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico Two strong earthquakes shook Puerto Rico on Friday, but there were no reports of injuries in the latest of a series of tremors that have hit the U.S. territory since late December. A tremor with magnitude 5.3 hit just southwest of the island in the afternoon, the U.S. Geological Survey said, revising its power down from an initial measurement of 5.5. It came a few hours after a magnitude 4.9 quake hit in the same region, causing small landslides and collapsing an abandoned home weakened by the earlier quakes. Puerto Rico has experienced a series of earthquakes this year that have damaged or destroyed hundreds of homes. Botswana investigates 275 elephant deaths GABORONE, Botswana Botswana says it is investigating a staggering number of elephant carcasses 275 found in the Okavango Delta area of the southern African nation in recent weeks. Cops had cordoned off the block and were searching the area for surveillance footage that could help them identify the gunman. Historically, more than half of teens who take summer jobs work in the restaurant and retail industries, Stevenson said. With those being the hardest-hit industries at the moment, the roles and industries teens will need to look for jobs in this summer will change, he said. Its not going to be in restaurant and retail. Its going to be in grocery and warehouse. Ellie Duffey, 17, of Richmond, lost her job at Kitchen 64 on North Arthur Ashe Boulevard when the restaurant switched from dine-in service to takeout only in March because of the pandemic. Duffey is still hoping to get her job back for the summer. A lot of people like me have been put on hold while the businesses we worked at have been put on hold, said Duffey, a rising senior at Appomattox Regional Governors School in Petersburg. I still havent heard of a lot of people getting their jobs back yet. The essential jobs in high demand include cashier, grocery stock clerk, customer service, warehouse associate, cleaner and delivery driver, according to Snagajobs online job search platform. Grace Phipps, 17, of Chesterfield County, is still searching for a summer job after the SPARC camp she planned to work for canceled all of its programs until Aug. 31. 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. Editors note: This column originally was published on Dec. 3, 2016. One of the most valuable courses I took when I earned my Ph.D. in history was Milton Kleins graduate seminar on historiography, the study of how history is researched and interpreted over time. We learned that the same set of facts presented to one historian can be interpreted in different ways by another, according to his perception of those facts and how they are presented. The late writer John Egerton contended that there are essentially three kinds of history: what actually happened, what we are told happened and what we finally come to believe happened. I recently was reminded of this when I discovered a box of books in our attic that at one time were part of my personal library when I was growing up. Included in the stash were a dozen or so Landmark Books. I loved Landmark Books because the subject matter in them was all history. The series, which was published from 1951 to 1970, consisted of nearly 200 books, mostly on U.S. history and all geared to middle school readers. Among the Landmark Books in my collection were Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo, Robert E. Lee and the Road to Glory and Daniel Boone and the Opening of the Frontier. The Greeks said that character is destiny, and the more I read and understand of history, the more convinced I am that they were right. You look at the great paintings by John Trumbull or Charles Willson Peale or Copley or Gilbert Stuart of those remarkable people who were present at the creation of our nation, the founders as we call them. Those arent just likenesses. They are delineations of character and were intended to be. And we need to understand them, and we need to understand that they knew that what they had created was no more perfect than they were. And that has been to our advantage. I have just returned from a cruise through the Panama Canal. I think often about why the French failed at Panama and why we succeeded. One of the reasons we succeeded is that we were gifted, we were attuned to adaptation, to doing what works, whereas they were trained to do everything in a certain way. We have a gift for improvisation. We improvise in jazz; we improvise in much of our architectural breakthroughs. Improvisation is one of our traits as a nation, as a people, because it was essential, it was necessary, because we were doing again and again and again what hadnt been done before. Keep in mind that when we were founded by those people in the late 18th century, none of them had had any prior experience in either revolutions or nation-making. They were, as we would say, winging it. And they were idealistic and they were young. We see their faces in the old paintings done later in their lives or looking at us from the money in our wallets, and we see the awkward teeth and the powdered hair, and we think of them as elder statesmen. But George Washington, when he took command of the Continental Army at Cambridge in 1775, was 43 years old, and he was the oldest of them. Jefferson was 33 when he wrote the Declaration of Independence. John Adams was 40. Benjamin Rush one of the most interesting of them all and one of the founders of the antislavery movement in Philadelphia was 30 years old when he signed the Declaration. They were young people. They were feeling their way, improvising, trying to do what would work. They had no money, no navy, no real army. There wasnt a bank in the entire country. There wasnt but one bridge between New York and Boston. It was a little country of 2.5 million people, 500,000 of whom were held in slavery, a little fringe of settlement along the East Coast. What a story! What a noble beginning! And think of this: Almost no nations in the world know when they were born. We know exactly when we began and why we began and who did it. We first met in August, gathering in a cavernous meeting room in the downtown Times-Dispatch office. The RTD Opinions first-ever Community Advisory Board brought together a dozen residents from across the Richmond region, representing a cross-section of professions and backgrounds. The youngest member was a college student, finishing her senior year. Some were retired. One member was our 2018 Correspondent of the Year, an honor bestowed to the author of the previous years best Letter to the Editor. Members also hailed from teaching, small business, local government and the nonprofit sector. Theyre active in the community. Because of the coronavirus, our monthly meetings now are held online via Zoom. Instead of shaking hands when we meet, we wave over our computer screens. But despite the virtual setting, our get-togethers are as robust as ever as we discuss, dissect and analyze the events of the day and emerging trends. Engaging members of our region is a vital part of the Opinions pages mission. We pursue a solutions-based approach to our editorials. We serve as a marketplace of ideas through our op-ed pages, staff and nationally syndicated columnists, Letters to the Editor and Your 2 Cents. We seek contributions from all perspectives. Richmond, KY (40475) Today Rain. Low 58F. Winds NW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 90%. Rainfall near a quarter of an inch.. Tonight Rain. Low 58F. Winds NW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 90%. Rainfall near a quarter of an inch. AMLO orders investigation into Cancun, Riviera Maya public beach access for tourists and not locals Riviera Maya, Q.R. President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has issued instructions to the head of the Ministry of Tourism (Sectur) to investigate the situation regarding the beaches of Quintana Roo. Miguel Torruco Marques has been instructed to look into the current situation of beaches being closed to locals but open to tourists. Cancun and Riviera Maya beaches have remained off limits for locals for months due to the Covid-19 epidemic, however, with the reopening of hotels in mid-June, tourists have been granted beach access, while locals have been repeatedly denied. Hotels along the Federal Terrestrial Maritime Zone can allow guests or clients to access the states public beaches, but locals can only access these same public beaches by paying for a hotel day pass. The request for the investigation came from AMLO during his Friday morning press conference after a reporter questioned the president about hotels defending the decision to allow tourists and not locals to access public beaches. I dont know what decision has been made. I will ask the Secretary of tourism, Miguel Torruco, to issue a point of view, an opinion on the case, replied the president later adding that in this position, recommendations of the Ministry of Health should be taken into account. There has yet to be a reply from Secretaria de Turismo (Sectur) who has been criticized in recent days by the former undersecretary of tourism, Simon Levy, for his lack of action regarding the public beach situation. Judge rules former state governor Borge remain behind bars Chetumal, Q.R. A judge has denied the request for dismissal and extinction of precautionary measures as requested by the defense lawyers of the former Governor of Quintana Roo, Roberto Borge Angulo. Borges lawyers argued that there is not enough evidence to prove a crime, requesting the case be dismissed, however, the judge considered that sufficient data had also not been provided to dismiss any crimes. After the five hour hearing, the presiding judge ruled that Borge will remain behind bars in a Morelos prison. The former governor remains in prison for charges of irregular performance of the public function during his time as governor of Quintana Roo. Gonzalez, who lives blocks away from the attack on W. 110th St. and Morningside Drive seemed friendly when he approached the boy and his 46-year-old babysitter at 9:30 a.m., and acted as if he wanted to play with the child, police sources said. The 30,000 diapers that Family Promise of Albany County is providing for local families are unloaded Wednesday morning, July 1. A Masai girl holds a protest sign during the anti-female genital mutilation (FGM) protest in Kilgoris, Kenya. The World Health Organization says the practice constitutes an extreme form of discrimination against women. Nearly always carried out on minors, it can result in excessive bleeding and death or cause problems including infections, complications in childbirth and depression. Rocky Mount, NC (27804) Today Partly cloudy. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 76F. Winds SW at 10 to 15 mph.. Tonight Partly cloudy. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 76F. Winds SW at 10 to 15 mph. Rutland, VT (05701) Today Thunderstorms this evening with a few showers possible late. A few storms may be severe. Low 63F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall possibly over one inch.. Tonight Thunderstorms this evening with a few showers possible late. A few storms may be severe. Low 63F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall possibly over one inch. Following accusations made online, starting on Wednesday, by girls and women claiming to have been sexually harassed, assaulted, raped or blackmailed by a man, Ahmed Bassam Zaki, Egypts prosecution reported late on Friday it has received one official complaint.The prosecution released a statement saying it has received "one complaint made online on 3 July from a girl who said the young man threatened her in November 2016 to have sex with her. The complaint is currently being processed according to legal procedures. On Wednesday, posts began to surface on Twitter and Instagram from women who said they had been allegedly sexually assaulted by Zaki. Soon after, an Instagram account was created by the name @assaultpolice, calling on women to send their experiences. Within the next 24 hours the account received more than 150 messages, including some that contained screenshots of messages and recordings of calls with Zaki. Since then there have been calls for his arrest as well as calls to support the victims. Chairwoman of the National Council For Women Maya Morsi announced on Friday on MBC Masr satellite channel that the council contacted some of the victims to collect information. Morsi added that the council will file an official complaint to the prosecution to investigate the case. She renewed the council's call for the victims to come forward to report this or similar cases without fear. The hashtag carrying the name of the young man as a sexual harasser continues to top-trend in Egypt in Arabic for the third day in a row. Short link: The Black man told her they intended to prove a point with the homemade bomb, Shader said. She told investigators she didnt know the trio but felt important at the time she took the bottle because she was the only white person in the area, court papers say. Ryan McBride/Staff file photoThe Peabody Essex Museum will finally reopen to the public on July 18, but with enhanced health and safety precautions in place. Admission will be via advanced ticketing with specific times to ensure low occupancy levels inside the museum. Rebeccah Glisson will never forget the day in 2010 when her dad and brother showed up at the San Diego preschool where she worked with the news that her sister was dead. Glisson, then 17, said her goodbyes to her co-workers, picked up her things and walked out to the parking lot. Then she collapsed to her knees in grief. It was horrible, she said. Earth-shattering. It was also the experience that started Glisson down the path she walks today as a volunteer group facilitator for The Elizabeth Hospice Childrens Bereavement Centers in Escondido and Mission Valley. Advertisement Grief is not something you outgrow, she said. There are days when I dont have the energy to put my feet on the floor. What helps is that I have the skills to get me through those kinds of days. I want to use my story to help kids cope with their grief when they have days like that. Group facilitator Rebeccah Glisson, 25, talks with siblings Emily Roberts, 7, left, and Nathan Roberts, 10, before a childrens grief support group at The Elizabeth Hospice Childrens Bereavement Center in Escondido last week. The childrens father died two years ago. (Hayne Palmour IV / San Diego Union-Tribune) Over the past year, the 25-year-old San Diego State University psychology student has spent six hours a week helping facilitate peer-to-peer grief support groups for children ages 3 to 18. Shes one of 45 volunteers who help run the evening group sessions, which serve more than 200 children countywide. But Melissa Lunardini, childrens bereavement manager for The Elizabeth Hospice, said Glisson is one of the best facilitators shes seen in her 15 years in the business. Beccah is so genuine and authentic but still tied to her grief, Lunardini said. When you talk about gifts and instincts, shes just universally good at reaching even the most nonverbal kids. They will always fold to her and let her in. Glisson said she hopes one day to open her own center for youths recovering from all forms of trauma, including the deaths of loved ones, abuse, gang violence and sex trafficking. On Tuesday evening, Lunardini and Glisson toured visitors through the Childrens Bereavement Center in Escondido. Theres a room with low-to-the-ground couches for group talking sessions, an arts-and-crafts area, a game room, a music room filled with instruments and a fully decorated hospital room. Lunardini said some children find great comfort role-playing their stories in the hospital room because for many thats the last place they saw their loved one before they died. Advertisement Theres also a newly opened volcano room, filled with colorful thick foam cushions, a punching bag and padded walls decorated with a big embroidered erupting vocano. Its the big energy room, Lunardini explains. Kids who arent as comfortable verbalizing, particularly boys, can deal with their rage, frustrations and anxiety in there without getting hurt. Group facilitator Rebeccah Glisson, left, plays in the volcano room with siblings Nathan Roberts, center, and Emily Roberts at The Elizabeth Hospice Childrens Bereavement Center. (Hayne Palmour IV / San Diego Union-Tribune) The centers walls are lined with childrens art projects. Theres one wall of photos of lost loved ones and another wall featuring Before/After drawings showing how childrens lives were changed by death. One Before drawing shows a smiling stick figure mother holding her childrens hands. In the After, the mother is in a coffin and the children are weeping. Advertisement Theres also a wall of childrens stories titled How I Found Out ... One explained how the childs mother found her husband hanging from a computer cord in the closet of their home office. His suicide, the child wrote, didnt come as a surprise to anyone. Before a group session for grade school-age children on Tuesday, Glisson played with siblings Nathan Roberts, 10, and Emily Roberts, 7, of Rancho Bernardo. Their dad, Scott Roberts, died two years ago from a heart attack at the age of 49. Teresa Roberts said her children handled their fathers death in different ways. Emily is an exuberant child who processes her grief through talking. But Nathan, whos more introspective, wouldnt talk about it all. A year after Scotts death, Roberts brought the kids to the bereavement center in Escondido, where theyve both made dramatic progress, particularly Nathan. Theyre able to express themselves more now in words and pictures, she said. Talking about their dad isnt just about his death anymore, its about love and memories. Advertisement Glisson said she tries to meet kids where theyre at by reflecting their behavior at the meetings. If they arrive like Emily, full of energy and enthusiasm, Glisson does the same. If theyre angry and sit silently with their arms crossed in a corner, shell sit beside them and we can just be angry together. Beccah has the get it factor, Lunardini said. She knows how to use her story to help kids tell their story and shes really cool. Kids love her. They flock to her. One of the Before/After drawings created during group grief therapy meetings at The Elizabeth Hospice Childrens Bereavement Center in Escondido. (Hayne Palmour IV / San Diego Union-Tribune) Glisson said she knew from an early age she wanted to work with kids, though initially thought it would be in the field of early childhood development. Advertisement After high school, she was working full-time at the preschool and mulling a move to Boca Raton, Fla., where she could live with her 29-year-old sister Chasity Glisson while she attended college. But then her sister died from accidental carbon monoxide poisoning. A few years later, Glisson also lost her father, who had multiple sclerosis and Parkinsons disease. Over the years, she said she has lost more than three dozens other family members and friends to age, illness, accidents and suicide. We all have our paths of hardship, she said. We dont get to choose our cards. I feel l can use all of those experiences to help children have an opportunity to heal. The Elizabeth Hospice Childrens Bereavement Center opened four years ago and now serves more than 500 children through group sessions, school programs and a summer camp. The sessions are free, with all costs supported through donations and grants. Advertisement After undergoing an assessment, children are separated into age groups (3-6, 6-12, 10-13 and 13-18) and attend 90-minute evening meetings twice a month. These begin with a 30-minute group talking session followed by an hour of activities. Each group has 10 to 15 children, one paid staff member and six to seven facilitators. While the children are in private sessions, their parents and caregivers have their own support meetings. Lunardini said the children learn coping tools from adults and use them to help each other through heavy patches of grief. Boys tell other boys in group that its OK to cry. And at her grandfathers funeral, 7-year-old Emily Roberts gave her mourning uncle a notepad he could use to write down his feelings. Children usually attend the program for two years, though some have stayed for less and some for longer. The program mirrors the school year, running September through May. Glisson said her greatest reward is seeing how the children transform to help themselves and each other. Advertisement Sometimes, Ill meet my mirror when I see someone going through what I went through, she said. I end up crying my eyes out when I see the support that comes from their peers. For information on The Elizabeth Hospice Childrens Bereavement Center, visit elizabethhospice.org. pam.kragen@sduniontribune.com Until my dying day, I will never forget the sight of officer Dia wheeled out of the hospital on a gurney, his body wrapped on an American flag, flanked by about 30 Toledo officers, saluting and weeping, Toledo Mayor Wade Kapszukiewicz said in a statement to WTOL. Erskine admitted to raping and murdering Renee Baker in Florida in 1989 but wasnt formally charged in her death until more than a decade later when another DNA test for Baker matched a sample left behind by the killer, according to People Pill. Although it might be tempting to rely on your fitness tracker to catch early signs of COVID-19, Northwestern University researchers caution that consumer wearables are not sophisticated enough to monitor the complicated illness. The Northwestern team, led by bioelectronics pioneer John A. Rogers, published a perspective today (July 1) in the journal Science Advances, in which they differentiate between popular consumer electronics and clinical-grade monitoring systems. Rogers co-authored the perspective with Dr. Shuai Xu, a Northwestern Medicine dermatologist, and Hyoyoung Jeong, a postdoctoral fellow in the Rogers lab. "According to the Journal of the American Medical Association, the three most important early symptoms for COVID-19 are fever, shortness of breath and coughing," Rogers said. "For a wearable technology, you want to track those key symptoms. A conventional wearable device, such as a fitness tracker, sits on the wrist or finger -- not the anatomical location that is most relevant to COVID-19." This past spring, the Rogers group and researchers at Shirley Ryan AbilityLab introduced a novel wearable device and set of data algorithms specifically tailored to catch early signs and symptoms associated with COVID-19 and to monitor patients as the illness progresses. About the size of a postage stamp, the soft, flexible, wireless device sits just below the suprasternal notch, the visible dip at the base of the throat -- an ideal location for monitoring respiratory health. More recently, Rogers' team added a wearable, flexible pulse oximeter to pair with the suprasternal-mounted device. This allows physicians to continuously monitor for silent hypoxia, an often asymptomatic feature marked by alarmingly low blood oxygen levels. Adding this feature will help the device, and accompanying algorithms, give a fuller picture of the disease's onset, progression and response to treatment. advertisement "The device measures very tiny vibrations on the skin and has an embedded temperature sensor for fever," Rogers said. "As you cough and breathe, it counts coughs, monitors the intensity of cough and senses labored breathing. The location on the throat also is close enough to the carotid artery that it can measure mechanical signatures of blood flow, monitoring heart rate." "This sensor system targets key symptoms for COVID-19, with the goal to identify the infection earlier in patients," Xu said. "It's a suite of clinical-grade sensors wrapped into one small device. And once it's placed on the throat, people don't even realize that it's there." Rogers is the Louis Simpson and Kimberly Querrey Professor of Materials Science and Biomedical Engineering in Northwestern's McCormick School of Engineering, professor of neurological surgery at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and director of the Querrey Simpson Institute for Bioelectronics (QSIB). Xu is an assistant professor of dermatology at Feinberg and of biomedical engineering at McCormick. He also is the medical director of QSIB. Differences between COVID-19 patients and healthy controls Since launching the device in April, the team has tested it on 52 COVID-19-positive physicians, nurses, rehabilitation specialists and patients at Shirley Ryan AbilityLab and Northwestern Memorial Hospital. The device was tested both in the hospital and in the home. advertisement From these tests, Rogers and his team have collected 3,000 hours of data, which will continue to strengthen the device's algorithms. Eventually, the machine-learning algorithms will become smart enough to distinguish between a COVID-like cough and more benign coughs from allergies, colds or dryness. The team expects to test 500 subjects by the end of the year. "We are already seeing clear vital sign differences collected by the sensor between patients with COVID-19 and healthy-matched controls," said Arun Jayaraman, a researcher assistant scientist at Shirley Ryan AbilityLab, who leads the algorithm development. "We're working together to develop predictive algorithms for detecting the disease earlier." Thoracic surgeon remotely monitors patients Dr. Ankit Bharat, chief of thoracic surgery at Northwestern Medicine who performed the first double-lung transplant on a COVID-19 patient in the United States, is actively testing the device on his pulmonary patients. The device wirelessly transmits data to a HIPAA-protected cloud, where automated algorithms produce graphical summaries tailored to facilitate rapid, remote monitoring. This allows Bharat to continue monitoring his patients well after they have been dismissed from the hospital. "It has provided valuable information about each patient's respiratory status," Bharat said. "We hope that as we gain experience with this device, it will greatly enhance our ability to monitor patients remotely. Under the circumstances of the pandemic, remote monitoring capabilities improve efficiency in medical care while increasing protection to health care workers against the virus." Continued research and deployment To accelerate manufacturing and deployment, Rogers and Xu launched technology startup Sonica Health, based on intellectual property (IP) jointly developed by Northwestern and the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab. The IP related to this project has been optioned through Northwestern's Innovation and New Ventures Office. The effort is supported by the Biomedical Advanced Research Deployment Authority (BARDA), part of the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Sonica Health previously partnered with BARDA for technology focused on chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Now the partnership has expanded to focus on early detection of COVID-19 and other respiratory infections in high-risk clinical populations and, in collaboration with another spinout from QSIB, Sibel Health, to provide the pulse oximetry sensor. With BARDA's support, Sonica Health and Sibel Health will jointly submit the device and associated algorithms for Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval later this month. The overall goal is an FDA-cleared platform that gives an early warning of COVID-19 contraction, helping reduce the transmission of the virus. This work was supported by the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development's DRIVe Early Notification to Act, Control, and Treat Program (75A50119C00043). Editor's note: Rogers, Xu and Northwestern have financial interests in Sonica Health and Sibel Health. HARTSVILLE, S.C. The Hartsville Branch of the NAACP has received a grant from the United Way Association of South Carolina to support its efforts to encourage completion of the 2020 Census. The United Way Association of S.C. in partnership with the South Carolina Grantmakers Network and Together South Carolina provided the grant. The funds will be used to help to increase the response rates of hard-to-count populations in Hartsville and Lamar. To increase the response rate, the Hartsville Branch of the NAACP will host drive-thru 2020 Census-counting events in Hartsville and Lamar. The Hartsville event is scheduled for noon to 3 p.m. July 18 at the Butler Community Center campus at 1103 S. Sixth St. The Lamar event is scheduled for noon to 3 p.m. Aug. 15 at the Hines Funeral Home, at 201 West Pearl St. At each event, residents can fill out the census survey online, receive a safety bag gift while supplies last and be entered into a raffle to win either a flat-screen television or a tablet. The 2020 Census questionnaire began to be distributed in March. Households can respond online, by phone or by mail. FLORENCE, S.C. Two members of South Carolina's federal delegation will headline the July 14 meeting of the Florence County Republican Party. The Republican Party announced Wednesday afternoon that it would spend the next several months' meetings hearing from candidates from the national stage to the local stage. Senator Lindsey Graham and Rep. Tom Rice will begin that sequence of meetings in July. Both Graham and Rice are seeking to retain their seats in the 2020 election cycle. Graham faces Democrat Jaime Harrison of Orangeburg to retain the Senate seat. He was first elected to the Senate in 2002 after the retirement of longtime Sen. Strom Thurmond. Graham was reelected in 2008 and 2014. He serves alongside Sen. Tim Scott, who will be up for reelection in 2022. Support Local Journalism Your subscription makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}} Graham currently serves as chairman of the Judiciary Committee in the Senate. Rice faces Democrat Melissa Watson of Florence to retain the Congressional District 7 seat. Rice was elected in 2012 and reelected in 2014, 2016, and 2018. The area he represents includes most of Florence County, and all of Darlington, Marion, Dillon, Marlboro, Chesterfield, Georgetown and Horry counties. May 1: McMaster announced the statewide work-or-home order would be lifted on May 4 and said restaurants could start outside dining service in addition to takeout, curbside and delivery services. Cumulative cases: 6,258. S.C. deaths: 256. May 8: The governor announced restaurants would be able to open with limited dine-in services starting May 11. Cumulative cases: 7,367. S.C. deaths: 320. May 20: More facilities are allowed to reopen, including zoos, museums and waterparks, as of May 22. Cumulative cases: 9,175. S.C. deaths: 407. June 12: McMaster issues an order saying bowling alleys can open immediately and lifts restrictions on retail establishments. Cumulative cases: 17,170. S.C. deaths: 593. July 2: South Carolina experienced 1,629 new cases and incurred an additional 19 deaths as health officials worried about effects on the pandemic from a holiday weekend. Cumulative cases: 39,587. S.C. deaths: 777. Look at a chart of new confirmed cases and its obvious a surge started in late May soon after Memorial Day as people flocked to beaches, reopened restaurants and other attractions. A relatively weak home-or-work order that lasted just four weeks seemed to keep down big increases in the virus. But once that was gone, numbers started creeping up, and then started to soar. When I first heard that hot-headed vandals had knocked down a statue honoring a Confederate leader or a slave trader, I confess that I felt a twinge of satisfaction. Slavery was a horrible institution, after all, of which some of my own ancestors were victims. But where does the lawlessness, once it is unleashed, end? Sometimes in more tragedy and even farce. In Philadelphia, for example, some self-appointed comrades of the cancel culture threw red paint on the statue of abolitionist Matthias Baldwin on which they also spray-painted murderer and colonizer. They might as well have painted abolitionist. Yes, Baldwin argued for the right of African Americans to vote in Pennsylvania during the states 1837 constitutional convention. He also helped to establish and personally fund a school for black children. Folks, we African Americans have plenty of opponents of our freedom, past and present, to criticize without going after our allies. In Whittier, California, someone smeared BLM, the initials of Black Lives Matter, and (expletive) Slave Owners on a statue of poet John Greenleaf Whittier, after whom the town is named. The bill doesnt call out any companies by name, but it would largely affect Amazon, Walmart and Target, the three companies that employ a chunk of the states 150,000-plus warehouse workers. That number is the highest of any state, according to government data. The cougar was thought to have killed a red kangarooo and two wallaroos, another type of marsupial, at the San Francisco Zoo after the trio was found dead at their outdoor exhibit. The zoo theorized that a local wild carnivore had been responsible and said it was investigating whether that was the mountain lion. The shooting was first reported around 4:45 p.m. Police initially suspected it was an active shooter situation, but later determined that two groups were fighting, Boston NBC affiliate WYCN reported. The girl, however, was not a member of either group and reportedly an innocent bystander. Brandon Dingman, 34, and Joshua Taylor, 25, both of the Wilson Police Department, were responding to a disorderly conduct call when they used their stun guns on Jared Lakey on Independence Day last year, according to the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation. Kenneth Gill, age 65, husband of 47 years of Marsha Gill of Lily, Kentucky went home to be with the Lord on Saturday, June 5, 2021 at his residence. He was the father of Kenneth E. Gill, Jr., of Hamilton, Ohio and Jessica Bowman and husband Terry of London, Kentucky; the brother of Vic Gill News for the Future We cannot think of a recent time during which staying informed is more crucial. Understanding national, state and, most importantly, local events and their impact on you, as a reader and citizen, is vital. Help us expand this coverage, provide you more trusted local news and broaden your understanding of local events and developments through your support of our News for the Future campaign. Learn more at either link below. Thank you for supporting The Keene Sentinel. 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. As unit emblems are worn on uniforms, it was impractical and unnecessary using the old emblem, which had caused misunderstandings from time to time, A Finnish air force spokesman explained to the BBC. President Donald Trump holds a baseball bat while looking at exhibits during a Spirit of America Showcase in the Entrance Hall of the White House on Thursday, July 2, 2020, in Washington, D.C. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images/TNS) Bay Area companies that specialize in backyard cottages are seeing a surge in interest from homeowners who suddenly need to create additional living space for elderly parents or adult children displaced because of the coronavirus. Some families are scrambling to move their parents out of assisted-living facilities, where the risks of contracting the coronavirus are high. Other erstwhile empty-nesters find themselves crowded as their young adult kids return from shuttered college campuses or look to escape small apartments in expensive cities like San Francisco or New York. After California lawmakers embraced a series of statewide bills in 2017 to streamline building backyard cottages also called accessory dwelling units or ADUs the number of new units approved exploded to more than 7,000 in 2018, 50% higher than 2017. For many suburban residents, the backyard homes were seen as a more palatable answer to the housing crisis than large apartment buildings. But in a state that should build millions of homes to keep up with demand, critics said the cottages are a distraction from the need to build multiunit buildings at scale. Abodu, a San Jose firm that makes ADUs, estimates that 10,000 will be permitted in California in 2020, based on a survey of city permits. Adobu has seen orders for modular cottages more than double since the pandemic began, according to CEO John Geary. The units start at about $199,000, and with finishes, most come in at about $220,000. Lea Suzuki / The Chronicle Another manufacturer, Sonderpods of Novato, had 3,000 visits to its website in the 90 days before the shelter-in-place order in March, but has seen that number jump to 25,000 over the last 90 days. Within a few weeks of the health order, the company had signed seven contracts to deliver backyard cottages and was negotiating an additional 92 deals. Sonderpods average about $139,000. We are sprinting to keep up with things, said Edward Stevenson, CEO of Sonderpods. Hank Hernandez, who owns Alameda Tiny Homes, said he has been flooded with inquiries. I get calls all day, every day, he said. The basic request is, I want to put my parents in my backyard as quickly as possible. Before coronavirus, Redwood City resident Jen Parsons was exploring options for her widowed mom, who was looking to downsize from her longtime home. She was exploring nearby retirement communities and possibly buying a bigger house that could accommodate three generations when the pandemic hit. Suddenly there was a pressing need. With two young kids, Parsons didnt feel safe moving to an unfamiliar neighborhood in the middle of a pandemic and was not keen on moving her mom to a senior housing complex. You hear all these stories about retirement communities being on lockdown you cant even take your elderly parent to lunch or dinner, only to doctors appointments, she said. Instead, they decided to purchase an Abodu AD unit, which will arrive in August or September. Having an ADU unit back there for my mom will feel like a safe and peaceful environment at a time when there is a lot of stress because of COVID-19, she said. We can meet her in the patio and have snacks. Lea Suzuki / The Chronicle Faysal Abi, a retired police officer and yoga teacher in Redwood City, also ordered an Abodu. He said that the unit will provide housing for a friend who needs a place to live. A friend fell on hard times, and the Bay Area isnt exactly cheap, he said. I feel like community is something we are lacking, especially since coronavirus. There is more isolation. One way to heal the world right now is through more community and knowing your neighbors and staying connected. I feel this will help accomplish that. Abi also persuaded his mother, Rabina Abi-Chahine, a 62-year-old social worker, to buy her own backyard cottage for her home in Millbrae. Abi-Chahine said she was motivated both by a desire to create some income as she approaches retirement and having a spot for her own father some day. Geary said another client, a Palo Alto woman, had two children away at college suddenly return, joining two other teenagers at home, which immediately made the house feel crowded. Stevenson, the CEO of Sonderpods, said that 70% of customers are older than 55 and 70% are women building units on their kids properties. A lot of it is Baby Boomers selling the family home and moving in into their kids backyards. People are re-evaluating what is important and trying to bring the family closer together, he said. We are not seeing a lot of people who are straight-up looking to make income. Thanks to a series of state and local bills, ADUs can be built relatively quickly with limited bureaucratic hassle in some cities. San Jose, which has been aggressive in encouraging the tiny homes, has seen permitted ADUs jump to 691 last year from 24 in 2014. So far this year, 321 applications have been filed. The Abodu was the first ADU manufacturer preapproved by the city of San Jose which cut multiple inspections and red tape. From the day the permit is pulled, Abodu can have the unit installed within 12 weeks. Hernandez of Alameda Tiny Homes said that while his business has been steady for the past few years, clients motivation has changed. It used to be that most homeowners were looking for extra income. Now its to meet family needs. Alameda Tiny Homes range from 250 to 675 square feet and generally cost $200,000 to $300,000. In the East Bay, they tend to work best in flatland communities such as Alameda, San Leandro and San Lorenzo, rather than the hills, which require expensive foundation work. Its all about, Can I build a place to put Grandma and Grandpa? he said. If you think about the Bay Area housing market, this is the most affordable way to build housing. Every ADU we build means somebody has a nice place to live that, at the end of the day, is more affordable than the other options. J.K. Dineen is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: jdineen@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @SFjkdineen Fireworks, always a hazard and a hallmark of the Fourth of July, sparked fires and caused injuries around the Bay Area late Friday and early Saturday and prompted cautions from fire officials who fear more incidents on an Independence Day without official fireworks displays. Thirteen fires three house fires, eight vegetation fires and two vehicle fires were battled by firefighters in Contra Costa County, according to the countys fire protection district, and at least three were sparked by fireworks, said Tracie Dutter, a district spokeswoman. The causes of the 10 other fires remain under investigation but fireworks could be the cause. It is that time of year, she said. Four of the fires two vehicle fires and two house fires occurred in Concord about a half hour apart around 2 a.m. All were quickly extinguished. San Francisco fire officials reported that a firecracker placed in a drainpipe at 197 Edinburgh St. at 7:40 p.m. Friday shattered three windows, but no one was injured. The incident is under investigation. In Menlo Park, a man was taken to the hospital with cuts and burns to his face and hands after a glass bottle with fireworks in it exploded, according to a news release from the Menlo Park Fire Protection District. In Oakland, fire officials said that illegal fireworks had caused a fire overnight Friday in Tilden Park; it was the sixth fire in the Grizzly Peak area since early June. Fire and law enforcement officials fear more fires and injuries from fireworks. Theyve promised to be out in force to stop the illegal use of explosive devices, and warned people they could start fires, injure themselves or others and terrify pets. Fireworks are illegal in most of the Bay Area. Even the so-called safe and sane fireworks can only be sold or used in 11 cities around the bay. Yet the booms, bangs and pops of illegal fireworks have been common all over the region and across the nation since Memorial Day. Annoyed residents have flooded police and fire officials with complaints. Authorities attribute the burst in illegal fireworks to people tired of being stuck in their houses blowing off a little steam and pyrotechnics as counties and states began to reopen their economies and as communities canceled traditional fireworks displays. Michael Cabanatuan is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: mcabanatuan@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @ctuan A 29-year-old man faces multiple charges and and hate crime enhancements after officials say he unleashed a string of racial slurs and threatened to kill a 12-year-old Black youth this week in San Francisco. Brendon Kruse was arrested on Monday evening following the incident near a Walgreens at OFarrell and Divisadero streets. The encounter began at about 7:40 p.m., as the boy and his friends were headed to the Walgreens to buy snacks, according to a source familiar with the investigation. The friends saw a woman crying nearby, and the boy approached her to ask if she needed help. At that point, officials said, Kruse ran up to the boy and began screaming epithets at him. The victims friends ran away and Kruse kept yelling, the source said, and held the victims bicycle in place as he victim tried to pull it away. Officials alleged that at some point Kruse showed the victim tattoos of two lightening bolts and skulls, and said it meant he kills (n-words). Kruse is alleged to have threatened to kill the young boy. It is unclear whether Kruse knew the woman who was crying. Kruse was arraigned Thursday and charged with criminal threats, child endangerment and false imprisonment with hate crime enhancements. A hate crime against one of us is a crime against all of us, said San Francisco District Attorney Chesa Boudin, whose office is prosecuting the case. We will not tolerate bigotry and hatred in San Francisco. We will hold anyone committing hate crimes to account. Prosecutors asked that Kruse be held in jail, but a judge set bail at $40,000, officials said. His preliminary hearing is scheduled for July 30. If a hate crime is in progress, officials ask that people call 911 immediately. For additional questions, prosecutors urge residents to contact the San Francisco District Attorneys Office hate crime hotline at 415-551-9595. Megan Cassidy is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: megan.cassidy@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @meganrcassidy There is no cure or vaccine yet for COVID-19, but Bay Area doctors now have months of experience treating the illness, using what theyve learned from similar respiratory diseases while absorbing new research and trying out different drugs to help people heal. These front-line health professionals say the shelter-in-place orders put in place back in March bought them valuable time to learn how to treat the disease before seeing more cases. Were writing history as were living it, but we do anchor in what we do know, said Dr. Erica Farrand, a pulmonologist specializing in lung diseases at UCSF. The ongoing developments and treatments and methods will be crucial in coming weeks as COVID-19 hospitalizations spiked in the Bay Area. So far, there have been more people admitted to general care than intensive care units, which could buy doctors time to prepare. And deaths rates also rose, but not as drastically. But those trends could change quickly, and local doctors planned for a surge during the past three months. The sacrifices that people have made gave us time to understand the disease better to manage it without people getting sick and the development of some beginnings to keep it from getting severe, said Dr. Kathleen Clanon, Medical Director for Alameda Countys Health Care Services Agency. Justin Sullivan / Getty Images The Chronicle interviewed doctors at Bay Area hospitals about the five main ways theyre treating coronavirus patients right now: Anti-inflammatory steroids: Patients get seriously sick from COVID-19 when their bodys immune system overreacts while fighting the infection and produces too many proteins called cytokines, creating whats known as a cytokine storm. These inflammatory proteins attack blood vessels around the lungs, filling them with fluid and causing acute respiratory distress syndrome and sometimes death. Doctors are using anti-inflammatory steroids to calm that reaction when a patient is severely sick, requiring oxygen, and declining. One such drug that gained recent global attention is dexamethasone, a commonly available and cheap steroid. An early assesment of dexamethasone use in the U.K. showed that it reduced deaths in patients on ventilators by one-third, and patients on oxygen by one-fifth, according to a press release from the University of Oxford. The official peer-reviewed study hasnt been released yet. Some Bay Area doctors are trying it out with small patient sub-sets, but couldnt yet trace whether the use of the drug was directly responsible for better outcomes. Dr. Greg Warner, infectious disease physician and medical director for infection prevention for NorthBay Healthcare in Solano County, said four out of five patients he treated with the drug are stable and showing signs of minimal improvement. Some Bay Area doctors are also using other anti-inflammatory drugs that calm the bodys immune system, including the steroid prednisone. Steroids can have negative side effects, such as increasing blood sugars. Remdesivir: Remdesivir is an antiviral drug, produced by the Bay Area biotech company Gilead Sciences, that has shown in some early clinical trials to improve outcomes for COVID-19 patients. A federal study in late April shortened recovery time by about four days for hospitalized COVID-19 patients and reduced mortality rate to 8% for the group that took the drug compared to 12% for the placebo group. What the drug does is inhibit a component of the viral replication, which is useful in the earlier stages of the disease, when patients need some extra oxygen but not a lot. The drug is given through an IV over the course of five days. Warner said hes had quite a good string of outcomes using remdesivir on several patients. Every patient, except for one, avoided intubation and was eventually taken off oxygen and discharged home. Were always cautiously optimistic, he said. He added the drug isnt recommended for patients with impaired kidney functions. Supply of the drug is limited and currently being rationed by the federal government. On Wednesday, the U.S. government bought much of the worlds supply of the drug to treat Americans, a move that global health experts criticized. Bay Area doctors interviewed said they have enough of the drug to give to patients currently in need, but they wonder how long that will last if cases keep climbing. Some doubted widespread use before more study. No clinician is hanging their hat on those drugs. We are strongly encouraging people to engage in clinical trials, Farrand said. Brett Coomer / Hearst Newspapers Plasma: An age-old treatment dating back to the last global pandemic the Spanish influenza of 1918 is giving sick patients the plasma of those who have already recovered to pass on antibodies. Doctors in the Bay Area are using this therapy for COVID-19 but said theres not much study yet about about how effective it is, since they cant trace the patients successful outcome exclusively to the use of plasma. Its also not yet known whether someone is immune to the virus if theyve had it already and could confer immunity to other patients. The good news is that there are no known negative side effects to plasma therapy. Proning: A common treatment for respiratory diseases proving effective to tackle COVID-19 is this therapy. It involves turning a patient to a different position, usually their stomach, in order to get more air and blood flow to their lungs. If patients are alert, they can turn, or prone, themselves every couple hours. If theyre ventilated, it could take a team of up to half a dozen health care workers 20 minutes to carefully prone a patient, who might then stay on their stomach for up to 24 hours. Proning doesnt treat the virus, but supports the bodys functions while the immune system fights the infection, and has been proven to decrease deaths in other respiratory diseases. Oxygen: When a patient suspected of having COVID-19 comes into the emergency room, doctors assess how well they can breathe by watching their neck muscles to see how much effort theyre extending and whether they can complete sentences to carry on a conversation. They also conduct a scan or chest x-ray and measure their arterial blood gas how much carbon dioxide and oxygen is in their blood by drawing blood from an artery at their wrist. Doctors want a patients oxygen level to be at least 93%. If its less, the person may need to be admitted to intensive care and given a high flow of air through a tube against their nose. Doctors start off with half oxygen and half ambient air and increase the concentration of oxygen up to 100% if necessary. Doctors monitor a patients oxygen levels compared to their effort to breathe to see whether they need to intubate the patient. Intubation involves putting a tube through the patients nose or mouth into their windpipe and connecting the tube to a mechanical ventilator that breathes for them. While patients are intubated, theyre given heady sedatives and painkillers. Doctors dont want to intubate too late when patients are already too sick, but also not too early because it can scar the lungs. Bay Area doctors said theyve started intubating people later than they were at the start of the pandemic, which caused poor outcomes and more long-term damage. Patients may be on ventilators for weeks and still recover. But if a patient has been on a ventilator for upwards of a month without a good trajectory, doctors may build on established relationships of trust with loved ones to discuss the patients chances of survival and recovery. If they do survive, they may be left with long-term consequences of the illness, said Dr. Antonio Gomez, director of critical care at San Francisco General Hospital and co-director of the medical intensive care unit. We try to factor in will they not just live or die, but take into consideration if they do survive and leave the hospital, what would their life be like? Jessica Christian / The Chronicle Ultimately, the decision is up to the patient and loved ones whether to continue treatment. At San Francisco General, around one in five people in intensive care for COVID-19 died. COVID is really hard on people, said Dr. Heng Duong, an ICU physician at Santa Clara Valley Medical Center. Its tough as a human being and a physician. Although doctors are building on what they already know to treat COVID-19, many unknowns remain. Theyre weighing the risks of rapidly evolving treatment and therapies on a daily basis. Its an unprecedented time to be using options without knowing fully their efficacy, Warner said. Its a very uneasy time for infectious disease doctors. Mallory Moench is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: mallory.moench@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @mallorymoench Three people so far have been arrested and another 50 are under investigation after police in Italy said they busted a child pornography ring that relied on an instant messaging platform to trade illicit materials, including photos of newborns. Demir reportedly testified he was asked to come in later in the day, but turned away from three of the Istanbul consulates entrances by at least a handful of men who asked him to fire up an oven for them, which he did. Today were celebrating, if not with our usual enthusiasm, a separation. Our national birthday party commemorates not the Constitution that began to truly unite the states while pointedly securing their rights for good and ill but rather the colonies Declaration of Independence from a distant monarchy. Its one reason for Americans attachment to freedom as our first founding principle. Stripping our past and present down to abstractions, however, renders both unrecognizable. Our founding documents secured hard-won, world-altering freedoms for some, enshrined the enslavement of others and sowed the seeds of secession and oppression from which the struggle to emerge continues into our 245th year. The declaration ushered in eight years of war more than a decade counting the second conflict with Britain to which the newly declared states did not enter as favorites to free themselves from a world-spanning empire. Considering all that followed, however, from the Constitutional Convention through the Civil War and civil rights to todays deep divides along racial, regional and political lines, uniting the states in freedom has been a far longer and costlier struggle than the one that freed them from their former rulers. Our fractious response to the current crisis, the pandemic that has cost nearly 130,000 American lives over five months, has persisted to the point of dampening these Fourth of July festivities for those families who are fortunate enough to be celebrating at all. Instead of summoning us to unite in a national struggle against a common threat, President Trump and too many of his fellow politicians have persisted in inflaming the divisions among states and people. Fourth of July Opinion A very different Independence Day for the U.S. Some of the American freedoms he and others champion are not so much fundamental to our existence as a nation as they are antithetical. Were declaring ourselves free from reality and responsibility, free to refuse any sacrifice or inconvenience, free to dispute or outright ignore science and facts. Its difficult to conjure a more perverse appropriation of the founding struggle than the cries from the president and others to liberate states from temporary closures that gave thousands the freedom to continue living. The pretense that this misbegotten resistance had anything to do with protecting livelihoods falls apart in light of the protests against the small discomfort of donning masks, which havent hurt anyones business; on the contrary, they have created a whole new category of consumer goods. Amid division over the freedom to sicken others by going unmasked or sicken ourselves with false cures, the mass protests against police violence, and the broad public support for them despite Trumps worst efforts, point to a belated but hopeful uniting behind fully extending the freedoms the founders sought to more Americans. That is worth celebrating in the spirit, if not the physical fact, of coming together. 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. March and April were fraught with uncertainty for Matthew Hengst. He had anticipated starting out on the Pacific Crest Trail, the 2,650-mile route that stretches from Mexico to Canada, but the coronavirus pandemic and Californias shelter-in-place mandates threatened his plans. Everything was going crazy, and I was trying to decide, is this the right thing to do or not? said Hengst, 39, of Southern California. I needed to feel like I wasnt going to be doing harm to people, being out there. He took a short backpacking trip into the wilderness in April, and came out with clear eyes, ready to take on the trail. I thought, its much saner in the backcountry right now than the frontcountry, Hengst said. The coronavirus outbreak and the ensuing shutdown orders issued in March coincided with the start of hiking season on the 2,653-mile Pacific Crest Trail, which draws thousands of long-distance hikers from around the world each year. Most hikers start at the Mexico border in the small town of Campo (San Diego County) in March or April, then head north, setting out on a six-month trek through premier mountain wilderness up to Canada. It can be a life-changing experience, and hikers often quit jobs, sell homes or break off relationships in preparation. Matthew Hengst This years circumstances have cast a pall over the PCT. Hikers have been advised to stay off the trail by the Pacific Crest Trail Association, which issues permits to thru-hikers months in advance, and many have bailed out. But a hard-core contingent has pressed on, raising an ethical question of whether pursuing a dream trip is worth the potential risk of spreading a deadly virus. To hike or not to hike, that is the question, one young woman posted to Instagram in May. I really really REALLY want to but Im not sure its the socially and morally responsible thing to do. The PCTs profile and use have skyrocketed in the past eight years, since the release of Wild, a best-selling memoir about hiking the route, as well as its film adaptation. Its impossible to ascertain the exact number of hikers on the trail at any given time, let alone accurate annual estimates, as the route passes through vast stretches of parks and open spaces and is accessible to day hikers via countless smaller, feeder trails along the way. The trail associations best guess is that hundreds of thousands or more than a million people use the PCT each year, according to its website. Thru-hikers typically number in the low thousands, but often clump together on the trail and at campsites, making localized viral outbreaks a practical concern. The wilderness aspect doesnt detract from thru-hikings social nature. This year, however, judging by trail logbooks, there are only a couple hundred thru-hikers on the trail, Wilkinson said. Many thru-hikers use social media to diary their journeys. In a typical year, their entries are met with words of encouragement and support from fans and followers. This season, however, the debate about whether a long-distance hike is morally defensible during a global health crisis has swept across Facebook and Instagram, driving a wedge in the trail community. At its worst, the online discussion has turned hostile, mirroring the polarized American landscape, where behavior surrounding the pandemic has morphed into a crude means of political expression. During the first month of her hike, Rebecca Barwin got an unsettling amount of hate on social media. It got to the point where I was delaying posts by a week or so because I didn't want anyone to know where we were, said Barwin, a 26-year-old thru-hiker from Michigan. For a short period in spring, moderators of the main Facebook group for PCT thru-hikers, which has about 9,000 members, stopped screening content and the debate turned ugly. Several group members who voiced support for hikers received death threats. It got nasty, Hengst said. Many view hiking a remote trail for several months as a safe if not ideal escape from the pandemic. Others point out that thru-hikers constantly stop to resupply along the route grocery shopping, sleeping at hostels and eating in restaurants for a day or two at a time and could serve as harbingers of disease, seeding the coronavirus in isolated mountain towns across California, Oregon and Washington that may be particularly vulnerable to a health emergency. I cant think of a better vehicle of a virus seeking a new host than a mob of hikers dropping down into towns along this long trail, said Scott Wilkinson, Pacific Crest Trail Association director of communications and marketing. It's a recipe for expanding the footprint of the virus. Early in the pandemic, some trail towns put out messaging begging hikers to steer clear. Residents of Idyllwild (Riverside County), for example, a popular PCT stopover in the San Jacinto Mountains, organized an email campaign that flooded the trail association with pleas to bar hikers from entering their town. But the association has no direct means of enforcing order on the trail. The recent discovery that young, asymptomatic people have emerged as vectors of COVID-19 underscores the threat, Wilkinson said, since thru-hikers on the PCT skew younger. However, the trail association hasnt received reports of the coronavirus affecting trail towns. The trail association is recommending that thru-hikers wear masks and stay as clean as possible when encountering other hikers or venturing into town. Hikers this year must weigh the level of acceptable risk to themselves against the perceived risk of exposing others to coronavirus. Theyre balancing the equation in different ways. Hengst, for example, lives two hours from the start of the PCT and arranged to have his girlfriend drop off supplies for him during his first month on the trail so as to avoid venturing into mountain towns. When he does hop a shuttle into town, he pulls his Buff cloth headgear over his face and tries to socially distance. As Californias counties reopen on different timelines and coronavirus cases spike and settle, the risk to travelers can be difficult to gauge, especially for thru-hikers in the wilderness, where cell reception is spotty. Barwin and her boyfriend, for example, started their hike in March, days before the coronavirus took root in California. They learned about the outbreak days later, when they emerged from the woods and ventured into town. By then, abandoning the trail would have posed a greater risk than sticking with it, Barwin said. Matthew Hengst Getting home would have meant traveling across the country, so we felt we should stay out. We didnt want to bring that (risk) home to our families, Barwin said. Were just trying to stay away and let it run its course. The coronavirus debate has permeated the broader trail community. Similar issues have cropped up on the Appalachian Trail, where some hikers have continued in spite of the risks and criticisms. The John Muir Trail, which runs between Mount Whitney and Yosemite Valley and overlaps with a 170-mile stretch of the PCT, has become a lightning rod of controversy among local hikers. We have people either shaming hikers who are going out or calling the people who decided not to go sheeple and liberals and other insulting terms, said John Curran Ladd, 74, of San Francisco, who moderates some of the key John Muir Trail social media groups, which have tens of thousands of members. Ladd has had to mute comments and remove posts to keep the dialogue civil. After he pulled a post encouraging people to hike the John Muir Trail without a permit, the original poster sent him a death threat. He told me if he saw me on the trail hed bash my head in, Ladd said. I didnt sleep well that night. On the trail, encounters can also be tense, Hengst said. You can feel the fear coming off the day hikers when they pass by you, he said. They put their arms out and look at you like youre diseased. Ironically, he said, thru-hikers who have been living in nature are probably less at risk than hikers coming out from civilization. Hengst recently emerged from a nine-day hiking stint with no cell reception and checked his phone for notes from friends and news updates about the coronavirus. Every time I hear from a friend, Hengst said, they tell me, you picked a great time to do the PCT. You should stay out there. Gregory Thomas is The San Francisco Chronicles editor of lifestyle and outdoors. Email: gthomas@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @GregRThomas A worker at a McDonald's in Oakland has filed a complaint alleging assault and negligence of management following a violent incident with a customer who allegedly refused to wear a mask amid the coronavirus pandemic. The complaint from 19-year-old Maria Resendiz was filed with the California Occupational Safety and Health Administration on June 29, and describes a June 27 incident at the fast food chain's San Pablo Avenue location. Resendiz says that after informing the male customer he needed to wear a mask to pick up his food, he lashed out and used "racially-charged language," stating, "I don't need no Mexican b to tell me what to do." The man then allegedly moved his car away from the drive-through, approached Resendiz at the window on foot and continued to verbally assail her while banging on the window which has a broken lock. When Resendiz took her hand off the window to call the police, she says the assailant then opened it and demanded someone give him the worker's full name. Resendiz says that her manager wrote her full name on a piece of paper and was going to give it to the man "so he would leave," and when Resendiz objected, asking, "What if he kills me?" the manager was silent. Resendiz says that she walked closer to the window, and the man grabbed her and slapped her. She says she was unable to move backwards because the manager was "blocking the space behind" her. "I threw a glass of water at him to get him to let go of my arm, that's where some of the bruises are now, so he would leave, but that didn't work, so I tried to push his hand away," Resendiz writes in the complaint. "[The manager] was also grabbing my arms, I think she was trying to prevent me from defending myself, and because she was standing there I couldn't get more space away from the attacker, and the man was able to hit me repeatedly, the attacker had the advantage while [the manager] had my hand restrained." Resendiz alleges the man also grabbed her neck during the attack, and only stopped when the passenger in his car came to the window and eventually convinced him to leave. After the man left, Resendiz called the police, who were presented with a surveillance video of the incident. Resendiz was taken to a hospital, and even though she had no broken bones in her hands, one arm is now in a cast. In a statement to news outlets, the location's owner Michael Smith said, "On Saturday, we learned of an altercation at our San Pablo Avenue restaurant,. The supervisor on duty called local law enforcement immediately to report the incident. Officers were welcomed into the restaurant to review security footage and are still investigating this matter." In the complaint, Resendiz says she has "experienced more than 10 attacks" in her two years working at McDonalds, some of which include "drunk customers throwing a cup containing feces, vomit and blood" at her, and "customers making death threats because they were not satisfied with their orders." She says management has made her work in dirty clothes and has not been receptive to the needs of its workers. "We have never had training on how to deal with these customers," she writes. "Rather than only paying attention to whether there are enough fries, Michael needs to focus on the safety of his workers ... I feel like I can't tell Michael this because he will fire me." Eric Ting is an SFGATE digital reporter. Email: eric.ting@sfgate.com | Twitter:@_ericting Related Egyptian activist Ahmed Douma sentenced to 15 years on 2011 violence charges Egypts Court of Cassation upheld on Saturday a 2019 criminal court sentence to send activist Ahmed Douma to 15 years in prison in addition to fining him EGP 6 million in a retrial on violence charges dating back to 2011. Douma was accused of possessing bladed weapons and Molotov cocktails, assaulting personnel from the Armed Forces and the police, torching the Scientific Complex in downtown Cairo and damaging other government buildings, including that of the cabinet and parliament, during the 2011 uprising Douma also received three-year sentences in two other cases. The first sentence, which has already been served, was for breaking the country's protest law in January 2015, and the second was for insulting the judiciary in 2014. In the second case, his appeal was accepted and the conviction was overturned. Douma is a rights activist who protested against the regime of toppled president Hosni Mubarak, the military council in 2011-2012, as well as ousted Islamist president Mohamed Morsi. Short link: The soldiers drifted off course and landed in some trees, Stars and Stripes reported. The firefighter, 62, was part of the German emergency response and was injured when a paratrooper fell out of one of the trees. At the foot of Mount Rushmore's granite monument to his presidential forebears, President Donald Trump on Friday delivered a dark speech ahead of Independence Day in which he sought to exploit the nation's racial and social divisions and rally supporters around a law-and-order message that has become a cornerstone of his reelection campaign. Trump focused most of his address before a crowd of several thousand in South Dakota on what he described as a grave threat to the nation from liberals and angry mobs - a "left-wing cultural revolution" that aims to rewrite U.S. history and erase its heritage amid the racial justice protests that have roiled cities for weeks. Praising presidents George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln and Theodore Roosevelt, the men carved into the cliffs behind him, Trump declared that their legacies are under assault from protesters who have defaced and torn down statues. As he has done with increasing fervor in recent weeks, the 45th president denounced not just rioters and vandals but also much of the social movement that propelled the mass demonstrations in response to the killings of black men at the hands of police. "The radical ideology attacking our country advances under the banner of social justice. But in truth, it would demolish both justice and society," Trump said. "It would transform justice into an instrument of division and vengeance and turn our free society into a place of repression, domination and exclusion. They want to silence us, but we will not be silenced." The president, who recently signed an executive order aimed at punishing those who destroy monuments on federal property, referred to "violent mayhem" in the streets, even though many of the mass demonstrations have been largely peaceful. He warned that "angry mobs" were unleashing "a wave of violent crime" and using "cancel culture" as a weapon to intimidate and dominate political opponents - in what he compared to "totalitarianism." And Trump asserted that "children are taught in school to hate their own country and to believe the men and women who built it were not heroes but villains." "This radical view of American history is a web of lies," he added. "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." His address was capped by a fireworks display above the federal monument in what White House officials have touted as a weekend of celebrations around Independence Day that will continue with the president presiding over another fireworks event in Washington on Saturday. Though the Mount Rushmore trip was billed as an official White House event, the president made an overt appeal to his partisan supporters in attacking liberals. His appeal came as he has faced tumbling public approval over his handling of the mass protests and the deadly coronavirus pandemic. Yet Trump's efforts to rejuvenate his struggling reelection campaign with events in front of large crowds outside Washington was set back for a second time after Kimberly Guilfoyle, a Trump campaign fundraiser who is dating his son Donald Trump Jr., tested positive for covid-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, ahead of the president's arrival in South Dakota. Guilfoyle had not arrived at the venue and she was not in contact with Trump, and Don Jr. tested negative, said a person familiar with the situation who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss their personal situation. A campaign aide said Guilfoyle was asymptomatic, but she and Don Jr. were both isolated from others and intend to cancel upcoming public events. The two are planning to drive back to Washington to avoid contact with others, said the person who spoke on the condition of anonymity. The New York Times first reported Guilfoyle's positive test Friday evening. In his remarks, Trump, whose son Eric and daughter Tiffany were in attendance, did not mention Guilfoyle and he largely avoided any mention of the coronavirus, other than thanking doctors and first-responders for their efforts to contain the outbreaks. Guilfoyle's diagnosis came two weeks after Trump's campaign rally in Tulsa - the first after a months-long hiatus amid widespread coronavirus shutdowns - was marred when several campaign staffers and Secret Service agents contracted covid-19. Trump has sought to minimize the threat from the pandemic as he pushes for much of the nation to reopen businesses, touting this week a better-than-expected jobs report from mid-June. Yet experts have warned that spikes in the coronavirus in many states, which have contributed to new cases in the United States topping a record 50,000 per day this week, is likely to dampen the economic recovery. Trump, who has faced criticism from lawmakers in both parties for his refusal to wear a mask in public and reluctance to encourage Americans to do so, maintains that the surge of new cases is a result of increased testing capacity and that the virus will soon "disappear." Trump arrived in South Dakota just as sheriffs and the National Guard cleared dozens of demonstrators blocking a key artery leading to the site. The mostly-Native American demonstrators, protesting the taking of land from the Lakota people, gathered hours before Air Force One arrived in the state. They chanted, held signs and sang songs as members of the National Guard and local authorities dispersed the crowd using pepper spray, according to the Associated Press. Police also towed three vans that blocked the road. The tribes had warned that Trump's push for fireworks, which have been banned at the site for more than a decade, could result in wildfires and contaminate the water in the surrounding Black Hills. And they have voiced serious concern that a massive gathering without any safety restrictions could cause a coronavirus outbreak in their communities. Ahead of Trump's visit to the monument, the Mississippi flag was removed from an area of the site where all 50 states' and U.S. territories' flags fly. Mississippi's legislature voted this week to remove the Confederate symbol from its flag and thus the state's flag pole will be empty. In his speech, Trump vowed that Mount Rushmore "will never be desecrated. These heroes will never be disgraced. Their legacy will never ever be destroyed. Their achievements will never be forgotten. And this monument will stand forever as an eternal tribute to our forefathers and our freedom." The crowd stood and applauded, while chanting, "USA! USA!" That referendum also allowed Putin to stay in power until 2036, but the Kremlin reportedly centered its propaganda around the anti-LGBT measures. The U.S. Embassy started flying the rainbow flag on the first day of voting. Thus the ringing phrase, 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, had no force. (Women werent created equal either, another story.) The interim police chief of Aurora, Colo., on Friday fired two officers who she said were in a photo reenacting the violent arrest of a 23-year-old black man, Elijah McClain, who died last summer after he was placed in a chokehold and injected with a heavy sedative by paramedics. Interim Chief Vanessa Wilson also terminated a third officer, Jason Rosenblatt, who received the photo and participated in McClain's arrest. Wilson said Rosenblatt replied, "ha ha," to the image, taken last October near a memorial to McClain. McClain's death has been a focus of the street protests in Colorado that erupted in response to the killing of George Floyd. The Aurora officers have not been charged. Wilson said at a news conference in the Denver suburb that she fired Officers Erica Marrero and Kyle Dittrich for posing with another officer, Jaron Jones, who resigned earlier in the week. She described the photos as a "despicable act" and an embarrassment to law enforcement. "There are cops that have integrity. They understand duty and they understand honor," Wilson said. "These four don't get it," she said, of the three officers in the photo and Rosenblatt. "And if any officer in this police department disagrees and thinks this was acceptable, I will gladly accept your resignation today," Wilson added. The renewed attention on the case in the wake of Floyd's death has prompted Colorado Gov. Jared Polis, a Democrat, to appoint a special prosecutor to reopen the investigation into McClain's killing. The U.S. Department of Justice announced this week it would review the case as a possible civil rights violation. Rosenblatt and two other Aurora officers responded last August to a 911 call reporting a suspicious person, then tackled McClain when he did not comply with orders. He may have been listening to music at the time, and it's unclear whether he heard the officers' commands. McClain, who was unarmed, was handcuffed and placed in a carotid hold, a dangerous restraint technique that cuts off blood to the brain to render a person unconscious. When paramedics arrived, they injected McClain with ketamine, a powerful sedative. Body-camera footage of the arrest recorded him pleading and complaining that he could not breathe. After suffering a heart attack en route to the hospital, McClain died several days later. In response to the firings, the Aurora Police Association issued a statement criticizing the investigation as a "rush to judgment" and calling Wilson "unfit." "All of the officers involved were ordered to give interviews on very short notice, without proper preparation, outside of their normal work hours, had their phones confiscated and downloaded, and then were given an abbreviated and defective file review process," the union's statement said, alleging the steps were "violations of the [officers'] due process rights." Wilson told reporters she met with McClain's mother Friday morning to show her the photos of the officers, so she could see them before their public release. "This is her son," Wilson said. "This is her son being mocked." After all, what would the consequences for the planet be if our response to every crisis were to further retreat from worldwide partnership? It would only make us less prepared for the next great crisis, whether an unpredictable pandemic or the predictable effects of climate change. The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) of the United Nations has a clear message: We must restore confidence in tourism, valuable for the solidarity it encourages and, of course, in and of itself. WASHINGTON - The federal government on Thursday released a framework for managing the coronavirus in the aviation sector - a list of recommendations it hopes will be embraced by the industry and offer Americans the assurance they need to start flying again. The 43-page report, dubbed "Runway to Recovery," was developed over the past several months with input from officials in the departments of Transportation, Health and Human Services, and Homeland Security. "A safe, secure, efficient, and resilient air transportation system that addresses the threat of COVID-19 is critical to reducing the public health risk and supporting the United States' critical infrastructure needs," the report states. "Government, aviation, and public health leaders must work together to meaningfully reduce the public health risk and restore passenger, aviation workforce, including crew, and public confidence in air travel." The blueprint echoes much of the advice outlined in reports by other aviation groups, including the International Civil Aviation Organization, a United Nations body that released its recommendations last month. It encourages measures that have become familiar to Americans who have endured months of shutdowns as officials struggle to contain the spread of the virus: social distancing, frequent hand-washing and the use of face coverings, particularly in crowded settings. But it also offers recommendations specific to the industry, calling on airlines and airports to do as much as possible to limit person-to-person contact. For airlines, for example, it recommends limiting the number of seats sold on flights, changes to the way travelers board and deplane, and the use of biometrics for check-in. Airports should limit public access, allow only passengers and support workers in baggage claim areas and increase the number and frequency of shuttle vehicles to better promote social distancing, it says. "This document provides clear guidance to airlines and airports to protect the traveling public, and we encourage people to pay attention to it," Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao said. The report is already drawing criticism from those who say if offers only recommendations, not requirements, and has no enforcement component. "This strategy simply lacks teeth," said Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee. "It contains only recommendations for airports and airlines, when mandates would be more effective in some cases. It seems the Trump administration has again tried to sidestep political controversy by avoiding clearly needed mandates, such as requirements for masks on airplanes and in airports." In a joint statement, Sens. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., and Edward Markey, D-Mass., welcomed the report but also said it falls short of what is needed to protect travelers. "Sadly, the Administration's guidance is still just that - unenforceable and woefully inadequate recommendations," the senators said. "We need federally enforceable mandates to keep the traveling public safe. Moreover, this document merely scratches the surface of the many complex questions that we need to address to ensure safe and healthy air travel." Democrats are among those who have who have voiced concern that the lack of a single strategy for managing the pandemic in the nation's aviation sector has led to a patchwork of responses that threaten to undermine recommendations from public health officials. At a Senate hearing this week, Robert Redfield, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, expressed concern about a recent announcement by American Airlines that it would no longer limit the number of seats sold on its flights. "We don't think it sends the right message," Redfield said, adding that his agency was looking into the matter. "Again, I think it's really important that individuals, whether it be on a bus, a train or a plane, are social distancing to a degree that's feasible." Groups representing front-line workers, including flight attendants and pilots, also remain concerned and maintain the only way to win back public confidence is with specific rules that can be enforced. "The need for an enforceable federal mandate to ensure compliance with CDC guidelines is now abundantly clear - not only for health and safety reasons, but to regain the confidence of the flying public and power a strong economic recovery for our industry," the Air Line Pilots Association said in a statement. "Once again, the federal government has failed to include such a mandate." The document stresses the importance of contact tracing, saying that airlines and federal health officials must work together to develop a system for collecting passenger information. However, efforts to implement such a system have stalled, despite the February publication of an interim rule requiring airlines to collect the necessary information for travelers on international flights. "The U.S. Government is currently working with airlines to identify appropriate options for meeting this requirement on both an interim and long-term basis," the report notes. The report does not recommend the use of temperature screening for travelers, instead leaving it to airports and airlines to decide whether they want to deploy such technology. If it is used, the document warns that the scans should not be relied upon as "a stand-alone public health measure," as scans are unable to catch asymptomatic or pre-symptomatic individuals. It also does not recommend rapid coronavirus testing, citing issues with the availability and reliability of such tests. "As we reopen the economy under President [Donald] Trump's Opening Up America Again guidelines, we are taking aggressive measures to protect the American people from COVID-19 as they reengage their travel plans," acting Secretary of Homeland Security Chad Wolf said in a statement. "Air travel is critical to our economic recovery and DHS has been working closely with our partners in the aviation industry throughout every step of our response to this pandemic to ensure that we are facilitating travel in a safe and secure manner." Despite the criticism, the plan has drawn praise from some industry groups. "America's airports are committed to ensuring the health, safety, and security of the traveling public and airport workers," said Kevin Burke, president and chief executive of Airports Council International-North America. "We are grateful for our ongoing collaboration with federal aviation officials as commercial passenger traffic starts to increase. The guidance included in 'Runway to Recovery' represents another important step in that conversation." Another July 4th, that of 1863, provides an alternative model of the promise of a free and independent citizenry in this country. On that date, Confederate Gen. John C. Pemberton surrendered the city of Vicksburg, Miss., to Union Gen. Ulysses S. Grant, marking a decisive turning point in the Civil War. With the Union occupation of Vicksburg, a remarkable experiment in black freedom and independence was begun. On the plantations formerly owned by Confederate President Jefferson Davis and his brother Joseph, known locally as Davis Bend, Union officials in partnership with thousands of Black people, put in place a form of freedom for formerly enslaved people that served as a model for repairing the horrors of slavery throughout the South. Davis Bend was confiscated and allocated to the former Davis slaves to begin new free lives independent from white people. East Bay cities concerned about the possible spread of novel coronavirus are taking precautions to prevent large crowds from gathering at the shoreline on the Fourth of July. Fireworks shows in Berkeley and San Francisco that have traditionally drawn spectators to the East Bay waterfront have been canceled this year, but officials fear that people may gather nonetheless. Berkeley is limiting access to its marina to pedestrians and bicyclists on Saturday, but motor vehicles will not be permitted from 4 p.m. to midnight, the city said in an announcement. "We ask everyone to avoid gathering at the waterfront except with members of their household or social bubble," the city said. "Parks and paths will be open, but picnic areas and playgrounds remain closed." Guests and employees at the DoubleTree Hotel, and Marina berthers and slipholders who need to access their boats, will be permitted to enter using vehicles. Vehicles already at the waterfront will be allowed to exit. Albany said it will close Buchanan Street west of Interstate Highway 80 to all vehicle traffic from 5:30 to 10 p.m. Sunday. Hillside Avenue and Taft Street in Albany will also be closed, with only residents of those blocks allowed to enter. Emeryville said it doesn't anticipate closing Powell Street and Frontage Road to motor traffic on the Fourth of July, but said police will monitor conditions. "If heavier than expected traffic creates a public safety hazard, the Police Department may temporarily close westbound Powell Street at the Watergate Towers" at 2200 Powell St., the city said. "In the event of a temporary road closure, residents of Watergate and the marina, as well as local business traffic, will be allowed to proceed through." Copyright 2020 by Bay City News, Inc. Republication, Rebroadcast or any other Reuse without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited. SAN FRANCISCO (BCN) The American Red Cross is assisting 15 people displaced by a two-alarm fire that burned two buildings Friday afternoon in the Mission District, the San Francisco Fire Department said. The fire department responded about 2:20 p.m. to a blaze at the Old Jerusalem Restaurant at 2966 Mission St. The fire in the one-story building was extinguished before 3 p.m. but an adjacent building at 2970 Mission St. had smoke in the walls of the attic and crews had to enter to find the source. ALSO: Mountain lion with tracker fatally hit Friday morning on Hwy 1 There were no injuries reported and the cause is under investigation. Copyright 2020 by Bay City News, Inc. Republication, Rebroadcast or any other Reuse without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited. San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom's re-election campaign manager resigned Wednesday after confronting the mayor about an affair Newsom had with his wife while she worked in the mayor's office, City Hall sources said. Alex Tourk, 39, who served as Newsom's deputy chief of staff before becoming his campaign manager in September, confronted the mayor after his wife, Ruby Rippey-Tourk, told him of the affair as part of a rehabilitation program she had been undergoing for substance abuse, said the sources, who had direct knowledge of Wednesday's meeting. Rippey-Tourk, 34, was the mayor's appointments secretary from the start of his administration in 2004 until last spring. She told her husband that the affair with Newsom was short-lived and happened about a year and a half ago, while the mayor was undergoing a divorce from his then-wife, Fox News host Kimberly Guilfoyle, said the sources, who spoke on condition they not be identified. Alex Tourk "confronted the mayor on the issue this afternoon, expressed his feeling about the situation in an honest and pointed way, and resigned," said one source close to Tourk and his wife. Tourk's resignation was announced in a statement that Newsom's campaign released Wednesday. The statement quoted Tourk as saying only that he was resigning for personal reasons. The statement quoted Newsom, 39, as saying he had accepted the resignation with great sadness. Asked at City Hall Wednesday evening about Tourk's resignation and the affair, Newsom said, "I'm not making any public comment. I'm just not." Tourk and Newsom have been friends for years and frequently socialized outside work. Tourk did not return phone calls Wednesday seeking comment. Rippey-Tourk, who now hosts a weekly radio show for Benefit Magazine in San Francisco, also did not return calls. A family friend who asked not to be identified said she would have no comment. Reports of the affair come at a particularly sensitive time for Newsom, who is embarking on his campaign for re-election in November. The mayor's personal life has come under scrutiny in recent weeks. In December, several witnesses at a late Friday night vigil for a mortally wounded police officer at San Francisco General Hospital reported that Newsom appeared to have been drinking when he arrived. A spokesman for the mayor declined to comment on those reports. The controversy involving Tourk left Newsom's inner circle reeling. "I feel really bad for Alex," one adviser said. "He is blameless in this." After meeting with Tourk, Newsom maintained his public schedule, which included attending a reception for city commissioners and officiating over a marriage in his office. Privately, however, aides said the mayor was in shock over the meeting. Polls have consistently shown Newsom's approval ratings among city voters topping 70 percent, unusually high for a politician in his fourth year in office. Although his relations with the Board of Supervisors have deteriorated over the past year, no competing candidate has emerged for this year's mayoral race. One person who says he intends to challenge Newsom, former Supervisor Tony Hall, said Wednesday night that he hoped news of the affair was not true. But if it is, he said, "the city deserves much better than what it's getting." Eric Jaye, Newsom's chief political adviser, said he was confident that any political damage to the mayor would soon dissipate. "There will be a minor amount of turbulence, but as long as the mayor continues to do his job, it will have no lasting effect," Jaye said. "Ultimately, politicians are judged by how they do their jobs as elected officials." Newsom's predecessor as mayor, Willie Brown, said that "any time you have a scandal associated with sex and relationship, there is no way to predict how the public will react. In my own experience, you just have to be prepared to ride with the storm. You can't shut it down and stop it." Newsom's chief City Hall rival, Supervisor Chris Daly, refused to speculate about how publicity over the affair would affect the mayor's career. "I think there's a lot of time to figure that out," he said. "Right now is not the time. I really think the day this hits the papers, the focus should be on the actual human lives involved." Other critics of Newsom said the news spoke volumes about the mayor. Jack Davis, a political consultant who helped elect Brown and former Mayor Frank Jordan and was looking for someone to challenge Newsom, said, "There is nothing new in that story that I haven't been aware of for the last six months. Now that it's public and out there, Gavin ought to resign and seek psychiatric help." Tourk worked as an aide to Brown before joining Newsom's first mayoral campaign in 2003. The next year, he became Newsom's deputy chief of staff and served as one of the mayor's key strategists. He was instrumental in turning Newsom's idea of inviting homeless people to one location and providing them with myriad services into a reality. Almost 15,000 people have since received services during more than a dozen Project Homeless Connect days in San Francisco. In his resignation statement, Tourk said, "I am honored that, as deputy chief of staff, I helped create and implement key policy initiatives such as the Homeless Connect program that is now a national model for its compassionate and comprehensive approach to helping the homeless." Newsom's statement said Tourk "was instrumental in my first election, organizing a strong early re-election effort, and shaping successful policy during his service with the city and county of San Francisco. We all wish Alex well and know he will be successful in all of his future endeavors." While running Newsom's re-election campaign, Tourk helped the mayor raise about $620,000 from supporters around the country. He has been paid about $50,000, Jaye said. "The campaign will move forward and will not be distracted by this," Jaye said. Tom Williams/AP In a potential sign that California Sen. Kamala Harris may be inching closer to being named former Vice President Joe Biden's running mate, her Wikipedia page has seen a flurry of activity in recent days. Left-wing website The Intercept notes that Harris page has been edited 408 times in the last three weeks, with most edits coming from one person. The article cited two similar incidents, including one story from The Atlantic in 2016 noting that Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine's Wikipedia page was heavily edited in the weeks leading up to his selection as former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's running mate, and another from The Washington Post in 2008 about Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin's Wikipedia page in the hours before being named Arizona Sen. John McCain's number two. In 1934, Langston Hughes - one of the most prominent Black writers of the 1900s - published a story about lynching called "Home." It was an accidental prophecy for his own life. In "Home," Roy Williams, an elegant Black musician, returns home to Missouri after touring the world. The sight of a urbane Black man infuriates local white people. When Roy speaks with a white woman, a mob beats him to death and hangs him naked from a tree. That same year, after touring the world, Hughes settled in Carmel to write the collection that would feature "Home," and the same thing almost happened to him. Upset by his local activism, armed vigilantes told Hughes he should leave if he knew what was good for him, according to biographer Arnold Rampersad and Hughes' own unpublished writing. Black men were lynched for nothing, yet here he was saying something. He hid his manuscripts, fled, then buried the secret of Carmel forever. Hughes was a vocal critic of racism his whole life - Martin Luther King, Jr. regularly quoted his poetry in speeches and wrote him fan mail - yet like so many Black people, Hughes wasn't permitted to fully tell the story of the racism he experienced, and white people weren't prepared to listen. He never wrote about it or told his friends. Today, as protests continue the fight for racial justice, Hughes' time in Carmel, and how it was forgotten, is vital to understand. It shows how even the strongest voices for change risk getting erased unless people with privilege make a concerted effort to hear them, which often involves unsettling their understanding of the past, the present, and the communities they come from. He has endeavoured to prevent the Population of these States; for that Purpose obstructing our Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their Migration hither, runs one grievance. Thomas Jefferson and the Continental Congress knew nothing of H1-B visas or the DACA program, but they did know that an expanding population and an ethnically diverse citizenry were vital to prosperity. They were also aware that commercial restrictions tariff wars, if you will destroyed national wealth. That was why another of their charges was that the King had assented to laws from the British Parliament cutting off our Trade with all Parts of the World. In route news, Oakland reopens a closed terminal as business picks up; Southwest and Hawaiian bring back service to the islands from the Bay Area; Chicago imposes quarantine in visitors from certain states; Californians heading to New York are expected to self-quarantine for two weeks upon arrival; Alaska adds some Bay Area routes; American Airlines plans a reset for its international network, including the elimination of several Los Angeles routes; Delta resumes beer and wine service in its front cabins and reopens some Sky Clubs; JSX adds four routes; Southwest revives some Mexico/Caribbean service; Frontier begins flying a number of new routes to Florida; the government delays reopening its Global Entry enrollment centers; SFO schedule updates from Lufthansa, Swiss, British Airways; Air Canada shrinks; Aeromexico goes bankrupt; El Al stops flying; and Virgin Australia finds a buyer. Phew! Weve been reporting on the resumption of various routes from San Francisco International in recent weeks, but Oakland International is having a revival of its own. Although the Big Three U.S. carriers have basically pulled out of OAK, other airlines will be growing their schedules there in the weeks ahead, the airport said. Total seat capacity out of Oakland was 290,774 in June, but it will grow to 418,600 in July. That will include more flights from Southwest, Spirit, Alaska and Mexicos discounter, Volaris. The expanded service scheduled to be introduced in July and August has resulted in todays (July 1) reopening of Gates 29-32 in Terminal 2, which had been closed since May, the airport reported. Southwests OAK schedule is due to increase from 75 flights a day in July to more than 90 in August 75 percent of what it flew in August 2019. And some of that will be a resumption of Southwests Hawaii service. The airport said Southwest is expected to resume its full schedule of Hawaii flights in July, supplementing its twice-daily Honolulu service with two flights a day from Oakland to Kahului, Maui, and the return of service to Lihue, Kauai and to Kona on the Big Island. Southwest is gearing up for the August 1 removal of Hawaiis mandatory 14-day quarantine for all visitors, as long as they get a negative test result for Covid-19 before they leave home. (Since the new testing protocols were announced, the cheapest Hawaii fares have increased from $197 rountrip to around $280 roundtrip.) Hawaiian Airlines is also making a comeback, with plans to resume a reduced schedule from its mainland gateways on August 1. In addition to a resumption of Honolulu-Portland service this week, Hawaiian said previously it will bring back daily Honolulu flights from San Diego and Sacramento on July 15. And this week it said its August 1 plans include the reinstatement of service from HNL to San Jose, Oakland, Phoenix, Las Vegas, New York and Boston. Hawaiian will also use A321neo aircraft to revive flights to Maui from San Francisco, Oakland, San Jose, Sacramento and Los Angeles; to Kauai from LAX and San Jose; and to Kona from LAX. You can click here to see the frequencies and startup dates. Chicago appears to be the first major city to impose a quarantine on visitors. AP reports: People traveling to Chicago from 15 states with increasing numbers of confirmed cases of the coronavirus will have to quarantine for two weeks upon arrival or face possible fines, city officials announced Thursday. To comply with the order that takes effect Monday, travelers must stay at a single home or other dwelling for 14 days except to seek medical care or be tested for COVID-19. As of Thursday, that means people coming from Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Nevada, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Utah will be affected. Bay Area residents planning to visit the metro New York area in fact, anywhere in New York State, New Jersey and Connecticut might be dismayed to learn that California this week was added to the list of states whose residents must undergo a 14-day self-quarantine when they arrive there, based on Californias recent coronavirus flare-up. According to New York Governor Andrew Cuomos executive order on the matter, non-compliance could result in a civil penalty of up to $10,000. You might be wondering how New York and its neighbors could enforce the quarantine rule, and thats a good question. As Cuomo explained it during a CNN interview, We know what flight you came in on. And well have inspectors who are randomly looking at the names on the list and calling to follow up to make sure youre quarantining. But he added: I think most people are going to honor it. According to Routesonline.com, some Bay Area routes that Alaska Airlines had previously planned to offer this summer are now slated to begin on September 1 instead. That includes two daily E175 Horizon Air flights from San Francisco International to Boise and one a day from San Jose to Spokane, along with seven days of 737 service between SFO and Anchorage. Also due to start September 1 is new Alaska Airlines service between Los Angeles and Fresno (two daily E175s), a daily Portland-Denver 737 flight, a daily Portland-San Luis Obispo E175 flight, and a daily E175 roundtrip to Boise from Paine Field in Everett, Wash. However, Alaskas Seattle-Cincinnati route, previously set to begin August 18, has been pushed back to May of next year. Earlier this week, we reported on Uniteds plans to bring back more domestic and international service during August. Now American Airlines has announced plans for the future of its international network into next year, and its far from a V-shaped recovery. AA said it is planning a long-term reset of that network that will mean a 25 percent reduction of its long-haul international capacity in the summer of 2021 compared to 2019 levels. Los Angeles International will take a big hit in Americans revised long-haul schedule, losing service to Hong Kong, Buenos Aires, Sao Paulo, Beijing, and Shanghai (assuming AA gets government approval for its planned start of Seattle-Shanghai flights as part of its new partnership with Alaska Airlines). The airline noted that it expects to resume LAX-London Heathrow flights this winter and LAX-Sydney service in summer 2021, and to launch LAX-Auckland flights in the winter of 2021. From the west coast, AA will depend on its Alaska partnership for future growth (Alaska is expected to become a full Oneworld member in 2021). In addition to moving its LAX-Shanghai route to Seattle, American previously announced plans to begin new transpacific service from SEA to London and Bangalore in 2021. Los Angeles World Airports Americans plans also include the elimination of some international routes from its other hubs, including Charlotte, Dallas/Ft. Worth, Miami, Chicago OHare and Philadelphia. A spokesperson noted that American will continue to fly to joint business partners hubs. And while some international markets will not return, American anticipates a full schedule to LHR by 2021. The airline will continue to work closely with British Airways to provide an extensive network that allows customers to reach key destinations when they are ready. Click here to see all the details of Americans announcement and international schedule changes. Delta said this week it has resumed complementary alcoholic beverage service (beer and wine) for passengers in first class and Comfort+ on all flights of more than 500 miles. Delta also plans to reopen more of its Sky Club airport lounges this month, including the one in San Francisco International along with those in Chicago OHare, Denver, Miami, Nashville, Orlando and Phoenix. (Some Sky Club locations never closed, including Atlanta, Boston, Detroit, LaGuardia, LAX, Minneapolis-St. Paul, JFK, Seattle, Salt Lake City and Washington Reagan National.) Delta flyers should also note that they now check in a SFO's Terminal 2 while the Terminal 1 check in area gets a re-do. JSX, the regional carrier formerly calling itself JetSuiteX, plans to add four routes in the western U.S., all operating four flights a week, according to Routesonline.com. They include Monterey-Orange County starting this week, along with Burbank-Monterey, Orange County-Phoenix and Las Vegas-Seattle Boeing Field, all due to start July 23. The airline will use its trademark ERJ-135s on all the routes. As Southwest Airlines continues to ramp up its service, it resumed flights on some international routes this week, including Houston Hobby to Cancun and Los Cabos; Orlando to Montego Bay, Jamaica; Denver to Cancun and Los Cabos; and Baltimore/Washington to Cancun, Montego Bay and Nassau, Bahamas. Don't miss a shred of important travel news! Sign up for our FREE weekly email alerts. Frontier Airlines is adding service to a number of Florida airports this month, mostly with flights one or two times a week, originating from Los Angeles, Newark, Philadelphia, Long Island MacArthur, Cleveland, Cincinnati, Dallas/Ft. Worth, Chicago OHare and Boston. You can see the full schedule here. Last week, we reported that Customs and Border Protection would resume conducting personal interviews on July 6 for travelers who apply to join its Global Entry trusted traveler program. CBPs enrollment centers have been closed due to the coronavirus crisis. But this week, the agency said it will delay those reopenings until August 10 at the earliest due to the recent spikes in Covid-19 cases in several states. Anyone who recently made an interview appointment for July or early August will have to reschedule, the agency said. In foreign airline news, the latest schedule filing from Lufthansa indicates it will bring back San Francisco-Frankfurt service September 2 with three weekly A340-300 flights and will boost its current SFO-Munich schedule from three A350 flights a week to five as of August 2. (Lufthansa this week revived LAX-Frankfurt service with three 747-8 flights a week and will boost that schedule to five days a week in August and seven in September.) Lufthansas Swiss International affiliate is planning to come back to SFO August 2, with three weekly 777-300ER flights to Zurich. British Airways latest update includes plans to increase San Francisco-London Heathrow and LAX-LHR from one flight a day to two as of August 1. And Air Canada said this week it is suspending service indefinitely on 30 domestic routes due to a lack of passenger demand. Click here to see the full list. Deltas South American partner LATAM filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in May, and now Deltas other big Latin American partner Aeromexico has done the same. The Mexican carrier said this week that it will continue to serve customers while it undergoes a financial restructuring, and that all of its tickets, reservations, vouchers and award points will remain valid. In July the Company expects to double the number of its domestic flights and quadruple the number of international flights as compared to June, Aeromexico said. Israels El Al was supposed to resume a few limited flights from Tel Aviv to Los Angeles and New York this month, but those plans have been spiked as the airline was hit with a new crisis this week. According to the Times of Israel, discussions between the airlines pilots committee and management collapsed in a bitter dispute and El Al ordered all its aircraft to be grounded and those that were abroad to return home. Its not clear how or when the situation might be resolved; the airline is also in the midst of discussions with Israels government for a financial relief package. Israel currently requires visitors to undergo a 14-day quarantine upon arrival. The U.S.-based private equity firm Bain Capital has emerged as the successful bidder for Virgin Australia, which has been operating only a limited domestic network since it entered voluntary administration a form of bankruptcy in April. The acquisition is subject to approval by the airlines creditors in August. Virgin Australias previous owners which included Sir Richard Bransons Virgin Group, Singapore Airlines and Etihad Airways will have their equity wiped out. Bain Capital will be expected to recapitalize the carrier and eventually revive its suspended service; theres no word yet on how long that might take. 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. 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. 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. 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. New Delhi : 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. 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. Though Nicol conceded noted that the Rum Diary actress was not a party and isnt in a position to give instructions to the defendants lawyers, he said both defendants rely heavily on the information which Ms. Heard can provide and on which the defendants may choose to act. The sources said that Israeli soldiers shot and wounded a Palestinian young man during the protest on Friday near the northern West Bank city of Nablus against building two Israeli settlement posts in the area, reports Xinhua news agency. Gaza, July 4 (IANS) Dozens were injured during clashes between Palestinian demonstrators and Israeli troops in a protest in the West Bank against Israel's annexation plan of the Jordan Valley, medical sources said. 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 injured 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 planned 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. --IANS ksk/ According to Texas Health and Human Services, as of Friday there have been 183,532 confirmed COVID-19 cases in the state, 7,555 more than that of Thursday, reports Xinhua news agency. Houston, July 4 (IANS) A state-wide mask mandate came into effect in Texas as it registered more than 7,500 new COVID-19 cases The death toll reached 2,575. Starting from Friday noon, the statewide face covering mandate came into effect. The order, issued by Texas Governor Greg Abbott a day ago, requires all people to wear face covering over the nose and mouth in public places in counties with 20 or more positive COVID-19 cases, with few exceptions. Also on Friday, Sylvester Turner, mayor of Houston, the largest city in the state, made a statement on the state Republicans' decision to proceed with in-person convention as COVID-19 cases spike. The convention was scheduled for July 16-18 at the George R. Brown Convention Center in downtown Houston. The decision was made by State Republican Executive Committee. "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," said Turner, who expressed hope earlier that the in-person convention would be changed into a virtue one. "At the very minimum, masks will be a requirement for attendance and service. "However, it is also my hope that over the next several days, the party's leadership will reconsider in view of the rising number of positive COVID-19 cases, increased hospitalizations, and shortage of ICU beds," said the statement. Texas is among four the US states along with Arizona, California and Florida which have together a combined total of 25,000 new COVID-19 cases. Amid te new surge in the number of cases in the country, the US currently accounts for the world's highest number of infections and fatalities with 2,793,425 and 129,432, respectively, according to the Johns Hopkins University. --IANS ksk/ STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Heres a look at the top headlines related to criminal justice in the borough this week: VEHICLE SOUGHT IN CONNECTION WITH SHOOTING The NYPD is asking the public's assistance in identifying a gray hatchback in connection with a drive-by shooting last weekend in Concord. (Courtesy of NYPD) Police are asking the publics assistance in identifying a gray hatchback in connection with a June 21 shooting in Concord, according to a statement Sunday from the NYPDs Deputy Commissioner of Public Information. At about 2:30 a.m., a 24-year-old male was sitting in the backseat of a different vehicle on the 700 block of Targee Street, when a gray hatchback pulled alongside it, police said. Shots were fired from the hatchback, striking the victim in the right buttocks and grazing his right shin, police said. Click here for the story. HES ACCUSED IN WILD CHASE ON SIE, FT. WADSWORTH An unlicensed driver led cops on a wild chase that began on the Staten Island Expressway, continued onto the streets of Staten Island and ended with his arrest in Fort Wadsworth, police allege. The pursuit began on June 26 at about 10:50 p.m. on the Brooklyn-bound Staten Island Expressway, when a New York State Police trooper attempted to pull over a white, 2019 Nissan Sentra allegedly driven by Louis Rios, 32, of the 200 block of Slater Boulevard, Midland Beach. The suspect continued to drive along residential roadways, traveling the wrong way into on-coming traffic on multiple streets and running several red lights, according to the criminal complaint. Click here for the full story. HE ALLEGEDLY SOLD DRUGS TO COP A 56-year-old man allegedly sold drugs to an undercover officer in his home community of Clifton. Syed Hussain, of Fairway Avenue, exchanged oxycodone for money on four occasions in May and June, according to the criminal complaint. Click here for the full story. STATE POLICE TO HELP CRACK DOWN ON FIREWORKS The NYC Sheriff's Office said 10 people were apprehended with significant amounts of illegal fireworks after interstate transport throughout various points of the Staten Island Expressway." (Sheriff's Office Twitter photo) State police will join the effort against illegal fireworks that have led to skyrocketing complaints across the five boroughs. Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced the move at his Monday press conference, and that the New York State Police Fireworks Enforcement Detail will focus on fireworks coming into the state from Pennsylvania. In New York City, 24,560 illegal fireworks complaints have been made to 311 since Jan. 1, 2020, according to city data accessed Monday. In the same time period last year, there were 92 complaints, according to the same data. Click here for more details. 2 SOUGHT FOR QUESTIONING IN CONNECTION WITH THEFT Police are asking for the public's help to locate these two men sought for questioning in the theft of a wallet from a car on Navy Pier Court in Stapleton. A card from the wallet was used to make purchases at Home Depot. (Courtesy of NYPD) The NYPD is asking for the publics help to identify two men sought for questioning in connection with the theft of a backpack from a car parked near Urby in Stapleton. An unknown individual removed a 57-year-old male victims backpack from his unsecured vehicle in front of 7 Navy Pier Court on May 23 at about 4:30 a.m., according to a statement from the NYPDs Deputy Commissioner of Public Information. Click here for more information MAN SOUGHT FOR QUESTIONING IN ROBBERY The police are asking for the public's help to locate this man for questioning in connection with a robbery on March 4 in Castleton Corners. (Courtesy of NYPD) The NYPD is asking for the publics help to locate a man sought for questioning in connection with a report of an early-morning robbery in Castleton Corners. A 33-year-old man told police that he and an unidentified man had a verbal dispute over money on March 4 at about 12:45 a.m. in the vicinity of Winthrop Place and Victory Boulevard, according to a statement from the NYPDs Deputy Commissioner of Public Information. Click here for the full story. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Like thousands of graduates across Staten Island, Curtis High School senior Manahil Jafri, of Sunnyside, was deprived a traditional graduation ceremony with her classmates, teachers, and friends because of the coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis. However, the pandemic has not eclipsed Jafris incredible accomplishments: Despite her outstanding GPA and crystal-clear sights for the future, she has been blind since birth. Not only has Jafri overcome her disability with grace and courage, but she has successfully completed the rigorous International Baccalaureate Program at Curtis and has been accepted into the Cornell University Transfer Option Program. She will attend Hunter College this fall and will transfer to the Ivy League in 2021. Jafri, 18, is a first generation American and daughter of Pakistani immigrants, Syeda Rabia Rashid and Syed Rashed Aziz Jafri. I live with my parents and my two siblings, Syeda Huda Jafri and Haris Jafri, who attend Staten Island Tech and I.S. 27, respectively. I love my family and they are who inspire me. My parents love me and support everything I do. Jafris career goals include double-majoring in Political Science and Economics and minoring in Public Policy and Human Rights. She hopes to one day earn her Masters Degree or become a lawyer and a policy maker. We need laws that could benefit the disability community as I feel that we are constantly marginalized in this society, Jafri told the Advance/SILive.com. I want to help out the disabled community. Theres a lot of discrimination against people with disabilities and I want to work to decrease that as much as I can. Until then, Jafri has been busy at Curtis, serving on the Student Organization Leadership Team, as President of the Feminist Club, and writing articles for the Curtis newspaper, The Curtis Log. She is also speaker/lawyer for Moot Court and Mock Trial teams for Curtis, a member of the World Science Festival Academy Program, and an event planner for the Key Club. She also enjoys the Cooking, Astronomy, and Fashion Clubs at Curtis. Notably, Jafri is a leader in the DOE Sustainability Youth Leadership Council, for which she met monthly with fellow NYC student leaders to discuss ways to improve climate change, and is a Participatory Budgeting Youth Fellow, leading youth participation through assemblies and promotions. Read on for excerpts of my interview with this inspirational Staten Islander. Answers have been edited for clarity and length. WHEN WERE YOU DIAGNOSED WITH BLINDNESS? I was born legally blind, but it was not officially diagnosed until I six years old and in kindergarten. In gym class when the other students would throw me the ball, I couldnt find the ball. When the teacher would write on the board, I was squinting a lot and literally couldnt see. My teacher told my mom to take me to the eye doctor because maybe I needed glasses. I went, and then the doctor told me it was really bad. I was diagnosed with a rare disorder called rod-cone dystrophy or CRD. CRD is rare in children and usually affects people when theyre older. I lost my night vision first and then I lost my side vision. So, it looks like I am basically looking through a straw, like tunnel-vision. I have a nystagmus in both eyes, which means my eyes make repetitive, uncontrolled movements, which reduces my vision and depth perception. My right eye is worse than my left eye. The doctors said that everything is going to get worse as my life progresses. Eventually, I will go fully blind. Manahil Jafri. (Courtesy Manahil Jafri) WHAT CHALLENGES DID YOU FACE IN THE CURTIS IB PROGRAM? Since I was the only legally blind student in the IB program and read everything in braille, occasionally there was some confusion on how to get my accommodations and how to alter tasks to suit me. Overall, it went pretty well and we were able to figure everything out. For example, this year I had to take my Individual Oral (IO) exam for my Spanish class, and the task was to describe a photo completely in Spanish for 15 minutes. Because of my blindness, it was hard for me to tell what the picture was. Ultimately my Spanish teacher, Ms. Isassi, came up with an alternative method: She recorded the description of the picture and then Ms. Trish, my TVI (teacher of students with visual impairments), inscribed the description into braille, so I could read it. Thats how I took the oral and it came out well. Note: The role of the Teacher of Students with Visual Impairments (TVI) is to provide direct and/or consultative special education services specific to vision loss. The TVI may help choose appropriate educational materials and may brainstorm with teachers and therapists about effective adaptations. WHAT ABOUT MATH CLASSES? ARE THE LESSONS IN BRAILLE, TOO? This year I took AP Calculus and last year I took IB Math, and I read a lot of braille. I used my iPad to take pictures of the Smart Board and used an Apple teaching tool called Team Viewer, which allowed me to see the Smart Board. I then screen mirrored to see what the teacher was writing, and my TVI transcribed my tests into braille so I can take my tests. Manahil Jafri is seen here with her friends, enjoying a Pre-COVID outing in Manhattan. (Courtesy Manahil Jafri) FRIENDS AND EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES I liked being involved in extracurricular activities at school because I showed people that I could do anything I wanted to do. I was a part of the Dance Company all four years at Curtis High School and I choreographed my own dance this year. Unfortunately, it couldnt be seen this year because of COVID-19. The dance was about blindness and I had my dancers blindfolded, so it wouldve been a really fun experience. I enjoy talking to a lot of people at school and outside of school, and I tend to make friends very easily. At Curtis, I have my friend group who I enjoy spending time with. I remember my freshman year, people used to look at me weird. But when they talked to me the first time, they were shocked to see that I dont need help with everything, that I could do stuff myself. After the first semester of freshman year, everyone was fine with me and it wasnt really weird anymore. My friends tell me all of the time that they forget I am legally blind. They are a huge inspiration to me as they accept me for who I am. In their eyes, I am just like everyone else and I want to spread that mentality to everyone. WHERE DO YOU SEE YOURSELF IN 10 YEARS? In 10 years, I see myself hopefully running a campaign or nonprofit that can help people with disabilities, specifically, people who are legally blind in the education system. A lot of teachers arent trained for this stuff. People are also not used to how independent someone with a disability can be. They frequently ask if I need help or need anything, but I reply that I am OK. Manahil Jafri is seen here choreographing a show about overcoming blindness. (Courtesy Manahil Jafri) Manahil Jafri is seen here choreographing a show about overcoming blindness. (Courtesy Manahil Jafri) STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- The city Police Department is seeking the publics assistance in locating a 17-year-old female who has been reported missing. Maridas Anderson was last seen Monday at 8:15 p.m. at her residence on Steuben Street, police said. Police described Anderson as hispanic, approximately 5-feet, 5-inches tall, weighing about 120 pounds, with brown eyes, a tattoo on her left wrist, and short curly black and blonde hair, according to the NYPD. Anyone with information regarding this incident is asked to call the NYPDs Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the Crime Stoppers website at WWW.NYPDCRIMESTOPPERS.COM, on Twitter @NYPDTips. All calls are strictly confidential. KEYSTONE, S.D. (AP) 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. 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. 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. 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. 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! Dave Warner shot to fame as Perths Suburban Boy musician, but his focus these days lies in storytelling; and his latest crime novel tells not just its own story, but the true tale of how Hollywoods recent Sherlock Holmes hysteria was preconceived Down Under. Over My Dead Body is released in October. Credit:Fremantle Press First known for band Dave Warners From the Suburbs and gold album Mugs Game, Warner has since worked on some of Australias biggest TV shows and published 10 crime novels. The latest, his October release Over My Dead Body, explores new territory with its story of Georgette Watson, whose side hustle is consulting to New York City police, but whose cryogenics career is about to hit the big time as she brings detective Sherlock Holmes back from the dead. The story is an example of what Warner describes as a fact of life for Australian writers. Even if we come up with an idea a decade before the US, it will inevitably be ignored by local broadcasters and producers until the US has caught up, he writes in his author note. As the winter chill sets in down south, Byron Bay has been inundated with holidaymakers from Sydney, Melbourne and even Hollywood. Instagram influencer Lou Hay lounging poolside at Rae's on Wategos in Byron Bay. Credit:Instagram After weeks of speculation, US star Zac Efron (of High School Musical fame) was finally photographed last week hanging out at the iconic Byron Bay general store cafe where he was seen canoodling with local woman Vanessa Valladares. Efron has been staying down the road from Tim Freedman, the Whitlams frontman who sat out much of the coronavirus lockdown in Byron. Karl Stefanovic has also made his way to the north coast town, after his flop filling in for Tracey Grimshaw on A Current Affair. The Today show co-host was spied holidaying with wife Jasmine and their newborn daughter Harper. Paul Hogan, or at least his alter ego Mick Dundee, probably hasn't thought too much about the great Australian swimwear label Seafolly plunging into administration, reportedly another victim of the global COVID-19 pandemic. Paul Hogan Credit:Steven Siewert But Dundee might want to take note. Both he and Seafolly are two of Australia's most successful cultural exports, and right now it seems the world's fascination with the Land Down Under may be waning. Of course timing is not on their side either, just as those fabulous Tourism Australia commercials featuring Kylie Minogue, which were meant to cheer up the British and convince them to jump on a flight over, became null and void as the bushfires, and then the pandemic, swept us all up. Save Log in , register or subscribe to save articles for later. Normal text size Larger text size Very large text size I'm on my hands and knees, crawling through the hallway of a house that seems to get smaller and tighter the further I go. It's unnerving but not as much as the mould growing up the walls and the towering stacks of books, clothes, children's toys and who knows what else that teeter and threaten to collapse upon me as I go. No, it's not a nightmare, it's the set of Relic, a horror movie of sorts about three generations of women Australian theatre legend Robyn Nevin as Edna, the grandmother; English actress Emily Mortimer (star of HBOs series The Newsroom) as Kay; and Bella Heathcote (The Man in the High Castle, Bloom) as her daughter Sam trapped together in a house that creaks and groans with the weight of memory even as Edna is losing hers. It's a haunted house movie in which the ghoul is dementia. Maybe it is a nightmare after all. "Some horror films are sort of an escape, like a ride on a roller-coaster or going into a haunted house, you scream and you feel somehow elated from the endorphins rushing through you as a result of being scared," says Mortimer, the 48-year-old New York-based but ever-so-English daughter of Rumpole of the Bailey creator John Mortimer. "But real life is in fact horrifying, with people dying, people getting old and people you love transforming in front of your eyes and not recognising you any more and their bodies literally falling apart." It's not revealing too much about Relic to say it operates fully on the level of allegory, even while delivering its fair share of genuine chills, particularly in its final act. But this is horror in the vein of The Babadook rather than, say, The Conjuring, a more cerebral, relationship-focused psychological take on the genre in which the threat doesn't so much come from what's out there as what's inside us. And for writer-director Natalie Erika James, it is a deeply personal story. "My grandmother had Alzheimer's. I guess that's the simple version of it," she says matter-of-factly in a break between shots, as all around her crew are setting up for the next scene. James was born in the US and raised around Asia by her Australian father and Japanese mother (he's a corporate executive who speaks Japanese; she's a lifelong student who has chalked up six degrees; James' parents met in Australia as 16-year-olds when her mother came here as an exchange student, and have been together ever since). In her early 20s, she kept putting off a trip to Japan to see her grandmother because life got in the way. When she finally made it after a gap of three years, she says, her grandmother "couldn't remember who I was. So it was that feeling of guilt at having prioritised my work over the family element that really was, I guess, the driving emotional core of the story." Advertisement Her grandmother is still alive, in an aged-care facility, but "she's pretty catatonic" and in need of total care, like an infant. And it was that shifting power dynamic within the family structure that James sought to capture albeit through the lens of the supernatural. "It was this sense that someone you love looks exactly the same but they're becoming something else, or someone else," she says. "Nursing someone you have loved through death is one of the most horrifying experiences there is and yet also kind of beautiful and strange and mysterious and intense and full of all these emotions to do with guilt and the relationship that you're mourning that you never had, and the relationship that you wish you'd had, and trying to do the right thing, and yet feeling also kind of trapped. "We don't really face death very much in our culture. It's like we act as if it doesn't happen and then are terribly shocked when it does. And, of course, it happens to all of us." Loading Replay Replay video Play video Play video A little over a decade ago, it happened to Emily Mortimer. Her barrister-novelist father was ebbing away he died in January 2009, aged 85 and while he never had Alzheimer's he did, in his final months, develop dementia. Mortimer says they were extremely close and she never felt anything but love and adoration from him. But there was a moment after she had flown back to England to be with him, "where my sister left the hospital room to go for a cigarette or a coffee or something, and she said, 'Oh Dad, Em's here now, I'll leave you with her.' And he turned around and looked at me, then looked at my sister, and [the look said], 'Who the f--- have you left me with?' "It was a fleeting moment, but it was horrifying," she recalls. "It's horrifying when someone that has always only looked at you with love and seen you, every inch of you, and knows you, suddenly looks at you like they don't know who the f--- you are. That feels like a moment in a horror film, and that's what Nat has tapped into, that pain and confusion of people changing as they get ready to die and all the horror that it brings with it." Advertisement Mortimer is sitting on the other side of a plastic fold-up table from me, wearing a grey fluffy dressing gown over her shooting clothes in part to keep them clean and in part because it's rather chilly inside the cavernous warehouse in Melbourne's outer west that is doubling as a studio for the shoot. Glamorous this filmmaking business is not. This being a relatively low-budget first feature for James, Mortimer certainly isn't here for the big dollars, unlike the first time she came to Australia, 20 years ago, for Hallmark's Noah's Ark a series so bad, she squeals delightedly, "that the feet of the CGI animals didn't even touch the ramp as they went into the ark they were hovering". These days, with actor husband Alessandro Nivola and their two teenage children at home in New York, it takes something special to tempt her to the other side of the world. "It's so f---ing far away," she says. "And it's quite a long time to be away. It's heartbreaking to not be at home, and always there's something that happens that makes you think, 'Why am I doing this to myself? I should be home with my kids'. But then you're like, 'No, this is the life Ive chosen for myself, this is how I make my living.' " Emily Mortimer Credit:Taylor Jewell Still, choosing to work on any project so far from home involves a "cost-benefit analysis". But weighing heavily on the benefit side for Relic was the strength of the screenplay from James and co-writer Christian White, and of James's vision, which was evident in the prize-winning short film Creswick, a kind of proof-of-concept for the feature. "There are times when you take jobs and I've done a few where you know however good it is it can't be great. That's an awful feeling," says Mortimer. "You do it because you feel you need to make some money or because you just have to work because you haven't for a while and you're like, 'Oh God, f---, I've got to do something otherwise I'll start losing my mind or lose my confidence,' or something. Or your agents persuade you it would be good for this reason or that, and you do it cynically. And generally those ones, there's no real possibility they'll ever be any good. Advertisement "But I just knew from having read the script and having met her that even if it failed, this was going to be a worthy experiment. It never felt like a risk." Mortimer is far from the only one with faith in James. Relic was just the second project backed into production under Screen Australia's Gender Matters initiative the first being Jennifer Kent's violent, magnificent colonial-era revenge saga The Nightingale. Relic's producers include Hollywood star Jake Gyllenhaal and the Russo Brothers, Joseph and Anthony, who have co-directed four Marvel movies, including Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame, the latter of which is the highest-grossing film of all time. Local distributor Umbrella intended to go wide with Relic in cinemas until COVID-19 upended everyone's plans. Now Stan has picked the film up for release on July 10, the latest addition to its small but growing collection of Australian originals. (Umbrella still has plans for a limited theatrical release, but at time of writing this was still in negotiation.) But if there are great expectations for James, on this day the reality is far more humble. Natalie Erika James on the set of Relic. As the rain pitter-patters on the corrugated-iron roof high above the set of the house, I watch them film a scene in which Nevin asks Mortimer to look under the bed because she thinks there's someone there. As Mortimer peers into the dark, a book drops onto her head over and over, take after take. The scene finally in the can, I ask Mortimer if the role is dredging up memories and if she is tapping into the experience of watching her own father slip away for the work. Advertisement "Yes, you can't help it," she says. "But I've got impostor syndrome terribly, where I feel, 'I shouldn't be doing this', what is that thing of being in the moment, I don't know what that is; 'I never went to drama school, oh my God I'm just pretending.' I suffer terribly from feeling like, 'Oh, I should be just channeling every emotion I've ever had about being with a dying parent at this moment and yet I'm not, I'm distracted by my f---ing props or the book falling or whether or not I'm actually going to hit my head as I rise up.' "You know, everything conspires for you to not be in the moment," she continues. "There's like two moments on a film generally where you come away and you feel like, 'that really worked and I was really feeling it, and at the moment I was feeling it they were filming me.' " This is Bella Heathcote's second Stan original, following a starring turn in season 2 of Bloom. Credit:Stan All that self-doubt and hand-wringing and book-dropping-on-head aside, though, Mortimer is convinced the emotional truth of what James has produced can't help but win through on the screen. "Generally it's reminding you of everything that you've ever experienced about family life and about death and loss and grief and all the confusion of it, all the guilt. I think that's what she's got so good," she says. "It's not just the pain and the heartbreak of losing someone you love. It's all the guilt and resentment and confusion of the mixed emotions I just think she's got brilliantly. "It's not just the common experience that's universal that we've all had, Mortimer adds. "It's that she's got this particular vision that is hers and that is really odd, and yet it really speaks to something very kind of deep. Advertisement Principals across Sydney have written to parents warning them of a significant increase in vaping among teenagers, with teachers catching students as young as year 7 using vapes at school or even becoming dealers. Burwood Girls, Willoughby Girls, Conservatorium High School and independent Catholic school St Scholastica's in Glebe are among the schools that have sent letters to parents in recent weeks. Last month a student vaping in the bathroom at Willoughby Girls set off an automatic fire alarm, resulting in firefighters attending the scene and prompting a stern letter to year 7 parents from principal Elizabeth Diprose. "Students have been told to immediately stop any involvement they may have in vaping," she wrote. NSW Secondary Principals' Council president Craig Petersen said vaping was now a major issue for schools. "It seems to have become a real thing this year - it started coming on to our radars about halfway through term one this year a few weeks before lockdown," he told The Sun-Herald. Principals report that teenagers travel several kilometres to find retailers willing to sell to them under the counter and then become "dealers" in the high school "black market". No one wanted to be known as the person who cried Uncle! It was embarrassing; an indicator that one was not strong enough whether mentally or physically to endure; saying Uncle was a precursor to a solitary walk of shame; it was the ultimate mark of defeat, as it signaled acceptance that one person had managed to subdue the other. I guess there are two sorts of people in this world. Those who enjoy going to Officeworks and buying a new label maker and 10 brightly coloured highlighter pens, and then returning home to print a label for each highlighter corresponding to one of 10 household budgeting categories they have determined for themselves. And those who do not. Having a plan can relieve a lot of stress. Credit:Shutterstock I definitely fall into the former category. And while its not for everyone, it really is a great way to get on top of your personal finances. For the past three months, I have written down every dollar I have spent onto a spending tracker template I made for myself. The Australian Medical Association has urged states and territories to rethink easing COVID-19 restrictions further following the significant increase in cases and outbreaks within Victoria. The AMA's president Tony Bartone said with Victoria revealing its second highest ever daily increase of cases yesterday of 108, it was a "stark reminder" the pandemic is not yet over. "These new outbreaks send a strong signal that the other States should rethink the pace of easing of their COVID-19 restrictions until community transmission in Melbourne is under control to avoid the risk of a similar situation playing out in their own communities, he said. "Before rushing back to the pub, the footy crowds, or the big weddings and parties, Australia should pause and play it safe until the Melbourne hotspots are back under control." While 94 new COVID-19 cases were discovered across Australia yesterday, according to Deputy Chief Medical Officer Paul Kelly on Sunday afternoon, all of the positive cases outside of Victoria were returned travellers in hotel quarantine. Victoria accounted for 74 of those positive cases. Dr Bartone said it was disappointing that the problems in Melbourne's hotspots were linked to failures to follow "established and successful" public health guidelines. "Against the expert medical advice, we have seen a range of failures relating to family and social events not following physical distance requirements, numerous quarantine breaches, and the irresponsible actions from elite sportsmen," he said A report will be prepared for the coroner after an 11-year-old boy riding a dirt bike collided with a tree on a property near Moama in the state's south. The boy was treated by Victoria Ambulance paramedics and flown to Royal Children's Hospital in Melbourne, where he later died, NSW Police said in a statement on Sunday morning. "Officers from Murray River Police District have commenced inquiries into the circumstances surrounding the incident," NSW Police said. A report will be prepared for the Victorian coroner. The death comes after a teenager was hit by a ute in Sydney's west on Saturday night. An 18-year-old woman was taken to Nepean Hospital in a critical condition about 11.30pm in Mulgoa near Penrith. The new $4.3 billion second stage of WestConnex is set to open to drivers this weekend, sparking renewed criticism of the NSW governments tolling structure across the city. The nine-kilometre M8 tunnel links Kingsgrove and St Peters, burrowing up to 90 metres deep below Sydneys southern suburbs. It opens early Sunday morning and will cost motorists a maximum of $6.95. WestConnex workers are carrying out final preparations ahead of Sunday's opening of the M8. Credit:Steven Siewert A new distance-based toll of between $3.04 and $6.95 will also be added on to the existing M5 East, prompting criticism from the opposition which has seized on a gaffe by Premier Gladys Berejiklian earlier in the week when she described the tunnel opening as "toll-mania". "This Premier is embarrassed about the fact that shes told the truth, told the truth about toll-mania, the feeling that Sydney drivers have as they drive around their city at the moment as Sydney becomes the highest tolled city in the world," opposition roads spokesman John Graham said. Your writer makes the point that our country is the worse for our PM's anti-intellectualism, noting that at last his government is providing support for some in the coronavirus affected performing and fine arts ("Morrison marches to anti-intellectualism", June 28). It certainly illustrates Morrison's lack of interest in the arts only revived by a singer at the funeral of Morrison's father and a resident in the PM's electorate. Morrison's anti-intellectualism seems to include the dismissal of science given his government's deaf ear to climate scientists. Illustration: Matt Golding Credit: Yet, during the pandemic the government has followed advice from health scientists resulting in positive outcomes. Clearly, our PM remains in his marketing mode, supporting policies and strategies that will, in his view, increase the saleability of Morrison as PM. Christine Perrott, Armidale The mention of the PM's previous penchant for baseball caps made me realise that they have gone missing. The current sober, thoughtful image his advisers have him projecting is shown in suits and ties. What has changed, appearance or reality? Judy Sherrington, Kensington Almost 200 COVID-19 cases have been added to the national total after historical cases reported in crew members from the Ruby Princess were reclassified as Australian. The 189 cases have been added to the NSW tally by the Commonwealth Department of Health, but arent included in the number of confirmed cases kept by the state. 189 cases in Ruby Princess crew have been added to the NSW tally. Credit:Janie Barrett NSW Health said that was because the cases, which were reported by the government agency at the time, were diagnosed on the ship and not within NSW. The cases were not associated with any further transmissions in Australia as they were managed on board the cruise ship, a NSW Health spokesman said. A tradesman who fell ten metres down an unmarked mine shaft while trail biking with his son in a state forest is preparing to sue the Forestry Corporation of NSW. Brad Osborne, a 53-year-old concreter, was knocked unconscious, broke ribs and both ankles, dislocated his arm, fractured a shoulder, tore ligaments and cut open his arms in the accident, which left him trapped in a freezing dark hole underground. Brad Osborne recovering in hospital. "The pain was unbelievable," he said. "It was really hard for me to breathe. I lay there for hours just trying to take a breath in and out. I was shaking uncontrollably." Mr Osborne's son Brody Osborne, 23, called triple zero and talked his father through the three-hour ordeal at Sunny Corner State Forest, located between Bathurst and Lithgow, until a police rescue team and paramedics pulled him out on ropes and he was taken to Westmead Hospital. A mother and her daughter have died after being hit by a car near the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital in inner Sydney on Saturday afternoon. Emergency services were called to Grose Street in Camperdown about 1.30pm after the two women, aged 85 and 62, were hit by a car. Both were taken to the nearby hospital, where the 62-year-old woman died. The 85-year-old was treated for head injuries but died on Sunday afternoon. The driver, 69, was uninjured. He was arrested and taken to hospital for mandatory tests. Residents of the Flemington towers have vented their frustration with the Andrews government over their five-day hard lockdown, saying that risks were foreseeable in the densely populated towers but they were not adequately serviced by health authorities. Occupants have pointed to empty hand sanitising stations, a lack of information explaining coronavirus risks and infrequent cleaning in the high-traffic apartment complexes as factors that exacerbated risks of an outbreak at the sites. Police establish a road block next to the Flemington public housing towers. Credit:Luis Enrique Ascui Flemington social worker Ahmed Dini, who is also a resident at one of the Flemington high-rises, said many residents were social distancing at the height of the virus but stopped when restrictions were eased. "You cant even tell people that live in housing commissions to social distance some families have nine or 10 people living in a bedroom. How can you tell them to social distance?" As Victorians are warned that a return to remote learning is possible in term 3, a survey of more than 1200 educators has shone a light on deep fault-lines in Australian students access to technology during last terms COVID-19 lockdown. While some students were disadvantaged in their remote learning due to poor access to devices and unstable internet connections, others arguably had too much support. Some primary school children miraculously developed perfect spelling overnight, submitting work that appeared to have been heavily edited by their parents, making it hard to assess their work objectively, teachers reported. Teachers reported some students had limited access to devices during remote learning. Credit:Kate Cooper Researchers at the University of Melbournes Graduate School of Education surveyed teachers on their remote learning experiences, and just under half of those who participated 49.5 per cent said that every child in their class had access to an internet-connected device at home. More people die from cold temperatures in Sydney than Sweden, which housing researchers blame on poor building standards and energy poverty. A NSW Health spokeswoman said 42 people on average turned up to emergency departments every month in winter because of prolonged exposure to cold, which can lead to hypothermia. Michael Mazengarb and his partner wear jumpers, jackets, gloves and even blankets to stay warm in their Marrickville home. Credit:Peter Rae "While hypothermia is commonly associated with being outdoors, it can also occur inside an unheated home if a person is not dressed warmly enough," she said. The health impact of cold homes includes damage to respiratory and cardiovascular systems as well as indirect effects on mental health, child nutrition and educational attainment, said Lyrian Daniel, senior lecturer in the School of Architecture and Built Environment at the University of Adelaide. "The company that owns [vaping product] Juul promoted them into schools in a way that has been condemned soundly in the US, and they're now trying to close the gates after the horse has already bolted," Professor Aranda says. Legalise Vaping Australia Policy Director Emilie Dye says thousands of Australians support vaping as an alternative to smoking cigarettes. Callan Strickleton switched from smoking cigarettes to vaping and wants it to be legal. Credit:Edwina Pickles Her partner Callan Strickleton, 23, smoked cigarettes for five years before switching to vaping last year. He wants liquid nicotine to be legalised so he can keep importing it from New Zealand. "I tried to quit using patches with no luck," he says. "You miss the social aspect, going outside, inhaling. The gum is not a replacement, it tastes foul and turns into BlueTac in your mouth." Mr Strickleton says he has used vaping to gradually reduce his nicotine intake, saying it is more tolerable to do so "by increments" rather than switching between strengths of cigarettes, which are "like chalk and cheese". Importing liquid nicotine into Australia is technically legal only with a GP prescription, but a lack of enforcement has meant that vapers and retailers have been able to buy it online indiscriminately. Mr Hunt upset a group of 28 Coalition MPs when he announced the vaping crackdown at the end of a sitting week in late June, without taking the matter to be debated in the party room. A spokesman for the minister said the timing of the announcement was designed to give suppliers and consumers "time to adjust while minimising stockpiling ahead of the changes." The six-month review would "allow time to further streamline the process for patients obtaining prescriptions through their GP", the spokesman said. Professor Aranda, whose position is in line with the CSIRO, the National Health and Medical Research Council, Lung Foundation, Heart Foundation and Public Health Association, says limiting access to smokers using vaping to quit with their GP's support is appropriate. The problem for vapers like Strickleton is that very few GPs will issue the prescription. Royal Australian College of General Practitioners President President Harry Nespolon says this is partly because liquid nicotine is "difficult to prescribe" without an authorised distributor in Australia, where no company has applied to have it approved by the TGA as a cessation aid. The college supports the use of nicotine vaping to quit smoking, but only after traditional cessation aids, such as patches and gums, have been tried first. Australian Tobacco Harm Reduction Association founder Colin Mendelsohn, a Conjoint Associate Professor at the University of NSW School of Public Health and Community Medicine, is one of just a handful of GPs across the nation who prescribe liquid nicotine. Mendelsohn says ex-smokers like Strickleton should not be blocked from accessing what he regards as a safer alternative to cigarettes. "Low-concentration nicotine vaping products should be available for adult smokers who want to quit," he says. "It shouldn't be harder to get nicotine than cigarettes." He says liquid nicotine should be regulated similarly to how it is in the United Kingdom, where vaping is legal but products have to be approved by the consumer regulator and meet safety standards, with health warnings and restrictions on advertising. The TGA regulates nicotine under the Poisons Standard, with cessation aids such as patches and gums approved like medicines. The vaping lobby argues that this is the wrong approach. "The TGA regulation process is totally unworkable," Mendelsohn says. "The process is very onerous and expensive. Most vape products are made by small- to medium-sized companies. The only people who can afford to go down that path are tobacco companies." Global tobacco giant Philip Morris International is the only company that has sought TGA approval for any vaping-style product. Last month, the regulator blocked PMI from selling its "heat-not-burn" tobacco product in Australia. Professor Aranda says the argument that vape juice sellers are "just well-meaning people in the corner shop is wrong", pointing to links between Juul and PMI, whose parent company Altria Group owns a 35 per cent stake in the youth vaping company. "Big Tobacco needs a new generation of Westerners to become addicted to their product," she says. "That's how their business model works. But at the same time, they continue to promote a product we've known for 70 years is carcinogenic in low-income countries, which is their big market for combustible cigarettes." Australian Medical Association vice-president Chris Zappala, a respiratory specialist, says nicotine "is a highly addictive substance" and that Big Tobacco" is pushing the message that e-cigarettes and vaping are healthy alternatives "to normalise smoking among younger people". Dr Zappala says health authorities "must not become complacent" in their efforts to further reduce smoking rates in Australia, after the success of the plain packaging laws enacted by the Gillard government and upheld by the World Trade Organisation. The Commonwealth has spent nine years battling legal challenges to the laws, including domestic court disputes and an investment treaty claim by Philip Morris International. Imported liquid nicotine products have been found to contain "higher levels of nicotine than advertised, as well as other adulterants that may pose a risk to users health", Zappala says, backing stricter rules to prevent non-smokers from taking them up. Mendelsohn says tobacco companies control about 20 per cent of the e-cigarette market, but argues they are not "driving" the vaping trend "they're trying to catch up." Professor Aranda says traditional cigarettes "are not controlled by the TGA because they're an accident of history", although public health advocates would like to see them banned, along with vape shops. "They've been available for sale long before we knew that they were lethal. So we don't want to make the same mistake again." Krispy Kreme branded vape liquid spotted for sale in a vape shop in South Australia. The way Mendelsohn sees it, nicotine vaping products are "designed for and almost exclusively marketed to existing smokers" and not targeted at the youth market. But Professor Aranda says flavoured vape juices, many of which have been found to contain nicotine without disclosing the ingredient, are clearly marketed towards teenagers. "You can vape your favourite Krispy Kreme doughnut flavour," she says, pointing to a range of vape juices being sold in South Australia, apparently making unauthorised use of the brand. "This is a big attraction to youth." She says while pro-vapers could point to hand-picked studies showing that some smokers use e-cigarettes as a substitute "and stick to them", systematic reviews of studies across the US show vaping is associated with "subsequent and sustained use of cigarettes amongst youth". "Kids who use e-cigarettes have significantly higher odds of smoking combustible tobacco," Professor Aranda says. "We know that 18- to 24-year-olds are the fastest-growing segment of e-cigarette users. If a week in politics is a long time, then two months in a pandemic is an eternity. Just ask Victorian Labor Premier Daniel Andrews, who at the end of April was riding so high politically that "Dan for Canberra" calls were being heard from the sidelines as ALP dreamers pondered a path back to competitiveness against Scott Morrison's Coalition. Under pressure: Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews. Credit:Eddie Jim Andrews' leadership during the summers bushfires and his nationally influential go-hard-go-early approach in the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic made him a nationally recognised figure. But fast forward two months, the Premier would struggle to drive his car to the national capital without being stopped by NSW police working to prevent Melbourne's second surge of COVID-19 from breaking out of Victorias borders. An Australian man stranded in the Congo because of the coronavirus pandemic is accused of illegally buying diamonds in the central African nation and a government investigation is underway. Joseph Bagala, 42, from Leichhardt in Sydney and currently residing in Kisangani in the northern Congo, is pleading not guilty in a formal investigation by the Ministry of Mines in the Congolese province of Tshopo. His lawyer Raphael Nzegho Muleghera, said Mr Bagala was misled and his client had been set up. Olivier Lokolomba (left) and Joseph Bagala in the forest near Bokuma in northern Congo. Mr Bagala said a man showed him a diamond in the hotel in Kisangani when he first arrived in the country and did not know the law. He said he did not buy it and has not handled one since. Tokyo: Japan asked thousands of people to evacuate their homes on its southern island of Kyushu, media said on Saturday, following unprecedented torrential rains in which 15 people are feared dead and nine missing. With the region facing the risk of further floods and landslides, authorities told 92,200 households in the prefectures of Kumamoto and Kagoshima to vacate their homes, the Kyodo news agency said. Rescuers work on the rooftop of the house damaged by a landslide in Soo, Kagoshima prefecture, western Japan, on July 4 last year. Credit:Kyodo News/AP "The heavy rainfall is likely to continue until Sunday, and people in the area are required to be on maximum alert," Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said, adding that as many as 10,000 soldiers would be sent to join the rescue operations. The flooding of the Kuma River in the region had cut off homes and washed away a bridge, said national broadcaster NHK, which displayed television footage of houses and cars inundated by muddy waters. Hong Kong: A Hong Kong medic has become the first person to be charged under a sweeping national security law that Beijing imposed on the territory earlier this week. The defendant, 23-year-old Tong Ying-kit, has been charged by police with inciting others "with a view to committing secession or undermining national unification" as well as "terrorist activities", according to local broadcaster RTHK. Barrister Laurence Lau, representing Tong Ying-kit (not pictured) who is accused of deliberately driving his motorcycle into a group of police officers, speaks to the media outside court in Kowloon, Hong Kong. Credit:Getty Images Videos posted online show Tong riding a motorcycle trailing a flag that reads "Liberate Hong Kong, Revolution of our Times!" Tong is accused of driving into the police officers, leaving himself and three officers injured. Egypt's irrigation ministry said on Saturday that a second day of fresh talks with Sudan and Ethiopia over the latter country's Blue Nile hydropower dam has yielded no tangible results. The ongoing round of tripartite talks on the controversial Ethiopian Grand Renaissance Dam (GERD) is held via video conference under the auspices of the African Union, which is currently headed by South Africa. The online talks were also attended by 11 observers from the EU, United States, AU Commission, South Africa and AU's legal and technical experts. Egypt's irrigation ministry said in a statement that no consensus was reached "at the technical and legal levels", with differences persisting over the filling and operation of the dam among other contentious issues. It also said discussions will resume on Sunday by holding separate bilateral meetings between the observers and the three countries to "benefit from the experiences of the observers and receive their proposals, if necessary, regarding the points of contention". The Sudanese irrigation ministry said in a statement that while the remaining technical differences are "limited", concluding an agreement would require more effort and political will. It also said Khartoum's delegation reaffirmed its stance during Saturday's talks that any agreement should have a binding nature, adding that it should not be linked to any past water-sharing deals. Sudan also underlined the importance of agreeing on a comprehensive mechanism for resolving future disputes. The previous round of negotiations, which were brokered by Khartoum from 9 to 17 June, failed to produce an accord due to Ethiopia's refusal to enter into a legally binding agreement. In its letter to the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) on 24 June, Sudan said it had proposed a draft agreement that "ensured that the agreement to be signed will be legally binding and cannot be amended or terminated without the agreement of all three parties." However, Sudan's letter added that Ethiopia proposed a document of "guidelines" that can be revised and in some cases terminated. Ethiopia's insistence not to commit to a legally-binding agreement was previously highlighted by the Egyptian irrigation ministry, which said Ethiopia insisted on drafting "guiding rules that [it] can unilaterally amend." Short link: Oswego, NY (13126) Today Partly cloudy this evening, then becoming cloudy after midnight. Low 56F. Winds WNW at 10 to 20 mph.. Tonight Partly cloudy this evening, then becoming cloudy after midnight. Low 56F. Winds WNW at 10 to 20 mph. New York: Prince Andrew, the Duke of York, is under mounting pressure after an alleged victim of Jeffrey Epstein claimed in a new lawsuit that the prince was introduced to her in the paedophile financier's house before she was raped there in 2010. The civil claim was filed on the same day that Ghislaine Maxwell, Andrew's close friend, was arrested by the FBI and charged with grooming under-age girls sexually abused by Epstein. Britain's Prince Andrew delivers a speech in Thailand last year. The US wants to speak to him about what he knew of Jeffrey Epstein's habits. Credit:AP US prosecutors want to interview Prince Andrew over his friendship with Epstein and Maxwell and have applied for official assistance from the Home Office to do so. The London Telegraph understands that the prince could face humiliating questions over whether he was ever aware that Epstein "possessed sex toys or devices". New York: Sitting on Queen Elizabeth's throne in Buckingham Palace, Ghislaine Maxwell gives a regal wave for the camera. Seated next to her on the throne normally occupied by Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, is Kevin Spacey, the Hollywood actor accused, but never convicted, of multiple sexual offences. The front page of the London Telegraph on July 4, 2020. The pair were invited into the throne room on a private tour of the palace organised by Prince Andrew, Duke of York, a close friend of Maxwell, the London Telegraph reported. Obtained exclusively by the newspaper, the photo was taken in 2002 and shows Maxwell in a mock royal pose with Spacey pretending to be Philip. Ghislaine Maxwell arrived in New York some 30 years ago as the young and glamorous emissary of her wealthy and influential father, an international man of mystery. Robert Maxwell was born Jan Ludvik Hyman Binyamin Hoch in the meager circumstances of an Eastern European shtetl. He lost most of his family in the Holocaust, escaped the Nazis and earned combat honours while fighting as a volunteer in the British Army under his new name, Ivan du Maurier. After Germany's surrender, the resourceful young man persuaded the Czechoslovakian communist government to supply air power to the Israelis in their 1948 war for nationhood. At the same time, he was establishing himself under yet another name, Maxwell, amid the battered and dazed society of postwar England. He became a publisher, a dealmaker, a member of Parliament, an empire builder, a cooker of ledger books, a swashbuckler who persuaded the Oxfordshire council to lease to him a vast mansion donated for more-civic purposes by the family of Lady Ottoline Morrell, whose salon hosted the likes of Virginia Woolf and TS Eliot. Ghislaine Maxwell, in a black dress, pictured with her father, British media tycoon and fraudster Robert Maxwell. Credit:Apha Press/Australscope The youngest of Maxwell's nine children, Ghislaine, hosted parties at the mansion, known as Headington Hill Hall, while attending nearby Oxford University. Thus she learned the power of money in making glamorous friends. Where the money came from was of little importance - her father was known to British satirists as "the bouncing Czech" on account of his finagled finances. Access to wealth made one matter. She delivered magnificently on her New York assignment, introducing the Maxwell brand to Manhattan's high society in time for daddy's purchase of the most widely circulated newspaper in the city at the time, the Daily News, in 1991. Maxwell's London tabloid war with Rupert Murdoch was going global. But no sooner had father and daughter scored their coup than it all fell to pieces. Mysterious to the end, Maxwell pitched over the side of his massive yacht, the Lady Ghislaine, on a quiet night off the coast of Spain as his empire collapsed into a rubble of looted pension funds. Thelma Duncan, age 93 of Columbus, OH, formerly of Somerset, passed away on Wednesday, June 16, 2021 at Kobacker House Hospice Care in Columbus. Services are pending at this time and will be announced on Thursday. Lake Cumberland Funeral Home is entrusted with the arrangements for Thelma Duncan. Somerset, KY (42501) Today Isolated thunderstorms this evening, then cloudy with rain likely late. Low 59F. Winds NW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 80%.. Tonight Isolated thunderstorms this evening, then cloudy with rain likely late. Low 59F. Winds NW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 80%. What to the slave is the Fourth of July? Above is a conceptual drawing of the Lock 7 complex, an 80-unit apartment building proposed on the former Breneman Co. fabic and window shade factory at the corner of East Utica and East First streets. Several thousand Republican delegates will descend on the pastoral site of the Virginia State Fair on July 18 to choose a challenger tofreshman Rep. Abigail Spanberger, a Democrat, and try to reverse their losing trend in the state's suburbs. National parties are watching the central Virginia seat where Spanberger, a former CIA officer, defeated Republican Dave Brat in the 2018 blue wave, helping Democrats win the House majority. Former House majority leader Eric Cantor had represented the district for seven terms before losing the 2014 GOP nomination to Brat, a tea party darling and hard-line Freedom Caucus member. Brat held the seat for two terms, and President Donald Trump won the district by about 7 points in 2016. But the district grew more blue the following year, when Gov. Ralph Northam, a Democrat, won the onetime GOP stronghold of Chesterfield, a suburb of Richmond, setting the stage for Spanberger's narrow victory. "The suburbs were the mainstay of the Republican Party in Virginia for years," said Mark Rozell, dean of the Schar School of Policy and Government at George Mason University. "It's gone through quite a transformation since the 2000s." Two of the six Republicans competing in the nominating convention are state lawmakers: Nicholas Freitas, a former Army Green Beret, and John McGuire III, a former Navy SEAL. Among the others, Andrew Knaggs, a former Defense Department official in the Trump administration, and Tina Ramirez, founder of an international nonprofit, have raised the most money and have the strongest campaign organizations. Peter Greenwald, a retired Navy commander and high school teacher, and Jason Roberge, a Coast Guard veteran, round out the field. The 7th District runs from Culpeper through Chesterfield and Henrico County down to rural Southside Virginia. Analysts say Republicans must convince voters in the district who may be turned off by President Trump that they should still vote for a Republican for Congress over Spanberger. So far, Freitas and McGuire have jousted over their votes in the House of Delegates and embraced Trump, a strategy that analysts say could hurt them in the fall, depending on how residents feel about the president's response to the coronavirus pandemic and the economy. Independent rating agencies say the district will be a toss-up or lean Democrat in the November, and national parties and political action committees have already reserved millions of dollars in airtime for campaign ads. "When affluent white suburbs and rural areas turn Democratic, there's something really wrong with the Republican Party, and they need to find a way to recapture those voters," Rozell said. "They have not done a good job of that in this district." Freitas, 40, has gained a national following for his libertarian views and incendiary floor speeches in Richmond, endearing him to Sens. Rand Paul, R-Ky., and Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and Rep. Dan Crenshaw, R-Texas. A three-term state delegate from Culpeper, he enlisted in the Army after high school, rose to the Special Forces and served two combat tours in Iraq. He left the military in 2010 and works as a consultant. McGuire said Freitas leads in the money race because of special-interest cash, thanks to an endorsement from the fiscally conservative Club for Growth. In contrast, McGuire says, he has raised money from individual donors. In response, Freitas said: "When you look at the organizations that have endorsed me, they're all conservative organizations and that's what we need to win the district. . . . That's something to be proud of, not something to be ashamed of." Freitas sought the 2018 nomination to challenge Sen. Tim Kaine, a Democrat, but lost to Corey Stewart. His 2019 race for a third term in the General Assembly was among the most closely watched in the state because he failed to file key documents to register for the ballot, forcing him to launch a costly write-in campaign. That effort was bankrolled by GOP megadonor Richard Uihlein of Illinois, who donated $500,000 and helped Freitas win by double digits. Despite hiring - and then firing - a lawyer specifically to avoid a repeat of the paperwork problem, Freitas missed the registration deadline again this year. State elections officials will decide Tuesday whether to grant him an extension. McGuire said the error shows Freitas isn't capable of running a successful congressional campaign. "If you think you're going to beat Spanberger and be unprofessional and disorganized, it's not going to happen," he said. Freitas and McGuire, or their allies,have traded accusations of being too liberal on social issues important to the GOP base, attacks that each campaign calls unfair and distorted. A mailer from the Protect Freedom PAC, which is affiliated with Freitas ally Paul, suggested McGuire was "pro-abortion," an allegation Freitas later acknowledged was incorrect. McGuire's campaign, in turn, accused Freitas of voting to legalize marijuana because he backed legislation that would decriminalize possession of a small amount of the drug. "If the only way you can win is by trashing your fellow Republican, well, that doesn't really speak well," Freitas said. McGuire, 51, was born and raised in Henrico, lives in Goochland and represents a district located completely within the 7th District, which he argues gives him an advantage over Freitas. He joined the Navy and served as a SEAL for a decade before returning to Virginia, where he founded a fitness company called SEAL Team PT. He earned national attention last year for helping a Vietnam veteran and constituent win approval from his homeowners association to fly an American flag on a 20-foot flagpole. Knaggs, 45, graduated from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, trained for the Army Special Forces and was twice deployed to Iraq before going to law school. In 2017 he joined the Trump administration as a deputy assistant defense secretary responsible for Special Operations policies, with a focus on counterterrorism, irregular warfare and information operations. "I will stand for President Trump in fighting for the people, and we need that more than ever," Knaggs said. Knaggs, who moved to Henrico from Fairfax County in September, notes on his campaign website that he is a "first-generation American," born in New York to a Haitian father and Barbadian mother, both of whom became naturalized citizens. Ramirez, 41, grew up in Powhatan, left Virginia to earn master's degrees in education and international human rights and then moved to the District of Columbia. She helped start the bipartisan Congressional International Religious Freedom Caucus and later worked to support the Hobby Lobby case, in which the Supreme Court ruled that companies could opt out of covering contraceptives for women if doing so would violate their religious beliefs. She returned to the Richmond area seven years ago to start her nonprofit, Hardwired Global, and lives in Chesterfield with her young daughter. Ramirez says growing up in a diverse family, as the granddaughter of Mexican and Czech immigrants, fueled her desire to work across the world. A first-time candidate, she railed against a political process she said has left party insiders squabbling over voting details. The convention, originally set for April 25, was postponed after party officials sued for more time to navigate Northam's ban on large-scale gatherings during the pandemic. About 4,000 of the 5,200 registered delegates are expected to travel to the exhibition hall at Meadow Event Park for a "walk-up" convention, party officials said. According to basic rules adopted by the committee Thursday, delegates will walk through the hall to cast ballots in a first round of voting and retreat to their cars or outside to await the results. Subsequent rounds of balloting will be held until one candidate receives a majority of votes. Physical distancing and mask requirements will be imposed, per Northam's statewide orders, and county sheriffs will be on hand to enforce the rules. Neither Greenwald nor Roberge have the war chest or campaign operations to rival the other candidates. Each had raised less than $15,000 by the end of March, when the latest GOP financial reports were due. Freitas had raised $627,078 by the end of the first quarter, compared with $318,222 for McGuire, $311,425 for Ramirez and $138,473 for Knaggs, reports show. The next reports are due Monday. Freitas says he has raised about $1 million and McGuire says his war chest is approaching $750,000. Spanberger has outpaced all of them, raising $4.3 million. She had $3.5 million in cash as of early June. As a Naval Science instructor, Greenwald says on his website that he teaches his students to "Strive to promote patriotism and to become an informed and responsible citizen." Roberge, borrowing a phrase used often by Brat, says conservatives must defend their "Judeo-Christian values" in the face of the "undeniable threat of democratic socialism." T here are victims of the paedophile Jeffrey Epstein in the UK that have not yet come forward, a US lawyer for a compensation fund has said. The former friend of the Duke of York spent time in London in the 1990s, when he allegedly abused underage girls as young as 14. Last August, the disgraced American financier killed himself before facing trial on sex trafficking and conspiracy charges. Ghislaine Maxwel pictured with the Duke of York at a wedding / BBC PANORAMA Epstein's victims can now file claims against his 630 million dollar (505 million) estate through a compensation programme. US lawyer Jordana Feldman, architect of the scheme, encouraged more British women to come forward. She said: We believe there are victims yet to come forward around the world, including in the UK. British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell was charged in the US with facilitating his sexual exploitation / PA Jill Greenfield, head of personal injury at London-based Fieldfisher, has been advising on potential proceedings against the Epstein estate for allegations of sexual assault. She said: This fund is very good news for Epstein victims both in the US and in the UK. Anything that eases the process for victims of sexual assault to receive financial support is extremely positive. In the UK, we have a litigious system of dealing with these types of claims, which in itself can cause further harm to victims. I would be keen for the UK to replicate these US schemes to offer recourse without putting people through the extreme distress of pursuing a claim through the courts. She added: I am working with the victims fund to ensure that the confidentiality of the UK victims that is built into this process is sufficient to protect them. This is particularly important given that UK victims of sexual assault are granted automatic anonymity, which is not automatic in the US. The programme has been set up to operate independently from the Epstein estate and has been working with lawyers for more than 70 victims. The deadline for all claims to be filed is March 25 2021. Ms Maxwell, daughter of late media mogul Robert Maxwell, has previously denied any wrongdoing or knowledge of sexual misconduct by her former boyfriend Epstein. Earlier this week, a source close to the Duke of York said he was bewildered by claims made by US authorities that he has not offered to co-operate with the Epstein case. T he acting leader of the Lib Dems Sir Ed Davey has written to Kent's police chief asking to investigate whether Nigel Farage broke lockdown rules by visiting the pub on Super Saturday. Mr Farage posted a picture of himself with a pint on Twitter, with the caption: "12 oclock, first customer in. Love it." However, Mr Farage had attended a rally for Donald Trump in Tulsa a fortnight ago. Sir Ed requested that the police establish a timeline of events to ensure that Mr Farage had quarantined for 14 days after his return from the US. Sir Ed wrote to Kent's chief constable, Alan Pughsley: "I write to ask you to immediately investigate this issue, establish the timeline of events for Mr Farage's return to the UK and establish whether Mr Farage was in breach of his quarantine. It is vital that lives are not put at risk by breaches of quarantine. "I am copying this letter to the home secretary as I believe this case illustrates the difficulties that the police and Home Office will have in enforcing the quarantine rules as they are currently set out." Mr Farage wrote on Twitter that he quarantined for two weeks and had a negative Covid-19 test after his trip to the US. But according to BBC News the Department of Health has said getting a negative test for the coronavirus does not mean you don't have to self-isolate for two weeks as a test can amount to a false negative. As coronavirus cases continue to surge in the US, those who travel from the country to the UK must self-isolate for 14 days. In his original tweet Mr Farage shared a picture of himself enjoying a pint as pubs across the UK reopened after months of having to close their doors during the lockdown. Many people took to social media to tag Kent Police in tweets that raised concerns about Mr Farage's pub visit. One person tagged the Metropolitan Police in a tweet about the Brexit Party Leader. They added the caption: "I believe this person should be in quarantine currently for 14 days following international travel. Please can you look into this?" Alexandra Phillips, a former Brexit Party MEP who once worked as Nigel Farage's media adviser, defended Mr Farage on Twitter. She said: "Dear Ed Davey, The police have better things to do, you sad little man. "Getting an officer to go to Nigel's house to tell him he shouldn't have gone to the pub is a total waste of resources and makes you look like a pathetic, attention-seeking twerp." It comes after the Brexit Party leader was investigated after he attended a Donald Trump rally despite the countrys ongoing UK travel ban. US officials exempted the Brexit Party leader from the rules enforced due to the coronavirus pandemic under a national interest clause, according to local reports. S even police officers were injured after revellers pelted them with "bricks and missiles" as they tried to break up an illegal lockdown music event in west London. Police were called to Havelock Close, White City following reports of a number of people gathered at an estate on Friday evening. When officers arrived on the scene, the group "became hostile" and some began throwing items including "bricks and other missiles", causing them to retreat and regroup. Specially trained public order officers returned to the estate and despite being subject to "hostility and violence" managed to disperse the crowd. A Dispersal Zone was authorised and a section 60 was put in place allowing police to stop and search. Illegal party-goers pelt police as they back away / @davekayani In video taken at the scene a man can be heard saying "These boys retreating," as crowds chased officers away and pelted them with items. Earlier footage shows a large group gathering outside an estate, with music blaring in the background. Deputy Assistant Commissioner Laurence Taylor said: Officers have responded to residents complaining about a large gathering, noise, anti-social behaviour and violence. The crowd chased the police around the coroner / @davekayani These gatherings are illegal and also pose a risk to public health. 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. The gathering was dispersed by around 1.15am. No arrests have been made. Although the Government has given the green light fo pubs and some other hospitality and leisure services to reopen on "super Saturday", large gathering are still banned. A candlelit vigil has been held in central London to remember to those who lost their lives during the coronavirus pandemic. Dozens of doctors and campaigners took part in the tribute, which was also organised to mark the upcoming 72nd anniversary of the NHS. The Peoples Assembly teamed up with Health Campaigns Together, Keep Our NHS Public and We Own It for the socially distanced vigil on Friday evening. Around 50 NHS staff and campaigners carried one lantern to represent every 1,000 people who have died with Covid-19. Dozens of doctors and campaigners joined the tribute, which was also organised to mark the upcoming 72nd anniversary of the NHS. / PA The procession began at St Thomas Hospital and proceeded across Westminster Bridge before heading to Downing Street. Here, doctors and health workers read out all the names of their NHS colleagues who have died during a 20-minute candlelit vigil. Ramona McCartney, national organiser at the Peoples Assembly, said: It was very sombre and emotional. We are coming up to the 72nd anniversary for the NHS and there will be celebrations, but we think its really important to throw attention to the ways in which the Government has mishandled the situation and lots of people have lost their lives unfortunately. To see the NHS staff reading out the names, it was very moving. It was a real moment of reflection and bearing light to an absolute tragedy that could have been avoided. E state agents across the UK are banning the use of the term master bedroom due to its links with slavery and sexism. Agents will instead replace the term with 'primary' or 'principal' bedroom, the Times reports. Peter Wetherell, executive chairman of Wetherell in Mayfair, said the company was removing the term master bedroom on all of its listings in an attempt to appeal to more socially conscious buyers He told The Times: "These changes are being driven by political correctness and dramatic transformations in the buyer demographic across prime central London. "The typical buyers are now aged from their early twenties to their mid-forties and from all over the world. Estate agents are swapping the term master bedroom for more inclusive terms / PA "This young demographic tends to be very broad-minded and find any form of racism or sexism deeply offensive." The changes come as the death of George Floyd prompted Black Lives Matter, protests around the world against police brutality and racism. Jeremy Gee, managing director of Beauchamp Estates in Mayfair said his company would be replacing the term master bedroom for 'principal' In a typical week we are selling to a British couple one day, a family from Saudi Arabia, Nigeria or Hong Kong another day and a same-sex couple from Britain, France or America on another day," said Mr Gee. 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 We always try to use neutral and non-offensive marketing terms. Using his and her bathrooms would be incorrect if we are marketing to a same-sex couple, for instance. Marc von Grundherr, director of Benham and Reeves estate agents in London, echoed Mr Gee's comments about selling to international clients. He said: We are used to dealing with sensitivities concerning different races and cultures. The word master does carry historically racist undertones. If it were to cause offence to any buyer, seller or tenant, we wouldnt have a second thought in amending our advertising material to remove it. It is something we are considering doing to prevent such offences occurring. It comes as estate agents in the US are also opting to ditch the term master bedroom in favour of more inclusive terminology. The Houston Association of Realtors (HAR) said it will no longer use the term "master" as some of its members viewed the term racist and sexist. In a statement to CBS News, HAR said: "The overarching message was that some members were concerned about how the terms might be perceived by some other agents and consumers. "Based on the discussion that took place, more members viewed the terms as sexist than racist, although some did view them as racist." According to HAR the term master does not violate Fair Housing laws and therefore it will not ban realtors from using the term and it can still be used in marketing and photo descriptions. "The origin of the terms is debated, and we are not saying they are rooted in slavery," said HAR. "Others didn't personally view them as sexist or racist but believed we should change the terms for anyone else who might find them objectionable. "The consensus was that Primary describes the rooms equally as well as Master while avoiding any possible misperceptions." Earlier this week Twitter revealed it was removing a selection of non-inclusive terms from its coding programmes. Terms such as master, slave, whitelist and grandfathered will be swapped for more inclusive terminology. A man in his 20s has died after being found with gunshot wounds near Pentonville prison in north London. Police were called to Roman Way, Islington, at around 3:20pm on Saturday following reports of shots fired. The London Ambulance Service also attended, but despite their best efforts he was pronounced dead at the scene. A witness said he saw the Islington incident from his window. I heard around seven shots, ran to window, and a guy on a bike or moped rode off, he said. He was looking back. When I looked to the park, I could see a guy staggering then fell. That was it then police came. They are taping the area now No ones allowed to leave. The witness who heard gunshots from his window in Islington added: Theres always crime around here, the shooting is shocking, but not much of a surprise. Its not nice though, especially near the local park. The witness, Twitter user @AlpsLifee who did not wish to share his real name, shared a video of the scene which shows a playground next to the police cordon on Roman Way. Police have launched an investigation into the shooting. There have been no arrests, Scotland Yard said. The man's next of kin have been informed. Anyone who witnessed the incident, or who has video or images that could assist police, is asked to call 101 ref CAD 4432/4 July. H airdressers across England started giving the nation an overdue trim in the early hours of Saturday while pubs and restaurants prepared to throw open their doors as the lockdown restrictions eased. Brits are expected to flood to their favourite locals, which will be allowed to reopen at 6am on what has been dubbed "Super Saturday". It comes after more than three months of coronavirus lockdown, which has seen businesses up and down the country struggling to stay afloat. While some venues were planning to open just after midnight, the Government published last-minute regulations, enforcing the closure of hospitality venues until daylight at least. Pubs and restaurants are preparing to throw open their doors in England first thing on Saturday morning / PA One of the first people to visit a hair salon since the nation went into lockdown has said it was nice to feel like normal again. Sandra Jacobs was among the first people through the door at Tusk Hair in Camden on Friday night when the north London business opened its doors at midnight for the first time in three-and-a-half months. Owner Carole Rickaby cuts customer Sandra Jacobs' hair at Tusk Hair stylists in Camden / Getty Images Despite the abundance of masks, aprons and faceshields serving as a reminder of the new normal of post-Covid society, Ms Jacobs said she was just relieved to be sitting in owner Carole Rickabys salon chair again. Its such a relief, I cant tell you, she said. My hair was everywhere. Id been wearing hats to hide it. Although Carole is booked for two-and-a-half weeks, I called her and she said I could come in at midnight, which I was grateful for. It was nice to feel a bit like normal again. But the grand reopening has been met by stark warnings of the potential risks of a Covid-19 resurgence. Boris Johnson has urged the public not to blow it now by disregarding social-distancing rules when restrictions are eased in pubs, restaurants and cafes. Pubs and restaurants are preparing to throw open their doors in England first thing on Saturday morning / AP Meanwhile, Sir Patrick Vallance, the chief scientific adviser, also warned of the danger of virus superspreading within pubs And chief medical officer Professor Chris Whitty warned the pandemic is a long way from gone as he urged the public to continue follow public health guidance. None of us believe, and Im sure nobody watching this believes, this is a risk-free next step. It is absolutely not, that is why we have to be really serious about it," Prof Whitty added. Theres no doubt these are environments whose principal job it is to bring people together, thats a great thing to do socially but its also a great thing from the viruss point of view. Whitty: 'Second wave' still very much a possibility And therefore we do have to have a really clear and really disciplined approach to try and maintain social distancing whilst also enjoying pubs. Prof Whitty added that there is no perfect, exact way of easing lockdown as he discussed the balancing act being undertaken, adding: We are going to have health problems, and economic problems, for sure. He applied the pressure on the public and business owners to follow the restrictions, adding that if they do not take them seriously, the possibility of a second wave goes up sharply. The Government scientists suggested pubs, bars and restaurants would be the types of places that close first in the event of subsequent outbreaks. Pubs and restaurants are preparing to throw open their doors in England first thing on Saturday morning / AFP via Getty Images Mr Johnson said he did not want to return to a national closure of all pubs, preferring to take more targeted measures now, but said he would retain all measures in reserve. He said local lockdowns like the one imposed on Leicester would remain a feature of our lives for some time to come. Pubs and restaurants are preparing to throw open their doors in England first thing on Saturday morning / AFP via Getty Images Pubs, restaurants, cinemas and some other venues or organised events are exempt from the 30-person group limit as long as sufficient measures have been put in place to prevent the spread of the virus. Britains biggest pub measuring nearly 11,000 square feet is among those ready to welcome punters back on Saturday. The Royal Victoria Pavillion, housed in a Grade II listed Victorian building in Ramsgate, Kent, will finally be able to allow customers inside to enjoy their favourite tipple. Pubs and restaurants are preparing to throw open their doors in England first thing on Saturday morning / PA Chris Whitbourn, manager at Royal Victoria Pavilion, said: We have spent a number of weeks consulting with staff who work in our pubs, as well as area managers in order to draw up our plans.The safety of staff and customers is paramount. From Saturday morning, thirsty residents of the coastal town will be able to return to the massive pubs spacious interior. The Royal Victoria is believed to be the biggest pub in the UK, and opened as a Wetherspoons in August 2017. JD Wetherspoon says dedicated staff will monitor the pub at all times in order to maintain social distancing standards and there will be a member of staff on the door at peak times. Contact points such as door handles and card payment machines will be sanitised during opening hours, and customers will be asked to order and pay via an app where possible. W elsh people fancying a pint on "Super Saturday" can only travel to England if they live within five miles of the border. First Minister Mark Drakeford said that while those living very close to England may be able to visit venues serving alcoholic beverages, the vast majority would not be permitted to travel. Police have also urged Welsh residents to heed the stay local advice, while Transport for Wales said public transport should only be used for essential travel. It comes as pubs in England were able to open from 6am on July 4 but those in Wales will only be able to operate outdoors from July 13. The stay local requirement in Wales will end on Monday when two households will be able to form one extended household enabling families to be reunited. In a press conference on Friday, Mr Drakeford was asked what he would say to those in Wales who were considering travelling to England over the weekend to visit a pub. I certainly do say to people who are thinking of going across the border that the five-mile advice, the stay local regulations, remain in place in Wales this weekend, Mr Drakeford said. Mark Drakeford gave the warning at a press conference / PA So while there are populations very close to the border who may choose to travel, for most of us that will not be a possibility. Mr Drakeford stressed the need for people to behave in ways that allow us all to continue to be safe. Please, wherever you are in Wales, this weekend is not a reason or an excuse to abandon all the things that you have worked so hard to achieve, he said. Super Saturday - in pictures 1 /50 Super Saturday - in pictures A police officer watches on from an elevated position as revellers drink in the street outside the bars in Soho, London AFP via Getty Images Soho REUTERS Borough Market, London PA Soho REUTERS Soho PA Soho AFP via Getty Images Soho PA REUTERS Newcastle REUTERS Soho REUTERS Soho AFP via Getty Images Soho AFP via Getty Images Soho PA Soho PA A street cleaner sweeps a street in Soho PA Soho PA Soho PA Borough Market REUTERS Soho PA Newcastle REUTERS London AP Central London REUTERS London AP Manchester AP Customers give a toast with their drinks at the Shakespeare's Head pub in Holborn, London PA Miya Towse has her hair cut at The Chair salon shortly after midnight and reopening in Canterbury Getty Images Louise Wilson and Jennifer Arnold were married at Runcorn Town Hall Registry Office at one minute past midnight Halton Borough Council/PA Wire Michael Robinson, 61, has the first drink at the reopening The Toll Gate, a Wetherspoons pub in Hornsey, north London PA Clare Streeter wears a face mask as she has her hair cut as the first customer back at the strike of midnight in Canterbury Getty Images A member of the public has her temperature checked at the entrance to Alton Towers Getty Images One of the first drinkers at the reopening of the Rochester Castle pub in Stoke Newington, north London, PA Andrew Slawinaki, 51, reading his paper while having a pint of Guinness at the reopening The Toll Gate PA Robert observes social distancing queuing for a pint at The Mossy Well in Muswell Hill in London Getty Images A customer sanitises their hands at The Mossy Well Getty Images PA Customers drink beer at The Holland Tringham Wetherspoons pub in London REUTERS Customers walking into the Shakespeares Head pub in Holborn, London PA A member of bar staff pulls a pint at the Shakespeares Head pub in Holborn, London PA Customers queue to order a drink at The Holland Tringham REUTERS A worker carries a beer at The Holland Tringham REUTERS Bar staff waits for customers at the Rochester Castle pub in Stoke Newington, north London PA Miya Towse has her hair cut at The Chair salon Getty Images Owner Carole Rickaby cuts customer Sandra Jacobs' hair at Tusk Hair stylists in Camden just after midnight Getty Images A customer has her hair washed at Tusk Hair stylists in Camden Getty Images Customers have their hair washed and cut in Canterbury Getty Images Jonathan Callister has his hair cut shortly after midnight in Canterbury Getty Images The Chair salon owner, Katie Hancock, wears a protective face shield as she washes and cuts the hair of Clare Streeter Getty Images Jennifer and Louise Arnold-Wilson married at Runcorn Town Hall Registry Office at one minute past midnight Halton Borough Council/PA Wire Runcorn Town Hall Registry Office, where Jennifer and Louise were married at one minute past midnight Halton Borough Council/PA Wire Members of the public queue to enter Alton Towers Getty Images Please continue to do those things and help to keep Wales safe. In a tweet, North Wales Police urged people to continue to stay local over the weekend. Gwent Police told the BBC that it would be continuing regular patrols ahead of the travel restrictions being lifted. Those breaching coronavirus regulations in Wales face enforcement measures including penalty fines, which can rise to 1,920 for repeated breaches. Transport for Wales asked people only to use public transport for essential travel and where no other options are available. It said this is to ensure there is enough space for key workers and those without alternative options to travel safely. James Price, chief executive of Transport for Wales, said: Covid-19 is an evolving situation and over the next week there are important changes in advice from UK and Welsh governments. However, we need to reinforce our travel safer campaign highlighting that public transport is for essential travel and where there are no other travel alternatives. On Friday, Public Health Wales said a further two people had died in Wales after testing positive for coronavirus, taking the total number of deaths to 1,525. S elling dog meat has been banned in north-east India, authorities have confirmed. The state of Nagaland has also halted the importing and exporting of the animal for food. State chief Secretary Temjen Toy said on social media that canine meat, both "cooked and uncooked" was not permitted in the region. It follows an appeal earlier in the week by Indian lawmaker Maneka Gandhi, who urged the Nagaland government to act. Her request came after she received fresh photographs of the trade from a Nagaland-based animal protection group. Mr Toy tweeted: "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. "Appreciate the wise decision taken by the States Cabinet." Dogs can no longer be used as food in the state / PA Ms Gandhis appeal led to more than 125,000 people writing to the Nagaland government to urge the banning of the dog trade and the sale of meat. Animal rights advocacy group Humane Society International said in a statement: This is a major turning point in ending the cruelty in Indias hidden dog meat trade." The group estimates that up to 30,000 dogs a year are smuggled into Nagaland, where they are sold in live markets. The group also says dogs are regularly beaten to death with wooden clubs. Authorities praised the movement and Abu Metha, an adviser to Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio, (the states highest elected official) tweeted: This is a progressive move. In this day and age, positive social media activism and advocacy has an enormous impact on policymakers. "Congrats and thanks to all." On Friday, the Department for Transport (Dft) published a full catalogue of countries and territories which English tourists can visit without having to self-quarantine upon their return. Portugal, however, was not one of them, In a tweet, the Portuguese foreign affairs minister branded it absurd that the nation had been left off the list despite the UK reporting 28 times more coronavirus-related deaths. Meanwhile, the countrys prime minister Antonio Costa tweeted a graph showing the UK towering over the Algarve in its number of Covid-19 cases. Which is the safest place to stay?" he wrote alongside the graphic. "You are welcome to spend a safe holiday in Algarve! #UK #visitportugal. Back in the UK, the Labour Party and Which? Travel also condemned the new travel plans as a mess. The DfTs list of 73 countries and territories features popular short-haul destinations such as Spain, France, Italy, Turkey, Greece and Cyprus, as well as long-haul locations including Australia, Barbados and Hong Kong. But China, Portugal, Thailand, the Maldives and the US are among the notable absentees. Labour 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 said: Labour, like families and businesses up and down the country, are keen for the Governments quarantine measures to be lessened, but this is 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 (personal protective equipment) and too slow to protect our country. What do the latest travel rules mean? 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 DfT, among those missing are Fiji, Mauritius and the Seychelles. There are also some destinations which the FCO listed but the DfT did not, such as Canada, Estonia, Malaysia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Singapore and the Portuguese regions of the Azores and Madeira. Rory Boland, editor of Which? Travel, said holidaymakers having to check the two lists and for any restrictions in their destination country would be forgiven for thinking this announcement hasnt been thought through. He added: The Governments attempt to relax international travel restrictions has been a complete mess, leaving millions of people with no clarity over whether their holiday can go ahead and less chance of getting their money back if they cant go. If the Government is to have any hope of getting travel back up and running, it must urgently provide clear and coherent guidance on foreign travel to remedy the mass confusion caused so far. Noel Josephides, chairman of tour operator Sunvil, said the omission of Portugal from the UKs quarantine-free list will kill their peak season. A lot of hotels are going to close, theres going to be considerable unemployment because of it, and its totally unnecessary," he added. Mr Josephides said the impact on large tour operators such as Tui and Jet2 will be quite serious. However, Tui managing director Andrew Flintham said that he was pleased the Government had confirmed that summer holidays are saved. 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 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. A good explanation of that would be this last January when we deployed, I was home and on leave. Within 12 hours, I went from sitting in my bed back in Wyoming to getting a phone call that said I need to be back at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, Jaden said, I went back to Fort Bragg the next day and was deployed three days later. Driving from his house located outside of Lingle, after getting his phone call with deployment details, as he traveled to the Denver airport, Jaden said, he couldnt help but think about the difficulty in saying goodbye. When I was driving from my house down to Denver to get on the plane, my entire thought process the entire time, was that this could very well be the last time that I ever see this place, Jaden said. And saying goodbye to my family, not knowing if I would ever see them again, that was a lot of the thoughts going through my mind at the time, especially with the type of job that I have, and the type of job that my unit does, we can be in the s--- or we are not, it could be either which way. After leaving from his deployment with short notice, then the unlikely reacquainting with his father at Camp Buehring, Kuwait, he moved on with the rest of his unit to Camp Taji, Iraq. No matter the size of the business, Lehl said there are ways to assist. We really like to concentrate on helping local businesses grow, because thats 80% of economic development, businesses that are already here, growing their employment, she said. Thats something we like to concentrate on. The other part, obviously, is bringing in new businesses to the area. Retention and expansion and bringing in new businesses is what my job is, but then you have to make the area a place where people want to be and want to live. Scottsbluff interim city manager Rick Kuckkahn said keeping up is important in the economic development field. With economic development, sometimes, its a game maybe not of growing so much as keeping up and expanding what youve got in town, he said, and thats one of the things that (Lehl) has done, too, is businesses in town expanding and bringing new stuff in that compliments what we already have. Then shell find a compliment to the compliment. Shell just tier the stuff one on top of the other. Creating events such as Bands on Broadway and finding ways to welcome newcomers and get them connected is key to not only bringing new residents and businesses to the area, but keeping them as well. The eyes of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln were looking down on President Donald Trump as he addressed the crowd at Mount Rushmore before the fireworks display that returned after an 11-year hiatus. Trump aimed his speech at the most recent calls to remove Mount Rushmore and statues across the nation after weeks of Black Lives Matter protests. Many protesters across the nation have torn down statues of Confederate generals, Spanish conquistadors and other historical figures who may have contributed to the enslavement of people of color, and the mass murder and colonization of Indigenous people. We believe in equal opportunity, equal justice and equal treatment for citizens of every race, background, religion and creed. Every child of every color, born and unborn, Trump said. That statement followed Trump saying, We are building the wall. We will never abolish our police, or our great Second Amendment, he said. Calls to abolish, reform or defund police forces have arisen in the wake of George Floyds May 25 death while in the custody of Minneapolis police. I am proud to be an American. Yes, I know that our system of government is not perfect, but I firmly believe that it is the best in the world. We are an exceptional country not because our people are exceptional but because we have a different and exceptional structure of government. I am grateful that I was born an American. We declared our independence from Great Britain 244 years ago this week. It happened after years of overreaching rule by King George III and Britains insistence on taxation without representation. We had had enough. We were pushed into action over time and act we did, finally. The taxation began in the 1760s; the Boston Massacre occurred in 1770; the Boston Tea Party in 1773; and the Battles of Lexington and Concord in April of 1775. Patrick Henrys call to action, Give me liberty, or give me death, made in the spring of 1775, was the first strong public statement that if we were to be free, we would have to fight Britain. Before that, we believed that we could negotiate with Britain that, somehow, we could make it work without confrontation. It was not to be. Henry stated it clearly. Our choice was liberty or death. 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: 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: EDMONTONAlbertas only non-Conservative member of Parliament says shes disappointed some of the provinces Tory MPs havent been participating in virtual House of Commons special COVID-19 committee meetings. The Commons, which had largely been adjourned since mid-March to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus, initially only met to pass emergency aid legislation and to come to a new agreement on how the chamber should function. In late May, the New Democrats joined forces with the governing Liberals to waive normal proceedings for another four months and continue with an expanded version of a special COVID-19 committee that has acted as a stand-in for the chamber. Both Conservative and Bloc Quebecois MPs voted against the virtual sittings because they wanted more parliamentary oversight. There have been 14 of the new hybrid sessions since the change at the end of May, but a tally by the NDP shows the average attendance for Conservative members from Alberta was about 42 per cent; the number was confirmed by The Canadian Press through online minutes. NDP MP Heather McPherson, who represents Edmonton Strathcona, has attended all the online meetings and said she doesnt understand why other Alberta politicians arent participating. Im a little shocked, she said in an interview this week. It feels to me like Alberta MPs, more than any MPs in the rest of the country, need to be fighting for Albertans. We need all the help we can get. Of the 33 Alberta Conservative MPs, none has attended all 14 meetings. About a dozen have attended more than half, and four havent participated at all. Len Webber, who represents the Calgary Confederation riding and is also chair of the Alberta Conservative caucus, said the attendance numbers were news to him. I get on when I can, he said. The meeting minutes posted online show Webber attended two of the special COVID-19 meetings early on in the pandemic and hasnt participated in any since the May 26 change. Other politicians who havent attended any of the last 14 meetings are Calgary Heritage MP Bob Benzen, Edmonton Riverbend MP and health critic Matt Jeneroux and Calgary Signal Hill MP Ron Liepert. Webber said its not a boycott by the Conservatives. He suggested many members including himself are busy with other meetings. Hes on the health committee, for example, and online minutes show that hes attended all of those meetings. There are also regular Zoom calls with other members to prepare for meetings and ongoing constituency issues to address, he said. There are good reasons why some MPs cant attend. Webber questioned whether the attendance numbers were accurate. Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... He added that theres only so many questions that can be asked by MPs at the special COVID-19 committee meetings. There are certainly Alberta MPs who ask questions, he said. They are there representing their constituents. McPherson said the NDP voted to have the hybrid meetings so every member had the opportunity to participate in Parliament and represent their constituents. We were able to ask questions, she said. A previous restriction that prevented MPs from asking questions on issues other than the pandemic was one of the changes made at the end of May. McPherson said she has asked about worker safety at the Cargill meat-packing plant in southern Alberta, help for people with disabilities and support for Albertas small businesses that werent qualifying for government assistance during the pandemic. She suggested theres also value in hearing other issues politicians are raising. McPherson said shes particularly surprised that some of her fellow Alberta MPs didnt attend at all, as people across the province are going through a difficult time. Im really happy to work with anyone from any party ... but you have to show up, she said. McPherson admitted the current system isnt perfect, but said its a good compromise that helps contain the spread of COVID-19 by preventing people from flying to Ottawa from all over Canada for in-person sessions. We couldnt do business as usual. Read more about: 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. SAN FRANCISCO - As the coronavirus surges in the state, Californians celebrated Independence Day with virtual parades featuring photos of flag-draped front porches instead of pancake breakfasts and crowded festivities. Meanwhile, law enforcement officers were out and about, reminding people to wear masks in public and turning away disappointed sun-seekers from beaches that were closed to discourage crowds for the holiday weekend. California is in a make-or-break moment, with infection rates and hospitalizations rising sharply. Gov. Gavin Newsom this week ordered the three-week closures of bars, indoor restaurant dining areas and other indoor venues for 21 of 58 counties, including the two most populous, Los Angeles and San Diego. The countrys recent reckoning with racial injustice also marked the day. Demonstrators in San Jose created a Black Lives Matter mural while former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said on Twitter: Happy birthday, America. Thank you for letting me live the American Dream. We must fight every day to make sure that dream is as true for a Black child born in Minneapolis as it was for a white bodybuilder born in Austria. Many communities cancelled annual fireworks shows and limited or closed beaches, changes that appeared to successfully keep crowds at bay. The beach closures that began Friday from Los Angeles County rolled northward through Ventura and Santa Barbara counties. In Orange County, hugely popular beaches such as Huntington and Newport closed Saturday and Sunday. Half Moon Bay on the Pacific Coast south of San Francisco set up barricades to prevent access to its beaches. But determined beach-goers on Friday simply carried small children and gear over the blockades. So our sheriffs patrols were just driving up and down the coast, said Jessica Blair, communications director for the city. It was just a revolving door of people climbing over the barricades, getting set up and getting kicked out. Seal Beach police Sgt. Nick Nicholas said Saturday afternoon that people appeared to have gotten the message that beaches in Orange County were closed. Its been good so far. We dont see anybody on the beach, he said. It looks like people are enjoying our main street and restaurants. He said the crowd size was the right amount. On Saturday, California reported another 6,500 newly confirmed cases of coronavirus, bringing the states total to more than a quarter million cases. The actual number of infections is thought to be far higher because many people have not been tested, and studies suggest people can be infected with the virus without feeling sick. Enforcement has been a touchy issue throughout the state. The Southern California cities of West Hollywood and Santa Monica as well as the central coast city of Monterey are enforcing mask mandates with tickets ranging from $100 to $300 for a first offence. About 200 state inspectors that are part of new strike teams set up by Newsom are fanning out over the weekend to enforce rules and encountered trouble in the Santa Clara County city of Morgan Hill. At a news conference Saturday, Mayor Rich Constantine slammed the appropriateness of armed officers with the states Alcohol Beverage Control who visited at least a dozen restaurants Friday night and ordered them to close. Constantine said he doesnt know why the agents ordered the restaurants to close when they are allowed to operate outdoors. The strike team did not cite anyone, but they were heavy-handed and did not explain what the restaurants were doing wrong, he said. We cant even get ahold of anybody in the governors office, and were the government, Constantine said. The county attorney, our city attorney all have been trying to get an answer so we can get our businesses a definitive answer. Ladera Grill owner Dan McCranie said its beyond frustrating that just as theyre starting to get customers back, these guys come up and say we cant show you a rule or regulation but you will stop this. In response, Californias Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control said Saturday that the restaurants did not have permission from the state to open. San Diego County beaches remained open and saw tens of thousands of visitors on Friday. Many clustered in socially distanced groups when they werent splashing in the shallows. But lifeguards said not everyone was obeying public safety rules despite public address system reminders. In San Jose, Mayor Sam Liccardo pleaded in a tweet Friday for the public to avoid crowds and maintain distance from people outside their household. He was responding to a photo of a street packed with happy, socializing diners. Authorities have warned that even ordinary gatherings of families and friends have been identified as sources of COVID-19 infections. In remote Northern California, Lake County reported its first COVID-19 related death Friday, and Humboldt County said Friday that about a quarter of its 144 cases were reported in the past two weeks. Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... This has been driven largely by residents gathering and visiting between households both locally and while travelling, as well as by illness occurring in the cannabis industry workforce, said Dr. Teresa Frankovich, the county health officer. The state also is fighting an outbreak in its prisons. The virus is suspected of killing another death row inmate Saturday at San Quentin State Prison, where about 40% of inmates are now infected, corrections officials said. Dewayne Michael Carey, 59, was pronounced deceased on Saturday, bringing the total number of COVID-related deaths of death row inmates at the Marin County prison to five. 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 people with existing health problems it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia, and death. And Truman had more to worry about than the urbane Dewey. Trumans own Democratic Party gave rise to two offshoot parties, one on each flank. On the left stood former Vice President Henry Wallace and his ultra-liberal Progressive Party. On the right, South Carolinas Strom Thurmond and his Dixiecrats, sworn to dig in against civil rights advances. And when Truman took to the rails with his whistle-stop speeches late in the campaign, some reporters began to sense that something odd was happening. One reporter recalled: Indiana was normally a Republican state, but in towns where you knew the population was 20,000, in several instances, there would be a hundred thousand to see Truman. They would be jammed in for blocks around where loud speakers would have been set up. They had some from towns in the whole surrounding countryside, maybe as far away as a hundred miles You didnt have to be very smart to say, Look here, something is going on. MoDOT is not able to assure that individual housing options are available; therefore, we would respectfully request the assistance of the City of St. Louis Homeless Services Division in attempting to find available individual housing options, Blair said in the letter. MoDOT did not respond to requests for comment about the encampments this week. On Thursday evening, about 20 tents remained along that stretch of I-44 downtown, though the number of tents frequently fluctuates as people move to new areas daily. The encampments John Bonacorsi, a lawyer with ArchCity Defenders, which filed a federal lawsuit against the city for trying to clear encampments near City Hall in May, said the city could make better use of its resources. Instead of trying to spend money on police to move people out of the space, we wish (the city) would invest those resources connecting people with housing opportunities, said Bonacorsi, who pointed out that homeless individuals could receive tickets, fines and end up in jail for failing to evacuate. Tent encampments at 660 Memorial Drive, 801 North Third Street and 901 North Third also received orders to vacate over the past week. "I firmly believe that he should not have been fired," said Childers' attorney, Nikki Moody, who is representing him in an appeal of his firing in St. Louis. "He was found not guilty of any criminal action. A mistake was made after 11 years of decorated service." Jimenez also hired a police officer who left a long career at the St. Charles County department. About a year after his hire, the officer died of a fentanyl overdose, an autopsy by the St. Louis County medical examiner's office found. Updated at 1:15 p.m. Sunday with more details. ST. LOUIS Police on Saturday were investigating at least three homicides that were among seven killings in the city and St. Louis County over about two days. Police were called to the 4600 block of South Spring Avenue in the citys Dutchtown neighborhood about 11:30 a.m. Saturday where they found a man with multiple gunshot wounds, police said. John Young III, 42, of the 3700 block Neosho, was taken to a hospital where he died. Police arriving at the scene were told by a suspect that he shot the victim after confronting him over personal matters. Officers arrested a suspect. About an hour earlier, a man was found fatally shot in the 700 block of Thrush, police said. The man was found in the passenger seat of a vehicle with a gunshot wound to the head. Officers said Sunday that the man was not identified; officers found him in the vehicle while responding to a call about a suspicious person in the 700 block of Bittner. Homicide investigators were called Saturday evening to the intersection of Delmar Boulevard and DeBaliviere Avenue where police said a man in his 20s was shot multiple times in the torso. On Sunday, officers said the man was suffering from "puncture wounds," and that he hadn't been identified yet. Six-year-old, Journei Brockman, went to daycare, wearing her Black Lives Matter shirt. A school employee did not like it. Journei's parents enrolled her at Arkansas' His Kids Preschool for six months. The little girl wore a shirt that says, "All lives can't matter until Black Lives Matter." Daycare staff had issues with the kid's shirt The little girl's mom, Deval Brockman, told Fox16 that a staff member of the school called her. The person told her that she had issues with her child's shirt because she did not like it. Deval said that the school staff told her not to let her daughter wear that shirt to daycare again. A week ago, Journei wore a shirt with an image of a raised fist to school. Deval said that when she returned to pick up her daughter, a staff member told her that her daughter could not come back to the daycare. She said that one of the staff members told her that she urges racism. The staff's comment angered the child's mom. She could not believe that her daughter is not allowed to go back to the daycare just because of a T-shirt. The school director's advice to the mom The director commented on something about the mom's teaching method. The director told her that she has no plans on teaching her how to raise her kid, but he said that Deval needs to reevaluate how she parents her daughter. Deval has filed a complaint with the state. Patricia Brown, the school director, told Fox16 that parents should not address their political concerns in a childcare environment, regardless of race. Deval answered back, saying that if she supports something, she is going to wear it. The same goes to her child, to let everyone know that they need to voice their concerns and be heard. She disagrees with the director's statement and decision about not to accept her daughter in school. For her, it is not political; it is everyday life because it is found on the news. She added by saying that what is right is right, and what is wrong is wrong. Deval said that she would continue to teach her daughter how important equality is. She is hoping that the school would also do the same. Finally, she said that Christian daycare should set a good example by abiding by the bible. Black Lives Matter goal Black Lives Matter started in 2013 when Trayvon Martin got acquitted. It has a foundation with a mission to eradicate white supremacy. It plans to build local power to intercede in violence done on Black communities by people. It wants to create a space for Black imagination and innovation by fighting acts of violence. Other related articles: Toddler Best Friends from Viral Video Featured in Fashion Campaign to Raise Funds Grandfather Ashamed of Granddaughter [Heartbroken Mom Already Expected it to Happen] Police Officer Helped Black Mom Find Son's Grave Four Years After He Died [An Inspiring Story] Enough is enough, said Neveen Ayesh, of American Muslims for Palestine, one of the organizers. Until theres justice for Palestinians there can be no negotiation. The rally was planned in response to Israeli annexations of Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank that could have started Wednesday. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus annexation plan was part of a Trump administration-backed blueprint that could allow Israel to begin to annex as much as 30% of the territory Israel seized following the 1967 war with its Arab neighbors. But Netanyahu did not move forward with the annexation Wednesday, and details of Israels future plans are unclear. Outside of the U.S., international pressure has mounted against such a move, with United Kingdom Prime Minister Boris Johnson urging Israel on Wednesday not to move ahead with the annexation. Some believe Netanyahus window for such a move could close if President Donald Trump is not reelected. Participant Yael Shomroni said she emigrated from Israel to the U.S. 20 years ago because of the apartheid in the country. I hope people also decide that Palestinian lives matter, she said. I think we are going in that direction, but it depends on who the next (U.S.) president is. CLAYTON After a long-delayed update to St. Louis Countys building codes late last year, environmental groups and the home building industry are lining up behind different candidates in the August primary election that will determine the balance of power in St. Louis County. On one side, the Home Builders Association of St. Louis and Eastern Missouri is endorsing retired marketing executive Mark Mantovani for St. Louis County executive and Creve Coeur Mayor Barry Glantz in his bid to unseat County Councilwoman Kelli Dunaway, D-2nd District. The Home Builders Association is putting big money behind its endorsements, contributing $250,000 to the Change STL political action committee supporting Mantovani a sum that dwarfs the amounts the group typically contributes to candidates. The HBA also contributed $25,000 to the Accountability Matters PAC supporting Glantz, an architect who is a member of the association. On the other side, the Missouri chapter of the Sierra Club has endorsed St. Louis County Executive Sam Page along with County Councilwoman Kelli Dunaway in the 2nd District Democratic primary, in part for their support of updated energy efficiency requirements in the new building codes that took effect Wednesday. The Sierra Clubs PAC has not yet made any donations to those candidates. Mantovani and the HBA say they never discussed the building code issue. But Dunaway and the Sierra Club say their push for updated energy efficiency requirements and the Page administrations tacit approval of their involvement has drawn the ire of an interest group not used to having to negotiate with environmentalists. The issue arose late last year when Dunaway, elected in August to fill Pages seat after he became county executive, sought to advance the 2018 version of building codes. That version was the most current released by the International Code Council, which updates the codes every three years. St. Louis County was still working from the 2009 codes. A version of the 2015 codes, amended by the St. Louis County commissions that review the International Code Council updates, was never enacted despite being sent to former St. Louis County Executive Steve Stenger in 2017. Seeking compromise St. Louis Countys size means the code it adopts influences other local governments in the region. While the regions dozens of municipalities can adopt their own building codes, many follow St. Louis Countys code because they contract with it for building inspections and other services. Its the portion dedicated to energy efficiency in new construction, the International Energy Conservation Code, that tends to generate the most debate. In the past, those energy efficiency requirements have drawn opposition from local home builder groups because they add upfront expenses that may make new homes too costly for some buyers. Environmental groups meanwhile lobby for the energy efficiency codes as the international council writes them. Many jurisdictions do adopt the codes with few amendments, including Illinois, which has adopted the 2018 codes statewide, and the Sierra Club points out some St. Louis area builders operate on both sides of the Mississippi River. Gretchen Waddell Barwick, interim director of the Sierra Clubs Missouri chapter, said the 2015 code update that St. Louis County never acted on would have actually weakened the 2009 energy efficiency codes already in effect. St. Louis County Building Code Review Commission Chairman Arthur Merdinian, an architect, has said the 2015 energy efficiency standards move too fast. But Waddell Barwick contends that the county commissions reviewing the codes are stacked with people tied to the construction industry. After Dunaway introduced a bill in November to adopt the 2018 codes, St. Louis County Councilman Mark Harder, R-7th District, introduced legislation to pass the amended 2015 codes that had been sitting on the shelf. But the effort by Harder, who is in the housing industry himself, failed on a 3-3 party-line vote. For the Page administration, there was some urgency to adopt some sort of building code update in order to keep the countys insurance rating from getting dinged for outdated codes. Dunaway pushed for a compromise and brought the Sierra Club into negotiations with the HBA to hash out a deal for an amended 2015 code. It was approved by the council unanimously in December. Though the new codes are expected to add several thousand dollars estimates vary to the cost of a new home, the Sierra Club says the new code is 15% more energy efficient and new homebuyers will save an estimated $250 annually on utility bills. Waddell Barwick said the Sierra Club made concessions in areas such as wall insulation, but we were happy to make this concession with the understanding that wed come to the table again for local adoption of the 2021 version of the international codes, expected to be released late this year. Dunaway, who said she adopted the issue to be a champion for the environment, believed the compromise was a good one because nobody got everything they wanted. That was the end of it, I thought, until I saw how much money was going to my opponents PAC, she said. I was truly surprised and continue to be surprised by such virulent special interest opposition to an issue that I thought was pretty mainstream. Process hijacked She and Waddell Barwick said the Page administration, while supportive of their positions, stayed mostly on the sidelines through the negotiations. Pages spokesman said in an email that the county executive supported the December building code deal and also supports beginning a review of the 2021 codes when they are released. Glantz, though, said the building code review process was hijacked when Dunaway got involved last year. He sits on the St. Louis County Building Commission, one of the committees that reviews the codes, and he supported the stalled 2015 code update back in 2017. Building codes, when theyre adopted, go through a pretty lengthy process of review, Glantz said. I think when that process of checks and balances is violated, which I believe was the case late last year, it begins to politicize building codes, which I think is wrong. He noted that his city, Creve Coeur, adopted the 2018 building codes without amendments despite his personal concerns. But, he said, it went through the proper review. While I disagree with aspects in the code, I accept the fact that it went through a process and was not hijacked like it was in St. Louis County, Glantz said. In a statement, HBA Executive Vice President Celeste Rueter said the association is focused on helping members comply with the new codes that took effect Wednesday in St. Louis County. While we are always concerned about legislation which does not take into account the economic impact it will have on St. Louis County residents, the HBA and its members have moved on from the legislative process related to codes, she said. The HBA called Glantz, the only Democratic challenger in the District 2 primary, a proven leader and said Mantovanis experience as a job creator and his innovation and leadership are demanded at a time when St. Louis County is at a critical juncture. Mantovani said he doesnt have any position on the December deal or beginning a review of the 2021 codes should he win. He does believe homebuyers should be able to within some reason, decide what they want to pay for and what they dont, but he hopes to be able to find common ground between builders and environmental groups. As for the size of the Home Builders donation to the PAC supporting him, he said his message about economic growth resonated with the group, because the strength of the homebuilding industry is largely a product of a regions broader economy. Homebuilding starts in St. Louis County have been declining, population in St. Louis County has been declining, Mantovani said in an interview. One of the fundamental principles of my campaign is we have to create more economic growth in the region. And I think that message resonated with the Home Builders, who believe that a growing economic engine and a growing population base is crucial for their business prospects. Zimmerman, Tolliver Mantovani and Page arent the only Democrats running for county executive. Asked about his position on energy efficiency in construction codes, St. Louis County Assessor Jake Zimmerman, who bills himself as the only progressive Democrat in the race, said both of my opponents seem to be more interested in currying favor with special interests than doing the right thing when it comes to development in St. Louis County. My approach to the building code will be the same as my approach to COVID relief: following the facts and the science, not marching to a tune called by donors and dark money, Zimmerman said in a statement. A fourth candidate, doctoral student Jamie Tolliver, said she is a member of the Sierra Club and backs its position on energy efficient building codes. Jack Suntrup of the Post-Dispatch contributed to this report. Daily updates on the latest news in the St. Louis business community. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. ST. LOUIS Social distancing and masking will be crucial for preventing spread of the coronavirus during the holiday weekend, the leader of the St. Louis Metropolitan Pandemic Task Force said Friday. He warned that hospitals in the St. Louis region are seeing rising numbers of COVID-19 patients. The regions seven-day average of new hospitalizations reached 19 on Friday, the highest level since early June, according to task force data. And Missouri saw 547 new cases of the virus, the second-highest number recorded during the pandemic, according to a Post-Dispatch analysis. I know it can be alarming to see our numbers growing instead of decreasing. However, how this all plays out is entirely up to us as a community, said Dr. Alex Garza, chief medical officer with SSM Health and head of the task force. I want everybody to have fun and be safe, but do those commonsense things like wear your mask, stay socially distant, wash your hands, and I would particularly avoid any congested venues. As of Friday afternoon, there were 22,830 lab-confirmed cases in Missouri. There were four deaths reported, bringing the total to 1,026. ST. LOUIS Looking up at the 13-foot metal giraffe outside Civil Life brewery in south St. Louis always made owner Jake Hafner smile. The giraffe, and the four smaller metal dinosaurs the giraffe looked over, made customers and employees smile, too, he said. And it drew the attention of passersby who would stop their cars to take photos with the animal collective. Neighbors dubbed it "Giraffic Park." With all the bad going on in the world, you try to find things that make you smile, Hafner said, and the giraffe was one of those things. But on Friday there was no giraffe to smile at. The metal sculpture was stolen late Thursday from the lawn outside the brewery at 3714 Holt Avenue. One of the brewerys surveillance cameras recorded a white box truck approaching the brewery from a side street about 11:20 p.m. Thursday. Minutes later, the truck was gone and so was the giraffe, Hafner said. He has reported it stolen to police. My heart sunk, Hafner said. It seems weird to be so upset about something like this, but this giraffe in a lot of ways made a lot of people happy. What is it with this president and Russia? No, really. Remember when Donald Trump publicly called on Russia to hack Hillary Clintons emails during the 2016 campaign? Kremlin-connected hackers did so, that very day. Remember when top Trump campaign officials met with a Kremlin-linked lawyer in Trump Tower seeking dirt on Clinton? Trump himself later concocted a public lie about the purpose of the meeting. Remember the Republican National Convention in Cleveland that year, when Trumps team pressed to soften the partys official platform stance against Russian aggression in Ukraine? Once in office, Trumps Russia fetish only grew. In a White House meeting, he revealed classified information to the Russian foreign minister about terrorism. He confiscated his translators notes after a private meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, ordering the translator not to talk about the conversation even to his own administration officials. In an act of national betrayal arguably unrivaled in presidential history, he stood next to Putin on a stage in Helsinki and told the world that he took Putins word over that of American intelligence regarding Russias election meddling. None of this is disputed. The coronavirus isnt the only epidemic facing Missouri and its not the only one thats largely hitting Black Missourians. African Americans die at a higher homicide rate in Missouri than in any other state, the vast majority via handguns, says a new study. The Washington, D.C.-based Violence Policy Center found that in 2017, more than 57 African Americans in Missouri died by homicide for every 100,000 people. Thats nearly triple the national average and far more than any other state. Missouri also has some of the loosest gun laws in the nation. Similar high homicide rates, largely among African Americans, are also the norm in other states with loose gun laws, while states with strong restrictions see lower-than-average rates. The conclusion is inescapable: Reasonable gun restrictions save lives. Missouri politicians refusal to tighten laws is killing people especially African Americans. Theres a silver lining in the national spike of coronavirus infections, but it may be a temporary one. Even as more than half of U.S. states, including Missouri, see a surge of coronavirus cases, deaths arent currently on a similar upward swing. The problem with taking too much solace from that is death rates have always lagged behind infection rates, but they eventually follow similar paths. Much of the infection surge now is among young people, which offers hope that deaths wont spike this time unless those young people are currently infecting their parents and grandparents whose vulnerability would tend to be much more pronounced. All scenarios point to the need to quit politicizing proven precautions like social distancing and wearing masks. Vice President Mike Pence has started setting the right example by masking up and urging others to. President Donald Trump continues to treat mask-wearing as if its some personal affront to him, which endangers his own most fervent followers. Despite the new surge, Gov. Mike Parson refuses to issue a statewide masking requirement, oddly citing politicization of the issue. Photo: (Photo : Instagram/byebyeplasticbags) Melati and Isabel Wijsen started a campaign on plastic ban seven years ago in Bali. Now, the sisters are struggling to be activists because of social distancing. Due to the pandemic, the use of plastic increased significantly. People have been using more plastic for deliveries and protective gear. The good thing about lockdowns is that pollution is reduced, and wildlife has returned to some urban areas. Climate change affects us like the coronavirus Melati saw that the government took urgent action when the coronavirus hit the world. She is questioning them why they did not do so with climate change. She said that climate change impacts our lives, just like how the pandemic does. Even though young, the sisters are poised and practiced speakers. Both are also activists on social media. They grew up surrounded by the beauty of nature and followed the Balinese tradition, so they are used to living in harmony with nature. Change makers The sisters attended the Private Green School, which has a mission to teach kids to be leaders and "change makers." The two researched and found that Indonesia was second to China as the world's largest marine plastic pollution source. They also found that many jurisdictions across the globe banned single-use plastics. Bye Bye Plastic Bags The two siblings started their campaign, Bye Bye Plastic Bags. They posted a petition online to ban single-use plastics, and they were surprised because they got 6,000 signatures quickly. They found that Bali produced plastic waste that could fill a 14-story building every day. After mobilizing young people, the Wijsen sisters organized a petition drive and beach cleanups. They asked shop owners to go plastic-free, and they lobbied elected officials. Mountain Mamas The two also founded Mountain Mamas. The group consists of women who use recycled materials to make reusable shopping bags. Their target is to reduce single-use plastics. They have built up more than three dozen Bye Bye Plastic Bags chapters across the globe over time. In 2016, Melati and Isabel borrowed a page from Gandhi in frustration with the then-governor, I Made Mangku Pastika. The two vowed to go on a hunger strike to persuade Mr. Pastika to ban plastics. Within the day, Mr. Pastika signed an order to ban not only plastic bags but also plastic straws and Styrofoam on Bali by 2018. But the two had to make an action for the new governor to enforce the order. Finally, it took effect last year. Melati had hoped that they could get more support from young people in 2020. Sadly, the pandemic occurred, and they could not proceed with their social meetings and rallies. Youthtopia Melati has also been promoting Youthtopia. It is an international network with goals to help young people to become change makers. Recently, she posted a video teaching one to be an activist at home. She said that this pause allows us to think about how to move forward in our lives. She wants us to decide on what to do once the pandemic is over. She wants to know if the coronavirus was successful at making everyone think that there is another way of living, instead of going back to the normal way. Other articles you might find interesting: Toddler Best Friends from Viral Video Featured in Fashion Campaign to Raise Funds Police Officer Jumps Into Pond, Saves Teens Trapped Inside a Sunken Car Mom Terminated From Job Because Manager Did not Want to Hear Her Kids During Calls Ukrainian counterintelligence efforts recently uncovered a Russian plot to steal a great deal of information on the current state of Ukrainian naval forces and readiness as well as future plans. The spy was a Ukrainian naval officer with access to all this information, and he was caught making secret trips to Crimea. Further investigation discovered the Ukrainian officer had been offered Russian citizenship and equivalent rank in the Russian navy at the completion of this mission. The officer was arrested and the information he had collected seized before it could be turned over to the Russians. Such disloyalty among Ukrainian naval officers has been a problem since Ukraine achieved independence from Russia in 1991, and even earlier. One of the many peculiarities of Crimea is that it has long contained a population that was not considered loyal to whoever owned the place. The Russians apparently had a more realistic view of these situations than the Ukrainians. After Russia seized the Ukrainian province of Crimea in early 2014, it used some very traditional Russian techniques to ensure that the population did not change its mind and support the return of Ukrainian control. For example, soldiers recruited (or drafted) from Crimea were stationed in the Russian Far East (Pacific Coast). The several thousand Ukrainian soldiers who changed sides during the Russian takeover were stationed in the Caucasus. Russia wants as few armed and trained Crimeans in Crimea as possible. The Russian takeover was completed by early March when Ukrainian military officials admitted there was no way for Ukraine to take back Crimea, especially since Russia appeared to have moved in 30,000 troops. This was done by air and sea. The Crimean Peninsula is separated from Russia by the 4.5-kilometer-wide Kerch Strait. Maximum depth of the strait is 18 meters (59 feet) which have led to proposals that a bridge be built there. Now that Crimea was part of Russia again the bridge was built. Meanwhile, there were ferries to quickly move people and vehicles across the strait. The main reason for the Russian takeover was the military and the desire to assure continued use of Crimea Peninsula naval bases already rented from Ukraine. Russia had long claimed ownership of the Crimean port of Sevastopol, the home of the Black Sea fleet. Russia had leased the land for the naval base since the Soviet Union fell apart in 1991 and Ukraine became independent. This lease brought in cash for Ukraine and provided jobs for some 20,000 Ukrainians. But prominent Russians kept demanding that Sevastopol become a part of Russia. The Ukrainians resisted this and regarded Russia as a bully for their attitude towards Ukraine. Many senior Russians, including president Putin, openly claimed that much of Ukraine was actually Russian territory. This included Crimea and much of eastern Ukraine where most of the industry and Russian speaking population is. The Russians make the case that these areas were conquered by Russia after Russia took control of Ukraine and were only incorporated into Ukraine during the Soviet period for convenience, not to recognize what territory an independent Ukraine would have. Most of the Russian speaking Ukrainians wanted to remain part of Ukraine, but with a little more respect shown for ethnic minorities, like Russians and the Turkic Tatars in Crimea. The official Russian line was that Western agitators and agents were behind all the unrest in Ukraine. But the Russians have been saying that for over a century and still the Ukrainians resist. Russia knows that most of the people in Crimea did not want to live in a Russian controlled Crimea so the Russians installed a lot of police and troops to discourage any pro-Ukrainian activities. Ethnic Ukrainians are a minority in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, created by the 1996 Ukrainian constitution. The two million people living in Crimea were mostly ethnic Russian but 12 percent are Crimean Tatars. These are descendants of Mongol and Turk troops that invaded the region in the 13th century. The invaders blended in with the existing inhabitants, who were a melange of Greeks and even more ancient peoples who had been there for thousands of years. The Tatars became Moslem in the 14th century. Eventually, the Ottoman Turkish Empire took control of Crimea but that was lost in 1775 when the Russian Empire drove most of the Turks out. These Tatars fled to Turkey and elsewhere but eventually many returned to Crimea. While they were gone Ukrainians and Russians moved in. When the communists took over in the 1920s, they proceeded to kill or deport half the Tatars remaining in Crimea. The communists didnt trust the Tatars. In 1944 all remaining Tatars were moved to Central Asia and while that expulsion was revoked in the late 1960s, Tatars only began returning after the Soviet Union dissolved in 1991. The communists believed that the Tatars had collaborated with the invading Germans, and some did, but no more than other non-Russians. By 2014 nearly a quarter of Crimeans were Ukrainian and 58 percent Russian. In Ukraine, ethnic Ukrainians are the majority in most provinces, even those in western Ukraine that have the largest Russian minorities. Many Russians believe that Ukraine should be part of Russia, or at least parts of Ukraine should be. All this is connected with the bitter memories of the 13th century Mongol conquest of Russia, which was then Moscow and territory north to Novgorod. The Mongols also conquered most of the independent Ukraine and Belarus. This included the destruction of many major cities like Ryazan, Kolomna, Moscow, Vladimir and Kiev, which were all rebuilt. Some smaller or less prominent cities were not rebuilt. It wasnt until the 16th century that the Russians and Ukrainians managed to win back most of their territory. Meanwhile, the Turks from the Ottoman Empire (centered in modern Turkey) were moving north and it took until the 19th century to push the Turks out of what became the Russian Empire and then the Soviet Union. All this is vividly remembered in Russia and is one reason why a lot of Russians want their empire back and the Ukrainians dont want any part of that new empire. Been there, dome that, dont want to do it again. Yet there are still Ukrainians who can be tempted to join mother Russia if the price is right and, in the current espionage case, it would have worked if the traitorous officer had remembered how important it was not to get caught. 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 Travellers from about 60 countries, including New Zealand, will be able to enter the United Kingdom without having to self-quarantine for 14 days from next Friday. The announcement from the UK comes a few days after New Zealanders were included on a list of residents of 14 countries considered safe to visit the EU because of their success in fighting the Covid-19 pandemic. Coming back the other way wont be so easy, with two weeks of mandatory quarantine still required for anyone wanting to return to New Zealand, and Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern warning non-essential travellers could be billed for the costs of their spell in isolation. Every day there are more examples of the cost New Zealand is paying for its success in squashing Covid-19 - with far fewer cases or deaths than many countries - by essentially cutting itself off from the rest of the world. A hospitality recruitment company is warning 30-40 per cent of hospitality venues could be forced to close by October because skilled staff cant come from overseas. Empty chairs will be a common sight at universities next semester with international student enrolments - worth $5 billion a year - plummeting. And while some crazy travel deals have succeeded so far in getting Kiwis to visit big tourism draw cards, some of the countrys most renowned hotels and attractions remain uncertain about their futures. Kiwis are flying around the country during the winter school holidays, but the daily average number of travellers through Auckland Airport this July is expected to be around 16,100, compared to 60,000 on peak days last July. But maybe theres hope for Kiwis wanting to cross the Tasman. Australian Federal Tourism Minister Simon Birmingham has buoyed hopes for a trans-Tasman travel bubble by September - provided a small coronavirus flare-up in Melbourne is brought under control. On Friday a trio of prominent New Zealanders, including former Prime Minister Helen Clark, published a paper calling for the country to start the process of working out how to re-engage with the world. New Zealand had no new Covid-19 cases on Friday, while the country has 18 active cases of the disease, all in managed isolation or quarantine. Some health experts are continuing to push for mask wearing to be included in New Zealands coronavirus response, if the country is returned to alert level 2, or higher. Global toll On Saturday morning, Johns Hopkins Universitys coronavirus dashboard showed the number of confirmed Covid-19 cases around the world just short of 11 million, with a figure of 10,976,026. The number of deaths was put at 523,562. The US had 2.78m cases and 129,227 deaths, while Brazil had nearly 1.5m cases and 61,884 deaths. Cases of the disease are surging around the world, with the US reporting more than 50,000 new cases in a day - the countrys largest ever single day increase. So far reported Covid-19 deaths havent risen in the US, but death statistics can trail case numbers by some weeks. Its thought the outbreak in Melbournes north and northwest may potentially have been sparked by a single so-called super spreader infecting the community. What should I do? New Zealand remains in alert level 1. Almost all restrictions, with the exception of border measures, have been lifted. If you are sick, call your GP before you visit, or call Healthline on 0800 358 5453. To avoid contracting and spreading the virus, wash your hands properly, cough and sneeze into your elbow and throw tissues away immediately. Stuff National has pledged to build a $570 million extension to the Waikato Expressway if they form the next government. Opposition leader Todd Muller made the announcement during a visit to Piarere, south-east of Cambridge, on Friday. Extending the four-lane Waikato Expressway from Cambridge to the intersection of State Highway 1 and SH29, at Piarere, will improve travel times and save lives, says Muller. I come from Tauranga, I come many times over this part of the world, it is a sort of heart in your mouth moment as you turn right into this traffic. It is unacceptable and will of course be resolved when we have the Cambridge to Piarere expressway. Data from Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency show there were 121 crashes along the 16km stretch of highway between 2013 2017, resulting in 22 deaths or serious injuries. Muller said the Cambridge to Piarere project was progressed under the last National Government only for it to be shelved by Labour. In January, the Labour-led Government revealed plans to replace the T intersection between SH1 and SH29 with a $58m roundabout. The announcement was part of a $6.8 billion Government spend on transport infrastructure. Muller says construction of the new road would begin in Nationals first term if its successful at the polls. He estimates the 16-kilometre section could take three to four years to complete and would ensure the transport corridor between Auckland, Hamilton and Tauranga is of a world-class standard. Todd Muller has pledged to extend the Waikato Expressway from Cambridge to Piarere if National are successful at the polls. Muller is flanked, from left, by National MPs Louise Upston, Tim Macindoe and David Bennett. Photo: Mark Taylor/Stuff The $570m extension includes a continuous four-lane state highway, mainly height-separated intersections, and a new roundabout at the intersection of SH1 and SH29. It [Cambridge to Piarere section] will be part of a nationwide approach of building really strong infrastructure that will underpin economic growth and a recovery, says Muller. We [National] started the Waikato Expressway, the diggers that you see when you come here, theyre National Party diggers. We had the vision to connect our large cities together in a way that creates economic growth [and] underpins success. Muller says Nationals announcement did not signal the partys preference for roading projects over rail. Transport Minister Phil Twyford was not available for a media interview on Friday afternoon. Nationals Hamilton East MP David Bennett says Mullers pledge is great news for Waikato and reflected the communitys wishes. This intersection is notorious for deaths and its one of the worst intersections in the region. Its a prime safety concern to build this road, says Bennett. The Waikato and especially Hamilton has grown as a result of significant investment and this [announcement] carries on the legacy of the Waikato Expressway. Stuff/Aaron Leaman Charity Sustainable Coastlines has just kicked off its winter tree planting tour, providing critical support for freshwater quality while helping to solve some of the loneliness and isolation brought to light by the Covid lock-down. In the Bay of Plenty, Maketu will be having a tree-planting day on August 8, with more locations and dates to be added to the tree planting tour. The recent Helen Clark Foundations report Alone Together highlights the impact loneliness is having on New Zealanders. Two of the reports recommendations are to strengthen communities and to create friendly streets and neighbourhoods. Through bringing people together with a shared purpose and engaging community at a grass-roots level, Sustainable Coastlines tree planting events are already helping to alleviate the problem. Were excited to be back working with local communities, connecting people for a common cause and reducing the loneliness that a lot of us have faced over lock-down, says Sustainable Coastlines co-founder Camden Howitt. Planting trees alongside our waterways provides a lot of tangible impacts like reducing erosion and sedimentation, increasing biodiversity, capturing carbon and filtering excess nutrients. But our events also connect people with nature, allowing them to work collectively to tackle environmental challenges in their own backyard. Our volunteers continually feedback to us that theyve felt an increased connection through this shared experience, giving them a sense of belonging and purpose. The tree planting tour, dubbed Love Your Water 2020, is running at a time when New Zealanders continue to unite against Covid-19. In collaboration with key supporters ANZ, Vector and Pitstop, the charity already has planting events planned throughout July and August, and volunteers are invited to register on the Sustainable Coastlines events page. More dates are to be added soon. As well as tackling loneliness, planting trees enables people to be part of a solution to what may seem an insurmountable problem. Of New Zealanders surveyed, 76 per cent said they were extremely or very concerned about the pollution of lakes and rivers. These concerns are not unfounded, with the Ministry for the Environment Report, Our freshwater 2020 painting a picture of declining water quality and habitat for native fish in many of the country's freshwater systems. Sustainable Coastlines seeks to get as many people as possible involved in this positive solution both for their own health and the health of our waterways. Current tree-planting days: July 11 Puhinui Reserve, Auckland. July 25 Waitangi, Far North. August 8 Maketu, Bay of Plenty. Go to the end of Ford Rd, with the tree planting taking place from 9.30am - 2.30pm August 15 Porirua, Wellington. August 22 Coutts Island Rd, Christchurch. There has been a massive privacy breach, with the leak of personal details revealing the identity of New Zealand's 18 active Covid cases. RNZ reports seeing a document that includes the full names, addresses, age and the names of the hotel and one hospital the 18 have been quarantining in. The State Services Commission has been called in to make sure a "thorough investigation" is held. State Services Minister Chris Hipkins says the fact this personal information had been given out was totally unacceptable, and he has ordered an investigation. National Party leader Todd Muller also says the major leak of personal details revealing the identity of New Zealands active cases is unacceptable, calling it shabby. "I have been advised by the Ministry of Health that at this stage it cannot be confirmed beyond doubt whether a deliberate leak was involved or if this was simply human error, says Hipkins. "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. It would, quite frankly, be abhorrent, and potentially criminal. "Either way", says Hipkins, "it cannot happen again. "The public has every right to expect their private information to be held securely." The personal information relates to 18 people who have tested positive for Covid-19 and who are quarantining in both the North and South Islands. There are no new cases of Covid-19 in the country today, marking the fourth day of no new cases this week. Todd Muller said the breach was "quite staggering, it talks to a government that's slipping off the side of a cliff, in terms of managing this issue, the border, the information pertaining to it". "If they can't manage personal information, bluntly, they can't manage the border and they can't manage the country, says Muller From the National Party's perspective, Muller said it was "unacceptable" and they would see where it ended up. "Is it a deliberate leak or is it accidental? It doesn't really matter at a level ... it's loose, it's shabby and it's a reminder these guys can't manage important things well," says Muller. "These guys need to step aside and let a competent government take over." He would wait to see "how it all unfolded", Muller says, but it talked to a culture within the government which was "pervasive". "Sloppy, not disciplined, not focused on delivering, says Muller. The State Services Minister Chris Hipkins says the government will do everything it can to track down who is responsible for a massive privacy breach relating to New Zealand's active Covid cases, and is not ruling out pursuing criminal charges. Ultimately, if there are avenues available to us to pursue somebody who's done this maliciously then we'll certainly be exploring those, this is not the sort of thing that I am willing to let go," says Hipkins. "This is a major breach of trust and confidence and it should be rigorously pursued." He was "very, very angry" such highly sensitive information was leaked, but said the source was still unknown. It would be "abhorrent" if it was a deliberate act, Hipkins says. The information is held by a number of agencies and by some involved in the management of managed isolation and quarantine facilities. The National Partys spokesperson for health, Michael Woodhouse, said this was "yet another serious failing" that showed the government was not capable of managing Covid-19. "This is unconscionable and unacceptable that those suffering from the incredibly dangerous virus now have to suffer further with their private details being leaked," says Woodhouse in a statement. He says the government needed to get to the bottom of the source of the leak, and added that "keeping confidential information confidential should not be a difficult task". "The Ministry of Health have been assuring people since the beginning of the epidemic in New Zealand that personal details would remain private, it's unfathomable that they couldn't handle a simple task like this, says Woodhouse. The State Services Commission has been asked to work with all of the relevant agencies, he said, as at the moment there were several government agencies involved. He said at this point "we don't have certainty about where in the process the information has ended up being released". "To identify what the record keeping practices are, who has access to the information, how it came into the public domain, I want them to do that really thoroughly, I want them to leave no stone unturned." Motive also had to be determined, Hipkins says, whether it was a mistake "and then someone took advantage of the mistake they made, or whether it was more malicious than that". Someone "impartial" would be brought in to carry out the investigation, which may also involve forensic analysis of IT systems, the minister says. "I think it's important that we bring someone in who's not directly involved ... which is what the State Services Commissioner will help to facilitate, says Hipkins. He has a message for the thousands of people coming through the border regime, who are obliged to hand over personal information. "On behalf of the whole government, and I'm not sure where in the government the system has fallen down, I can apologise to those people, this is not acceptable, no government should tolerate this kind of behaviour and we won't. "And I want to give an absolute assurance that we will get to the bottom of it, and that we will make sure it doesn't happen again and that anyone who has acted maliciously will be held accountable for that." In a statement today the Ministry of Health says the total number of confirmed case was at 1180, with just 18 active cases. One person remains in Auckland City Hospital in stable condition. One significant cluster remains open and is due to close on July 6. Yesterday, 2900 tests were completed, bringing the total number of tests to date to 411,932. Yesterday was the third day in a week where there was zero new cases reported, although two new cases were reported in managed isolation on Monday and a further two on Thursday. Meanwhile, cases of the novel coronavirus across the world have soared past 11 million, according to a Reuters tally. Travellers coming from New Zealand will no longer need to isolate once they arrive in England from July 10, in an easing of restrictions announced today. If you have symptoms of the coronavirus, call the NZ Covid-19 Healthline on 0800 358 5453 (+64 9 358 5453 for international SIMs) or call your GP - don't show up at a medical centre. Jane Patterson/RNZ Bay of Plenty If you love working out doors and in a small team then we have the role for you. We are needing someone who has either maintenance... View or Apply on GoodWork.co.nz 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. The downtown confrontation was the last of several that evening in which participants of each group took a stand for their beliefs. The first exchange began around 5:30 as BLM protesters stopped at the old Rite Aid building on Main Street and chanted All Black Lives Matter and No Justice, No Peace. The All Black Lives Matter chant acknowledged the inclusion of LGBTQ concerns in the protest. Bikers, who called themselves American Patriots, soon drowned out the crowd, revving their engines across the street in the KFC parking lot. Minutes later, when the two crowds met at the edge of the street, police who had been escorting the march swarmed in to create a human barrier between the two groups. Though the exchange was again heated and profanity was strewn about, it remained verbal. Similar exchanges took place up the street near the Food City entrance, across from the Citgo and at Walmart. Despite the exchanges, though, the day full of protesting, gatherings and marches began smoothly. The American Patriots rolled into Main Street just before noon. The downtown took on a celebratory atmosphere with attendees listening to music, talking and flying flags. Remsen, N.Y. Five children and two adults were injured in an Oneida County car crash on Friday afternoon, according to New York State Police. Troopers responded to the intersection of State Route 12 and Steuben Street in Remsen at 1:19 p.m. after a reported crash, state police said. A preliminary investigation found that Karen J. Seelman, 54, was driving a 2018 Toyota truck and started taking a left turn onto Steuben Street, troopers said. Seelman didnt yield the right of way to a 2005 Buick Century being driven by Theresa M. Legget on State Route 12, according to troopers. The pickup truck hit the Buick, which spun and hit a utility pole, troopers said. Seelman was taken to St. Elizabeth Hospital with non-life threatening injuries, according to troopers. She was ticketed for failure to yield the right of way and for failing to wear a seat belt, troopers said. Leggett was also taken to St. Elizabeth hospital with non-life threatening injuries, according to troopers. Five children who were in Leggetts car at the time of the crash were also taken to area hospitals: 4-year-old boy suffered internal injuries 6-year-old boy suffered internal injuries 5-year-old boy suffered internal injuries 6-year-old girl suffered a fractured leg 8-year-old boy suffered internal injuries The children do not appear to have suffered life-threatening injuries, according to troopers. State police are still investigating the crash. 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. Posted on Friday, July 03, 2020 The National Institutes of Health recently awarded a grant to a Texas A&M University-Kingsville assistant professor for a joint replacement improvement project. The project titled Improving the Long-term Mechanical and Tribological Performances of Polymers for Total Joint Replacement Applications was awarded $291,500. Tribology is the science and engineering of interacting surfaces in relative motion. It includes the study and application of the principles of friction, lubrication and wear. The principal investigator, Dr. Mohammad Motaher Hossain, said the project seeks to increase the longevity of total joint replacement prostheses by improving the long-term performances of polymers used in those applications. "A huge number of total hip and knee replacement surgeries are performed every year in the USA with a variety of polymers used in these prostheses. Mechanical properties of these polymers can deteriorate over time which can cause the parts to wear significantly. The wear debris produced in the process can shorten the lifespan of the implants, necessitating revision surgery," Hossain said. "The project seeks to tackle this issue by surface engineering of polymers to improve their long-term mechanical and tribological performances in lubricated environments. Fundamental understanding achieved in this project can be extended to other biomedical implants as well." Hossain said the project will provide Texas A&M University-Kingsville students an opportunity to get involved in biomedical research. BayCare Health System and HCA Healthcare will be doing fewer non-urgent, deferrable surgeries and procedures to make sure their hospitals have adequate bed capacity to care for the rising number of COVID-19 patients in Pinellas County. Thank you for Reading! Please log in, or sign up for a new account and Purchase a Subscription to continue reading. 04 July 2020 Type Media Article Ammonia is not a greenhouse gas, but it can indirectly contribute to greenhouse gas emissions. Researchers at Teagasc Johnstown Castle have been examining ammonia (NH3), which is a gaseous form of nitrogen and an air pollutant. Researcher Dominika Krol gives more information Sources of ammonia in agriculture Agricultural emissions are divided into two main categories, namely greenhouse gases and air pollutants. Researchers at Teagasc Johnstown Castle have been examining ammonia (NH 3 ), which is a gaseous form of nitrogen and an air pollutant. Ammonia comes mainly from management of animal manures (housing, slurry storage and landspreading) but also from grazing animals, and finally from spreading of synthetic fertiliser (Figure 1). Ammonia is not a greenhouse gas, but it can indirectly contribute to greenhouse gas emissions. This happens when ammonia volatilizes from soil, moves through the air and is re-deposited elsewhere. This re-deposited ammonia can then act as a substrate for emissions of a potent greenhouse gas, nitrous oxide. Fig 1: Sources of ammonia in Irish agriculture Importance of ammonia in agriculture In Ireland agriculture is responsible for 99% of all ammonia emissions. Ammonia causes negative impacts on human and animal health. It also damages ecosystems, in particular ecologically important sites such as these designated under the European network of Natura 2000. We have committed to reducing ammonia emissions under the European Unions National Emissions Ceiling Directive (European Commission, 2016). However, we have been exceeding these emission targets since 2016. Moreover, under the EU Habitats Directive (92/43/EEC), we need to protect these ecologically important ecosystems, where ammonia can cause damage. Complying with reduction targets is important as it underpins sustainability and the green credentials of Irish agricultural production. Mitigation of ammonia in agriculture Teagasc has carried out extensive research on technologies to reduce these emissions such as protected urea, low emission slurry spreading, clover, extended grazing, slurry additives and so on. The two that show the greatest results are protected urea and low emission slurry spreading. Protected urea is a fertiliser formulation that reduces ammonia emissions by over 70%, it is also cost effective and has been proven equally as effective to grow grass as other nitrogen fertilisers. Low emission slurry spreading like the trailing shoe has been proven to cut ammonia losses by half while also improving nutrient use of the slurry. These technologies need to be adopted by farmers and become mainstream if we are to meet our ammonia reduction targets. More information Our follow up Teagasc Daily articles will focus on some of these individual ammonia mitigation measures, so stay tuned in. For more information on ammonia emissions from agriculture, tune into the Beef Edge podcast, Episode 22 Overcoming the challenges to producing sustainable Irish beef, where Dr Dominika Krol @DominikaJKrol and Prof Sinead Waters discuss emissions in Irish agricultural sector As the race to the COVID-19 cure continues, the National Academy of Medicine, considered to be "outside panel of experts" will decide who gets the vaccine first in the United States, according to public officials who took part in a Senate hearing on Thursday, July 2, CBS News reported. Currently, there are various candidate vaccines being developed and tested, and fortunately, many of these efforts are showing promising results, World Health Organization (WHO) data revealed. For instance, a vaccine known as Moderna is being developed together with the NIH, and is expected to reach the final phase of human trials later this month. More vaccines are reportedly being rushed through human trials. Also Read: [COVID-19 Cure] New Study Shows Hydroxychloroquine Helps in Patients' Recovery from Coronavirus Early conversations on the coronavirus vaccine Federal health officials are reportedly in early talks with the academy and may refer to the non-government panel to provide recommendations and health advice, according to Francis Collins, NIH director during the Senate meeting. Overseeing the distribution of the vaccines is the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Collins said, "This may be a moment to actually bring together a group of big thinkers who can take a high-level view of this that can lay out a foundation of principles." Senators also reiterated that there must be a "distribution framework" present, and then it should publicized before the vaccine is declared safe and effective. There should also be strategies that will determine how the vaccines can reach underserved communities, including pharmacies and mobile units in the locality. CDC director Robert Redfield said they want to learn from the mistakes during the previous outbreaks, for instance, the 2009 swine flu pandemic. Also Read: How to Identify Which Facemask to Wear and Not During COVID-19 Pandemic? Here are the Least and Most Effective Ones, According to Research Opposition to the 'Panel of Experts' Democrats on the Senate panel questioned the terms under which the administration could step in and refuse a patient for the vaccine if the company has high costs. Usually, these vaccines should first get to frontliners and health care workers, and then the seniors, and the medically-vulnerable communities. The next in line will be others in high-exposure jobs like food distribution. Politics may enter along the way, including challenges such as the lack of resources and procedures on how to reach under-represented sectors such as Black-Americans, Latino-Americans, and low-income populations. The chair of the Senate health committee, Sen. Lamar Alexander suggested the idea of having these panels of experts decide on a distribution framework. The question, according to Alexander, is on how quickly they can draft the plan. Meanwhile, Collins said that the discussion on these panels leading the decision-making process is already in the "early stages." However, no responses yet from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine have been recorded. News updates COVID-19 has continued to cripple the world. While many stores are still closing down, there are businesses that have choses to re-open already while following strict social distancing guidelines. With over 10 million infections worldwide, heightened alerts and management are being placed, including the recent call in the United Kingdom to remain calm as there are establishments opening this weekend. In the United States, Americans are celebrating the 2020 Independence Day this July 4 amidst the coronavirus. 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Evo announced via Twitter that its e-sports game tournament had been canceled while EVO co-founder and CEO was removed from the company amid serious allegations about his behavior. The long-running e-sports event has previously switched to an online format on Saturday, July 4, due to the coronavirus pandemic. The company said that Joey Cuellar "will no longer be involved with Evo in any capacity," while another EVO co-founder Tony Cannon will take the CEO role moving forward. In a tweet, Cuellar said he apologized that he was "not proud" of his past actions. I'm sorry. I never meant to hurt anyone. I was young and reckless and did things I'm not proud of. I have been growing and maturing over the past 20 years, but that doesn't excuse anything. All I have been trying to do is become a better person. Once again, I'm truly sorry. Joey Cuellar (@MrWiz) July 3, 2020 In a statement to IGN issued on Thursday, July 2, Evo declared the Cuellar's dismissal and cancellation of Evo Online. "We are shocked and saddened by these events, but we are listening and committed to making every change that will be necessary in making Evo a better model for the stronger, safer culture we all seek," said Evo. As promised, the company will still donate the equivalent of the proceeds to Project HOPE. Last month, some Super Smash Bros. e-sports players and members exposed the alleged abuses that happen within the community. Netizens claimed some famous personalities as alleged abusers with some victims were still minors at the time of the abuse. Cueller who is also called Mr. Wizard was one of the many personalities linked in the scandal. He allegedly paid local underage members of an arcade with tokens to jump into a pool in their underwear only. These allegations implicate widespread sexual misconduct within the fighting game community, similar to last year's Evo 2019 scandal. Evo said in a statement that such alleged behaviors are directly against "Evo's mission of building a safe, welcoming environment for all of our players and attendees," which the company takes seriously. "Accordingly, Joey has been placed on administrative leave pending a third-party investigation," Evo added. Various companies pulled out of the event The event cancellation was declared within 24 hours after fighting game player Mikey "Crackpr0n" Pham accused Cuellar of behaving inappropriately towards him and other teenage boys in the 90s and early 2000s. PCGamer also reported that multiple companies like NetherRealm, Bandai Namco, and Capcom, as well as players and commentators canceled their event sponsorship after the allegations came out. Nintendo said in a statement they are "deeply disturbed" by these allegations against members of the fighting game as well as in the Super Smash Bros. community. "They are absolutely impermissible. We want to make it clear that we condemn all acts of violence, harassment, and exploitation against anyone and that we stand with the victims," Nintendo wrote. Bandai Namco's leaving would mean Tekken 7, Dragon Ball FighterZ, and SoulCalibur 6 will no longer be at the event as well as Them's Fightin' Herds following Mane6's departure. Similarly, NetherRealms announced on Twitter that it would pull Mortal Kombat 11 as it expressed "solidarity with those who have spoken out against abuse," while Capcom cited the "recent allegations of misconduct made against Joey Cueller" as a reason for pulling out from Evo Online. Read also: Twitch Streamer Ninja Apologizes to Alinity As Internet Trolling Led Twitch Star to Suicidal Thoughts 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. COVID-19 treatment is still being developed by different medical experts and researchers across the globe. A new study showed that remdesivir and plasma might be the best treatment for the global coronavirus pandemic. However, other drugs are needed to make an ultimate cure. According to NBC News' latest report, the remdesivir has a capability to treat coronavirus--many different studies claimed this, which will soon enter a new stage of research, even though the study's current phase analysis is not yet completed. The report stated that the new phase is a sign that experiments conducted to find the efficient combination of drugs to cure COVID-19 have accelerated, as infected cases rise in many U.S. states. "It's very intense work, a nonstop process," said the principal investigator for the ongoing remdesivir trial, Dr. Andre Kalil. The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases sponsored the drug trial. Dr. Kalil's research team conducted a study in May, which showed that remdesivir reduces patients' time in the hospital by about four days, from 15, on average, to 11. The report stated that remdesivir alone will not be enough to treat the virus and need a cocktail of medicines since the study's results showed that it did not appear to lower deaths from the novel coronavirus. Remdesivir and plasma may be a cure for COVID-19, but... The maker of remdesivir, Gilead Sciences, confirmed that the drug will be tested in combination with another drug called tocilizumab, another rheumatoid arthritis drug sold as Actemra. The immune system's hyperinflammatory response to infection will be targeted by the new phase of the study, which will eventually include three or four medications, as confirmed by Kalil. According to NBC News, convalescent plasma is another key treatment for COVID-19. The acting director of the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), Gary Disbrow, informed a Senate Appropriates subcommittee during a hearing on Thursday, July 2, that the demand for the antibody-rich blood product from patients who recovered from COVID-19 has been high, with an estimated 25,000 patients already transfused in the United States. On the other hand, a new drug candidate called Epo is on its way. According to Medical Express's latest report, the researchers at the Max-Planck Institute of Experimental Medicine in Gottingen claimed that the doping agent Epo, a medication for anemia also known as Erythropoietin, can also be efficient at eliminating the novel coronavirus. Patients can be protected from long-term neurological effects when the SARS-CoV-2 virus attacks the brains. The study shows the positive effects of anemia medicine in initial case studies. According to the report, a randomized clinical trial is currently planned by the researchers to investigate the effects of Epo treatment in coronavirus patients systematically. BMC Part of Springer Nature published the results of the study on June 16. Also Read: Is COVID-19 Weakening? Study Says Virus Mutates up to 6x More Infectious Now 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Tehachapi, CA (93561) Today Mostly clear. Low 57F. WNW winds at 15 to 25 mph, decreasing to less than 5 mph.. Tonight Mostly clear. Low 57F. WNW winds at 15 to 25 mph, decreasing to less than 5 mph. An Edmonton Police Service logo is shown at a press conference in Edmonton, Oct. 2, 2017. Edmonton police are investigating a fatal collision that left three people dead. Officers responded to the single-vehicle collision around 2:20 a.m near Calgary Trail and 55 Avenue in the city. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jason Franson Purchases made via links on our site may earn us an affiliate commission Letters: Reader: 'Child' when they murder, but not in the womb? Yemen's Houthis announced on Saturday the arrival of three fuel ships to Hodeidahs port, in the west of the country, DPA reported. Yahya Sharaf Al-Din, Vice President of Ports Corporation, affiliated to the Houthis, said in a brief statement that Zeusit tanker which carries 29,134 tons of gasoline, reached Hodeidah, which is under the control of the group. He announced the arrival of the tanker Sea Hart, which carries 27,000 tons of diesel, in addition to the tanker Hafez, which carries 26,953 tons of diesel. The internationally recognised Yemeni government announced on Thursday it will allow four oil ships to enter Hodeidah for humanitarian reasons, said UN envoy to the country Martin Griffiths. The Houthi group accuses the Yemeni government and the Arab coalition supporting it of detaining 22 oil ships and preventing their arrival in Hodeidah, which led to the creation of an acute fuel crisis in the group's areas for weeks. His knocks against the panel he once led echo many of the criticisms of the review model generally: The panel only reviewed cases after the departments internal affairs division finished investigating, and that review often happened months later. The panel didnt have the power to compel witnesses or demand someone turn over evidence. And there are no transcripts of their proceedings that the public could see. The Powerhouse Museum at Ultimo is likely to re-emerge as a museum of fashion and design. The Berejiklian government has been looking to split the Powerhouse collection and its disciplines between Ultimo and Parramatta as part of a business case for a creative precinct at the museums inner-city location. NSW Treasurer Dominic Perrottet and Arts Minister Don Harwin announcing that the Ultimo Powerhouse Museum will continue. Credit:Jacky Ghossein NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian and Treasurer Dominic Perrottet announced yesterday that the museum at Ultimo would be spared from sale for commercial and residential towers. Mr Perrottet said the decision was an infrastructure investment in "museums, not just motorways". The government remains committed to building a $645 million museum in Parramatta, as well as retaining the Ultimo venue. It is forgoing the $195 million it expected to reap from the sale of the Ultimo site, bringing the total cost to the budget to $840 million. Tom Hanks has revealed he's hoping to head back to Australia to resume filming Baz Luhrmann's untitled Elvis Presley movie within the next few months. "We are part of an entire industry and art form and business of cinema that is trying to reconcile how to go on," the 63-year-old Oscar-winning actor says in a Zoom call from his LA home. "There is certainly a plan and a desire from the studio's perspective and from everybody else involved in the movie to figure out a way to make it happen. Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson were in Australia when they were both diagnosed with COVID-19 in March. Credit:AP "There are dates on the calendar that say maybe we will be making this movie in October, but all of that stuff is a 'maybe' as questions about quarantine and temperatures and sterilising soundstages and all of that go on." The affable actor and his wife, Rita Wilson, became the first famous faces of COVID-19 when they confirmed on March 12 that they'd tested positive and were under observation at a Queensland hospital, with minor symptoms. Production on the movie, which was to be filmed at Village Roadshow Studios on the Gold Coast, came to a halt. Business leaders and university vice-chancellors are holding signs saying "Australia welcomes you" as part of a campaign that hopes to repair the damage from Australia's political stoush with China and reassure prospective tourists and students that Australia is safe and welcoming. Launching Monday, the campaign bringing together universities, business and community groups is a signal of how seriously local interests are taking the risk to Australia's image in China posed by tensions over the coronavirus, geopolitics and racism. China campaign: senior leaders of the University of NSW pose with signs saying "Australia welcomes you". Co-ordinated by the Chinese Australian Forum, the campaign also involves the China Australia Business Council, the University of Sydney, the University of UNSW and Sydney's University of Technology. Major hotel groups Accor and Hyatt are likely to take part, and the University of Melbourne has been approached to join. Pitched to a Chinese audience, the campaign will use social networks such as Weibo and WeChat to spread the message "Australia Welcomes You". Chinese Australian Forum president Jason Yat-Sen Li said the aim was to elevate the voices of ordinary people above the heated political fray. Two-thirds of NSW police stations had an excessive number of complaints made against officers last year, with one western Sydney area receiving nearly one complaint for every three officers. More than 2200 "customer service-related" allegations, defined as those made by members of the community, victims, witnesses and other officers, were made against NSW police officers in the 2018-19 financial year. The worst police command area for these complaints was Quakers Hill, where 29 complaints were made for every 100 officers, data obtained by the Herald under freedom of information laws shows. There were 102 police officers working in Quakers Hill last year. Other areas with high rates of complaint in this category include Lake Illawarra, at 22 complaints per 100 officers, Monaro at 21, and the Hills, the Blue Mountains, Camden and Cumberland at 19. Johnathan Hanh Nguyen and wife Le Hong Thuy Tien at daughter Jacqueline's graduation. Credit:Instagram The Herald has established that Mr Huynh has quietly amassed a fortune that has parachuted him from a middle-class upbringing in Sydneys north-west to a mansion on the Vaucluse waterfront. Mr Huynh garages a McLaren supercar at the $4.2 million residence, marketed as a taste of Palm Springs in an elite harbour enclave. The controlling stake in the property is held by his wife, Rianna Huynh. Mr Huynh has family connections to Vietnam's fashion power couple, Johnathan Hanh Nguyen and his actress-turned-entrepreneur wife, Le Hong Thuy Tien. Jacqueline Nguyen Credit:Instagram The pair have made their fortune selling luxury goods to the burgeoning ranks of Vietnams super-rich through their company Imex Pan Pacific Group (IPPG). IPPG holds the lions share of distribution rights in Vietnam for luxury brands - including Chanel, Versace and Rolex - bankrolling the couples glamorous lifestyle in Ho Chi Minh City. Their daughter Tien Jacqueline Nguyen, a social media influencer, made global headlines after she contracted COVID-19 in London. She was reportedly flown back to a Vietnam hospital in a chartered jet at a cost of US$360,000. Jacqueline Nguyen outside the family mansion in Ho Chi Minh city in a photoshoot for Vietnamese magazine L'Officiel. Credit:Instagram The familys opulent mansion on the Saigon River is flanked with gold statues, home to an army of housemaids and a fleet of Rolls Royces and Bentleys. In a rare interview, Ms Thuy Tien told the Guardian that the couple mined the rare white marble used to construct the residence themselves. It was there that Mr Huynhs Sydney-based brother and his family celebrated Vietnamese Lunar New Year in February. Social media postings of Mr Huynhs niece show her reunited with cousin Jacqueline, popping champagne at an end of year extravaganza for IPPG and attending family dinners on the terrace of the Saigon mansion. Ashleigh Huynh, right, and Tien "Jacqueline" Nguyen celebrate Lunar New Year in Vietnam. Credit:Instagram Its a far cry from the box-shaped apartments of the Sirius Building back in Sydney, used to accommodate housing commission tenants since the 1980s. When the NSW government announced the sell-off in 2014, real estate agents enthused it was a once in a lifetime opportunity for developers to seize some of Australias most valuable land. Community campaigners decried the government's move as social cleansing, launching a failed court challenge. The leading contenders included global firm Aoyuan International, which has completed 16 projects across Sydney, and developer Danny Avidan, whose plans had the endorsement of former NSW art gallery director Edmund Capon. But after significant delays it was announced they had been trumped by Sirius Developments Pty Ltd, a shell company set up for the deal by Mr Huynh. Mr Huynhs investment firm, JDH Capital, was backing the project and had assembled a first-rate team to carry out the redevelopment. Journalists were briefed that Mr Huynh was a former Macquarie Banker with interests in mining. He had connections to a wealthy but unnamed Vietnamese family who owned an airport there. Nothing else was known about the reclusive Mr Huynh. He had no trace of any online footprint, except for fleeting references to a short-lived sponsorship of Canberra rally car driver Rhys Pinter and archived photos buried on his wedding photographers Facebook page. JDH Capitals only public face was a landing page featuring a login portal and a stock photo of the Harbour Bridge. Social media users joked the company had less publicly available info than a Russian twitter bot. The Sirius building in The Rocks, Sydney. Credit:Steve Lunam Housing Minister Melinda Pavey spruiked the winning bidder's development credentials. With their equity and development partners, [JDH Capital] have undertaken similar projects throughout Australia and internationally, she said. When asked to list the company's successful projects, the government referred questions to JDH Capital. It declined to comment, citing contractual confidentiality obligations. The Herald was able to locate an approved development application on land owned by one of Mr Huynh's companies for Evoke, a 108-apartment tower near Blacktown station. Promotional material said construction would begin in April last year, but last week the land was vacant and inhabited only by a flock of ibises. A company belonging to Mr Huynh was due to settle on the purchase of the neighbouring block of land on Carinya Street last month, which already has DA approval in place for a six-storey building. JDH Capital is also credited with developingWaterline - 27 luxury apartments currently under construction on the Cronulla waterfront - on the website of builder Richard Crookes Constructions. The site of Evoke at Blacktown. Credit:Louise Kennerley However, that development is registered in the name of Jingle Property Pty Ltd, formerly known as Shark Doo Doo Pty Ltd. The company's sole director is not Mr Huynh but Balmain-based accountant Robert Byrnes. Another company belonging to Mr Byrnes appears to have successfully completed a Kellyville subdivision, purchasing it after the site's former developer - a company of which Mr Huynh was one of the directors - became embroiled in a bitter court feud over a lack of financing and could not complete the venture. It remains unclear who will bankroll JDH Capitals $118 million redevelopment of the Sirius Building. In heavily-redacted government documents released under freedom of information, Sirius Developments Pty Ltd was listed as a trustee for a third party, which was redacted. The documents show the government added an extra stage to the tender amid concerns the preferred developer could withdraw "from the process prior to contract execution, leaving no proposals on foot". Artist's render of the planned redevelopment of Sydney's Sirius building, with new three-storey building containing a pool and gym for residents on the Cumberland Street side. Credit:BVN Architecture The government negotiated a delayed settlement, meaning money is yet to change hands and will only do so once key milestones are met and construction has begun. The government withheld key documents that could have shed light on the deal, including a ministerial briefing note and a report on the capacity of the tenderers to deliver the project. It warned the information's release could "prejudice" the sale's finalisation. A NSW Department of Planning spokesperson said a range of due diligence measures confirmed JDH Capital had the "credibility, capability and capacity" to complete the venture and it offered the state "best value for money and economic benefits". Mr Huynh declined to disclose the investors in the Sirius redevelopment but his lawyer said there was "no connection" to Vietnam's Imex Pan Pacific Group. The Herald's questions to JDH Capital were answered by development director John Green. "Sirius Developments Pty Ltd is excited to be working on this exciting project in Sydneys iconic Rocks area," Mr Green said. Le Hong Thuy Tien and her children Jacqueline and William on the front cover of Vietnamese magazine L'Officiel. Credit:Instagram "However, as Sirius Developments Pty Ltd is bound by strict confidentiality obligations under its contractual arrangements with the seller, we are not able to answer your questions about Sirius." He added that JDH Capital was a private investment firm which aims to "source, manage and execute on intelligent and proprietary transactions with a focus on real estate investments." Mr Green confirmed Mr Huynh had worked in the investment banking division of Macquarie Bank and as part of the investment team at M.H. Carnegie & Co. Mr Huynh uses Mr Carnegie's Paddington office as his registered business address and has recent business interests with CBRE heavyweights Justin Brown and David Milton. He also dabbles in horse racing, splashing out $380,000 on a colt at the Inglis Easter sales and investing heavily in the stable of Canberra trainer Nick Olive. Vietnam does not require disclosure of private company interests, making it difficult to obtain information about the business dealings of Mr Huynhs extended family. But Ms Thuy Tien is no stranger to Sydney, flying to Australia in 2018 to deliver an address at the Global Summit of Women, where she rubbed shoulders with then foreign minister Julie Bishop. Le Hong Thuy Tien with then Foreign Minister Julie Bishop in Sydney in 2018. Credit:IPPG Her husband, Mr Hanh Nguyen, is credited with opening up Vietnam to the world following the war by brokering the countrys first official flight route to the Philippines in 1985. Protest chants have rung out through Brisbane again as Black Lives Matter supporters continue to push for major change in Australia. Protesters gathered at Brisbane's King George Square on Saturday before marching through the city to take a stand against racism. Organiser Boe Spearim said the rally followed previous protests at the square as well as protests outside Queensland prisons last month, calling to stop black deaths in custody. "It means so much especially now. People who come to these rallies have been coming to these rallies for 30 to 40 years," he said. "Were here for justice." The cruise ship Ruby Princess, from which passengers infected with COVID-19 disembarked in Sydney. Credit:Nick Moir Byelection result a mere chapter in larger story You will appreciate that at the time of writing, I have absolutely no clue as to the result of the Eden-Monaro byelection. The bookies seem to have it going the ALPs way, while journos pick the Coalition as the likely winners. Whatever it is, might I make the one quick point? That is the sheer absurdity of reading too much into it. Just as when in sport one side or the other wins the grand final by a point it changes the narrative of an entire season which is absurd so too with most byelections. If the Coalition wins, good luck to them. It doesnt mean that the electorate has rejected the ALP and the leadership of Anthony Albanese. And nor, if the ALP wins does it mean that the PM couldnt recover from his performance in the bushfires. It just means one side won by a point or two. Not the end of the story, just a small chapter within it. Unscripted drama away from set There are slim pickings for hire car drivers at the moment. Credit:Bloomberg It is not, I grant you, earth-shattering news just a sign of the times. One of the industries all but wiped out by The Plague has been Sydneys hire car services. Now, as we just start to emerge, the number of drivers appears to be down to about half what it was, with nowhere near enough jobs to keep them even a quarter as busy. It has seen tensions boil over between the drivers themselves and on Thursday afternoon outside the set of where they are shooting Home & Away at Avalon, the situation resulted in two drivers actually coming to blows. As the seagulls caterwauled all about and the waves crashed on the shores, so did the drivers and their fists so vigorously that one ended up in hospital. One witness said: It was for all the world as if there were some toilet rolls at stake. Joke of the Week Despite Brexit, the European Commission has finally agreed that English will be the official language of the European Union rather than German, which was the other possibility. As part of the negotiations, the British government conceded that English spelling had some room for improvement and accepted a five-year phase-in plan for what will become known as "Euro-English". In the first year, "s" will replace the soft "c". Sertainly, this will make the sivil servants jump with joy. The hard "c" will be dropped in favour of "k". This should klear up konfusion, and keyboards kan have one less letter. There will be growing publik enthusiasm in the sekond year when the troublesome "ph" will be replaced with "f". This will make words like fotograf 20 per sent shorter. In the third year, publik akseptanse of the new spelling kan be expekted to reach the stage where more komplikated changes are possible. Governments will enkourage the removal of double letters, which have always ben a deterent to akurate speling. Also, al wil agre that the horibl mes of the silent "e" in the languag is disgrasful and it should go away. By the fourth year, peopl wil be reseptiv to steps such as replasing th with z and w with v. During ze fifz year, ze unesesary o kan be dropd from vords kontaining ou and after ziz fifz yer ve vil hav a reil sensibl vriten styl. Zer vil be no mor trubl or difikultis and evrivun vil find it ezi tu understand ech ozer. Quote of the Week I don't know if you're across this, but currently the country's going through what scientists call the Spice Girls paradigm. Everyone's trying really hard, but Victoria's ruining it! Comedian Ross Noble on The Sunday Project. I can't believe that there would be any other city in the world where a government would be dissolving a major museum collection built up and nurtured by its people over generations, to scatter and disperse its contents for all time. Former NSW Premier Bob Carr, before the state government reversed its decision to close the Powerhouse Museum at Ultimo. As shown by the recent success of the Green Ban on the Bondi Beach Pavilion, the CFMEU wont stand by while local communities are ignored and important heritage sites are destroyed. Darren Greenfield I know secretary of the CFMEU NSW, which has put a green ban the Berejiklian government's $1.17 billion plan to demolish two heritage buildings to make way for the new Parramatta Powerhouse. I think it shows an incredible lack of appreciation, understanding and love of our aviation history. This is a slap in the face to our aviators. The United States, France, Russia, all of these countries have the most amazing aviation museums and really present them well to the world. Gai Taylor, the daughter of Captain Gordon Taylor, who made an epic flight from Sydney to Chile in a Catalina aircraft hanging in the Powerhouse Museum, about her fears it will be irreparably damaged by the institution's relocation. Blame for Melbournes second-wave coronavirus outbreak came as no surprise to South Sudanese graduate student Akuch Anyieth: "because, you know, were used to it now". Yet for all the communitys training in resilience and patient clarifications, the commentary of the last week and a half, most notably from Sky News host Peta Credlin, has felt no less demeaning. "Even in a time when we all need each other, at a time when we should all stand in solidarity, communities are being condemned for something with no evidence to support it," says Ms Anyieth, 29, an emerging leader in her community. Akuch Anyieth Credit:Luis Ascui Ms Credlin this week apologised for linking the South Sudanese community, which is overwhelmingly Christian, to a reported mass gathering and spreading event on the Islamic holy day of Eid in late May. "GO Virginia encourages regional collaboration among businesses, government entities and education partners in support of our shared economic goals," Northam stated in a news release. "To achieve long-term economic growth and create high-paying jobs, we must capitalize on the strengths of our regional economies and connect Virginians with the skills employers are looking for I'm confident that each of these projects will do just that." More than 1000 foreign citizens have been allowed into Australia on compassionate grounds since travel bans were put in place to stop the spread of the coronavirus. Although there has been a general travel ban on all foreign citizens visiting Australia since March 20, travellers are able to apply to Australian Border Force commissioner Michael Outram on humanitarian or compassionate grounds. More than 1000 foreign citizens have been allowed into Australia on compassionate grounds. Credit:Jason South The Sun-Herald and The Sunday Age can reveal Border Force has allowed in 1186 non-citizens under the exemption between March 20 and June 18. Over the same time period, the Border Force commissioner received 1476 referrals for consideration of an exemption from the travel ban on compassionate grounds - meaning at least 290 people were rejected. A referral can cover more than one person. A group of federal MPs, the presidents of the two major political parties and a senior union official were due to travel to China on a trip partly paid for by the Chinese government, but it was cancelled because of the coronavirus pandemic. The federal Liberal and Labor politicians, who had signed up to travel to China in early April, say they still want to visit the country because it is important to deepen engagement after relations between Canberra and Beijing have rapidly deteriorated. Liberal MP Dave Sharma was part of a group of politicians who signed up to a trip to China. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen Liberal Party president Nick Greiner, Labor Party president Wayne Swan, Liberal MP Dave Sharma, Liberal MP Fiona Martin, Labor MP Andrew Giles and assistant national secretary of the Australian Services Union Linda White had been confirmed as going on the trip. The group also planned to have dinner with China's ambassador to Australia Cheng Jingye before travelling to the country. 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. New York fares OK in 'independence' ranking of states, except when it comes to governance Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine addesses steps the state is taking to stop the spread of the novel coronavirus Wednesday, March 11, 2020. Police said in a news release that officers were on patrol in the area around 2:04 a.m. when they heard shots in the 200 block of 18th Street, between Pacific Avenue and Atlantic Avenue. This is the temporary subscription pass for users returning from the Vision Data subscription process. Your subscription will be updated within 24 hours, after your information is verified. Please click the button below to get your pass. This year our dine and drink business locations throughout the Gorge have suffered with closures. You can help support your favorites by purchasing take out and gift cards. Many of these business will offer curb-side delivery and some will deliver to your home. Lets keep the Gorge going strong! Sunday Join the Unitarian Universalist Church of Brazos Valley at 10:30 a.m. for a virtual All Ages Sunday morning service at www.brazos-uu.org , and view previously recorded videos at facebook.com/uucbv/videos . From 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., gain access to live All Ages Religious Education, All Ages Worship and virtual gatherings. Our Saviours Lutheran Church is now holding online worship Sunday mornings at 9:30 a.m. You can find us on Facebook and YouTube at Our Saviours Lutheran Church BCS. You are now able to worship from your car in the church parking lot. Simply pull in and tune in to 95.5 on your FM dial. Please plan to stay in your car throughout the worship service. Drive-thru communion begins at 10:30 a.m. following the service. All are welcome. The city attorneys office has advised the district to take unconventional approaches before. Norfolks way of getting outside help for children whose needs cant be met by the school system is unique in Virginia. While other districts find the best provider for each child, Norfolk has master agreements with a few outside agencies. Parent advocates including Fitzenrider and Carter Melin have said that pigeonholes students, meaning they get services from the lowest bidder instead of the best option. Isaiah only understood a part of what God was going to do to make His kingdom a reality. He didnt know yet exactly how God would defeat sin, sickness and death. When Gods Son Jesus arrived, though, we learned the rest of the story. Jesus died and rose again, and in the process He destroyed sin and death itself. Jesus then offered eternal life to everybody who would believe in Him, from every nation, tribe or race. In Jesus kingdom, the walls that divide nations and kingdoms will fall down forever, and in their place He will create a perfect kingdom that will never end. In Jesus kingdom, there will be more than enough of everything to meet everyones needs. There will be no shortage of love, and violence wont exist. Righteousness and justice will prevail, once and for all, and we will never have a reason to be afraid of each other again. The very best of our worlds kings and presidents can only dream of creating a kingdom like the one that Jesus will one day bring us, but they can never make it a reality. The brightness of Christs kingdom will make our Fourth of July fireworks look like cheap plastic nightlights. With Catholicism, we believe the presence of Jesus is present body, soul, divinity in one species alone, Gerhart said. Im sure a lot of people would prefer to receive the wine as well, but we havent heard any [complaints]. Cassian Sibley, priest at The Life-Giving Spring of the Mother of God Russian Orthodox Church near Downtown Bryan, said that prior to the pandemic, the congregation would meet in a modest-sized house, with services held in the equivalent of the homes living room space. Sibley and his staff grouped the congregation into five sections, each of which are appointed a time to attend a Sunday service. Adults are required to wear masks. The only exceptions are Sibley and his cantor, who conduct the service through singing call-and-response in the Russian Orthodox tradition. Sibley said he currently is practicing self-isolation for two weeks after a family member tested positive for COVID-19. When the time comes to look at the United States and the worlds response to COVID-19, Parker said, Jan. 23 will be a critical date as the date Wuhan, China, went into lockdown. This date 23 January when Wuhan was locked down was a major warning signal for the world, and we were slow to respond and see that signal and listen to that chatter, he said, emphasizing that is just his opinion. While it can sometimes seem like the country and the world learned nothing from past pandemics and outbreaks, he said, it has gotten better, but there is still more to do. As of July 1, he said, there were more than 10 million cases in the world, 2.7 million in the United States and more than 175,000 in Texas. The death total as of that date was 516,000 in the world, 128,000 in the United States and 2,500 in the state. Noting the increased testing in the state, Parker said, the medical community would like the ratio of positive test to total tests to be in the 3% to 5% range, but it is at about 15%. That kind of is an indication that we do have significant community transmission of [COVID-19] in our communities, and were not doing enough testing, even though our testing has dramatically increased, he said. Around noon 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. She said that a number of other health safety protocols are in place, including hand sanitizer and a system in which voters use the eraser end of a provided pencil to press the buttons on the electronic voting machines. Voters also place their own ID on the scanner and take their own receipt from the printer, Hancock said. Both major parties have runoff elections for the race to replace the retiring U.S. Rep. Bill Flores in U.S. House District 17, which includes Bryan-College Station, Waco and some parts of the Austin metro area. The two Democratic candidates for District 17 are Marine veteran David Jaramillo of Waco and project manager Rick Kennedy of Pflugerville; the two Republicans in the runoff are former Dallas-area U.S. Rep. Pete Sessions and Brazos Eye Surgery owner Renee Swann of Waco. Those participating in the Democratic runoff also will be able to weigh in on the U.S. Senate and Railroad Commissioner races. Residents must vote in the same partys primary in which they participated for the March election. Voters can cast early ballots Sunday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Monday through Wednesday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., or Thursday and Friday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. The runoff election is July 14. Brown said that Fish Camp at A&M was going to cost attendees about $200, similar to previous years in Palestine, but the virtual format will be less expensive, so those who are registered will receive a significant refund. The virtual event will cost $25 to cover the price of items including a 12th Man towel, a T-shirt, mask and water bottle being mailed to attendees. Anyone who decides they dont want to attend the virtual event can get a full refund, he said. When camp registration initially opened up, Brown said the 3,500 spaces for seven camp sessions filled up within a week. Registration is open again through July 15, now that there are no physical limits on how many people can attend each session. Bianchi said T-Camp leaders are also working through details for partial refunds for attendees and full refunds for cancellations. She said there will be more updates later this month, including information on how to register now that the camp will be able to accommodate more people online. The Texas Supreme Court on Jan. 15, 2020. Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune After urging from Texas law school deans and aspiring lawyers, the Texas Supreme Court on Friday canceled the two-day in-person bar exams scheduled for later this month, citing growing concerns about COVID-19. The bar exams will be offered online in October. An in-person exam is still planned for September 9 and 10 but could be canceled depending on recommendations from public health authorities. The Texas Board of Law Examiners will announce assistance for wi-fi and appropriate testing spaces and arrangements for people who prefer handwritten tests. The July exam, which was to bring more than 1,000 people into testing centers across the state, was canceled a day after Texas Gov. Greg Abbott banned certain outdoor gatherings of over 10 people unless local officials approve, down from the previous restriction of 100 people. Steve Hotze. Social media In the days after George Floyd's death in police custody in Minneapolis last month, as massive protests against police brutality spread across Texas and other states, conservative power broker Steve Hotze of Houston called Gov. Greg Abbott's chief of staff to pass along a message. "I want you to give a message to the governor," Hotze told Abbott's chief of staff, Luis Saenz, in a voicemail. "I want to make sure that he has National Guard down here and they have the order to shoot to kill if any of these son-of-a-bitch people start rioting like they have in Dallas, start tearing down businesses shoot to kill the son of a bitches. Thats the only way you restore order. Kill em. Thank you." The voicemail, which The Texas Tribune obtained Friday via a public information request, came on the weekend of June 6, several days after Abbott activated the Texas National Guard as some of the protests became violent. It is unclear whether Saenz responded, and Abbott's office declined to comment on the voicemail. Al Gore, John Kerry, Other World Leaders Call for Radical Great Reset of Capitalism Commentary The COVID-19 pandemic has produced unprecedented economic conditions. Around the world, millions of people have lost their jobs, thousands of businesses have closed, and travel has been limited. The United States hasnt experienced an economic calamity of this magnitude since the Great Depression. But one mans economic depression can be another mans golden opportunitythe words used by Prince Charles at a recent meeting of world powers seeking to impose a Great Reset of the global economy. For Charles and other powerful international leaders, the current economic chaos offers a chance to remake nations across the planet, because desperate populations are now more receptive to big visions of change. We have a golden opportunity to seize something good from this crisisits unprecedented shockwaves may well make people more receptive to big visions of change, Charles said. It is an opportunity we have never had before and may never have again. Of course, hes right. The present state of affairs is so chaotic that virtually anything is possible, including a total transformation of capitalism, and thats precisely what Charles and his allies want. At a virtual meeting held by the World Economic Forum (WEF) in June, global leaders, including Charles, gathered together to call for a Great Reset of capitalism. Among those who spoke at the event or expressed their support separately for the plan were Ma Jun, the chairman of the Green Finance Committee at the China Society for Finance and Banking and a member of the Monetary Policy Committee of the Peoples Bank of China; Antonio Guterres, the secretary-general of the United Nations; powerful union leaders; activists from groups such as Greenpeace International; CEOs and presidents of large corporations such as BP, MasterCard, and Microsoft; and officials from the International Monetary Fund. Many of those at the meeting support the elimination of the worlds current capitalist system and have promoted socialist policiessuch as wealth taxes, Green New Deal-like programs, and national job guarantees and government incomes. But the person who has most clearly articulated the vision of the Great Reset is Klaus Schwab, the head of the World Economic Forum and one of the Resets most ardent supporters. Every country, from the United States to China, must participate, and every industry, from oil and gas to tech, must be transformed, Schwab wrote in an article published on WEFs website. In short, we need a Great Reset of capitalism. He also said that all aspects of our societies and economies must be revamped, from education to social contracts and working conditions. Of course, the elites at the World Economic Forum know that the COVID-19 pandemic wont last forever, so how do they plan to pressure thousands of government officials and billions of people into adopting their vision for the Global Reset? By turning to yet another crisis: climate change. In presentation after presentation, speakers at WEFs June event used climate change and environmental sustainability as a primary justification for a permanent, global economic overhaul. The threat of climate change has been more gradualbut its devastating reality for many people and their livelihoods around the world, and its ever-greater potential to disrupt, surpasses even that of COVID-19, Prince Charles said. As terrifying as all of this sounds to those of us who support free markets and property rights, the worst has yet to come. At the June event, the World Economic Forum announced that the Great Reset will be the focus of its next highly influential annual meeting in Davos, scheduled for January 2021. At the Davos meeting, powerful business leaders, government officials, activists, and academics will promote the Great Reset and coordinate a massive worldwide campaign to promote their agenda with a large youth activist organization called the Global Shapers Community. The Global Shapers are present in 400 cities around the world and have close ties to Al Gores radical Climate Reality Project, which has already trained more than 1,300 people in climate activism. Gore, who serves on the World Economic Forums board of trustees, has a vast network of climate activists of his ownthe Climate Reality Leadership Corpswhich could also be used to promote the Great Reset, especially through strikes and protests. Climate Reality Leaders played a key role in the highly publicized climate strikes that occurred throughout the world in 2019. In a June 19 interview with NBCs Today television show, Gore endorsed the Great Reset, making him the first notable U.S. political figure to do so. But Gore isnt alone. Since that interview, John Kerry, the co-chair of Joe Bidens climate change unity task force, has also promoted the Great Reset and even encouraged the World Economic Forum to continue leading on the effort. This is a big moment, Kerry said. The World Economic Forum is really going to have to play a front and center role in refining the Great Reset to deal with climate change and inequityall of which is being laid bare as a consequence of COVID-19. With Gore and Kerry already actively promoting the Great Reset, its only a matter of time before it becomes a key part of the lefts platformand potentially Bidens, toofor 2020 and beyond. This is a remarkable and dangerous moment for freedom, both in the United States and across the planet. Not only has government used the COVID-19 pandemic to increase its power, world leaders are now planning to expand it dramatically in the years to come through their Great Reset reforms. If we dont stop this radical move toward collectivism and the decimation of capitalism, the worlds freedom movement might never recover. Justin Haskins (Jhaskins@heartland.org) is editor-in-chief of StoppingSocialism.com and the editorial director of The Heartland Institute. Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times. Analyzing The Gods of the Copybook Headings by Rudyard Kipling Rudyard Kiplings The Gods of the Copybook Headings was published in London in 1919, and in the United States in Harpers Magazine in January 1920just over 100 years agoas The Gods of the Copybook Margins. It is sometimes referred to as Maxims of the Marketplace. Copybooks in Kiplings dayin the UK and, perhaps, in the United Stateswere books with lined pages, similar to a yellow pad today, but at the top were short sayings: aphorisms, maxims, verses from Scripture that drilled into the young students perception the rules for life, the things that mattered, ostensibly given not as moral instruction but as examples for penmanship. On the dozen lines beneath, the student, using cursive script, wrote an exact copy, one copy on each line, until he had written the same maxim a dozen timestechnically, to learn the art of exact handwriting, but in fact to have certain ideas driven into his or her head. A page from a 19th-century copybook, in which the printed headings have been copied. The homily is paraphrased from a 17th-century sermon of Isaac Barrow, Against Detraction. (Public Domain) The Gods of the Copybook Headings by Rudyard Kipling AS I PASS through my incarnations in every age and race, I make my proper prostrations to the Gods of the Market Place. Peering through reverent fingers I watch them flourish and fall, And the Gods of the Copybook Headings, I notice, outlast them all. We were living in trees when they met us. They showed us each in turn That Water would certainly wet us, as Fire would certainly burn: But we found them lacking in Uplift, Vision and Breadth of Mind, So we left them to teach the Gorillas while we followed the March of Mankind. We moved as the Spirit listed. They never altered their pace, Being neither cloud nor wind-borne like the Gods of the Market Place, But they always caught up with our progress, and presently word would come That a tribe had been wiped off its icefield, or the lights had gone out in Rome. With the Hopes that our World is built on they were utterly out of touch, They denied that the Moon was Stilton; they denied she was even Dutch; They denied that Wishes were Horses; they denied that a Pig had Wings; So we worshipped the Gods of the Market Who promised these beautiful things. When the Cambrian measures were forming, They promised perpetual peace. They swore, if we gave them our weapons, that the wars of the tribes would cease. But when we disarmed They sold us and delivered us bound to our foe, And the Gods of the Copybook Headings said: Stick to the Devil you know. On the first Feminian Sandstones we were promised the Fuller Life (Which started by loving our neighbour and ended by loving his wife) Till our women had no more children and the men lost reason and faith, And the Gods of the Copybook Headings said: The Wages of Sin is Death. In the Carboniferous Epoch we were promised abundance for all, By robbing selected Peter to pay for collective Paul; But, though we had plenty of money, there was nothing our money could buy, And the Gods of the Copybook Headings said: If you dont work you die. Then the Gods of the Market tumbled, and their smooth-tongued wizards withdrew And the hearts of the meanest were humbled and began to believe it was true That All is not Gold that Glitters, and Two and Two make Four And the Gods of the Copybook Headings limped up to explain it once more. As it will be in the future, it was at the birth of Man There are only four things certain since Social Progress began. That the Dog returns to his Vomit and the Sow returns to her Mire, And the burnt Fools bandaged finger goes wabbling back to the Fire; And that after this is accomplished, and the brave new world begins When all men are paid for existing and no man must pay for his sins, As surely as Water will wet us, as surely as Fire will burn, The Gods of the Copybook Headings with terror and slaughter return! A Poem for Our Time The gist of the poem is simply that spiritual values exceed material values in every case. The way Kipling develops this idea, starting each verse as a would-be historical metaphor, explains why he is appreciated, outside of San Franciscos Haight-Ashbury, as a mountaintop poet. Imagine if todays elementary school graduates, raised in our throwaway culture, had been required to write at least a dozen timesand with great carethe saying, A penny saved is a penny earned. Perhaps our national debt, and people lying homeless in the street, would be reduced problems. Rudyard Kipling, circa 1892, in a photographic postcard, by Bourne & Shepherd. Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Yale University. (Public Domain) Kiplings poem does not include any exact examples of these copybook headings. In his day, that was unnecessary. In ours, it requires a bit of research; that done, the meaning and the relevance of the poem come into focus. His first verse pays some obeisance to the Gods of the Market Placeundefined, but in brief terms, the worship of business and material gainbut notes that the contrary Gods of the Copybook Headings have always outlasted them. What would our Austrian economists, who believe that the market solves all problems, have to say about that? Or present-day philosophers who believe that the Ten Commandments can easily be replaced by the lodestar self-realization? In his second versewhen, he says, we were still living in treesthe human race deserted the copybook headings, finding them lacking in Uplift, Vision, and Breadth of Mind, and went instead to follow the March of Mankind. Each verse provides another example of what happens when society makes that fateful choice. Unlike the bulk of post-World War I poets, who, from Bloomsbury to Greenwich Village, became utterly disillusioned with warfare, his fifth verse offers the following: They swore, if we gave them our weapons, that the wars of the tribes would cease / But when we disarmed, They sold us, and delivered us bound to our foe / And the Gods of the Copybook Headings said: Stick to the Devil you know. Werent Mr. Churchill for his Iron Curtain speech, and America for the blood, sweat, tears, and treasure spent on NATO and U.S. defense, fully vindicated, as explained by Mr. Kipling, when Ronald Reagan called on a dictatorship to Tear down this wall! and freedom returnedor bloomed for the first timein Eastern Europe? The next verse offers a further viewpoint on contemporary values: On the first Feminian Sandstones we were promised the Fuller Life / (Which started by loving our neighbor and ended by loving his wife) / Till our women had no more children and the men lost reason and faith / And the Gods of the Copybook headings said: The Wages of Sin is Death. Isnt the birthrate in the Western world, for reasons unknown to experts, in decline? Isnt church attendance in free-fall? Additional verses and lines seem prophetic: Then the Gods of the Market tumbled, and their smooth-tongued wizards withdrew / And the hearts of the meanest were humbled And later: All is not Gold that Glitters, and still later, After all this is accomplished, and the brave new world begins / When all men are paid for existing and no man must pay for his sins . Paid for existinginteresting; and no man must pay for his sinslet the reader decipher. A university faculty (Ph.D. University of California 1967, political science) and freelancer in his early career, Ted Hayes moved into full-time journalism and is now retired. This article is reprinted with permission from the Society of Classical Poets. The study, which is in phase 3, will be open to about 100 people in the area who are 12 and older. To qualify as a participant, the patient needs to contact the research team within about three days of receiving a positive nasal swab test. Eligible candidates are those who have the symptoms fever, cough and shortness of breath but are not hospitalized and arent taking other steroids. Arizona Governor Honors 19 Fallen Firefighters Who Died in Yarnell Hill Wildfire On Tuesday, Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey paid tribute to the 19 firefighters killed in the Yarnell Hill fire in June 2013; and flags all around the state of Arizona flew at half-staff to mark the seventh anniversary of the tragedy. The massive wildfire had started some 30 miles southwest of Prescott, Arizona, in the hills near the tiny community of Yarnell, and the elite Granite Mountain Hotshots brigade were called in to face particularly difficult conditions. Trapped by the sudden change in wind direction, the firefighters could only hunker down under an aluminum emergency fire shelter, which was unable to withstand the blaze. Of the 20 men originally sent into action, only one survived, who had been on lookout in another area. A charred landscape remains after a wildfire swept through the area on July 7, 2013, in Yarnell, Arizona. (Laura Segall/Getty Images) The fuels were very dry, the relative humidity was low, the wind was coming out of the south. It turned around on us because of monsoon action, said Mike Reichling, Arizona State Forestry spokesman, to KNXV on Tuesday. Thats what caused the deaths. Governor Ducey said it was one of the most tragic days in state history. The brave Yarnell 19 had their whole lives ahead of them, Ducey said, reported AP. They had families, loved ones and friends who cared deeply about them. They knew the dangers of their job, but they did it anyway, with courage and an abiding sense of duty and commitment to our communities. The loss of the 19 men represented the largest casualty count for any fire department since the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. An honor guard presents families with an American Flag during a memorial service at Tims Toyota Center July 9, 2013, in Prescott Valley, Arizona. (David Kadlubowski-Pool/Getty Images) We got a lot of hotshot crews in the nation, and they are the elite of the ground firefighters, State Forestry incident commander Roy Hall said. Theyre highly trained and highly specialized. They are a younger generation. Thats the tragedy of it, that lives would be lost of such a young group. Today, those paying their respects to the fallen heroes can visit the Granite Mountain Hotshots Memorial State Park, located in the area where the fire raged in 2013, where 19 stone gabions are erected in a circle signifying each fallen man. Since opening in 2016, the park has become a popular place for visitors to honor the heroes. A tribute to the 19 fallen firefighters lines the front of the stage before a memorial service at Tims Toyota Center in Prescott Valley, Ariz., July 9, 2013 (Michael Chow-Pool/Getty Images) We would love to hear your stories! You can share them with us at emg.inspired@epochtimes.nyc Queensland Police stop vehicles at a checkpoint set up at the Queensland and NSW border in Coolangatta on March 26 on the Gold Coast, Australia. (Chris Hyde/Getty Images) Border Checks as Qld Prepares to Reopen Vehicles crossing into Queensland will be searched for Victorians or anyone else travelling from the southern state who might be hiding inside. Police will make the random checks as the Sunshine State prepares to open its doors to all states and territories except coronavirus-impacted Victoria from July 10. Passes that were used to cross the border in recent months are now invalid and must be replaced by one of three new border declarations. Anyone entering Queensland must now also state if they have travelled to Victoria in the previous 14 days. Those who have will be forced to quarantine at their own expense or turnaround. Penalties will also apply for anyone caught smuggling people over the border and there is a $4000 fine for flouting the restrictions. The checks come as Queenslanders get set to enjoy a weekend of further relaxed COVID-19 health restrictions. More fans can watch professional sporting events, with up to 25,000 spectators or 50 percent of a venues capacity permitted. Commercial events of up to 500 people can go ahead without permission from the authorities, as long as they abide by the coronavirus social distancing rules. Private gatherings of up to 100 people are now also allowed in homes. Weddings and funerals can host up to 100, and contact sport is also back. Casinos and food courts will also reopen. Meanwhile, checkpoints to communities across Cape York Peninsula are now gone except at Kowanyama, Wujal Wujal, the Northern Peninsula Area and the Torres Strait, which open on July 10. Aaron Bunch in Brisbane Graffiti reading "Racist Fish" is seen on a statue of the Little Mermaid in Copenhagen, Denmark, on July 3, 2020. (Ritzau Scanpix/Mads Claus Rasmussen via Reuters) Copenhagens Little Mermaid Labelled Racist Fish COPENHAGENDenmark woke up on Friday to the words racist fish scrawled across the base of the Little Mermaid, the bronze statue honoring Hans Christian Andersens famous fairy tale that perches on a rock in the sea off a pier in Copenhagen. Police said it had not yet identified the perpetrators. The 107-year-old sculpture, which is visited by a million tourists each year, has been vandalized before, including by anti-whaling campaigners and pro-democracy activists, twice suffering decapitation. We consider it vandalism and have started an investigation, a spokesman for the Copenhagen police said. Protesters from the Black Lives Matter movement around the world have in recent months rallied against statues of historical figures, such as slave traders and colonialists. However, statues of President Abraham Lincoln, who led the United States through the Civil War and abolished slavery, have also been targeted for removal. The Little Mermaid has not been part of the slavery and colonialism debate, but last year a Disney live action remake of the 1989 animated film of the same name was the subject of controversy after African American actress Halle Bailey was cast in the central role. I am having a hard time seeing what is particularly racist in the fairy tale The Little Mermaid,' Ane Grum-Schwensen, researcher at the H.C. Andersen Center at University of Southern Denmark, told local news wire Ritzau. By Nikolaj Skydsgaard Epoch Times staff contributed to this report. Areas are inundated in muddy waters that gushed out from the Kuma River in Hitoyoshi, Kumamoto prefecture, southwestern Japan on July 4, 2020. (Kyodo News via AP) Heavy Rain Floods Southern Japan; Over a Dozen Presumed Dead TOKYOHeavy rain in southern Japan triggered flooding and mudslides on Saturday, leaving more than a dozen people presumed dead, about 10 missing and dozens stranded on rooftops waiting to be rescued, officials said. More than 75,000 residents in the prefectures of Kumamoto and Kagoshima were urged to evacuate following pounding rains overnight. The evacuation was not mandatory and it was not known how many actually fled. I smelled mud, and the whole area was vibrating with river water. Ive never experienced anything like this, a man in a shelter in Yatsushiro city, in western Kumamoto, told NHK TV. He said he fled early fearing a disaster. NHK footage showed large areas of Hitoyoshi town in Kumamoto inundated in muddy waters that gushed out from the Kuma River. Many cars were submerged up to their windows. A car is stuck in a flooded road by heavy rain in Yatsushiro, Kumamoto prefecture, southwestern Japan on July 4, 2020. (Kyodo News via AP) Residents are stranded on the rooftop of a house submerged in muddy waters that gushed out from the Kuma River in Hitoyoshi, Kumamoto prefecture, southwestern Japan on July 4, 2020. (Kyodo News via AP) Mudslides smashed into houses and floodwaters carried trunks from uprooted trees. Several people were standing atop a convenience store as they waited for rescuers. Kumamoto Gov. Ikuo Kabashima later told reporters that 14 residents at a flooded elderly care home in Kuma village were presumed dead after being found during rescue operations. He said three other elderly residents had hypothermia. They were among some 60 residents at the riverside care home Senjuen, where floodwaters and mud gushed in, stranding the residents, NHK said. The Japanese Self-Defense Force said it had dispatched troops to join rescue efforts at the site. In Tsunagimachi district, two of three people buried underneath mudslides were pulled out without vital signs, Kumamoto prefectural crisis management official Takafumi Kobori said. Rescuers were still searching for the third person. In another badly flooded town, Ashikita, six people were unaccounted for and a seventh was seriously injured, Kumamoto officials said. Areas are inundated in muddy waters that gushed out from the Kuma River in Hitoyoshi, Kumamoto prefecture, southwestern Japan on July 4, 2020. (Kyodo News via AP) In the mountainous village of Kuma, residents stranded at their homes were being airlifted by a rescue helicopter. In Hitoyoshi city, rescuers transported some residents in a boat. Flooding also cut off power and communication lines. About 8,000 homes in Kumamoto and neighboring Kagoshima were without electricity, according to the Kyushu Electric Power Co. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe set up a task force and said up to 10,000 defense troops were being mobilized for rescue operations. The Japan Meteorological Agency earlier issued warnings of extraordinary rain in parts of Kumamoto, which is about 600 miles (1,000 kilometers) southwest of Tokyo, but later downgraded them as the rainfallestimated at 4 inches (100 millimeters) per hoursubsided. By Mari Yamaguchi I Am Not a Victim, I Am an Ambassador: Acid Attack Survivors Program Helps Hundreds Acid attack survivor Pragya Singh, from India, was just 23 years old when she was viciously attacked on a night train while asleep. But rather than fall victim to her injuries, she mastered immense personal resolve, a desire to help others, and an optimistic attitude in order to change the lives of hundreds of survivors across India. The Horrific Attack Pragya got married in her hometown of Varanasi, northern India, on April 18, 2006. Twelve days later, she had to travel to Indias capital, Delhi, to attend a campus placement interview. That very same evening, her beloved grandfather passed away and she was reluctant to leave. My parents convinced me to go ahead for my interview, Pragya recalled, speaking to The Epoch Times via email. Probably, I should not have listened to them and stayed back, as no one could have imagined what laid in store for me that ill-fated night. Pragya boarded a night train to Delhi. She suddenly woke up at 2 a.m. in excruciating pain; a man whose marriage proposal her parents had denied had thrown acid on her face and body. Pragya Singh with veteran Bollywood star Waheeda Rehman. (Courtesy of Pragya Singh) Pragya slipped into unconsciousness and spent 17 days in the ICU in Safdarjung Hospitals burn ward in Delhi, oscillating between life and death. The attack left burns on Pragyas back and chest, destroyed her vision in one eye, and damaged her ear and left arm. Confined to her bed amid the wails of other patients and their crying relatives, Pragya realized how tragic life is for burn victims. Some of the patients who contracted infections and passed away had comparatively minor burns compared to Pragyas; she lamented the poor infrastructure for treating burn patients in India. I told myself that God has made me face this adversity in life to come out stronger so that I could help others who are less fortunate than me, she stated. Reclaiming Life Not long after, Pragya had to reclaim her own life by reintegrating into Indian society. She underwent a total of 13 reconstructive surgeries, and one year after her treatment she moved to Bangalore, a city in the southern part of India, with her husband to start over. However, Pragya faced obstacles; she had lost her job after the acid attack and took to hiding out at home, away from the cruel judgments of the outside world. Beauty is the most important thing in todays life, she said. In spite of my qualifications, I was rejected by several jobs due to my disfigurement and disability. Pragya was no less persecuted in public. Once a kid in my neighborhood said she hates me, she doesnt like my face [], she recalled. I dont blame the child, after all, her mother had not made her understand what disability is rather than passing a smile when she sees these kinds of people, she taught just to stay ignorant and unaware. A Foundation for Change Pragya persevered through her personal struggles because of her unwavering desire to help others in a similar predicament as hers. She founded an NGO, called Atijeevan Foundation, in 2013. With the support of volunteers, medics, and philanthropic donors, the foundation has helped over 300 acid attack survivors to date. Around 80 percent of the victims are women. Atijeevan helps with funding for reconstructive surgeries, nonsurgical cosmetic procedures, counseling, and educational and vocational training. For those who are unable to secure employment outside their homes, the foundation organizes exhibitions for sales of homemade goods. Atijeevan focuses on creating champions who inspire other survivors, and the world, to live life with the same zest and happiness in spite of whatever happened in your past, Pragya shared. At Atijeevan, Pragya said she also promotes the concept of skin donation. Most people dont even know that you can donate skin which is taken from the thigh or lower back. This donation could give an acid attack or a burn victim another lease on life. According to her, this helps save up to 80 percent of burn victims. In honor of her innumerable efforts, Pragya was awarded the prestigious Nari Shakti Purashkar (Woman Power Award) by the president of India in 2019. A Personal Journey For Pragya, she found that giving back to the community has helped. Taking care of others dulled my own pain to some extent, Pragya reflected. Another progression in her own life that brought renewed confidence and a sense of purpose was the birth of her two daughters, Aishi and Tishya. Pragya was worried about how her children would deal with the questions they received from others about their mothers appearance. It was very difficult for them initially, Pragya explained, but I made sure I make them aware about my story of perseverance [..]. I made sure they create their own version of sharing their mothers story. Pragya working to support acid attack survivors. (Courtesy of Pragya Singh) Strength in Numbers The survivors in Pragyas program do not have to suffer alone in silence. Atijeevan offers workshops where members are encouraged to share their problems and overcome their fears. Meanwhile, many are motivated by the success stories of other survivors. The programs benefits on these individuals who have gone through a traumatic incident in their life have been manifold. Some survivors have regained their lost confidence, while many have been empowered to pursue their dreams of finding gainful employment. So far, some of them have started to work in the IT industry, the hospitality sector, and the garment industry. A couple of them have also become successful entrepreneurs; whilst some have become counselors, like Pragya, themselves. Two acid attack survivors, Deepmala and Reshma, have been very close to Pragyas heart. They lost their vision after the attack, she explained, but after multiple surgeries, they gained partial vision and are working successfully []They have been thriving and have been an inspiration to me. Pragya Singh with Atijeevan Foundation members. (Courtesy of Pragya Singh) As for what the future holds for Atijeevan, Pragya said she hopes to expand the NGOs program to include self-defense and legal workshops. For myself, I feel I am in the best place, Pragya shared. I want to continue to find ways to help empower girls around me, and also help my daughters become good human beings. A Glass Half Full Life will never go as planned, Pragya, now 37, reflected. It sometimes throws things into disarray, pushes you to a corner, and leaves you broken [] its sometimes lifes way of giving new purpose and meaning to your life. I think I have found mine! The mother of two shared that her driving force is her own personal motto: I am not a victim, I am an ambassador. I have to fight for others who need my support at this moment. There are people with two different attitudes, she added, the ones who follow the grumbling path and the others who follow the grateful path. I have learned to see the glass half full. We would love to hear your stories! You can share them with us at emg.inspired@epochtimes.nyc Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson applauds on the doorstep of 10 Downing Street in London on May 28, 2020. (Kirsty Wigglesworth/AP Photo) In Shake-Up, UK Government Plans Televised Media Briefings LONDONBritish Prime Minister Boris Johnson says his government will introduce White House-style televised media briefings, in a shake-up to the traditional system of political communication. For years, political journalists have been briefed off-camera but on the record by the prime ministers official spokespeople, who are civil servants rather than political appointees. The briefings usually take place twice a day, though during the UKs coronavirus lockdown they have been held once a day by conference call. The government said on Friday that it plans to replace the afternoon briefing with a televised event hosted by a professional broadcaster. The morning briefing will continue in the current format. The change will take effect later this year. Johnson told LBC radio that the governments daily televised coronavirus news conferences had been a success. The briefings involving ministers and scientists were held daily between March and late June. People have liked a more direct, detailed information from the government about what is going on, Johnson said. We do think that people want direct engagement and want stuff from us, and so were going to have a go at that. Johnson said he would pop up from time to time at the briefings. Viewers around the world are used to seeing televised White House briefings by the U.S. presidents press secretary. Kimberly Guilfoyle (L) and Donald Trump Jr., President Donald Trump's son, arrive for a campaign rally in Orlando, Fla., on June 18, 2019. (Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images) Kimberly Guilfoyle, Girlfriend of Trumps Son, Tests Positive for CCP Virus Kimberly Guilfoyle tested positive for the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, an official with a joint fundraising group with President Donald Trumps reelection campaign said. Guilfoyle, 51, is a fundraiser for Trumps campaign. She is also the girlfriend of Trumps eldest son, Donald Trump Jr.. Guilfoyle was immediately isolated to limit any exposure, Sergio Gor, finance chief of staff for Trump Victory Finance Committee 2020, said in a statement to news outlets. Shes doing well, and will be retested to ensure the diagnosis is correct since shes asymptomatic, he added. Asymptomatic means patients are showing no symptoms. A significant portion of CCP virus patients show few or no symptoms, according to U.S. health officials. The virus causes COVID-19, a disease that primarily requires hospital care in the elderly and people with compromised immune systems. Guilfoyle took to social media Saturday to thank her supporters. I feel good thanks be to God and look forward to a speedy recovery so I can resume working to re-elect the president, she wrote. Donald Trump Jr. speaks during an event in Phoenix, Ariz., on June 23, 2020. (Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images) All events featuring Guilfoyle, the national chair of Trump Victory, were being canceled, Gor said. Trump Jr., 42, was tested and results came back negative. As a precaution, he was entering self-isolation and canceling all public events. The couple was scheduled to attend the fireworks event at Mount Rushmore on July 3 with the president. Guilfoyle was at BOK Arena in Tulsa, Oklahoma, last month when Trump held his first rally in months. Herman Cain, a former Republican presidential candidate, was hospitalized this week after attending the event. Anyone who is expected to come into contact with Trump has for months been tested for the virus. Katie Miller, the press secretary for Vice President Mike Pence, tested positive in May. Shes married to Stephen Miller, a top Trump aide. A military member who works on the White House campus, at times coming into contact with Trump, also tested positive earlier that month. That diagnosis prompted officials to start testing people who come into contact with either Trump or Pence. The test would evaluate for pre-symptomatic or asymptomatic carriers status to limit inadvertent transmission, White House spokesman Judd Deere said. Aerial view of Miami International Airport in Miami, Fla., on May 26, 2019 (Daniel Slim / AFP via Getty Images) Miami-Dade Officer Who Struck Woman at Airport Will Be Terminated, Officials Say Termination proceedings have been initiated against a Miami-Dade police officer who struck a woman who he said struck him during an argument at Miami International Airport in Florida. The incident happened Tuesday evening, and police body camera video of the encounter circulated on social media. The strike was way too excessive use of force, county Mayor Carlos Gimenez told CNN. The officeridentified by his department as Anthony Rodriguezhad responded to a call about a woman who was upset with ticket agents after she missed her flight, Gimenez said. The officer said in an arrest affidavit that he struck Paris Sharon Anderson only after she bumped into him and struck his chin with her head as he tried to persuade her to move on. Anderson, 21, of Miami, was arrested on initial charges of battery against a police officer, a felony, and disorderly conduct, a misdemeanor. MDPD said Thursday that Rodriguez would be terminated. The MDPD holds itself accountable for its actions, and this is just another example of our commitment to do just that, MDPD director Alfredo Ramirez III said. Gimenez called the officers strike against Anderson a punch. A representative of a police officers union is calling for a fair investigation. After reviewing the video, we believe that there should not be a rush to judgment as all information should be evaluated. It seems some, have condemned the officer prior to the investigation beginning and all we ask is that he be afforded the same due process as all citizens, Steadman Stahl, president of the Miami-Dade Police Benevolent Association, told CNN on Friday. Stahl previously told the Miami Herald that the officers strike was an open-handed slap, and that the woman had pushed her face into the officers face while he was asking her to leave. Clearly she was the aggressor, Stahl told the newspaper. CNNs attempts to reach Anderson werent immediately successful. Woman Arrested at Airport Video viewed by CNN does not show the entire encounter. The clip starts with Anderson talking with Rodriguez, standing near him and at least one other officer in a terminal building. The affidavit notes that three officers on scene were wearing body cameras, but only one video has been viewed by CNN. You acting like you Black, Anderson says to Rodriguez, before apparently correcting herself: You acting like you White when youre really Black. Rodriguez speaks to her, but its unclear from the recording what hes saying. Anderson eventually steps right up to Rodriguez. Speaking right in front of his face, she says, What you going to do? Rodriguez then swings his right hand into her face, video shows. She stumbles back, and the officer advances and reaches for her. The video is unsteady after that. A man can be heard saying, she head-butted me as the woman is placed in custody. Its not clear from the video whether the womans face made contact with the officers at any time. In the affidavit, Rodriguez wrote that Anderson had bumped him with her body and struck him with her head on the chin. He also wrote that he immediately took a step back before hitting her. While the video shows him shifting one of his feet, its not clear whether he takes a step. Officers had to forcibly grab her hair and keep her face pointing forward to prevent her from spitting on them, the affidavit says. Anderson complained of shortness of breath after being taken to a police station, but she refused treatment, the affidavit says, before she was taken to the county jail. Details about whether she was injured werent immediately available. Anderson posted $5,550 bond, a court clerk said Thursday. A court date is scheduled for July 30. She did not have an attorney listed with the court. Police Director Shocked and Angered The director of the MDPD said he ordered that Rodriguez be relieved of duty. Director Alfredo Freddy Ramirez III said he was shocked and angered by the video, and said, This will not stand. 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, Ramirez said Wednesday in a statement released on Twitter. Ramirez said he asked the state attorneys office in the county to help investigate the case. Rodriguez has been relieved of duty, police department spokesman Detective Alvaro Zabaleta said Thursday. Gimenez, the mayor, said Thursday what he saw on the video was uncalled for, and he expects further action to be taken against the officer later in the day. The state attorney for the county, Katherine Fernandez Rundle, said Thursday her prosecutors were gathering the body camera evidence and witness/victim testimony. Like so many in our community, I am angered when I see abusive or improper conduct by a police officer, Rundles statement reads. Woman Had Missed Flight, Affidavit Says The incident began after an airline ticket agent called police, the mayor said. A dispatcher told Rodriguez that Anderson was behind a re-booking counter, threatening employees. Rodriguez, when he arrived, saw her yelling obscenities at the workers, Rodriguez wrote in the arrest affidavit. According to the affidavit, a service center supervisor told Rodriguez: Anderson had arrived late for her flight and was denied boarding, and was directed a re-booking desk to be assigned to a different flight. She became upset when she was told the next available flight to her final destination wouldnt be until the next morning. Anderson went behind the counter to retrieve her boarding pass, and when she was told she wasnt allowed to be there, she allegedly threatened and cursed employees. The supervisor told the woman she now would not travel with the airline, and her fare would be reimbursed. In the affidavit, Rodriguez writes that he then spoke to Anderson, and told her shed be able to find a flight with another provider. He asked her to gather her belongings so he and another officer could escort her away from the airports secured side, the affidavit reads. Anderson became belligerent and began to yell obscenities and, referring to the service supervisor, said, I should go over there and punch him in his face, the affidavit reads. When Rodriguez told her again to gather her belongings, Anderson aggressively approached this officer [Rodriguez] violating this officers personal space, bumped this officer with her body and struck this officer with her head on the chin while screaming, What are you going to do? according to the affidavit. This officer immediately took a step back, struck [her] on the left side of the face with an open hand. [She] stumbled backwards and at that time she was taken to the floor where she was taken into custody, the affidavit states. The-CNN-Wire & 2020 Cable News Network, Inc., a WarnerMedia Company. All rights reserved. Hyon Song Wol, head of the North Korean Samjiyon art troupe takes a photo of Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Choe Son-Hui (C) ahead of the welcoming ceremony of North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un (not pictured) at the Presidential Palace in Hanoi, Vietnam, on March 1, 2019. (Luong Thai Linh/Reuters) North Korea Says No Need to Sit Down With US for Talks SEOULNorth Korea does not feel the need to have talks with the United States, which would be nothing more than a political tool for Washington, a senior North Korean diplomat said on July 4, ahead of a U.S. envoys visit to South Korea. Vice Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui said negotiations would not work out between Washington and Pyongyang and there will be no change in North Koreas policy. We do not feel any need to sit face to face with the U.S., as it does not consider the DPRK-U.S. dialogue as nothing more than a tool for grappling its political crisis, Choe said in a statement carried by state-run KCNA news agency. DPRK stands for the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea, North Koreas formal name. U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Stephen Biegun is due to visit South Korea next week to discuss stalled talks with North Korea. President Donald Trump and South Korean President Moon Jae-in are seen with Sean Morrow, commander of the UNC Security Battalion, at the demilitarized zone (DMZ) separating the two Koreas, in Paju, South Korea, on June 30, 2019. (South Korean Pool/Reuters TV) South Korean President Moon Jae-in said on Wednesday that President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un should meet again before the U.S. elections in November, which would help resume the stalled nuclear negotiations. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un shake hands before their one-on-one chat during the second U.S.-North Korea summit at the Metropole Hotel in Hanoi, Vietnam, on Feb. 27, 2019. (Leah Millis/Reuters) Trumps 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. Trump and Kim Jong Un met for the first time in 2018 in Singapore. They met again in Vietnam in 2019, but the talks fell apart when Trump said Kim had failed to offer enough nuclear weapons or ballistic missiles in exchange for lifting international sanctions. At their third meeting, in June 2019 at the demilitarized zone separating the two Koreas, the two agreed to restart negotiations. Working-level talks between the two sides in Sweden in October were broken off. By Jane Chung in Seoul Mens clothes are seen on display at the Reigning Men: Fashion in Menswear 1715 - 2015 exhibition at the Powerhouse Museum in Sydney on May 1, 2018.(PETER PARKS/Getty Images) NSW State Government to Keep Powerhouse in Ultimo Open The NSW government has backflipped on its decision to relocate Sydneys Powerhouse Museum, more than five years after the announcement was made. The industrial science museum in inner-Sydney Ultimo will not be closed and moved to Parramatta, but will stay open and operate along with the new Powerhouse facility planned for western Sydney. The relocation was slated to cost between $420 million and $645 million, with the staged closure of the Ultimo site due to have begun on July 1. A joint statement from Premier Gladys Berejiklian and Treasurer Dominic Perrottet on July 4 described the new Powerhouse at Parramatta as the jewel-in-the-crown for the Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences. Whats most important is that the destination that weve reached is the right decision for the people of our state, Perrottet told reporters in Ultimo on Saturday. In a COVID world weve had to look at new ways of doing things. Well have a world class facility for the people of western Sydney, a world class facility here in Ultimo and thats what our people deserve here in our state. In February 2015, a month before the NSW election, then-premier Mike Baird announced the controversial plans for the Powerhouse move. Now the government has reached a final decision that we preserve this site to ensure that the people of central Sydney maintain this great cultural facility here in Sydney. The government had planned to sell the Ultimo site for up to $195 million with these funds to be put towards the cost of building the new museum at Parramatta, the joint statement said. Parramatta Lord Mayor Bob Dwyer said he is pleased the government confirmed its still committed to delivering a world-class museum in Parramatta. Independent Sydney MP Alex Greenwich said: The passionate community campaign to save the Powerhouse speaks volumes to its special significance to Sydneysiders, . Public Service Association general secretary Stewart Little also welcomed the decision. The new museum in western Sydney will create more than 1100 construction jobs, 2400 indirect jobs, and employ hundreds more people once opened. The state government last year said the Powerhouse Precinct in Parramatta was on track for opening in 2023. Heather McNab in Sydney I encourage each of you with your respective staff and families to come out this weekend to discourage the bad behavior that we have been witnessing on a nightly basis. These behaviors are unacceptable and not indicative of our family friendly environment. This is not just a police problem that we are facing, it is a community issue as well and I am asking for your assistance with this matter. Photographer Edits Full Toothy Grins Onto Professional Baby Photos With Hilarious Results Nurse-turned-photographer Amy Haehl specializes in stunning maternity and wedding photoshoots, as well as photographing newborn babies in a studio setting. But when she turned her hand to a funny side project, she found a whole new fanbase. Haehl, who owns and runs Coffee Creek Studio in Shelbyville, Indiana, released a collection of hilariously edited photos of babies with full toothy grins, and the internet responded by making them a viral sensation. (Courtesy of Amy Haehl/Coffee Creek Studio) I just thought it was so funny and would be a great way to put a smile on peoples faces, literally, Haehl told CafeMom. The 37-year-old photographer clarified that she didnt organize a photo shoot specifically for this project, but rather chose photos that lent themselves well to the funny edit from her existing back catalog. The broad toothy grins were tailored to fit each babys face. Haehl, who has over 11 years of experience in the profession, decided to experiment with the photo-editing application FaceApp after seeing a friend transform a picture of their own baby. After running some of her adorable newborn subjects photos through the app, Haehl was delighted to find that the results were extremely funny. (Courtesy of Amy Haehl/Coffee Creek Studio) (Courtesy of Amy Haehl/Coffee Creek Studio) Her images combine realistic adult teeth with perfect newborn baby poses in sweet serene pastel backgrounds from Haehls studio. The photographer sought the consent of the babies parents and posted 16 photos from the ensuing series If Babies Had Teeth to her social media pages. I havent laughed this hard in a long time, Haehl captioned the edits. I could have gone back and done this to every single baby that has ever come in my studio. Cant. Stop. Laughing. The fun series was shared tens of thousands of times. Comments flooded in, with netizens exclaiming that Haehls clever photo edits were inciting giggles, and a little fear at the same time. (Courtesy of Amy Haehl/Coffee Creek Studio) Haehl told Today that neither she nor the babies parents anticipated that the series would go viral. But the parents have all been very understanding, she said, adding, and Ive been trying my best to keep them informed throughout this whole thing and gifting them some free photos as a thank you. As an ER nurse, Haehl had often felt that so much was out of her hands. Coming to photography as an alternative career felt like a calling, she explained. (Courtesy of Amy Haehl/Coffee Creek Studio) I felt like it was a way to create tangible memories for people, Haehl told Bored Panda, and a way to help others even in the most helpless situations. I love to use my photography as a way to give back to others. When I realized how absolutely hysterical [FaceApp] was, she added, I just had to share with my followers! (Courtesy of Amy Haehl/Coffee Creek Studio) The photographer expressed hope that her lighthearted series would provide a little respite amid stress and uncertainty. At its heart, Haehls photo project is an invitation to smile, just like the broadly grinning babies. I think these photos were popular with people because it is so different from the normal way babies look and theyre quite hilarious, Haehl reflected, speaking to CafeMom. I think we all realize why babies arent born with a full set of teeth! Laughter really is the best medicine, she said. (Courtesy of Amy Haehl/Coffee Creek Studio) Photo courtesy of Amy Haehl/Coffee Creek Studio (Website | Instagram | Facebook) We would love to hear your stories! You can share them with us at emg.inspired@epochtimes.nyc The rural seat of Eden-Monaro is holding a by-election. Voters and party representatives interact outside Bungendore Public School on July 04, 2020 in Bungendore, Australia. (Rohan Thomson/Getty Images) Polls Close in Eden-Monaro By-election Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack believes the Eden-Monaro by-election is a close call, saying the result probably wont be known at the end of the day. Polls have now closed across the seat in the southeastern corner of NSW, with a tight contest expected between Labors Kristy McBain and Liberal Fiona Kotvojs. Both major parties are already rehearsing their excuses should they lose a vote that has been fought against the backdrop of drought, bushfires and the COVID-19 pandemic. Betting odds have the Labor candidate slightly ahead. It will be a close call. Im not quite sure whether the actual result will be known tonight, McCormack told reporters at a polling booth in Tumut. The Nationals leader noted that in last years federal election the seat went down to the wire, and he expects preferences will again play a part. The by-election was triggered when respected Labor member Mike Kelly resigned from parliament due to health concerns, having pipped Kotvojs in 2019. More than half of the 114,244 voters either cast their ballot early or mailed it in. Labor leader Anthony Albanese was trying to claim underdog status in what is seen as a bellwether electorate. Eden-Monaro has always been held by the party in government, thats one of the reasons why we are up against it in this by-election, Albanese said at the Merimbula polling station where McBain cast her vote. The only time that hasnt happened is when Mike Kelly won the seat in 2016 and then again last year. McCormack said there has been 158 by-elections since federation in 1901 and only one has gone to the government over the opposition, and that was in 1920. Anthony Albanese has everything to lose today, he said. The pressure is all on Labor. The pressure is not on Scott Morrison, it is not on the government. The vast electorate that surrounds the ACT has suffered from drought, floods, bushfires and the coronavirus recession in recent months. As the polls closed, McBain tweeted her thanks to supporters. I couldnt have done it without you. Kotvojs said the electorate needs to be rebuilt after a tough six months. People need to think about which of the candidates is able to be a strong voice in government, she told reporters after casting her vote at a Jerrabomberra polling booth. Nationals candidate Trevor Hicks hopes voters will look past the slick campaign machines of the two major parties and vote for him instead. It really needs somebody at this stage to support them after the fires, after the COVID restrictions that weve had, and the drought that has affected so many farmers, he told Sky News. Colin Brinsden and Katina Curtis in Canberra The Washington Monument is visible as the U.S. Navy Blue Angels flyover at the conclusion of President Donald Trump's Independence Day celebration in front of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington on July 4, 2019. (Andrew Harnik/AP Photo) President Trump Hosting July 4th Event in District of Columbia President Donald Trump is hosting an event that will include thousands of fireworks on the National Mall on July 4, a day after he traveled to South Dakota for an Independence Day celebration. July 4 marks when America declared its independence from Great Britain. Trump and First Lady Melania Trump are hosting an event dubbed the 2020 Salute to America. The White House said the president will give a speech before Americans are treated to a fireworks display from the mall. According to the Department of the Interior, more than 10,000 fireworks will be launched from an area more than a mile in length, from Inlet Bridge at the south end of West Potomac Park to north of the Lincoln Memorial, as well as on the grounds of the Washington Monument. The 35-minute fireworks show will be visible up to three miles away from the launch site, from throughout the District of Columbia and northern Virginia. People who want to watch were told of a number of viewing locations, including the Thomas Jefferson Memorial, East Potomac Park, Gravelly Point Park, and a portion of the Mount Vernon Trail. Fireworks light the sky near the Lincoln Memorial, in Washington on July 4, 2019. (Alex Brandon/AP Photo) The celebration will include flyovers from aircraft dating back to the World War II time periodincluding P-51sto the present day, including the Blue Angels. The event will be a patriotic tribute to our men and women in uniform, and the Department of Defense will be providing a one-of-a-kind air show, U.S. Secretary of the Interior David Bernhardt said in a statement. An incredible fireworks display will follow that promises to be the largest in recent memory. Flyovers are scheduled to take place from 6:45 p.m. to 8 p.m. The start time for fireworks is pegged at 9:07 p.m. Trumps speech is slated between the flyovers and fireworks. The Trumps will be joined by members of the military, first responders, doctors, nurses, and other American heroes who fought the Coronavirus pandemic on the front lines, according to the White House. President Donald Trump speaks during the Salute to America Fourth of July event at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington on July 4, 2019. (Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images) Opposition, Recommendations Local officials recommended against traveling to the National Mall for the event, citing the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. We think that were following the health departments advice to be very careful about large gatherings, even large gatherings that are outside, Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser, a Democrat, said at a press conference this week when asked about the Salute to America event. We know that this is a special event for the Department of the Interior. Weve communicated to them that we do not think that this is in keeping with the best CDC and Department of Health guidance. But this event will take place entirely on the federal property. People should not stray too far from their abodes on July 4, Bowser said, as officials showed a slide that said Celebrate the Fourth of July at home. If people do leave home, they should consider whether they can maintain six feet of distance from non-household members, according to Bowser. The Department of the Interior also said members of the public are encouraged to follow guidance from the CDC, a federal health agency. CDC officials recommend maintaining distance from others and, if that cannot be accomplished, wearing a mask or face covering. People should avoid attending public gatherings if they show symptoms of any transmissible infectious disease, such as cough, fever, or runny nose, or have a confirmed case of COVID-19. COVID-19 is a new disease caused by the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus. Organizers said theyll have a supply of more than 300,000 cloth face coverings that will be available for people attending the July 4 celebration at the National Mall. Attendees are also encouraged to bring and wear their own masks. Public access was opening at 1 p.m. via four access points: Constitution Avenue NW at 20th Street NW Constitution Avenue NW between 23rd Street NW and Henry Bacon Drive NW 17th Street NW between Constitution Avenue NW and Independence Avenue SW (near the World War II Memorial) East Basin Drive just south of the Jefferson Memorial (visitors will not be able to access the National Mall from here) In the hours leading up to the event, multiple protests are planned for the area. One event is slated to start in the morning at the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial. Ralf P. Thomas, CFO of German engineering conglomerate Siemens AG, speaks to the media in Munich, Germany, on Feb. 5, 2020. (Getty Images) Siemens Sees up to 20 Percent Drop in Business in April-June Quarter, CFO Tells Boersenzeitung FRANKFURTGerman engineering company Siemens saw the volume of business contract by as much as 20 percent in the three months to June, and activity in 2021 would stay below 2019 levels, the chief financial officer told German financial newspaper Boersenzeitung. Ralf Thomas told Saturdays edition of the newspaper that the companys financial third quarter, which runs April to June, will be a big challenge for us, as for most other market participants as well due to the coronavirus crisis. However, it will not be a bottomless fall, he said, adding that the business volume of short-cycle activities had likely contracted by between 10 percent and 20 percent in the period. Thomas had said in May he expected a 5 percent drop in revenue in the financial year ending in September, after guiding for moderate sales growth before the virus outbreak. He did not rule out moves to cut capacity in some business areas, but left open where this could be. He said activity in 2021 would not reach 2019s level across all businesses or regions, but said Siemens had a competitive advantage over rivals in some areas, without offering details. Supreme Court Denies Request From Illinois GOP Seeking to Hold Large Political Rallies The Supreme Court on July 4 denied an emergency request from Illinois Republicans seeking to block a state measure that bars large gatherings amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Several Illinois Republican organizations had asked the nations top court to intervene after lower courts denied their request to immediately block enforcement of Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzkers executive order that prohibits gatherings of more than 50 people. They argued the governor had been favoring one category of speech over another by providing exemptions to the prohibition to religious gatherings and allowing Black Lives Matter protests but not political gatherings. The Illinois Republican Party and three local GOP organizationsWill County Republican Central Committee, Schaumberg Township Republican Organization, and Northwest Side GOP Clubwere seeking to hold political party events larger than 50 people, including rallies, fundraisers, and a picnic on July 4. They sued Pritzker in mid-June, alleging that the executive order violates their rights under the First and Fourteenth Amendments. Though fighting COVID-19 is doubtless a compelling state interest, the Governors policy fails narrow tailoring because it treats similarly situated speakers differently. The First and Fourteenth Amendments both guarantee equal treatment of similar speakers, the groups wrote in their application to the court (pdf). Government may no more favor one particular speaker or category of speech than it may target one for disfavor. Justice Brett Kavanaugh denied their application without comment. Joseph Folisi, a committeeman from the Schaumburg Township Republican Organization, said in a statement to The Epoch Times that the group was disappointed by the Supreme Courts decision. We are obviously disappointed that we did not receive the temporary injunction we were seeking. Nonetheless, our attorneys are proceeding with the lawsuit and will be filing a motion next week for an expedited briefing schedule in the 7th Circuit on the preliminary injunction, Folisi said. We believe that the Governors orders are a significant infringement of our First Amendment rights and that we will prevail in our lawsuit. The other plaintiffs in the case, the plaintiffs lawyers, and Pritzkers office didnt immediately respond to requests by The Epoch Times for comment. On July 2, Judge Sara L. Ellis of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois denied the Republican groups request (pdf) saying that the plaintiffs likelihood of success on the merits is less than negligible and the balance of harms weighs heavily against plaintiff. This prompted the group to appeal the case to the 7th Circuit, which upheld the lower courts decision. If 100 Democrats or 100 Republicans gather and 10 get infected, those 10 may go home and infect a local shopkeeper, a local grocery-store worker, their postal carrier, or their grandmothersomeone who had no interest in the earlier gathering, the judges on the 7th Circuit wrote in their opinion (pdf), when addressing the issue of balance of harms. Thus, the balance of harms in this instance strongly favors the governor. 3 Sisters Attend West Point Together Following in Their Army Mothers Footsteps Three daughters, June, Jeilyn, and Jasmyn, have followed in their mothers footsteps, each entering the prestigious Military Academy at West Point in New York state. The elite military college is famous for preparing its graduates to lead soldiers of the U.S. Army. Their mother, Lt. Col. June Copeland Sr., who lives in Fort Belvoir in Alexandria, Virginia, entered the renowned officer college for a simple reason: I joined the Army because my twin brother asked me to, she told The Epoch Times. Its that simple. I enlisted as a medic. My mother encouraged me to attend West Point, because she believed the Armys leadership would challenge me and take care of me. It did that and a lot more. The experience led Copeland, 46, not only to a fulfilling career in the Army, but it also taught her important life lessons and created a legacy that would inspire her daughters to follow in her footsteps. I saw how much my mother loved her job and I of course wanted that same feeling, said Copelands youngest daughter, Jasmyn Haynes, 19, who is currently a cadet. At that young age, I associated her job with her graduating West Point. I knew it was one of the best institutions in the country. I chose to go there. Copeland Sr. was born in Savannah, Georgia, though she was mostly raised in Detroit, Michigan. Her family was not well off, she said, yet her parents worked hard and made sure the children had everything they needed and were loved. When I went out in to the world, knowing I was loved meant everything to me, she shared. When the world told me I wasnt good enough, I knew I had people in my corner who loved me and were proud of me. Copeland Sr. joined the Army and fell in love with her profession. A career in the Army enabled her to travel all over the world, provide for her daughters, and forge lifelong friendships and experiences that shaped who she was. It was her example that inspired the three sisters to follow in her footsteps. Copelands eldest daughter, 2nd Lt. June Copeland Jr., 22, shared what attending the prestigious, yet grueling, military college taught her. The Academy has a saying that they teach us how to fail, she explained. What they mean by that is that they teach us how to recover from that failure. They teach us to analyze what we did wrong, figure out how to fix it, and then implement that solution moving forward. I think thats a pretty good lesson for life. Things dont always go according to plan but we have to adjust fire and continue to the mission. The 47-month program will challenge hopeful graduates in ways they never thought possible, June Sr. addsa necessary part of the experience to ensure that they are more than capable of leading the countrys men and women into battle. It teaches discipline as well as other important values. Resiliency first and foremost!! is what 19-year-old cadet Jasmyn Haynes has learned from attending West Point. Her eldest sister, June, shares a similar sentiment. I went into the Academy very confident that I would excel just like I did in high school. It was a big wakeup call when I found myself struggling like I never had before, she said. Meanwhile, faith has also played an important role in choosing a career in the Army. My career and family are perfect, complimentary examples of the positive effects of faith in my life, said Copeland Sr. For instance, being an officer in the United States military is extremely tough. Being a soldier, as a single parent, can make the experience brutal. My faith provided me with the strength, grace, and inspiration to happily rise to the occasion every day of my career. We would love to hear your stories! You can share them with us at emg.inspired@epochtimes.nyc. Trump Celebrates American Freedom, Denounces Cancel Culture on Eve of Independence Day President calls on Americans to 'defend the integrity of our country' In a speech at Mount Rushmore on the eve of July 4, President Donald Trump celebrated Americas heritage and echoed the values, ideals, and freedoms enshrined in the Declaration of Independence, while calling on patriots to stand up to cancel culture and what he called a new far-left fascism. Standing before a crowd of 7,500, Trump signaled the significance of Mount Rushmore, which depicts former U.S. Presidents George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln. There could be no better place to celebrate Americas independence than beneath this magnificent, incredible, majestic mountain and monument to the greatest Americans who ever lived, the president said on Friday in his speech, following a military flyover. Celebratory Fourth of July fireworks were being held over the famed landmark for the first time in 11 years. The U.S. Navy Blue Angels fly past Mount Rushmore National Monument ahead of a large fireworks display near Keystone, South Dakota, on July 3, 2020. (Scott Olson/Getty Images) Fireworks explode above the Mount Rushmore National Monument during an Independence Day event in Keystone, South Dakota, July 3, 2020. (Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images) Trump celebrated the courage of the Founding Fathers who declared Americas independence on July 4, 1776 and cheered on the revolution in the pursuit of justice, equality, liberty, and prosperity. Our Founders boldly declared that we are all endowed with the same divine rights given us by our creator in heaven, and that which God has given us we will allow no one ever to take away, ever, the Republican president said, to applause. Yet as we meet here tonight, there is a growing danger that threatens every blessing our ancestors fought so hard forstruggled, they bled to secure, he continued. Our nation is witnessing a merciless campaign to wipe out our history, defame our heroes, erase our values, and indoctrinate our children. Angry mobs are trying to tear down statues of our Founders, deface our most sacred memorials, and unleash a wave of violent crime in our cities, he added. Many of these people have no idea why they are doing this, but some know exactly what they are doing. President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump arrive onstage during an Independence Day event at Mount Rushmore in Keystone, South Dakota, July 3, 2020. (Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images) The president announced that federal agents on Thursday arrested the suspected ringleader behind the attack on the statue of Andrew Jackson near the White House back in late June. He also announced an executive order to create a new national park featuring statues of great Americans. Cancel Culture A left-wing cultural revolution is currently seeking to overthrow Americans freedoms, Trump told the crowd, calling out cancel culture as being one of the political weapons employed by those who seek a revolution. Such a culture plays out in the form of driving people from their jobs, shaming dissenters, and demanding total submission from anyone who disagrees, Trump said. This is the very definition of totalitarianism, and it is completely alien to our culture and to our values, and it has absolutely no place in the United States of America, the president asserted. Americans attend Independence Day events at Mount Rushmore National Memorial in Keystone, South Dakota, July 3, 2020. (Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images) He referred to the force behind this culture as a new far-left fascism that demands absolute allegiance in schools, newsrooms, and corporate boardrooms across the nation. If you do not speak its language, perform its rituals, recite its mantras, and follow its commandments then you will be censored, banished, blacklisted, persecuted, and punished. Its not going to happen to us, Trump continued. President Donald Trump gestures as he speaks during the Independence Day events at Mount Rushmore National Memorial in Keystone, South Dakota, July 3, 2020. (Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images) Part of the radical assault, Trump pointed out, includes the tearing down of every statue, symbol, and memory of Americas heritage. The violent mayhem we have seen in the streets and cities that are run by liberal democrats in every case, is the predictable result of years of extreme indoctrination and bias in education, journalism, and other cultural institutions, Trump contended. Against every law of society and nature, our children are taught in school to hate their own country and to believe that the men and women who built it were not heroes but villains. The radical view of American history is a web of lies. All perspective is removed. Every virtue is obscured. Every motive is twisted. Every fact is distorted. And every flaw is magnified until the history is purged and the record is disfigured beyond all recognition, he added. Trump alleged the radical movement had defiled the memory of the U.S. presidents depicted at Mount Rushmore. He sought to celebrate their memory by detailing in his speech the heroic deeds they performed that brought freedom to the country. The radical ideology attacking our country advances under the banner of social justice. But in truth, it would demolish both justice and society, Trump said. It would transform justice into an instrument of division and vengeance, and it would turn our free and inclusive society into a place of repression, domination, and exclusion. They want to silence us, but we will not be silenced, Trump added. President Donald Trump is shown on a screen as he speaks during the Independence Day events at Mount Rushmore National Memorial in Keystone, South Dakota, on July 3, 2020. (Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images) Speak Up Loudly The president called on the people of America to stand up to cancel culture to defend American values. Americans declare again, as we did 244 years agowe will not be tyrannized, we will not be demeaned, and we will not be intimidated by bad evil people. It will not happen, Trump said. My fellow Americans, it is time to speak up loudly and strongly and powerfully and defend the integrity of our country, he told the crowd. It is time for our politicians to summon the bravery and determination of our American ancestors. In the face of lies meant to divide us, demoralize us, and diminish us, we will show that the story of America unites us, inspires us, includes us all, and makes everyone free. Fireworks explode above the Mount Rushmore National Monument during an Independence Day event in Keystone, South Dakota, on July 3, 2020. (Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images) Trump reasserted values he championed previously in earlier speechesJudeo-Christian principles upon which American values were founded, border security, religious freedom, rights for the unborn childbut this time with an added reference to cancel culture. We want free and open debate, not speech codes and cancel culture. We embrace tolerance not prejudice. We support the courageous men and women of law enforcement, Trump said. We will never abolish our police or our great Second Amendment which gives us the right to keep and bear arms. We believe that our children should be taught to love their country, honor their history, and respect our great American flag, the president said, to loud cheers and applause. We stand tall, we stand proud, and we only kneel to almighty God, he added. This is who we are, this is what we believe, and these are the values that will guide us as we strive to build an even better and greater future. The president is expected to attend another Fourth of July celebration on Saturday in Washington, where attendees will witness an extensive U.S. military air show set to begin at 6:30 p.m. Four other cities will also have mini versions of the air power display on the same day. Universities, Publishers Cut Ties With British Historian David Starkey Over Slavery Comment British historian and TV presenter David Starkey resigned from his honorary fellowship at a University of Cambridge college on Friday, after he drew outrage for his comments about black people and whether slavery should be considered genocide. In an interview on Tuesday for YouTube show Reasoned, 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 globalization or Western civilization. They are all products of it, we are all products of it, he added. In the description of the show on Twitter, host Darren Grimes said it was a discussion of the scholarship behind the laudable slogan of Black Lives Matter, compared to the movement seeking to delegitimate [sic] British history. Starkeys comments, circulated rapidly on YouTube and Twitter in a short clip, sparked outrage. In a statement issued on Friday, Fitzwilliam College of Cambridge University said: The Master of Fitzwilliam College contacted Dr. David Starkey following his comments. The Master has accepted Dr. David Starkeys resignation of his Honorary Fellowship with immediate effect. Fitzwilliam prides itself in leading the way in Cambridge in opening access to higher education for under-represented groups, the statement reads. Our student and academic bodies are diverse and welcoming to all. We do not tolerate racism. Cambridge University in Cambridge, United Kingdom, in a file photo. (Graeme Robertson/Getty Images) Others associated with the historian swiftly distanced themselves from him. His publisher, Harper Collins, said it would not publish future books by Starkey, and that people in the company unreservedly condemn the abhorrent remarks he made in the interview. Canterbury Christ Church University also terminated Starkeys role as visiting professor, saying his comments were completely unacceptable. In the controversial interview, Cambridge University and the BBC were also targets of scathing criticism from Starkey. He said the English faculty of Cambridge University was no longer about academic freedom, but a programme of Marxist indoctrination. He said it should not be abolished, but it should not obtain any direct or indirect public funding. Starkey, a well-known television personality in Britain, has published more than 20 books, including many on the Tudors. Darren Grimes, host of Reasoned, was also criticized for giving Starkey a platform. BBC journalist Rajini Vaidyanathan said on Radio 4 on Thursday that Grimes had described the Reasoned UK website as a safe space for racist and homophobic views. However, Grimes later said the BBC had misquoted him, saying in a statement: Reasoned UK does not support or condone Dr. David Starkeys words. I am very new to being the interviewer rather than the interviewee and I should have robustly questioned Dr. Starkey about his comments. He also defended Reasoned UKs right to present unfiltered opinions, allowing the audience to make up their own minds. The BBC issued a correction on Friday, saying: A news report stated that a conservative commentator, Darren Grimes, describes his website as a safe space for racist and homophobic views. In fact, Pink News reported on May 29 that he was talking about people labelled homophobic, transphobic, or racist on account of their beliefs. His exact quote was: Do you hide your political views for fear of being called homophobic, a TERF, racist? Grimes said on Twitter that the BBC needed to apologize on air or face legal consequences. He also posted a document showing he had started legal proceedings against the BBC. The Associated Press contributed to this report. The aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan and the guided-missile destroyer USS Milius (C) conduct a photo exercise with Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force ships. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Kaila V. Peters/Released) US Sends Carriers to South China Sea During Chinese Drills Two U.S. aircraft carriers were conducting exercises in the disputed South China Sea on July 4, the U.S. Navy said, as China also carried out military drills that have been criticized by the Pentagon and neighboring states. China and the United States have accused each other of stoking tension in the strategic waterway at a time of strained relations over everything from the COVID-19 pandemic to trade to Hong Kong. The USS Nimitz and USS Ronald Reagan were carrying out operations and exercises in the South China Sea to support a free and open Indo-Pacific, the Navy said in a statement. It didnt say exactly where the exercises were being conducted in the South China Sea, which extends for some 900 miles (1,500 kilometers) and 90 percent of which is claimed by China despite the protests of its neighbors. The purpose is to show an unambiguous signal to our partners and allies that we are committed to regional security and stability, Rear Adm. George M. Wikoff was cited as saying by The Wall Street Journal, which first reported the exercises. Wikoff, commander of the strike group led by the Ronald Reagan, said the exercises werent a response to those being conducted by China, which the Pentagon criticized this week as counter-productive to efforts at easing tensions and maintaining stability. U.S. Navy aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan is seen during its visit to Hong Kong on Nov. 21, 2018. (Yuyang Wang/Reuters) China dismissed the U.S. criticism of its drills on July 3 and suggested the United States was to blame for increasing tensions. U.S. carriers have long carried out exercises in the Western Pacific, including in the South China Sea, according to the U.S. Navy. At one point recently, the United States had three carriers in the region. 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. Vietnam and the Philippines have also criticized the planned Chinese drills, warning they could create tension in the region and impact Beijings relationship with its neighbors. The United States accuses China of trying to intimidate Asian neighbors who might want to exploit its extensive oil and gas reserves. Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan, and Vietnam also lay claim to parts of the South China Sea, through which about $3 trillion of trade passes each year. The U.S. statement said the Naval exercises gave commanders the flexibility and capabilities that only the U.S. Navy can command. By Matthew Tostevin On the bright side, our office will, forever more, have two summer parties to celebrate America as we inaugurate our Juneteenth party next year. Hope and trust the city of Virginia Beach will provide fireworks on that important milestone date in Americas history. In any case we look forward to our new regiment, reading the Emancipation Proclamation on June 19 and the Declaration of Independence on July Fourth. Join us at coastalvachamber.com and read along with us. 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. Like his three brothers, Ben Kelley has learned to fly like an eagle. Kelley, who is one of a set of fraternal quadruplets, has completed his paperwork for becoming an Eagle Scout. The same rank is being achieved by his brothers, Aaron, Elijah and Ethan. All four 18-year-olds will graduate July 19 from Northwest High School. Bens Eagle Scout project consisted of building community food pantries outside four Grand Island churches Trinity United Methodist, First-Faith United Methodist, Messiah Lutheran and Calvary Lutheran. The pantries are stocked with food, shampoo and other items. People can drop off supplies they dont need or pick up items they do need, Ben said. There is no cost. Food donations are welcome from the public. To stock the pantries, Ben held food drives at Hy-Vee and the Super Saver on Second Street. An aluminum band is wrapped around each post to prevent rodents from invading the pantries. The Kelley brothers are members of Troop 114, which is based at First-Faith United Methodist. The context here matters. No one should be surprised that the Russian intelligence agency, the GRU, would target U.S. forces in Afghanistan. More than two years ago, the general in charge of coalition forces in Afghanistan said there was evidence that Russia was arming the Taliban. Russian President Vladimir Putin, has openly groused about the collapse of the Soviet Union and sees the U.S. as his countrys primary adversary. And while its no excuse, the Russians have accused the U.S. of supporting some proxies in Syria that have attacked Russian positions. More important, the GRU has long specialized in plausibly deniable provocations against the U.S. and its allies. The GRU orchestrated the hack and release of Democratic emails during the 2016 election, of course, but that is only the most recent example. In 2010, there was an attempted bombing of the U.S. embassy in Tbilisi. Fortunately the bomb was removed before it exploded. But the Obama administration was in the midst of its reset with Russia, so a clear provocation that U.S. intelligence agencies had pinned on the GRU passed without a U.S. response. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin R. Valentina Sagala (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Sat, July 4, 2020 11:11 352 6657ac82168da9fa101c8a40663c5025 3 Opinion RUU-PKS,antisexual-violence-bill,house-of-representatives,Lawmakers Free On Thursday, the House of Representatives Legislation Body (Baleg) officially dropped the long-sought after sexual violence eradication bill from this years National Legislation Program (Prolegnas) priority list, along with 15 other bills on the list. Marwan Dasopang, deputy chairman of House Commission VIII, said this was because of the difficulties in arranging the bill's deliberation. A 2019 report by National Commission on Violence Against Women (Komnas Perempuan) showed the ever-increasing rate of sexual violence in Indonesia. At least 35 women and girls were sexually abused every day between 2001 and 2011. The report also recorded a 14 percent increase in cases of violence against women to a total of 406,178 cases. These are red flags. Indonesias prevailing laws do not recognize the definition and complexity of sexual violence. For example, the Criminal Code (KUHP) only recognizes forcible penile penetration of a womans vagina as rape. The law does not recognize other forms of sexual violence including sexual harassment. This is one of the reasons why the sexual violence eradication bill is critical to improving the protection of women across the country. If there are difficulties, the lawmakers should look at society, particularly at the women who have for years waited in vain for the bill to be passed, along with the real difficulties and hardships faced by sexual abuse survivors and their families. Read also: Don't let us fight by ourselves:The women who fight to make Indonesia a safer place The discussions on the bill between the House (Commission VIII) and government had been ongoing since last year. From the initial planning process as mandated by Law No. 12/2011 on the drafting of laws and regulation, the bill had officially been put on the Prolegnas priority list in 2017. In the plenary meeting it was decided that the bill would be discussed at the Baleg, which agreed that the contents of the bill were important in providing protection to the public against sexual violence. As the normal legislative process of a law, the House then sent the bill to President Joko Jokowi Widodo. Through a presidential letter, dated June 2, 2017, the President assigned the womens empowerment and child protection, health, social affairs, administrative and bureaucratic reform, law and human rights, and home ministers, either individually or as a group, to represent the government in the deliberation of the bill. Soon after that, in June 2017, the government submitted a problem-inventory list as a counterpart document to the bill for further deliberation. After a long pause, in August 2019 the deliberation of the bill commenced. During that period, from 2017 to 2019 thousands of victims of sexual violence were denied justice and their rights, while efforts to prevent and enforce the law sat in abeyance. The bill was then transferred from Baleg to Commission VIII. There were several deliberation meetings between the government and Commission VIII, until finally it was decided that the bill could not be passed. The Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) was strongly against it, arguing that the bill promoted the legalization of adultery and lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) sexual orientations, despite the fact that the bill makes no mention of LGBT issues at all. Interestingly, even with a minimum of representatives in the working committee (Panja) of the bill, comprising only a deputy chairperson and one member, among the 26 members of the Panja, the strength of PKS influence on the other Panja members could be discerned without difficulty. It was really a difficult time for those members of the public who fought for the bill, particularly the victims. In addition, there was also confusion about whether the bill was to be carried over as regulated by Article 71 of the 2019 amendment to Law No. 12/ 2011. Unfortunately, this article does not clearly regulate technical implementation of carry-over bills. The public supporting this bill must face difficulties again. It can be construed that the process of deliberation must start again from zero. Will the House use the 2017 version of the bill again, or will it propose a new one? This remains unclear. Another thing that was not widely revealed in the public was that on March 31 the chairperson of Commission VIII sent a letter to the House speaker regarding the removal of the bill from the Commission VIIIs initiative. Since that date, the commission has effectively canceled its position as initiator of the bill. Therefore, the House speaker must coordinate with Baleg to clarify whether it is still willing to continue the deliberation of the bill. Unfortunately, while the initiator process of the bill at Baleg is still not yet clear, the coordination meeting of Baleg with the head of the commissions on June 30, decided to remove the sexual violence eradication bill from the 2020 priority list, and it will be subject to further discussion on the possibility of listing it on next years Prolegnas. The next fight is to ensure that the bill can be included in the 2021 priority list. There are several crucial issues in regard to this. First, who will be the initiator of the bill? It could be individual lawmakers, together as a group, or in factions. Secondly, the Houses internal process itself, will the bill be discussed by Commission VIII or Baleg? Third, which version of the academic script and bill will be determined as the initiative by the House, and then sent to the President? To note, the current version of the academic script and bill dated Feb. 10, 2017, failed to find agreement to be enacted, because of many controversial issues in the deliberation. Most likely, the initiator will think twice before submitting this version again. An alternative is perhaps more appropriate. What version of the academic script and bill is expected, especially by the victims of sexual violence? What is required from the academic script is at least: a comprehensive theoretical study of empirical practice to form the framework of the urgency of the bill, an evaluation and analysis of applicable laws and regulations related to sexual violence and finally a strong philosophical, juridical and sociological foundation as the basis of the bill. In line with this the bill should at least contain elements of prevention, treatment, protection, and counseling of victims, as well as punishment for perpetrators, which are framed as a form of state presence in eliminating sexual violence and upholding victims rights. The bill should also regulate the definition of sexual violence and its nine types, namely sexual harassment, sexual exploitation, contraception coercion, abortion coercion, rape, forced marriage, forced prostitution, sexual slavery and sexual torture. With regard to the debate about whether the bill needs to wait for the enactment of the KUHP bill, this should not be regarded as a difficulty. There is no legal norm that demands the discussion of a bill, any bill, must wait for the discussion of other bills, especially because the legal position of one law with another law as stipulated in Law No. 12/2011 is equality, none is higher than another. So, is this difficult? *** The writer is a senior independent advisor on legal, policy and human rights, founder of Institut Perempuan and author of Ketika Negara Mengatur Kekerasan Seksual (When the State Regulates Sexual Violence). Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not reflect the official stance of The Jakarta Post. 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, That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security. Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Dwi Oktarina (The Jakarta Post) Yogyakarta Sat, July 4, 2020 09:42 352 6657ac82168da9fa101c8a40663bd971 3 Opinion COVID-19,pregnancy,family-planning,newborn,contraceptives Free 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 experts are advising couples to delay pregnancies. Head of BKKBN, Hasto Wardoyo, said pregnant mothers were vulnerable during the first trimester and tended to have health discomforts such as nausea. Their immune systems are also weaker than usual, and thus they are at increased risk of infection. We have yet to fully understand the effects of COVID-19 infection on fetuses, nor the effects of medication on the infected mother and fetus. Pregnant mothers also face more restrictions in prenatal check-ups during the pandemic. Well before the pandemic, Indonesias maternal mortality rate was already a major issue, with a high national rate of 305 per 100,000 live births. Many factors related to the virus remain unknown. While researchers are still striving to discover a vaccine, a few cases of newborns being infected with the virus have been reported. In Wuhan, China, where the worlds first cases were found, a newborn became the youngest individual to be infected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus, reports in early February said, similar to another newborn in mid March in London. The mother in Wuhan had tested positive for COVID-19 before delivery. Transmission of the virus to newborns is still a matter of speculation, as it is unknown if it occurs in the womb, or is transmitted during delivery or soon after birth as a result of close contact with the mother. A Canadian baby was tested several times following birth in mid May, and its nasopharyngeal swab, plasma and faeces were found to be positive. Yet, the baby was delivered through caesarean section, which means the newborn was protected from vaginal secretion and the amniotic membrane was unharmed. In addition, a sample from a nasopharyngeal swab was taken before the baby had skin contact with the mother. Doctors suggested transmission was likely to occur inside the womb, reports on May 16 said. However, The Lancet journal recently published a study on nine pregnant women with COVID-19 suggesting that intrauterine transmission was highly unlikely. The samples of amniotic fluid, umbilical cord, breastmilk and the newborns throat swab had tested negative for the virus. In terms of nutrition, the pandemic may limit a mothers choice of nutritious food, with many families facing increasingly lower incomes. Unmet nutritional needs during pregnancy may impair a newborns growth and development. This may lead to stunting, which is already a major national health problem. The BKKBN has deployed field counselors to provide services to couples through home visits. It also plans to provide contraceptives to 1 million recipients in June. The program is aimed at increasing contraceptive use among those who have stopped using contraceptives during the pandemic. Despite the governments efforts, it is still missing the urgent need to target the many more people who are staying home. More educational campaigns are needed to advise couples to delay pregnancies through media such as television and radio. The latter medium would target audiences in more remote areas where television transmission is limited. Although the health system is overwhelmed in this time of pandemic, extra efforts can be made by empowering and strengthening midwives as counselors in educating couples to delay pregnancy. The National Midwives Association (IBI) lists more than 300,000 midwives in 34 provinces. It would surely be challenging, but small efforts in delaying pregnancies can help to lessen the burden on healthcare providers as well as on mothers and their families during the pandemic. Volunteers from the nations village and subdistrict-based womens and family welfare groups (PKK) can also be empowered. Volunteers across the country have been mobilized to distribute food assistance to eligible households in their community. They can also help raise awareness among mothers and young couples about maternal health and the importance of avoiding pregnancy during the pandemic by relaying the right information with pamphlets or posters while distributing food supplies. Every woman has the right to be pregnant and bear a child and every child has the right to grow up healthily in the best possible environment. Still, in this time of uncertainty and limitations, it would be wise to delay pregnancy and wait until the pandemic has subsided. Decisions should be taken with caution, taking into account not only the mothers health, but also that of the baby, the wellbeing of the family and the capacity of the health system. *** The writer is researcher at SurveyMETER, an independent research organization in Yogyakarta. Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not reflect the official stance of The Jakarta Post. When New York graffiti artists spray painted their colorful and subversive work on subways in the 1980s, it was an illegal activity done only in the dead of night. Three decades later, their work is on show in a lavish sixteenth century manor that belonged to a French aristocratic family in the Mediterranean port city of Marseille. The Chateau de Forbin is a grand mansion perched in a vast park filled with plane and olive trees on the eastern outskirts of the city. Now works by American street art legends Dondi White and Futura are on display in panelled cream-colored rooms where chandeliers hang from the ceiling -- an intentional contrast. "People think the meeting of a French aristocratic family and American graffiti is impossible. And yet, this place allows them to meet," said co-curator of the new permanent exhibition Caroline Pozzo di Borgo, a renowned collector of street art worldwide. "We want a place of sharing," said di Borgo, away from abandoned factories or urban galleries. "Marseille has always welcomed artists and had links with the United States," di Borgo said. This was very much the case in World War II when American journalist Varian Fry who arrived in Marseille in 1940 and saved around 2,000 people from the Nazis, including the painters Marc Chagall and Max Ernst. Read also: Toronto's 'Graffiti Alley' repainted to honor Floyd, fight racism 'Masters of graffiti' The exhibition features drawings, paintings and photographs, all on display in the mansion's many living rooms and in the stairwell and library. "We're presenting the post-graffiti movement and the East Village scene in New York, focusing on the 80s," said di Borgo, who studied history and was first fascinated by Egyptian, Greek and Roman inscriptions - antique forms of street art - before turning to its modern manifestations. "They're the masters of graffiti and the majority of the work that you will see here have been created by aerosol, without being pre-drawn," she added. Caroline Pozzo di Borgo and her husband own the majority of the works on display. But the permanent exhibition will also showcase works owned by other collectors whose identities have not been revealed. Dondi White, known as "Style Master General" was among the first street artists to achieve success beyond the underground world. Photographs by Martha Cooper and Henry Chaflant capture his and others ephemeral works that have since disappeared from New York's streets and subways, but now hang in frames. In a corner, a leather jacket signed by street artist and LGBT-rights activist Keith Haring and other famous graffiti maestros of the time sits proudly. In total 130 works by the pioneers line the opulent manor, including pieces by one of the movement's only women Lady Pink, designs by Rammellzee who has a room dedicated to him, and the abstract and figurative creations by Lee Quinones. Artists Rick Prol and Chris Daze Ellis, who were first celebrated in New York's East Village in the early 1980s, will be in residency for a month each from July or August depending on the coronavirus situation. Alain Passard, Andre Chiang, Cho Hee-sook... Some 50 celebrity chefs from the worlds highest ranked restaurants are contributing lockdown recipes to an electronic book, which is being published to raise funds for the restaurant sector, which has been hard-hit by the ongoing health crisis. With inspiration from places as far apart as South Korea, France and the city of San Francisco, the new e-book offers an opportunity to make your own home-cooked versions of dishes prepared by celebrated chefs from all over the world during the lockdown. Entitled Home Comforts - Simple Lockdown Recipes from the Worlds Best Chefs and Bartenders, the new e-book is not revealing closely guarded secrets of signature dishes, but a wealth of good ideas to feed the family. Sorted into categories of different types of dishes, 50 Best is promising that recipes are suitable for amateur cooks of all levels. To get your hands on a copy of the new publication, you simply have to connect to www.50BestForRecovery.com and donate the sum of ten dollars. Read also: Cheddar cheese row chef named as an 'immortal' of French cuisine The funds raised will go to 50 Bests Recovery Fund to help restaurateurs to overcome the enormous economic challenges prompted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Amateur cooks are also being invited to share photos of their dishes on social networks accompanied by the hashtag 50BestRateMyPlate. Starting on July 20, the organizers of the ranking will be choosing their favorite dishes to share on their account. Every week, the dish that gains the most votes will be designated as a finalist. In all, five dishes will be in competition to win two invitations for the next Worlds 50 Best Awards ceremony, which will be held in Antwerp (Belgium) in 2021 In South Korea, known for its education fervor, the English widely taught at schools and private institutes is American English. Challenging the US dominance in the Korean English education market is one of the tasks facing the Embassy of Australia here, an Australian diplomat told The Korea Herald. Australia wants to make clear to Koreans we should be the destination of choice for people who want to study English language, James Bourne, second secretary at the Embassy of Australia, said during an interview at his office in the Australian Embassy in central Seoul. As part of the public diplomacy efforts, the Australian Embassy recently co-hosted an English speech competition in the first such attempt together with Herald Corp., which publishes 67-year-old English-language daily The Korea Herald. We saw this competition as a great way to advertise to Koreans that Australia takes English language incredibly seriously and we are world class in teaching it, he said, boasting of Australias wonderful living environment -- the climate, beautiful nature and friendly people. Korean students he judged at the speech contest were as good as Australian students he had judged back home in terms of their style, presentation and ability to formulate arguments with real passion, he said. In that many Korean students spend fewer hours than Australian students outside academic studies, he said, there is a part of me that does feel sorry for Korean students. But that may be a sacrifice for ambitious Koreans seeking to succeed not only here but also outside the borders of Korea, he said. For now, Australians do not seem as visible as others from native English-speaking countries in Korean society, but he expects steady growth in people-to-people exchanges between Korea and Australia. Read also: Does an Indonesian who doesn't speak the language belong in the country? Korea is becoming a far more attractive market than its neighboring Asian countries among Australians, he said, on the back of the growing popularity of Korean culture ranging from Korean pop culture to Korean beauty products. Australians that I talk to increasingly love Korean culture. They want to come over here and experience its lifestyle, he said. Last year, some 187,000 Australians visited Korea and 249,000 Koreans visited Australia. Korea is Australias seventh-largest source of international students, with 21,800 Korean students studying in Australia in 2018. Korea is also the fourth-largest group of working holidaymakers and tenth-largest for short-term visitors to Australia. Asked about Koreans concerns about racism against Asians in Australia, Bourne assured that it is still extremely safe to travel to, study at and stay in Australia, which he said is a successful multicultural country. The Australian government has zero-tolerance approach to racism, he said, adding the reported cases of racism are isolated and the government is trying to address the problem. I think one way to address that is to continue to work hard on building the people-to-people relationships between Australians and Koreans, he said. The more relationship we build, the better you can tackle racism. Hosted by the Embassy of Australia and Herald Corp., the 49th Herald National English Speech Contest was held online in March, with participation open to elementary, middle and high school students here. The father and former trainer of Russian Mixed Martial Arts star Khabib Nurmagomedov has died at 57 after contracting coronavirus, Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov announced on Friday. "I've received sad news, friends, that Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov has left this world," Kadyrov wrote on Telegram messenger, saying he was expressing the condolences of the "whole Chechen people." The fighter's father was first hospitalized in April in his native North Caucasus region of Dagestan and was later transferred to a Moscow clinic. Khabib Nurmagomedov, the 31-year-old UFC lightweight champion, in May urged people in Dagestan, one of the regions hardest hit by the pandemic, to be "disciplined" and "listen to our doctors." This week he posted a picture of his tracksuited father at a training session on Instagram with the caption "Father" as followers said they were praying for his recovery. A week ago the fighter had given an interview to Russian television, saying that his father no longer had the virus but was still in intensive care with damage to his kidneys and heart. He said he was visiting daily although his father was not able to speak to him. The fighter was due to give a press conference on Saturday that has now been cancelled. Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov trained numerous champions in judo and the Russian martial arts discipline sambo. He began teaching his son fighting moves from the age of three, Komsomolskaya Pravda tabloid reported. In 2018, Russian President Vladimir Putin had a televised meeting with Khabib Nurmagomedov and his father, saying that the fighter did not deserve harsh punishment for a post-fight brawl. Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Friday rejected criticism over his willingness to convert Istanbul's famed Hagia Sophia landmark into a mosque despite international and domestic concern. "Charges against our country over Hagia Sophia are a direct attack on our right to sovereignty," Erdogan said. Turkey's highest administrative court is considering whether the emblematic site and former cathedral can be redesignated as a mosque, prompting US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Wednesday to urge Turkey to keep the site in its current status as a museum. The Council of State convened on Thursday to evaluate the case brought by an association to change the museum's status. The court, known as Danistay in Turkish, must announce its decision within 15 days. Hagia Sophia was first constructed as a cathedral 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 led to anger among Christians and tensions between historic foes and uneasy NATO allies Ankara and Athens, which closely monitors Byzantine heritage in Turkey. Erdogan said last year it had been a "very big mistake" to convert the Hagia Sophia into a museum. Will Twitter ever have an edit function on its platform? The American social networking site said yes, on one condition: people should start wearing face masks. You can have an edit button when everyone wears a mask, Twitter declared yesterday, June 3, as the world continues to battle the COVID-19 crisis. The highly requested edit feature on the site is currently still unavailable, which means Twitter users cannot correct their posts once it is published. You can have an edit button when everyone wears a mask Twitter (@Twitter) July 2, 2020 Twitter initially did not offer an edit button because the platform is based on an SMS messaging service. Just as one cannot edit a text message once its sent, a tweet can also not be altered once its posted. This forces users to either delete and republish the tweet if it needs any correction or simply address the correction through a follow-up post. According to Twitters CEO and co-founder Jack Dorsey, the company is actively discussing how the feature can be added as safely as possible. Read also: How masks went from 'muzzle' to fashion's object of desire One of the options that Twitter is looking into is to have a delayed tweet function of about five to 30 seconds. This brief window will allow users to make changes in their tweets if they have any typos before they become permanently published on the site. Another option is to add an edit button that is not timebound. It will allow users to correct their tweets, but the original post can still be viewed by other users of the platform. Despite teasing that Twitter will offer an edit button, Dorsey said in a previous video feature that they would probably never do it. The CEO answered some questions Twitter users had about the site, which unsurprisingly included the edit feature, on WIREDs YouTube channel, uploaded on Jan. 14. Since Twitter began as a text messaging service site, Dorsey said the company initially wanted to preserve that vibe and feeling. He added that there are some issues about placing an edit button on Twitter. You might send a tweet and then, someone might retweet that and then, an hour later you might completely change the content of that tweet, Dorsey said. The person that retweeted the original tweet is now retweeting and rebroadcasting something [that is] completely different. So thats something to watch out for. Aside from the American social networking site, Hollywood stars have also been taking a stand on wearing face masks in public while there is an ongoing health crisis worldwide. Arnold Schwarzenegger backed up the California governments order to require citizens to wear face masks, citing that anyone who is trying to make it a political issue is an absolute moron. Jennifer Aniston likewise urged her fans to wear them saying, It shouldnt be a debate. Some citizens in the United States are refusing to wear the mask because it supposedly infringes on their freedom. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Ghina Ghaliya (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Sat, July 4, 2020 09:12 353 6657ac82168da9fa101c8a40663bcad8 1 Politics elections-bill,ruu-pemilu,presidential-threshold,elections-in-Indonesia,house-of-representatives,general-elections,CSIS,University-of-Indonesia Free Several factions at the House of Representatives as well as political experts have suggested lowering or eliminating the vote threshold for political parties to nominate presidential candidates. Article 222 of the 2017 Elections Law states that a political party or coalition of parties must have secured at least 20 percent of the seats at the House of Representatives or 25 percent of the popular vote in the 2014 elections to nominate a presidential candidate in the 2019 elections. The same type of provision has been included in a draft dated May 6 to revise the Elections Law in preparation for the next elections. The draft was prepared by House Commission II, which oversees home affairs, and the House Expertise Board. During a hearing by the commission on Wednesday, some experts recommended a reduction of the threshold to facilitate more presidential candidates. Political expert Valina Singka Subekti of the University of Indonesia questioned the draft for maintaining the threshold. She suggested that the House eliminate it altogether, as the Constitution only mandated that political parties endorse presidential and vice-presidential candidates, with no mention of a threshold. Indonesia has a presidential nomination threshold while many other democratic countries do not, she said. The presidential nomination threshold in Indonesia was introduced in 2004, when the figure was set at 15 percent, equal to 20 percent of House seats. Five years later, the House raised the bar to 20 percent of the seats or 25 percent of the popular vote. Valina said the 2004 presidential election was the ideal presidential election, with five candidate pairs running: Wiranto-Salahuddin Wahid, Megawati Sukarnoputri-Hasyim Muzadi, Amien Rais-Siswono Yudo Husodo, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono-Jusuf Kalla and Hamzah Haz-Agum Gumelar. "We have experienced a presidential election in which many pairs were participating. This is nothing new. At that time, the political parties and constituents were happy, as they could channel their aspirations and promote their best candidates, she said. Read also: Civil group challenges legislative threshold at court Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) executive director Philips J. Vermonte echoed Valinas concern, calling on the House to reduce the threshold. He went on to say that a higher threshold had resulted in polarization among the people, as seen in the presidential elections of 2014 and 2019. A survey found that Indonesians became more polarized than ever based on their preferred presidential candidates as they only had two candidate pairs. Philips suggested that the election should have "at least three or four candidate pairs. Parties in the government coalition are divided over the threshold, with the NasDem Party, the National Awakening Party (PKB) and the United Development Party (PPP) suggesting a lower threshold. They are the three parties that garnered lower shares of the popular vote than the other members of the coalition in the 2019 election. Were sure that we will have two pairs running head to head again if its 20 percent. If its 15 percent, four to five [candidate pairs] may participate. More pairs means more options for the people, NasDem House faction chairman Ahmad Ali said. On the other hand, the ruling Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) and the Golkar Party, which were in the first and third position in last years election, endorsed the same threshold. Meanwhile, the runner-up in the 2019 election, the Gerindra Party, remained undecided. Three parties outside the ruling coalition expected the threshold to be between 10 and 15 percent. The Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) proposed a lower threshold, although it later stated that it was fine with keeping the current threshold. PKS House faction chairman Jazuli Juwaini said a lower threshold could allow for greater diversity of ideas during the presidential election. We hope there are at least three pairs, [so there will be] no polarization, like in the 2019 election. Commission II chairman Ahmad Doli Kurnia said the draft was still very much open for change, because factions were still divided over it. He went on to say that the draft, including the provision on the presidential nomination threshold, might change to accommodate several opinions. The experts' opinion will also be one of our considerations in formulating the bill, he said. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin (Agence France-Presse) Tokyo Sat, July 4, 2020 10:55 352 6657ac82168da9fa101c8a40663c433d 2 World Japan,heavy-rain,natural-disaster Free Some 75,000 people were ordered to evacuate in western Japan Saturday as record heavy rain triggered floods and landslides, leaving scores stranded and 13 missing, according to local media and officials. The nation's weather agency issued the highest emergency level of heavy rain warnings to Kumamoto and Kagoshima on Kyushu island. Television footage showed vehicles swamped at car parks near a flooding river, while several bridges were reportedly washed away. Rescuers were searching for three people in Kumamoto after a landslide buried their house, public broadcaster NHK said. "We have issued evacuation orders after record heavy rain," said Toshiaki Mizukami, an official of Kumamoto prefecture. "We strongly urge people to take action to protect their lives as it's still raining quite heavily," he told AFP. Kyodo News said 75,000 residents in Kumamoto and Kagoshima were ordered to evacuate their homes, with nearly 100 people reportedly stranded. Local authorities have asked troops to join rescue operations, NHK said. Some train services, including Shinkansen bullet train operations, have been suspended in the region. Japan is currently in its rainy season, which often causes floods and landslides and prompts local authorities to issue evacuation orders. No casualties or injuries have so far been reported. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Hengky Ola Sura (The Jakarta Post) Sikka, East Nusa Tenggara Sun, July 5, 2020 09:14 352 6657ac82168da9fa101c8a40663d3484 1 National Felix-Nesi,Catholic-church,sexual-abuse-Catholic-church-Indonesia,sexual-abuse-in-Catholic-Church,Pope-Francis Free Award winning author, Felix K. Nesi, was detained by the Insana Police in Timor Tengah Utara regency, East Nusa Tenggara, on Friday night after allegedly vandalizing a Catholic parish clergy house. He admitted to The Jakarta Post on Saturday that he had damaged the property, claiming to have done so because he was angry that the parish had let a priest, whom he accused of mistreating a woman, to remain at the church. Felix, who won a literary award from the Jakarta Arts Council in 2018, said on the phone that he had been released from detention on Saturday. He wrote in a public Facebook post that he had used his motorcycle helmet to damage the windows of the SMK Bitauni vocational school parish clergy house and had thrown chairs. On his Facebook account, which he confirmed the authenticity of to the Post, Felix had written earlier this year that he had heard that a Catholic priest had been transferred to the parish after mistreating a woman at his previous parish. The SMK Bitauni vocational school has many female students, Felix said. Felix has sibling who attend the school, which is located 700 meters from the clergy house and has opposed the priests transfer, fearing there could be new incidents. When I heard [a priest] who had just had a problem with a woman in another parish had been moved to a middle school that is full of women, I came to SMK Bitauni, he said. I met with [the priest who serves as the principal]. I told him, please, Father principal, move [the accused priest] away from here, he wrote on Facebook. Felix said the principal had told him the accused priest would be transferred again shortly, claiming his short tenure at the school was only for refreshment. A couple of months later, Felix said he had checked in again and found that the priest, whom he identified as Romo A, was still there. He even talked to the priest, telling him to move to a deserted place to contemplate. Felix said he conveyed his disappointment that Romo A was still there but that the school principal had assured him that Romo A would be transferred. In my novel, Orang-orang Oetimu, I wrote about priests who like to protect other priests who behave rottenly. Am I witnessing this in real life? he wrote. On Friday evening, he visited the school and was told by a guard that the priest was still at the school. I was disappointed and overwhelmed with emotion. I had a helmet in my hands. In front of me was a window. So, I smashed the window with my helmet, he wrote. I grabbed the plastic chairs on the verandah and I smashed them to pieces, he wrote. Catholic priest Vinsen Manek, the principal of the school, said he could not comment on the incident nor the accusations Felix had made. When it happened, I was not there, I had been on a holiday to my hometown in Malaka since July 1, so I cannot comment, Vinsen told the Post on Saturday through phone. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin (Agence France-Presse) Beijing Sat, July 4, 2020 10:14 352 6657ac82168da9fa101c8a40663c1263 2 World Beijing,China,coronavirus,COVID-19,travel-restriction Free Beijing has contained transmission of a new coronavirus outbreak and will lift travel restrictions on most residents at midnight, city authorities said Friday, weeks after a new wave of infections broke out in the Chinese capital. All people living in areas of the city considered "low risk" may leave Beijing without a negative virus test result starting Saturday, the municipal public security bureau's spokesman said at a press conference. The city's massive track and trace campaign has "effectively cut off virus transmission channels" with fewer than three cases discovered each day in recent days, spokesman Pan Xuhong said. "The risk factor has been greatly reduced," he said, adding that there had been no sign of wider community spread of the virus, with most cases discovered through monitoring of high-risk communities. The announcement comes after Beijing lifted several localized lockdowns imposed after hundreds of new cases linked to a sprawling wholesale market were discovered in June, prompting fears of a virus resurgence. The capital tested more than 10 million people between June 11 and July 3, nearly half the city's population, Beijing official Zhang Qiang said Friday. But nucleic acid tests have not been entirely foolproof, with multiple confirmed cases in the city returning negative days before testing positive in recent weeks. On Thursday, a woman was taken to hospital from a mall in Beijing's Shijingshan district and 204 contacts put under quarantine after the woman's fourth virus test in three weeks came back positive -- despite her testing negative the previous day, city officials said Friday. China had largely brought the deadly outbreak under control before the new Beijing cluster was detected last month. The government has since also imposed a strict lockdown on nearly half a million people in neighboring Hebei province to contain a fresh cluster there, adopting the same strict measures imposed at the height of the pandemic in the epicenter of Wuhan city earlier this year. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin (Agence France-Presse) Washington, United States Sat, July 4, 2020 12:22 352 6657ac82168da9fa101c8a40663c6d7f 2 World Donald-Trump,Kimberly-Guilfoyle,Donald-Trump-Jr,COVID-19 Free The girlfriend of President Donald Trump's eldest son has tested positive for coronavirus, US media reported Friday. Kimberly Guilfoyle, a former Fox News television personality who is dating Donald Trump Jr, had traveled to South Dakota to see the US presidents Fourth of July speech and celebration fireworks at Mount Rushmore. Guilfoyle, 51, was immediately isolated after discovering she had the virus in a routine test conducted on anyone expected to come in close contact with the president, the New York Times reported. In a statement to the newspaper, Sergio Gor, chief of staff to the Trump campaign's finance committee, said: "She's doing well, and will be retested to ensure the diagnosis is correct since she's asymptomatic." He added: "As a precaution (she) will cancel all upcoming events. Donald Trump Jr was tested negative, but as a precaution is also self-isolating and is canceling all public events." Guilfoyle is the third person close to the US president to return a positive COVID-19 test, US media reported. Others include Trump's personal valet and the US vice president's press secretary. The pandemic has claimed nearly 130,000 American lives and a recent resurgence "puts the entire country at risk," top infectious disease expert Anthony Fauci has said. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Alya Nurbaiti (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Sat, July 4, 2020 13:19 352 6657ac82168da9fa101c8a40663c8777 1 City anies-baswedan,Jakarta-administration,reclamation,Ancol,Dufan,Ancol-Dreamland-Park,Jakarta-Bay,North-Jakarta Free Local fishermen and activists in the capital city Jakarta have expressed concerns over the Jakarta Bay's ecological future following the administrations decision to proceed with a reclamation project to expand the citys popular tourist spot Ancol in North Jakarta. Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan issued a decree in February to give the green light for a 155-hectare expansion plan for city-run tourist destinations Taman Impian Jaya Ancol (Ancol Dreamland Park) and Fantasi Land (Dufan) theme park. Fishermen raised questions over the issuance of the decree, which was published by the city on its official website in March, as they claimed it was in contrast with the ruling by the Supreme Court last week. The Court ruled in favor of the city administration in cassation against developer PT Taman Harapan Indah over the revocation of the companys islet H reclamation permit in Jakarta Bay. Susan Herawati, the secretary-general of the Peoples Coalition for Fisheries Justice Indonesia (KIARA), said she feared the decision would make way for the controversial reclaimed islets project to continue in the future. We fear that the revocation of permits to reclaim and build on 13 islets [issued by Anies in September 2018] be canceled in the future, looking at the governors indecisive manner, she told The Jakarta Post on Friday. By issuing Gubernatorial Decree No. 237/2020, the governor allows a 35-hectare expansion for Dufan and 120 hectares for Ancol Dreamland park on the reclaimed areas. Read also: Reclamation or not: City struggles to win lawsuits Jakarta city secretary Saefullah argued that the reclamation for the Ancol expansion was different from the 13 islets reclamation projects, the permit for which had been revoked by Anies in 2018, a year after he took office. There are already 20 hectares of rising land in East Ancol [Ancol Dreamland Recreational Park]. It resulted from around 3.5 million cubic meters of mud being dredged from five reservoirs and 13 rivers in Jakarta through the Jakarta Emerging Dredging Initiative (JEDI) and Jakarta Urgent Flood Mitigation Project (JUFMP), Jakarta administration secretary Saefullah said in a press briefing on Friday. The governor issued the decree so that [city-owned enterprise PT Pembangunan Jaya Ancol] can obtain a management right, he added. The administration claimed that an agreement with PT Pembangunan Jaya Ancol to use 120 hectares of land in East Ancol as a sludge disposal site was made in 2009. The latest decree now allows the reclamation of the 120-hectare area. Saefullah added that the Ancol expansion aimed to provide recreational areas for the public. The reclamation ground will be for the public. We prioritize peoples interest, he said, adding that Ancol was chosen because there were no fishermen in the area. In the letter, Anies required PT PJA to complete studies on integrated flood mitigation, global warming impacts, taking material for land expansion, infrastructure planning and environmental impacts before doing the reclamation. NGO Maritime and Ecology Association director Martin Hadiwinata said such requirements should have been fulfilled before Anies issued the decree. Meanwhile, sludge disposal has been going on for 11 years and surely has an ecological impact. Yet it went without any environmental impact analysis (AMDAL), he told the Post. Echoing Martin, Susan demanded the administration display data on the ecological impact of the disposal of dredging material. Furthermore, she argued that the decree had no strong legal basis. She pointed out that the decree only cited Law No. 29/2007 on the Jakarta administration as Indonesias capital, Law No. 23/2014 on regional governments and Law No. 30/2004 on governmental administration, but did not include Law No. 27/2007 on coastal areas and small islands management. But their argument is that the agreement between the city and PT PJA was made a long time ago. As if the governor has no power to revoke it. Its a matter of political will, she said. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Yunindita Prasidya (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Sat, July 4, 2020 10:32 352 6657ac82168da9fa101c8a40663c2b94 1 Business Garuda-Indonesia,Airlines,loss,profit Free National flag carrier Garuda Indonesia booked a net loss of US$120 million in the first quarter of this year, in stark contrast to profitability achieved last year, as the COVID-19 pandemic hit travel-related industries hard. The publicly listed airline saw a 30 percent year-on-year slump in revenue to US$768.12 million in the first quarter from $1.1 billion in the same period last year. As a consequence, it booked a $120 million loss compared to $20.48 million profit in the January-March period of 2019. This industry is indeed a very tough industry. We are talking about a single-digit margin. So, when a disruption happens, the implication to our bottom line, cash-wise, is immediate and drastic, Garuda Indonesia president director Irfan Setiaputra said on Wednesday during Inventures Indonesia Brand Forum 2020 webinar. The companys biggest revenue-generating operations, which is its scheduled airline services, booked 29.23 percent less income in the first quarter at $654.53 million, down from $924.93 million. The companys expenses, on the other hand, had not fallen as drastically. Its total operating expenses, which include costs for flight operations, maintenance and repairs, dropped by 9.92 percent to $945.71 million from $1.05 billion. Irfan explained, that despite a slight improvement in airline traffic in recent weeks following the easing of travel restrictions, the number of passengers was still down 90 percent, while 70 percent of its aircraft remained grounded. The coronavirus outbreak has devastated the aviation industry. The share of the worlds gross domestic product (GDP) spent on air transportation is expected to be halved in 2020 at 0.5 percent of the global GDP or $434 billion, according to an International Air Transport Association (IATA) report released on June 9. As the number of airline passengers has plunged, airlines are forced into reducing flight routes and pursuing other measures to cut costs. Passenger revenue contributes more than 80 percent of Garuda Indonesias total revenue. With the decline in traffic, there needs to be a strategy to reduce the flight variable costs, the company wrote in a statement published by Indonesia Stock Exchange (IDX) on May 29. According to the statement, written in response to the local bourses request from May 12 for information regarding the impact of the pandemic, the company continued to reduce flight routes, both domestic and international. Operations on international routes to the Middle East and China have been halted until further notice. Services on other international routes have been cut to around 60 percent to 80 percent against normal flight frequency. In a revised statement the company issued on June 15, Garuda reported it had laid off 18 employees due to the pandemic, while 825 were furloughed as of March 31. Meanwhile, Garuda Pilot Association (APG) chairperson Muzaeni told The Jakarta Post on June 2 that the airline had terminated the contracts of 180 pilots as a result of the cutbacks on flights. In an annual general shareholders meeting on June 5, Garuda shareholders agreed to fully utilize its 2019 net profit of US$6.98 million as the companys reserved funds. Last year was the first time the company managed to booked profits after booking losses for two consecutive years with net losses of $231.16 million in 2018 and $216.28 million in 2017. This year, however, analysts predict that COVID-19 will cause the company to suffer another net loss. We firmly believe that the sluggish figures for March 2020 are not the end but, rather, the beginning, Mirae Asset Sekuritas Indonesia analysts Lee Young-jun wrote in a report published on May 18. The management is trying to focus on cargo business and chartered flights while increasing efficiencies and lowering costs. However, none of these are effective and easy to make up [for] the losses, he added. Going into the third quarter of the year, the postponement, or even cancellations, of haj fights will be the biggest risk factor for the airline, as these flights contributed about 5 percent to the companys revenue in 2019, the analysts report says. On June 2, the Indonesian government officially announced that it had decided to cancel the 2020 haj. The airlines stock, traded on the IDX under the ticker code GIAA, has lost about half of its value since the start of the year and closed at Rp 244 per share on Friday. That compares with the benchmark Jakarta Composite Indexs 21 percent drop so far this year. Financially, 2020 will go down as the worst year in the history of aviation. On average, every day of this year will add US$230 million to industry losses, IATA director general and CEO Alexandre de Juniac said in a statement published on June 9. The IATA reports that airlines are expected to lose $84.3 billion this year. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Norman Harsono (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Sat, July 4, 2020 09:50 352 6657ac82168da9fa101c8a40663bdbd0 1 Business Unilever-Indonesia,North-Sumatra,KEK,oleochemical,sei-mangkei,pgn,cheap-gas,energy-and-mineral-resources-ministry Free Top national gas distributor PGN is channeling price-reduced natural gas to a major oleochemical plant in North Sumatra owned by a subsidiary of consumer giant PT Unilever Indonesia, giving a boost to the plants production. PT Unilever Oleochemical Indonesia (UOI), which owns the plant in Sei Mangkei Special Economic Zone (SEZ), has been paying US$6 per million British thermal unit (mmbtu) of gas since June 1. It was paying $8 per mmbtu before the government offered the price incentive. Eighty-five percent of our products are exported so we can become more competitive, Sancoyo Antarikso, corporate secretary of PT Unilever Indonesia, told The Jakarta Post on Friday. The Rp 2 trillion (US$137.6 million) plant, which began operations in 2015, processes crude palm oil into 200,000 tons of oleochemicals each year. The chemicals are processed into soap, shampoo, detergent and plastic, among other everyday items. Unilever is among a hundred companies in Indonesia slated to receive the price-reduced natural gas over the next four years, as stipulated under Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM) Ministry Decree (Kepmen) No. 89/2020. The decree is part of a government plan to grow Indonesias manufacturing sector, which contributes 20 percent of the countrys Gross Domestic Product (GDP) but has been battered by the impacts of the ongoing health crisis. PGN said on Friday that Unilever was its biggest customer in Sei Mangkei. The oleochemical plant uses 2,400 mmbtu of gas each day, which accounts for two-thirds of the total gas channeled into the economic zone. The growth of northern Sumatra can be accelerated with the provision of competitively-priced energy, including gas, PGN commercial director Faris Aziz said in a statement. Bambang Wijanarko of the SEZ National Council said the gas incentive could help Unilever realize its long-term plan to expand its oleochemical operations, which has been held up by high gas prices. He added that other companies in Sei Mangkei, where gas prices rose to $10 per mmbtu for industrial sites, wanted to receive a similar gas incentive as UOI. Unilever has stated that the company still had to adjust to the current circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemic despite its expansion plan. PT Unilever Indonesia reported a net profit of 1.86 trillion in the first quarter of this year, an increase of 6.5 percent year-on-year (yoy). PGNs gas suppliers for northern Sumatra are Triangle Pase Inc. and three Pertamina subsidiaries. The companies supply around 31 million standard cubic feet per day (mmscfd). Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Alya Nurbaiti (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Sat, July 4, 2020 15:41 352 6657ac82168da9fa101c8a40663d087c 1 National Sumatran-elephant,elephant,human-elephant-conflict,sumatra,critically-endangered-species,EndangeredSpecies,endangered-animal,endangered-species,BKSDA Free As elephant-human conflicts continue to be reported in Sumatra amid massive deforestation that prompts the critically endangered species to go to plantations and human settlements to find food, an expert has suggested that planting the right crops may prevent such conflicts. Wahdi Azmi, director of the Aceh Conservation Response Unit, which aims to care for the elephant population, said Sumatran elephants were not familiar with oil palm fruit in the past. But ever since the loss of their habitat to plantations, the fruit is what is available to them and they find it palatable. They raid oil palm plantations because they like eating the fruit, he said during a virtual discussion on Friday. Aceh is home to the largest population of the critically endangered Sumatran elephants. More than 500 individuals of a population of around 2,500 of the elephants native to Sumatra Island live in the province. Read also: Elephant found dead, mutilated in Riau As the largest land mammals that live in herds, elephants need abundant natural food. Therefore, the animals need a vast natural habitat as their home range. Wahdi said people should learn from the history of the Aceh Sultanate, which gained wealth from the export of pepper and nutmeg and at the same time, nurtured coexistence with elephants because the animal did not eat the crops. We can serve both animal conservation and economic interests hand in hand by growing the right commodity crops, he said. The people on the eastern coast of Aceh, for example, grow patchouli plants, which are disliked not only by elephants but also wild boar. Patchouli oil is a popular essential oil and extensively used in the perfumery industry. It has no synthetic substitute so there is high demand for it, and Indonesia is one of the major producers of patchouli oil. Beside patchouli, other recommended crops are oranges, limes, lemons and cloves. Hopefully more people are willing to plant these commodities, but of course, each community has a different preference. The commodity must suit the community's needs, Wahdi said. Read also: Innovation needed to end human-elephant conflict in Sumatra, says WWF Indonesia The International Union for Conservation of Nature changed the population status of the Sumatran elephant from endangered to critically endangered because nearly 70 percent of its habitat has been destroyed in the past 25 years leading to human-elephant conflict and the loss of more than half of the elephant's population in one generation. The Aceh Natural Resources Conservation Agency (BKSDA) recorded 170 conflicts between humans and elephants from 2012 to 2017, in which 54 elephants died and 19 people were injured. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Sun, July 5, 2020 09:28 351 6657ac82168da9fa101c8a40663d1c5c 4 City police,ITE-Law,peeping-tom,Starbucks-Indonesia,viral-video,Twitter,sexual-harassment,Jakarta-police Free The police have named a former Starbucks Indonesia employee a suspect in an alleged sexual harassment case after he posted on social media a video showing himself and another employee looking at a female customers cleavage through a CCTV camera. The police charged the man, identified as D, under the Electronic Information and Transactions (ITE) Law. D posted the video on his Instagram account and it went viral. We have named him a suspect as we have received a police report [from the victim] and questioned witnesses, Jakarta Police spokesperson Sr. Comr. Yusri Yunus said on Friday, as quoted by tempo.co. Another former Starbucks employee, identified as K, who is seen in the video zooming in the CCTV footage to get a clearer look at the womans cleavage, is a witness in the case. Read also: Rights activists concerned with lack of safe public areas for women The police apprehended D and K on Thursday evening after the police report was filed by the victim. Yusri said the police had charged D with violating Article 45 of the ITE Law that prohibits individuals from spreading videos and other electronic information that violates morality standards. The provision carries a maximum punishment of six years imprisonment and a Rp 1 billion (US$68,997) fine. Starbucks has apologized for the incident and fired the two employees implicated. (kuk) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin (Reuters) Tokyo Sat, July 4, 2020 15:33 352 6657ac82168da9fa101c8a40663d067e 2 World Tokyo,Japan,coronavirus,COVID-19,travel-restriction Free Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike urged residents of the Japanese capital not to travel beyond its borders on Saturday as new coronavirus infections topped 100 for a third day, public broadcaster NHK reported. Tokyo confirmed 131 new cases of infections of the coronavirus on Saturday, NHK said. Cases in Tokyo have risen to a two-month high, driven by the spread of the virus in the capital's night spots. Of Saturday's tally, 100 were people in their 20s and 30s, Kyodo news agency said, citing Koike. Read also: Beijing lifts most travel restrictions, says city's outbreak contained Tokyo on Friday reported 124 new cases, up from 107 the day before, partly due to increased testing among night-life workers in the Shinjuku and Ikebukuro districts. Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said on Friday the government was not planning to reintroduce a state of emergency. Curbs on movement pushed the world's third-biggest economy into a recession in the first quarter, with a deeper contraction expected in the April-June period. Japan's infection rates remain far below those of many other countries, but the recent rise in cases and the possibility of renewed restrictions have put authorities and businesses on edge. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Jeff Mason (Reuters) Washington Sat, July 4, 2020 10:49 352 6657ac82168da9fa101c8a40663c34f7 2 World Donald-Trump,Mount-Rushmore,Fourth-of-July Free President Donald Trump will begin his July Fourth celebrations with a trip to Mount Rushmore on Friday despite concerns about gathering a large crowd during the novel coronavirus pandemic and criticism from Native Americans about the visit. Trump will view a fireworks display with thousands of people at the South Dakota landmark, which depicts the images of US presidents George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln. The site has not had fireworks since 2009 because of environmental concerns. Trump advocated for a resumption of the display, and the state says the surrounding Black Hills National Forest has "gained strength" since then and that fireworks technology has advanced. It will be the Republican president's latest event with large crowds, defying health experts' recommendations to avoid big gatherings amid a spate of recent spikes of COVID-19 cases across the country. Some 7,500 people are expected to attend the outdoor event. Masks will be available but are not required. South Dakota Republican Governor Kristi Noem told Fox News earlier this week that those who had concerns could stay home and said "we won't be social distancing." Trump won the reliably Republican-leaning state in 2016. He has been criticized for holding large events with little social distancing in Oklahoma and Arizona in recent weeks. On Thursday he predicted a "fireworks display like few people have seen." Native Americans, who reportedly plan to protest during the trip, have criticized Trump's visit for increasing the risk of spreading the virus and for celebrating U.S. independence in an area that is sacred to them. The Democratic National Committee (DNC) tweeted at one point that Trump had disrespected Native Americans and that the event was "glorifying white supremacy." It later deleted the tweet. Both Washington and Jefferson, revered for their roles in the founding of the nation, were slave owners. Representatives of the DNC did not respond to a request to explain the reasons for the deleted tweet. "Instead of living up to the most basic responsibilities of his office this Independence Day, Donald Trump is still downplaying the virus, calling for a slowdown of testing, bucking social distancing guidelines, and showing Americans why we cant afford four more years of him in the White House, the DNC said ahead of the trip on Thursday. Trump will hold another celebration for the July Fourth holiday on Saturday in Washington. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Ivany Atina Arbi (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Sat, July 4 2020 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 ... 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 Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Sat, July 4 2020 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 wi... Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Sat, July 4 2020 As Indonesia and Colombia commemorate 40 years of diplomatic relations this year, the two countries are seeking increased connectivity between the far-flung lands, with both sides hoping to become each others regional trade hubs. One historical milestone for the optimistic vision was the recent repatriation of about 366 Colombian citizens from at least 19 countries on a special flight from Jakarta by Indonesian national flag carrier Garuda Indonesia. The repatriation was the first direct flight made by an Indonesian airline to Colombia. The effort was conducted from May 15 to May 17 with the help of the Indonesian Foreign Ministry and state-owned company PT Industri Nuklir Indonesia (INUKI). The company and its Colombian counterparts are exploring business opportunities in the radio-pharmacy industry. INUKI director for operations an... Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Sat, July 4, 2020 13:44 352 6657ac82168da9fa101c8a40663cd09b 1 SE Asia Singapore,foreign-minister,Luhut-Binsar-Pandjaitan,Coordinating-Maritime-Affairs-Ministry,Riau-Islands,Batam,Bintan,border,tourism Free Singaporean Foreign Minister Vivian Balakhrisnan has rejected the Indonesian governments request to reopen the city states borders to the tourist areas of Bintan and Batam in Riau Islands, which have been closed for months due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Indonesian Coordinating Maritime Affairs and Investment Minister Luhut Pandjaitan phoned Balakhrisnan during the formers visit to Batam on Thursday, requesting the latter open Singapore's borders that serve as entry points to Bintan and Batam. He said the Singaporean minister agreed to review Indonesias request after Singapores general election, which will be held on July 10. Read also: Indonesia asks Singapore to reopen borders as Bintan 'ready to receive tourists' In a statement issued by the Singaporean Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Friday, the minister confirmed having had a phone call with Luhut a day earlier. However, Balakhrisnan said Singapore was gradually re-opening our borders in a progressive and calibrated manner while ensuring the health and safety of Singaporeans and our international visitors. Presently, Singaporeans are still advised to defer all travel abroad, Balakhrisnan went on to say. He added both ministers had agreed on the importance of keeping up positive bilateral cooperation amid the COVID-19 pandemic, although the call did not go into any specific discussions on tourism exchanges and cooperation. Singapores borders were closed in March to short-term visitors, which had impacted tourism and the economy in Riau Islands, which depends largely on tourists from Singapore. 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. The province, with more than 1,000 islands, places second for foreign tourist arrivals in Indonesia, after Bali. It attracted 2.59 million international visitors in 2019, almost half of whom or 47 percent were from Singapore. (aly) A five-star hotel in Vietnamese capital Hanoi has opened with a twist that it hopes will attract guests with intimately expensive tastes: gold-plated bath tubs, basins and even toilets, all housed behind a massive golden exterior. The Dolce Hanoi Golden Lake Hotel has made the extra effort to bring visitors back to Vietnam where the tourism sector is slowly reopening after a three-month coronavirus lockdown. The hotel, owned by Hoa Binh Group and managed by US-based Wyndham Hotels & Resorts Inc, stands in stark contrast to its surrounding weather-worn Soviet-era buildings. "At the moment, there is no other hotel like this in the world," said Nguyen Huu Duong, majority owner and chairman of Hoa Binh Group. Hotel facilities include a 24 karat gold-tiled infinity pool on the rooftop, while inside guest rooms, bathrooms are laced with yellow metal. From $250 a night, the hotel is in the same price bracket as rival luxury accommodation in the city. Read also: With coronavirus under control, Vietnam and New Zealand see different travel trends "It has changed my mind about what luxury can be. Other luxury hotels usually use marble as tiles, but here everything is gold-plated down to the washing basin," said 62-year-old guest Luong Van Thuan, himself a hotel owner. Vietnam has been relatively successful in containing the coronavirus outbreak with only 350 or so cases and no reported deaths. Duong said if not for the pandemic, the hotel would likely be fully booked with international guests. Around a tonne of gold was used to cover the hotel, said Duong, a Vietnam War veteran and former cyclo taxi driver who made his fortune in construction and property. He is planning gold-plated projects in Ho Chi Minh City and a resort in central Vietnam. An Australian mountain range named after Belgium's notorious King Leopold II was given a new title reflecting its traditional owners on Friday, as officials shed the connection to an "evil tyrant". Authorities in Western Australia said the 600-kilometer King Leopold Ranges in the remote Kimberley region -- named after the monarch in 1879 -- would now be known as the Wunaamin Miliwundi Ranges. "It has troubled me for years that an extraordinary area of Western Australia should be named in honor of a person who is widely regarded as an evil tyrant," state lands minister Ben Wyatt said. Even in his native Belgium, Leopold has become synonymous with the horrors of European colonization of Africa. He is believed to be responsible for millions of deaths in Africa between 1865 and 1909, primarily in what is now the Democratic Republic of Congo. Many were killed, mutilated or died of disease as they worked on rubber plantations belonging to Leopold, who was notoriously brutal even by the standards of the day. Wyatt told Australia's national broadcaster ABC that visitors were regularly perplexed why somewhere as distant as Australia still had a landmark named after the ruler "even as the Belgians go about almost deserting the history of King Leopold II". Belgium's current monarch, King Phillipe, this week expressed his "deepest regrets" about that period in the country's history. Protesters in Belgium have also torn down or daubed with paint several statues of Leopold in recent weeks. The death of African-American George Floyd while in US police custody has sparked calls to address systemic racism around the world under the auspices of the Black Lives Matter movement. Those calls have resonated strongly with many in Australia, a country also wrestling with the legacy of racial injustice towards the country's indigenous peoples. Aboriginal Australians are vastly over-represented in the prison population, and there have been more than 400 indigenous deaths in custody in the last three decades. Activists have staged several protests across Australia calling for racial equality while some have targeted statues heralding the nation's colonial past. Rio de Janeiro's bars and restaurants reopened Thursday after more than three months of coronavirus lockdown, despite criticism by health specialists in Brazil, one of the world's worst-hit nations. As part of a phased return to normality, bars, restaurants and cafes are authorized to reopen to 50 percent capacity, with a distance of two meters between tables and priority given to open-air dining and drinking. Rio's gyms, beauty and tattoo parlors may also open on a staggered basis, to avoid crowding. "There is nothing to celebrate, but we have been in this fight since March," Rio's Mayor Marcelo Crivella said on Wednesday. "Low demand for intensive care and hospital beds and the stabilized death toll show us that we had a dark peak in May and then dropped to current levels," he said. The city, rimmed with beaches and mountains that normally draw tourists from around the world, registered 68 new deaths from COVID-19 in the past 24 hours. The number has fluctuated in recent weeks after peaking on June 3 with 227 deaths. Although the disease is migrating inland -- a trend throughout Brazil -- specialists warn that the infection rate is still high and that relaxing social isolation measures now could put the health system under pressure again. When the process of reopening began a month ago, the Reproduction Number or "R number" -- the average number of people that one infected person will pass the virus on to -- was 1. Currently it is 1.51, said Roberto Medronho, director of research at Rio's Clementino Fraga Filho University Hospital. "That number will increase even more with reopening, bringing health problems to our population," Medronho told AFP. Reopening now, he said, is "premature and inopportune." Margareth Dalcomo, a specialist at Brazil's public health institute Fiocruz said the reopening plan "is a disaster." "We could have saved many lives with more strict confinement from April," she said. Even at the pandemic's height, Rio authorities opted for a relatively loose lockdown, with no coercive measures taken to ensure people stayed home. The city's decree was limited to a ban on visiting beaches and the closure of shops deemed non-essential. Rio de Janeiro state, the second hardest hit Brazilian region after Sao Paulo, has already surpassed 10,000 deaths, more than 60 percent of them in Rio municipality, and more than 115,000 infections. Brazil on Wednesday surpassed 60,000 deaths and 1.44 million infections, although specialists believe the actual number of cases may be much higher due to the lack of diagnostic tests. According to Medronho, the cumulative number of infections could be up to 10 times higher and the actual number of deaths could be double the official count. Cyprus decided Friday to welcome tourists from Britain, its largest market, from Aug. 1 if that countrys coronavirus outbreak remains on a downward trend. Health Minister Constantinos Ioannou said Britain would fall into a higher risk band of countries from which arrivals need to provide a negative COVID-19 test. "Data regarding the UK has prompted us to decide that if the same good epidemiological picture continues to be observed, as of 1 August the country will be placed in Category B," Ioannou told reporters after a cabinet meeting. There has been pressure from hotels and other tourism stakeholders to give a firm date for when British visitors can return to the Mediterranean holiday island, as UK arrivals make up 33 percent of all tourists. But Russia and Israel - the islands second and third-biggest tourist markets - are not on the European Unions 15 "safe" destinations list. "Israel was not included in the list of 15 countries deemed safe by the European Union to allow entry, so there is no question that tourists will be coming from Israel," said Ioannou. Russia's epidemiological data is such that at this stage, it stays in Category C," the minister added. The EU member state had been banking on Israeli tourists to revive its battered tourism sector, as it was considered low risk when Cyprus airports reopened in June. "Unfortunately, this year everything is fluid, as the (COVID-19) situation is constantly changing," said Tourism Minister Savvas Perdios. Cyprus is marketing itself as a relatively safe holiday destination in the face of the coronavirus pandemic, with a transmission rate of below one. It allows tourists from 22 countries, including Germany, Greece and Austria, that are considered low risk to enter without a COVID-19 health certificate. Another band of 13 Category B countries, including France and Spain, have only been allowed entry with proof they have tested negative up to 72 hours before arrival. There are no regular flights from countries that fall outside these two categories. Arrivals from countries not on the approved lists must self-isolate for 14 days in Cyprus. Cyprus updates the list of approved countries weekly based on the scientific data. There are also temperature checks and random testing of travelers, free of charge when they arrive. To attract tourists, the government has pledged to cover the medical costs of any visitor who tests positive for coronavirus while on holiday on the island. Authorities estimate that tourist arrivals this year, which had been projected at four million, will fall by as much as 70 percent, dealing a heavy blow to the sector which generates some 15 percent of GDP. Cyprus has one of the lowest rates of coronavirus cases per capita in Europe, having tested around 12 percent of its population. The Republic of Cyprus has declared 999 coronavirus cases and 19 deaths since its first cases in March, after which it quickly went into a two-month-long lockdown. A unique experience of riding a real-life replica Thomas the Tank Engine train has been launched in Japan. The train, which is derived from the beloved British television show Thomas and Friends, is available to ride until Oct.19. The train ride dubbed a "Day Out with Thomas takes visitors through the scenic Shizuoka prefecture on the Oigawa main line from Shin-Kanaya Station to Senzu Station. According to the Oigawa Railway's official website, visitors can enjoy Thomas-themed activities throughout the excursion. They include enjoying appearances by Thomas locomotive friends, Hiro and Percy, at the Thomas Fair at Senzu Station; touring Thomas Maintenance Factory at Shin-Kanaya Station; purchasing original souvenirs; and eating Thomas-themed bento boxes, which are available at Shin-Kanaya Station. Read also: Most scenic train rides to enjoy from your couch As a health precaution, the number of passengers is limited per ride and they must undergo temperature checks at the ticket gate. Tickets, which can only be reserved online from Japan, are priced at 6,600 (US$61.41) for adults and 3,060 for children. Cheaper tickets are available for a one-way trip. Tickets are purchased through a lottery system and the next available lottery is between June 30 and July 7 for trips in September and October. (gis/wng) When Central Michigan University alum Michael Mamp returned to CMU seven years ago to join the Fashion Merchandising and Design faculty, he brought with him 14 years of fashion industry experience with companies such as Limited Brands, Saks Fifth Avenue and Bloomingdale's. The Detroit native earned his bachelor's degree in fashion merchandising and design from CMU in 1996. He has a Master of Arts degree from the University of Nebraska, Lincoln, in textiles, clothing and design; and a doctoral degree from Iowa State University in apparel merchandising and design. He teaches courses including FMD 280, Queer Fashion; which he developed and launched in 2018; and FMD 350, Professional Study Tour/NYC; in which his students visit New York City to meet alumni and other professionals working in the fashion world. - Advertisement - He also currently wears a fabric face mask created by CMU 2019 fashion alum Analiese Zaleski. A career by design Do you view your future with an eye for fashion? Learn more about CMU's fashion merchandising and design program. We talked with Mamp about masks and face coverings as apparel in the time of COVID-19. "Fashion has always been a reflection of the times." Michael Mamp Q: Are there times and places in which facial coverings have been considered fashion items? A: People have found ways to incorporate some form of face covering into fashionable attire for centuries. This has been done at times for ceremonial purposes (think of veils at weddings or funerals), but veils in particular have been used as a fashionable accessory that also protected against the spread of communicable diseases. Historically, one example is the mantilla, a type of elaborate headdress attached to a veil that is often attributed to Spain. The mantilla was extremely popular in the 17th century and remains a staple of traditional dress both in Spain and Mexico. Q: Do you think masks or face coverings could become fashionable in the U.S.? A: Yes. In fact, some form of face covering has gone in and out of fashion over time. As the urban nomad trend entered the zeitgeist at the dawn of the 21st century, several designers such as Hussein Chalayan and Alexander McQueen incorporated forms of face covering or protective components that covered vulnerable parts of their bodies into their designs. Q: How are political or social views driving people's decisions about mask wearing? A: Unfortunately, in our current climate, mask wearing has been politicized. It's a shame, as the simple wearing of a mask in enclosed spaces is not only the smart thing to do as suggested by science but is just basic common courtesy to protect your health and the health of others. Q: Overall, what factors drive innovation and new ideas in fashion? A: Fashion has always been a reflection of the times. Politics, innovation, the economy and artistic trends all have an impact on fashion. Now we are seeing innovation in the design of masks; however, during the space race of the late 1960s we saw a form of futurism impact fashion, particularly in the work of Andre Courreges and Pierre Cardin. Designers imagined what would be fashionable to wear on a space odyssey. Q: Do you think the wearing of masks will influence students? A: Yes, I think we will see fashion students at CMU incorporate face coverings into their work. Isabella County's COVID cases increase another two 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 The Morning Sun week in review, June 28-July4 Take a few minutes and scroll below for a look back at the week's local news and sports stories: A child is waiting: McKanize shares her joy and fashion advice McKanize (pronounced Mackenzie): shes my girl, McKanizes worker said, smiling. She is very sweet and has a distinctive attitude thats playful and fun, but she can also be quiet and listening, taking mental notes. Shes interested in everything around her. Shes a very happy girl. TV Weekend: July 4 specials, "Hamilton," "Hanna," "Baby-Sitters Club" and more... While the backyard fireworks explode outside, your television can be full of July 4 celebrations. The 44th Annual Macy's 4th of July Fireworks Spectacular at 8 p.m. July 4 on NBC (WDIV, Channel 4) will be co-hosted by Jane Lynch and "Today" show anchor Craig Melvin and performances by John Legend, Lady A, Black Eyed Peas, the Killers, Tim McGraw and Brad Paisley, with footage from surprise neighborhood fireworks displays held throughout the week...CNN, meanwhile, airs "The Fourth in America" at 8 p.m. Saturday, July 4, featuring a wealth of musical performances) and fireworks displays from around the country during its four hours...And PBS (Detroit Public Television, Channel 56), meanwhile, offers a series of specials including "Great Performances Ellis Island: The Dream of America" and "The Statue of Liberty" at 10 and 11 p.m., respectively, on Friday, July 3, and "A Capitol Fourth" headlined by John Fogerty (7:30 p.m.) and the "Boston Symphony Orchestra Pops Fireworks" (10:30 p.m.) on Saturday, July 4. Check Local listings. 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 After decades in a French museum, the skulls of 24 Algerians decapitated for resisting French colonial forces were formally repatriated to Algeria in an elaborate ceremony led by the teary-eyed Algerian president. A 21-gun salute thundered from Algiers' international airport as a military plane touched down, carrying the remains. Boats in the ports of Algiers sounded their horns to welcome the arrival. The return of the skulls was the result of years of efforts by Algerian historians, and comes amid a growing global reckoning with the legacy of colonialism. ``The valiant resistance fighters who refused the colonization of their country by imperial France were displayed immorally for decades, like vulgar objects of antiquity, without respect for their dignity, their memory. That is the monstrous face of colonization,'' Algerian army chief Said Chengiha said in a speech. ``Algeria is living a special day today,'' he said. The 24 fought French colonial forces who occupied Algeria in 1830 and took part in an 1849 revolt. After they were decapitated, their skulls were taken to France as trophies. In 2011, Algerian historian and researcher Ali Farid Belkadi discovered the skulls at the Museum of Man in Paris, across from the Eiffel Tower, and alerted Algerian authorities. The researcher lobbied for years for their return, and Algeria's then-president, Abdelaziz Bouteflika, eventually launched the formal repatriation request. French President Emmanuel Macron agreed in 2018 but bureaucratic obstacles delayed the return until now. The remains will be on public display at the Palace of Culture in the capital Saturday, and then will be buried in a special funeral east of Algiers on Sunday _ the 58th anniversary of Algeria's independence from France after a long and bloody war. In tears, Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune presided over Friday's ceremony, alongside the heads of both houses of parliament and top military officials. Three MiG jets escorted the Algerian Ilyushin military plane carrying the remains. The skulls were placed in coffins wrapped in the Algerian flag, and carried by soldiers across the tarmac as a military band played. Historians welcomed the return of the remains, but say they are just part of Algeria's history that is still in French hands. ``We have recovered part of our memory,'' historian Mohamed El Korso told The Associated Press. ``But the fight must continue, until the recovery of all the remains of the resistance fighters, which number in the hundreds, and the archives of our revolution.'' Short link: 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. 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 Dennis Whittie of Ferndale, a former River Rouge police officer, said that George Floyds death has shined a light on the need for police reform. Although law enforcement is mostly made up of people trying their best to do their jobs, Whittie said he also knows there are bad apples who should be held as accountable as any person who commits a crime should. The few police officers that act inappropriately create a negative general image of police officers, he said. - Advertisement - Whittie, who is now running for judicial vacancy on the 43rd District Court, said he knows the importance of taking a stand against officers who are racist or are abusing their power. In 2016, after 15 years working in law enforcement, Whitties employment was terminated after he exposed the alleged corruption he saw going on in his own department. According to MLive, Whittie reported an officer who had allegedly received oral sex from a resident in exchange for not making an arrest, another officer who used excessive force, and officers who posted racist comments on Facebook. The River Rouge city attorney's office did not comment on these allegations. I worked to keep my department accountable. The troubling part to me is that none of the violations I reported were actually addressed. For all the reports I made, the end result was my termination and nothing more, Whittie said. Even so, I would not change what I did as it was the right thing to do. Gov. Gretchen Whitmers new four-pronged police reform plan is aimed at combating issues such as these within the police force. She has also voiced her support for measures that require law enforcement officers to complete training on implicit bias and de-escalation techniques. If you ask most officers, they will agree they want more training. When you ask their employers why there is not enough training, they will say, We do not get enough state-shared revenue or other sources to both staff the police service and provide training, said Whittie. Gov. Whitmers plan will require in-service training for all licensed law enforcement officers to maintain licensure and includes investment in programs that connect local police and community leaders to build relationships. After his experience in the police force, Whittie is doing what he can to make a difference in the system. After seeing many people falsely accused by misleading complainants or the certain selective enforcement based on biases and political beliefs, I decided that I would be most effective in the law as a criminal defense attorney, said Whittie. All of these experiences have led me to the path to run for District Court Judge to serve all communities whether black, white, Hispanic, Arab, LGTBQ, and all others. For more information, visit denniswhittie.com. +2 Gretchen Whitmer closes indoor bar service, allows cocktails-to-go, extends SOS renewal rules Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has issued an executive order closing all indoor bar, nightclub, and strip club service in Lower Michigan to he The Oakland Press week in review, June 28-July 4 We hope it's been a good Fourth of July weekend, considering everything from the heat wave to the racial unrest to the ongoing COVID-19 pandem +2 Michigan Senior Olympics to host limited games during pandemic The Michigan Senior Olympics (MSO) will host a handful of games this summer, though many of them have either been postponed or outright cancel ST. PETERSBURG, Fla.>> At the beginning of March, Joey Conicella and Alex Marin were riding high. Their new Orlando restaurant, Hungry Pants, had drawn rave reviews. With revenue rising, they planned to hire more servers. Sunday brunch service was coming soon. That was just before the coronavirus struck suddenly, forcing them to close. But in May, as authorities eased safety and social-distancing rules, Hungry Pants reopened at smaller capacity, fueled by hope, hand sanitizer and a government loan. Now, a spike in confirmed viral cases is making Conicella and Marin anxious about the future for their business and for the region even as they keep their restaurant open. - Advertisement - "It's been a roller-coaster ride," Conicella said glumly. For residents across America's Sun Belt business owners and workers, consumers and home buyers the past three months have delivered about the scariest ride in memory. With confirmed viral cases surging through the region, it's far from clear whether the stops, starts and bumps in the economy have ended. Or are they the new normal? Will the Sun Belt remain gripped by doubt and uncertainty for months or years? What is clear is that no one feels able to relax and assume the best. "I'm very nervous," said Danielle Judge, owner of Rowdy's Pet Resort in Apollo Beach. "I've put my life's work into this business, and it's really hanging on a thread." Judge had thought the worst was over after she had managed to reopen in May and her loan from the government's Paycheck Protection Program had gone through. Now, her business is stalling once again as reported viral infections have accelerated. Again, she's worried. "I didn't fathom that a whole country could stay shut down and affect people's businesses and people's livelihoods for the duration of time that it has," Judge said. That unease stems from a disturbing truth about the pandemic: No one, not even the top experts, can say when a vaccine or an effective treatment might be in sight. "We don't know when this Covid-19 is going to end," said Aakash Patel of Tampa, who runs Elevate, a consulting firm involved in public relations and marketing for businesses. Patel had thought things would return to "normal" by perhaps September. Now, he's thinking January. And he's trying to stay upbeat. "We all fell together," he said. "We're all going to rise together." It isn't just business owners in the region who fear for the future. It's consumers, too. In Scottsdale, Arizona, Jim and Bobbi Moss had been banking on what looked like a promising economic rebound, only to lose some hope and retreat into a strict limit on their discretionary spending. They now make all their meals at home, and online shopping, Bobbi Moss said, is limited to items that "sustain daily living." "We're not spending online, saying, 'Gee, it might be nice to have this or do that,' "she said. "We're not doing any of that." The couple, who run a tax consulting and financial services business, say many of their clients from couples in their 30s to retirees in their 80s feel whip-lashed by an economic stall-out after the brief rebound a few weeks ago. Clients are rethinking investments, Jim Moss said, or delaying home purchases. Some are considering reverse mortgages because they worry about their cash flow. "Three weeks ago, people were cautiously hopeful," Bobbi Moss said. "Now, it's frustration." In Arizona, Gov. Doug Ducey has ordered bars, nightclubs and water parks to close again for at least a month. Those businesses had been allowed to reopen when a previous stay-at-home order expired in mid-May. In Texas, too, Gov. Greg Abbott in May had green-lighted one of the country's earliest and most aggressive re-openings. But by the end of June, the state's daily rates of newly confirmed cases and hospitalizations had quadrupled. So last week, the governor reversed course. He shuttered bars, restricting restaurant dining and barred elective surgeries in eight counties. On Thursday, he went further: He issued a mandatory face-mask order for most of the state. Florida officials have also shut down bars for a second time. Yet the state's approach has been defined by a patchwork of varying rules, with officials in South Florida, where viral cases have spiked, being the most stringent. In Central Florida, by contrast, some theme parks have reopened. Disney's Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom are set to reopen July 11, Epcot and Hollywood Studios four days later. Danielle Savin has been a personal witness to the wildly uneven ways in which states have responded to the virus. Savin owns two bars one in New York, one in Miami that were forced to close for months. When the pandemic first hit and New York was the country's epicenter, she feared most for her business there. No longer. Now, it's the Miami location she worries most about. She's required to close it at midnight because confirmed cases in Florida have soared. "Being in Florida right now with COVID is like trying to play Pin the Tail on the Donkey at a 5-year-old's birthday," said Savin, co-owner of Bob's Your Uncle, a bar with a neighborhood vibe that had been open a year when the virus struck. The business model had to be swiftly changed, with more focus on food, more kitchen staff and a staggering of shifts to comply with restrictions. Sales have declined, though. Savin and her co-owner have been working with their landlord to help with rent payments. Still, she started a GoFundMe page that has raised about $3,000 to help struggling employees. "It did feel when we reopened again that we had to open a restaurant from scratch," she said. It is a sentiment felt, too, by Joe Ables, who owns Saxon Pub, a live-music venue in Austin, Texas. Ables had closed his doors in March. He didn't reopen even when Texas allowed it at up to 50 percent customer capacity. "I lose less money by staying closed," Ables said. He sought and received federal aid to support his six full-time employees. But given that Texas has now shuttered its bars twice, he's settling in for what he fears will be a long dark period for businesses like his. Ables thinks the state will be cautious and likely slow about reopening them again. In Austin, which bills itself as the "Live Music Capital of the World," Ables has watched some clubs close for good and musicians and production workers leave the city. The state's second shutdown of bars could inflict further damage. "I'm worried about the club scene," he said. "There is permanent damage." Even so, Ables said he holds out hope for an eventual rebound, perhaps in 2021. "I think we all have to believe," he said, "regardless of whether it's war or famine, that we're going to come through it." ___ Vertuno contributed from Austin, Texas. Kelli Kennedy also contributed to this report from Fort Lauderdale. Stimulus money could pose dilemmas in nursing homes NEW YORK>> Nursing home residents are among the Americans getting $1,200 checks as part of the U.S. government's plan to revive the econ +6 For nation's birthday, Trump slams his enemies within WASHINGTON>> On a day meant for unity and celebration, President Donald Trump vowed to "safeguard our values" from enemies within left WASHINGTON>> On a day meant for unity and celebration, President Donald Trump vowed to "safeguard our values" from enemies within leftists, looters, agitators, he said in a Fourth of July speech packed with all the grievances and combativeness of his political rallies. Trump watched paratroopers float to the ground in a tribute to America, greeted his audience of front-line medical workers and others central in responding to the coronavirus pandemic, and opened up on those who "slander" him and disrespect the country's past. - Advertisement - "We are now in the process of defeating the radical left, the anarchists, the agitators, the looters, and the people who, in many instances, have absolutely no clue what they are doing," he said. "We will never allow an angry mob to tear down our statues, erase our history, indoctrinate our children. "And we will defend, protect and preserve (the) American way of life, which began in 1492 when Columbus discovered America." He did not mention the dead from the pandemic. Nearly 130,000 are known to have died from COVID-19 in the U.S. Even as officials across the country pleaded with Americans to curb their enthusiasm for large Fourth of July crowds, Trump enticed the masses with a "special evening" of tribute and fireworks staged with new U.S. coronavirus infections on the rise. But the crowds wandering the National Mall for the night's air show and fireworks were strikingly thinner than the gathering for last year's jammed celebration on the Mall. Many who showed up wore masks, unlike those seated close together for Trump's South Lawn event, and distancing was easy to do for those scattered across the sprawling space. Trump did not hesitate to use the country's birthday as an occasion to assail segments of the country that do not support him. Carrying on a theme he pounded on a day earlier against the backdrop of the Mount Rushmore monuments, he went after those who have torn down statues or think some of them, particularly those of Confederate figures, should be removed. Support has been growing among Republicans to remove Confederate memorials. "Our past is not a burden to be cast away," Trump said. Outside the event but as close to it as they could get, Pat Lee of Upper Dublin, Pennsylvania, gathered with two friends, one of them a nurse from Fredericksburg, Virginia, and none in a mask. "POTUS said it would go away," Lee said of the pandemic, using an acronym for president of the United States. "Masks, I think, are like a hoax." But she said she wore one inside the Trump International Hotel, where she stayed. By the World War II Memorial, the National Park Service handed out packets of five white cloth masks to all who wanted them. People were not required to wear them. Another nurse, Zippy Watt from Riverside, California, came to see the air show and fireworks with her husband and their two daughters, one of whom lives in Washington. They wore matching American flag face masks even when seated together on a park bench. "We chose to wear a mask to protect ourselves and others," Watt said. She said her family was divided on Trump but she is "more of a Trump supporter. Being from southern California I see socialist tendencies. I'm tired of paying taxes so others can stay home." Pat Lee made the trip from north of Philadelphia after seeing last year's Mall celebration on TV. She said the protests over racial injustice that unfolded near her were so threatening that people in her suburban neighborhood took turns staying up all night and those who didn't own guns stationed bats and shovels in their garages. Her friend from Pennsylvania, who didn't want to be identified, said she spent more than three hours in line to buy a gun. "I want people to stop calling us racists," Lee said. "We're not racists. Just because you love your country, love the people in your country, doesn't make you a racist." Trump's guests on the South Lawn were doctors, nurses, law enforcement officers and military members as well as officials from the administration, said Judd Deere, deputy White House press secretary. He said the event was a tribute to the "tremendous courage and spirit" of front-line workers and the public in the pandemic. In many parts of the country, authorities discouraged mass gatherings for the holiday after days that have seen COVID-19 cases grow at a rate not experienced even during the deadliest phase of the pandemic in the spring. In New York, once the epicenter, people were urged to avoid crowds and Nathan's Famous July Fourth hot dog eating contest happened at an undisclosed location without spectators on hand, in advance of the evening's televised fireworks spectacular over the Empire State Building. In Philadelphia, mask- and glove-wearing descendants of the signers of the Declaration of Independence participated in a virtual tapping of the famed Liberty Bell on Independence Mall and people were asked to join from afar by clinking glasses, tapping pots or ringing bells. Yet Trump continued to crave big crowds when it came to his events. He opened the holiday weekend by traveling to Mount Rushmore in South Dakota for a fireworks display Friday night near the mountain carvings of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln and Theodore Roosevelt. In stark words, he accused protesters who have pushed for racial justice of engaging in a "merciless campaign to wipe out our history." Even as he pushed ahead with celebrations, the shadow of the coronavirus loomed closer to him. Kimberly Guilfoyle, a top fundraiser for the president and girlfriend of his eldest child, Donald Trump Jr., tested positive for the virus, Trump's campaign said late Friday. Guilfoyle tweeted Saturday that she was looking forward to "a speedy recovery." In a presidential message Saturday morning on the 244th anniversary of the adoption of the Declaration of Independence, Trump acknowledged that "over the past months, the American spirit has undoubtedly been tested by many challenges." His Democratic rival, Joe Biden, said in a statement that the U.S. "never lived up" to its founding principle that "all men are created equal," but today "we have a chance to rip the roots of systemic racism out of this country.'' Trump's endorsement of big gatherings at the National Mall and at Mount Rushmore came as many communities decided to scrap fireworks, parades and other holiday traditions in hopes of avoiding yet more surges in infection. Confirmed cases were climbing in 40 states, and the U.S. set another record Friday with 52,300 newly reported infections, according to the tally kept by Johns Hopkins University. Trump did not dwell on the pandemic in his remarks Saturday evening. Instead, he declared that "our country is in great shape." Trump has been aching to see the nation return to normalcy, and has been willing to push the envelope farther than many states and big city mayors are willing to go. For Trump and the country, it was yet another holiday clouded by a pandemic that the U.S. has failed to bring under control. In late March, a little more than a week after he bowed to the need to shut down much of the country, Trump spoke of reopening with "packed" churches by Easter Sunday. He relented on that push as his medical advisers warned that it was far too ambitious. Then he spent chunks of his Memorial Day weekend fuming about critics who he said were ignoring falling cases and deaths at the time. +5 Hot summer weather great for celebrating July Fourth this weekend The weather in Southeast Michigan couldn't have looked better over the weekend for celebrating July Fourth, with sun and hot temperatures pred Oakland County Sheriff's office urges safety throughout holiday The Oakland County Sheriff's office urged safety throughout the Fourth of July holiday weekend in a press release on Friday. Conservation officers rescue tubers on Huron River Two Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR) conservation officers rescued three tubers who were stranded in the Huron River near Hulls Trace Boat Launch, located at 36475 W. Jefferson Ave., the DNR said in a press release on Friday. WASHINGTON>> "We have it totally under control," President Donald Trump said in late January. A month later: "The Coronavirus is very much under control in the USA." April and May brought the deadliest stretch of COVID-19 to date. And this past week, the number of new coronavirus cases per day hit an all-time high of 50,000. Trump persisted in his empty assurances. The virus is "getting under control," he said Wednesday. His press secretary described the surge in many parts of the country as "embers." The president acknowledged "flames" here and there. - Advertisement - They cast word confetti over a pandemic that has killed more than 128,000 people in the U.S., while the president talked up a July Fourth fireworks celebration on the National Mall and told those who come Saturday to wear masks if it makes them feel good. A sampling of recent statements and how it compares with reality: VIRUS THREAT TRUMP, describing the COVID-19 threat as "getting under control": "Some (places) were doing very well, and we thought they (the virus) may be gone and they flare up, and we're putting out the fires." remarks Thursday on a jobs report. TRUMP: "I think we are going to be very good with the coronavirus. I think that, at some point, that's going to sort of just disappear, I hope." interview Wednesday on Fox Business Network. THE FACTS: "The virus is not going to disappear," says Dr. Anthony Fauci, the government's top infectious disease expert. Nor can it be considered "under control" as cases have been surging to fresh daily highs. The number of confirmed cases in the U.S. per day has roughly doubled over the past month, hitting 50,000 on Wednesday, according to a count kept by Johns Hopkins University. That is higher even than what the country experienced from mid-April through early May, when deaths sharply rose. Fauci warned this past week that the increase across the South and West "puts the entire country at risk" and that new infections could reach 100,000 a day if people don't start listening to guidance from public health authorities to wear a mask and practice social distancing. During one of the biggest weekends of the summer for July Fourth, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advised Americans to wear face coverings at the beach, though not in the water. Arizona, California, Florida and Texas have recently been forced to shut down bars and businesses as virus cases surge. The U.S. currently has more than 2.7 million known cases and many more undetected. Fauci has said there "certainly" will be coronavirus infections in the fall and winter. ___ VICE PRESIDENT MIKE PENCE: "While we're monitoring about 16 states that are seeing outbreaks, it represents about 4 percent of all the counties in this country." interview with CBS aired Sunday. THE FACTS: That's a misleading portrayal of the virus threat. More than 20% of Americans actually live in those relatively few counties. The White House provided The Associated Press with the full list of U.S. counties that reported increases in COVID-19 cases as of a week ago, when Pence and other administration officials repeatedly cited the low county tally. The list showed 137 of the 3,142 counties in the U.S. that were under a higher alert indeed, about 4% in that snapshot of time. But measured by population, those counties represent a vastly higher share more than 1 in 5 people in the U.S. Altogether there are 68.3 million people living in those 137 counties, while there is a total U.S. population of 322.9 million. That means 21.1% of U.S. residents actually live in the virus "hot spots" identified in the list. ___ TRUMP ON BIDEN TRUMP: "Biden was asked questions at his so-called Press Conference yesterday where he read the answers from a teleprompter. That means he was given the questions." tweet Wednesday. THE FACTS: Biden did not read answers off a teleprompter. Nor did The Associated Press, which asked the first question at the briefing, submit questions in advance. Biden used a teleprompter to read prepared remarks that took aim at Trump's handling of the coronavirus, before the questions and answers started, at which point the teleprompter appeared to have been turned off. Biden's campaign gave him a list of news organizations to call on and he answered questions from reporters on that list as well as some he chose spontaneously. That's not an uncommon practice when officials give news conferences. Video footage shows that during nearly 30 minutes of questions and answers, Biden often looked directly at the reporter, not at the teleprompter. His answers were at times long-winded, without the practiced pauses typically heard in prepared speeches. Biden campaign national press secretary TJ Ducklo called Trump's allegation "laughable, ludicrous and a lie." Trump's accusation reflected his tactic of trying to stir doubts about Biden's mental acuity. ___ TRUMP: "He wants to defund and abolish police." interview Wednesday on "America This Week." THE FACTS: Biden does not join the call of protesters who demanded "defund the police" after George Floyd's killing. "I don't support defunding the police," Biden said last month in a CBS interview. But he said he would support conditioning federal aid to police based on whether "they meet certain basic standards of decency, honorableness and, in fact, are able to demonstrate they can protect the community, everybody in the community." Biden's criminal justice agenda, released long before he became the Democrats' presumptive presidential nominee, proposes more federal money for "training that is needed to avert tragic, unjustifiable deaths" and hiring more officers to ensure that departments are racially and ethnically reflective of the populations they serve. Specifically, he calls for a $300 million infusion into existing federal community policing grant programs. That adds up to more money for police, not defunding law enforcement. Biden also wants the federal government to spend more on education, social services and struggling areas of cities and rural America, to address root causes of crime. ___ WAR IN IRAQ KAYLEIGH MCENANY, White House press secretary: "You have this President who, when Washington was unanimous in saying, 'We're going into Iraq,' this President said, 'No, that's not the right decision.'" news briefing Tuesday. THE FACTS: That's false. Trump voiced support for going into Iraq, as much as he and now his press secretary insist otherwise. And Washington was not unanimous in supporting the invasion. On Sept. 11, 2002, when radio host Howard Stern asked Trump whether he supported a potential Iraq invasion, Trump said: "Yeah, I guess so." On March 21, 2003, just days after the invasion, Trump said it "looks like a tremendous success from a military standpoint." Later that year, he began expressing reservations. More than 150 members of Congress voted against the 2002 resolution to authorize President George W. Bush to use military force against Iraq. That is not unanimity. ___ MEMORIALS TRUMP: "We are tracking down the two Anarchists who threw paint on the magnificent George Washington Statue in Manhattan. ... They will be prosecuted and face 10 years in Prison." tweet Tuesday. TRUMP: "Since imposing a very powerful 10 year prison sentence on those that Vandalize Monuments, Statues etc., with many people being arrested all over our Country, the Vandalism has completely stopped." tweet Sunday. THE FACTS: Trump does not have the authority to impose prison sentences a president is not a judge. Nor can he toughen penalties on his own. Trump signed an executive order last week to protect monuments, memorials and statues, calling on the attorney general to prosecute to the fullest extent of the law any person or group that destroys or vandalizes a monument, memorial or statue. The order basically instructs the attorney general to enforce laws that already exist. +2 Farmers markets are opening in Oakland County In addition to fresh seasonal produce, farmers markets offer fresh flowers, herbs, plants, beauty products, baked foods, canned goods and craf +2 OU fires Eric Wuestenberg, man involved in racially-charged gun incident Oakland University has fired Eric Wuestenberg, the man charged along with his wife in a gun incident with racial overtones outside the Chipotl Welcome Guest! You Are Here: The weather in Southeast Michigan couldn't have looked better over the weekend for celebrating July Fourth, with sun and hot temperatures predicted through Sunday night, according to the National Weather Service. But, with temperatures with highs in the 90s and lows in the 60s, the heat might get a little too hot for those grilling outside, a trend that is expected to continue throughout next week. - Advertisement - In fact, lows are expected to rise into the 70s by Monday night and remain there at least through Thursday night. This continues this week's summer heat wave, with highs in the upper 80s and low 90s. On Friday, temperatures reached up to 93 degrees around 5 pm, with with a low of 70 degrees around 6 a.m. It was partly cloudy for most of the day and sunny without a breeze. And, while it was muggy in the morning, with humidity levels reaching 76 percent, it was less so by the evening, when humidity levels fell to 37 percent. This trend continued into Saturday, Independence Day, with high humidity in the morning up to 81 degrees, even getting a overcast around 4 am. This mugginess tapered off by the afternoon, at 35 percent humidity. It remained partly to mostly cloudy and sunny with a high of 90 degrees and a low of 64 degrees, with a north northeast wind around 5 to 9 mph, throughout the day. It is expected to stay clear during the night, but expect smoke from fireworks to cause a weather phenomenon called inversion, which usually develops on calm nights, as the air from the ground cools. An inversion is when a pocket of warmer air is sitting over top of a pocket of cooler air, causing rising cooler air to get trapped underneath the pocket of warmer air and hover near the ground, according to Accuweather.com. Without any wind, the stagnant air can cause pollution to gather and sit in the lowest part of the atmosphere within a few hundred feet of the ground. A common example of this is smog. This can also occur with fireworks displays, with hot fireworks exploding in the sky and smoke getting trapped near the ground, causing visibility problems, Accuweather Senior Meteorologist Brian Thompson said in an article for Accuweather.com. Yep -- there's a lot of smoke left around after fireworks! WHY? -> After dark, the atmosphere cools & a thin layer of stable air develops. The winds are light and no 'mixing' can occur -- so smoke gets trapped near the surface. #wusa9weather @wusa9 @hbwx @tenacioustopper pic.twitter.com/T1c0EuMMJr Melissa Nord (@MelissaNordWx) July 5, 2019 Consequentially, the National Weather Service and the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy have issued an Air Quality Alert for Southeastern Michigan, including Oakland, Macomb and Wayne Counties, which remains in effect through Sunday evening. Sunday will also be an action day for elevated levels of ozone and pollutants are expected to be high. Residents are advised to avoid activities which could lead to ozone formation, such as refueling vehicles or topping off when refueling, using gasoline-powered lawn equipment or using charcoal-based lighter fluid. Sunday itself, however, will be sunny and hot, with a high near 94 degrees and a low around 67 degrees, with a east south east wind of 5 to 9 mph, which will be a light, on-and-off breeze, according to the National Weather Service. Expect humidity levels to follow similar trends as Friday and Saturday, with high humidity in the morning at around 68 percent humidity and fall to 28 percent humidity by 5 pm. There will be a very low chance of precipitation, around 2 to 5 percent, according to Accuweather.com. For more information on the weekend's weather or for other forecasts, visit the National Weather Service's website at weather.gov or go to Accuweather.com. Or, for more information on inversion caused by fireworks displays, see the article on Accuweather.com. To see further informatoin on Sunday's Air Quality Alert, visit the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy's website at www.deqmiar.org. +2 Oakland County area 4th of July fireworks displays Most fireworks displays, ceremonies and festivities are canceled or postponed due to coronavirus concerns. However a few communities and lake Oakland County Sheriff's office urges safety throughout holiday The Oakland County Sheriff's office urged safety throughout the Fourth of July holiday weekend in a press release on Friday. +3 Ken Morris: Benjamin Franklin wants you to go to bed early tonight For years my family and I have been attending a July 4th parade in a small northern Michigan town. But this year, like so many events across t +2 Farmers markets are opening in Oakland County In addition to fresh seasonal produce, farmers markets offer fresh flowers, herbs, plants, beauty products, baked foods, canned goods and craf The Oakland Press week in review, June 28-July 4 We hope it's been a good Fourth of July weekend, considering everything from the heat wave to the racial unrest to the ongoing COVID-19 pandem Oakland University has fired Eric Wuestenberg, the man charged along with his wife in a gun incident with racial overtones outside the Chipotle Mexican Grill in Orion Township. Eric Wuestenberg worked in a department that assisted students who are veterans, said OU spokesman Brian Bierley. Wuestenberg served in the Air Force from 1996 to 2009, according to a story in the student-run Oakland University newspaper. - Advertisement - Democratic U.S. Rep. Elissa Slotkin said in a statement that Wuestenberg had participated in one of her voluntary advisory boards, on veterans issues. She said she removed him from the advisory board Thursday. The Wuestenbergs, who are white, were charged with felonious assault after a member of an unnamed Black family from Pontiac recorded video on Wednesday, July 1, of Jillian Wuestenberg pointing a gun at the Black family outside the restaurant. Eric Wuestenberg also exited the couples vehicle with a handgun, Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard said at a news conference Thursday. "We have seen the video and we deem his behavior unacceptable. The employee has been notified that his employment has been terminated by the university," OU said in a statement late Thursday. The Black family and the Wuestenbergs argued outside the restaurant after a member of the Black family demanded an apology from Jillian Wuestenberg for bumping a teenage girl in the group. Both the Wuestenbergs and the Black family accused each other of racism. Jillian Wuestenberg told police she exited the couples vehicle and pointed a handgun at the Black family after the mother stood behind the van, blocking the Wuestenbergs from leaving. They also said the mother slapped her hand on the back of the vehicle and made threatening statements. The Black family told police the mother stepped behind the vehicle and the Wuestenbergs backed into her, Bouchard said. Asked if Eric Wuestenberg would have grounds to sue the university for wrongful termination, Bierley said, Youd have to ask an attorney. Eric Wuestenberg, 42, and Jillian Wuestenberg, 32, of Independence Township, were each charged with one count of felonious assault, a four-year felony. They were arraigned late Thursday afternoon before Magistrate Marie Soma in 52-3 District Court in Rochester Hills. Both were given a $50,000 personal bond. As a condition of the bond they must turn over all firearms, not engage in assaultive behavior and not leave Michigan, Sheriff Michael Bouchard said in a statement. According to the sheriff's department, they each have current conceal pistol licenses. The Wuestenbergs could not be reached by phone for comment Friday, and it was not clear whether they have attorneys who could comment on the allegations. Their next court appearance is a July 14 probable cause conference before Judge Julie Nicholson. The video of the incident has gone viral and has prompted thousands of posts on social media supporting either the Wuestenbergs or the Black family. RELATED: Couple charged in gun incident with racial overtones The Oakland County Prosecutors Office has charged an Independence Township couple with felonious assault, a four-year felony, after a raciall +8 Mid-year, Oakland County reports 9 homicides so far in 2020 Midway through 2020, nine people have been victims of reported homicides that happened in Oakland County. A Peterborough Transit bus wrap recognizing front-line workers during the COVID-19 pandemic was unveiled Friday morning at the Peterborough EMS headquarters on Armour Road in Peterborough. The bus wrap was created in partnership with created by Fully Promoted and Signarama. Dimitri Lascaris, a candidate for the leadership of the federal Green party, is making a stop in Peterborough on Saturday to meet with local Green party members and others who are interested in the leadership race. The event will take place in Fleming Park at Aylmer and Brock streets at 5:30 p.m. The Toronto lawyer is one of 10 candidates, including former Winnipeg mayor and Ontario environment minister Glen Murray, looking to succeed Elizabeth May as party leader. The party will choose a new leader in October. Peterborough will see its first cooling room of the summer open Saturday as a heat wave lingers on. The cooling room will be operated by One Roof drop-in centre located at 99 Brock St. and will be open between 9 a.m. and noon and from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. during days when a heat alert is active. Peterborough Public Health and Environment Canada both issued heat warnings on Thursday with temperatures of around 31 C and low temperatures of around 20 C forecast for the next six days, with the overnight lows providing little relief from the heat. Normal temperatures for this time of year in Peterborough are a high of 26 C and a low of 14 C. Working to respond to demand, we know in this heat people need places to go, said Peterborough Mayor Diane Therrien. This isnt just you know, vulnerable people that might be homeless, but also a lot of elderly folks, people that have respiratory issues, you know with the extreme heat you want to provide as many options as possible. Therrien said One Roof plans to do a soft opening with the cooling room Saturday so they do not get too swamped due to the protocols that need to be in place due to the COVID-19 pandemic. There is going to be all these protocols in place for physical distancing for people who are symptomatic to get the help that they need, so the capacity is going to be 15 people, Therrien said. Activists and advocates had been asking for the citys help in opening at least one cooling room during heatwaves, not only for the homeless and marginalized, but for everyone who requires it. Trish Campbell, community activist, said she has been appealing to the city to ensure one cooling room opens immediately due to the extreme heat and to keep the splash pads on until midnight. It is my understanding, Toronto has opened 15 cooling centres and they have extended the hours of their public swimming pools to midnight, she said. The city also announced Friday that it has extended the hours of splash pads in places like King Edward Park at 455 George St., until 9 p.m. until the heat wave passes sometime next week, to help with people who are experiencing discomfort. Dan Hennessey, a local community activist, said it was poorly thought out when it comes to vulnerable and marginalized people being able to cool off. What happens if there is an adult sitting in the splash pad or wading pool trying to stay cool, he said. Some of the parents are going to get all nervous thinking the guy is sitting there staring at children and it wasnt well thought out. Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... People with disabilities and people below the poverty line living in rooming houses are going to suffer due to the heat, Hennessey said. As a response to the need to stay cool, social assistance has agreed to provide their recipients with assistance for fans and other cooling options. In 2018, a water plant by the charming name of starry stonewort (SSW) was identified in Stoney Lake. Fast forward two years and this highly-aggressive, invasive aquatic species is now turning up all over the Kawarthas. For many cottagers and lakeside residents, the impacts have been hard to watch. They have seen firsthand how quickly the species spreads and the huge impact it has on the biodiversity and recreational use of infested areas. SSW (Nitellopsis obtusa) has been present in North America for at least four decades. A macro-alga native to Europe and western Asia, it was introduced to the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence region in 1978 via the ballast water in ships and has spread into Lake Simcoe and other inland lakes over the last decade. In 2015, it was found in Lake Scugog where it now represents a dominant component of the aquatic plant community. SSW is typically associated with fairly shallow, low-flow water bodies, which makes many lakes in the Kawarthas prime habitat. In addition to Lakes Simcoe and Scugog, it can now be found in Sturgeon, Pigeon, Upper and Lower Buckhorn, Rice, Big Cedar, and Lower Stoney Lake where it has proliferated over the last few years. SSW is present throughout Gilchrist Bay and the Lost Channel and was most recently identified in nearby Mackenzie Bay. Jennifer Wortzman, a long-time Stoney Lake cottager, says that seeing SSW in the Lost Channel is heartbreaking. Thats such a beautiful part of the lake. Its an annual event for so many community members to paddle through the channel. Its also disheartening to see people ignoring all the warnings about driving their boats through areas like these. Theyre spreading stonewort all over the lake. According to a risk assessment submitted to the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forests in 2017, SSW has a probability of invasion rating of Very High and an impact rating of High Negative. In other words, it could eventually become a huge problem in Ontario, especially with the increase in water temperatures and longer growing seasons associated with climate change. Identification and dispersal Although its name might suggest something related to astronomy or even geology, SSW is actually a green macro alga in other words, an alga with the size and shape of a real plant. It forms large, dense mats in water anywhere from one-half to 10 metres in depth. The mats can be up to three metres deep and dense enough to impede boating or paddling. At the peak of the growing season from late July to late September, the mats appear as hill-like mounds under the surface of the water. The algas branchlets and stems are very thin (like heavy fishing line), light green in colour, and have a hard, crunchy feel. In fact, they make a popping noise when squeezed. Although it lacks a true root system, SSW is anchored by clear filaments. It simply hangs above the lake bottom where it creates an anoxic or oxygen-deprived layer. The filaments produce white, star-shaped bulbils, which are the reproductive structures that give SSW its name and make it so difficult to eradicate. Because SSW is often intermingled with other aquatic species, finding it can sometimes be difficult. SSW spreads easily and rapidly by the dispersal of plant fragments and the bulbils described above. The process is accelerated when boats travel through infested areas. Their propellers tear off strands of the plant and redistribute them into new areas. Environment Council Action The Environment Council for Clear, Stoney and White Lakes began taking action last summer. This included posting information on their website and putting up signs in infested areas and at public access points warning visiting boaters that SSW is present in the lake. Information sheets were created and distributed to resident cottagers, and presentations were made to all four township councils with jurisdiction around the lakes. The councils message was that there needs to be joint action by the province, the surrounding townships, the Trent-Severn Waterway, and Parks Canada to deal with this problem. The environment council is doing its best to keep everyone informed. However, we all have a responsibility to be informed and to use common sense to help prevent the spread of this highly aggressive invasive alga said Ed Paleczny, the environment council chair. The council is posting a Best Management Practices document on their website (see below) to provide practical advice for cottagers, businesses, and commercial weed harvesters on how to prevent the spread of SSW. The environment council now has a team that will investigate any sightings of SSW in Clear, Stoney and White Lakes. If you think you've spotted the species, please go their website at http://www.environmentcouncil.ca/starry-stonewort and click on the REPORT SSW button. If possible, also send a photo of the area and the alga for verification. The website has maps showing confirmed areas of infestation. Preventing the spread Right now, there is no way to eradicate SSW. However, the plant is sometimes harvested to facilitate boat travel and to improve recreational use of the lake. Unfortunately, harvesting does not eradicate the species but actually increases the risk of spread by fragments. Plant removal is regulated by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forests in all inland waters except the Trent Severn Waterway and Rideau Canal. In the latter two areas, a Parks Canada permit is required to harvest and remove any aquatic vegetation. The Department of Fisheries and Oceans also has jurisdiction, since it is responsible for protecting critical habitat for warm water fish like perch, bass, and muskellunge. If the spread of SSW is to be slowed, it is important to avoid boat travel from infested areas into non-infested waters. If you absolutely need to travel in or through an infested area, stop and lift your boat motor and remove all weeds. The weeds must then be placed in a bucket and taken to dry land and disposed of away from any water. You should also clean and dry your watercraft before leaving an infected lake. Check your boat exterior and trailer for any vegetation, and drain live wells, bait buckets, and bilges. You should also ensure that any commercial harvester that you hire to remove weeds on your waterfront has a permit from the Trent-Severn Waterway. It is critical that any commercial weed harvester is not moving in and out of infested areas. You must be sure that the weed harvester is clean, drained, and dry before working on your waterfront, otherwise you are at high risk of waking up to SSW right off your dock. Impacts and Research As SSW continues to expand, significant environmental and economic impacts on the Kawartha Lakes appear certain. The alga disrupts healthy functioning ecosystems as infested areas rapidly form a monoculture. It can even eliminate Eurasian watermilfoil, which is another infamous invasive species in the Kawarthas. Because of the loss of plant diversity, the habitat becomes less inviting for fish and other species. This, in turn, poses a serious threat to the future of sport fishing. The disruption of popular recreational activities such as swimming, boating, and fishing has a serious economic cost, too, especially when it comes to tourism. On Lake Scugog, the Scugog Lake Stewards are partnering with the University of Ontario Institute of Technology to further study the prevalence and ecological impact of SSW on the biological community. In related research, doctoral student Tyler Harrow-Lyle is trying to determine the biogeographical drivers of the invasion as well as its impacts on ecosystem function. I recommend checking out a short YouTube video produced by the Scugog Lake Stewards, entitled Macroscopic Algae: Starry Stonewort It can be viewed at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J1clVTaX9fM The final word goes to Terry Rees, president of the Federation of Ontario Cottagers Associations. When it comes to aquatic invaders, the fact that SSW can outcompete and take over from a highly competitive invader like Eurasian watermilfoil is extremely troubling. People that love and use our lakes need to be ever vigilant about not spreading any of these species from place to place! Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Drew Monkman is a retired Peterborough teacher and coauthor of The Big Book of Nature Activities. Reach him at dmonkman1@cogeco.ca . To see past columns, recent nature sightings and his other books, go to www.drewmonkman.com Climate crisis news ALARM: At the coldest point on Earth, temperatures are rising fast. Data from the South Pole shows that over the past 30 years, the region has warmed three times faster than the warming rate of the planet as a whole. The study was published Monday in the journal Nature Climate Change. "The South Pole seemed to be isolated from what was going on across the rest of the world," said researcher Kyle Clem. But all of a sudden, it ramps up with rapid warming, some of the strongest warming on the planet." The researchers believe that part of the warming is part of a multi-decade natural process, but that the rest is due to human-induced climate change. So far, the temperature changes haven't been significant enough to cause any massive ice loss at Antarctica's interior. Still, the bottom line is that the Antarctic is waking up to climate change and that is alarming. ENCOURAGEMENT: Members of the local climate group, For Our Grandchildren, along with Malaika Collette of Peterborough Youth Empowerment, presented a motion to Peterborough County Council last week to declare a climate change emergency. The motion was passed with no changes after a long and largely positive discussion. The matter has now been referred to the director, corporate projects and services, for a report back to council. Lets hope the declaration is made! For local climate news and ways to take action, visit https://forourgrandchildren.ca/ and subscribe to the newsletter. The opening scenes of the filmed version of the Broadway musical Hamilton, which started streaming on Disney Plus on Friday, pull you back in time to two distinct periods. The people onstage, in their breeches and brass-buttoned coats, belong to the New York of 1776. That is when a 19-year-old freshly arrived from the Caribbean the bastard, immigrant, son of a whore who shares his name with the show makes his move and takes his shot, joining up with a squad of anti-British revolutionaries and eventually finding his way to George Washingtons right hand and the front of the $10 bill. But this Hamilton, played with relentless energy and sly charm by Lin-Manuel Miranda, who wrote the music, book and lyrics, also belongs to the New York of 2016. Filmed (by the shows director, Thomas Kail, and cinematographer Declan Quinn) in front of a live audience at the Richard Rodgers Theater in June of that year, the movie, while not strictly speaking a documentary, is nonetheless a document of its moment. It evokes a swirl of ideas, debates, dreams and assumptions that can feel, in the present moment, as elusive as the intrigue and ideological sparring of the late 1700s. Hamilton may be the supreme artistic expression of an Obama-era ideal of progressive, multicultural patriotism. Casting Black and Latino actors as the Founding Fathers and their allies was much more than a gesture of inclusiveness. The shows argument, woven through songs that brilliantly synthesized hip hop, show tunes and every flavour of pop, was that American history is an open book. Any of us should be able to write ourselves into it. Alexander Hamilton, the first secretary of the Treasury and an architect of the U.S. banking system, was Mirandas chosen embodiment of this belief: an outsider with no money and scant connections who propelled himself into the centre of the national narrative through sheer brains, talent and drive. Miranda shares some of his heros ambition and intelligence, and turns Hamilton into an avatar of modern American aspiration. Hamilton is a brilliant feat of historical imagination, which isnt the same as a history lesson. Miranda used Ron Chernows dad-lit doorstop the way Shakespeare drew on Holinsheds Chronicles as a treasure trove of character, anecdote and dramatic raw material. One of the marvels of the show is the way it brings long-dead, legend-shrouded people to vivid and sympathetic life. The close-ups and camera movements in this version enhance the charisma of the performers, adding a dimension of intimacy that compensates for the lost electricity of the live theatrical experience. The glib, dandyish Thomas Jefferson (Daveed Diggs) is a perfect foil for Hamilton: his rival, his intellectual equal and his sometimes reluctant partner in the construction of a new political order. The duplicitous Aaron Burr (Leslie Odom Jr.) may be the most Shakespearean figure in the pageant, a gifted man tormented and ultimately undone by his failure to make himself matter. Not that public affairs are the only forces that move Hamilton. I havent forgotten the Schuyler sisters, who have some of the best numbers and who somewhat undermine the patriarchal, great-man tendencies inherent in this kind of undertaking. Angelica Schuyler (the magnificent Renee Elise Goldsberry), the oldest of the three sisters, is a freethinker and a feminist constrained by the narrowness of the options available to women of her time and class. Her sister Eliza (Phillipa Soo), who marries Alexander, is saved from being reduced to a passive, suffering figure by the emotional richness of her songs. Still, the personal and the political dont entirely balance. The biographical details are necessary to the structure and texture of the show, but it is fuelled by cabinet debates and pamphlet wars, by high rhetoric and backroom dealing, by the glory and complexity of self-government. Hamilton is motivated, above all, by a faith in the self-correcting potential of the American experiment, by the old and noble idea that a usable past and therefore a more perfect future can be fashioned from a record that bristles with violence, injustice and contradiction. The optimism of this vision, filtered through a sensibility as generous as Mirandas, is inspiring. It is also heartbreaking. One lesson that the past few years should have taught or reconfirmed is that there arent any good old days. We cant go back to 1789 or 2016 or any other year to escape from the failures that plague us now. This four-year-old performance of Hamilton, viewed without nostalgia, feels more vital, more challenging than ever. In late May, as protests against police brutality began to seize American cities, videos of a Black man on horseback wearing a bulletproof vest spread widely on social media. In many of the posts, users suggested that he had stolen a police officers horse. But Adam Hollingsworth, a 33-year-old Chicagoan, is no thief. The horse in the video, Prince, is one of four he owns and rides around the city, where he is known as the Dreadhead Cowboy. You have to have some kind of experience to get on a horse to ride it, he said in a phone interview last week. And, he added, if you steal a police horse, its like kidnapping a police officer. You cant just get up and steal a police horse. As the false accusations piled up, Hollingsworth said his car was vandalized and that he received death threats. The experience hammered home for him that his reason for riding to expand peoples ideas about Black masculinity and to promote a message of unity in some of Chicagos most racially segregated neighbourhoods remains urgent. Its not just about me, he said. Everything Im doing is for the future. Hollingsworth was born and raised in Woodlawn, a majority-Black neighbourhood (nearly 83 per cent, according to a 2019 analysis by the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning) on the South Side of Chicago. The area has recently appeared in the news as the proposed site of the Obama Presidential Center. Horseback riding didnt come into Hollingsworths life until adulthood, once he was released from prison after a wrongful conviction for gun possession. I dont play with guns, Hollingsworth said. Im not that kind of guy. But when his car was pulled over in 2006, someone riding with him did have a gun, which the police found when they searched the car. The officers asked for the ages of the men in the vehicle. I was 19, and they said, Youre the oldest, its your gun. The bail for his release was set at $5,000 (U.S.). Unable to pay, Hollingsworth sat in jail awaiting a court date. His public defender advised him to fight the charge, believing there was insufficient evidence to convict him. However, after a month in a cell, Hollingsworth said he just wanted to go home and requested his public defender arrange for a plea deal. After serving one month in Cook County Jail, he pleaded guilty and was released on probation. Upon his release, Hollingsworth focused on staying out of trouble and finding a job. But with a criminal record, this became a herculean task. He began working as an exotic dancer in 2010 and bought his first horse, Wi-Fi, nine years later for $800 during a period of severe depression. My horse was my therapy, he said. Over time, one horse became four. He keeps them in a barn at his uncles house in Crete, a suburb of Chicago, and brings them out to the city almost every day, as long as the weather co-operates. When this pandemic came about and everyone was depressed and miserable, I thought maybe they can help them too, he said. During lockdown, Hollingsworth began riding around Chicagos Black and Latino communities to bring joy to residents, especially young children. I didnt have my father in my life, he said. To have a kid say Im their hero, it melts my heart. His son, Akil, 12, has begun referring to himself as the Dreadhead Cowboy Jr. Some adults have told him it is their first time seeing a horse in real life. Youve never seen a horse in the hood, he said. He said it was not unusual for onlookers to question his ownership of the horses. When people see me on a horse, they always ask if Im a police officer. They ask if I got money. If I steal it. How I get it, he said. You could be the brokest guy in the world, but you pull up on a horse in a Black community and everyone thinks youre rich, he added. The fallout from the viral posts about him and Prince left him scared and concerned about how quickly bad information travels online. People be sharing posts and not be doing their own investigations, he said. The first time I see something, I do research. Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... But he is also harnessing his growing fame to give back to his community. Im trying to put a barn in the city, he said, specifically in Woodlawn. Already he has raised more than half of his $50,000 goal on GoFundMe. As for the virus, hes not afraid. He has been taking all the recommended precautions. Im social distancing being on top of the horse, he said. Being a Black man, Im taking a chance every day by stepping outside. Late last week, when the embattled Gap brand announced, with great fanfare, that it was embarking on a 10-year partnership with Kanye West to create a new brand, Yeezy Gap, in an all-in bid for relevance and revitalization, a corner of the panting internet noticed one thing was amiss. What about Telfar? people asked. They were talking, of course, about Telfar Clemens, 35, a Black designer upending old ideas about gender, identity and community, who had been announced, to almost as much fanfare, as a Gap collaborator in January. That same month, there had even been a lavish party thrown by the Gap during Paris mens fashion week in its store on rue Tronchet, attended by Kate Moss, Violet Chachki and Dev Hynes and covered in Vogue, W, Essence and Complex (among other publications) to herald the Gap x Telfar collection. Now it looked as if the Gap, deep in financial trouble after the pandemic caused the closing of its stores and the furloughing of most of the North American retail staff; already suffering reputational damage after cancelling many of its orders from factories in Bangladesh and elsewhere; being attacked on Instagram by disgruntled customers; and being sued for $66 million (U.S.) in non-payment of rent by its landlord, Simon Property Group, had dropped one Black creative for a more famous one. Given the current uproar about racial justice, the timing could not have been worse. A Vast Power Imbalance For Clemens, speaking for the first time since the brouhaha began, to think that this is about Kanye versus Telfar is to draw the wrong conclusion. This is about how collaborations between emerging designers, especially emerging designers of colour, and giant establishment corporations, traditionally framed by fashion as key to a new designers success, may actually be about something else entirely. To be specific, he said by phone from Maryland, it is about a vast power imbalance, perpetuated by the narrative of inclusivity, or being allowed to appear in territory owned by white people. His creative director, Babak Radboy, 37, also on the phone, characterized the experience as a wake-up call. It is also the story of a large company in disarray and what seems like an almost complete failure in basic systems and communication. When asked about what happened, a spokesperson for the Gap emailed, The Yeezy Gap partnership and the Telfar collab were handled by wholly separate teams and the workstreams didnt intersect, given organizational and leadership shifts between the timing of both. Which is business speak for: Telfar fell through the cracks during a time of corporate upheaval. That is a mistake that is telling in itself. (West was not available for comment.) Clemens and Radboy had initially avoided talking about the debacle because, Clemens said, he was happy for West, who had been involved in conversations with the Gap for more than a decade and Mowalola Ogunlesi, the Nigerian-British designer, who has been named design director for Yeezy Gap project. Clemens said he loved both their work. But he and Radboy had become increasingly uncomfortable with the storyline, popular on social media, that painted the Telfar group as victims or that played fame and skin colour against each other, as Clemens said. They were more concerned about that misperception than the mechanics of what exactly happened, though the mechanics themselves are important. How the Telfar/Gap collaboration came to be It began about a year ago, when the Gap reached out to Clemens to talk about working together. The buzz around him and his unisex designs which ignore old orthodoxies about female and male and crop and chop and twist mythologies of sexuality, uniforms and utility into clothes was building. He had won the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund award, held a rave/show during New York Fashion Week complete with a mosh pit, attended the Met Gala and created an It bag for a new generation so ubiquitous it was christened the Bushwick Birkin. His creative fan club included playwright Jeremy O. Harris, rapper Butch Dawson, Solange and Kelela. Clemens had that alchemy that transforms fashion into community. Little wonder the Gap, which was in the midst of a long-term identity crisis, saw potential. Over time, they hashed out an agreement, which was for two seasons, with unlimited options to renew, and involved a design fee and royalties. Im a big fan of the Gap its so much in our DNA, Clemens said. The potential of what this could be seemed so big walking into a Gap store and being able to get a unisex piece of clothing in every size and colour. It would have been groundbreaking, a cultural shift in what was expected from the Gap. A logo was created. A contract for the introductory party was signed. The windows of the Gap store in Paris were papered with photographs from the most recent Telfar show. At the event, John Caruso, then the head of Gap Adult Design, told Vogue the collaboration represents all the momentum and the future vision of the brand. Its a completely new chapter, so its important that we do things like this to stand proud, be bold and cut through all the noise, he said. Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... That is why, when the news about the Yeezy deal broke, the Telfar crew, Radboy said, felt deja vu. Clemens said: It seemed so similar to the story we had to tell albeit at an even bigger scale. To outsiders, even the logo looked awfully similar, though to be fair, theres only so much any designer can do with three letters and a blue square. By then, however, the Gap leadership had changed. Art Peck, the chief executive, had been abruptly fired in November 2019. Alegra OHare, the chief marketing officer, stepped down at the end of January. Then Caruso left. The Telfar Gap collection contract was still in draft form, unsigned by either party, though a Telfar spokesperson said a deal memo had been agreed upon and the contract promised by March 25. (Deal memos, while they outline the terms of an agreement, are not legally binding). Then the pandemic happened. And then Clemens, who had already delivered 30 designs, which would form the basis of a collection despite not having a finalized contract, was told that production had been postponed indefinitely. In late March, his company sent the Gap an invoice asking to be paid for its work. The Gap offered to pay 25 per cent of the design fee as a postponement fee (they have done this). And that, Radboy said, is when all communication ceased. He sent email after email. He heard nothing. The Gap spokesperson attributed this to an organizational shift in the brand during an unprecedented period. Later, when the Kanye deal was announced, Clemens and Radboy asked to be paid in full, assuming their collection had been cancelled. As the social media volume began to rise, Gap agreed. We took immediate steps to resolve this matter after we were made aware of a delay in payment, the spokesperson emailed. While wed chosen not to move forward with the Gap x Telfar partnership at this time, were making whole on the full payment regardless and have only respect and appreciation for Telfars time and vision. Simply put this is not at all how we would expect a partnership to be handled and apologize for how this panned out, the statement continued. At this point, Clemens said, I am really glad to be free of it. Especially so given the way the Gap has let down its supplier factories, he said. We grew up looking at the edifice of the mall and wanting to be part of it, to have power there, Radboy said. Now we have realized we shouldnt. It has been part of our survival to become content for a bigger brand so they can make a statement about their racial solidarity. But the real problem is the initial situation that blocks a designers progress so they need to say yes to such a thing. Besides, both he and Clemens said, their digital business, which they own and control entirely themselves, is going very well. If anything, weve learned a lot more about ourselves and how we want to position ourselves in the new industry, Clemens said. He noted that since his factory reopened and he was able to restock his bags, they have been selling out on his own platforms within an hour. Transformation, he said, is not working with an establishment brand. Transformation is what we are doing independently and directly. Read more about: Q: As the divorced father of my only child an adult daughter planning a fall wedding Im stumped about how to handle a question shes asked me: Dad, did you ever cheat on my mother? Help! My best friend told me to say, No, of course not, no matter whether true or false. He added, why upset her about what your marriage was like or how hard you tried, since its long been over? But it seems to me theres more to be said than a No, or Yes. Ive been very involved in co-parenting my daughter and weve stayed close even after she started dating. From age seven until 16, she spent two week nights, every other weekend, and half the summer with me. Her mother regularly invites me to Christmas and Easter dinners so we can all be together. What are your thoughts on discussing this question asked by a daughter whos a soon-to-be bride, 18 years after her parents divorce? Past History A: Your daughter is opening a conversation that relates to her life and future. You should not be put on trial for your past, and you need to help her recognize that. Because whether you cheated or didnt 18 years ago, isnt her real issue. If you want to help your daughter sort through her personal concerns about spousal infidelity, you need to gently help her reveal what shes really worried about. Example: Has she felt desire for someone other than her future spouse and is trying to open up to you about it? Or, has she had reason to doubt her partners fidelity? My point: This is her time, her life, her future. What happened in your time and life in the past, is almost irrelevant (unless shes been led to believe that you were a serial cheater and shes inherited infidelity genes). Even if her mother has previously said your marriage ended because of an affair you had, do not become defensive or give a long explanation. Simply ask your daughter, Why would a mother tell that to her child? Or maybe your daughter thought this was the case, or heard it as gossip. It doesnt matter. Go deeper. Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... She needs to contemplate her future from the perspective of her life experience to date, plus her expectations for the future, trust level with her fiance, and knowing her own character. This could be one of the most important conversations you have with her at this time of hope and reflection prior to getting married so long as you listen carefully, and give her time and space to let her thoughts and fears get the most airing. FEEDBACK: Regarding the person raised in a South Asian family, who had no free will to choose his own career (June 12): Reader: I was raised by my redneck Canadian family in a small town. My post high-school choices: Army, Navy, Air force or RCMP. My brother and I were forced to sign a family contract, on our 16th birthday. My brother has retired from the Armed Forces with PTSD after 25 years. He made our parents proud. I decided to live my own life. After high school I left home to attend university without my familys blessings. I was going to be a writer. I was ostracized by my family, never returning home until their respective funerals. Yes, all work matters. Parents should never choose their childs career if the childs heart isnt in it. Ellies tip of the day Adult children sometimes question parents for their own personal reasons. Happy July 4th U.S. Independence Day! 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 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 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 that 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. LONDON - The father of British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has defended his decision to fly to Greece via Bulgaria in order to COVID-proof his property there before he potentially rents it out. With a towel draped over his shoulder, Stanley Johnson told reporters Friday on a dirt track outside his villa on Mount Pelion that he wasnt 100% up to speed on the British publics reaction since he went to Greece for a quiet time, to organize the house. The trip has met with criticism for having violated at the very least the spirit of Greeces coronavirus restrictions as well as the current travel guidance in the U.K. The Greek government, which has been lauded for the countrys comparatively low number of confirmed coronavirus cases and eager to salvage the summer tourist season, extended its ban on flights from the U.K. until July 15 amid concerns over Britains still-high infection rates. Many also think that the elder Johnsons trip to Greece via the Bulgarian capital of Sofia went against the overarching advice of Britains Foreign Office, which currently recommends avoiding all but essential travel. All I can say is that its always a great joy to me, its such a great joy to me, to arrive in Greece, Johnson said Friday. He said he had just one week to get everything organized at the property ahead of July 15, the date he anticipates Greece will finally permit flights from the U.K. On Friday, the British government said that starting July 10 it will scrap a requirement for people arriving from dozens of countries, including Greece, to spend 14 days in isolation. Johnson said he is due to return to the U.K. on that date, meaning that under the new guidelines he wont have to quarantine himself. He refused to be drawn into a discussion of whether his trip had caused problems for his son, who spent a week hospitalized with COVID-19 in April. Boris Johnson also refused Friday to be drawn into his fathers travel arrangements. News of Stanley Johnsons trip came weeks after the British government faced a tide of anger over the revelation that the prime ministers chief aide, Dominic Cummings, travelled more than 250 miles (400 kilometres) from London to his parents home in northeast England in March when everyone but essential workers was urged to stay at home. Many fear that word of Cummings decision to venture out diluted the governments lockdown message and potentially could lead to people ignoring the governments standing guidelines and the virus spreading again. The U.K. has an official coronavirus-related death toll of more than 44,200, the worlds third-highest behind the United States and Brazil. Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... ___ Follow all of APs pandemic coverage at https://apnews.com/VirusOutbreak and https://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak 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. TOLEDO, Ohio - An officer who was responding to a call in a store parking lot was shot and killed early Saturday morning by an intoxicated man holding a beer, police said. Toledo Officer Anthony Dia was shot in the chest just after midnight in the parking lot of a Home Depot, and later pronounced dead at a hospital, Police Chief George Kral said at a news conference. Witnesses told police the man shot the officer with a handgun and then went into a wooded area. At some point, officers heard a single gunshot coming from the woods, Kral said. The gunman, only described as a 57-year-old white male, was found dead of an apparent gunshot wound to the head around 3:15 a.m. Kral said Dia was dispatched to check to make sure that this man was OK. Dia, 26, leaves behind a wife and 2-year-old child, the chief said. Toledo resident Shalene Houke fought back sobs as she told The Toledo Blade she heard the officer asking for help and saying hed been shot before losing consciousness. He was young, and he was scared, she said. Mayor Wade Kapszukiewicz said he was at Toledo Hospital where Dia was taken after the shooting. I will never forget the sight of Officer Dia being wheeled out of the hospital on a gurney, his body wrapped in an American flag, flanked by about 30 Toledo police officers, saluting and weeping, the mayor said. Neither Kral nor Kapszukiewicz took questions during the news conference. More information was expected to be provided at another news conference Monday. Gov. Mike DeWine expressed his condolences and said he had ordered flags in Lucas County and at the Ohio Statehouse to fly at half-staff from Sunday through the officers funeral service. Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost said in a statement that his heart breaks for the family of the officer. Officer Dia lost his life doing what police do during every watch of their lives trying to help someone, Yost said. His memory will stand tall forever, a man who was fulfilling his duty in his final act. Couple arrested for stealing gas cylinders for sale PHUKET: Police have arrested a man and a woman for stealing gas cylinders for sale in Wichit and Rassada. crime By Eakkapop Thongtub Saturday 4 July 2020, 12:26PM A man and a woman were arrested for stealing cooking gas cylinders in Phuket. Photo: Wichit Police The couple Mr Chanakan, 26, originally from Nakhon Sri Thammarat, and Ms Chanjira, 37, from Phuket were arrested on Thursday (July 2), explained Lt Col Thammasan Bunsong of the Wichit Police. The arrest was conducted at an apartment building in Moo 3, Wichit. Lt Col Thammasan explained that during June and July police had received three reports of cooking gas cylinders stolen from different housing estates and a market in Wichit. Overall four cylinders had been stolen. Having checked the CCTV footage, police identified the suspects as a couple on a motorcycle. Further investigation let the officers to track down and arrest the thieves. During the arrest police also seized several pieces of material evidence, including a blue and black Honda Wave motorcycle, a 15kg gas cylinder and the outfit the couple was wearing while committing the crimes. Mr Chanakan told police that he had to steal as he was unemployed and did not have any money for living. He also confessed to stealing one more gas cylinder from a market on Pracha Uthit 1 Rd in Rassada. All the stolen cylinders were sold via Facebook. Mr Chanakan and Ms Chanjira were charged with theft using getaway vehicle. Fantasy Island: Delivering dreams and nightmares It is always a weird feeling when you like a film that other people seem to dislike. You always feel like you want to defend the film to the hilt, but the same time you cant help but wonder if you are horribly wrong. The best way to look at it is that you like what you like and as long as you like it it doesnt really matter what others think. World-Entertainment By David Griffiths Saturday 4 July 2020, 11:00AM Portia Doubleday and Lucy Hale in Fantasy Island (2020). Photo: IMDB This whole scenario recently happened with me when it came to Blumhouse Productions re-working of Fantasy Island. Now I am not going to sit here and say that it is film of the year or one of the best horror films ever made, but if youre looking for a horror film that will entertain you for a couple of hours then this is a film that will not disappoint. For anyone who watched the original Fantasy Island television series the concept here may be a little strange. Fantasy Island never traditionally had a horror feel to it, but here director Jeff Wadlow (Truth or Dare) and his team give the story a warm welcome into the Blumhouse horror universe. The film centres around the mystical island run by Mr Roarke (Michael Pena Ant-Man). It is an island where people go to live out their fantasies and the latest group to have arrived includes jaded youngster Melanie Cole (Lucy Hale Pretty Little Liars) who dreams about getting revenge on those who bullied her at school and two brothers Patrick Sullivan (Austin Stowell Whiplash) and Brax Weaver (Jimmy O. Yang Crazy Rich Asians) who dream of living the life of the rich and famous. It is here where the film first runs into its major hurdle. See that list of characters above could have almost filled this page. Aside from the ones I have already mentioned there is Maggie Q (Divergent), a wannabe solider who wants to learn about his father and a crazy man who seems to appear out of nowhere but wants to warn everybody about the dangers of the island and even then that isnt everyone. Yes the problem here is that there are just way too many characters in this film, at times it even becomes difficult to try and keep track of who is where. What is a shame is that when the film keeps to its horror roots it is ten times the film it is when it tries to do things a little bit differently. There are scenes that depict Melanie getting revenge on a high school bully that is reminiscent of a Saw movie and it times like that when the film works its best. When Fantasy Island sticks to the basics and remains a simple film about an island where peoples fantasies quickly become nightmares it is a film that captivates its audience and draws it in. However, when the film tries to get too smart and interweave stories while bringing in a convoluted supernatural plotline that I still cant get my head around it trips itself up and becomes a film that is simply trying too hard. If the film had kept to the storylines involving Melanie, Patrick and Brax it would have been an absolutely brilliant horror film. Those are the storylines that you end up being drawn to the most and seeing those fantasies become nightmares for those involved is more than enough to have the audience wondering whether Mr Roarke has a hidden sinister, psychopathic side or if something supernatural is at work. The rest of the story threads that the writers have tried to infuse into the film are just unnecessary overkill. Also enhancing the film are some of the acting performances at hand. Michael Pena is perfectly cast as Mr Roarke, and for all those naysayers out there who were taking swipes at the film before it was even released: no, he is not playing a character that is meant to represent Tattoo, the role made famous by Herve Villechaize in the original television series. Also shining in their roles are Austin Stowell and Jimmy O. Yang who bring their A-Games to a film that you wouldnt expect it in. As actors they are put through a true wringer of emotions as at times they become the comedic relief for the film but then at other times they are called to do some action sequences and moments of horror as well. It is a well-rounded acting performance that you certainly dont expect in a film like this. Last but not least there is the amazing performance of Lucy Hale. Grouped together with her performance in Truth Or Dare, Hale is now rightfully considered one of the best up-and-coming actresses in Hollywood. Like some of her co-stars here she is put through a range of emotions of this film and clearly shows why she is only a few steps away from becoming an A-Lister. Fantasy Island does have some major weaknesses but there are times throughout the film where it is a genuine popcorn horror that has the ability to entertain its audience. While one of the weaker Blumhouse films from recent years it is still certainly a film that is worth a look. Fantasy Island is now screening in Phuket and has been classified 15 in Thailand. David Griffiths has been working as a film and music reviewer for over 20 years. That time has seen him work in radio, television and in print. You can follow him at www.facebook.com/subcultureentertainmentaus Southern Pines, NC (28387) Today Partly cloudy this evening, then becoming cloudy after midnight. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 74F. Winds SW at 10 to 15 mph.. Tonight Partly cloudy this evening, then becoming cloudy after midnight. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 74F. Winds SW at 10 to 15 mph. The coronavirus vaccines have been hailed as a "light at the end of the tunne" that will bring finality to the ongoing pandemic. Millions of Americans plan to take the vaccination, but many others are skeptical and may opt against it. You voted: Lisa Kaczke Sioux Falls Argus Leader The crowd at Mount Rushmore got it to its feet and cheered, looking to the sky, as the live video of Air Force One in South Dakota appeared on the big screens. Minutes later, Air Force One crossed the blue sky above Mount Rushmore and people, many donning Trump 2020 hats and T-shirts, went wild as music blasted from speakers in Mount Rushmores amphitheater. The day leading up to President Donald Trumps visit on Friday night had the excited vibe of a presidential campaign event that ramped up when Trumps Marine One buzzed past Mount Rushmore, heading toward the landing zone at the memorial. More Make America Great Again hats were spotted in the crowd as South Dakota leaders and Trump took the stage, Trump 2020 banners were waving and chants of Four more years! went through the crowd in waves. The event, costing $350,000 in state funds, wasnt an official campaign stop in South Dakota, but Trumps visit rallied his Republican base and drew a line in the sand against erasing history after weeks of statues being toppled across the country. Mount Rushmore is a memorial to the greatest Americans who have ever lived, Trump said. Using the memorial to the former presidents as a backdrop on on the eve of a day celebrating Americas freedom, Trump positioned himself in his 40-minute speech as a president fighting against a left wing cultural revolution designed to overthrow the American revolution. Angry mobs are tearing down memorials, defacing statues and perpetrating violence and its an attack on our liberty, he said. One of their political weapons is cancel culture, he said. This is the very definition of totalitarianism. ... In our schools, our newsrooms, even our corporate boardrooms, there is a new far left fascism that demands absolute allegiance. Gov. Kristi Noem likened Trump to the strong leader described by former President Theodore Roosevelt in his famous 1910 The Man in the Arena quote because Trump understands what it means to brave the dangers of the arena. Like Roosevelt described, Trump strives valiantly, expends himself in a worthy cause and commits himself to putting Americans, liberty and safety first, she said. Mount Rushmore has become a focal point in the last week in the debate over whether to remove statues and monuments involving historical figures who were racist. Tribal leaders have led the way, saying Mount Rushmore needs to be removed because it was constructed on land considered sacred by Native Americans and that was given to the tribes in perpetuity in the Fort Laramie Treaty of 1868. Trump made his stance on Mount Rushmore clear in the first few minutes of his speech on Friday. This monument will never be desecrated, he said to loud cheers. Their achievements will never be forgotten and Mount Rushmore will stand forever as an eternal tribute to all our forefathers and to our freedom. Trump ended his speech with a call for unity, a juxtaposition from the hundreds of protesters and law enforcement who clashed hours earlier on the highway into Mount Rushmore that included protesters barricading the highway with vans. In addition to protesters anger over Trumps visit to their sacred Black Hills, protesters also opposed the Trump administrations actions on Native Americans and other minority groups. Trumps visit comes amid criticism of his handling of protests throughout the country following the death of George Floyd, a Black man, in Minneapolis police custody in May. Likewise, Trump has faced criticism as the death toll and number of COVID-19 cases continues to climb in the pandemic. Just down the road in Keystone, protesters blocked the Highway leading to Mount Rushmore for several hours before President Trump arrived. The National Guard was called in, pepper spray was used, and more than a dozen people were arrested. But he found a supportive crowd on Friday that responded with repeated standing ovations, applause and cheers of approval throughout his speech. Trump has rarely worn masks and likewise, few people attending Fridays event at Mount Rushmore wore masks and most didnt social distance to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus. The only mention of the pandemic during Trumps speech was when he thanked the doctors, nurses and scientists working tirelessly to kill the virus. Noem has faced criticism during her tenure as governor, most recently about not issuing a stay-at-home order during the pandemic, but she also found a supportive crowd on Friday. Trumps visit to Mount Rushmore was a win for Noem as the crowd applauded to thank her for organizing the event. A woman in the crowd yelled, We love her! Noem is a staunch supporter of Trump and she firmly linked herself to Trump on Friday night with a speech mirroring his in strongly standing against an organized, coordinated campaign to eliminate all references to our nations founding and many other points in our history. People are focusing on the forefathers flaws instead of their virtues and trying to eliminate history rather than learning from it, she said. Make no mistake, this is being done deliberately to discredit Americas founding principles by discrediting the individuals who formed them so America can be remade into a different political image, she said. Noem has touted constitutional principles during her tenure as governor and has gained national attention in recent months for her support of freedom during the coronavirus pandemic. Her speech also served as an introduction of her on the national stage as she continued that theme on Friday, noting that the founding principles allow anyone to make something of themselves. I was just a farm kid. Now Im the first female governor of South Dakota, she said. Going off Roosevelts The Man In The Arena speech, Noem took a moment to tell the crowd that standing up for the countrys founding principles deserves to be applauded. Leadership requires wisdom, a will to act and the confidence to stand up for whats right, she said. 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. Makenzie Huber and Erin Bormett Sioux Falls Argus Leader Protesters are demonstrating against President Donald Trump's arrival in the Black Hills ahead of the return of the Mount Rushmore fireworks display Friday night and blocking a road to the monument with vans. Several vans blocked Highway 16A, or Iron Mountain Road, and protesters stood in the road three hours before President Trump was set to make his way from Rapid City to Keystone and then on the highway to Mount Rushmore. At 4:30 p.m. MT, authorities declared the protest as an unlawful assembly over a megaphone. Police are demanding protesters vacate the premises or they will be arrested. At 5:15 p.m. MT, at least one person had been arrested, but the road was still blocked. The National Guard was on scene at 5:20 p.m. MT to help clear the crowd, and several of the protesters dispersed shortly after. The National Guard fired close range smoke shells on remaining protesters at 5:30 p.m. MT. They donned tear gas masks as well, and pepper spray was used on some of the protesters at 6 p.m. MT, though it wasn't clear whether the Guard or the Pennington County Sheriff's Office fired it. Protesters and law enforcement were still at an impasse as of 6 p.m. MT. The deadline for the Mount Rushmore ticketholders was originally scheduled for 6 p.m., but it is unclear if they will still be able to enter the park after the deadline. A Pennington County Sheriff's Officer deputy deployed tear gas shortly after 6 p.m. MT. A third person was also arrested shortly after 6 p.m. MT. As of 6:10 p.m. MT, tow trucks arrived on scene to remove vehicles blocking the highway. Several of the vehicles are missing wheels intentionally, according to an Argus Leader reporter on scene. Trump supporters were also on the scene, but authorities were keeping them away from protesters. The protesters lined the streets near Keystone, a popular tourist area where several "Trump Store" pop-up shops appeared ahead of Trump's Black Hills visit this weekend. The "Anti-Trump Rally" counters the Fourth of July weekend celebration with demonstrations only about two miles away from Mount Rushmore. Protesters cited that the Black Hills are sacred to Native Americans and that Trump's administration opposes interests of Native Americans and other minority groups. Freddie Longworth, an Oglala Lakota tribe member, attended the protest Friday, saying that his people are "orphans crying in the night" and they will make their voices heard by people who have broken promises to them throughout history. Trump is expected to arrive around 6:45 p.m. MT. The program began at 4 p.m. MT and the fireworks are expected to begin at about 9:30-9:45 p.m. MT. WATERLOO REGION Free masks for public transit riders and signs posted at entrances to public places where face coverings must be worn are details included in a report on mandatory mask bylaws that will be considered by Waterloo Region council at a special meeting Monday. The two draft bylaws cover enclosed public places where people can come into close contact inadvertently, such as grocery stores, places of worship, and municipal buildings, and all Grand River Transit vehicles, shelters, platforms and stations. Regional staff recommend the bylaws come into effect on July 13, if approved by council. If bylaws are passed, it will provide greater certainty for individuals and businesses as we continue into our recovery phases, said Regional Chair Karen Redman at Fridays briefing before the draft bylaws were released. Redman acknowledged the mixed feelings among local residents about making masks mandatory. Nobodys on the fence in the community about this. They either are soundly in favour of this and they want to protect themselves and others, and other people that feel the science doesnt warrant it, she said. Ten letters have been submitted and 17 delegations are registered to speak at the meeting scheduled for Monday afternoon. A face covering is defined as a medical or non-medical mask or other face covering, including a bandana, scarf or other fabric that covers the nose, mouth and chin to create a barrier to limit the transmission of respiratory droplets. The draft bylaw for public spaces puts the onus on both people who go to such places to comply with the requirement, and also on owners and operators of enclosed public places to not permit people to enter without wearing a face covering. Staff is of the opinion that this approach provides balanced responsibility for ensuring that face coverings are worn while in enclosed public places, the report reads. Anyone who doesnt comply could be fined up to $1,000. However, the rule does not apply to people who are unable to wear a mask due to a medical condition or disability, and there will not be a requirement to prove a disability. Children under five are also exempt. Public spaces as covered by the bylaw include a wide range of places: where goods are sold to the public and people tend to peruse or mill about; places where services are provided to the public where people may congregate in waiting areas or at service counters; restaurants and bars permitted to reopen by the province, with the exception of seating areas where patrons will need to remove a face covering to eat or drink; hotels and motels, with the exception of the rented room, where people may congregate in the lobby or at front desks; and places of worship where people may come into close contact while entering and exiting. Places excluded are those such as daycare centres, hospitals, universities and provincial and federal government buildings because they have significant government oversight or the ability to set appropriate requirements. As well, the public places do not include employee only areas because there is more control of the area by the owner or employer. The sign that must be posted conspicuously at all entrances to enclosed public places reads: Protect each other; Wear a face covering; Cover your nose, mouth, and chin; Required by the Face Covering By-law; Does not apply to children under the age of five and those who are unable to wear a face covering as a result of a medical condition or a disability. Chief administrative officer Mike Murray said earlier this week that regional staff were working hard on drafting the bylaw, which was a complicated task. Its relatively simple to say we want to have a bylaw that requires masks in certain indoors settings. To actually put that into the form of a bylaw that has some legal force and is clear and understandable and enforceable, that actually takes a fair amount of work, Murray said. How to enforce the bylaw will be up to council to decide, Redman said. For public spaces, that could be by a police officer, municipal officer or another person designated by the region. The draft bylaw targets enclosed places based on the scientific evidence that the risk of spreading COVID-19 is higher in indoor places than outdoor spaces, and focuses on those places within buildings where the public is more likely to be in close proximity inadvertently such as when shopping, entering or exiting a high-traffic area or waiting for service. The report acknowledges: Although currently there is not strong evidence regarding the wearing of masks by the general public, the science on masks continues to evolve. Expert opinion supports the wearing of face coverings in such settings. COVID-19 is being spread in the community and that will continue, Redman said. More people wearing masks will reduce the number of infections and the chances restrictions that were lifted will have to be put into effect again. What we dont want to have happen in any way have to revert back to a former stage because we have a spike in cases, Redman said. Acting medical officer of health Dr. Hsiu-Li Wang said during Fridays briefing that masks are an important tool in reducing the spread of COVID-19. Face coverings need to be used alongside physical distancing, proper hand hygiene and self-isolating and getting tested if we develop symptoms, Wang said. Council may repeal or amend the bylaws when its considered appropriate, and may do so in consultation with the regions medical officer of health. Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Staff looked at other municipalities in Ontario and the different routes taken to make masks mandatory, such as a public health order, Redman said. We decided that we would go the bylaw route and work with the community, work with education. She said while there have been thousands of site visits related to emergency orders, she pointed out that relatively few tickets have been handed out because the focus is on education and compliance. A public education campaign will be part of enacting the new bylaws. Waterloo Region Last week Logan Mercier was crouched on the side of Highway 35 in Guelph carefully digging up a snapping turtle nest, as cars and transport trucks roared by. Out of the corner of her eye, she watched a huge piece of farm equipment that took up the entire shoulder and a whole lane of the highway roll toward her on its enormous tires. Because my car was placed where it was, that tractor had to move over into the opposite lane to get around my car, and then by the time it moved back to the shoulder of the road, it, thankfully, moved back onto the shoulder just past the nest, she said. If I wasnt there at that moment in time, that tractor would have rolled over that nest. So yeah, I was pretty thankful that I was there. Mercier is a conservation technician assistant at rare Charitable Research Reserve in Cambridge working on the organizations turtle egg incubation project. The program launched in 2017, when Rare first got a ministry permit to gather turtle eggs. Since then rare has been able to respond to phone calls reporting turtle nests in precarious places. Based on the description of the nests location, technicians will assess if the eggs need to be incubated at the office, or if the nest simply needs a protector. Mercier has been acting as project lead, collecting and watching over eggs while the conservation technician, Sarah Marshall, is away. Nesting turtles can be reported at 519-650-9336 x114 or Sarah.Marshall@raresites.org This year, the group has been working 10- to 13-hour days to clear a backlog of nest reports because their permit to collect turtle eggs from the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry was delayed until well into the nesting season. We didnt get it until June 18, so we had 60 calls at that point, and we couldnt do anything about it. We couldnt excavate those nests, the only thing we could do was protect them. But they didnt have any nest protectors. The group put the call out on Twitter and Facebook, letting the community know they needed nest protectors, along with detailed instructions on how to build them. The response was immediate. First, they received five from the city of Guelph, then community members started to build and donate the protectors. A couple rare staff family members, you know, their dads built them for us and donated them. One gentleman donated 18 for us. Thats incredible. Thats 18 nests that we were able to protect. This year, the incubator team members have collected 1900 eggs from 66 nests, and with the additional community-supplied nest protectors, 42 more nests were protected. But protecting turtle nests and saving turtle eggs is a band-aid solution, says Mercier. Really, we need to focus on road mitigation, and we need to stop building in their habitat; we need to stop fragmenting their habitat. Mercier grew up walking and biking rare trails. Im not that old, but I definitely can see things changing around me and its not for the better, she says. Her parents say they used to see foxes along Blair Road every morning as they drove to work. Ive never seen a fox along Blair Road, she says. To me that indicates that we have had an impact on their population. Theres a reason why those foxes arent there, and its because of us. But while people are the problem, they are also the solution, says Mercier. She felt uplifted by the outpouring of support from the community for the turtles. Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... We put out a cry for help for turtle nest protectors when we didnt have our permit and the community responded. For this season that was probably my moment of beauty was seeing the community pull together and create these protectors for us. The hatchlings are expected to be released in mid-August. COVID-19 rules permitting, the public will be invited out to see the release. WATERLOO REGION Venture capital investment is often the lifeblood of a tech startup, but when Amina Gilani and her husband Thusenth Dhavaloganathan were set to launch their company two years ago it was funding they felt was out of reach. Gilani was pregnant with the couples third child, and after conversations with other women founders she decided it wasnt worth the effort. In the past if someone saw a pregnant founder, they didnt fare too well, she said. So they used their own savings and $30,000 from the local Fierce Founders program for female entrepreneurs to help launch Sociavore, a web platform that helps independent restaurants create appealing and mobile device-friendly websites. Dhavaloganathans parents, who own a restaurant in Guelph, were the companys first clients and Sociavore is still a lean operation today. The husband and wife team are both in their early 30s. While the company has gone on to be a success with hundreds of clients in Canada and the United States, their situation is a symptom of the diversity problem still plaguing the tech sector. Gilanis parents came to Canada from Pakistan before she was born, and her husbands family came from Sri Lanka. Making it in an industry dominated by older, white men has been a challenge. There is a question of access. I dont look like your typical founder, Gilani said. In the past, to access capital or people who could help you with your company, you looked a certain way or fit into a certain crowd. That needs to change and I think it is changing. Even something as common as going out for beers at the end of the work day to close a deal or discuss a new product or service is a problem for Gilani, who may not feel comfortable in that setting and has three young children at home. While Canadas tech workforce is diverse, research has shown many groups are still under-represented and a large pay gap persists. In 2019, the Brookfield Institute released a 56-page report analyzing the diversity of the countrys tech sector and found of the nearly one million tech workers in Canada, about 68 per cent (641,000 people) did not identify as a visible minority. Of the 294,000 tech workers who did identify as a visible minority, 57 per cent were either Chinese or South Asian. Black employees account for just 2.6 per cent of the total tech workforce (about 24,000 people) in Canada, and Latin Americans are at about 1.7 per cent (about 16,000 people). Only about 13,000 Indigenous people worked in the Canadian tech sector in 2016 just 1.5 per cent of all tech workers, according to the report. There is also a significant pay gap for many visible minorities and they earn, on average, about $3,000 less per year than white workers. South Asians earn $5,400 less, Koreans earn $11,300 less, and Black tech workers earn about $16,400 less. Black workers in Torontos tech sector also reported lower levels of diversity, inclusion and belonging, and they felt less involved in the decision-making process at work. The growth in tech jobs for much of the past decade was also primarily driven by older men, according to the Brookfield Institute report. From 2006 to 2016, about 90 per cent of the 189,000 tech jobs added in Canada were by individuals between the ages of 45 and 64, and men in this age range were responsible for 79 per cent of the total growth, adding nearly 129,000 tech workers, the report found. Women who identify as a visible minority make less than other women, and earn about $10,900 less than their male counterparts. In Waterloo Region, an accelerator program called The Founder Institute is working to bring more equality to the sector. The worlds largest pre-seed startup accelerator operates in more than 185 countries, including chapters in Montreal, Toronto and Waterloo Region. The organization uses what it calls a proprietary racially unbiased acceptance process to help address the problem of systemic racism in the tech sector, and the current cohort of its graduates in Waterloo is more than 75 per cent visible minority. Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Director Jordan Jocius said the absence of Black and other visible minorities in the tech sector, especially at the ownership or management level, is a vicious cycle and an example of systemic racism. Biases can become integrated into products, services or artificial intelligence, sometimes without programmers even realizing it, he said. The world is scaling at an accelerated rate using technology on the backs of machine learning and artificial intelligence, and what that means is if there are biases now they will only get accelerated in the future, Jocius said. So really its our duty to create tech for good now, so it doesnt accelerate to a point where its no longer controllable. AI has long been plagued by racial or gender bias and other problems. In 2018, Amazon scrapped an AI recruitment tool after it showed bias against women. And in 2019, the Department of Housing and Urban Development in the United States sued Facebook for what it called housing discrimination by allowing advertisers to limit who could see ads based on race, religion and origin. Just this past week, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) permanently pulled an image database used to train machine learning AI systems to identify objects and people after it labelled photos with racist, misogynistic, and other offensive terms. Communitech offers a Diversity and Inclusion peer-to-peer discussion group where people talk about ways to increase diversity within their organizations and how they can become more inclusive, but the organization does not track how many companies are founded or managed by people who are Black or other visible minorities. That data collection is set to begin soon, however. Jocius would like to believe technology can be the great equalizer to help give everyone the same opportunities and to close the overall wealth gap, but unless we take measures now to put those technologies in place, I fear it could do the opposite, he said. One of the graduates of the recent cohort at The Founder Institute that is working to eliminate discrimination in the hiring process is Fairly AI. Developed by David Van Bruwaene and Fion Lee-Madan, the tool is an AI audit service that provides an algorithmic impact assessment to evaluate fairness, accountability, transparency and ethics within the clients own AI programming. Its still early days for Fairly AI, but the company was able to mitigate bias for one company that provides loans by 24 per cent, Van Bruwaene said. Van Bruwaene is married to Sharl G. Smith, a local artist originally from Jamaica who moved to Canada in 2015 after spending 17 years in the United States. I saw a need for systems that could be focused on identifying this bias, he said. As a white, male founder Im sure Ive had a much easier time. An occasional roundup of unusual Ontario Provincial Police news releases: Two alleged drunk drivers did an excellent job of getting the attention of police. On June 26 at 6 p.m., police received reports of a woman at the side of Highway 401 near Brighton, 40 kilometres west of Belleville, waving at drivers. She had a flat tire. Police located the grey Pontiac sedan and found the driver to be under the influence of alcohol, OPP said. The woman, 31, of Warkworth, Ont., was charged with impaired driving and having care and control of a vehicle with an unsealed bottle of liquor. Just before 11 p.m. on June 29 in Dunnville, 60 kilometres south of Hamilton, police were told of a car driving through town with a missing front wheel. A Dunnville man, 38, was charged with impaired driving and refusing to give a breath sample. Sniffing out a suspect On June 9 police responded to the report of a theft from a store in North Grenville, 70 kilometres south of Ottawa. The take? About $900 worth of fragrances. Police were looking for a man who wore a black mask (this doesnt narrow things down). But rumour has it he smells very good. Chipmunk takes the blame Drivers in northern Ontario occasionally veer to avoid slamming into a moose the equivalent of a concrete block. But at 6:30 a.m. on July 2 on Pinehurst Road in Brant County, a driver swerved to avoid hitting a somewhat smaller animal a chipmunk. The vehicle left the roadway, entered the ditch and collided with a fence, OPP said. The driver did not suffer any injuries as a result of this incident. Police urge drivers to not veer for wildlife. If you suddenly have an animal in your path, we encourage drivers to stay in control, reduce as much speed as possible, and whatever you do, steer straight, said OPP Const. Ed Sanchuk. By changing your direction quickly, you increase the risk of losing control, running off the roadway and rolling your vehicle. This increases the likelihood of sustaining greater damage to your vehicle and serious injury. Two for the price of one On the night of June 28, police were told of a possible impaired boater leaving a marina in Midland, 50 kilometres north of Barrie. Officers were able to locate the vessel being loaded onto a trailer towed by an SUV, OPP said. The boater and the SUV driver, both 46, of Midland, were charged with impaired driving. Their drivers licences were suspended for 90 days. The SUV was impounded for seven days. The men are due in court on Oct. 8. Just a hunch ... Around 2 p.m. on June 28, police stopped a grey Lexus SUV on Highway 401 in South Glengarry, 30 kilometres east of Cornwall. It had been stolen in Toronto. Shortly after, in the same area, police stopped another grey Lexus SUV, stolen in Toronto. The drivers, a Montreal man, 21, and a man, 18, from Saint-Hubert, Que. were charged with possession of stolen goods. OPP did not say the two thefts were connected, but we have a hunch ... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Its you again! A motorist in St. Charles, between Sudbury and North Bay, was charged on three consecutive days. On June 16 he was pulled over and charged with driving while suspended, driving with no insurance and driving with no plates. Investigation revealed the driver was the same person as the one charged the previous day, driving a different vehicle, OPP said. For the June 15 offence, the man, 20, was charged with driving while suspended and having no licence. On June 17, OPP stopped a vehicle with no plates. Again, the driver was found to be the same person, OPP said. RELATED STORIES Waterloo Region https://www.therecord.com/news/waterloo-region/2020/06/30/heated-argument-woman-stranded-in-northern-ontario-wilderness-after-friend-leaves-in-canoe.html He was charged with driving while prohibited, using a plate not authorized for the vehicle and driving without insurance. In order to prevent the continuation of the offence, the vehicle was seized, OPP said. And you! In Strong Township, between Huntsville and North Bay, police arrested a woman three times in the span of five days. The woman, 24, was on bail with a curfew as one condition. On June 26 at 9:20 p.m., police visited her residence to see if she was complying. She wasnt there but was arrested later. The following day, police were called to an altercation at another residence. The woman was there and allegedly assaulted someone. She was allegedly found with cocaine and meth. She was arrested and charged with six offences. On June 30, she was pulled over at 12:45 a.m. and charged with breaking her curfew. Bye-bye Farewell ... to your drivers licence. On June 25 at 6:20 a.m. Wellington OPP caught a pickup truck going 110 km/h in a 50 zone in the hamlet of Farewell. A local man, 23, was charged with stunt driving. His drivers licence was seized for seven days. In another year 2019, for example the absence of the giant American flag that has traditionally draped Ridgefields Town Hall from Memorial Day through the Fourth of July might not have drawn as much interest or speculation. But at this moment in 2020 when the nation is confronting its history in the aftermath of George Floyds death and the protests and public outrage that followed flags have taken on added symbolism and debate: Mississippi recently retired its 126-year-old state flag, which included the Confederate battle emblem, and President Donald Trump has suggested legislation be enacted to make burning the American flag a crime punishable by at least one year in jail. So even though that out-sized version of the Stars and Stripes (20-feet wide and 40-feet long) hasnt graced the front of town hall since late July 2018, its non-appearance this year has generated questions, complaints and criticism on social media and calls and emails to the selectmans office. Several online commenters have even wondered whether First Selectman Rudy Marconi, a Democrat, has purposefully withheld displaying the American flag as a rebuke to President Trump. Some people clearly have too much free time, Marconi said during a phone interview Friday afternoon. I can assure them that there is no conspiracy going on here. The big American flag, which bathed Main Street in a patriotic glow for several decades, has not been hung since two stately Siberian Elm trees were diagnosed with wood rot and removed from in front of town hall at the end of July 2018. A guide wire running between the trees was used to support the flag. Weve been looking at different options since then but nothing has worked out, Marconi said. Theres no way to plant existing trees that are that big, and adding two more flagpoles would give us four [flagpoles] in front of town hall and look terrible. Theres also a question of whether two new flagpoles would be strong enough to support the big flag when its stretched between them. A smaller American flag flies year-round on one of the existing flagpoles, and the Connecticut state flag hangs on the other. Marconi said a possible solution for restoring the large flag has come from Chris Curnan, an artist who lives in Ridgefield. Chris Curnan had the idea of attaching two pieces of channel iron to the roof of town hall and using that to hang the flag, Marconi said. We think it might work. Marconi said he began discussing the project with Danbury-based Di Salvo Engineering before the coronavirus pandemic interrupted. We will resume those discussions when we can, Marconi said. We cant do anything without having structural engineers approve the project. In the meantime, we are still open for suggestions, Marconi said. Im sure there are some smart people out there, so if anyone has a good idea they can submit it. Today Some clouds this evening will give way to mainly clear skies overnight. Low near 50F. Winds light and variable. Tonight Some clouds this evening will give way to mainly clear skies overnight. Low near 50F. Winds light and variable. Tomorrow Sunny skies. Hot. High 93F. Winds NW at 10 to 15 mph. The provincial agency responsible for COVID-19 testing says an influx of tests has caused a delay in getting people results within the target time frame Experts worry this might be the canary in the coal mine for whats to come. Ontario Health, the agency responsible for leading the provinces testing network which includes Public Health Ontario, hospital, community and private labs says it has set targets of turning around 60 per cent of tests in one day and 80 per cent in two days. But increased test volumes in recent weeks have led to completion lags. With the volume increase, the network is experiencing a seven-day average of 66 per cent of turnarounds within two days, said Ontario Health spokesperson Gillian Wansbrough. We are not aware of cases in which test result turnaround is significantly beyond the targets, however there are unique situations that have resulted in longer than anticipated timelines. Wansbrough did not state the labs previous average turnaround time, but said: The lab network has succeeded in improving turnaround by 70 per cent in the last two months. The news comes in the wake of concerns raised by Hamiltonians about long wait times theyve faced, particularly in cases where they need negative test results within two weeks to visit loved ones in long-term care. Resident Gaye Welch waited 12 days before receiving her negative COVID test, leaving her just two days to visit her 97-year-old mother. The extent of Hamiltons delays are unknown; public health only has access to turnaround time data for positive cases, not negative ones, which are the majority of cases. But public health knows residents patience is running thin. We know its frustrating. Were frustrated along with you, said Dr. Elizabeth Richardson, Hamiltons medical officer of health, on Friday. She said public health is getting calls from residents looking for their results, which it has no power to speed up. Richardson said she couldnt speak to any potential issues labs might be having but said shes aware people are waiting up to 10 days for results something the province is working on. And Dr. Dominik Mertz, associate professor in the division of infectious diseases at McMaster University, isnt sure its even the labs that are entirely to blame for lags, especially since Ontario Health says its not aware of cases with turnaround times significantly beyond targets, with the exception of unique situations. He believes the delay might be somehow tied to the provincial system used to transmit test results, called the Ontario Laboratories Information System (OLIS). The Ministry of Health directed questions about OLIS to Ontario Health late Friday. Ontario Health did not respond to questions. Perhaps more pressing a concern than todays delays, says Colin Furness, a University of Toronto epidemiologist, is what they might signal for the future. If lab capacity is overwhelmed now in terms of timely results, the bigger story is going to be what happens in the fall when we will have a need for a heck of a lot more testing than we are doing now, he said. The province is currently processing upwards of 20,000 tests a day a goal Premier Doug Ford set weeks ago. Hamilton public health, meanwhile, says it is seeing a tremendous increase in demand for testing. Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Assessment centres were designed to complete 200 tests a day but are regularly completing 400 a day, Richardson said. At times, upwards of 700 tests are completed in a day. Richardson partly attributed increased demand to residents need for negative tests prior to undergoing surgery or visiting loved ones in long-term care. Certain tests are expedited, including those for people potentially exposed to someone with COVID and those at risk of exposure through their job. Due to those expedited measures, about 60 per cent of positive cases find out their results within 24 hours, Richardson said. As for the cause of the lab lags, Mertz points to increased testing of asymptomatic people. (Ontario Health) suggests that there is an ongoing creep in true turnaround times ... which is primarily because of asymptomatic testing, which is concerning, he said. Anyone including those without symptoms can now get tested in Ontario. In a recent Toronto Star op-ed, Mertz and Zain Chagla, co-medical director of infection control at St. Josephs Healthcare, argue testing people who show no COVID-19 symptoms has limited value to most Ontarians. Mertz and Chagla note testing people unlikely to be sick backs up testing and processing at assessment centres and labs. Tying up resources can mean it takes longer for people who are actually sick to get their results, which can lead to further spread, they argue. The Ministry of Health did not respond to a question asking if the province is concerned about turnaround time delays impacting public health units ability to rapidly track and trace positive cases. Mertz also calls the requirement for people to get tested before visiting loved ones in long-term care a problematic directive. A negative test two or more days prior to the visit cannot rule out that a visitor is incubating the virus on the day of the test, and as such could be presymptomatic and therefore highly infectious on the day of the visit, he said. Read more about: 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. Hamilton police have charged a 30-year-old man with attempted murder after a woman was attacked in Corktown Park early Friday morning. The suspect in the stabbing was arrested Friday afternoon in connection with a different incident and then linked to the earlier assault. According to police, officers were called to the John Street and Hunter Street area around 4:30 p.m. on Friday to investigate a purse snatching. Some witnesses chased the alleged thief, who is said to have pulled a knife on his pursuers. Officers arrived in time to arrest the man, whom they identified as matching the description of the suspect in the Corktown Park attack, which saw a 22-year-old woman stabbed multiple times in the upper body while walking through the park around 4 a.m. Calvin David Horvat of no fixed address was due in court Saturday morning to face the charge of attempted murder. After receiving first aid at the scene, the victim of the attack in the park underwent emergency surgery at a local hospital. The caves are vast, pitch black, full of twists and turns and treacherously tight in spots. New research reveals why ancient inhabitants of Mexicos Yucatan Peninsula may have ventured deep into the underground labyrinths despite the danger: to mine red ochre. A paper published Friday in the journal Science Advances says there is evidence of people prospecting for the red pigment thousands of years ago in what is today the state of Quintana Roo. It seems the resource was especially abundant in a part of the cave network known as La Mina Roja, said Eduard Reinhardt, one of the studys authors. This was a bonanza, said the McMaster University geoarchaeologist and expert cave diver. This activity of mining, finding the ochre, extracting the ochre would have been a pretty big endeavour. For a hunter-gatherer society to put in so much effort, he said, it must have been pretty valuable. The researchers say humans were frequenting the cave networks between 10,000 and 12,000 years ago. They would have shared the landscape with now-extinct megafauna like sabre-toothed tigers and giant ground sloths. Back then, the caves were dry and further inland. Today, they are underwater and accessible via openings called cenotes. Ancient human remains have previously been found in Quintana Roo caves, including the 13,000-year-old skeleton of a teenage girl in the Hoyo Negro cavern in 2007. But, until now, scientists didnt know the reasons behind the risky subterranean excursions. Members of CINDAQ, a local cave diving team, were exploring an area of deep tunnels in 2017 and found what they thought could be human disturbances. They reached out to Mexican cultural authorities and academic experts were brought in to investigate. Reinhardt, who has been in the caves, compared them to Swiss cheese or a rabbit warren. You have to be very, very careful about not getting lost, he said. Youve got passages that kind of loop around and interconnect and then branch off and then connect into other systems. Many of the passages are a comfortable 25 metres wide, but have ceilings less than two metres high. Some areas are a tight squeeze at just 70 centimetres wide. Youve really got to basically get on your back and kind of wiggle your way through. The paper describes cairns and broken-off stalagmites and stalactites that could have been used as route-markers, as well as the remnants of fires likely used to illuminate passages up to 650 metres away from sunlight. At mining sites, divers have found orderly rock piles and tools used to smash up the stone. Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... The hot, humid climate of the Yucatan has destroyed most above-ground evidence of those who lived there during an age known as the Pleistocene-Holocene transition. But artifacts have been remarkably well-preserved in caverns that became submerged as sea levels rose 7,000 to 8,000 years ago. Its this kind of time capsule, said study coauthor Brandi MacDonald, an archeological scientist at the University of Missouri and McMaster alumnus who studies ochre deposits around the world. Were able to see what it looked like more or less as it was when it was abandoned. MacDonald said evidence of the mines intensive use over a 2,000-year span suggests knowledge and skills were being passed generation-to-generation. Its also possible ochre-mining was a large-scale regional industry, as there is evidence of prospecting in multiple locations. Reinhardt and MacDonald said further exploration of the caves could reveal how extensive and long-lasting ochre-mining was. MacDonald said ochre a mix of iron oxide, clay and other minerals is most often associated with ancient cave and rock paintings. The researchers dont know how early Yucatan residents used the material, but elsewhere in the world there is evidence of it being used in mortuary practices and rituals. It might have had utilitarian uses on top of religious ones. The ochre found at La Mina Roja, for instance, contained enough arsenic to perhaps be an effective insect repellent. Its the kind of material that humans have been using for literally hundreds of thousands of years, said MacDonald. Ochre is such a universal material in terms of human history. We are at least a year away from getting vaccines that protect us from COVID-19. While not a blessing, we will need that time to plan historys biggest mass inoculation. There will be no silver bullet vaccine. Instead, it is expected that several viable vaccines will emerge from laboratories worldwide, but each with limited, specific uses. The enormity and complexity of obtaining and administering billions of vaccine doses worldwide requires that we start planning now for the task. It is sobering to consider what we dont know about getting COVID-19 vaccines to all who need them. To start, who gets the vaccines first? Should they go first to frontline health workers and other at-risk workers? To the elderly, Blacks, low-income individuals and other groups most vulnerable to the worst COVID-19 outcomes? Or to children, whose suspected role as so-called super-spreaders of the virus is still not fully understood? Will the countries where the viable vaccines are developed be the first to be inoculated? Will Canada have to compete with other countries for access to vaccines? Canadas miserable record on obtaining COVID-19 supplies augurs poorly for promptly obtaining vaccines. As of June 28, Canada has taken delivery of just 21 per cent, on average, of seven key pandemic supplies it has ordered. We have, for example, received only 0.9 per cent of the 40,328 ventilators weve ordered. Canada also has to match the unique properties of each COVID-19 vaccine with the varied health conditions of those to be inoculated. That will require Canada to monitor the reported progress of each promising vaccine under development worldwide, to understand what each vaccine can and cannot do; and to match that data against constantly updated health data on Canadians. Thats the only way to quickly get the right vaccine to each person. Here again, Canada has a poor record of timely and detailed collection of health data, and of sharing it among jurisdictions. Were headed for failure in vaccinating the country without significant, rapid improvement in our procurement practices and health-data management. If the process of getting a vaccine, testing it, proving it, manufacturing it, planning for its delivery, and building a vaccine program all over the world if thats going to take as long as we think, then lets (expletive deleted) start planning it now, Larry Brilliant, CEO of U.K.-based Pandefense Advisor and an advisor on the World Health Organizations smallpox eradication campaign, has told the U.K. Guardian. The long to-do list ahead of the arrival of vaccines also includes the need to recruit and train thousands of Canadian health workers to administer vaccines. Now is also the time to start planning the vast network of vaccination centres required to reach every Canadian; and determining how to protect those facilities from extremist anti-vaxxers who might try to sabotage them. It also means working with Facebook Inc. and other social media firms on removing from their platforms the anti-vaxxers spew of falsehoods about vaccines. As a rule of thumb, inoculation of about two-thirds of a population achieves herd immunity, with a sufficient number of people inoculated so that contact with infected people becomes unlikely, and the pandemic ends. We will also need public-education messaging that reaches vaccine delayers, a bigger population than anti-vaxxers, who are merely skeptical of vaccines and put off getting their shots. That messaging has to be candid about both the good that vaccines do and their side effects. All medications have side effects, of course. Getting that first-generation vaccine shot is essential in defeating the virus, if your physician advises that your body is suited to it. That public health campaign must also pound home the fact that COVID-19 will remain present in our communities for many years to come, long after its pandemic status has passed. Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... The world continues to experience deadly outbreaks of polio and measles, diseases widely and incorrectly thought to have been wiped out long ago. COVID-19 will never entirely go away either. For the next several years, people will need personal health protocols to guard against its resurgence. That means repeated vaccinations according to the same type of schedule that parents use in ensuring their children are protected from diseases that were long ago brought under control, but have not been eradicated. Since a contagious deadly disease like COVID-19 anywhere is a threat to people everywhere COVID-19 came to us from China by way of northern Italy and other distant places Canadians will continue to be vulnerable until COVID-19 is under control worldwide. Unless we have a vaccine available in unbelievable quantities that could be administered extraordinarily quickly in all communities in the world, we will have gaps in our defenses that the virus can continue to circulate in, David Salisbury, former director of immunization at the U.K. Department of Health, said in a recent webinar. That is why a global pact to defeat a global pandemic would be the ideal response. A truly global agreement might be out of reach. But a pact among Commonwealth, Francophonie or G20 countries could be doable, especially as countries realize how they need other countries to defeat the virus in order to be safe themselves. We should be demanding, now, a global conference on what were going to do when we get a vaccine, or if we dont, says Brilliant. The ideal would be a pact among world governments; global institutions like the World Health Organization (WHO), an old hand at widespread immunization everywhere on Earth; and Big Pharma in order to combine the worlds greatest lab-bench, manufacturing, distribution and immunization prowess for the common cause of ending the pandemic. In the likely absence of that agreement, at least for now, the process of saving lives and restoring the global economy to normality will be unduly prolonged, a patchwork affair. In the meantime, Canadians have not been wrong to pin our hopes on vaccines. But we perhaps dont appreciate what we have been achieving without them. Back in April, the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) forecast that as many as 300,000 Canadians could die from the pandemic if governments and the people took no action against it. At that time, Dr. Theresa Tam, Canadas chief public health officer, said that with a combination of stay-at-home orders, physical distancing, travel restrictions and other safety measures that Canadians readily embraced, we might be able to keep the number of pandemic fatalities below 44,000. At this writing, more than three months into the pandemics arrival in North America, and with new daily case numbers far below their peak, the number of Canadians we have lost to COVID-19 is 8,615. So, be well, and think of the lives you have saved by adhering to safe practices. Remember that wearing a mask in enclosed, public places is mandatory in the city of Toronto starting next week. Correction - July 9, 2020: This article was edited from a previous version that mistakenly said the world continues to experience outbreaks of smallpox. In fact, in 1980, the World Health Organization declared that smallpox had been eradicated. MONTREALCanada has failed in its duty to protect vulnerable elders in long-term care, according to a highly critical report that examines the issue in light of the COVID-19 crisis. The report released Friday by the Royal Society of Canada found the pandemic was a shock wave that exposed many long-standing deficiencies in the system and caused high levels of physical, mental and emotional suffering for seniors. Those lives lost unnecessarily had value, reads the report by a working group that was chaired by Dr. Carole Estabrooks at the University of Alberta. Those older adults deserved a good closing phase of their lives and a good death. We failed them. The working group, which was created by the Royal Societys COVID-19 task force of scientists and researchers, said the causes of the failure are complex but are rooted in what they called systemic and deeply institutionalized implicit attitudes about age and gender. It found that 81 per cent of Canadas COVID-19 deaths have come in long-term-care homes, far higher than what is reported in comparable countries, including a 31 per cent figure in the United States, 28 per cent in Australia and 66 per cent in Spain. The authors say Canadian homes have allowed staff-to-patient ratios to drop and have increasingly shifted to an unregulated workforce in recent years, even as patients are living longer with diseases that require increasingly complex care, such as dementia. (Those unregulated workers) receive the lowest wages in the health-care sector, are given variable and minimal formal training in (long-term care), and are rarely part of decision-making about care for residents, reads the report, which notes that many of these workers report being overworked and suffering from high rates of burnout. In contrast, the proportion of registered nurses has fallen, and many residents lack access to comprehensive care including medical, health and social services and therapies, even though the needs are greater than before. The report notes that authorities have failed to listen to the voices of long-term-care residents and those who care for them both groups overwhelmingly composed of women. Women are also more likely to be the unpaid caregivers who are increasingly called upon to fill the gaps in the system, the authors said. Long-term-care homes were uniquely vulnerable to COVID-19, combining an already-sick patient base with a disease to which nobody has immunity, the report says. Homes in Canada are often older and feature shared bedrooms and bathrooms, which made containing COVID-19 a challenge. However, the report also notes that basic infection controls and personal protective equipment were often lacking and that many employees worked in multiple facilities, increasing the chances of spreading the virus. We have a duty to care and to fix this not just to fix the current communicable disease crisis, but to fix the sector that enabled that crisis to wreak such avoidable and tragic havoc, the authors wrote. The report makes nine recommendations, which it says are geared towards addressing a workforce crisis that leaves homes understaffed and employees underpaid and overwhelmed. The authors called on Ottawa to develop federal national standards for staffing and training, and to make provincial funding contingent upon meeting them. Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... The federal government should also ensure data is collected on resident quality of life, care standards and worker satisfaction and ensure it is analyzed by a third-party body, the report says. That data should also take into account disparities caused by race, ethnicity, gender identity, poverty and other vulnerabilities. Provinces must immediately implement appropriate pay and benefits, including sick leave, for the large and critical unregulated workforce of direct-care aides and personal support workers and offer them ongoing training and mental health support, the reports authors said. Unregulated staff should be offered full-time work, and provinces should evaluate one workplace policies that prevent employees from moving from site to site, the report concludes. SIKSIKA NATION, ALTA.A First Nation in southern Alberta has implemented a curfew as its health workers monitor more than 200 people for signs they may have developed COVID-19. Siksika Nation Chief Ouray Crowfoot said in video messages posted on Facebook that as of Thursday there were 21 known COVID-19 positive cases with links to the community west of Calgary, and that five separate and unrelated case clusters had been uncovered in the previous 12 days. Crowfoot said that as of Wednesday, 258 Siksika Nation members were under active investigation and daily followup by the communitys health services team a number he said had quadrupled in only three days. On Friday, councillors approved a temporary curfew from 11 p.m. to 5 a.m. local time, with exceptions that Crowfoot said can be made on an as-needed basis for work or other reasons. Crowfoot encouraged Siksika Nation members to co-operate with health officials if they call, and to avoid non-essential travel to nearby cities. He said the risk of community transmission is high and that each new case cluster makes it even harder to contact trace and isolate people fast enough. We realize you have freedom of choice but we dont have freedom of consequence. If we choose not to follow these guidelines, the consequence may be that we contract the virus and spread the virus further through our community, Crowfoot warned in a video message posted Thursday. In a message posted Friday, Crowfoot said his community had met meeting with federal Indigenous Services Minister Marc Miller and Alberta Indigenous Affairs Minister Rick Wilson to address shortfalls in resources for dealing with the pandemic. Crowfoot said the communitys annual Sun Dance ceremony was continuing, but that each participant was being tested prior to entering and that health workers were screening people as they came and went. It is understandable that people may feel anxious regarding this current situation, but if we continue to stay vigilant to the public health measures and do our best to limit travel and to avoid gatherings we have a chance to slow down the spread on our nation and also give our health team a chance to do their job, Crowfoot said. Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Read more about: With Torontos summer in full swing, the urge to run headfirst into the first body of water in sight is intensifying. Environment Canada has put out a heat warning for the city until early next week, with highs of 32C expected on Saturday and Sunday. Social distancing measures are still in place and complicating the fun. Before you dive in this weekend, here are some things you should know: Where can you take a dip? Ten of Torontos 11 beaches are open for lakeside fun. (Rouge Valley Beach is closed.) On Canada Day, visitors packed Wasaga Beach, a two-hour drive from Toronto, prompting the town to schedule shut down most of the beach area as of July 9. The town is determining how it will limit capacity in the parking lots. Beach-goers also packed Ashbridges Bay in Toronto on Canada Day, but thats yet to prompt any shutdowns. Premier Doug Ford said Friday that there wont be any provincial orders on beaches and the issue is at the discretion of the chief medical officer. Dr. Vinita Dubey, the associate medical officer of health with the City of Toronto, said people still need to exercise caution if they arrive at a beach and find it crowded. We are still advising (people) to avoid public gatherings and large crowds where physical distancing cannot be maintained, including beaches, she told the Star. If a beach is busy, we recommend you be flexible with your plans and come back at a less busy time. City-run pools and have also reopened, and have limits on the number of people who can enter to ensure social distancing, Dubey said. The City will continue to monitor litter, alcohol, improper parking, bonfires and DJs around beaches. Could I get fined? Bylaw officers and police will also continue to have a presence at beaches and parks where there are splash pads. Provincial orders restricting gatherings of more than 10 people who are not members of the same household or social circle remain in effect, Dubey said. Fines for violating a provincial order under the Emergency Measures Act can range from $750 to $100,000, and include up to one year in jail. Can COVID-19 be spread through the water? At this time, theres no evidence that the coronavirus can be spread through water, Dubey said. COVID-19 spreads mostly through direct contact with the respiratory droplets of someone who is infected with the virus through coughing, sneezing or talking, even when someone does not have or has not yet developed symptoms, she said. This is why it is so important for everyone to practice physical distancing, keep six feet away from others, wash our hands often, and stay home if we are sick. When it comes to masks, the City isnt advising you attempt to wear them while swimming, she said. Instead, you should wear them before heading into the water when you notice distancing yourself from others isnt possible. You should also wear them while indoors if youre using a changing room. How will measures differ at City-run pools? If youre heading to a City pool, everyone must sign in before entry, even if they are not swimming. Visitors will also be required to answer COVID-19 screening questions, and provide their first name and contact information. The procedures will help the City with contact tracing if re-opening leads to a spike in infections. Only two people will be allowed in pool changing rooms at the same time. Once your swim session has ended, you will leave through the sites emergency exit, unless you need to use a washroom. Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Following the heat warning issued by Environment Canada, the City has announced that extended pool hours are now in effect. This is the first time this summer that pool hours have been extended. Alex Duff Pool, Earlscourt Park/Giovanni Caboto Pool, Monarch Park, Parkway Forest, Smithfield Park and Sunnyside Park/Gus Ryder Pool will be open, weather permitting, until 11:45 p.m. and may continue to operate with extended hours until the heat warning ends. With files from Ian Adams, Miriam Lafontaine. Raneem Alozzi is a breaking news reporter, working out of the Star's radio room in Toronto. Follow her on Twitter: @r_alozzi Courthouses across the province are set to resume some in-person hearings Monday, according to the Ministry of the Attorney General, despite unions representing Crowns and court staff saying safety concerns remain unresolved. The ministry announced Saturday the reopening of two Guelph courthouses and the College Park courthouse in Toronto would be delayed until more safety measures are in place. Lawyers and court staff at the Ottawa courthouse will be required to wear surgical masks due to Plexiglas installation deficiencies, the defence counsel association of Ottawa tweeted Saturday. More precautions are required to adequately ensure courthouses are safe, Paul Cavalluzzo, the lawyer representing the Ontario Crown Attorneys Association, said Friday. All associations and unions will be monitoring the situation very closely on Monday if the courts do open. The union filed a notice of application June 26 for an injunction to delay the start of in-person hearings, but that remains on hold. A letter sent to the Attorney General of Ontario by unions representing Crowns, court staff and legal-aid lawyers on Friday lists several concerns, including that the employee booklet was only sent out on Thursday evening. Training of employees on the new protocols and procedures intended to ensure health and safety in the courthouses has not been conducted. This must be done before the courts open, the letter obtained by the Star states. It also requests the specific protocols for each courthouse, including occupancy limits, information on how to report problems, and that new assessments be done of the courthouses since many of the previous assessments were done before the installation of safety measures. As you have promised that no courthouse will be re-opened on July 6 unless there are adequate protections instituted to ensure the safety of all persons in the courthouse, we ask who will make this crucial determination and according to what standards, the letter said. Remote hearings will continue as courts move toward resuming regular operations. On Monday, a limited number of courtrooms in 41 courthouses are expected to open for in-person hearings including judge-alone trials and preliminary hearings. More courtrooms will open in the fall. No plan has been announced yet for how jury trials will resume. Guidelines from the federal government released Friday suggest considering alternative venues like convention centres or stadiums. As far as we know now everything is a go (on Monday) but there is clearly an awful lot of work still ongoing, said Robert Parsons, the president of the Ontario Association of Senior Crown Attorneys. Courthouses have been closed since mid-March as COVID-19 spread in Ontario, causing a huge backlog of cases. Parsons said staff at the Ministry of the Attorney General have been working extremely hard to get courthouses and courtrooms ready, but theyve been seized with go fever, the inability to look around and see other, independent signs that might otherwise cause what are otherwise very hard-working, rational, reasonable people to hit a pause button. He says it would be far better to delay for a few weeks until any identified issues like gaps in Plexiglas on a witness stand or concerns about exceptions to the mandatory order for the public to wear masks in courthouses can be sorted out. Its a public safety issue, Parsons said. Lets get it right. Its possible not all trials set to start Monday will proceed. The Crown is seeking to adjourn at least one trial at the 1000 Finch courthouse in Toronto, according to defence lawyer Daniel Lerner, who was set to start an impaired driving trial at the courthouse Monday. Inmates who will be required to attend court will be provided masks before leaving an institution for a court appearance, and those must be worn at all times where physical distancing is not possible, according to Kristy Denette, a spokesperson for Ontarios Ministry of the Solicitor General. Inmates in intake units or medical isolation units will only attend court by video, Denette said. Health assessments of inmates will be done before departure and upon return to the institution, she said. Denette said jails are now allowed to reinstate in-person visits for inmates from family and friends, and where possible, video visits. Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... All visits must be pre-scheduled by calling the institution, and all visitors will be required to undergo health screening and to supply and wear masks or face coverings, said Denette. Visits at most institutions will take place through a protective physical barrier, although some institutions such as Toronto South Detention Centre and South West Detention Centre may offer options for video conferencing. The visits are 20 minutes long. What to know before going to court: 1. Masks are mandatory for the public. 2. You will be asked why you are coming to court, and asked whether you have symptoms including fever or a cough. An online screening tool can be done prior to going to court. 3. Do not attend the courthouse if you are experiencing signs or symptoms of COVID-19 or have been advised by a public health official, a physician or the Ontario Ministry of Health website to self-isolate. 4. Witnesses who have questions about an upcoming court date can contact the courthouse they are due to attend. 5. There may be delays entering, so arrive earlier than usual. 6. Cafeterias and, likely, water fountains will not be open. 7. Check the Ontario Court of Justice and Superior Court of Justice websites for the latest updates. There is a growing demand for a CBI inquiry into the death of Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput, who allegedly committed suicide at his Mumbai residence on June 14. A Twitter account of Sushant's father K.K. Singh has surfaced, through which he is demanding justice for his son. He has asked for a probe by the CBI. Sushant's father K.K. Singh on his Twitter handle wrote, "Today my son Sushant's soul is crying and is demanding an investigation by the CBI." In another tweet he wrote, "My son Sushant Singh Rajput was very brave. I know he can never commit suicide. An attempt is being made to prove his death as suicide though it is a murder. I request for a CBI inquiry into the entire matter." Reactions are pouring in on his Twitter handle after Singh's tweets. Sushant Singh, a resident of Patna, allegedly committed suicide on June 14 at his flat in Bandra, Mumbai. Since then, various social and political organizations have been demanding a CBI inquiry into his death. A man is in serious condition following a morning stabbing near Markham and Ellesmere roads. Police arrived on scene after 7 a.m. following reports of a stabbing in Scarborough. The victim was transported to hospital on an emergency run shortly afterwards. The police are searching for two suspects. One is described as male, Black, five foot eight, with short black hair and a full beard. He was wearing brown pants and a brown jacket with white shoes. The intersection will remain closed for the investigation. Call Pizza Pizza and hey, hey, hey, as the old jingle went you might just end up with your name and address in police records. Amid a major criminal investigation that announced dozens of arrests last year, the popular pizza chain voluntarily searched its internal data and handed over customers personal information to Toronto police investigators, the Star has learned. Officers used the technique in Project Kraken, an investigation into guns, gangs and drugs that resulted in more than 70 arrests last June. Seven of those charged were tow truck operators, police said at the time. The accused are awaiting trial. During the investigation, Toronto police obtained telephone numbers from phone intercepts. Officers then took those numbers to Pizza Pizza to get any matching customers names. None of the accused were identified using the technique. Rather, it was used to identify people associated with targets of the investigation. It is not clear how many people were identified. Two sources connected to the case told the Star police used the technique. The Star is not identifying the sources because they cant publicly speak about material that is part of disclosure. Pizza Pizza is providing contactless delivery of pizzas and warrantless delivery of your private information, Michael Bryant, executive director and general counsel of the Canadian Civil Liberties Association, said in an interview after the Star shared details of the technique. I think its not reasonable to think that people who provide their phone number and address to Pizza Pizza for the purposes of getting a pizza expect that, or consent to, that information being shared with others, let alone the police, Bryant said. The Star posed a number of questions to Toronto police about the technique, including how often it is used and if other businesses have voluntarily given police similar information. Police did not answer any of the Stars questions. In an email, a police spokesperson said the service will not be commenting on this story. The Star also asked Pizza Pizza for comment. In an emailed response, the company said it is committed to protecting the Personal Information provided by customers. Our Privacy Policy details how we protect and use customer data in the fulfilment of customer orders. Pizza Pizzas privacy policy states the company reserves the right to access and/or disclose Personal Information where required to comply with applicable laws or lawful government requests. Customers, the policy states, consent with every order made to the collection, use and disclosure of your information by Pizza Pizza in accordance with its policy terms. The company, which has over 700 outlets across the country, did not answer questions about how often and where the company is sharing customer information with police. Police routinely obtain warrants to access personal information from businesses, which requires officers to make a compelling case to a justice of the peace or judge for access. In this case, multiple officers simply asked a contact at Pizza Pizza to look up phone numbers. Because the people identified are not facing charges, the technique may not be publicly disclosed or tested in court. What has been tested, all the way to the Supreme Court of Canada, is whether it is constitutional for internet service providers to voluntarily hand over information to police without a warrant. In a 2014 ruling, in which police asked for subscriber information in a child pornography case, the court ruled the search was done without judicial authorization and was thus an unlawful violation of the charter which says everyone has the right to be secure against unreasonable search or seizure. However, due to the seriousness of the case, the evidence gained from the search was allowed. Police were acting by what they reasonably thought were lawful means to pursue an important law enforcement purpose. The nature of the police conduct in this case would not tend to bring the administration of justice into disrepute, the court said in its decision. Pizza Pizza handing this information over to police without a warrant is not with (a customers) meaningful consent, said Bryant, and allows for police to go on fishing expeditions. In a statement to the Star, Brian Beamish, Ontarios information and privacy commissioner until June 30, said, while his office supports public institutions in their work to maintain public safety, I would be concerned if police were routinely requesting disclosure of personal information without a warrant, particularly if they were collecting the personal information of those who are not themselves the subject of an investigation. Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... He added: I would consider this to be an erosion of the publics fundamental right to privacy. Businesses are legally required in response to court orders to aid a law enforcement investigation, and for health or safety reasons, Beamish said. If the disclosure appears likely to intrude on a reasonable expectation of privacy, the institution should not disclose without a court order. The only exception to this is where there are urgent circumstances that do not allow the time to seek a court order. Urgent circumstances may include cases involving a kidnapping, escaped violent offender, or missing vulnerable person. What private businesses disclose about individuals is a federal matter. In response to Star queries, a spokesperson for the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada said the office could not comment on this specific scenario involving Pizza Pizza because it had not examined it in detail. The federal Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act generally requires commercial organizations, including restaurants, to obtain consent for disclosure of personal information. There are some exceptions, including disclosure to government under lawful authority to obtain the information, the spokesperson told the Star. As well, organizations can also disclose personal information without the individuals knowledge or consent in order to comply with a subpoena or warrant. There are a number of well-founded complaints among case decisions on the federal privacy watchdogs website on businesses and their employees improperly sharing personal telephone numbers, and other information, to third parties. The watchdog can go to court in cases where there is a failure to comply, but does not have the power to issue orders or fines. In 2014, the CCLA launched a challenge of the federal law that applies to businesses, arguing the language is too broad and gives governments a backdoor to personal information that should be protected or require a warrant to obtain. It is still on the books and winding its way through court. Bryant told the Star he is surprised by how many businesses and professionals think that they ought to be willingly participating as an arm of the state in a criminal investigation. There is also, said Bryant, a pressure that comes with the police asking for information and many businesses will hand it over because they think that thats the Good Samaritan thing to do when in fact, theyre betraying the privacy of their customers and theyre being roped into something that they shouldnt have to be roped into. Clarification July 7, 2020: This article was edited from a previous version that referred to Brian Beamish as Ontarios information and privacy commissioner. In fact, Beamish was in the role at the time the article was written but retired on June 30 prior to publication of the article. The post is now held by Patricia Kosseim. Architect Joanne Lam and her husband Eric Martin had long been aware that their typical Toronto life was missing the close community they experienced growing up she in Hong Kong, he in North Bay. That absence became acute when COVID-19 kicked in. Two weeks into it, thats when the sense of isolation really hit, said Lam. Like a lot of people with young children, she and Martin, a designer, longed for just a couple of hours to themselves. At the same time, she said, they could feel the loneliness gripping her parents and single friends. Lam has been working on concepts designed to facilitate co-living shared arrangements that foster resiliency and affordability. In a co-living space you could be sharing with your family members. You could be sharing with friends. You could also be sharing with friends of friends or even complete strangers, she said. We are all experiencing a different kind of isolation. If we had all been in a co-living situation to begin with, we would have already had this built-in community. It would make us, as a bubbled household, resilient because theres always somebody there who could help out, and there are spaces to be alone if you dont want to interact with other people. The GTA has been mired in a housing supply and affordability crisis for years. COVID-19 showed us just how vulnerable we are financially and socially when it comes to sheltering ourselves from the insidious threat of the virus. If people were seeking new models of housing before the pandemic, the last three months have proved how badly the region needs more bricks and mortar and more options for everything from how we habitate to how we finance our homes. If weve learned anything out of this crisis its that a safe place is a key thing for health and ability to withstand these kinds of events, said Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp. (CMHC) chair Derek Ballantyne. Home has never been more important. But its become all too obvious that many of us dont have the home we need, said real estate agent Lesli Gaynor, who specializes in co-ownership housing. Gaynor helps people connect with one another, and find the bricks and mortar and financing it takes to establish the kind of communal arrangements that the traditional building and lending institutions havent necessarily embraced. She expected her phone would stop ringing when the lockdown began. Instead, she has been surprised by how many people have called because they are exploring new models of living and owning a home people who never thought they would consider co-owning. I think people realize how fragile they are financially, she said. There are many people who have seen their income diminished or disappear, who are wondering if they can afford to keep the homes they worked so hard to buy, she said. But it goes deeper. Gaynor said the pandemic has also shown us what the future looks like without community connections what can happen if we arent able to live independently because of age or disability. People are frightened, said Gaynor. They are thinking about how they can avoid being part of the crisis that has afflicted the long-term-care sector. Most people suspected there were issues in senior care, but now they are forced to confront the reality that institutional care is not sustainable in a healthy way. The forced feeding, the stuff that the military was uncoveringNobody could cover it up any more, said Gaynor. She and Lam are among the experts who say COVID-19 is an opening for a bigger dialogue about redistributing the wealth and the space apportioned to real estate. In January, Lam and Gaynors booth at the Interior Design Show surveyed visitors to identify which household spaces and property they would be willing to share. No surprise: most people preferred a private bathroom. But respondents were overwhelmingly willing to share indoor and outdoor recreation space. They were split on allowing others to use their fine china, but most were happy to share books. Now Lam and Martins company, Picnic Design, has embarked on what she calls her most exciting experiment a proof of concept. They have purchased a two-storey house in the west end with a plan to create a co-ownership property where each of three or four owners get generous private space, but share a yard, laundry room, kitchen, guest space and living areas. Lam says they are not developers, so the project isnt being built with an eye to a profit. Its the bricks and mortar that she hopes will help fuel the grassroots demand that would force institutions cities, banks to make co-ownership with built-in community a more accessible option. There are hurdles to jump at city hall, but the best-case scenario is to build it in about two years, said Lam. Its one of the many small solutions that nibble around the edges of Torontos persistent issue, which is affordability, said CMHCs Ballantyne. But the viruss deepest impact on housing might well be how we view it in relation to the citys most vulnerable. COVID-19 has made it more difficult to look away from the housing crisis, he said. I think weve been able to think were dealing with the issue by building more shelter beds, said Ballantyne. There is probably a greater will now and a greater interest in finding permanent housing solutions for very low-income and individuals facing the greatest challenges. That extends to Torontos persistent rental housing issues, said Cole Webber, of Parkdale Community Legal Services. He says COVID has pushed the already high pain threshold of renting to an excruciating level. Nothing less than a prohibition against COVID evictions is going to save as many as 13,000 Toronto tenants from being pushed out of their homes, he said. But the 15-year tenant advocate says there is inspiration as well as exhaustion in the activism that has begun to swell around issues such as above-guideline rent hikes and unacceptable living conditions. Its been amazing to see in particular some of the neighbourhoods in East York and Scarborough, which are largely immigrant and racialized districts where a lot of people have kept their heads down for a long time about the conditions of their housing, about their struggles to pay rent, about evictions, said Webber. You see tenants in Goodwood Park, in Crescent Town, Teesdale, these east end apartment districts, who have organized, who have brought demands to landlords about above-guideline increases, about the poor conditions theyre living in, he said. Webber says that small mom-and-pop landlords, who rent out their basements, have a limited role in Torontos rental troubles. But those homeowners could also have a role in creating more affordability, said Jake Fry, a laneway home builder in Vancouver, who is the co-founder of non-profit Small Housing BC. Its premise is to maximize the potential of city land by building more units on single-family lots. Its a way of bringing in more revenue to city and creating more smaller, affordable homes, he said. His company, Smallworks, has built about 300 laneway homes in the last 10 years and Fry says sales have doubled since the COVID lockdown. One large lot might accommodate five households either through townhomes or a mix of reconfigured space, including laneway and basement suites. The homeowner lives in one unit and three others could be sold at market price. Because of the higher density, however, those homes would be more affordable. The final unit would go at a deeply discounted price and is designated affordable in perpetuity. The property owner comes away with more profit than they would if they were selling to downsize into a small condo and they have the option of putting some of that back into staying in one of the units on the same property likely larger and more upgraded than the alternative. This has a benefit all round. Cities, which are now struggling for money, will now have a bit more revenue through taxation, said Fry. Were struggling with affordability but now were looking at private owners playing the role and finding a solution. About 85 per cent of the laneway homes hes built were made to solve family issues adult children, who couldnt afford to buy; seniors who cant keep up big houses. Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Fry thinks many of those clients would benefit from Small Housing BCs value proposition. The non-profit is working with the city of Vancouver to establish three projects and come up with a province-wide model. It would act as a province-wide program administrator. Fry, who knows Toronto, says the idea could work in places such as Leaside or Etobicoke. Suburban land has been underutilized, he said. Homes are about about 30 per cent bigger than they were in the 1970s and 80s and theyre housing about 30 per cent less people. Revising our ideas about housing We need to change our attitude and our practices when it comes to appropriately sheltering more Canadians, say the experts. Here are some of their ideas for rethinking the affordability problem. Choose homes over investments We have to stop treating housing as an investment and start treating it as homes, says Eric Swanson, executive director of Generation Squeeze, a research and advocacy group for adults aged 20 to 40. But changing that attitude would mean severe pushback from homeowners, banks and mortgage companies, which are all invested in appreciating real estate values. Gen Squeeze suggests that we shift our taxation system to rely less on income and find ways of capturing the huge gains being generated by real estate. At the same time, we have to protect homeowners from a correction, should the market fail to generate that wealth. The more we expect home ownership to be profitable, the more housing becomes unaffordable, he said. Reduce our economic dependence on real estate Generation Squeeze founder, UBC professor Paul Kershaw says real estate, rental and leasing generates about 13 per cent of Canadas GDP. Yet, the sector accounts for less than 2 per cent of employment. That compares to the construction industry, which generates about 7 per cent of GDP and about 8 per cent of employment. We need to get our heads and hearts wrapped around that very dynamic and say that, going forward we dont want to rejuvenate our economy by organizing around an economic strategy that imagines real estate will continue to grow faster than the jobs it produces and the wages that are in the economy more generally, he said. We will never solve the problem of unaffordability if we dont say that, said Kershaw. Make room for everyone We need to change our zoning to ensure everybody who wants to live in our communities can find a place and that we build out the appropriate housing forms and density to accommodate that, he said. CMHC chair Derek Ballantyne thinks there is opportunity in Toronto to open up the yellowbelt the 75 per cent of neighbourhoods zoned for single-family homes to other forms of housing. This is not about coming down a residential street and putting in eight-storey buildings. Its about selective intervention and its about allowing parts of the yellowbelt to intensify, he said. Ballantyne said there are intelligent ways of adding more homes to those neighbourhoods that does not destroy their character. In fact, studies show they improve the quality of life, shops and services available to residents. Because the land would come onto the market as small parcels, it would be less expensive than the cost of assembling large building sites. It would be a way for people to be able to afford buying into those neighbourhoods, said Ballantyne. Buy rather than build Instead of trying to build our way our of homelessness and the crisis in affordable housing, which is the current government strategy, perhaps we should look at buying existing rental housing, said Ballantyne. Buying and renovating or retrofitting buildings is expensive but costs less than building new. It also adds to supply faster. But there is no magic that will make it cheaper to operate those buildings, he said. Acquiring inventory was used in the 1970s. The early community housing programs included a significant amount of acquisitions because it was the cheapest way to keep families housed for affordable rates, said Ballantyne, who formerly headed Toronto Community Housing Corp. Its not going to be simple because youre competing with REITs (real estate investment trusts) and other large landlords for a similar inventory. But there may well be a way to incent through tax treatment or other policies the sales of buildings for affordable housing purposes to non-profits or other organizations, he added. Build prototypes Give people structure bricks and mortar to explore different housing configurations, including co-ownership, say real estate agent Lesli Gaynor and architect Joanne Lam. If options were presented in a different way,said Gaynor, people would co-house or co-live or combine on some level. CAIRO - Three key Nile basin countries will continue on Saturday their latest round of talks to resolve a years-long dispute over the operation and filling of Ethiopias giant hydroelectric dam on the Blue Nile, Egypts irrigation ministry said. Officials from Sudan, Egypt and Ethiopia resumed their negotiations through video conference Friday, aiming to bridge the gaps and finalize a deal on the contentious mega-project within two to three weeks, Sudans irrigation ministry said. The current round of talks came after negotiations last month failed to produce a deal, prompting Egypt and Sudan to appeal to the United Nations Security Council to intervene in the dispute. The Egyptian irrigation ministry said fundamental technical and legal differences remained unsolved, and that they would resume their meetings Saturday. Sticking points in the talks have been how much water Ethiopia will release downstream from the dam if a multiyear drought occurs and how Ethiopia, Egypt and Sudan will resolve any future disagreements. Egypt and Sudan agreed late in June to return to the talks after they said Ethiopia would refrain from filling the dam until the three countries reached a deal. The Ethiopian prime ministers office said the filling has been scheduled to begin within the next two weeks, and during that period, the three countries would work to reach an agreement on a few pending issues. The talks are backed by the African Union. The 15-member Security Council expressed support for the AU action in reviving talks. Egypt, which relies on the Nile for more than 90 per cent of its water supplies and already faces high water stress, fears a devastating impact on its booming population of 100 million. Ethiopia has hinged its development ambitions on the colossal dam, describing it as a crucial lifeline to bring millions out of poverty. Sudan meanwhile stands to benefit from Ethiopias dam, including having access to cheap electricity and reduced flooding, but it has raised fears over the operation and safety of the Ethiopian project and says it could endanger its own dams. CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Five people were killed and at least three others seriously injured after a highway crash in Charlotte, North Carolina, on Friday evening. Emergency medical officials said the crash happened on Interstate 485 in north Charlotte, news outlets reported. Officials did not immediately release the identity of the victims or say how the crash happened. WASHINGTON - Intelligence that Afghan militants might have accepted Russian bounties for killing American troops did not scuttle the U.S.-Taliban agreement or President Donald Trumps plan to withdraw thousands more troops from the war. It did give critics of the deal another reason to say the Taliban shouldnt be trusted. The bounty information was included in Trumps presidents daily intelligence brief on Feb. 27, according to intelligence officials, and two days later, the U.S. and Taliban signed an agreement in Qatar. The agreement clears the way for America to end 19 years in Afghanistan and gives Trump a way to make good on his promise to end U.S. involvement in what he calls endless wars. On March 3, three days after the agreement was signed, the president had a 35-minute phone call with Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, a co-founder of the Taliban and head of their political office in Qatar. After reports of the bounties broke in late June, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo had a video conference with Baradar to make it clear that the U.S. expects the Taliban to live up to their commitments, Under the agreement, the U.S. will pull all its troops out of Afghanistan by May 2021. So far the U.S. has reduced U.S. troop presence in Afghanistan from 12,000 to 8,600 a target reached ahead of schedule. Now, Trump is considering when and how quickly to further shrink the U.S. military footprint. The Taliban committed to reducing violence, cutting ties with al-Qaida and sitting down with other Afghans to craft a political road map for their countrys future. The Taliban have pledged to ensure that the areas they control about half the country at this time are not used by militant groups to target the U.S. and its allies. On Saturday, Washingtons envoy to Afghanistan emphasized the economic benefits of the deal, which has run into new political obstacles. Zalmay Khalilzad was wrapping up a weeklong trip that included stops in Uzbekistan, Pakistan and the Gulf state of Qatar, where Taliban negotiators are headquartered. Critics of the deal like Rep. Mike Waltz, R-Fla., say the agreement is simply a cover for withdrawal. I have serious concerns with how this agreement has been pursued, Waltz said. The Taliban has shown repeatedly through violence and bombings both before and after the deal was signed that they are not serious about adhering to their end of the bargain. The White House insists the president was not aware of the intelligence but that the administration responded to the information to protect troops. Administration officials say Russia along with other countries, including Iran have been providing the Taliban money and guns for years, although bounties would signal stepped up Russian aggression. Military experts note that the Taliban didnt need any monetary incentive to kill Americans. They also point out that the U.S. worked against the Soviets in the late 1980s, providing militants with shoulder-held anti-aircraft Stinger missiles, which turned around the course of the war and sped-up negotiated Soviet withdrawal from Afghanistan. Bounties or not, what we judge the Taliban on is whether they honour the deal, said Scott Smith, an expert on Afghanistan peace processes with the U.S. Institute of Peace. Both Republican and Democratic lawmakers, defence officials and Afghan experts claim the Taliban has not taken steps to live up to the now four-month-old agreement and they are skeptical the Taliban will ever break with al-Qaida, which conducted the 9-11 attacks. The U.S. general overseeing American military operations in Afghanistan, Marine Gen. Frank McKenzie, said in mid-June that he is dubious of the Talibans intentions to fulfil its commitments, suggesting that he would not favour a rapid U.S. withdrawal. McKenzie said it is an open question whether the Taliban will keep Afghanistan from being the launchpad for attacks on the U.S. They have not yet completely made that case, McKenzie said, adding that time is now beginning to grow short. Mike Morell, former CIA acting and deputy director, told the House Homeland Security Committees intelligence and counterterrorism panel on June 24 that the Taliban is militarily and politically stronger than at any time since 2001 when the Taliban refused to hand over al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden, who orchestrated the 9-11 attacks. I believe that the Taliban, in its peace negotiations with the United States, have told us what we want to hear in order to encourage us to leave the country, Morell said. Thomas Joscelyn, a long time critic of the deal at the Foundation for the Defence of Democracies, said the Taliban have repeatedly said al-Qaida has not been in Afghanistan since 2001. Without any verification or enforcement mechanisms and there are no such provisions specified in the text of the deal released to the public there is no reason to think the Taliban is telling the truth now, he said. The Defence Departments latest report on the war said the Taliban has stepped up violence against Afghan forces, but has avoided attacks on U.S. or coalition troops. The militants have joined with Afghan and U.S. forces in hitting Islamic State fighters hard, pressuring the group to relinquish control of an area in eastern Afghanistan. But IS still has the ability to conduct mass-casualty attacks, the report said. The report also said U.S.led counterterrorism operations have degraded al-Qaida, which now poses only a limited threat to the U.S. The Pentagon report said, however, that the Taliban maintain close ties to al-Qaida. Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Pompeo says only a couple hundred active al-Qaida fighters remain in Afghanistan. On Thursday, Pompeo hinted, without elaborating, that hed seen indications that the Taliban are no longer going to let al-Qaida operate in Afghanistan. I cant talk about the things that I have seen, Pompeo said on Fox News Channels Special Report. But know this. I spoke with the Taliban again just this week in an effort to further the peace negotiations to try to get them to the table with the Afghan government. However, a May report by the United Nations says al-Qaida is quietly gaining strength in Afghanistan while continuing to operate with the Taliban under their protection. The report says 400 to 600 al-Qaida operatives are active in 12 of Afghanistan 34 provinces. The U.N. report also reported six meetings between al-Qaida and Taliban senior leaders during the past 12 months while U.S.-Taliban talks were ongoing. NASHVILLE - Earlier this week, as Tennessee registered what then was its highest single-day coronavirus case increase, Gov. Bill Lee held a news conference and issued a stern response. It wasnt a mandate to wear masks in public or clamp down on businesses or social gatherings. Instead, it was a plea for residents to do the right thing. When we have people dying in this state as a result of this virus, we should be taking personal responsibility for this, the Republican governor said. It was the same message Lee issued in late March as the COVID-19 disease was beginning to spread. He has vowed to stick to the personal responsibility mantra, with no plans to reinstate stay-at-home restrictions or impose statewide mandates even as photos of unmasked people crowding bars and outdoor concerts across Tennessee spread across social media. Instead, Lee signed an executive order Friday that allows local officials to issue their own mask mandates if they want as Nashville and Memphis had already done. Elevating a message of personal responsibility over statewide crackdowns on businesses and requirements for people in public spaces has been a consistent approach among certain governors during the coronavirus crisis. Thats especially true in Republican-leaning states that had relatively few cases in the initial months of the outbreak but have begun to spike in recent weeks. Governors in Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, Montana, South Carolina, South Dakota and Utah also have invoked some form of the personal responsibility message over issuing strict statewide mandates. You shouldnt have to order somebody to do what is just in your own best interest and that of your family, friends and neighbours, Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey, a Republican, said earlier this week as she urged people to wear masks and take other precautions but downplayed the effectiveness of statewide orders. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican, has frequently invoked personal responsibility but took more decisive action this week in ordering Texans to wear masks in public in most cases. That came after another Republican governor, Doug Ducey of Arizona, changed direction and allowed mayors to make mask-wearing mandatory in their cities. Those actions contrast with governors such as Republican Henry McMaster of South Carolina, who has refused a statewide mask order even as confirmed cases rise swiftly and the states rate of positive tests is three times the recommended level. McMasters focus on rebooting the economy placed South Carolina among the first states to reopen. He has since said he wont close down the state again while emphasizing the need for the states residents to follow hygiene and social distancing recommendations. We cannot keep businesses closed forever, McMaster said in defending his decision. What it boils down to is, we must be careful individually. West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice, a Republican, has appealed to residents sense of duty to help prevent the disease from getting worse, but recently warned that he might impose a mask mandate as cases in the state continue to rise. In South Dakota, Republican Gov. Kristi Noem has largely avoided ordering restrictions during the pandemic and refused to order social distancing or mask-wearing for President Donald Trumps visit to Mount Rushmore on Friday, an event that drew thousands. She has consistently invoked personal responsibility as a key strategy in combating the virus. Every one of them has the opportunity to make a decision that theyre comfortable with, Noem told Fox News. The personal responsibility ethos has been GOP orthodoxy for decades, often used to justify smaller government and promote individualism. In the current climate, personal responsibility is being used to encourage wearing masks, social distancing and avoiding large crowds without making those steps mandatory. How well those calls for voluntary good behaviour are working is another matter. COVID-19 infections are soaring in places like Tennessee, South Carolina, Arkansas, Alabama and other states where Republican governors have balked at statewide mandates and business shutdowns. The message is not limited to Republicans. In Louisiana, an early hot spot where cases and hospitalizations are again on the rise, Democratic Gov. John Bel Edwards has refused to implement a statewide mask requirement. Instead, he regularly calls on people to be good neighbours. Another Democrat, Montana Gov. Steve Bullock, said residents should wear masks when indoors and in crowds. But as the state passed 1,000 known cases, he continued to promote personal habits over any statewide mandate. Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Lets recommit to taking care of our neighbours so we can move forward together and not have to take any steps backwards, he said. Poor participation in social distancing and mask use led Dr. Aaron Milstone, a pulmonary and critical care physician at Tennessees Williamson Medical Center, to warn that simply relying on public encouragement is inadequate to combat a pandemic. He compared virus-related statewide mandates to other public safety laws. If we really want to slow the spread and buy time for us to get to a vaccine ... then we need to start treating the idea of physical separation the same way that we do with speed limits and seat belts and drunk driving laws, he said. Still, the appeals to personal responsibility over government mandates reflect the political realities in many of the states where governors have so far refused to issue statewide orders. In Utah, Republican Gov. Gary Herbert has repeatedly urged voluntary mask use but has encountered withering criticism when trying to impose even limited mandates. The more liberal-leaning urban areas of the state have implemented mask measures, but in the more rural areas restaurants and other indoor areas are full of people not wearing them. Herberts office recently issued a statement on behalf of interfaith leaders throughout Utah. It encouraged residents to wear masks because one cannot claim to love ones neighbour while deliberately putting them at risk. ___ Associated Press writers Kim Chandler in Montgomery, Alabama; Melinda Deslatte in Baton Rouge, Louisiana; Sophia Eppolito in Salt Lake City; Amy Beth Hanson in Helena, Montana; and Meg Kinnard in Columbia, South Carolina, contributed to this report. ___ Kimberlee Kruesi can be reached at https://twitter.com/kkruesi ___ Follow AP coverage of the pandemic at https://apnews.com/VirusOutbreak and https://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak. SPRINGDALE, Utah - More than 3,400 people shuffled onto Zions shuttles on its reopening day Wednesday as the national park welcomes more visitors amid the coronavirus pandemic. The shuttles, which have been closed since April, chugged up and down the canyon as per usual but carrying only 33 passengers each. Inside, most passengers wore masks and maintained social distance as every other seat was taken completely out of the bus with no standing allowed. Both entrance fees to the park and preregistered tickets are now required in order to ride the shuttle. The previously free service now costs $1 through Recreation.gov, and the shuttle ticket is not included with your entrance fee. A price has been applied as a service fee for the website, Zion spokesperson Jeff Axel said. But while thousands of more people can now come to Zion on a daily basis, the park is taking steps to curb COVID-19 infections. Its a careful balance as we want to allow as much access as possible while following the health guidelines, Axel said. Masks are highly encouraged, but not mandatory, and rangers have boxes of free masks at the visitors centre. At each shuttle stop, rangers check tickets and make sure no more than the maximum amount of people are allowed on the shuttle at once. Axel said they are currently planning on adding more signs about masks about social distancing along the road throughout the park. But parking is still an issue. The visitors centre has 480 parking spots and there are about 200 parking spots within a 10-minute walk of the entrance. But visitor centre parking filled up at 11 a.m. on Wednesday. Depending on how the next few days play out, they might consider opening the museum parking, Axel said. Currently, there are 23 shuttles with two cars attached cruising through the canyon. Axel said they are evaluating the situation daily and will make adjustments to shuttles and capacities if needed. All this comes with a warning if you want to get on the shuttle either direction without a ticket, youre out of luck. And if youre not on a shuttle by 8:15 p.m., you better start walking. They urge hikers to be waiting for the shuttle by 7:30 p.m. to help ensure you get on one. Before Wednesday, up to 400 people would line up starting the night before for the chance to be able to hike the Narrows. With no shuttles, the canyon was at capacity every morning by about 6 a.m. The shuttles, however, are well overdue for an update. According to Axel, it is industry standard to replace shuttles like theirs after 10-15,000 hours of driving. However, Zions shuttles are well over 30,000 hours of driving and are over 20 years old. He estimated it will take about $50 million to replace the fleet. These shuttles cause noise issues throughout the canyon as well as a headache for air quality. That, and maintenance costs are a huge hassle. Theyre hoping that in collecting entrance fees once more they can start to make up for the deficit theyve accumulated since the pandemic began. With the revenue, theyre hoping to increase shuttle maintenance and overall park upkeep. As for the shuttles in Springdale, there are currently no plans to restart service. While private cars are no longer allowed on the scenic drive, if youre staying at the Lodge or have a physical disability, you may receive a permit from rangers to park up the canyon. On Tuesday, Zion released shuttle tickets through the month of July. While most days are already sold out, a select amount of tickets are available the day before you want to go at 9 a.m. Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... If Zions shuttles are sold out, then private shuttles are still allowed to travel through the canyon. Overall, rangers were pleased with how reopening day went, saying it was calm and not frenzied. Rangers at the visitor centre said there wasnt more than a 15-minute wait and everything ran smoothly. Weve been managing the situation well, theres a calmness through the canyon. Theres more reliability with the shuttle, Axel said. 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. Businesses across the province are demonstrating that we can still enjoy our beautiful Ontario summer while protecting the health and safety of their patrons, Ford said in a statement Friday as new cases of COVID-19 rose to 165, up 12 from the previous day. Restaurants and bars are an important part of our economy, and a great driver of employment, he added. We will continue to support them as our province reopens and recovers. The changes under the Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act will speed up the approval process for restaurants and bars wanting to create or extend patios and allow covered outdoor dining areas, with certain stipulations. As the law stands under the Planning Act, it can take several weeks to get the required permissions but the changes under the emergency act will shorten the process to days, the government said. Until now, restaurants and bars in parts of the province now in stage two reopening mode everywhere except the farm worker outbreak zones of Kingsville and Leamington south of Windsor have been permitted to host guests on outdoor patios only. The emergency order issued Friday clarified that outdoor dining areas can open if they have a roof, canopy, tent or awning, so long as two sides are fully open to the outdoors with no substantial blockages to keep the air flowing. Martow said she saw no harm in restaurants and bars taking up a bit more space on sidewalks or even parking lots, following the example of Europe where patios can be expansive. Everybody here would agree that people feel a lot more comfortable social distancing outside, she told the Legislature on May 21 before the hot weather hit. Hopefully, the global pandemic has toughened us up a little bit so that even if its a bit chilly on the patio, well walk over and well dress appropriately. Statistics from the Ministry of Health showed more regional health units reporting small numbers of cases than usual, with 14 of 34 reporting no new cases at all. Most of the rest reported fewer than five new cases with Toronto the highest at 87, York with 23 and Peel at 22. The week saw a substantial decline in patients hospitalized for COVID-19, with the number down to 155 on Friday from 256 at the same time last week. Forty patients remained in intensive care with 25 of them on ventilators, down from 61 and 41 as reported by the ministry last Friday. As the last of the Canadian Armed Forces medical team to help out in the hardest-hit Ontario nursing homes pulled out Friday from Woodbridge Vista Care Community, 44 of the provinces 626 long-term care facilities were still experiencing outbreaks, down 11 in the last week. Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... The highly contagious novel coronavirus has infected another nursing home residents and 11 more staff, however. To date, 1,817 nursing home residents and seven staff have died from COVID-19. As of 6 p.m. Friday, Ontarios regional health units reported a total of 37,558 confirmed and probable cases of COVID-19, including 2,731 deaths, an increase of 164 cases and three deaths since Thursday evening, according to the Stars latest count. 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. You have permission to edit this collection. Edit Close Letter to the editor: A betrayal of our service men and women Letter to the editor: The facts of life during wartime Union Home Minister Amit Shah Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday assured of providing long term visas to Pakistani Hindu refugees residing in the national capital as well as enable them to settle in India. The Home Minister said that the grant of citizenship will be expedited as per the provisions of the law and all Hindu refugees will be accepted as the country's citizens. He said that the head of the family would get a certificate and it will be valid for the rest of the family as well. Hundreds of Pakistani Hindus fled the neighbouring country to seek refuge here after facing religious persecution. They came to India on tourist, pilgrim or visitor visas and want to settle down in India. These families did not return to Pakistan as they felt unsafe there and hoped to get Indian citizenship. Around 750 Hindus are living in makeshift tents on the Yamuna bank and homes in north Delhi's Majnu ka Tila area that have unplastered walls and metal roofs. Many others live in resettlement colonies on the outskirts of New Delhi in Rohini's Sectors 9 and 11, Adarsh Nagar and near the Signature Bridge. Shah's assurance came when a delegation of these Pakistani Hindus led by Delhi Sikh Gurudwara Management Committee President Manjinder Singh Sirsa met him and pleaded to grant citizenship to these families. Sirsa thanked the Home Minister for taking various measures and initiatives like the Citizen Amendment Act for granting Indian citizenship to such people facing persecution. The DSGMC chief said he discussed with the Home Minister in detail about the insecurity these people faced in Pakistan. "There was a threat that they too will be abducted, forced to convert and marry a Muslim against their wish. The purpose of getting them to meet the Home Minister was to bring back their lost confidence and work on the modalities so that they could be considered for Indian citizenship under the new Act," Sirsa said after the meeting with Shah. Sirsa said that kidnapping of Hindu and Sikh girls has become a routine affair in Pakistan and no family dared to lodge a complaint with police against fundamentalists. GRAFTON City officials say Grafton is recovering and seeing new growth, despite budget challenges brought about by last years historic flooding, the uncertainty of Federal Emergency Management Agency disaster funding and the Gov. J.B. Pritzkers stay-at-home orders this spring. Businesses have been doing well and I just cant say enough about visitors to our community and how theyve been supporting all of our businesses throughout town, said Mayor Rick Eberlin. Its very heartwarming. Fortunately, weve had some tremendous weekends as far as weather in the last month or so and that bodes well, he said during an economic update last week hosted by the RiverBend Growth Association. Im very excited about our recovery. Even before the pandemic, city employees and officials were struggling with flood-related expenses from last year and the time-consuming application process for disaster relief funding through FEMA. Eberlin, however, said the city is looking to business revenue, grant opportunities and new construction to help address its financial woes while awaiting flood costs reimbursement. Weve been working our tails off to try to get reimbursed for the expenses we put out for the flood of 19 and the cleanup, said Eberlin. Its just been a fight, tooth and nail, with IEMA (Illinois Emergency Management Agency) and FEMA. Once you jump through one hoop and think youre on your way to getting things accomplished and seeing some finality to this whole process, then youre told to jump through another hoop, he said. It seems to be a neverending ordeal. Eberlin said Grafton has applied for two grants, one to help a new development at the east end of the citys entrance on a piece of property known as the flat rock. Its about a 10-acre property that Ive tried to get purchased by a developer since becoming mayor, said Eberlin. Weve been close a couple of times, but this time, weve got a solid commitment. The potential buyer has an agreement in place with a nationally renowned business to come in and to build, he said, Its a facility that were in desperate need of and I think that once that happens, we will have other businesses follow suit. With a 25/75 split match on the grant and the use of Motor Fuel Tax revenue, Grafton hopes to provide the infrastructure for the project, including a frontage road and utilities. Hopefully, we will be lucky enough to receive that award, which is going to help us put in the infrastructure we need for that development, said Eberlin. The sale of that property and development is not contingent upon that. But that sure would expedite the process and it would be a tremendous boom for Grafton. If all goes well, Eberlin said construction could start this fall with at least one business being completed. Thats just a prediction, he said. Its going to happen; its just a matter of when. Theres already been engineering done. In more positive news, the Illinois American water tower will again bear the citys name after it was removed several years ago when repainting the tower caused a public outcry. Thats being done as we speak, said Eberlin. People are very excited. It means a lot to a community to have that identity, so Im very glad thats happening. A turtle sculpture east of the lighthouse also is in the works, with artisans expecting to start as early as next week. With the construction of a new mill in town and addition of a museum on the west end of the existing visitors center, Eberlin said theres a lot of positive things happening in Grafton. All in all, things are going well in Grafton, he said, noting a recent protest in town. From a mayors perspective and town perspective, you couldnt have hoped for a better result. There were multiple people from different communities that wanted to organize counter protests and I implored them not to come to Grafton. They were very respectful and, as a result, we had none. As a mayor, Im very proud of our town, he said. We are a very diverse, inclusive town. And anybody who ever comes to our town will see that. Someone - let's call her Person A - catches the coronavirus. It's a Monday. She goes about life, unaware her body is incubating a killer. By perhaps Thursday, she's contagious. Only that weekend does she come down with a fever and get tested. What happens next is critical. Public health workers have a small window of time to track down everyone Person A had close contact with over the last few days. Because by the coming Monday or Tuesday, some of those people - though they don't yet have symptoms - could also be spreading the virus. Welcome to the sprint known as contact tracing, the process of reaching potentially exposed people as fast as possible and persuading them to quarantine. The race is key to controlling the pandemic ahead of a vaccine, experts say. But most places across the United States aren't making public how fast or well they're running it, leaving Americans in the dark about how their governments are mitigating the risk. An exception is the District of Columbia, which recently added metrics on contact tracing to its online dashboard. A few weeks ago, the District was still too overwhelmed to try to ask all of those who tested positive about their contacts. Now, after building a staff of several hundred contact tracers, District officials say they're making that attempt within 24 hours of a positive test report in about 98 percent of cases. For months, every U.S. state has posted daily numbers on coronavirus testing - along with charts of new cases, hospitalizations and deaths. So far, only one state, Oregon, posts similar data about contact tracing. Officials in New York say they plan to begin publishing such metrics in coming weeks. Recent case spikes in Texas, Arizona, Nevada, South Carolina, West Virginia, Georgia and California will frustrate contact tracing efforts there. But even states seeing declines are finding it hard to measure their success in contact tracing, in part because the effort is often spearheaded by local and county health departments. In Maryland, Gov. Larry Hogan announced the launch in May of a digital platform for contact tracing that would allow officials to view detailed performance metrics. More than a month later, state health department spokesman Charles Gischlar declined to release the numbers "because the data is under review." In Georgia and Colorado, health department officials say they are developing platforms for tracing data but can't yet pull out numbers. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention posted guidance in April that included various recommended contact-tracing metrics - none of which are being publicly reported by most states. "Contact tracing is how you prevent cases from becoming clusters, clusters from becoming outbreaks," said former CDC director Tom Frieden, now with the global health initiative Resolve to Save Lives. As jurisdictions scale up their tracing operations, he said, transparency is important. "The more openly any of it is shared, the faster progress is made." - - - Contact tracing is not new to public health agencies, which have long used it to curb diseases like tuberculosis, meningitis and measles. But the scale of the coronavirus pandemic presents new problems. While some places are experimenting with phone apps to aid efforts, they depend on people downloading the apps and have raised privacy concerns. Each positive test result calls for a case investigation, usually a phone call from a health worker that can last an hour or more. The goal is to help the person recall those with whom they've been in close contact - generally within six feet of someone for 15 minutes. Contract tracers try to reach each of them. "We've had people that have more than 60 known contacts, because they were very busy, they were very socially active," said Stephen Haering, director of the Alexandria, Va., health department, which in May was averaging several dozen new positive cases a day. "That's a lot of phone calls," Haering said. The city temporarily diverted staffers out of family planning centers, immunization clinics and other specialty areas to work in contact tracing. Thanks to a prolonged shutdown and slow reopening, Alexandria is now averaging under a dozen new positive cases a day. Haering has maintained a tracing staff of more than 40 people, many of them newly hired through a state contract, who attempt to reach people within hours of a positive test report. "If we get it in the afternoon, we're making [the call] that day," said Haering, who is prepared to add more tracers if case numbers spike. "We're not operating 24 hours, but we are operating seven days a week, including holidays." Many places didn't attempt full contact tracing or abandoned efforts during the heights of their epidemics, when testing was more limited and health departments were short of tracers. Even in the nation's capital, health workers could focus only on priority cases, such as those in nursing homes, until staffing increases last month. "Now that we're able to focus on every positive case and get these comprehensive lists of contacts, we're able to start making connections between places of exposure and types of exposure that individuals have," said LaQuandra Nesbitt, director of the D.C. health department. Experts say the United States will need legions of contact tracers to help contain the virus - perhaps more than 100,000. "While this figure may be stunning," an April report by the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health said, it's fewer than half the number per capita that were employed in Wuhan, China, where the virus originated. State and local officials have since announced the hiring of thousands of contact tracers across the country. But in places seeing big case spikes, even those expanded operations are becoming overwhelmed. Texas, for example, has fewer than 3,000 contact tracers statewide, according to the Texas Tribune. The state reported more than 8,200 new cases Saturday. - - - The coronavirus isn't just fast, it's stealthy, and that creates another major challenge. Researchers aren't sure what percentage of transmissions - maybe 15 percent, maybe 30 percent, maybe more - come from people who don't yet feel symptoms. But some people do appear to spread the disease before they develop symptoms that could alert them to consider isolating themselves. Often, case investigators, who make initial calls to new positive cases, start out behind because test results typically take days. The pharmacy chain CVS says customers should expect to wait about three days for results, and sometimes more than that. District health officials say results from city testing sites have recently taken as long as seven days but now take three to five. If Person A's test result takes four days, then by the time a contact tracer reaches Person B, she is likely to be feeling symptoms. By that point, she may have decided to self-isolate, but only after spending a day or two spreading the virus. "Just the nature of this virus means you have a really small window to catch that next round of infection events before they, in turn, go on to infect other people," said Adam Kucharski, a professor at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine who wrote The Rules of Contagion, a book scheduled for release this week. In a modeling study recently published in the journal Lancet, Kucharski and his co-authors concluded contact tracing alone will not likely contain the virus. "We found that, even with quite rapid detection of cases, even with quite extensive tracing, it's likely that you'd need some additional measures alongside that," Kucharski said, including social distancing and restrictions on gatherings. Still, the better a community manages contact tracing, the fewer restrictions on gatherings and economic activity it may need. Health officials in North Dakota, which is seeing only a few dozen positive cases per day, say they reach out to people within an hour of when they are notified by their health care provider of the test result. Officials in Maine, which is experiencing similar case numbers, say they begin investigating within hours. Contact tracers in New Mexico, which has been seeing between 100 and 200 new cases per day, are reaching those people and their contacts a median of 48 hours after test results, short of the state's target of 36 hours, officials said at a news conference in late June. Officials in Massachusetts, which has seen between 100 and 300 new cases per day recently, say they contact cases and contacts within 24 to 48 hours. Colorado, with similar numbers testing positive, set a goal of reaching the close contacts of patients within 72 hours of test results, officials say, but won't have the capability to draw metrics from the data until later this month. One sign of success for a contact-tracing program comes when a new positive case is someone tracers have already spoken with, and persuaded to quarantine, after identifying them as another infected person's close contact. The proportion of new cases arising among quarantined contacts is a key metric recommended by the CDC and other experts. Frieden calls it "the fundamental outcome indicator of a contact tracing program." Frieden said some states aren't tracking the metric, while others may not want to disclose it. He said he heard one public health leader comment recently, "If we reported those, it would be zero every day." The District has created a spot for the metric on its online dashboard with the tag: "Coming soon." Conversely, new cases that cannot even in hindsight be traced to a known source - known as "unlinked" cases - demonstrate where contact tracing operations need to improve. Though countries with effective tracing programs, including Iceland and New Zealand, track this metric closely, Frieden said it is rarely reported in the United States. An exception is Oregon. The state aims to keep its average rate of unlinked cases below 30 percent and did so for much of May and June. But as the state has reopened and new cases have climbed, so has the portion that are unlinked. "It's really a good indicator of how effective our whole statewide approach at suppression is," said Tom Jeanne, Oregon's deputy health officer and deputy epidemiologist. "The more that is rising above 30 percent, the more we are saying, 'Well, there's just broad community spread of this happening, and we're not keeping up with it.' " Arkansas, where cases have been climbing recently, doesn't post the unlinked metric online. But a health department spokesman told The Washington Post that 25 percent of the state's recent cases have been unlinked. - - - Sporadic reports of contact-tracing success rates vary widely from place to place. While District investigators make a first contact attempt within 24 hours in nearly every case, only 60 percent of people pick up the phone. Those who don't answer receive a text message and several more attempts over three days. New York City began an ambitious contact-tracing program last month, but fewer than half of those who tested positive gave information about their close contacts, a spokeswoman for Mayor Bill de Blasio told the New York Times. In Fairfax County, Va., the health department seeks contacts only from high-risk cases. Those deemed lower risk are asked to reach out to contacts themselves and encourage them to quarantine. "This is a system that we had developed several months ago as the pandemic was much hotter in this area," Benjamin Schwartz, Fairfax's director of epidemiology and population health. "We are currently in the process of hiring additional contact tracers, so they will be able to do the full contact tracing for every case that's identified." Schwartz said case investigators have managed to reach 91 percent of probable and lab-confirmed positive cases. He said that number is encouraging, "particularly given that many of the cases occurring in the county are among the more disadvantaged population, who one might expect would be a little bit harder to reach." After schools closed in March, officials in Anne Arundel County, Md., enlisted school nurses to become contact tracers, launching far ahead of state efforts. Lately new cases in the largely suburban county on the Chesapeake Bay have averaged a few dozen per day. The county's case investigators typically reach out to them in far less than 24 hours. "If it comes in at 10 o'clock in the morning, we're calling them in about three or four hours," said County Health Officer Nilesh Kalyanaraman. "Twenty-four hours is the maximum time between results and calling them. We're pretty much at 100 percent on that." About 20 percent of the cases and contacts need help with food, housing or transportation to isolate and quarantine, Kalyanaraman said. Addressing those needs quickly, he added, is "probably the most important piece to get right." Contact tracing alone won't stamp out the virus in places like Anne Arundel, research suggests. But it may help keep Person B from passing it on, and it will save others from becoming Person D - or Person Z. ALTON Viking has sold out many of its inaugural Mississippi River cruises set to start in August 2022. On Friday, the firm announced it now is taking reservations for river cruises through the area in 2023 on the Viking Mississippi. b-roll and photo renderings. We are very pleased at the initial response and support we have received from guests and community partners along the Mississippi River, said Torstein Hagen, Chairman of Viking. Like me, many travelers are planning ahead for when we will once again be exploring the world in comfort to exotic destinations as well as those closer to home, he said. We look forward to welcoming guests as we bring modern river cruising to the Mississippi River in 2022. Viking said its arrival to the Mississippi River will represent a major commitment to tourism and economic development, with the new cruises expected to bring more than 5,800 guests to the region in 2022 and more than 17,600 during the first full sailing season in 2023. The scheduled ports of call for the upper Mississippi River will include St. Louis and Hannibal, as well as Burlington, Dubuque and Davenport in Iowa; La Crosse, Wisconsin; and Red Wing and St. Paul, Minnesota. Southern ports include Baton Rouge, Darrow, New Orleans and St. Francisville in Louisiana; Natchez and Vicksburg in Mississippi and Memphis in Tennessee. Vikings 2022-2023 Mississippi voyages include Americas Heartland, eight-day cruises between St. Louis and St. Paul. Multiple sailing dates are planned in August and September 2022, as well as July, August and September 2023. Viking also is planning Americas Great River cruises of 15 days bewteen New Orleans and St. Paul with multiple sailing dates planned in June, September and October 2023. Hosting 386 guests in 193 all outside staterooms, the five-deck Viking Mississippi is currently under construction in Louisiana. Suites range from 268 square feet to 1,024 square feet. All have a private veranda or French balcony, king-size beds, large flat-screen interactive TVs, wifi, a mini-bar, glass-enclosed showers, heated bathroom floor and 24-hour room service. The boat will include a two-story Explorers Lounge near the bow of the ship, a River Cafe indoor/outdoor dining venue on the top deck, the Aquavit Terrace casual dining space on the top deck, the Sun Terrace with an Infinity Plunge Pool, a main restaurant and a full 360-degree promenade deck. The Independence Day weekend is expected to be the years biggest travel weekend so far, but the number of people traveling for the holiday is likely to remain below past years levels as a result of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, travel experts predict. The pent-up demand for travel were seeing, coupled with low gas prices, limited flight service and the fact that July Fourth falls on a Saturday, all indicate that the Independence Day holiday will be the largest road trip event of 2020 so far, said Cree Lawson, CEO of the travel data company Arrivalist. Gas prices locally are creeping up, according to AAA. In the Scranton and Wilkes-Barre metro area, which includes Hazleton and Wyoming County, the average price for a gallon of regular gas on Thursday was $2.40. Thats only up about 1 cent from a week ago, but its up up 26 cents from a month ago. A survey of 18 of Wyoming Countys 19 service stations showed the average price of a gallon of 87-octane increased 25.1 cents to $2.285 from the $2.034 a gallon consumers paid in the county a month earlier. Last weekends county average was 10.7 cents above the national average price for 87-octane of $2.178, and 14.9 cents less than the Pennsylvania average of $2.434. The average price for 89-octane increased 22.9 cents to $2.564 from the $2.335 a gallon average a month ago. The average price of 93-octane locally last weekend was $2.815. That is up 26 cents from the $2.555 average of a month ago. According to statistics compiled by AAA, a year ago, 87-octane sold at a national average price of $2.708 a gallon; a month ago, it was $1.968. A national record high for 87-octane of $4.114 was established on July 17, 2008. A state record high of $4.074 was established on July 16, 2008. Gas prices hovered above the $3 mark until October of that year as instability and fear of a deepening recession rocked the global markets. Arrivalist predicted that about 36.8 million road trips will be taken in the United States over the Independence Day weekend, down about 11% from the 41.1 million travelers predicted by AAA last year. That forecast, issued on June 24, assumed no new spike in COVID-19 cases and no return of lockdown measures in cities and states around the country, the company cautioned. AAA did not publish a travel forecast for the Independence Day weekend, citing uncertainty related to the COVID-19 pandemic. AAA did predict on June 25 that about 700 million trips will be taken throughout this summer. That figure is almost 15% below last years level and would be the first decline in summer travel levels since 2009. Automobile travel is projected to dip just 3% below last years level, according to AAA, but air travel is expected to drop 74%, and other forms of travel including trips by train, cruise ship and bus are expected to go down by 86%. Americans will get out and explore this summer, said Paula Twidale, AAAs senior vice president of travel, though theyre taking a wait and see approach when it comes to booking and are likely to book more long weekend getaways than extended vacations. State transportation officials on Tuesday urged those who will be driving this weekend to do so responsibly. While social distancing is still encouraged, when you do travel, please drive safely, said PennDOT Secretary Yassmin Gramian. Though Independence Day is a time for celebration, we urge Pennsylvanians to designate a sober driver and wear their seat belts throughout the coming weekend and all year. Tribune News Service contributed to this report. Contact the writer: bbaker@wcexaminer.com, 570-836-2123 x33 Between 1979 and 1988, more than 6,000 Americans most of them children 15 and younger landed in hospital emergency rooms for playing with lethal weapons marketed as toys. These were my formative years, so I embraced Lawn Darts also known as Jarts as the coolest kid craze since Clackers, which were essentially nunchucks that could shatter into blinding plastic shrapnel. Like most cool crazes that get ruined by a few dead kids, Lawn Darts were soon under fire from tyrannical, safety-obsessed parents. The father of a 7-year-old California girl accidentally killed by a playmate lobbied Congress to outlaw Lawn Darts, a process that took years. My Mom and Dad didnt wait for the ban. Witnessing me nearly impale my kid brother with an errant toss of a 7-inch recreational spear was enough reason to lob my Lawn Darts into the burn barrel. Jarts were officially banned in the U.S. in 1989. You can still find used sets for sale on the internet, along with Clackers, butterfly knives and dangerous explosives marketed as harmless commercial-grade fireworks. For fireworks availability, the Pennsylvania I grew up in was a dud. You couldnt buy anything good, and the internet wasnt even an idea. Luckily, my cousins and I had an interstate connection. Uncle Tom, Moms oldest brother, was a long-distance trucker with five kids of his own. On trips home in late June, he would swing through South Carolina and bring us bags of ordnance worthy of a terrorist cell. By day, we used them responsibly under adult supervision. By night, we prowled the neighborhood looking for stuff to blow up and ran from cops who couldnt match our backyard fence-jumping skills. Its a miracle none of us were maimed, killed or put on an FBI watch list. Like diapers, I outgrew fireworks. I may age back into the former, but I leave the latter to professionals. Now that Pennsylvanians can legally buy many of the same black-powder playthings my uncle once trafficked across state lines, Im no longer in the market for fuse-li mayhem. A lot of Americans clearly are. Fireworks sales are booming across the country. Industry experts attribute the explosion in sales to professional displays canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic. Internet conspiracy theorists attribute the spike to antifa terrorists trying to ignite a race war or alt-right wackos trying to goad peaceful protesters into violent responses. I blame Gov. Tom Wolf and state lawmakers, which is a popular pandemic pastime. In a 2017 budget package signed by Wolf, the Legislature expanded the sale of commercial fireworks. Soon, every day was the Fourth of July. Its for every holiday, including Memorial Day, Fathers Day, Happy its Sunny Out Day, Blakely Police Chief Guy Salerno told The Times-Tribune. Its literally all the time. Salerno is part of a growing group of safety officials, mayors and lawmakers across the state calling for repeal of the fireworks expansion. On Thursday, Scranton Mayor Paige Gebhardt Cognetti and Police Chief Carl Graziano announced plans to crack down on illegal use of fireworks. The Police Department dedicated four officers solely to fireworks law enforcement this weekend. We dont take pride in citing people ... but its necessary, Graziano said. The chief said restrictions imposed by the pandemic have a lot of people itching to let off steam. People were essentially quarantined for three months, he said. At the same time, summer is at its peak. That certainly contributes to a lot of what we are seeing right now. State law prohibits the use of fireworks within 150 feet of an occupied structure. Using them in many city neighborhoods or other tightknit communities is illegal. Violators arent just traumatizing veterans, pets, senior citizens and others, they are breaking the law. Between June 15 and Wednesday, Scranton police received 57 complaints for fireworks, up from 27 in the same time frame last summer. We really are urging people ... please take your neighbors into consideration, Cognetti said. The mayor asked city council to consider a resolution making fireworks abuse a city violation that would elevate the fine for a state violation from $100 to $300. The danger posed by commercial-grade fireworks was tragically realized last week in Minooka. A 31-year-old South Scranton man was killed instantly when a commercial-grade firework he was trying to deploy exploded. Corey Buckleys death was ruled accidental. He left behind a devastated family, a fiancee and a conditional offer to begin a new career as a Scranton firefighter. Buckley was gone in a flash. The echo of his unnecessary death should ring in the ears of anyone about to treat a lethal weapon like a harmless toy. July 4, 1910 Busy Fourth of July The celebration of our nations birthday in Scranton started with a parade that was conducted by police Superintendent Lona Day. The parade featured a few floats, members of veterans and civic organizations and Bauers Band providing the music. The parade ended in time for the unveiling of the monument to Union Gen. Philip Sheridan on Courthouse Square. The unveiling featured an address by Gen. James OBeirne, a 100-child chorus singing patriotic songs and a short transfer ceremony between the monument committee and the Lackawanna County commissioners. In his address to the several thousand on hand, OBeirne paid tribute to his fellow general by saying, He was a born hero and a great spirit. He was of the mettle and the mould that wins its way to success regardless of obstacles. OBeirne finished his address by calling out the West Point graduates who broke their oath of loyalty and deserted the north on the ground that the rights of their native, single states, were threatened. Following the festivities in and around Courthouse Square, people retreated to their homes, parks and amusement resorts. Firecrackers could be heard popping and cracking throughout the day and at night rockets and pyrotechnical illuminants filled the skies. City officials were also glad to report there were no fatal accidents this year. But there were numerous reports of people in Scranton being injured from explosions from homemade devices and firecrackers. There was also a report of three homes being damaged by a hot air balloon. The balloon caused small fires at each of the residences. Fire claims 60 buildings A firecracker did $300,000 worth of damage in Benton in Columbia County. Someone tossed a firecracker into the straw inside George Crossleys barn. The barn fire grew into an enormous blaze that destroyed 60 buildings in the borough including the Columbia County National Bank, the U.S. Post Office, the Exchange Hotel and the Weekly Argus Newspaper building. Luckily no one was killed in the blaze. Rosa Hess, 70 years old, was the only one injured in the blaze. She was seriously burned when she ran back into her home in an attempt to save her furniture. 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. When one thinks of the Declaration of Independence, the idea of dinosaurs does not readily come to mind. Yet, there is a connection. The most feared dinosaur species was Tyrannosaurus rex, which translated from Greek and Latin means terrible (lizard) king. The motivating force behind Thomas Jeffersons written case for the colonies to declare their independence was the reign of George III, whom he labeled a tyrant, a terrible king. In 1776, long after dinosaurs had perished, the world was filled with monarchs who lorded over their subjects with absolute and unfettered powers that bred indignities among their subjects. Since that time, the world has known no shortage of tyrants with different titles. Although generations suffered from their rulers abuses, Jefferson acknowledged that people are more disposed to endure suffering at the hands of despots than to rid themselves of their rulers. While much attention is paid to Jeffersons words and phrases such as all men are created equal and life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, the centerpiece of the Declaration he wrote is the listing of dozens of tyrannical acts that he labels as injuries, abuses and usurpations inflicted upon the American colonies, which necessitated our independence. Among those kingly wrongs enumerated by Jefferson are attacks on and interference with colonial legislatures, obstructions of justice and demanding fealty of judicial officers, harassment of the people through his officers, inciting domestic insurrections, and interfering with immigration and naturalization, as well as trade. Jefferson further noted that respectful petitions for redress were met only by further injuries. What made the American Revolution unique was the manner in which the Founders chose to break our political ties with England by proclaiming and setting forth their motivation for independence, and the inspiration that it gave to others to throw off the chains of despotism and repression. Yet, other revolutions inspired by ours had far different outcomes. The French Revolution devolved into the Reign of Terror and the eventual dictatorship of Napoleon. The Russian Revolution produced a bloody chain of events, including a civil war, the murder of the Tsar and his family, and the nightmare of communist rule. In the last century, democracies have been created and lost in places like post-World War I Germany, Latin America, and post-colonial Africa, and many democracies are now endangered in Europe. Keen observers of human nature and events, such as philosopher Hannah Arendt, have catalogued the manner of descent into authoritarian and totalitarian rule. The essential traits of all tyrannical regimes are that the workings of the state must satisfy the tyrant rather than the people, and that tyrants will go to any extreme to preserve their rule. The relative immunity that the United States has enjoyed thus far to the failed revolutions or lost freedoms of other nations is a testament to how much our Founders understood the good and bad of human nature, and their dedication to providing safeguards through the division and limitation of power, and mechanisms of accountability, including the courts, a free press, and transparency as provided by the Constitution. The Founders also knew that the preservation of the republic depended on the willingness of leaders to work within constitutional restraints, and the ability of the people to hold their leaders to the norms inherent in those restraints. Lincolns speech at Gettysburg, in the midst of the Civil War, recognized the efforts sometimes needed for the nation to long endure, lest it perish from the Earth. The prehistoric death of the dinosaurs was a natural disaster. Not even the most tyrannical T-rex survived. However, human history has recorded many circumstances, all of which were manmade, that led to the demise of democracies and republics, often leaving tyrants to flourish. This week, as we commemorate the anniversaries of our independence and the crucial battle of Gettysburg to preserve our union, let us ponder the blessings that Jefferson, Lincoln and so many others endowed to us liberty, freedom and equality for all lest those ideals and manner of governance also vanish from the Earth. Jesse Mermell is no Joe Kennedy III. People revere his family in the most Democratic parts of Northeast Pennsylvania, where far fewer know hers, even though shes from here. Hes a Massachusetts congressman, and Mermell wants his job, but stay calm ye worshipers of all things Kennedy. The congressman is giving up his congressional seat to run for the U.S. Senate. He raised money in Scranton in early February for his campaign against longtime Democratic Sen. Edward Markey, whom hes favored to defeat in the states Sept. 1 Democratic primary election. On the same day, Mermell, who grew up in Honesdale and Cherry Ridge Twp. in Wayne County, hopes to win the Democratic primary for Kennedys House seat and a shot at replacing him. David Wasserman, an analyst at the Cook Political Report who tracks House races, considers Mermell one of the favorites in the nine-person race. The Democratic primary winner likely will win the seat, which Cook Political considers solidly Democratic, in the Nov. 3 election. A friend of U.S. Rep. Matt Cartwright of Moosic, Kennedy represents Massachusetts 4th Congressional District, a suburban district that includes towns like Brookline, Newton and Bostons western suburbs down to Taunton, Fall River, and the states South Coast, 34 cities and towns in all. If Mermell, 40, a Brookline resident, won the seat, she would join Honesdale native John Olver in representing a Massachusetts congressional district. Olver represented the 1st Congressional District from 1991 to 2013 on the opposite side of the state. Weve met a few times, Mermell said. Mermell is the daughter of Bob and Jet Mermell. Bob Mermell owned WDNH-FM radio in Honesdale. Jesse earned a scholarship to Wyoming Seminary Upper School in Kingston and graduated there as vice president of the class of 1998 and president of student government. She earned a bachelors degree in political science from Boston College in 2002. Politics did not run in her family. My family has no idea where I got this, but I think I know, Mermell said. Her grandmother, Rhoda Mermell, served as a nurse in a World War II portable hospital unit, but married and settled into raising a family. Because of the time in history, she was expected to never work outside the home again and so she didnt, Mermell said. So she had all of that education and all of that talent and she poured it into civic life, and not politics, volunteering for the hospital or putting on some sort of fundraiser for the temple. ... She was always up to her eyeballs in something for the community. That drove home to Mermell, her brother, Peter, and their cousins that the community was our responsibility, too, Mermell said. If you see a problem in your community, you have to figure out how you use whatever talents you may have to be part of the solution, even if its just a small part. I dont know that she ever meant, Oh, youll go into politics, Mermell said. But thats sort of where its led me. She has had quite the career since college. First, she managed a Massachusetts state Senate campaign and another for lieutenant governor. She worked briefly as a clerk at Harvard University and a group called the Progressive Government Project. From October 2004 to February 2008, Mermell served as executive director of the Massachusetts Womens Political Caucus. After that, she worked for 15 months for the National Center for Fair & Open Testing, which works to end the misuses and flaws of standardized testing. She grew seriously involved in Hillary Clintons first campaign for president in 2008, which only enhances her NEPA connection. While still at the womens political caucus, voters in her town, Brookline, a Boston suburb, elected her first a town member and then, from May 2007 to January 2013, a selectwoman. Brookline, which has 60,000 residents fewer than Scranton has 240 elected members of its town meeting, a towns legislative branch, and a board of selectmen, the executive branch. I didnt say it was efficient, but thats how we run things, Mermell said. From April 2009 to October 2010, Mermell served as vice president of external affairs for the Planned Parenthood League of Massachusetts, then moved on to direct the Massachusetts Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired between January 2011 and January 2013. She stayed politically active. If you remember, when former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney ran for president in 2012, he was asked a question about equal pay for women during a debate with President Barack Obama. Romney touted his hiring practices as governor. And and so we we took a concerted effort to go out and find women who had backgrounds that could be qualified to become members of our Cabinet. I went to a number of womens groups and said, Can you help us find folks, and they brought us whole binders full of women, Romney said. The remark drew widespread ridicule. Mermell served on the Massachusetts Government Appointments Project, which pushed for hiring more women in state government and provided Romney binders full of womens resumes. By the middle of Romneys first term in 2004, women held 42% of senior-level jobs in state government, but that dropped to about 25% by the end of his term in 2006. Romney paid lip service to the public about hiring more women in senior positions and treated it like a quota, Mermell told the media in a call organized by the Obama campaign, according to the McClatchy News Service. In January 2013, she took over as communications director for Deval Patrick, the states first black governor, elected in 2006 after Romney left office. Once Patrick left office, Mermell signed on as president of the Alliance for Business Leadership in Boston in February 2015. She resigned that job in September to run for Congress. She decided to run, she said, because she already has worked on a lot of the issues that she would face as a congresswoman. When I thought about what my grandmother would have expected of me, I really didnt have any hesitation or lack of clarity, Mermell said. She chuckled at the thought of where she has arrived in life. Coming from a family that isnt political, coming from a pretty normal middle-class family in a small town in rural Pennsylvania, this was not on my radar screen at all and it really does blow my mind, she said. If she wins, she could serve with a Scranton native, former Vice President Joe Biden, in the White House. I would be delighted to serve with him and tell Scranton stories, she said. Stories about NEPA, the Center of the Universe. When the Founders voted for independence on July 2, 1776, and adopted the Declaration of Independence two days later, they not only dissolved the American colonies ties with Great Britain but proclaimed principles of freedom and self-governance that ring across the centuries. And that resonance is even more profound in this summer of crisis and social change. Following is a quiz to test your knowledge of some of the events and principles underlying American independence. 1. Which of the following are truths that the Declaration of Independence held to be self evident? a) That all men are created equal; b) that all men have certain unalienable rights including life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness; c) that governments derive their power from the consent of the governed; d) all of the above. 2. True or False King Louis XVI of France authorized an alliance with the American colonies to weaken England and his rival King George III, but died at the hands of French revolutionaries who were inspired by the success of the American Revolution he had helped to win. 3. How many of the 56 men who signed the Declaration owned, or had owned, enslaved people? a) 18; b) 26; c) 36; d) 41. 4. How many of the 56 signers were immigrants? a) none; b) 8; c) 21; d) 24. 5. According to the Declaration, why are governments instituted? a) To ensure national defense; b) to promote commerce; c) to secure the natural rights of the people; d) all of the above. 6. True or False Among grievances cited against King George III, the Declaration accuses him of limiting immigration. 7. Which colony had the most signers of the Declaration? a) Pennsylvania; b) New York; c) Virginia; d) Massachusetts. 8. True or False Of the signers of the Declaration, Benjamin Franklin lived the longest. 9. What happened on July 4, 1826, the 50th anniversary of the Declarations adoption? a) British troops set the White House afire; b) Crowds in New York City celebrating the anniversary tore down the last remaining statue of King George III; c) George Washington died; d) John Adams and Thomas Jefferson both died. 10. Who was the first president who was not a British subject at his birth? a) John Quincy Adams; b) Andrew Jackson, c) Martin Van Buren; d) William Henry Harrison. ANSWERS 1. D. 2. True. King Louis XVI was executed for treason in 1793, nearly four years after the beginning of the French Revolution in 1789. Though King George III lost the American colonies, he reigned until 1820 and died of natural causes. 3. D 41. 4. B 8. Button Gwinnett and Robert Morris were born in England. James Smith, George Taylor and Matthew Thornton were natives of Ireland. James Wilson and John Witherspoon were from Scotland. Francis Lewis was born in Wales. 5. C After listing natural rights, the Declaration states: That to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men. ... 6. True: He (the king) has endeavored to prevent the population of these states; for that purpose obstructing the laws for naturalization of foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migrations hither. ... 7. A Pennsylvania, 9: Benjamin Franklin, George Clymer, Robert Morris, John Morton, Benjamin Rush, George Ross, James Smith, James Wilson and George Taylor. 8. False. Franklin, at 70, was the oldest of the signers in 1776, and died at 84 in 1790. Charles Carroll of Carrollton, the longest lived and last surviving signer, was 95 when he died in 1832. 9. D Adams and Jefferson, who had reconciled after a fierce rivalry, died at their homes in Massachusetts and Virginia. 10. C Martin Van Buren, who was born in 1882. The eighth president still is the only president for whom English was a second language; he grew up in New York speaking Dutch. His successor, Harrison, was born before the Revolution, in 1773. Timothy Seth Bryant Pennington was born on January 30, 1988 in Corbin, Ky. He departed this life on June 3, 2021 to be with his Lord and Savior, whom he accepted as a young boy at his church, West Corbin Baptist. Seth was assured of his salvation and knew where he would spend his eternity. S 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 Mark Hiley is the founder and managing partner of The Analyst. I never met Markus Braun, the reclusive ex-chief executive of Wirecard, the wunderkind of German fintech, who was last week arrested and released on bail. I guess I missed my chance. Six years ago, when I had my first serious doubts about their accounting and opened a dialogue with them, the company proposed I travel to their Munich offices for a visit. The plan would have been to convert a sceptical analyst to the payment revolution religion. I politely declined, fearing it would compromise my objectivity. Besides, nothing Braun would tell us could be relied on at least from what we had so far seen in the financial filings of their Asian subsidiaries. Mark Hiley is the founder and managing partner of The Analyst 'Red Flag Alert', our first note on Wirecard, came out in July 2014. It highlighted concerns about the company's true profitability and recommended clients who were in the stock to get out. Those who were not in should short the stock. We couldn't have known back then exactly how it would unfold, and as the criminal investigations now gather momentum, the truth is stranger than fiction. The stock went up more than 500 per cent before it collapsed, making it an impossible rollercoaster to cling to. Clients who took our advice in 2014 to go short got badly burnt initially. For a long time, it seemed we were on the wrong end of that trade. As we got deeper into the accounts and found more that didn't stack up, we kept putting out notes, only available to our paying clients. These set out in extreme detail the widening gap between the company's often ludicrous claims about global domination and the reality of an overhyped stock. We couldn't find many of the claimed customers, the technology seemed poor, the cash flows were negative and the debt kept piling up. When an anonymous report authored by 'Zatarra' and then journalists came out with similarly negative evidence, we knew we were not alone. Wirecard were adamant, claiming these were all lies, and their loyal analysts called it fake news, put about by nefarious hedge funds to destroy a good solid German company with winning tech. Blue-chip investors took Braun at his word. As Wirecard's market cap skyrocketed towards $25billion, we began to wonder: have we got this one wrong? But if we'd got it that wrong, why did the accounts keep getting worse? Why did their acquisitions keep raising alarm bells and why had they used an opaque trust in Mauritius to wire a supposed $300million into India, for a business that was impossible to track down on the ground? I sent an investigator to Chennai in India to check out a subsidiary with the mandate to 'show me why I'm wrong'. He was followed back to his hotel by some men in a tuk-tuk. The poor guy was so shaken up he checked out. Meanwhile, the shops that Wirecard claimed to operate were non-existent. This one came right in the end. By the time Wirecard filed for bankruptcy on June 25, we had been halfway round the world, produced 43 notes, and held 230 meetings with clients. As I said in my sign-off note on Wirecard last week if it sounds too good to be true, it is too good to be true. Not so long ago, sandwiched somewhere in between the EU referendum and the coronavirus pandemic, Bitcoin and cryptocurrencies briefly became the hottest global topic. With prices soaring, many blindly took a punt, worried they would miss out on a chance for a quick and large profit the only way was up and all that Yazz. You heard overheard conversations about buying bitcoin, ripple, ethereum and more everywhere. It seemed everyone was piling in, young and old, with the hopes of turning hundreds or thousands of pounds into something more substantial. Many subsequently had their fingers burnt bitcoin prices fell from a peak of nearly $20,000 in December 2017 to $3,000 a year later, others saw their currency vanish, exchanges disappear, or were scammed. Bitcoin boom? The FCA has provided a snapshot of crypto Britain A lucky few, likely to have been involved when the price was low and the industry unknown, may have turned a handsome profit. Fast forward to today and while cryptocurrencies remain niche, there is still plenty of interest around bitcoin and the like, with ways to buy it far easier than a few years ago. And for those who managed to buy in at $3,000 a coin in that dip a year after the boom and held on, they would have witnessed the price triple. We see comments dominated by two extreme camps: those who say bitcoin will race to $100,000, or even a $1million a coin in the next few years, and others saying it is a scam or casino-style gambling, with those getting involved having no idea what it is all about. The Financial Conduct Authority has taken a keen interest in recent years and this week marked its annual report on the cryptocurrency, to reveal whether the interest in bitcoin has died down or continues to boom. Consumer Trends dives into the statistics to see whether the fad is over, or if people are more interested than ever Who is a typical crypto holder? Around 1.9million Britons own cryptocurrencies, according to the new data from the FCA or nearly 4 per cent of the adult population. These are people who actually 'own' a coin in a wallet, not have their money tracking the price. A further 700,000 people have also held crypto at some point, or 5.35 per cent of Britons up 2.35 percentage points on a year earlier. That means more than one in 20 Britons have been tempted into dabbling in crypto at some point. What about the price? The price of bitcoin soared from $1,000 a coin in early 2017 to $20,000 by the end of the year. A year later, it had fallen to $3,000. Last summer, it managed a spell back over $10,000 a coin, it fell back to $6,000 in March and currently sits at around $9,000. According to the study, 78 per cent of all people had heard of bitcoin. The next most familiar? Libra, which hasn't launched, followed by bitcoin cash, ether, bitcoin SV and litecoin - these were the only ones with a 10 per cent or more familiarity with the British public. The data, which was gathered in December 2019, also showed that people were far more likely to have heard of cryptocurrency: nearly three quarters are now aware of it, compared to just 42 per cent a year before. What is the make-up of a typical punter and how much have they gambled of their own cash? Well, 79 per cent are male, 69 per cent over the age of 35 and the majority 73 per cent - are classed as being in the highest ABC1 social grades. Furthermore, nearly half of cryptocurrency holders earn 20,000 to 50,000, with exactly half of all owners holding under 260 worth and 75 per cent under 1,000. This suggests that most have dipped their toes in the market in the hope of a crypto like bitcoin rising to $100,000 a coin. If you bought 260 worth today, and it did - for whatever reason - rise to $100,000 a coin, it would see the value rise to around 3,000 from that initial investment. It is small enough for most to write it off if needed, but big enough to have more than a passing interest. The most popular reason for consumers buying cryptocurrencies was as 'as a gamble that could make or lose money', acknowledging that prices are volatile. There has also been a shifting generational change just 7 per cent of all crypto holders were 55-plus in 2018. Despite seeing largely as a millennial or generation Z purchsae, this figure has increased to 22 per cent in the new study. Meanwhile, the number of 18-24 year-olds involved dropped from 18 per cent to 10 per cent. The most likely age range to hold crypto now is 35 to 44 year-olds at 27 per cent. The year previous, 25-34 year-olds were most likely, at 39 per cent. The survey is of a nationally representative online panel of 3,085 respondents. Money, money, money: Half of those with cryptocurrency have less than 260 worth Some have borrowed money to get involved In the survey, the FCA used the term cryptocurrency, but notes: 'This term is more widely used in public domain than the broader "cryptoasset" term we tend to prefer'. This highlights that the city watchdog would prefer it not to be described as a form of currency. The survey indicated that 8 per cent of people borrowed the money from financial firms, friends and family, other sources or using a credit card or existing credit facility. While this seems a low percentage, the FCA says this is still 215,000 people. For a speculative investment, that is a worrying figure. It does point out, however, that those who did borrow money purchased small amounts half bought less than 120 worth. Another titbit from the survey is that fact that 27 per cent of people who bought crypto are in the C2DE social grade. These are described as skilled manual workers, semi-skilled and unskilled manual workers, state pensioners, casual and lowest grade workers and unemployed with state benefits only. The FCA concluded that those displaying a lack of basic knowledge and are unaware of the absence of regulatory protections are more likely to be in this social grade than the typical cryptocurrency owner. Consumer Trends This is Money assistant editor and consumer journalist, Lee Boyce, writes his Consumer Trends column every Saturday. It ranges from food and drink and retail, to financial services and travel. Have an idea or suggestion? Get in touch: lee.boyce@thisismoney.co.uk On that note, most consumers seem to understand the risks associated with the lack of protections, the high volatility of the product and have some understanding of the underlying technology, the study says. Nevertheless, the lack of such knowledge among some presents potential consumer harm - 11 per cent of current and previous cryptocurrency owners thought their money was protected. Again, while the minority, it still amounts to approximately 300,000 adults. Nearly half of people said they bought crypto as a gamble that could make or lose money. Just 15 per cent expected to make money quickly. A quarter have bought in as a part of a wider investment portfolio, while a similar number said they did as they feared missing the boat. Meanwhile, 17 per cent said they have got involved as they don't trust the financial system and the same amount did as part of a long-term savings plan, such as a pension. Earnings: It appears basic-rate taxpayers are the most likely to hold crypto Never been used and use non-UK exchanges According to the study, 47 per cent of people have never used cryptocurrency for anything. This suggests that many are buying it and holding it in the hope of the value growing, not for any practical use. Last month saw the announcement that PayPal will begin supporting bitcoin transactions - which may change all that. The majority bought their crypto through an online exchange. Of those that used an online exchange, 83 per cent used non-UK based exchanges. While there are plenty of reputable exchanges, as we've pointed out before, it can be the Wild West, with people potentially transferring their money overseas. Coinbase is by far the most popular exchange to use - 63 per cent of those who have bought crypto used the San Francisco based firm. The next four that most people use are Binance, based in Malta, Kraken, also in San Francisco, Bittrex in Seattle and Bitfinex, Hong Kong - the only other firms to score above 10 per cent. Keen interest: A year ago, the majority never looked at their crypto value - now, most keep a keen eye on it Are they holding it for the long-term? In general, cryptocurrency holders expect to hold onto it for long periods of time - again, highlighting that most are now buying and leaving it, in the hope for long-term growth. In the previous study, 35 per cent said they never monitored the value of their crypto holding - however, this has dropped to 12 per cent. Most current owners who have a plan for how long they intend to hold crypto expect to keep them for three years or more. At the same time, almost 40 per cent said they don't know for how long they will hold onto it. Google trends data showing searches for bitcoin, with the big spike during the boom Have more people got involved during lockdown? It is highly likely that the number of people involved in cryptocurrencies has surged during lockdown, thanks to stock market volatility, savings rates collapsing and having extra cash. There have been plenty of reports suggesting that some households have managed to save extra cash - much of which has poured into savings accounts or National Savings and Investment products. Some of this would have been diverted into bitcoin. On 11 May, in the midst of lockdown, we also saw bitcoin half - an event that happens every four years. It means the reward for digitally mining Bitcoin has halved from 12.5 coins per block to 6.25, constricting the supply. The event saw some exchanges report an influx of investors, hoping to see prices surge after the event. According to Google Trends, worldwide searches for bitcoin reached their highest amount since the halcyon days of late 2017 and early 2018, when crypto chat became all the rage. This suggests that more Britons are likely to have piled in since the data in this report was gathered - but as the study suggests, the majority are wisely not expecting quick gains or sticking too much of their cash in crypto. For millions, the ideal shopping centre is no longer what it was. Now more functional than aspirational, it has a Primark, a Poundland, a B&M, plenty of free parking, plus a massive supermarket. The pandemic has accelerated the preference among both the cash-strapped and the affluent for this unpretentious type of centre the retail park, with its bargains and ample scope for social distancing. This shift has serious implications for investors in property trusts and funds, many of which own the more traditional type of centre, where the anchor tenant is often a moribund department store, not a supermarket. Share prices for commercial landlords have been hit hard amid the pandemic In America, hundreds of vacant malls face demolition. In the UK oversupply is less acute, although John Lewis and others have too much space. Nevertheless, the recent collapse into administration of Intu, owner of Lakeside in Essex and the Trafford in Manchester, highlights the crisis in the sector which has been exacerbated by online shopping's explosive growth. Five years ago, Intu's market capitalisation was 4.5billion. By June 26, when the shares were suspended, it had slumped to just 25million. Excessive borrowing weighed down the business, which is structured as a real estate investment trust or REIT, but nonpayment of rents was the final blow. Intu's fate has increased scrutiny of other REITs, in particular Hammerson, owner of Birmingham's Bullring. Only 14 per cent of the rents owing to retail landlords due on June 24 were paid, following a temporary government ban on the eviction of tenants. Jonathan De Mello, head of retail consultancy at the adviser Harper Dennis Hobbs, says this is the lowest on record. He also expects more attrition. In a world where 'footfall is the new currency', upmarket centres, like Westfield London, should survive, alongside the more utilitarian retail parks. Crisis: The recent collapse into administration of Intu , owner of Lakeside in Essex and the Trafford in Manchester, pictured, highlights the crisis in the sector The middle tier will be squeezed, unless centres can be 'repurposed' into offices and online shopping hubs, or converted into homes, under Boris Johnson's planning shake-up. In the meantime, attention has turned to a possible sale of the Trafford Centre, which is on Intu's books at an optimistic 1.7billion. This speculation coincides with rumours that Asian investors are eager to acquire UK centres but at knockdown prices. They want to exploit sterling's decline and also see Britain as a safe haven. But there is no evidence of this upbeat view in the massive discounts on REITs that hold shopping centres (a trust is at a discount when the share price is below the value of its assets). Richard Williams of QuotedData, the analysis group, says that Hammerson's focus on shopping centres it has a 50 per cent stake in Bicester Village explains its 87 per cent discount. While it collected just 16 per cent of its rents, it has acted to shore up its finances. Owner: Hammerson is the owner of the Bullring shopping centre in Birmingham But anyone minded to take a bet on its shares should note that it is the most shorted stock, maybe for a reason. New River is another REIT with a sizeable discount 68 per cent but has much better prospects. It has shopping centres, but retail parks, where rents are more affordable, make up a large part of its portfolio. British Land and Land Securities are at discounts of 50 per cent and 54 per cent respectively. Both have substantial office portfolios, but are also big names in malls British Land owns Meadowhall in Sheffield, while Landsec has Bluewater in Kent. This week British Land said it had collected 36 per cent of its retail rents. When non-essential stores reopened on June 15, footfall was a third down on a year ago, but sales in these stores were just 10 per cent lower. Land Securities yesterday revealed it had collected just 29 per cent of the retail rent owed and 60 per cent of rent overall, but will resume paying a dividend. But this was a significant improvement on its rivals. The nation, it seems, has not lost its taste for a shopping trip, but its liking for buying online is rising, as shown by Segro. This REIT is at a premium of 27 per cent because it owns the logistics warehouses used by online retailers. Patience, meanwhile, is the only option for investors in M&G, Legal & General and nine other property funds that remain gated in response to 'material uncertainty' over the valuation of their assets. However, Darius McDermott of Fund Calibre points out that only Aberdeen's fund has a substantial exposure to shopping centres. Similarly, anyone with a stake in a REIT reeling from the revolution in shopping habits has little option but to sit tight, hoping Chancellor Rishi Sunak will cut VAT to give a fillip to retail, that a Covid-19 vaccine will arrive and that more re-purposing of centres proves feasible and effective. If this turns out to be the case though, some of today's REIT valuations may end up looking like a better bargain than anything you can find in a retail park. 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. Britain is set to launch a big push for free trade around the world, The Mail on Sunday can reveal. Sources said Britain's first independent trade policy since 1973 due to come into force in January would involve lobbying for low tariffs and greater powers for the World Trade Organisation (WTO). Although Britain left the European Union on January 31, it is still bound by most of its rules until December 31. After this, the Government can fully pursue a completely independent trade policy. The UK is determined to press ahead with trade liberalisation and to restore the powers of the Geneva-based WTO to punish countries that defy trade agreements It plans to use its year-long presidency of the Group of Seven (G7) advanced nations to try to break down obstacles to freer commerce around the globe. The UK will also push to give the WTO back its legal teeth with which to inflict painful punishment on countries that break trading rules. And officials will strive to work with a loose coalition of like-minded states, such as Australia, New Zealand and Singapore, to turn back a tide of protectionism that started after the financial crisis in 2008. This has gained momentum since the coronavirus pandemic was blamed by some on international supply chains. 'This is a top priority for the PM,' said one Whitehall source, referring to Boris Johnson's commitment to the free flow of goods and services, and his appointment of an ardent free-trader, Liz Truss, as International Trade Secretary. Since Britain joined the European Community 47 years ago, both trade policy and the negotiation of agreements with the outside world have been the exclusive province of Brussels officials. By coincidence, Britain assumes the G7 presidency in January. The coronavirus outbreak has also meant that the next summit of WTO trade ministers has been moved from this year to next. This gives Britain a chance to use its G7 platform to push the organisation in the direction it wants it to go. The UK is determined to press ahead with trade liberalisation and to restore the powers of the Geneva-based WTO to punish countries that defy trade agreements. President Donald Trump has accused the organisation of taking a soft stance on China and has been blocking appointments to the WTO's Appellate Body in effect its court of law. Denied the judges it needs, the court is currently turning away new cases and dealing only with the existing backlog. The EU and others have proposed an alternative court that would exclude the US. However, the UK would prefer to get the existing body back on its feet. Britain's ambassador to the WTO, Julian Braithwaite, has seen his trade team in Geneva increase four-fold since the Brexit vote in 2016. He and his colleagues at the Department for International Trade (DIT) in London are determined that the replacement for outgoing WTO director-general Roberto Azevedo from Brazil should be a tough champion of global trade and adherence to the rules. Asked about the likely direction of the country's trade policy once it is fully back under national control, the DIT said: 'At the heart of the UK's independent trade policy is a commitment to free, fair, rules-based trade. 'Coronavirus has shown us the importance of keeping trade flowing and building diverse supply chains that are robust in a crisis.' A key objective of British Ministers, even during the decades in which the UK effectively outsourced trade policy to the EU, has been to liberalise cross-frontier trade in services. While full trade-policy independence must await January 1, the British mission to the WTO has already taken a symbolic step. Braithwaite previously sat with other EU ambassadors in the WTO council chamber and could only observe Europe's trade commissioner while he addressed the organisation. He has now moved to the other side of the room, where he sits in his own right, close to the US ambassador. Barclays paid Qatari investors extra fees in its 2008 bailout because it expected them to help set up other deals, its former chief executive has said. The admission is the latest twist in a case brought by financier Amanda Staveley against Barclays. Staveley claims she was denied fees paid to Qatar when she participated in the bank's emergency 7billion cash call at the height of the financial crisis. Court case: Financier Amanda Staveley vs Barclays Former boss John Varley has told the court there was a 'commercial connection' between a 280million payment to Qatar and its purchase of shares. But he maintained the fees were not solely paid to convince Sheikh Hamad, the then Qatari prime minister, to plough money into Barclays. He said the new investors were also obliged to hand over the influential contacts Barclays would need to secure lucrative deals across Qatar. Staveley's lawyer questioned why the banker responsible for developing Middle Eastern business was not told of the agreement. Varley said top banker Roger Jenkins was instead responsible. Joe Smouha QC asked: 'You would agree that if they were genuine agreements for the provision of services for which Barclays was paying in total 322million, she should have been told?' To which Varley responded: 'Perhaps...My bet though was on Roger. Roger was the man who was going to convert this investment into a good return.' The case continues. With travel restrictions easing, the number of Britons browsing online for a more permanent place in the sun is on the rise, new findings suggest. In rank order, Spain, France, Portugal, Italy and Greece are the top five most sought after locations for Britons looking online to snap up a home abroad, property site Rightmove said. In a single day on 28 June, 1million searches were carried out by people via Rightmove for properties abroad, marking the first time the website has ever reached this daily milestone. While there may have been a marked upturn in online searches for homes overseas, buying a property abroad can be costly and complicated and is not a move to be undertaken lightly. It also remains to be seen how much of this virtual wanderlusting will turn into cold hard cash for estate agents and sellers. But, Rightmove insists that, in many cases, online browsing was followed by prospective buyers making enquiries to estate agents about a home by phone or email. It said enquiries to estate agents overseas rose to their highest level since the start of last year in June. In June, the number of new users on 'Rightmove Overseas' was 41 per cent higher than at the same point a year ago, the company claims. Top five most in-demand places abroad to buy a home 1. Spain 2. France 3. Portugal 4. Italy 5. Greece The top five are based on search data from Rightmove online last month. Rachel Beaton, an overseas property expert at Rightmove, said: 'Weve seen a gradual resurgence of interest from home-hunters looking for properties abroad since April, but after the government confirmed there will be easing of travel restrictions to certain countries we saw demand for overseas homes rise even further to record-breaking levels. 'We know that activity on Rightmove Overseas is always an inverse response to the British weather so traffic dips when we have good weather, and then bounces back when the rain comes and this was exactly what happened in the final weekend of June. 'This, coupled with the news about fewer restrictions on overseas travel, saw UK home-hunters flock to our site to look at places they could relocate to or buy a holiday home.' Searches for property in Spain were up by a quarter compared to June last year, while agents dealing with homes in France recorded a 32 per cent year-on-year rise. In Portugal, the uplift was 24 per cent, and in Italy it was 17 per cent higher. Gavin Vercoe, chief operating officer at Chestertons International, said: 'We definitely observed a surge in enquiries received over the weekend of 27th and 28th June. The Votana Beach House in Corfu could be yours via Chestertons International if you have very deep pockets - it has a 5.4m price tag The Votana Beach House in Corfu has six bedrooms and ample living space The Votana Beach House also has a divine swimming pool and a private jetty to the beach 'In fact, there was a 340% increase in enquiries for European properties across the Chestertons network, compared to European enquiries received over the weekend two weeks prior, on 13th and 14th June.' Poll Where would you like to buy a home overseas? France Greece Italy Portugal Spain None of the above - prefer to stay in the UK Where would you like to buy a home overseas? France 560 votes Greece 656 votes Italy 325 votes Portugal 436 votes Spain 956 votes None of the above - prefer to stay in the UK 465 votes Now share your opinion Indicating that there may be a fair amount of wishful thinking going on, speaking to This is Money, estate agents at Chestertons International said one of the top three most popular overseas homes on its books for online browsers over the last few weeks was the six-bedroom 5.4million Votana Beach House in Corfu, with direct access to a private jetty and pebble beach. Other estate agents also reported a spike in online browsing and enquiries for overseas homes in the last month or so. Kate Everett-Allen, a partner at Knight Frank, said: 'Since 11th May, when the French property market reopened for business, our 30+ strong office network in France have reported their busiest weeks for more than a decade. Our British clients are now making plans to view their shortlist of properties following the announcement on relaxing of travel restrictions.' Esate agents at Savills told This is Money that its most viewed home online in Spain over the last month was a remote five-bedroom 572,475 home in Andalucia, complete with sweeping views of the surrounding countryside, 10 hectares of land, a large swimming pool and an olive tree lined driveway. Meanwhile, Knight Frank revealed that its most viewed property online in France last month was actor Sean Connery's magnificent five bedroom villa in Cap de Nice, Cote d'Azur, with a guide price of over 27million. Sean Connery's former home is up for sale via Knight Frank for a guide price of over 27million Connery's former five bedroom villa in Cap de Nice, Cote d'Azur has a stunning outlook Savills told This is Money its most viewed property online in the last few weeks was this 572,475 home in Andalucia President Donald Trump on Friday accused "angry mobs" of trying to erase history with efforts to remove or rethink monuments to U.S. historical figures and used a speech at Mount Rushmore to paint himself as a bulwark against left-wing extremism. On a day when seven U.S. states posted a record number of new COVID-19 cases, the pandemic moved further into Trump's inner circle. Kimberly Guilfoyle, a senior campaign official and the girlfriend of Donald Trump Jr., tested positive in South Dakota before the event, according to Sergio Gor, a Trump campaign official. Trump Jr. tested negative, Gor said. The pre-July 4 holiday event drew 7,500 people, packed into an outdoor amphitheater. Many did not wear masks, defying the advice of health officials who have urged Americans to avoid large gatherings to slow the spread of COVID-19. Trump has not worn a mask in public and made only limited reference to the pandemic in his remarks. Speaking underneath the famed landmark depicting four U.S. presidents, Trump warned that the demonstrations over racial inequality threatened the foundations of the U.S. political system. "Make no mistake, this left wing cultural revolution is designed to overthrow the American revolution," Trump said. "Our children are taught in school to hate their own country." In the nationwide unrest following the death of George Floyd, a Black man who died in police custody in Minneapolis, protesters in several cities have vandalized the statues of leaders, including Confederate generals who led a rebellion against the U.S. government during the 1861-65 U.S. civil war. Protesters in one instance unsuccessfully tried to pull down a statue of U.S. President Andrew Jackson outside the White House. Jackson, known for his populist policies, owned slaves and forced thousands of Native Americans from their homes. "Angry mobs are trying to tear down statues of our founders, deface our most sacred memorials, and unleash a wave of violent crime in our cities," Trump said. Trump, a Republican who has emphasized a "law and order" approach to the demonstrations, has opposed proposals to rename U.S. military bases that are named after Confederate generals. Campaign crowd The program was not an official campaign event, but Trump touched on key themes meant to energize his base ahead of the Nov. 3 election. Many in the crowd wore Trump memorabilia and chanted "Four More Years" before the program began. Trump trails presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden in opinion polls in key states and is eager to boost his campaign through a tough response to social unrest. "There is a new far-left fascism that demands absolute allegiance. If you do not speak its language, perform its rituals, recite its mantras, and follow its commandments then you will be censored, banished, blacklisted, persecuted, and punished. Not gonna happen to us," Trump said. Mount Rushmore, which depicts U.S. presidents George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln, has not hosted a fireworks spectacle since 2009 because of environmental concerns. Trump advocated a resumption of the display, and the state says the surrounding Black Hills National Forest has "gained strength" since then and that fireworks technology has advanced. Native American protesters were arrested after blocking a road to the South Dakota landmark, according to video on social media. They have criticized Trump's visit for increasing the risk of spreading COVID-19 and for celebrating U.S. independence in an area that is sacred to them. South Dakota, solidly Republican, has not been infected as badly as other states, but cases in Pennington County, where Mount Rushmore is, have more than doubled in the past month. White House chief of staff Mark Meadows told reporters Trump did not need to focus on the pandemic during a ceremony meant to highlight Independence Day. Trump praised each of the leaders depicted on Mount Rushmore. Washington and Jefferson, revered for being U.S. founding fathers, were slave owners. The president will hold another celebration for the July 4 holiday on Saturday in Washington. Short link: Barre, VT (05641) Today Thunderstorms this evening followed by a few showers overnight. A few storms may be severe. Low near 65F. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 90%.. Tonight Thunderstorms this evening followed by a few showers overnight. A few storms may be severe. Low near 65F. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 90%. 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. Page Content IMF, Central Bank, High Council and Social Economic Council all solicited The Minister of Finance, Ardwell Irion has sought the counsel on the impact of implementing the several infamous conditions on St. Maarten. Measures were presented to St. Maarten by the Kingdom Council of Ministers (KCOM), in order to qualify for the second and third tranche of COVID-19 liquidity loans. On June 15th the Minister had a lengthy discussion with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) on a number of topics such as the effects of the border closures, full lockdown and the St. Maarten Stimulus & Relief Plan (SSRP). The Minister requested that the IMF produce an analysis on the conditions set forth by the KCOM on the economy of St. Maarten. The IMF has produced an updated assessment on the economic outlook for St. Maarten that is currently being perused by the Minister and his team. On June 18th the Minister had a follow-up discussion with the Central Bank of Curacao and St. Maarten where he also requested their analysis on the conditions presented. In addition, the Minister has also requested the joint advice of the High Councils and Social Economic Council. The conditions have presented many challenges to be implemented during an already challenging period. Though the island is in need of assistance, the Minster would like to ensure that the conditions do not send us into an economic and social tailspin. Though we as a people are resilient, it should never be the case that we are forced to see our limitations unnecessarily. I am still hoping that our colleagues in the Netherlands see that we are compliant and that everyone is making sacrifices. Off the coast of Maine As he pulled alongside one of his lobster pots, marked by a red and yellow buoy on Penobscot Bay, Mike Hutchings extracted and measured several of the crustaceans that would contribute to his 130-pound catch that day. It was a decent haul but his assessment of the fishing season was grim: "The worst it's ever been." Hutchings' catch on the final Saturday in June came as the lobster trade approached its money-making time. With the Fourth of July holiday around the corner, Hutchings and his fellow lobstermen were supposed to be gearing up for a major payday as out-of-staters, cruise ships, warmer weather and bounties of lobsters, having just molted their shells and been lured into the thousands of traps anchored on the rocky bottom of Maine's coastal waters, came together in a seasonal windfall. But like many businesses across the country, the Maine lobster industry, which makes up the bulk of the fishing revenue the state brings in every year, is being battered by the coronavirus, which has crushed the tourism trade that Hutchings and his fellow fishermen rely on for a living. With fewer tourists expected to descend in search of lobster rolls, the immediate problem for Hutchings is simple: too many lobsters and not enough people to eat them. That has sent the price of lobsters plunging. The pain is particularly unwelcome for an industry that has spent the past several years caught in the middle of political fights, including President Donald Trump's trade war with China, looming restrictions to protect an endangered whale species and bait quotas. And then there are the region's warming waters, spurred by climate change, which have slowly shifted the areas conducive to lobster reproduction away from the coast. The effect of the virus on the Maine lobster trade is the latest indication of how the disease is upending nearly all corners of business activity and inflicting economic pain poised to last longer than many had predicted. Last month, after groups of fishermen outlined their concerns for Trump at an event in Bangor, Maine, the president directed the Agriculture Department to provide federal assistance to lobster harvesters. But that assistance, which has yet to be detailed or allocated, may come too late. More than 30 million people typically visit Maine each year. The majority come in the summer for the pleasant air of coastal New England, as well as for the lobster, a high-priced specialty that is a staple of tourist meals. But the normal influx of visitors has been derailed by the virus, which is surging in some parts of the country, contributing to the general unease many Americans share when it comes to traveling. Further compounding the situation are the quarantine restrictions that Gov. Janet Mills, a Democrat, put in place for out-of-state travelers. (Maine has had about 3,300 virus cases, one of the lowest numbers in the country, according to data compiled by The New York Times.) Unlike previous years, this summer will bring no cruise ships and few "no vacancy" signs. The typical rainbow of out-of-state license plates idling in bumper-to-bumper traffic on the bridge to Wiscasset is unlikely to materialize. For Hutchings, 66, whose hands are worn from both line and lobster after fishing Maine waters for more than 50 years, the effect of the pandemic boils down to whether he can make enough money to keep his boat profitable. His expenses include bait, fuel and his crew's wages. And as the cost of a pound of lobster steadily drops, he has been weighing almost daily whether to leave his harbor in Lincolnville for good. "If the price gets so low, I won't go," Hutchings said, standing as his stern man, Eddie Hustus, quickly moved herring and pogies into mesh bait bags below his boat. "I'm not going to do it for nothing." In the waning days of June, Hutchings said he was selling the more costly hard-shell lobsters at around $4.50 a pound, roughly half of what he was able to get for them a year ago. In Lincolnville Harbor, only three of eight boats in the cove had lobster traps in the water, Hutchings explained. The captains of the others were patiently waiting to see how prices shift. The economic hit to lobstermen seemed a far cry from Trump's declaration on social media just a few days earlier. "Pres. Obama destroyed the lobster and fishing industry in Maine. Now it's back, bigger and better than anyone ever thought possible," the president said on Twitter. "Enjoy your 'lobstering' and fishing! Make lots of money!" Maine's lobster industry hit its peak in 2016, the last year of President Barack Obama's second term, with 132 million pounds caught at a value of $540 million, according to state data. Maine's fishermen sold less than $500 million during each of the first three years of the Trump administration, on par with Obama's first term. In 2019, a particularly bad haul pushed the price per pound of lobster to $4.82, the highest since Maine began recording the data in 1880. After his meeting in Bangor last month, Trump issued a proclamation directing the agriculture secretary to find ways to assist the lobster industry, which he said had been unfairly targeted with retaliatory tariffs by China. "From 2015 to 2018, American lobster was the most valuable single seafood species harvested in the United States, with Maine accounting for approximately 80% of that value each year," Trump said in the proclamation, adding that his administration would "mitigate the effects of unfair retaliatory trade practices on this important industry." Hutchings, who supports Trump, called the Bangor event "a photo op" but said he appreciated the president's decision to sit down in Maine with the fishing industry, which he believed to be a presidential first, at least in his lifetime. "Whether something good comes out of it, who knows," Hutchings said. Trump's move to help Maine fishermen is aimed at strengthening his blue-collar bona fides during an election year. Yet for those affected, no number of presidential roundtables adorned with lobster traps is likely to change what could be a terrible summer for Maine's fisheries. "I think there's obviously a lot of uncertainty for local businesses and a lot of concern for fishermen and for everyone else who relies on tourist business," said Marianne LaCroix, the executive director of the Maine Lobster Marketing Collaborative. Raymond Young, 55, a third-generation lobsterman who grew up putting wood plugs in the claws of crustaceans and owns Young's Lobster Pound, a Belfast, Maine, staple, has spent the past several years trying to adjust his business as Trump's trade policies changed the market. Beijing's retaliatory tariffs on American lobster nearly crippled exports from wholesalers like Young. Maine lobster exports to China fell by 48.24 percent in 2019. Canadian resellers have stepped in, buying shellfish from Maine wholesalers, albeit at a lower price, before sending it to international markets such as China and Europe. Trump has criticized Europe for charging a higher tariff on American lobsters than those from Canada, but that difference stems from a trade agreement the European Union and Canada signed in 2016, which lowered European tariffs on Canadian products. A good season for Young means roughly 20 boats from a constellation of nearby towns like Searsport, Stockton Springs and Northport are selling their catch to him. So far this year, he has just two boats, leaving a glimmer of hope that fewer vessels on the water will translate to a smaller lobster yield and higher prices. Hutchings' 40-foot, Canadian-built, diesel-powered lobster boat, Fundy Spray, is one of those two boats. And on Saturday, Hutchings said he had decided to put the entirety of his 800 traps in the water this season just in case those prices do turn. Adjusting his camouflage ball cap adorned with Young's Lobster Pound atop his mop of white hair, Hutchings maneuvered his boat back toward Lincolnville's harbor. The wind picked up and the sun was out. The deck was covered in seaweed. Several small crabs scurried among the ocean detritus along with the red rubber bands that did not quite make it onto a lobster's claw. Over the rhythmic churn of his boat's engine and the occasional chatter from the marine radio, Hutchings muttered what could easily have been a Maine mantra. "If you're a fisherman, you have to make it work," Hutchings said. "It's what you do." NONROFITS HOward hanna children's free care fund Robert Blackman joined the board of directors. Blackman is former vice president of business development at Howard Hanna Real Estate Services. Prior to his role as vice president, Blackman was president and co-founder of Blackman and DeStefano Real Estate where he worked for 18 years. He has held board positions with Gilda's Club through a merger with the American Cancer Society and led the organization's Real Men Wear Pink initiative the last three years. The Howard Hanna Children's Free Care Fund has raised more than $16.5 million, including more than $1 million each of the last five years. The money goes directly to lifesaving medical care for children in regions where Howard Hanna operates as well as for programs that support children and families in need. NORTHERN RIVERS FAMILY OF SERVICES Welcomed Paula Stopera to its board of directors. Stopera retired last year after nearly 40 years with CAP COM Federal Credit Union, the final 15 years as president and chief executive officer. Stopera established the CAP COM Cares Foundation, which has raised more than $4 million for local charitable causes since 2003. Under her leadership, CAP COM Federal Credit Union grew from one branch with nine employees to 11 branches and nearly 400 employees. SARATOGA REGIONAL YMCA Appointed vice president of operations Scott Clark as interim chief executive officer. Clark has more than 32 years of experience in YMCA operations, facilities, membership and health and wellness. Prior to joining the SRYMCA in 2019, Clark served as vice president of operations at the YMCA of Greater Kansas City. The SRYMCA has branches in Saratoga Springs, Wilton, Corinth, Battenkill and Malta. PROFESSIONS HRP ASSOCIATES Casey Condon joined the environmental and engineering consulting firm in Clifton Park as a consultant. Condon will focus on site investigation, remediation system installations, bedrock investigations and environmental media sampling. She has a bachelor's degree in marine biology from Roger Williams University and a bachelor's in geology from SUNY New Paltz. Rick Clemenson 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." DEAR ABBY: I have a daughter-in-law I love to pieces and would never intentionally hurt in any way. I recently had contact with my son's ex-girlfriend, "Kayley." She had seen me at church with them, contacted me and came by our house for a visit. She and my son were very young when they dated (high school) and haven't spoken to each other in years. I stayed in contact with her off and on over the years because I always thought a lot of her. Both of them have married others and created their own lives. Our son and his wife live next door to us and were out of town the day Kayley stopped by, but returned before she left. My son chewed me out, and now my daughter-in-law won't speak to me. I tried to talk to her and would apologize if I had the chance, but she sent me a text saying I had crossed a line and how inconsiderate it was of me having Kayley drop by. She said it made her feel small and uncomfortable (they only saw her from a distance and didn't even know who it was at first). Was I wrong for staying in contact with my son's high school ex-girlfriend? Was I wrong for inviting her to come by? What's the best way to handle this because I want to keep peace in our family? Monster-in-law in Texas DEAR M.I.L.: You weren't wrong to stay in touch with someone you liked. And you should be free to entertain anyone you like in your home. It strikes me as sad that your daughter-in-law would react the way she has. It shows how deeply insecure she is. Because you want to keep peace in the family, refrain from having Kayley over, and see her elsewhere. And if she asks you why, explain that it made your daughter-in-law uncomfortable. DEAR ABBY: Years ago, my wife and I decided together that I would work and she would raise the kids. Well, times and the economy have changed. We need a second income. Even a part-time retail job would help tremendously right now. I have made countless sacrifices to keep our home and lifestyle afloat. All the while she refuses to pursue anything except what she believes to be "her purpose" or what represents her "best self." What about me? My health? Our home? Our children and their education? How about a job that she might not be crazy about for a decent paycheck so we can save a little and not have to worry about how much our prescription costs are? My resentment is growing. I work 60 hours a week and gave up a career I loved. Am I asking too much? Resentful in the Midwest DEAR RESENTFUL: No, you are not asking too much. Times have indeed changed, and your wife needs to wake up and accept that her dream job may have to be postponed because of circumstances beyond her (and your) control. Successful marriages are partnerships, and because being the sole wage earner has become so stressful that you would write to me about it, it's time your wife took her head out of the clouds and faced reality. If a second income will take some of the stress off your shoulders, she needs to step forward for the sake of you and the children. DEAR READERS: Have a very happy and healthy Fourth of July, everyone. And please, be safe! 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Joy, who is challenging Democratic U.S. Rep. Paul Tonko of Amsterdam for the 20th district seat on the Republican line in November, said donations were made in her name to the Counsel on American-Islamic Relations, Black Lives Matter and Act-Blue, a fundraising site for Democratic campaigns and progressive causes. I'm concerned that illegal and unauthorized donations have been made in my name. Let me be clear, I will defend and oppose any illegal and unauthorized misappropriation of my name or my campaign, Joy said in a news release about the donations. Despite any opposition or illegal efforts, I will continue to work tirelessly to represent the hard working people of this district. The campaign received thank-you emails from the respective groups for Joys supposed donations on June 27, prompting it to act. A report with the Office of the Inspector General at the Federal Election Commission was filed, and the groups were notified of the activity. Joy said her attorney will be working with the federal commission and the groups to identify the person, or person, responsible, and is considering pursuing identity theft charges. The donations to the left-leaning causes were all under $15, but used Joys name, personal address and campaign committee email, Joy said. Its not just someone who is opposing your campaign and signing you up for emails to your opposition, she said Friday. This is crossing the line in saying this is who I am and this is where I live and that is identity theft. The latest incident comes just a few weeks after Joy reported a state employee at the Justice Center for the Protection of People with Special Needs for posting a series of incendiary and racially charged comments on Facebook directed at the congressional candidate from Glenville. Officials at the Justice Center immediately removed the employee who posted the comments, Thomas Hurd-Toften, from his position as a diversity and inclusion coordinator and launched an internal investigation. Joy said despite these actions, her campaign is gaining traction and she expressed confidence headed into the general election. We are in a time where people and businesses are suffering so tremendously that theyre losing their livelihoods, she said. We have been locked down and shut out. Small businesses are filing bankruptcy, thousands of jobs are being lost, violent shootings and lawlessness are at an all time high. The people of (the district) need relief now. 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Trace begun at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Exceptions.pm line 129 HTML::Mason::Exceptions::rethrow_exception('Can\'t call method "get_id" on an undefined value at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25.^J') called at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25 HTML::Mason::Commands::__ANON__ at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Component.pm line 160 HTML::Mason::Component::run_dynamic_sub('HTML::Mason::Component::FileBased=HASH(0x7fbff70351f0)', 'main') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 951 HTML::Mason::Request::call_dynamic('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7fbff7152420)', 'main') called at /var/cache/mason/obj/1784076917/main/smetimes/dhandler.html.obj line 17 HTML::Mason::Commands::__ANON__ at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Component.pm line 138 HTML::Mason::Component::run('HTML::Mason::Component::FileBased=HASH(0x7fbff70351f0)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1305 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1295 HTML::Mason::Request::comp(undef, undef, undef) called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 958 HTML::Mason::Request::call_next('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7fbff7152420)') called at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/autohandler_template.html line 149 HTML::Mason::Commands::__ANON__ at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Component.pm line 138 HTML::Mason::Component::run('HTML::Mason::Component::FileBased=HASH(0x7fbff7099228)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1303 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1295 HTML::Mason::Request::comp(undef, undef, undef) called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 484 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 484 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 436 HTML::Mason::Request::exec('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7fbff7152420)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/ApacheHandler.pm line 165 HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler::exec('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7fbff7152420)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/ApacheHandler.pm line 831 HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler::handle_request('HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7fbff6785fe0)', 'Apache2::RequestRec=SCALAR(0x7fbff70822d0)') called at (eval 487) line 8 HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler::handler('HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler', 'Apache2::RequestRec=SCALAR(0x7fbff70822d0)') called at -e line 0 eval {...} at -e line 0 New York 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," 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, Thompson included, were feeling a bit jittery about the city's gradual reopening. An hour after the ban on swimming was lifted, the mayor announced that indoor dining at restaurants would not resume Monday as anticipated, citing the virus's rapid spread in other large states. Even as Thompson shed her face mask, she called it sensible to slow down indoor dining. "Out here, there is a breeze," she said. "You know, there's air moving." Mayor Bill de Blasio, worried that large crowds might risk transmission of the coronavirus, had kept the city's 14 miles of beaches closed even as temperatures rose along with frustration from long-quarantined New Yorkers. "This is something people have been waiting patiently for maybe not always patiently for but it's here," de Blasio said at his Wednesday news briefing. The mayor also said that in late July the city would open 15 of its 53 free outdoor pools in communities "hit hardest" by the virus and furthest from beaches. It was a partial reversal of his announcement in April that the pools, a vital cooling option in many lower-income neighborhoods, would not open. Even as suburban beaches opened for swimming on Memorial Day weekend, de Blasio emphasized that the city's beaches which include such well-known spots as Coney Island in Brooklyn and Orchard Beach in the Bronx were uniquely vulnerable to virus transmission. With an estimated 1 million visitors total on a hot day, they are some of the country's most crowded shorelines, and people largely access them via subways and buses. Still, worries lingered about a possible backslide in New York state, where, after reining in the virus, there have been a few alarming outbreaks, such as those at a house party and graduation party in the suburbs just north of the city. Gov. Andrew Cuomo is requiring visitors from more than a dozen states, including the nation's three largest California, Florida and Texas to quarantine for 14 days after arriving in New York. 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29: ... code stack: /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html:25 /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm:951 /var/cache/mason/obj/1784076917/main/smetimes/dhandler.html.obj:17 /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/autohandler_template.html:149 Can't call method "get_id" on an undefined value at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25. Trace begun at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Exceptions.pm line 129 HTML::Mason::Exceptions::rethrow_exception('Can\'t call method "get_id" on an undefined value at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25.^J') called at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25 HTML::Mason::Commands::__ANON__ at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Component.pm line 160 HTML::Mason::Component::run_dynamic_sub('HTML::Mason::Component::FileBased=HASH(0x7fbff7106988)', 'main') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 951 HTML::Mason::Request::call_dynamic('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7fbff70d4bd8)', 'main') called at /var/cache/mason/obj/1784076917/main/smetimes/dhandler.html.obj line 17 HTML::Mason::Commands::__ANON__ at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Component.pm line 138 HTML::Mason::Component::run('HTML::Mason::Component::FileBased=HASH(0x7fbff7106988)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1305 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1295 HTML::Mason::Request::comp(undef, undef, undef) called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 958 HTML::Mason::Request::call_next('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7fbff70d4bd8)') called at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/autohandler_template.html line 149 HTML::Mason::Commands::__ANON__ at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Component.pm line 138 HTML::Mason::Component::run('HTML::Mason::Component::FileBased=HASH(0x7fbff709f3a8)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1303 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1295 HTML::Mason::Request::comp(undef, undef, undef) called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 484 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 484 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 436 HTML::Mason::Request::exec('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7fbff70d4bd8)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/ApacheHandler.pm line 165 HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler::exec('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7fbff70d4bd8)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/ApacheHandler.pm line 831 HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler::handle_request('HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7fbff6785e48)', 'Apache2::RequestRec=SCALAR(0x7fbff7123b58)') called at (eval 487) line 8 HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler::handler('HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler', 'Apache2::RequestRec=SCALAR(0x7fbff7123b58)') called at -e line 0 eval {...} at -e line 0 Edinburg Almost 5,000 acres of forest land in northern Saratoga County will be protected from development with completion last week of an agreement between local communities, the Open Space Institute and a private, German-based timber company. In addition to protecting the woodlands, the Boeselager Working Forest agreement paves the way for a long-sought snowmobile trail from Corinth to Great Sacandaga Lake and it protects a prime moose habitat. The agreement comes on top of other recent acquisitions by the not-for-profit Open Space Institute including acquisition of an 84-acre parcel near Moreau Lake State Park. The Open Space Institute is delighted to partner with the Ketteler-Boeselager family in keeping these large, working forested properties intact, while also opening up new recreational opportunities that could lead to an economic boon for the local towns, Kim Elliman, president and CEO of OSI said of the Edinburg agreement. A similar sale to Ketteler-Boeselager is protecting land in Clinton County in northern New York as well. The OSI purchased the Saratoga County acreage from Voyager Advisers for $2.55 million. The Institute then sold it to the Ketteler-Boeselager family which controls tracts of forest land in numerous locations globally. For this tract, they agreed to keep logging the area in a sustainable manner but will protect it from further development save for the new snowmobile trail. Several hunting camps in the area will also remain intact. Ketteler-Boeselager is known as a conservation buyer land company, Edinburg Supervisor Jean Raymond said. Because state funds helped facilitate that purchase, they needed approval of the affected Saratoga County towns, which were Edinburg and Providence. The towns agreed as long at they got the snowmobile trail easement. Raymond said they are looking at building the new snowmobile trail from the Corinth area, past Lake Desolation to the Great Sacandaga. Its a good connection, she said. The area also covers a watershed for the city of Amsterdams water supply as well as a rich moose habitat, said Raymond. Historically, this area had been timberland but when it was sold to a New York City firm several years back there were worries that it would be developed into subdivisions. In another purchase completed in May, the OSI acquired 84 acres in Greenfield which will eventually help connect Moreau Lake State Park and Saratoga Spa State Park via a 13-mile trail. That land connects now to the Lincoln Mountain State Forest. rkarlin@timesunion.com 518 454 5758 @RickKarlinTU 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. Berman's planned testimony comes amid a shake-up at the federal prosecutor's office in Brooklyn. Richard P. Donoghue, the office's 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 prosecutor's 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 Berman's 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. ALBANY The FBI traced fingerprints found on a note to a Saugerties man who they say aided a Catskill woman charged with throwing a Molotov cocktail explosive at an occupied New York City police vehicle at a protest in Brooklyn. A criminal complaint submitted by federal prosecutors in Brooklyn led to the arrest of Timothy Amerman, 29, a painter who is expected to be arraigned in U.S. District Court in Albany. The case is being brought by the U.S. Attorneys office in Brooklyns Eastern District. Amerman is accused of conspiring with Samantha Shader of Catskill, who was charged with throwing the explosive at the NYPD vehicle at a May 29 protest over the Minneapolis police killing of George Floyd days earlier. She allegedly threw the explosive at a police vehicle near Eastern Parkway and Washington Avenue in the Crown Heights neighborhood of Brooklyn. In searching a vehicle that Shader and others drove to the protest, investigators found a note that stated: I found a few more glass bottles Than I thought I had, Though still not many. Im giving you my mask in hopes That helps. Wish I had more. Theres also a bag in here for you. BE SAFE Please. Really[.] Good Luck, - Love Tim, the complaint said. An FBI forensic examiner from the bureaus latent print unit in Quantico, Va. examined the note for latent fingerprints. The examiner found one palm print on it that matched Shader and nine latent fingerprints matching Amerman. Agents looked at Facebook and saw that on May 28, Amerman had posted: [b]lack people have every right to burn down a country they built for free. He also reposted words stating: riots DO work. riots ARE rational. riots ARE NOT evidence of us being unorganized in our demands but evidence of us being profoundly human and tired. rioting, rebellion, and revolution all look the same ... especially at the beginning. Amerman told investigators, the complaint said, that Shader asked him on Facebook if he wanted to join her and others for the protest in Brooklyn to cause some hell but he declined. The complaint said Amerman told investigators that Shader asked him if he could provide her with bottles which are needed for Molotov cocktails and he agreed. He said he left Shader the bottles, two cans of paint, rope, plastic bags and some pot. Amerman told investigators, when asked what he thought Shader would do, that he believed she planned to use them as projectiles to throw at police and counter-protesters at the protest march in New York City, the complaint said. Amerman also said he didnt think Shader would use the bottles to create Molotov cocktails to kill police officers but admitted he gave her $10 for gas, the complaint said. In addition to Shader, Brooklyn residents Colinford Mattis, 32, and Urooj Rahman, 31, were arrested for a similar attack. Rahman was accused of throwing a Molotov cocktail at an NYPD car before fleeing with Mattis in a minivan. The criminal complaint said that after her arrest, Shader told investigators she possessed the Molotov cocktail and threw it but denied she had made it, claiming she received it from a black male on the street. Shader said she picked up a hammer off the ground during the march and carried it because people were being nasty and she did not have anything else. Shader told investigators, according to the complaint, that the man who gave her the bottle told her that they were going to prove a point. She said she felt important at the time that she took the bottle because she was the only white person in the area. Amerman is charged with civil disorder and civil disorder conspiracy. He was expected to be arraigned by Skype. The case is being prosecuted by Brookyln-based Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ian Richardson, Jonathan Algor and Phil Selden. BETHLEHEM -- Two different and very vocal points of view played out at the intersection of Delaware and Kenwood avenues in Delmar on Saturday afternoon. One side of the street participants with Back the Blue/Support the Police rally sang "God Bless America." And in response those on the other side chanted Black Lives Matter. Those holding American flags and We Support Bethlehem Police signs for the most part were a little older than the Black Live Matter protesters across the way. Most of those attending both rallies were white. There was a clear tension between the two sides. Two protesters with Black Lives Matter signs ran to the other side to the street and shouted, All lives cant matter until Black lives matter. A man holding an American flag, rallying for police, shouted wheres your neck? State Police were at the scene and telling protesters to stay off the streets. Sydney Affonso, 16, a Bethlehem High School student, was at the event with a group of her friends. A protester from the Back the Blue/Support the Police rally stood next to the teens. They began a passionate discussion. Eventually, the adult woman told the teens she believes all lives matter. For Affonso, the woman seemed to be missing the point. I got really heated, said Affonso, who is multiracial. No one is saying that all lives dont matter. No one is saying police dont matter. Affonso added that once she found herself in a situation with an abuser and the police came to her aid. I got help from the police, and Im grateful for that, Affonso said. Were saying the system is corrupt, and Black lives need to matter right now ... were trying to get people to care and see whats going on. Several other conversations like this were happening throughout the protest. One protester said she believes conversations about race can be difficult in any setting. I dont think these conversations are easy to have in any place, said Jaye Holly. Holly, who has lived in Delmar for 12 years and is Black, said she came out to stake her claim and feels encouraged by how many of her neighbors and friends came out in support of the movement. Two college juniors who were chanting Black Lives Matter said they were there to use their voice for people who felt they might be unable in what they described as a predominantly white town. The other side yelled at us, If Black lives matter where are they?" said Callan Powers, who grew up in the area. They cant come here because theyre going to be persecuted and hazed because of the color of their skin. We need to amplify our voices because we wont be persecuted the same way they are. Meanwhile, across the way, Jody Heffernan, who was there for the police rally, said she "cant pick a side." She has many friends who are police, but her daughter is biracial. She said she supports the officers, and doesnt think police departments should be defunded, yet she also thinks that reforms need to be made. Youre seeing too many videos of officers acting in ways they shouldnt, Heffernan said. She said she doesnt want her daughter to be afraid of the police. I dont want her to grow up being scared of the police, Heffernan said. I want her to know they are here to serve and protect us. As the afternoon went on, more Black Lives Matter protesters began to turn out, while the numbers of those rallying for police began to dwindle. Eventually the Black Lives Matter protesters made their way onto the patch of grass where the Support the Police rally was. They held up a large white sign that read Justice for George Floyd. Sabrina Aiezza, 13, who came to the protest with her mother, said shes hoping demonstrations like these are making a difference. She was disturbed when she heard about what had happened to Floyd, who died when a Minneapolis police officer put his knee to Floyd's neck, and it was part of the reason she wanted to come out. I thought it was wrong, and no one should be doing that, Aiezza said. I hope its not like that everywhere. National Hurricane Centers WX4NHC annual station test is successful On May 30, operators at WX4NHC at the National Hurricane Center (NHC), working from home, conducted the annual readiness check of the station and of other amateur radio stations and operators around the country and world. WX4NHC is marking its 40th year of public service in 2020. Assistant Amateur Radio Coordinator at the NHC Julio Ripoll, WD4R, reported that five WX4NHC operators made 146 contacts with US and Caribbean stations. Despite poor HF propagation, operators made contacts with stations as far north as Maine and as far south and west as Aruba and Curacao, Puerto Rico, and Texas. Operators also made many contacts using digital modes, including Winlink as well as Floridas statewide SARNET UHF repeater network that connects 27 repeaters from Key West to Tallahassee. Thanks to the ARES E-Letter. http://www.arrl.org/news/national-hurricane-center-s-wx4nhc-annual-station-test-is-successful Istanbul Turkey opened a trial into the death of Saudi columnist Jamal Khashoggi in Istanbul 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 and it was unclear whether the court could legally pursue the case without defendants. The start of the proceedings was seen as a sign that Turkey and its president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan are determined to pursue those responsible and even implicate the Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. 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 remains have never been found. Khashoggi, 59, a Saudi dissident, fled the kingdom and wrote columns for The Washington Post that were critical of his country's leadership. His killing undermined the image of Crown Prince Mohammed as a young ruler working to open up the kingdom's economy and society. The Saudi government has prosecuted 11 men for carrying out the killing, and sentenced five of them to death in December, but did not find any senior officials responsible. The Turkish indictment accuses 18 men of carrying out murder with monstrous intent and inflicting grave torment. Two others, both close aides to Crown Prince Mohammed Ahmed al-Asiri, former deputy head of Saudi general intelligence; and Saud al-Qahtani, a former adviser to the crown prince were indicted on incitement to murder with monstrous intent and inflicting grave torment. Cengiz described in testimony to the court how she first realized something was wrong as she waited for Khashoggi outside the consulate. "Someone of 25 to 30 years old came out," she said "He had an anxiety-inducing, fearful facial expression. "He said 'I checked the rooms; there's nobody,' but he couldn't look at my face," she added. "At that moment, I experienced a fear I had never experienced before in my life. It wasn't only fear, it was horror." "When they killed Jamal, they hurt something very big," she concluded. Yasin Aktay, adviser to Erdogan and close friend of Khashoggi, described how Khashoggi's criticism of Crown Prince Mohammed and his policies had forced him to flee Saudi Arabia. Khashoggi's role as the head of advocacy group Democracy for the Arab World Now irritated the Saudi leadership , Aktay said. Aktay said al-Qahtani had communicated with Khashoggi on WhatsApp and told him that he needed to stop talking and return to Saudi Arabia. Aktay said he had advised his friend not to go to the Oct. 2 meeting at the Saudi Consulate. Turkish lawyers representing the defendants said that they had not been able to reach them for consultations, but they said that their clients denied the claims. The board of judges announced that the next hearing would be held Nov. 24. "Who has the right to enter our country?" The immigration debate has solidified around this fundamentally flawed question. Lines distinguishing political entities like countries, states and territories have been changing as long as human beings have been interacting. In January 2017, the border between North and South Carolina was realigned and 19 houses moved across state lines. Texas ceded six islands along the Rio Grande to Mexico while Mexico ceded three islands and two bancos back to Texas in 2009. Until the 1860s, more than half of the U.S. budget was spent on conflicts with native nations and colonial expansion. Even today, the United States is expanding its borders into sovereign native nations such as Pine Ridge, Standing Rock and the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe lands. These few examples undermine the original question. Countries can, and do, redraw borders. Rights can be, and have been, violated. All of this logical conflict is particularly relevant to the immigration debate and the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program specifically, which the Supreme Court's latest ruling saved but which no doubt remains on President Donald Trump's proverbial chopping block. As of July 2018, Mexico, El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras, account for just a little less than 89 percent of all DACA recipients. Examining the relationship between the U.S. and Latin America, specifically these four nations, shows that the immigration debate is nestled in a much broader, more complex field of policies than a simple eight-word question could possibly address. Recent domestic reactionary policies aside, a variety of past American policies have contributed to political, social and economic instability overseas, which drives mass migration: NAFTA, the war on drugs, military interventions and coups. These are all examples of U.S. policy that has exported violence and economic uncertainty that have coalesced into the immigration crisis at the southern border. Throughout Central and South America the policies, tactics and influence of the U.S. are felt: Americans helped overthrow democratically elected Guatemalan President Jacobo Arbenz in 1954; also in Guatemala, the U.S. helped install the authoritarian governments of Armas, Arana and Montt. There was support for paramilitary "death squads" in El Salvador like the Atlactal Battalion in the 1980s; in 2009 the U.S. backed the coup to remove Honduran President Manuel Zelaya. That's just the beginning. The violence the U.S.has exported to the region cannot be overlooked in light of the immigration crisis. The impacts extend beyond political and military policy decisions. Economic policies have greatly exacerbated regional instability. Beyond the effects on the American Rust Belt, NAFTA and other free trade agreements also impacted Latin America. From 2000 to 2005, 1.5 million Mexican jobs were lost. At the same time, the Mexican-born population living in the U.S. increased by almost 2 million. In 2006, El Salvador entered the CAFTA-DR trade agreement that allowed American industrial and commercial goods to enter the country duty-free and then crippled domestic industries. Honduras entered CAFTA in 2005 and transformed from a net agricultural exporter to a net importer, which forced farmers out of work. So it cannot be surprising that the H-2A visa program for temporary agricultural workers saw an increase of more than 200 percent between 2007 and 2017. With this evidence there is a very plain question for the original, "How can one boil the debate about immigration into such a simple query?" I propose two questions to guide the debate about immigration: "How have the policies of the United States set the conditions under which people must immigrate? And how can we address those policies to engage with immigrants in a more constructive way?" Crises don't happen overnight or in a vacuum and neither did the one at the southern border of the U.S. American political, military and economic interventions in Latin America have left deep scars in the region. DACA or not, migrants will still come to the U.S. seeking better economic prospects or a shelter from violence. They will be seeking the American dream. Immigrants deserve to live in dignity and stability, and before they arrive at our southern doorstep we have to take it upon ourselves to confront our own pattern of aggression toward their home countries. If we change our own behaviors, we can rebuild what has been destroyed and give immigrants hope and security to, perhaps, stay in their home countries. If they want to come to the U.S. to pursue their dreams it must be on their own accord and not out of desperation. However, if we, as a country, don't examine and change ourselves and we only address immigrants once they arrive at our borders due to at least in part our own policies, then we are just callous hypocrites. Ian Pulz is a student at Albany Law School. He received his master's degree in conflict transformation from Eastern Mennonite University. Farmington, WV (26555) Today Periods of rain. Low 59F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 90%. Rainfall around a quarter of an inch.. Tonight Periods of rain. Low 59F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 90%. Rainfall around a quarter of an inch. [July 04, 2020] Deakin University, Australia Announces Exclusive Academic Mentorship in Software Engineering for Indian Students NEW DELHI and CHANDIGARH, India, July 4, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Deakin University, Australia and Chitkara University, near Chandigarh has announced an innovative pathway study option commencing September 2020. In the midst of the uncertain circumstances caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, Deakin University, Australia and Chitkara University has announced the launch of an 'Academic Mentorship' program to ensure that students may continue to achieve their international study goals during this time. The announcement has come at a time when travel is suspended and students are uncertain of their dream for an overseas higher education opportunity. Deakin University and Chitkara University has developed a 4-year Bachelor of Software Engineering that will facilitate Indian students to study two years of Deakin University's licensed curriculum at Chitkara University before students transfer for the remaining two years on-shore at Deakin University in Australia. This transfer is based on conditions, and students after successful completion will receive a Deakin University Bachelor of Software Engineering degree in Australia. Speaking about this innovative program, Deakin University's Deputy Vice President (Global) and CEO (South Asia), Ms Ravneet Pawha, said, "At Deakin we are continuously innovating our offerings and with the current challenges presented by COVID-19, innovative hybrid programs like this would help students keep their study and career goals on track. We are proud of our partnership with Chitkara University and delighted to have developed this unique program, which will allow students to study an international degree from their home-country while having academic mentorship through the teaching and support by the faculty at Chitkara University." This is a one-of-its kind initiative in the international ducation space, where students will earn 100% credits of prior learning at a leading Indian university before transferring to a Deakin University campus in Australia. As a part of the arrangement, students while studying the first two years of the program at Chitkara will pay local India tuition fee. Students will also be co-taught some academic units by Deakin faculty in infrastructure, and resources that will be similar to Deakin. This simply translates in better academic success for students with global careers and an education that saves them huge costs. Chitkara University's Pro-Chancellor, Dr Madhu Chitkara said, "The blended program is being launched at a very appropriate time. Given the current situation, students will be able to continue their education while keeping their dreams of international education intact. I am confident that the overall student experience will be enriched through this Academic Mentorship program with the high quality of the teaching and learning support from faculty and staff from both institutions." With this initiative, there will be no gap in the students learning outcomes and they will arrive in Australia with similar academic learnings had they started in the same program at Deakin in the first year. If for some reason, a student is unable to make it for the on-shore studies at Deakin, they will have an option to pursue an industry-leading Bachelor's degree from Chitkara University. To apply for the exclusive online study trimester commencing in September 2020, please visit https://www.chitkara.edu.in/global/software-engineering/ About Deakin University Established in 1974, Deakin University successfully combines excellence in teaching, research and effective partnerships with industry and government to deliver high quality courses and undertake research that makes a difference to the domestic and international communities it serves. With internationally recognised quality of research and teaching, Deakin University is currently is ranked in the top 1% of the world's universities by the prestigious Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU). With over 40 years of experience as one of Australia's leading tertiary education providers, Deakin's won numerous awards and teaches over 60,000 students each year. Deakin's South Asia operations commenced in 1994 at New Delhi, India, making it one of the first overseas education provider to set operations in this region. Here, Deakin engages with the government, industry and the academia to share its vibrant culture of education and research. For more information, visit: http://www.deakin.edu. About Chitkara University Chitkara University, situated near Chandigarh (India) has emerged as the most vibrant and high-ranking university in North India. The University's Institute of Engineering & Technology has been featured in the Prestigious Times Higher Education Impact rankings 2020, 26th rank in the DataQuest's 'Top 100 T Schools in India-2020' survey. With state-of-the-art infrastructure, scientifically driven pedagogy, strong industry collaborations and 120+ working associations from schools across the world, Chitkara University not only attracts the finest students from across the nation but with its seamless placement support, is also able to help them carve high growth careers For more information, visit: www.chitkara.edu.in Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/713572/Deakin_University_Logo.jpg [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [July 03, 2020] Research Report with COVID-19 Forecasts- Insurance Brokerage Market 2020-2024 | Increased Demand for Insurance Policies to Boost Market Growth | Technavio The insurance brokerage market is expected to grow by USD 13.84 billion 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/20200703005235/en/ Technavio has announced its latest market research report titled Global Insurance Brokerage Market 2020-2024 (Graphic: Business Wire) Request challenges and opportunities influenced by COVID-19 pandemic - Request a Free Sample Report on COVID-19 Impacts The global insurance brokerage market is witnessing an increase in the demand for accidental insurance, life insurance, medical insurance, vehicle insurance, liability insurance, and property insurance. This is due to the expanding population of baby boomers and millennials worldwide, which is providing significant growth opportunities for market players. Besides, many insurance firms are actively investing in innovative insurance products and services and increasing awareness to tap the potential in emerging markets. These factors are expected to fuel the growth of the global insurance brokerage 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=IRTNTR40862 As per Technavio, the consolidation of the brokerage industry 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. Insurance Brokerage Market: Consolidation of the Brokerage Industry Major insurance firms in the market are partnering with local players to expand their geographical presence and increase their revenue. For instance, In August 2018, CIPRES Assurances acquired Axelliance, a direct broker and insurance company. Similarly, in April 2019, Marsh & McLennan acquired Jardine Lloyd Thomson (News - Alert) , a multinational insurance, reinsurance, and brokerage services company based in the UK. Many such M&A activities are expected to have a positive impact on the growth of the global insurance brokerage market. "Integration of IT and analytic solutions and the emergence of digital marketing platforms 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 Insurance Brokerage Market: Segmentation Analysis This market research report segments the insurance brokerage market by type (non-life insurance and life insurance) and geography (APAC, Europe, MEA, North America, and South America). The North American region led the insurance brokerage market in 2019, followed by Europe, APAC, South America, and MEA respectively. During the forecast period, North America is expected to register the highest incremental growth due to the growth of the working capital population in the region. 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/20200703005235/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] After 2 KCPD officers shot, Gov. Mike Parson sends prayers. But KC needs more than that We all join Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas in his heartbreak and disgust over the violence that's so out of control that three kids were killed here last week. One of them, a 4-year-old who had survived heart surgery, was shot in his own big-boy bed, during a driveby shooting. The cynical rhetoric pronounced yesterday by Mayor Quinton Lucas was greeted with a resounding THUD by social media, the community and our readers. And now an op/ed safely hidden by a paywall is unlikely to rally much support to a political gambit that tragically takes the place of real work toward a solution.Read more: FCA has let the cat out of the bag, showcasing the Dodge Durango SRT Hellcat, the Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat, and the Challenger SRT Super Stock. The latter, by the way is now the worlds quickest and most powerful muscle car (according to FCA, of course) while the new Charger Hellcat is the fastest and most powerful sedan youll find anywhere. Now, in an exclusive interview with Motor1, Tim Kuniskis, has come right out and said that electrification will play a role in the companys future sporty cars. What are Dodge and SRTs Plans for Electrification? The truth is, nobody knows what Dodge and SRT are doing to actually push their way into electric territory. Rumors say that the 2022 Jeep Grand Wagoneer will be offered as a plug-in hybrid, as will the next-gen Dodge Durango and Jeep Grand Cherokee. But, whats more important right now is that Kuniskis is interested in electrification for performance. Were very interested in electrification, specifically for performance. I think it is absolutely the future of performance, and its what is going to enable performance to exist amid [environmental] regulations. And, thats an interesting point, as its largely been believed that anything FCA does with electricity would be about serving up better fuel economy (at first) and then, eventually, delivering all-electric cars at some point down the road. After all, hybrid, plug-in, and electric powertrains are starting to make sense for cars like the Chrysler Pacifica and even the Dodge Durango. To hear that FCA is going to look to it for performance gains, is actually a big deal. Im not going to say theres no way to avoid it, because Im not looking at it as something we want to avoid. I think its going to be the next evolution, the next step of even higher performance than anything that weve seen up until this point. Its going to open up massive capability. At the same time, you shouldnt expect and electrified Challenger or Charger to cross into dealers anytime soon. As most people that follow the auto industry knows, electrification isnt exactly cost effective unless its spread across a wide range of vehicles. A company like Dodge or Chrysler (or FCA in general) building a low-volume electric performance car probably wouldnt work. Right now, electrification is not cost-effective. Lets say you have a trim that you want to make into an awesome electrified performance car, and youre going to sell 5,000 of them. Theres no way to justify the expense to do that because of the cost of technology. So, when will we see some wild, electrified muscle cars from dodge? Well, thats a good question. Kuniskis was pretty clear that the same technology has to be spread across the mainstream lineup as well. Then and only then will the company be able to deliver an electrified performance car thats not only feasible for the company but feasible for consumers as well. When the cost...comes down across the mainstream, now that opens up the door for the crazies. So, while the future is ripe with opportunity, that opportunity wont present itself for quite some time. It wont be until FCA, as a group, adopts a more wide-spread range of electrified vehicles. Kuniskis stopped short of giving Motor1 any type of timeline, but with 2022 supposedly the year for three new plug-in models, the brand may be able to justify starting work on a more extreme muscle car with extra performance chops. That said, we might not see a Charger or Challenger with real electric performance gains until the latter half of this decade, and maybe not even until after the turn of the decade. A best-guess scenario would paint the next-gen Charger and Challenger seeing some kind of electric adaption near the end of there life-cycle, which you know will run until at least the mid-2030s something we can say with at least some confidence considering how long Dodge has milked to current models. Source: Motor1 Geneva, 4 July 2020 (SPS) - Namibia, via its permanent delegation to the United Nations Office in Geneva, said Thursday that it "will not go against the tide of history" on the issue of Western Sahara, noting its commitment to continue to defend the inalienable right of the Sahrawi people to independence. "As a country that has experienced the same (colonial) situation, we are determined to stay on the right side of the story," said Collin O'Brien Namalambo, Deputy Permanent Representative of the Namibia in Geneva at a session of the Human Rights Council. For his part, the Namibian diplomat replied to the Moroccan delegation, affirming that his country was committed to the promotion of the protection of human rights in all countries, including developing countries under foreign occupation, such as Western Sahara and Palestine. These two peoples, "continue to be deprived of their right to self-determination," he said. (SPS) 062/SPS/APS 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. (Short version 880 words ends here.) 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. 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 Geneva, 4 July 2020 (SPS) - The Algerian delegation to the UN in Geneva on Thursday called on the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) to resume its technical missions in Western Sahara. "As regards the non-self-governing territory Western Sahara, we once again recall that no technical mission has been undertaken there since 2015," noted Mehdi Litim, charge d'affaires at the Algerian mission during an interactive debate with the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet, held as part of the 44th session of the Human Rights Council (HRC). "We request OHCHR to resume these missions and establish a technical assistance and capacity-building program for Saharawi institutions," said the diplomat. He invited the UN human rights chief to detail the progress made in this regard in her next annual report and during her oral update. During this session of the HRC, the Geneva group for the protection and promotion of human rights in Western Sahara denounced the Moroccan repressive machine in the occupied territories. (SPS) 062/SPS/APS Eva Kor, Holocaust survivor and founder of the CANDLES Holocaust Museum and Education Center, is no longer there to tell her powerful story and spearhead fundraising. But museum officials are determined to continue her work and carry out her vision. CANDLES continues to look at a possible move to downtown Terre Haute, and it also is studying the feasibility of two sites one in Terre Haute and another in Indianapolis. Get breaking news delivered to you! Sign up for our newsletters to get the latest, breaking news. The first year has been a bit of a challenge just because CANDLES so largely revolved around Eva for the first 25 years of our operations, said Catie Hann, the museums development coordinator. She was very integral to everything we did here. The museum continues Evas work in several ways, including: Annual educational trips to Auschwitz will continue, and CANDLES has created a new audio tour that allows participants to hear Eva share her story as they walk through the Auschwitz/Birkenau grounds. COVID prevented the trip this year, but the goal is to return next year. The CANDLES main exhibits largely focus on Evas story and reflect her legacy, Hann said. The museum offers the Dimensions in Testimony Exhibit, in which people can interact with Evas image and hear her story first-hand through a hologram. Visitors can interact with 11 other Holocaust survivors as well. Since the pandemic started, the museum has done a lot more virtual educational outreach, with a lot of virtual content on its social media platforms. We are prepared to be flexible as we continue navigating the uncertainty of COVID-19. We definitely are able to educate virtually as need be, Hann said. As for the future, We are still looking to continue growing. We have found a need to create a strategic plan ... to go back and really take a look at what we would like to accomplish in the future and to plan for that, Hann said. Moving into a former bank building in downtown Terre Haute is still on the table for us. We are always looking for an opportunity to continue to grow our reach and our physical presence, she said. In summer 2018, First Financial Corp. announced it had donated the 1903 building at 643 Wabash Ave. to Indiana Landmarks. Once restored, the building was intended to become the new home of CANDLES Holocaust Museum, it was reported at the time. Asked if the museum will be able to make that move, Hann said, That will take a lot of support from our local partners and through people that really believe in our mission. CANDLES has no specific timelines or deadlines. That will come after our strategic plan is completed. Then we will complete a feasibility study, she said. The goal is to complete the strategic plan by the end of the year. The museum is working with the firm Johnson, Grossnickle and Associates on the strategic plan and feasibility study. Among items being studied is the move into the building on Wabash as well as the feasibility of having two sites, one in Terre Haute and one in Indianapolis. The potential for two sites is something we have been analyzing the past few years to see if its a direction we can move toward, Hann said. Tommy Kleckner, director of Indiana Landmarks Western Regional Office, said Indiana Landmarks continues to own the downtown historic bank building and it continues work to complete the buildings stabilization. Once stabilization is complete, the goal is to transfer the facility to CANDLES as its new site. A new phase of stabilization will start later this month, with a new facade on the west side of the building, he said. Sue Loughlin can be reached at 812-231-4235 or at sue.loughlin@tribstar.com Follow Sue on Twitter @TribStarSue. Mark Bennett has reported and analyzed news from the Wabash Valley and beyond since Larry Bird wore Sycamore blue. That role with the Tribune-Star has taken him from Rome to Alaska and many points in between, but Terre Haute suits him best. Follow Mark Bennett 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 Milton, PA (17847) Today Mostly cloudy with showers and a few thunderstorms. Low 62F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 60%.. Tonight Mostly cloudy with showers and a few thunderstorms. Low 62F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 60%. - Anita Nderu was forced to explain herself after many Kenyans called her out on her latest cooking video - The beauty hosted gay men and Kenyans were not pleased with the outcome with the majority blaming Pwani Life which manufactures Fresh Fri for allowing such a marketing strategy - The company defended itself saying it had not contracted Nderu to market its product and apologised to its clients - Many netizens were angered by the vocal media personality for sexualising the cooking show with the majority saying they never see her the same again Vocal media personality Anita Nderu has found herself on the wrong side with netizens after hosting gay men in her cooking show. Taking to the various social media platforms, her followers expressed their disappointment in the woman they said they valued highly. READ ALSO: Hundreds show up after 8-year-old boy organises Black Lives Matter protest for children Anita Nderu hosted a cooking show and invited gay men as her guests. Photo: Anita Nderu. Source: Instagram READ ALSO: Comedian Zeddy clashes with Sleepy David over accusations against Teacher Wanjiku's hubby After the video went viral, the beauty was forced to explain herself claiming those were just her friends who decided to show their real selves. Responding to an Instagram fan identified as @whoisqueen, the beauty said that nothing about her show was scripted. "I respect your opinion. I simply asked my friends to come on my web show and be themselves. What any of us have chosen to do on the show is how each of us is. Nothing about my show is scripted. What you see from the guests, food to outcome is what actually genuinely took place," responded Nderu. READ ALSO: Man says wife's decision to leave him, their two kids with autism was great relief Kenyans made the beauty a trend on Twitter as they made fun of the show with the majority claiming she was advertising Fresh Fry cooking oil. However, the company behind the oil issued a statement denying having any deal with Nderu. READ ALSO: Atwoli aongoza viongozi wa Magharibi kukutana na Rais Uhuru READ ALSO: Mombasa bishop dies of COVID-19 barely 3 months after son was killed by same disease As others took to Twitter to criticise her, others took the moment to defend her and asked those blaming her to stop being hypocritical. READ ALSO: Korti yawaagiza Raila,Uhuru kuandikisha taarifa kuhusu kesi ya video ya CCTV usiku As always, team mafisi were on the scene and the majority said they really felt disappointed. According to one @Leighn_Lyn, Anita's show looked more of a condom advert. "Did Anita Nderu script this advert? I love Fresh Fri but this looks more of a CD advert than a cooking oil advert. We can't sexualise everything!!" she wrote. 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.co.ke - Anita said she was not going to apologise for choosing to let her friends be themselves - Asked if she was gay or not, the beauty said that was too private and when the right time comes she would disclose - She said she would go on with the show and would host anyone she liked without discrimination - The media personality urged people to be open-minded and stop judging others' choices Media personality Anita Nderu has been making headlines within the week after an episode of her cooking show went viral. Nderu has been on the end of a backlash backlash from Kenyans for hosting gay men on her show but refused to bow to pressure to apologise. READ ALSO: Like father like son: Joy as James Orengo's son Bob gets admitted to the bar Anita Nderu says she is not going to apologise for hosting gay men on her cooking show. Photo: Anita Nderu. Source: Instagram READ ALSO: Sharon Barang'a: Kenyans send hope messages to TV anchor after losing dad, job within a month Speaking to Massawe Japanni on Radio Jambo, the beauty said she was not sorry for anything and was not going to apologise for doing what she believed was okay. According to her, it is her show and she has liberty to host anyone and the guys were just being real. "People are very sensitive out here. I have always been very open about my views on LGBTQ and I was just celebrating something that I am pro for. I just invited my friends to the show and told them to be themselves. I refuse to apologise for choosing to allow my friends to be who they are and I refuse to apologise for airing the episode because it is my channel," she said. READ ALSO: DP Ruto apuuza miungano ya kisiasa inayoendelea, aitisha maombi Asked if she was gay or not, the beauty refused to answer, saying she would openly speak about her choice when the right time comes. "That is private and even when I am ready to share, I will," said Anita. READ ALSO: Man threw baby shower for the wife only for baby mama to crash it She instead called on people to learn to be more open-minded and embrace others the way they were without judging anyone. She also promised to continue with her show and asked any gay person interested to be featured to reach out to her. "I wish people would just have an open mind. I will continue with the show. Any person who is gay ad they feel like they want to appear on my show they are welcome," she added. READ ALSO: Anita Nderu forced to defend herself after hosting gay men on her cooking show At the back of this, Kenya's moral police, Ezekiel Mutua took to social media to share his views about Nderu's 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. 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 was accused of causing the death of 30 patients in the hospital - COG Katoi | Tuko TV Source: Tuko Kenya - Kimberly who is girlfriend to Donald Trump Jnr received her positive test results on Friday, July 3 - Kimberly, also a senior fundraiser for Donald Trumps re-election campaign had travelled with him to South Dakota - She did not attend the event after she found out she had contracted the disease - Tests COVID-19 test results on Trump and his eldest son turned out negative Kimberly Guilfoyle , girlfriend to Donald Trump's eldest son Donald Trump Jr's has tested positive for coronavirus. Guilfoyle tested positive for the virus on Friday, July 3 before attending an event with the US president. READ ALSO: Anita Nderu refuses to disclose if she's gay or not, says there'll be time for disclosure Kimberly Guilfoyle, who is a senior fundraiser for Donald Trumps re-election campaign has tested positive for COVID-19. Photo: Getty Images. Source: Getty Images READ ALSO: Sharon Barang'a: Kenyans send hope messages to TV anchor after losing dad, job within a month Kimberly who is a former Fox News television personality and a senior fundraiser for Donald Trumps re-election campaign becomes the latest member of Trump's inner circle to contract the virus. According to the New York Times, the senior fundraiser for Donald Trumps re-election campaign had travelled with him to South Dakota but did not attend the event after getting the positive tests results. Tests were conducted on the US president and his son which later turned out to be negative. READ ALSO: DP Ruto apuuza miungano ya kisiasa inayoendelea, aitisha maombi ABC News reported that Kimberly a close aide to Trump was asymptomatic. The news also comes as the US is experiencing a huge spike in coronavirus cases and at a time when Trump is receiving criticism on his response to the coronavirus crisis. According to The Guardian, the virus has killed over 120,000 Americans. 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 was accused of causing the death of 30 patients in the hospital - COG Katoi | Tuko TV Source: Tuko.co.ke - In a memo to staff, KQ CEO Allan Kilavuka said the company's staff, network and assets would be affected in a staff rationalisation process expected to be concluded by September - The airline had projected it would lose up to KSh 50 billion in 2020 due to the effects of COVID-19 - Kilavuka therefore said KQ which was once the pride of Africa, would be compelled to make hard decisions Debt ridden national carrier Kenya Airways is set to fire hundreds of employees in a resizing exercise following the outbreak of coronavirus pandemic that halted most of its operations especially grounding of passenger planes. The struggling airline that's now deep in the red zone said its revenues had dwindled over the last three months prompting it to cut on costs. READ ALSO: 18-year-old woman inspires netizens after buying land at her age Kenya Airways is set to fire hundreds of employees in a national resizing exercise. Photo: Kenya Airways. Source: Facebook READ ALSO: William Ruto rubbishes Jubilee Party cooperation deals: "I'm not weak" In a memo to staff, KQ CEO Allan Kilavuka said the company's staff, network and assets would be affected in a staff rationalisation process expected to be concluded by September. A decision has been reached to carry out an organisation-wide rightsizing exercise which will result in a reduction of our network, our assets, and our staff. Effectively, we have commenced a phased staff rationalisation process, which we expect to conclude by September 30 2020,"Kilavuka stated. READ ALSO: Bunge lapendekeza Kinuthia Mbugua achunguzwe kuhusu ufujaji wa KSh 3.5bn The CEO noted that with the expected re-opening of the local skies the airline would still operate a small number of planes and as such they would not earn enough revenue as expected. "With the suppressed demand for air transport, a large part of our fleet will remain grounded. We will also operate a reduced network when we resume our services as we anticipate that it will take some time before the industry starts to rebound,"the memo added. The airline had projected it would lose up to KSh 50 billion in 2020 due to the effects of COVID-19. Kilavuka therefore said KQ which was once the pride of Africa, would be compelled to make hard decisions. READ ALSO: Man threw baby shower for the wife only for baby mama to crash it Speaking at the 44th annual general meeting (AGM), Kilavuka said Kenya Airways was in the process of securing over $70 million (KSh 7 billion) emergency bailout in order to stay afloat. The CEO also noted the national carrier was also developing a strategy to diversify its business from passengers to cargo. In 2019, KQ recorded a KSh 12.98 billion net loss as a result of increased operating costs. The company's shares were suspended from trading at the Nairobi Securities Exchange (NSE) on Friday, July 3, by CMA ahead of the nationalisation exercise where it would be become a fully government entity. Do you have a hot story or scandal you would like us to publish, please reach us through news@tuko.co.ke or WhatsApp: 0732482690 and Telegram: Tuko news. Babu Owino says no man is righteous asks Kenyans to let DJ Evolve rest | Tuko TV Source: Tuko Kenya A Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) detective is among five people arrested for attempting to steal KSh 28 million from a bank account of a Kenyan currently residing in the United States. According to a police report seen by TUKO.co.ke, the DCI detective was working in collaboration with four other businessmen based in Bungoma and Nairobi and attempted to make the fraudulent withdrawal at Kenya Commercial Bank , Busia branch. READ ALSO: Ruth Matete finally allowed to bury Nigerian husband The arrested officer was a detective at Directorate of Criminal Investigations Wilson Airport branch. Photo: DCI. Source: Twitter READ ALSO: 389: Kenya records highest number of COVID-19 positive cases in a day Police Constable Kipkirui Tanui attached to Directorate of Criminal Investigation's Wilson Airport office was arrested on Saturday, July 4, at Ahero roadblock along Busia-Kericho highway. According to a police report filed at Ahero Police station, the five wanted to steal the money by posing as the genuine account holder. "They were arrested at Ahero along Busia-Kericho highway. After interrogations, it was established that the two together with other three attempted to steal KSh 28 million from KCB Bank from account whose owner stays in America," police said the report. READ ALSO: DCI detectives arrest Kitale secondary school teacher behind car theft syndicate, recover 7 vehicles The KSh 28 million they attempted to steal was banked at Kenya Commercial Bank. Photo: TUKO. Source: Original Other suspects include a Nairobi based business man Alex Kimeli, Chirack Patel, Via Patel and Didmus Juma Lusweti, a business man based in Bungoma town. All the five have been handed over to DCI Busia branch and are being detained as investigations into the matter take course. Kipkirui's case comes amidst skyrocketing cases of police officers engaging in theft of cash in several areas across the country. Few months ago, Lilian Simiyu a corporal attached to Ethics and Anti-corruption Commission (EACC) in Mombasa was arrested for allegedly stealing KSh 416,000. Do you have a hot story or scandal you would like us to publish, please reach us through news@tuko.co.ke or WhatsApp: 0732482690 and Telegram: Tuko news. Babu Owino says no man is righteous asks Kenyans to let DJ Evolve rest | Tuko TV Source: Breaking News - Uhuru thanked the British government for extending visa over-stay amnesty for Kenyan nationals in the UK who cannot travel back due to the COVID-19 travel restrictions - The visa amnesty, the president noted, had enabled Kenyans especially students and workers, to apply for long-term visa renewal in the UK without having to travel back to Kenya - The two leaders affirmed their strong support for the Commonwealth and committed to work together to ensure stability, continuity and the deepening of solidarity President Uhuru Kenyatta has held private talks with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson during which the two leaders agreed to start negotiations for a Kenya-United Kingdom (UK) post Brexit trade agreement. The negotiations, which are expected to be finalized ahead of the UK's exit from the European Union (Brexit) on 31st December 2020, would be conducted within the Kenya-UK strategic partnership framework established by the two leaders in January 2020 and the East African Community (EAC) parameters in order to enhance regional integration. READ ALSO: MP Junet Mohamed leads Kenya's delegation to high profile meeting in Somaliland Uhuru (l) with British PM Borish Johnson at a past event. Photo: State House. Source: Facebook READ ALSO: Aoko: Kenyan woman lectures toxic feminists, says its unfair to spew hate against all men In the telephone conversation on Saturday, July 4, the head of state and the British PM also discussed several Kenya-UK bilateral interests among them the two nation's response to the global COVID-19 health crisis. Uhuru thanked the British government for extending visa over-stay amnesty for Kenyan nationals in the UK who cannot travel back due to the COVID-19 travel restrictions until 30th May 2021. Uhuru thanked the UK government for supporting Kenya's worker protection scheme which he said would benefit garment and horticultural sectors. Photo: State House. Source: UGC READ ALSO: COVID-19: Kenya yaandikisha idadi kubwa zaidi ya maambukizi ya coronavirus The visa amnesty, the president noted, had enabled Kenyans especially students and workers, to apply for long-term visa renewal in the UK without having to travel back to Kenya as has been the norm. Uhuru thanked the UK government for supporting Kenya's worker protection scheme which he said would benefit garment and horticultural sectors so as to avoid massive staff layoffs during the current COVID-19 global economic disruption. The two leaders affirmed their strong support for the Commonwealth and committed to work together to ensure stability, continuity and the deepening of solidarity among Commonwealth nations. Do you have a hot story or scandal you would like us to publish, please reach us through news@tuko.co.ke or WhatsApp: 0732482690 and Telegram: Tuko news. Babu Owino says no man is righteous asks Kenyans to let DJ Evolve rest | Tuko TV Source: Tuko.co.ke Well, CIY Move is an incredible experience and incredibly important to our student ministry at FCC. Keller said. Move is often a high point in our year and a great event to build on for the upcoming school year. So, when Covid-19 shut down all live Move events, we knew our ministry would take a hit if we did nothing. Luckily, CIY was on the ball and partnered with hundreds of churches who participate in their Move conferences and released special curriculum and elements to make a custom Move experience possible. They gave us everything we needed, from worship set ideas all the way to session flows. With the content in place, all we had to do was bring it all together. Most churches attend CIY conference in other states, allowing the students to focus on the week rather than what is going on back home. Michigan, Tennessee, and Colorado are very popular sites for Oklahoma churches. However, this summer, the students were less than an hour away from home, but the sponsors did everything they could to make it a great experience. A lot of people worked really hard to make this work, and I feel like God really honored that, Keller said. But, beyond the need for some kind of summer youth experience and CIYs willingness to help, we just really love our students and wanted to give them something special when so much has been taken from them this year. Jeffrey Price Krigel has been out of custody on a $200,000 bond since being arrested the afternoon of June 11 on the rape charge, which alleges that he raped a woman while she was unconscious and therefore unable to legally consent on April 29. And begging his indulgence because Im confident he is still looking on I want to share just a little about his service. There was much, much more to his life, of course, but that subject I will leave for others, those who can speak to it better. Regarding his WWII experience, I learned the following from our own archives: A 1942 Webster High School graduate, James Clifton King Jr. left after one semester of college to join the Army Air Corps. He went on to serve with the 8th Air Force in Europe as a B-17 radio operator/gunner. In December 1943, his plane was shot down over Harkstede, Holland. Staff Sgt. King and the crew bailed out safely but were captured by the Germans. For the next 18 months, he would be held at the Stalag 17-B prison camp in Austria. If that name sounds familiar, it should. One of Kings fellow POWs would later write a Broadway play called Stalag 17, which in turn became the basis for an Academy Award-winning movie. Asked once about the fictionalized portrait of the camp, King described it as accurate overall, except the part about the German spy. 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. What you think about removing Confederate statues has less to do with your opinions about race and more with how you perceive the motivation behind removing them in the first place. Jim Penniman-Morin, who majored in military history at West Point before serving in Iraq and Afghanistan, grew up seeing Robert E. Lee as a hero. Now, the ex-Army officer sees Confederate markers, such as military bases named after Confederate leaders, as disrespectful to the troops. Its cruel to send an African American teenager off to war from a base named for a person celebrated because of their disdain for racial equality, he said. No amount of nostalgia is worth causing a young soldier to feel unwelcome because of their skin color. Spurred by Charlottesvilles plans to remove a statue of Lee, the bloody Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville in August 2017 caused cities and schools all over the country to take a fresh look at whether Confederate history required public monuments. At the time, Americans leaned toward keeping them up, with 52% in favor of letting statues of Confederate leaders remain standing, twice as many as favored taking them down. In the past 10 years, 120 rural U.S. hospitals have closed. Eight of them were in Oklahoma. More are teetering. A 2019 court filing by the Oklahoma Hospital Association and other SQ 802 proponents says that 17 rural Oklahoma hospitals are at risk of closing and 54% of the states rural hospitals have a negative operating profit margin. About $1 billion a year in federal Medicaid funding will come to the state, much of it directed to the health care of indigent, rural residents. Medicaid expansion will begin no later than July 1, 2021, a year from now. It will bring health care to somewhere around 200,000 working-poor Oklahomans and will help alleviate the nations second-worst rate of uninsured citizens. Over the course of a generation, that should result in healthier, more prosperous Oklahomans and a more financially stable health care system. The measure doesnt allow for a work requirement. Patients cant be required to volunteer, go to school or do anything else to qualify. The federal government will pick up 90% of the cost of the newly eligible patients. As the Parliament is set to debate a bill on July 2nd for the establishment of a new pricing arrangement at the fuel pumps, will getting the oil refinery in Point-a-Pierre back up and running have an impact on the new pricing system? The United States is marking its Independence Day in a somber mood, as a record surge in coronavirus cases, widespread anti-racism protests and an angry speech from President Donald Trump have cast a shadow over what normally are festive celebrations. The COVID-19 pandemic prompted the closing of popular beaches -- normally packed on the July 4 weekend -- on both coasts, as California and Florida suffer alarming surges in virus cases. Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti issued a stark warning: "You should assume everyone around you is infectious." Across the country, Main Street parades have been canceled, boisterous backyard barbecues scaled down, and family reunions put off amid worries about air travel and concerns about spreading the virus. Some events will be held virtually, as states and cities grapple with a new surge in the coronavirus, using a mix of admonitions and prohibitions. Miami Beach, for one, has imposed a weekend curfew and made it mandatory to wear a mask in public. The US virus death toll is fast approaching 130,000, roughly one-quarter the world's total, even as many European countries are edging back toward normality. That has given this July 4th weekend a particularly dark cast, as the pent-up desire to celebrate enters into sharp tension with science-based calls for caution. - Fireworks canceled - Fireworks displays are typically a high point of the holiday, with crowds of thousands gathering to ooh and aah, but an estimated 80 percent of the events have been canceled this year. Some locales are urging people to watch fireworks from their cars. The US trade war with China had, in any case, made it harder than usual to procure pyrotechnics. Yet while cities and states can enforce virus bans in public, some Americans in their backyards are carrying on as if the deadly pandemic were a thing of the past. Continuing a year of confusingly mixed signals, local officials in Washington have discouraged residents from massing on the National Mall for the capital's traditional fireworks display. But Trump, fresh from his appearance Friday before the monumental sculpture of four presidents on Mount Rushmore, plans to be on the Mall for a "Salute to America" complete with military music and flyovers. - 'Violent mayhem' - While presidents' July 4 speeches traditionally are uplifting affairs that emphasize patriotism and national unity, Trump's speech in South Dakota angrily lashed out at the protests that have erupted since the death at police hands of George Floyd. Facing a tough re-election battle in November and eager to mobilize his political base, Trump denounced "violent mayhem" on US streets, though most demonstrations have been peaceful, and accused protesters of waging "a merciless campaign to wipe out our history, defame our heroes, erase our values, and indoctrinate our children." Trump's presumptive opponent in the fall, Democrat Joe Biden, has struck a sharply different tone on the country's raw racial tensions, tweeting on Saturday: "Our nation was founded on a simple idea: We're all created equal. We've never lived up to it - but we've never stopped trying. This Independence Day, let's not just celebrate those words, let's commit to finally fulfill them." Protests have become a regular feature in many US cities since Floyd's death in May in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and more than a score of demonstrations were planned for Saturday in Washington. The largest are expected to include a George Floyd memorial March beginning at the Lincoln Memorial; a Black Out March at the US Capitol; and a Black Lives Matter protest at the National Museum of African American History and Culture. All the protests -- in theory -- should be over before the night's celebration on the Mall. Public health officials have been bracing for a new spike in virus cases after this weekend's celebrations and protests. Some link the latest flareup to the delayed result of widespread celebrations during the Memorial Day holiday in late May, and to the reopening of some states' economies starting around that time. And they see this Independence Day weekend as a potential tipping point -- in the worst case, a replay of the post-Memorial Day resurgence. Short link: Ukraine and Turkey show their readiness to sign a free trade agreement and have the potential to double trade turnover. Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said this at a joint press conference following a meeting with his Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba on July 3. Our trade turnover is about $5 billion, we can double it and we have sufficient potential for this, the minister said. He emphasized that the work was underway and both sides demonstrated their readiness to sign the Free Trade Agreement. Speaking about tourism, the minister noted that Turkey has provided all security measures for the reception of tourists in the face of the coronavirus pandemic and expects the arrival of tourists from Ukraine. For Turkey, Ukraine is not only a neighboring country, but it is also a friend and a strategic partner, he said. As Ukrinform reported, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba paid a two-day visit to the Republic of Turkey on July 3-4 at the invitation of Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu. The foreign ministers held the eighth meeting of the Ukrainian-Turkish Joint Strategic Planning Group, and face-to-face talks. ish Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba discussed with his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu the stages of implementation of the agreements reached by the leaders of the two countries in economic, defense-industrial, aviation, tourism and humanitarian sectors. They discussed these issues during Kulebas working visit to Turkey on July 3, the Foreign Ministrys press service reported. "The ministers agreed to facilitate the holding of the 12th meeting of the Ukrainian-Turkish Intergovernmental Commission on Trade and Economic Cooperation, as well as another round of talks on preparations for the signing of a Free Trade Agreement between Ukraine and Turkey," the report reads. According to Kuleba, against the backdrop of the coronavirus pandemic, both countries need to focus on trade and investment. "We discussed assistance to Ukrainian companies in Turkey and to Turkish companies in Ukraine. We are striving to create new opportunities for investment and interaction between businesses. I assure you that these issues are and will be in the focus of our attention," the Ukrainian minister said. After a face-to-face meeting, Kuleba and Cavusoglu held the eighth meeting of the Ukrainian-Turkish Joint Strategic Planning Group. Turkey has once again confirmed its continued support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, non-recognition of the illegal occupation of Crimea by the Russian Federation. The ministers coordinated steps, including at international platforms, to ensure the rights and interests of the Crimean Tatars in occupied Crimea and the release of Ukrainian political prisoners illegally detained on the peninsula and in the territory of the occupying country - the Russian Federation. The Ukrainian minister thanked his Turkish counterpart for the initiative to improve the health of children and families of fallen Joint Forces soldiers in Antalya, which has been implemented for several years in a row. Cavusoglu noted that Turkey remains committed to the agreement on the construction of housing for IDPs from Crimea. He also announced the readiness of the Turkish side to provide assistance to overcome the effects of floods in the western regions of our country. The parties paid special attention to the prospects for cooperation in strategically important areas, in particular in defense-industrial complex and aviation. The parties discussed humanitarian cooperation, noting the importance of human relations in the interaction of states and the need to promote a human-centered agenda. Kuleba also thanked the Turkish side for providing humanitarian assistance to counter the spread of the coronavirus pandemic. The foreign ministers discussed interaction on the development, production and testing of a vaccine and medicine for this disease. As Ukrinform reported, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba paid a two-day visit to the Republic of Turkey on July 3-4 at the invitation of Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu. ish Ukraine, France and Germany took a consolidated position during a meeting of political advisers to the leaders of the "Normandy Four" countries in Berlin. Russia took a break to prepare its answer. This is stated in a statement by the Office of the President of Ukraine following an 11-hour meeting of political advisers to the leaders of the Normandy format participating states held in Berlin on July 3. Ukraine, Germany and France have shown their readiness to make every effort to implement the agreements of the Normandy Four reached in Paris and to bring the summit in Berlin closer, the report reads. Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Andriy Yermak took part in the meeting as part of the Ukrainian delegation headed by Deputy Prime Minister - Minister for Reintegration of Temporarily Occupied Territories Oleksiy Reznikov. The meeting in the format of negotiations, which lasted 11 hours, took place a few days before the next meeting of the TCG in the format of a video conference. The parties discussed in detail, item by item, the process of implementation of the Paris summit agreements, and highlighted a number of urgent tasks to be implemented during the upcoming meetings of the Trilateral Contact Group to speed up the negotiation process and create the prerequisites for the next Normandy summit in Berlin. The participants of the meeting agreed that every effort should be made to fully implement the decisions of the Paris summit. In particular, the parties agreed on the need for real measures to ensure a full and comprehensive ceasefire regime. "The agreements of the Paris summit must be fulfilled. Ukraine, as well as its partners in the Normandy format, France and Germany, have shown willingness to make every effort to do so," the Ukrainian delegation stressed. "Today's meeting brought the summit in Berlin one step closer," Yermak said. For its part, the Russian party took a break to prepare a response to the consolidated position of Ukraine, France and Germany. In the near future, the parties will agree on an agenda for the work of the TCG in order to bring the positions closer for holding the summit in Berlin. ish President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky thanked Prime Minister of the Italian Republic Giuseppe Conte for the humanitarian aid provided to Ukraine to overcome the effects of floods in western regions. He said this during a call on Friday, July 3, the press service of the head of state reported. "The equipment provided by Italy will help us quickly deal with the effects of the disaster and restore the damaged infrastructure of Ivano-Frankivsk region. I am grateful for your prompt decision and delivery of humanitarian aid to Ukraine," Zelensky noted. Giuseppe Conte, in turn, thanked Ukraine for sending Ukrainian doctors to help fight COVID-19 in the Italian Republic. The parties exchanged views on the situation in Ukraine and Italy in the context of overcoming the consequences of the coronavirus pandemic. 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. ish The meeting of political advisers to Normandy Four leaders in Berlin was good and substantive, the head of state believes. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has responded to Russia's demands that draft amendments to the Constitution of Ukraine on special status of occupied Donbas be presented by July 6 within the Trilateral Contact Group (TCG) on Donbas settlement, saying that no one has the right to demand any action by Ukraine. Read alsoPresident's Office: Normandy Four Berlin Summit closer after political advisers' meeting "No one has the right to demand any action by Ukraine. We are an independent state. It seems to me that everyone here should work on rhetoric, especially since this is international rhetoric," he told journalists in the town of Yuzhne during a working trip to Odesa region on July 4. The president also noted that he was not yet ready to comment on the meeting of political advisers to Normandy Four leaders, which was held in Berlin on July 3. "I'll tell you frankly I'm not yet ready to comment on this. I was told that the meeting was good and substantive," he said. Zelensky added that he would hold a meeting with Head of Ukrainian President's Office Andriy Yermak and Deputy Prime Minister for Reintegration of Temporarily Occupied Territories, one of Ukraine's envoys to the TCG for the Donbas settlement in Minsk Oleksiy Reznikov, who took part in the meeting. The Russian side took a pause to prepare a response to the consolidated stance of Ukraine, France and Germany. Head of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's Office Andriy Yermak says the meeting of political advisers to Normandy Four leaders, which was held in Berlin on July 3, has brought closer the Normandy summit, involving Ukraine, Germany, France, and Russia. "Today's meeting brought the summit in Berlin one step closer," the press service of the Office of the President quoted Yermak as saying on July 4. Read alsoMinister Kuleba: Normandy foreign ministers to hold next round of talks soon The parties discussed in detail the implementation of the agreements reached by the Normandy Four leaders at the summit in Paris in December 2019. They also highlighted a number of urgent tasks to be implemented during the upcoming meetings of the Trilateral Contact Group (TCG) on Donbas settlement to speed up the negotiation process and create the preconditions for the next Normandy summit in Berlin. "Participants in the meeting agreed that every effort should be made to fully implement the decisions taken at the Normandy summit in Paris. In particular, the parties agreed on the need to take real measures to ensure a full and comprehensive ceasefire," the press service added. "The agreements reached at the Normandy Four Paris Summit must be fulfilled. Ukraine, as well as its Normandy format partners, France and Germany, have shown willingness to do their utmost to achieve this," it said. Meanwhile, the Russian side took a pause to prepare a response to the consolidated stance of Ukraine, France and Germany. In the near future, the parties will agree on an agenda for the work of the TCG to converge positions for the sake of holding the summit in Berlin. The Kremlin's imperial ambitions are not diminishing, Neizhpapa believes. Ukraine's Navy Commander Oleksiy Neizhpapa says the threat of full-scale Russian aggression against Ukraine has not disappeared. Read alsoRussia may resort to new provocations in Black Sea in upcoming drills Ukraine intel "The threat of Russia's full-scale aggression has been relevant for our country since 2014. It has not disappeared. The numerous operational and combat exercises of the Russian Armed Forces are aimed at actions, including against Ukraine," he told to RFE/RL's Ukrainian bureau on July 4. According to Neizhpapa, during the Caucasus-2016 large-scale strategic command and staff drills, Russia practiced not only landing of its troops, but also simulated the "appropriate actions" by Ukrainian forces. The Kremlin's imperial ambitions are not diminishing. They resort to intimidation, political and economic pressure, and demonstrative "saber-rattling" near the borders, he said. "Therefore, all measures taken by our governing bodies and military units are aimed at repelling aggression, respectively. There is a combat training plan for 2020 approved by the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The [COVID-19] pandemic has introduced certain restrictions and changes in its format, but the number of exercises has not decreased, and we are adhering to the plan," he added. 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 3 mounted 20 attacks on Ukrainian army positions in Donbas, eastern Ukraine, with one Ukrainian soldier reported as wounded in action. Read alsoOver 220 mines, shells launched at Ukrainian defense positions in Donbas on Friday "The Russian Federation's armed formations violated the ceasefire 20 times in the past day," the press center of Ukraine's Joint Forces Operation Headquarters said on Facebook in an update as of 07:00 Kyiv time on July 4. "As a result, one Ukrainian serviceman was wounded in enemy shelling." Russian-led forces opened fire, employing proscribed 122mm artillery systems, 120mm and 82mm mortars, as well as grenade launchers of various types, heavy machine guns, and small arms. Under attack came Ukrainian positions near the towns of Popasna and Avdiyivka, and the villages of Novotoshkivske, Pivdenne, Zalizne, Shumy, Orikhove, Khutir Vilny, Katerynivka, Zaitseve, Vodiane, Kamianka, Starohnativka, and Pisky. A local woman, born in 1940, was killed in shelling by Russian-led forces, which fired 82mm mortars near the villages of Zaitseve in early hours of Friday, July 3. Joint Forces returned fire to each enemy attack. "Since Saturday midnight, Russia-led forces have attacked Ukrainian positions near the village of Katerynivka in the Pivnich (North) sector, using grenade launchers of various systems," the update said. No casualties have been reported among Ukrainian troops since Saturday midnight. This years general election ballot presents the voter with a dilemma. We have wrestled with this years choices, as we imagine many voters have. Up and down the ticket we are faced with choices in political ideologies, personalities, backgrounds and governing styles. Fourth of July across the Granite State is usually filled with fireworks displays, parades and other fun gatherings but this year many events 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 - 04th July, 2020) The Taliban movement is ready for compromises with Kabul to reach peace, US Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad said Friday. According to Khalilzad, he and CEO at US International Development Finance Corporation Adam Boehler held several meetings in Doha. At a meeting with the Qatar Fund For Development and the Qatar Investment Authority, the possibility for joint investment in Afghanistan was discussed. "In follow on mtg w/ the Taliban, we underscored the econ development oppts that will follow a sustainable peace. We agreed developing plans in support of peace can never start too early, assuming the 2 sides can overcome final hurdles on the path to intra-Afghan negotiations," Khalilzad said on Twitter. "Mullah Baradar and his team were engaged and the Taliban recognize all Afghans will have to make compromises in order to draw in the required investment in Afghanistan's future," the US envoy said. Protesters march past the home of Mark and Patricia McCloskey, in St. Louis on Friday, July 3, 2020. The McClosky's are the couple that aimed weapons at protesters marching past their home on June 28, 2020. Protesters also closed Highway 64, by marching to the Interstate then sitting on the road for about ten minutes. Photo by Bill Greenblatt/UPI Valdosta, GA (31601) Today Isolated thunderstorms this evening becoming more widespread overnight. Low 72F. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 70%.. Tonight Isolated thunderstorms this evening becoming more widespread overnight. Low 72F. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 70%. A mass grave of the dead bodies of people killed at a jade mine in Kachin state, Myanmar, July 4, 2020. (AFP or licensors) The Catholic Bishops of Asia have vehemently condemned the greed of large mining operators whose negligence and arrogance, they say, caused the heart-wrenching disaster at a jade mine in northern Myanmar, which killed more than 170 people. By Robin Gomes The tragedy occurred on Thursday in a jade mine in Hpakant area in northern Myanmar, when a huge mass of mining residue collapsed down a slope into a lake, triggering massive waves of mud and water, which swallowed up the poor people scavenging for stones amid the loose earth. Landslide of injustice Our hearts are shattered by the horrific news about the death of our young men in the jade mine tragedy, Myanmar Cardinal Charles Bo of Yangon wrote in a condolence message on Saturday to Bishop Francis Daw Tang of Myitkyina, the capital of Kachin state, where the accident occurred. Those who died were not only buried under a landslide of the mountain but by the landslide of injustice, wrote the cardinal who is President of the Federation of Asian Bishops Conferences (FABC). Speaking on behalf of the continents bishops, he recalled Pope Francis who raised his voice against the never-ending tsunami of economic and environmental injustice against the poor all over the world. Greed, negligence, arrogance of the rich Those who perished, the cardinal said, were sacrificed on the altar of greed, by utter negligence and arrogance of companies that continue to dehumanize the poor of this land. Tragedies at Myanmars jade mining sites are not rare. More than 100 people were reported killed at various mining sites last year. A November 2015 accident in Kachin also left 113 dead and was considered the countrys worst. However, the June 2 landslide has been the worst so far. The victims are normally poor migrants and workers who sift for bits of jade in huge mounds of excavated earth discarded by heavy mining machinery. These scavengers usually work and live at the base of these mounds, which become particularly unstable during the rainy season. Myanmar supplies 90% of the worlds jade, the vast majority of which is exported to neighbouring China, which borders Kachin state. The states remote Hpakant area is the centre of the worlds biggest and most lucrative jade mining industry. According to Global Witness, a London-based group that investigates misuse of revenues from natural resources, Myanmars jade industry generated about $31 billion in 2014, with most of the profit shared between individuals and companies tied to the countrys former military rulers. "Crumbs of jade" satisfying the "fire of hunger" While praying for the families of victims, Cardinal Bo pointed out that in these tragic times of COVID lockdown there cannot be a lockdown of the fire of hunger that forced those poor to seek the crumbs of jade that fall from mega companies' bulldozers. Noting that millions of his countrymen have lost their livelihood to the pandemic, he said Thursdays tragedy is a grim reminder of the need for sharing God-given natural treasures. The treasures of Myanmar belong to the people of Myanmar. The FABC president warned that if the relevant stakeholders do not respond with compassion and justice, this will not be the last time of this inhuman tragedy. Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi on Friday expressed her condolence over the tragedy, blaming it on joblessness. She said the victims were illegal miners, noting the difficulty of the people to get legal jobs and the priority of the country to create jobs. United Nations Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres also expressed his sadness and sent his condolences to the bereaved families. Guterres expressed the readiness of the United Nations to contribute to ongoing efforts to address the needs of the affected population, said his spokesman, Stephane Dujarric. Global Witness called the June 2 landslide a damning indictment of the governments failure to curb reckless and irresponsible mining practices. Myanmars jade mining sector, it said, 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. The Covid-19 pandemic and lockdown have affected the mental health of people worldwide. The Diocese of Kalookan has created a support helpline for those struggling with anxiety and other emotions due to the coronavirus crisis. By Robin Gomes Covid Hopeline is phone-in counselling service of the Diocese of Kalookan in Metro Manila. Its team of mental health experts and priests provides psychological and moral support to those suffering anxiety and stress due to the Covid-19 pandemic and the lockdown. We launched our own Hopeline so that well be able to help our people in the diocese when they need the guidance of a priest or a psychiatrist, Bishop Pablo Virgilio David of Kalookan told Church-run Radio Veritas. The Philippines and South-East Asia In order to contain the spread of Covid-19, Philippine government in March placed the entire country under a state of public health emergency, with heavy restrictions in some regions such as the Luzon island. Last month, the National Center for Mental Health reported that a growing number of people were suffering anxiety and stress due to the lockdown. The Philippines has the third highest number of Covid-19 infections in South-East Asia after Indonesia and Singapore. The United Nations World Health Organization (WHO) on Thursday expressed alarm over the mental health situation in South-East Asia and urged countries in the region to pay greater attention to mental health and suicide prevention. According to Dr Poonam Khetrapal Singh, Regional Director, WHO South-East Asia Region, suicide claims almost 800,000 lives every year globally and is the leading cause of death among young people aged 15-29 years. Evidence shows that for each adult who dies of suicide, there are more than 20 others attempting suicide. The WHO South-East Asia Region accounts for 39 per cent of global suicide mortality. Taking mental health seriously Bishop David noted his diocese regards mental health needs seriously and is now reaching out to those in need with Covid Hopeline. Issues such as stress, depression, trauma and domestic abuse and violence are intensifying because of the crisis caused by the lockdown and the Church needs to accompany the faithful in this phase, said the bishop, who is vice president of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP). Online pastoral outreach According to him, the Churchs online and media outreach programme is a gift of modern technology that has been particularly helpful during the current crisis. Since the lockdown, the internet and social media, he said, have served as the channel of the Church's ministry. The social communication ministry of Kalookan Diocese has strengthened its online presence to help provide pastoral care such as through psycho-spiritual webinars and online counselling. People in need can contact Covid Hopeline at 0998-4014-777. Not just body but also mind According to Bishop Jaime Florencio of the Military Ordinariate of the Philippines, it is not just about providing food and livelihood support during the ongoing lockdown but also mental healthcare. The bishop who is vice chairman of CBCPs Episcopal Commission on Health Care warned that the accompanying mental health problem should not be overlooked as it is deeply affecting the countrys health and economy. The Philippine Army on June 19, launched a mental health programme called the Mental Health Resilience Center (MHRC) in Taguig City for soldiers. Pope Francis In his daily Masses during Italy's Covid-19 lockdown, Pope Francis has addressed several issues that cause stress and anxiety to families and persons. He urged for prayers for those facing a financial crisis, joblessness, the elderly facing solitude, those subject to domestic violence, those in prison as well as grieving families unable to bid farewell to deceased members, victims of the virus. Marko Walde, spokesman for the German Chambers ASEAN Business Council With a population of 650 million and economic growth of 5.4 per cent, the ASEAN is also becoming an economic superpower. Ranked as the fourth-largest exporting region in the world, the countries that constitute the ASEAN account for some 7 per cent of global exports. Significant growth opportunities are available for German business across a range of industries and commercial sectors, including automotive, financial services, consumer goods, medical services and equipment, digital technology, green energy, and infrastructure development. The ASEAN is home to more than 3,000 German companies and the second-largest trading partner in Asia for Germany, after China. In return, Germany is the largest EU trade partner for ASEAN countries. The ASEAN and Germany have enjoyed great trade and investment relations. Germany remains the largest EU trade partner for ASEAN countries. In 2019 the total two-way trade was 68.4 billion ($76.75 billion). Within the same year, goods exporting from the ASEAN to Germany reached 40.6 billion ($45.55 billion). Imports from Germany valued 27.8 billion ($31.2 billion). Moreover, German investments in the region have been growing steadily and belonged to the top 10 investors in the ASEAN. Foreign direct investment (FDI) stocks from Germany to the ASEAN significantly grew and amounted to $28.1 billion in 2017. Germany has supported a number of programmes in the areas of infrastructure development, competition policy and law, small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), consumer protection, initiatives for ASEAN integration within the framework of the ASEAN Single Market, and institutional strengthening and capacity development, among others. In addition, bilateral free trade agreements (FTAs) help facilitate and support the co-operation between ASEAN member states and dialogue partners China, Japan, South Korea, India, Australia, New Zealand. Brunei, Malaysia, Singapore, and Vietnam are currently members of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP). Furthermore, Vietnam and Singapore are the two countries in the ASEAN that have signed FTAs with the EU. Moreover, apart from Singapore, Vietnam is the only country in the ASEAN that participates in all relevant free trade initiatives in the region on top of which, it boasts the lowest market entry barriers for foreign investors. Solid outlook Vietnams National Assembly voted on June 8 on the EU-Vietnam FTA after eight years of negotiations. Coming into force this summer, the agreement is of great importance for the German economy as Vietnam is Germanys second most important trading partner in the ASEAN region. In 2019, Vietnam has a trade volume with Germany of around 14 billion ($15.7 billion), as much as the trade volume between Germany and Canada. In times of increasing international trade conflicts and erosion of the world trade rules, the new agreement is an important sign for rules-based trade and fair competition. The EU-Vietnam Investment Protection Agreement includes a reformed dispute settlement procedure and is intended to replace bilateral investment protection agreements between EU member states. More than 4,000 German companies are already exporting to Vietnam; thereof 69 per cent are SMEs. ASEAN markets continuously attract the attention of German investors by being a relatively stable and lucrative option. German companies are overall confident in the ASEAN, having an optimistic view on current and market positions in 2020. According to our AHK World Business Outlook 2020 with the focus on the ASEAN, the ASEAN markets continuously attract the attention of German investors by being a relatively stable and lucrative option. German companies are overall confident regarding developments in the Southeast Asian region, with the majority of this years participants having an optimistic view on current and future market positions. German companies are understandably concerned about the effect of coronavirus on their business in Vietnam but still remain optimistic and have higher expectations compared with all average indicators estimated by German companies in the ASEAN. Two-thirds of respondents believed that their business situation will stabilise and even get better in 2021. Key features For German businesses, ASEAN markets have five key features representing a snapshot of one of the most diverse, fastest-growing and competitive regions: Firstly, it is a growing consumer market with 650 million people. German firms see the ASEAN as an exciting consumer market, with lots of potential for growth, especially in terms of middle-class spending. Secondly, it is ASEAN competitive wages: Competitive labour cost is a major factor attracting German companies to this region. The ASEAN offers young, motivated and skilled workforces. Thirdly, it is the ASEANs status as a major foreign direct investment magnet: FDI into the ASEAN has doubled over the past decade. The manufacturing output is likely to expand, supported by an improving regulatory environment and competitive costs. Next is improvement in regional integration: The establishment of the ASEAN Economic Community, the CPTPP, and other bilateral agreements (EU-Singapore and EU-Vietnam) are expected to enhance trade and investment flows to the ASEAN. Finally, the ASEAN is striving for a leading role within Industry 4.0: The vision for the ASEAN in 2020 is to propel the bloc towards a digitally-enabled economy that is secure, sustainable, and transformative; and to enable an innovative, inclusive and integrated ASEAN community. Around $600 billion will need to be spent on infrastructure to support such growth. In all, the ASEAN is the EUs third-most important trading partner outside of Europe. From the German economys point of view, it would be important that the EU together with other partners in the region and particularly ASEAN countries make further steps to strengthen business relations especially to implement the EU strategy, which is to fill the economic connection between Europe and Asia. There are currently a lot of expansion plans by German enterprises moving from China to ASEAN nations, especially to Vietnam. They are complementing their existing Chinese operations with new activities in Vietnam regarding sourcing and investments. This trend started before the US-China trade conflict as German investors in China are looking to diversify their operations by adding another location in Asia. Their concrete reasons for that are their diversification strategies and the reliability of Vietnamese partners, as well as rising wage costs in China. And when it comes to alternatives in the ASEAN region, German investors choose Vietnam first. I look forward to further expansion plans from German companies in the ASEAN and to supporting German and ASEAN businesses in enhancing business relations, networking, and in experience exchange. Thanks to the strong ties between the US and Vietnam, both nations can profit from the transfer and usage of tech, know-how, and labour,Photo: Le Toan"> Thanks to the strong ties between the US and Vietnam, both nations can profit from the transfer and usage of tech, know-how, and labour. Photo: Le Toan Chad Ovel, who is chairman of AmCham Vietnam in Ho Chi Minh City told VIR, Growing US investments in Vietnam have shown that the country has recently become one of the most attractive Southeast Asian business environments and economic development destinations. One significant factor is Vietnams GDP growth of 7.02 per cent last year, and 7.08 per cent in 2018, the highest rate since before the 2008 global financial crisis. With this growth, the country has been able to attract foreign direct investment (FDI) in virtually all sectors, making it an all-rounder for investors from manufacturing, clean energy, aviation, medicine, and pharmaceuticals to real estate, retail, wholesale, and many other vital sectors. Moreover, with the US-China trade war showing no signs of abating, recent agreements such as the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) and the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA), inexpensive labour, and a young working population provide a powerful concoction for Vietnam to thrive. Over time, Vietnam has become an ideal investment destination for international groups, including those from the US. According to the Ministry of Planning and Investment, most of the key business sectors in Vietnam have seen the presence of big US investors, such as oil and gas with ExxonMobil and AES; aviation with Boeing and ADC-HAS; IT with Microsoft, Intel, and HP; electric equipment with General Electric, General Atlantis; and many more. Ovel cited a study from employment researcher and provider Vietnamworks showing that the country has a highly-educated and industrious workforce. The share of trained workers within working age in 2017 was estimated at 21.5 per cent, higher than 20.6 per cent in 2016. Almost 95 per cent of the labour force is literate, and over 88 per cent were enrolled in secondary school, in which 5 per cent are proficient in English, and over 10 per cent are considered highly skilled. In addition, Vietnam has a stable currency on the foundation of sustainable credit growth and structural trade surplus. The VND is one of the most stable currencies in Southeast Asia. Vietnam also has an emerging middle class, estimated to reach 33 million people by end of 2020, with a 91-per-cent home ownership rate, among the highest in Asia. In light of these favourable indicators, American firms have ramped up business activities in Vietnam. Last week, Qualcomm Vietnam Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of Qualcomm Technologies, Inc., officially opened a new office in Hanoi as well as an Interoperability Testing Laboratory, the companys first research and development lab in Southeast Asia. With these new facilities, Qualcomm Technologies further strengthens its commitment to Vietnam and further enables local enterprises to innovate and deliver Vietnamese-made products. The laboratory will offer state-of-the-art testing capabilities for local partners which include VinSmart, BKAV, and Viettel among others, to develop and produce high-quality devices. In addition, several of Apples manufacturing suppliers, including Wistron Corp., Pegatron, and Inventec, also indicated their plans to diversify production and consider additional manufacturing plants in Vietnam. Most recently, Luxshare Precision Industry, assembler of Apples AirPods in Vietnam, began to look for thousands of new workers. Google and Microsoft also expressed intentions to produce Made-in-Vietnam devices within the year, as reported by Nikkei Asian Review. The trend of large corporations outsourcing operations to reduce expenses and increase market share is nothing new. Two significant changes were the way that companies relocated their factories and the way that countries managed to attract capital inflows. With the governments accession to the World Trade Organization, competitive costs and receptive investment environment have made Vietnam an ideal location for investors seeking to reduce costs and diversify supply chains. By situating the new centres close to traditional hubs in mainland China, investors can reduce costs with minimal interruptions or delays to existing supply chains, added Ovel of AmCham, adding that Vietnam also stands out in cost reductions on wages, land pricing, and inputs, offering investors a minimum wage 59 per cent of that found in China and 70 per cent of that in Thailand. Furthermore, Vietnams network of trade agreements is among the best that manufacturers will be able to find in a country at this point on the value chain. The key highlight of US-Vietnam investment and trade relations is the strong will and commitment of both countries to increase their trust and a shared vision of strong economic and political ties. Evidence of the strong will is the success of the growth in trade, an increase of more than 100 times in 2018 compared to 1995. From 2002 to 2011, a growth rate of 1,200 per cent was achieved, where the total investment of $1.5 billion was recorded in 2011, Vietnam reached more than $20 billion in bilateral trade. The figure stood at $75 billion last year, and $30.7 billion in the first five months of this year. As of May 20, the US had 1,032 valid investment projects in Vietnam, registered at $9.34 billion. To further bolster economic ties between the two, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), in collaboration with the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI) and General Department of Vietnam Customs (GDVC), last week launched a report titled Business Satisfaction and Time Needed to Carry Out Administrative Procedures Through the National Single Window. The survey analysis and recommendations from the report are expected to foster substantive reforms of all government ministries which currently process administrative procedures through the National Single Window (NSW) by reducing costs, shortening processing times, and improving overall efficiency. For the past two years, the USAID Trade Facilitation Program has worked with the GDVC, the VCCI, and other partners on various activities to reduce the time and cost to trade in Vietnam. The USAID will continue to actively support the Vietnamese government and private sector to undertake reforms and improve the business communitys satisfaction with key trade facilitation tools such as the NSW. According to the Amcham Vietnam chairman, Vietnam has benefited due to companies moving manufacturing to Vietnam as costs in China started to increase. Vietnam can move up the global value chain by attracting FDI in areas that will facilitate technology transfer, enhance skill sets in the labour market, and improve productivity. Going forward, there is a distinct possibility of a bilateral trade agreement being negotiated between Vietnam and the United States, as the Vietnamese government is willing to enter into such negotiations, Ovel said, adding that some critical sectors for US investors to keep an eye on will be clean energy, aviation, high-tech manufacturing, ICT, waste treatment, and infrastructure. According to Tran Van Thai, human resources and community director from C.T Group, the group has been sticking to its goal of creating a dream workplace where the staff can enjoy scores of benefits, as HR are considered the firms base for success and most valuable asset. Tran Van Thai (left), C.T Groups human resources and community director, receives the Best Company to Work for in Asia award at teh ceremony on July 1 in Ho Chi Minh City Our biggest asset and success is HR, therefore, we have been trying to set up an ideal working environment where all staff can benefit from the best policies and offers, Thai said. Thai confirmed that despite being partly impacted by the current COVID-19 pandemic, C.T Group so far managed to maintain staff number with working conditions and salaries unchanged. The awards ceremony is held annually by HR Asia Magazine, an Asian publication for HR professionals, aimed at surveying and honouring enterprises with the best places to work. Each workplace is judged based on several criteria including the work environment, personnel-related policies, training programmes, benefits offered, and activities that bring about commitment and satisfaction among the staff. In addition, C.T Group also made it among the Top 10 Employers of Choice by CareerBuilder Vietnam, in addition to receiving multiple awards for its work environment and recruitment activities. FIEs suppose the regulation as an invasion of their policies and assets The MIC is reviewing a proposal to add the requirement that internal websites and specialised websites posting aggregated information have to obtain licenses of establishing aggregated information websites following the Article 23 4.b of the draft amendment of Decree No.72/2013/ND-CP outlining the management, provision, and the use of internet service and online information. The reason behind the adjustment is to prevent the categorisation of internal websites as aggregated information websites that are commonly mistaken for online newspapers. Some internal websites have taken advantages of this to lure in advertisements without the supervision of local authorities. Many foreign-invested enterprises (FIEs) expressed dissatisfaction with the draft as soon as it was published. A representative of a foreign-invested company, who wishes to be unnamed, told VIR that no other nation in the world obligates businesses to license internal websites that are used exclusively by staff members. Multinational companies all have their own global internal websites to assure that their staff members across the world receive the same information from the parent company. Therefore, licensing or creating a specific website for the Vietnamese market will negatively impact local employees. Extending registration requirements to companies' internal websites is not in line with international practices, said the representative. We recommend striking off the clause from the decree. Regarding the issue, Dinh Thi Hoang Nhung, managing director of HNLAW & PARTNER Co., Ltd told VIR that by definition (Article 20.3 of Decree 72), internal websites are those used to post information about functions, tasks, powers, organisation structure, services, products, business lines, and other information serving business operation. Article 23.4b is only applicable to internal websites that post aggregated information, which means not all internal websites will have to be registered. However, internal websites often run a news column where they upload articles regarding the particular company or sector from online newspapers. Most of these stories have been written to order (making them marketing material and not news articles). To generate more advertising revenue, illegal aggerated information websites have published many articles focusing on the weakness of companies in an attempt to force them to run advertisements while also uploading fake news, according to the Ministry of Information and Communications. In late March, the quangsung.net (an aggegrated website) was fined for VND5 million ($220) for operating without a license. Last year, the MIC checked and withdrew licenses of hundreds of aggregated information websites as well as issued administrative fines on operators of private websites that ran as aggregated information websites. The location of the mooted project. - Photo kinhtedothi.vn Covering an area of 6ha, the project would be located behind Giap Bat Station in Dai Ki, Thinh Liet and Hoang Mai wards of Hoang Mai District. The area would be organised under the transit-oriented development (TOD) model closely linked with the national railway, the urban railway No 1, Giap Bat Station and Monorail M2. In 2019, Aeon Mall Viet Nam Company Ltd, 27-7 General Service and Mechanical Manufacture Company Ltd and Xuan Nam Viet JSC proposed building a parking lot and Aeon Mall in Hoang Mai District. The Peoples Committee approved the project worth US$280.7 million in principle. In a meeting between Secretary of the Hanoi Party Committee Vuong Dinh Hue and Aeon Mall on May 19, Tetsuyuki Nakagawa, general director of Aeon Mall Viet Nam, said they expected the group's largest project in Viet Nam so far to be approved soon. On June 2,7 at an investment promotion conference, the project was granted an investment licence. The mall would be Aeon's third outlet in Hanoi and sixth in Vietnam. Southern specialties are introduced within the programme (Photo: VNA) It aims to promote the tourism potential of the southern economic hub and the Deltas 13 cities and provinces, while improving inter-regional tourism development. It will also look to rejuvenate the domestic tourism sector post-pandemic and prepare to resume international activities when the government permits. HCM City and the Mekong Delta signed a tourism development cooperation agreement last December. Vice Chairman of the municipal Peoples Committee Duong Tan Hien said the Mekong Delta is home to a diverse ecosystem. Tourists can, for example, visit fruit orchards in Tien Giang, Ben Tre, Vinh Long, Dong Thap, and Can Tho, while those to Kien Giang, Bac Lieu, and Ca Mau will have the opportunity to experience seas and islands. Tourists to An Giang, Soc Trang and Tra Vinh, he said, can learn about historical relic sites and enjoy local food specialties. While the Mekong Delta possesses advantages in ecotourism products, HCM City is strong in MICE (meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions) - a form of tourism in which large groups, usually planned well in advance, are brought together. Links between HCM City and Mekong Delta localities have helped the two sides expand tourism markets, according to Hien. In the context of being unable to open up to international tourists due to COVID-19, increasing the number of Vietnamese tourists is the only solution to promote the industry, he added. The number of tourists to the Mekong Delta in 2019 was estimated at 47 million, and the tourism sector grossed 30 trillion VND (1.28 billion USD) in revenue. Adam Sitkoff - Executive director AmCham Hanoi One of the relationships strengths is its multifaceted nature. Economically, the United States is a key trading partner and investor for Vietnam. Politically, Vietnam and the United States share the same interest: peace and stability in East Asia, and mitigating the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic that has upended lives, jeopardised employment for millions, and disrupted the global trading system on which both nations depend. Our countries now have a strong friendship anchored in mutual respect and work closely in many areas including regional security, education, global health, food and energy security, disaster response, and more. Of equal importance are cultural links. The United States has the largest population of Vietnamese people outside Vietnam. Americans of Vietnamese ancestry are playing a critical role in Vietnams development. Their investment, as well as their talent and entrepreneurship have helped drive Vietnams impressive economic growth. Back in 1995, only 60,000 Americans visited Vietnam. Last years total was almost 700,000 visitors and we hope to accelerate that growth once international travel normalises after the pandemic. In addition, there are over 30,000 young Vietnamese people studying in the United States, where they are acquiring much-needed skills and knowledge. Trade is the cornerstone of the bilateral relationship and great changes have taken place in the development of the American business community here. Soon after the resumption of economic relations, a small group of Americans founded the American Chamber of Commerce (AmCham) at its first meeting at the Dragon Hotel near West Lake in 1994. AmCham then began holding small monthly meetings on the top floor of the Army Hotel in Hanoi. AmCham organised many activities for members of the community in those early days including lunches with visiting government officials, softball games, a traditional Thanksgiving holiday dinner in the former conference hall of the Metropole Hotel, and the first American Independence Day celebration in over 40 years held in Hanoi. AmCham members have contributed significantly to the transformation and growth of Vietnams economy and many of our longtime members were instrumental in helping normalise the bilateral relationship. AmCham is an independent, non-political, and non-profit membership organisation that serves as the Voice of American Business in Vietnam. Our mission is to increase trade and investment between the United States and Vietnam and our diverse membership of agriculture, retail, education, manufacturing, services, and the not-for-profit sector, is unified by a common commitment to the principles of free trade, open markets, private enterprise, and the unrestricted flow of information. We aim to support the success of our members by promoting a healthy business environment, strengthening bilateral commercial ties, and providing high-quality events and information for members. AmCham offers assistance and information pertaining to government, referrals, and business laws to members. The chamber provides trade information and guidance for companies seeking new business contacts or for those wishing to establish operations in Vietnam or in the United States, as well as a forum where knowledge and experience can be exchanged among members and prominent guest speakers. Together, AmCham members represent billions of dollars in foreign investment, tens of thousands of direct employees, hundreds of thousands of indirect employees, and a significant share of Vietnams exports and tax revenues. Business activity started slowly for Americans here but now we see US companies and investors active in almost every sector of Vietnams economy. In 1995, bilateral trade was just $451 million. It is now almost $75 billion. US exports to Vietnam have more than quadrupled in the last decade, and the United States remains the largest export market for Vietnam, even during this terrible pandemic. As we look towards the future, we hope both governments can begin efforts towards a bilateral free trade agreement. This would improve investment and trade flows, would assist sustainable supply chains, and would improve business conditions that strengthen the private sector, ensure sustainable economic and social development, and promote prosperity. AmCham members bring high-quality products and state-of-the-art technologies, services, and business practices to Vietnam. We partner with Vietnam to develop high-tech, innovative industries. We commit to upholding Vietnams labour and environment laws, and to being good corporate citizens. Our companies are leaders in promoting sustainability and innovation in Vietnam through global business practices that ensure responsible supply chains and combat climate change. We want to partner to develop infrastructure that ensures energy security and facilitates sustainable growth. We share an interest in developing a globally competitive workforce, creating quality jobs, and investing in the professional development of our Vietnamese team members. American investors are optimistic about business prospects in Vietnam. We support efforts to create a modern economy that will attract future investment and high-paying jobs for Vietnamese people. For Vietnam to be successful, non-productive red tape must be controlled and the countrys regulatory framework must be stable and predictable. AmCham members remain concerned with changes in policy and regulations which are not consistent with international best practices. We encourage continuous improvements in infrastructure development, protection of intellectual property, education reform, legal and tax policy certainty, and enhanced transparency in Vietnam. Maybe most important is to enact smooth, fair, and consistent tax and audit procedures. Too often, US investors feel there is an arbitrary and unpredictable audit and tax system. Progress in these areas will not only help attract more foreign investment, but will also support Vietnams aspirations to propel itself to the next sphere of economic competitiveness. With a growing trade imbalance, it is critical that our members encounter an equal, level, and predictable playing field as a foundation, not only to attract new investment, but also to maintain and grow the investment that is here. In addition, we recommend that international investment limitations, an overly restrictive legal framework of laws, and burdensome administrative procedures should be carefully reviewed and selectively relaxed to encourage increased US investment. As major investors here, American companies have an interest in Vietnams continued success. The issues raised above highlight our belief that the business climate can best be helped by actions that increase productivity and reduce the costs and risks of doing business in Vietnam. More importantly, decreasing the cost and complication of doing business will benefit Vietnamese-owned businesses many of which are small businesses and will spur entrepreneurship which will ensure Vietnams future competitiveness and growth. Our members see great opportunity and a bright future here. AmCham will continue to work on lowering barriers to trade, to help the Vietnamese government make it easier to do business, and to create a high-standard, transparent, and stable business environment. SMEs are joining the Facebook ad boycott The campaign is being led by non-profit organisations such as the Anti-Defamation League, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, and Color of Change which all have been pressuring social network giants. They have organised demonstrations to oppose the companys content publishing policy and also called on companies to stop running advertisements on social networks. One owner of an online shopping vendor, who wished to be unnamed, told VIR that an increasing number of companies joining the movement have lowered the appeal of advertising on Facebook. If the movement continues, we will likely cancel ads on the site, said the owner. Indeed, the Facebook Ads system has displeased a majority of SMEs. According to a survey from Weebly, a US-backed web design company, 62 per cent of small businesses say their paid advertisements miss the target with Facebook Ads. They said that the paid adverts on the platform are missing their targets. Weebly also quoted one small business owner as saying, We very rarely get sales through Facebook. We feel that Facebook users would rather interact with each other than be sold something. Trying to sell via Facebook is like walking around at a party and passing out business cards trying to sell your products to friends who would rather be socialising than dealing with a sales attempt. CNN stated that SMEs provide 94 per cent of Facebooks revenue. Last year, the platform earned nearly $70 billion in advertising revenue, occupying 98 per cent of the total. Surprisingly, its income did not stem from brands like Coca-Cola or Unilever but SMEs. Some 100 major global brands contributed $4.7 billion, only 6 per cent, of its earnings. Nicole Perrin, an analyst at US-based market research company eMarketer, said that Facebook has a great many customers advertising on its platform but its revenue has been depending on SMEs instead of giants. On June 28 when the social media ad boycott exploded, Facebooks stock value dropped by 8.3 per cent, or nearly $60 billion, within a single day. This figure is forecast to grow as more and more companies join the movement. Brian Nowak, an analyst at Morgan Stanley, estimated that Facebook may suffer damage of up to $1 billion per month without the ability to enter into co-operation with 100 of the globes leading advertisers. In the case of the campaign lasting more than a month, Facebooks stock will drop by $1 in value, according to Citi Group. If the social networking site cannot convince the boycotters to return to the partnership, this could extend to up to $17 per share. According to a report by tech news site The Information, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg does not see the boycott from big brands as a serious threat and is not planning a major response, despite previously promising to change policies regarding hate speech in advertisements. Were not going to change our policies or approach on anything because of a threat to a small percentage of our revenue, or to any percentage of our revenue, he said, according to the news site. However, organisations promoting the boycott such as Color of Change claimed the act is the result of a failure to wrestle with the harms Facebook has caused to our democracy and civil rights. The campaign is rubbing salt into Facebooks wounds, which had already suffered a plunge in advertising revenue as clients are tightening their wallets due to the ongoing pandemic. The company cut its expenditure plan for the year by $3 billion to mitigate lost advertising revenue. US Ambassador to Vietnam Daniel Kritenbrink (Photo: VNA) At a press meeting on July 2, he said the normalisation of relations has benefited both sides, noting that his country respects Vietnam and recognises its growing contributions to ties. During his term, he noted, President Donald Trump has visited Vietnam twice, first on the occasion of the APEC Summit in November 2017 and second the US-DPRK Summit in February 2019. He also mentioned official visits to Vietnam by Presidents Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, and Barack Obama, saying they were all memorable. Bilateral cooperation activities had been carried out long before the two countries set up diplomatic ties, he went on, highlighting the search for remains of US soldiers listed as missing in action during the war since 1988, while cooperation in issues regarding the consequences of war has also had a substantial role in relations. The diplomat said he looks forward to stronger people-to-people exchanges between the two countries in the following decades, adding that there are about 30,000 Vietnamese students in the US at present, which also means there are 30,000 cultural ambassadors for the two countries. He said the two countries cooperation in the COVID-19 fight has been extraordinary, and Vietnams response to the pandemic has been perhaps the best in the entire world. The US has been proud to be Vietnams partner in the health sector for more than 20 years. It is pleased to see that cooperation has extended to Vietnams extraordinary efforts to control the pandemic, including sharing technical advice and consultation between the US Centres for Disease Control and Vietnams Ministry of Health. USAID has also been assisting Vietnam in coping with COVID-19 and recovering its economy, he noted. Appreciating the assistance Vietnam has provided to the US, he cited the saying that a friend in need is a friend indeed, and that Vietnam is a good friend of his country. When the US has faced difficulties amid the pandemic, the Vietnamese Government and thousands of Vietnamese friends have donated millions of face masks and other types of protective medical equipment for use in the US, the diplomat said. He added he is confident that the assistance from Vietnam has saved lives in the US, and his country is very grateful to Vietnam for that. Whether Apple to build nest in Vietnam? Foxconn has issued the plan to build three accommodation projects for workers in Bac Giang, Bac Ninh and Vinh Phuc, showing clear signs that this group is expanding its operation in Vietnam. These three projects are Golden Park social-housing project in Que Vo district of Bac Ninh worth VND2.9 trillion, VND3.4 trillion Van Trung project in Viet Yen district of Bac Giang and housing and public service project worth VND1.06 trillion in Binh Xuyen district of Vinh Phuc. According to the company, these projects are to deal with the urgent demand on accommodation for its workers. At presents, the groups recruits approximately 50,000 workers. However, there is opinion that this move is not to supply the accommodation for existing workers only, the main purpose is to prepare housing for upcoming recruitment for its expanded projects. In reality, there are bases for this forecast because in the documents submitted to Vietnams authorities, Foxconn noted that it is proposing to develop 600-ha industrial zone (IZ) in Bac Giang, simultaneously implement the second phase of Binh Xuyen 2 IZ with the scale of 70 ha. Previously, the group used to commit to invest $5 billion in Vietnam after having small-scale projects in Bac Ninh and Bac Giang. In February 2008, the group was granted the investment certificate to implement the mobile phone manufacturing project worth $200 million and 485 ha Binh Xuyen 2 IZ worth $25 million. However, the mobile phone manufacturing project was failed and the scale of Binh Xuyen 2 was adjusted to 45.6 ha. Apple will arrive to Vietnam? In front of Foxconns move, there is a question that whether Apple will also establish manufacturing facility in Vietnam? While mobile phone manufacturers namely Samsung, LG directly build plants in Vietnam, Apple selects a different way namely ordering from outsourcing companies and Foxconn is an example. To date, there is no official information affirming that Apple with select Vietnam as the place to manufacture and assemble iPhone and iPad, excluding parts for these products. There is also information that Samsung Display in Bac Ninh investment technology line to produce screen for iPhone. Deputy chairman of Apple in an online meeting with representative of Ministry of Planning and Investment at early this year shares plans to increase order volumes from outsourcing partners. Previously, this group had plans to develop a data centre in Vietnam with the scale of $1 billion, but it has yet to mentioned about this plan so far. Botswana is investigating a growing number of unexplained deaths of elephants, having confirmed 275 had died, up from 154 two weeks ago, the government said Thursday. The dead elephants were first spotted months ago in the Okavango Panhandle region, and the authorities say they have since been trying to discover the cause. Poaching has been ruled out as the cause of death, as the carcasses were found intact. "Three laboratories in Zimbabwe, South Africa and Canada have been identified to process the samples taken from the dead elephants," the Ministry of Environment, Natural Resources, Conservation and Tourism said in a statement. In a report prepared for the government and seen by Reuters, Elephants Without Borders (EWB), a conservation organization, said that its aerial surveys showed that elephants of all ages appeared to be dying. The group counted 169 dead elephants on May 25, and another 187 on June 14, according to the report. The directors of EWB did not immediately respond to phone calls or text messages seeking comment on the report. "Several live elephants that we observed appeared to be weak, lethargic and emaciated. Some elephants appeared disorientated, had difficulty walking, showed signs of partial paralysis or a limp," the report said. "One elephant was observed walking in circles, unable to change direction although being encouraged by other herd members." The report said urgent action was needed to establish if the deaths were caused by disease or poisoning. Africa's overall elephant population is declining due to poaching, but Botswana, home to almost a third of the continent's elephants, has seen numbers grow to 130,000 from 80,000 in the late 1990s. However, they are seen as a nuisance by some farmers, whose crops have been destroyed. President Mokgweetsi Masisi lifted a five-year ban on big game hunting in May last year but the hunting season failed to take off in April as global travel restrictions meant hunters from many coronavirus-hit countries could not enter Botswana. The nurse started crying when describing her work at a Johannesburg hospital: The ward for coronavirus patients is full, so new arrivals are sent to the general ward, where they wait days for test results. Already 20 of her colleagues have tested positive. "A lot, a lot, a lot of people are coming in every day. With COVID-19," said the nurse, who spoke on condition of anonymity because she is not authorized to speak to the media. "Each day, it becomes more difficult to cope." South Africa's reported coronavirus cases more than quadrupled in June though some of that is due to efforts to clear a testing backlog, the rate of increase of new cases is picking up. Its hospitals are now bracing for an onslaught of patients, setting up temporary wards and hoping advances in treatment will help the country's health facilities from becoming overwhelmed. The surge 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 it reached 30% in June and drastically increased hunger. In Johannesburg, the largest city, health officials said they are considering reimposing some restrictions to try to slow the quickening spread of the virus. "We're seeing a spike in infections in Johannesburg. The number of people that we are diagnosing on a daily basis now is absolutely frightening," said Shabir Madhi, professor of vaccinology at Johannesburg's University of the Witwatersrand, who is leading a vaccine trial in South Africa in cooperation with Britain's University of Oxford. "Who we are finding positive now is an indication of who will be in hospital three weeks from now." The vaccine trial began last week, and Madhi said he's surprised by the high number of prospective participants who have been disqualified because they are positive for the virus. "It is hard to see how our hospitals will be able to cope," he said. "Our facilities are reaching a tipping point." COVID-19 has highlighted South Africa's inequalities, he said. "Everyone is at risk from the virus," he said. "But the poor, living in higher density areas, without good access to running water, access to health care, the poorest will suffer the most." South Africa, with 58 million people and nearly 40% of all the cases on the entire continent, has seen the number of confirmed infections rise from 34,000 at the start of June to more than 168,000 on Friday. Overnight it reported its largest daily number of new confirmed cases 8,728. As of Friday, 2,844 people had died, according to official statistics. But forecasts by health experts have warned that South Africa could see from 40,000 to more than 70,000 deaths from COVID-19 before the end of 2020. Other African countries are watching warily as the country with the continent's best-equipped and best-staffed health system hurtles toward a peak that may overwhelm it. South Africa's health minister, Dr. Zwelini Mkhize, issued a sobering warning recently about an expected flood of cases, especially in urban centers as many return to work. "It is anticipated that, while every province will unfortunately witness an increase in their numbers, areas where there is high economic activity will experience an exponential rise," Mkhize said this week. Concerns about the virus spreading in the minibus taxis that millions of South Africans use to commute grew this week when the taxi association said the minivans would run at full capacity of up to 15 passengers, despite government orders to carry just 70% capacity. For weeks Cape Town has been the country's epicenter of the disease, but Johannesburg is rapidly catching up. Mkhize said Gauteng province, which also includes the nation's capital of Pretoria, will quickly surpass Cape Town and will need more hospital beds. Gauteng hospitals already have 3,000 COVID-19 patients, the province's premier David Makhura told reporters Thursday. He denied reports that patients have been turned away and said bed capacity would be significantly increased by the end of July. He said the reopening of schools set for next week may be postponed and warned that restrictions may be reimposed to combat the surge. To increase its hospital capacity, South Africa has converted convention centers in Cape Town and Johannesburg, built wards in huge tents, and turned a closed Volkswagen car manufacturing plant into a 3,300-bed treatment center. Still, finding staff to tend to those beds is a challenge: The factory remains empty for lack of health workers. In Khayelitsha township, one of Cape Town's poorest areas with some 400, 000 residents, the district hospital has 300 beds. Anticipating increased demand on the overstretched facility, an external wing was created across the street. Built in a month, the new ward opened at the start of June with 60 beds. By this week only two beds were empty. "It's overwhelming," said Dr. Hermann Reuter of his work in the external ward, run by Khayelitsha District Hospital with assistance from Doctors Without Borders. Reuter said advances in treatment including giving patients oxygen masks and nasal inhalers earlier and turning them often in order to keep them off ventilators has yielded encouraging results, even though many are severely ill when they arrive. Crucially, many can be discharged in two weeks freeing up much-needed bed space, said Reuter, who normally runs community substance abuse clinics but volunteered to work in the field hospital. As South Africa heads into its coldest time of year, the media have warned of a "dark winter" over fears cases will peak in July and August in the Southern Hemisphere country. President Cyril Ramaphosa recently counseled the nation to prepare for tough times ahead, saying that many may find themselves "despondent and fearful" in the weeks and months to come. "It may be that things have gotten worse, but we are certain that they will get better," he said. For the nurse at the Johannesburg hospital, those dark days already appear to have arrived. "Nursing is a calling, and we are working to help people in this corona crisis," she said. "But we are becoming overwhelmed." The United States celebrates its Independence Day holiday this weekend as a campaign to remove symbols of the country's pro-slavery legacy gains momentum. Efforts to remove monuments that celebrate the Confederacy, a government of 11 slave-holding southern states that seceded from the United States, triggering the Civil War in 1861, began to gain momentum in 2015 after a white supremacist fatally shot nine African Americans inside a church in Charleston, South Carolina. The campaign further escalated after George Floyd, an African American, died in police custody May 25 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Stone Mountain Confederate Memorial, the world's largest Confederate monument, is among the many memorials that have been the focus of the removal campaign. The 518-meter-high carving that was substantially funded by the Ku Klux Klan features Confederate President Jefferson Davis, and Confederate generals Robert E. Lee and Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson, all of whom were enslavers. Members of the Klan continue to periodically gather at the memorial. Stonewall Jackson Removed From Richmond's Monument Avenue Confederate general was a commander in the First Battle of Bull Run, which marked the first major land battle of the American Civil War One of the most recent memorials to be taken down was a statue of General Jackson in Richmond, Virginia, a state with more Confederate memorials than any other. Workers started to take down the statue of the Confederate general on Wednesday after Richmond's mayor called for its "immediate removal." Protesters toppled a statue of Davis in Richmond, the capital of the Confederacy, on June 10. Also Wednesday, Mississippi, the only state that continued to incorporate the Confederate emblem on its official flag, retired the banner in a quiet ceremony in the capital city of Jackson. The flag was sent to a nearby museum after Governor Tate Reeves signed legislation ordering its removal. U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order on June 26 to protect statues, monuments and memorials. The move came days after police halted protesters' efforts to topple a statue of President Andrew Jackson in a park across Pennsylvania Avenue from the White House. Jackson was also a slave holder. Trump visits the Mount Rushmore National Memorial on Friday to celebrate Independence Day. The 18-meter-high granite carving in the Black Hills of South Dakota depicts slave-holding presidents George Washington and Thomas Jefferson, and presidents Abraham Lincoln and Theodore Roosevelt. Some Native American groups have been protesting the Mount Rushmore memorial, noting the Black Hills were taken from the native Lakota people. President's visit comes as Americans are urged to stay home to avoid COVID infection and as country faces national reckoning on racism Confederate memorials have also been taken down recently in other states. In Mobile, Alabama, a statue of Confederate Admiral Raphael Semmes was removed in early June and placed in storage days later after city officials agreed to do so. A statue of former Vice President John C. Calhoun, a defender of slavery, was removed from a pedestal in Charleston, South Carolina on June 24 after the city council's approval. Many African Americans and a growing number of people of other racial groups believe symbols of the Confederacy have racist connotations while many white people, particularly in southern states, maintain they are part of the area's heritage. The fight for racial justice continues as America celebrates Independence Day on July 4, despite a part of the U.S. Declaration of Independence, written by President Jefferson, that says, "All men are created equal." The U.S. government on Wednesday said it blocked an $800,000 shipment of hair extensions and accessories from China on suspicions that the products were made with forced labor. The goods were held under a June order against a Xinjiang-based company suspected of using prison labor and forced labor with excessive overtime, withheld wages and restrictions on workers' movements, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) said. The United States bans the import of goods made entirely or in part by forced labor, whether prison work or bonded or forced child labor. The CBP order dated June 17 called for the detention of goods made by Xinjiang's Lop County Meixin Hair Product Co. The importers of the detained shipments must prove the merchandise was not produced with forced labor or export it elsewhere, the agency said. Human rights, unfair competition "The use of forced labor is not just a serious human rights issue, but also brings about unfair competition in our global supply chains," said Brenda Smith, executive assistant commissioner of the CBP's Office of Trade, in a statement accompanying the June order. The autonomous Xinjiang region in northwest China is home to a large population of Muslim Uighur people, an ethnic minority who speak a Turkic language and face repression from the Chinese government. The United Nations has said it has credible reports that 1 million Muslims have been detained in camps in the region. China denies mistreatment of the Uighurs and says the camps are vocational training centers needed to fight extremism. A spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy in the United States said in an email that the suspicions of forced labor were an effort to bring down Chinese business. "The lawful labor rights and interests of the Chinese citizens of all ethnic groups, including those in Xinjiang, are protected by law," the spokesperson said. "The accusation of 'forced labor' in Xinjiang is both false and malicious." The CBP has been criticized for not sufficiently enforcing U.S. law against forced labor imports. Critics say the agency's forced labor division is understaffed and underfunded. A CBP spokesman told the Thomson Reuters Foundation that the agency has been working to develop and expand the division, and that the number of forced labor investigations was rising. In October, the CBP said it had blocked imports suspected to have been produced with forced labor from five countries, including clothing from China and diamonds from Zimbabwe. The number of forced labor prosecutions is low, so the CBP's orders to halt imports are a powerful tool, said Martina Vandenberg, head of the Washington-based Human Trafficking Legal Center. "Criminal justice remedies have failed," she said. "Advocates are looking for more innovative and creative tools to combat forced labor in supply chains." Fewer than 1,000 prosecutions There were just 939 labor trafficking prosecutions around the world in 2019, according to the U.S. State Department's most recent Trafficking in Persons Report. The CBP can issue a "withhold release order" when it believes goods were made by forced labor, and it has issued 16 of them since March 2016. The CBP said the blocked imports from Xinjiang, which included long hair extensions, weighed 13 tons and were held at a port in Newark, New Jersey. Lop County Meixin could not be reached for comment. Two weeks ago, President Donald Trump signed legislation calling for sanctions on China over its treatment of Uighurs. The State Department separately on Wednesday issued an advisory to caution businesses about supply chain links to Xinjiang. In Britain, lawyers and campaigners are trying to halt imports of cotton goods originating from Xinjiang. These worm-looking parasites enter snakes through their prey. Once inside a lung, they leech nutrients from the snakes blood, mature into adults and lay eggs. The eggs are pooped out by the snake and enter the surrounding environment. Frogs and other amphibians unknowingly consume them before being consumed themselves by other snakes, and the cycle repeats. Photo: FilmMagic Mama Tina has some thoughts about the recent backlash that her eldest daughter, Beyonce, has received in response to her latest visual album, Black Is King, which is set to hit Disney+ on July 31. Tina Knowles-Lawson took to her Instagram to publicly address those criticizing Beyonce for using African imagery and themes in her music despite not performing or filming in Africa. In an Instagram posted on July 3 that began as a celebration of Beyonces African collaborators on Black Is King, Lawson went left and took on Beys haters, writing those who are criticizing the film (before they even see it) saying its unauthentic, upset that B doesnt actually go to Africa or say that Bey is simply using African cultures for gain are wrong. She goes on to make three points defending her daughter, claiming that Beyonce profits less from her Afrocentric content than from her mainstream content, has done her research on African cultures, and that making African content that will last forever is ultimately more important than coming to Africa for a show once or twice every few years. If you thought Miss Tina would leave it at that, youd be mistaken. Earlier that day, Lawson called those critical of Beyonce social media terrorist[s], specifically those who criticize billion dollars on an elevator Beyonces relationship to capitalism. Lawson Instagrammed a tweet from @_alphaa_ that reads, Lmao the annoying thing about the Beyonce capitalist argument is that Lemonade her black album, is one of her lowest selling albums so if were talking profit, she wouldnt continue to make music highlighting blackness if it was solely for profit. Lawson included a lengthy caption positioning her daughter as a champion of African and African-American people while asking those who remain critical of Bey to re-channel their energy elsewhere. Beyonce is not your enemy!!, Lawson writes emphatically, But you would swear she was! Criticisms of Beyonce have been bubbling up over the past few weeks, with the incredibly outspoken rapper Noname being the most high-profile artist to publicly question Beyonces relationship to wealth and power. On Saturday, July 4, Noname took to Twitter to share her thoughts on Mama Tinas Instagram musings, specifically Lawsons focus on how Beyonce dedicates her art to Boldly show the Royalty and beauty of our heritage and journey ! the idea that blk [sic] americans are only legitimate human subjects because we are descendants of kings and queens is ahistorical and continues to push capitalist logic, tweeted Noname. most africans werent royalty and thats ok. beyonce is great but she got rich from a system that exploits the many. Should we be surprised that an artist who goes by Queen B (no, not you, Britney) has a fixation on monarchy, wealth, and power? Perhaps not. In any case, Mama Tina and Noname are exploring two different facets of an important and complex conversation regarding the intersectionality between race and class in our flawed capitalist society. Unsurprisingly, Beyonce has remained silent on the issue or, as Tina would say, is minding her own business. Maybe shes got the right idea and now might be a good time for everyone to log off and enjoy the long weekend. the idea that blk americans are only legitimate human subjects because we are descendants of kings and queens is ahistorical and continues to push capitalist logic. most africans werent royalty and thats ok. beyonce is great but she got rich from a system that exploits the many https://t.co/7Z10gQHpiz Noname (@noname) July 4, 2020 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. This October, NASA astronaut Kate Rubins and Russian cosmonauts Sergey Ryzhikov and Sergey Kud-Sverchkov will launch to the International Space Station from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in southern Kazakhstan. Although NASA astronauts Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken successfully launched to the station in May from the United States aboard the SpaceX Endeavour, launches to the space station on the the Russian space vehicle Soyuz will still continue in the part of Kazakhstan leased to Russia. This is the second spaceflight for Rubins and Ryzhikov and the first for Kud-Sverchkov. They will launch on October 14 at 12:45 p.m. ET and spend six months on the space station. Rubins previously spent six months on the station between July and October 2016. Prior to becoming an astronaut, she was a scientist who studied viral diseases, cancer biology, microbiology and immunology. Ryzhikov is looking forward to his second spaceflight and has fond memories of his first between October 2016 and April 2017, which slightly overlapped with Rubins' stay in 2016. "For me, the most vivid impressions are experiencing weightlessness in zero G. You can compare it to dreaming when you're a kid. And observing the Earth from afar," Ryzhikov said. Kud-Sverchkov is prepping for his first trip to the space station. "Of course I am very excited about this upcoming trip," he said. "But right now, I'm intensely focused on the last period of training before launch. We still have some training to do and that will last until the launch date." Rubins was the first person to sequence DNA in space. She is looking forward to continuing her sequencing research in new ways by studying the microbiome of the space station environment. "The space station has been separate from Earth for 20 years," Rubins said. "How is it different? The space station is its own biome with its own resources, with humans coming and going. We want to see what these closed environments do when they've been separate for a long time." Her upcoming mission will include conducting research using the Cold Atom Laboratory on the station to study atoms as well as a cardiovascular experiment that follows up on an investigation she worked on during her first spaceflight, according to NASA. Full house During their stay, these astronauts will also be joined by the Crew-1 flight, bringing the total astronauts on the station to seven. Crew-1 will carry four more astronauts to the space station through the agency's Commercial Crew program: NASA astronauts Victor Glover Jr., Michael Hopkins, Shannon Walker and Japan's Soichi Noguchi. Crew-1 is going through system checks on Earth. It has more capabilities than Endeavour and will be able to dock on top of the space station. The team at NASA estimated it will need six weeks between the return of Hurley and Behnken on Endeavour and the launch of Crew-1 to review data. Currently, NASA is targeting a launch by the end of the year. "It's going to be incredible to have seven people on the space station," Rubins said. "It's designed to handle that. We've been preparing for this the last few years by enhancing the scrubbing of carbon dioxide and testing new technology for exploration. Seven crew members aboard allows us to test new atmosphere revitalization and new spacesuit components. We can really increase our science output." The astronauts are training and preparing for the mission wearing masks, maintaining social distancing and constantly sanitizing equipment used for training. "In October, I still think we'll be struggling with this virus and it's going to be around for a while," Rubins said. "But what we're seeing from the science side of things is an incredible amount of effort. "I've never seen so many scientists working toward one goal. Scientists are finding new ways to collaborate, they're speeding up research and the pace of discoveries is incredible. I'm heartened by what we can achieve together to handle this disease and really ensure that we emerge from it." WAAY 31 viewer Helen Retana has set up what she calls a Patriotic Blessings tree outside her Tuscumbia home. She sent us the photos as North Alabama prepares to celebrate Independence Day. I just wanted something for our community to come and get a little touch from God, Helen said. So many are dealing with all kinds of challenges. This was a simple way for people to have a little reminder that God loves them and is with them. I thought about how everyone loves Christmas trees. So, I figured why not a blessing tree? If youre in Tuscumbia, go take a look on Commons Street. The West Warrior Kids Foundation will hosting a fundraiser, Burgers and Beer, from 7 to 10 p.m. July 24 at the Knights of Columbus Hall, 2547 Jerry Mashek Drive, in West. Proceeds benefit West Warrior Kids and Friends of Los Ninos, a Honduran childrens charity. Tables are $500 for 10 seats, and everyone is guaranteed 15 Bingo games. All attendees must be 21 or older. Fireworks illegal The Waco fire and police departments would like to remind residents it is illegal to possess or discharge fireworks inside city limits. The illegal use of fireworks is considered a crime and can result in confiscation of fireworks and fines up to $2,000. Shooting a gun in the air is also against the law and is an arrestable offense, even if it does not result in death, injury or property damage. To report illegal fireworks, call 750-7500. Grocery giveaway The Carlson Law Firm will host a family-friendly community event to give away reusable grocery bags full of food to help feed the children of the Waco community, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. July 11 at 3901 W. Waco Drive Waco. The parades featured the usual fire engines, police cruisers, city vehicles and elected officials waving from cars, but this year they drove up and down side streets so crowds wouldnt have to line the usual parade routes on major roads and risk coronavirus contagion. As I waited, an elderly lady took the seat beside me on my left. She was in her late 80s, perhaps older. We smiled at each other, then turned our attention to speeches from the American ambassador to the Netherlands and the local mayor. We all stood for the Dutch national anthem, and I listened as the lady beside me sang quietly. Then the opening chords of The Star-Spangled Banner erupted. I am a new citizen of the United States. My naturalization ceremony had been about 18 months before, so I hadnt had a lot of practice with our national anthem. But I put my right hand on my heart and sang. As I looked around, I could see only a few who were doing the same fellow Americans. Most of the audience was Dutch and stood respectfully and silently. Just then, the lady to my left took my free hand and squeezed gently, holding it till the anthem was over. As we sat down, I squeezed back and smiled. She had tears in her eyes. Thank you, she said in English. Again, all I could do was smile. The massive Resurrection symphony began, complete with soloists, choir and orchestra, and the lady next to me gathered up her belongings. She wiped her eyes, patted my arm and said in Dutch: Its too much. I have to go. Decatur, IL (62521) Today A clear sky. Low near 50F. Winds NNW at 5 to 10 mph.. Tonight A clear sky. Low near 50F. Winds NNW at 5 to 10 mph. The video showed a man in a yellow shirt bumping into another man in a white shirt while walking to an empty seat on the bus. Moments later the bumped man in white stands and takes a swing at the man in yellow before pulling out a knife and stabbing him in his lower left side. Hunt for female bear that attacked two people in north Italy. An order to kill a bear who attacked two hikers last month in the autonomous north Italian province of Trentino has provoked an outcry among environmentalists in Italy. The regional president Maurizio Fugatti, of the right-wing Lega party, has ordered that the animal be killed. The bear, a 14-year-old female known as JJ4, was identified thanks to DNA testing on the clothes of the two hikers that were attacked on Monte Peller, in the Non Valley. It is not known yet if the bear is accompanied by cubs, reports Italian news agency ANSA. Italy's environment minister Sergio Costa said he is considering challenging the order to kill the bear, saying he believed it was an "impulsive decision" on behalf of Fugatti. Animal-rights groups also say they will appeal to the regional administrative court (TAR) against the order in order to halt what they claim is an "injustice." Even the two hikers - 59-year-old Fabio Misseroni and his 28-year-old son Christian - have appealed for authorities not to kill the bear. It is not the first time that Costa and Fugatti have been at loggerheads over bears, with the minister previously describing as "absurd" an order by the Trento governor to kill a bear known as Papillon who escaped from a maximum security compound last summer. In the end Papillon - known to authorities as M49 - was recaptured in April after 289 days on the run. It is estimated that there are between 82 and 93 bears in the province, a number that Fugatti says is too high for coexistence with humans, reports ANSA. The governor of the Veneto region, Luca Zaia, who had ceased the daily covid-19 press conferences on 30 June after 130 days, once again summoned journalists on 3 July and was furious. "We have gone from low risk to high risk. We have a RT of 1.63%. I don't know whom to congratulate. If we keep going around without using masks, and we keep thinking that the conspiracies are right and the virus is an invention, it is inevitable". The contagion figures, based on the famous "R with t", went from 0.43 to 1.63. I tell you I saw a young man with two lungs transplanted because Covid destroyed them. We have encephalitis, heart problems, kidney problems, people who have lost mobility. This is a virus that hurts. Don't ask yourselves whether the virus will be back or not, because we already have it here, continued the governor. Zaia is enraged. He stated, "Thanks to someone's irresponsible behaviour we have new cases. We have 5 positive cases (3 in Vicenza, 1 in Padua and 1 in Verona) that have determined isolation for almost 80 people. A gentleman returned on June 25th from a business trip to Serbia, and symptoms appeared immediately. The next day he was in contact with many people, including at a private party, business meetings and a funeral. Just three days later, on the 28th, he went to the hospital and was offered hospitalization. This gentleman refused. He refused? The hospitalization must be forced. He is now in intensive care. He gave us a list of contacts from the 23rd to the 30th of June, which means that even with the positive swab he was in close contact with others". A new, more strict ordinance for the Veneto Region is expected to be enforced on Monday. Ph: La Repubblica The suspects wore hooded sweatshirts and medical masks and used a brick paver to break the rear sliding glass door. An alarm can be heard in the video but it doesnt seem to scare off the burglars. Cameron Breon, 27, of Pompano Beach, was shot dead July 3 and the Broward Sheriffs Office is looking for the killer of the transgender woman. (Broward Sheriff's Office) Despite its importance, technical education rarely receives the attention it deserves. It is more diverse than the Thanaweya Amma, the standardised tests leading to the General Secondary Education Certificate in Egypt, and comprises four disciplines, industrial, commercial, agricultural, and tourism, within which there are multiple specialisations. Mohamed Megahed, deputy to the minister of education for technical education, explained Egypts efforts to develop technical education to Al-Ahram Weekly and its partnerships with international bodies. How does the number of students currently in technical education compare to those in the Thanaweya Amma system? The number of students and teachers in technical education high schools now stands at 770,000 and 250,000, respectively, in comparison to 660,000 students and 150,000 teachers in the Thanaweya Amma system. Vocational and technical education students total 2.5 million, who upon graduation receive the equivalent of a diploma or a bachelor of sciences degree. They include two million students enrolled in technical education schools affiliated to the Ministry of Education and Technical Education and 150,000 students in higher technical education schools and technology universities affiliated to the Ministry of Higher Education. They also include 30,000 students in the Productivity and Vocational Training Department of the Ministry of Trade and Industry, and 70,000 students in the Nursing Institute of the Ministry of Health and Population. There are also 250,000 trainees in seasonal vocational training disciplines, which offer practical courses ranging between three and six months to improve the job opportunities available to trainees. However, these courses do not offer educational certificates. Why is the government now focusing on technical education? There is a need to achieve real economic development, and this can only happen if we have appropriately skilled labour. The reality on the ground requires the development of technical education. Over the past five years, Egypt has achieved high economic growth rates as a result of domestic and foreign investments that have resulted in increasing demand for technically trained labour. There is a skilled workforce in some sectors, such as construction, but other sectors, especially those recently introduced to Egypt such as logistics, rainfed agriculture, and palm-tree cultivation, currently lack well-trained labour. The state expressed its desire to develop technical education in the 2014 constitution, whose Article 20 states that the state is committed to encouraging and developing technical education and professional training and expanding all types thereof in accordance with global quality criteria and in keeping with the needs of the labour market. What are the pillars of developing the technical education curricula? For students to become more efficient and able to compete in the labour market, they have to have three ingredients: knowledge, skills, and appropriate attitudes. The new technical education curricula provide the knowledge a worker needs in his area of specialty, the skills needed in the labour market, such as the ability to write an appropriate curriculum vitae and be presentable and well-spoken and able to present his skills to employers. There are also the appropriate attitudes, such as the ability to work well in a team, to respect colleagues and employers, to be prompt, and to commit to health and safety protocols in the work place. Which programmes are run in partnership with the European Union? Egypt has partnered with several international bodies to develop its technical education curricula and improve the skills of its workforce such that it can compete on an international level and particularly in areas where modern technologies are used. It has been engaged with the European Union on programmes to improve technical education since 2006 within the framework of the EU Neighbourhood Policy. The Technical and Vocational Education and Training Reform Programme (TVET Egypt), a nationwide initiative co-funded by the government of Egypt and the European Union, also began in 2015. Besides developing the curricula, this programme focuses on upgrading technical education schools with well-equipped labs, modern equipment and tools, and a generally healthy educational environment. It has helped the Ministry of Education to develop 36 out of the 100 technical education curricula, and these were introduced two years ago in 105 technical schools. What are the terms of the Egyptian-German Partnership to improve technical education? Germany became interested in Egypts ambitious plans to develop technical education following President Abdel-Fattah Al-Sisis visit to Germany in October 2018. The protocol of the Comprehensive Initiative to Reform Technical Education between Egypt and Germany was then signed, which in the first phase of this 10-year initiative will see Germany allocating the necessary funding to support technical education in Egypt until 2024. The German government supports the development of technical education in Egypt without charging students additional expenses. It has established an independent body to monitor the quality of technical education in Egypt and has participated in founding the G-Teacher Academy designed to train teachers. Germany is also participating in Egypts solar energy generation project by providing units on the rooftops of the technical education schools that it is helping to develop. Germany encourages integration between the technical education schools and the private sector and the latters participation in tailoring technical education according to its needs through sector skills councils. What is the role of the sector skills councils? These are part of a mechanism through which the private sector participates in developing the technical education curricula according to the needs of the labour market. The councils are to be established in each sector, with the first such council being the Electrical Industries Council. Their role is to ensure that the needs of the labour market are appropriate integrated into the curricula taught at technical schools. They help to develop the curricula based on changes in the technologies used in each sector and the needs of the private sector as a whole. To date, there is no law that regulates the councils operations. But the private sector is being invited to roundtable discussions to propose its vision about the skills that future workers need to study in the technical schools. Is there a focus on certain governorates or sectors in the governments strategy to develop technical education? Yes, and a new project to support technical education with participation from the US international development agency USAID will commence in October. This project focuses on supporting schools teaching curricula related to new and renewable energy in the Red Sea governorates and Aswan and schools of logistics in the Suez Canal region. The US is participating in developing the curricula and training teachers. There is also a plan to develop commercial education because some of its specialties are no longer needed in the market, such as secretarial and medical secretarial work, while others have been more recently introduced and are in demand. The one thing all the international bodies participating in the reform of technical education in Egypt agree on is the need to support the integration of the private sector in the development process through applied technology schools. Schools have been established by private-sector businessmen from different industries to train workers in the specific skills needed for different industries. These schools are funded and run by the private sector, with the Ministry of Education supervising the curricula and assigning teachers. There are currently 11 such schools, including the Water and Wastewater School affiliated to the Holding Company for Water and Wastewater, the Dabaa School, and the Gold Industries School. The Ministry of Education aims to set up 10 new schools of this kind every year until 2030. *A version of this article appears in print in the 2 July, 2020 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly Search Keywords: Short link: Despite a pandemic that has closed businesses across the country, Americans are deluging booksellers with orders for books with Black themes. Many of these customers are whites who, confined to their homes because of COVID-19 and alarmed by the death of George Floyd and others by police in recent months, want to learn more about the Black experience in the United States. Security at Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood International Airport is taken very seriously by deputies, given the tragic shooting that occurred there in 2017, he said. That is why under my administration deputies have received additional training in responding to active shooter and other crisis situations, and based on the evidence I have, I believe the deputies in this case acted responsibly. 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." 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). Malcolm Turnbull. Occupation Venture capitalist and author. Age 65. Relationship status Married. Best known as Australia's 29th prime minister. Currently Promoting his autobiography. Malcolm Turnbull: "On our second date, I asked Lucy to marry me. I figured that if I didnt marry her, shed fall in love with someone else." Credit:Nic Walker My mother, Coral, was a writer of radio serials, plays and, later, novels. She was glamorous, striking and tall. She had the Lansbury look, a fairly square face that she shared with my third cousin, British actor Angela Lansbury. Coral's world was one of books; she always had her nose in one. She read to me, particularly from J. R. R. Tolkien's books, and encouraged me to read. A vivid memory, from when I was about three, is of her chasing me around the Hills Hoist at the block of flats where we lived in Vaucluse, in Sydney's east. She was a terrific mother until she left when I was nine. 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 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. A 36-year-old spearfisher has died after being bitten by a shark in waters near Fraser Island, off the Queensland coast, on Saturday afternoon. The Sunshine Coast man had been swimming in waters off Indian Head, on the island's north-east, when the attack occurred. Paramedics and an RACQ LifeFlight rescue helicopter rushed to the site just after 2pm on Saturday. An off-duty doctor and nurse gave the man first aid after he made it to the nearby rocky shore at the base of the large headland. 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. Back on June 21, a day when the total number of coronavirus infections in Florida exceeded 100,000, most of us were probably too preoccupied to notice that the temperature in Verkhoyansk, Siberia, 400 miles further north than Anchorage, Alaska, reached 100 degrees, 10 degrees warmer than South Florida that same day. Before global warming, Verkhoyansk had been famous for recording the Northern Hemispheres coldest temperature 90 below in 1892. The Liberal Party will lose one of its most senior cabinet figures with Finance Minister Mathias Cormann to quit politics. "I love this job. I can honestly say I left nothing on the field," Mr Cormann said in a statement released on Sunday morning. "Having decided not to recontest the next election, I can confirm that I have advised the Prime Minister that the end of the year would be an appropriate time for an orderly transition in my portfolio. "I am not about to go anywhere yet." 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 Wilmington, DE (19810) Today Thunderstorms likely this evening. Then a chance of scattered thunderstorms overnight. Low 68F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 70%.. Tonight Thunderstorms likely this evening. Then a chance of scattered thunderstorms overnight. Low 68F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 70%. Ever since, the Fourth of July has been the day we celebrate not only their courage and sacrifice, but also the heroism and dedication of the countless patriots who have served our country to defend it from harm, to make it stronger, and to fulfill the founding premise that all people are created equal and entitled to unalienable rights, among them life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Members of the U.S. Secret Service' Hazardous Agent Mitigation and Medical Emergency Response (HAMMER) Team, move from their vehicle as President Donald Trump is visiting Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, Saturday, Nov. 16, 2019, in Bethesda, Md. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta) The US, Brazil and others lifted lockdowns early. These charts show just how deadly that decision was Louisville Metro Police officers tape off the scene of a fatal shooting Thursday, July 2, 2020, at Poplar Level Road and Rangeland Road. Born on the dark fringes of the internet, QAnon is now infiltrating mainstream American life and politics The real cause of these problems in our country are the politicians. Many of them have been in office for 20, 30 or more years yet they allowed the ghettos and slums to exist. Education in these areas are deplorable. The homeless situation is another black eye in our society. And lets not forget the high crime rates in these places. Yet the politicians give nothing but lip service to these things. They convince their public that they are fighting for them, but nothing gets done. But they have no shortage of photo ops and committees. Weatherford, TX (76086) Today Mostly cloudy skies this evening will become partly cloudy after midnight. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 62F. Winds NNE at 10 to 20 mph.. Tonight Mostly cloudy skies this evening will become partly cloudy after midnight. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 62F. Winds NNE at 10 to 20 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. CHARLOTTETOWN, P.E.I. Prince Edward Island reported new COVID-19 cases for the first time in more than two months, announcing three new cases on Saturday including one person who worked at Charlottetown seniors home. Dr. Heather Morrison, the provinces chief public health officer, told a news conference that all three cases were Islanders whod travelled within Canada the first cases in P.E.I. since April 28. This is disappointing news, but we have said consistently that we need to be prepared for more cases and we are, Morrison said, noting none of the cases are related to seasonal residents or the opening of the Atlantic bubble this week. One, a man in his 50s, was an essential services worker whod travelled outside the province and was self-isolating. Two other cases are believed to be linked a man in his 20s whod gone to Nova Scotia and had interacted with someone who had been in the U.S. and was asymptomatic, returning to the island on Monday. The other case was a close contact of the male, a symptomatic woman in her 20s who worked at Whisperwood Villa, a seniors residence in Charlottetown where management was advised Friday evening and residents were being tested starting on Saturday as a precaution. Morrison considered the risk of transmission low, given the woman wore PPE. None of the residents have exhibited new symptoms of COVID-19, but the province planned to test all residents and staff as well as visitors from Tuesday. She did wear appropriate PPE while working and does not provide direct personal care to residents, Morrison said of the positive case. She left work as soon as she was not feeling well. Still, all indoor and outdoor visits are cancelled until further notice at the home, where residents will now undergo twice daily temperature checks in addition to twice daily screenings, with no communal dining. For all three new cases which brought the provinces COVID-19 confirmed cases tally to 30, contact tracing has begun. Premier Dennis King said the new cases havent changed anything in terms of the so-called Atlantic bubble for now. The four Atlantic Provinces lifted travel restrictions within the region early Friday, permitting residents of New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland and Labrador and P.E.I. to travel to any of the other three provinces without self-isolating for 14 days after arriving. A P.E.I. Health Department spokesperson said the province received 5,200 applications for entry a requirement under the Islands rules for the first three days of the bubble. We will take the next 24 to 48 hours to allow the contact tracing and chief public health office to do what they are prepared to do and we will let the information guide us at that time, King said. Weve said from the very beginning if we need to pull back we would, and if the public health information and the epidemiology points in that direction, then we would be prepared to make a decision on pulling back early next week. King described the news of new cases after more than two months as a gut shot. Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Asked about the reaction of those locals hostile to the bubble, he said the three cases are a reminder to everyone that the virus remains a threat. This certainly should be a wake-up call for everybody, King said. I think Islanders should remain aware that these three individuals are Islanders and weve talked for 13 weeks now that COVID doesnt really care about your licence plate, your background or your geography. Banking industry expresses concern over removal of 2 bank CEOs View(s): The recent removal of CEOs/General Managers of two state banks Bank of Ceylon and Peoples Bank by the Government has raised grave concerns, according to a top banking industry body. Raising concerns is the Association of Professional Bankers-Sri Lanka, which has at the same time commended the Government, health care professionals, the tri-forces and the law enforcement agencies for the professional manner in which the pandemic situation is being curtailed in Sri Lanka. In its statement it said: During the pandemic encountered by the world, the banking industry has been called forth to ensure the continuation of economic activity. Even the banking sector has been requested to absorb the economic shocks caused by the pandemic. Rallying behind the health care professionals, tri-forces and the police, the professional bankers of Sri Lanka, as responsible citizens willingly answered the call of duty sent out to it by the society to deliver essential services and are willing to support the numerous calls made to them to support the economic activity. Also the professional bankers are cognizant of the enormous trust placed upon themselves by the society as trustees of public funds and also cognizant of its duties towards the society as the conduit that facilitates the economic activity. Bankers owe various specific duties to multiple stakeholders, to vit customers, regulators and shareholders, to the society and to the countrys economy in general. It is due to this reason that key management personnel, chief executive officers and the board of directors of licensed banks are being chosen after a thorough examination of their fit and proper suitability and after the financial sector regulator, the Central Bank approves the appointment. It is noted most often, that a chief executive officer of a bank is an individual who built his or her professional career after having risen through the ranks, chosen purely on seniority and merit to lead the banking institution. Further, this selection is not only the sole choice of the directors representing shareholders but also requires the vote of the independent directors and most importantly requires the approval of the industry regulator, Central Bank. The appointment of a Chief Executive Officer of a bank, so appointed after a due process reflects the trustworthiness, integrity and competence of the individual so chosen to lead the bank. Due to this reason, it is firmly believed that a due and transparent process should be followed, if the necessity arises in the opinion of the shareholders, to remove a chief executive officer of a bank from office. Adoption and conforming to due and transparent processes, enshrining the principles of natural justice, will undoubtedly add to the public and investor confidence. Also, it will shore up Sri Lankas image as a shining example of public and private sector administration upholding the values of good corporate governance and professionalism in the eyes of foreign investors, correspondence banks and independent credit rating agencies. It is in this context that the Association of Professional Bankers-Sri Lanka, the premier professional association of bankers, wishes to express its grave concern on the methodology adopted during the recent removal of Chief Executive Officers/General Managers of two state banks from their offices. Also, it is learned with grave concern that the said Chief Executive Officers were career bankers whose fit and proper status has been approved by the Central Bank. Being professionals promoting utmost professionalism in the private and public sector, it is the legitimate expectation of the Association of Professional Bankers-Sri Lanka, that the respective authorities would take remedial steps as relevant and adopt and give effect to a due and transparent process in matters of this nature to restore the confidence of the professionals and all other stakeholders as the status quo created by any arbitrary actions could be observed as tainted in the eyes of the professional bankers, foreign investors, correspondence banks, independent credit rating agencies, and the general public. TOKYO - Heavy rain in southern Japan triggered flooding and mudslides on Saturday, leaving more than a dozen people presumed dead, about 10 missing and dozens stranded on rooftops waiting to be rescued, officials said. More than 75,000 residents in the prefectures of Kumamoto and Kagoshima were urged to evacuate following pounding rains overnight. The evacuation was not mandatory and it was not known how many actually fled. I smelled mud, and the whole area was vibrating with river water. Ive never experienced anything like this, a man in a shelter in Yatsushiro city, in western Kumamoto, told NHK TV. He said he fled early fearing a disaster. NHK footage showed large areas of Hitoyoshi town in Kumamoto inundated in muddy waters that gushed out from the Kuma River. Many cars were submerged up to their windows. Mudslides smashed into houses and floodwaters carried trunks from uprooted trees. Several people were standing atop a convenience store as they waited for rescuers. Kumamoto Gov. Ikuo Kabashima later told reporters that 14 residents at a flooded elderly care home in Kuma village were presumed dead after being found during rescue operations. He said three other elderly residents had hypothermia. They were among some 60 residents at the riverside care home Senjuen, where floodwaters and mud gushed in, stranding the residents, NHK said. The Japanese Self-Defence Force said it had dispatched troops to join rescue efforts at the site. In Tsunagimachi district, two of three people buried underneath mudslides were pulled out without vital signs, Kumamoto prefectural crisis management official Takafumi Kobori said. Rescuers were still searching for the third person. In another badly flooded town, Ashikita, six people were unaccounted for and a seventh was seriously injured, Kumamoto officials said. In the mountainous village of Kuma, residents stranded at their homes were being airlifted by a rescue helicopter. In Hitoyoshi city, rescuers transported some residents in a boat. Flooding also cut off power and communication lines. About 8,000 homes in Kumamoto and neighbouring Kagoshima were without electricity, according to the Kyushu Electric Power Co. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe set up a task force and said up to 10,000 defence troops were being mobilized for rescue operations. The Japan Meteorological Agency earlier issued warnings of extraordinary rain in parts of Kumamoto, which is about 1,000 kilometres southwest of Tokyo, but later downgraded them as the rainfall estimated at 100 millimetres per hour subsided. SEATTLE - A 27-year-old man drove a car onto a closed freeway in Seattle early Saturday and barrelled through a panicked crowd of protesters, critically injuring two women, officials said. Dawit Kelete of Seattle drove the car around vehicles that were blocking Interstate 5 and sped into the crowd about 1:40 a.m., according to a police report released by the Washington State Patrol. Video taken at the scene by protesters showed people shouting Car! Car! before fleeing the roadway. Summer Taylor, 24, of Seattle, was in critical condition while Diaz Love, 32, of Portland, Oregon, was upgraded to serious condition in the intensive care unit, Harborview Medical Center spokeswoman Susan Gregg said. Love was filming the protest in a nearly two-hour-long Facebook livestream captioned Black Femme March takes I-5 when the video ended abruptly; with about 15 seconds left, shouts of Car! can be heard as the camera starts to shake before screeching tires and the sound of impact are heard. A graphic video posted on social media showed the white Jaguar racing toward a group of protesters who are standing behind several parked cars, set up for protection. The car swerves around the other vehicles and slams into the two women, sending them flying into the air. The driver, who was alone, fled the scene after hitting the protesters, Trooper Chase Van Cleave told The Associated Press. One of the protesters got in a car and chased the driver for about a mile. He was able to stop him by pulling his car in front of the Jaguar, Van Cleave said. Troopers arrived, and the driver was put in custody, Washington State Patrol Capt. Ron Mead said. Kelete was described by offices as reserved and sullen when he was arrested, according to court documents. He also asked if the pedestrians were OK, the documents say. Kelete was booked into the King County Correctional Facility on Saturday morning on two counts of vehicular assault. Bail was denied. A judge found probable cause to hold Kelete on an investigation of vehicular assault. He faces a second court hearing on Monday at which the judge will determine if he can be released on bail, according to court documents. It was not immediately clear if Kelete had an attorney who could speak on his behalf. Officials were trying to determine the motive as well as where he got onto the interstate, which had been closed by the state patrol for more than an hour before the women were hit. Mead said they suspect Kelete drove the wrong way on a ramp. Trooper Rick Johnson said the driver went through a barrier that closed the freeway before striking the women. Troopers did not know whether it was a targeted attack, but impairment was not considered a factor, Mead said. Kelete has a Seattle address. He is listed in public records as a student who attended Washington State University between 2011 and 2017 majoring in business and commerce. His enrolment status could not be confirmed because the university was closed Saturday. The Washington State Patrol said Sunday evening that going forward it wont allow protesters to enter I-5 and would arrest pedestrians on the freeway. Seattle has been the site of prolonged unrest following the May 25 police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis, which sparked nationwide protests. Dozens of people were arrested this past week in connection with protests as demonstrations continue after authorities cleared the Capitol Hill Occupied Protest zone Wednesday morning. Protesters had shut down the interstate for 19 days in a row, Mead said at a press conference. The State Patrol responded by closing sections of the interstate to keep drivers and protesters safe. In a time that requires care and flexibility, we are exercising the safest means possible to avoid injuries or worse to motorists, protesters, WSDOT personnel and our troopers by closing the roadway and separating protesters from vehicular traffic, Chief John Batiste said in a statement on June 27, responding to complaints about the road closures. Mead emphasized that the freeway is simply not a safe place for pedestrians, and said he hoped protesters would cease what he termed unlawful behaviour in blocking the interstate. My hope is, as a result of this tragedy, protesters will reconsider their desire to be on the interstate because I cannot guarantee their safety, plain and simple, Mead said. Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan said the city stands beside the friends and family of the victims. No one should risk their life for demanding better from our city, state and country, Durkan said on Twitter. Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Protesters were on the freeway for more than an hour before the car drove around the blockade around 1:36 a.m., Mead said. The state patrol tweeted out two pictures of the drivers car with significant damage to its bumper and windshield. Seattle police tweeted that they were assisting. At stop lights or freeway on and off ramps, youve probably seen people holding signs and asking for money. It can be tempting to hand over your spare change, but next time you may want to think twice. Diplomatic tussle for ECT continues By Sunimalee Dias View(s): View(s): The government on Friday agreed to install three Chinese cranes at the East Container Terminal (ECT) of the Colombo Port to defuse tensions caused by protesting trade unions during the week but fell short of allowing these to be commissioned. This decision was made in the backdrop of diplomatic discussions underway on rearranging an agreement to run this terminal made about a year back. Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa called for a meeting with protesting trade unions that included government TUs at his Carlton Tangalle residence where following discussions he conveyed President Gotabaya Rajapaksas order to discharge the cranes and install them at the ECT. The cranes needed to be discharged somewhere as the vessel operator from China had indicated in a letter to authorities that it has to leave the Colombo Port by July 5. But commissioning of these cranes will not take place rendering the terminal inoperable as authorities have indicated to the TUs that cabinet approval need to be sought following further discussions at the cabinet level. Moreover, it is learnt the government is also likely to make an announcement at the SLPAs 40th anniversary on August 1 that the terminal will be run by Sri Lanka alone instead of the earlier planned tripartite arrangement with India and Japan. India has continuously insisted Sri Lanka fast-track this project during Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modis meeting with President Rajapaksa last year and then again in May this year during the video conference during the COVID-19 pandemic. India and Japan that are party to the Memorandum of Cooperation (MOC) are learnt to have exerted pressure on the government not to install these cranes at the ECT as per the agreement. The cranes, imported from China, came under an arrangement by the previous government during former Ports Minister Sagala Ratnayakas tenure to install these for expansion of the Jaya Container Terminal (JCT) 5. Meanwhile, the Japanese Embassy in Colombo in a query made by the Business Times stated that they are still a part of the tripartite agreement signed in May 2019. Japan is prepared to contribute to the earliest realization of the development and operation of the ECT through the tripartite cooperation. The details of the cooperation are under consultation among the Governments of Japan, India and Sri Lanka, and are yet to be finalized, the embassy said. As part of the MOC, the SLPA was to retain 100 per cent ownership of the ECT, but the company that conducts all of its operations was to be jointly owned between Sri Lanka 51 per cent and the remaining 49 per cent being split between India and Japan with the latters contribution being in the form of a loan to purchase the cranes and other equipment. Now however it is learnt that the government has requested Japan to become an investment partner in the agreement, a move which Japan is not in favour with. This has caused some concern and SLPA sources opine that the authorities are likely to move out Japan from the agreement since the government has indicated that they do not have sufficient finances to cough up for a loan to buy cranes for the ECT. Meanwhile, India is said to finalise its partner company to run the operations of the terminal. But it has been revealed that Adani Ports (which intends joining John Keells Holdings JKH) to operate the terminal) is developing the proposed Vizhinjam International Deepwater Multipurpose Seaport Project in Kerala which in such case would be acting in competition to the Colombo Port. In this respect Adani Port coming into the ECT would not be beneficial for Sri Lanka since the Vizhinjam port is also being developed as a regional transhipment hub, sources said. 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. David Hunter and Lucie Jones will star in a live-streamed concert at the Phoenix Arts Club. Presented on 23 August at 5pm, the concert will see the pair reunite for the first time since they starred opposite each other in the West End production of Waitress at the Adelphi Theatre. Hunter originated the role of Dr Pomatter in the West End, while Jones took over the role of Jenna from the summer of 2019. The pair were unable to reunite for the show due to the lockdown and the closure of West End venues. Jones said: "It's going to be pro-shot, it's going to be beautiful." The event is produced by Lambert Jackson Productios. Waitress has also announced a UK and Ireland tour, which is scheduled to open in Dublin in November. Have any questions? Please give us a call at 701-572-2165 FinTech Hive introduces Moneta lifestyle app in Sri Lanka View(s): FinTech Hive, a homegrown start-up company founded through PickMes incubation programme, recently introduced its tech-enabled, futuristic and secure financial assistance platform Moneta to the Sri Lankan market. Moneta is an on-demand, versatile personal financial assistance Lifestyle App which enables discerning users to make prudent financial decisions with regard to saving and spending. Moneta is working with Sri Lankas leading banks to provide fast, reliable and secure services to fulfill customers emergency financial requirements at any given time. Customers can choose a flexible repayment method based on their preference and at their convenience. Interested individuals can access Moneta Service by downloading the Moneta App from Google Playstore, the company said in a media release. Moneta works with three pillars: Speed, Innovation, and Positive Social Impact. Our innovative solution allows customers to enjoy fast and personalised services. As a truly Sri Lankan brand, we strive to create a positive social impact on the lives of Sri Lankans. Moneta is a personal friend to young executives, enabling them to cherish lifes finer things, said Shayanthan Kanaganayagham, Founder & CEO of Moneta. Moneta provides young executives the opportunity to enjoy a comfortable, appealing social lifestyle with access to credit on-demand. Customers can access Moneta Lifestyle as soon as they register with Moneta by providing their name and mobile number. Anyone can use the Moneta lifestyle services while Moneta Premium service is currently only available to salaried employees. The Moneta Premium Service allows fulltime, salaried employees to access on-demand credit facility up to Rs.100,000 through MoCredit and MoEMI (Equally divided Monthly Installment) based on their credit worthiness. Moneta promises to be a fellow traveller in our customers journey, a constant companion to help them enjoy life beyond limits, added the founder. The release said that at present Moneta is prepared to assist employees who have had to endure financial distress due to unavoidable salary cuts in the face of COVID 19 restrictions on businesses. Accordingly, Moneta facilitates a special relief programme called Employee CARE Programme available for three months for employees who were affected by temporary salary reductions. Such employees can apply for emergency financial assistance by providing details of their salary reduction after enabling Moneta Premium Service. Forced isolation during the pandemic has apparently caused a greater number of homeowners to look critically at their property and decide its finally time to make improvements. The result is that business is soaring for landscaping companies. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 3/7/2020 (353 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Forced isolation during the pandemic has apparently caused a greater number of homeowners to look critically at their property and decide its finally time to make improvements. The result is that business is soaring for landscaping companies. Staring at his backyard all winter, Ricky Brar was counting down the days until he could start his big landscaping projects but the pandemic has made his wait longer. Brar wanted to get work done on his yard last year, but the snowfall and early cold weather made him hold off on the projects until this year. He made calls to contractors but, once the pandemic began and everyone was told to stay home, the phones of landscaping businesses were ringing non-stop. "We had to look at that eyesore in our backyard for the whole winter season, so we were looking forward to spring coming and we wanted to get it done ASAP but then we were hit with the pandemic," said Brar. "You are kind of just brainstorming and imagining what the yard should be looking like and when its not looking like that you get kind of frustrated." He lives in a newer development and has major landscaping projects on the go. Hes getting privacy walls, decks, a fire pit, a pond with a waterfall and a gate at the front of the property. Brar said he hears tractors and Bobcats driving throughout his community. He estimated that about half of the people on his street are currently getting landscape work done. Ricky Brar recently built his home in West St. Paul and has found it difficult to find landscapers. (Jesse Boily / Winnipeg Free Press) Landscapers in the city said the increased business could be because people are staying at home and want to fix their yard up, or people who normally travel have extra money to spend. "One guy that I was talking to last week, he was very clear. He said him and his partner like to travel a lot, they go on trips at least three or four times a year, but theyre not doing that," said Dwayne Regehr, owner of Earthworks Landscaping. "They have this significant chunk of cash that usually goes to other things that is now in their budget and they say theyre just going to redirect that into the yard." Earthworks Landscaping is a small business with five employees. Regehr said their business has increased about 10 per cent, but theyre receiving double the phone calls. Regehr said theyre currently booking into September, meaning customers will have to wait three months before Earthworks starts their home project. Tony Phee, the owner of PricePoint Tony, said hes been experiencing a jump in business too. "This year, Ive noticed a significant increase, as much as 30-to-35 per cent in particular with my landscaping and fencing teams," said Phee. PricePoint Tonys landscaping division has six people, but Phee also has 15 other staff and 32 support vendors to help with interior and exterior renovations. The company has been running for six years and this has been the busiest year, with wait times of approximately 30 days. Tony Phee, owner of PricePoint Roofing and Renovations, in a backyard that he recently finished. He says business for his landscaping and fencing teams is up as much as 35 per cent this summer. (Mike Deal / Winnipeg Free Press) Phee said landscaping and fencing has been popular this year because people seem to want their privacy. "The security and safety of their yard seems to be a pretty big priority this year," said Phee. "Thats why a lot of fences are being built, in particular people are requesting six-foot fences." Six feet is the highest a backyard fence can legally be built in the city, and Phee said a lot of his customers want privacy in their backyard since theyre home more, or for the security from thieves. The demand for landscaping is high, but Phee said its not the only reason wait lists are longer this year. "We are definitely following safe practices during COVID, and as a result of that there are some projects that are requiring a little more time than what normally would be required of a job like that," said Phee. Phee said his team always has hand sanitizer on site, they socially distance from their clients and team members, they wear gloves and, in circumstances where they have to be close to each other, they wear masks. Phee expects his waiting time to get longer in July and August. Both Regehr and Phee said they will be busy well into the fall. "I never would have imagined it. I say it jokingly, but I guess theres some truth to it the pandemic has been very good for the landscaping business," said Regehr. kellen.taniguchi@freepress.mb.ca While many Canadians were enjoying Canada Day backyard barbecues after months of being isolated from family and friends, the country quietly embarked on a new era of trade with two of its largest trading partners. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 4/7/2020 (352 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Opinion While many Canadians were enjoying Canada Day backyard barbecues after months of being isolated from family and friends, the country quietly embarked on a new era of trade with two of its largest trading partners. The U.S.-Mexico-Canada-Agreement (USMCA), referred to as the CUSMA in Canadian documents, came into force to replace the North American Free Trade Agreement. The reaction from much of the agricultural sector was more of relief than celebration. As Canadian Cattlemens Association president Bob Lowe described it, the new deal is "timely and welcome" because it brings "continued economic stability." In other words, the real gain for the export-oriented agricultural sectors was no loss. The new deal contained some expensive concessions for certain sectors, namely dairy and poultry, but access to the coveted U.S. market was mostly preserved for other commodities such as beef, pork and wheat. The U.S. and Mexico are typically Canadian farmers first- and fourth-largest export markets. The arrival of a scrappy White House administration that showed no reverence for the hard-fought gains in global rules-based trading over the past three decades had the entire sector on edge. Farmers and processors are well aware that they make easy targets when foreign interests have a bone to pick with the Canadian government. Hitting agricultural commodities with tariffs or non-tariff barriers gets lots of media attention because producer groups are well organized and vocal. Economic effects aside, governments are also sensitive to any actions that might jeopardize their countrys ability to produce food. China showed its displeasure with Canadas arrest of the Huawei executive by throwing two Canadian citizens in jail and blocking shipments of canola seed from two of Canadas largest exporters. It created a bizarre scenario in which Canadian canola producers were co-opted into pushing Chinas cause by pressuring their government to do pretty much anything to restore access to an important customer. Less widely known is that canola sales to China continued. Export documents show that significant volumes of the raw seed no longer allowed into China started flowing to the UAE, where it was being crushed and shipped to China as vegetable oil. Considering sales of all grains, China is by far Canadas biggest customer so far this year. In an equally bizarre scenario, U.S. President Donald Trump attacked Canadian domestic dairy policy. The complaint wasnt that Canada was unfairly sending dairy into the U.S., it was that the U.S. wanted the ability to dump surplus U.S. dairy into Canada. Agricultural sectors anxious to maintain their market access to the U.S. were quick to line up to support the U.S. posturing. Trump also got help from some Canadian commentators who pressured the government to make concessions on the premise that increased competition from the U.S. would result in lower grocery prices for dairy products. Faced with the prospect of losing potential gains that exceed US$5 billion over an estimated US$600 million influx of U.S. dairy products onto the Canadian market, Canadian negotiators pragmatically opted to offer compensation to Canadian dairy farmers in the interests keeping key elements of the former NAFTA intact. In another twist, the July 1 implementation date is a month earlier than the Aug. 1 start of the dairy marketing year. That early implementation is estimated to have cost Canadian dairy farmers an extra $100 million over and above the concessions on market access because it brings the new provisions into force ahead of expected timelines. The federal government also conceded on regulations that were perceived as blocking U.S. farmers from selling grain to Canadian elevators. Its unclear why theyd even want to because the U.S. system typically has better transportation and pricing options. Nevertheless, grading changes effective July 1 removed any barriers that existed, but in a way designed to protect the integrity of Canadas unique quality parameters. As Canadas trade and political relationship with China continues to sour, Canadian farmers are hoping this new deal with the U.S. will lay to rest some of the uncertainty over access to exports. But with a U.S. presidential election on the horizon, there are no guarantees that the shenanigans are over. Laura Rance is vice-president of content for Glacier FarmMedia. She can be reached at lrance@farmmedia.com LOCKHARTVILLE, N.S. - Police are investigating after a fatal, single-vehicle collision took place on Highway 1 near Lockhartville, N.S., Friday evening. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 4/7/2020 (352 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. LOCKHARTVILLE, N.S. - Police are investigating after a fatal, single-vehicle collision took place on Highway 1 near Lockhartville, N.S., Friday evening. Kings District RCMP say a 38-year-old woman from Kings County who was driving the vehicle was found dead at the scene. A 57-year-old male passenger was taken to hospital with serious injuries. Police say witnesses told them a small blue vehicle left the highway, rolled and came to a stop in the median. The collision took place after 7 p.m. Friday between exits 8 and 8A on Highway 1. The RCMP says its investigation is ongoing. This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 4, 2020 AFTER a story appeared in the Free Press Friday about Snap Fitness locations closing and leaving customers high and dry, the franchisee in question, Ryan Sourisseau, suggested he was more likely a victim of circumstances and poor management from an unsupportive Snap Fitness corporate organization. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 4/7/2020 (352 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. AFTER a story appeared in the Free Press Friday about Snap Fitness locations closing and leaving customers high and dry, the franchisee in question, Ryan Sourisseau, suggested he was more likely a victim of circumstances and poor management from an unsupportive Snap Fitness corporate organization. Christina Clark, the spokeswoman for Snap Fitness Franchisee Association (which is in the middle of a legal dispute with the corporation), accused the corporation of throwing Sourisseau under the bus. "Ryan is a long-term franchisee who has poured his heart and soul into the business and it was not his intention to close down this business," Clark said. Sourisseau said the "second he closed his two city locations for the pandemic, his franchise agreement was terminated. (The Free Press incorrectly reported that he owned a third franchise in Selkirk). "I put a lot of money into my downtown location," he said. "I wasnt going anywhere." He said after he closed, he lost access to his email and social media accounts and was not able to respond to customer queries. The pandemic has placed immense pressure on operators of fitness gyms. They have only recently been able to reopen in Manitoba and elsewhere but with limited capacity. Clark, who is a former Snap Fitness franchisee in Minnesota, said considering the "crushing" effect the pandemic is having on franchise operators, the corporation should have been prepared to be more supportive. "In my opinion," she said, "This is a downward spiral of a corporation that has not protected their franchisees and time and time again have let them down." Last December, the franchise owners of 335 Snap Fitness locations filed a lawsuit against the corporation for material breach of contract for forcing the franchisees to buy a proprietary club management software system developed by a Snap Fitness-owned affiliate that failed to meet industry security standards. In 2018, that software was hacked and members were left without access to their facilities and accounts for almost two weeks. Sourisseau is part of that legal action. In the last year of her life, Danielle Dawn Cote was dealing with so much pain. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 4/7/2020 (352 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. In the last year of her life, Danielle Dawn Cote was dealing with so much pain. Family and friends of the 27-year-old woman shared in that pain Friday evening during a vigil held near the spot where Cote was shot and killed at 3:15 a.m. July 1 as she walked on Flora Avenue. Cote was a mother of four, and her children are now left confused and afraid, Cotes mother, Julie Black, told more than 40 people who gathered in memory of the young woman. JESSE BOILY / WINNIPEG FREE PRE Friends and family of Danielle Cote gathered in the 400 block of Flora Avenue Friday, July 3, two days after the 27-year-old was shot and killed while walking along that block at 3:15 a.m. with her cousin, who was injured in the shooting. (Jesse Boily/Winnipeg Free Press) Many of them held a long-stemmed red rose and a thin white candle while drummers sang prayer songs to guide Cotes spirit. She was a "beautiful mother" and a kind person, Black said, but she left her children and her husband while grieving the death of her father during the past 12 months. "My daughter wasnt a street girl. She was lost in her heart, she lost her father, and she left her four children and her husband because the pain was just too bad for her. Danielle didnt want to live through that." "She suffered a lot in the past 12 months." JESSE BOILY / WINNIPEG FREE PRE Julie Black, mother of 27-year-old homicide victim Danielle Cote, told the crowd gathered at Cote's vigil Friday night that her daughter was a beautiful person who was dealing with tremendous pain in the last year of her life. A 14-year-old male has been charged in the shooting death of Cote, as well as three other shootings that happened July 1 and 2 in Winnipeg. The man Cote had been walking with, whom Black said was Cotes cousin, was also shot and was taken to hospital. When she found out a 14-year-old had been charged in her daughters death, Black said "it totally flipped my script." "How can you be angry at a child?" she said, speaking to reporters as the crowd of vigil attendees dissipated. "I want to say to the family of the young male: I forgive him... and I will pray for him, too." During the vigil, which members of the Bear Clan Patrol and Mama Bear Clan attended, community advocate Jenna Wirch, co-founder of Meet Me at the Bell Tower, urged everyone to take a stand against violence. "We need to come together as a community, all of us, and look after one another," Wirch said. katie.may@freepress.mb.ca Twitter: @thatkatiemay Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 4/7/2020 (352 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Opinion Gii wiijiiye Anishinaabemowin Zoom akinoomaageng. Try it. Heres how its pronounced: Gee Wee-Je-Ya Ah-Nish-Ah-Nah-Bay-Mow-In Zoom Ah-Ke-Noo-Mah-Gayng. Its how you say: "I attended on an Anishinaabe language Zoom class." Over the past four months of the COVID-19 pandemic, many Indigenous people have turned to a task many want to do but few have time for: learning their traditional language. The endangerment of Indigenous languages is well-documented. Due to residential schools and more than a century-and-a-half of policies that marginalize Indigenous cultures and refuse to recognize Indigenous languages officially, most are in a dire situation. Few young speakers remain; infrastructure to keep such languages going is lacking. The value of Indigenous languages is also well-documented, as the oldest and richest on this continent. They describe, document, and demonstrate all of the history, ways of life, and stories of this place. (English, French, and other languages do some of this, too, but not to the degree of Indigenous languages.) Indigenous languages describe our home, tell us how to live in the best way possible, and embed people in relationships with the land, water, and non-human beings in rich, sustainable, and positive ways. They were the methods in which life operated for thousands of years in Winnipec, Manitowapow, and Kanata and will continue to be the best method to continue lives here. Saving Indigenous languages is, therefore, a task for all of us. Now, more than ever, Indigenous-language speakers are turning to the internet to teach, share, and tell stories. Over the years, internet sites (such as Ojibwe Peoples Dictionary) and smartphone apps have been developed (such as those from Binasii and Ogoki Learning Systems). However, the past few months have seen the emergence of more online language programming than one can keep track of. On platforms such as Facebook Live, YouTube, and even TikTok, one can find grandmothers teaching how to bead in Cree or medicine leaders teaching how to pick bear root in Blackfoot. My favourite is Online Anishinaabemowin, on the platform My Own Meeting. Offered by elders Isadore Toulouse, Pat Osawamick, Liz Osawamick and Shirley Williams, 10-minute intensive classes are offered daily. There are prayers offered in the language, games, skits, chat rooms, and exercise breaks, too. "One of the things our elders have told us is when you are teaching the language or when you are learning the language, is to have fun and enjoy it," Williams explains. On some days during the pandemic, Online Anishinaabemowin classes attracted hundreds of students. Did I mention all of these are free? And this is just one offering. There are many more. The University of Winnipeg, for example, just performed a research project documenting communities and teachers offering Anishinaabemowin (Ojibwa) and Cree and found 20 new programs. Most are designed to teach the basics: greetings, the weather, and feelings. Some however are focusing on pandemic-specific lessons, such as "be prepared," and how to wash your hands. Thats "ashowizon" (Ash-O-Wah-Zon) and "gii ziibiiginan jiin" (Gee Zee-Bee-Ga-Naan Jin), by the way. Heres some of what Ive learned: the word for headache is "dekwewin" (Dah-Kway-Win), phlegm is "skwaajigewin" (Skah-Je-Ga-Win), and sore throat is "gaagiijigondaaginewin" (Gaa-Gee-Ja-Goon-Daa-Gi-Nay-Win). Some classes offer advanced teachings in verb use and spiritual teachings, addressing the main challenge with offering online learning: fluency. Online programming wont likely lead to fluency immersion programs do that. Still, this intersection of technology and Indigenous languages is a ray of hope for elders fighting to continue Indigenous language use and youth who often dont have access. Its been proven learning an Indigenous language leads youth to a better sense of self-worth and identity. This, in turn, leads to a more positive outlook which is essential to success. Success, of course, leads to productivity, both in Indigenous and Canadian realities. Want to lower suicide rates? Increase graduation rates? Dissuade involvement in gangs or crime? Language programming is where the solutions begin. Online language programming is not the only solution. There is no point in developing a language course if people have nothing to eat, are fearful of the police, or dont have a computer or internet access. These issues have to be addressed at the same time. But while food, shelter and access give one the ability to live, learning an Indigenous language gives a reason to live to our community and others. Gii daagshkitoon gwa. You can do it. niigaan.sinclair@freepress.mb.ca Returning to Poland from having endured forced labour at a Nazi munitions factory during the Second World War, Peretz Joseph Weizman waited for his mother, siblings and their children to join him. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 4/7/2020 (352 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Returning to Poland from having endured forced labour at a Nazi munitions factory during the Second World War, Peretz Joseph Weizman waited for his mother, siblings and their children to join him. His wait was in vain. Jewish Heritage Centre of Western Canada Weizman at the age of 25 Weizman, who was 99 when he died April 21, lost his entire family in the Holocaust: his mother, his five siblings and his nieces and nephews. Even before Weizman was taken from the Lodz ghetto to a factory to make bullets, his father had already been taken away, shot with a group of others, and put in a mass grave. In all, the longtime rabbi at the former Bnay Abraham Synagogue in West Kildonan lost 80 immediate and extended family members. "After the war, he went back home," his son Sam recalled recently. "He didnt know who in his family survived and who didnt. He waited until he realized no one was coming. He was the last of the family." Jewish Heritage Centre of Western Canada Rabbi Peretz Weizman with his wife Ryvka and their son Sam in 1947 Poland. "He was a tormented man," daughter Tzila Schneid said. "He lost everything." Weizman was born to Shmuel and Esther in Lodz in November of 1920, the youngest in a family of three brothers (Isaac, Mordechai and Baruch), and two sisters (Yita and Chava). His dad ran a successful pharmaceutical wholesale company and by 1939, at 18 years of age, he was about to join the family business. But the German forces invaded Poland in September of that year and later forced Jewish people into ghettos in the cities, including in Lodz. In a Free Press story in 2009, Weizman said his faith remained intact, even after what he and his family went through during the war and the Holocaust because "it doesnt work to give up on God and to rely on people. "The culprit was people. If I gave up on God, what was left? I am not alone if I have God." Weizman and his family were followers of Ger before the war and knew its rabbi at the time, Avraham Mordechai Alter. Ger, named after a small Polish town, is a Hasidic dynasty which today is based in Israel. Alter was rabbi from 1905 to 1948. Because of Weizmans strong faith, not long after returning to Lodz, he was serving as the rabbi at a funeral when two sisters from Lithuania walking by stopped to listen. Jewish Heritage Centre of Western Canada Weizman with his wife, Ryvka "It is how he met my mother," Sam said. "She heard him reading a eulogy. "He was with a friend and when they walked to their place, the two followed them and asked if they could get room and board there. Thats where the love began." First, they had to sort out who would go out with which woman. Weizmans friend, at first, went out with the woman who would become Weizmans wife, but when they realized each was more compatible with the other woman, they switched. He married Ryvka, or Riva, in 1946, and they were together for 67 years until she died in 2013. Sam came along in 1947, and, after they moved to Israel, their daughter, Tzila, was born in 1952. The following year, the family moved to Winnipeg, sponsored by his wifes cousin. For the first few years, Weizman had different jobs. He worked first in a meat-packing plant helping to produce kosher meat for local butchers and grocery stores. He became a cantor because he had a good singing voice. He worked as a teacher at a Jewish day school. But in 1960, Weizman began his lifes work, becoming rabbi at Bnay Abraham, about a year after it opened a new building on Enniskillen Avenue. He would be there for decades, delivering sermons, officiating at weddings and funerals and preparing boys for bar mitzvahs. He helped it become one of Western Canadas largest congregations and was there when it installed a memorial to the six million Jews murdered in the Holocaust. The synagogue merged with two others in north Winnipeg Beth Israel and Rosh Pina to create Congregation Etz Chayim in 2002, and he was named rabbi emeritus of the merged synagogue. MIKE APORIUS / WINNIPEG FREE PRESs fileS Rabbi emeritus Peretz Weizman addresses the crowd during the dedication and official opening of the new Etz Chayim Synagogue in 2002. Rabbi Neil Rose, who met Weizman in 1967, said Bnay Abraham was "very unique." "Most of the parishioners were Holocaust survivors," Rose said. "Their first language was Yiddish. Weizman spoke only Yiddish for many years. For them, he was their link to the past and their connection to the present and future... he made a real contribution to the community." Rose said it was hard for Weizman to begin life anew after the war. "Weizman was a displaced person," he said. "He came from a culture he knew well, but in many ways he wanted to be a modern man, and he was. But he often reminded me of the professors I had at rabbinical seminary. They had one foot in two different worlds and neither were they totally at home in." Sam said he and his father travelled together to Lodz. There, in a dusty book kept by the city, Weizman found his own fathers signature. "For the first time in my life, I saw some physical evidence my grandfather had been alive, that he lived," Sam said. "When my dad saw this, he broke down and started to cry." There was one final move left for Weizman. In 2009, to be closer to his son and daughter, he and his wife moved to Toronto. For a brief period, he served as the rabbi at Beth Emeth Yehuda Synagogue. It also rekindled memories because many worshippers at the traditional conservative synagogue would ask him about being a Ger follower and someone who had known Alter. "He didnt want to go there at first," Tzila said. "He said he didnt have a beard, the locks. He thought they wouldnt let him in. "But one day I drove there and dropped him off and I waited in the car. He came out an hour later and he was beaming. He said they asked him about (Alter) and he told them he knew him and was friends with him. "They just adored him. The children would ask did (Alter) like chocolate and he told them of course he did." As Rose added, "he achieved a place of honour thanks to his childhood connection to a very old man. He was well-respected there." But there were other memories and they haunted him constantly. "He never left the Holocaust," Tzila said. "Almost every conversation Id have with him he would be in pain.... "During the seven years he lived in my home, there wasnt a night he wouldnt scream with nightmares." Tzila said her father was a humble man with a sense of humour. "He really felt he was protected in life, even though he went through the horror," she said. "He made a life." For a person who had lost his entire family during the Holocaust, Weizman was part of a growing family by the time he died. Besides his son and daughter, he is survived by six grandchildren and 15 great-grandchildren. kevin.rollason@freepress.mb.ca Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 4/7/2020 (352 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Opinion Black Lives Matter. These words were seen on hundreds of thousands of placards when people took to their streets in solidarity of a global movement to make cities safer, inclusive and equitable for Black people. The campaign, #BlackLivesMatter, was founded in 2013 to "eradicate white supremacy and build local power to intervene in violence inflicted on Black communities by the state and vigilantes." In Washington, the campaigns motto transformed an entire block of pavement on 16th Street into a bright yellow mural, and it was renamed Black Lives Matter Plaza. In Canada, a stirring conversation led by the Canadian Urban Institutes senior fellow Jay Pitter invited frank perspectives from Black urbanists and city builders. More than 2,000 participants tuned into the broadcast, eager to listen and learn. Pitters final words punctuated the value of BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Colour) community members: "Black people and other people from racialized groups and equity-seeking groups; we are indeed excellent. We may actually be double excellent. We come with expertise and lived experience. There is no way you could possibly pay us enough." Protests around the world have erupted with hundreds of thousands demanding justice, police reform and that corporations and governments be held responsible for upholding discriminatory practices. In Winnipeg, more than 10,000 residents gathered outside the Manitoba Legislative Building calling for provincial action. The conversation around #BlackLivesMatter has undoubtedly been stoked. Many people are interested in learning more about the issue and are determined to be part of the solution. Some are faltering despite good intentions, failing to create a meaningful impact because of their lack of perspective. And others are still relentless in their assertion that #AllLivesMatter, entrenched in their claims that racism is not a prevalent and insidious issue. Black Lives Matter. Indigenous people matter. People of colour matter. They are essential to our cities. They built them and they continue to build them. But our cities do not exuberantly welcome them. They exclude them, discriminate against them and continue to suppress them exacerbating urban inequities. Silence is collusion A post on social media has proliferated with the words: "Its a privilege to educate yourself about racism instead of experiencing it." For us, privilege has been contextual. In many respects, we are privileged. We are Canadian, educated and employed. At the same time, we experience discrimination. We are asked, "Where are you from?" as if we could not be born in Canada. We are told, "You speak very well," as if our cultural and ancestral backgrounds make us inadequately educated. We are reminded, "You must have gotten this job because of your diversity," not because of the merits that we have worked so hard to earn. As urban planners though, we are in a privileged position to be able to impose views and desires onto communities. And sometimes, if communities speak up and identify that our plans and policies do not work for them and their neighbourhoods, we may unconsciously view them as difficult or not being able to understand or comprehend. When city planners say that they are committed to racial and social equity, they must also acknowledge their privilege and inherent biases from being educated in and planning within colonialist structures. It is important, now more than ever, to be critical about the systems that suppress many into the positions they currently occupy. We know that not every individual in our neighbourhoods has the same opportunities to speak up. No justice, no peace Take a look at any public space in your city. Who is afforded the privilege to play on our streets? Which neighbourhoods receive government funding for recreational facilities, green space and functional, high-quality infrastructure? Which places can be occupied by BIPOCs without the fear of being harmed or killed? Jahi Chiikwendiu / The Washington Post files Public housing projects frequently demolished integrated neighbourhoods, leaving widespread poverty in their wake. In the United States, Black people are killed by police at more than twice the rate of white Americans, the Washington Post has reported. Although most of us are quick to point out that we are different from our southern neighbours, the Canadian statistics are just as troubling. As Amina Yasin notes in The Tyee, in Toronto, "Black residents make up 10 per cent of the population, yet account for 61 per cent of all cases where police used force resulting in death, and 70 per cent of police shootings that resulted in death." The Traffic Stop Race Collection Project by York University showed that despite a 35 per cent decrease in traffic stops, Ottawa police disproportionately targeted young Black men and Middle Eastern men. Over the studys three-year period, police discriminately stopped the two minority groups at rates two to three times higher than expected based on total population. In contrast, police stopped white males 0.9 times what was expected based on their population size. These startling statistics are proof that public space and the ability for movement of racialized people within it is neither fair nor equitable. With the knowledge that individuals are guaranteed to feel harassed and unsafe based on race, how much more important is it to plan representatively and with perspective when life and death are based on these decisions? Enough is enough A citys zoning codes (a term that planners use to divide land into uses that are either permitted or prohibited), were born out of racism and continue to contribute to housing disparity and segregation of the BIPOC community. As Richard Rothstein uncovered in The Color of Law, American governments enacted two policies that segregated metropolitan areas. "One was the first civilian public housing program which frequently demolished integrated neighbourhoods in order to create segregated housing," he wrote in the 2017 National Book Award nominee. "The second program that the federal government pursued was to subsidize the development of suburbs on a condition that they be only sold to white families and that the homes in those suburbs had deeds that prohibited resale to African-Americans." Today, single-family homes are permitted uses in Canadian neighbourhoods. At the same time, more affordable housing typologies within the medium-density range (like apartments or row-housing) require development variances, which are often subject to one-sided public consultation processes in favour of those who can have their voices heard. Multi-family residential housing forms are often contested because of antiquated fears that they bring with them crime and poverty. These beliefs are masked with arguments that these housing types attract renters or are out of character for the neighbourhood. Yet neighbourhoods are evolving, and a fixation on the past is a fixation on housing policies that have oppressed racialized people from finding adequate homes. To some, a renters value is associated with their ability to acquire property. According to a study penned by the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp. in 2019, immigrants are likely to face more housing challenges than non-immigrants. Reduced housing affordability in urban areas is a reality that often finds marginalized people displaced to the edges of the city, disconnected from meaningful cultural, recreational and social amenities. CMHC argues that socio-economic status further exacerbates inequalities in housing outcomes. Immigrants, as they note, "suffer a larger poverty gap and greater severity than non-immigrants," and borrowing for mortgages and loans potentially come at a higher cost. In Canada, racialized workers see more significant gaps in income, wealth and employment opportunities in comparison to non-racialized workers, despite being more active (working or looking for work) in the labour market. Black women, who are the most active in the labour market, have the lowest rates of earnings compared to their non-racialized counterparts. Black workers also have the widest disparities in wages and the highest unemployment rates amongst racialized groups. Despite the research that acknowledges these inequities, a report entitled Canadas Colour Coded Income Inequality says the inequalities in the labour market persist with little change. Widening economic disparities and inequitable land distribution affect how BIPOC live, where they live and how they move around cities. These factors are also intrinsically tied to health and well-being. In Canada and around the world, there is a direct correlation between health and economic status with prosperity accounting for an estimated 50 per cent of health outcomes and the built environment factoring in at 10 per cent. Planners have a role to play in nurturing health opportunities through policies and programs. Invest in Us! The condition of civic infrastructure can often highlight investment imbalance. Often, public assets in lower-income neighbourhoods are in a state of disrepair. Has the City of Winnipeg forgotten that these public assets (and the people who depend on them) even exist? Unfortunately, many BIPOCs experience place-based discrimination and have less access to resources and opportunities to improve the quality of their lives. In some neighbourhoods, community centres have closed and the buildings and grounds have fallen victim to neglect. Decay and lack of investment in neighbourhoods intersect with perceptions associated with wealth, education and race. When people see dilapidated homes and infrastructure, they might think, "Who could possibly live there?" People of colour and/or lower income often experience higher levels of obesity, underserved with convenient amenities, attractive public space and safe places to be physically active. According to Active Living Research, sidewalks in African-American neighbourhoods are 38 times more likely to be of low quality and 70 per cent of African-Americans lack access to recreational spaces. Now think about your neighbourhood. Are your sidewalks crumbling? Are you able to connect and play with your neighbours in abundant green spaces? Are your community centres open? Have you ever had to advocate for a swimming pool or spray pad not to be decommissioned or closed, or to ask that fences to a green space be removed? If not, you are in a privileged position. Many marginalized and vulnerable communities have to ask for help repeatedly. Planners and politicians can perpetuate the trauma of helplessness that at-risk populations face when they create situations of need, as opposed to positions of strength and autonomy. To understand what a community needs, we have to listen and learn and build meaningful relationships. The investment is worth it. Tasos Katopodis / Getty Images Washingtons 16th Street, adorned with a massive bright yellow mural, has been renamed Black Lives Matter Plaza. Whose streets? Our streets Planning theorists contend that people have a role and responsibility in challenging current governance systems so that cities can become more just and equitable. A persons "right to the city" can only be established when communities are encouraged to have a say in how their communities are developed, and how their neighbourhoods can support them. Unfortunately, BIPOC community members often do not have access to the civic machinery that runs, operates and decides on programs, amenities and investment in their neighbourhoods. A recent survey of the planning profession showed that only nine per cent of planners identified as racialized. These statistics punctuate how BIPOCs are underrepresented in the planning, design and development of cities. As visible minorities in the profession, we have had our work attributed to others, we have had our perspectives and expertise excluded and we have been overlooked in promotions and management opportunities. It raises questions about who cities are planned for and belong to. A lack of seniority creates a lack of agency in important matters for many BIPOC people and their communities, and often advocacy, or working within a system, is not enough to get timely results. So, what is left when there is a refusal to acknowledge systemic subjugation? Never again will we relent. Never again will we be silent As Christopher Smith has argued in Whose Streets? Urban Social Movements and the Politicization of Space, places are political and marketplaces for ideas, deliberation, values, and opportunities for change. BIPOCs have had to turn their attention to the reclamation of streets and public spaces as activists to bring forward positive change. The many procedural inequalities in the planning systems creates fewer opportunities for racialized groups to participate in policy development and land use. Engagement sessions are often difficult to access, attend or to understand. Historically, they favour those that are middle class, educated and white, according to Environmental Justice and Racism in Canada. Often referred to as the voice of the unheard, protest is working outside a system that repeatedly fails to achieve any meaningful change. Actively working outside the system seems to be the way to achieve significant results. Urban space, then, should be viewed as a tool in shaping political, economic and social processes. Instead of maintaining a critical distance from these types of demonstrations, we challenge planners who have agency and a platform to view these actions as offering opportunities for feedback, dialogue and change. We created racism. We need to destroy it too Planners and decision-makers must embrace the rallies, words and demands shared by BIPOC community members who risk their livelihoods and, in some cases, their lives to step forward. Serve as allies who can bridge divides and strengthen partnerships. We have a significant role to play in building communities that are for everyone. Improvements to housing, public space, transit equity, neighbourhood investment and public participation start with listening and learning, then acting to remove barriers for those underrepresented. Planning needs a radical makeover. We need to become better advocates of the community and stewards of expertise, lived experiences and potential contributions. Quoting Jay Pitters Call to Courage, "An unnamed issue cannot be reconciled. Transformation cannot occur without radical truth-telling followed up with courageous action." Sheena Jardine-Olade is an urbanist and cultural thinker whose love for night activities has driven her to advocate for the recognition of cities as 24-hour places. After a masters in urban planning, she continues to explore the city and its people through the arts, writing, research and engagement. When she isnt championing interdisciplinary collaborations and nighttime economy studies through her consultancy, Night Lab, you can find her proudly exploring her Trinidadian/Nigerian heritage and what it means to be a Black Canadian, by DJing music, reading books by her favourite Black authors and speaking with those ready to listen. Jason Syvixay is an urban planner currently completing his PhD in urban and regional planning at the University of Alberta. He has worked as the managing director of the Downtown Winnipeg BIZ, a planner with HTFC Planning & Design, and more recently, has joined the City of Edmonton to lead and support the implementation of its Infill Roadmap. As a queer person of colour, Jason engages in city building that listens to and prioritizes underrepresented and marginalized people, builds knowledge and capacity, and works towards equity in urban places. The search for a nine-year-old boy who is believed to have entered the Red River near the Louise Bridge continues today by members of the Winnipeg police underwater search and recovery unit. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 3/7/2020 (352 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. The search for a nine-year-old boy who is believed to have entered the Red River near the Louise Bridge continues today by members of the Winnipeg police underwater search and recovery unit. Darius Bezecki went missing after he is believed to have entered the north side of the river, west of the bridge, Winnipeg police said. FAMILY PHOTO 9-year-old Darius Bezecki. The boy, whose family lives in the area, was riding his bike with his siblings and a friend Friday. Around 4:30 p.m., emergency officials got a call that the boy was in the water. The Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service led the search Friday afternoon before turning the scene over to the Winnipeg Police Service. Police continued searching with its dive team, police boat and drone as the sun set Friday night. Winnipeg Police Service spokesman Const. Jay Murray said he spoke briefly with the boys family after 9 p.m. "I cant imagine what theyre feeling at this time; I cant even begin to imagine that. Incredibly tough... a very tragic set of circumstances, and I think its going to tug at the hearts of every parent and everyone in Winnipeg," Murray said. Police released Dariuss name and photo Friday night at his familys request, in case the boy was able to get out of the water and someone might have seen him. Police are asking residents who live along the Red River to keep an eye on the water or check video surveillance that may have captured the incident. "Were hoping for a positive outcome in this incident. We have to explore every possibility. Theres certainly a chance that the child had exited the water at some point," Murray said. The search was suspended until today after it started to get dark. "One thing that poses a challenge is when night hits. Its incredibly hard to search at nighttime," he said. President allows clearing of DCSL ethanol shipments Appeal by Harry Jayawardena View(s): View(s): While the Government continues the ban on ethanol, it has permitted clearing a batch of pre-ordered containers belonging to the Distilleries Company of Sri Lanka PLC (DCSL) on the presidents directive. This massive consignment of around 74 imported ethanol containers of DCSL held at the Colombo Port by Sri Lanka Customs under the ethanol import ban effective from January 1, 2020 has been released recently on the Directive of the Finance Ministry, a Customs Department official said. The department has released these ethanol containers imported by this company after considering the reasons for the delay in the arrival of the shipment and the clearance procedure due to COVID-19 outbreak, Additional Director General of Customs Sunil Jayarathna told the Business Times. The Treasury has directed the Customs to release the consignment of imported ethanol which had been seized at the port by department officials as the shipment arrived in the island after the date of ethanol import ban came into effect from January 1 this year. DCSL was allowed to clear the 74 containers on condition that no more imports of ethanol will be entertained by Customs. In a letter addressed to the Director General of Customs dated June 24, Treasury Secretary S.R. Attygalle has informed that President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has instructed to clear the consignment responding to a request made to him by DCSL Chairman Harry Jayawardena on June 11. According to the relevant gazette notification issued on the ethanol import prohibition, importers are allowed to clear the shipments of ethanol where the import orders had been made before the effective date of ethanol import ban, he disclosed. DCSL has made a pre-ordered shipment prior to January 1 2020 and the 74 imported ethanol containers with over one million litres of ethanol was not been cleared due to the COVID-19 curfew and lockdown. Customs Department is empowered to lift the seizure of such consignments by considering appeals of importers, case by case. This procedure is being carried out in accordance with two gazette notifications issued on the clearance of any imported goods for which an advance payment or order has been made before the effective date of prohibition, Mr. Jayarathna added. The import ban on ethanol was imposed to prevent the massive foreign exchange out flow from the country; a senior Treasury official said adding that it will save a sum of Rs. 1 billion for government coffers per annum. 54 ethanol import licenses were allotted during the previous regime of which 34 belonged to distillery companies. These companies are now compelled to purchase locally-made ethanol from three manufacturers including Pelawatta and Sevanagala Distilleries which produce sugarcane-based ethanol, he said. The Treasury has received excise revenue of Rs. 130 billion from the liquor industry and DCSL paid Rs. 58 billion in taxes to the government last year. Asked to comment, DCSL Chairman Harry Jayawardena told the Business Times that his company imported the 74 containers of ethanol placing the necessary import orders with its foreign buyers and opening LCs during the October 2019, way before the new January 1, 2020 suspension of the importation of ethanol, Proper procedure has been followed as the ethanol import license holder and all import duties and levies paid for the clearance of the consignment, he said. But there was delay in releasing the containers due to the COVID-19 curfew, he said adding that everything has been done legitimately and there was no issue with the government. DCSL used to import one million litres of ethanol per month mainly from South Africa, Pakistan, and Australia, in addition to purchasing the local product. (BS) A 15-year-old male has now been charged for his alleged involvement in three shootings, one of them fatal, that happened in the span of slightly more than 24 hours earlier this week. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 4/7/2020 (352 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. A 15-year-old male has now been charged for his alleged involvement in three shootings, one of them fatal, that happened in the span of slightly more than 24 hours earlier this week. He is co-accused with a 14-year-old male who was charged Friday. Police believe the two teens were acquaintances who were together during three shootings on July 1 and 2 that killed a 27-year-old woman and injured three others. Police have said they don't believe the victims knew the suspects, and investigators haven't released any information about what the shooters' motives were. "Its still immediately unclear what prompted these incidents," Winnipeg Police Service spokesman Const. Jay Murray told reporters during a news conference Saturday. The 14-year-old suspect alone is charged in a fourth shooting that happened July 1 between 2:30 a.m. and 3:15 a.m. in the 100 block of Isabel Street. A 17-year-old girl has been identified as the victim in that shooting, the Winnipeg Police Service announced Saturday. The 15-year-old male was arrested around 2:50 p.m. July 3 while he was at a residence on Dufferin Avenue. He remains in custody and is charged with first-degree murder, two counts of attempted murder, aggravated assault, discharging a firearm with intent, and two counts of failing to comply with court conditions. His arrest comes after the 14-year-old boy was arrested Thursday at a home in North Kildonan. Neither of the teen suspects can be identified publicly because of provisions in the Youth Criminal Justice Act. At Saturday's news conference, Murray was asked if the shootings were related to a gang initation. Police have not said whether the teen suspects were involved with gangs. "I dont have the answer to that and it would form part of the investigation still moving forward. Again, even though weve taken two people in custody and I can acknowledge that those are the two we are looking for, we dont anticipate any more arrests directly related to the shootings. There could be other arrests related to the investigation or charges laid, but there is still work to be done on this matter," Murray said. The shootings started around 2:30 a.m. July 1, when an injured 44-year-old man was found on Balmoral Street near Cumberland Avenue, after being hit by a vehicle. Police later learned the man had been shot before he was hit by the car. He was taken to hospital in critical but stable condition. Within the next 45 minutes, a 17-year-old girl and an unidentified male were shot at in the 100 block of Isabel Street, and they ran away without initially reporting the shooting to police. At 3:15 a.m., two people were shot while walking in the 400 block of Flora Avenue, about two kilometres north of where the first victim was found. Danielle Dawn Cote, 27, died of her injuries. The 18-year-old man she was walking with, her cousin, has been hospitalized. Early the next day, around 12:30 a.m., a 40-year-old man was shot at The Forks, in a popular spot near the illuminated Winnipeg sign and stage that typically plays host to the city's Canada Day celebrations. Another man was stabbed at the same time; both victims sought help and the 40-year-old man was hospitalized in stable condition. On Friday night, more than 40 people gathered in the 400 block of Flora Avenue where Cote was shot dead. They remembered her as a beautiful person who had been struggling with the death of her father in the past year. Her mother, Julie Black, said when she learned a 14-year-old had been charged in her daughter's homicide, "it totally flipped my script." "I want to say to the family of the young male: I forgive him... and I will pray for him, too," Black said Friday. W.R. (Billy) Clubb was known for many achievements. He was a prominent politician serving in numerous cabinet portfolios. His herds of shorthorn cattle were considered among the best in the province. He was an avid curler. He was also one of the first Manitobans to appear on television... an experience that turned out to be as humbling as it was exhilarating. The esteemed Clubb was soon to discover how unforgiving the television camera could be and that, just maybe, he had a face better suited for radio. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 4/7/2020 (352 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. W.R. (Billy) Clubb was known for many achievements. He was a prominent politician serving in numerous cabinet portfolios. His herds of shorthorn cattle were considered among the best in the province. He was an avid curler. He was also one of the first Manitobans to appear on television... an experience that turned out to be as humbling as it was exhilarating. The esteemed Clubb was soon to discover how unforgiving the television camera could be and that, just maybe, he had a face better suited for radio. Fifty of the provinces most prominent "movers and shakers" had gathered at Eatons department store on a pleasant Sept. 22, 1933, evening. The lieutenant-governor was on hand, as were the premier and several top cabinet ministers. The mayor of Winnipeg had been invited, along with numerous business and civic leaders. Having been treated to dinner, they were herded into the assembly hall on the seventh floor. Most didnt know what to expect, except that they were about to see something they had never seen before. They were there to witness a demonstration of what some called "long-distance seeing," better known as "television." Inside the assembly room stood a strange looking contraption that included a 10-inch screen attached to a large disc filled with holes. The "television set" and camera had been brought to Winnipeg by the Western Television Co. of Chicago. Similar demonstrations had already taken place in Toronto and Montreal. Master of ceremonies for the evening was D.R.P. (Darby) Coats, the provinces best-known radio personality and broadcasting pioneer. Coats had played a part in getting the countrys first radio station on the air in 1919, known as XWA in Montreal. He had then come to Manitoba to run the nations first publicly owned radio station, CKY Winnipeg. He waxed eloquent about the potential for television, even suggesting it might be used by police to catch criminals or firefighters to battle blazes. While others offered technical explanations of what was about to occur, Coats took a small group of "volunteers" seven floors down to Eatons Annex, where a studio had been set up that included a rather large camera that also had a disc attached to it. All was in readiness. Coats officially became the first Manitoban to be seen on television. Up on the seventh floor, the guests were amazed to see his face. While the picture was bouncy and far from perfect, he was reportedly recognizable and the voice was clear and distinct. Next up was the minister of education, Robert Hoey, who would have been happier just about anywhere else. According to newspaper accounts, "he murmured good evening to the TV audience and ducked quickly out of range." By contrast, the mayor, Ralph Webb "showed himself to be an able television performer" and even conducted a telephone conversation when he was on camera. The aforementioned Clubb did not fare nearly as well. Whatever words of wisdom the public works minister had for his small television audience were lost because of his appearance. "Owing to a peculiar feature of television," reported the Tribune, "his face and jowls showed what appeared to be a three-day growth of black beard." If it was any consolation, Clubb was hardly the only early TV participant who came off as less than telegenic. "Ones face might be as smooth as a billiard ball," lamented Coats, "and yet appear like Lincolns on the screen." Over the next week, thousands of Winnipeggers poured into Eatons to watch similar demonstrations that were part of an electronics exhibition staged at the department store. Local entertainers had a chance to perform in front of the camera to an audience seven floors above. Coatss four-year-old son Jim recalls being held up to the camera to say "Hi, Daddy." Manitobans, however, were far from ready to jump on the TV bandwagon. Most complained, noted Coats, that it wasnt up to movie-house standards. "The picture was of a sea-green colour, traversed by undulating lines, as if viewed through a trembling venetian blind. Ladies watched their friends singing before the microphone at the transmitting end and then went up by elevator to view the effect on the screen. Presently they would return to cheer the already jittery artist with, My dear, you look simply awful." Even the Chicago promoters admitted that television had "not arrived at the state of perfection where its constant showing would be palatable to the public just yet." In fact, the television people were watching in Winnipeg in 1933 would never become a reality. What Manitobans witnessed that week was something known as mechanical television. It was the brainchild of John Lougie Baird, an eccentric Scottish inventor who spent endless hours and most of his money trying to perfect his invention. According to legend, items used for his initial experiments were hat boxes, wood from a coffin, a cookie tin, string, glue and a bicycle lamp. Throughout the 1930s, mechanical TV would face a formidable rival in the contest for the dominant television technology. What would come to be known as electronic television, with its large picture tube and electronic camera gadgetry, would ultimately prove far more effective in capturing and transmitting an image. Mechanical television was relegated to the dust bin. That is not to say the Winnipeg demonstration did not spark considerable interest. Stories about the advancement and potential of television appeared regularly in local newspapers. Coats took a keen interest and would eventually play a role in bringing TV to Manitoba. During a visit to London in 1935, he was astounded at the investment the government-owned British Broadcasting Corp. was making in the new medium. That same year, television was the topic of a Winnipeg Tribune editorial. "It is obviously probable that before long, television may be a matter of more than academic interest to Canadians." Even a local clergyman got into the act. In 1939, Archbishop Alexander Harding toured England and during the course of his visit was plunked in front of a BBC television camera for a talk. On his return to Winnipeg, he cited the television experience as the most exciting event of the trip. A handful of Manitobans were not prepared to wait for the arrival of local television. In 1949, an employee of Trans Canada airlines named Len Thompson would lay claim to having the first television set in the city. He built it himself. Thompson then proceeded to construct an 18-metre-tall tower on his property at 187 Langevin Ave. to draw in distant signals. The closest station to Winnipeg at the time was KSTP in Minneapolis, which had gone on the air in 1948. A Tribune article in September 1951 reported that Thompson "already had four to five months of real pleasure in the last two years picking up programs from Minneapolis quite regularly and from New York, Cleveland and Detroit on (signal) skips." As the decade of the 1940s drew to a close, it was estimated about a dozen people in Winnipeg owned a TV. In just four years the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. would launch Manitobas first television station. What had seemed like a distant dream that September evening in 1933 was about to become a reality. Garry Moir has spent more than 50 years in the broadcasting industry and has written extensively about Manitoba radio history. His history vault features can be heard daily on CJNU radio 93.7 FM. I teach in gender studies, where I spend time with university students discussing critical issues that shape our society power, violence, racism and colonialism. My students learn that histories are complicated and alive in the present. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 4/7/2020 (352 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Opinion I teach in gender studies, where I spend time with university students discussing critical issues that shape our society power, violence, racism and colonialism. My students learn that histories are complicated and alive in the present. Yet at a recent Black Lives Matter march in Winnipeg, I was struck by two simple messages: one protester wore a T-shirt that read "Be kind" and another walked by with a sign saying: "Get your knee off our necks." The message to "be kind" seemed to gesture to another world, a world in which one white knee could not possibly have the power to end one Black life. The second message drove home the fact that we live nowhere close to such a world. Instead, we live in a world where "normal" means systemic injustice that has become only more intense and apparent during COVID19. We live in a world where white women like me dont have to teach our white kids to keep our hands on the wheel if stopped by police. We dont have to tell them never to talk back, always to agree, always to do exactly as they are told. We can say to them that they need to treat others with kindness and respect and that they deserve and can expect the same in return. Make use of power Canada could be better in a post-COVID-19 world if all of us recognize and make use of the power of our everyday actions toward social justice. We cannot be comfortable in a world where some of us are afforded kindness and respect, taught to expect it, and others are not. During the pandemic, we have seen our ability to act in alignment with public health measures. As a result, we have all contributed to the success of reducing the spread and severity of this virus. But unlike COVID-19, injustice does not spread by accident. Injustice is about power: who has access to it and who does not. The norm of present-day inequities stems from a history of colonialism in which white men with access to power built systems that benefited them at the expense of others. Whether we look historically at the Canadian government starvation policy that helped to clear the Prairies of Indigenous people to make room for white settlers, the 200 years of slavery in Canada or the legal enforcement of womens subordinate status, we find a common theme: only propertied white men counted as fully human, and therefore they were the only ones who received rights, recognition and respect. Altering the status quo Although such an idea is counter to the equality touted in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, we witness its continued effects in multiple forms for example, in the climate of anti-Black racism and ongoing violence against Indigenous women, girls and two-spirit people. Yet we also see a groundswell of support for Black Lives Matter in the wake of the murder of George Floyd. In large enough numbers, people with access to less power can alter the status quo. It is crucial to name a problem in this case, systemic injustice in order to make it visible. The naming is important because it allows us to understand that the violence follows a pattern. But naming alone does not make change happen. Action does. Calls for "systemic change" seem big and complicated, like the histories that brought us to this moment. But the systems that need changing do not exist in some separate realm. They are made up of people who make decisions every day, decisions about how to act and about who matters. Similarly, peoples experiences of unjust structures are not structural. They are personal, the result of the actions of others actions rooted in the belief that some people matter more than others. Actions could equally be rooted in another belief: the belief that everyone is equally human. No one is an object and so no one should be objectified. Everyone is equally human We do need systemic change. We cannot accept a status quo of racialized and gendered violence. We are not equally implicated in the structures that operate unjustly, but we all do interact daily with other people (even if those interactions take place at a physical distance these days). Those interactions give us the opportunity to act in line with the belief that everyone is equally human, and equally entitled to the rights, recognition and respect historically granted only to the few. It has taken centuries to build up unjust structures. They will not disappear quickly. Yet it is also true that unjust structures require unjust beliefs to hold them up. Taking apart the structures goes hand in hand with challenging the beliefs. Millions of protesters have stood up against the institutionalized belief that Black lives do not matter. Black Lives Matter. It is incumbent upon all of us, particularly those with access to power, to act in alignment with a status quo of justice and respect. "Be kind." Its true that it is a simple imperative. It might be a good place to start. Be kind. Learn our collective history. Act in kind and respectful ways, every day. End the violence. Jocelyn Thorpe is an associate professsor of women's and gender studies and history at the University of Manitoba. This article was first published at The Conversation Canada: theconversation.com/ca. The severe weather that hit Manitoba in the past week can be a dramatic reminder of the urgency of slowing climate change. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 3/7/2020 (353 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. The severe weather that hit Manitoba in the past week can be a dramatic reminder of the urgency of slowing climate change. Anyone arguing, "Weve always had hot summers!" is correct. But weather authorities say heat waves like the one that baked Winnipeg, and torrential rain that caused flooding in Westman, are likely to become more common in coming years. For the 30-year period ending in 2005, Winnipeg averaged 14.3 days a year when temperatures exceeded 30 C. But as the Earths average temperature warms owing to climate change, that increase isnt proving to be evenly distributed. According to a 2019 Weather Network report, evidence shows that the climate is warming in Canada up to two times as quickly as elsewhere. And that means, according to the latest climate models from the Prairie Climate Centres Climate Atlas, the average number of 30 C days in Winnipeg is expected to rise between 2050 and 2080 to 52.1 days per year. Heat waves are already hard on the elderly and marginalized people, who may not be able to get relief from oppressively hot temperatures. As the Main Street Projects Cindy Titus noted this week, with many public spaces closed owing to the COVID-19 pandemic, there arent many places for people who are homeless to avoid overheating. An increase in prolonged high temperatures will have greater impact on peoples health, and could be fatal. It also increases the risk of drought that hits agricultural producers particularly hard, as well as forest fires that endanger rural and northern communities. Along with hotter average temperatures, another grim feature of climate change is the increased frequency of severe weather events. Thats something Manitobans in the Westman area experienced this week. Torrential rainfall led to flooding in many areas, deluging Brandon and the surrounding area. On Thursday, the provincial government warned water levels on Lake Wahtopanah had risen more than four feet above the level set in 2011. Infrastructure Minister Ron Schuler described it as a once-in-1,000-year event. That led to concerns about the integrity of the dam at Rivers, adjacent to the lake. Engineers did not have confidence in the dam, which wasnt built to handle this amount of water, and residents in the area were advised to evacuate and remove livestock. Like droughts, sudden flooding can ruin farm land. And, as Environment Minister Catherine McKenna pointed out to the Weather Network, it can drive insurance premiums up over time as more claims for water damage are made. The changes necessary to slow climate change may seem intimidatingly huge, but reaction to the COVID-19 pandemic offers hope that momentous measures are possible when it matters greatly. Governments around the world are taking action to combat the pandemic, with early successes being recorded by those that have embraced the formation of policy based on science and with an eye to both long-term prevention and reducing damage. Like climate change, combating the pandemic takes buy-in from the general public in addition to government support that enables people to do so. Weve known for a long time that mitigating the damage from climate change is expensive, and that the need to prevent it from accelerating is urgent. Shifting economies to become carbon neutral, or potentially carbon negative, will be expensive but the bills are already coming due for decisions to put off adequate action. Like the COVID-19 curve, the effects of climate change are likely to increase disastrously in human lives and in economic terms the longer we do nothing. More than three months after rolling out $4.5 million for online therapy services that thousands of Manitobans have since accessed the province says it has not signed a formal contract with the Ontario firm providing them. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 3/7/2020 (352 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. More than three months after rolling out $4.5 million for online therapy services that thousands of Manitobans have since accessed the province says it has not signed a formal contract with the Ontario firm providing them. The province announced in late March it was partnering with Toronto-based Morneau Shepell to launch a cognitive behavioural therapy program to help Manitobans during the pandemic. It said it would spend $4.5 million to provide the online service for up to one year. According to a freedom of information request by the provincial NDP, "no record exists" of any tender for services or contract with Morneau Shepell. In an email response, a government spokesman said: "The government signed a term sheet with Morneau Shepell earlier this year, and is working to finalize the contract." He would not share terms of the agreement or say how much of the $4.5 million has been spent to date. NDP Opposition Leader Wab Kinew said Friday the agreement lacks proper oversight. "Theres definitely a lack of proper procedure here, with a (huge) corporation being handed millions of dollars of public money with little more than a press release attached to it," Kinew said. Morneau Shepell employs close to 6,000 employees and works with 24,000 client organizations in 162 countries. In 2019, the annual revenue of the company, which is publicly traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange, grew by 23 per cent to $888.9 million. "This arrangement that the province came up with pushed local practitioners out of getting the work," said Kinew. The Tory government led by Premier Brian Pallister sole-sourced it to an out-of-province corporation, the NDP leader said. "This was never put out as an RFP or tendered as work available to local clinicians." Had it been, Manitoba therapists couldve come together to offer their services, Kinew said. The province has said 80 to 90 Manitoba therapists are on Morneau Shepells roster. The Toronto firm is still profiting from Manitoba tax dollars with the people doing the work just getting a cut, said Kinew. "Why are we paying (the company) an administration fee and not keeping more of the money here in Manitoba to provide services to Manitobans?" he said. Health Minister Cameron Friesen said Thursday the company was hired because it could provide much-needed therapy right away, to everyone who needed it during the coronavirus pandemic. "We needed to act with haste in respect of the very significant engagement that we made with Morneau Shepell to provide this online, virtual access to care for an unlimited number of Manitobans," Friesen said. As of Thursday, 2,574 Manitobans have used the program (AbilitiCBT) that can be accessed through a smartphone, tablet or computer and doesnt require a doctors referral. Clients are paired with the same therapist for the 12-week duration of an individual program. "Were very proud of this engagement," Friesen said Thursday at a news conference. "We were the first province to say, Listen: COVID-19 has a very dramatic, real and demonstrable effect, a measurable effect, on the lives of people," he said. "Then, there is the effect thats less easy to measure on our psyche, on our mental health that is no less real. carol.sanders@freepress.mb.ca OTTAWA - Migrant workers and other non-permanent residents many of whom have been working on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic took to the streets in cities across Canada on Saturday, calling on Ottawa to grant them greater rights and protections. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 4/7/2020 (352 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Demonstrators gathered in front of Immigration Minister Marco Mendicino's office in Toronto after the deaths of three migrant workers who contracted COVID-19 to demand full immigration status for all non-permanent residents in Canada in order to extend the benefits of healthcare, emergency income support and labour protections, Saturday, July 4, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Galit Rodan OTTAWA - Migrant workers and other non-permanent residents many of whom have been working on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic took to the streets in cities across Canada on Saturday, calling on Ottawa to grant them greater rights and protections. Temporary foreign farm labourers, care workers, international students and undocumented workers who have been working throughout the pandemic as "essential workers" say they are being left behind by the Canadian government. "Our people are literally starving. People are dying, not even to grow food, but to grow flowers and grapes for wine. Domestic workers are trapped in homes by employers who won't let them out because migrants are seen as carriers of disease," said Syed Hussan, executive director of Migrant Workers Alliance for Change. "COVID-19 has exacerbated an existing crisis." Many migrant workers have fallen ill and cannot access medical treatment, while others have not received wage top-ups offered to other essential workers. Meanwhile, migrant or undocumented workers and asylum seekers who have lost employment due to the pandemic are ineligible for emergency income supports such as the Canadian Emergency Response Benefit, making them even more vulnerable. It all stems from their non-permanent status in Canada. Canada's labour laws, social services, health care and education systems offer different levels of access to non-permanent residents a reality that advocates have long decried as intrinsically unjust. The pandemic has now exacerbated those inequities and has placed migrant workers at significant personal risk, Hussan said. "What we weren't planning for is the absolute misery and chaos that would be caused in a public health pandemic," he said. Demonstrations organized by the Migrant Rights Network were held Saturday in Montreal, Toronto, Vancouver and Halifax in front of offices of members of Parliament, including the office of federal Immigration Minister Marco Mendicino. Around 100 protesters plastered Mendicinos Toronto office windows with posters of Juan Lopez Chapparo, Bonifacio Eugenio Romero, and Rogelio Munez Santos three migrant workers who died from the COVID-19 virus in June while working on Ontario farms. Their demands to Mendicino and to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau were simple: provide full immigration status to all migrants who are working in Canada. Alina Przybyl, a member of Migrant Students United, says the struggles migrants face in Canada are wide and vary from person to person, but that all migrants in Canada face a two-tier immigration system that favours the wealthy and privileged. "I cant speak for everyone but I think I can say that everyone (who has migrated to Canada) has a story like what were hearing here," Pryzybyl said. Participants in the Montreal demonstration, which was attended by a few hundred people Saturday morning, held signs that read, "Status for all" and "We are all essential," among others. "It feels very sad that people who have been providing essential services to our society have been left behind," said Elroy Ribas, a migrant worker from Mexico. "One of the things that made me feel very proud about living in Canada is that people care. But in this context we haven't seen that." The federal Liberals have said they are working on a program to grant permanent residency specifically to asylum-seekers working in health care during the COVID-19 pandemic. Many of their refugee applications are in limbo due to a backlog at the Immigration and Refugee Board and further delays caused by the pandemic, meaning their status in Canada remains uncertain in the long term. But Hussan says the government should commit to regularizing the status of all non-permanent residents, not just a select few. "Everyone must have the same rights, the same protections. That's only possible if everyone has the same status," Hussan said. Floriane Payo, an asylum seeker from Cameroon who came to Canada last year, joined the rally in Montreal on Saturday to demand status for herself and others who've been working throughout the COVID-19 pandemic who are not in the health-care sector. Payo was working in a call centre in Montreal at the height of the pandemic in March and April, but the company closed temporarily in April, she said, after a worker tested positive for COVID-19. It would be unfair for the government to regularize the status health-care workers only, she said. "We too are essential workers," said Payo. This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 4, 2020. With files from Jillian Kestler-D'Amours in Montreal and Jake Kivanc in Toronto. "John Lewis: Good Trouble" derives its title from a favorite saying of the civil-rights icon and longtime congressman, but "Being John Lewis" -- and witnessing the effect he has on those who meet him -- might be equally apt. A fitting if slightly disjointed tribute, the CNN Films documentary is somehow both timely and timeless in honoring a man who has spent his entire adult life in the public arena. "When you see something that is not right ... say something! Do something!" Lewis is shown saying, time and again, in speeches and appearances, counseling his audiences on the periodic need for "good trouble, necessary trouble." For Lewis, shown in his early 20s as a Freedom Rider, at the March on Washington and walking across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in 1965, that has included enduring beatings by police and dozens of arrests, some of which, he adds wryly, came during his time in Congress. "The reason why he's effective as a leader is because he's lived it," says the late Elijah Cummings, one of several congressional colleagues -- including Nancy Pelosi, Alexandria Ocasio- Cortez, Rashida Tlaib, Ayanna Pressley, Ilhan Omar and Cory Booker -- who provide perspective and anecdotes, along with Bill and Hillary Clinton. Much is made, amusingly, of the awe that Lewis inspires among people, recognizing that encountering the 80-year-old legislator is essentially a direct link to some of US history's signature events. An aide quips that walking through an airport with him takes far longer than the actual number of steps required. Because Lewis became an activist at an early age, his biography is given relatively short shrift. The most salient personal details -- provided in part by Lewis' siblings -- surround his courtship and marriage to his wife, Lillian, who died in 2012. Directed by Dawn Porter ("Bobby Kennedy for President"), the film's strongest asset is inevitably the extensive access enjoyed to Lewis himself, who speaks eloquently about the nation's long road to justice and equality ("We're not quite there yet"), his emotional response to Barack Obama's election and his commitment to fight for what he believes ("As long as I have breath in my body, I will do what I can"). In terms of drawbacks, the film hopscotches around a bit too much, jumping back and forth in time -- a byproduct, perhaps, of the volume of ground there is to cover, a trait also evident in Hulu's recent four-part Hillary Clinton biography, "Hillary." The filmmakers are also there to observe election night in 2018, capturing the exultation when the Democrats took back the House. That victory aside, the erosion of the Voting Rights Act that Lewis fought to enact in the 1960s is presented as a call to action and a focal point of the work yet to be done. Beyond previously unseen material, the most intriguing interlude highlights Lewis' 1986 campaign for his Georgia congressional seat, against longtime friend and fellow civil-rights activist Julian Bond. The bare-knuckles nature of that contest temporarily frayed their relationship -- they're shown conducting an awkward interview after the race -- displaying a tougher side to Lewis that offers some balance to his saintly image. Mostly, though, "Good Trouble" appears content to bask in Lewis' larger-than-life persona, which includes a grandfatherly elder-statesman status that allows him to refer to 47-year-old Beto O'Rourke, the former Texas congressman and presidential candidate, as "this kid." Lewis -- who is battling pancreatic cancer -- was not much more than a kid when he marched alongside Martin Luther King Jr., and has seemingly lived three lives since then. That's why despite the documentary's uneven aspects, his legacy is ample motivation for any student of history to see "Good Trouble" as a good investment. "John Lewis: Good Trouble" will be available in select theaters and on demand beginning July 3. President Trump is planning to head to South Dakota on Friday for an early Fourth of July celebration. The function will include a fireworks show over Mount Rushmore, which has not been done in a decade. The event has already faced criticism for the risks it carries during a pandemic. Governor Kristi Noem told Fox News that there will be no social distancing enforced at the holiday event, citing an emphasis on "personal responsibility" to keep people safe. The risks of the event reach beyond public health. Mount Rushmore has not seen fireworks in 10 years because the ecology of the area makes it easily susceptible to wildfires. The surrounding area, Black Hills National Forest, contains large populations of Ponderosa pine trees. Ponderosas are undergoing an infestation of pine beetles, which kill trees and create forests full of fire kindling. According to the National Park Service, "Ponderosa pine is highly flammable and burns with great intensity and severity in the summer season in a typical dry year." Intensity measures fire output and severity measures the impact of a fire on the surrounding ecology. Former wildland firefighter, Bill Gabbert, said he's concerned about a lack of transparency about the trees' safety. "For years South Dakota state Incident Commanders and local public information personnel have been the primary distributors of information about developing fires being fought by state personnel," he said, but that information distribution appears to have slowed. One valuable piece of data is the probability of ignition, a number calculated from shading, temperature, and dryness values. The higher the number, the greater the risk for fire. "The probability of ignition is not a political issue, it is science. A PI higher than 10% could put the public and the natural resources at risk." Pine beetle infestations are made more dangerous when combined weather conditions that feed wildfires. "July can be a dry and hot time that leaves the forest around the monument vulnerable to wildfires," said CNN meteorologist Brandon Miller. "This year, the Black Hills Region in South Dakota is currently in a Moderate Drought, according to the US Drought Monitor, making the risk particularly high." The good news is that the weather may be somewhat cooperative. The National Weather Service is not planning to issue a "red-flag warning," the agency's signal for increased fire risk, this weekend. A red-flag warning is triggered by wind gusts of over 25 mph, combined with humidity of 15% or less, according to Rapid City National Weather Service. This weekend is not expected to be that dry nor that windy. In February, the National Park Service conducted its own survey of wildlife risks from fireworks, which informed its decision to proceed with the event this weekend. The report does suggest risks from a dry environment. "A wildfire in a dry year would be more likely to result in a high-consequence fire burning" in the areas around the memorial, said the NPS. Such a fire could last for twelve hours, and the report details a line of decision-making to account for dry conditions. The report emphasizes a low frequency of fires in the area, and the ability to contain fires if need be. "A significant wildfire has not occurred in the area within and surrounding the Memorial in more than a century," according to the NPS. "Previous fireworks displays resulted in 21 wildfire ignitions, which were quickly suppressed for safety and structural protection purposes." Like many national parks, both the Mount Rushmore Memorial and Black Hills National Park do not allow the burning of personal campfires, or the ignition of fireworks by visitors. Rising demand for export of face masks and surgical products By Jayampathy Jayasinghe View(s): View(s): Manufacturers of Board of Investment (BOI) companies and other export oriented companies will be exempt from an import ban, as their contribution is through value addition and exports. The main purpose of introducing new regulations relating to imports and exports was to stem the flow of outward remittances to protect the local manufacturing industry, said the Controller-Operational, Department of Imports and Exports Control K.G.R. Wimalasooriya during a recent National Chamber of Commerce webinar on imports and exports related to business issues faced by the business community. He said the gazette notification pertaining to regulations have listed 90-odd items classified as non- essential and banned products for three months period with effect from April this year. However the list that contain 26 items deemed as essential raw materials for the manufacturing industry can be imported into the country. While restricting the importation of certain items we have also given a chance to the manufacturing industry. Meanwhile a technical evaluation committee has been set up to look into the requirement of manufacturers, he said. Controller-General of Imports and Exports of the Department of Imports and Exports Ms. T.V.D Damayanthi S. Karunaratne, answering a question raised, said that the importation of agricultural products in bulk has been banned as it would affect the local farmers. Nevertheless import of such items for value addition for exports will depend on the availability of such agricultural products in the local market. The Export Agriculture Department and the Ministry of Plantation will be able to advise exporters as agricultural imports have been totally banned, she said. Director Trade Facilitation and Trade Information Sri Lanka Export Development Board S.R.P. Indrakeeethi, responding to a question, said that a number products for exports has been identified through trade inquiries from overseas buyers that include items such as face masks, ventilators and health care equipment and food products like spices and fruits etc. The Export Development Board website provides information to local exporters on market information. Assistant Controller Department of Imports and Exports Control M.K.U.S. Fernando, replying to a question, said that the import of brake pads for vehicles and for agricultural vehicles has also been banned. Meanwhile the Additional Director General Sri Lanka Customs, Sunil Jayaratne said the backlog of cargo piled up at the port is gradually being cleared. The moderator of the panel discussion was Chrisso de Mel, Director (Group Shipping Department) Hayleys Plc. The Secretary General/CEO of the National Chamber of Commerce Bandula Dissanayake presided at the webinar dialogue. UTICA- This Independence Day, Congressman Anthony Brindisi is thanking men and women in uniform for their service. Today we celebrate what it means to be American. I hope everyone across Upstate celebrates responsibly and safely. It is important to honor the sacrifices of our brave men and women who put themselves in harms way each and every day to defend our freedoms, and recommit to our work to form a more perfect Union for generations to come. Our dedication to liberty and independence helped us build the greatest country in the world, and today we celebrate those values that make us proud to be American. ROME N.Y.-Motorists driving through the City of Rome will notice banners on street posts. The banners say "Keep the Spirit!" and "Rome United!". Usually the banners are put up in the days leading up to "Honor America Days". But thanks to a generous donation from Woodmen Insurance, these new banners were created specifically for this year. In early May, Rome Mayor Jackie Izzo announced the Honor America Days celebration was cancelled. The annual celebration in its 36th year was supposed to be much larger this year, as the City of Rome celebrates its 150th anniversary. The Banners are located along James and Dominick Streets in Downtown Rome. In the year before Dave Dukes killed a man who was trying to rob the store where he worked, he'd witnessed three other robberies. After each of them, Dukes, 28, would say later, he'd asked his supervisors at Dollar General to put in a security guard. But, according to Dukes, his bosses didn't do that though, because of how many robberies he'd been through, they did start sending him out to train employees at other stores. After the third robbery, Dukes started bringing a gun to work. Then, in October 2019, the fourth robbery happened. According to the local prosecutor's office, a man entered the store with a gun and demanded money from the cashier. When Dukes tried to intervene, the man Roosevelt Rappley, just 23 years old pointed his gun at Dukes. Then Dukes pulled out his own gun and shot Rappley, killing him. A grand jury in Ohio reviewed the case and found Dukes "acted lawfully under the circumstances," according to the prosecutor's office. But by then Dukes was out of a job, allegedly having been fired by Dollar General for violating company policy. Dollar General's 2019 policy said that possession of a firearm on the company premises may result in termination. Dollar General declined to say why Dukes was terminated, saying in an email that it does not comment publicly on specific employment situations. The company said it does not retaliate "against employees who make good faith reports of safety concerns." It also maintains that the safety of its employees is a top priority. Rappley's family is still trying to process his death eight months after the robbery. Rappley's sister Jasmine Jessery said in an interview that she didn't hold a grudge toward Dukes. "He was protecting himself," she said. Jessery described her brother as a kind person who had linked up with the wrong crowd. "Everything went sour" then, she said. A thriving business Business is booming at Dollar General, the chain adding more stores every year than any other retailer in America. That was the case even before the coronavirus pandemic, but Dollar General has been in an even stronger position during the pandemic as price-conscious consumers stock up on essential items. Dollar General has kept its stores open since the coronavirus hit, and its stock price has rallied 23% since the beginning of the year even as the S&P 500 has lost 5%. In March, the company announced a goal of hiring up to 50,000 new workers to meet increased customer demand. Former executives, store employees, law enforcement officials and retail security experts told CNN Business that while the company's low-cost, no-frills model might be embraced by Wall Street, it is putting its workers at risk. Dollar General stores, which process a high number of cash transactions, are a prime target for armed robberies, they said. Some of the former company officials and current and former employees spoke on the condition of anonymity either to discuss internal conversations or for fear that speaking out would impact their jobs. "Every night I was just waiting for there to be a phone call that said, 'Hey we've lost somebody,'" Brian Flannery, who oversaw security at around 2,000 Dollar General stores in the northeast as a divisional loss prevention director from 2011 to 2015, said. "It wasn't a matter there [of] if you were going to have a bad robbery. It was a matter of when." At least six Dollar General employees have died during robberies since 2016, according to a review of news and police reports. And while the FBI doesn't specifically track robberies at dollar stores as it does those which occur at convenience stores and gas stations other robbery targets police have warned company managers that its stores are vulnerable. In a statement in response to this story, Dollar General said, "We employ a number of measures designed to create and maintain a safe work environment for our employees and a safe shopping environment for our customers, all while protecting company assets." The company said its safety and security measures take federal and state laws, retail industry standards and law enforcement recommendations into account and its measures are "designed to prevent, deter and if necessary, respond to criminal activity in our stores." "Our employees are our greatest asset. Their safety and security is of paramount importance," Dollar General added. The problem of robberies isn't exclusive to Dollar General. In an interview with CNN Business, Jason Hall, a lieutenant with the Dayton Police Department, described local dollar stores as "robbery magnets." He has tracked robberies at local chains including Dollar Tree, Family Dollar and Dollar General over the last few years and Dollar General, by far, had the most incidents. In Dayton alone, police were called to 86 robberies at just seven Dollar General stores between 2016 and 2019. Robberies at Dollar General locations accounted for 29% of the 80 commercial robberies in the city in 2019, according to figures provided by the department. Dollar General declined to comment on how much it spends annually on crime prevention or any specific measures in its stores to protect workers and prevent robberies "as to do so potentially compromises the integrity of those measures, provides a roadmap to would-be wrongdoers and may place customers and employees at risk." Growing at a price As other retailers have struggled in recent years, dollar stores have enjoyed breakneck growth. The Great Recession, slow wage growth and widening inequality in America had all boosted discount retailers. Now the pandemic is as well. The two largest players are Dollar General and Dollar Tree, which bought Family Dollar in 2015. There are a few differences between the chains. At Dollar Tree, for example, all items are exactly $1. The stores tend to be in middle-class suburban areas. Dollar General's more than 16,000 stores, on the other hand, sell items largely in the $1 to $10 range, meaning there is more cash in registers. That makes stores more susceptible to robberies, according to retail security experts. Dollar General stores are predominantly located in rural areas. About 75% of its stores are in towns with fewer than 20,000 people. Todd Vasos, the company's CEO, has described his core customers as struggling Americans. Dollar General's primary customers make $40,000 a year or below per household. "We do very good in good times and we do fabulous in bad times," Vasos said on a call with Wall Street analysts in May. "We're very, very bullish on what post-Covid looks like because...I think we're very well positioned no matter what this economy does to both our core customer and to the customer overall." Investors like Dollar General because it's been relentless at making more with less: less real estate, less labor and smaller product sizes than its larger big-box competitors. In its latest fiscal year, Walmart's US stores had a 5.1% operating profit margin before taxes; Dollar General stores boasted an 8.3% margin an indicator that Dollar General is more efficient at keeping costs low and turning sales into profits. Since 2010, Dollar General's annual profits have increased five-fold and its stock has surged more than 800%. Its locations have nearly doubled, and now the chain boasts more US stores than Walmart, Kroger, Costco and Home Depot combined. A record 25,000 retail stores are expected to close this year, but Dollar General still plans to open 1,000 new locations in 2020, or roughly 20 new stores a week. But the company's low-cost approach often comes at the expense of employees, former executives said. Efforts to keep costs down have also kept the company's leadership from wanting to take bigger steps on security, these executives said. Visibility inside the stores is often poor for workers because of the design, according to law enforcement officials. Stores tend to be small and crowded, with high shelves and piles of boxes and carts lining the aisles. Some police patrolling outside complain that it's difficult to see inside because windows are covered with advertisements and signs. Dollar General said in an email that "we continually review and, as needed, adapt operating procedures and store layout [and] fixturing." Staffing is intentionally kept at a minimum, often with just one or two low-wage employees on site at any given time, former executives said. And although store registers are often flush with cash because it's what many customers use to pay, security guards are rarely on the premises. Security guards were viewed as costly to the company's bottom line, the former executives also said. One former Dollar General executive described the difficulty in convincing other company leaders that security guards could deliver a positive return on investment. "We certainly didn't get a return having somebody standing there and paying $10 or $12 an hour," the former executive said. "Out of the 13,000 stores when I was there, probably less than 100 stores had some type of outside security." Another of the former Dollar General executives, who focused on security, said he was "heavily chastised" for frequently going over budget on monthly guard expenses. Adding staff to stores would have also jeopardized the low-cost model. "It's a low margin business, so you have to have low labor [costs] to make a profit," said one of the former executives. "Putting more labor in the stores took away from the profit, or you have to raise prices. And there was no appetite to raise prices because it's a low-price business." The company has invested in interactive security monitoring services. At thousands of stores in higher-crime neighborhoods or that have experienced frequent incidents, cameras are monitored by offsite security agents. The agents can communicate with employees in the store and make public announcements over the loudspeakers letting customers know they are on camera. If the agents see a robbery or suspicious activity at the store, they can alert the local police. There are also two-way phones and panic buttons that employees can press to talk directly with a security agent if they are in distress. Interface Security Systems, one of the services that Dollar General uses, boasts on its website that its technology helps companies reduce security guard costs by 88%. Dollar General also has used iVerify, another off-site monitoring company. Earlier this year, Securitas Electronic Security acquired the customer contracts of iVerify. The remote monitoring systems can be effective at deterring shoplifting inside the store, according to experts. But unlike human security guards who can act as a visible, physical deterrent, they are less effective at deterring robberies, according to police, former employees at iVerify and Interface, and retail security consultants. One former iVerify executive said, "it's rare that you're going to be looking at a video when the robbery occurs." He said the remote monitoring was better-suited for investigating robberies after they occurred. Securitas, the company that now owns iVerify's customer contracts, did not respond to request for comment. A representative for Interface said "there is a place for both remote interactive monitoring and security guards in most retail chains" and that its interactive remote monitoring systems with live video and two-way audio were a strong crime deterrent. When robberies do occur, some of the former Dollar General executives said, the company offered reactive, short-term measures such as adding a security guard to a store for a few weeks. "It was literally whack-a-mole. You would get the okay to spend cash when there was an incident. A reactive security program in that kind of environment is not what you're looking for," said Flannery, the former divisional loss prevention director at Dollar General. Dollar General said it disagreed with Flannery's characterization of its security efforts and that it doesn't believe "those assertions are supported by facts." The safety concerns take a toll on some workers. When Kenya Slaughter works the cash register at a Dollar General in Alexandria, Louisiana, she makes sure she has enough $1 and $10 bills in the drawer, so she won't have to go back into the safe. When she has to take out money from the safe behind the register, she "strategically positions herself" so she's not opening it with her back turned. Still, potential robbers "know we don't have security and that people are in there alone," she said. Indeed, Dollar General employees told NBC News in a report last month that they've been stabbed, shot and held at gunpoint. Significant 'shrink' In recent years, Dollar General has focused on solving another problem. Current and former staffers said there was an intense urgency to combat "shrink" or merchandise lost due to shoplifting, employee theft or inventory errors. In its latest annual report filed in March, Dollar General called the problem "significant," noting that "higher rates of inventory shrinkage or increased security or other costs to combat inventory theft could adversely affect our results of operations and financial condition." The sources said they felt that the company prioritized reducing "shrink" over preventing robberies, which had a human toll. "In the two years I sat in the executive meetings, I never remember anybody bringing up armed robberies as a problem. We talked about loss of product and store manager turnover," said one former top Dollar General executive. "The people that are below the store manager level are just a commodity." The obsession with reducing shrink was often turned inward, with Dollar General treating some of its own workers with constant suspicion, said Tracy Vargas, an assistant professor of sociology and criminal justice at the University of North Carolina at Pembroke. Vargas worked as a clerk at Dollar General in 2014 and 2015 for her PhD dissertation on dollar stores at Syracuse University. She also interviewed 50 employees from across the country. In her dissertation, she described workers being treated like criminals with surveillance cameras often focused on their activities rather than on customers. Dollar General said its "understanding is that Ms. Vargas's employment with the company was intended solely to validate her preconceived notions regarding the company for purposes of a book that she was writing, rather than in furtherance of serving the customers and communities that rely on us." It added: "We categorically deny the assertions." A 13-foot poster in the store backroom, known as the Shrink Chart, displayed performance statistics including the number of times each employee voided cash register transactions that week, Vargas said. (A large number of voided transactions or price checks could be interpreted by managers as a sign of employee theft.) Meanwhile, Dollar General provides little training on how to handle robberies, sources told CNN Business. Former store workers, including Dukes and Vargas, described when they were first hired being shown a simulation video of a robbery. There are no hands-on drills and they did not have to review the video annually, some of these sources said. In some stores, signs are posted in back rooms giving employees directions on what to do "should the unlikely event of robbery occur." Vargas told CNN Business that Dollar General employees are "sitting ducks" and "considered to be profit risks to the corporation's bottom line." "Employees are alone, exposed, and at the mercy of whomever [decides] to walk through the door that day," she said. Law enforcement raises concerns In some cities, local officials have urged Dollar General management to take more steps to prevent violent crime. They say their warnings have largely gone ignored. Dayton police have prepared reports on crime at local Dollar General, Dollar Tree and Family Dollar stores. On February 1, 2017, members of the department presented a Dollar General divisional loss prevention director with a 32-slide PowerPoint deck detailing the factors the department believes to be "enabling factors" in robberies. The factors included blocked windows, high shelves, lack of maintenance outside the stores and lack of security guards in high-incident locations. It's a "fairly large issue for us," Hall, the Dayton Police Department lieutenant, told CNN Business. "We've made a lot of recommendations to try to improve these situations. We have noticed that not many of these recommendations have been implemented or fully implemented." Dollar General said it "enjoys frequent communication with the Dayton Police Department" and that it implemented the department's exterior maintenance suggestions in 2017. The company claimed the department did not provide "specific store safety and security measures." A representative for Dollar Tree, which owns Family Dollar, said "working with and supporting local law enforcement is absolutely important to us. We continually refine our security program, which includes cooperating with local police departments to share photos and videos to support their investigations." In St. Louis, where there have been "high calls for police service for larcenies, disturbances [and] hold-ups" at Dollar General and Family Dollar in recent years, "implementing security is often suggested and ignored," said Rich Sykora, an attorney for the city of St. Louis. "We will take a fresh look at the St. Louis market and implement the appropriate steps," a Dollar Tree representative responded. In rural Effingham County, Georgia, Sheriff Jimmy McDuffie said three of the five Dollar General stores in the area have been hit in recent years. "We don't call them dollar stores. We call them stop and robs," he said. McDuffie presented a list of safety concerns to Dollar General stores in the county, he said, including recommendations to improve lighting and limit the number of boxes piled up inside the stores, which can make it difficult for officers to see inside. "Put in some security measures," he urged. "Light the parking lots up." "They say they're going to do better, but it doesn't seem to come to fruition," he told CNN Business. And in the Pee Dee region of South Carolina, there have been a string of robberies at Dollar General stores over the past year. "None of the stores have added outside cameras that could potentially capture the mode of transportation and the direction of travel for suspects," said Tammy Erwin, a deputy at the Marion County Sheriff's Office in South Carolina. "There are no security officers at any time. There are shifts with only one employee working in the entire store," she said. She added that she wonders why Dollar General won't implement "a buddy-system of employees, so that no one is alone in the store." Dollar General's 2019 handbook of operating procedures says "at a minimum, two employees must be involved in the closing process. For safety purposes, always use the buddy system." But there is no mention of similar policy for opening stores in the morning or at other hours of the day. The company says it "tries to minimize the time that employees are alone in the store." The company said it has received "no formal safety and security policy change" from the sheriff's offices in Effingham County, Georgia, and Marion County, South Carolina. Dollar General said it was "aware of a single request from a member of law enforcement in St. Louis," who requested that Dollar General implement facial recognition software from a company "in which we understood the individual to have a personal and financial interest." Deaths on the job Family members of Dollar General employees killed during armed robberies and security experts say it's not just a lack of in-store security measures that are the problem. Out of the six Dollar General employees killed since 2016, two were shot as they left stores to deposit cash from the register at the bank. Some Dollar General employees take cash deposits to the bank by themselves: The company's policy in its 2019 store operating procedures says that stores should make one or two such deposits each day depending on their location, and that the deposits can only be made by "key carriers," or high-ranking employees. Ron Holder took a job as a store manager at a Dollar General in Richmond, Virginia, and hoped to work his way up the ranks at the company and become a district manager. But he was killed in his car outside of Dollar General one morning after picking up a cash deposit from the store, according to the FBI. His case is still unsolved. In Houston, 20-year-old DeQuan Anderson was killed in 2017 as he got in his car to bring cash from the store to the bank. His mother, Janine, has filed a wrongful death lawsuit. The case has gone to arbitration. Janine Anderson described her son in an interview as "an all-around good kid" who was active in his church and developed a love of photography in high school. He saved up money to buy a camera and equipment and took it everywhere he went. "He always was going to have some type of career in art," she said. "That was his passion." Before his death, DeQuan had raised concerns about the bank-drop process on multiple occasions, the lawsuit said. But despite previous robberies at the store, Dollar General did not increase its security or hire an outside security company to transport cash to the bank, the lawsuit alleges. Dollar General declined to comment on pending litigation. Meanwhile, Dukes, the former Dollar General employee in Dayton, Ohio, is trying to bounce back after the October robbery that changed his life. He has had trouble finding work after the shooting. He is hoping to be more present in his kids' lives. "I don't regret anything that I did," he said. He was defending himself, he said. But Dukes believes the robbery could have been avoided if Dollar General had taken his advice and put in permanent armed security. He hopes company executives will start doing more to protect their employees. "They don't know what's going on inside these stores every day. They don't. Store managers are the ones that deal with that every day. But I would tell them that they need to take better care of their staff." In downtown Buffalo, New York, crossing the border into Ontario, Canada, used to be as easy as driving one mile across the Peace Bridge over the Niagara River. But that's now a forbidden route. In the coronavirus era, New York residents and out-of-state road trippers aren't allowed to cross the border for leisure travel. US citizens have been shut out of their neighboring country to the north and a slew of nations around the world. The latest travel news affecting Americans: The European Union is considering blocking travelers from areas with severe Covid-19 outbreaks after it opens it borders on July 1. Since the United States has more confirmed coronavirus cases than anywhere else in the world, with numbers increasing in some states each day, US travelers are unlikely to be allowed in any time soon. "The US's chances are close to zero," an EU diplomat told CNN. "With their infection rates ... not even they can believe in that possibility." Although potential travel bubbles are being discussed all over the world -- Fiji is the latest in talks to join one with Australia and New Zealand -- the United States has yet to form or join a bubble. Where does this new world order leave US citizens with a penchant for travel? Nostalgic for the pre-Covid days when a US passport promised access to much of the world? Anxious of how they'll be perceived -- and received -- by foreign countries when restrictions are eventually loosened? The future of travel for Americans, and whether they'll be welcome again as tourists, is not clear; in many ways, it's a moot point for as long as travel to certain regions is prohibited. Uninvited As many Americans eschew air travel and instead take to the road, they won't be taking the road into Canada. Indeed, travel restrictions for US passport holders at this time far outnumbers the travel possibilities. And for many people, that's just how it should be. Colleen Friesen, who lives in a small resort town in British Columbia, hopes the US-Canadian border stays closed. "The majority of Canadians are strongly against allowing Americans into the country due to the US's rampant infection rate. Although some states seem to be managing the pandemic, when we see news of Oklahoma allowing an indoor rally, we just shake our collective heads," Friesen tells CNN Travel via email. Stacey McKenna, who is based in Colorado, isn't ready to think about international travel of any kind right now, though she stipulates that it's partially because the places on her radar "are extremely vulnerable economically and geographically," and she wouldn't be willing to risk exposing anyone. "I think if I reach a place where I feel international (or even air) travel would be appropriate, then I'll start asking myself if I think I'd be welcome." For New York-based travel writer Juliet Izon, who canceled a summer vacation in Italy months ago when there was still a glimmer of hope that things might resume, seeing where the United States is compared with other countries is disheartening and depressing. Izon believes she'll take the trip to Italy one day but says, "I wouldn't be surprised if in certain countries if they don't allow Americans in for a while or a really strict quarantine for years to come," adding that the United States' handling of Covid-19 was likely to be "another black mark against us." The other? The state of the US politics. Friesen, who says she appreciates her country's politicians taking a backseat to the scientific and medical community, is scared of the way the virus in the United States "has become politicized." But one EU diplomat ,who spoke to CNN earlier in the week on condition of anonymity, calls the US-EU travel decision a very sensitive issue and insists "it is only ever about health." "For sure, you can see not being on the list as something political, when one country is allowed in and another is not, but this is a misrepresentation of what we are doing. We are looking to open our borders, this is a positive step." In spite of this statement and the EU diplomat's insistence that "we want people to come," the much-changed travel landscape has some people concerned. "Rather than thinking about the near future of travel, I've been pondering how all of this will affect xenophobia more generally," says McKenna. A holistic experience Dennis Geronimus, New York University art history associate professor and chair, has historically combined business and leisure travel, often to Italy. He is not personally concerned about how he'll be received when he travels internationally again -- and he's someone who'll likely be able to travel on certain foreign soils well before other Americans. This is in large part because of the nature of his travel. Geronimus is typically hosted by international colleagues and admits that it is "different than going on vacation somewhere not knowing anyone and then just diving into the culture and going to see the sites and seeing other foreigners at the sites as well." There are steps Geronimus could take now to potentially be granted access forbidden to US leisure travelers, though he'd still be subject to the quarantine. In any event, though he'd like to see the Raphael exhibition in Rome and collaborate with colleagues in Italy, he's not planning a trip to the region anytime soon. It might be deemed essential, but Geronimus doesn't see it as essential enough. Instead, the professor would prefer to focus on the measures needed to resume on-site classes at NYU this fall. Likewise, McKenna, whose background is in medical anthropology and public health, is thinking about other, bigger things: "I'll be honest. I haven't even gotten to the question of whether I think I would feel welcome as an American" since international travel is just not appropriate right now. Says US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, "We've been working with countries all across the world, including our friends in Europe and the EU proper to determine how it is we can best safely reopen international travel. It's important for the United States to get Europeans the capacity to travel back to the United States." Safety first It's not about Americans, per se, says New Zealander Elen Turner, though it's hard to ignore the restrictions impacting them along with the number of confirmed Covid deaths and cases. "I think once the borders reopen properly, New Zealanders will be as welcoming of Americans as they will be with any other travelers," Turner says. But Friesen, who is troubled by the United States' handling of the pandemic, says, "Given the push back on the pandemic protocols we've seen in the US, we just don't believe that Americans will do the right thing." As stories of Americans refusing to wear masks -- not even on an airplane in at least one case -- and not practicing social distancing surface, Friesen's skepticism may be justifiable. However, for so many people CNN Travel spoke with, the health and safety of others -- and doing what's right -- is paramount. Chicago-based photographer and writer Joshua Mellin says: "I think to travel internationally for leisure right now demonstrates a total lack of care, you deserve whatever stares you get." Mellin adds: "I'm personally of the mind we're all global citizens, but there's still a reality you're not entitled access to a foreign country, you're granted entry." When it comes to granting foreigners entry, Turner would be comfortable taking cues from the New Zealand government. Right now, returning New Zealand citizens must quarantine for two weeks upon arrival, and no one else is allowed in. If, down the line, the quarantine was applied to all visitors to New Zealand, what then? "So if that was to be extended to all arrivals then I think New Zealanders would be fine with that because generally, our government has handled the pandemic well and there's a high degree of trust in them," Turner says. She adds, however, that she doesn't see this happening, does not envision a New Zealand opening itself up to foreigners until quarantine is no longer necessary. The idea of a pre-holiday quarantine is the subject of scrutiny anyway. Last month, when the concept was gaining steam, Alison Hickey, president of Kensington Tours, told CNN Travel "we would not recommend traveling to a destination that has implemented a 14-day self-quarantine requirement." 'We're reopening' While enforced quarantines will deter many a traveler, other regions with no quarantines in effect might entice them. From Mexico and the Caribbean to Turkey, tourist spots around the world are opening back up and encouraging visitors to boot. Whether hotel promotions or upgrades or relaxed policies on cancellation, the sweet chorus of "we are opening" could potentially jump start what has been a very dark period in the tourism sector. But just because The Maldives, a luxury destination, is ready to welcome back all visitors with no restrictions (there are also no visa requirements or additional fees), how many US citizens are ready to go? For many of the US travelers that CNN Travel spoke to for this story, being welcomed or feeling welcome in another country is beside the point. The danger of exposure and of being exposed looms. And then there's the fear of being stuck somewhere far away. Elizabeth Lavis, who is originally from upstate New York, found herself scrambling to get out of Vietnam in March amid the outbreak and sudden stringent travel restrictions. That ordeal and what's transpired with the coronavirus since have made Lavis reluctant to go far away from home for the foreseeable future. California resident Melanie Haiken expresses a desire to help struggling economies as a tourist and is already thinking about her future travels, which include places not so close to home: "As to international travel, I would be ready to travel again in August, but would want to go places that are eager for visitors. I have my eye on Guatemala and Costa Rica, Turkey and Jordan, Scotland, Estonia, and a few other places that seem likely candidates based both on safety and how much their economies depend on tourism." Turkey, it would seem, is a likely candidate. On June 19, Turkish Airlines relaunched two North American routes to Istanbul with two others (Miami and Los Angeles) following on June 22 and 24 respectively. By late July, three additional US hubs will be operating flights to Turkey. Any EU travel ban could change things, but as of June 23, when CNN spoke to Connecticut-based Caryn B. Davis about her upcoming trip to the Azores in Portugal, the travel journalist said she is still planning on going, hopefully in the next six weeks. Pompeo expressed the importance of the economy in travel between the US and the EU, saying "It's important for the United States to get Europeans the capacity to travel back to the United States. It's important, very important for the Europeans to fully reconnect with the American economy as well." But until safety concerns can be adequately addressed, Mellin doesn't think anyone, US citizen or not, should be going anywhere. "There's a responsibility of showing respect for other people and places as a traveler that starts at home and is inherently broken by visiting another country during a global pandemic." But in fact, international travel may resume sooner rather than later in some currently off-limits places. "I'm confident in the coming weeks we'll figure that out as between not only the United States and the EU, but the United States and other parts of the world, too," Pompeo said. As to what it'll be like? "I think if anything, when we do travel, it's certainly my hope that we bring that sense of, I guess, empathy to wherever we're going ... ," Geronimus says. LAFAYETTE, Ind. (WLFI) The community is recognizing the lives of Veterans lost in war this Fourth of July weekend. Five hundred U.S. flags were planted around Columbian Park's Veterans Memorial. Active and non-active service members, kids, and volunteers all took part in the commemoration. The Tippecanoe County Veterans Council has been organizing this for 30 years. A couple service members said this tradition is important to all age groups and it is special to the community. "Show the parents and family members and the service members we lost that we respect what they have done," said Mike Barnes. Barnes served in the Marines from 1969-1975. He is still active with the organization. "I was one of the fortunate ones that came back," said Barnes. "There are several of us that have, but we want to show respect for those who did not make it." The Tippecanoe County Veterans Council typically plants the U.S. flags on Memorial Day but because of coronavirus it delayed it until this July 4th weekend. Joe Tonsing-Carter with the local Team RWB said Friday was about paying homage to all the men and women who have sacrificed their lives for this country and fought for our freedom. Tonsing-Carter was with the Indiana National Guard for 11 years and this was his first time helping plant the flags. He said this is something he will continue to do. "It means a lot as far as getting out in the community and remembering veterans and helping other VSO's with Marine Corps League and other events like this," said Tonsing-Carter. The U.S. flags will be in the ground at Columbian Park until Sunday at five in the evening. The Tippecanoe County Veterans Council said it would love to have as many volunteers as possible to help. WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (WLFI) -- Phoenix Paramedic Solutions is finding success with its COVID-19 antibody testing. The emergency medical service team started administering this test in and around Tippecanoe County in April. Since then, it has helped more than a thousand people discover if they once carried the virus. "The antibody test lets us know and anyone who gets tested know whether or not they've been exposed to the COVID-19 virus," said Somerville. On Fridays, Phoenix Paramedic Solution EMS workers conduct the antibody testing outside Calvary Baptist Church in West Lafayette from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Participants are pricked in the finger so that the EMS workers can get a small blood sample. The blood is then put on the COVID-19 antibody testing agent. After 10 minutes, a thin line will appear next to letters on the kit that indicate if you have COVID-19 antibodies in your blood. The test can determine if you were recently infected or if you had the virus a few months prior. Anyone who's curious to know if they had COVID-19 is encouraged to take the test. It costs $50 and you can pre-register or pay on-site. Payment by card or cash is accepted on-site. You can also arrange to have them test you off-site by reaching out to dsomerville@phoenixparamedics.com. "The testing is important because it provides both individuals and the community the opportunity to know how widespread the local exposure been," said Somerville. "We feel like it's an important component of the fight against the virus knowing what the rates of exposure are in our community. The team of paramedics has been testing people for three months. Out of 1,500 people that have been tested, 3.5% came out with positive results for having the virus at some point. "We've also been asked by a lot of fire departments in the area Danville, Illinois, Indianapolis Fire Department, several manufacturers here locally to provide testing for their associates," said Somerville. "We've gone in and done testing where we've seen a lot of positives in certain locations and then we've gone in and had whole days where we did 40 tests and they were all negative so it just varies." For those who have tested positive, Somerville said the number of people who say they felt really sick is equal to the number of people who say they felt little to no symptoms. "The test we're using has about a 95% accuracy, It's been FDA approved and authorized. It's the same test the University of Southern California is using widely in the Los Angeles area." Somerville said Los Angeles is currently a hotspot for the virus. He said there is not enough research to show if a person who has recovered from the virus becomes resistant to contracting it again, that's why he said it's still important people keep the CDC's recommended safety measures at the forefront. "Masks are the key, you've got to wear a mask and you've got to do social distancing," said Somerville. "Those are the things that I would stress above all else." On Friday, the team of paramedics tested 32 people at Calvary Baptist Church. A mother and her daughter were the only two who had positive results indicating they once had the virus. According to Somerville, they both say they had minor symptoms including loss of taste and smell and an aching body. This test is not for people who are currently feeling COVID-19 symptoms. If you think you have the virus now, you're encouraged to visit a COVID-19 testing site. TIPPECANOE COUNTY, Ind. (WLFI)Therapist with Valley Oaks Health in Jasper County Kim Denton is preparing to facilitate a virtual first responder support group. "I am elated to be offered to facilitate that type of group," said Denton. Denton said like many essential workers, first responders are dealing with a lot of challenges during this time. "They are facing tremendous adversity right now you know they've got the pandemic that's going on and wondering every single call whether or not they'll be exposed," said Denton. According to The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, 37% of EMS professionals have contemplated suicide, nearly 10 times the rate of American adults. "They are at higher risk for anxiety, higher risk for depression, they are at higher risk for addiction, their PTS rates are much higher," said Denton. It's an idea Valley Oaks Health was able to create after receiving a grant from United Way in Tippecanoe County. An idea Regional Manager for Phoenix Paramedics Bob Miller said is creative and impactful. "It has always been a challenge," said Miller. "You see things everyday you wish most people in their lives never see and when the pandemic came around and COVID-19 hit it changed the way I think Emergency Medical Services will be forever." Miller said from the way ambulances are prepared, to first responders mentally preparing for the day during a pandemic is all mentally tasking. "First responders think that they are a lot of times, invincible," said Miller. "They don't want to talk to anybody. They keep it all internalized, they can handle what they through themselves." Miller said this virtual gathering will create a safe and inviting space for first responders to talk through difficult issues with support. "They are going to be able to better handle the thought process we are having and understand why we feel why we feel." The virtual event will take place via-Zoom on July 7th at 4pm and will last through the year. Any first responder in the State of Indiana can attend the virtual event. For information on registering click here. 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 Time zones help us maintain a sense of the passing of time in different parts of the world, giving us a uniform standard time. There are 24 time zones on our planet, and we use them for commercial, social, and legal purposes. Most time zones follow the boundaries of countries and do not go strictly along the longitude, but several countries fall in multiple time zones. Still, most countries avoid this by keeping an entire country in a single time zone. It makes things more convenient when it comes to commercial or other types of communication. In this article, we will take a look at what countries fall into more than one time zone. Countries With The Most Time Zones Every country on Earth has a unique shape. Many countries are larger than a single time zone, so they stretch through multiple, although the majority fits inside of a single one. However, the number of time zones a country passes through is not only determined by its size but also its offshore territories and colonies that might be a part of different time zones. France is a country that has the largest number of time zones. It spreads across 12 different time zones that range from UTC-10 to UTC+12. France has a large number of national territories scattered all over the world, which is the main reason for this. French Polynesia in the Pacific Ocean is mostly to blame for this phenomenon. The United States of America also spreads through a large number of time zones - 11, to be exact. This comes as no surprise since the country spreads across an entire continent. Still, only six of those eleven time zones are actually on the mainland. Many countries are larger than a single time zone, so they stretch through multiple, although the majority fits inside of a single one. The next country that goes through a large number of time zones is another big one. Russia goes through 11 different time zones, just like the United States. It is also the country that has the highest number of consecutive time zones. The United Kingdom is next on our list with nine time zones under its belt. The country itself is located on a single island that is not that big, so one must wonder how it manages to spread across such a large number of time zones? Well, the country managed to spread colonies all over the planet, which means that we can find parts of it in different time zones. Australia is the final country that deserves to be mentioned, and it proudly sits at the fifth place of the countries with the highest number of time zones. The exact number of time zones of Australia is eight, which makes sense since it is an entire continent. Coordinated Universal Time Most time zones on our planet are defined as an offset of the Coordinated Universal Time (UTC), which is the standard time of our planet. Most time zones are offset by whole hours from the UTC, but there are several that are offset by 30 or 45 minutes. Several important things should be noted about the Coordinated Universal Time, first of which is that it is just a close variant of the Greenwich Mean Time (GMT), which is the mean solar time measured at the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, London. Coordinated Universal Time dictates that leap seconds get added to days following regular intervals, thus compensating the slowing rotation of our planet. The UTC is used as the median to point time zones as positive and negative offsets from it. Following this rule, we can conclude that the easternmost time zone falls twelve hours behind the Coordinated Universal Time, so we write its tag as UTC-12. On the other hand, the westernmost time zone is twelve hours in front of the UTC, so we use UTC+12 to mark it. "I spent the whole night in the hide and I could hear them feeding, I could hear the bones cracking...so I knew the Tigers were around" - Mike Herd, Swamp Tigers Over the years, few outsiders have dared venture into the beautiful yet terrifying terrain of the famous Swamp tigers. This Bengal tiger population inhabits the mysterious mangrove forests of the Sundarbans on the delta along the Bay of Bengal in India and Bangladesh. Throughout history, these tigers have inspired the awe. They have been revered for their enigmatic nature and ability to inhabit a land where everyday life is a constant struggle. These tigers have also earned a reputation as "man-eaters" but that remains a debatable issue. The world's only tiger population to inhabit the mangroves, the lives of the Sundarbans tigers are shrouded in secrecy. Even today, a lot remains undiscovered about them. The harsh nature of their unique habitat hinders most from studying these tigers in detail. But one man, an award-winning wildlife cameraman, Mike Herd, was not to be stopped. His first glimpse of a stunning male Sundarbans tiger along the bank of a river enticed him enough to dedicate nearly half a year to filming these tigers. Without paying any heed to warnings about the alleged "man-eaters," he decided to enter the home turf of these tigers in the year 2000 in the Sundarbans forests of Bangladesh. His dedication, fearlessness, patience, and talent led to the production of the multi-award winning "Swamp Tigers" documentary. To this day, "Swamp Tigers" continues to thrill viewers by bringing them face to face with the legendary Sundarbans tigers! World Atlas had the privilege of speaking with Mike Herd, the first person in the world to film the elusive Sundarbans tigers. Learn about his exciting adventures in the land of the world's most mysterious tiger as revealed in the conversation below: Bengal Tiger yawning in Sundarban Tiger Reserve, West Bengal, India. Image credit: Soumyajit Nandy What motivated you to film for the "Swamp Tigers?" In 1997, I was sent out to Bangladesh to film for a documentary called "In Search of Maneaters." My brief was to get anything at all on the Sundarbans tigers. Knowing that it was almost next to impossible to even catch a glimpse of them in the wilds, there was very little pressure on me. I devised a technique that was successful and managed to get the first controlled footage of the majestic predator in the mangrove forest. I filmed as a large male tiger emerged out of the dense forest and walked along the river bank. Very cautiously, he picked his way through the aerial roots or pneumatophores of the mangrove trees jutting out like sharp spikes from the ground. I was near the end of my trip and about to return to London when this happened. The sight of the tiger made me believe that given enough time and resources, an entire film could be made on these magnificent big cats. That eventually led to "Swamp Tigers". The Sundarbans is reportedly one of the toughest filming locations in the world. Were you warned of the challenges before taking up the project? I was well aware that the Bengal tigers of the Sundarbans had never been filmed before with only brief glimpses of them swimming across channels from tourist boats being sighted. Therefore, I knew that my task would be anything but easy. Like most others, I had also heard stories about the many people killed by the Sundarbans tigers, how honey collectors wore masks facing backward to stop tigers approaching them from behind, and so on. But all that hardly registered with me. As far as I was concerned, the slate was clean, and thats how I started off. I love challenges and I was ready to take the biggest one of my life! The mangrove habitat of the swamp tigers in the Sundarbans. Nicolasdecorte/Shutterstock.com How did you plan to film the tigers in their home turf? Until the time I embarked on this project, the standard way to film tigers was to build a fifteen-foot machan (a platform on stilts), which I immediately dismissed as unworkable. Who wants to look down on tigers all the time? I vowed that the viewer would feel as vulnerable as me while watching the film. Hence, I embedded the machan into a creek so that the platform for my hide would be about a foot higher than the high tide. That allowed me to look into the forest almost at the same level as the ground without any danger. Of course, there were stories of fishermen being pulled out of their boats so I came armed with a harmless starting pistol and some marine flares. I pledged that no tigers would be harmed regardless of the circumstances. I called these toys my psychological crutches. Were there any tense moments while you were filming from your machan? Did you not feel threatened being so close to these tigers? On one occasion I pitched the machan quite close to a bank. Between the hide and the bank was a large tree slightly off to the left. Sitting there, trying to keep alert in the hot still air, I was aware of something nearby. I looked out on my camera angle of vision but that area was empty. I didnt know why I felt like that. Just to make sure, I gently lifted the netting to my left covering a small window. I saw a striped tail and the back legs of a tiger behind the tree no more than six feet away. I froze. It was perfectly feasible for it to jump straight on to the platform although my hide occupied most of the space. The tail was swishing. Judging by the posture, I guessed that it was trying to work out where I was. I very slowing picked up the gun and held it ready. Eventually, however, I felt the tension go and with it the tiger, melting back into the forest. None of these situations, however, unnerved me. With familiarity, I felt at ease and secure and decided to build a camouflaged cage on the forest floor, something that had never been done nor will ever be done again. That was exciting. The spotted deer is the favorite prey of the Sundarbans tiger. Image credit: Gregorioa/Shutterstock.com You have observed the Sundarbans tigers up close and personal including tigresses with their cubs. Do you think they are especially aggressive and would attack humans without provocation? From what I learned by observing them is that they have very simple priorities in life like tigers elsewhere. Hunting prey for food, mating, and raising their young. One day I was happily watching three large cubs playing with their mum when to my left I could hear human voices. She immediately stood up to face the distant intruders while the cubs scampered off in the opposite direction. She stood holding her ground for about a minute and then slowly, turned and followed her young ones. She was in charge and the men never even knew she was there. I worked out that scenes like that must have been very common in the forest. From my experience I would say that as a species, all tigers just want to get on with their lives and try to keep away from people. Tell us something about your upcoming book. I have just completed a draft autobiography called "Life in the Wild" that is ready to be pitched to a publisher. Here, I described how my life started as a trainee press photographer leading to filming news and eventually becoming a wildlife cameraman. It includes my many adventures in Africa, Russia, Japan, America, and many other countries. The opening chapter describes me quietly approaching the hide on the forest floor at night and the book ends with the detailed story of how I filmed tigers in the Bangladeshi Sundarbans. In his televised address marking the seventh anniversary of the 30 June Revolution, President Abdel-Fattah Al-Sisi said that Egypts national security is closely linked with the security of its regional environment. It does not stop at Egypts political borders, but rather extends to every point that could have a detrimental impact on Egypts historical rights. It is obvious to all that we live in an extremely turbulent region and that the interplay of international and regional interests in the region make it hard for any country to withdraw within its borders and simply wait for what surrounding circumstances might bring. Egypt has taken stock of the magnitude of the challenges in the region, some of which may constitute concrete threats that require an absolutely firm response in order to safeguard the security and stability of Egypt and its people. Although Egypt possesses comprehensive and far-reaching power in its regional environment, it has always been inclined towards peace. It extends its hand in good will to all, and it never intervenes in others affairs. But, at the same time, it takes all necessary precautions to protect its national security. That evening, Egypt presented its case concerning the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) to the UN Security Council. This crisis is a clear example of the threats that Egypt faces today. The Security Council session marked a diplomatic victory for Egypt and an international acknowledgement of the danger this crisis has come to represent to international peace and security as a result of Ethiopias persistent evasiveness and intransigence in the deadline it has set to implement its threat to begin filling the GERD reservoir in the absence of a legal agreement with Egypt and Sudan. Egypt has made it clear to the international community that any unrestrained control over a major water resource such as the Nile could have extremely grave repercussions, to the point of exposing entire societies to lethal drought and dehydration. At the same time, the other sides plea that it does not have sufficient electricity for its people is unconvincing, coming as it does from a country that abounds in rainwater and other river systems. As Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukri has pointed out, Egypt is situated in the most arid part of the Nile Basin and is the most water-deficient nation on Earth. This harsh reality has confined us to seven per cent of our land and to a narrow green strip along the Nile and a fertile Delta that are home to millions. With 560 m3 of water per year per capita, Egypt is on the list of countries that suffer from water paucity as defined by international criteria, he said. Ethiopia, by contrast, is blessed with up to 936 billion m3 of rainfall per year, plus 11 other river basins, some of which it shares with neighbouring countries. Such resources open up innumerable opportunities for regional cooperation and integration, Shoukri said, stressing Egypts continual support for the development of fellow African nations. We are committed to working indefatigably towards the realisation of prosperity together with our brothers in the African countries and especially in other countries of the Nile Basin, including Ethiopia. Testimony to this can be found in the long history of constructive collaboration between Egypt and these countries in carrying out various development projects, such as the construction of dams, rainwater harvesting projects, the digging of wells and the removal of vegetation obstructing the flow of rivers. The international community has placed its trust in the African Union (AU) mechanism for promoting a just and equitable agreement over the filling and operation of the GERD. The AU Commission must therefore act quickly, in keeping with the sentiment of the majority of UN Security Council members, who have expressed their opposition to unilateral actions, to forestall the commencement of further work on the GERD that could threaten the security of the entire region. Ethiopia, for its part, must also remain committed to this principle and reiterate its pledge not to undertake any unilateral steps to fill the GERD reservoir before reaching an agreement with Sudan and Egypt. As Shoukri pointed out, there can be no other understanding or interpretation of this pledge, which Addis Ababa also made during the online summit convened by South African President and AU Chairperson Cyril Ramaphosa last week. If Ethiopia once again acts counter to it, the only possible explanation would be that it still lacks the political will to reach an equitable agreement and continues to harbour the intention to impose an unacceptable de facto reality on the downstream nations. Such behaviour would render any future negotiations futile. *A version of this article appears in print in the 2 July, 2020 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly Short link: Takas E-Commerce Services (TES) enters Pakistan market View(s): Pakistans SIAR Digital a technology company and Sri Lankas Takas E-Commerce Services (TES-the tech arm of Takas.lk) have entered into a strategic alliance to be the sole distributor of TES to Pakistani e-commerce companies. TES as well as SIAR Digital see a huge potential in Pakistan in the e-commerce space which is now valued at more than US$600 million. Under the agreement SIAR Digital has become a customer of TES for its current services and will become the sole agent for representing TES in Pakistan. A media release by the Sri Lankan company said Takas.lk one of the pioneers in the ecommerce industry in Sri Lanka developed TES as a B2B solution. The TES solution not only empowered the backend operations at Takas but a host of other e-commerce and fulfillment companies in Sri Lanka. The largest such customer for TES was wOw.lk. The TES system that was developed completely in-house is a complete ERP solution for e-commerce and well as any type of fulfillment. Its key product feature is a CRM that is fully integrated to warehouse and shipping that gives the user complete ownership of the eco-system that they operate in. Not only this, TES increases efficiency and is a completely scalable platform. SIAR is the sole service provider in Pakistan to offer complete end-to-end solution for large scale retailers ranging from Digital Marketing, Website Development and Management, physical Inventory Management and Order Fulfillment, real time digital Customer Services and Logistics partner management, as well as technological solutions for in-house operations. The partnership will enhance the reach of TES through to Pakistan. Commenting on the alliance, co-founder of SIAR Digital Zulfiqar Khan stated, We have been working with the TES team for months to get this point. We feel TES will help us reach our strategic goal of empowering the e-commerce market in Pakistan. Furthermore he stated, Our key strategic relationships and global partnerships enable us to achieve our goal of helping e-commerce businesses scale and sustain the growth through innovative technological solutions as per business requirements and objectives. Kalinga Athulathmudali CTO of TAKAS/TES said: We have been working with Zulficar on this project for sometime, and we are super excited about the launch of TES in Pakistan. During COVID-19 we have done the implementation of technology completely remotely. Its a testimony to the incredible technology capacity of our team in Sri Lanka. As the international wave of layoffs, wage-cutting and plant closures triggered by the coronavirus pandemic begins in France, the French trade unions are working closely with the Macron government and employers to suppress workers opposition to this assault. On Thursday, Airbus management met with the main national unions to discuss their plans to lay off 5,000 employees nationally. This is part of a global restructuring that will destroy 15,000 jobs, including 5,100 in Germany and 1,700 in Britain. Of the 5,000 job cuts in France, 3,500 will come from Toulouse, where Airbus operates five separate assembly lines for five major airplane models. They include 2,398 assembly-line and 900 white-collar positions. Another 484 positions will be cut at the Nantes factory which manufactures the central structural area of all Airbus planes, and another 386 at the Saint-Nazaire fuselage assembly. It is already clear that layoffs will have a devastating flow-on impact on entire regions. According to the Occitanie Chamber of Commerce and Industry, 85,000 jobs and 800 companies depend upon the airplane manufacturing industry in Occitanie, which includes Toulouse, with estimates of up to 40,000 jobs immediately threatened. This month, Scalian, one subcontractor, announced plans to lay off 140 of its 225 employees. Airbus has predicted that demand will not return to pre-2020 levels for three to five years. The trade unions responded to Airbus announcement with empty hand-wringing: describing it as cataclysmic and catastrophic for workers, while making clear that they would do nothing to oppose it. Dominique Delbouis, the Airbus coordinator of Workers Force (FO), announced that for FO, the red line is to reduce this number, which appears to us to be excessive. He called to prevent all forced layoffs. This only means achieving the layoffs by other means, including so-called voluntary redundancies, in which workers are harassed and pressured into leaving their job, under conditions of a general downturn in which they would likely not find another job for years. To the extent that Delbouis had any criticism, it was from the nationalist and corporatist standpoint of Airbus itself, warning that Airbus must have enough resources available to bounce back once the crisis has passed. And it has all the more chance of bouncing back given that it is alone in the world, with Boeing down for the count and the Chinese not yet on the market. Jean-Francois Knepper of FO added that the natural attrition in the group is 6,000 jobs per year globally, and called for slowing the restructuring over two years to achieve it via natural erosion. In other words, the unions support the framework of mass job cuts in the midst of the pandemic to boost Airbus global competitiveness, and the ensuing social devastation that will be wrought on working-class communities. Their aim is to achieve this while preventing an explosion of opposition among their members. To that end, there will be four months of closed-door negotiations on the latest restructuring plan. An identical role is being played by the trade unions in other European countries. In the UK, a report published by the New Economics Foundation, in consultation with the national Trades Union Congress, revealed that the Unite trade union has already agreed to a redundancy cap of 10 percent of all positions in the aviation industry, equivalent to tens of thousands of jobs. In Germany, Verdi and other trade unions have called demonstrations in support of a government bailout package of 9 billion for Lufthansa that is tied to the destruction of 22,000 jobs and cuts to conditions. But the unions role in imposing mass layoffs extends far beyond the airline industry. A report published today by Le Monde points to the scale of the social catastrophe that is underway in the clothing retail sector. Procos, an industry federation for specialized commerce, including restaurants, retail and other small trading, has warned that anywhere from 150,000 to 300,000 jobs are threatened. These jobs have little to no protections, are low-wage, and many of those who lose their position will be unable to find any work. According to a study conducted by the General Federation of Labour (CGT) union, of the 2,100 retail employees laid off by La Halle between 2015-2017, between 35-40 percent had still not found a job as of February. Dozens of fashion brands have already gone into receivership and will either be repurchased with stores closed and staff laid off or will shut down entirely. These include Camaieu (3,300 employees), La Halle (5,809 employees), Andre, Celio, Demart, and Devianne, which together employ more than 16,000 across the country. A key mechanism for implementing the layoffs is the so-called Collective Conventional Rupture (RCC), created by Macron, in the Labour Law in 2017. This law integrated the trade unions even more closely alongside the government and corporations in employer restructurings. Unlike previously, it allowed companies to carry out mass job cuts without even the routine of claiming financial necessity. Instead, all that was required was a signature of approval from the trade unions covering a majority of the workforce, as well as the labour ministry. The unions have already signed off on numerous RCCs in the last month. Last week, Sanofi, the pharmaceutical giant, announced that it will cut 1,700 jobs across Europe, including between 750 and 1,060 in France, which it intends to achieve by two RCC agreements. On Wednesday, the national pilots association announced that its leadership had agreed to an RCC with Air France that will cut more than 400 pilots jobs by the end of the year. A surge in COVID-19 infections in the Victorian capital, Melbourne, has continued over the past days, after the state Labor government reinstituted limited lockdown measures on Wednesday. Health authorities confirmed 108 new infections across Victoria today, the highest number in months. It follows 66 yesterday and 77 on Thursday. Today marked the 18th day in a row of double-digit case numbers in Melbourne. Daily infections were higher than 60 throughout the past week. While the number of confirmed cases is lower than in epicentres of the pandemic internationally, it is clear that significant community transmission is underway. Of yesterdays infections, 17 were connected to known outbreaks, 20 were detected through routine testing and 28 are still under investigation, meaning their source is unknown. Only one case was a returned traveller in hotel quarantine. People queuing for coronavirus tests at Royal Melbourne Hospital in March Over the past fortnight, the proportion of cases stemming from individuals returning from overseas has fallen sharply, while the overall infection tally has risen rapidly. This indicates that the virus is likely circulating widely in Melbourne, and that the real number of infections is far higher than is indicated by the official figures. The outbreak is an indictment of the state and federal governments, Labor and Liberal-National alike. All have insisted over the past month that the virus has been successfully contained and that it is necessary to reopen the economy and end the remaining lockdown restrictions. Prime Minister Scott Morrison and the state and territory leaders, the majority of them Labor, are continuing to announce the lifting of coronavirus restrictions on an almost daily basis. Large gatherings, including sporting events with spectators, are resuming in most states, and caps on patrons in restaurants, pubs and other likely sources of widespread transmission are being eased. In line with this agenda, the Victorian Labor government of Premier Daniel Andrews resisted calls for the reintroduction of lockdown measures for more than a week after Melbournes case numbers began to rapidly rise. When it did act, the government rejected proposals for a city-wide lockdown, or for any measures that would impinge on the operations of most businesses. Instead, a localised lockdown has been imposed, covering 36 suburbs and ten postcodes in areas that have been deemed hotspots of infection. The suburbs are primarily in the north and west of the city. They are overwhelmingly working class, with higher rates of poverty and unemployment than elsewhere in Melbourne. Residents of the areas are being subjected to a punitive police response to the health crisis. Border checks are being conducted by police units, with those coming in and out of affected areas being interrogated about whether their travel is essential. They have been threatened with fines of more than $1600 and arrest if they fall foul of the vague criteria of what is essential and what is not. Workers have told the WSWS that the police presence in the affected areas is pervasive. Hundreds of officers have been mobilised to patrol the hotspots. The crackdown is in effect in suburbs such as Broadmeadows, which has been devastated by the shutdown of the car industry, as well as areas with large numbers of immigrant youth, who are routinely subjected to police harassment. It follows a number of recent cases of police violence across the country, and mass protests last month sparked by the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis. The claims of the Victorian government that the outbreak could be contained, under conditions where most workplaces are continuing operations and schools are open, has already been exposed as a fraud. As many as a quarter of cases over the past days have been detected among residents outside the lockdown area. Some suburbs with high rates of infection were initially excluded from lockdown. Blatant commercial considerations appear to have been at play. On Friday, Victorian Health Minister Jenny Mikakos revealed that the 3031 postcode was one of four with the highest number of cases over the past week. Despite this, and for reasons that have not been explained, it was not among the ten postcodes that were initially locked down. Only this afternoon, when case numbers exceeded one hundred for the first time since March, did the government extend the lockdown to 3031. Significantly, 3031 covers the Flemington Racecourse, one of the largest in the country. It had been continuing to hold races, without patrons, enabling the multi-billion dollar gambling industry to continue its lucrative operations. The delay in placing it within the lockdown zone, may have been because this will likely result in the suspension of races. Before today's announcement, some residents in 3031 had pointed to the arbitrary character of the measures. In comments to the media, they had noted that they live only houses away from the 3032 postcode, which was declared a hotspot early last week. Meanwhile, information continues to emerge revealing government culpability for the outbreak. Health authorities revealed last week that genomic sequencing had shown that many of the recent cases could be traced to private security guards who have overseen hotel quarantines of returned travellers. A cluster that began in May at the Ridges Hotel in Carlton has led to at least 19 confirmed infections. Another at Stamford Plaza in the city centre has resulted in 35 cases, a figure that continues to grow. These confirmed infections have potentially seeded far more widespread transmission. The Labor governments decision to put private security staff on the frontlines of an unprecedented pandemic, is of a piece with the entire pro-business response to the crisis. Three large companies in the sector were placed in charge of the hotel quarantines in March, without any public tender. Their employees are low-paid, receiving as little as $25 per hour, including for night shifts. They have told the media that they either received no training, or health instruction that lasted a few minutes. Andrews has announced that the private security will be replaced by correctional officers and military personnel. This is in line with a broader use of the pandemic, by governments, to expand the police and military presence amid mounting social and political opposition. In an exercise in damage control, Andrews has called a $3 million inquiry into the use of private security. The continued operations of workplaces where social distancing is virtually impossible have also contributed to the spike. At least six infections have occurred at Coles chilled distribution warehouse in the western suburb of Laverton. Hundreds of other staff were potentially exposed to the virus. Cases have also been confirmed among employees at McDonalds restaurants in several suburbs. The resumption of face-to-face teaching last month has heightened the dangers. The union and government enforced reopening of schools was accompanied by claims that they were unlikely to be centres of infection. It was carried out in the face of widespread opposition among teachers and parents. At least 30 schools and childcare centres across Melbourne have been forced to close in the past fortnight, after cases were detected among students, teachers and carers. To cover-up its responsibility, the Victorian government is increasingly seeking to scapegoat ordinary people for the growing number of infections. It has vaguely claimed that large family gatherings were responsible for the initial surge, without providing any proof. On Thursday, government officials asserted that 10,000 people in hotspots had refused testing. Corporate media outlets immediately claimed that they were adherents of conspiracy theories denying the existence of coronavirus. No evidence or further information, however, has been provided. It appears that some of those who refused tests had already recently been examined. Others may have been fearful of being forced to miss work, under conditions in which many employees do not have paid sick leave. Throughout the pandemic, moreover, testing has been highly restrictive. Only recently have people without symptoms been encouraged to get tests, even when they have come into contact with confirmed cases. In the face of the escalating crisis, Labor and the Liberal-National Coalition have further deepened the bipartisanship that has been on display throughout the pandemic. Coalition Prime Minister Morrison has publicly congratulated the Andrews government on its response, while the Victorian Labor government has signalled its commitment to the reopening agenda being implemented across the country. The official parties are coming together to ensure the interests of the financial elite. Their lifting of restrictions has been carried out, not on the basis of health considerations, but to create the conditions for a resumption of corporate profit-making. The unity of the political establishment, moreover, is directed against the social and political opposition that governments know their woefully-inadequate and pro-business response to the pandemic is generating. Political circus over US$480m gift with love from Uncle Sam View(s): If anyone thinks that America or China or India for that matter gives millions of dollars in foreign aid to Lanka out of an abundance of love and concern and without any strings attached that promote their countries own interest, one hasnt the foggiest what is meant by aint no such thing as a free lunch. The Greeks have a saying: Never look a gift horse in the mouth. So why this political circus over examining every tooth, canal and cavity of this 480 million dollar American stallion Uncle Sam wishes to gift to Lanka with love as it were a Trojan Horse sent to stealthily rob Lanka of her sovereignty at night when there is hardly a vestige of sovereignty left to rob, having been hocked lock, stock and barrel in broad daylight to foreign nations, especially to China. First of all, what is the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC)? To put it simply, the MCC was created by the US Congress as an independent foreign assistance agency with the aim of fighting against global poverty. Already, it has donated 13 billion dollars to 29 countries. Top recipients of American benevolence had been Indonesia which had received 600 million dollars, Mongolia with two grants of 284 million in 2007 plus another grant of 350 million dollars, Nepal has received 500 million dollars and the Philippines 433 million dollars. The MCC grant to Lanka will focus on two projects. One is the land project with a budget of US$67 million, it will focus on five activities. One is to compile a complete inventory of all state lands. The second is to improve the evaluation system of all lands. The third is to build on the Governments e-Land Registry initiative and to improve the Deeds Registry by digitising existing records. The fourth is to improve tenure security for all land holders by moving properties from the Deeds system to the Title Registration system. The fifth activity is the funding of research in support of measures to improve land administration policies. The other project of the Millennium Challenge Corporation is transport. The cost of this project is $350 million. Basically, it is to upgrade approximately 131 km of interprovincial roads in the Central Ring Road Network connecting the Central, Sabaragamuwa, and Uva Provinces with ports and markets in the Western Province. So why is Lanka in a twist over whether to accept this 480 million dollar gift to develop these two vital sectors of the countrys infrastructure? The UNP Secretary Akila Viraj Kariyawasam said on Monday that the UNP Government at that time had been all for it but had second thoughts when a wave of public opinion against it had swept through the island. We did discuss the MCC agreement with the US during our regime and even agreed on some points, but we decided against signing it because the general public went against it. All that the public knew at that time about the Millennium Challenge Corporation was its offer of 480 million dollars as a gift to Lanka. There had been no public expert committee appointed to study the pros and cons and even if the UNP government had detailed its own internal study, the public had not been privy to either its goodness or its evil. So how did the people have access to that warehouse of information vital in a mature democracy to launch a full scale public opinion offensive against Uncle Sams offer? The answer maybe that though Lanka did not receive even a dollar of the 480 million dollar gift due to the UNP too refusing to place its thumbprint on the acknowledgement note, the American free offer itself received as it was by mass opposition based solely upon the emotional tags of nationalism and chauvinism certainly enabled the SLFP offshoot, Sri Lanka Podujana Peramunas nominee to be swept into power with a near landslide vote. Two of the main mouthpieces of the then opposition, the infamous duo Wimal Weerawansa and Udaya Gammanpila particularly responsible for raising the lion flag and waving it to ward off the imagined phantom on the coastline, crying conspiracy, conspiracy and setting in motion the anti-American wave. Self-appointed conspiracy theorist Udaya Gammanpila speaking as if he had just returned from a one-to-one briefing from the top brass at the CIA Headquarters in Langley, Virginia in the USA said, The MCC is a very dangerous agreement to the country. The CIA has found that Premadasa is going to lose the presidential election. That is the reason the US Government was trying to get the agreement signed hurriedly before the election. We will not accept such agreements signed. Gotabaya Rajapaksa will tear the agreement when he comes to power. His fellow conspiracy theorist Wimal Weerawansa said, The Governments life span is very short now. During that short period, they are trying to sign the MCC agreement which is damaging to the country. In the event the Agreement is signed we will have to dance to the tune of the Americans. With all the blooming bluster they could readily muster, they made the outlandish claim that if the US$480m gift was accepted, it would be tantamount to a sellout of Lankas sovereignty; and that thereafter a visa issued by the American Embassy would be required to visit the Jayasri Maha Bodhi at Anuradhapura and a letter by the American Ambassador granting permission needed to lay flowers at the Sri Dalada Maligawa in Kandy. Well the rhetoric certainly had its effects. And it only took a Buddhist monk engaged in a fast unto the death in protest of the MCC to taint the American 480 million dollar gift with the tar of public opprobrium. After the desired result had been realised and Gotabaya Rajapaksa had been elected President, the SLPP abandoned its pre-polls rhetoric to tear the MCC without even a cursory peek into what it contained and instead showed it was having second thoughts. After all now that it was in government, 480 million dollars was 480 million dollars and one could not rashly dismiss such a gift out of hand. On December 19, it was announced that the President appointed a committee to inquire into the pros and cons of the MCC gift and deliver their report. Having got an early whiff of the changing winds, Gammanpila and Weerawansa had a change of heart towards the MCC. What was as black as coal, now suddenly seemed to them both to have fifty two shades of grey. On December 8, Gammanpila did his U-turn by stressing that the MCC project was not bad at all as he had thought it to be but found the MCC to be 70 percent good, while a crestfallen Weerawansa appeared on national television and said I was told by the President that he had appointed a committee comprising of illustrious people to review this agreement and to forward a report to the cabinet. Because there are illustrious people in this committee I need not get excited. Evidently, while the committee perused the MCC document with a fine-tooth comb, the controversial issue became a no go area for Weerawansa and Gammanpila and their jingoistic drums fell temporarily silent and the MCC itself was relegated to the backseat. But now no more. The MCC has been brought back from cold storage to play its polls winning role on the national stage. On February 17, two months after being appointed to probe the American gift, the committee presented its interim report. The final report took a further four months in its making, the committee being delayed perhaps by the covid crisis which also has delayed the 2020 general election now scheduled for August 5. The final report having been presented to the President on June 25, the Government announced that it would be made available to the public as well. And so it has. Anyone interested can access it online. Furthermore, cabinet ministers have been asked to study the report and give their views within a week. Professor G.L. Peiris said on Monday, The Cabinet and the government will study the final report before making a decision on the MCC agreement. Anyone can access the final report now since it has been made public. The government hides nothing. Good that the government has acted transparently by releasing the report to the public domain. Good too that it will be presented to the cabinet in the coming week and a decision is finally taken. Enough water has passed under the bridge for the government to tarry any longer. The decision is simple if the president and the cabinet of ministers determine that the Millennium Challenge Compact is or will be inimical to Lankas interests then it should be rejected without much ado. However, if the gift of 480 million US dollars will greatly benefit infrastructural development, then it should be accepted. But what must not be done is to use the MCC as the whipping boy and theme song in the forthcoming election. The MCC issue must not be used to raise jingoistic fervor and chauvinistic breast-beating. It must not be used to knell the dooms day bell as if it were a life and death matter for Lanka and cloud all other issues which really matter to the masses and which take more ingenuity to resolve than a simple yes or no to the MCC. Or else the nation will be squandering the 10 billion bucks it cost to hold this August election by using it as a pseudo referendum on the MCC and not on the formidable task of electing 225 members of caliber to send to Parliament. Not a band of scoundrels draped in the flag of their first refuge: patriotism. Auto corporations in the US and the United Auto Workers (UAW) have continued their policy of coverup as COVID-19 cases spread throughout the plants. Two clusters have been reported at General Motors plants since states recklessly began a premature reopening of their economies, according to the Detroit Free Press Friday. Since production restarted in May, 22 new cases have been reported at GMs Arlington Assembly Plant in Texas, where over 4,000 workers build GMs highly profitable SUVs. Twelve new cases have also been reported at the companys assembly plant in Wentzville, Missouri where over 4,200 workers build full-size pickup trucks and vans. The auto industry in North America was shut down in March, even before many state stay-at-home orders went into effect, after workers at auto plants in Ontario, Canada, Indiana, Michigan and Ohio organized independent wildcat actions to protest unsafe working conditions, defying both the companys demands and attempts by the Unifor union and the UAW to keep them on the job. The US-based auto corporations collaborated with UAW to shuffle workers back into the plants in mid-May under the pretense that they were being thoroughly cleaned daily and that adequate personal protective equipment (PPE) and personal hygiene measures would be provided and that the plants would be configured to comply with social distancing. Returning under conditions of financial duress due to difficulties obtaining unemployment pay, workers went back to the plants to find that virtually none of the highly touted safety measures had been put into effect. While demanding workers go back to work in a nonessential industry to produce profits for corporate shareholders, General Motors is seeking to shift complete responsibility for health and safety onto the workers. In a statement to the Free Press, GM spokesperson David Barnas said, Many of the same steps we follow inside our plants can help keep people safe when theyre not working, and that includes staying home if youre not well, social distancing when you leave home, frequent hand-washing and the use of masks. The UAW has issued a toothless statement in regards to the climbing case count at the two plants. Union spokesperson Brian Rothenberg said, The UAW is watching very carefully how these health and safety factors are impacting different plants, and we are in a continual dialogue at all levels. Health and safety for all members is our priority. Autoworkers know the UAWs word is just as worthless as that of corporate management, with whom they are in continual dialogue on the best way to suppress the mounting opposition of workers to the flouting of safety protocols. The UAW has no intention to force GM or any of the auto corporations to shut down plants. The union made no effort to mobilize workers to shut down production in spite of its posturing last month, when five positive COVID-19 cases had been reported among workers at Wentzville. The Free Press reported that an anonymous source close to the UAW stated that GM would clean the Wentzville plant with a chemical spray over the Fourth of July holiday weekend. While the UAW and corporations are working behind the scenes to play down the health crisis, workers anger is reaching a breaking point as they demand that the plants be shut down again for their safety. They should shut down. Its spreading, a veteran worker at GM Wentzville told the World Socialist Web Site Autoworker Newsletter. She said workers suspect there are many more than the 12 reported COVID cases at the plant that management is not telling them about. She also questioned whether the factory was really going to be sprayed with disinfectant over the weekend, since some workers were being asked to come in to work. There is no social distancing when we are clocking out, she said. The [UAW] chairman is always at the door standing there seeing it and hasnt done anything. Its like herding cattle. Hes standing there and members of management are too. None of them says anything. In opposition to the UAWa bought-and-paid-for organization that works in the interests of the corporations against the working classUS autoworkers have taken an important step toward by forming independent rank-and-file safety committees at the Fiat Chrysler (FCA) Jefferson North (JNAP) and Sterling Heights (SHAP) assembly plants in Michigan. We must not be kept in the dark about a virus that could potentially kill us. After a hard day of work, we have the right to come home in one piece, not sick, not hurting, stated the workers of the JNAP committee. To build support for their struggle and expand their movement, members of the JNAP and SHAP committees have appealed to autoworkers across the US and the world to form their own independent rank-and-file committees at their plants. The appeal has garnered growing support. A worker at an FCA plant in Indiana criticized the filthy conditions in the plant, caused by the companys relentless drive for profit. They dont care about people at all, just parts and numbers. It isnt safe at all, and its filthy in the plant. The bathrooms are disgusting. It looks like the floors never get mopped. When we first came back, it was clean, but it slowly reverted back to the way it was. They probably dont pay the cleaning crew enough money, and they dont care. They do have stickers on the floor for show, but there is no social distancing at all. Theres basically two crews in the building at once, and people are running into each other. The time frames should be staggered to keep people out of the way. I make sure the stations on my team are cleaned at the start of the shift, but after that, I dont know. The line just keeps moving. If the line stops, here comes management wondering why! The same worker called for building rank-and-file safety committees in every plant to combat the union and management: Just like with any struggle, if theres enough people to overthrow the culprit, or whatever is the cause, the people will win. The people will outnumber the culprit, and they have no choice but to give in! Change comes about in numbers, thats the only way. Its just like with civil rights, if enough people revolt, change has to come. Once it gets started, it will be hard to stop. Thats the issue, its just getting organized to be able to have the special committees. I believe in it. The WSWS Autoworker Newsletter and the Socialist Equality Party call on autoworkers to build rank-and file committees and join hands with the JNAP and SHAP workers in a struggle against the corporations and unions for workers control over health and safety measures, line speed, pay and benefits in the plants. These committees must be organized democratically to give voice to and fight for what workers need, not what the companies and union says can be afforded. These demands include: 1. Workers must be immediately notified of any cases of COVID-19 and what areas were affected. This information cannot be kept secret from workers. 2. When a case is confirmed, the factory should be closed for 24 hours for deep cleaning, not just the affected area, but the whole plant. Preventative maintenance is needed to ensure a safe and comfortable working environment. 3. Social distancing must be implemented when entering and leaving the plant and during bathroom, lunch and other break times. 4. The line must be stopped for 10 minutes every hour to enable workers to take off their masks, rest and cool off. 5. Workers must have regular, universal testing. Temperature checks and self-reporting symptoms are not enough. 6. If conditions are not safe, workers have the right to refuse to work without threat of retaliation by management and the union. The fight for the basic right to a safe workplace is one that must encompass the entire working class, in every industry and in every country, connected by the means of production in which every worker plays a role. The rank-and-file committees are the first step toward breaking out of the isolation imposed by the corporate political parties and unions worldwide and building new connections among workers to carry their struggle forward. Shipyard workers at the Bath Iron Works north of Portland, Maine who walked out over contract issues June 22 learned that they have lost health care coverage as the strike by some 4,300 workers continues. There have been no talks since the walkout began, although a federal mediator has now been brought in. The workers overwhelmingly rejected managements last, best and final offer before going on strike. The company had proposed a paltry 3 percent annual wage increase to workers whose wages were frozen in the last contract that expired in 2015. The main point of contention, however, was the companys demand to expand the use of outside contractors that it says are needed to catch up on a backlog of unfinished ships. The IAM is opposing managements proposal to expand subcontracting and erode seniority rights. There is concern that since management will be able to assign workers to jobs regardless of seniority, it will harass and drive out older, more highly paid workers. Earlier this week management announced its intention to start hiring more outside contractors as strikebreakers. Management had already been continuing some production, using managers and other non-striking personnel. For its part the International Association of Machinists, the largest union at the shipyard, has remained absolutely passive, curbing the activity of pickets and refusing to mobilize broader support. Its response to the announcement of stepped up strikebreaking by management was to issue pathetic pleas for the company to come to its senses. The shipyard has a six-month backlog of orders from the US Navy and is one of the five largest suppliers for the Navy, and one of only two facilities that build destroyers. The Navy has expressed concern over the slow pace of work at the shipyard in light of the ongoing preparations for military confrontation with Russia and China. Meanwhile, the Maine Centers for Disease Control opened an investigation after four striking workers tested positive for COVID-19. General Dynamics, which owns Bath Iron Works, posted on its Facebook page that any workers should get tested who had been working on the hull of the future USS Carl M. Levin in dock or had been on the picket line between June 2224. A worker wrote on Facebook, I find it strange that a company that employs over 7500+ all of a sudden are reporting case after case of COVID-19... Id dare say there were many (unreported shhhhh-cases) inside BIW prior to this strike but not reported! Another wrote, Every single contract, the company takes and takes, more and more every time! I am all for this strike and even if I was to lose everything we have worked for and have to start over at a minimum wage job flipping burgers, it sure as hell beats getting screwed by BIW! We can walk out with our heads held high knowing we at least didn't bend over and take it. Several workers pointed to the irony of the fact that COVID-19 cases among shipyard workers are being reported just as the company has cancelled heath benefits. One wrote, Cost of COBRA insurance is out of reach for most people who have No or very limited income. COBRA can cost well over $1,000+ a month. In a further provocation, management posted a notice on its website directing workers to free COVID-19 testing services and other medical resources. The shipyard had remained open throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, citing a ruling by the Trump administration that the building of warships is critical infrastructure. In March, workers at the shipyard had staged a job action independent of the IAM after a worker was diagnosed with COVID-19, but were eventually forced back to work. In a letter to the IAM, General Dynamics CEO Phebe Novakovics wrote, This contract puts us at a competitive disadvantage as the company tries to get through its work backlog. We must be responsive to the changes in our workforce, our shipyard and the needs of our customer. We are not currently. General Dynamics recorded over $3 billion in profits in 2019. The company just landed a new four-year $104 million submarine contract at its General Dynamics Mission Systems facility in Pittsfield, Massachusetts. The contract is for development and production of the Dreadnought-class ballistic missile submarine. The massive Pentagon budget recently approved by the US Congress provisions $4.4 billion specifically for Columbia-class submarines as part of its buildup of nuclear capabilities. This promises a bonanza for General Dynamics and other merchants of death. While demanding concessions from shipyard workers the company reportedly has used some of its $15.3 billion in gross profits since 2018 to buy back come $2.4 billion in its own stock in order to enrich investors and top company officers. In 2015 workers at the Bath shipyard took substantial cuts in health care and pensions along with a wage freeze, supposedly to ensure the competitive position of the company. While bloated with profits the company is coming back for a second helping in 2020. In 2018 Bath Iron Works pocketed $45 million in tax breaks courtesy of the Maine legislature. As a result of the vast expansion of US military spending the Bath shipyard has a bulging order book from the Navy, which has awarded contracts for 47 Arleigh Burke-class destroyers, only 36 of which have been delivered. The ships carry a price tag of a jaw dropping $1.8 billion apiece. Bath shipyard workers face enormous dangers due to the deliberate isolation of their strike by the IAM in the face of increasing provocations on the part of management. The IAM has tied the hands of picketers to the extent that they have even been banned from talking to strikebreakers. There is enormous potential for breaking the isolation of the strike, which by all accounts has won enormous support in the local community. This requires workers taking the struggle into their own hands through the building of a rank-and-file strike committee. The strike takes place amid unprecedented conditions of social unrest and political radicalization as reflected in the mass nationwide and global protests against police violence. At the same time, corporations are using the crisis created by the pandemic to carry out brutal restructuring and cost cutting on the backs of workers. Striking workers should reach out for support to other sections of workers coming into struggleslogistics workers at UPS and Amazon, teachers, health care workers, public sector workers and autoworkers. They must insist on the right to decent income, safe and healthy working conditions and job security. Workers can no longer accept the subordination of every aspect of life to the mad drive for profit by the corporate elite. This requires the reorganization of social and economic life on the basis of production for human need, not private profit. Canadas mainstream media outlets have been fawning over the unindicted war criminal John Bolton, since the publication last month of The Room Where It Happened, his insider account of the Trump administration. Boltons remarks in lengthy Canadian television interviews and print articles on everything from Trumps acumen to Russian aggression, the threat posed by China, and the supposedly non-political character of the extradition of Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou have been served up to the public as the considered observations of a respected statesman. Bolton, who was lauded in Democratic Party-aligned publications like the New York Times for his supposedly withering portrait of Trump, is one of the chief US warmongers of the past two decades. An architect of the 2003 Iraq war, which claimed the lives of hundreds of thousands of civilians and left a complex society in ruins, Bolton has advocated the savage bombardment of at least half a dozen other countries during the past decade, including Venezuela, Iran, North Korea and Syria. He is also notorious for his opposition to the United Nationshe once suggested the top 10 floors of its headquarters should be lopped offthe International Criminal Court, and other multilateral institutions that Canadas governing Liberals and much of the ruling class claim to staunchly support. Why then is the Canadian corporate media lavishing so much attention on this Republican Party operative and aggressive proponent of American imperialist violence in every corner of the world? In the most immediate political sense, Boltons revelations have been seized upon to bolster the Canadian elites aggressive anti-China campaign, which has reached fever pitch in recent weeks. In interviews with CBC and a CTV-affiliated radio show hosted by Evan Solomon, Bolton attacked Trump for his transactional view of the US-China relationship and his purported failure to take a principled stand on Mengs extradition. Canada detained Meng, Huaweis chief financial officer and the daughter of its founder and principal shareholder, at Washingtons behest, on fabricated charges of violating Iranian sanctions. Bolton complained that Trump had raised the prospect of doing a deal with Beijing based on exchanging Meng for Chinese concessions on trade. Bolton, like the dominant factions of the US and Canadian ruling elites, firmly rejects such an approach. They view Mengs detention as part of a broader campaignbacked by ever-escalating diplomatic, economic and military pressure, and ultimately the threat of waraimed at thwarting Chinas emergence as a global force in high tech industries and, more generally. a challenge to US imperialisms global hegemony. Trumps former National Security Advisor stressed that Washington is concerned by the growth of Huawei and telecommunications equipment manufacturer ZTE. They are arms of the state of China, theyre not commercial telecommunications firms in the sense that we in the West understand it and they have a much larger mission than good telephone connections, claimed Bolton. So when they put pressure on a small country like Canada, its important for all of us to stand together and present a united front. This would have been music to the ears of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and former Tory Prime Minister Brian Mulroney. Trudeau recently dismissed out of hand a proposal that his government reset relations with Beijing by exercising its prerogative to block Mengs extradition to the US. Mulroney, speaking for key sections of Canadas ruling elite, called earlier this week for the government to strike a blue-ribbon committee to redefine Canadas relations with Beijing so as to deal with the strategic threat from China (see: US anti-China campaign intensifies factional conflicts within Canadas ruling elite). The enthusiasm within ruling circles for Boltons proposal that Ottawa and Washington form an anti-China united front flows from the benefits that have accrued to Canadas capitalist elite from its eight-decade-long military-strategic partnership with US imperialism. The Canadian bourgeoisies close alliance with Washington in the post-Second World War period provided it with the economic power and military clout to pursue its own predatory imperialist interests and ambitions around the world. For the Liberals and New Democrats, together with significant sections of the Conservatives, Trumps America first policies and erratic behaviour have fuelled the fear that the current occupant of the White House is fatally undermining this global united front partnership. To be sure, the Trudeau government has gone out of its way to collaborate with Trump, as shown by its readiness to renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement to consolidate a new US-led trade war pact directed against external rivals, and its cooperation with Trumps vicious anti-immigrant crackdown. The Liberal government has substantially expanded Canadian military involvement in US imperialist aggression around the world, including by deploying forces to Eastern Europe, the Asia-Pacific and Middle East. Even when Trump responded to the eruption of mass multi-racial protests against police brutality in late May by initiating a military coup, Trudeau dared not utter a word of criticism of the US president. His 21 seconds of silence when responding to a reporters question on the prime ministers opinion of Trumps incitement of violence made global headlines. Trudeaus silence, which was applauded as a clever response by most media outlets, graphically revealed that the Canadian ruling elites disagreements with Trump do not revolve around his shift towards authoritarianism, cultivation of fascist forces, and ruthless persecution of immigrants and political opponents. Rather, like Bolton, other dissident Republicans, and the Democrats, they fear that he is badly mismanaging US foreign policy. This is especially true of Trumps approach to Russia, which they consider far too conciliatory. This is in line with the Democrats impeachment of Trump, which focused on his alleged failure to stand up to Moscow. Studiously avoiding his real crimes, the Democrats denounced Trumps prioritizing of his personal reelection bid over the bipartisan US-led, Canadian-backed, effort to transform Ukraine into a client state of NATO and a base of operations against Russia. It is an open secret that the vast majority of Canadas ruling elite has its fingers crossed for a Joe Biden presidency following Novembers elections. The consequences of such an outcome can be seen in the venomous anti-Russia campaign currently being orchestrated by the New York Times and endorsed by Biden. After publishing unsubstantiated and transparently fabricated intelligence agency leaks that Russia paid the Afghan Taliban to attack American soldiers, the Times has led a chorus of demands for American retaliation, with Biden chiming in to assail Trump from the right for his dereliction of duty (see: The New York Times fabricates Russian murder plot). What the Canadian ruling elite is really yearning for is the prospect of a more stable partner in the White House, so that Canadian and American imperialism can get back to what they do best: bullying, threatening and intriguing against rivals, and waging wars in pursuit of markets, raw materials and spheres of influence. This was the unmistakable message sent by Bolton in his CBC interview, when he said, The negative consequences caused by the Trump presidency can be overcome. Those who are anti-American will pick on Trump as an example of America in decline, and they would be wrong. America, he went on to declare remains a force to be reckoned with. Canada has assisted US imperialism in proving that it is a force to be reckoned with over the past quarter century. Under Liberal and, Conservative governments alike, the Canadian military has participated in virtually every US-led war of aggression, as well as numerous covert regime-change operations. This includes NATOs savage bombardment of Yugoslavia in 1999; the neocolonial occupation of Afghanistan beginning in 2001; the invasion of Haiti in 2004; the air war in Libya in 2011; the ouster of Ukraines elected president in a fascist-spearheaded coup in 2014; the ongoing war in Iraq and Syria; and the 2019 military coup in Bolivia. Canada has also played a major role in the US-led build-up of NATO military forces against Russia in Eastern Europe, as shown by its leadership of a 1,000-strong battalion in Latvia and its training of Ukrainian army units for the far-right regime in Kiev. In light of this record, it should come as no surprise that Canadas leading media outlets have rolled out a figurative red carpet for Bolton. Thousands of delivery workers have engaged in a strike on Wednesday demanding better working conditions in more than 10 Brazilian capitals, as well as in cities in Argentina and Mexico. It was an important demonstration of the strength of the delivery workers struggle, which has been intensifying in Latin America since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic. The workers organized themselves outside the unions with broad popular support as they spread their movement through the internet using the hashtags #BrequeDosApps (brake the apps) and #YoNoReparto (I wont deliver). The international action was called soon after a strike of delivery workers working for the delivery app Loggi in Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo, on June 9 and 10. Delivery workers strike in Recife, Pernambuco [Source: WhatsApp] Carlos Alberto, a delivery worker from Jundiai, in the interior of Sao Paulo, is one of the workers who took part in organizing the strike. We came into contact with the delivery workers from other countries through internet pages. Nowadays, in social media, we can easily communicate. We got their names, their Whatsapp contacts, and added them to our strike group. And we unified with them so they would stop too. The strike on July 1 was strongest in Sao Paulo, Brazils biggest city. The protests began in the morning, with the workers blocking access to shopping malls, restaurant chains and warehouses of the Loggi corporation. Later, around 5,000 delivery workers gathered in one of the main avenues of the city. Were inside this coronavirus crisis, clashing directly with COVID-19, said Carlos Alberto. Several colleagues were hospitalized and for iFood to release [security benefits] money is a nuisance. Ive already talked to comrades who ran after it, you know? Its a lot of bureaucracy. We want improvements. We want to have a place in the city where we can recharge our mobile phones, with a bathroom, with drinking water, with a table to eat a meal. We dont want too much. We want our rights, we want insurance against accidents, against the theft of our bikes. Today they say they give an insurance, but they dont. Besides the risk of being exposed to the virus, workers report long working hoursoften more than 14 hours a dayfor increasingly low pay, without health insurance or labor rights. During the strike, a group of workers summarized their over-exploitation in a chant: Its not fair! Workers demands include higher pay, more safety at work and an end to punitive bans. In an effort to break the workers organization, iFoodLatin Americas largest food delivery startuptried to hire scabs. On the day of the stoppage, it was offering a bonus of 30 reais (around US$5.50) per delivery for those who worked. Similar measures were taken by the other companies in the businessRappi, Loggi and Uber Eats. Some the scabs were stopped by the strikers and forced to return home. Others were convinced to join with the majority of their colleagues. Delivery workers close Estaiada Bridge in Sao Paulo [Source: WhatsApp] As avenues around the country were being taken over by demonstrators honking their bike horns, iFoods vice president of strategy and finance, Diego Barreto, gave an interview to CNN Brasil claiming that most of the demands have already been met by the company, adding that delivery workers earn more than the minimum wage established in Brazil. What the executive does not say is that, in order to achieve this minimum wage, the hours worked by the vast majority of delivery workers are far above the legally established working day. Barreto also tried to shift responsibility for workers conditions away from the company, justifying them in the name of the sharing economy concept, as if workers chose their own exploitation as part of an entrepreneurship deal. But behind the false promises of a shared economy these corporations in fact promote a huge concentration of wealth in the hands of their billionaire shareholders, while millions of workers are exploited and discarded. Any increase in workers income directly threatens the greedy interests of these powerful shareholders. The iFood corporation, based in Sao Paulo and with operations all over Latin America, is controlled by billionaires like Jorge Paulo Lemann, the wealthiest man in Brazil. Rappi, based in Colombia, last year received an investment of US$1 billion from the Japanese conglomerate SoftBank. These capitalists are ready to employ their entire arsenal against workers to protect their fortunes. In addition to the punishments already practiced, like the policy of scores and bans (equivalent to, respectively, warnings and dismissals for contracted workers), the companies also rely on the state and on the pseudo-left organizations and the trade unions to divert the workers struggle. The Facebook page Treta no Tramposet up by a group of activists who promoted the strikeshared, a few days before the strike, a video of three delivery workers stating that their movement has no political link to anyone and defending independence from the union. One of the workers also warned the political organizations not to interfere in the strike, saying: if flags [of parties or unions] are raised, they will be lowered. This and similar statements express the workers response to having seen the actions of the unions and so called left governments led by the Workers Party (PT) favoring the interests of big corporations, while their living conditions worsened. But in spite of the declarations of these workers, the Union of Motorcycle Workers of Sao Paulo (Sindimoto), affiliated to the reactionary General Workers Union (UGT), joined the demonstrations with sound trucks and their flags. They were responsible for concentrating a significant number of the strikers around them. One of those present was the president of the UGT, Ricardo Patah, who is also president of the Commercial Workers Union, the same one which signed an agreement with city hall for the criminal reopening of commerce in Sao Paulo, the city with the highest number of COVID-19 cases and where the pandemic is far from controlled. The reactionary intervention of figures like Patah into the delivery workers struggle underscores the political dimensions of the strike, which went well beyond the particular interests of delivery workers. The workers repudiation of the unions and pseudo-left parties is not sufficient to overcome the attempts of these forces to divert and contain their struggle. What is required is a conscious fight for the independent political mobilization of the working class as a whole. The potential for such a struggle was highlighted by a threat of a strike by Sao Paulos subway workers, which was announced for the same day as the delivery workers strike, after a massive vote in favor of a walkout, but was postponed by the trade union. The citys school transportation drivers, on the other hand, held a protest on the same day in support of the delivery workers, demanding government assistance, as they have lost their income since the beginning of the pandemic. In addition to transportation workers, health professionals, call center operators, autoworkers and other sections of the working class around the world are rising in opposition to the ruling class response to the pandemic and the protracted worsening of their living conditions. The struggle of the delivery workers emerges from the profound contradictions of the capitalist system, which uses every technological advance to increase the exploitation of the working class, while relying on growing unemployment to drive down wages and conditions. As workers demands have not been met by the companies, they are calling for a new strike on July 12. It is urgent that delivery workers take the struggle into their own hands, building new democratic organizations, rank-and-file committees independent of the unions. When asked by the World Socialist Web Site what he had to say to his international colleagues, Carlos Alberto declared: You should stand up, because with the internet tools that you have, you can join forces. Dont wait for the unions, because the unions have abandoned everyone, everything is abandoned to the moths. There is no deputy, no union, no governor, no president, there is no one in favor of us It is we ourselves who have to make it happen. The Johnson government has announced that this Sunday will see the Clap for Carers reinstated to mark the 72nd anniversary of the National Health Service (NHS). They intend to establish an annual event. The endorsement of the initiative by a rogues gallery of all five living former prime ministers underscores the cynicism of the occasion. Together with their successor, the Tories John Major, David Cameron, and Theresa May, and New Labour war criminals Tony Blair and Gordon Brown have collectively presided over a three-decades-long offensive against the NHS that has brought it to the brink of collapse. During the factional conflict over Brexit, Major famously declared that the NHS was about as safe in the hands of Johnson as a pet hamster with a hungry python. Sundays clap is in fact a slap in the face for health and social care workers who have struggled to manage a crisis Johnsons government created. It is a calculated insult to the memory of an estimated 400 health and care workers who died of COVID-19 trying to save the lives of others. Clinical staff care for a patient with coronavirus in the intensive care unit at the Royal Papworth Hospital in Cambridge, May 5, 2020 [Credit: Neil Hall/Pool via AP] Clap for Carers came to an end after 10 weeks because workers could no longer stomach the sickening hypocrisy of participating government ministers. What began as a spontaneous act of popular solidarity has now been co-opted by the ruling class, turned into a vehicle for lecturing the workers on the importance of national unity, spreading the lie that we are all in it together, and providing a fig leaf to conceal the threatened collapse of the NHS. The government has even raised the possibility of handing care workers medals, giving them the same treatment as the cannon fodder sent to be slaughtered in British imperialisms wars abroad. As one intensive care nurse told a BBC Panorama documentary in April, calling us heroes just makes it okay when we die. One thing not on offer is the money needed to properly fund a health and social care system and workforce that has been stretched past breaking point during the pandemic. The last 10 years saw the lowest ever funding increase for the NHS in its existence, while the Health and Social Care Act brought in by the Conservative and Liberal Democrat coalition in 2012 facilitated an unprecedented looting of the service by private companies. Bed capacity was slashed by 30,000 and the number of Intensive Care Unit beds per thousand people reduced to one of the lowest ratios in Europe. Stocks of personal protective equipment were reduced by 40 percent from 2013. The workforce has been cut to the point where the NHS is suffering more than 110,000 vacancies. This fragile structure was then hit with the hammer blow of a pandemicpredicted and warned about for yearsbut turned into a national catastrophe by Johnsons deadly policy of herd immunity allowing the disease to run rampant for weeks. Even this crisis has not halted attacks on the NHS. On May 18, Health Secretary Matt Hancock refused to consider a pay rise for nurses. A petition of more than 160,000 people demanding an increase forced parliament to debate the issue last week. Less than 20 MPs out of 650 showed up. The same week, 331 Tory MPs voted down a motion to provide NHS workers with routine weekly testing. The Office of National Statistics (ONS) recently revealed that health and social care workers are significantly more likely to die of COVID-19. A Royal College of Nursing (RCN) survey found that 34 percent of nurses say theyre still under pressure to care for patients with possible or confirmed COVID-19 without adequate personal protective equipment (PPE). Doctors Association UK (DAUK), the Good Law Project, and the Hourglass charity have launched a legal challenge against the government for failing to instigate an inquiry into health and social care worker deaths. Two weeks ago, the government tried to prematurely terminate the contracts of student nurses who opted to work for NHS for six months and provide assistance during the pandemic. It was only after a massive public outcry, and a petition of more than 182,000 people, that the government agreed to honour the contracts. They were forced into a similar U-turn over waiving Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS) for NHS workers from overseas, but reports show that non-EU workers are still being forced to pay. In a speech on Tuesday promising a New Deal, Johnson pledged just 1.5 billion for hospital maintenance and constructionless than one quarter of the 6.5 billion maintenance backlog faced by UK hospitals. Now the NHS is to be plunged into a worse catastrophe than ever before by Johnsons premature ending of the lockdown and drive to reopen the economy. The day before the clap for the NHS, July 4, has been dubbed as the UKs own Independence Day and Super Saturday, with emphasis on the opening of pubs. The Royal College of Emergency Medicine, warned, The NHS has coped admirably during this period, but staff are exhausted, and the system is very fragile it would be heartbreaking to see A&Es overwhelmed on the first post-lockdown evening by people who have gotten too drunk or been in a fight. The opening of factories, schools, and beaches, has already led to a surge in infections in towns and cities throughout the UK, including London, that has already necessitated a local lockdown in Leicester. The second phase of the pandemic will have devastating consequences, especially with the onset of the winter flu season that last November meant bed occupancy rates of 95 percent. Professor Sir John Bell, regius professor of Medicine at Oxford University, has warned of pandemonium in A&E departments in the event of a second wave of coronavirus overlapping with a bad flu outbreak. There is also an immense backlog of NHS treatments postponed during the pandemic, with the NHS waiting list expected to rise from 4.2 million currently to about 10 million by Christmas. Around 28,000 heart procedures have been delayed since the beginning of the lockdown, while Cancer Research estimated that 23,000 cancers have gone undiagnosed and that 2.4 million people are waiting for screening, treatment or tests. Around 100,000 people have so far needed hospital care for COVID-19 in England alone. An estimated 20-30 percent are showing some level of long-term lung damage, leaving them more susceptible to chest infections. This will put impossible pressures on an already exhausted healthcare workforce, with increased incidences of stress, anxiety, insomnia, and post-traumatic stress disorder being reported. The catastrophe facing the NHS and the working class which depends on it can only be resolved by a massive injection of resources into all aspects of health and social care. But the necessary resources can only be made available through a seizure of the profits and assets of the major corporations and banks and the immediate removal of private, profit-seeking enterprises from the NHS. Such a demand is anathema not only to the Tories, but also the Labour Party. Labours Sir Keir Starmer and company have spent all their time and energy defending the government and have ruled out any measures to address social inequality or funding shortages. For their part, the trade unions that have allowed the NHS to be destroyed piecemeal for decades are colluding every day with the government and the employers in the same rotten role as policemen of any opposition that develops in the workforce. The life-and-death question of defending and expanding the NHS falls to the working class, acting in its own interests through building independent action committees. These committees must take up a socialist political struggle to safeguard the health and safety of doctors and nurses and secure the resources needed for a fully functioning healthcare system. A growing number of temporary school closures are taking place in Australia because of COVID-19 infections among teachers and/or students. In the state of Victoria, 32 schools have been closed for deep cleaning since the return of all students just over two weeks ago, including 22 schools since last Friday. Despite the concerns of parents and teachers about the safety of returning to crowded classrooms where social distancing is almost impossible to practice, the federal and state governments, both Liberal-National and Labor, have pushed teachers and children back into classrooms as part of the drive by big business to get workers back inside workplaces. Governments promised thoroughly cleaned classrooms, including desks, chairs and other classroom furniture. The reality is that school cleaners have neither the resources nor hours to conduct the cleaning that is needed. Instead a propaganda campaign is being waged via videos and media releases where some high contact areas are being cleaned regularly using casual untrained labour, while the vast bulk of necessary cleaning is simply not being done. Governments are claiming that where outbreaks have occurred, before reopening the school, all surfaces, furniture and equipment will be disinfected with hospital-grade disinfectant as part of the deep clean. Yet the longest time that schools seem to close for cleaning is three days, and this is not even enough time for students or teachers to be tested for COVID-19 and get their results back. There is no clear definition of deep cleaning, although various websites say it is different from everyday sanitation because it involves tasks and activities of cleaning and disinfecting that need effort, time and the right techniques and products. Cleaners themselves, as well as teachers and parents, are deeply sceptical of the promises of deep cleaning. The large cleaning companies involved are hiring inexperienced and untrained casual cleaners. The WSWS interviewed Tom, who was employed as a casual by one of the four companies contracted to clean government schools in New South Wales (NSW). Tom spent seven hours each day working in two schools. His main job was to clean door handles, railings and high contact surfaces in bathrooms. He was not allocated time to clean desks, equipment inside classrooms or playground equipment. For some time he was the only additional cleaner hired for the day shift at a high school with more than 1,000 students. One Melbourne cleaner told a daily newspaper: We dont have enough equipment like proper cloths and dusters. We dont have enough to make sure its safe. The disinfectant that we are using, we run out quickly. We are not given enough gloves or cloths. We arent given masks. A survey of 500 cleaners found that 90 percent had to rush essential cleaning in order to complete their jobs, 80 percent lacked essential equipment, 74 percent lacked correct personal protective equipment (PPE) and 70 percent had not received face-to-face training. Epping Boys High School in Sydney was one of the first schools to be closed due to a COVID-19 infection. Following the closure, cleaners at the school revealed that due to the understaffing they were only able to clear rubbish on some days, rather than to do detailed cleaning. The cleaners were denied their requests for PPE, including face masks and extra hand washing supplies. One teacher commented on Facebook: Wiping over the door handles in the middle of the day is hardly inspiring confidence. Imagine how many cleaners and how many additional hours would actually be needed to clean 21 classrooms, computer labs, libraries, staff rooms, toilets etc. In many schools, teachers and students are expected to clean the desks and equipment in their own classrooms. Teachers are worried about the extra burden being placed on cleaning staff. One teacher posted on Facebook: Our school cleaner, who used to work from 2 until 6, is now onsite before we come out for recess at 11 and was still there when I left at 5.30 yesterday. She does five hours at another school before coming to us These are people who are doing a hard, physical job for long, long hours at the moment, with no end in sight. It isnt sustainable, but they know it will be their fault when this fails. Another teacher said: The cleaner at one of the schools Im at is doing 12-hour days and they have only managed to get one extra person. Deep cleaning isnt happening, as they physically cant do it. For all the government promises, inadequate funding has been provided. In Victoria, just $45 million has been allocated for enhanced cleaning of state schools. In NSW, only $250 million has been allocated for cleaning and hygiene products for public facilities, including schools, Technical and Further Education Colleges and all forms of public transport. The NSW Department of Education website claims: Good personal hygiene, including regular hand washing, cleaning and disinfecting and the use of personal protective equipment are vigorously applied across all schools. But each school has received on average just four bars of soap and about 10 ml of hand sanitiser per student. Earlier in the year, when COVID-19 infection numbers started to grow, many teachers reported that their schools had no soap available in student bathrooms and hand sanitiser was non-existent unless teachers and students provided it themselves. Teachers were told not to use PPE while at school. By contrast, private schools have received significant additional financial support from the federal government during the pandemic. As small to medium size businesses, they were able to access payments of up to $100,000 each to assist with cash flow. In addition, the federal government provided them with $10 million for hygiene products and extra cleaning services. One teacher noted: Private sector schools have large teams of cleaners working before the school day, during, and after. Quick responses to requests, high-touch areas cleaned frequently with strong anti-bacterial cleaner, all on top of the usual daily mopping and vacuuming etc. In public schools, daily mopping and vacuuming is a rarity. The Victorian government guidelines provide for only weekly or twice-weekly cleaning, and daily mopping is only scheduled in bathrooms, canteens and sick bays. The pandemic has highlighted the under-funding of every sphere of education, including the cleaning of schools. The degradation of cleaning in educational facilities through the privatisation of these services points to the incompatibility of the capitalist profit system with the provision of basic human needsin this case, the hygiene standards necessary to protect the lives and health of teachers, students and parents. If youre a faculty member, worker, or student at CUNY and are interested in speaking out on these cuts and their effects, please get in touch with us at educators@wsws.org The City University of New York (CUNY) has laid off thousands of adjunct faculty and slashed hours and pay of part-time staff this week as part of a sweeping wave of austerity measures that include hundreds of classes being cut, class sizes expanded, and student tuition increased. These actions will have a devastating effect on the largest urban university system in the US, forcing faculty, students, and staff to bear the brunt of the current pandemic-triggered state and city financial crisis. CUNY School of Medicine - Townsend Harris Hall After being extended twice, the June 30 reappointment notification deadline saw the layoffs of 2,800 adjunct faculty, approximately 25 percent of CUNYs adjunct workforce. A CUNY spokesperson attributed these unprecedented layoffs to a fiscal outlook [that] is dim and uncertain. As a result, the hundreds of adjuncts who qualified for health insurance through CUNY will lose their health benefits in the middle of a pandemic. Of note, CUNY is reported to have suffered more coronavirus deaths than any other university system in the country, with at least 38 fatalities. This week also saw an attack on the jobs of CUNYs part-time staff, who received reappointment letters sent out with only 36 hours notice, notifying them of a reduction of up to 40 percent of their hours and pay rate starting July 1, and giving no guarantee of employment beyond the month of July. In addition, CUNY colleges are reducing course offerings by up to 25 percent, resulting in hundreds of courses being cut for the 2020-21 school year, which will undoubtedly increase class sizes. Online courses, which are difficult to teach with many students, will become overcrowded. If in-person classes resume, large class sizes will pose immense health risks for faculty and students. Further placing the burden of the pandemic on the working class, CUNYs Board of Trustees is also moving forward with an annual student tuition increase totaling $320. These attacks on the most vulnerable workers and students at CUNY are all the more provocative as the top salaried positions remain untouched. CUNYs Chancellor Felix Matos Rodriguez earns a staggering $670,000 a year with a monthly housing stipend of $7,500. At the June 29 CUNY Board of Trustees meeting, enormous salaries of four new college presidents were approved: $320,000 for Dr. Berenecea Johnson-Eanes of York College, and $275,000 each for Dr. Anthony Munroe of Borough of Manhattan Community College, Dr. Christine Mangino of Queensborough Community College, and Kenneth Adams of LaGuardia Community College. The widening gap between faculty and top administrators mirrors processes taking place in society more broadly. Tens of millions of Americans are out of work, struggling to afford education, health care, food and housing. Meanwhile, unlimited resources have been handed over to the banks, hedge funds and major corporations to prop up the stock market and ensure that the wealthy are made whole. The Professional Staff Congress (PSC), which nominally represents 30,000 CUNY faculty and staff, has filed a lawsuit in response to the layoffs. The lawsuit seeks to make CUNY, which received $132 million in funding for institutional expenses from the federal CARES Act, comply with the CARES Act to honor its promise to, to the greatest extent practicable, continue to pay its employees during the period of any disruptions or closures related to the coronavirus pandemic. The PSC has no intention of leading a real struggle against mass layoffs. Even their lawsuit gives CUNY room to justify the layoffs by classifying them as a last resort, on the grounds that avoiding layoffs is not practicable. Unions, especially the PSC-affiliated American Federation of Teachers (AFT), have played an instrumental role in shutting down and betraying workers strikes, including the wave of teachers struggles that erupted over the past two years. In strike after strike, the union apparatus consciously isolated each struggle, forcing through contracts in the interests of management, while upholding the authority of the corporate Democratic Party. Mirroring this phony opposition, New York Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez recently sent a letter to CUNYs Chancellor and Board of Trustees, writing, While we are painfully aware of the budgetary crisis facing the City and State, we believe that the CUNY administration should pursue every alternative before even considering major budget cuts. Nowhere does the letter state that cuts and layoffs are unacceptable, but puts them on the table if they are deemed necessary by the administration behind closed doors. However, this response by the union and Democratic politicians cannot be seen merely as weak. The Democratic Party and its trade union backers have collaborated with Republicans to implement the wave of austerity measures currently sweeping the country. The corporate bailout in response to the pandemic, which funneled trillions to Wall Street and big business, was passed unanimously by both parties of the ruling class, intensifying the transfer of large sums of wealth to the top. States, cities, hospitals, schools, and other social services face insurmountable debt, with insufficient funding resulting in massive budget cuts and layoffs. No illusions can be placed in the Democrats to carry out any type of progressive reforms. New York City, led by a Democratic mayor, is home to Wall Street and 113 billionaires, more than most countries in the world, and contains enormous social inequality. At CUNY, 42 percent of incoming freshmen come from households with incomes of $20,000 or less. A recent report by the New York City Council on the conditions CUNY students are facing during the pandemic found that nearly 40 percent of students lost their jobs, 18 percent have gone hungry, and 55 percent face housing insecurity. To carry forward the struggle against the layoffs and education cuts at CUNY, workers and students must unequivocally assert their own class interests. As a starting point, they must demand: An immediate reversal of all cuts and layoffs. The trillions mobilized for Wall Street must be seized and redirected to support the needs of workers and students. The abolition of tuition and cancellation of all student loan debt. Education is a fundamental right that must be provided, free of charge, to the entire working class. Safe working and learning conditions. There must be no reopening of campuses until it is deemed safe by committees of workers and students, in consultation with medical experts. CUNY faculty and staff, along with students, must orient themselves toward the broader working class and youth who are coming into struggle against the capitalist system. Across the city, transit workers, K-12 educators, and municipal employees all face massive austerity, compounding the deadly conditions of the pandemic. These conditions are mirrored across the US and internationally, as the pandemic has impacted the entire global economy. To carry forward this struggle requires a complete break from the straitjacket of the trade unions, which at every turn isolate and sabotage workers coming into struggle. Rank-and-file committees must be organized to link up with other sections of workers and youth, fighting for a program based on the fundamental needs of the working class. This, above all, requires a political fight against the capitalist system and for socialism. The Central Bank of Sri Lanka announced on June 28 that it would make available 150 billion rupees ($US810 million) to the big businesses, starting on July 1. The announcement was in response to a direct order from President Gotabhaya Rajapakse to top Central Bank officials, including Governor W.D. Lakshman, and followed an earlier directive. The Central Bank announcement said it would provide a credit guarantee to banks, ranging from 80 percent for smaller loans to 50 percent for relatively large loans, enabling banks to grant loans to address working capital requirements of the [COVID-19] affected businesses. Pledging to absorb a significantly higher percentage of the credit risk, the Central Bank directed commercial banks to extend their lending to vulnerable businesses, focusing on the viability and cash flows of such businesses rather than collateral. The commercial banks, it added, should use the additional liquidity to grant loans at 4 percent to businesses with the Central Bank providing an interest subsidy of 5 percent to cover the cost to the banks. The statement was issued after President Rajapakse had summoned Central Bank officials to his office on June 16 and accused them for not carrying out orders he issued on March 27. At that time, Rajapakse called for 50 billion rupees to be given to commercial banks for loans to pandemic-hit businesses. On May 20, the Sri Lankan cabinet approved a 100 billion rupee grant from the Central Bank for commercial bank loans. During last weeks meeting with Central Bank officials, Rajapakse declared that the people of this country have bestowed a great power on me to build this country. Abandoning any pretence of observing the independence of the Central Bank, he bluntly stated that its fiscal policies should be in accordance with the economic policy of the president of the country. Providing bank loans, he said, was a money circulation process and a very simple tactic, and declared, But, what are you doing? Pliant Central Bank officials issued a detailed statement later that night, explaining how they would implement Rajapakses previous orders. The Central Bank and the Ministry of Finance are also reportedly considering tax exemptions and concessions, faster tax refunds and collateral waivers for the corporates and other businesses. While Central Bank officials have not explained why they delayed acting on Rajapakses previous orders, the bank is committed to financial targets set down under the International Monetary Funds $1.5 billion bailout loan in 2016. This includes ensuring that Sri Lanka meets its financial deficit target of 3.5 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) this year and other IMF austerity demands. The fiscal deficit hit 6.7 percent of GDP last year and is estimated to climb higher this year. While Rajapakse claims to have a mandate from the people, he came to power by exploiting mass anger against the previous government and its austerity measures. His meeting with Central Bank officials occurred two days after consulting with Sri Lankan exporters who complained about not receiving bank loans and demanded an immediate remedy. Rajapakse is becoming increasingly desperate over Sri Lankas economic decline, which has been accelerated by the pandemic. Economic growth declined in 2018 and 2019 to 3.3 and 2.3 percent respectively. The World Bank is currently predicting growth of just 3.3 percent this year. In May, Sri Lankas export earnings declined by 37 percent to $602 million, tourism has collapsed and remittances from overseas workers fell by 32.3 percent in April 2020 to $375 million compared to same period last year. The presidents claim that the simple tactic of increasing money circulation will revive the economy is an illusion. Hit by the COVID-19 pandemic, the global economy, which is expected to shrink by 5.2 percent this year, confronts the deepest recession since WWII. The latest IMF Outlook report is predicting further growth falls in the US and European Union (EU) to -8 percent and -10.2 percent respectively. Last month, the Economist magazine rated Sri Lanka 61st out of 66 countries confronting financial distress from public debt, foreign debt and this years debt repayment costs. It reported that Sri Lanka was the worst hit economy in South Asia, well behind Bangladesh, India and Pakistan. Last week, the Fitch ratings agency warned that Sri Lankas budget deficit may balloon to 9.3 percent this year and that debt payment pressure will intensify. The agency downgraded the countrys credit rating from B to B minus in April, thereby reducing its ability to obtain loans from commercial sources. Between June and December Sri Lanka will have to pay $3.8 billion in debt servicing and an average of $4.3 billion per year from 2021 to 2025. Fitch noted that an increase in external funding stress, reflected in a narrowing of funding options and weaker refinancing capacity, was threatening Sri Lankas ability to meet external debt repayments. Confronted with this crisis, Colombo is desperate for funds in order to avoid a default on its foreign debts. On June 18, Rajapakse met with European Union ambassadors in Colombo telling them that under the current circumstances, Sri Lanka would benefit from a debt moratorium. The government has also requested an $800 million loan from the IMF, which will entail even more drastic austerity measures against the working class. While providing huge concessions to Sri Lankan banks and big business, the government is imposing increasing economic burdens on workers and the poor. At the end of May, the government hiked taxes from 50 to 100 percent on essential food items, such as sugar, potatoes, onions, tinned fish, spices, dairy products and fruits. At the same time, employers, with the blessing of the government, are using the COVID-19 pandemic to implement massive job and wage cuts and attacks on working conditions. This assault will intensify. The National Chamber of Exporters recently declared that labour laws in Sri Lanka are heavily in favour of employees and prevent flexibility with regards to employment of labour in crisis situations. It called for piece-rate payments, the temporary suspension of provident fund payments and the elimination of holidays and other limited social gains, such as compensation for laid off workers. The situation confronting workers at Brandix, one of the largest garment companies in Sri Lanka, since COVID-19 hit, typifies that facing thousands of workers across the country. Brandix employed about 47,000 people before the pandemic. As one worker from the companys Seeduwa plant near Katunayake recently explained to the World Socialist Web Site: Before COVID-19 there were about 1,700 workers employed here but that number has now been cut to 600. Management is harshly ordering workers around, sometimes telling us to go home if we dont work fast enough. We previously sewed slacks but are now producing masks. They set a target of 300 masks per day but were only able to do 250 pieces. Sometimes female workers are not even able go to the wash room. Incentive allowances, including the attendance allowance, have also been slashed. The company has sacked workers who have spoken out against the harsh conditions. Management is nervous about the unrest among workers and is moving people around to different work lines every day. German Defence Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer (Christian Democratic Union, CDU) announced Tuesday that the 1,600-strong elite unit of the German army (Bundeswehr) would be restructured after new details came to light about the far-right terrorist networks operating for years inside the Special Forces Command (KSK). One of the four companies of the KSK is to be disbanded, KSK participation in international missions temporarily suspended and the elite force is to be restructured and more closely integrated into the rest of the Bundeswehr. The KSK had in parts become a law unto itself, Kramp-Karrenbauer explained. There was a toxic leadership culture on the part of some individuals and large amounts of weapons and ammunition had been lost. Some 48,000 rounds of ammunition and 62 kilograms of explosives had disappeared without trace. Therefore, the KSK could not remain in its current form. KSK soldiers during a mission exercise [Credit: Tim Rademacher/CC BY-SA 4.0] The defence ministers move is primarily a damage control operation. The discredited right-wing extremist force is not to be disbanded, but rather organised more effectively and given more influence within the Bundeswehr as a whole. Not one of those responsible for encouraging and tolerating the activities of the far right over a long period of time is to be held accountable. On the contrary, they have been given responsibility for reorganising the KSK. Kramp-Karrenbauers proposal stems from a KSK working group she set up five weeks ago after a 45-year-old KSK instructor, Philipp Sch., had been arrested. Police found explosives, an arsenal with ammunition and Nazi literature following a search of the soldiers private home. The KSK working group consists of the leading superiors of Philipp Sch.KSK commander Markus Kreitmayr, army inspector Alfons Mais and Bundeswehr inspector general Eberhard Zornas well as two state secretaries from the Defence Ministry, i.e., all defence and military insiders. In addition, the new military commissioner of the Bundestag, Eva Hogl (Social Democratic Party, SPD), was included in the group. Hogl has to demonstrate she is just as loyal to the Bundeswehr as her predecessor, Hans-Peter Bartels, whom she replaced a month ago in a dispute. Brigadier General Kreitmayr, who has led the KSK for two years, is also responsible for implementing the announced reforms. The commander of the Rapid Forces Division, Major General Andreas Hannemann, is to investigate the whereabouts of the missing ammunition. Hannemann recently featured in a video of the Bild newspaper, posing like an authoritarian military ruler. He openly threatened young people who had clashed with police in Stuttgart if they dared to attack any one of us. We will fight back, he said, emphasising several times: If someone is unwilling to use force then he must not wear this uniform. Kramp-Karrenbauer, who informed the KSK personally about the measures planned at the KSK barracks in Calw, praised the unit in a subsequent interview with the Suddeutsche Zeitung: I saw a unit that was shaken by what had taken place. A unit that questions itself critically. One had the feeling that there are people around commander Markus Kreitmayr ready to change the KSK. When asked by the Suddeutsche whether she would dissolve the entire company if self-healing did not succeed, the defence minister replied: We will always need special forces. The KSK has performed excellently in all of its operations since 1996. In fact, the KSK operates largely in secret. Its operations have included interventions in the Bosnian and Afghanistan wars, where it hunted down and killed alleged terrorists behind front lines. Only those who complete training lasting several years and pass various examinations testing the entrants physical and psychological limits are accepted into the conspiratorial squad. Far-right conspiracies have existed in the KSK from the start. One of its first commanders, Reinhard Gunzel, was fired without notice by a former defence minister, Peter Struck (SPD), in 2003 after he expressed his support for a speech widely regarded as anti-Semitic by the former CDU and, later, far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) deputy Martin Hohmann. Gunzel subsequently accused Struck in the far-right newspaper Junge Freiheit of organising his exorcism and trying to wipe out the conservative camp. In April 2017, Lieutenant Colonel Pascal D., a senior KSK officer, celebrated a wild farewell party. One of those taking part was Philipp Sch., who has now been arrested. According to one witness, Nazi music was played at the party and those participating gave the raised arm Hitler salute. The matter was never fully clarified because investigators encountered a wall of silence from the 70 soldiers taking part. The German military secret service (MAD) has since identified 20 suspected right-wing extremists in the KSK. It only dealt with cases which were obvious. Many soldiers who, according to MAD, also reject the German constitution (Basic Law) were not investigated. MAD itself is deeply involved in the extreme-right swamp and has repeatedly warned soldiers of impending investigations. The notorious Andre S., alias Hannibal, is also a former instructor for the KSK. Hannibal had built up a nationwide network of far-right elite soldiers, police officers and judges, who were preparing to carry out a fascist coup on a certain Day X involving the murder of hundreds of political opponents. Hannibal was also in contact with Bundeswehr officer Franco A., who was exposed in 2017 after acquiring a fake identity as a refugee. Franco A. is currently accused of preparing a serious crime endangering the statei.e., the assassination of left-wing politicians, cultural figures and armed assaults on institutions. Significantly, neither Kramp-Karrenbauer in her interview with the Suddeutsche Zeitung, nor the report of the KSK working group even mentioned Hannibal, who, like Franco A., remains at large. Franco A.s accomplice and close friend Maximilian T., also a former Bundeswehr soldier, even has an ID card to enter the Bundestag. He is an employee of AfD deputy Jan Nolte. The cover-up operation and support for the far-right networks in the KSK, the Bundeswehr and other parts of the state apparatus by the German government and other representatives of the ruling elite are no accident. Confronted with growing international conflicts and internal class contradictions, which continue to worsen due to the coronavirus pandemic, the ruling class in Germany is returning to its methods of the 1930smilitarism and dictatorship. The ruling elite needs the KSK, the Bundeswehrin which many officers sympathise with the AfDthe secret services and other sections of the state apparatus, which are permeated with right-wing extremists, in order to pursue its imperialist goals abroad and suppress social opposition at home. The Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, which frequently expresses the interests and goals of ruling circles more openly and cynically than other newspapers, summed this up in a comment by Reinhard Muller. It was always a crazy idea to dissolve the KSK, if this means doing without such special forces, Muller wrote. While extremists could not be tolerated, it should not be forgotten, however, that small, elite units that are particularly dependent on one another in secret operations require an esprit de corps and secrecy. If this is not the case, then there is a lack of clout and security. Politically, it was not easy to hold onto those elite units that not only go through a tough selection and training process, but are also distinguished by a certain cultivation of tradition. But that should not be a contradiction: The citizen in uniform must be a warrior in an emergency. Warriors who are distinguished by a certain cultivation of [Nazi] traditionthat is a very precise description of the radical right-wing network in the KSK, the abolition of which would be a crazy idea, according to the newspaper that represents Germanys financial oligarchy based in the city of Frankfurt. The direct result of the back-to-work policy dictated by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus Likud-Blue and White coalition government is a renewed rise in the number of new COVID-19 cases in Israel, the occupied West Bank and Gaza. As of July 3, Israel had recorded 28,055 cases and 326 deaths, with an additional 1,008 new cases. The number of new cases has doubled every 12 days over the last month and now averages more than 500 a day. While the number being ventilated is stable, at around 30, this is because hospitals are deferring ventilation to a later stage of the disease, if at all, due to fears of long-term damage. Likewise, the number of seriously ill, which has risen to more than 40, is still relatively low because it takes about two weeks after the detection of new cases to reach this level of severity. The rise in new cases has led to the closure of many schools throughout the country, and the re-imposition of restrictions in certain areas, including limits on the number of people at concerts, events, weddings and funerals. The government has brought back the rule requiring Palestinians, who cross the border into Israel to work predominantly in the construction industry, not to go home to their families at the end of their working day. Instead, they must remain in Israel until July 17, in accommodation provided by their employers. The government is also introducing legislation allowing Israels security agency, the Shin Bet, to continue using a surveillance system originally developed for monitoring the Palestinians, in a bid to curb the spread of the disease, despite widespread criticism. In late April, as the infection rate began to fall, reaching just a few dozen new cases a dayand the cost of the closures reached $285 million a daythe government announced a relaxation of restrictions. This allowed the reopening of schools and a return to work, and later, the reopening of restaurants, bars, clubs, swimming pools and hotels. Netanyahu has failed to put in place any measures to guard against or deal with a second wave. This was despite recommendations from a team of experts, headed by Professor Eli Waxman from the Weizman Institute of Science in Rehovot, that advises the National Security Council. It had called for a contact-tracing body, a national information centre on the COVID-19 crisis and a unit within the Ministry of Health to tackle emergency situations. His team also recommended that the government reconsider its decision to restart the economy if the daily number of infections rose above 200, far lower than the current rate. Waxman blamed the increase in cases on the speedy and uncontrolled reopening of schools and the economy and the governments failure to implement his teams recommendations. He said, In another three weeks, we are liable to reach a thousand new infections a day. And even if a small percentage of them turn serious, an overload will gradually be inflicted on the hospitals. The social and economic impact of the pandemic has been devastating for Israeli workers and their families. While around 400,000 workers have returned to their jobs, more than 861,000 are unemployed, 21 percent of the workforce, compared with 27 percent at the height of the lockdown and just 3.5 percent in February. This figure does not include people above the legal retirement age, who do not normally qualify for unemployment benefits but have been receiving special grants during the pandemic. The governments emergency unemployment support for 262,000 workers is set to expire at the end of August. This will leave hundreds of thousands without a financial safety net amid one of the worst unemployment crises Israel has ever seen, even as it announces an additional $580 million aid package for small and medium-sized businesses. The poorest Israeli households will find themselves in dire straits, with no income, no government support and nowhere to turn for help. According to a government survey, job vacancies are at an all-time low, with just 42,000 vacancies in May, as the demand for workers fell by 55 percent in telecoms and 64 percent in retail. One-fifth of businesses expect their income to fall by half, while retail businesses, which have furloughed more than 46,000 workers, reported that they are likely to reemploy only 34 percent in the best-case scenario and just 10 percent in the worst-case scenario. The Palestinian territories of the West Bank, East Jerusalem and Gaza have recorded more than 2,100 coronavirus cases, with 258 new cases in the previous 24 hours, and a total of 11 deaths. Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has ordered a full lockdown throughout the West Bank for five days. Anger is mounting against the Netanyahu government on several fronts. Last week, thousands of workers in the travel industry, one of the countrys major employers, rallied outside the Finance Ministry in Jerusalem demanding grants and aid for the sector. El Al, Israels largest airline, already struggling before the pandemic, has suspended all flights as pilots refused to operate the few flights set for Wednesday, and ordered all flights, even those in transit, to return to Tel Avivs international airport. The airline reportedly told pilots that if they refused to fly, they would be transferred to other active positions in the company, although many would be furloughed. It has already put 80 percent of its 6,303 workers on unpaid leave, cut management salaries by 20 percent, stopped all investment and purchases, including a signed agreement for new planes. According to pilots representative Nir Reveni, El Al had failed to abide by agreements made with pilots during the coronavirus pandemic and was holding out for a bigger bailout from the government. This package would dilute the main shareholders stake from 63 percent to 15 percent and slash one-third of the workforce in the name of efficiency savings. Teachers, furious at government plans to extend the academic year for secondary school students at their expense to make up for students lost education, had threatened strike action that was only averted by a court ruling outlawing the governments proposals. While 100,000 government employees have returned to work, the Ministry of Finance has announced drastic cuts in spending, including slashing both wages and jobs, leading the union to declare a labour dispute. The intention of the government workers union is not to defend jobs but defend its place at the negotiating table and present its own plans on how to cut costs. Ariel Yaakobi, chair of the union, made this very clear, saying, Usually, when they want to cut wages or fire workers, they approach the union saying that the government is in financial difficulty. Whenever the government is in difficulty, were always there to help, and we find a way to solve the problem with as little harm to workers as possible. But this time, the government has already decided how much and where theyre going to cut expenses. Netanyahu has caused immense anger, expanding the cabinet to buy off his political supporters and demanding the Knesset approve retrospective tax benefits for him even as he faces charges of bribery, fraud and breach of trust in three separate cases. Blue and White leader Benny Gantz, who now holds the specially created position of deputy prime minister, is seeking an official residence and other trappings of office at public expense. Israeli and Palestinian workers and youth have joined in the international protests against the police murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis in May. They voiced their opposition to the brutality of Israeli police towards the most impoverished layersEthiopian, Jews of Arab and North African descent, migrant workers, Israels own Palestinian citizens, Bedouins, or the Palestinians in the Occupied Territoriesand the persistent refusal of politicians and the authorities to end racism and improve conditions in the wake of similar protests. Not least, there have been protests against Netanyahus deeply controversial and illegal proposal to annex the settlements and the Jordan Valley in the occupied West Bank, which appears to have been put on hold pending approvalwith some cosmetic concessionsfrom the Trump administration. International school teachers for paper marking: Exams Department to go ahead with plan View(s): The Examinations Department will go ahead with a proposal to enlist teachers from international schools for paper marking despite objections from trade unions, a senior Education Ministry official said. The Examinations Commissioner General Sanath Pujitha said the Ministry plans to obtain the services of international school teachers to mark English medium papers due to the shortages of Government and private school teachers. Mr Pujitha said priority will be given to teachers in the subjects of science, physics, biology, chemistry and mathematics. He also said, only those who have taught the local syllabus for three years will be enlisted. Mr Pujitha said even though teacher unions are opposed to the plan, they should realise these teachers had obtained the same degrees obtained by the local school teachers. He also said, currently due to the lack of qualified teachers they are forced to recheck the papers to make sure the papers have been marked correctly. Meanwhile, the Ceylon Teachers Union (CTU) said the Government had been employing Government school teachers who are qualified and posted to schools, after training in Government training institutions. But private and international schools methodology in teacher recruitment is not clear, they said. The CTU further said their qualifications in marking A/L exam papers is questionable. They also pointed out that these teachers teach Edexcel and the Cambridge syllabi and are not familiar with the local syllabus. CTU General Secretary Joseph Stalin said this will gravely affect the students who sit for exams. He also said it is discriminatory to the 247,000 teachers serving in Government schools. We condemn such actions, and if this plan is implemented despite our protests we will be forced to take severe action, he said. (C ) Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison this week invoked the spectre of another world war when he unveiled an aggressive military expansion, clearly aimed against China. In an address to military cadets, Morrison announced that despite the deepest economic breakdown since the 1930s Great Depression, causing mass unemployment and social misery, $575 billion will be spent on boosting the military over the next decade. HMAS Parramatta, left, sails with USS America, USS Bunker Hill and USS Barry in the South China Sea [Credit: US Navy/MC3 Nicholas Huynh] While falsely presented as defensive, an expanded $270 billion military hardware build-up features long-range strike capabilities. These will start with the immediate purchase of US missiles capable of striking Chinese vessels and facilities in southeast Asia, and which could be reconfigured to hit southern China itself. 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, Morrison declared. He described the return of these conditions as very haunting. This invocation of an existential threat was an obvious reference to World War II, during which the US provoked Japan into a war for control over the Pacific that led to Japanese attacks on US warships in the port of Darwin. Japan, which is an imperialist power, was accused of trying to invade Australia. Such a claim is now being directed, without any evidence, against China. Morrisons remarks were uttered in the context of a mounting mobilisation by US imperialism, headed by the Trump administration, to confront China economically and militarily, to block it from ever challenging Americas post-World War II dominance. This is the driving force of the escalating confrontation with China. The Liberal-National Coalition prime minister identified the Indo-Pacific as the likely arena for a global war. Our region will not only shape our future, increasingly though, it is the focus of the dominant global contest of our age, he said. Relations between China and the United States were fractious because they compete for political, economic and technological supremacy. First under Barack Obama and now Donald Trump, successive Australian governments, both Liberal-National and Labor, have placed Australia on the frontline of any war against China, including by stationing US marines in Darwin and increasing US access to northern Australian air and military bases. This weeks announcement marked a further, even more explicit, shift toward military conflict against China. In an effort to condition public opinion for war, Morrison painted a picture of Australia and the Indo-Pacific region under attack by China. Without any evidence whatsoever, he essentially accused Beijing of conducting grey warfare via coercive activities, disinformation and foreign interference and cyber attacks. In fact, the prime minister claimed that a military line had been crossed already. The threshold of traditional armed conflict in what experts call the grey zone, which is becoming ever present and ever expanding, he asserted. Morrison did not specifically name China, but his target was palpable, as every media and military-intelligence commentator pointed out. Yet he offered not the slightest evidence to back his vague and sweeping allegations. Recent weeks have seen totally unsubstantiated claims by the government and the corporate media of Chinese cyber warfare and foreign interference. No details of cyber attacks have been provided, except admissions that the alleged attackers used software readily available on the internet. As for foreign interference, a state Labor MP was last week labelled a Chinese agent by the media and raided by the federal police and the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) for making comments critical of the US-led demonisation of China. In reality, the US ruling elite is the greatest source of cyber warfare and foreign interference in Australia. That was underlined recently when US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo warned that the US would simply disconnect Australia from its telecommunications, military and intelligence networks if any Australian government made an agreement with China deemed to endanger US national security. Morrison specifically referred to rising tensions over territorial claims on Chinas borders, including the South China Sea, and declared: The risk of miscalculation and even conflict is heightening. But it is the US, backed by Australia, that has conducted repeated military provocations inside the territorial waters around Chinese-claimed islets in that sea ever since 2010. That was when the then US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton declared that the US had a national interest in determining who controlled the outcrops, thousands of kilometres from the United States. Again, without the slightest evidence, Morrison claimed that Australias sovereignty was threatened by China and sought to wrap himself in the cloak of a wartime leader. Sovereignty means self-respect, freedom to be who we are, ourselves, independence, free-thinking. We will never surrender this. Never. Ever. Morrison underlined the Australian ruling classs commitment to the ever-closer alliance with the United States, saying it is the foundation of our defence policy. He insisted: The security assurances and intelligence-sharing and technological industrial cooperation we enjoy with the United States are, and will remain, critical to our national security. This pledge was made despite rising concerns in some ruling circles about the continued reliability of the US as a military protector, given its economic and political decay, and anxiety over the loss of the Chinese markets on which mining and agricultural companies depend heavily. Morrison sought to overcome this nervousness by emphasising Australias own re-militarisation. In order to be a better and more effective ally, Australia had to be prepared to invest in our own security, as well as still being ready to make military contributions outside of our immediate region in support of US-led coalitions. So far, Beijings response to the Australian build-up has been muted, reflecting the Chinese regimes hopes of averting a potentially catastrophic nuclear war with the US and its allies. But an article in the state-controlled Global Times on Friday said analysts had noted the specific weapons that Australia will acquire were obviously not for defence within Australian borders but for long-range combat. Morrison yesterday boasted to the Australians editor-at-large Paul Kelly that his government had crashed through the target of spending 2 percent of gross domestic product on the militarya proportion demanded of all allies by Donald Trump. Regardless of the economic crash triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic and the soaring budget deficits and government debt, the government was not going to be constrained by 2 percent. Australian Strategic Policy Institute strategic analyst Marcus Hellyer estimated that defence funding would grow by 7.2 percent, 9.2 percent and 9 percent in the three years from 202021. What other portfolio can boast such largesse? he asked Kelly. In his column, Kelly hailed Morrisons bid to ideologically prepare the population for war. Morrison has warned the Australian people the deepest recession for decades now runs in parallel with a heightening risk of military conflict as the sinews of regional prosperity face almost irreversible strain, demanding a revamped defence posture and strategy. An editorial in the Murdoch-owned newspaper even claimed that Beijings crackdown in Hong Kong justified war against China. Chinas police-state takeover of Hong Kong has been compared to Adolf Hitlers ominous absorption of Austria within the Reich, it stated. This strikes at freedom and prosperity in our part of the world. Speaking on behalf of big business, an Australian Financial Review editorial also backed the military build-up, saying it was a reminder that the days of risk-free coasting on China boom prosperity are over. Just as in defence, we need to face up to much-needed policy reforms, rather than putting them off because they are difficult. In other words, the offensive against China must be matched by one at home, extracting the cost of militarisation and the pandemic-triggered economic breakdown from the working class. During the past several weeks, thousands of nurses in southern New Jersey have staged pickets to demand better pay, safe working conditions, and adequate staffing at their hospitals. The novel coronavirus pandemic has only made the satisfaction of these longstanding demands more urgent During the spring, New Jersey, along with New York and Connecticut, was the center of the COVID-19 outbreak in the US. As of July 1, New Jersey had 171,928 cases of the novel coronavirus and 15,078 deaths. The state has the second-most deaths and third-most cases in the country. By June 13, the state had already lost more residents to the pandemic than it lost during World War II. Like their counterparts across the US, health care workers in New Jersey have faced renewed attacks such as reduced hours, furloughs, and staff cuts since the pandemic reached the United States in March. At the same time, more than half of the states health care workers have been exposed to the novel coronavirus, according to a survey. Of those who became infected, 25 percent of health care workers returned to work before they felt they had recovered. Nearly 75 percent of health care workers were told to reuse their N95 masks for days. Trauma and feelings of failure and abandonment are widespread among the states nurses. Several dozen New Jersey health care workers have died from COVID-19, deaths that could have been prevented through better personal protective equipment (PPE). Democratic Governor Phil Murphy nevertheless is pressing ahead with his premature reopening of the state, which will lead to even more infections and deaths. Even when the pandemic was at its initial peak, New Jersey cut hospital staff. Now, as the increase in new cases has slowed, nurses at three facilities in New Jersey are beginning to enter struggles over better PPE and higher wages. Anger is running high among health care workers, and strikes and protests are spreading in the US and internationally, but the Health Professionals and Allied Employees (HPAE) union, which is affiliated with the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), has systematically stifled and isolated these struggles. Until this week, about 300 nurses at Southern Ocean Medical Center in Stafford Township and about 1,200 nurses at Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune were staging informational pickets seeking better wages, adequate supplies of PPE, and restrictions on duties unrelated to nursing that could entail increased risk of exposure to the virus. The contract for nurses at both hospitals expired on May 31 and was extended. Both facilities are owned by Hackensack Meridian Health, the largest health care provider in New Jersey. During contract negotiations, the company proposed to use so-called floating nurses who could work in several departments, potentially including departments for which they had not been trained. Nurses opposed this idea. Throughout the negotiations, HPAE deliberately limited nurses actions to symbolic informational pickets that each lasted for only four or five hours. In a statement meant to reassure the company, the union publicly emphasized that the nurses were not on strike. The union has consistently tried to separate their members at different facilities. When negotiations at Jersey Shore University recently broke off, HPAE continued negotiations and reached an agreement at Southern Ocean. On July 2, it was reported that HPAE and the company also reached an agreement for the Jersey Shore University facility. The three-year contract at Southern Ocean, which was ratified last week, will provide for a limited increase in pay. However, the contract also states that HPAE and management will develop guidelines for floating nurses, which the nurses had opposed. Moreover, reports suggest that the contract does not guarantee adequate PPE or prevent nurses from being assigned non-nursing duties that could expose them to infection. This agreement arises as the coronavirus spreads rapidly throughout the country and the Murphy administration prematurely reopens New Jersey. With 300 new cases each day on average, the disease has not been contained in the state and conditions are ripe for a second surge. HPAE is playing the same role at Salem Medical Center in Mannington Township, where about 140 nurses also are negotiating a contract. Like their brothers and sisters at Jersey Shore, they are demanding higher wages. They call for better nurse-to-patient ratios and demand that Community Healthcare Associates (CHA), which owns the facility, honor commitments it previously made regarding accrued paid sick and vacation time. In addition, nurses must fight CHA continuously for PPE. CHA bought Salem from its previous owner in 2016. Before the sale closed, nurses began negotiating a contract with CHA, and it was finalized within months. Nurses say that CHA agreed to honor the previous owners system for accrued paid time off, and that nurses would keep the time that they had accrued. But when CHA officially took over Salem, the company claimed that it had agreed to a new sick-and-vacation-time program, not the previous one. CHA also is denying nurses pay that is commensurate with their experience. An intensive care nurse at Salem estimated that 80 percent of senior nursing staff at the hospital had left because of this policy, which has made it difficult to recruit and maintain senior nurses. Salaries at Salem are even lower than at other hospitals in the area. HPAE has allowed negotiations with CHA to drag on fruitlessly since December, and the nurses contract expired in February. Despite the absence of a contract, and despite managements attacks on Salems nurses, the union has only organized rare informational pickets in front of the hospital. It has not called for a strike or a united struggle of nurses at Salem and at Jersey Shore. Its tactic is to wear nurses down until they are ready to accept concessions. The role of HPAE mirrors that of other unions in the US and internationally. The New York State Nurses Association (NYSNA) has consistently blocked nurses struggle for PPE. When a nurse at Mount Sinai shared a photo of nurses wearing garbage bags because the supply of gowns was insufficient, NYSNA Director Terry Alaimo excoriated the nurse in a vulgar e-mail that was leaked to the New York Post. NYSNA also provided support for Governor Andrew Cuomos plan for the premature reopening of the state by issuing a five-page report full of vague demands that it did not intend to enforce. Like NYSNA and the AFT, HPAE is firmly integrated into the Democratic Party. To develop a successful struggle against furloughs and layoffs, and for decent wages and adequate protection at their workplaces, nurses should follow the example of autoworkers in Detroit, who have formed independent rank-and-file committees to protect their health and safety. Nurses should advance the following demands: Worker control over staffing levels and scheduling to allow for proper treatment for patients and sufficient rest and recuperation for workers. The highest quality PPE in sufficient quantities to allow their use in accordance with health and safety standards. Immediate recall of all laid-off and furloughed health care workers. Full and timely disclosure of information about the spread of the virus in the workforce. Regular testing for all workers at no cost and full pay for those who must quarantine after testing positive. Free and universal health care of equal quality. Their allies in this struggle will be health care workers and other sections of the working class across the US, Latin America and internationally. We encourage nurses and other health care workers in New Jersey who want to discuss and take up this fight to contact the WSWS. Today marks the 244th anniversary of the public proclamation of the Declaration of Independence, on July 4, 1776, which established the United States of America. By the time the Declaration was issued, the American colonistsand especially those of Massachusettshad already been at war with the immensely powerful military forces of Great Britain for 15 months. Though the final decision for independence had not yet been taken, the drafting of a Declaration was assigned on June 11 by the Continental Congress, assembled in Philadelphia, to a Committee of Five. It consisted of Benjamin Franklin of Pennsylvania, John Adams of Massachusetts, Thomas Jefferson of Virginia, Robert Livingston of New York, and Roger Sherman of Connecticut. After agreeing on an outline of the document, the Committee decided that the first draft should be written by the 33-year-old Tom Jefferson, whose exceptional intellect and remarkable literary gifts were already widely recognized. On June 28, he completed his draft, which was then reviewed by members of the Congress. Various changes were made in the course of the editing process. The most substantial change was the removal of Jeffersons indictment of Great Britain for having imposed slavery on the colonies. On July 2, 1776, the Continental Congress adopted a resolution that authorized the break with Great Britain. Two days later, on July 4, it approved the final draft of the Declaration of Independence. The immediate political consequence of the documentthe formal break with Britain and the initiation of a full-scale war to secure the independence of the United Stateswas, in itself, sufficient to impart to the Declaration immense and enduring historical significance. But it is not only the direct political impact of the document but, rather, the principles it proclaimed that determined the world historical stature of the Declaration. The document begins with the words, When in the course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another What these words meant was that governments, and the political and social relations upon which they were based and which they defended, were not timeless and unalterable. They were the creation of men, not God. This assertion exploded the essential justification, sanctified by religion, for monarchy, aristocracy, i.e., for all forms of political power based on obscurantist veneration of bloodlines. What was created by man could be changed by man. The Declaration then proceeded to a remarkable assertion: We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. In a strictly empirical sense, there was nothing self-evidentthat is, so obviously true that it hardly required further argumentabout any of these truths. Reality, as it was to be observed in every part of the world, including the colonies, contradicted what the Declaration claimed to be self-evident. In the world of the late eighteenth century, most human beings were treated like beasts of burden, if not worse. Where in the world did existing conditions substantiate the claim that all of humanity had been created equal? The monarchies and aristocracies were based on the unchallengeable legitimacy of inherent inequality. The place of people in society, even where there had been a slow erosion of feudal relations, was a manifestation of a divine design. Where was Life, for the great mass of people, honored and protected? In advanced Britain, children as young as six could be hanged for pick-pocketing a wealthy persons handkerchief. The great mass of people lived in wretched poverty, enforced by strict relations of feudal and semi-feudal hierarchy. There was little Happiness in the lives of the general population, let alone for the millions throughout the world and in the Americas who were enslaved and hardly considered to be human. The truths invoked by Jefferson were not self-evident in a crudely empirical sense. They were, rather, truths that were obtained through the application of scientific thought, i.e., Reason, as it had developed under the influence of the physicist Isaac Newton, materialist thinkers such as John Locke, and the great French philosophes of the Enlightenment, to the study of history and human society. It was the application of Reason that determined what was, and was not, politically legitimate. It was science, not the irrational and unsubstantiated invocations of a divine order, that determined what must be. It was in this profound sense that the equality of man and the unalienable Rights to Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness were self-evident. Jefferson and his comrades in arms were well aware that empirically existing political and social conditions did not conform to the self-evident Truths asserted in the Declaration. From this fact, the following conclusion was drawn: Governments derive their just powers from the consent of the governed. Therefore, whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Thus, the Declaration of Independence proclaimed revolution to be a legitimate and even necessary means of removing from power governments that had become oppressive and injurious to the Happiness of the people. Jefferson adhered to this principle and displayed not the slightest squeamishness when the masses of France, inspired by American Revolution, took bloody vengeance against King Louis XVI and the aristocracy. Louis, declared Jefferson, ought to be punished like other criminals. Rather than witness the defeat of the French Revolution, Jefferson wrote to a friend, I would have seen half the earth desolated. Were there but an Adam and an Eve left in every country, and left free, it would be better than as it is now. He expressed unmitigated joy at the prospect of the revolutions victory, which would bring at length kings, nobles and priests to the scaffolds which they have been so long deluging with human blood. It is, of course, an undeniable historical fact that Jeffersons personal ownership of slaves and his compromises with slavery represent the great irony and even tragedy of his life. They were the expression in his personal biography of the existing social conditions and contradictions of the world into which he was borna world in which slavery, serfdom, and numerous forms of indentured servitude flourished and whose legitimacy was hardly questioned. No doubt, the moralizing philistines of academia will continue to condemn Jefferson. But their condemnations do not alter by one iota the revolutionary impact of the Declaration of the Independence. The American Revolution of 177583 did not solve the problem of slavery. This is not because the solution was blocked by Jefferson or other revolutionary leaders, like Washington, who owned slaves. The incomplete character of the first stage of the American bourgeois democratic revolution was determined by the existing objective conditionsand not simply those that existed in North America. Mankind, as Marx was later to explain, always sets itself only such tasks as it can solve; since, looking at the matter more closely, we will always find that the task itself arises only when the material conditions necessary for its solution already exist or are at least in the process of formation. The conditions for a decisive settlement with slavery did not yet exist. That still required several decades of industrial development and the emergence of an economically powerful capitalist class in the North. Moreover, that class had to develop a democratic political movement capable of mobilizing masses and sustaining a long and bitter civil war. This essential social and economic process unfolded rapidly in the decades that followed the American Revolution. The capitalist development of the North became increasingly incompatible with the political domination of the United States by the Slave Power. This objective incompatibility found its ideological expression in the ever more intense awareness that the ideals of human equality proclaimed in the Declaration of Independence could not be reconciled with the horrifying reality of slavery. However, it must be stressed that the process of historical causation that led up to the Civil War was not driven in a one-sided manner by socioeconomic factors, with the ideological conflicts a mere reflection of the former. The influence exerted by the principles articulated in the Declaration played an immense, almost independent, role in influencing mass political consciousness in the North and preparing it for an intransigent struggle against the Slave Power. Abraham Lincolns intellectual and political development epitomized the influence exerted by Thomas Jefferson and the Declaration that he authored. Again and again, in numerous speeches, Lincoln invoked the political legacy of Jefferson. For example, in a letter written in 1859, Lincoln stated: All honor to Jeffersonto the man who, in the concrete pressure of a struggle for national independence by a single people, had the coolness, forecast, and capacity to introduce into a merely revolutionary document, an abstract truth, and so to embalm it there, that today and in all coming days, it shall be a rebuke and a stumbling block to the very harbingers of reappearing tyranny and oppression. Following his election to the presidency in 1860, Lincoln declared: I have never had a feeling politically that did not spring from the sentiments embodied in the Declaration of Independence. And on his way to Washington to assume the presidency, Lincoln explained: It [the Revolution] was not the mere matter of separation of the colonies from the motherland, but [of] that sentiment in the Declaration of Independence, which gave liberty not alone to the people of this country, but hope to all the world, for all future time. It was that which gave promise that in due time the weights would be lifted from the shoulders of all men, and that all should have an equal chance. This is the sentiment embodied in the Declaration of Independence. Jefferson was the author of the great revolutionary manifesto that provided the ideological inspiration for the Civil War. Under Lincolns leadership, the Union armieswhich ultimately mobilized and armed tens of thousands of slaves in struggle against the Confederacydestroyed slavery. Of course, the United States that emerged from the Civil War soon betrayed the promises of democracy and equality that Lincoln had made. The new birth of freedom gave way to the imperatives of modern capitalism. A new form of social struggle, between an emerging working class and an industrial bourgeoisie, came to dominate the political and social landscape. In this new class struggle, the northern bourgeoisie saw the benefit of an alliance with the remnants of the old slave-owning class. Reconstruction was brought to an end. Racism was incited and utilized as a potent weapon against the unity of the working class. Intransigent opposition to this specific form of political reaction became a central task of the working class in the fight for socialism. Only though the establishment of workers' power, the ending of capitalism, and the building of a socialist society on a world scale can the scourge of racism and all forms of social oppression be overcome. And in this fight, the words and deeds of both Jefferson and Lincoln will continue to inspire. All that was historically progressive in their lifework lives on in the modern socialist movement. Over 100 protesters marched Thursday night in downtown Sheboygan, Wisconsin demanding to know why police killed an African American man suffering a mental health crisis earlier in the day. Kevan Ruffin [photo provided by family] Kevan Ruffin, 32, was shot and killed by a still unidentified Sheboygan police officer Thursday morning after allegedly refusing officers commands to disarm a pair of knives while reportedly charging at the officer. The protest march was quickly organized by family, friends and community members as news of the latest victim of police violence spread throughout the community of 50,000 people in northeastern Wisconsin. In the early evening Ruffins family, joined by young protesters, white and black, marched to the police station chanting, mental health matters, no justice, no peace, and hands up, dont shoot, George Floyd and Kevan Ruffin as they made their way through the streets of the small Midwestern city. According to Sheboygan Police Chief Chris Domagalski, dispatch received a call at approximately 5:50 a.m. describing a man with two, three-pronged sai knives, chasing a woman in the street. Domagalski states that when the unnamed responding officer made contact with the man, later identified by the family as Ruffin, the officer attempted to engage the subject in conversation from across the street, at which time the subject charged at the officer while armed with two dangerous weapons. Domagalski alleges that the unnamed officer, who has been placed on administrative leave pending the results of a Wisconsin Department of Justice Division of Criminal Investigation inquiry, attempted to disengage while retreating backwards and displayed his Taser. It does not appear that the officer fired his Taser. Instead the cop, who state officials say has been with the department for two and a half years, switched to his 9 millimeter pistol and fired multiple rounds into Ruffin. Speaking to CBS2, Kelly Ripple, a neighbor, says she thought it was bottle rockets or something after she heard about eight pops go off around 6:00 Thursday morning. Police have stated that they do have body cameras but have not released any footage at this time due to the pending investigation. The woman who was alleged to have been running from Ruffin was treated at a local hospital and released the same day. Speaking to local media, Ruffins family described him as a teddy bear who had been a cheerleader in high school and was passionate about learning new languages. The family stated that Ruffin had a history of mental health illness and was known to local police after being arrested and cycled through various prison and mental health facilities over the last decade. Court records show that Ruffin had been arrested multiple times between 2009 and 2019 and charged with obstructing officers and disorderly conduct. The charges were later dismissed, dropped or Ruffin was found not guilty by reason of mental disease or defect. Sheriyah Appleton, who found out about her cousin's death via a video on Facebook, spoke to CBS2 regarding Ruffins mental health and the officers deadly response, He wasnt in his right state of mind,.This is what hurts us. Hes on medication. He has mental issues, and they knew about it, said Appleton. So they know about it. Theyve been dealing with him for over a decade. They shot him multiple times in his chest. There is no way somebody should be murdered like that, she said. Ruffins uncle, Aaron Clayborn, speaking to ABC12, concurred that the police were well aware of his nephews mental health issues. Hes known in this community for several years as having a mental disorder. Hes been in and out of the system. Hes been to mental health facilities in the state. The officers are familiar with him. Deadly force is not an option for an individual who has mental health disorders, Clayborn said. Sheboygan police would not confirm if they knew Ruffin or were familiar with his mental health history. The American Civil Liberties Unions (ACLU) Wisconsin chapter released a statement on Ruffins slaying in which they made note of a national pattern of police using excessive and often fatal force against people ... during routine encounters, as well as against people with mental health conditions The ACLU Wisconsin called for a transparent investigation which would show that questions are being heard and to ensure the whole community that the investigation into Mr. Ruffins killing will be comprehensive, unbiased, and transparent. In the overwhelming majority of police killings, more than 1,000 every year in the US, such investigations result in a whitewash. Workers and youth in the state suffering from mental health issues will find it harder to find the help they need after Wisconsin Democratic Governor Tony Evers announced $70 million in spending cuts across 18 state agencies in May, including nearly $7.5 million from the Department of Health Services (DHS). The cuts to DHS are the second largest out of all the departments, only topped by the $40.8 million cut from the University of Wisconsin School System. Evers, working with his Republican colleagues in announcing the cuts, made sure to note that no new taxes would be implemented or raised. In an interview with Spectrum News 1, Department of Administration Secretary Joel Brennan defended the cuts, Everybody is giving up something, in their own household, in their own community, and as a state government Governor Evers has pushed us all to do what we can in a proactive way. While schools and mental health will not be spared from cuts, certain departments are off limits, including the largest state agency, with a budget of over $1.2 billion, the Department of Corrections. Were not going to take a lapse in the Department of Corrections or cut things in the Department of Corrections that are going to make people feel less secure in their communities, Brennan explained. Over the past week, the United States has been ravaged by coronavirus as a result of Democratic and Republican governors pushing forward with the full reopening of the economy which has been encouraged by President Donald Trump. Particularly in the southeastern United States, the largest meat producers in the countryButterball in Garner, North Carolina; Wayne Farms in Oakwood, Georgia; and the titan Tyson Food Inc. in Springdale, Arkansashave operated as vectors for the virulent disease, as exhibited by the high rate of meat industry workers in the US and internationally who have been exposed to and afflicted by COVID-19. Over the past week, Arkansas has seen an increase of more than 5,000 cases, bringing the current total to 22,622 cases and 281 deaths. The state government reported 878 new coronavirus cases on Thursday, the most the state has seen in a single day since the beginning of the pandemic. The state reported more than 7,000 tests had been administered and conducted over the past 24 hours. Dismissing the record high total, Republican Gov. Asa Hutchinson boasted that the state had seen a decline in cases for a few days prior to Thursday, which more than doubled Wednesdays new case count. The state of Louisiana over the course of seven days saw an increase of over 10,000 cases, bring its total confirmed infections to 63,289 and 3,283 deaths. The limited measures and precautions taken by the state during Phase Two of its economic reopening exposes the criminal character of policies which are aimed at forcing workers back to work at all costs, including their lives. The Louisiana Department of Health reported in its daily update that there were 1,728 cases and an additional 21 deaths Friday. There were an additional 15,286 tests administered and reported to Louisiana state government on Thursday, which found 9.05 percent positive for coronavirus. Over the past week, the positive rate was 7.63 percent; during Phase One, the average was recorded at 4.78 percent. Mississippis recorded cases have increased by more than 6,000 from last weeks 22,287 to the current 28,770 with deaths having increased by 114 from 978 to 1,092. The state reported nine deaths on Wednesday and set a new high in patients hospitalized with confirmed or suspected COVID-19 cases at 786, of which 579 of were confirmed cases. From last weeks 30,444 confirmed coronavirus cases and 841 deaths in Alabama, the current total is 38,962 cases and 972 deaths. July 2 presented, as the trend continues, another record in the coronavirus pandemic with the Alabama Department of Public Healths report of 1,162 cases of COVID-19 overnight, the states highest single day total to date. Furthermore, the states hospitals are reporting their third consecutive day of record numbers with 797 inpatients being treated for the respiratory disease while hundreds more are hospitalized awaiting test resultssince the states first case was confirmed in mid-March, 2,835 people have required hospitalization. With coronavirus on the rise and record numbers reflecting that, a decision by Republican Gov. Kay Ivey on Monday extended the states Safer-at-Home order to July 31. In the Montgomery County, 36 new cases were recorded overnight, bringing its total to 3,875; while Jefferson County reported 145, rapidly becoming the county with the most cases, raising it to 4,532. Mobile County reported an additional 100 cases, rising to 3,797. Half of Montgomery Countys deaths have taken place in June, and 10 of its 102 deaths have occurred in the last week. As of July 2, the Tennessee Department of Health has reported 46,520 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 370 probable cases of the disease, an increase of 1,575 total cases since July 1. The states health department also announced 594 confirmed deaths, 2,775 hospitalizations, and 28,938 recoveries with more than 838,000 coronavirus tests having been administered. Among significant counties, Carter has 56 cases, 1 death, and 41 recoveries; Greene, 86 cases, 2 deaths and 58 recoveries; Hawkins, 55 cases, 2 deaths, and 40 recoveries; Johnson, 38 cases, 0 deaths, and 25 recoveries; Sullivan, 101 cases, 2 deaths, 76 recoveries; Unicoi, 55 cases, 0 deaths, and 52 recoveries; Washington, 135 cases, 0 deaths, and 106 recoveries. In Georgia, the previous weeks number of cases numbered 71,095, which increased to 87,709 and 2,779 deaths. The DeKalb County Board of Health confirmed its COVID-19 call center and testing sites will close June 3, despite the harrowing surging of cases, and not resume operations until Monday, June 6, claiming the decision was in line with other health districts in metro Atlanta and in other parts of the state. As with other states in the southeast, another record was set in the state on July 2 as confirmed coronavirus cases rose by nearly 3,500. Hospitalizations have also increased by 225 with 32 more patients in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) in less than 24 hours, bringing the total, according to the Georgia Department of Public Health (GDPH), to 11,500 in the hospital and 2,389 in ICU. With cases surging in the auto and meatpacking plants, a manager at Macon Beer Company confirmed they shut down production due to the spike of COVID-19, with doors closed on July 1 until further notice. In addition, restaurants in Macon are following the Beer Companys path as cases in Baldwin and Bibb counties continue to rise. Florida on July 2 reported 10,109 new cases of COVID-19, continuing its breaking of records in single-day reported cases, with 6,563 cases on Wednesday, July 1. There were an additional 68 deaths bringing the total to 3,718. Florida has nearly 170,000 confirmed cases of coronavirus. For 25 consecutive days, Florida has set a record high in its weekly rolling average. Georgia, one of the first states to loosen restrictions, joined Florida and several other states in setting single-day records of new cases. Georgia reported 3,472, up from 2,976 on Wednesday, July 1. Also on July 1, Miami-Dade Countys confirmed cases increased by 2,304 to 40,265, in which the county had 1,018 deaths, the highest total in the state. Broward Countys cases increased by 531 to 17,116, bringing the countys death toll to 394; Monroe County recently listed with 296 cases with a one-day increase of 26 and 5 deaths; and Palm Beach Countys cases increased by 412 to 14,859, with a death toll of 523. In total, Florida has confirmed at least 15,150 coronavirus-related hospitalizations since the beginning of the pandemic. While more than 70,000 people in North Carolina have been confirmed positive for the disease, the actual number of people who have contracted the virus statewide is, according to researchers from North Carolina State University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, closer to a staggering half million. The researchers have estimated around 5 percent of the states population, more than 480,000, are infected with the relatively low official numbers indicative of the states lack of testing. The South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control announced Friday that there have been 1,831 new confirmed cases and 9 additional confirmed deaths bringing the total number of confirmed coronavirus cases to 41,532 and confirmed deaths from COVID-19 to 793. There are currently 1,125 hospital beds throughout the state occupied by patients who have either tested positive or are under investigation for the disease. As of Friday, a total of 450,432 tests have been conducted in the state, placing South Carolina in the lowest tier of states for per capita testing. Reports show that Spains Socialist Party (PSOE)-Podemos government was at the forefront of the US-orchestrated coup attempt in Venezuela last May. This would be the second time the Socialist Party (PSOE)-led government, now backed by Podemos, tried to back a US-led coup in the oil-rich South American country in little over a year. Last year, Madrid supported the Trump administrations abortive coup led by right winger Juan Guaido, a US-financed political non-entity, who called for the military to rise up and overthrow the government of Nicolas Maduro. At that time, Spain recognised Guaido as interim president. Venezuelas vice president of Communication, Culture and Tourism, Jorge Rodriguez, denounced Spain last week for using its embassy in Caracas to plot coups. From Miraflores Palace, he referred to a June 26 article by the US daily the Wall Street Journal. It identifies Leopoldo Lopezthe leader of the far-right Voluntad Popular Party, who has been in asylum at the Spanish embassy in Caracas for over a yearas one of the chief instigators in planning the failed Operation Gideon. The Journal recounts how Lopez held meetings to discuss the coup. The coup was launched in early May, spearheaded once again by self-proclaimed president Guaido, using CIA mercenaries trained in Colombia, in collaboration with the US military and intelligence agencies, to infiltrate Venezuela by sea and remove Maduro from office. It took place at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, as the deadly virus spread across the world, killing hundreds of thousands. The plan called for entering Venezuela by boat on May 3-4, 2020 to seize Simon Bolivar International Airport in Maiquetia, snatch Maduro and other top figures in his government, and spirit them out of the country. Maduro has charged that the mercenaries objective was a regime change operation aiming to assassinate him. Rodriguez said Lopez and Guaido met with up to six private security companies to seal a contract to illegally topple the Venezuelan government. He asked: Do the ambassador and the government of Spain know that Leopoldo Lopez has made and continues to make repeated videoconferences with the sole purpose of insisting on his plans to assassinate President Nicolas Maduro? Do the ambassador and the Government of Spain agree to these meetings that have taken place at the headquarters of his residence? The answer, obviously, is yes. Lopez is a scion of one of Venezuelas most aristocratic families, with close connections with right-wing regimes in South America and the US State Department. Lopez started planning coups in the 2000s, when he participated in the short-lived coup that briefly ousted Hugo Chavez in 2002 a coup backed by Spains right-wing Popular Party (PP) government at the time. Lopez was also convicted of organising a violent campaign in 2014 known as La Salida (the exit), aimed at overthrowing Maduro. In 2019, Lopez was freed from house arrest by Guaido and a dozen military officers during another failed coup in April 2019. When it was clear the operation was failing, Lopez sought asylum in the Spanish embassy in Caracas. Lopezs role in coups attempts against the Venezuelan government is so well known that sections of the right-wing opposition have tried to distance themselves from him to give themselves a more democratic veneer. Madrid knew perfectly well when Lopez entered its embassy that Spain was hosting a conspirator. Madrid has had close connections with him at least since 2002. Madrids support for regime change in Venezuela exposes fraudulent claims that the foreign policy of Podemos and the PSOE is based on human rights. In fact, Madrids interests are determined by its repeated attempts to carve out a new role for Spanish imperialism in its former South American colonies. It fears Spain is falling behind its imperialist rivals in the new redivision of the world. These ruthless regime change operations seek to advance its imperialist interests. According to the Spanish Economic and Commercial Office in Caracas, Spain is in seventh place on the list of destinations for Venezuelan exports. Statistics from the Central Bank of Venezuela also indicate that in the last ten years, Spain has been the second investor in the country after the Netherlands, with investments practically stagnant since 2017 due to the economic strangulation of Venezuela by Washington. Currently, a hundred Spanish corporations operate in Venezuela, often present in strategic sectors. After the purchase of Telcel, Telefonica is the second largest mobile phone operator in the country. Spanish banks, construction firms, publishing houses, tourism companies, insurers and energy company Repsol remain in Venezuela despite difficulties posed by US sanctions. These interests underlie the silence of Podemos in response to the Venezuelan governments accusations. This silence is even more extraordinary given that the chief founders of PodemosPablo Iglesias, Juan Carlos Monedero, Inigo Errejon and othersworked through their Center for Political and Social Studies Foundation (Fundacion Centro de Estudios Politicos y Sociales -CEPS) as advisers of the Chavez regime, and other so-called Pink Tide governments in South America. According to the Venezuelan Ministry of Culture, the CEPS Foundation received $7 million for its advising services for the government of Hugo Chavez. While he is frequently attacked by right-wing forces as a Chavista agent, Iglesias has made clear he is aligned with the Spanish ruling class against Venezuela. In December 2018, months after Podemos orchestrated the installation of a minority PSOE government, Iglesias said, in what amounted to a public repudiation of his previous criticisms of the imperialist oppression of Venezuela: I do not share some of the things I said in the past. The political and economic situation in Venezuela is dire, he said, without making any reference to the US economic strangulation of the country. The Podemos leader added that rectifying politics is fine" and that there are things in which I was wrong. What I said a few years ago does not correspond to what I think now. What had changed was the he was just one step from being part of a PSOE-led government. A year later, he became Deputy Prime Minister of the PSOE-Podemos government. For years, left populist representatives of the affluent middle class, like Iglesias, promoted bourgeois nationalism in Latin AmericaLula in Brazil, Chavez in Venezuela, and Evo Morales in Boliviaas the alternative to building a revolutionary leadership within the working class. They used this to market themselves as left while they sought to make their way into government. In the words of Podemos co-founder Inigo Errejon in Podemos in the Name of the People (2016) co-written with populist theoretician Chantal Mouffe, a decisive element to his thinking was the exposure to the popular constituent processes of political transformation and state reform in Latin America. Errejon continued explaining his experience working for the Bolivian government: I thus lived through a war of position inside the state, which I witnessed within. ... I also learned to appreciate how much effort conquests take, and how to build irreversibility, which from then on would become a central object of intellectual preoccupation for me. I remember discovering a statistician in Bolivia who showed that, since the beginning of the process of political change, and as a result of better access to milk, children now weighed more. And I remember thinking that perhaps this wasnt quite socialism, but that only a fool would dismiss the achievement like that... Five years later, since the books original publication in Spanish, the Pink Tide has flowed out. Its own austerity and pro-corporate policies paved the way for a sharp shift to the right, including the rise to power of Jair Bolsonaro in Brazil. This has also exposed the pro-imperialist policies of Podemos. Errejons irreversibility and not quite socialism paved the way for the US-backed coup in 2019 against Morales, who fled the country, abandoning the population to fight the coup in the streets. Morales is now attempting to reach a grand national agreement with the coup leaders. Podemos, for its part, now stands exposed as a political tool of imperialisms bloody foreign policy in Latin America. With the US setting daily records for new COVID-19 infections, President Donald Trump held a mass pre-Fourth of July event at Mount Rushmore in Keystone, South Dakota Friday night. Trump spoke to a crowd of thousands, who were encouraged not to wear masks or socially distance. President Donald Trump speaks at Mount Rushmore National Monument July 3, 2020, in Keystone, S.D. [Credit: AP Photo/Alex Brandon] In his speech, Trump sought to take advantage of attacks on monuments to leaders of the American Revolution and Civil War spearheaded by promoters of racial politics linked to the Democratic Party. He sought to wrap his fascistic and racist politics in the mantle of the Declaration of Independence and the Second American Revolution led by Lincoln, as well as the civil rights movement led by Martin Luther King, Jr. The president who has ripped up the Bill of Rights, trampled on the right to asylum, jailed thousands of immigrants, including children, in concentration camps, and praised neo-Nazi terrorists as very fine people presented himself as the defender of the principle proclaimed in the Declaration that All men are created equal. He branded the protest movement against police killings as a far-left fascist campaign to wipe out our history, defame our heroes, erase our values and indoctrinate our children. To shouts from the audience of USA! USA! he continued: Angry mobs are trying to tear down statues of our founders, deface our most sacred memorials, and unleash a wave of violence crime in our cities This left-wing cultural revolution is designed to overthrow the American Revolution. He then praised our courageous men and women of law enforcement, hailed his border wall with Mexico, touted our great Second Amendment which gives us the right to keep and bear arms, and boasted of his executive order to protect our monuments, arrest the rioters and prosecute offenders to the fullest extent to the law. In advance of the event, South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem appeared on Fox News The Ingraham Angle and said: Were asking them to come, be ready to celebrate, to enjoy the freedoms and the liberties that we have in this country. But we wont be social distancing. This criminally reckless actionvirtually certain to result in a new eruption of infections and deathswas carried out in defiance of members of Trumps coronavirus task force, who had warned three days earlier against congregating in large groups and stressed the critical importance of wearing a mask in public. Testifying before a Senate committee, Dr. Anthony Fauci had said that unless urgent measures were taken to contain the spread of the virus, daily new infections in the US would likely rise to 100,000. On Friday, reports emerged that members of Vice President Mike Pences advance team sent to prepare his visit this week to Arizona had contracted COVID-19. Last month, members of Trump advance teams sent to prepare indoor rallies in Tulsa, Oklahoma and Phoenix, Arizona, two centers of the COVID-19 surge, also became infected with the virus. The Mount Rushmore event, replete with fireworks, was the prelude to a far bigger White House-sponsored Fourth of July celebration set for today in the nations capital. With these actions, Trump is signaling the determination of the government and the ruling class to press ahead with their back-to-work drive, however many thousands, and perhaps millions, of lives of working people are lost due to infection in factories, warehouses, transit centers and other workplaces where employees have no real protection from the deadly virus. A month ago, before the reopening of businesses across the country, the daily infection toll was around 20,000. On Thursday, it hit a new record of more than 57,000. Daily infections are rising in 40 of the 50 states. The average change in new cases has increased by 73.5 percent over the past two weeks. Florida alone reported 10,000 new cases on Thursday. In states that opened earliest and most precipitously, the increases vary between 112 percent (Oklahoma) and 223 percent (Florida). In California, Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom is presiding over an increase of 79 percent. The severe lack of testing and contact tracing capabilities was summed up Thursday in scenes of Californians lining up for miles in their cars to get tested for the virus. Hospitalizations are rising rapidly, threatening to overwhelm already understaffed hospitals. The Washington Post reported: Patients suffering from COVID-19 are rapidly filling hospitals cross 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. The death rate has also begun to climb again. States reported that 700 people died Thursday of COVID-19, an increase of over 25 percent compared to the previous seven-day average. In the face of this exploding crisis, the Trump administration is continuing to encourage people to defy health guidelines and act as though the pandemic was over. On Friday morning, Trumps surgeon general, Dr. Jerome Adams, made an appearance on the Today program and said matter-of-factly, People will be going to beaches and barbecues over the holiday weekend. On Wednesday, one day after Faucis dire warning of a dramatic rise in cases, Trump was interviewed on Fox Business, where he said of the pandemic, I think at some point thats going to sort of just disappear, I hope. On Thursday, in a brief appearance before the press, he said, We have some areas where we are putting out the flames, or the fires, and thats working out well. Later on Thursday, he tweeted: There is a rise in coronavirus cases because our testing is so massive and so good, far bigger than any other country. This is great news, but even better news is that death, and the death rate, is down. Members of the Great Sioux Nation are among those who have denounced Trumps Mount Rushmore event and announced plans to protest against it. Spokesmen for the tribes have condemned it both as a risk to the health of reservation residents already disproportionately impacted by the virus and as an affront to the history and rights of Native Americans. The president is putting our tribal members at risk to stage a photo op at one of our most sacred sites, Harold Frazier, chairman of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe, told the Associated Press. He hates Indians, Terry FastHorse, a Sicangu Lakota citizen and Lummi descendant, told the press. Theres no other reason to be there. Fellow Sicangu Lakota citizen Phil Two Eagle, executive director of the Sicangu Lakota Treaty Council, said, To me, Mount Rushmore is a symbol of ethnic cleansing, forced assimilation and the theft of our territory. Trump is just reminding us of the continuing genocide of our people. It is a historical fact that Mount Rushmore sits on land stolen by the US government from the Sioux. In 1868, the government signed a treaty designating as the Great Sioux Nation territory that stretched across parts of North Dakota, South Dakota and four other states, and guaranteeing the tribes absolute and undisturbed use and occupation. However, when miners struck gold in the Black Hills, the US army under General George Custer was dispatched to protect the prospectors and settlers who flooded into the region and suppress Indian resistance. In 1877 Congress passed an act reclaiming the Black Hills and consigning the tribes to five small reservations in South Dakota. Other critics of the event are raising the danger of the fireworks leading to forest fires. There have been no fireworks displays at the Mount Rushmore monument for 10 years, following a decision by the National Park Service that they posed a fire risk. That decision was overturned in April at the behest of the White House. The United States is in the midst of a public health and social catastrophe without historical precedent. The scale of the disaster is not the inevitable result of the coronavirus. Rather, it is the outcome of the conscious decision of the corporate-financial oligarchy to subordinate all public health considerations to the protection and expansion of its wealth. Trump is the most open proponent of this policy, but it is a bipartisan one. Even as daily infections soar past 50,000 and the official death counta substantial underestimation of the real tolltops 130,000, Democratic governors and mayors continue to enforce back-to-work orders that are resulting in many tens of thousands of worker infections and thousands of deaths. They are standing behind companies such as Fiat Chrysler and Amazon that seek to crush wildcat work stoppages and walkouts by threatening to fire workers and by cutting off jobless benefits to those who refuse to risk their lives and the lives of family members. There is a chilling rationale behind Trumps seemingly mad actions, which can only fuel the pandemic and increase the death toll. The ruling oligarchy, which controls both parties and dictates government policy, has from the outset looked upon the pandemic as an opportunity to advance its class interests at the expense of the population. It has seized upon the virus to provide a cover for rewarding itself trillions of dollars in bailout money from the US Treasury and the Federal Reserve, critical to addressing record levels of corporate debt that preceded the coronavirus outbreak. It is at the same time using the economic disaster triggered by the pandemic to destroy millions of jobs and force workers to accept wage cuts and speedup. Finally, it sees the disease as a means of culling the population, via its herd immunity policy, of retirees who no longer provide a source of surplus value and profit. The fewer the number of older workers drawing on Social Security and Medicare, the more these programs can be gutted and the money channeled into the private fortunes of the super-rich. Tens of millions of Americans who have lost their jobs during the coronavirus pandemic face financial catastrophe as the federal government moves forward with a plan to end the $600 weekly federal expansion of state unemployment benefits by the end of July. While the pandemic continues to surge and sets infection records dailythe seven-day rolling average of new COVID-19 infections in the US has now surpassed 50,000a bipartisan agreement is being worked out in Congress to terminate the federal aid and force workers into destitution or back to work to face sickness and death. At a press conference on Tuesday, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, Republican of Kentucky, said that the unemployment benefit that was included in the CARES Act passed in March will not be in the new coronavirus relief bill being planned for a vote in the Senate by the end of July. Speaking for the interests of the American corporate and financial elite, McConnell said of the $600 benefit that the government should not be paying people a bonus not to go back to work... And were hearing it all over the country that its made it harder actually to get people back to work. McConnell, who was opposed to the expansion of unemployment payments in the first place, said, I think it was a mistake, and that any new bill that included the benefit is never going to pass the Senate. In an interview with Fox Business Network on Wednesday, President Donald Trump backed up McConnells view saying that the CARES Act jobless benefit gave Americans a disincentive to work. While the Democratsknowing full-well that the Republican majority will not approve ithave said they are in favor of an extension of the federal benefit, a deal is being worked out behind the scenes that will tie any new aid to economic conditions in each state or offer some kind of reduced back to work bonus. Whatever the agreement worked out by the end of the month, it is clear that the US political establishment is preparing a new round of government funding that will be doled out to the corporations and stock market while the working class will be cut off from minimal aid as part of the reopening of the economy, even as it is projected that daily confirmed coronavirus infections could rise to 100,000 in a matter of weeks. The consequences of this policy will be devastating for workers who, as some analysts have put it, will fall off a fiscal cliff on July 31. For many individuals, the loss of the $600 federal supplemental benefit will mean that their state-only unemployment checks will drop to $385 per week. One report says that the federal cutoff will reduce benefits for 31 million workers by 61 percent. Exposing as a fraud the claim that the supplemental benefit is keeping workers from returning to work, new research by the Economic Policy Institute (EPI) published on June 29 shows that some 17.6 million workers have no prospect of returning to a job at all. The EPI report, which came out before the official unemployment numbers for June were released on Thursday, notes, Of the 32.5 million workers who are either officially unemployed or otherwise out of work because of the virus, 11.9 million workers, or 7.2 percent of the workforce, are out of work with no hope of being called back to a prior job. To this total, EPI found that, 5.7 million workers, or 3.5 percent of the workforce, are out of work and expect to get called back to a prior job but likely will not. For millions of workers, the termination of the $600 per week benefit will lead to devastating consequences as families are forced to make decisions between feeding themselves or paying for utilities and rent. Bob Pinnegar, President and CEO of the National Apartment Association, told Forbes on Wednesday, The enhanced unemployment benefits are very important to people, especially those that are in lower paying jobs. Theyre really helping them to make ends meet and to be able to put food on the table, to pay their utilities and to pay their rent. The challenge is going to be going forward. A massive housing crisis is inevitable as the 120-day federal eviction moritorium is also set to expire on July 25, at the same time the supplemental unemployment benefits end. Since many rental properties do not qualify for the eviction program to begin with, a large number of families will be thrown out of their homes in August. A measure of the priorities of the American ruling establishment is the fact that the CARES Act has not addressed the needs of the poorest sections of the population, especially when it comes to food insecurity. A report on Friday in the Hill said, Congressional stimulus packages passed so far allow states to increase SNAP [Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program] benefits for two months for some, yet the poorest 40 percent of participants, including five million children, have yet to see any benefit increase. Data from June 11 through June 23 published by the House Pulse Survey of the US Census Bureau shows that about 11.8 million children live in households that missed a mortgage or rent payment or sought deferment, while 3.9 million children are experiencing COVID-19 induced food shortages. While Congress and President Trump are proceeding with an aggressive back-to-work agenda, the reality is that millions of workers are resisting being forced to work under conditions of an expanding pandemic which is just beginning to infect ever broader segments of the population. The police chief in Tucson, Arizona, offered to resign Wednesday following the public release of body camera video from a two-month-old incident in which a man died while in police custody. Tucson police officers were called to a home in the early morning of April 21 where 27-year-old Carlos Ingram-Lopez "was drunk, yelling and running around the house naked," Police Chief Chris Magnus said at a press conference Wednesday. The video, which the department showed publicly for the first time today, showed officers wrestling with Ingram-Lopez in a dark garage of his grandmother's house while screaming loudly. Ingram-Lopez, who is naked, is eventually handcuffed facedown "in a prone position for about 12 minutes," Magnus said. "Mr. Ingram-Lopez went into cardiac arrest and, despite the officer's attempt to revive him, was declared deceased at the scene," Magnus said. Magnus said the medical examiner's report indicated that Mr. Ingram-Lopez had a very high level of cocaine in his system as well as an enlarged heart, but the office could not conclusively determine his cause of death. Magnus said an internal investigation found that the three officers involved committed "multiple policy violations" but noted "that there is no indication of malicious intent" and said that they did not "deploy strikes, use choke holds, or place a knee on Mr. Ingram-Lopez's neck." He did not specify which policies were violated. Mr. Ingram Lopez was Hispanic and the officers involved were both Black and White, Magnus said. 'We see a person who is clearly distressed' The incident was being investigated by the department when, on June 18, before the investigation was done, "the three primary officers in the case submitted their resignations to the department," Magnus said. "The files for these officers reflect that the department would have terminated them had they not resigned," he said. Tucson Mayor Regina Romero said she was "deeply troubled and outraged by what happened." "We see a person who is clearly distressed, asking for water, asking for help asking for his nana," Romero said, referring to the Spanish word for grandmother. Magnus said that video was "very difficult" to watch and he extended "our deepest sympathies to Mr. Ingram-Lopez's family." The case has been referred to the Pima County Attorney's Office but no decisions about criminal charges have been made but the case is still under review, Magnus said. Magnus also said he had asked for the FBI to review the case. In the meantime, Romero said she will propose some reforms to the Tucson Police Department. Romero said she wants to ensure that the police immediately notify the mayor, city council and the community of any death in police custody. "It is simply not acceptable that both mayor and council and the public were not notified of this event after the incident took place," Romero said. Magnus said that the delay in senior police and city officials in seeing the video was the result of a "miscommunication." He also said the notification process for the public also could have been affected by the start of the most intense part of the coronavirus pandemic. "But I realize given the times we are in, any mistakes of this kind are viewed with great suspicion and contribute to the lack of trust in the police," Magnus said, before offering his resignation. Magnus said the department has instituted a policy requiring at least two chiefs to view video footage related to any in custody death within 48 hours. Romero said she did not know that Magnus would offer to resign before the press conference and did not say whether Magnus' resignation would be accepted. City officials noted that he would be potentially removed by the city manager, not the mayor. Romero, however, did say that Magnus has been "a great police chief for the city of Tucson." A woman who allegedly coughed on a baby during a social distancing dispute no longer has her job with a California school district. Oak Grove School District in San Jose announced over the weekend that the woman, whom it did not identify, was no longer an employee with the district. "We want to inform our community that the District employee who was alleged to have engaged in this conduct is no longer an employee of our District," the district said in a statement. "The Oak Grove School District's highest priority is the safety of our students and the well-being of all of the children in the community we serve. We do not tolerate conduct from any employee that compromises any child's safety." It was not immediately clear whether the woman left her job or was fired. The incident took place on June 12, when a White woman described as being in her 60s was standing in line for frozen yogurt in front of another woman and her child in a stroller, according to the San Jose Police Department. Video showed the first woman coughing in the face of the baby because, police said, the mother was not maintaining proper social distance. "The preliminary investigation revealed the suspect was upset the female was not maintaining proper social distancing so the suspect removed her face mask, got close to the baby's face, and coughed two to three times," police Sgt. Enrique Garcia said last month. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is recommending that people stay at least six feet -- or two arms' length -- from others outside their household to reduce the spread of the coronavirus. The virus also spreads from air droplets produced when an infected person coughs, sneezes or talks, the agency says. The San Jose Police Department has not named the woman suspected of coughing on the child because she has not been apprehended. "We can't release the names of suspects until there is a warrant for their arrest, they were booked into jail, or they were issued a criminal citation," Garcia said last month. "We are not sharing additional information at this time. The investigation is ongoing and we are following up on tips." CNN has attempted to reach the baby's mother and Yogurtland for comment. Attempts to reach the San Jose Police Department Monday were unsuccessful. Overcrowded classrooms as schools reopen By Tharushi Weerasinghe Education Ministry, Union Chief and school principals give different versions of what is not happening and what should happen View(s): View(s): The issue of overcrowded classrooms has become blatantly obvious in light of the physical distancing regulations that schools must now adjust to. The subject of much controversy over the past few years, many petitions and legal battles have been fought over the 2011 Supreme Court Decision to cap students at a maximum of 35 for a classroom. Royal College Past Pupil Kamal Abeysinghe at the forefront of the petition to ensure that the 2011 SC order was adhered to said the hearing against the cabinet decision to increase the cap to 40 students was set to be heard on November 30 this year. Education Ministry Secretary N.H.M. Chithrananda said Sri Lanka had more than the necessary number of square meters in classrooms as a whole, to accommodate the student population of about 4.3 million. However the uneven distribution of students has resulted in varying levels of students in classrooms. The Cabinet decision to increase the 35 limit to 40 would come into place with a parallel move to hire assistant teachers, the Education Ministry Secretary said. This recruitment of assistant teachers will come into place for the primary sector where it is more difficult for one teacher to handle too many small children, he said. When questioned about the limit of 35 students for a classroom from Grade Six onwards, Mr Chithrananda said it was impractical. He asked whether a student, or the parents of the student, would agree to a transfer from one of the over-crowded popular schools to a less well-known school. The stereotype that some state schools were better than others was the main challenge to overcoming overcrowding, according to the Education Ministry Secretary. Various professionals come to us with requests to enter children and we give letters of approval, but overall only about seventy schools from the national total of about ten thousand schools have the issue of overcrowding, he said. The Secretary claimed the rationale behind the stereotype was unfounded. Teachers follow the same syllabus, while methodologies might change there is no significant difference in their standards, he said. However, there were teachers who did not like getting transferred to less centrally located schools and there were teachers in lesser known schools who were waiting for transfers to better schools. This could affect performance Education Ministry Secretary said. Facilities were the most material factor behind the informal classifications of these schools. From students to parents to teachers, things like the existence of a swimming pool would also factor into the decision. When questioned about the viability of improving standards of these facilities at all schools, Mr Chithrananda said that prioritisation was subject to change quite often when it came to treasury allocations. The Education Secretary also said the Health Ministry had said temperature checks at the gates and masks inside the school premises were unnecessary as long as social distancing rules were adhered to. Classes will resume at different stages with 50% of the student population at a time according given by the Education Ministry. Classes have been arranged to facilitate half the number of regular students and principals have been instructed to roster staff accordingly. Despite claims by education professionals that no instruction had been given to them by the authorities, Mr Chithrananda claimed he and his team have visited all provinces and issued these instructions. He said they had given school principals the authority to make decisions autonomously on appropriate timetables and roster plans. However, communication problems seem to have occurred as teachers claimed they have been asked to come to school on all days regardless of the attendance of students. Ceylon Teachers Union (CTU) General Secretary Joseph Stalin said no open discussions had been held with professionals of the state school sector. He said Sri Lanka had about thirty two thousand classrooms and and there was not enough space for the students. Referring to the controvery of the cabinet decision to change the limit from 35 to 40 students in a classroom earlier this year, Mr Stalin said it would, in plain terms, be illegal to violate a Supreme Court decision in this manner. Mr Stalin also said on the reopening of schools, the decisions were being regularly changed and he was shocked by the Health Ministrys decision to not make it mandatory for students to wear face masks in schools. It is quite ironic how people are getting arrested for not wearing masks but children wont have to wear them inside schools, he said. Sri Lanka National Principals Association President Mohan Weerasinghe said the country had the capital and human resources it needed to implement a 1:25 teacher to student ratio. What it lacked was the system. The examination system that exists in Sri Lanka limits a childs capacity to a grade on a test. The toxic tuition class culture feeds off of it, he said, noting that overcrowding classrooms had led to an increase in students dependence on tuition. Referring to free education, Mr Weerasinghe said the whole purpose would be lost if students had to depend on tuition classes for which they paid exorbitant fees. In certain schools the overcrowding issue arose because of the popularity of those schools that was a direct result of high examination scores. With large numbers of students, schools prefered to bask in the glory of high achieving students. However a large number of students were being left behind because of the lack of adequate attention from teachers. When questioned about the viability of education policies such as Langama pasala, hondama pasala or the nearest school was the best school, Mr Weerasinghe said he regretted that every new Government that comes into place set up a new policy that was to be funded with World Bank money. Little or nothing gets done. The prevalent copy-and-paste system of education is further exacerbated by the overcrowding of classrooms, because large classroom sizes result in the child having to go to the teacher when it should actually be the other way around, he said. Please purchase a subscription to continue reading. If you have a subscription, please Log In . Your current subscription does not provide access to this content. If you believe you've gotten this message in error, please Log In. Charleston, WV (25301) Today Cloudy with rain developing after midnight. Low 62F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 90%. Rainfall around a quarter of an inch.. Tonight Cloudy with rain developing after midnight. Low 62F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 90%. Rainfall around a quarter of an inch. Charleston, WV (25311) Today Cloudy skies with periods of rain late. Low around 60F. Winds NW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 90%.. Tonight Cloudy skies with periods of rain late. Low around 60F. Winds NW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 90%. BMICH Re-opens View(s): BMICH Sri Lankas iconic landmark recommenced its operations on 23rd June after the Covid-19 lockdown with a corporate event for CEOs. The event organized by the Sri Lanka Institute of Marketing (SLIM) under its Restart Sri Lanka initiative, a national programme to reengineer businesses facilitated by the globally renowned Omar Khan as guest speaker,was held at the Jasmine Hall accommodating 100 SLIM invitee CEOs from the corporate sector. BMICH has implemented nimble and responsive health safety plans including screening, checking temperatures of each individual prior to entering the BMICH premises, personal distancing with spaced seating, hand washing and sanitizing etc to ensure a health safety environment in consultation with health and other relevant authorities said Sunil Dissanayake-Chief Executive-BMICH. As Sri Lanka restarts according to the new normal, BMICH ensures a safe environment for all our guests, visitors and staff by implementing a well supervised programme of measures. Our team is available to provide an overview of the health safety measures that have been implemented to our prospective clientele who wish to host their events at one of BMICHs many excellent, state -of-the-art venues he added.BMICH is Sri Lankas largest and Asias very first purpose-built convention center with ultra-modern facilities. Recently redesigned, renovated and refurbished, BMICH is South Asias Premier Integrated MICE Complex with all the facilities required to host any type of convention, seminar, exhibition, conference or wedding including multi-day international conventions and conferences. Click here to read the full article. President Thomas J. Whitmore is urging Americans to wear their face masks in public. Bill Pullman, who played the character in the 1996 blockbuster Independence Day, gave a public service announcement about wearing masks in a video for Alamo Drafthouse. More from Variety And now, a message from the most presidential actor of all time, Bill Pullman, the video began by saying. Coincidentally released on Fourth of July, the Independence Day actor said hell be wearing a freedom mask and asked that others do the same. Hello America. I may not be your president right now, but Ive got to tell you that Fourth of July is still my favorite holiday, and it always will be. This Independence Day, Im going to be celebrating my freedom in an important way. Im going to be wearing my freedom mask every time I go into public. Thats right freedom mask. Because if all of America agreed to wear one of these going into public places, wed be a little closer to being free to safely go back to places like bars and restaurants and schools and, most importantly, movie theaters, he said. The message comes as coronavirus cases continue to increase rapidly in several states across the country and citizens are urged to wear face masks whenever they are in public. Some cities, like West Hollywood and Santa Monica in California where coronavirus cases are high, will now fine people $300 if they dont wear a mask. Watch Pullmans full video below, released on Alamo Drafthouses YouTube channel. 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. Israels leading pay TV operators YES (Fauda) and HOT (Euphoria) are getting ready to restart filming thanks to an agreement signed with local broadcasting regulators that will cover potential damages caused by COVID-19. The agreement will cover damages totalling up to 10% of production costs. That effectively means that if a $10 million show has to stop because one of the actors or a key crew member is diagnosed with coronavirus, the production will receive up to $1 million to cover the damages caused by the postponement of filming, explained Tzvika Gottlieb, CEO of the Israeli Producers Association, which initiated and negotiated the pact. More from Variety As in other countries, insurance companies in Israel have refused to cover risks due to the pandemic, forcing governments and private institutions to find solutions that allow production to resume. The funding will be taken into account via the regulatory obligations of both YES and HOT, which have to invest 8% of their annual revenues into local productions. The combined investment of YES and HOT in local productions represents approximately $102 million (350 million shekels) annually. The broadcasters are behind some of worlds biggest and most innovative scripted series originating from Israel, notably Fauda, Euphoria, The Gordin Cell, Shtisel and On the Spectrum. Under the pact signed by the pay TV operators and regulators, actors and staff members at both outlets will also waive their own compensation in the event of a set closing due to a coronavirus outbreak. Story continues Upcoming scripted shows and series set to shoot for HOT in July and August include What Happened in Oslo, a Norwegian/Israeli thriller for Netflix set against the Oslo Accords of 1993; the second seasons of Malkot, a popular crime show about Israels female mafia, and Shababnikim (The New Black), about students within the ultra-Orthodox Jewish community. Non-scripted shows set to film over the summer include the reality show Mehubarim (Connected). Best of Variety Sign up for Varietys Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Joey Chestnut is a champion once again! Nathan's Annual Hot Dog Eating Contest in Coney Island, New York went on despite the COVID-19 pandemic, and Chestnut was there to defend his title. A well-known competitive eater, Chestnut, 36, has won the contest 13 times in the last 14 years, reigning victorious again on Saturday. Chestnut consumed 75 dogs and buns in 10 minutes for a new world record. "Minute six is where I missed the crowd, I hit a wall," Chestnut said after his win, before adding, "Being inside helped." On the womens side of the competition, Miki Sudo claimed the winning title, eating 48 dogs and bun in 10 minutes to win her seventh straight victory. RELATED: Joey Chestnut Still Dines on Hot Dogs Year-Round: Its Rare for Them Not to Be in My Fridge This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it. This year's competition took place indoors rather than outdoors in a new set up due to the restrictions brought on by the coronavirus. The event still took place in Coney Island, but in a private location with COVID-19 safety measures in place, according to Major League Eating (MLE), which officially sanctions Nathans contest. The venue featured a wide 30-foot-long table with only five competitors compared to the typical 15. RELATED: The Annual Nathans Hot Dog Eating Contest Will Be Held Indoors on July 4 2020 has been a year for the history books, and the realization that this storied July 4th tradition would be able to occur is a great feeling," said James Walker, Nathans Famous senior vice president, when the new venue was announced. "With that being said, our country and our world has endured so much in the last couple of months, that wed be remiss if we didnt use this moment to honor those that have done so much for each of us during this time. Beyond Nathan's usual annual donation of 100,000 hot dogs to the Food Bank for New York City, additional efforts were made this year to raise money and bring awareness to the needs of food banks and all the work these organizations do. Leading up to the competition, Chestnut told TMZ that he was training for the event while being quarantined at home in hopes of beating his personal record. "I'm breaking the record this 4th of July! This is gonna be a weird 4th of July, but I'ma make it memorable. My record 74, 75 just sounds like a good number but we'll see," Chestnut told TMZ. "If I'm feeling it, if I'm in the perfect rhythm, 77 is doable." Kimberly Guilfoyle, the former Fox News personality who serves as a top fundraiser for President Donald Trumps re-election campaign, tested positive for COVID-19 on Friday just ahead of the presidents planned event at South Dakotas Mount Rushmore, the New York Times reported. After testing positive, Kimberly was immediately isolated to limit any exposure, Sergio Gor, chief of staff for the Trump Victory Finance Committee, told CNN. Shes doing well, and will be retested to ensure the diagnosis is correct since shes asymptomatic but as a precaution will cancel all upcoming events. Donald Trump Jr., the presidents son who has been dating Guilfoyle for the past two years, tested negative but as a precaution is also self isolating and is canceling all public events, Gor added. Also Read: Stars Who Have Tested Positive for Coronavirus (Photos) On June 20, Guilfoyle had attended Trumps indoor rally at BOK Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Since that event, at least eight other campaign staffers and Secret Service members who worked on the rally have tested positive for the coronavirus. The Tulsa rally was also attended by former GOP presidential candidate Herman Cain, who announced Thursday that he had been hospitalized in Atlanta with COVID-19. In addition, a U.S. Navy member who serves as one of Trumps personal valets tested positive for the virus in May. Guilfoyle is a lawyer who was once married to Gavin Newsom, now the Democratic governor of California, and broke into TV by hosting Court TVs Both Sides in 2004. Two years later, she began a 12-year stint at Fox News on a variety of shows, including Outnumbered and The Five. She exited the network in 2018. Read original story Kimberly Guilfoyle, Trump Campaign Fundraiser Who Dates Donald Jr., Tests Positive for COVID-19 At TheWrap Protesters gathered in Keystone, South Dakota, on July 3, ahead of President Trumps visit to Mount Rushmore for an Independence Day celebration. Demonstrators were seen blocking Iron Mountain Road, leading up to Mount Rushmore, and were heard chanting anti-Trump and Black Lives Matter messages. Supporters of the regions First Nations people, the Sioux Nation, also known as Oceti Sakowin, were heard lobbying for land rights. The National Guard arrived to disperse protesters, with footage uploaded by Erin Bormett showing confrontations between Trump supporters and protesters. Trump was due to attend an Independence Day celebration at Mount Rushmore on July 3. Credit: Erin Bormett / Argus Leader / USAToday Network via Storyful Click here to read the full article. The protagonist of Pablo Larrains Tony Manero was a man obsessed to the point of insanity with achieving celebrity as the replication of someone else. So theres a sort of inverse symmetry at work in the Larrain-produced Nobody Knows Im Here, the strange little debut from Gaspar Antillo, about a man whose celebrity was stolen from him, and given to another. He is Memo, a taciturn recluse nourishing secret singing talent, played with tremendous grace by Jorge Garcia. Still best known as Hurley from Lost, Garcia quietly electrifies here in a role that feels like a breakout; As a child, the pure-voiced Memo (played in home-movie-style flashbacks by Lukas Vergara), managed by his rapacious father (Alexander Goic), seemed on the cusp of pop-singing success when a producer suggested instead that his voice be recorded for Angelo, a more telegenic boy, to mime to. The song, Nobody Knows Im Here a tuneful earworm that just about avoids the irritation factor of, say, the title track from That Thing You Do despite similar heavy soundtrack rotation becomes a hit and makes Angelo a star. More from Variety Years after being Milli Vanilli-ed, Memo has retreated about as far from the world as he can, withdrawing to an isolated sheep farm on Chiles enormous, placid Lake Llanquihe, which is owned by his gruff uncle (Luis Gnecco, unrecognizable after playing the sleek, dapper title character in Larrains Neruda). And further still, he has withdrawn into his own bulky body, his weight coming almost palpably to signify additional armor against a callous world. Angelo (Gaston Pauls), meanwhile has parlayed his early stardom into a celebrity career, which Memo jealously monitors from the extreme sidelines. Story continues Following Angelos career is only one of Memos secret compulsions. He also breaks into strangers houses when theyre not home, just to look around, and spends his evenings crouched at his sewing machine, tacking sequins and lurex and metallic fabrics into a sort of Technicolor Dreamcoat. Alone in the woods, Memo unfurls his spangly costume, puts on his old-fashioned Walkman headphones and closes his eyes, giving vent to a fantasy of fabulousness far from his grubby-shirted, gray-skied reality. The actual story of the film, then, does not stray too far from the lonely-misfit-seeking-connection indie template; indeed, those credentials are significantly bolstered with the arrival of quirky outsider Marta (Millaray Lobos), a friendly fashion makeover consultant with a blunt fringe and Zoe Kazans breaking-dawn smile, who takes an unlikely interest in Memo, who reciprocates with equal parts alarm and shy attraction. Yet there is forever another force at work in Antillos film undercutting the bittersweet-dramedy vibe an ominous undertow of spookiness and skeletons in the closet that makes for an intriguingly heady, if ultimately slightly misleading brew. A lot of that mood is delivered by Larrain regular Sergio Armstrongs marvelous, murdery camerawork, which occupies his usual half-lit register and suggests a mountainous malevolence lurking somewhere nearby, prowling through the eerie forests, drifting implacably over steel-gray waters, or framing Memo, dressed in a yellow slicker like the doomed kid in a Stephen King book, against the roaring blur of a waterfall. Carlos Cabezas Rocuants score, too, with its glimmering strings and far-off bells, leans toward the mysterious, despite there being no huge mystery here, except maybe the mystery of why this is all so mysterious. Surreal sequences that may or may not be actually happening also give us some striking imagery, like an inexplicably beautiful overhead shot of Memo vomiting up a viscous liquid that spreads around him in a dark pink corona as he retches. And occasional flourishes, like a cut between a high drone shot and an actual drone dropping unexpectedly down in front of Memo, have a welcome wittiness, even if they belong in a spikier film. These opposing impulses sweet and sinister sometimes threaten to break the film apart, but Garcias performance always pulls the two halves back together. In fact his Memo is such a vivid character, with such a clearly enunciated inner life (despite having a total of maybe 20 words of dialogue), that we can just about plausibly imagine the gloomy cast of the movies reality is simply the projection of how he sees the unfriendly, ill-intentioned outside world. It is certainly not borne out by any major revelations in this slow-burn character piece, nor and this is where it deviates from Larrains own early work does it have any particular allegorical dimension. Instead, the somber atmospherics are an intriguing false-flag operation; Nobody Knows Im Here, an involving and accomplished first film with a brilliant central turn, is a sheep in wolfs clothing. Best of Variety Sign up for Varietys Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Lankan shines at Harvard MUN View(s): For many years participating in an International Model United Nations (MUN) Conference was an expensive affair. However, in 2020 all that Royalist Kaif Sally needed was a stable internet connection and the world of competitive MUN was a hop, jump and click away. Model United Nations is a debate activity in which students typically roleplay delegates to the United Nations and simulate UN committees. It involves substantial research, public speaking, debating, and writing skills, as well as critical thinking, teamwork, and leadership abilities. The Harvard Model United Nations is an annual travelling Model United Nations conference that is run by Harvard University, one of the most prestigious United Nations simulations to date. Due to the prevailing pandemic situation and its resulting travel restrictions, the 2020 edition was held virtually over five days of competition from June 11 15. Kaif was the delegate of Sri Lanka in the 70 member simulation of the Social Cultural and Humanitarian Committee (SOCHUM) and was awarded the most Outstanding Delegate at the competition. This is the second-highest award presented. The Best Delegate which went to the delegate of France being the only higher commendation. His competition consisted of over 70 highly competitive MUNers from around the world, between the ages of 16 and 19. Around 60 nationalities were represented at the SOCHUM. My foundation was my research, says Kaif who says he spent over three weeks of research and solution finding on the topic of the conference which was Creating global healthcare equity. Studying and understanding the mandate of my committee, the UN charter and International law related to the topic as well as doing extensive research on the topic in relation to Sri Lanka and other key countries made sure I was always able to speak on any aspect of the debate and confidently defend my motherlands current position and past actions in a global arena. Kaifs key take away from the experience is that by adopting Sri Lankas real-life foreign policy of getting along with all nations and genuinely embodying values like humility and compassion he was able to bring international glory home. He is confident that these same factors will give any Sri Lankan the edge to replicate his results in other future international MUNs as well. Click here to read the full article. You might expect director Rod Lurie (West Point class of 1984 with four years in military service) to push the flag-waving aspect of a film about the war in Afghanistan. Though The Outpost pays heartfelt tribute to the soldiers who fought and died during the bloody 2009 Battle of Kamdesh, he opens fire on the military hubris and stupidity that put these soldiers there in the first place. While President Obama talked of withdrawing troops, Army brass ordered a small unit of 53 U.S. soldiers to hold down Camp Outpost Keating, located at the bottom of three steep mountains. It was also just 14 miles from the Pakistan border, where more than 400 Taliban fighters picked them off from above like sitting ducks. Its that suicide mission that Lurie, and a cast headed by Scott Eastwood, Caleb Landry Jones and Orlando Bloom, bring so vividly to life as the insurgents assaulted the outpost with small-arms fire, rocket-propelled grenades, heavy machine guns and B-10 recoilless rifles. They killed eight American soldiers and wounded nearly two dozen others, making it one of the worst attacks on a U.S. outpost during the Afghan war. And just try not to think of the recent reports about Russia-paid bounties to Taliban forces for killing American soldiers. More from Rolling Stone With a script by Eric Johnson and Paul Tamasy, based on The Outpost: An Untold Story of American Valor by Jake Tapper, the film emerges as an action thriller which never loses sight of the futility of the war being fought. Tapper, the chief Washington correspondent for CNN, wrote his 2012 bestseller to highlight what he termed the deep-rooted inertia of military thinking. Praising the book, Into the Wild author Jon Krakauer said: If you want to understand how the war in Afghanistan went off the rails, read this book. Story continues You could also watch this intensely powerful movie, which Lurie directs with a keen understanding of the mechanics of battle and an overriding humanism that puts flesh-and-blood on the bones of the tragic story being told about Bravo Troop 3-61 CAV, one of the most decorated units of the 19-year conflict. Eastwood excels in the key role of Staff Sergeant Clint Romesha. (As the son of Hollywood legend Clint Eastwood, the young star of The Longest Ride and The Fate of the Furious must have seen the irony of playing a soldier named Clint.) Romesha understands that thoughts of home and family might interfere with the laser focus required to have the backs of his brothers in arms. Having written his own account of the war in the book Red Platoon, Romesha won the Congressional Medal of Honor for his courage under fire. Eastwood captures the soldiers saddle up spirit and also his keen grasp of what led to this unwinnable situation. Still, not everyone had Romeshas knack for putting on a brave front. As Specialist Ty Carter, another Medal of Honor winner, Caleb Landry Jones (Get Out, The Florida Project) shows how fear is real factor that needs handling in the heat of battle. The first part of the film at the base follows the usual bro pattern that lets us get to know the characters, including CPT Robert Yllescas, played by Milo Gibson (son of Mel), and Daniel Rodriguez, who along with other survivors of the battle, plays himself. Lurie catches the tension of base life that can be interrupted at any moment by sudden death from enemy fire a few major characters are killed even before the main battle starts. British actor Orlando Bloom, head shaved and meaning business, assumes a credible Yank accent to play Captain Ben Keating, the base commander whose mission of counterinsurgency enlisting the civilian population to help against the enemy from the inside is lost when the shooting starts. Taking up the films final, high-tension hour, the Battle of Kamdesh represents Luries finest achievement to date as a director, up there with Deterrence and The Contender (and enough to forgive him for his misguided remake of Sam Peckinpahs Straw Dogs.) There have been other films about the Afghan war, including 12 Strong, War Machine, Lone Survivor, and the superb doc Restrepo. But The Outpost gets it crucially right by bringing home the meaning of heroism as a collective action. The you-are-there ferocity of this sequence, brilliantly abetted by the prowling, handheld camerawork of Lorenzo Senatore, ranks with the best interpretations of combat on film. 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. Donald Trump will kick off Fourth of July weekend in typical Trump fashion. On Friday night, the president will make an appearance at Mount Rushmore for a showy event that is expected to draw 7,500 people. And, of course, social distancing will not be enforced, despite the recent surge of COVID-19 cases. "... In South Dakota we've told people to focus on personal responsibility. Every one of them has the opportunity to make a decision that they're comfortable with, so we will be having celebrations of American independence," South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem told FOX News about Trump's scheduled 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. But we won't be social distancing." Photos of the planned seating for the event have started to circulate on social media. As you can see below, there are rows and rows of fold-out chairs with very little space between each seat. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has urged the public to maintain at least 6 feet of physical distance with other people when out in public; it has also recommended wearing face masks to help curb the spread of the novel virus. This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it. Trump's Mount Rushmore appearance will take place as a number of U.S. states report single-day records for coronavirus infections. In light of the alarming surge, health experts have cautioned against large gatherings during Independence Day weekend, and have recommended citizens to celebrate in their homes with immediate family. "It wasn't that those warnings weren't out there, it's just that people weren't following them as closely as they should have," Roberta Schwartz, the chief innovation officer at Houston Methodist Hospital, told NBC News. "We keep giving the message: Your patriotic duty this July Fourth is to stay home and celebrate with your nuclear family and not go out and try to have a party, because this is not the time for that." Story continues Trump's Friday night Fourth of July event will also include military flyovers as well as a massive fireworks display. According to CNN, South Dakota officials banned fireworks at Mount Rushmore back in 2009 due to environmental concerns. Wildfire experts have expressed concern Trump's Independence Day festivities could result in devastating forest fires. "Burning debris, the burning embers and unexploded shells fall into a ponderosa pine forest and ponderosa pine is extremely flammable," Bill Gabbert, the former fire management officer for Mount Rushmore, told the Rapid City Journal. Shooting fireworks over a ponderosa pine forest, or any flammable vegetation, is ill advised and should not be done. Period." The event is scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. ET, with Trump expected to take the stage at 6:45 p.m. Gov. Noem and Interior Secretary David Bernhardt will also deliver remarks before the fireworks display at 9:30. 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 WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Department of Justice on Wednesday said it was looking to recover another $96 million in assets in real estate and artwork allegedly linked to the 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) international money-laundering conspiracy. The assets include luxury real estate in Paris and paintings by Claude Monet and Andy Warhol linked to the embezzlement of the 1MDB fund by Malaysian officials, the Justice Department said in a statement. The agency has so far recovered or assisted Malaysia in recovering nearly $1.1 billion in assets related to the alleged scheme. The Malaysian government set up the 1MDB fund in 2009. U.S. officials have estimated that $4.5 billion was siphoned out of Malaysia by high-level fund officials and associates between 2009 and 2014, in a scandal that has also embroiled Goldman Sachs Group Inc. In October, the U.S. Justice Department announced its largest ever anti-kleptocracy deal, in which fugitive Malaysian financier Low Taek Jho, or Jho Low, agreed to turn over $700 million in assets. The deal did not include an admission of guilt or wrongdoing, and Low has consistently denied wrongdoing. [nL3N27F4SA (Reporting by Chris Prentice; Editing by Chris Reese, Tom Brown and Jonathan Oatis) Good Morning America Hong Kongs last remaining opposition paper Apple Daily may be forced to shutter its operations and publish its last edition as soon as this Friday if it is unable to get the approval of the government to unfreeze its assets to pay staff. An internal memo sent to employees on Monday, seen by ABC News, said that if management still doesnt get access to the funds, no articles will be uploaded to the media outlet's digital platforms after 11.59 p.m. on Friday, meaning that the last newspaper could be published on Saturday morning. The government froze $2.3 million worth of assets owned by three companies linked to Apply Daily after arresting five executives under the Beijing-imposed national security law last Thursday. Krystal Spaulding is almost out of breath as she sprints from one critically ill patient to another at Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami. Coronavirus cases are increasing at an alarming rate and the hospital is seeing more and more patients every day, the nurse said. "There's just a lot of running around with this current wave of [COVID-19] that we're experiencing here in Miami," Spaulding told ABC News. "The patients seem to be way more critical than the first wave." Florida reported over 10,000 new coronavirus cases on Wednesday, the biggest one-day increase in the state since the pandemic started. As the state continues to shatter records for coronavirus cases amid the reopening of the economy, hospitals in Florida -- like Jackson Memorial -- are seeing a rise in hospitalizations. And as a safety net hospital, it is seeing more minority populations being infected with COVID. MORE: Latino communities suffer as some states see record numbers of COVID-19 cases The state has seen an explosion of coronavirus cases since reopening the economy and Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican, has faced significant criticism for his handling of the pandemic since the outbreak began. During the month of May, as Florida slowly began to reopen with restaurants and retailers allowed to operate with limited capacity, the state saw increases larger than 1,000 in a single day three times. In June, after the majority of the state was in phase 2 of reopening, infections rose by 168% with over 95,000 new cases. The percentage of tests coming back positive has grown to 15% from 4% at the end of May. Miami-Dade County alone reported 2,046 new cases on Friday and a positivity rate of 20.8%. PHOTO: People wait for a health assessment check-in before entering Jackson Memorial Hospital, as Miami-Dade County eases some of the lockdown measures put in place during the coronavirus disease outbreak, in Miami, June 18, 2020. (Marco Bello/Reuters) Carlos Migoya, Jackson Memorial's CEO, said the "warning signs" came around June as people started changing their behaviors. "What happened is that when somebody has been at home for six weeks, they get tired and they get really stir crazy," said Migoya. "So they're out in the streets. People are fighting the use of masks, social distancing and wanting to really get together." Story continues Many counties and cities across the state have now been forced to roll back reopening plans and implement stricter facial covering requirements following the record-setting pace of COVID-19 cases. MORE: Miami-Dade County is seeing record number of new coronavirus cases Dr. Lilian Abbo, the head of infection prevention at the hospital, said people have not learned to follow the guidelines necessary to protect themselves and others. "As a society, we have not learned enough from our mistakes, and we're making the same mistakes, which is causing this resurgence of cases," Abbo told ABC News. "I think it's human behavior. It is a false sense of security of 'this is not going to happen to me.'" Abbo and Spaulding both noted a common trend in the past few weeks: Younger people are getting sick. Both have seen an uptick in younger patients, a disproportionate impact on minority patients and more patients with preexisting conditions. "Right now we have at least two people on our floor now with preexisting medical conditions in their 40s that are needing an extreme amount of oxygen," said Spaulding. PHOTO: People wearing protective masks are seen outside Jackson Memorial Hospital, as Miami-Dade County eases some of the lockdown measures put in place during the coronavirus disease outbreak, in Miami, June 18, 2020. (Marco Bello/Reuters) Abbo added that younger patients tend to not take the virus seriously, which affects everyone when spread. "Just because you might be in your 20s, 30s and 40s, you could still come down with some pretty serious symptoms that require a longer term hospitalization," Abbo added. Abbo told ABC News that the coronavirus pandemic reminds her of another one -- the HIV crisis. "This pandemic is like when HIV started when people didn't know and infecting others," said Abbo. "People were thinking, 'I don't have symptoms.' If we don't do something, this could have significant transmission." MORE: Vice President Mike Pence's Arizona trip was delayed due to Secret Service agents testing positive for COVID-19 Jackson Memorial and other hospitals in Miami are seeing an increase in hospitalizations, causing them to reevaluate their ability to conduct elective surgeries. "Elective surgeries were postponed based on what we are seeing through our predictive models," Abbo told ABC News. "We aren't going to put ourselves in a position where we are stressing capacity," Migoya doesn't believe the community is entirely to blame for the rise in cases, saying people in lower-income communities have no choice but to leave their homes to go to work. "Not everybody gets unemployment ... not everyone gets time off," said Migoya. "If you look at the zip codes with the highest amount of infections [they] are the lower income, the ones that the people have to work or they don't eat." PHOTO: People wait for health assessment check-in before entering Jackson Memorial Hospital, as Miami-Dade County eases some of the lockdown measures put in place during the coronavirus disease outbreak, in Miami, June 18, 2020. (Marco Bello/Reuters) Migoya also noted that since the hospital sees mostly patients who are minorities, predominantly Latinos, households with multigenerational family members are common, making it difficult to social distance. "The young person gets infected, they come home and they infect the mother or the grandmother," said Migoya. "And that's where the challenges start coming." Although hospitalizations at the hospital have tripled, Migoya said doctors have learned a lot since March and are better prepared to treat patients now. "We're smarter now than we were in March in April. We were flying blind, we really did not know what was the right thing to do," said Migoya. "Our people understand better how to deal with these patients." MORE: You don't need symptoms to get tested, CDC director tells ABC News To better serve critical patients, the hospital made the decision to suspend all elective surgeries and nonemergency procedures. "We decided as a health system that our patient and our health care worker priority is safety," said Abbo. "We are not going to put anyone in a position of stressing the workforce if we don't have enough capacity." "Please listen to the health care workers," said Abbo. "We're not making this up. This is real, the threat is real." For Abbo, following social distancing guidelines and mask wearing requirements is key to limiting transmission of the spread, and ensuring resources are there for those who need it. "Let's work on this together," said Abbo. "It doesn't matter what political party you are from. This is public health." Miami hospital flooded with critical patients as coronavirus cases rise originally appeared on abcnews.go.com Photo credit: Patrick McMullan - Getty Images From Harper's BAZAAR British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell has been arrested by the FBI and charged with six offences. The crimes are associated with her former boyfriend, convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, as well as two counts of perjury (lying under oath). Specifically, Maxwell has been 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. Transporting a minor with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity. Once Epstein's crimes became public knowledge, Maxwell fell off the radar and it was believed police had been unable to locate her for questioning, until now. Speaking today at a specially organized press conference, FBI assistant director Bill Sweeney said they'd been keeping tabs on her for a while, but didn't specify exactly how long, and then arrested her when the time was right. Maxwell slithered off to a gorgeous property in New Hampshire... We moved when we were ready and the arrest happened [this morning] without incident." Police did not disclose whether or not Maxwell had been staying with a friend throughout this period. It's also alleged that on occasion Maxwell herself would join in with the abuse and that it was she who introduced Prince Andrew to Virginia Roberts-Giuffre, the whistleblower who claims she had sex with the royal as a teenager. The prince has denied this, along with claims that he has refused to cooperate in the investigation. "I have no recollection of ever meeting this lady, none whatsoever," he told interviewer Emily Maitlis during an explosive Newsnight interview last November, despite there being photographic evidence of the pair together at Maxwell's house. In the same press conference today, SDNY acting district attorney, Audrey Strauss, said they would "welcome" a statement from Prince Andrew. Story continues Photo credit: Davidoff Studios Photography - Getty Images Sweeney added that Maxwell also previously lied when questioned under oath, as well as assisted Epstein in carrying out "abuse of minor girls" by befriending vulnerable young women and "attempted to normalize sexual abuse." Undoubtedly this is a major breakthrough for victims in their quest for justice. Maxwell and Epstein were the subject of a recent Netflix documentary series, Filthy Rich, which also shone a spotlight on their friendships with many other rich and powerful names, including Donald Trump and Bill Clinton. In December 2019, Reuters stated that Maxwell was being investigated by the FBI for procuring young women for Epstein but she has never publicly commented on the matter, beyond through her legal team. She denies all wrongdoing. On 12 March 2020, Maxwell filed a lawsuit in an attempt to get compensation from Epstein's estate to cover her legal costs. You Might Also Like Sunday, May 10, 2020 photo, a lone swimmer wades through the clear waters of 'Konnos' beach in Ayia Napa, a seaside resort that's popular with tourists from Europe and beyond. Cyprus' beleaguered tourism sector got some good news after the government announced on Friday, July 3, 2020, that travelers from the U.K. will be allowed entry into the east Mediterranean island nation next month without having to undergo a compulsory 14-day quarantine. (AP Photo/Petros Karadjias) NICOSIA, Cyprus (AP) Cyprus beleaguered tourism sector got some good news after the government announced on Friday that travelers from the U.K. will be allowed entry into the east Mediterranean island nation next month without having to undergo a compulsory 14-day quarantine. But Health Minister Constantinos Ioannou said that depends on whether U.K. coronavirus infection rates stay at the current low ebb. Ioannou said that as of Aug. 1 Britain will be grouped with 17 other countries including France, Italy and Spain from which travelers will be required to obtain a health certificate declaring them coronavirus-free three days prior to boarding a flight. The decision will be implemented on the condition that the United Kingdom continues to post the same positive epidemiological results, Ioannou said after a Cabinet meeting with a scientific advisory body. The U.K. is Cyprus prime tourism market. U.K. citizens made up a third of Cyprus 4 million tourist arrivals last year. Tourism officials say July appears to be a bust in terms of tourism, despite earlier hopes that holidaymakers would flock to Cyprus because of its minimal infection rate. Tourism accounts for 13% of Cyprus economy and officials say the aim remains to recoup 25-30% of tourist arrivals the country received in 2019. Deputy Tourism Minister Savvas Perdios said setting a date for opening up Cyprus to U.K. holidaymakers was important for tour operators, airlines and other tourism-oriented businesses to start planning ahead. A 14-day quarantine period remains in effect for all travelers from Russia another key tourism market for Cyprus. Perdios said there are hopes for reviving the Russian market later in the year. Unfortunately, it's a year where everything's in flux," said Perdios. We are obligated ... to show flexibility and understanding that whichever decision is taken could change in a few weeks." Travelers from 23 countries including Germany, Australia and Norway don't need a health certificate to enter Cyprus. Story continues Ioannou said there are plans for a five-fold increase in random COVID-19 testing of all arriving passengers at Cyprus two airports at no extra cost to the government. Currently, around 15% of arriving travelers are being tested. ___ Follow AP coverage of the pandemic at https://apnews.com/VirusOutbreak and https://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak Former FBI director James Comey told President Obama that the 2016 conversations between Russian ambassador Sergey Kislyak and incoming national-security adviser Michael Flynn were not criminal in nature, according to notes from former agent Peter Strzok released by Flynns legal team. The page of notes was taken by Strzok appears to describe a January 5, 2017 meeting of President Obama, Vice President Joe Biden, and national security officials. This meeting occurred amid accusations that incoming Trump administration officials had colluded with Russian operatives. Strzok was not present at the meeting, and it is unclear what record of the meeting he consulted in taking the notes. Strzok writes that P, presumably President Obama, asked, Is there anything I shouldnt be telling transition team? Strzok records that D, or Director Comey, responded Kislyak calls but appear legit. This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it. In transcripts of conversations between Flynn and Kislyak released on May 29 of this year, Flynn is recorded asking the Russian ambassador not to escalate tensions in response to U.S. sanctions. Those sanctions were implemented by the Obama administration following reports that Russia attempted to interfere in the U.S. general election. Strzoks notes also indicate that VP Biden mentioned the Logan Act during the meeting, although the context of Bidens remark is unclear. The Logan Act of 1799 forbids U.S. citizens from intervening in disputes with foreign nations without authorization. The law has been cited only twice in U.S. history in two cases in the 1800s and no one has ever been found guilty of violating the statute. While the FBI had monitored Flynns conversations with Kislyak, the agency moved to close the case on January 4, 2017, indicating it had found no derogatory information on Flynn. However, that same day Strzok intervened to keep the case open. Strzok told an unknown individual that day that the 7th floor [is] involved, apparently referring to senior FBI leadership at the bureaus headquarters. Story continues Strzok was fired by the FBI after anti-Trump texts between him and agency lawyer Lisa Page were revealed. Your excessive, repeated, and politically charged text messages while you were assigned as the lead case agent on the FBIs two biggest and most politically sensitive investigations in decades, demonstrated a gross lack of professionalism and exceptionally poor judgement, the Justice Department said in 2019. More from National Review A former judge from Iran sought by his country to face corruption charges has died after a fall from a hotel, Romanian media reported. Romanian police said a man had fallen from a high floor at a hotel in the capital Bucharest, but did not identify him. Local media identified the victim as Gholamreza Mansouri, who fled Iran last year after authorities there alleged he took about 500,000 euros (450,000) in bribes. Mansouri, who was facing an extradition request by Iran, had denied the allegations. He said last week in a video statement that he left Iran for unspecified medical treatment and that coronavirus travel restrictions prevented him from returning to face the charges. Forensic workers carry a body from the hotel (Andreea Alexandru/AP) Earlier this week, journalist rights groups and Iranian dissidents urged Romania to not deport him, saying he should be prosecuted in Europe for ordering the mass arrest of reporters while serving as a judge in Tehran. The German chapter of Reporters Without Borders filed a complaint with federal prosecutors in Germany last week, urging that Mansouri be investigated on allegations of torture and human rights abuses for ordering the arrest of 20 reporters in Iran in 2013. German prosecutors confirmed on Wednesday they were looking into the complaint, and Reporters without Borders said it had filed a second complaint with Romanian authorities after learning Mansouri had slipped away from Germany. It was not clear when he travelled to Romania, but Irans judiciary spokesman, Gholamhossein Esmaeili, said on June 13 that Mansouri had been arrested there and was expected to be returned to Iran in the following days. According to Romanian authorities, Mansouri had been released from custody but kept under judicial control, during which he was banned from leaving the country and was obliged to present himself to authorities at their request. Mansouri is best known for ordering the mass arrest of reporters in 2013 towards the end of hardline President Mahmoud Ahmadinejads time in office. In 2012, he also banned the reformist Shargh daily newspaper and detained its editor-in-chief over a published cartoon that authorities deemed insulting to those who fought in the Iran-Iraq war. AG slams PNB officers; Acting IGP walks away as AG starts speaking By Ranjith Padmasiri View(s): View(s): Proper supervision by senior officers at the Police Narcotics Bureau (PNB) could have averted officers working with drug traffickers, Attorney General Dappula de Livera has observed. His criticism of the PNB officers came during a two-hour hard-hitting speech on Friday at the office of the Western Province Deputy Inspector General. He was addressing a group of senior police officers, including those from the PNB. While acknowledging that most PNB officers were honest, he pointed out that the entire unit was now getting a bad name owing to the actions of a few corrupt officers. He urged PNB officers to come forward to expose the corrupt elements within their ranks. The AG accused senior police officers of not properly supervising the activities of junior officers. If that had been done properly, it would have prevented the current dismal state of affairs, he added. The entire country knows about these officers now. You cant work with corrupt officers. You know who the corrupt elements among you are. Give us information concerning them. Lets purge the corrupt elements and clean up this agency, the AG appealed to PNB officers. Acting Inspector General of Police (IGP) Chandana Wickram-aratne was initially present in the audience but left as soon as the AG began his speech. Speaking further, the AG asked officers to be afraid of the law and to be afraid of committing crimes. How do you become afraid? You must think that there is no escape for you if you commit crimes. You must think about what would happen if you are in that position. You must both respect and fear the law. The AG was scathing regarding the administration within the PNB and supervision of its officers. Theres no discipline here. You cant do your jobs properly if there is no discipline. Senior officers must set an example to their juniors. You cant save criminal gangs. They will eventually be caught and even if they arent, they will face justice according to Ditta Dhamma Vedaniya Kamma. They will suffer in the end. Noting that many PNB officers were still very young, the AG said they had many more years of service to give to the country. You have a bright future ahead of you. Dont lose that by being branded as criminals yourselves, he warned. While stating that the PNB needed honest and efficient officers, Mr. de Livera said if an officers goal was simply to earn money, they should resign from the police and start a business. Dont do this while in uniform. Protect state institutions. You have a responsibility to protect the rule of law and to treat everyone equally. He also said one should not keep the same set of officers in one group for years, adding that officers should be regularly transferred and new ones brought in. He also stated that younger officers should be given more responsibilities so that they could be trained. He said teams should be constantly shuffled when conducting raids. I came to give this speech on the invitation of the Director of the PNB. Given the current situation however, I have the power to summon senior police officers and give this speech even without such an invitation as per Section 393 (2) of the Penal Code, he quipped. The AG noted that senior officers must closely supervise all activities of their juniors. They must scrutinise all their log entries. I dont see that happening properly. The senior officers must keep a tab on where their junior officers are going and about the lifestyles they lead. Their finances too must be probed. That is how you supervise officers properly. You must be constantly vigilant, he insisted. Additional Solicitor General Sumathi Dharmawardana, Deputy Solicitor Dileepa Peiris, Senior State Counsel Janaka Bandara and State Counsel Nishara Jayaratne were among the officials from the AGs Department officials who were present. Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Ajith Rohana delivered the Vote of Thanks. Journalists invited, but police prevent their entry Journalists invited to cover the AGs speech were prevented from entering the premises by police officers on duty at the entrance, leading to heated arguments. On Thursday, the journalists received an invitation from the AGs Coordinating Officer Nishara Jayaratne to cover the speech. They were asked to be at the venue by 9 a.m.. Many showed up even earlier but were kept waiting on the pavement outside the venue by policemen guarding the entrance. The situation grew heated when police suddenly informed journalists that they had been instructed not to let the media in. When angry journalists inquired as to who had ordered that the media to be kept away, the police officers said the Acting IGP and other senior police officers had given them instructions not to let the journalists in. Some members of the media who tried to make their way into the venue were manhandled and physically removed by police from the premises. MEXICO CITY, July 2, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Magna Imperio Systems Corp. (MI Systems), a leading provider of innovative water treatment solutions, is collaborating with SacMex to provide thousands in Mexico City with a sustainable potable water source in record-breaking time. Amidst a global pandemic, MIS and SacMex will provide approximately 40,000 families who do not have access to this life-sustaining resource. Mexico City is struggling to provide the growing population with enough water, and the water supply is of inferior quality. Hundreds of miles of pipes from faraway lakes and rivers supply about 30 percent of Mexico City's water needs. The rest comes from a vast underground aquifer where twice as much water is pumped as is replenished. Mexico City is struggling to provide the growing population with enough water, and the water supply is of inferior quality. Even before a global pandemic, water riddled with heavy metals from the soil and a high bacteria content created a global health crisis. In March 2020, when Covid-19 started to make its way around the world, it became clear that Mexico City's long-standing issue in securing potable water for its growing population of approximately 22 million people would become increasingly urgent. The government of Mexico City immediately tasked SacMex, the prestigious institution responsible for bringing water to millions of homes all over Mexico City, with delivering potable water to approximately 40,000 families who do not have access to it. To achieve their goal, SacMex went in search of a partner that could offer innovative water treatment technology. "SacMex interviewed companies all over the world, searching for one that could help them build a plant that could provide a potable water stream of 60 liters per second within the deadline of 12 weeks," said MIS LATAM Director, Alfonso Llorens. "MI Systems was the only one that could help." MI Systems will use their END technology to treat well water saturated with high amounts of heavy metals and high amounts of TOC, Total Organic Carbon. Usually, a plant this size would take 6-9 months to build, but END technology enables them to build the plant and deliver water within the 12-week deadline. Not only can they meet the deadline, but MIS committed to providing 90 percent efficiency for low water waste with low energy expenditure, making it a more economical venture. Story continues "It is an interesting challenge. Due to the pandemic, many suppliers are shut down or almost shut down, but we are working night and day to meet the delivery deadline," Llorens said. "People need water right now, especially during a global pandemic." The SacMex Project aims to deliver water to homes by July 8, 2020. About Magna Imperio Systems Magna Imperio Systems Corp. is a Texas-based national and international water treatment solutions company that designs, develops, and manufactures the highest recovery, most energy- and cost-efficient water treatment systems in the world. The core of MI Systems' water treatment solutions is its patented Electrochemical Nano Diffusion (END) process, a transformation of the long-established electrodialysis reversal (EDR) process, which has established new benchmarks in terms of energy efficiency and recovery for desalination technology. END offers up to 60% energy savings versus traditional treatment technologies, with clean water recoveries up to 99+%, capitalizing on the far-reaching impacts of Maximum Recovery, Minimum Energy. This level of recovery extends the life of each drop, and clients can minimize waste, indirectly treat various water sources or recycle and reuse their wastewater for future processes. They are thus cutting costs by increasing their available water supply without purchasing additional water. Media Contact: Sanny Visser Global Imprint 828-719-7464 sanny@theglobalimprint.com Water for Industry. Water for People. Get the most out of every drop with our sustainable solutions. (PRNewsfoto/Magna Imperio Systems Corp.) Cision View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/sacmex-and-magna-imperio-systems-corp-to-supply-tens-of-thousands-in-mexico-city-with-clean-water-amidst-pandemic-301086235.html SOURCE Magna Imperio Systems Corp. Please disable your ad blocker, and refresh the page to view this content. Coronavirus update A streak of sub-100 daily COVID-10 case counts ended Friday in Yakima County. On Friday, the county recorded 7,667 confirmed cases. That is an increase of 111 new cases from Thursday's total count, ending five straight days of double-digit counts of new cases. Those double-digit numbers were an improvement from three weeks ago, when the county was averaging 150 cases a day. There were no new deaths reported Thursday; the total remained at 141. The number of hospitalizations also continue to decline. On Thursday, there were 42 individuals hospitalized, a drop from 45 on Thursday and 53 a week earlier. Nine individuals were intubated Friday, a drop of one from Thursday. Yakima County moved to a modified Phase 1, or Phase 1.5, on the states four-stage reopening plan on Friday, which will allow for additional business activity. People must still wear masks in public and should not gather with others from outside their household. Yakima Health District officials stressed that residents should remain careful and refrain from gathering during the Fourth of July holiday Saturday to reduce community spread of COVID-19. Greensboro, NC (27407) Today Scattered thunderstorms early, then mainly cloudy after midnight. Low 73F. Winds SW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 40%.. Tonight Scattered thunderstorms early, then mainly cloudy after midnight. Low 73F. Winds SW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 40%. 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. Edwards money laundering case: Ex-FCID chiefs son explains how he bought Monarch apartment By Namini Wijedasa View(s): View(s): Asela Waidyalankara, son of former Financial Crimes Investigation Division (FCID) head Senior DIG Ravi Waidyalankara, has said he bought an apartment worth Rs 52mn at Monarch Residencies in Kollupitiya with money he earned from selling gems, documents filed last week at the Colombo Chief Magistrates court show. He also told investigators that the initial capital for his company Talos Consulting (Pvt) Ltd was a birthday gift of Rs 6mn from his mother, Mary Basilika, and savings from his employment earnings. A summary of his statement to the FCID, which is now under the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), is in a B report presented to court on June 24. The apartment Asela Waidyalankara bought is 16/A2 Monarch Residencies, Colombo 3. This is the registered address of Suriya International Corporation (Pvt) Ltd which was formed in December 2016 with his mother, Essalla Pathiralage Mary Basilika, and Punya Priyanji Menike Edwards as directors. Mrs Edwards is the wife of Rienzie Mahesh Kumara Edwards who in 2017 was indicted by the US Attorneys Office along with five others for allegedly defrauding victims of over US$ 50 million, an unspecified percentage of which was reportedly transferred to bank accounts in Sri Lanka. The FCID has been investigating the couple since August 2015. In his statement to the FCID in May this year, Asela Waidyalankara said he did not know how his apartment came to be the registered address of Suriya International and that he found out only when newspapers reported it. He also learned later that his mother was a director of this company, he states, and therefore did not take any action in relation to it. Talos Consulting was set up in 2015 with ten shares. The company secretaries are Lameer and Lameer Holdings (Pvt) Ltd. In January 2016, Talos Consulting decided at a Director Board meeting to secure a licence for gem export (CBA 15939) from the National Gem and Jewellery Authority (NGJA), Asela Waidyalankara has told police. After some research, he bought gems worth Rs 20,000 from Rashik [sic] Hajjiar, a person known to him. He found buyers through a Pakistani national named Naushad and exported the gems to India, Singapore, Thailand and Hong Kong, earning Rs 42,858,000. Again, on a decision of the Director Board, Asela Waidyalankara invested that money to buy 16/A2 Monarch Residencies, Colombo 3, for a price of Rs 52mn. An advance of Rs 2mn was first paid in cash to the apartments seller. Thereafter, Rs 42,858,000 earned from gem exports was deposited in the sellers bank account. The final instalment of Rs 7,124,000 was also paid in cash, Asela Waidyalankaras statement had said. Investigations in relation to this are continuing with both the NGJA and Talos Consultings account at Commercial Bank, the B report states. The FCID recorded the statement of Lameer and Lameer Holdings Managing Director (MD) who said his institution, on Asela Waidyalankaras instructions, registered Talos Consulting in October 2015 as an Information Technology company. Asela Waidyalankara was the only shareholder. The MD has said his company did not have minutes or diary entries for the following Director Board resolutions of Talos Consulting: a decision to enter into the business of gem export; a decision to open a current account in Commercial Bank for the purpose of the business of gem export; a decision to buy an apartment at Monarch with the proceeds of gem export; a decision to open an account at NDB Bank for the purpose of this property transaction. However, a file was maintained and annual reports were submitted to the Registrar of Companies for 2016, 2017 and 2018, he stated. According to the MD, Talos Consulting was formed on October 29, 2015. On December 30 the same year, the Director Board decided to enter into gem exporting and the relevant Commercial Bank account was opened on January 4, 2016. On January 28, 2016, the Director Board resolved to buy the Monarch property using earnings from gem exports. A previous B report filed with the Chief Magistrate Court shows that the apartment was acquired on February 11, 2016. Meanwhile, the freezing of assets of Mr and Mrs Edwards, the two suspects in the international money laundering case, was extended at the last Court date till July 28. They are prevented from making financial gain from their properties which include a large number of houses and hotels. Among these is the land belonging to Asiri Central Hospital at 37, Horton Place, Colombo 7, acquired for Rs 2.7bn. A Nuwara Eliya land owned by Mrs Edwards and worth Rs 54mn was sold in October last year to PA Properties Private Ltd located at 796, Hathamuna Road, Athumalpitiya, Polonnaruwa, the FCID also submitted to Court. The lawyer who handled the deal told police the money agreed for this transaction was deposited in three instalments of Rs 6mn, Rs 6mn and Rs 42mn in the account of Mrs Edwards on January 21 this year. PA Properties is a subsidiary of the Araliya Group of Companies, for which he is Legal Adviser, the lawyers statement summarised in the B report said. He is also the Legal Officer of Araliya Lands and Homes Pvt Ltd located at 381/B, Kandy, Road, Mahara, Kadawatha. He was instructed by the management to buy the land in Nuwara Eliya and he followed due process. A meeting organised at the Araliya Lands and Homes office on October 18, 2019, to transfer the deeds was attended by Mrs Edwards with another person, PA Properties Chairman Wijayananda Sirisena, his Private Secretary and Araliya Lands and Homes Working Director Hiroshan Chathuranga. It was agreed in writing that funds relevant to the deal would be deposited with Mrs Edwards at a future date. On June 10, 2020, the Court had determined that, based on the facts so far made available, there was sufficient evidence to name Mr and Mrs Edwards as suspects in the crime of money laundering. It gave instructions that the relevant sections of the Criminal Procedure Code be applied. The FCID arrested the couple on June 24. In his statement, Mr Edwards claimed that the monies in question in the ongoing investigation were sent by American investors through brokers. A previous B report showed that he received at least US$ 55,084,865.50 and GBP 255,101.22. That is more than Rs 7.24bn. Of this, more than Rs 5.82bn was used to buy property. Teh suspects lawyers told court that Mr Edwards had direct contact with the investors abroad through an entity called Alamo Navajo with whom he had an agreement to use the money on properties in Sri Lanka. However, Colombo Chief Magistrate Lanka Jayaratne in her order held that, based on facts presented to court from the inception of the case, it appeared that the money of investors abroad was transferred to Sri Lanka for the purpose of laundering. While the suspects had bought properties in their name with the funds some time ago, they had not paid any returns, she said. And the properties are still held in their names. The Magistrate remanded Mr and Mrs Edwards till July 7. - Caroline Esinam Adzogble is the founding CEO of the Caroline Group - The Caroline Group has six subsidiaries including Potters International College, Caroline University, International Boarding Schools Services, and others - The 28-year-old Ghanaian entrepreneur and educationist recently sat down for an interview with YEN.com.gh Our manifesto: This is what YEN.com.gh believes in Install our latest app for Android and read the best news about Ghana! After a major obstacle that prevented her from pursuing her dream of attending medical school, Caroline Esinam Adzogble envisioned something much greater. Ten years ago the young Ghanaian entrepreneur and educationist began to establish a legacy beyond attending medical school and becoming a doctor. Esinam Adzogble established Potters International College to ensure that, as much as possible, economically disadvantaged people don't become victims of their circumstances when it comes to pursuing their education aspirations. At 28, Esinam Adzogble is the founding CEO of the Caroline Group; a major business conglomerate originating in Ghana, West Africa. The Caroline Group has thriving subsidiaries including Potters International College, Caroline University, International Boarding Schools Services, International University Services, Mercy Heart Foundation, and Everyday Travel and Tours. Photo credit: YEN.com.gh/Facebook.com Source: Facebook READ ALSO: Brilliant student who worked as trash collector and cleaner accepted to Harvard Law School Earlier, YEN.com.gh reported that Esinam Adzogble made history as the youngest woman in Ghana and in Africa to have launched her very own accredited international university, Potters International College. Through her charity outlet, Mercy Heart Foundation, she has provided merit-based scholarships to deprived students to study abroad. Speaking about how she envisions education in Ghana in the next 10 to 20 years, Esinam said she sees the curriculum changing. ''I see the curriculum changing. Well focus on experiential learning and focus on skill-based learning and making sure the students that are in school are able to study courses relevant to what they need, she told YEN.com.gh. She added: ''I will see more of what they study in the field and also people embracing online education.'' Watch the video of Caroline Esinam Adzogble with YEN.com.gh and hear her inspirational message to young girls: In another story, at a time when the world is grappling with a pandemic, Ghanaian game developer, Dynasto Afedo, has invented a mobile game called RWC Racing Vol. 1. RWC Racing Vol. 1 is a racing game that makes use of Ghanas means of transportation. It also highlights some of the countrys notable landmarks. The mobile game comes at a time when people are struggling to cope with a stress-induced pandemic. RWC Racing Vol. 1 provides people with options to cope with the coronavirus. Afedo reveals that he is a game developer and also into solution-based mobile applications. READ ALSO: Saahene Osei: 7 amazing photos of Despite's youngest son in luxurious attires Faces of Ghana: 21-year-old female boxer's dream of becoming a world champion: Have national and human interest issues to discuss? Know someone who is extremely talented and needs recognition? Your stories and photos are always welcome. Get interactive via our Facebook page. Source: Yen - The agriculture sector performed better than other sectors in Ghana, according to the Ghana Statistical Service - This is the first time it has recorded such a performance since the rebasing of the economy in 2013 - A 14.1% growth in the fishing industry in 2020 Q1 contributed to the performance of the sector Our Manifesto: This is what YEN.com.gh believes in Ghanas agricultural sector came out tops per the latest details presented by the Ghana Statistical Service (GSS) with respect to the first quarter of the year 2020. Information available shows it performed better than the industrial sector in terms of growth. This is reportedly the first time in history it has performed so well since the economy was rebased in 2013. Minister of Agric, Owusu Afriyie Akoto Source: Ghana Politics Online Source: UGC READ ALSO: COCOBOD and partners receive $200 million to boost cocoa production Per a report by thebftonline.com, this comes at a time when the economy is the least attractive to investors and banks. YEN.com.gh understands that the agricultural sector grew by 5.9% in Q3 of 2019, 6.8% in the following quarter, and 2.8% in 2020 Q1. The industrial sector, on the other hand, grew by 5.7%, 5.4%, and 1.5% respectively in the same periods. The report shows that the boost in the agric industry could be attributed to the fishing sector which has been showing signs of recovery in recent times. The fishing sector reportedly grew by 14.1% in 2020 Q1 compared to a 1.5% contraction a year ago. In other news, revenue from crude oil 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 $925 million in 2019 from $977 million in 2018. READ ALSO: Banks in Ghana need "magic" to continue doing business - Expert Enjoyed reading our story? Download YEN's news app on Google Playstore now and stay up-to-date with major Ghana news! Faces of Ghana: 21-year-old female boxer's dream of becoming a world champion: 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 News New Delhi: Actress Monalisa, who worked wonders in the Bhojpuri movies before making her mark in the television world is a social media sensation. With followers over 3.4 million on Instagram, Mona surely knows a way to stay on top of her game. In her recent post, Monalisa can be seen chilling by the pool in a red swimsuit. She often writes thoughtful captions along with her posts. She wrote: Be Strong, You Never Know Who You Are Inspiring The actress has had the opportunity of working with almost all the Bhojpuri big shots in her movie career. In 'Nazar', she played an evil force named Mohana. And received immense adulation for her work on TV. Monalisa was seen this year in 'Nazar 2' as Madhulika Chaudhary. She sure knows how to keep her social media fam happy and smiling. The sensational star was seen as a popular contestant in the reality show 'Bigg Boss 10' and in fact, got married to her then-boyfriend Vikrant Singh inside the BB 10 house. New Delhi: The auspicious occasion of Guru Purnima, also known as Vyasa Purnima is on July 5, Sunday this year. It is a day dedicated to paying tribute to your Guru or a revered spiritual entity. Krishna--Dwaipayana Vyasa or Ved Vyasa, who wrote the epic Mahabharata was born on Guru Purnima, therefore it is also his birth anniversary. Guru Purnima is celebrated on the full moon day, known as Purnima as per the Hindu calendar of Ashadha month. One pays obeisance to the Guru or teacher on this day, thanking for all the knowledge and life-lessons. Guru Purnima Timings: Guru Purnima on Sunday, July 5, 2020 Purnima Tithi Begins - 11:33 AM on Jul 04, 2020 Purnima Tithi Ends - 10:13 AM on Jul 05, 2020 (as per drikpanchang.com) Significance of Guru Purnima The day is celebrated with utmost fervour by Buddhists as it is believed that Gautam Buddha, after denouncing the worldly attachments and being enlightened, served his first sermon at Sarnath on this day. Also, it is said that on this day, Lord Shiva became the Adi Guru - the first Guru and imparted knowledge to the Saptarishis. Guru Purnima is of great significance for the Jains too. On this day, the 24th Tirthankara Mahavira made Gautam Swami (earlier known as Indrabhuti Gautam) his first disciple. He thus became a Guru and hence the day is observed as Guru Purnima. Guru Purnima is a day to pay ode to the selfless contributions of a Guru. Interestingly, the Sanskrit word Guru itself means one who removes ignorance (Gu meaning ignorance and Ru means remover). In India, the Guru-Shishya bond is seen as a pure connection which helps the student achieve greater heights. The Sanskrit verse Mata Pitah Guru Daivam clearly positions the role of a teacher before that of God. In India, the teacher is referred to as the Guru (the one who sows seeds of knowledge and eliminates darkness). On this day, students thank their teachers for nurturing values, morals and instilling the sense of right and wrong besides imparting education. In ancient India, parents entrusted the responsibility of their children to the Guru because they knew only a teacher could help a child evolve holistically. The Guru Shishya Parampara which was wonderfully woven in the social fabric witnessed a beautiful bond between the teacher and a student. Moreover, the importance of a Guru has also been clearly established in our great Indian epics Ramayana and Mahabharata. The bond shared by Sage Vishwamitra and Lord Rama or Arjuna and Dronacharya is classic specimens of the Guru Shishiya Parampara. Here's wishing all our readers a happy Guru Purnima! New Delhi: The much-revered Rath Yatra of Lord Jagannath in the temple town of Puri, Odisha began on June 23, 2020. The 15-day long festival is celebrated with utmost devotion in Bhubaneswar and attracts tourists from across the globe. This year, however, due to the deadly novel coronavirus pandemic, safety measures were in place and after Supreme Court order, restriction on the number of devotees for darshan was practised, following the social distancing norm. Also known as the chariot festival, this year marks the 143rd Rath Yatra of the Lord. The temple town of Puri, Odisha is immersed in the festive spirit of the Yatra. The three chariots used to carry the Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra and sister Subhadra are different in size and other detailing. The chariots are beautifully and intrinsically designed and painted every year. Watch this YouTube video to know the unknown and interesting facts about the Puri Jagannath Temple and Rath Yatra: Built in the 12th century, the temple is located in the eastern coast of India at Puri, Orissa. The Rath Yatra is celebrated during the Ashad Shukla Dwitya months of June-July. There are several mysteries related to the Lord Jagannath and the Rath Yatra. The temple town of Puri is adorned beautifully during this festive time as thousands of devotees turn out to visit the divine abode of the lord and seek the blessings of god Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra and Devi Subhadra respectively. Jai Jagannath! New Delhi: Bollywood's legendary choreographer Saroj Khan left this world on July 3, 2020 (Friday) in the wee hours of 2 am. She was admitted to Guru Nanak Hospital in Bandra, Mumbai since June 20 after she complained of chest pain. Saroj Khan, 71, suffered a cardiac arrest. Her demise was mourned by one and sundry. From colleagues in the film fraternity, political leaders to fans - everyone condoled the death of Masterji, as she was fondly called. Noted sand artist from Bhubaneswar, Sudarsan Pattnaik paid a touching sand art tribute to Masterji. He wrote: Saddened to hear the demise of legendary choreographer, #SarojKhan. Deepest condolences to her family & friends. My SandArt at Puri beach in Odisha. #RIPSarojKhan Saddened to hear the demise of legendary choreographer, #SarojKhan. Deepest condolences to her family & friends. My SandArt at Puri beach in Odisha. #RIPSarojKhan pic.twitter.com/5CLpbjiYzC Sudarsan Pattnaik (@sudarsansand) July 3, 2020 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 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'. 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. 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. Rest in peace Masterji! New Delhi: The national capital on Saturday recorded 2,505 new COVID-19 cases but, in a good sign, the recovery rate crossed the 70 per cent mark for the first time. According to the Delhi Health Department, a total of 55 deaths were reported on Saturday. With this, the total number of cases in the national capital stands at 97,200. "2,505 COVID-19 cases, 2,632 recovered, and 55 deaths reported in Delhi today. The total number of cases in the national capital is now at 97,200, including 68,256 recovered/discharged/migrated," said Delhi Health Department. Out of the total cases, 25,940 cases are still active while 3,004 people have died due to the disease. "9,925 RT-PCR and 13,748 rapid antigen tests have been conducted in Delhi today, taking the total number of COVID-19 tests to 6,20,378. 3,2650 tests are being conducted on per million population," the Health Department added. Meanwhile, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and his deputy Manish Sisodiya today congratulated the coronavirus warriors working in Delhi for achieving a recovery rate of more than 70 per cent. "The hard work of 2 crore people of Delhi is paying off. Congratulations to all corona warriors on Delhi`s recovery rate above 70 per cent. Now all of us have to work harder to defeat corona," said Kejriwal tweeted. 2 70% https://t.co/iCGKVDKHJC Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) July 4, 2020 A huge spike of 22,771 new coronavirus patients was recorded in the last 24 hours, taking India's tally to 6,48,315 cases. As per the Health Ministry data on Saturday, India's coronavirus tally stood at 6,48,315, which included 2,35,433 active cases, 3,94,227 cured/migrated cases. A total of 18,655 patients have died since the beginning of the pandemic, the Union Health Ministry said this in the morning. The recovery rate has improved to 60.80 percent. There are 2,35,433 active cases of coronavirus infection in the country at present. Maharashtra continues to remain the worst-hit state with over 1,92,990 infections. The death count due to the pandemic rose to 8,376 after 198 new deaths reported on Friday, a health department statement said. The Indian Council of Medical Research on Saturday said that the total number of samples tested up to July 3 is 95,40,132 of which 2,42,383 samples were tested yesterday. Patna: Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and his four secretaries on Saturday (July 4, 2020) underwent COVID-19 tests as the CM recently attended an event with Bihar Legislative Council Chairperson Awadhesh Narayan Singh, who has tested positive for coronavirus. Although, the CM has reportedly tested negative. "CM has directed all officers who came in close contact with him to also undergo testing," said Bihar CM's Office. Earlier on Saturday, Bihar Legislative Council Awadhesh Narayan Singh tested positive for COVID-19. He administered the oath to nine newly-elected members of the Legislative Council on July 1, where CM Nitish Kumar was also present. Deputy CM Sushil Kumar Modi along with other political leaders and officials also attended the oath-taking ceremony. According to the Union Health Ministry on Saturday, Bihar has a total of 10,954 COVID-19 confirmed cases, out of which 2,660 are still active, while 80 people have succumbed to the virus. New Delhi: To celebrate Asadha Poornima which falls on Saturday (July 4, 2020) Prime Minister Narendra Modi delivered a video message highlighting the teachings of peace and justice propagated by Lord Buddha. The Prime Minister began his address by greeting the world on Ashadha Poornima. He said, "It is also known as Guru Purnima. This is a day to remember our Gurus, who gave us knowledge. In that spirit, we pay homage to Lord Buddha." Reiterating the teachings of Lord Buddha, PM Modi said Buddhism teaches respect for people, for the poor, for the women and respect for peace and non-violence. "The eight-fold path of Lord Buddha shows the way towards the well-being of many societies and nations. It highlights the importance of compassion and kindness. The teachings of Lord Buddha celebrate simplicity both in thought and action," Modi said. Drawing attention to the announcement of Kushinagar airport he said it will bring many people, pilgrims and tourists. On the coronavirus outbreak and the challenges faced by the world in these tough days, Modi said that solutions can come from the ideals of Lord Buddha. "Today the world fights extra-ordinary challenges. To these challenges, lasting solutions can come from the ideals of Lord Buddha. They were relevant in the past. They are relevant in the present. And, they will remain relevant in the future," he said. For the youth he gave a message to gain insipiration from Buddha and his teachings to find solutions to global problems. "I would urge my young friends, to also stay connected with the thoughts of Lord Buddha. They will motivate and show the way ahead," Modi said. He concluded his message with the hope that Lord Buddha's blessings inspire us to do good. The Asadha Poornima as Dharma Chakra Day event has been organised by International Buddhist Confederation (IBC), under the aegis of Union Ministry of Culture, the PMO said in a statement. President Ram Nath Kovid inaugurated the Dharma Chakra Day from the Rashtrapati Bhavan while President of Mongolia read out a special address. Also, the Minister of Culture Prahlad Patel and Minister of State for Minorities Affairs Kiren Rijiju addressed the opening ceremony. Other events, included messages from top Buddhist religious leaders, Masters and Scholars from different parts of the world which was streamed from Sarnath and Bodh Gaya. On a pittance from ministry, schools wrestle with deficient virus diktat By Chrishanthi Christopher View(s): View(s): While schools prepare to re-open tomorrow, principals and teachers who reported to work a week earlier, expressed confusion on the directions from the Ministry of Education (MOE) about all teachers returning at once, despite only a few classes resuming. The government decided to resume classes for grades 5, 11, and 13, in all government schools starting Monday. Teachers unions said that since only a few classes are resuming work for the second term, the teachers serving in other grades will be idling. The government last week decided to open up classes in stages, beginning with grades 11, 13 and 5 on July 6, and moving on to open schools for grades 10 and 2 on July 20. On July 27, schools will resume grades 3, 4, 6, 7, 8 and 9 and lastly, grades 1 and 2 on August 10. The Ceylon Teachers Union (CTU), said in addition, there is confusion over the circular issued on June 26, to teachers regarding their attendance. All teachers have been requested to report half an hour before class starts and to register attendance in an ordinary CR book instead of the regular attendance book. This system has been introduced to give flexibility to teachers who have to work till 3:30 pm, minimum one day a week. The schools have been asked to design a flexible timetable. Also teachers can walk in around 10:30 am on days they work extra hours. But, this is not possible as teachers who teach in grades 11 and 13 also teach in lower grades including 9 and 10. Union general secretary, Joseph Stalin, said that last week all 247,670 teachers of national and provincial schools reported to work. They were busy preparing classrooms for the children in keeping with coronavirus task force guidance. Confounding the confusion, the circulars issued by MOE and provincial education authorities show incongruency with several contradictory statements. Chitra Hathumura, a teacher at Kanangara Vidyalaya, Borella, said that there is a confusion about wearing face masks. Whereas circulars said the children need not wear masks inside classrooms, the doctors, public health inspectors and the police insist that they wear. Also, thermometers have become optional, with MOE saying the body temperatures of children need not be checked. But, schools that have money, have purchased them. There is no uniformity, she said. She is apprehensive, and said it will be difficult to impose restrictions on children. We cannot ask children to maintain social distancing while eating and drinking, and playing. It is impossible, she said. Sri Lanka National Principals Union, said that although the government has given permission for teachers to report to work late on certain days, this is not possible as when classrooms are arranged to maintain social distancing, the number increases and teachers have to teach more classes. Secretary, Mohan Weerasinghe, who is also the principal of Kotahena National School, said that the government allocation for readying schools under the coronavirus protocol is insufficient. He said having a tap for every 50 children in a school for hand washing is very costly. A school that has a student population of 1,000 will have to install 20 taps. Each tap with sink costs minimum Rs.10,000 and it will skyrocket to Rs. 200,000 only for the taps. In addition, having minimum two sick rooms with beds will cost around Rs.10,000 at Rs. 5,000 a folding bed. Also, the school has to buy soap face masks. Further expenses include providing sanitisers in activity rooms including labs, computer, dance and music rooms. The government allocated Rs. 30,000 to Rs.110,000 for preparations depending on the population of students. Also, schools have been told not to ask parents for financial help. How can all this be done, Mr Weerasinghe asked. Principal Chaminda Liyanage of Philip Thilakawardena Vidyalaya, Nawagama(Kaduwela), said there are problems with pacing out children in classrooms. The school, which has only 380 children has classes from grades 6 to 11. He said that the school has only nine classrooms and even before the coronavirus pandemic, the there was not enough space. The school had divided a spacious hall into four classrooms. Now, they have improvised, turning the dance hall into a classroom. But they need more space to ensure a meter of space between students. Now it is okay with only grades 11 starting, but when all classes start we will have a problem, he said. Anuradhapura Central College, which has 4,000 students, has instilled 16 new pedal taps in addition to 30 existing ones. Deputy Principal Ananda Hettiarachchi, said sick rooms have been prepared and three thermometers purchased for use at three entrances. The allocated funds were not sufficient and we got assistance from the school development society budget, he said. New Delhi: The Uttar Pradesh Police on on Saturday (July 4) suspended Station Officer at Chaubepur Police station Vinay Tiwari over suspicion of giving tip-off to notorious gangster Vikas Dubey on Kanpur raid. In another development, Kanpur authorities razed the house of Vikas Dubey in Bithoor's Dikru village today. This comes almost 36 hours after 8 police personnel were gunned down by criminals belonging to Vikas Dubey gang during an attempt to arrest him. Inspector-General of Police, Kanpur, Mohit Agarwal today confirmed that Vinay Tiwari has been suspended from the duty over suspicion on tipping off the gangster about the police raid. Agarwal said that if required, a case will also be filed against him. He added that a cash reward of Rs 50,000 has been announced for providing information about Dubey and the identity of the information provider will be kept secret. It is to be noted that Tiwari was grilled by the Special Task Force (STF) of Uttar Pradesh Police on Friday evening, about his role and relations with the wanted gangster. According to a report, Tiwari had in the past refused to register a victim's complaint against Vikas Dubey. On July 3, at the time of the raid, Tiwari was said to be lagging behind the team, thus raising ground for suspicion. Meanwhile, Police officials said surveillance team was scanning over 500 mobile phones and efforts were on to retrieve information pertaining to Dubey, who has faced about 60 criminal cases. At least 100 teams of police have been deployed in the area and are conducting raid to nab the criminals. The border areas of Lakhimpur Kheri that lead towards Nepal has also been sealed as police suspect the Dubey may flee to the neighbouring country to evade arrest. Police also suspect that he may be hiding in Madhya Pradesh's Chambal ravines. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath rushed to Kanpur on Friday to meet the family members of the slain policemen and announced financial assistance of Rs one crore each to the bereaved families. Eight police personnel, including a DSP, 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. 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 Dubey. The attackers fled, snatching weapons from the dead and the wounded policemen. Promising that those behind the heinous crime will not be let off, CM Yogi Adityanath said a government job would be given to a member of each of the bereaved families besides extraordinary pension. Stressing that the government was with the families, Adityanath said it would work to ensure that justice was done and those behind the crime were punished as per the law. New Delhi: In a fatal accident, an assistant sub-inspector (ASI) of Delhi Police was killed when a speeding car hit him before ramming into a wall near the US Embassy on Friday. A case has been registered at Chanakyapuri police station. The deceased has been identified as 51-year-old Lal Man Singh Sisodiya. The car was driven by Siddharth Bhagat (41), an assistant professor in University of Rajasthan, who has been arrested. "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, police is probing if Bhagat was drunk at the time of the incident. NEW DELHI: Indian Air Forces (IAF) fighter jets - Sukhoi Su-30MKIs and Apache attack helicopters have begun patrolling to keep an eye over the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the aftermath of the Galwan Valley clashes between Indian and the Chinese troops in eastern Ladakh last month. The patrolling by the Sukhoi Su-30MKIs and Apache attack helicopters sends out a strong message to China, especially a day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi made a surprise visit to Ladakh. PM Modi visited Ladakh to review the situation at the LAC and later met the injured soldiers at the General Hospital at Leh on Friday. While interacting with them, PM Modi told them that their bravery will be a source of inspiration for times to come" and added that 130 crore Indians are proud of them. "We will never bow down to any power of the world, said the Prime Minister in a veiled reference to China. Post Galwan Valley clashes, the Indian Air Force has raised the alert level in all its front-line bases tasked to keep an eye on the LAC, the 3,500 km de-facto border between the two nuclear-powered countries. The IAF has also pressed into service a fleet of C-17 Globemaster III transport aircraft as well as C-130J Super Hercules in transporting heavy military equipment and weaponry to several forward bases to further ramp up India's military preparedness in the region. The IAF is also using its Ilyushin-76 fleet to transport troops to various areas along the Line of Actual Control, the 3,500 km de-facto border between India and China, news agency PTI quoted Defence sources as saying. The sources said that the Air Force has already moved a sizeable number of its frontline Sukhoi 30 MKI, Jaguar, Mirage 2000 aircraft to several key airbases including Leh and Srinagar. It has also deployed Apache attack choppers and Chinook heavy-lift helicopters to transport troops to various forward locations. The frontline fighter jets have increased their sorties in Ladakh and nearby areas in the last few days as part of increased alert level, and probably as a response to expanded activities of the Chinese air force, the people said. Last month, Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhadauria made a quiet visit to Ladakh and Srinagar air bases to review the Indian Air Force's preparedness to deal with any eventualities in the region. The Indian and Chinese armies are locked in a bitter standoff in multiple locations in eastern Ladakh for the last seven weeks. On the other hand, the Indian Army has already rushed in additional troops to all its key front-line bases and formations along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Arunachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh and Ladakh post the Galwan incident. The tension between India and China 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 the restoration of status quo ante in all areas of eastern Ladakh to restore peace and tranquillity in the region. 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. Mumbai: The India Meteorological Department (IMD) forecasted extremely heavy rainfall at isolated places in Mumbai for the next 48 hours, stating that heavy to very heavy rainfall was likely on Saturday in many places in Palghar, Mumbai, Thane and Raigad districts. The weatherman also predicted the occurrence of high tides of 4.57 metres at 11:38 am on Saturday. Following the alert issued by the IMD, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) asked citizens to stay away from the seashore. Earlier, IMD said the metropolis and surrounding areas could get intermittent moderate to heavy rain with "the possibility of very heavy to extremely heavy rainfall at isolated places" on Saturday. According to India Meteorological Department's Mumbai centre, the Colaba weather bureau reported 161.4 mm rainfall between 8:30 am and 8:30 pm on Friday. During this period, the Santacruz weather station in the city recorded 102.7 mm rainfall. The 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 Friday and Saturday. "Mumbai & around rainfall in last 12 hrs at 8.30 pm, shows all pink spots (>40 mm). Most of them towards city & western sub side r more than 100 mm. Widespread hvy & very hvy rains occurred; A much-awaited Mumbai Monsoon. More tonight!" KS Hosalikar, Deputy Director General of IMD, Mumbai tweeted in the evening. The IMD said Harnai weather bureau in coastal Ratnagiri district recorded 30.2 mm rainfall from 8:30 am to 5:30 pm, while Ratnagiri weather station recorded 11.8 mm rainfall during this period. The Nanded weather bureau, in Marathwada, recorded 20 mm rainfall during the span. A huge spike of 22,771 new coronavirus patients was recorded in the last 24 hours, taking India's tally to 6,48,315 cases. As per the Health Ministry data on Saturday India's coronavirus tally has risen to 6,48,315 which includes 2,35,433 active cases, 3,94,227 cured/migrated cases. A total of 18,655 patients have died since the beginning of the pandemic, the Union Health Ministry said this morning. The recovery rate has improved to 60.80 percent. There are 2,35,433 active cases of coronavirus infection in the country at present. Maharashtra continues to remain the worst-hit state with over 1,92,990 infections. The death count due to the pandemic rose to 8,376 after 198 new deaths reported on Friday, a health department statement said. The Indian Council of Medical Research on Saturday said that the total number of samples tested up to July 3 is 95,40,132 of which 2,42,383 samples were tested yesterday. Meanwhile, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has partnered with Bharat Biotech International Limited (BBIL) to fast-track clinical trials of the indigenous COVID-19 vaccine (BBV152 COVID Vaccine). In an official statement, ICMR Director General Balram Bhargava stated that ICMR aims to launch the indigenous COVID-19 vaccine by August 15. In India nearly a dozen institutes have been selected for clinical trials of the indigenous COVID-19 vaccine (BBV152 COVID vaccine). Union Minister for Health & Family Welfare, Dr Harsh Vardhan, said that so far, 11,300 'Make In India' ventilators have been dispatched to hospitals out of which 6154 are delivered. Ministry of Health is also supplying 1.02 lakh oxygen cylinders across India out of which 72,293 are already delivered. Mumbai: Maharashtra on Saturday (July 4, 2020) recorded 7,074 new COVID-19 confirmed cases and became the first state across India to breach the 2-lakh mark of coronavirus positive cases. Maharashtra now has a total of 2,00,054 confirmed infections, out of which 83,295 are still active, while 8,671 have succumbed to the virus. There are currently 5,96,038 people who are under home quarantine, whereas, 41,566 people are in institutional quarantine. The current count of COVID19 patients in the state of Maharashtra is 200064. Today,newly 7074 patients have been identified as positive.Also newly 3395patients have been cured today,totally 108082 patients are cured & discharged from the hospitals Total Active patients are 83295. Rajesh Tope (@rajeshtope11) July 4, 2020 The state's recovery rate stands at 54.02% and the death rate is at 4.33%. Mumbai, Thane, and Pune have been the worst-hit places in the state. While Mumbai has a total of 83,237 COVID-19 cases, Thane and Pune have 45,833 and 26,956 infections respectively. Mumbai still has 24,936 active cases and has witnessed 4,830 COVID-19 deaths. Thane has 26,727 active cases and has registered 1,254 deaths, while Pune has 13,051 active cases and 841 coronavirus fatalities. India marked the 55th death anniversary of legendary freedom fighter and the man who designed the national flag, Pingali Venkayya on July 4. Born on August 2, 1876, in Andhra Pradesh, Pingali Venkayya is also known as 'Jhanda Venkaiah'. He had studied the flags of 30 countries before making the Indian tricolor flag. He did his research from the year 1916 to 1921 after which he designed the tricolor which got approval in the presence of Father of the Nation Mahatma Gandhi in the Congress Committee meeting held in Vijayawada on March 31st and April 1st 1921. He joined the British Indian Army at the age of 19 and participated in the Anglo-Boer war in Africa. Citizens across India paid tribute to the strong freedom fighter and remembered him for his contribution to the nation. Paying tributes to Venkayya, the Congress party said, ''We remember Indian freedom fighter, Pingali Venkayya, on his death anniversary. He designed the national flag of India and earned the moniker "Jhanda Venkaiah". New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will on Saturday (July 4) review the relief work undertaken by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) units during the nationwide lockdown period. The presentation will be given by state party units on work done by them during the lockdown at 4 pm today. It will be telecast on NaMo app and other digital platforms. Party's national general secretary Arun Jain, who made the announcement on Friday, asked other senior party leaders to also join the presentation. "The core committee from every state would be presenting in front of the Prime Minister summary of their work and the PM will give feedback. It is because of his vision that the party workers from across the country were inspired to take up initiatives," Jain was quoted as saying by ANI. New Delhi: The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) on Saturday said that the process to develop an indigenous vaccine to fight the coronavirus pandemic is as per globally accepted norms of fast-tracking, and that the safety and interest of people of India the topmost priority. The ICMR had earlier announced an indigenous vaccine, being developed in collaboration with Bharat Biotech, and has asked clinical trials to be completed in time for a launch before August 15. ICMR issued a press release in which it said, ''As the entire world is battling the COVID-19 pandemic, the development of an effective vaccine is a promising tool to save lives. Though a large number of vaccines are under various stages of development all across the world, it is also important to promote indigenous vaccine development while at the same time ensuring safety, quality, ethics and adherence to all regulatory requirements.'' "An inactivated COVID-19 vaccine candidate has been developed by Bharat Biotech International Ltd. in collaboration with ICMR National institute of Virology, Pune, the release said. The ICMR further stated in the letter that the Drugs Controller General of India has accorded permission to conduct phase 1 and 2 clinical trial of the indigeneous vaccine. ''After intense characterization and review of all data from BBIL, ICMR is supporting the clinical development as the vaccine candidate appears to be promising. Based on in-depthn scrutiny of the available data from pre-clinical studies, the Drugs Controller General of India has accorded permission to conduct phase 1 and 2 clinical trial.'' The ICMR also justified expediting clinical trials of indigenous Covid-19 vaccine being developed by Bharat Biotech International Ltd. ''In the larger public health interest, it is important for ICMR to expedite the clinical trials with a promising indigenous vaccine. Faced with the unprecedented nature of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the consequent dislocation of the normal life, all other vaccine candidates across the globe have been similarly fast-tracked. ICMRs process is exactly in accordance with the globally accepted norms to fast-track the vaccine development for diseases of pandemic potential wherein human and animal trials can continue in parallel. Now that preclinical studies have been completed successfully, the phases 1 and 2 human trials are to be initiated,'' the release said. It added that the letter by DG-ICMR to investigators of the clinical trial sites was ''meant to cut unnecessary red tape, without bypassing any necessary process, and speed up recruitment of participants.'' ''Just as red tape was not allowed to become a hindrance in the fast track approval of new indigenous testing kits or for introducing in the Indian market potential COVID-19 related drugs, the indigenous vaccine development process has also been sought to be insulated from slow file movement. The aim is to complete these phases at the earliest, so that population-based trials for efficacy could be initiated without delay,'' it added. ''ICMR is among the worlds most reputed organisations in the field of medical research and regulation and its track record of facilitating Indias globally respected and acknowledged vaccine and drug industry speaks for itself. Our trials will be done following the best practices and rigour, and will be reviewed, as required, by a Data Safety Monitoring Board (DSMB),'' the apex Indian medical research organisation said. While seeking feedback from commentators, the ICMR concluded by saying that it is ''committed to treat the safety and interest of people of India as a topmost priority.'' The apex research body on Friday wrote to select medical institutions and hospitals to fast-track clinical trial approvals for the coronavirus vaccine candidate Covaxin being developed in collaboration with Bharat Biotech which it plans to release on August 15. The vaccine is derived from a strain of SARS-CoV-2 isolated by ICMR-National Institute of Virology, Pune. Kanpur: The 'shocking' ambush of a police team at Bikru village in Kanpur that left at least 8 cops dead and seven injured has raised suspicion if some police personnel tipped off notorious gangster Vikas Dubey about the raid. UP DGP Hitesh Chandra Awasthi stated that the Kanpur encounter incident was a well-planned conspiracy and assured that the police will solve the matter soon and the accused will be brought to justice. The police suspect Chaubepur SO Vinay Tiwari of tipping-off Dubey's men about the raid. Tiwari was detained by the police on July 3 evening and is being grilled about his role in the incident. According to a report, Tiwari had in the past refused to register a victim's complaint against Vikas Dubey. On July 3, at the time of the raid, Tiwari was said to be lagging behind the team, thus raising ground for suspicion. Meanwhile, at least 100 teams of police have been deployed in the area to conduct a search to nab criminals. The border areas of Lakhimpur Kheri that lead towards Nepal has also been sealed as police suspect the Dubey may flee to Nepal to evade arrest. Police also suspect that he may be hiding in Madhya Pradesh's Chambal ravines. A police team comprising of 15-16 personnel came under sudden heavy fire in the wee hours on July 3 when they had gone to Kanpur's Bikru village to arrest Vikas Dubey in a new case of attempted murder. Officials said that Dubey's men apparently were notified of the alert and were prepared with arms to attack the police team. They also had the road blocked by heavy earthmoving equipment. When policemen stepped out of their vehicles, they faced a hail of bullets. The attackers fled, snatching weapons from the dead and the wounded policemen. 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. Police claimed that Dubey has been involved in about 60 cases. But details obtained from officials indicate that he has been not been convicted in cases like murder. He was the prime accused in the murder of BJP leader Santosh Shukla inside the Shivli police station here in 2001, according to an official. "Dubey had instilled so much fear in everyone that even after being accused of murdering a BJP leader having the status of minister of state, not even a single police officer gave a statement against him," alleged the official who did not want to be named. "No evidence was put before the court and he was acquitted for lack of evidence," PTI quoted the official as saying. He claimed that Dubey used to plot and execute crimes, including murder, from inside the jail. Schools partially reopen tomorrow, but confusion over guidelines By Chrishanthi Christopher View(s): View(s): Students from selected classes return to school tomorrow after more than three months amidst tight health precautions in view of the COVID-19 pandemic. Education Ministry Secretary M.H.M. Chitrananda told the Sunday Times the school authorities had been given clear instructions on health restrictions to be followed when classes began. He said that to avoid confusion schools should design flexible time tables for the teachers working longer hours on one or two days a week. The teachers could teach that period and then go home. He said it was important that classrooms were split to maintain physical distances. Education sector unions said that schools were faced with the task of finding sufficient funds to have health restrictions set out by the ministry with the opening of schools. The regulations include installation of taps for hand washing, ensuring children wear face masks in classrooms, ensuring sickrooms prepared for emergency situations and spacing out classrooms to maintain the one meter distance between students. The Sri Lanka National Principals Union leader Mohan Weerasinghe said that having a tap for every 50 children in a school for hand washing would be costly. He said a school with about 1000 students would have to instal 20 taps. Each tap with a sink would cost about Rs.10,000 and therefore Rs. 200,000 would be needed for 20 taps and sinks. In addition, schools have to find funds for beds in sick rooms, sanitizers and liquid soaps which have to be replenished daily. The Government has allocated funds ranging from Rs. 30,000 to Rs.110,000 to schools depending on the number of students. Another hurdle is the spacing of desks and chairs in overcrowded classrooms. Dividing a classroom of 40 to 50 students equally would entail teachers teaching the subject twice over and thus doubling the hours spent to teach the same syllabus. Some teachers said they would be redundant when some grades begin tomorrow. The government has decided to resume classes in stages, beginning with grades 5, 11 and 13 tomorrow and moving on to resume classes for grades 10 and 2 on July 20. On July 27, classes will be resumed for grades 3, 4, 6, 7, 8 and 9. Lastly grades 1 and 2 will resume classes on August 10. SRINAGAR: One more Pakistan-backed terrorist was killed by the security forces in an encounter which broke out in Jammu and Kashmirs Kulgam district, taking the total number of terrorists eliminated on Saturday to two. The encounter broke out in the Arrah area of Kulgam district. The second terrorist was killed after he refused to surrender despite appeals by his family members, said the J&K Police. Sharing more information, IGP (Kashmir Range), J&K Police said, The operation was halted for few hours as we brought second terrorists family to the encounter site, so that his family could persuade him to surrender. However, the trapped terrorist refused to surrender. Earlier during the exchange of fire, one terrorist was killed and three security forces personnel got minor injuries. The security forces had launched a cordon-and-search operation in the Arrah area of Kulgam district of south Kashmir on Saturday after receiving specific information about the presence of terrorists there, the J&K Police said. As the forces were conducting searches in the area, the terrorists fired upon them. The forces retaliated, ensuing a gunfight in which two terrorists were killed, a J&K Police official said. During the operation, three security forces personnel got injured and they were rushed to a nearby hospital, he added. He said the search operation was going on. In a related development, the police recovered a huge cache of arms and ammunition in Rajouri district of Jammu and Kashmir today. UBGLs (under-barrel grenade launcher), UBGL grenades, AK magazine, pistols, detonators with IED making materials and a pressure mine, along with other arms and ammunition were recovered by forces from Rajouri today. It may be noted that as many as 122 terrorists have been killed so far this year in the Kashmir Valley. New Delhi: Legendary choreographer Saroj Khan breathed her last on July 3, 2020 (Friday) in the wee hours of 2 am. She suffered a cardiac arrest and was unwell for the past few days. Saroj Khan was admitted to Guru Nanak Hospital in Bandra on June 20 after she complained of chest pain. ALSO READ: Legendary choreographer Saroj Khan laid to rest, Bollywood pays last respects Her demise was mourned by one and sundry. From colleagues in the film fraternity, political leaders to fans - everyone condoled the death of Masterji, as she was fondly called. ALSO READ: These pics of Saroj Khan with Sridevi, Madhuri Dixit, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and other stars are timeless Her favourite and one of the most graceful dancers in Bollywood, superstar Madhuri Dixit has had a long association with Masterji. Naturally, on her demise, Madhuri was shattered and shared her grief on social media. She wrote: I'm devastated & at an utter loss of words today! Saroj ji was part of my journey since the beginning. She taught me a lot, not just about dance but so much more. There's a rush of memories in my head thinking of this big personal loss. My heartfelt condolences to the family Saroj Khan's superlative choreography with utmost emphasis on facial expressions was instrumental in Madhuri's rise as a heart-stealer. Take a look at some of their top songs together: Humko Aajkal Hain Intezaar: Dhak-Dhak song: Chane Ke Khet Mein: Dola Re Dola: Maar Daala: Choli Ke Peeche Kya Hai: Tabaah Ho Gaye: 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. 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 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'. 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! New Delhi: Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput's (SSR) death by suicide has left all his well-wishers, family and fans mourning in shock. The young and bright superstar, 34, etched a special place in the hearts of the people. Sushant was found hanging at his Bandra residence on June 14, 2020 and was reportedly battling depression. While there are multiple conjectures floating online about his death, Mumbai police is currently investigating the case. His co-star from superhit blockbuster film 'M.S Dhoni: The Untold Story', actress Bhumika Chawla has penned a strong yet emotional note on how after 20 days, she is still thinking about the actor. She played his on-screen sister in the 2016 hit film. She wrote: Mumbai police as of now has interrogated 28 people, who have been associated with the actor. Filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali is likely to be questioned by the cops on July 6, 2020. Sushant's last film 'Dil Bechara' will release on OTT platform DisneyPlusHotstar on July 24, 2020. New Delhi: Serious warning has been issued to Google Gmail users about problems with email filters that has led to potential spamming of users with dangerous and exploitative messages. The problem was detected by the Android Police informing Gmail users about the spam mails, according to a report by Forbes. The problem which has been fairly widespread allows spammers to send these 'not safe for work' messages directly into the mail boxes. A glitch found in the default setting of email filters allows for such messages to be delivered to unsuspecting users. Spam filters keep the overwhelming amount of unwanted messages away from our Inbox. Though Google recently acknowledged the problem saying that it affected a significant subset of users and that the service is now fully operational, a quick look on social media platforms show that users are still registering complaints. Several users complained about unwanted mails in their mail boxes and wondered when did the spam filters break. The problem is also that some of these messages could be carrying sophisticated malware and other exploitative strategies which an unsuspecting user might not be equipped to handle. While some users try to navigate the spam messages hitting their inbox. Meanwhile, Google users had a difficult time in India as Gmail and other internet services were reportedly down for a few hours on Wednesday evening. Users in India and in some other countries went to social media platforms complaining they were unable to access Gmail and other Google services. Ontario: Canada has also joined the international community in expressing 'strong concern' over China's new national security legislation in Hong Kong and updated advisory warning citizens from travelling to the special administrative region citing potential impacts of the new legislation. Canada`s foreign minister Francois-Philippe Champagne said in a statement posted on his official Twitter page on Friday that "This legislation was enacted in a secretive process, without the participation of Hong Kong's legislature, judiciary or people and in violation of international obligations." "This process demonstrated disregard for Hong Kong`s Basic Law and the high degree of autonomy promised for Hong Kong under the 'one country, two systems' framework. Hong Kong`s role as a global hub was built on that foundation. Without it, Canada is forced to reassess existing arrangements," he said. "Effective immediately, Canada will treat exports of sensitive goods to Hong Kong in the same way as those designated for China. Canada will not permit the export of sensitive military items to Hong Kong," the Canadian minister added. Canada has also suspended the Canada-Hong Kong extradition treaty. "The Government of Canada will continue to work with partners to protect human rights and the rule of law around the world," Champagne said. "Canada will continue to support the many meaningful exchanges between Canada and Hong Kong, while standing up for the people of Hong Kong," he said further. According to media reports, several pro-democracy activists are fleeing their homeland. Nathan Law, a former lawmaker and pro-democracy activist, on Thursday, announced on his Facebook that he has left Hong Kong, with China imposing the national security law in the city. Chinese government has appointed Zheng Yanxiong as head of a powerful new agency being established in Hong Kong to oversee implementation of controversial national security law. The Chinese Parliament on Tuesday passed the controversial legislation for Hong Kong, ignoring the worldwide outcry and protest in the semi-autonomous city against the law. The Hong Kong government has no jurisdiction over the national security agency in Hong Kong and its staff when they were discharging duties provided in the law. According to the new law, arson and vandalising public transport with an intent to intimidate the Hong Kong government or Chinese government for political purposes will constitute acts of terrorism, the Hong Kong Free Press reported. The law also states that certain national security cases will be held behind closed doors without juries in Hong Kong if they contained state secrets, although the verdict and eventual judgements would be made public. As per the new law, Beijing will be setting up an office for safeguarding national security in Hong Kong, with personnel dispatched from relevant Chinese security agencies. Washington: Kimberly Guilfoyle, the girlfriend of Donald Trump Jr and a top Trump campaign official, has reportedly tested positive for coronavirus. Guilfoyle, who travelled to Mount Rushmore to attend President Donald Trump`s July 4 kick-off address on Friday, was not in contact with him and did not travel on Air Force One, Politico news said in a report. Sergio Gor, chief of staff for the Trump Victory Finance Committee, said in a statement on Friday, "After testing positive, Kimberly was immediately isolated to limit any exposure. She`s doing well, and will be retested to ensure the diagnosis is correct since she`s asymptomatic, but as a precaution will cancel all upcoming events. Donald Trump Jr was tested negative, but as a precaution is also self-isolating and is cancelling all public events." Guilfoyle however, did not have coronavirus symptoms prior to the rally, Politico news quoted a New York Times report. Guilfoyle, a former Fox News personality who now works for the Trump campaign, is the latest person close to the President to test positive for coronavirus. Earlier in May, a member of the US military who worked in the White House had tested COVID-19 positive. Days later, Katie Miller, Vice President Mike Pence`s spokeswoman, also tested positive. Last weekend, Guilfoyle and Trump Jr were spotted without a mask at a crowded party in the Hamptons, the New York Post reported. ISLAMABAD: 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. Speaking on the occasion of US Independence day at Mount Rushmore National Memorial, President Donald Trump on Friday said that we believe in equal opportunity, equal justice, and equal treatment for every American. He added that protesters have waged ''a merciless campaign to wipe out our history'' amid demonstrations against racial injustice and police brutality. Trump and first lady Melania was greeted by the crowd with chants of 'Four more years!' and cheered enthusiastically as they took the stage in Mount Rushmore National Memorial. Trump in his speech also lashed out at the left-wing mobs and said, ''This left-wing cultural revolution will never be allowed to destroy our way of life or take away our freedom.'' Targeting the protestors, Trump said, "Those who seek to erase our heritage want Americans to forget our pride and our great dignity, so that we can no longer understand ourselves or America's destiny.'' He added, ''This movement is openly attacking the legacies of every person on Mount Rushmore, '' and that some on the political left hope to 'defame' our heroes, erase our values, and indoctrinate our children." Hours before Trump arrived, 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. About 15 protesters were arrested after missing a police-imposed deadline to leave. Praising America's ability, Trump said, "Today, we will set history and history's record straight. Before these figures were immortalized in stone, they were American giants in full flesh and blood, gallant men whose intrepid deeds unleashed the greatest leap of human advancement the world has ever known." Earlier today, US President Trump and first lady Melania Trump also attended South Dakota's US Independence Day Mount Rushmore fireworks celebrations in South Dakota. The famous 4th July fireworks in the District of Columbia remain the highlight of the day, alongside a National Independence Day Parade in Washington DC but this year the celebration is different as the country is the worst-hit nation by the deadly coronavirus leading to the cancellation of events. Russia has been in close touch with India and China over the situation at the Line of Actual Control and has also welcomed efforts to cool down the situation. Moscow bilaterally has engaged with both "close partners" amidst the tensions over the violent faceoff between India-China troops on June 15 night in the Galwan Vally in Ladakh. A Russian government source told WION news network that Russia is staying in close touch with India and China, appreciating efforts of both partners to de-escalate and offering them to use multilateral platforms to expand the potential for cooperation. The source added, "We are maintaining regular dialogue with all our partners and not playing any geopolitical games at the expense of third parties tensions." Russia has clearly said it will not mediate between China and India. Russian FM Sergey Lavrov had also rejected any sort of Russia mediation between India and China. Just last week Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Igor Morgulov reiterated it again saying, "I think that any intervention, even the one with good intentions, in such a delicate matter as border disputes is not just inexpedient but can also seriously hurt the efforts Beijing and New Delhi are independently making to find a way out of this situation." India has already briefed Russia about the ongoing situation at LAC. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Igor Morgulov and India's Envoy to Russia Bala Venkatesh Varma had discussed the matter in Moscow with India's FS Harsh Shringla briefing the matter to Russian Envoy in Delhi. Moscow is a close partner of New Delhi and the last few weeks have seen a number of high-level engagements between both. PM Modi also spoke to Russian President Vladimir Putin on July 2, becoming the first global leader to speak to Russian President after the Constitutional referendum. Earlier on June 23, Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh was in Moscow for the World War II Victory Day Parade and also had a high number of engagements including with Russian Deputy PM. US celebrates Independence day or July 4th day which has been a federal holiday in the United States since 1941 to mark the birth of American Freedom. On this day in 1776, a Declaration of Independence drafted by Thomas Jefferson, was adopted by 13 colonies, enabling the independence of the United States from the British Empire. The famous 4th July fireworks in the District of Columbia remain the highlight of the day, alongside a National Independence Day Parade in Washington DC but this year the celebration is different as the country is the worst-hit nation by the deadly coronavirus leading to the cancellation of events. The pandemic has pushed a lot of people to do more of a virtual celebration this year. The organizers have planned a huge number of events will be streamed online so they can be enjoyed safely at home. Like the very famous Capitol Fourth concert in Washington DC is pre-recorded in different locations this year and will be shown both online and on TV. To mark the celebration US President Trump and first lady Melania Trump attended South Dakota's US Independence Day Mount Rushmore fireworks celebrations at Mt. Rushmore in South Dakota on Saturday. The Washington Post reported that Trump will be using the Independence Day speech to highlight incidents of violence and looting that took place amid the anti-racist protests and also blame the left for the problems being face by the citizens. Over the last few months and especially due to the exceptional and emergency circumstances that the world has been going through as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, the number of disputes and conflicts arising out of contractual obligations has increased enormously, particularly those related to cross-border transactions, employment, rental and construction services. In parallel, traditional methods of dispute settlement have faced numerous challenges, and e-litigation has been the subject of long debates and negotiations. On the other hand, the importance of mediation as an alternative means of resolving conflicts has been underlined by dispute-resolution institutions, as well as several countries legislators. These have recommended, more than ever before, the use of mediation and raised awareness of its importance. Mediation is a process in which a neutral and independent third party, called a mediator, assists the parties involved in a dispute to settle their differences and reach a mutual agreement. This method differs from other dispute-settlement methods in that the parties are in full control of the process. They draft the terms of the settlement agreement by themselves, since the role of the mediator is limited to identifying the points of disagreement, and the agreement between the parties reaches the best solutions that maintain the continuity of their relationship. The mediator creates an appropriate atmosphere for the negotiations without having the authority to impose a solution or a settlement during the process. This dispute-settlement mechanism may be conducted between two contracting parties or by one contracting party and a state, known as investor-state mediation. Given the importance of mediation as an amicable means of settling disputes that may resolve investment, commercial, labour and other disputes, it has been codified in national legislations. For instance, the Irish legislature issued its Mediation Act of 2017 that placed an obligation on all solicitors to advise their clients to consider mediation as a means of attempting to resolve a dispute prior to proceeding to litigation and to clearly outline to their clients the benefits of mediation that include cost and time efficiencies. Likewise, the Chinese Civil Procedure Law includes a special chapter on mediation, which is conducted by a court in which judges sit as mediators. Similarly, in Egypt the Economic Courts Law 120 of 2008 was amended last August to establish a Preparation and Mediation Committee. The law gives authority to the judges on the committee to advise litigants or their representatives to resolve their dispute through mediation before referring it to litigation. If the parties reach a settlement agreement, this will have enforceable legal effect, and the law represents noticeable progress in the field of alternative dispute resolution. The aforementioned type of mediation, that conducted by judges in civil proceedings, is called court-connected mediation, which is codified in legislation in most cases and not always subject to enforcement difficulties if it occurs inside borders. The other type of mediation, which is mainly conducted outside of courts through lawyers, experts or others, is commonly known as out-of-court mediation and is in many cases not codified by national laws. It also faces several problems at the time of the enforcement of a settlement agreement either inside or outside the borders of a country. In other words, despite its importance, the main problems faced by mediation processes conducted outside of the courts are usually the enforcement of settlement agreements, especially if foreign parties are involved and the agreement is to be enforced abroad. To this end, the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNICTRAL) has adopted the United Nations Convention on International Settlement Agreements resulting from Mediation, also known as the Singapore Convention on Mediation. The aim of this convention is to draw up a legal framework that enhances the cross-border enforceability of mediated settlements concluded in writing by parties that have their places of business in different states and want to resolve a commercial dispute. In 2019, 46 countries had signed the convention, which will enter into force on 12 September 2020, and these have included the worlds two largest economies, the United States and China. Among the Arab countries, only three have signed the convention Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Qatar. It is vitally important that Egypt and the Middle East and North Africa region (MENA) countries join the Singapore Convention on Mediation to enhance the enforceability of international settlement agreements resulting from mediation, as it represents an efficient way for parties, particularly investors, to solve their disputes in short periods of time and preserve their funds and assets, as well as their commercial relationships. In brief, the businesses of any signatory country will find it valuable to resort to mediation when a settlement agreement is enforceable in their country, as well as in that of their counterparty abroad. * The writer is an attorney at law. *A version of this article appears in print in the 2 July, 2020 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly Short link: SJB chose blue as its colour, court document reveals By Ranjith Padamasiri View(s): View(s): Madduma Bandara says what matters is present green and yellow SLFP says it does not know its party colour had been hijacked The Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) led by Sajith Premadasa had selected the colour Blue in seeking to register its party constitution with the Elections Commission, a court document has revealed. The SJB also had sought to register as a party, instead of an alliance, the documents submitted to the Elections Commission have revealed. The revelations were made in the order issued by District Judge Amali Ranaweera rejecting an injunction order sought by SJB General Secretary Ranjith Madduma Bandara preventing the expulsion of their members from the United National Party (UNP). Mr Madduma Bandara has filed an appeal against the order in the Colombo appellate High court. The appeal is due to be taken up for hearing tomorrow. The order said that though the petitioner claimed that the UNP Working Committee had given consent to register the party and that the party symbol was decided upon by the Working Committee, no specific date as to when the approval was granted had been mentioned. The petitioner had relied only on newspaper articles related to a Working Committee meeting reported to be held on February 2, 2020 without submitting the minutes of the meeting, the order noted. In the order, the Judge held that some of the facts had been suppressed and misrepresented and thereby the injunction order sought was rejected. The order said in seeking an injunction it was the duty of the petitioner to submit all factual points in the case. The order also noted that though it is stated that the Election Commission acknowledged that the party chairman was Sajith Premadasa and the General Secretary was Ranjith Madduma Bandara, the UNP Working Committee had not taken any decision regarding these positions. The UNP Working Committee had also not taken a decision regarding the SJB symbol when the Elections Commission accepted the SJB symbol. Though it was claimed that an MOU had been signed in forming the alliance no such MOU had been submitted while a constitution for the party had been prepared and submitted to the Election Commission by March 2, 2020. The UNP had not been cited as a party of the alliance. It had also been stated that the UNP was contesting under the SJB alliance, but the UNP had decided to contest separately, the order noted. The order said that while discussions were underway with the UNP Working Committee to contest as an alliance, the petitioner and others had gone on to register the SJB as a party and inform the Election Commission of the intention to contest the 2020 Parliamentary elections and thereby it was a violation of the party (UNP) constitution. Mr Maddumba Bandara reacting to the order yesterday said the party colour was now green and yellow, but declined to comment about the previous request. Another member of the SJB, Ashoka Abeysinghe, said previous colours do not matter, but now our colour is green and yellow and the symbol telephone. SJB lawyers said their appeal was based on rejecting the order that they filed the case in the District Court by a suppression of facts and inter-alia, that the UNP had not followed its constitution in sacking its members. Meanwhile, SLFP General Secretary Dayasiri Jayasekara said, I was unaware that some other party was trying to use blue as their party colour, blue is the colour of our party (SLFP). Party colour is distinctive to each party. The color represents the party and helps to identify it. A party cannot use the colour of another party. I will look into this. We will also write to the Election Commission about this. New Delhi: The US Navy sent two of its aircraft carriers to the South China Sea as part of one of the largest naval exercises in recent years, according to a report by the Wall Street Journal. The USS Reagan and USS Nimitz will be conducting naval exercises on the disputed waters of the South China Sea while the Chinese navy holds drills there. "The purpose is to show an unambiguous signal to our partners and allies that we are committed to regional security and stability," Rear Admiral George M. Wikoff was quoted as saying. He added that the exercises were not a response to the ones being conducted by China. The Pentagon this week criticised China calling its naval exercise as "counter-productive to efforts at easing tensions and maintaining stability". China last week announced five days of drills near the Paracel Islands starting July 1, which are claimed by both Vietnam and China. The United States has accused China of trying to intimidate its Asian neighbours and expressed concerns that it might want to exploit the extensive oil and gas reserves on the region. When drug busters become part of the rot View(s): With revelations that several of the PNB officers now in custody for allegedly running their own drug trafficking ring have been with the bureau for more than a decade, some even winning Presidential Awards and receiving cash rewards for their anti-narcotics operations, Sandun Jayawardana and Damith Wickramasekara report on the scandal that has rocked the specialised unit Fears are mounting that years of progress made in the fight against illicit drugs could be rolled back by the sheer scale of the scandal involving the Police Narcotics Bureau (PNB), after it emerged that a group of officers within the elite unit allegedly operated their own drug trafficking ring with the aid of several drug traffickers. As of Friday (3), the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) had arrested 15 PNB officers and three civilians over their alleged role in the operation. The arrested PNB officers include an Inspector (IP), two Sub-Inspectors (SI), four Sergeants and eight Constables. Another IP, thought to be the groups ringleader, is on the run. The CID has obtained a travel ban against the suspect. While there are some reports the suspect has fled the country illegally by boat, police say they are confident that he is still in the country and investigations are ongoing to arrest him. Four police teams are currently working on the wide ranging investigation. Those arrested are being held under detention orders and they will be prosecuted under the Prevention of Terrorism Act, the Poisons, Opium and Dangerous Drugs Ordinance (Amendment) Act and the Public Property Act. Police have also initiated an internal inquiry under the Police Ordinance Act. The Sunday Times learns that several of the PNB officers in custody have been with the bureau for more than a decade. Some have won Presidential Awards for their service in anti-narcotics operations and have also received cash rewards given for successful drug busts. The groups activities unravelled due to the chance arrest of a suspect by the Minuwangoda police last month on charges of drug possession. It was this suspect who revealed under interrogation that he took charge of a stock of heroin which an overseas based drug trafficker had sent him in early May. The suspect had told investigators that he had been fearful of keeping the drugs at his home as the entire country was under curfew at the time due to the COVID-19 outbreak. He had claimed the drug trafficker had told him he would have no problem as these drugs will be brought to him by a team of police officers. He had told investigators that several men had duly arrived in a vehicle and handed over a stock of heroin to him. He had described the appearance of the men. Investigators probing the case have already uncovered over Rs 30 million in cash from the bank accounts of the PNB officers in custody, the Police said in a special press briefing on Friday. Two vans, a car and a double cab allegedly used by the PNB officers to transport the drugs have also been taken into custody. Meanwhile, some 10 acres of lands in different parts of the country allegedly purchased by the corrupt officers using drug money have also been located while over 20 pounds of jewellery also suspected to have been purchased using money earned through the drug trade have been seized. A number of bank accounts used by the suspects have also been frozen by court order. Police Spokesman Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Jaliya Senaratne told the media that CID detectives had uncovered that the officers in custody had helped drug traffickers to transport stocks of drugs smuggled into the country. In one operation, the group had allegedly helped to transport 130 kilograms of heroin for drug traffickers. Police have seized 70 kilograms of this stock based on information from a drug trafficker arrested in Minuwangoda. Investigators have learned that the rest had been transported to Colombo and handed over to another trafficker. Investigations are ongoing to trace the rest of the heroin and arrest the other traffickers involved, the police stated. In another incident, the same group of PNB officers had seized 243 kilograms of heroin smuggled into the country via boat, but had only declared 200 kilograms as having been taken into custody. They had then sold the 43 kilograms of heroin to drug traffickers who employed them. Police have further uncovered that the group was also engaged in transporting weapons for drug traffickers. Five pistols had also been sold to traffickers along with the 43 kilograms of heroin. One has been recovered while the other four are yet to be traced. In yet another incident, the suspects had allegedly taken 8 kilograms out of 500 kilograms of Ice drugs seized during a raid, changed its composition and then sold to drug traffickers. Suspicion has also fallen over a stock of 226 kilograms of heroin recovered in a raid at a house in Welisara in May this year. The stock was found hidden inside rice bags and the CID is investigating reports that the same group of officers had been responsible for packing the drugs, which had been landed by boat on the southern coast, into the rice bags and transporting them to Welisara. Investigators are also trying to ascertain if any of the officers in the drug ring are connected to the 2017 ambush of a team of PNB officers at Piliyandala, in which a PNB officer and an 11-year-old girl were killed and several other PNB officers and bystanders injured. Meanwhile, the CID has sealed the PNBs production room where large stocks of seized drugs are kept. Officially, police say they still have found no evidence that any drugs had been removed from the room and sold to traffickers. A senior CID officer involved in the investigation however, told the Sunday Times on grounds of anonymity that it will likely take several weeks, perhaps months, to complete an inventory of the production room and cross check it with records at the Government Analysts Department. He also revealed that one of the PNB officers in custody worked at its production room. Large consignments of drugs were also placed in the production room during the months the country was in lockdown due to COVID-19. Security may not have been as tight then. The reality is, we just dont know at this point if any drugs were smuggled out of the production room and sold, but it is a distinct possibility, the source noted. Far reaching consequences The enormity of the scandal engulfing the Police Narcotics Bureau (PNB), the polices elite unit formed more than three decades ago to combat drug trafficking, has already seen dramatic changes at the very top of the bureau. Both the Deputy Inspector General (DIG) in charge of the PNB Sajeewa Medawatte and the PNBs Director, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Manjula Senarath were transferred out this week. They are being replaced by DIG G.K.J. Aponso and SSP Sujith Wedamulla. Police have emphasized that the two senior officers are not under suspicion at present but that they could not escape command responsibility over the scandal. The scandal however, is sure to have far reaching consequences for the PNB and to the larger fight against drug trafficking. A senior PNB source noted that the issue will affect informers who provide valuable tips to the PNB regarding drug smuggling operations. We have a large network of informers working with us. Given this situation, they will justifiably think twice about sharing information with us as they dont know which officers among us are in the pay of drug traffickers. Who is going to share information if there are fears that the officer you give a tip-off concerning a drug deal will in turn contact the drug traffickers and warn them about the tip-off? You could very well lose your life if your identity is compromised. It is not just informers who will be reluctant to give information. Many successful drug busts happen due to information provided by ordinary people who notice something suspicious. The scandal would dent public confidence in the police and the PNB in particular, leading to people being reluctant to come forward with information, the source opined. The officer also revealed that the PNBs major operations have come to a standstill since the arrests of the first group of officers last week. Morale within the unit has taken a beating. This is a tragic situation as it provides room for drug traffickers to conduct their smuggling operations. While other law enforcement agencies and the armed forces are still conducting anti-narcotics operations, the suspension of most PNB operations is a major blow, the source pointed out. Meanwhile, another officer expressed fears that the developments could potentially undermine dozens of pending court cases concerning drug busts where the suspected officers were involved. Lawyers for the drug dealers on trial will seize on this to sow seeds of doubt in the minds of judges about the integrity of the investigation. The matter has already been raised in at least one case this week. We fear that this will happen more in the coming days. Future of the PNB In the wake of the scandal, questions have been raised whether the PNB should be disbanded and reconstituted with a new team of officers. DIG Ajith Rohana, who spoke at a media briefing on Wednesday however, explained that this was not possible. The PNB is a specialised unit and its officers are given specialised training in anti-narcotics operations. He said the nature of the unit made it difficult to transfer out officers as in the normal police force. When they are given such specialised training, their expertise must be utilized for the unit. The PNB has over 300 officers and it would be impractical to completely disband it and have new officers take over, he remarked. The DIG also mounted a passionate defence of the PNB, appealing to the public not to lose faith in the unit, noting that only a small number of officers out of hundreds have been implicated in the drug trafficking ring. This should not detract from all the good work done by the PNB over many years, he emphasized. A CID officer involved in the investigation stated that drug traffickers were constantly looking for weaknesses among police officers involved in anti narcotics operations with an eye to turn them. This is the same the world over. They look to exploit weaknesses among the officers and recruit them into their service. Having such moles within a specialised unit like the PNB is a real coup for them. However, we must also look into the possibility if the officers were enticed to become involved in the drug trade with the specific intention of betraying them later and ensuring that the PNB is discredited, the officer claimed. While the activities of the group were revealed with the arrest of the drug dealer in Minuwangoda, a PNB source claimed that an internal investigation had been initiated weeks before this over suspicions that some officers had connections with drug dealers. Several were interdicted and others who were under suspicion were transferred, the source claimed, adding that the IGP was also informed over the matter. DIG Ajith Rohana too told the media that it was some officers within the PNB who had first revealed their suspicions concerning their colleagues, leading to a probe being launched. A senior PNB officer meanwhile, said that while it was impractical to disband the PNB, large scale reforms needed to be undertaken. We need to train new officers in batches and gradually introduce them to the bureau. We also need to retain the many good officers who are still with the unit but must ensure that all avenues whereby they can be corrupted are blocked, he remarked. Winners and losers in staggered work hours plan By Nadia Fazlulhaq View(s): View(s): The new working hours announced by the Government are receiving bouquets and brickbats as transport experts praise efforts to ease traffic congestion while employees raise concerns over the availability of public transport, safety particularly of female employees and loss of quality family time. Transport Minister Mahinda Amaraweera this week announced that new working hours have been proposed by a ministry committee tasked with finding ways of reducing traffic congestion while maintaining COVID-19 safety guidelines. The committee has recommended that the public sector should operate from 9 a.m. to 4.45 p.m. and the private sector from 9.45 a.m. to 6.45 p.m. The new working hours would be implemented in August only after Cabinet approval. Working mothers, female employees and parents who drop their children off at school on the way to work are particularly concerned by the difficulties they would face if the private sector had to work the new hours. Dr. Hasuli Perera, 32, a working mother of two young children and lecturer in Human Resource Management, said, From a practical point, working mothers will reach home well after 7 p.m. and will not be able to take effective care of their families. They will be unavailable to assist young children with school work. This decision will also push back meal preparation and eating times, she said. Such work-life conflict could raise stress levels and even contribute to a reduction in female participation in the private sector labour force, she said. The proposed starting time does not favour working parents who need to drop their children off at school by 7.30 a.m, especially if transport is with one vehicle. Daycare centres only operate till 5 p.m, said another parent who travels from Gampaha to Colombo daily and used to drop his child off at school. Sachitra, 30, works for a private company in Narahenpita, Colombo 5, and travels from Kalutara every day. Travel to work and returning home is exhausting when one needs to travel both by train and bus. Before such working hours are implemented, it is essential to make sure the public transport system is properly functioning even in the outstations as most employees will rely on it, she said. Sachitra added that travelling after 8 p.m. on rural roads that are barely lit up could discourage women, who are reliant on public transport, from working. Sri Lanka Railways General Manager Dilantha Fernando said if the new plan is implemented, 49 office trains would be allocated to the staggered work transport schedule both morning and evening. We are preparing timetables on how to accommodate passengers. At present due to the COVID situation, passenger transport is limited to seating capacity but even so there is crowding because all report to work at the same time and leave at the same time, he said adding that about 150,000 passengers travel daily to Colombo. Sri Lanka Transport Board (SLTB) Chairman Kingsley Ranawaka said the board was looking at areas where bus services are poor and have commenced providing office transport to areas and offices. He said the SLTB was focusing on addressing problems that lay ahead. Such working hours can be implemented successfully only if the public transport is available even at nights, he pointed out. The commencement of the new working hours would be marked by a low-revenue period for train and bus operations, transport expert Dr. T.Sivakumar of the Department of Transport and Logistics at the University of Moratuwa warned. The transport sector will experience financial losses as it will be carrying a limited number of passengers at various times so the government should provide relief to the transport industry. He said further studies were needed before implementing the proposed changes as to who should start work earlier, and other issues. With COVID-19, the public became used to flexible working hours and passenger traffic became controlled by the availability of public transport. This is the right time to break the huge inflow of working staff entering Colombo and leaving by introducing staggered working hours. This is one very effective way to reduce the citys traffic congestion, the former chairman of the National Transport Commission, Professor Amal Kumarage, said.Rs. 1 billion worth of fuel was wasted daily by traffic congestion, Minister Amaraweera said this week. Appreciations View(s): My Father, my constant inspiration A.Wilton de Zoysa Though it was 19 years on July 3, since you left us, I must confess that I am at a loss of words when it comes to pen my appreciation of you. Thaththa, even after 19 years of absence of physical presence, I miss you more than words can say. It is with a deep sense of gratitude and grief that I pen these few words of what he meant to me since he was my best friend, my guru and precious father. As I try to bring myself to write this to pay tribute to him, we are now without both parents (we lost Amma 19 months ago) who had given so much to us. Over the past, I have not felt his absence because I realized that every day I continue life as his daughter being true to all that he taught me in life, he continues to live. We, your children have great memories of your relationship with Amma. Your family life was based on mutual understanding, trust, companionship, absolute transparency and caring for each other. You appreciated Amma for her contributions to bringing up the family, cooperated with her in her initiatives, and placed your confidence in her as your wife and the mother of your children. You appreciated us for what we were and trusted us to the extent that unknowingly you built moral binding in us to be always uncompromisingly truthful to ourselves and never to break the trust of others. You taught us many lessons in life and these are written in our hearts. Your love, appreciation, trust among many things moulded us to be the children we are. Thaththa, you said learning was the foundation which no one can take away. We are what we are because of you and Amma. You always told me to do my duty with dedication, commitment and integrity. This was but just one lesson that we repeatedly say. We grew up with your values and we are glad we did. We note with gratitude to you, the positive comments of others of our ability to go through life with zest, responsibility and honesty. Thaththa, I know you would have been so proud to see what a contented person I am today all because of your guidance and advice. I miss your voice but most of all I miss you just being there. I will always hold on to the last conversation we had and how you never failed to let me know how much you loved me. Your spirit and what you have given us will always remain and make us better people for having had you as a great father. The bond we had was unique. We enjoyed being together and I took an interest in whatever you did. You were my hero and I am deeply indebted to you for all the good things in life that you gave us. You gave us confidence to see through things. You taught us right from wrong. We thank you for many things you have done for us.Thaththa, I need you to guide me, to protect me and to love me the way you always have. Although, your demise has created a big void in our lives, you left us with sweet memories that we will cherish right through until we meet. No one can fill the emptiness I feel in my heart without your physical presence but I know your spirit is with me and pray that you will always be with me.With much love and gratitude, we honour your memory. As practising Buddhists, we are well aware of the impermanence of life but to this day I cannot believe that my father is not alive as his voice, firm advice and imposing figure still haunt me. He did his duty to the utmost and made us comfortable in every way. Though not in extremes, he lived, according to Lord Buddhas preaching with the least of wants and attachments. It is my sincere hope that his sansaric journey be shortened and he attains the Supreme Bliss of Nirvana with Amma right by his side. Loving daughter Damitha de Zoysa A long innings that was a beacon of light to many Lalani Wickramaratne (nee Abeyewardene) The death occurred recently of Lalani Wickramaratne (nee Abeyewardene) at the ripe old age of 96. She celebrated her birthday only a few days prior to her passing away. Due the prevailing COVID-19 crisis her children decided to lend a religious touch to her birthday and celebrate on a low key. Six years ago her sons and daughters had surprised her with a grand party at a renowned hotel, attended by a vast gathering of relatives and friends to celebrate her attaining nonagenarian status. Lalani was the eldest daughter of Noel and Kamala Abeyewardene and the granddaughter of Mudaliyar Christopher Abeyewardene, the first Ceylonese Superintendent of Mails. She married Dudley Wickramaratne. The loss of eldest son Chandrakumar at a comparatively young age left her heart-broken. With the passage of time however, she came to grips with her sorrow, by passing her time in devotion to religious activities, listening to Bana, in meditation and giving alms to the monks and the less affluent. Lalani was the eldest of seven siblings to whom she voluntarily played the mothers role attending to their various needs. She had her early education at Girls High School, Mount Lavinia and later her secondary education at St. Josephs Convent, Kegalle. She was a beacon of light to her children, guiding them on ethical behaviour, and also a tower of strength to her husband. Lalani was widowed at a relatively young age with four sons and two daughters to care for. However, this captain with indomitable courage and determination steered the family ship of life to safe waters. She was blessed with 13 grandchildren and five great grandchildren. Their loving cries of Achchi from as far as London, Oman, the Maldives and Sri Lanka have been silenced now. A dutiful wife and an adored mother, Lalani enjoyed a long innings. My sole surviving brother Upali joins me in wishing our dear sister a short journey in Samsara before she attains the supreme bliss of Nibbana. Bandula M. Abeyewardene Always with a smile, she personified joy for life Dr. Usha Perera A smile that lit up her entire face. Eyes shining with love and empathy. A wonderful sense of humour. Infectious laughter that never mocked but was often turned on herself. Innocent jokes that lifted the gloomiest spirit. A passion for everything she did. A hundred percent commitment to any task she undertook. As a counsellor she was always willing to listen patiently, and learn from what her clients told her of their pain and inner suffering and go beyond her duty to help them. These are some of the enduring and endearing qualities that linger in my memory of Usha Perera, a remarkable human being whose premature death six months ago has left a void that can never be filled for those who loved her. Having known her as a child when she accompanied her parents to the Kollupitiya Methodist Church which I too attended, I later got to know her more personally when we began sharing views on subjects which interested us mutually: health issues, womens equality, child abuse, rape of young women and the trauma that followed, infertility, the environment, education, and nutrition. When she used to walk into the office of the Nation paper where I worked briefly to hand in some copy on one of her pet subjects to our Features Editor, her cheerful morning greeting of, Isnt it a lovely day ? even when it was pelting rain outside, would ring across the room. It was that spirit of optimism that she held on to during the many crises she encountered in life, and which also rubbed off on those who moved with her. I remember how when attending a Journalism conference on Trauma Counselling in Bangkok with her, I forgot to take my handbag containing my passport , suitcase keys etc, discovering it only when my son who drove me to the airport asked me for the documents. As it was too late to turn back, we turned to Usha for help as she was waiting for us at the entrance. With a calmness that amazed me, she simply dug into her bag and produced copies she had earlier made and got us through, telling me Dont worry Carol about the suitcase keys, well manage when we get to Bangkok. On the first day of our arrival she decided to go shopping before the conference started and as we walked talking nineteen to the dozen, I suddenly slipped on a broken tile and fell face down on the pavement. With her help I managed to sit on the pavement and as the market was nearby we went inside to do our purchasing. I recall how carefully Usha chose dresses and shoes to match for her two little daughters who she would fervently pray for every day. When we returned home after the hospital where I was taken after my fall diagnosed me with three cracked ribs, I was so grateful to Usha for helping me to pack and carry my suitcase downstairs and make sure we had comfortable seats on the flight home. Though you left for a while to Canada and returned with more qualifications, you always kept in touch with your friends and I recall how nostalgic you were about Sri Lanka. You never complained about any illness except the occasional migraine headaches for which you just treated yourself with a paracetamol. So you can imagine what a terrible shock it was for all of us to hear of your sudden passing away leaving a void that can never be filled especially for your lovely twin daughters you doted on, and your loving husband. May God bless your soul and may you have eternal rest with your Maker in whom your faith never wavered no matter what crisis you faced. Your friend always, Carol Aloysius His devotion to family, employees and community will be remembered Rajah Salgado As the first anniversary of Rajah Salgados passing away approaches, the thoughts of many of his family, friends and associates are turning to their memories of him. In my own case, as I was living in England from childhood, my early memories were mainly my parents discussing how he helped them with their affairs in Sri Lanka. The respect they had for him was apparent. It was when I started to visit Sri Lanka regularly that I saw he was a tower of strength to so many others as well. He was a devoted husband, father and grandfather. His devotion extended to his employees, his domestic staff and the community. He was a man of utmost probity. He and his wife, Swarnamali, were unstinting in the help and advice they gave their extended family, including me, but they also set an example of the type of life we should all lead. When facing a difficulty, for many of his family, the first option was generally to ask Rajah Mama (or Aiya) what should be done. He made an immense contribution to the running of local charities and groups such as the Panadura Home for the Aged and the Panadura/Horana Scouts Association. Furthermore he remained as Patron of the OBA Sri Sumangala Boys School Panadura for over three and a half decades from 1982 to 2018 and the large number of representatives from these organisations who attended his funeral bear testament to their appreciation of his efforts. He led a type of traditional Sri Lankan life which is now increasingly rare. He lived in a century-old villa which was beautifully maintained and furnished. He and his wife were blessed that all their children and several grandchildren lived nearby in Panadura. Their family was not scattered overseas as is common these days. His life centred on family, community and religion. He and his wife built a lovely shrine room in their home to perform their daily devotions. He regularly held danas and attended religious events at the Walapola temple and Rankoth vihara. Until his demise he was the Trustee of the Walapola temple. He was also in charge of the Pinwala Temple during his lifetime. A feature of his long life was that he could remember an era when Sri Lankan politicians were statesmen. He was related to Dr W.A. de Silva and Sir Susantha de Fonseka. He could recall life at Sravasti as a child and shared anecdotes about Dr and Mrs W. A. de Silva with me. He remembered Rabindranath Tagore coming to Sravasti and patting his head and Baden Powells visit. He may have been the last living person in Sri Lanka to have direct memories of W.A. de Silva and Rabindranath Tagore. In spite of his prominent role in the family and community, he was an approachable and modest man. He dressed simply and always had an aura of gentleness and kindness about him. He exemplified the qualities mentioned in the first verse of the Karaniyametta Sutta: he should be able, upright, perfectly upright, of noble speech, gentle and humble. May he attain Nibbana. Dr.Rohantha Fernando Success never eroded his simplicity M.M.C. Wickramanayake M.M.C. Wickramanayake, a legend who worked tirelessly to put Sri Lanka on the world industry map passed away peacefully in Kandy on July 6, 2001 on his 89th birthday.Tomorrow, July 6, will be his 108th birthday and 19th death anniversary. The father figure of Sri Lankas industry and commerce, Mr. Wickramanayake was among the first to recognise the potential of the garment industry, its ability to contribute to Sri Lankas economic growth and generate direct and indirect employment. He was a pioneer in the knitwear industry establishing Sterling Jersey Company in 1953 under the brand name Kosala. Born in Unanwitiya, he started his career in Kandy as a manager at his uncles tobacco leaf business. His life exemplified an inspirational success story of a self-made man. As Chairman of Kosala Agencies Ltd. M.M.C pioneered importing re -conditioned cars to Sri Lanka in 1976. In 1978, his company became the first private permit holder to operate a private omnibus service. They operated a Kandy-Colombo luxury bus. Under his stewardship and visionary leadership the Kosala enterprise diversified into varied sectors. He was founder director of City Stores Ltd., Silverdale Hotel Ltd., Sinhaputra Finance Ltd., Kandy Trading Company Ltd., Service Kandy Ltd., Island Tours Ltd., and Beehive Food Canning Ltd. He was founder director and managing director of Kandy Ayurveda Pharmacy Ltd. from 1943 to 1987. He was the founder member of the Sri Lanka Chamber of Small Industry and its Vice President from 1963 to 1965 as well as Vice President of the Kandy Merchant Chamber from 1963 to 1973. M.M.C. Wickramanayakes achievements and success never eroded his simplicity and old fashioned charm. His death left a void which the country will find difficult to fill. May he attain Nibbana! S. Wickramasinghe Starting with Umbrella Thief, she stole the hearts of generations By D.C. Ranatunga Well loved for her childrens books, artist Sybil Wettasinghe passed away this week View(s): View(s): Sybil is physically no more. Yet she will continue to live within our hearts for many more decades. She made such an impact through her books. She was also a fine human being. Her books were meant for children but adults too enjoyed them. She had her own unique style of drawing and designing. Sybil was a journalist and so was her husband Dharmapala Wettasinghe (Wette as we called him). They met at Lake House. Most of us got to know both as fellow journalists even though we didnt work in the same newspapers. In our case, in addition to being at Lake House we became family friends as well. Starting her career as an illustrator for newspapers, Sybil moved on to writing childrens stories. She wrote her first story, Kuda Hora (Umbrella Thief) in 1952. It was published three years later and turned out to be a most popular book among children. Many years later it was translated into Japanese and won its first award at the Bologna Book Fair, and was published in more than 13 countries including Norway, Sweden, Denmark, the United States, China, Korea and South Africa a signal achievement for a book written in Sinhala. The rather novel illustrations were the main attraction. In 1986 Kuda Hora was presented with the Best Childrens Foreign Book Award in Japan the first year they awarded a prize for the best foreign childrens book. In the following year the children of Japan chose Kuda Hora as the most popular story in a competition organized by the Library Association of Japan. Sybil next wrote Duwana Revula. Many more followed. They were beautiful stories which children loved, presented in her easy style of writing. Being bilingual, Sybil was able to reach children with a preference for reading in English. One of her books Hoity the Fox won two awards in Japan one from the Ministry of Education and the other from the Ministry of Culture. Another, Strange visitors to the Cat Country won a French Award for childrens books. In Sri Lanka Meti Gedara Lamai won the State Literary Award for Juvenile Books in 1992. Its English version Crystal and Clay was published later. Her autobiographical novel The Child in Me won the prestigious Gratiaen Prize in 1995. Veniyang Kalu is its Sinhala version written most imaginatively tracing her life back to her childhood days in her birthplace, Gintota in the southern coast. Sybil was chosen as one of 60 of the worlds best book illustrators in a survey conducted by book clubs in Japan. She was the only one from Asia a rare honour indeed. Apart from her own books, she illustrated other authors work and was always in great demand. Her most recent project, a childrens book written by South Africas High Commissioner to Sri Lanka Robina P. Marks was released on June 30 a day before she passed away. Her illustrations in the Bible for Children won an award in Czechoslovakia. Sybil was often invited to serve on international panels. Once she was the sole invitee from Asia to serve on a UNESCO panel to select the best books on the theme Peace and Tolerance. When Deepal Sooriyaarachchi was Marketing Manager at Eagle Insurance, he got her to promote the message of safety among children. At a programme at the Colombo Museum for International Childrens Day, Sybil sat amidst the children and guided them to draw posters on safety. Eagle arranged such gatherings in several outstation towns and soon she became the popular Sybil Nanda at these drawing festivals meant to instil the safety message in childrens minds. Two colourful books Mallitai Matai & Punchi Lamai Rattaran she wrote and illustrated for Eagle Insurance were distributed throughout the country as part of the companys safety drive. As the much respected filmmaker Dr Lester James Peries wrote in Crystal and Clay, Sybil entered into the universe of children when she wrote a story. In her work there is serenity, a tranquillity which one hesitates to refer to as being influenced by a pervading Buddhist ethos but one does discover over and over in her stories the traditional pieties of rural life. He also noted a special quality in her writing for children the absence of violence and horrors. Sybil was a rare combination of talent: a fine illustrator; a clever creative writer; an excellent story-teller and teacher; a good conversationalist and above all, a caring human being. The children will continue to remember her. The one that got away David Blacker A.S.H. Smyth interviews the travel photographer on the greatest shot he never got... and one he did. View(s): View(s): David Blacker is a former soldier, novelist and ad man who now works as a writer and photographer though not, he laments, too often both together. Having started, on the side, while still in advertising, his characteristic photo essays what he terms ethnographic, documentary and travel photography featured predominantly in the national travel magazine Explore Sri Lanka, and SriLankan Airlines in-flight mag, Serendib. Since going full-time freelance in 2018, Blackers images have appeared in The New York Times, Outlook India, and through the Polaris Images agency (also New York), in the aftermath of last years Easter bombings in newspapers from Sweden to China. His photo of the Temple of the Tooth was featured in Dorling Kindersleys 2019 Manmade Wonders of the World. Much of this work can be seen via his online persona, Son of the Morning Light. He came to me fresh from a food shoot which had over-run; his next gig, a likely property portfolio near Bandarawela. The one that got away Id finished early on an assignment in Anuradhapura, and was driving back past Ritigala to my accommodation. The sky was heavily overcast, like it was about to rain, and I had this idea that the place would look really good in black and white, in this kind of sulphurous light. So I was just planning to rush up there and back down, and take some shots before it got too dark. The site is sort of this sprawl of buildings up a hill through a strict nature reserve. You go along these flagstone walkways, surrounded by fairly close jungle, and every now and then you come to these large double-platform clearings, littered with ruined stone pillars, and youve got perhaps a hundred metres across to the treeline on the other side. Its very stark. It was once a monastery for this particular sect of Buddhist monks, the Pansukulikas, who were ascetics whose habits were traditionally scavenged from cemeteries and so forth, so they never wore the bright orange robes you think of now. Also, there were battles fought in that area, and legends of yakkas so it really has this quite unusual atmosphere. The place is never crowded at the best of times, but on this occasion I was completely alone. Then I get to this platform my camera was hanging on its strap and I look up, and I just see this movement against the jungle on the other side, this slight patch of brownish, yellowish clothing. I was perfectly placed, exactly at the top of the walkway, dead-centre of the platform, everythings symmetrical, and hes directly opposite me, this solitary monk, at the other end of the clearing, against the backdrop of 180 of dark green jungle. Even in black and white, it would have made for an amazing contrast. I grabbed for my camera down, up: all of a couple of seconds and when I looked up he had disappeared. I walked across there quickly, but already there was no sign of him! You always think about the shots you miss. Ive been to Ritigala again, with my son, and we came up to that same platform, and I was poised with the camera but obviously he isnt gonna be there. That shot is gone. Sometimes I wonder if I imagined it. The shot that he got I was doing a shoot for this hotel in Kandy. The idea was to feature the places that you could stroll to around the city so we were doing a photo story of these two girls, in semi-candid kind of shots, with the theme of one of them showing a friend around her home town. We spent days walking around the city centre, shooting these naturalistic pictures on the street, by the lake, in the night market, turning a few heads; but also it was raining, and there were random people constantly barging into our shots, so there were a lot of not-particularly-photogenic moments. And then we were doing this shot close to the Temple of the Tooth, of the girls walking down this paved road beside one of the Hindu hathara devales. Wed done it a couple of times, and I was just sending them back around the corner to reset, and as they start walking away from the camera this Veddah dude just comes marching down, barefoot, axe over his shoulder, the whole lot. Ive never seen anything like that in Kandy; but he just walks straight through the middle of the photograph, past these hot professional models, and after a moment it registers with one of them and so she turns to watch him, and I just snapped this single shot. In the end, the picture wasnt even used; but I did put it up online, and it is easily my most viewed photo. Somebody even made a Sinhalese meme of it, in fact! Sri Lanka-style attack on St Pauls Cathedral By Danyal Hussain and Katie Weston View(s): View(s): UKs first female suicide bomb plotter told under cover detective she was planning attacks similar to last years Easter Sunday attacks. She smiles and makes ISIS salute as she is jailed for 14 years She was addicted to heroin and said she always wanted to do something big and killing one wasnt enough This is the chilling moment the UKs first female suicide bomb plotter tells police during an interview she was planning a Sri Lanka-style terror attack on St Pauls 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 ran a chat room dedicated to martyrs and told followers of her determination to become Britains 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. Shaikh told an undercover officer: So this is really what I want but I would like to kill a lot brother. Until Im killed. This is what I really want. Biidnillah [god permitting]. I am ready for jannah [paradise] but I want to do big things, inshaAllah [god willing]. Shaikh shared images of Charles and Dianas wedding at the St Pauls 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. Its not only words akhi [brother] I want action and revenge deep from my heart. Shaikh was inspired by last years Sri Lanka Easter Sunday bombings which killed 259 people and wanted to strike when the cathedral was full. 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 terrorist acts of your own in this country. 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. The damning evidence presented by the CPS of her planned suicide mission to St Pauls 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. At the age of 24, she started to follow preachers connected to Anjem Choudary on Youtube and began watching gory beheading videos online. 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 Pauls 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 [infidels] 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 Pauls 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 wasnt getting cold feet, I wasnt having doubts. The reason why I didnt 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 didnt wake up in time and thats 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. Shaikhs telephone was examined and her passport was seized from her. She was released but not allowed to travel. 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 InshaAllah [god willing] but lately I fell its 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 Pauls 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 stopped by police, what story I give them? I was thinking to say Im 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. 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. Daily Mail, London The Donoughmore Commission: A watershed moment in Lanka history By Leelananda de Silva Its key features: Universal franchise, State Council, Committee system View(s): View(s): The Donoughmore Commission which came to Sri Lanka in the late 1920s made far reaching and far seeing recommendations, which changed the political, economic and social landscape of Ceylon. The present generation is largely unaware of its role and it is time that they refresh their understanding of the tremendous changes brought in by Donoughmore. It was a commission consisting of three Britons the Earl of Donoughmore, Drummond Shields and Burrows. They were political personalities well known in Britain at the time and were not colonial civil servants. They had the political and social vision to overcome the objections of both the colonial masters in Sri Lanka and the local dominant political personalities who were also not in favour of radical reforms. The most outstanding of the Donoughmore reforms which has had a lasting impact, was the recommendation to introduce universal franchise. Men and women over the age of 21 (initially the recommendation was for women over 30 years to get the vote, but this was revised) to be given the franchise, without placing any educational or income hurdles, as had been the case then. Most politicians, especially those of the Ceylon National Congress, were opposed to universal franchise. One exception was A.E. Goonasinghe, the labour leader, but he also wanted a franchise only for adult men. Universal franchise has led to a complete redefinition of the democratic agenda in the country. Since then, politicians had to accommodate the increasing demands of the people in drafting policies and manifestos since that time. The free elections that we have now are a consequence of universal franchise, and Sri Lanka owes a great debt of gratitude to the Donoughmore Commissioners. Sri Lanka is the first country in Asia to enjoy universal franchise. It was only a couple of years behind the United Kingdom. Apart from universal franchise, the other major recommendation of Donoughmore was to establish a system of partial independence for the country, through the establishment of the State Council which was the legislature of the time. The State Council was based on a system of Executive Committees (the idea originated from the systems then prevailed in the London County Council and the League of Nations in Geneva), and this enabled the active participation of those elected to the State Council in the Government affairs. There was a Board of Ministers consisting of the chairman of each Executive Committee (there were seven of them). Key subjects such as finance, legal affairs, public administration, the police and the army were to continue under the Governor and officers appointed by him. The Donoughmore system was therefore a hybrid system with partial powers devolved on the local politicians. Subjects such as agriculture, education, health, local government, trade and commerce were areas to be administered by the new local ministers. One could see that this arrangement led to a conservative approach to public finance and balanced budgets. Although in practice, one can see that there was some generosity on the part of the British to finance the development of some kind of a welfare state. Indeed, the origins of the welfare state in Sri Lanka can be traced back to the 1930s and 1940s. Let us look at some of the major changes brought about by the State Council. The two major changes are in agriculture and education, which were in charge of two strong ministers, D.S. Senanayake and C.W.W. Kannangara. It was during the time of the State Council (1931-1947) that the Dry Zone was opened up. There was first, the Land Settlement Ordinance (1931) and then one of the most outstanding pieces of legislations the country has ever enacted the Land Development Ordinance (LDO). The Land Development Ordinance provided the legislative framework for the opening up of the dry zone and the establishment of Colonisation Schemes all over the dry zone. There was a large transfer of population from the wet zone to the dry zone in the 20 to 30 years from 1931. A whole new system of agriculture, based on irrigation works which had long been neglected, was developed during this time. There was a new system of tenure for the new peasantry that was created by the LDO. These peasants and their families were granted limited tenure and there were restrictions on the sale of their properties. As a result, land transactions in the dry zone were restricted, but the peasants retained their land (in recent years, this appears to be changing). Another major achievement of the State Council was in the field of education. Apart from the many changes that were instituted, three of them need to be highlighted the introduction of a system of free education in 1942, the establishment of Central Schools and a higher education system. Free education is arguably the most important lever of political, economic and social change in the country aside from the system of universal franchise, and which has led to a major transformation in Sri Lanka. It is free education that has led to the high levels of welfare and human development for which Sri Lanka is now well known among the developing countries. The establishment of Central Schools was an innovative approach to bring English education to the rural areas. The Colebrooke-Cameron Commission in 1831 had recommended the establishment of one major educational institution to offer English education to the locals (that was what led to the establishment of Royal College, then the Colombo Academy). Central Schools, as originally envisaged were to have a strong vocational bias, which, however, was not implemented. The Central School system for a brief period of time (about 1950 to 1960) enabled rural children to get into universities with a good standard of English and enabled them to pursue their higher studies in the English medium, which alone gave access to a wider literature in all subjects. If that system continued, some of the problems of the present day would have been avoided, enabling Sri Lanka to achieve a higher level of development. Another important step was in higher education. The University of Ceylon Ordinance (1942) established a University for Ceylon. In the next 25 to 30 years, this University provided a continuing supply of graduates for the higher administration and to the medical, engineering and teaching professions. The university was created as an autonomous institution, detached from the day to day politics of the country. The expectation was to have a high quality, prestigious university in Peradeniya. There are many other interesting aspects of the period of the State Council (1931-1947) which might be noted briefly. During that period, the politicians largely came from the English speaking middle and upper classes. The standards of debate in the State Council were of a high standard. It can be observed from the Hansards of the time, that most members of the Council took a great effort to maintain high standard of debate. There were hardly any political parties at the time, and most members were elected on the basis of their individual standing, rather than on party lines. (Was that a better system?) The caste factor played an important role both in the delimitation of constituencies, and the election of members. The communal factor also emerged as an important determinant in the local political scene. In the 1950s, when we were undergraduates at Peradeniya, and studying political science, the State Council was a subject of study, and the Donoughmore Report was alive and well. I.D.S. Weerawardana, a lecturer in politics, had written his postgraduate thesis on the workings of the Donoughmore Constitution. It is probably opportune now for local university political faculties to examine the Donoughmore system and see whether there are any lessons to be learnt from that experience. It might also be appropriate for the Government Printer to republish the Donoughmore Report for a new generation. (The writer is a retired senior civil servant) Towards community policing in Sri Lanka View(s): According to the Criminal Procedure Code, peace officers include police officers. Hence keeping the peace is a duty of police officers. When Sir Robert Peel established the London Metropolitan Police in 1829, he set forth a number of principles, one of which he considered the seed of community policing: The police are the public and the public are the police. These words are implicit and explicit. The idea is community policing. But community policing does not suit lawyers. Since that date, however, the quest for the role of the police has become an elusive concept even to warrant writing this article. But defining the role of the police has become all so important for this very reason. The adage of Peel was in an independent country to suit its purpose. In colonial and post-colonial countries such as Sri Lanka, however, events took a different turn. Leslie Sebba of the Hebrew University helped in this regard with his studies worldwide: The elite since independence took power over the reins from the imperial powers. A gap then grew between the ruling elite and the community and with it the meaning of the role of the police changed. The fissure was so inviting that other discrepancies could creep through in this disparate system, even contrived by law professionals. Laws delay is symptomatic of this disparate system. Delays are not just the inevitable, but as may be manipulated. Laws delay has persisted in the past two or three decades, in a thriving market society. Much of it is now up to a buying and selling process. Manipulating delay is remunerative and endears not to the public and the community. With such afflictions to the maxim offered by Peel, only a competent review of the whole process can help in a manner that the public can be served, less trammeled by vested interests comfortable with the system. For such a review, may I offer some suggestions for community policing: Police agencies should not allow political leaders and the public to develop unrealistic expectations for community policing in terms of crime deterrence or speed of implementation. Community policing calls for long-term commitment, it is not a quick fix. Achieving ongoing partnerships with the community and eradicating the underlying causes of crime will take planning, flexibility, time and patience. Management can measure progress by their success in meeting interim goals and must reinforce the concept inside and outside the organisation so that success is reached through a series of gradual improvements. Local political leadership may be eager for fast results. But this is a long-term exercise. It must be stressed that success of community policing depends on sustained joint efforts of the police, local government, public and private agencies and members of the community. From the late nineteen-fifties up to 1972, community policing was done quite successfully in Sri Lanka. But alas! The 1972 Republican Constitution introduced control of the Police by the Cabinet of Ministers, abandoning the neutrality of the Police Service. Now with an Independent Police Commission to ensure the independence of the police, the police service should be revamped and trained anew to perform its due function. This is necessary because during the 30 years of war the police had been militarised. Past police gazettes and departmental orders will readily help to prepare syllabuses. The syllabuses could be so prepared to suit the present conditions. (The writer is a Retired Senior Superintendent of Police. He can be contacted at seneviratnetz@gmail.com) 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. Since we are all in a fast-paced technology, Smart TVs are also on the move in making a name as one of the in-demand smart gadgets at home. And one of these brands who's been making a move is OnePlus, which makes the market remarkably more competitive. The company will hold an event in India to see One Plus' new entries that offer an aggressive price and features. OnePlus is tying now with Xiaomi and Vu. Over the course of two years, Xiaomi's Mi TV series has been the target to beat in India, with the manufacturer dominating the online category. This is down to the fact the Mi TV series offered incredible value, and OnePlus is now following the same strategy. After the launch of the OnePlus U series, there have been some issues worth fixing. However, the company is now positioning elegant design as a standout feature on their latest releases to fix some problems. Now, let's have a look at the OnePlus TV U1, and whether it can beat Xiaomi. The Display and Design The design is now the standout point for OnePlus with its U series. It has a slim design with just 6.9mm, and its bottom is only one-third wider as it houses all the internal components and the ports. Overall, the TV looks just as premium as other huge competitors but comes at an affordable price. One of the standout features it has is the carbon fiber pattern at the back, which covers the lower one-third at the end where the internal hardware is housed. This stunning design gives a cleaner look. And the cleaner design, the more premium it looks with also having that metal finish and bottom bar. The OnePlus TV U1 has a 55-inch 4K LED display with HDR10+ and Dolby Vision and has trimmed the bezels around the panel. And the panel has 93% DCI-P3 color gamut and OnePlus' Gamma Engine that deliver a crisp image, dynamic contrast, anti-aliasing, and noise reduction. This also gives a smooth video playback that decreases the latency to 22ms. This is a definite leg up over what Xiaomi has to offer in this aspect. The Performance and Features The OnePlus' UI is what you would get on any Android TV. On top of this, it has an Oxygen Play, which is the source for the 15 different providers like Prime Video, Netflix, Voot, etc. It has a Chromecast built-in that could also get a data saver mode, kids' mode, and the OnePlus TV Connect. This OnePlus Connect offers a host of features that let the user enjoy TV much more accessible by allowing select shows to play right from your phone's keyboard instead of the one on the TV. The newly released OnePlus U series TV will be offering a premium experience compared to its competitors, which makes it a worthy purchase. OnePlus has successfully brought the premium experience from the Q series down to the U series and made it more affordable, giving the consumers more options to choose. 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. The world is awaiting a COVID-19 vaccine that can finally end the worries of further spreading the coronavirus and hopefully allow the world to lift all lockdowns. However, while scientists from across the globe are still trying to develop one, conservationists are already worried about horseshoe crabs and crustaceans in general. READ ALSO: Is COVID-19 Weakening? Study Says Virus Mutates up to 6x More Infectious Now The Importance of Horseshoe Crab Blood According to a National Geographic report, horseshoe crabs will be an incredibly vital element in developing the COVID-19 vaccine. It turns out that these crustaceans are a vital resource for making medicines safe for intake as these horseshoe crabs' blood is the only natural source for a substance known as limulus amebocyte lysate. This substance helps scientists detect a contaminant known as endotoxin, which could be incredibly dangerous even in small amounts. Pharmaceutical companies will have to ensure there is absolutely no trace of endotoxin in the medicines, vaccines, and even sterile pharmaceuticals like artificial knees they create as even a tiny amount could result in death. These horseshoe crabs will likely be harvested for their blood to be used for the COVID-19 vaccine. "All pharmaceutical companies around the world rely on these crabs. When you think about it, your mind is boggled by the reliance that we have on this primitive creature," said the state director of Nature Conservancy in New Jersey, Dr. Barbara Brummer. Read Also: [VIRAL] Flying Shark? Sharknado Comes in This Weird Video of a Bird Carrying a Shark in the Air Declining Numbers According to the nature magazine, pharmaceutical companies would gather over half a million of these Atlantic horseshoe crabs and will bleed them and then return them to the ocean. Unfortunately, many of them will die. Because of this practice, combined with overharvesting for fishing bait, has caused the number of this species to decline over the past few decades. From 1.24 million crabs that were spawned in Delaware Bay in 1990--the primary egg-laying location of these crabs and the area where companies typically harvest these horseshoe crabs--biologists were only able to count 335,211 crabs in the region last year. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the counting for 2020 was canceled, so we don't know yet whether the numbers have increased or further decreased. To try and replace horseshoe crab blood, a synthetic alternative was discovered in 2016, known as recombinant factor C or rFC, and was approved in Europe. Soon enough, some pharmaceutical companies in the US have also begun using rFC. The Ecosystem May Suffer Nevertheless, the American Pharmacopeia has declined the use of rFC and said that its effectiveness is still unproven, so until now, it's not up to par with horseshoe crab lysate. This means that when creating the COVID-19 vaccine, scientists will have to use the natural resource instead of the alternative, and it could significantly affect the ecosystem given the sheer amount of COVID-19 vaccine needed to be developed in the US. Swiss-based company Lonza is working on a coronavirus vaccine, and it will soon undergo human trials, so they'll need crab lysate. In a written statement, Lonza said that they would only require a day's worth of lysate production from the three US manufacturers, including the Charles River Laboratories in Massachusetts, who gave the same statistics. "This places no undue burden on the [lysate] supply chain or horseshoe crab populations," said John Dubczak, executive director of reagent development of the laboratory. For conservationists, as long as there are no approved alternatives for crab lysate, these crustaceans' numbers and the ecosystem that depend on them may greatly suffer due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Read Also: COVID-19 Lifehack: How to Make the Best DIY Face Mask, Plus Visualization Shows How it Could Stop Coronavirus Transmission 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Hamilton, the smash Broadway hit by Lin Manuel-Miranda, is now available on Disney+. And if you are a huge fan of the hip hop genre and musicals, you should make time to watch this Tony-winning production. Disney, however, has removed its free trial program for its streaming platform so you'll have to upgrade to a premium subscription. Lin Manuel-Miranda's Hamilton is a masterpiece Hamilton is the story of the ambitious founding father, Alexander Hamilton, who was determined to make his mark on the new nation. He was an orphan to Washington's right-hand man, rebel to a war hero, a loving husband caught in the country's first sex scandal, and was the Treasury head who made an untrusting world believe in the American economy. George Washington, Eliza Hamilton, Thomas Jefferson and Hamilton's lifelong friend Aaron Burr all make their mark in this breathtaking new musical exploration of a political mastermind. This award-winning Broadway production has been hailed as a creative modern retelling of Alexander Hamilton's journey in becoming the founding father of the US. Created by composer, playwright, and producer Lin-Manuel Miranda, Hamilton succeeded in taking home 11 Tony Awards in 2016 and the Pulitzer Prize for Drama 2016. The movie that streaming on Disney+ beginning on July 3 was recorded with the original cast comprised of diverse performers, including Miranda himself. The release by Disney+ comes at the right time in the middle of political unrest against racial injustice and calls to reform law enforcement. Here's how you can watch Hamilton when it's available on Disney Plus this Friday. When will it start? Hamilton will begin streaming on Disney+ this Independence Day weekend and starting July 3 at 12 a.m. PT (3 a.m. ET). The movie which was originally scheduled to be in theaters in October 2021, but was moved to the streaming service due to COVID-19-related closures. Unfortunately, Disney+ has ended its free trials for new subscribers. So if you want to watch, you'll need to choose one of the premium subscriptions below. Note that you can cancel anytime. Here are the three basic ways to subscribe: Month-to-month Disney Plus subscription ($6.99 per month) Annual Disney Plus subscription ($70 per year): If you want to prepay for a year of Disney Plus, this option gets your monthly fee down to $5.83. Disney Plus/Hulu/ESPN Plus bundle ($12.99 per month): Since they've suspended any Broadway performances until further notice because of the pandemic, the only way you can watch the award-winning musical is on Disney Plus. Will Hamilton's explicit language be censored? Creator and star Lin Manuel-Miranda confirmed that the movie would censor the F-word. Hamilton has a PG-13 viewer rating that suggests that the musical's cuss words and sexual content could remain but will receive a warning before the show begins. However, because Disney Plus is a family-friendly streaming service, there's been concern over the material, specifically songs containing The F-Word and more explicit scenes. 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Tesla is opening up the reservations for the Cybertruck to Chinese customers, what specialists believe will test the market's demand for these futuristic vehicles, Tech Crunch reported. The China website of Tesla has the reservations page launched, and the translation is posted on the Reddit channel r/teslamotors from user u/aaronhry. About the Cybertruck The Cybertruck was launched in November at the Tesla Design Center located in Hawthorne, California. However, this Tesla unit is not going into production until the later months of 2022. However, the demands are already lined-up for the truck. American customers are willing to pay the refundable deposit of $100 for the truck. Few weeks after the unveiling, CEO Elon Musk revealed on Twitter that there are now 250,000 reservations for the car. The market of the truck in China has a potential interest. How many reservations? Reports say that these are not easy to predict, and the company will have to wait for the actual sales conversation before finding out the real value. They will have to wait more than a year before the accurate details. Moreover, Tesla has no decision yet on the location where the Cybertruck is going to be built. Scouting locations Yet, Musk announced they are now looking for places where they will produce the Model Y crossover for the East Coast market, including the Cybertruck. He added that the factory might be somewhere in the center of the United States. The potential area is Nashville, and the company is now in talks with the officials. "The company has since turned its attention to Austin and Tulsa. Talks in Austin have progressed rapidly, and it appears likely that the factory will end up in a location just outside of the city. Although Tulsa officials have been quick to note that talks with Tesla have continued there as well," Kirsten Korosec wrote in Tech Crunch. Facing a probe? Meanwhile, Tesla is also facing security after it has been discovered that there are defective cooling systems in the Tesla vehicles' early units, the Los Angeles Times has the story. The alleged defective cooling systems are prone to leakage in the Model S vehicles from 2012. Internal emails shared with the media revealed last week. These copies were reviewed and revealed that the tubes were installed between 2012 to 2016, and during this time, the company has cut ties with their suppliers, and since then, began manufacturing in-house, the report added. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said it is "well aware of the reports regarding this issue and will take action if appropriate based upon the facts and data." They are now calling on Tesla to inform the agency "within five days" of when they become aware of this "alleged" defect. As of press time, the company has not issued a statement or comment on the accusation. RELATED STORY: Elon Musk Wants to Develop a Device Enabling a Paralyzed Person to Walk Again 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. The United Kingdom successfully outbid other investors at auction with a $500 million investment on satellite broadband operator OneWeb. According to a report from the Express, Britain's investment gives it control over OneWeb with 45% shares of the company. Bharti Global, founded by Indian telecoms billionaire Sunil Bharti Mittal will control another 45% of the company. The U.K. will be working with India's Bharti Enterprises and awaits final approval from a United States judge next week. The U.K. will also have veto power over any future OneWeb share sales and who has access to the system in an arrangement known as a golden share. This will be Britain's attempt to compete in using satellites in space to provide high-speed internet. Elon Musk's Starlink is one of the industry's main players with over 538 broadband internet satellites on orbit. Britain aims to control 10% of the global commercial space market by 2030 while it is particularly involved with small satellites that provide super-fast internet as well as navigational aids. However, Financial Times said other investors are being sought, so the U.K. and Bharti Enterprises shares could fall. After Brexit, the British companies were barred from much of the European Galileo program, aiming to build a medium level satellite navigation system in space. Britain initially thought of building its own company to rival Galileo. However, it shied away when costs are expected to reach about $6.2 million. Britain is optimistic about gaining success with space business Although it is currently not lucrative, Mittal sad is "convinced about the commercial viability" of OneWeb. "This is a company where $3.5 billion has already been invested... We can now build on this," he explained. The London-based company was launched in 2012 and operated on both sides of the Atlantic. OneWeb business secretary Alok Sharma said the U.K. would gain from this investment. "Our access to a global fleet of satellites has the potential to connect millions of people worldwide to broadband... and the deal presents the opportunity to further develop our strong advanced manufacturing base right here in the U.K.," Sharma said. The U.K.'s first spaceport, Spaceport Cornwall, is under development as it sets to launch spacecraft for the first time in 2021 or 2022. Richard Branson's Virgin Orbit supports its construction as it prepares to take small satellites into space. However, Virgin Orbit CEO Dan Hart foresees the Spaceport Cornwall to carry people into space. Earlier this year, he confidently predicted the success of the spaceport as the market has shown the demand for "many small satellites launches" in the past. "I can see a time when there is easily 50 launches in a year," Hart told the Express. "We now have the ability to make small satellites do tremendous work that used to take a satellite the size of a school bus," he said adding that will "change the whole business calculation." Read also: Here's Where and When You'll Be Able to See the July 4 Lunar Eclipse in the US 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. South Hill, VA (23970) Today Widely scattered showers or a thunderstorm this evening. Then partly cloudy. Low 72F. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 30%.. Tonight Widely scattered showers or a thunderstorm this evening. Then partly cloudy. Low 72F. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 30%. The Perspective Atlanta, Georgia July 4, 2020 Mrs. Elizabeth Menguah Gongloe Mrs. Elizabeth Vonyee Menguah-Gongloe was born in 1923 to Coppee Menguah and Lalebay Seleh Menguah in Quoipa, Wolota Clan, Upper Bong County. She met her late husband, teacher Wilfred Kehleboe Gongloe in 1946 and they became husband and wife in 1948. In 1951, a group of early mid-Baptist missionaries and evangelists had traveled to Quoipa to teach the gospel of Jesus Christ. Our mother was among those in the crowd. She would later narrate the story of how deeply touched she was by the preaching of the gospel by the missionaries. She accepted our Lord Jesus Christ as her personal savior at the end of the service. From that day in 1951, our mother followed every teaching and Christian philosophies with staunched devotion. Ma Elizabeth stated that the missionaries taught the gospel along with hygiene. Among the hygiene taught was the idea of drinking boiled water to prevent illnesses, something she did with passion throughout her life span. That became one of the symbols of her faithfulness. One benefit she derived from drinking boiled water was that unlike many persons who live in rural Liberia, she did not suffer from any form of stomach illness. An outstanding aspect of her Christian faith was the habit of praying. She prayed without ceasing. Our mother would have morning devotions with us before going on the farm every morning. On the farm, she would pray before starting her days work. She would pray when she divides the meal and still expects us to pray before eating, though she had generally prayed over the meal. Praying was just an integral part of her. She prayed for everything, I mean everything. Our mother was without a child for many years into her adulthood after years of marriage as one of the wives of Chief Bowah in Zanboyee. Of course, this was before she accepted Christ. Even after she met her husband, Wilfred K. Gongloe, she lived with him for many years without bearing a child. The situation worried her but did not shake her faith in Jesus Christ. She became the subject of community gossip that she was a barren and would never bear children. Regardless of the gossip, our mother continued to pray, believing that God would provide the answer she needs. Thanks to our fathers patience and belief in God, he did not abandon her for being childless. As she prayed, God faithfully answered her prayers and she became a mother in 1956, when her first child, Cllr. Tiawan Saye Gongloe was born. Thereafter, our mother and father had 7 additional children together. In 1980, our mother became the president of the Yarwin Mehnsonnoh Chapter of the Lydia Women Group of the Mid Baptist Church in Nimba County. Mama continued to serve her Lord faithfully in a community with very few believers at the time. She was a hardworking farmer and a true servant of God. She was the pillar of our family. Her strong family values were evident in everything she did and said. With her support, she complimented our father well in their marriage. Many may wonder how our father could educate so many children on a $50. 00, monthly salary, as a village teacher? The answer is lying right here in this casket. Our mother was always available to pick up from where-ever our father could not reach financially. Proceeds from the sales of her farm products were always available to complete payment of tuition fees that our fathers meager salary could not handle. She was the rock and the pillar behind our father and us, his children. In July 1980, she faced her first major test as a Bible-believing Christian. She was bitten by a mysterious snake that was never seen, but suspected to be cassava snake. She bled and became helpless. Our nervous father chattered a car to take our mother to the Phebe Hospital, as the herbal medicine initially applied was yielding no positive result. By the grace of her God, she survived the Venom of the snake. Though, she was discharged from the hospital after spending 3 months, the sore from the poison did not heal until several years later. After her discharge from the hospital, our mother spent a few years with her people in Quoipa to continue herbal treatment to heal the sore from the snake bite. While in Quoipa, she became very active in the Quoipa Mid Baptist Church. There she introduced regular morning devotions, which helped to strengthen the church. Her faithfulness further revived the Quoipa Church and increased its membership. She later moved back home to our father in Glehyee Zorpeay, where she remained until the end of the third cycle of the Liberian civil war. In early 2011, our mother had a major surgery at the John F. Kennedy Hospital. After the surgery, a surgical error was suspected by two of her daughters who are a nurse and midwife, respectively. With our interventions, the administrator of the hospital admitted that indeed there was perforation to her intestine during the first surgery, which was causing bowel leakage. The leakage had caused about 2 centimeters of her intestine to decay as she became a sceptic. A second surgery to correct the error was performed by Dr. Vuyu Golakai, an internationally experienced surgeon, just within 6 days of the first operation. Even the doctor was pessimistic about her survival from the second surgery just days after the first. He was concerned about her age. He also advised that she would need 2 pounds of blood. That, we were prepared to provide. While everyone around her was giving up about her survival, she was confident that her Lord would bring her from the operation theatre alive. Amazingly, the doctor found our mother to have stronger cells than normal for her age and sufficient blood even after the first surgery. The success of the second surgery was beyond amazing. For lo and behold, our God showed up and she survived both surgeries within the same week. Her recovery puzzled the JFK medical family. To the extent that she lived 9 years after that surgery is beyond human comprehension. It just got to be God Almighty. On Sunday, June 21st, 2020, our mother complained that she was not feeling well. Her daughter Mercy and Gloria attended to her. Her pressure fluctuated between high and low. She was stabilized by Monday. She even got out of bed with some assistance. She participated in the morning routine devotion. For the first time in our experience, our mother could not pray, but asked her daughter Renee to pray for her instead. She sang along with her children and her voice was a bit faint and frail that morning. Though, she seemed weak, we were confident that as a fighter and overcomer, she was going to bounce back again. We almost taught of our mother as immortal or someone who would live forever. On Tuesday morning she told her grand-daughter, Angie Gongloe, that she wanted to eat dry rice for breakfast instead of her usual moringa tea and bread. She did eat all of her portion served. She declined to eat lunch. She stated that she was still feeling full from the morning dry rice. By 10 pm, our mother asked Gloria to switch off the light because she wanted to sleep. Gloria did. By 11 pm, Renee switched the light back on to take one of our mothers younger granddaughters to the bathroom. Our mother again asked that the light be turned off because she wanted to sleep. Renee also did as she requested. By 12 midnight, Renee turned the light switch on to check on our mother. She saw that our mother looked peacefully asleep. As Renee drew closer, she realized that our mother didnt seem to be breathing. Renee shook her and called her, Mama, Mama. Our mother was unresponsive. Gloria woke up at the frantic sound of Renees voice. They frantically bathed and dressed her and rushed her to the ELWA Hospital and later to the Catholic hospital where she was pronounced dead at 1:00 Oclock am on Wednesday, June 23rd. Our mother was a fighter. She was a change agent, standing for the truth without fear. Ma Elizabeth was a disciplined woman. She could not tolerate uncleanliness in any manner, shape or form. She loved us and was equally loved by us and her family members. She was a soft-spoken woman with impeccable character and unmatched tolerance, endurance and wisdom. Above all, she was so peaceful that she did not display anger in any form such as quarreling or fighting with anyone. She did not even lay her hands on any of children, in an effort to discipline them for any form of misconduct. She will rather lecture them and use lessons from the Bible to help them change. Our mother by all accounts lived her life as a soldier for the Lord . Mama, you had a full life and you lived it well. Today, there is no doubt that the angels of heaven are rejoicing because a beloved and obedient child of God is now with her father and a host of angels. We weep not your passing, for we know exactly where you are at the moment. We weep not the end of your life, but the emptiness it creates in our lives. Your death again reminds us that this fleshly life is not immortal. You had a full life. All the boxes are checked and we can only celebrate a life well-lived. We wanted to have you forever, but this is a call that all of us will have to answer. Bye-bye mama. Sleep on, as you asked for the light to be turned off on Tuesday night because you wanted to sleep. Mama, the lights are off forever. Sleep on till we meet again on that beautiful shore. Your children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren, as well as your only surviving sister, nephews, nieces, and a host of relatives will keep your loving memory forever. May your soul and souls of all faithful departed rest in perfect peace. Amen. By Fu Xiaoqiang Since the clash on the Sino-Indian border in Galwan Valley in the Aksai Chin area on June 15, instead of making amends for provoking the clash by intruding into the Chinese territory, New Delhi has been stirring up nationalist sentiments at home and has banned 59 Chinese apps including TikTok and WeChat and is erecting trade barriers, further straining bilateral tensions. India alone is to blame for the clash, for two days later Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi publicly acknowledged that "neither has anyone intruded into our territory nor has any post been captured", confirming the injuries and deaths of Indian soldiers were the result of India's incursion into the Chinese territory. The Chinese Foreign Ministry protested against India's adventurism, saying it is a flagrant breach of the agreement reached between Beijing and New Delhi on border disputes as well as the norms of international relations. Yet India seems hell-bent on worsening the situation instead of understanding that the United States and other Western countries, not Beijing or New Delhi, stand to gain from escalating hostilities between the two neighbors. The ruling party-fueled nationalism in India threatens to neutralize the achievements the two sides have made after years of efforts. So India should think twice before proceeding with its radical policies against China. First, India should abandon its colonial mentality and stop trying to make China's Tibet autonomous region a buffer zone to safeguard its national security. The fact that it considers itself the heir to the colonial power in the Indian subcontinent and sees the building of any infrastructure on the Chinese side as hostility is the root cause of India's aggressive behavior. Given its increasing national power, China has no reason to leave its frontiers underdeveloped. China has never crossed the Line of Actual Control to prevent India from rapidly building infrastructure on its side. As such, despite having disagreements with China, India should hold dialogue to resolve the border disputes. Second, India will be committing a mistake by using the current volatile international situation to take advantage of the United States' belligerent behavior against China in order to expand its territory along the border. With the US identifying China as its top strategic rival, China faces rising challenges in the global arena. And to make India a pawn in its geopolitical game against China, Washington has been encouraging New Delhi to encroach upon the Chinese land on the false assumption that Beijing would compromise its territorial integrity. But China will respond to even the smallest border intrusion. India suffered defeat in the 1962 border war because it assumed China would not fight to reclaim its land. And since China will never compromise its sovereignty and territorial integrity, India should avoid making the same miscalculation again. Third, the Indian government should refrain from manipulating nationalism to advance its political agenda. Since the clash in Galwan Valley, almost all sections of Indian society seem to be caught in a nationalist frenzy, which is unbecoming of an ancient civilization with thousands of years of history. A major part of the Indian media, too, has played a role in fueling nationalist sentiments by hyping up the border clash and calling for the boycott of Chinese products and investments. Citing the excuse of national security concerns, the Indian government has banned almost all Chinese mobile apps ignoring the interests of about 200 million Indian users. It has also deployed more troops-more than 36,000 in total-on the frontier while placing emergency orders for more military equipment and ammunition. These aggressive Indian actions have worsened the border situation. Deterioration of bilateral ties could lead to severe consequences, and India's hostile actions will significantly affect economic exchanges and strategic trust which the two sides have painstakingly built over the years. And as China-India cooperation is vital to the revival of Asia, a conflict will undermine peace and the prospects of prosperity in the region. As the world's two largest developing countries, China and India have pledged to boost their economies and improve their people's livelihoods, for which they need a stable and peaceful environment both at home and abroad. But a conflict would derail their attempts and create loopholes which the US could exploit. So India should not fall into the US' trap. Differences and disagreements can never be resolved through a war. China would like to hold talks with India to settle the bilateral disputes, but it will never tolerate Indian troops intruding into its territory. India, too, should agree to settle the border dispute through talks. It is in both countries' interests to resolve the disputes and strengthen their otherwise mutually beneficial partnership in other areas. China cherishes its friendship with India, and China-India cooperation will play a big role in improving regional and global governance. In particular, keeping in mind the border clash and the novel coronavirus pandemic, the two neighbors should keep a cool head and resolve their differences through peaceful means. The author is a researcher in South Asian Studies at the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations. Disclaimer: This article is originally published on China Daily. The information, ideas or opinions appearing in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of eng.chinamil.com.cn. The Perspective Atlanta, Georgia July 4, 2020 Monrovia, the capital city of the Republic of Liberia, is named in honor of President James Monroe, the fifth president of the United Statesand a slave owner. This honoring of a slave owner is a travesty to the autochthonous and should be an abomination to the children of the settlers (the Americo-Liberians). The 1810 census record shows that 49 enslaved individuals lived at Monroes Plantation in Highland, Virginia. This made Monroe one of the countrys largest slave owners (National Archives and Record Administration). Today, we are experiencing an epiphany from the lynching of George Floyd and must join the chorus to bring down and eviscerate the legacy of the symbols of slaverythe anathema of our humanity. It is time to change the name Monrovia. The lynching of George Floyd by a Minneapolis White Police Officer has shed new light on the 17th-century African enslavement by Europe and the United States as its ugly legacy continues todayracism and bigotry. Globally, the symbols commemorating slave traders and slave owners are being toppled or eviscerated, e.g., Edward Colston (Bristol, England), Confederate statues in the American South and Congress, the Confederate Flag, the statue of Christopher Columbus (at the State House of Columbus, Ohio), etc. This psychological trauma of black enslavement is being caught up in a vortex of the rapture of liberal Awakening. To the Members of the Liberian Senate and the House of Representatives and the People of Liberia: We cannot in good conscience continue to honor a slave master with the name of our capital, Monrovia. If we do, we validate a racist maxim that White is superior to Black. Others may argue that as president of the United States, James Monroe was able to get Congress to appropriate $100,00.00 (David Lamb) to fund the American Colonization Society (ACS) to facilitate the settlement of Liberia in 1820. I suggest that Monroes action was not motivated by the love of humanity or his disdain for the subjugation and bondage of the African slaves. Rather, like the majority of members (slave owners) of the ACS, he was fearful of a slave uprising . In the course of human events comes a moment when a society with an ugly past must reckon with it. I believe, WE THE PEOPLE OF LIBERIA, must seize this moment in history to amend this ugly chapter of our history the naming of our capital city in honor of a slave master. Liberia is said to be the land of liberty for the free slaves from America and captured slaves on the high seas. It is confounding and incomprehensible that the settlers and the PEOPLE OF LIBERIA today will continue to honor a man associated with the abomination of humanity called slavery. I think the time has come for us, the PEOPLE OF LIBERIA, to join the rest of the civilized world to desecrate the symbols of Black subjugation. It will be unconscionable and abhorrent if we do not seize upon this awakening of Americas and Britains original sin slavery and the continued institutionalization of racism to remove the name of a slave master (James Monroe) from our capital city. This moment calls for a vigorous civil debate. I believe it is fitting and proper that WE THE PEOPLE OF LIBERIA change the name of our capital city. Amen. The Perspective Atlanta, Georgia July 4, 2020 Galakpai Mulbah: 2nd from right Small Soldier! the commander barked. Yes Sir! Galakpai replied standing upright. With no shoes, he stood at attention to salute his superior officer, with his shrill voice conveying respect and submission. Like his colleagues, he had no choice but to submit unreservedly to the commands of his superior officers though he did not fully understand the soldiering business. How could he? He was only eleven. Yes, Galakpai Mulbah was eleven years old when the National Patriotic Front of Liberia, NPFL drafted him in Kakata during the civil war. He underwent quick training at Konola, and subsequently joined the Small Boys Unit, SBU. Although Galakpais experience in the SBU was stressful and life-impacting, he was blessed in that he was not killed, nor did he kill anyone; the latter possibility would have affected him more negatively than anyone could imagine. Galakpai was lucky further in that his father, Mr. Larwuson G. Mulbah, who held a graduate degree in education from the University of Detroit, was working as a Michigan certified teacher in the Detroit School system. After numerous efforts, Mr. Mulbah flew Galakpai to Ivory Coast to join his siblings, including his younger brother, Sumo, and their two sisters, Deddeh and Youngor. Mr. Mulbah then flew to Abidjan to arrange for his children to join him in Detroit. To Mr. Mulbah's shock and amazement, this effort initially seemed like a Sisyphean task, but he did not relent. He persevered until his four children joined him in Detroit. Galakpai and his siblings enrolled in the Detroit Public Schools, where they all graduated from high school and sought post-secondary education. Galakpai and his brother Sumo went to Michigan Technological University, simply known as Michigan Tech. Their sisters continued their post-secondary studies in the Detroit area. At Michigan Tech, the Mulbah boys studied engineering. Galakpai majored in mechanical engineering while his brother majored in electrical engineering. Upon graduation, they both found jobs. Sumo wGas employed by Caterpillar where he still works. Galakpai was employed by Applied Manufacturing Technology (AMT), one of North Americas largest independent automation engineering companies supporting manufacturers, robot companies, systems integrators, line builders, and users of robotic automation worldwide. He also worked briefly for a French Robotic company until he eventually landed a job at Boeing. At Boeing, Galakpai has become one of the giant companys shining stars. He has risen to the position of Flight Test Instrumentation Operations lead engineer in the Boeing Test and Evaluation Organization. Of course, this rise was neither quick nor easy. Galakpai proved to be a smart, industrious, and creative engineer. At Caterpillar, Sumo followed a similar path. Thus, beyond their family and friends, they made their alma mater proud. (See the universitys 2016 publication about the two Liberian young men at Magazine, 2016, https://www.mtu.edu/magazine/2016-1/stories/family-flight/index.html.) A year earlier, the two young men were recognized by the National Society of Black Engineers, NSBE. (See http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nsbe/fall2015/ (Page 56-59.) At Boeing, Galakpai (Alex) Mulbah has proven to be invaluable to the giant company. Some of his signature accomplishments include leading projects on Boeings 787s, 747s and collaborating with another renowned company, NASA. This was the NASA Tests Green Aviation Technology on the Boeing 757 ecoDemonstrator, two experiments designed to reduce fuel consumption and emissions. (See the NASA article at http://www.nasa.gov/aero/nasa-tests-green-aviation-technology-on-boeing-ecodemonstrator.html pages 16-21 Photo of Galakpai (Alex) on Page 19). Galakpai currently leads the Flight Test Instrumentation Operations team that oversees the certification of Boeings new 777-9 airplane. Because of his outstanding achievements, Galakpai (Alex) Mulbah was nominated, and eventually voted to receive the 2020 Black Engineer of the Year (BEYA) Modern-Day Technology Leader Award. The award recognizes men and women who continue to demonstrate outstanding performance in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. It also recognizes the recipient for leadership, community work, and mentorship. The award ceremony was held at the 34th annual Black Engineer of the Year Award (BEYA) STEM conference in Washington, DC February 13-14, 2020. Attached are some photos from the event. Doubtless, Mr. Galakpai Mulbahs achievements at Boeing and the recognitions he has received from his alma mater and the National Society of Black Engineers of the United States bring pride not only to his parents but also to Liberia, his country of origin. Similarly, they are testaments to the young mans brilliance, tenacity, and industriousness. To the modest, quiet, and ever-smiling Galakpai, however, this is less about him. Rather, his appreciation is to his parents and above all, to God who made it possible for him to go from being a child soldier to lead engineer at Boeing. Similarly, he is ever grateful for his siblings. Incidentally, his sisters, Deddeh and Youngor are doing very well in their professional areas. It is our prayer that these young people will not only excel in their professional areas but will continue to be role models to youngsters in Liberia. No doubt, peace-loving Liberians are proud of them. Likewise, in the spirit of full disclosure, I am proud of them for they are my nieces and nephews. We wish them the best in their careers. The Perspective Atlanta, Georgia July 4, 2020 In this brief analysis, I have exposed four (4) vicious strategies of CDC and advanced five (5) suggestions to CPP ahead of 2020 and 2023 polls in Liberia. Without Montserrado, CDC and Weahs second term bid is a DEAD DREAM. Opposition Senator Abe Darius Dillon currently poses a serious threat to CDCs political lifespan. If the opposition wins Montserrado County for the second time in the roll in this upcoming Decembers senatorial election, it means that CDC is done for good. Weah and his idol worshippers will have no hope for 2023. For example, CDC won the 2017 Presidential Election with 720,023 votes (61.5%) out of 1,198,984 total votes. Weahs major rival, Joseph Boakai, got 451,088 votes (38.5%). Out of the 720,023 total votes that CDC won within the 2017 election, it accumulated 314,594 votes (62.9%) from Montserrado County alone out of 15 counties. This suggests that if CDC loses another senatorial election in Montserrado this year, it cannot win any presidential election in 2023 amid increasing hardship and other objective factors. CDC has never won a presidential election and can never win a presidential election in Liberia without winning Montserrado. The Party has zero value without Montserrado County. This is why Pres. George M. Weah and pro-CDC zealots are so desperate to get Montserrado back. CDC is willing to sacrifice the other 14 counties only to get Montserrado back. They will do just anything to reclaim Montserrado. Dillon along with CPP remains a formidable political force against Weahs ambition and CDCs political future. Dillon and CPP broke a record that nobody or no political party could break for 14 consecutive years. They overwhelmingly won CDC and Pres. George Weah in Montserrado County in the 2019 senatorial by-election. Since 2005, Montserrado has been CDCs stronghold. Here are my facts: 1. 2005 General and Presidential Election Weah and CDC won Montserrado with 138,513 votes (36.28%) out of 381,705 total votes; 2. 2005 Senatorial Election CDC Candidate Joyce Musu Freeman won as Senior Senator with 86,008 votes (13.3%) while CDC Candidate Hannah G. Brent (*) won as Junior Senator with 80,331 votes (12.4%); 3. 2009 Senatorial By-Election CDC Candidate Geraldine Doe-Sheriff (*) won Montserrado with 56% of the total votes; 4. 2011General and Presidential Election Weah and CDC won Montserrado with 207,710 votes (45.8%) out of 472,550 total votes; 5. 2014 Senatorial By-Election Candidate George M. Weah of CDC won Montserrado with 99,226 votes (78%) out of 479,936 total votes; 6. 2017 General and Presidential Election Weah and CDC won Montserrado with 276,558 votes (48.6%) out of 590,839 total votes in the first round. In the run-off, CDC won Montserrado with 314,594 (62.9%) votes out of 508,080 total votes; 7. 2018 Senatorial By-Election CDC Candidate Saah H. Joseph won Montserrado with 67,793 votes (54.8%) out of 125,374 total votes. Finally, in 2019 Senatorial By-Election, the political variables swiftly changed in favor of the opposition. The opposition through CPP overwhelmingly won Montserrado County. Opposition Candidate Abraham Darius Dillon won a landslide with 102,549 votes (55.74%) out of 186,978 total votes. Dillon broke Weahs vote record by 3,323 votes difference after he defeated CDC candidate Paulita Wie by 38,578 vote margin. CDCs political wing was finally broken after dominating Montserrado County for 14 unbroken years. I had to set this basis for you to simply understand what my analysis is driving at. Ahead of 2020 and 2023 polls, CDC along with its political leader George Weah is very desperate to get their political base (Montserrado) back. Without Montserrado, thats the end of the CDC. The ruling party (CDC) has four (4) machiavellian strategies or tactics which it has cunningly devised to get Montserrado back at all cost as well as Liberia at large: 1) CDC through its proxies or fanatics will begin to viciously target Dillon and other prominent members of CPP. They plan to even eliminate Dillon; 2) Rigging or stealing votes by manipulating the electoral system/database at the National Elections Commission (NEC). They have a plan to manipulate the voters roll in their favor. Citizens will vote but the election result/outcome will reflect something different. Thats why Weah recently appointed all of his loyalists as Commissioners of NEC; 3) If CDC rigs or steals the upcoming elections in 2020 and 2023, the regime will use the Supreme Court to legitimize this fraud or vote-rigging. Thats why Weah has four (4) out of five (5) Justices under his control at the Supreme Court. The opposition will not get justice if there is vote rigging or electoral fraud. And any unjust verdict from the Judiciary will be fully backed by the Legislature because Weah also has control over the Legislature. The Speaker of the House and the Senate Pro-Tempore are Weah's puppets. The illegal impeachment of Justice Kabineh Janeh should be a lesson learned by the opposition; 4) CDC has a plan to use cash violence and power play to pull over most of CPPs lawmakers, influential members, and die-hard supporters ahead of 2020 and 2023 polls. Weah and his corrupt cabal of kleptocrats are also financing smaller political parties to reorganize and subsequently declare support for CDC. This strategy is a pretext or a political gambit to rig the upcoming elections. CDC will claim that it has regained its political strength when these smaller parties begin to openly join them. Such a claim will be a FALSE alarm and an unscientific conclusion only intended for a publicity stunt and to impress international observers. The opposition political parties must now begin to think ahead in order to avert CDCs machiavellian strategies/tactics as 2020 and 2023 polls loom. Let me repeat this since the CDC has become so unpopular after presiding over the State for less than 3 years, the regime will become overly brutal and vicious against those it perceives as "potential threats to its survival. The regime will use iron fist, gang groups, and ruthless state security to repress perceived enemies and even kill opposition figures. Remember, Weah and his cronies have already tasted power and theyve illicitly acquired a lot of wealth, including mammoth private properties, in less than 3 years. They wont just allow power to slip off their hands like that. It will be a tough clash but the will of THE PEOPLE shall prevail at the end of the day. Therefore, the opposition will have to be strategic and very vigilant going forward. Here are my suggestions or recommendations to Senator Dillon and CPP as a whole: 1. Senator Darius Dillon needs to beef up his security as of now. Similarly, all influential members of the CPP, including political leaders, must also beef up their security. The CPP must now build a viable internal safety network to fully protect all leaders, partisans, well-wishers, and solidarity groups of the CPP. 2. The CPP must immediately demand ELECTORAL REFORM, especially at NEC in order to guarantee a free, fair, transparent, and peaceful election. This can be quickly achieved through the full involvement of Liberias International Partners (e.g. UNDP, USAID, AU, ECOWAS, IFES, Carter Center, NDI, EU, Sweden Embassy, etc.) and local civil society organizations (e.g. IREDD, ECC, NAYMOTE, LEON, CENTAL, CEMESP, INHRC, Human Rights Platform, YWCA, PUL, LCC, NMCL, etc.). The Independent Press must be involved as well. Additionally, the CPP must hire a group of IT experts and fraud examiners to advise the CPP, analyze the voter's roll and voting climate, and monitor NECs voting system including the database. CPP must demand a restructured NEC. 3. The CPP must extend its outreach to smaller political parties and influential organizations across Liberia (e.g. workers union, motorcycle union, marketing association, teachers association, student groups, civil servant union, community leadership, etc.). Furthermore, if CPP must be different and honest about real CHANGE, it must not retain those CORRUPT and disloyal CPP lawmakers on its ticket in any pending election. They must be replaced with a new breed of patriotic, competent, visionary, and people-centered aspirants. These new aspirants must sign a bond of commitment and loyalty to remain faithful, dutiful, accountable, and transparent to Liberians and CPP. 4. The CPP must hire a very strong legal team that is also linked to and licensed by the ECOWAS Court and other international judicial bodies. If CPP can raise money, it should also hire an independent firm to conduct a nationwide Voters Survey or Opinion Poll ahead of 2023 polls. 5. Currently, the masses are yearning for genuine CHANGE and not Change for Hope anymore. The CPP must clearly explain through a MANIFESTO how it intends to change/deliver Liberia. The CPP must produce a realistic alternative recovery plan or a doable development roadmap in various sectors including education, health, agriculture, employment, energy, tourism, infrastructure (e.g. road), technology, foreign direct investment, social security, housing, water and sanitation, foreign policy, gender equality, reconciliation, security and rule of law, transparency and accountability, etc. In addendum to the Montserrado Factor, the Collaborating Political Parties (UP, LP, ANC, and ALP) still stand a better chance to win the 2023 General and Presidential Election. But such victory is largely dependent on the outcome of this upcoming senatorial election in Montserrado and other Counties. CPP must do all it can to win at least 12 out of the 15 counties. Judging from the latest 2017 general and presidential election, this is another proof that puts CPP ahead of CDC in any presidential political contest: 2017 Presidential Election: A) Weah and his Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC): CDC, NPP, and LPDP 596,037 votes (38.4%) MDR 127,666 votes (8.2%)* Total 723,703 votes (46.5%) B) Collaborating Political Parties (CPP): UP 446,716 (28.8%) LP 149,495 (9.6%) ANC 112,067 (7.2%) ALP 24,246 (1.6%) Total 732,524 (47.2%) Senator Prince Y. Johnson of the Movement for Democracy Reconstruction (MDR) is not clear about whether he will throw his weight behind CDC in 2023 general and presidential elections. He has been disgruntled of late. He is on record for saying that he only supported the CDC for President George Weah to suffer the Liberian people. This means that CDC is likely to lose 127,666 votes. Even if Johnson supports Weah for a second term, a lot of his supporters are likely not to follow him because of some of his latest revelations which remain shocking in most parts of Nimba County and elsewhere. As extreme hardship spirals as a result of economic paralysis, corruption, and bad governance under President Weah, CDC is going to lose more support (votes). Ahead of 2020 and 2023, there is a bitter price that CDC has to pay for increased job losses, rape, poor health, messy education, hunger, failed promises, public graft, etc. A lot of votes will be lost. This means that the CPP stands a far better chance to win both in 2020 and 2023 elections if they prefer winnable/sellable candidates and if they remain on a plinth of unhindered unity, honesty, maturity, and loyalty. Beyond this end, Liberia and Liberians deserve far better. Currently, Liberia cannot breathe because President Weahs knee is on our countrys neck. Can CPP save Liberia? The only history has an answer. But for now, Dillon and CPP must listen and begin to take immediate steps to avert this predatory plot that has already been concocted by CDC! Sources of Data on Election Results: NEC, IFES, NDI, and Carter Center. About The Author: Martin K. N. Kollie is a Liberian activist and columnist who contributes to international and local journals. He fled Liberia into exile as a result of Weahs dictatorship. Before the coronavirus pandemic hit our shores, Eswatini had declared this the year of Small Medium Enterprises (SMEs). Despite the heavy odds against them, this could still be the SMEs year. But to fulfill this declaration will now take triple, if not quadruple, efforts from all stakeholders to give the suffocating soul of the economy the much needed ventilation. For example when the lockdown was announced in Botswana, there was a trending post that stated that there had been a directive that all SMEs must be paid within 24 hours. This made sense because if there is ever a time that small businesses ever needed to be liquid and continue their impactful role in the economic development of nations, then it is now in this crisis. Dire Without SMEs supporting countries in the circulating of money, then thousands are in dire straits as evidenced by the businesses closing shop and this also affects many households. The Botswana case was a great example of sterling leadership in crisis and brilliant thought leadership at work. Many countries are following suit and looking at ways that this pandemic will not extinguish their private sector. This includes relaxed loan repayments, reviewing taxation, empowering locals more than others first and so many other robust, yet welcome initiatives. Even here we have seen how the Prime Minister Mandvulo Dlamini and his cabinet team in particular the Minister of Commerce Industry and Trade Mancoba Khumalo have been seeking ways to try and open up the economy without obviously risking more infections. However, they have the odds stacked against them as in Eswatini the Ease of Doing Business ranking is quite eye-watering. This means there also needs to be reforms aimed at easing the conducting of business of many and making this a more business friendly environment at an accelerated rate. It is commendable that this was one of the main pillars of the Government Strategic Roadmap, but obviously now any reforms need to be done with some more urgency. When someone is in a critical state you do not drive them to hospital in a normal vehicle but you call an ambulance that can speed them there. That is what SMEs need now from all quarters. We have just entered the second half of the year. For many the days are the same though, if not worse. The new normal has brought about despair and anxiety in all sectors and the job losses for thousands have compounded the situation. The question on many peoples minds looking back at that bold declaration of 2020 being the SME year is; Is this still the year of the SMEs? And I boldly believe it can still be with collaborated efforts. Not sure if you have noted this but since the pandemic started many people have been digging deep into finding new ways of doing business. My timeline and WhatsApp status is now filled with new business people especially those who are selling clothing online. These innovative souls are providing convenience, choice and accessibility and personal customer service. They need to be assisted to be able to now make those businesses into formal trade so they can be able to benefit the socio-economic development of the country. And it starts with looking at ways to grant them no-hassle permits to operate instead of the long route that many SME currently face when they seek to be a part of the ecosystem. Many give up at the first hurdle just discouraged by the paperwork and the startup costs. Yet in reality the fact that they have the passion, the drive and market, then they should be supported to operate easier. Amendments Amendments into the company registration and licence renewal processes will allow for more micro businesses to come into playing a vital role in the economic development of the country. It is understandable that all the processes that were put in place where done so that businesspeople could flourish and do so in a safe enabling environment. That is not in doubt. But they need to evolve with the times. They may have worked then but in the state of crisis we are in now we need even temporary permits that can allow those that have lost jobs to be able to start up their own companies without worrying about where to find lots of money for the documentation process as well as an office. Actually the new normal has taught us that it is quite possible to effectively run a company without a physical office and this cuts off a lot of rent and welcome many new players into the market. I am certain though that these are conversations that are being held by our more than capable government and its skilled, experienced and qualified civil service. Conversations centered on win-win solutions for SMEs in times of crisis. One analyst noted that to prevent unemployment, poverty, and food insecurity rates from further skyrocketing, small and medium enterprises around the globe can and should play a crucial role in this time of despair. This they noted especially for low-income countries. However, to do that, these experts concurred with me that SMEs need, among others, increased credit availability and other forms of support. It is therefore befitting that even the Youth Enterprise Revolving Fund CEO Bhekizwe Maziya noted that the sectors that continued to operate during lockdown are those that young people must consider for their next business ideas. Hopefully this was heeded and the next round of applications will have more innovative industries. It has also been noted by global financial bodies that in developing economies, SMEs make a significant contribution to local employment and to overall gross domestic product (GDP). An economic downturn due to COVID-19, to which SMEs are especially vulnerable, hits developing economies at the heart. And to keep that heart pumping a business unusual approach is required from all stakeholders. I have seen some local companies commit to paying SMEs quicker than in the past. That is more than commendable. That coupled with more supporting reforms will ensure that as we start the second half of this year, the vision for this to be the year of SME is realised. The potential for it to be realised is still there, but only with the right supporting mechanisms. MBABANE A 18-year-old teenager has made a robotic tray that transports food and medication from the dispenser to a patient. This idea came through a motivation by COVID-19, a disease caused by the coronavirus. Kwanele Maziya, who will be turning 19 years old later this year, said so far he has developed one gadget, a job that took him only two days to complete. Maziya, a resident of Mpaka who completed at Lusoti High School in 2018 built the robot at his home where he stays with his mother, who is a nurse and his father, a senior officer in the army. He said he started having an interest in robotics in 2014 while he was doing Form II. Between then and 2018 I worked together with other pupils in different groups and we even represented the country in many international science contests in Mexico and South Africa, he said. Maziya said he had not yet named his robot which was put on trial last week. In a 44-second video clip, the gadget is seen moving across a living room towards an obscured person who places three bottles of medicine on the top tray. It then turns and moves straight towards a set of sofas where, after a brief pause, it repositions itself such that it stops right in front of a woman laying on a sofa; who then takes the medication from the tray. Maziya explained that he was the one who dispensed the medication during a demonstration and had the robot deliver it to his sister-in-law. Medication I decided to make a robot tray/trolley that can be used to send food and medication to patients who are in isolation and quarantine. The whole purpose of the innovation is to minimise chances of direct contact between patients and health practitioners or care- givers. He explained that the robot is controlled in two ways; through coding and programming or manually by a remote control. He said the coding and programming used a drag and drop process where data like distance, speed and turns (left and right) were entered to direct the robot to its specific destination. These commands are entered before dispatching and the dispatcher may monitor the robot as it transports the items because it is not meant to keep the dispatcher away from the patient but just to keep a distance between them. He insisted that the robot was user-friendly and did not require deep expertise or training in science. Maziya estimated the cost of manufacturing one robot at E10 000. He said this was for material including a motor, wires, wheels and screws, most of which he said he purchased from the United States of America. He said over the years and now he has been receiving support to pursue his dream in robotics from his former school, his family and from other people like Ndzingeni Member of Parliament Lutfo Dlamini. Financially I approached the MP this year after referral by a friend of mine whom I told about my idea. The MP was very welcoming and he has helped me financially and otherwise with the current project. He also took the responsibility to find me a market for the gadget. He said his mother also played a vital role in this particular project by furnishing him with the necessary health information as she is a nurse. Maziya has recently been admitted to the Royal Science and Technology Park where he will be doing a two-year course in network administration. Otherwise I want to pursue a career in robotics. Apart from this robot, Maziya and two other pupils of Lusoti High School created a robot that lifted a box and placed it at a specific place, as per the contest challenge that was given to them while they were in Mexico. He said two of his school friends were pursuing their studies at Limkokwing University of Creative Technology and at the University of Eswatini. MP Lutfo Dlamini said he had met with the young man and they were working together. We have already identified suppliers of material from Hong Kong and we have ordered enough to make 10 more prototypes. Dlamini said he was making arrangements for a formal presentation of the project and also working on having Maziyas intellect protected. We dont want him to be used but we want him to be considered as an inventor. Handy He said Maziyas robot would come in handy now during the time of COVID-19 because it would be used for contactless deliveries. He said there was no official funding for the project for now, but they were financing costs from their pockets. MBABANE All schools will dedicate a time slot for COVID-19 lessons. This should reflect in timetables in schools for the purposes of COVID-19 information dissemination. The Standard Operating Procedures (sop) for Preparedness, Detection of and Response to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak in Eswatini states how and why pupils should be formally taught about the virus. outlines The document that was compiled in June 2020 outlines its purpose as to detail a schools reopening framework that was recently developed to highlight strategies that the ministry of education and training will implement. The framework also guides decision making processes to reopen schools, support national preparations and guide the implementation process, Bertram Stewart, the Principal Secretary in the Ministry of Education and Training states. The topics that are covered in the SOPs include serving of school meals; tuck-shop and cafeterias; hygiene, infection control; screening and handling of suspected cases and illnesses; nutrition and food service and school transport. monitoring Before opening of schools, vigorous training of school-based monitoring teams must have been done and members of these teams are a career guidance teacher, head girl or head boy, head teacher and deputy. Duties and responsibilities of these teams include to; link with nearest health facility and work with Ministry of Health Rapid Response Teams; response to cases identified; provide first aid counselling for suspect cases; and refer and follow-up on identified cases, the guidelines state. The COVID-19 training package for schools suggests that by the time schools open after the lockdown, most children will have heard about COVID-19, particularly school-age students and adolescents. overheard They may have read things online, seen something on TV, or heard friends or teachers talk about the illness. Others may have overheard you talking about it. There is a lot of misinformation out there. It encourages the asking of open-ended questions like; What have you heard about the coronavirus? Where did you hear about it? What are your major concerns or worries? Do you have any questions I can help you answer? and how are you feeling about the Coronavirus? Once you know what information they have and what they are concerned about, then you can help to fill in any necessary gaps. For 30 minutes, before teaching and learning activities resume there shall be sharing and enforcement of vital information regarding COVID-19. Loading capacity of scholar transport l Vehicles with a permissible carrying capacity of five persons is allowed to carry two passengers plus a driver (three persons). l Vehicles with a permissible carrying capacity of seven passengers is allowed to carry three passengers plus a driver (four persons). l A minibus licensed to carry 10 passengers, is limited to carry a maximum of seven passengers plus a driver. l A minibus licensed to carry 15 passengers, is limited to carry the maximum of 10 passengers plus a driver. l A minibus permitted to carry a maximum of 22 passengers, is limited to carry a maximum of 15 passengers plus a driver. l A bus with a passenger capacity exceeding 60 is permitted to carry not more than 50 per cent of its permissible passenger carrying capacity which includes both seated and standing passengers. MBABANE Tim Nhleko, the Managing Director of Swaziland Building Society (SBS) who was laid to rest yesterday, leaves behind an institution that is reportedly troubled. The challenges are so serious that the Marketing Manager, Veli Dlamini, said the information on the Societys operations had been leaked to not only damage the reputation of the institution but to also spite senior management of the organisation, especially at a traumatic time of the loss of their managing director. He urged the Times SUNDAY not to publish this article and said if the story goes ahead despite such advice, the Society reserved the legal right to institute legal proceedings for defamation. He said he hoped this would not be necessary. He said issues of the Society remained confidential between the institution and its employees. Top of the ladder of the institutions challenges is the exodus of senior management and the resignation of a high-profile board member, allegedly because they did not see eye-to-eye with Nhleko. Among those who left under Nhlekos leadership was Elizabeth Busisiwe Arden, who held the position of General Manager for four years from 2012 to 2016. She assumed the position from Nhleko when the latter was appointed MD following the early retirement of Joseph Ndlangamandla. Impeccable sources within the Society said Arden was the one earmarked to succeed Nhleko in the position of Managing Director. When Nhleko was appointed MD in 2012, he was already 59 years old so it was anticipated that he would retire at the age of 60 and Arden would take over. That was the initial plan, said one of the highly-placed sources. However, when he reached 60, Nhleko is said to have been given a five-year contract, something that caused rumbling among employees of the institution because it was generally known that everyone was to leave upon reaching the retirement age. When Arden was recruited from SwaziBank (now EswatiniBank) the plan was that she would understudy Nhleko for a year and then take over the MDs position but that did not happen. CONTRACT Arden is said to have resigned in 2016, with Nhleko still left with two years on his contract. In 2018, Nhleko was given a further three-year contract, which again caused uproar among employees such that the Swaziland Union of Financial Institutions and Allied Workers (SUFIAW) wrote to Board Chairman Kenneth Mbuli asking for urgent talks. Already, on April 11, 2017, SUFIAW had written to Mbuli asking for engagement on a review of the retirement age. We have been approached by our members on the above matter and they advised that they have noted with concern the Societys uneven approach to retirement age. They have noted that while they had assumed that perhaps the inconsistent retirement age was a result of the fixed-term contract, this does not seem to be the case as all other senior managers vacate office at the age of 60 years, but that does not seem universal, the union wrote. The union informed the board chairman that in view of the current state of affairs, they were demanding a review of the retirement age from 60 to 65 so as to avoid one policy for some employees and another for others. RETIRE Nhleko was expected to retire next year. Besides Arden, other managers who quit under Nhlekos leadership include Asakhe House Branch Manager Michael Mbetse, who has since joined the newly-launched Status Capital Building Society where he holds the position of General Manager. Mbetse resigned in May 2020. Mortgage Manager Jabulani Manana and Manager Short-Term Business M.Y Manana are two others who recently left SBS. There are also unconfirmed reports that one senior manager who was recently recruited has also left the institution. There is then the resignation of Winston Lomahoza the Board Vice Chairman who has also held the position of Chairman for quite some time. The impeccable sources said what was most concerning with Lomahozas resignation was that he even withdrew his investments with the institution. We dont know what could have informed this decision but it has greatly been of concern to us, said one of the sources. Dlamini, the Marketing Manager, refused to call the resignation of the senior managers an exodus. Like any organisation, some of the managers mentioned above (without mentioning their names) resigned on their own accord, others had their contracts expiring and one of them is still with SBS, he said He stated that their departure had not affected the operations of SBS as they have since been replaced by other experienced managers. On the other hand, the board chairman, responding on the resignation of Lomahoza, said he did not have mandate from him to disclose the reasons for his decision to quit and the withdrawal of his investments. Further, these matters are between him and the board and they are confidential, Mbuli said. CHALLENGES Second on the list of challenges facing SBS is the decision to install a new banking system, which was launched in October last year. The system, which is known as Intellect and was reportedly procured from India, has been a headache to the operations of the Society. According to the highly-reliable sources, the system has not been friendly to the local environment and was causing a number of challenges for customers, especially with regard to bank balances and stop orders. Management decided to carry out a total overhaul of the banking system and disregarded advice to gradually introduce Intellect by allowing it to function alongside the old system until it was fully understood by everyone, said another of the sources. They said compounding the situation was the resignation of the senior managers who were supposed to be the ones teaching those below them how to operate it. Dlamini confirmed the implementation of the new system and said like all systems there are teething problems which have since been resolved. DENIED He denied the reports that customers bank accounts and stop orders had been affected by the new system. Before the rollout, the system was subjected to high-level scrutiny by all regulatory bodies, such as the Central Bank, to ensure that customer accounts and information were protected, he said. He then issued a veiled threat to the Times SUNDAY: We further wish to advise that the system information is privileged and classified and any person including yourselves who leak any information in respect of the SBS system may compromise the Society and customer confidential information and may accordingly be prosecuted. The nature of the confidentiality inherent in the banking sector cannot be underscored enough, even in the present circumstance. Asked about the cost of the system, Dlamini said such information remained confidential not only to SBS and its members but also to the general banking sector in the country. He said the reason for SBS to change the system was that over the passage of time all systems become obsolete and organisations accordingly become obligated to change to modern systems that enhance efficiencies. He said system changes were necessary in the business environment. SBS is one such entity that has conformed to the dictates and changed working environment, he said. The third challenge facing SBS is the delayed release of the institutions financials for the year ended March 31, 2020. Sources alleged that this was more than a delay but an actual failure that has been caused mainly by the failure to master the Intellect banking system. As we talk, PricewaterhouseCoopers is busy with the auditing and we are eagerly await the report, said one of the sources. FAILED Again, Dlamini refuted that the institution had failed to release the results and blamed the delay on the COVID-19, further mentioning that an external audit was still ongoing. He said financial results are released once the external audit is completed and the annual financials approved. We are all aware that audit commenced during the covid-19 lockdown and auditors have been working remotely. These supervening elements have been communicated to both our regulators and relevant stakeholders, he said. He said the audit by PricewaterhouseCoopers was being conducted for and on behalf of SBS and upon finalisation PwC will report only to SBS. The management of the Society will not interfere with such a crucial and painstaking process, Dlamini said. Mbuli, the Board chairman, asked that responses regarding the financials be responded to by management. Kooheji Development, one of the largest real estate developers in Bahrain, said it has awarded Marazzi Group Italy, a leader in the design, manufacturing and distribution of ceramic and porcelain stoneware floor and wall tiles, the contract for all the tiles requirements for its Onyx Bahrain Bay project. Onyx Bahrain Bay requires over 1.6 million sq ft of tiles and Marazzi Group has been appointed as one of the suppliers to collaborate with Kooheji real estate team to supply wide range of tiles. The assigned two top international award-winning interior designers by Kooheji Development developed bespoke two distinctive themes and colour collection for Onyx Bahrain Bay apartments. The two themes are the Madison and the Kingsbridge. Both themes have been designed as a definitive statement of style, with the floor-to-ceiling windows and every apartment having been designed to maximise the view as well as focus on providing generous amounts of living space through effective interior space planning. General Manager Mohammed Abdulghaffar Al Kooheji said: "Kooheji Development has been long respected for the intelligent integration of architecture and interior design, our philosophy 'simplicity creates beauty' is demonstrated in the use of the highest quality materials, sophisticated colours and strong attention to details." "Our methodology has proved to be a success in creating unique real estate development and high-rise residential towers that shaped the residential towers lifestyle experience in Bahrain, by elevating the community experience and adding unique amenities to the residential towers lifestyle," he explained. Al Kooheji said: "We have been the standard-bearers for the high-rise residential towers experience and with our iconic asset Onyx Bahrain Bay for its uniqueness in terms of its strategic location being in Bahrains most prestigious address - Bahrain Bay, we will be introducing a new standard of luxury residential towers in Bahrain to raise the bar higher." "Hence comes the necessity to partner with the leading company in the design, manufacturing and distribution porcelain stoneware floor and wall tiles, such as Marazzi Group, not only to select their top-of-the-range collection but also to ensure that their team partner closely with our architects and interior designers to achieve the required new standards" stated the top official. "We strive to add unique real estate products to Bahrain skyline that is appealing to shareholders and apartments owners, while offering unique five-star hospitality lifestyle to our residents," noted Al Kooheji. "We work together with our partners to enhance the concept, creating functional, unique features that bring the project to life," he added. On the selection of tiles, Al Kooheji said: "These are Marazzi s top-of-the-range and finest tiles available worldwide. The design, finishes and patterns has been carefully selected by Kooheji s interior design team and engineers with pre-set criteria for our project to ensure it achieves the required functionality and complements the projects colour pallets." "We have selected marbles finishes of tiles ranges from cool to warm colours such as Statuario, Calacatta, Armani Grey, dolomite, Tafu and grey Travertine to complement our interior designer pallets ranging from light cool colour to warm colours," he noted. "For the Madison, we have selected the cool pallet marble imitation with very light veins with saturated cool affect to complement our cool pallets. As for the warm pallet we have selected marble imitation with darker, stronger colour and more variation in colours to complement our warm pallet colour," he added. Marazzi Group Italy Regional Manager Wajdi Ahmadie said: "We are proud to announce our deal and commitment with Kooheji Development in their iconic new high-rise project Onyx Bahrain Bay, which is a unique concept in the GCC and Bahrain in terms of design, quality and vanguard technology." "We will be suppling our key products, and for the first time in Bahrain, our full body porcelain tiles in slabs Made in Italy which is the best in design and most expensive tile imitation of marble look, wood and stone finish made using our latest technology of 2019," he added.-TradeArabia News Service The protracted procurement process for Kuwait's independent water and power projects (IWPPs) has been, over the years, testing the endurance of consultants and investors. However, there are compelling reasons to believe that this time, things will be different - following the news that Kuwait has given consultants until July 23 to submit advisory bids for the development of two power and water megaprojects, according to GlobalData. The award of transaction advisory contract will be a major milestone towards delivering two key projects for Kuwait worth a combined $7 billion, but there is still a long way to go before the plans become reality. And in the meantime, the slowdown in demand growth due to the Covid-19 lockdowns is adding a whole new layer of uncertainty, stated the report. Jennifer Aguinaldo, the Energy & Technology Editor at GlobalDatas MEED, said: "Once complete, the two IWPPs will be able to generate a combined 4.5 GW of electricity and produce about 290 million gallons a day (mgd) of desalinated water, thus increasing the countrys current capacity by more than 25%." "With a mega estimate of about $7 billion, the projects also represents the biggest ever opportunity for private investors in the countrys history," noted Aguinaldo. "However, as anyone connected to the Kuwait market knows, the path to the delivery of major projects in Kuwait can be slow and uncertain - particularly where privatizations and public private partnerships (PPP) are concerned," she noted. Aguinaldo pointed out that Kuwait had struggled to make progress with its IWPP programme for much of the past decade. "It is the second time the contract for the Al Zour North 2&3 and Al-Khiran projects has been tendered in its current form," she noted. Kuwait's procurement process for IWPPs is testing the endurance of consultants and the confidence of investors. However, this time, things are likely to be different - first and foremost being that Kuwaits first liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal at Al Zour will be completed soon, remarked Aguinaldo. "In addition, Kuwaits electricity and water ministry is under enormous pressure to deliver the new water and power production capacity. This urgency could see the government seek to bypass Kuwaits lengthy approvals process that frequently results in rancorous disagreements with opposition groups in the countrys parliament over projects such as these," she added.-TradeArabia News Service His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa today (July 4) ratified and issued law 18 of 2020, endorsing the Air Service Agreement between Bahrain and Spain, following its endorsement by the Shura Council and Council of Representatives, reported BNA. The deal was signed by the two countries at the headquarters of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), in Montreal, Canada, on September 25 last year, it stated. The Prime Minister and ministers, each in his jurisdiction, shall implement the provisions of the law, which shall come into effect a day after its publication in the Official Gazette, it added. In April, the Park Service prepared an environmental assessment and concluded the fireworks would have "no significant impact." This would be the first fireworks display at Mount Rushmore since 2010 when the National Park Service stopped staging pyrotechnics out of concern that they could spark wildfires. The memorial is surrounded by 486 hectares of forested land and located next to the Black Hills National Forest's Black Elk Wilderness. "It's going to be a fireworks display like few people have seen. It's going to be very exciting," Trump said during a White House event Thursday. President Donald Trump Friday heads to Mount Rushmore, where he will headline U.S. Independence Day celebrations featuring fireworks for the first time in more than a decade at the national park in South Dakota. Monumental Feud Trump's visit comes during a national debate over monuments honoring American leaders who were slaveholders or held racist views. Universities and local governments across the country are removing controversial monuments, at a time when many Americans are protesting for ways to address systemic racism following the death of George Floyd, an African American, in police custody in May. The president has consistently opposed protesters who want to remove statues of Confederate leaders and figures who supported slavery and white supremacy. Trump signed an executive order in June directing federal law enforcement agencies to prosecute people who damage federal monuments. Choosing Mount Rushmore as the backdrop of this year's Independence Day event is a political strategy clearly informed by the debate over monuments, said Vanessa Beasley, who teaches presidential rhetoric at Vanderbilt University. "Trump is basically trying to say to his base audience; hey, if you don't like what's happening with all these monuments, I'm going to go to the biggest and most immovable monument there is and I'm going to claim it as my own," said Beasley to VOA. "I don't think there's any nuance or ambiguity in that message." Americans Urged to Stay Home As the nation witnessed a spike in new coronavirus cases, with an 80 percent increase in the past two weeks, health officials urged Americans to stay home on July 4 -- a holiday usually celebrated with big parties and town parades. "The safest choice this holiday is to celebrate at home," the Oregon Health Authority said in a press release. South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem, a Republican who worked with the administration to organize the celebration at Mount Rushmore, said Monday that masks will be provided but social distancing will not be enforced. "In South Dakota, we've told people to focus on personal responsibility. Every one of them has the opportunity to make a decision that they are comfortable with. So, we will be having celebrations of American independence; we will have a large event July 3," she said during an appearance on Fox News earlier this week. Tickets for the 7,500-person capacity event were allocated by lottery in June. In trying to balance personal liberties and freedom against public safety, the president and Governor Noem have decided that they want to come down on the side of personal freedom, said Michael Cornfield, associate professor of political management at The George Washington University, told VOA. "It's quite risky." Presidential Preference American presidents typically have celebrated July 4 based on their personal preferences and many have done so in ways that are "very much connected to what's happening at that moment," said Matthew Costello, a historian with the White House Historical Association, in an interview with VOA. James K. Polk, the nation's 11th president and the one who pursued the expansion of the continental United States through wars in the mid-19th century, celebrated with military parades and other ways that were very much about patriotism, said Costello. "It was about the war effort, but it was also about continuing the fight for what he believed was in the best interest of the country." Trump is not the first American president to commemorate Independence Day in a pandemic. During the Spanish Flu in 1918, Woodrow Wilson reviewed a parade that marched on Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, said Costello. Wilson missed the 4th of July in 1919, as he was returning from the Paris Peace Conference. Many historians, including John M. Barry, professor at the Tulane University School of Public Health and author of The Great Influenza: The Story of the Deadliest Pandemic in History, believe Wilson himself fell ill with the flu around that time. "Grievances of India-Bangladesh border villagers misconstrued and misrepresented" Shillong, Jul 3 (UNI) The Meghalaya police on Friday claimed that the headmen and secretary of three villages along the India-Bangladesh border have said that their grievances were misconstrued and misrepresented in the media, where it was reported that they wanted to be part of Bangladesh due to hardship faced by them for non-construction of a road. A meeting was held in the office of the Deputy Commissioner, East Jaintia Hills on Friday, which was also attended by the superintendent of police and representatives of Lahalein, Huroi and Hingaria villages in connection with tidings which appeared in various news editions, stating that the border villages want to be part of Bangladesh, a police statement on Friday said. In the meeting the headmen and secretary of the three villages including the spokesperson Kynjaimon Amse informed that they only wanted to express the hardships that they faced in terms of road connectivity, communication and the lack of medical facilities in their villages apart from others, however, their grievances were misconstrued and misrepresented, Assistant Inspector General of Police (A), Meghalaya, G.K. Iangrai stated in a statement. New Delhi, Jul 4 (UNI) Continuing his attack on the NDA government on the India-China border standoff, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday said the Centre should listen to patriotic Ladakhis who are raising their voice against Chinese intrusion. 'Patriotic Ladakhis are raising their voice against Chinese intrusion. They are screaming a warning. Ignoring their warning will cost India dearly. For Indias sake, please listen to them,' Mr Gandhi tweeted. The former Congress president also tagged a video clip along with the tweet which quoted Ladakhis speaking about Chinese intrusion. This is the second day in succession that Rahul has spoken about the issue. On Friday, when Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid a surprise visit to Leh, Mr Gandhi had tweeted, 'Ladakhis say: China took our land. PM says: Nobody took our land. Obviously, someone is lying.' The Prime Minister paid a surprise visit to Leh in Ladakh on Friday morning to take stock on the prevailing on-ground security situation, amid the recent border skirmishes with China. UNI NY AR SB 1308 New Delhi, Jul 4(UNI) Emphasising the continuing relevance of the ideals of Lord Buddha in the present times, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said that his ideals provide lasting solutions to challenges faced by the World today . Delivering a video address on the occasion of inauguration of Dharma Chakra Day, being celebrated by the International Buddhist Confederation , under the aegis of the Ministry of Culture, on Asadha Poornima , the PM said, 'today the world fights extraordinary challenges. To these challenges, lasting solutions can come from the ideals of Lord Buddha. They were relevant in the past. They are relevant in the present. And, they will remain relevant in the future.' Urging the youth to stay connected with the thoughts of Lord Buddha, the PM said, 'I would urge my young friends to also stay connected with the thoughts of Lord Buddha. They will motivate and show the way ahead. At times,they will even calm you down or cheer you up. Infact, Lord Buddha's teaching of - : : , be your own guiding light is a wonderful management lesson.' Prime Minister said that Lord Buddha spoke about hope and purpose and saw a strong link between the two. He spoke about how he is hopeful about the 21st century, and this hope springs from the youth. He underlined that India has one of the largest start-up ecosystems where bright young minds are finding solutions to global problems. ' I am very hopeful about the 21st century. This hope comes from my young friends- our youth. If you want to see a great example of how hope, innovation and compassion can remove suffering, it is our Start-up sector. Bright young minds are finding solutions to global problems. India has one of the largest start-up ecosystems,'the PM said. Prime Minister talked about the teaching of Lord Buddha and about the eight-fold path which shows the way towards the well-being of many societies and nations. He noted that Buddhism teaches respect for people, women, poor, for peace and non-violence and these teachings are the means to a sustainable planet. 'The eight-fold path of Lord Buddha shows the way towards the well-being of many societies and nations. It highlights the importance of compassion and kindness. The teachings of Lord Buddha celebrate simplicity both in thought and action. Buddhism teaches respect. Respect for people. Respect for the poor. Respect for women. Respect for peace and non-violence. Therefore, the teachings of Buddhism are the means to a sustainable planet,'the PM said. Stressing the need to connect more people with Buddhist heritage sites and enhance connectivity to these sites,the PM said, 'the need of the hour to connect more and more people with Buddhist heritage sites. We in India have many such sites. You know how people also know my parliamentary constituency of Varanasi? As the home to Sarnath. We want to focus on connectivity to Buddhist sites. ' He also mentioned about the recent Cabinet decision to declare Kushinagar Airport in UP as an International Airport, which would facilitate the travel of pilgrims and tourists, while also giving a boost to the economy in the region. Prime Minister conveyed his greetings on Ashadha Poornima, also known as Guru Purnima. He expressed happiness that copies of Mongolian Kanjur are being presented to the Government of Mongolia. The International Buddhist Confederation , under the aegis of the Ministry of Culture, Government of India, is celebrating Asadha Poornima on July 4, 2020, as Dharma Chakra Day. This day commemorates Gautam Buddha's First Sermon to his first five ascetic disciples at the Deer Park, Rsipatana in the present day Sarnath near Varanasi, UP. 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. UNI AR ADG 1205 Who is Ghislaine Maxwell? A peek into Epstein's sidekick's extravagant life on the lam French President Emmanuel Macron named Jean Castex, a senior civil servant, as his new prime minister on Friday as he acted to recast his presidency and take back control of policy ahead of elections in 2022. Macron wants to start afresh after the coronavirus crisis reversed some of the hard-fought gains earned from moves to liberalize the economy, and is aware he needs to win back disillusioned voters. Outgoing premier Edouard Philippe gave Castex a "namaste" welcome greeting outside the prime minister's Matignon office, having earlier tendered his government's resignation ahead of an anticipated reshuffle. "The economic crisis is already here," Castex said. "Priorities will therefore have to evolve, ways of working will have to be adapted. We will have to unite the nation to fight this crisis that is setting in." Macron is reshaping his government as France grapples with the deepest economic slide since World War II, a sharp downturn that will shrink the economy by about 11 percent in 2020 and bring about big job losses. Castex, 55, hails from the center-right, a career technocrat with experience in local politics who most recently has been known as "Monsieur Deconfinement" for his role bringing the country out of lockdown measures. Also the mayor of Prades, a town in southwest France, he speaks with a local lilt and will help Macron connect with provincial France, Elysee insiders hope. Investors will be watching to see if Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire, who has overseen reforms to liberalize the economy and spent big to keep companies like Air France and Renault afloat during the crisis, keeps his job. "The return from summer holidays will be difficult, we must get ready," Macron said on the eve of his government's resignation. Maiden Alley Gets Grants for Budget, Special Event By Bill Hughes PADUCAH - Maiden Alley Cinema has received a couple of grants this week.Executive Director Rebecca Madding told West Kentucky Star the gifts are $2,700 from the Art House America Campaign and $2,500 from the Kentucky Foundation for Women.In March the Art House America Campaign was set up by the Criterion Connection, and began taking donations for a relief fund to help independent cinemas affected by the pandemic. By April the GoFundMe page had surpassed its $500,000 goal and it's now at $842,000. They have made several disbursements to qualifying theatres, and Madding says its a great help, especially since they were shut down for three months and had no income."We are a non-profit, however we have the same bills and expenses as any other business would. We have payroll, we've got health insurance, we've got utilities. These grants really make sure that we can keep up with those bills," Madding said.Although movie theatres were allowed to open on June 1, Madding said they waited until June 12 to gauge the situation and willingness of their patrons to attend events.Maiden Alley has been seating 33 percent capacity in their 114-seat theatre and sold out on their first weekend, when they showed the Steven Spielberg films, "E.T.," "Jaws," and, "Jurassic Park." Since then they have continued to have a pretty good turnout, and are excited to present, "Raiders of the Lost Ark," this weekend (they will be closed on July 4).Since they re-opened, Madding said they have been, "a little close," on making ends meet, but they have adjusted in some areas. They are encouraging extra-cautious folks who might normally attend movies to donate what they would typically spend if they attended a screening. They have a secure donation page on their website (see link below).Madding said, "We definitely had to dig deep and go through our reserves a little bit just to make it through. Even with these grants, as a non-profit, you're always thinking about fundraising and you're always trying to stay ahead. We are no different than any other business right now - just trying to not only make ends meet but to make up for what was lost those three months."The second donation they received this week will not help with general expenses. It is an Arts Meets Activism grant is designed, "to help create societal change for the advancement of feminism." Madding says Maiden Alley will partner with Sprocket innovation lab, using some of their equipment and the arts to encourage female high school students to advance their STEM skills in fields that relate to the arts. Due to the current pandemic, the date and other details for this event have not yet been announced. Maiden Alley will reach out to area schools to help recruit students.Another event at Maiden Alley, the River's Edge Film Festival, was scheduled for August, but Madding said that was still, "a little too soon to have a big group of people from out-of-town come to Paducah." That event is now scheduled for November 12-15, 2020.On the Net: Dawson Springs Man Faces Murder Charge By West Kentucky Star Staff On Friday, Kentucky State Police were contacted by Caldwell County Dispatch in reference to a shooting in the 100 block of Wood Lane. Investigation revealed that 43-year-old Joe R. Curnell of Dawson Springs, had shot 24-year-old James Bannister of Eddyville. Bannister was taken to Jennie Stuart Medical Center where he succumbed to his injuries. Curnell was arrested and lodged in the Caldwell County Jail. He is charged with murder, possession of a handgun by a convicted felon, and tampering with physical evidence. CALDWELL COUNTY - A Dawson Springs man is facing murder charges after a shooting Friday night. Medical Emergency Leads to Graves County Crash By West Kentucky Star Staff Graves County deputies said the single-vehicle crash happened on KY 129 about four miles north of Pilot Oak. They said 35-year-old Joshua Dunam blacked out while driving, possibly due to becoming overheated. Dunam drove off of the shoulder then back across KY 129, nearly hitting a vehicle before he hit an embankment. Dunham was assessed for minor injuries and taken to a local hospital by a family member. GRAVES COUNTY - A Wingo man was taken to the hospital after a medical emergency led to a car accident on Friday. Some Public Swimming Pools May Open This Week By West Kentucky Star Staff PADUCAH - In May, Governor Andy Beshear announced that some public pools could open by this week, with protocols in place for the safety of swimmers and employees. As some pools open for the summer, Baptist Health Paducah encourages people to continue to take precautions.The Centers for Disease Control advises people wash their hands often, cover coughs and sneezes, wear a mask when possible and practice social distancing by staying at least six feet away from people you do not live with.Other tips include: bring your own supplies - such as hand sanitizer - for proper hygiene; do not share personal objects such as goggles, nose clips and toys such as floats; and if you are showing signs of the virus or any illness be sure to stay at home. Video PlayerClose 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) Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-03 22:51:32|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Aerial photo taken on July 2, 2020 shows workers laying tracks on a bridge as they put final touches on the Altay-Fuyun section of the Afuzhun (Altay-Fuyun-Zhundong) Railway in Fuyun County, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. (Xinhua/Ding Lei) The United States has failed to take on its leadership role in the COVID-19 pandemic while scrambling to shift the blame away from its own incompetence. 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. 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) 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. 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) 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. Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-03 22:53:03|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Wang Chen, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and head of the China Law Society, attends a symposium on studying and implementing the law on safeguarding national security in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) in Beijing, capital of China, July 3, 2020. (Xinhua/Yue Yuewei) BEIJING, July 3 (Xinhua) -- Senior Chinese official Wang Chen has stressed effective implementation of the law on safeguarding national security in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR). Wang, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and head of the China Law Society, made the remarks Friday at a symposium on studying and implementing the law. Formulating and implementing the law is an important measure in the practice of the "one country, two systems," and a turning point for Hong Kong to turn crisis into opportunities and end chaos and restore order, Wang said. Wang called on legal scholars and workers to play active roles in promoting the effective implementation of the law and resolutely safeguard national security as well as the lasting peace and stability in Hong Kong. Noting that the law fully conforms to China's Constitution and the HKSAR Basic Law, Wang said it is a good law that will definitely bring good governance in Hong Kong. It will act as a powerful deterrent against all sorts of anti-China elements in and outside Hong Kong and offer a strong institutional guarantee for safeguarding the long-term prosperity and stability in the region, he said. The malicious attempts to obstruct the formulation and implementation of the law will never succeed, he added. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-03 23:36:22|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) Hong Kong has given full play to its unique advantage as a global hub backed by the mainland since its return to the motherland. BEIJING, July 3 (Xinhua) -- China welcomes foreign businesses including U.S. companies to continue operating in Hong Kong and wishes them greater success, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said Friday. Zhao made the remarks at a press briefing when asked to comment on a statement of the American Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong, which said it remains "committed to Hong Kong as a home base for international business." The chamber said it had worked with and supported the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region 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. Zhao said Hong Kong has given full play to its unique advantage as a global hub backed by the mainland since its return to the motherland. Its status as an international financial, shipping and trading center has been consolidated and it has been known as one of the most free, open, prosperous and vibrant places in the world, Zhao said. "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 spokesperson said. Photo taken on June 12, 2019 shows roads after a riot in Admiralty area of Hong Kong, south China. (Xinhua) He pointed out that the national security law in Hong Kong will provide a stronger institutional guarantee for the steady and sustained implementation of "one country, two systems." The law will "help ensure Hong Kong's lasting security, stability and prosperity, safeguard residents' lawful rights and freedoms, and protect investors' rights and interests," he said. "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," said Zhao. "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," the spokesperson added. The minister had come in contact with PM Imran Khan in parliament, and also US representative Khalilzad to discuss on Afghan peace process Islamabad: 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. Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-03 23:48:57|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Wang Yang, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) National Committee, attends a seminar held for the political advisors to share their reading experiences in Beijing, capital of China, July 3, 2020. (Xinhua/Zhang Ling) BEIJING, July 3 (Xinhua) -- China's top political advisor Wang Yang on Friday encouraged political advisors to fully exchange what they have learned from reading to improve their abilities in fulfilling duties. Wang, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) National Committee, made the remarks while attending a seminar in Beijing. The seminar was held for the political advisors to share their reading experiences, acquired in a reading activity inaugurated by the CPPCC National Committee in late April. Noting that the reading activity is a move to improve the political advisors' ability to perform their duties, Wang called for pooling the thoughts and suggestions of political advisors from different sectors, disciplines, and fields to lay a solid foundation for improving the quality of proposals. Wang also required efforts to strengthen guidance in the reading activities for political advisors, and hold online reading-experience sharing seminars to encourage more political advisors to participate in reading. Nearly 900 members of the CPPCC National Committee attended the reading activity through a mobile platform for political advisors. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-04 01:03:41|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Tanzanian Prime Minister Kassim Majaliwa(3rd, L) officially opens the 44th Dar es Salaam International Trade Fair in Dar es Salaam, commercial capital of Tanzania, July 3, 2020. (Xinhua) The 44th Dar es Salaam International Trade Fair officially opened in Tanzania's commercial capital Dar es Salaam on Friday with Prime Minister Kassim Majaliwa attending the opening ceremony. Due to COVID-19 outbreak, the number of foreign exhibitors to the 44th DITF has dropped sharply from last year's 580 to 43. DAR ES SALAAM, July 3 (Xinhua) -- The 44th Dar es Salaam International Trade Fair (DITF) officially opened here in Tanzania's commercial capital Dar es Salaam on Friday with Prime Minister Kassim Majaliwa attending the opening ceremony. The COVID-19 outbreak should be a lesson to farmers and industrialists to produce more crops and products that could be used in times of epidemics, said Majaliwa during the ceremony. "When there are enough food stocks and other necessities produced in industries, it becomes a huge relief during outbreak of epidemics such as the COVID-19," he added. He thanked the 2,837 local exhibitors and 43 foreign exhibitors for their participation in the trade fair amid the COVID-19 threats, adding that the situation in Tanzania was almost under control. Due to COVID-19 outbreak, the number of foreign exhibitors to the 44th DITF has dropped sharply from last year's 580 to 43. A vendor introduces his products during the 44th Dar es Salaam International Trade Fair in Dar es Salaam, commercial capital of Tanzania, July 3, 2020. (Xinhua) The foreign exhibitors this year came from China, Syria, India, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates and Ghana, said Majaliwa. Majaliwa pledged that the government will continue creating a conducive environment for doing business in the country after he had visited a number of local and foreign pavilions. The DITF is an annual major promotional event which has established itself over years as a shop window for Tanzanian products as well as for the east, central and southern African region. The fair exhibits agricultural products, food and beverages, textiles, garments, manufacturing equipment, building materials and automobiles. It is also a business platform for chemicals and cosmetics, timber and furniture, trade services, engineering products, machinery, information technology, handicrafts, consultancy and training. The fair will last until July 13. Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-04 02:42:40|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan attends the opening ceremony of a mosque in Istanbul, Turkey, on July 3, 2020. Erdogan on Friday denounced the rising international criticism over Turkey's intention to covert Istanbul's iconic Hagia Sophia museum into a mosque. (Xinhua) ISTANBUL, July 3 (Xinhua) -- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Friday denounced the rising international criticism over Turkey's intention to covert Istanbul's iconic Hagia Sophia museum into a mosque. "The accusations against our country on the Hagia Sophia mean a direct attack on our sovereignty rights," Erdogan said at the opening ceremony of another mosque in Istanbul. "We will continue to protect the rights of Muslims, the dominant faith in our country, and those of other religions," he added. The Turkish government's plan has been drawing reactions of several countries, including Greece and the United States, which have been urging Turkey to keep the museum status of the historic monument. The Turkish State Council on Thursday said it would announce the verdict about the fate of the 1,500-year-old Hagia Sophia within 15 days. The monument, which first served as a cathedral and later an Ottoman imperial mosque, was transformed into a museum in 1935. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-04 04:23:30|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close KHARTOUM, July 3 (Xinhua) -- Talks between Sudan, Egypt and Ethiopia over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) on the Nile River were resumed on Friday under the African Union mediation, Sudan's Irrigation and Water Resources Ministry announced. "The talks between the three countries were resumed on Friday via video conference with mediators and monitors attending," said the ministry in a statement. The tripartite talks are expected to abide by the Declaration of Principles previously signed by the three countries as a basis for formulating all technical and legal items that lead to a final deal. In March 2015, leaders of the three countries signed the declaration committed to reaching an agreement regarding the GERD through cooperation. In June, the tripartite talks stalled over technical and legal differences. Ethiopia started building the GERD in 2011, while Egypt, a downstream Nile Basin country that relies on the river for its fresh water, is concerned that the dam might affect its 55.5-billion-cubic-meter annual share of the water resources. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-04 05:06:51|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Staff Ashley Tonge (L) wearing personal protective equipment practices haircut on her colleague Pippa Marland for the reopening of Sassoon's Salon in Manchester, Britain on July 2, 2020. (Photo by Jon Super/Xinhua) -- UK COVID-19 deaths rise to 44,131 as another 137 patients die; -- Spain to reopen borders to 12 non-EU countries; -- Serbian capital declares COVID-19 emergency; -- Cyprus to require negative COVID-19 test for British travelers. BRUSSELS, July 3 (Xinhua) -- The following are the latest developments of the COVID-19 pandemic in European countries. LONDON -- Another 137 COVID-19 patients have died in Britain as of Thursday afternoon, bringing the total coronavirus-related death toll in the country to 44,131, the British Department of Health and Social Care said Friday. The figures include deaths in all settings, including hospitals, care homes and the wider community. As of Friday morning, 284,276 people have tested positive for the disease in Britain, a daily increase of 544, according to the department. A boy plays with his father in downtown Barcelona, Spain, June 25, 2020. (City Hall of Barcelona/Handout via Xinhua) MADRID -- 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. A man crosses the border check point between North Macedonia and Serbia in Tabanovce, North Macedonia June 17, 2020. (Photo by Tomislav Georgiev/Xinhua) BELGRADE -- The Serbian capital of Belgrade declared a COVID-19 emergency on Friday in order to suppress a resurgence of COVID-19 outbreaks, while the municipal government adopted prevention measures, including fines for not wearing masks and ban of gatherings. Belgrade Mayor Zoran Radojicic made the decision to declare an emergency because more than 82.5 percent of newly-infected cases in Serbia come from the city, while the government issued temporary measures that will stay valid until July 18. According to data published by the Health Ministry on Thursday, Serbia has 1,996 active cases of COVID-19, of which 359 new patients were tested positive. The total number of confirmed cases in Serbia is 15,195, while 418,879 people were tested. 287 people have died of COVID-19 since early March. A trainer wearing a face mask and gloves disinfects gym equipment in Nicosia, Cyprus, June 13, 2020. (Photo by George Christophorou/Xinhua) NICOSIA -- 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. Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-04 07:08:07|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close YAOUNDE, July 3 (Xinhua) -- Nine separatist leaders who are serving life sentences have begun ceasefire talks with the Cameroonian government, a spokesperson for the separatist leaders said Friday. The main separatist leader Julius Ayuk Tabe confirmed the meeting but did not reveal details of their discussions. "Nine of us met with a team from the Republic of Cameroon to initiate a ceasefire following the appeal of the United Nations," Tabe said in a message on social media, adding that the talks were held on Thursday. "The details are still being discussed and we will keep you informed when significant progress has been made," he added. The Cameroonian government is yet to react to the announcement but government sources confirmed to Xinhua the meeting took place. The meeting between the leaders and the government is the first of its kind since an armed separatist conflict broke out in the English-speaking regions of Northwest and Southwest. The nine separatist leaders seeking independence of the English-speaking part of the country were sentenced to life in prison in August last year over rebellion and terrorism charges. Tabe and 46 other separatist activists were arrested in Nigeria in January 2018 then extradited to Cameroon. Cameroon government forces and armed separatists have been clashing since 2017 after the separatists declared the "independence" of the two Anglophone regions. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-04 10:04:18|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close People have haircuts in Johannesburg, South Africa, July 4, 2020. South Africa on Friday saw a record number of daily confirmed COVID-19 cases amid mounting calls for higher levels of lockdown. The country recorded 9,063 new cases in the past 24 hours, bringing the tally to 177,124, according to the latest figures released by Health Minister Zweli Mkhize. (Xinhua/Chen Cheng) CAPE TOWN, July 3 (Xinhua) -- South Africa on Friday saw a record number of daily confirmed COVID-19 cases amid mounting calls for higher levels of lockdown. The country recorded 9,063 new cases in the past 24 hours, bringing the tally to 177,124, according to the latest figures released by Health Minister Zweli Mkhize. The death toll has reached 2,952, of which 108 have been reported since Thursday. The country has witnessed sharp rises in both confirmed cases and related deaths since the relaxation of lockdown restrictions on May 1. This prompted calls for pushing the lockdown to higher levels in areas hit hard by the pandemic. On Friday, Gauteng Premier David Makhura said the province was considering enforcing a harder lockdown as the pandemic seemed to spiral out of control. Should the province go ahead with the harder lockdown, the regulations will apply to the entire province, not just COVID-19 hotspots, the premier said. Gauteng has seen a significant spike in new infections -- about 4,000 a day recently. As of Friday, the province recorded a total number of 54,331 infections, second only to the country's epicenter, the Western Cape which had a total number of 66,936 cases. Deaths related with the virus in Gauteng has reached 282, the third highest among all nine provinces in the country. There have been concerns that if cases continued to rise as rapidly as recently, Gauteng would overtake the Western Cape soon to become the country's epicenter. Makhura said that as the pressure was mounting, he wanted to "change the gear" by introducing tougher restrictions to give a breather to the health care system in order to save lives. Harder lockdown should be imposed in some of the areas where the pandemic is just getting out of hand, he said. "People are not observing any of the measures that have been put in place," the premier complained. "We're doing consultations about exploring some of the reintroduction of the harsher measures. Some of them may include issues pertaining to alcohol," Makhura said. Some hospitals are complaining that their bed capacity has been stretched by people suffering from trauma cases related with alcohol abuse. The country lifted a ban on the sale of alcohol on June 1 while further easing lockdown restrictions. Makhura also disclosed that the pandemic also took a toll on schools. Close to 600 schools in Gauteng have been affected by COVID-19, with at least 184 learners and 428 teachers having tested positive, he said. Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-04 10:24:25|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close People spend their Sunday afternoon on the National Mall in Washington D.C., the United States, on June 28, 2020. (Photo by Ting Shen/Xinhua) - Trump to host July 4th celebrations at Mt. Rushmore amid surge of COVID-19 cases - EU authorizes remdesivir for COVID-19 treatment - England eases self-isolation measures for passengers arriving from "lower risk countries" - 105-year-old man recovers from COVID-19 in Pakistan: local media - Over 10 million in Beijing receive COVID-19 tests BEIJING, July 4 (Xinhua) -- The following are the updates on the global fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. - - - - WASHINGTON -- 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. - - - - ISLAMABAD -- A 105-year-old man in Pakistan's east Punjab province has been discharged from hospital after successfully defeating COVID-19, local media reported on Friday. Fazal Rauf, who is also a war veteran and served in Pakistani army, was tested positive of the disease a few weeks ago and had been quarantined in hospital since then, the Express News said. - - - - A man wearing a face mask is seen in front of the European Commission headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, May 4, 2020. (Xinhua/Zheng Huansong) BRUSSELS -- The European Commission has authorized anti-viral drug remdesivir for the treatment against coronavirus on Friday, making it the first drug authorized at the European Union level for the treatment of COVID-19. "Today, the European Commission granted a conditional marketing authorization for the medicine remdesivir," the European Commission said in a press release. - - - - BAGHDAD -- 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. - - - - An aid worker (R) assists a woman to sanitize her hands at a food distribution center in Juba, South Sudan, April 23, 2020. (Xinhua/Gale Julius) JUBA -- 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. - - - - RIO DE JANEIRO -- Waste water samples from Florianopolis, the capital and second largest city of the Brazilian state of Santa Catarina, contained COVID-19 traces on Nov. 27, 2019, a sewage water study showed on Thursday. "Particles of the new coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, were found in two samples of Florianopolis sewage collected on November 27, 2019," a research group from the Federal University of Santa Catarina (UFSC) in Brazil said in a report published on the university's official website. - - - - A medical staff member takes a throat swab sample from a man at a newly-adopted mobile testing vehicle in Xicheng District of Beijing, capital of China, June 28, 2020. (Xinhua/Ju Huanzong) 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." - - - - Photo taken on June 8, 2020 shows a plane taking off from Heathrow Airport in London, Britain. (Photo by Tim Ireland/Xinhua) 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. Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-04 10:25:06|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BRUSSELS, July 3 (Xinhua) -- The European Commission on Friday rushed to announce it has given the green light to anti-viral drug Remdesivir for treatment of COVID-19, making it the first drug authorized at the European Union (EU) level for the purpose. EU Commissioner for Health and Food Safety Stella Kyriakides said the EU has expedited the authorization, approving the drug, made by American biopharmaceutical company Gilead Sciences, in an exceptionally short timeframe. "We will leave no stone unturned in our efforts to secure efficient treatments or vaccine against the coronavirus," said Kyriakides in a statement. The question now is whether there are enough doses to be left at the disposal of the EU in the near future, as news broke this week that the United States has locked down all the production for July and 90 percent of it for August and September. Gino Martini, chief scientist of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain, said the U.S. action will put clinical supply chains under strain, and it will be down to Gilead to boost production in order to satisfy the demand. He noted that Remdesivir is still classed as an investigational drug, and its use for COVID-19 in the United States is only permitted in emergency use. "Scaling up medicines to a production level is not a trivial matter and is controlled by regulatory and quality control standards and so takes time," he said. The professor said he would expect Remdesivir to "become available simultaneously across the world" if the evidence continues to support the use of Remdesivir to treat COVID-19. UNWILLING TO COOPERATE A spokesman for the European Commission told a press conference on Thursday that Brussels heard of the U.S. move from media reports, meaning Washington didn't bother to inform its allies beforehand. The U.S. move seemed more annoying to European experts. Ohid Yaqub, a senior lecturer at the Science Policy Research Unit, University of Sussex in England, said the buying-up of Remdesivir is disappointing "not necessarily because of the shortages it implies for other countries, but because it so clearly signals an unwillingness to cooperate with other countries." Karl Lauterbach, an epidemiologist and health expert of Social Democratic Party of Germany, called it an "unfriendly" action. "If we approached the vaccine this way later, we would certainly all have big problems," Lauterbach told German broadcasting Deutschlandfunk. PANIC PURCHASE U.S. buying up three-month stock of Remdesivir is "a panic purchase," according to Patrick Biecheler, managing partner with rich experience in the pharmaceutical industry at Roland Berger Partners, a Europe-based consulting company. "It is a panic purchase given the current progress of the virus in the United States," he told French radio station Europe 1 on Friday. The United States has reported more than 2.6 million confirmed infection cases and a death toll exceeding 127,000. He recalled that U.S. President Donald Trump once wanted to deprive Canada of the respirators produced by 3M company. "At that time (Canadian Prime Minister Justin) Trudeau had explained that from a diplomatic point of view and in terms of collaboration between countries, it was something very idiot to confiscate the stock of respirators," he said. Calling the act of buying up of Remdesivir stock "another awkwardness" reflecting the style of Trump, the consultant said that this posture "is not tenable, neither industrially, judicially nor diplomatically." COMMON GOOD Earlier in May, French pharmaceutical giant Sanofi went underfire for remarks saying that once its vaccine under research goes to market, the United States had the right to pre-order because it has invested in it. The French authorities immediately reacted by stressing that the COVID-19 vaccine must be a "global public good" and it is unacceptable for Sanofi to serve the United States first if it can deliver such a vaccine in the future. Addressing a press conference on Friday, Michael Ryan, executive director of the World Health Organization's Health Emergencies Programme, again highlighted the necessity of equitable access to life saving treatment. "Obviously, 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 said. To prevent war for medicine at a time of pandemic, Biecheler urged laboratories to propose generic manufacturing at the outset, for medicine of treatment as well as for vaccine, so as to avoid shortage of stock and provide necessary products at a lower price for less wealthy countries. Enditem (The story was written by Li Jizhi, and contributed by Wang Zichen, Zhang Jiawei, Liu Fang, Chen Chen, Zhang Yirong and Chen Junxia) Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-04 10:27:17|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Wellington, July 4 (Xinhua) -- New Zealand reported no new case of COVID-19 overnight on Saturday, said the Ministry of Health in a statement. The number of active cases in New Zealand remains at 18, all of which are in managed isolation or quarantine facilities. There are no cases of COVID-19 in the community, said the ministry statement. The total number of confirmed cases in New Zealand remained at 1,180, which is the number New Zealand report to the World Health Organization. One person remained in Auckland City Hospital in a stable condition. New Zealand laboratories completed 2,900 tests over the past 24 hours, bringing the total number of tests completed to date to 411,932. The seven-day rolling average of tests was 3,500. The NZ COVID Tracer app has recorded 588,000 registrations. General public in New Zealand are encouraged to download and use the official contact tracing 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," said the Ministry of Health. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-04 11:31:43|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close AUCKLAND, New Zealand, July 4 (Xinhua) -- A symposium has been held in New Zealand to celebrate the 23rd Anniversary of Hong Kong's return to China as participants have expressed strong confidence in Hong Kong's future. The symposium, hosted by the Federation of the Chinese Association of New Zealand on Friday, was attended by New Zealand politicians, local community leaders, business leaders, and Chinese compatriots. Steven Wong, director of the federation, said in his welcome remark that he believes Hong Kong, backed by the strong support from its motherland, the solidarity by Chinese people all over the world and the "one country, two systems," will see more prosperity in the future. China's Vice Consul General in Auckland Xiao Yewen said in his keynote speech that the since its return to the motherland, Hong Kong has successfully weathered the difficult times such as the Asian financial crisis in the late 1990s, SARS outbreak in 2003 and international financial crisis, and has maintained its position as an international shipping, financial and trade center, which has fully demonstrated that "one country, two systems" has a strong vitality and plays an important role in maintaining Hong Kong's stability and prosperity. The Law of the People's Republic of China on Safeguarding National Security in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region was passed unanimously on Tuesday at the 20th session of the Standing Committee of the 13th National People's Congress. "It is a landmark in the practice of 'one country, two systems' and a strong institutional guarantee for upholding national sovereignty, security and development interests, safeguarding lasting security, prosperity and stability in Hong Kong, and ensuring the steady implementation of 'one country, two systems'", said Xiao. George Hawkins, former New Zealand minister of police, reiterated the strong trading relations and friendship between China and New Zealand in his speech. Former New Zealand Member of Parliament Ross Robertson and Dr. Ashraf Choudhary also took this opportunity to give their best wishes to Hong Kong at its 23rd anniversary of returning to China. Hong Kong is part of China. It is also important that New Zealand has strong relationship with China, said Choudhary. Leaders from the Auckland Chinese community also expressed their strong confidence on Hong Kong's future and prosperity. Kai-Shek Luey, chair of the Auckland Chinese Community Centre, believed that Hong Kong will continue to thrive in the future. "Hong Kong was taken from China more than 100 years ago by the colonial for their own interests and they exploited the Chinese people," said Luey. Christine Che, founder of the Chinese Women Association of New Zealand, said the national security law in Hong Kong is what people want and imperative. "Hong Kong in the future, with the support from the central government, will be even more prosperous," sais Che. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-04 12:03:18|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close The groundbreaking ceremony for the Vientiane station of the China-Laos Railway is held in the northern outskirts of Vientiane, Laos, July 3, 2020. (Xinhua/Kaikeo Saiyasane) The Vientiane station was designed under the concept of "City of Sandalwood (original meaning of the word Vientiane), Friendship between Laos and China." 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. VIENTIANE, July 4 (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 Vientiane-based joint venture in charge of the railway's construction and operation. The groundbreaking ceremony for the Vientiane station of the China-Laos Railway is held in the northern outskirts of Vientiane, Laos, July 3, 2020. (Xinhua/Kaikeo Saiyasane) 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 groundbreaking ceremony for the Vientiane station of the China-Laos Railway is held in the northern outskirts of Vientiane, Laos, July 3, 2020. (Xinhua/Kaikeo Saiyasane) 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. Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-04 12:45:24|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close 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) "We urge the Canadian side to view the National Security Law in a fair, objective manner, immediately stop interfering in Hong Kong affairs and China's domestic affairs in any way," a spokesperson of the Chinese embassy in Canada said. OTTAWA, July 4 (Xinhua) -- Canada made unwarranted comments on the Law of the People's Republic of China on Safeguarding National Security in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), grossly interfering in China's internal affairs, a spokesperson of the Chinese embassy in Canada said Saturday. China's National People's Congress formulated National Security Law for Hong Kong and listed it in Annex III to the HKSAR Basic Law to be gazetted and enacted in Hong Kong by the SAR government, the spokesperson said in a statement. "It is a landmark in the practice of 'one country, two systems' and a strong institutional guarantee for upholding national sovereignty, security and development interests, safeguarding lasting security, prosperity and stability in Hong Kong, and ensuring the steady implementation of 'one country, two systems.' The implementation of the said law will strengthen Hong Kong's legal framework, ensure social order, improve the business environment, and benefit Hong Kong citizens and international investors," the spokesperson said. Residents sign a petition in support of the national security legislation at a street stand in Hong Kong, south China, May 29, 2020. (Xinhua/Wang Shen) The spokesperson said that the Chinese central government has extensively solicited opinions from all walks of life in Hong Kong to ensure the legislation is scientific, democratic and legal. "The National Security Law attaches great importance to respecting and protecting human rights which is an important principle of the rule of law, and protects the rights and freedoms enjoyed by Hong Kong residents according to law. The above legislation has received wide support from all walks of life in Hong Kong, and most countries in the international community also fully understand and respect China's legitimate efforts to safeguard national security," the spokesperson said. Aerial photo taken on June 25, 2020 shows citizens displaying China's national flag in Tamar Park in Hong Kong, south China. (Xinhua) The spokesperson pointed out that some Western countries including Canada have been meddling in Hong Kong affairs under the pretext of human rights, seriously violating international law and basic norms of international relations, and fully exposing their double standards on the issues of national security and real intention to flagrantly interfere in other countries' internal affairs. "They are unable to represent the international community at all and their attempts are doomed to fail." "Hong Kong affairs are entirely China's internal affairs and allow no foreign interference. The Chinese government is firm in its determination to safeguard China's sovereignty, security and development interests, to implement the principle of 'one country, two systems' and to oppose any external interference in Hong Kong affairs," the spokesperson said. "We urge the Canadian side to view the National Security Law in a fair, objective manner, immediately stop interfering in Hong Kong affairs and China's domestic affairs in any way." Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-04 13:14:39|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close WASHINGTON, July 4 (Xinhua) -- The Fourth of July weekend is drawing near in the United States, but this year's Independence Day comes against an unusual backdrop, marked by protests and unrest that have spanned more than a month over racism and police brutality. In addition to fireworks displays and flyovers by military aircraft, U.S. media said that the celebrations will be joined by protests prompted by the death of George Floyd, and that some 20 protests are scheduled for Saturday and could extend through the night. Nationwide protests have been going on against police violence in response to the fatal arrest of Floyd, an African American man who died after a white Minneapolis officer pressed his knee into Floyd's neck for nearly nine minutes in May. Citing recent polls, U.S. news daily the New York Times said Friday that about 15 million to 26 million people in the country have participated in related demonstrations, and the figures "would make the recent protests the largest movement in the country's history." After the Black Lives Matter protests broke out, numerous controversial statues across the country have been targeted. Protesters supporting the statues' removal have said that the monuments are in memory of figures believed to be symbols of racism. U.S. President Donald Trump said on social media in late June that he has signed an executive order to protect the country's monuments. "Long prison terms for these lawless acts against our Great Country!" the president said on Twitter. On June 22, a few days before his announcement, protesters attempted to topple a statue of former U.S. President Andrew Jackson in a park near the White House, but were dispersed at night by police using a chemical irritant. Police and protesters briefly clashed on the day as city officials attempted to clear out tents erected on a street near the White House and the Black Lives Matter Plaza, saying they were creating a potential safety hazard. In New York City in late June, hundreds of people camped outside the City Hall in Lower Manhattan to demand cuts of police funding. The "Occupy City Hall" movement is asking the city government to slash 1 billion U.S. dollars off the annual budget of the New York City Police Department, which is often 6 billion dollars. The movement came as many protesters across the nation have called for the defunding of police forces. It also came at a time when the city was experiencing a spike in gun violence. Protests have continued to see casualties, with a recent case occurring in the U.S. city of Louisville, Kentucky. On June 28, one person was killed and another injured in a shooting incident during a protest in the city. Reports of shots fired at Jefferson Square Park came in at night, after which Jefferson County Sheriff's Department personnel arrived at the site and found two victims suffering gunshot wounds. Police were performing life-saving measures on the man who later died at the scene. The second victim was hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries. In mid-June, the United Nations Human Rights Council 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 Floyd in Minneapolis and other people of African descent. The resolution came as protests in response to Floyd's death and police brutality also took place in some other countries. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-04 13:34:05|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BEIJING, July 4 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping said Friday that the Communist Party of China (CPC) is willing to strengthen exchanges and cooperation with the Mongolian People's Party (MPP) at all levels and in all fields to lead the China-Mongolia comprehensive strategic partnership to greater development and make due contributions to regional peace and prosperity. Xi, also general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, made the remarks in a verbal message to Ukhnaa Khurelsukh, chairman of the ruling MPP and prime minister of Mongolia. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-04 14:10:17|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close NEW DELHI, July 4 (Xinhua) -- At least eight people were killed due to lightning and thunderstorm in the eastern Indian state of Bihar, officials said Saturday. The deaths have taken place during the past 24 hours in Samastipur, Lakhisarai, Gaya, Banka and Jamui. "Three people were killed in Samastipur, two in Lakhisarai, and one each in Gaya, Banka and Jamui," an official at Bihar disaster management department said. On Thursday, 26 people were killed in similar strikes in the state. Prior to that on Tuesday 11 people were killed in the state. Last week also 83 people died due to heavy rains and lightning in the state. Disaster management officials said the victims were either working inside their fields or had taken shelter under trees at the time of lightning. Local government has appealed people to take care during bad weather conditions and avoid venturing out at the time of lightning and thunderstorms. At present India is in the grip of southwest monsoon and most parts are experiencing heavy to very heavy rainfall, besides extremely heavy spells at isolated spots. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-04 14:15:01|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close MANILA, July 4 (Xinhua) -- A soldier, two militiamen and a civilian were killed in a shooting in Basilan, an island province in the southern Philippines, on Friday evening, a military spokesman said on Saturday. Army Major Arvin Encinas of the military's Western Mindanao Command said four others were also wounded in the shooting that happened around 9:30 p.m. local time on Friday in a remote village near Tipo-Tipo town. Encinas said the victims, including First Class Mark Anthony Monte, were "fired upon by an undetermined number of perpetrators." In a separate report, the Joint Task Force Basilan (JTFB) said the shooting broke out some 120 meters from a military detachment. It said the attackers were village watchmen led by a certain Karim Manisan. The suspects fled after the incident, it added. "Per initial investigation conducted by the troops in the area, the motive which led to the shooting incident is a personal grudge between Monte and Manisan," the JTFB said. The JTFB said two more militiamen and two civilians were wounded in the incident. Police and military forces are now hunting down Manisan and those involved in the fatal shooting. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-04 14:47:01|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BEIJING, July 4 (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. Rumor: The Hong Kong police have gotten away with the excessive use of force. Facts: -- In the face of hundreds of violent incidents over months, the Hong Kong police all along demonstrated the maximum level of calm, rationality, and restraint, and refrained from the first use of force. They only used force correspondingly to stop violent attacks or other illegal acts threatening the life and safety of other people on site, which is totally in line with international practice. -- In fact, not a single protester in Hong Kong had died because of the law enforcement activity of the police. Yet over 590 police officers had been injured on duty by the end of May. -- In sharp contrast, there are many reports about the U.S. police killing people with violence and guns in the course of law enforcement. The year 2019 alone saw 1,004 such cases. By mid-June, at least 13 people had lost their lives in demonstrations over the death of George Floyd, in addition to hundreds of injuries. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-04 14:49:35|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BEIJING, July 4 (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. Rumor: The legislation on safeguarding national security in Hong Kong violates China's commitments and obligations under the Sino-British Joint Declaration. Facts: -- The legal basis for the Chinese government to govern Hong Kong is the Chinese Constitution and the Basic Law of the HKSAR. The Sino-British Joint Declaration is not relevant in this regard. As China resumed the exercise of sovereignty over Hong Kong in 1997, all provisions concerning the UK under the Joint Declaration had been fulfilled. The UK has no sovereignty, jurisdiction or "right of supervision" over Hong Kong after its return. -- The basic policies regarding Hong Kong stated by China in the Joint Declaration are not commitments to the UK, but China's declaration of its policies, which have since been fully embodied in the Basic Law enacted by the National People's Congress. These policies have not changed; they will continue to be upheld by China. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-04 14:50:25|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BEIJING, July 4 (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. Rumor: The legislation on safeguarding national security in Hong Kong has been unilaterally imposed on Hong Kong by the central government of China. Facts: -- National security legislation has always been a matter concerning the sovereignty of the state and within the purview of the central authorities. The central government of China assumes the primary and ultimate responsibility for safeguarding national security. -- Article 23 of the Basic Law stipulates that the HKSAR shall enact laws on its own to safeguard national security. Nearly 23 years after Hong Kong's return to China, however, the relevant legislative process is still not materialized due to the sabotage and obstruction by anti-China, destabilizing elements in Hong Kong as well as hostile forces from the outside. -- Faced with the grave situation in safeguarding national security in Hong Kong, the central government has both the power and the responsibility to promptly plug the loopholes and strengthen the weak links. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-04 14:54:40|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close The Emancipation Memorial is seen behind a fence and concrete blocks at Lincoln Park in Washington, D.C., the United States, on June 25, 2020. (Xinhua/Liu Jie) This year's Independence Day comes against an unusual backdrop. Some 20 protests are scheduled for Saturday and could extend through the night. WASHINGTON, July 4 (Xinhua) -- The Fourth of July weekend is drawing near in the United States, but this year's Independence Day comes against an unusual backdrop, marked by protests and unrest that have spanned more than a month over racism and police brutality. In addition to fireworks displays and flyovers by military aircraft, U.S. media said that the celebrations will be joined by protests prompted by the death of George Floyd, and that some 20 protests are scheduled for Saturday and could extend through the night. Fireworks explode in the sky to celebrate the upcoming Independence Day in New York, the United States, June 29, 2020. (Photo by Zhao Hailang/Xinhua) Nationwide protests have been going on against police violence in response to the fatal arrest of Floyd, an African American man who died after a white Minneapolis officer pressed his knee into Floyd's neck for nearly nine minutes in May. Citing recent polls, U.S. news daily the New York Times said Friday that about 15 million to 26 million people in the country have participated in related demonstrations, and the figures "would make the recent protests the largest movement in the country's history." After the Black Lives Matter protests broke out, numerous controversial statues across the country have been targeted. Protesters supporting the statues' removal have said that the monuments are in memory of figures believed to be symbols of racism. Protesters take part in a demonstration in Tulsa, Oklahoma, the United States, on June 20, 2020. (Photo by Alan Chin/Xinhua) U.S. President Donald Trump said on social media in late June that he has signed an executive order to protect the country's monuments. "Long prison terms for these lawless acts against our Great Country!" the president said on Twitter. On June 22, a few days before his announcement, protesters attempted to topple a statue of former U.S. President Andrew Jackson in a park near the White House, but were dispersed at night by police using a chemical irritant. The White House and the statue of former U.S. President Andrew Jackson are seen in Washington D.C., the United States, on June 24, 2020. (Xinhua/Liu Jie) Police and protesters briefly clashed on the day as city officials attempted to clear out tents erected on a street near the White House and the Black Lives Matter Plaza, saying they were creating a potential safety hazard. In New York City in late June, hundreds of people camped outside the City Hall in Lower Manhattan to demand cuts of police funding. People attend the "Occupy City Hall" protest outside the New York City Hall in New York, the United States, June 30, 2020. (Xinhua/Wang Ying) The "Occupy City Hall" movement is asking the city government to slash 1 billion U.S. dollars off the annual budget of the New York City Police Department, which is often 6 billion dollars. The movement came as many protesters across the nation have called for the defunding of police forces. It also came at a time when the city was experiencing a spike in gun violence. Protests have continued to see casualties, with a recent case occurring in the U.S. city of Louisville, Kentucky. On June 28, one person was killed and another injured in a shooting incident during a protest in the city. Reports of shots fired at Jefferson Square Park came in at night, after which Jefferson County Sheriff's Department personnel arrived at the site and found two victims suffering gunshot wounds. Police were performing life-saving measures on the man who later died at the scene. The second victim was hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries. Video image taken on June 19, 2020 shows a session of the UN Human Rights Council held in Geneva, Switzerland. (Xinhua) In mid-June, the United Nations Human Rights Council 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 Floyd in Minneapolis and other people of African descent. The resolution came as protests in response to Floyd's death and police brutality also took place in some other countries. Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-04 15:10:14|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close WASHINGTON, July 3 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Donald Trump visited Mount Rushmore in the midwestern state South Dakota on Friday to kick off Independence Day weekend, slamming the removal of controversial monuments amid nationwide racial reckoning as "a merciless campaign" in attempts to wipe out U.S. history. "Our nation is witnessing a merciless campaign to wipe out our history, defame our heroes, erase our values and indoctrinate our children," Trump said when addressing the Fourth of July fireworks celebration at Mount Rushmore. The president slammed a "new far-left fascism" in media and schools and "cancel culture," describing those protesters targeting monuments which they think are symbols of racial oppression as "angry mobs." "Those who seek to erase our heritage want Americans to forget our pride and our great dignity, so that we can no longer understand ourselves or America's destiny," Trump said. "This monument will never be desecrated," Trump said of Mt. Rushmore Memorial. "Mount Rushmore will stand forever as an eternal tribute to our forefathers and our freedom." Tackling the divisive issue with a divisive speech, the president was trying to rev up his conservative base four months before the general elections, some local analysts say. Trump has been under growing pressure amid the surge of newly reported coronavirus cases and the continuous nationwide reckoning of the country's racial injustice and police brutality, they observed. The president's remarks also came as local Indigenous leaders and others have called for the monument to be removed, noting it was carved on sacred tribal land. "Nothing stands as a greater reminder to the Great Sioux Nation of a country that cannot keep a promise or treaty than the faces carved into our sacred land on what the United States calls Mount Rushmore," Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe Chairman Harold Frazier said in a statement condemning Mount Rushmore and the Trump event. About 15 protesters were arrested on Friday after they blocked an access road to Mount Rushmore hours before Trump's arrival, local media reported. Mount Rushmore was previously called "The Six Grandfathers" by the Lakota Sioux before it was carved with the presidents' faces. It sits on land considered sacred by local tribes and was initially protected for their use until gold was discovered in the area and Indigenous peoples were forced off the land, according to a report from The Hill. 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. No social distancing was planned for the event drawing thousands of people, most of them without masks. Trump 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 15:27:00|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close KABUL, July 4 (Xinhua) -- Mohammad Yousuf Ghazanfar, special adviser of Afghanistan's president on economic development, trade and poverty reduction died of COVID-19 on Friday, the Presidential Palace said in a statement on Saturday. Yousuf Ghazanfar, who had been infected with novel coronavirus recently, was shifted to Turkey days ago and died at a hospital there. As many as 819 people have died of COVID-19 out of more than 32,000 positive cases registered so far in Afghanistan since the outbreak of the pandemic in February in the country. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-04 15:42:13|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BEIJING, July 4 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping said Friday that the Communist Party of China (CPC) is willing to strengthen exchanges and cooperation with the Mongolian People's Party (MPP) at all levels and in all fields to lead the China-Mongolia comprehensive strategic partnership to greater development and make due contributions to regional peace and prosperity. Xi, also general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, made the remarks in a verbal message to Ukhnaa Khurelsukh, chairman of the ruling MPP and prime minister of Mongolia. China and Mongolia are friendly neighbors linked by mountains and rivers, Xi said, adding that since the onset of the COVID-19 epidemic, the two sides have cooperated closely against the coronavirus disease, which has fully demonstrated their profound friendship of helping each other and jointly overcoming difficulties. Noting that Khurelsukh speaks highly of China's contribution to the global fight against the pandemic, Xi said the Chinese side is ready to strengthen anti-epidemic exchanges and cooperation with Mongolia and other countries, and jointly build a community of health for all. The Chinese president said he is glad to see that with joint efforts of the MPP, the Mongolian government and all sectors of Mongolian society, Mongolia has achieved remarkable results in epidemic prevention and control, maintained steady economic and social development, and successfully held parliamentary elections recently. Recalling that Khurelsukh sent a message to him not long ago on the occasion of the 99th founding anniversary of the CPC, Xi said it fully demonstrated the great importance Khurelsukh and the MPP attach to relations between the two parties and countries. In a previous letter to Xi, Khurelsukh said that with the CPC's relentless efforts, China's success in beating COVID-19 has not only safeguarded the health security of the Chinese people, but also made great contributions to protecting the health of people around the world, which he deeply admires. Khurelsukh also said that he is happy to see that the MPP and the CPC have successfully pushed bilateral cooperation at all levels to a new height in recent years within the framework of the memorandum of exchanges and cooperation between the two parties. He added that he believes that the two parties will further cement their cooperation achievements and deepen Mongolia-China ties so as to promote prosperity in both countries. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-04 16:10:59|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close GARDEZ, Afghanistan, July 4 (Xinhua) -- Six Taliban militants were killed in separate self-planted mine blasts in eastern Afghanistan's Paktia and neighboring Paktika provinces on Saturday, an army statement released here said. According to the statement, a group of Taliban insurgents were planting a mine on a road in Ahmad Khil district, Paktia province, in the wee hours of Saturday to target security forces convoy. However, the device exploded prematurely killing four insurgents on the spot. In a similar incident two more insurgents were killed after their mine went off prematurely in Khoshamand district of Paktika province on early morning, the statement said. Taliban militants who are largely relying on roadside and suicide bombings have yet to make comment. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-04 16:24:23|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) "One" country, "two" systems and "three" million Hong Kong residents who signed to show their support... Using the numbers "1 to 9", Chinese Ambassador to the United States Cui Tiankai shared basic facts and his viewpoints on the newly enacted national security law for Hong Kong. WASHINGTON, July 4 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Ambassador to the United States Cui Tiankai on Friday shared basic facts and his viewpoints on the newly enacted national security law for Hong Kong through a video message by using the numbers "1 to 9." He said that "1 and 2" means "one country, two systems." This will remain the basic guideline for the governance of Hong Kong. The adoption of the law is a milestone in the practice of "one country, two systems" and will provide a strong institutional guarantee for its long-term implementation, the Chinese ambassador said. Cui Tiankai, the Chinese ambassador to the United States, addresses the 15th anniversary and Chinese Lunar New Year gala of China General Chamber of Commerce-U.S.A. in New York, the United States, Jan. 8, 2020. (Xinhua/Wang Ying) "With 3, I mean 3 million here. A signature campaign to endorse the law was initiated in Hong Kong late May. Within eight days, almost 3 million Hong Kong residents signed online or at street stands to show their support. The law is what the people really want," he said. The number 4 refers to the four offences and their corresponding penalties prescribed in the law, namely secession, subversion, terrorist activities, collusion with foreign countries or external elements to endanger national security, he said. 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) The number 5 stands for five decades. According to the Basic Law of Hong Kong, its capitalist system and way of life shall remain unchanged for 50 years, Cui said. "With 6, I mean the six chapters and 66 articles of the law. I would advise you to read the whole law thoroughly and carefully, so as to avoid any misunderstanding or the influence of biases," he said. The numbers 7 and 8 stand for the over 7 million Hong Kong residents and over 80,000 American citizens living in Hong Kong. The national security law will help ensure the restoration of social order in the city, and this is absolutely good news for all of them, the ambassador said. Photo taken on July 1, 2020 shows the Golden Bauhinia Square after a flag-raising ceremony held by the government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region to celebrate the 23rd anniversary of Hong Kong's return to the motherland in Hong Kong, south China. (Xinhua/Li Gang) In the Chinese culture, 9 often means "long-lasting," Cui said, adding he has full confidence that the national security law will ensure the long-term stability and prosperity of Hong Kong. As Hong Kong belongs to China, Hong Kong affairs are definitely China's domestic affairs. The Chinese government and people are fully determined to safeguard national sovereignty, security and development interests, and to oppose external interference in Hong Kong affairs, Cui said. Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-04 17:02:02|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Farmers weed a field at a vegetable and fruit base in Xianghuanghousan Man Village, Wangkui County, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, July 3, 2020. Built in 2017, the vegetable and fruit base has become a key support for local villagers to shake off poverty. The base, with 50 greenhouses, has benefited nearly 100 households including more than 40 impoverished households by offering job opportunities and allowing shares buying. Local villager Yang Shuhua and her husband gain a yearly income of about 40,000 yuan (about 5,660 U.S. dollars) by working in the base. Like Yang's family, all the impoverished households in the village have lifted poverty by the end of 2019. (Xinhua/Wang Jianwei) Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-04 17:20:45|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close MANILA, July 4 (Xinhua) -- The number of the COVID-19 cases in the Philippines surged to 41,830 after the country's Department of Health (DOH) reported 1,494 new cases on Saturday. The DOH said in its bulletin that the number of recoveries further rose to 11,453 after 380 more patients have survived the disease. The death toll also increased to 1,290 after 10 more patients have succumbed to the viral disease, the DOH said. The DOH further said that 12 overseas Filipino workers repatriated by the government have tested positive for the virus. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-04 17:30:34|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close 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 Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-04 18:19:59|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close by Saud Abu Ramadan, Emad Drimly RAMALLAH, July 4 (Xinhua) -- The fear from the impending Israeli plan to annex the Jordan Valley in the West Bank has cast a shadow on the Palestinian residents of al-Walaja village, northwest of Bethlehem City, as the Palestinian village is being surrounded by several Israeli settlements. Sitting at the balcony of his house, Ammar Abu al-Teen, an employee for the Palestinian Authority, was brooding over the fate of his family in case Israel implements its annexation plan that covers al-Walaja village. The 40-year-old man lives with his eight family members in a two-storey house which is close to the Israeli West Bank barrier, a separation wall that Israel has been building since 2002. "We suffer a lot because of the difficult situation in the village as a result of the Israeli measures as well as the Israeli settlers' harassments," he said. The Israeli authorities storm the village on an almost daily basis, notifying the residents that their homes will be demolished for being built without a license, according to Abu al-Teen. "The village is subjected to actual annexation for many years through demolishing homes to displace the residents and replace them by settlers," the Palestinian man told Xinhua, expressing a deep fear about the bulldozing and demolition in his village. "The fate of the villagers is unknown if Israel carries out the annexation plan," he noted. Since 2002, the Israeli separation wall has turned al-Walaja village, home of 3,000 Palestinians, into an isolated enclave, as the village, originally covering an area of 1,700 hectares, has now shrunk to merely 250 hectares with all the other parts under the full control of Israel. Omar Hajajla, another resident of the village, also voiced angst about the Israeli separation wall and the relentless expansion of settlements. The 52-year-old and his family, whose house is surrounded by a wall and an electronic gate, have to move through a tunnel under the wall, with cameras monitoring them around the clock. Over the past few years, Hajajla has been engaged in legal battles in the Israeli court against the damage to his house that overlooks the holy city of Jerusalem, before the court has finally decided not to have his house demolished because it is close to the wall. "After the Israeli authorities have failed to demolish my house as a result of my steadfastness, they tried to offer me and my family members an Israeli nationality in order to build the wall on my land, but I refused," he said. Khader al-Araj, head of the municipal council of al-Walaja village, said Israel "always tries to obstruct the vital projects in the village, mainly infrastructure and road building." "Since the beginning of 2020, the Israeli occupation forces have demolished 10 houses in the village, while about 70 others are under the threat of demolition," al-Araj told Xinhua. "We insist that we will stay on our land and will never leave it," he stressed. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-04 18:34:34|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close DHAKA, July 4 (Xinhua) -- The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Bangladesh reached 159,679 Saturday as 3,288 new cases were confirmed in the last 24 hours. Senior Health Ministry official Nasima Sultana said in a briefing Saturday afternoon that "3,288 new COVID-19 positive cases and 29 deaths were reported in the last 24 hours across Bangladesh." "The number of confirmed infections in the country totaled 159,679 while fatalities stood at 1,997," she said. According to the official, 14,727 samples were tested in the last 24 hours in labs across the country. She said the total number of recovered patients in the country now stands at 70,721. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-04 19:10:17|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close ACCRA, July 4 (Xinhua) -- The number of the COVID-19 cases in Ghana has increased to 19,388, following the confirmation of 758 more infections, according to the latest data provided by the Ghana Health Service early Saturday. The number of confirmed infected persons who have recovered increased to 14,330, with 284 more recoveries confirmed, while the death toll remains at 117 at the latest count. From the latest recorded data, Ghana's active COVID-19 cases have increased to 4,941, as the Ghana Medical Association (GMA) has called for a review of the safety protocols in the country to halt the spikes in infections. The Deputy General Secretary of the GMA Titus Beyuo attributed the increasing infection rate to the poor observance of safety protocols. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-04 19:26:02|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close DAMASCUS, July 4 (Xinhua) -- Intense battles continued on Saturday between the Syrian army and the Islamic State (IS) group in the desert in eastern Syria, claiming the lives of 21 fighters from both sides, a war monitor reported. Twelve Syrian soldiers and nine IS militants have been killed over the past 48 hours in the battles in the desert of the city of Sukhneh in the eastern countryside of Homs province, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. The UK-based watchdog group said the death toll could likely rise due to the number of the critically wounded fighters. The UK-based watchdog group said that 582 Syrian troops and allied forces as well as 221 IS militants have been killed in similar battles since March. After losing key areas across the country, the IS now has a presence in the Syrian desert region in the remote eastern countryside of Homs province and Deir al-Zour province. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-04 19:27:25|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Party chief of Jiaoxi village Huang Tianlun takes a photo of a medical herb at a plantation base of villagersin Yongshun County, central China's Hunan Province, March 29, 2020. (Provided to Xinhua) Young CPC members at the grassroot level have proved to be a vital cog in the country's campaign to stamp out absolute poverty. CHANGSHA/URUMQI, July 4 (Xinhua) -- When Huang Tianlun decided to return to his village deep in the mountains to start up a business after a decade's working in a city, his father discouraged him. But he insisted on pursuing his dream -- to change the fate of his fellow poverty-stricken villagers. He made it. Two years after he served as Party chief of Jiaoxi village in Yongshun County in central China's Hunan Province, Huang, 38, has successfully helped villagers shake off poverty and move into new homes in a displacement program for poverty reduction. FULFILLING THE MISSION Huang, a native of Jiaoxi village, graduated from college in 2005 and became a journalist for a commercial newspaper in Changsha, the provincial capital. In the same year, he joined the Communist Party of China under the influence of his father, also a Party member. Becoming Party chief of a village has been his ideal since he was young. During his college studies, Huang said he was deeply moved by a TV drama series based on a true story, featuring a doctor who went to the Pamir Plateau to help treat the sick in the northwestern Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, from the eastern coastal province of Jiangsu in the 1960s. "The doctor made great contributions to people living on the plateau. I thought the Party was really great," said Huang. In 2014, he quit his job at the newspaper and returned to his home village, which is located in a national nature reserve, to start his own business. He developed greenhouses, sight-seeing agriculture, and sold produce. Three years later, he was elected to be a member of the Party branch of the village, and director of the villagers' committee, because of his high education background and experience. He was later appointed Party chief of the village, where nearly 70 percent of the village's 655 people lived in poverty due to its harsh natural conditions and poor infrastructure. Though Huang's father did not support his decision to work in the village, the young man insisted and stayed. "A poverty-stricken village needs people to come back. To eliminate poverty and vitalize the rural areas, young people are needed to do things. I wanted to take the initiative," Huang said. "I felt obliged to accomplish the mission assigned by the Party." He said he had worries that he would meet with various difficulties as he lacked work experience in rural areas, and it was no easy task to handle villagers' affairs. In pushing the targeted poverty reduction measures, he encountered a small setback. Precise identification meant that unqualified households would be removed from the registered list of poverty-stricken villagers. That means they would get less or no poverty-relief fund and could not enjoy other policy support for poverty-stricken families any more. He faced opposition and obstruction from some villagers, including his relatives, but he stuck to his sense of fairness. "I kept my principles and original aspirations," Huang said. Thanks to a government-funded relocation program, the villagers moved to their new houses in a township from their reclusive village. They also tried to plant herbs to increase incomes. Last year, the per-capita net income of villagers reached 7,600 yuan (about 1,075 U.S. dollars), and the village shook off poverty overall. "We plan to increase the planting of the herb, and develop e-commerce to expand sales," said the village Party chief. LAND OF DREAM, SUCCESS Like Huang, the vast rural regions have become a land of dreams and opportunities for hundreds of thousands of young Party members to serve the people and realize their value by helping farmers shake off poverty and live a better life. Zhou Long (L) talks with a resident of Boritokay Township in the county of Oqar, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, April 15, 2020. (Xinhua/Dong Yalei) In Oqar County, Xinjiang, 28-year-old Zhou Long is devoted to poverty alleviation work. Zhou, deputy government head of Boritokay Township and also a Party member, has been working in Xinjiang since graduating from a teachers' college in Sichuan Province, in southwestern China. The township shook off poverty in 2018. "We have done a solid job in poverty alleviation in recent years," Zhou said, adding he cares most about the families on the verge of poverty. It is his routine to visit households, go to the fields to chat with villagers, and discuss solutions with other officials to increase the income of herders and farmers. Last year, villagers were mobilized to plant tulips, roses, and other flowers. "The sales of these have already been booked out, and the revenue is much higher than that of vegetables," Zhou said. "One of our key tasks is to strengthen the coordinated development of agriculture and husbandry." Hua Mengli is busy at her family farm in Jurong City, Jiangsu Province. The farm covers an area of 72 hectares and has an annual revenue of 8 million yuan. Yet the landscape was totally different a few years ago. Hua Mengli prunes pear trees on her Guomubuwang farm in Jurong City, east China's Jiangsu Province, June 11, 2020. (Provided to Xinhua) This 25-year-old girl chose horticulture technology as her major at the Jiangsu Vocational College of Agriculture and Forestry, where she joined the Party. After graduating in 2016, she gave up the opportunity to work at the college but instead chose to work in her father's farm, which was at a loss then. She and four of her classmates now work together to operate the farm differently from her father. "People in cities have a huge demand for rural farming experiences," Hua said. She began to shift the traditional management model to a service-oriented one. The farm provides services such as produce picking, fishing, catering, and delivery of fruits and vegetables for tourists and customers. They even built a plant cultivation lab to foster flowers and seedlings. Last year, the farm received orders for seedlings worth 4.5 million yuan. The farm has provided stable jobs for 12 college graduates and dozens of villagers nearby. "Affluence is not the only criterion for success. Through our example, farmers can master more scientific planting knowledge, and protect the ecological environment, which is the greatest comfort," Hua said. Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-04 19:52:01|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BERLIN, July 4 (Xinhua) -- China is set to gain "considerable importance" in the coming years for Germany's auto industry, which has already benefited considerably from China, a noted German expert has told Xinhua. China already accounted for almost 40 percent of the global turnover for the German automobile industry, said Ferdinand Dudenhoeffer, director of the German Center for Automotive Research (CAR). According to CAR, Germany exported around 268,000 cars to China last year. And the number is expected to rise to 280,000 this year, despite the impact of the coronavirus pandemic. The Chinese market will probably continue to bring profits for German car manufacturers and suppliers, and further progress of the research and development centers in the German auto industry depends on the growth of the Chinese market, said Dudenhoeffer, also a professor with the Center of Automotive Research at the University of Duisburg-Essen. According to figures released by the German Federal Motor Transport Authority, new passenger car registrations in Germany fell by almost 35 percent to 1.21 million cars in the first half of 2020. The half-year number of new passenger car registrations was the lowest figure in Germany since the country's reunification 30 years ago, the German Association of the Automotive Industry noted. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-04 20:12:11|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close TEHRAN, July 4 (Xinhua) -- Iran has launched the Sharaf Shah Dam in Qasr-e-Shirin County, in Kermanshah Province bordering Iraq, Eghtesad Online news website reported on Saturday. The dam, inaugurated on Thursday, has a storage capacity of 101 million cubic meters of water. Sharaf Shah Dam will provide clean water to people in the border cities of Soomar and Naft Shahr. It will also provide water for over 3,000 hectares of farming lands in the region. People involved in growing products such as citrus fruits, grapes and dates, as well as those who are in animal husbandry activities will be able to use the reservoir of the dam. Supported by government funding, the construction of the dam started in 2009 and cost 25 million U.S. dollars. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-04 20:44:00|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close HANOI, July 4 (Xinhua) -- Vietnam reported no new cases of COVID-19 infection on Saturday, with its total confirmed cases remaining at 355 with zero deaths so far, according to its Ministry of Health. Meanwhile, as many as 340 patients in the country have totally recovered from the disease, said the ministry. Vietnam has recorded no local transmission for 79 straight days while there are over 10,600 people being quarantined and monitored in the country, according to a report by Vietnam News Agency. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-04 20:47:33|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close KABUL, July 4 (Xinhua) -- Two policemen have been confirmed dead and three others injured as a roadside bomb struck a police van in the central Daikundi province on Saturday, provincial police spokesman Gul Aqa Sajadi said. A convoy of police were heading towards Zardgulan area in Kajran district when a roadside bomb planted by militants struck a vehicle, killing two policemen and injuring three others, the official added. Without providing more details, the official blamed the Taliban insurgents for the bombing, but the armed outfit has yet to claim responsibility. This is the second bomb attack on police since Saturday morning. In the previous attack which happened in Kabul, one police officer and one civilian were injured. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-04 21:00:25|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close China's indigenously-developed C919 large passenger aircraft has started high-temperature test flights in Turpan, a city known as the land of fire in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-04 21:21:24|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BEIJING, July 4 (Xinhua) -- The COVID-19 pandemic has brought challenges to global trade, but it also created opportunities for foreign trade companies to go digital, said Diane Wang, CEO of DHgate.com, a cross-border e-commerce site. While the pandemic had severe adverse impacts on international logistics and added liquidity pressure to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), it also accelerated the pace at which firms are becoming more digital-savvy, Wang said in an interview with Xinhua. "The digital divide has become more pronounced and wider than ever amid the crisis," she said, noting that those that are more prepared in terms of digitalization have shown more flexibility and resilience. The COVID-19 pandemic has dealt a huge blow to global trade. China's exports dropped 11.4 percent year on year in yuan terms in the first quarter, as weak domestic production and sluggish external demand dampened activities. The country has rolled out a series of measures to encourage innovation in foreign trade to keep it stable. Cross-border e-commerce, as a new business form, has seen rapid growth in recent years, with total retail exports via the channel jumping 60 percent year on year in 2019, data from the Ministry of Commerce showed. In the first five months, the total value of retail exports via cross-border e-commerce increased by 12 percent, bucking the broader trade downturn. As a B2B cross-border site, DHgate.com was also hit by the pandemic in Q1 before recovering in April and May, when the gross merchandise value increased by 30 to 40 percent year on year, according to the company. The rebound was partly due to the company's efforts to help merchants bring their offline businesses online, Wang said. During the virtual Canton Fair in June, the company assisted exporters in leveraging livestreaming to market their products to global buyers, increasing their digital exposure. "Going online is a new trend that all companies in the industry must embrace to survive," she said. As the country rolls out more supportive policies such as more streamlined customs clearance for B2B e-commerce, the company is expected to receive a boost, Wang said. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-04 21:36:39|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close JERUSALEM, July 4 (Xinhua) -- The Israeli border police chief tested positive for the novel coronavirus, the police said in a statement on Saturday. The health condition of Yaakov Shabtai is good, the police statement said, adding an epidemiologic investigation is being conducted to find out the contacts with him for home quarantine. On Thursday, Shabtai was seen standing alongside Israeli President Reuven Rivlin, Defense Minister Benny Gantz and the army chief of staff Aviv Kochavi in a memorial ceremony in Jerusalem for soldiers killed during Israel's military campaign in the Gaza Strip in 2014. However, it has not yet been decided whether the three will have to enter home quarantine. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who was also scheduled to attend the ceremony, did not turn up because of a discussion at the coronavirus cabinet and sent a recorded speech. The Israeli media estimated that at least dozens of police officers would be required to enter quarantine for being near Shabtai in recent days. The Israel Border Police (Magav), a unit within the Israeli police, patrols sensitive locations and the seam line between Israel and the West Bank, conducts anti-terror operations, and deals with public disturbances. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-04 21:47:59|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BEIJING, July 4 (Xinhua) -- With a new policy to allow more children with disabilities to attend ordinary schools and study with their non-disabled peers, China's education authority said it is working to ensure such students' better integration into society. China's Ministry of Education has issued a guideline on improving the work on disabled children's learning in regular classes for compulsory education. According to the document made public at the ministry's website earlier this week, all children with disabilities who are in the compulsory education period and believed to be fit for ordinary school study should be enrolled in such schools. The document aims to remove the obstacles that keep such children from learning in regular classes and enhance the quality of education for such children. According to a statement by the ministry's basic education department, special subsidies are being earmarked to support the education of every child with disabilities, but there are still problems such as lack of sound assessment and proper care for such students in schools, which need to be addressed. The new guideline says that before every school year, county-level education authorities should work with local branches of the disabled persons' federation and community workers to get an accurate count of school-age children with disabilities awaiting primary or junior middle school enrollment. Professionals should be invited to evaluate and determine if they are fit for a regular class. With the new document, greater efforts will be made to support relevant schools, including efforts to renovate classrooms, build necessary facilities and provide personnel and expertise support for the schools, the statement said. It also stressed sound adjustments to teaching content and methods based on the conditions of such students and customized teaching schemes to help them in both their school study and their learning of living and working skills. Teachers are called on to pay more attention to such students, work to eliminate all discrimination on campus and make sure these students get along well and grow together with their schoolmates and peers. Also, schools may make some trial efforts in inviting social workers and therapists to the campus to provide care and rehabilitation services as well as some teaching assistance for relevant students, the document says. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-04 21:50:42|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close DAMASCUS, July 4 (Xinhua) -- A Turkish military convoy of 30 vehicles were sent Saturday to Turkish military points in Syria's Idlib in northwestern Syria, a war monitor reported. The military reinforcement, which combines logistics and military supplies, crossed into Syria through the Kafr Lusin crossing between Turkey and Syria, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. With the new supplies, Turkey has so far sent 4,240 military vehicles into northern Syria since a Turkish-Russian-backed cease-fire went into force in Idlib in March, added the UK-based watchdog group. The Turkish forces and allied Syrian rebels have controlled several areas in northern and northeastern Syria following an offensive against Kurdish forces last October. Turkey also has military observation points in Idlib as part of a deal with Russia to observe the situation in northwestern Syria. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-04 22:27:38|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Buildings in a model village that hosts selected vulnerable families are seen before being inaugurated by Rwandan President Paul Kagame in Nyagatare district, northern Rwanda, on July 4, 2020. (Photo by Cyril Ndegeya/Xinhua) KIGALI, July 4 (Xinhua) -- Rwanda on Saturday celebrated the 26th anniversary of liberation by inaugurating several development projects on the northern border with Uganda, where the liberation struggle was launched on Oct. 1, 1990. The central African country marks the Liberation Day, known as Kwibohora locally, every year on July 4, when the Rwandan Patriotic Army, the armed wing of the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF) during the liberation struggle, ended the 1994 Rwandan genocide against the Tutsi that claimed over 1 million lives. The projects constructed by the government and inaugurated by Rwandan President Paul Kagame in Nyagatare district included a model village that hosts 64 selected vulnerable families, an early childhood development center to accommodate 100 pupils, a school with smart classrooms and a health center. Kagame was accompanied by senior government officials and local leaders during the inauguration. Unlike in the past, the government didn't organize the mass rally on this year's liberation day to respect health guidelines on the COVID-19. In a video message televised after inaugurating the projects, Kagame called on the people to strive for the common good instead of individual interests, which is among the values that characterized the liberation, and that public servants to serve all the Rwandan people and be accountable for them. The president, who led the liberation struggle in 1990s as the commander of RPF forces, said this year's anniversary is celebrated at difficult times when the country is fighting the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic is a test for the country and the way Rwanda addresses it shows its level of preparedness against anything that attempts to disrupt Rwandan people's lives and the country's progress, he said. "We always stand ready to protect Rwandans and what we have achieved. This is the same way we should fight COVID-19 and defeat it," he added, calling the fight against the coronavirus "another struggle" that the country must win. As of Friday, Rwanda registered 1,081 COVID-19 cases in total, including 512 recoveries and three deaths. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-04 22:30:31|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BAGHDAD, July 4 (Xinhua) -- The Iraqi Health Ministry on Saturday confirmed 2,334 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the total number of infections nationwide to 58,354. The ministry also reported 106 more deaths, raising the death toll from the infectious virus to 2,368 in the country. It also said that 1,477 people recovered during the day, bringing the total recoveries from the disease to 31,077. The new cases were recorded after 9,516 testing kits were used across the country during the past 24 hours, and a total of 589,377 tests have been carried out since the outbreak of the disease, according to the ministry's statement. The ministry attributed the recent increase of COVID-19 infections to the lack of compliance of the citizens to 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 22:40:11|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close TEHRAN, July 4 (Xinhua) -- A fire outbreak in an Iranian power plant in the southwestern city of Ahvaz on Saturday caused a disruption in power supply in parts of the city, Tasnim news agency reported. The flare broke out in one of the transformers in the Zaragan power plant of Khuzestan Province, Mostafa Rajabi Mashhadi, spokesman of Power Industry, told Tasnim. The blaze has been extinguished by the firefighters and the electricity supply restored, Rajabi Mashhadi was quoted as saying. On Tuesday, an explosion and subsequent fire at a medical clinic in the northern district of Iran's capital Tehran resulted in the death of 19 people and the injury of 14 others. On Thursday, another fire caused damage to an uncompleted structure at Iran's Natanz nuclear facility. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-04 22:40:31|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close DUBLIN, July 4 (Xinhua) -- The revenue of the Irish tourism sector could fall by close to 75 percent in 2020 due to the impact of the COVID-19 crisis, said a senior member of the Irish Tourism Industry Confederation (ITIC) on Saturday. Maurice Pratt, a member of the board and former chair of ITIC, told local media RTE that his organization predicted that the annual income of the Irish tourism sector could fall to 2.4 billion euros (2.7 billion U.S. dollars) this year from last year's 9.4 billion euros. This will put as many as 200,000 people working in the sector at risk, he warned, adding that the Irish tourism sector employs an estimated 265,000 workers. Latest figures from the country's national statistics bureau CSO showed that the number of overseas trips to Ireland plunged by 98.4 percent over a year ago to a meager 28,300 in May on top of a 99.1-percent drop in April. During the first five months of this year, only over 3.12 million people arrived in Ireland from overseas, down nearly 58 percent from the same period last year, according to the CSO figures. The Irish tourism sector largely relies on overseas tourists. Last year more than 10.8 million overseas tourists visited Ireland, contributing more than 6 billion euros to the country's tourism industry. The Irish government earlier announced that it will open up the country to tourists from low-risk countries starting from July 9. However, reports by local media said that the date could be delayed due to concerns over imported cases of COVID-19. Irish Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly said earlier this week that confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Ireland from international travel jumped to 17 percent of the total in the last few weeks from just 2 percent for the last few months. ITIC has urged the Irish government to scrap the 14-day self-quarantine rule for people arriving in Ireland from overseas in order to save the country's tourism industry. The call was echoed by Paul Kelly, CEO of Failte Ireland or Ireland's National Tourism Development Authority. Kelly on Thursday told a special committee of the Irish parliament that the 14-day quarantine requirement has virtually closed Ireland to all overseas visitors. He told the special committee on COVID-19 response that the Irish tourism industry has incurred one billion euros in costs without any revenue for months since the outbreak of the pandemic. (1 euro = 1.12 U.S. dollars) Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-04 22:47:58|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close CAIRO, July 4 (Xinhua) -- Egypt's Red Sea resort city of Hurghada received on Saturday 899 foreign tourists aboard five flights coming from Switzerland, Belarus and Ukraine, the Red Sea governor told reporters at Hurghada airport. The Switzerland's flight also carried tourists from Germany, France, Belgium and Greece, Red Sea Governor Amr Hanafy pointed out. He stressed that precautionary measures against COVID-19 pandemic were strictly implemented at Hurghada airport upon the visitors' arrival. Egypt resumed international flights on July 1 after more than three months of suspension. Over the past couple of days, the popular Red Sea resort cities of Hurghada and Sharm el-Sheikh received more than 600 tourists from Switzerland, Belarus and Ukraine. Egypt has recently lifted a partial nighttime curfew imposed in the country over the past three months, reopening restaurants, cafes, theaters and cinemas, as well as museums and archeological sites for tourists, with limited capacity. Since mid-May, Egypt has reopened 487 hotels after they were given official hygiene safety certificates, the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities said earlier on Saturday. Tourism is one of the main sources of national income and foreign currency in Egypt. The country's tourism revenues hit a record high of 13 billion U.S. dollars in 2019. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-04 23:44:52|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close KATHMANDU, July 4 (Xinhua) -- Locusts that entered Nepal from India last week have damaged over 1,100 hectares of crops in the country. According to the Plant Quarantine and Pesticide Management Centre (PQPMC) under the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development, the attack by swarms of locusts has resulted in crop damage of 1,118 hectares of land. "Though the damage is considerably low, the locusts have dominantly damaged crops of five districts in Nepal," said Ram Krishna Subedi, coordinator at the Locust Information Center at PQPMC. "They have not been causing additional damage to the crops in other places of the country because most of them have scattered from their original swarms." The locusts had caused damage to crops in 580 hectares land in Dang, followed by 283 hectares damage in Pyuthan. Districts like Makwanpur, Arghakhanchi and Palpa sustained crop damage in 105, 100 and 50 hectares of land, respectively. Locusts were spotted in 52 districts of Nepal but due to their relatively small size, the Nepali government has said that they have caused little damage. "They are continuously heading towards West and are very unlikely to cause further damage to the crops," said Sahadev Prasad Humagain, chief at the PQPMC. Locusts have reportedly attacked crops like maize, rice seedbed, vegetables, and soybeans, among other. Farmers in Nepal have been using noise and smoke to disperse them. Locusts were present in Dang, Pyuthan, Rolpa, Rukum, Salyan and Surkhet districts but very minimal damage has been reported there. Humagain who is also the coordinator of the Locusts Prevention and Management Taskforce formed by the Nepali government said that the number of districts in which locusts had ravaged is not on rise. Meanwhile, the Nepali government has directed PQPMC, provincial and local governments to activate their available manpower and resources to control the spread of locusts. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-04 23:45:43|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Former Secretary for Justice of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government Elsie Leung Oi-sie receives an interview with Xinhua in Hong Kong, south China, July 2, 2020. (Xinhua/Wang Shen) HONG KONG, July 4 (Xinhua) -- The Law of the People's Republic of China on Safeguarding National Security in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) will help effectively punish crimes endangering national security and restore stability in Hong Kong, former Secretary for Justice of the HKSAR government Elsie Leung Oi-sie said in a recent interview with Xinhua. Leung said that the law will also help create a sound external environment for solving other deep-rooted problems in Hong Kong. Leung, who headed the HKSAR government's Department of Justice from 1997 to 2005, said the law, by clearly defining the four categories of crimes endangering national security and prescribing penalties for them, provides the HKSAR government with adequate legal basis to effectively punish the relevant crimes. Since the social unrest arising from the now-withdrawn ordinance amendments concerning fugitive transfers in June last year, Hong Kong's prosperity and stability have been seriously undermined due to consistent violent activities by some rioters. Leung noted that many of the rioters not only damaged Hong Kong's law and order, but also colluded with external forces in an attempt to endanger national security. Only by taking effective legal measures to punish these acts can Hong Kong achieve lasting peace and stability, she said, adding that the national security law for Hong Kong will effectively prevent, curb and punish acts and activities endangering national security, which will help restore stability and create a sound external environment for solving other deep-seated problems in Hong Kong. The former justice secretary said the law fully takes into account the differences between the legal systems in the mainland and Hong Kong and respects principles of Hong Kong's common law system. Leung also sternly refuted the allegations by some Western politicians that the law will undermine Hong Kong's judicial independence. Citing Article 85 of the Basic Law of the HKSAR, she affirmed that with the guarantee of laws including the Basic Law, the HKSAR courts can adjudicate cases free from any interference. According to the law, the Office for Safeguarding National Security of the Central People's Government in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region will only exercise jurisdiction over an extremely small number of criminal cases that endanger national security under specific circumstances, she noted, agreeing that the provision is reasonable. Since its return to the motherland 23 years ago, Hong Kong has been ranked high in the world in terms of freedom indices and has been globally recognized for its judicial independence and sound legal system, Leung said, adding that the legitimate rights and freedoms of Hong Kong residents have been fully protected. The national security law for Hong Kong provides that the freedom of speech and press, among others, enjoyed by Hong Kong residents in accordance with the Basic Law and relevant international covenants will be protected, and the principle of the rule of law will be upheld in preventing, stopping and punishing offenses endangering national security, she noted. "The human rights of Hong Kong residents will continue to be fully protected." As the law has come into effect, the key in the future is the effective implementation, Leung said, believing that the HKSAR can fulfill its constitutional responsibility for safeguarding national security in cooperation with the central authorities. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-04 23:49:57|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close URUMQI, July 4 (Xinhua) -- Taxkorgan Tajik Autonomous County in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region has realized full coverage of optical fiber network, delivering radio and television services to all villages in the county, local authorities said Saturday. The county under the administration of Kashgar Prefecture, with an average altitude of more than 4,000 meters above sea level, is the highest-altitude county in Xinjiang. The project helped more than 5,200 households in the county's mountainous areas enjoy the radio and television services. The full coverage of optical fiber network can not only improve the life quality of residents but also contribute to poverty alleviation, said Huang Lidong, director of the industry and information bureau of Kashgar Prefecture. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-05 00:20:48|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BEIJING, July 4 (Xinhua) -- China upgraded its emergency response for flood control from level IV to level III on Saturday, according to the Ministry of Water Resources, as incessant downpours continued to wreak havoc in vast stretches of the country. Water levels in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River as well as Dongting Lake and Poyang Lake have been rising as a result of sustained rainfall. A total of 16 rivers in Jiangxi and Anhui were struck by above-warning-level floods on Saturday, said the ministry. According to the ministry, coordinated operation of reservoirs in the upper reaches of the Yangtze River will be carried out to reduce the amount of water flowing into the Three Gorges Dam and relieve flood control pressure in the middle and lower reaches of the river. 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. Local authorities were urged to step up the monitoring of weather and patrolling of dikes, reservoirs and hydropower stations. China has a four-tier flood control emergency response system, with level I representing the most severe. The country's national observatory on Saturday renewed a blue alert for rainstorms. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-05 00:25:00|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BEIJING, July 4 (Xinhua) -- China's privately offered funds reached 14.08 trillion yuan (about 1.99 trillion U.S. dollars) by the end of 2019, industry association data showed. The figure was up 1.38 trillion yuan, or 10.87 percent, from the end of 2018, according to the Asset Management Association of China (AMAC). By the end of December, the number of registered privately offered funds reached 81,710, rising 9.47 percent from the end of 2018, according to the AMAC. Some 24,471 securities, futures trading and venture capital institutions managed these funds as of the end of 2019, AMAC data showed. Established in 2012, AMAC is a self-regulatory organization that represents the mutual fund industry of China. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-05 01:01:41|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close NAIROBI, July 4 (Xinhua) -- Joyline Adhiambo's face lightened up as she carefully wrapped a few gifts she intends to give her child once they reunite with the anticipated lifting of lockdown next week. The mother of one has not held her child in three months since a presidential declaration on cessation of movements from the Kenyan capital, Nairobi to other rural counties put 122 km between her and her daughter. Adhiambo, a 38-year-old financial advisor was accustomed to shuttling from Nairobi, where her office is stationed to her ancestral village until April 6 when she was found herself locked by a directive aimed at taming the spread of COVID-19. "I was in my office in Upperhill, Nairobi when I saw the televised announcement by the president banning movement in and out of Nairobi. I became concerned given that my daughter is only three years old and in constant need of my presence," said Adhiambo. She joins a list of Kenyans who have been inadvertently split from their families, children and spouses by containment measures aimed at slowing the spread of COVID-19. Many of them now await with bated breath a presidential address on Monday that could possibly reconnect them with their loved ones. "I have been counting the number of days leading up to the lapse of the containment measures. I long to see my daughter and spend time with her," said Adhiambo. The anti-COVID-19 containment measures like restricted movement and curfews may be set to lapse on July 6 after being extended for 30 more days in June. Kenya has been put under a partial lockdown since April 6 when Nairobi and the coastal city of Mombasa which account for the bulk of the positive cases witnessed controlled movement. Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta hinted at reopening the economy last week including the resumption of domestic flights. "We are going to be starting domestic flights and this is what we are going to use over the next couple of days. Because we are opening up the lockdown that we have had between inter-county lockdown and ultimately I think that's what's going to set the pace for getting a day for us to open up now once again to international flights," said Kenyatta. Even as Adhiambo holds on to hope, she is alive to the prevailing challenge posed by easing restriction measures without proper protocols. "I am aware of the difficult circumstance facing the government but overtime common sense has been dissolved by my emotions. I am desperate to see my child," she said. The likely reopening of the country and subsequently the economy comes hot on the heels of a rising trajectory of positive COVID-19 cases. As of Saturday, Kenyan positive cases stood at 7,577, with 159 people having succumbed to the disease and 2,236 recoveries. However, even with the soaring cases, the Ministry of Health has reported that Kenya has a relatively low fatality rate of 2.29 percent compared to a global average of 6.7 percent. Over the past month, Kenyan counties have been sprinting to meet a threshold that will dictate the opening up of the country. Among the requirements include at least a 300-bed capacity, adoption of a triage system at the county level, enhanced capacity to detect and manage cases among others. Chemutai Alonzo, a 21-year-old walked into her sister's living room in Nairobi's Umoja estate, ready to chat with her parents only that their conversation will be over Zoom. Her parents have been stuck in Tanzania due to a presidential decision that saw the closure of the Kenya-Tanzania border to control the spread of COVID-19. "I anticipate that the president's declaration will facilitate the opening of the Kenya-Tanzania border so that I can see my parents," said Alonzo. Alonzo's parents are traders based in Tanzania for close to five years but the unprecedented closure of the border led to a hiatus in the business and separation from their two daughters. "A zoom call cannot substitute the physical presence of having my parents around, I look forward to seeing them soon," Alonzo said. The Kenyan Ministry of Health has reiterated the risks that accompany the lifting of restriction measures noting that the responsibility of curbing the disease lies on citizens adhering to hygiene measures and social distancing. "We are aware that restriction measures have led to adverse social-economic consequences and have generated intense pressure to have the measures relaxed," said Rashid Aman, Chief Administrative Secretary in the Ministry of Health of Kenya. "However, the control measures cannot be done away altogether, you have seen how countries that have deescalated have been hit by spikes," he added. Meanwhile, the education sector is set to suffer a major blow as officials said that reopening of the schools might be pushed to next year and not as earlier projected in September. "We have been informed by doctors that the peak is likely to come in September and perhaps tamper down around January, so we have reached a consensus that the President will pronounce soon," said George Magoha, Cabinet Secretary of Ministry for Education of Kenya. Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-05 03:42:53|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close CAIRO, July 4 (Xinhua) -- Egypt's top Court of Cassation upheld on Saturday a previous court ruling that sentenced activist Ahmed Douma to 15 years in prison on charges of rioting in 2011, state-run Ahram newspaper reported. Douma, a prominent figure of Jan. 25 uprising that toppled late President Hosni Mubarak and also the founder of the now-banned April 6 Youth Movement, was fined 6 million Egyptian pounds (nearly 372,500 U.S. dollars) over taking part in a protest in December 2011, in which a science academy was set ablaze. He faced the charges of illegal assembly, weapons possession, assaulting police and military forces, and vandalizing government properties, including the cabinet and parliament buildings. In another case, he has been imprisoned since 2013 for violating a law that banned unlicensed protests and clashing with the security forces. Douma received 25 years in prison in 2015, but an appeal court has overturned the ruling in 2017 and ordered a retrial. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-05 06:23:49|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close KHARTOUM, July 4 (Xinhua) -- Sudan's Irrigation and Water Resources Ministry on Saturday said the standing differences over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) remain limited. The talks between Sudan, Egypt and Ethiopia regarding the filling and operation of the GERD on the Nile River continued on Saturday via video conference under the patronage of South Africa, in presence of monitors from South Africa, the United States and the European Union. "Viewpoints of the three countries regarding the issues of difference, both legal and technical, were reviewed during the session of talks," said the ministry in a statement. During the session, the Sudanese delegation reiterated its position, stressing the need to agree on a comprehensive mechanism for resolving the differences, according to the statement. The talks are expected to continue on Sunday. Ethiopia started building the GERD in 2011, while Egypt, a downstream Nile Basin country that relies on the river for its fresh water, is concerned that the dam might affect its 55.5-billion-cubic-meter annual share of the water resources. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-05 06:58:09|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close HOUSTON, July 4 (Xinhua) -- There is no public activity and access to the annual Houston Fourth of July celebration Saturday night as COVID-19 continues its rapid spread in the U.S. state of Texas. According to the Texas Health and Human Services, as of Saturday, there are 191,790 confirmed COVID-19 cases reported in the state, an increase of 8,258 from Friday. The death toll reached 2,608. "Freedom Over Texas," Houston's annual Fourth of July celebration, will be held without public activities or public access due to the continued fast spread of the coronavirus. In a written statement, Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner said, "The city of Houston will celebrate freedom this year, but out of an abundance of caution during the COVID-19 pandemic, we want people to stay home and watch the fireworks." "The virtual celebration will include a dazzling display of red, white, and blue as we reflect on the history of our country and the challenging events of 2020," the statement continued. Following Texas Governor Greg Abbott's statewide face covering mandate, Lina Hidalgo, judge of Harris County where Houston is located, has issued an order prohibiting outdoor gatherings of 10 or more people. The order went into effect on July 3, and will last until Aug. 26. The order came at a time when people are celebrating Fourth of July weekend. According to the order, fireworks displays that were permitted in unincorporated Harris County and are viewed from inside a motor vehicle are permitted. Also, fireworks displays and gatherings with more than 100 people viewing them from outside a vehicle are prohibited. At least 26 Kenyan students from Isiolo and Marsabit counties are still stranded in Sudan following travel restrictions due to the Covid-19 pandemic. They have now appealed to leaders from north eastern and the respective county governments to assist in their evacuation back to the country. The students have been studying at the International University of Africa. They said they have run out of money and cannot afford the high cost of air tickets that ranges between Sh55,000 and Sh60,000. The travel restrictions have also affected learning with a number of institutions resorting to virtual learning. LIFE UNBEARABLE Mr Jimale Bashir, a fourth year media and public relations student, complained that traders have hiked prices of foodstuffs, adding that they are staying indoors to avoid contracting the disease and this has made life unbearable for them. "We have also run out of the little money we had and affording a meal continues to be a big challenge. It is too costly staying here and that is why we are appealing to the government to repatriate us," Mr Bashir told the Nation from Khartoum. Parents and the university's alumni from Isiolo on Thursday appealed to local leaders and the business community for assistance to evacuate the students. They lamented that most of the students are from poor backgrounds and cannot sustain themselves during the current harsh economic times. Close Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox Top Headlines Kenya Coronavirus Sudan By submitting above, you agree to our privacy policy. Success! Almost finished... We need to confirm your email address. To complete the process, please follow the instructions in the email we just sent you. Error! Error! There was a problem processing your submission. Please try again later. "They have been facing numerous challenges from last year and with the Covid-19 crisis, they need help to reunite with their families," said Daud Tadicha, an alumnus of the university. UNABLE TO OFFER SUPPORT Ms Habiba Dido said with the biting effects of the pandemic, she is unable to support her son, Mohammed Dido, a fourth year student pursuing a pharmacy course. She appealed to the two county governments to facilitate travel back home for the learners. "The two county governments should take a leading role in ensuring that the students get back home safely and within the shortest time possible because we cannot provide for them due to the harsh effects of the coronavirus," said Ms Dido. The county leaders, the parents said, should emulate their counterparts from the Coast region who, a few days ago, facilitated the evacuation of over 100 students who were also trapped in Sudan. "The parents are unable to cater for their sons and daughters' safe return and we also appeal to well-wishers for help," said another alumnus and youth leader Yahya Hassan. Lagos The Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) has advised its members to adhere to safety standards and protocols released by the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) and Presidential Taskforce on COVID-19. The association's stance is coming on the heels of a viral report on a manufacturing company that is allegedly holding workers against their will to operate in its factory during the lockdown following the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic. It stated that the report was contrary to its directives to members especially manufacturers of essential items who were permitted to operate during the lockdown. The president of the association, Engr. Mansur Ahmed, clarified: "They were advised to provide requisite facilities for the prevention of COVID-19 in line with extant guidelines of the NCDC. "MAN has instructively communicated to her members at the initial phase of easing of lockdown that their establishments should put in place control measures to flatten the curve or reduce the risk of further spreading of COVID-19 as well as what employers and businesses can do to protect the health and safety of staff. "The communication also spoke to adherence to guidelines in a case of staff member(s) within an organization suspected with symptoms of COVID-19", the industrialist added. 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. "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. Close Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox Top Headlines Nigeria Coronavirus By submitting above, you agree to our privacy policy. Success! Almost finished... We need to confirm your email address. To complete the process, please follow the instructions in the email we just sent you. Error! Error! There was a problem processing your submission. Please try again later. "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 region's 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 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 union's virtual National Executive Council meeting on Thursday, NUPENG's 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. Close Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox Top Headlines Nigeria By submitting above, you agree to our privacy policy. Success! Almost finished... We need to confirm your email address. To complete the process, please follow the instructions in the email we just sent you. Error! Error! There was a problem processing your submission. Please try again later. The NUPENG official explained that most of the nation's 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. "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." Public Private Partnerships (PPP) projects have attracted about $8bn (about N2.8trn) to Nigeria in the past ten years, the Director-General, Infrastructure Concession and Regulatory Commission (ICRC), Mr. Chidi Izuwah) has said. Mr. Izuwah disclosed this Thursday when the Ambassador of the Republic of Indonesia to Nigeria, H. E. Usra Hendra Harahap paid him a courtesy call. "The $8bn was achieved in ten years in various projects which are available. Don't forget that Nigeria is the first country in the world to have the PPP disclosure portal and all those projects are on the portal. But I am not focused on the past. I am focused on the future. The $8bn is done but it hasn't solved all our problems. So my worry is the billions in dollars of future money that we need to create" Mr. Izuwah noted. He listed some of the PPP projects that attracted that huge sum to Nigeria to include; "projects Lekki Deep Seaport, the Silos, the DICON in Kaduna, which will revive our entire fertilizer value chain and also our textiles value chain - our entire ginneries are closed. When that factory is completed, our cotton farmers will go back to the farms again. That's the whole mass of projects that is attracting these investments. " He said the PPP opportunities are endless. "Look at what we are creating with the Highway Development Management Initiative (HDMI), with our roads. Why shouldn't our roads be like elsewhere in the world? Why shouldn't our hospitals, be like other hospital in the world? Why shouldn't our airports be like other airports in the world? Why shouldn't our farms be like any farm elsewhere in the world? That is the future" he said. Close Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox Top Headlines Nigeria By submitting above, you agree to our privacy policy. Success! Almost finished... We need to confirm your email address. To complete the process, please follow the instructions in the email we just sent you. Error! Error! There was a problem processing your submission. Please try again later. Speaking to the essence of the meeting, he said with Indonesia being the current the 16th largest economy in the world by nominal GDP and the 8th largest in terms of GDP (Purchasing power parity), the ICRC looks forward to a cordial working and knowledge sharing relationships between Nigeria and Indonesia. He also requested for a collaboration with the Ambassador for an immediately Nigeria-Indonesia PPP Knowledge Sharing Webinar where top Nigerian government functionaries would be honoured to listen to great Indonesia PPP/Infrastructure experts. Commenting, Amb. Harahap, said he welcome the collaboration. "I have been working with the Nigerian government and other relevant stakeholders to strengthen the bilateral relations between both countries, especially on the economy." The United Niger Delta Energy Development Security Strategy, UNDEDSS, on Thursday, warned the National Assembly, NASS, to stop slowing down well-meaning programmes and projects of the Federal Government and its MDAs in the Niger Delta. In a statement by its Executive Secretary, Mr. Tony Uranta, UNDEDSS stated that the ongoing feud between the Labour Ministry and the National Assembly is currently threatening to stifle the orders of President Muhammadu Buhari to "create socio-economic welfare nets reaching directly to the constitutionally-recognised 774,000 local government areas of the country. "The National Assembly is throwing all kinds of spurious spanners in the way of Mr. Buhari's desire to be perceived as an empathetic leader, via deflating the economy, no matter for how long. "And UNDEDSS equates this with how the same National Assembly leadership seem hell-bent on scuttling the Federal Government's extremely vital programme designed to get COVID-19 palliatives to the Niger Delta, via the Niger Delta Development Commission NDDC, in these tragic times." UNDEDSS stated that "we see a pattern in the way Keyamo, Akpabio are facing campaigns of calumny, which pattern has been in existence since the inception of the 4th Republic. "Every ministry, department and agency of the Federal Government has budgets held ransom, until the National Assembly leadership satisfies its selfish interests. "If this National Assembly is allowed to continue browbeating everybody, the Niger Delta and others may soon resort to self-help, decide that it time to resort, once again, to mass action. "We want peace, justice and equity, therefore we may need to resort to unorthodox means." Following the increasing COVID-19 deaths in Nigeria, the Federal Road Safety Corps, FRSC, Zone 2 Lagos and Neimeth International Pharmaceuticals have launched a campaign on preventive messages in Lagos and Ogun State. Speaking at the Public Presentation of FRSC COVID-19 Public Enlightenment Kiosks in Lagos, the Chief Executive Officer, Neimeth, Pharm. Matthew Azoji, said it was awful that many Nigerians are yet to believe the existence of COVID-19. Azoji said the campaign was aimed at taking the COVID-19 campaign to the citizens as well as promote the preventive measures as directed by the World Health Organisation, WHO. He said the campaign against the deadly disease was targeted at communities across Lagos and Ogun States. He said: "Considering the over-crowded nature of different areas of our society as potential venues for the spread of diseases and infections, appropriate steps and care must be taken to forestall the possibility of such diseases or infections spreading. This is what makes the FRSC partnership campaign through the provision of public enlightenment kiosks, a worthy objective. Antiseptics or Disinfectants are more or less used to promote personal and environmental hygiene. "Our use of NCP liquid and hand sanitizers for this partnership is very apt. NCP will help to promote NCDC's recommendation of maintenance of regular Personal and Environmental Hygiene as an effective way to prevent contracting diseases and infections including COVID-19. Based on this same recommendation, NCP can be used to sanitize hands in the absence of water used to clean and disinfect surfaces in the home or office, and above all, maintain persona| and environmental hygiene". On his part, the Deputy Corps Commander, Administration, and Human Resources, FRSC Zone RS2HQ Lagos, Innocent Etuk, said the corps will at the course of discharging their duties spread the gospel of preventions against deadly COVID-19 with encrypting messages on presented kiosks and distribution of fliers. "Federal Road Safety Corps, FRSC has the vision to eradicate Road Traffic Crashes, (RTC) and create a safe motoring environment in Nigeria with a mission to regulate, enforce and coordinate all traffic and safety management activities through sustained public enlightenment, prompt rescue services, promotion of stakeholders' cooperation among others. After just one year, Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri is walking the talk. He has touched Adamawa in diverse ways, despite myriad challenges; economy, security, political, social, and many more. The fact sheet, which had been unfolded a year after has shown some unassailable truths that can never be swept away. As Sir Winston Churchill, former British Prime Minister said; "Truth is incontrovertible. Ignorance may deride it, panic may resent it, malice may destroy it, but there it is." The governor and his team are steadily and painstakingly retooling Adamawa. Out of sheer and deliberate ignorance, some people deride it, saying we see nothing, we hear nothing. Yes. When you have become deliberately blind, you can see nothing, even when it is thrust before your very eyes. You won't see it. When you have become willfully deaf, when it is noisy to your hearing daily, you won't hear. Some other people do theirs out of panic. Shall it be said that what Napoleon couldn't do, has been done by that simple, unassuming man from Madagali? Can anything good come out of Nazareth? Madagali of all places. That small place. Not a man from a major city. And he wants to be recorded in history as the man who turned Adamawa right side up. They resent it out of panic. Yet some others operate out of malice. He is not of my ethnic stock. Nor of my religion, language, political party. Why must Adamawa work under him? It won't happen. We won't see anything, nor hear anything. In fact, he is doing nothing. The state is even worse off than he met it one year ago. One year ago, thousands celebrated the victory of Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri who defeated the incumbent governor in a fierce encounter at the 2019 general elections. Governor Fintiri in less than a year in office has been inspiring and has impacted positively on the lives of the people of the state. He has proven, by all accounts, to be a good manager, and has made significant progress in all aspects of life. The people of Adamawa State will bear me witness to the fact that the state is now on the path of development. All these things made him stand out among his peers even as he was crowned the "Leadership governor of the year 2019". The early part of his administration has been punctuated by development that provides assurances for good governance and prospect for a state like Adamawa, which has remained under the shackles of poverty, deprivation, repression and under development. His popular policies and a handful of achievements during the early part of his administration rekindled the hope of the Adamawa population for a better deal. For an administration that has to contend with a huge debt profile of about 140 billion on assumption of office, the debt status of the state may be contrary. As a leader who understands the art of governance and the frustrations of his people, his determination to translate into concrete reality his 11-points agenda, apparently because the source of the strength to take his teeming supporters out of our present political and economic quagmire. In his wisdom, he has established a pattern, spanning 5 major critical areas of governance, which have so far yielded positive results and these areas include, security, education, infrastructural development and workers welfare. Governor Fintiri has proven times without numbers that he values humanity more than anything. His first task of humanitarianism came in handy when Boko haram insurgents kidnapped and killed the CAN Chairman Michika LGA, he made it a point of duty to award scholarship to the children of the murdered clergyman. He donated 3million for the education of the children of soldiers killed by Boko Haram in Garkida, Gombi LGA. His benevolence was extended to fire victims at the markets in Ganye, Michika and Loko in Song LGAs as he donated 3million each to the 3 local government areas to ameliorate the hardship caused by the inferno. He is benevolent enough to donate his 3 months salaries to help in the fight against the novel coronavirus. As if that was not enough, he donated 20million to tricycle riders in the state in an effort to ameliorate the hardship caused by the lockdown order in the state. The governor went further to direct the Adamawa State Emergency Management Agency (ADSEMA) to distribute foodstuff as palliatives to the 21 Local Government Areas of the State. Items distributed include 3,948 bags of 50kg rice, 4,545 gallons of 25 litres of vegetable oil, 135 bags of 50 kg sugar, 21 cartons of couscous, 21 bags of 50 kg of beans and 1, 530 cartons of tomato paste. Others are 1, 060 cartons of spaghetti/macaroni, 480 bales of second hand clothes as well as 57 pieces of second hand wrappers among others. Rainstorm victims in Jada Local Government Area also felt the breath of fresh air as the governor donated 5 million naira to enable them rebuild their damaged homes. I doff my hat to the leadership of His Excellency, Governor Ahmadu Umaru Fintri, for what he has done so far in the last one year and I will unforgettably say his administration's judicious and dexterous use of tax payers' resources, still stands out among other administrations. Close Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox Top Headlines Nigeria By submitting above, you agree to our privacy policy. Success! Almost finished... We need to confirm your email address. To complete the process, please follow the instructions in the email we just sent you. Error! Error! There was a problem processing your submission. Please try again later. His coordination of people-oriented projects have in daylight explained the prudent utilisation of public funds Despite the increasing challenges of the current public health crisis unleashed by COVID-19, His Excellency, Governor Ahmadu Umaru Fintri uniquely halted the outrageous spread of the virus. He ensured the available supplies of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE); Isolation centres are beefed up with unending medical supplies; Health workers' hazard allowances are without arguments regularly made available to encourage their defying battle against coronavirus in the state. Different palliatives continue to flourish at the nooks of the state to alleviate the hardships the pandemic has visited on the people. He even donated his 3 months salary to help fight off the pandemic in the state. Yet, some people don't see what the government is doing (please who off light?). But those who see and hear, are full of appreciation. True, facts are stubborn things. "Truth is incontrovertible. Ignorance may deride it, panic may resent it, malice may destroy it, but there it is." Foya Puja wrote from Yola, Adamawa State. Akure Ondo State government Thursday declared Friday as a work-free day to honour the state Commissioner for Health, Dr. Wahab Adegbenro, who died yesterday after contracting COVID-19. The Chief Medical Director (CMD) of the University of Medical Sciences (UNIMED) Teaching Hospital, Ondo, Dr. Oluwole Ige, has also tested positive for the virus. The state government, in a statement entitled: "Adegbenro, Our General, Died Healing Others," signed by the Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Mr. Donald Ojogo, also paid tribute to the deceased. Though, Ojogo did not disclose the cause of his death, a source said the commissioner died of COVID-19 complications. Until his death, Adegbenro equally doubled as Chairman, Ondo State Inter-ministerial Committee Against COVID-19. Ojogo Said: "Dr Adegbenro was in the forefront of the state's battle against the ravaging COVID-19 pandemic. Not only did he signpost commitment and diligence; he, indeed, was immeasurable in his inspiration clearly defining himself as an embodiment of selflessness, hard work, and inexorable professionalism. "This is one death too heavy to bear. The excruciating pains the timing has unsparingly, wrought on us in Ondo State are no less potent. "To say the least, Dr. Adegbenro was our General and died healing others. Having served humanity with the attendant kindness, he played his part honourably." He said the Ondo State Government had directed that all flags in the state must fly at half-mast for seven days from yesterday. Close Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox Top Headlines Coronavirus Nigeria Governance By submitting above, you agree to our privacy policy. Success! Almost finished... We need to confirm your email address. To complete the process, please follow the instructions in the email we just sent you. Error! Error! There was a problem processing your submission. Please try again later. Similarly, the All Progressives Congress (APC), Ondo State said the passage of the health commissioner came to it as a traumatic shock. The party in a statement by its Publicity Secretary, Mr. Alex Kalejaye, said Adegbenro was at the forefront of government's efforts to curtail the spread of COVID-19 pandemic in Ondo State. The CMD of UNIMED Teaching Hospital, Ondo has tested positive for COVID- 19. His status was disclosed in a statement signed by the hospital's Media Officer, Mr. Babatunde Adeeyo. "This is to inform the members of staff of the University of Medical Sciences Teaching Hospital and the general public that the Chief Medical Director was positive for COVID-19 test conducted on him after he exhibited symptoms relating to Coronavirus disease. "However, the CMD is currently being treated and he is responding to the treatment positively," the statement said. Abuja and Maiduguri The weapons and hardware being used by Boko Haram insurgents were looted and carted away during invasions on military formations in the northeast, according to Military sources. They were reacting to the claim by the Coordinator, Defence Media Operations, Major-General John Enenche, that the military does not know those sponsoring terrorist groups in the country and how they get their weapons. "It is not correct to say that the weapons being showcased by the terrorists are anything different from those procured for us," one of the sources said. "The candid truth is that most of these vehicles, armour tanks and other military hardware were stolen from our bases. Recall that in most displaced military locations, they looted our arms and ammunition to fuel their operations. Most of the vehicles they use were snatched from our frontlines troops. "Another means is that they get weapons from neighbouring Lake Chad countries at giveaway prices. It is easier to move arms and ammunition to Lake Chad Basin because of porous borders," the source said. A public affairs analyst, Abubakar M. Kareto, said the Boko Haram insurgents have several means of funding their operations including taxation of locals, raids on villages, kidnapping and looting of military formations. Boko Haram Sponsors Major-General Enenche, on Thursday, during the weekly press briefing on military operations across the country, claimed that the military does not know those sponsoring Boko Haram and other terrorist groups in the country. Daily Trust reports that his claim was in sharp contrast to what military and civilian leaders had said in the past. For instance, in May 2015, the then Theatre Commander of Operation Lafiya Dole based in Maiduguri, Borno State, Maj.-Gen. Yushau Abubakar, had said the army had a list of the sponsors of Boko Haram and that it was doing everything possible to end the insurgency by the end of that year. "Investigation on those that we suspect that are either participating or hiding, fuelling or conniving with those that carried out those acts, is ongoing. They will be exposed in due course," Abubakar had said at that time. He had also pointed out that the spate of bombings at the time was aimed at diverting the attention of the military from achieving its target in the ongoing anti-terrorism war. Close Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox Top Headlines Nigeria Conflict Arms and Armies By submitting above, you agree to our privacy policy. Success! Almost finished... We need to confirm your email address. To complete the process, please follow the instructions in the email we just sent you. Error! Error! There was a problem processing your submission. Please try again later. But while briefing journalists, Enenche said: "Once we get information on collaborators (of Boko Haram), we move in with military actions. For sponsors, that one is at the high level, we have not seen them, and we have not seen that people are sponsoring them. "The evidence is that people (terrorists) are getting provisions and equipment that ordinarily should not be, even if they loot and sell the rustled cattle. "Common assessment will now justify how much would they steal and sell to get gun trucks and other equipment, all these points to the fact that they are being sponsored, but that is beyond the military," he said. He also said that troops in the northeast had conducted several operations at various locations which led to the neutralisation of terrorists, destruction of their equipment and structures as well as recovery of various items. He said between June 18 and 30, 2020, the Air Task Force of Operation Lafiya Dole conducted intensive air strikes to mark the launching of its subsidiary Operation Long Reach along the fringes of the Sambisa Forest in Borno State. He said air operations led to the destruction of a Boko Haram tactical command centre housing some of their high value leaders and neutralised several of their fighters at Garin Maloma and Yuwe villages. He added that airstrikes conducted at Buka Korege, Bula Bello, Ngoske, Tongule, Bukar Meram and Warshale Villages led to the destruction of several Boko Haram locations and gun trucks, while scores of fighters were neutralised. The Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria (FMBN), Mr. Ahmed Dangiwa has said the bank remains optimistic in its push to achieve access to affordable housing for more Nigerians are on course. This includes the N500 billion recapitalisation; review of the National Housing Fund (NHF) Scheme and FMBN establishment Acts and the overall automation of all FMBN business processes. Dangiwa, stated this in his remarks to mark the third-year anniversary of the current FMBN executive management team recently. A statement by the Group Head, Corporate Communications, FMBN, Ahmed Abubakar, quoted him to have said this in a statement. He noted that while FMBN has in the last three years surpassed all key corporate performance indicators such as the size and speed of mortgage loan disbursements, refunds to retired contributors to the National Housing Fund (NHF) scheme, housing stock construction amongst others, the overall goal was to fundamentally turnaround the bank by increasing the size of its capital, restructuring its legal framework and putting technology at the heart of its operations. "We are proud of what we have achieved in the past three years. Our performance shows the potential of FMBN to make a difference in affordable housing delivery if properly empowered. "However, our goal is to leave a legacy of a structurally transformed, financially robust and highly efficient FMBN that is leading in the delivery of affordable social housing to Nigerian workers. "We are making progress in our advocacy to the Federal Government to increase FMBN's capitalisation from the current N5 billion to N500 billion. This will give the bank the financial resilience to leverage additional financing to tackle the rising housing deficit. With the support of the Honorable Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola SAN we believe this is realisable," the FMBN boss added. Regarding the review of the National Housing Fund (NHF) Scheme and FMBN establishment Acts pending at the National Assembly, the FMBN MD/CEO stated that the bank was working closely with relevant stakeholders toward resolving the issues that caused the Presidency to withhold assent. "Since then, we have consulted with key stakeholders to fix all issues of concern that were raised and are happy to observe that we are making good progress. This groundwork that we are doing we hope will hopefully ensure that the emerging provisions in the bills will be acceptable to all parties and we will not experience the delay that occurred before," Dangiwa said. Dangiwa also said that he was hopeful that the bank's Core Banking Project would be implemented as a foundation for a total migration of the bank's business operations from manual to digital thus improving efficiency and service delivery. He noted that the proposal is currently awaiting presentation and approval by the Federal Executive Council (FEC). In a related development, the Bank has stated that the transparent and progressive leadership of its board within the past three years has helped to significantly shore up industry stakeholder confidence in the operations of the National Housing Fund (NHF) scheme, a contributory program that supports the provision of affordable housing to Nigerians. Dangiwa, said this during a recent Webinar organised by the Housing Advocacy Network (HDAN) on housing development in the country and the challenges posed by Covid-19 to the housing sector. He noted that many states that had stopped participating in the NHF Scheme have re-joined and are actively contributing to the scheme and the bank has witnessed an increased number of private sector participation in the scheme. He also added that commercial banks and insurance companies, who are required by the NHF Act to invest 10 per cent of their loans and advances portfolio and 40 per cent and 20 per cent of life and non-life funds respectively in the scheme are showing more interest in playing their statutory roles. Close Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox Top Headlines Nigeria By submitting above, you agree to our privacy policy. Success! Almost finished... We need to confirm your email address. To complete the process, please follow the instructions in the email we just sent you. Error! Error! There was a problem processing your submission. Please try again later. "With the cooperation of our stakeholders and our strategic reform initiatives, we are happy to say that we have reset FMBN and the NHF scheme on a stronger, more progressive footing than we met it. When we came on board three years ago, the confidence level was low. "Most states had withdrawn from the NHF scheme and were no longer contributing. In the past three years we have re-engaged them and convinced them to do a rethink. The result is that seven of those states are now back and contributing to the NHF scheme. Only two states, Kano, and Oyo, are remaining and we are engaging them. "We have also increased the number of employers including large and small private sector businesses that are registering to the scheme by an additional 1,629 to the NHF scheme because of our strong business focus. In the same vein, we also increased the number of cooperatives participating by an additional 111," he added. Woburn, MA (01801) Today Mostly cloudy. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 71F. Winds SSW at 10 to 15 mph.. Tonight Mostly cloudy. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 71F. Winds SSW at 10 to 15 mph. Quarantine Arequipa, Ica, Junin, Huanuco, San Martin, Madre de Dios, and Ancash remain under mandatory social isolation. In those areas, residents are allowed to leave their homes only to have access to essential services and goods and to carry out authorized economic activities. AHORA | Titular de la PCM, @VicAZeballos, dialoga con parlamentarios de la region #Arequipa para abordar los principales retos que enfrenta la region durante la pandemia por el #COVID19. pic.twitter.com/rxpP0BhddV What makes you qualified to be on the council? I would assure the city is financially sound and healthy. I have worked for over 25 years in preparing and meeting budgets goals. I would use the goals, strategic plans and General Plan of Cottonwood as a roadmap to ensure the citys mission and vision is followed via effective management and quality of services are sustained or exceeded. I have over 19 years as President/CEO of a non-profit business entity and consistently exceeded goals. What makes Cottonwood great? A unique history, great quality of life, a tourists paradise that we get to experience day to day and a well laid out foundation by those that came before us and continues today. Cottonwood is constantly improving with the leader- ship of good caring residents and businesses throughout. What would be different if you were not on the council? As a freshman member of council, I am able to view city government with open eyes and no pre-conceived ideas. Thus, lending a new perspective on whats best for Cottonwood with an open mind and curious. How will you help Cottonwood to recover from the coronavirus and resulting economic slump? Marketing with a positive attitude is probably my strong suit. All previous employment has involved effective marketing to be successful. Cottonwood obviously needs to be marketed now in a new, effective and safe manner. I truly believe everyone on the city council is working to make this happen in a variety of very vocal and visual ways. Social media, smaller and different types of events, advertising and getting all of Cottonwood involved where possible with new and fresh ideas. How do you hope to keep Cottonwood affordable to residents? Constant review of new types of business opportunities and smart growth to meet the needs of all residents, including the homeless. Candidate Essay: The Wilden family moved to Phoenix in the early 1900s and began farming in downtown Phoenix, Tolleson, Buckeye, Goodyear and Laveen. We eventually moved to Litchfield Park where I attended elementary school, as well as high school and then on to the University of Arizona where I obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in Public Administration. I then moved to Sausalito, Calif. and worked for Bechtel Corp. in San Francisco. My intent was to get a job with the CIA, FBI or Treasury Department. I wasnt tall enough at 5 feet 1 inch and went on to Austin to work for the Governor of Texas in charge of his lobbying activities. Missing Arizona, I moved back to Phoenix and the surrounding area until I moved to Cottonwood in 2007 to take a job as President/CEO of the Cottonwood Chamber of Commerce. First and foremost, a good policy is meant to be measurable with a positive outcome and solve our citizens problems effectively and efficiently within the law. Our Cottonwood General Plan 2025 serves as a wide brushstroke into and basis for public policy decisions that I am obligated to follow as a guide. My personal attention and interests are: Quality of Life Continue to institute and improve for our residents and businesses. Education Provide quality and diversified educational opportunities for all ages. Housing Support affordable housing for all income levels. Safety Ensure any policy in place or discussed provides a safe environment for all. This includes health, traffic control and public safety of all kinds. My professional career includes residential and commercial real estate in Phoenix for the Del Webb Corporation for 17 years, major account sales of high-end office equipment for Phoenix Pitney Bowes for 9 years, economic development for the cities of Glendale, Surprise and Wickenburg, and chamber of commerce management for over 18 years with the Glendale Chamber, Northwest Valley [now Greater Surprise Chamber] and finally as CEO/President of the Cottonwood Chamber of Commerce for two years until I retired. After retirement, I was asked to provide lobbying activities for Chambers of Commerce in 19 communities throughout Arizona. I would suggest you vote in all elections and especially in local elections. Your vote can have a significant influence on your life in Cottonwood, the local election and local candidates. Why me? I am a resident, have experience as a small business owner and only want the best for Cottonwood. Thats my motivation. What is my incentive? My background afforded me the chance to live in diversified neighborhoods, diversified educational settings and diversified work environments. Therefore, I truly believe I am able to appreciate, support and communicate with all residents and the business community I represent. We are all still learning and I take every opportunity I can to listen and learn from my constituents and fellow council members so that I may make the best decisions for the city. Elections have consequences. Vote for me, Debbie Wilden, and I believe they will be positive. 11:14 | Canchis (Cusco region), Jul. 4. The location he chose to explain the process of the Inca culture was the rooftop of his house, situated in San Jeronimo district, which affords a view of the Inti (sun), the tutelary apus (guardian deities in the form of mountains) Huanacaure, Ausangate, and Pachatusan, as well as the impressive snow-capped Salkantay. Quispe is a native of Canchis province, located in Cusco region. "The 'Inca Rap' was created as a result of the popularity of urban music in these times and, using rap tracks, I performed the song to attract the attention of students from Newton and Galileo schools," he told Andina news agency. In addition, the teacher uses Facebook and TikTok, among other tools, for his dynamic classes, which are gaining more and more followers. "I have played more than 30 characters throughout eight years of work, and among the most prominent are Inca Pachacutec, Tupac Amaru II, Miguel Grau, Francisco Pizarro, Jose Olaya," he expressed. Quispe not only teaches in this city, but also travels to remote communities in Cusco to teach in Quechua using a method that only a few teachers use. "I am struggling to get an opportunity to work at a public school. I do social work during my trips to remote towns in the region, without the help or support of any institution," he said, adding that the pandemic has greatly affected teachers. "We also go through difficult times," he commented. The educator disclosed that he will use Huayno and Quechua as part of his virtual material so that the upcoming classes are infused with cultural value and identity. ?? Conoce al docente cusqueno que ensena al ritmo de rap https://t.co/8LOlidxzWQ (Video: Juan Ebert Quispe Aguilar) pic.twitter.com/fNXvar66TB Agencia Andina (@Agencia_Andina) July 3, 2020 (END) PHS/JOT/RMB/MVB Juan Quispe, a 31-year-old teacher from Cusco, found a winning formula to captivate and capture the attention of his high-school students. He played Inca Pachacutec, a ruler of the Tahuantinsuyo Empire, and created a rap song to teach them about the Incas via social networks in times of coronavirus.Published: 7/4/2020 The Survivors Covid-19, and after by Trilby MacDonald From the June, 2020 issue By mid-May, the Washtenaw County Health Department had recorded 1,235 lab-confirmed cases of Covid-19 and 235 more "probable" ones. Ninety people had died, some were still receiving care, and 1,048 had recovered. We asked some of the survivors to share their stories. --- Lucy Ann Lance is the longtime host of the "Lucy Ann Lance Show" on WLBY radio. She and her life partner, Doyle M. Barnes, contracted Covid-19 at the beginning of April. Both were hospitalized at Michigan Medicine, where Barnes succumbed to the disease on April 11. Barnes had survived several strokes and suffered from Parkinson's disease. Because of his health issues, Lance had been broadcasting from home long before Governor Whitmer's stay-at-home order. She avoided stores and believed she was being extremely careful, but she did make one trip to Walgreens. "My symptoms started a couple days later." Her first symptom was smelling an awful odor. "I thought an animal had died in the house!" she says. She developed a slight headache and some flu-like symptoms but no fever. Her request for a Covid-19 test was denied because she had a normal temperature. "I wonder, if we had gotten that test earlier on, would things have turned out differently?" she asks. Her symptoms got worse, and Barnes started to exhibit symptoms. Suddenly things got much worse and they both went to the hospital in an ambulance. "On Tuesday, two days after we got to the hospital, they told me I qualified for [a clinical trial of] the new drug remdesivir. I got an infusion for an hour a day every day for the duration of my stay"--eight days. "That's what turned the tide for me. I begged them to give it to my Doyle, but they said he didn't qualify because of his underlying conditions." Lance says the hospital staff were extremely kind to them. A nurse told her that when she pushed their beds together, Barnes's oxygen levels improved. "My heart lit up," says ...continued below... Lance. "He knew I was there, and I was going to be sure everything was okay for him."So many families weren't able to be with their family members as they passed out of this world. If I had to be sick to be able to be with Doyle at the end, I'm glad I got sick."She returned home alone but surrounded by love. "My neighbors are incredible. They bring food to my house every day. They walk my dog. The love and support on social media! People I don't even know were sending me cards."She has had some dark times. "There were moments when I thought I couldn't go on air again. I thought I would have to find something else to do. But getting back on the air was the best thing for me. We are who we are, and we do what we are supposed to do." When asked if she has a message to share, she replies, "Every day there is joy. Just wait until tomorrow--you never know what it's going to bring."eighty-eight, arrived in Ann Arbor from the Netherlands in 1958 as a student at U-M. She married an American and they had four children. Two are still in Ann Arbor, and two live in California.Naylor keeps in close touch with her family and believes she contracted Covid-19 from her son Phillip, who developed symptoms soon after a visit. Before long, most of her Ann Arbor family had the virus.Naylor first noticed symptoms on March 27. "I was extremely sleepy. I could sleep all day long." She felt hot but didn't believe she had because her fever was only 101. Her daughter gave her an Oximeter to keep track of her oxygen levels, which were low. She tested positive on April 2. Her oxygen continued to drop, and on April 7 she checked into St. Joseph Mercy Ann Arbor."I have nothing but great things to say about the ninth floor; it's a beautiful place to be sick," she says. Naylor was impressed by the level of care and extensive precautions staffers took to contain the infection, including changing PPE each time they came into her room. No visitors were allowed, but one of her daughters in California kept in touch with her health care providers by phone.Naylor was too tired to speak to anyone at first. "I got oxygen, which was my main savior. I didn't notice that I couldn't breathe. I didn't cough much--just a short, dry cough. But I wasn't absorbing oxygen. I thought I was all there, but my daughter told me that I was in and out of consciousness." Because she was asleep most of the time, Naylor didn't realize how sick she was. "I only had one second when I thought, 'Oh no, if I die I will leave a big mess,'" because she had not gotten her affairs in order.Naylor was released after four days. Her son brought her home, where she lives alone, and he and, later, her daughter stayed with her until April 22. "My neighbors were fabulous. They put hearts on my door and the windows."Naylor attributes her relatively quick recovery to her strong physique. "I am very healthy. I swim, I ride a bike, I walk. One of the doctors also said I recovered so well because of the strength I had going in. I'm a good, hardy breed."fifty-six, is married to Andree Naylor's son Dirk. She is a hairdresser who has lived in the Ann Arbor area her whole life. On March 20, her son Troy, twenty-four, was the first in the family to exhibit symptoms of Covid-19. He did not get tested but quarantined himself in his room and recovered in about a week."Pretty soon, we just started dropping like flies," says Gullett-Naylor. Eventually, she got the virus, along with Dirk, fifty-six; her brother Phillip Gullett, sixty-eight; her mother-in-law Andree Naylor, eighty-eight; her sister-in-law Mary Gullet, seventy-one; and her ninety-year-old father, Ray Gullett.Ray Gullett was hospitalized on March 29. He spent twenty-one days in University Hospital but never needed a respirator. He has since returned to his home, where he lives alone. According to his daughter, his motto is "You can do anything you put your mind to."Gullett-Naylor's own symptoms were not the ones typically associated with Covid-19. "I cleared my throat constantly but never had a cough. I never had a fever. The fatigue is the thing that is the most noticeable about this. Dirk didn't have a fever or cough, but he got the toe thing, and so did I and my brother. My middle toe turned brown."Gullett-Naylor suffers from colitis and went to the ER with stomach cramps on April 5. The care she received during her three-day stay at St Joseph Mercy Chelsea was "amazing," she says, although the experience was strange because of the masks: "You can only see the eyes of the people who care for you."Gullet-Naylor was tired at first after returning home, but has since rebounded completely. She is grateful for the love and support she received from friends and neighbors and is relieved to have the whole thing behind her.Asked what she has learned from the experience, she says, "We have to be more compassionate with each other. We need a bigger sense of community. When I started going to Meijer or Target, even though there is a big sign on the wall saying 'You must wear a mask,' there are so many people strolling around like nothing is going on. That to me is troubling."Hinchey is officially retired as the Observer's calendar editor but jokes that he still "haunts" his successors. Forsberg-Smith is twice retired, as an AAPS music teacher and massage therapist. Both are in their seventies and lived in fear of getting Covid-19. But because they contracted it so early--Forsberg-Smith in late January, Hinchey in mid-February--they were never tested and didn't suspect that they had the virus till after they'd recovered."Had I known that I had it at the time I would have been terrified, but instead it just seemed like a weird and unusually bad flu," Hinchey says. It was only later that they realized that all of their symptoms were typical of Covid-19."I had the red, blistery toes on one foot," Forsberg-Smith recalls. "I got a chest cold. I lost my sense of taste for a while. I remember eating asparagus and not being able to taste it and blaming the farming practices. I didn't have a cough. I didn't feel that I had a fever. I never felt like I was so sick that I had to stay in bed."Hinchey felt terrible for a week and coughed incessantly. Finally, he just went to bed for a couple of days and emerged feeling relatively well. He jokes that they shared the symptoms equally between them, so neither one got terribly sick.The couple believe they got the virus from Hinchey's daughter, who works at ISR with international researchers, one of whom had recently returned from a trip to Asia with a terrible flu. Hinchey is amazed they got off so easily."I don't win lotteries or contests; I am not that lucky," he says. Escaping with a relatively mild case of Covid-19, he says, "I feel that I have used up most of my good luck for the next decade!"spent his forty-ninth birthday in the hospital, and is extremely happy to be alive. He says he is "healthy as a horse," and had been in his new position with the human resources department at Metropolitan Detroit Area Hospital Services for six days when he started to feel ill on March 24. He did not want to take time off but had no choice. His incessant coughing worried his fiancee, LaTrivia Peterson. A nurse at the VA Medical Center, insisted he go to St. Joseph Mercy Ann Arbor on the 26th. The next day, he was on a ventilator fighting for his life. He was on it for a week and spent three weeks in the hospital.Peterson had the foresight to pack his phone and charger, which became his lifeline. "They were getting ready to put me on the vent, and I was shaking. They asked me to call my family before, and I was so scared. I looked at Mary, my nurse, and asked if she would be willing to hold my hand. Of course, being the guy that I am, I cracked a joke--'dead man rolling!'--on my way to being intubated. I figured I would go out in style."While on the ventilator, Wade experienced powerful hallucinations. "I was telling stories, I was all over the place. I felt like I was awake the whole time but kept warping to different dreams." According to a respiratory therapist who came to visit him later, this is a common experience."St. Joe Hospital has an amazing staff," Wade says. "They were phenomenal. It brings tears to my eyes just thinking about it."Wade is working from home but is still not 100 percent. "It takes about three weeks to get the fog off of your brain. When you are in bed that long, you lose the strength in your legs, and trying to walk is a whole new experience."Reflecting on his brush with death, Wade says he wants to spend more time with his family. "When you come that close, it does stay with you," he says. He is also concerned by the number of people who continue to doubt that Covid-19 is dangerous."He wants to "spread the word and tell people this is real. I have some family members that are posting that this is a hoax even after I had it. We need to get people to take this seriously. It was just awful."---[Originally published in June, 2020.] YEREVAN, JULY 4, ARMENPRESS. The total number of coronavirus cases has reached 27,900 in Armenia, 15,935 of which have recovered, ARMENPRESS was informed from the National Center for Disease Control and Prevention. 580 new cases have been reported and 451 have recovered. 8 patients died bringing the total number of deaths to 477. Another patient with coronavirus died of other reasons, bringing the number of similar cases to 157. State of emergency has been prolonged until July 13 in Armenia. Reported by Anna Grigoryan, Editing and Translating by Tigran Sirekanyan YEREVAN, JULY 4, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan sent a congratulatory message to U.S. President Donald Trump on the occasion of U.S. Independence Day. As ARMENPRESS was informed from the Office of the Prime Minister of Armenia, the message runs as follows: Honorable Mr. President, I extend my warmest congratulations to you and to the friendly people of the United States on Independence Day. The meaning of July 4 reverberates far beyond the borders of the United States and has become a symbol of victorious struggle for independence. The founding fathers noble ideas of state-building have ever since been a source of inspiration for many nations in pursuit of democracy For two years now, the Armenian authorities have embarked on a comprehensive institutional reform agenda, supposed to lead to the final establishment and irreversibility of democracy and the rule of law in our country. The fight against corruption and judicial reform stands high on our agenda. We are grateful for the United States financial and technical assistance for democratic reforms in Armenia. We highly appreciate the support provided by your administration in the fight against the pandemic that has been plaguing the globe for a while now. Armenia highly values the furtherance of friendly relations with the United States as part of the strategic dialogue established a year ago. We are committed to continued participation in the U.S.-led initiatives aimed at fighting cross-border terrorism and enhancing international security to the best of our ability. We appreciate the United States constructive involvement and balanced policy in the peaceful settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. This year marks the 100th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the First Republic of Armenia and the United States. This landmark historical fact gives our partnership a truly emotional touch. Resonating with our shared democratic values, it creates a solid groundwork for continued development and progress of friendship between our two nations. Reiterating my congratulations, I wish the friendly people of America peace, prosperity and a swift victory in the fight against the coronavirus-driven pandemic. YEREVAN, JULY 4, ARMENPRESS. Artsakh Republic President Arayik Harutyunyan received Foreign Minister of the Republic of Armenia Zohrab Mnatsakanyan. On July 4 As ARMENPRESS was informed from the press service of the Artsakh Presidents Office, a wide range of issues relating to foreign political challenges were on the discussion agenda. Particular reference was made to the latest developments around the Azerbaijani-Karabagh conflict settlement. Within this context, it was underscored that the destructive and aggressive rhetoric of the Azerbaijan's military political authorities deprives the parties of the opportunity to make progress in the peaceful settlement process. President Harutyunyan reaffirmed the commitment of the official Stepanakert to the peaceful settlement of the conflict under the auspices of the OSCE Minsk group and the need for full-fledged participation of the Artsakh Republic to the negotiations. Artsakh Republic Foreign Minister Masis Mayilyan attended the meeting. YEREVAN, JULY 4, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan held a working meeting with the leadership of the Defense Ministry and Armed Forces of Armenia, headed by Minister Davit Tonoyan and Chief of General Staff Onik Gasparyan. As ARMENPRESS was informed from the Office of the Prime Minister, during the meeting the possible developments in the military-political arena of the region and the Action Plan of the Armed Forces were discussed. Its very important to record that today we have quite good pace and quality for the development of the Armed Forces. I want to record that for our Government this direction is not just priority, but its the priority of all priorities, because the aspirations of the Armenian people can become reality only if the combat radiness of the Armed Forces are in line with the political-military situation surrounding our country and is capable to respond to any challenge, PM Pashinyan said, emphasizing the fact that the Armed Forces of Armenia not only ensure the safety of the Armenian people but also ensure peace and stability in the region. Editing and translating by Tigran Sirekanyan Bolivia's Supreme Court on Friday issued a schedule for the country's delayed general election, including a date for an eventual second-round presidential run-off. Bolivians had been due to head to the polls in May to elect a successor to Evo Morales, the former president who resigned in November and fled the country into exile. Last week, interim President Jeanine Anez signed into law a bill confirming September 6 as the election date. And the country's top court has now said any second round run-off would be staged on October 18 with the transfer of power to a permanent president in November. To win outright in September's vote, presidential candidates need at least 40 percent of the vote plus a 10 point lead over the nearest challenger, otherwise the top two candidates will head to a second round. The court said that by publishing the program it aimed to "guarantee" the elections would take pace, albeit "with the appropriate public health protection measures" given the coronavirus pandemic. Anez had wanted to delay the election, claiming Bolivia will be in the middle of its health crisis in September. But after coming under fire with accusations she was trying to unlawfully hold on to power, the conservative politician relented and signed the bill into law. With 16.9 percent, Anez was trailing in third place in the most recent election opinion poll, behind centrist former president Carlos Mesa (18.3) and runaway leader Luis Arce (33.3), from Morales's Movement for Socialism party. Morales fled the country after three weeks of protests over his controversial re-election in October in a poll he was constitutionally barred from standing in. He had tried to hold on to power but lost the backing of the country's military after an Organization of American States audit found clear evidence of election fraud. Morales is currently living in exile in Argentina and is barred from standing in the general election, even as a legislator. The coronavirus pandemic has infected more than 28,000 Bolivians, leaving over 900 dead, in a country of 11.5 million. Bolivia's Supreme Court President Salvador Romero had urged interim President Jeanine Anez to sign into law a bill setting a fixed election date in September Chinese officials have suggested coronavirus originated in Spain before it was discovered in China. The claim comes days after the Word Health Organisation (WHO) said it would send a team to China on a scooping mission to establish the emergence of COVID-19, which has long believed to have come from a wet market in Wuhan. Zeng Guang, chief epidemiologist of the Chinese Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, told the state-run Global Times that other countries should be investigated as an original source. Chinas health experts have pointed to Spain, where the deadly virus was found in a waste water sample collected in March last year. Chinese officials have suggested coronavirus originated in Spain before it was discovered in China. Source: AP "Identifying the source of the coronavirus must be based on negotiations and involve multiple countries. "It does not matter which country the scientific identification work starts with, as long as it involves all related countries and is fairly conducted," Mr Zeng said. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told a virtual press conference on Monday their team will work on trying to understand how the virus began and prepare for the future. "We can fight the virus better when we know everything about the virus, including how it started, he said. Wang Guangfa, a respiratory expert at Peking University First Hospital who was a member of the WHO-China joint expert team in February, echoed Mr Zengs comments and called China a link in the virus transmission chain. The Global Times also stated US and Australian politicians including US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo have, without any proof, repeatedly blamed China for causing the coronavirus pandemic and accused a Wuhan lab of leaking the virus. WHO has not confirmed the origins of the virus. John Hopkins University have reported over 525,000 deaths worldwide and more than 11 million confirmed cases since the pandemic began. 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. Voters in the Dominican Republic are set to defy rising coronavirus infections on Sunday to choose a new president in an election that could end 16 years of unbroken rule by the center-left Dominican Liberation Party. Opposition candidate Luis Abinader is favorite, having taken a commanding lead in opinion polls despite being forced to abandon his campaign after he tested positive for COVID-19. Abinader, a 52-year-old businessman, had recovered sufficiently to close out his campaign at a rally on Wednesday. "Change is coming and the PLD is going," he promised a crowd of hundreds of his supporters, allowed to gather after the government eased a lockdown. A Gallup poll gives Abinader, from the opposition Modern Revolutionary Party (PRM) more than 53 percent of voter intentions, 20 points ahead of the ruling PLD party's Gonzalo Castillo. Another poll gives Abinader a slimmer 12 point margin. "The Dominican people should remember that a president is elected in one day, but the consequences last for four years," Castillo told a crowd of his supporters in the town of Monte Plata. - Odebrecht cloud - Corruption has been a key issue after protests in recent years over the involvement of local officials in the Latin America-wide Odebrecht graft scandal. The Brazilian construction giant has admitted to doling out $92 million in bribes in the Republic in exchange for winning public works contracts. Castillo, a former public works minister, is standing for the PLD because outgoing president Danilo Medina cannot seek another term under the Republic's constitution. The Republic has a poor record on corruption, ranking 137th out of 180 countries on Transparency International's corruption index. Former president Leonel Fernandez, 66, trails in third place with 8.6 percent. Fernandez ruled for a total of three four-year terms between 1996 and 2012. Three other candidates are contesting the presidency from minor parties. The campaign is unlike any other in the tourist-magnet Caribbean republic's history, overshadowed by a health crisis that has hit the country's population of 10 million hard. The Republic -- which shares the Caribbean island of Hispaniola with Haiti -- has registered more than 34,000 infections from the coronavirus, with more than 800 deaths, according to an AFP tally. The pandemic forced Medina's government to declare a national lockdown, banning large public gatherings and shutting borders -- a massive economic blow to the region's top tourist destination. - Final drive - A state of emergency was lifted only this week as parties made a final drive for votes. The election date has already been pushed back from May 17 but will go ahead "come what may" on Sunday, said the president of the Central Electoral Board, Julio Cesar Castanos. The authority's advice to voters is: "Put your mask on and get out and vote." Despite health protocols being put in place at polling stations, Health Minister Rafael Sanchez Cardenas said it would be "practically impossible" not to have fresh outbreaks of COVID-19. "We have to get beyond this line of 5th of July, hoping that there won't be an overflow of cases and that we will be able to respond," the minister said. The pandemic has already hit polling by the Republic's 600,000 overseas voters -- representing almost eight percent of the electoral roll. Most live in the United States, Spain and Puerto Rico, where polling has been taking place. However, expatriates in Italy and Panama have not been authorized to vote because of coronavirus restrictions in place there. The Dominican Republic is one of the strongest growing economies in the region, recording on average 6.3 percent a year between 2013 and 2018, according to the World Bank. However, the pandemic risks pushing it back into poverty, the bank warned. Flights to the country resumed on Wednesday as borders reopened in the hope of salvaging tourism revenue. Ruling Dominican Liberation Party (PLD) candidate Gonzalo Castillo shakes hands with supporters in San Pedro de Macoris ahead vote Ruling PLD candidate Gonzalo Castillo (L) and Luis Abinader of the opposition PRM ahead of the presidential and legislative elections in the Dominican Republic The pandemic forced Medina's government to declare a national lockdown, banning large public gatherings -- and was only partially lifted for the election Health protocols are in place at polling stations, but ministers warn a fresh COVID-19 outbreak is likely 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." Police said they were able to intercept millions of messages Hong Kongers are finding creative ways to voice dissent after Beijing blanketed the city in a new security law and police began arresting people displaying now forbidden political slogans. Faced with the sudden threat of prosecution for anything that might promote greater autonomy or independence for the restless city, residents are using word play and even subverting Chinese Communist Party dogma to express their frustration. On a bridge in the busy shopping district of Causeway Bay, a key spot for pro-democracy protests over the past year, traffic thunders past newly daubed graffiti that declares: "Arise, ye who refuse to be slaves". The phrase is taken from the first line of China's national anthem. And while the graffiti could conceivably have been written by a patriotic nationalist, it is most likely a declaration of dissent. Social media and chat forums have filled with suggestions for how to find safer ways to protest after Beijing on Tuesday imposed broad legislation banning subversion, secession, terrorism and foreign collusion. In a semi-autonomous city used to speaking its mind, people will find ways around the law, said Chan Kin-man, a veteran democracy activist who has previously been jailed for his activism. "In a public space, one might either not say anything or use an 'officially-approved' language to protect themselves," he told AFP. "But hidden language is something that cannot be banned by laws." - 'Seize back banana' - The local government on Thursday said the popular protest slogan "Liberate Hong Kong, revolution of our times" would now be deemed illegal. For some the phrase represents genuine aspirations to split Hong Kong from China, a red line for Beijing, but for many others it is a more general cry for democracy and an expression of rising frustration with Chinese rule. But coded language is allowing people to keep the slogan alive. One version "GFHG, SDGM" uses English letters from the transliterated phrase "gwong fuk heung gong, si doi gak ming". Another more complex example mimics the tone and rhythm of the slogan using the numbers "3219 0246" in Cantonese. Chinese characters themselves also provide ample room for linguistic subversion. One phrase people have started adopting online is "seize back banana", a play on the similar characters in traditional Chinese for Hong Kong and banana. Others have gone for English slogans that appear positive but are a clear dig at Beijing -- for example the Trumpian phrase "Make Hong Kong Great". The very first arrest made under the new security law involved a deliberate linguistic challenge. During protests a day after the law was enacted, police announced they had arrested a man with a flag that read "Hong Kong Independence", posting a picture. But eagle-eyed web sleuths zoomed in on the flag and spotted that a man had written a small "No" before his much larger phrase. The same phrase has since gone viral online. - Blank paper and Mao quotes - Multiple pro-democracy restaurants and shops across the city have taken down their "Lennon Wall" displays expressing support for the pro-democracy movement after some were warned by police that they might violate the national security law. The walls are often made up of colourful sticky notes with protest slogans on them. One cafe replaced its wall with blank memos. "What is essential is invisible to the eyes," the shop wrote on its Facebook citing popular children's book "Le Petit Prince". Another symbol of defiance that has replaced some protest art across the city is blank white pages. The gesture represents the inability to speak out and also "white terror", a Chinese phrase used to describe political persecution. "Suppression catalyses people to fight back," said Chan, who is also a sociology professor. He likened the situation with how people in mainland China reveal dissent or anger towards the government with a wink and a nod. "Hong Kong people will definitely respond more actively, it's just that it might happen in a grey area". A slogan that went viral this week was a quote by Chinese dictator Mao Zedong. It read: "Those who suppress the student movements will not come to a good end." Faced with the sudden threat of prosecution for anything that might promote greater autonomy or independence for the restless city, residents are using word play and even subverting Chinese Communist Party dogma to expresstheir frustration In the busy shopping district of Causeway Bay, one of the main pro-democracy protest spots last year, newly daubed graffiti declares: "Arise, ye who refuse to be slaves" -- the first line of China's national anthem So-called Lennon Walls once plastered with protest slogans have been replaced with blank notes Beijing's new national security law for Hong Kong sparked protests earlier this week and left people searching for new ways to voice dissent Intel said on Friday it will invest $253.5 million in Jio Platforms, joining a roster of high-profile investors including Facebook, General Atlantic and Silver Lake that have backed Indias top telecom operator in recent months. The American chipmaker's investment arm said it is acquiring a 0.39% stake in Jio Platforms, giving the Indian firm a valuation of $65 billion. Intel Capital is the twelfth investor to buy a stake in Jio Platforms, which has raised more than $15.5 billion by selling a 25% stake since April this year. 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, said Wendell Brooks, Intel Capital president, in a statement. The announcement today comes weeks after Mukesh Ambani, who controls Reliance Industries -- the parent firm of Jio Platforms -- suggested that Saudi Arabias PIF $1.5 billion investment on June 18 in his digital unit had marked the end of Jio Platforms current phase of induction of financial partners. Ambani, who is India's richest man, said on Friday that he was 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. The new deal further illustrates the opportunities foreign investors see in Jio, a four-year-old subsidiary of Reliance Industries (Indias most valuable firm) that has upended the telecommunications market in India with cut-rate voice calls and mobile data tariffs. Jio has about 400 million subscribers. Analysts at Bernstein said last month that they expect Jio Platforms to reach 500 million customers by 2023, and control half of the market by 2025. Jio Platforms competes with Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea, a joint venture between British giant Vodafone and Indian tycoon Kumar Mangalam Birlas Aditya Birla Group. Story continues Jio Platforms also operates a bevy of digital apps and services, including music streaming service JioSaavn (which it says it will take public), on-demand live television service JioTV and payments app JioMoney, as well as smartphones and broadband business. These services are available to Jio subscribers at no additional charge. On Thursday evening, Jio Platforms launched JioMeet, a video-conferencing service that offers unlimited calls with "up to 24 hours" time limit on each session. The service, which currently has no paid plans, looks uncannily like Zoom. This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it. https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js Last month, Ambani said the funds in Jio Platforms had helped him clear oil-to-retail giant Reliance Industries net debt of about $21 billion. Ambani had originally pledged to clear Reliances debt due by early 2021. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Sophie Gregoire Trudeau appear on stage during WE Day UN in New York City on Sept. 20, 2017. OTTAWA The Prime Ministers Office would not say Friday whether Justin Trudeau recused himself from a cabinet decision awarding a multimillion-dollar contract to a charity with close ties to his family a question that is now at the heart of an investigation by Canadas ethics watchdog. Mario Dion, the conflict of interest and ethics commissioner, confirmed Friday he has accepted a complaint by Tory MP Michael Barrett and will look into concerns alleging Trudeau broke the Conflict of Interest Act when the government awarded WE Charity a sole-sourced contract that did not follow the normal contracting process. The announcement came hours after Trudeau and the WE Charity announced they were ending their partnership. This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it. Trudeaus director of communications, Cameron Ahmad, declined to tell HuffPost Canada Friday whether the prime minister had recused himself from the decision and discussion at cabinet surrounding a $912-million program placing post-secondary students and recent graduates with paid volunteer opportunities. Ill let you know if we can be more specific in our answers, Ahmad said. We will of course collaborate with the commissioner and answer any question he may have, he later offered. [I] just cant add anything further right now. If Trudeau did not recuse himself from the discussion surrounding the WE Charity contract, Duff Conacher, the co-founder of Democracy Watch, believes the prime minister is in breach of the law. The act states that public office holders are in a conflict of interest when they exercise their official duties in a way that provides an opportunity to further their private interests or those of their relatives or friends. Watch: Trudeau had... Continue reading on HuffPost A man who was allegedly involved in a June 24 illegal fireworks display that caused a residential building to burn down has been arrested, New York City authorities have announced. In surveillance video released on July 2, Damien Bend, from the Flatlands neighbourhood of Brooklyn, can be seen lighting fireworks in an alley between two buildings, authorities said. Shortly before 9.30 pm, one of the incendiaries can be seen flying into an open window, lighting a fire inside. In surveillance video, Damien Bend, from Brooklyn, can be seen lighting fireworks in an alley between two buildings, authorities said. Source: Storyful Three individuals are then filmed continuing to light fireworks as the blaze grows, later burning out of control. Just over 10 minutes later, according to the videos timestamp, the fire is so intense that the siding on the building across the alley can be seen wilting. Complaints about illegal fireworks have increased dramatically over summer. Between June 1 and June 14, calls to New York Citys 311 hotline rose to 1,249 from only 21 during the same two-week period in 2019. According to the FDNY, Bend was charged with arson in the fourth degree. The fire department said the blaze required 12 units and 60 firefighters to put out. FDNY via Storyful 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. A particularly successful Russian hacker is about to serve time behind bars in the US. A federal judge has sentenced Aleksei Burkov, the operator of an elite cybercrime forum, to nine years in prison after pleading guilty in January to two device fraud charges. Hed faced up to 15 years in prison, but that plea apparently didnt help him avoid most of the punishment. The invitation-only forum, DirectConnection, let hackers and other online crooks sell their services and stolen goods so long as they had $5,000 and the backing of three current members. The charges also revolved around Burkovs control of Cardplanet, a site that sold payment card numbers. Over $20 million in bogus purchases were made using stolen US credit cards. The sentence is notable in part for the bitter fight to extradite Burkov to the US. Hed been arrested in Israel in 2015 and was supposed to have been extradited in 2017, but Russia fought that transfer for years. He was apparently one of the most connected hackers in the country, and the government may have been worried he knew too much about Russian hacking operations. Clearly, Russia didnt have much success its not certain if Burkov turned informant, but he wont be leaving the US for a long while. A 36-year-old man has died after being attacked by a shark while spearfishing off Queensland's Fraser Island. A doctor and nurse provided first aid to the man on the shore near Indian Head bypass just after 2pm on Saturday, prior to paramedics attending the scene. A RACQ helicopter transported the diver to hospital in critical condition. QLD police confirmed the man sustained injuries to his leg and died just after 4.30pm. The diver was bitten by a shark off QLD's Fraser Island, he was transported to hospital but died shortly after. Source: Google Maps Woman dies in scuba diving accident A 53-year-old woman has died in a scuba diving training accident in Sydney's east after frantic efforts to save her. Other divers on the course pulled the unconscious woman from the water at Gordons Bay, Clovelly, on Saturday morning and tried to resuscitate her before paramedics took over. She was rushed to Prince of Wales Hospital in a critical condition and later died. NSW Ambulance duty operations manager Karl Cronan said paramedics did everything they could. "Anybody who has experienced the horror of a drowning or near-drowning knows it is extremely traumatic for everyone involved, none more so than their loved ones," Inspector Cronan said. A report will be prepared for the coroner. with AAP 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. In a classic case of "poacher turning gamekeeper", the fishermen of Senegal have joined forces to protect one of the ocean's most endangered species -- the 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. 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 economy -- the 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. "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. 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 flesh -- and 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. Senegalese fishermen have gone from catching turtles to protecting them Leatherback sea turtles can weigh up to 600 kilogrammes Senegalese fishermen rescue a sea turtle from their nets and return it to the sea Baby sea turtles are their most vulnerable when they first hatch and make the run for the sea Birthday wishes Call 281-422-8302 or email david.bloom@baytownsun.com to wish someone a happy birthday. We will print your birthday wish on Page 2 of The Sun. Happy Birthday Wishes In the Netherlands, Vera Kastelic makes sure two Kokomo soldiers killed in 1944 during World War II and buried far from home arent forgotten. And thanks to the Kokomo-Howard County Public Librarys Genealogy and Local History Department, now she knows even more about one of them after years worth of failed ancestry searches. Kastelic is the third generation of the Kastelic family to look after the graves at the American Cemetery and Memorial in Margraten, Netherlands. The American Battle Monuments Commission administers, operates, and maintains 26 permanent American burial grounds and 30 separate memorials, monuments, and markers on foreign soil, along with three memorials in the United States. There are 124,000 American war dead interred in those cemeteries. The American Cemetery and Memorial in Margraten is one of them. Unique to the cemetery is what the Dutch do. Since 1945, members of the local community have adopted the graves of the fallen. Kastelic looks after the graves of U.S. Army Air Forces Staff Sgt. Raymond E. Newton, who died Nov. 5, 1944, and U.S. Army Sgt. Henry S. Petoskey, who died Dec. 8, 1944, both Kokomoans. Taking care of them keeps their memories alive so theyll never be forgotten, Petoskey said. She visits the soldiers every two weeks, plus on holidays and special days. I talk to them, Kastelic said. I tell them things Ive found out about them. Like Henry, I told him what I found out with the help of the Kokomo-Howard County Public Library. Standing at their graves is different when you know them, what they went through. Shes been able to find out a lot about Newton. He still has surviving family in Kokomo, a nephew and great-nephew, Brad and Wes Newton. Since Newton's brother, George, started Kokomo Glass and Paint, she was able to reach the Newtons through the stores website. Newton was with the 731st Bomber Squadron, 452nd Bomber Group. He was a ball turret gunner on the Windy Lou, a B-17. It was on its 16th mission, bombing industrial facilities in Ludwigshafen that manufactured supplies for Germany. Details about the fateful flight can be found in a 2014 video with a pilot, U.S. Army Air Corps Lt. Col. Raymond O. Rowe, who was the last surviving member of the Windy Lou until he died on Jan. 27, 2017: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gm-GM7YsF5o. Rowe said that on Nov. 5, 1944, they were flying in formation under the lead plane when the Windy Lou came under anti-aircraft fire. It took out one of the engines on the right side. He was the copilot. When they increased the RPMs to compensate, the other engine on the right side blew up. They managed to stay in the air with the two left engines still working. They dropped out of formation to about 2,000 to 3,000 feet in the air and threw every non-essential item they could out of the plane. As they discussed where to go, set their course, and tried to land, they came under fire again, instantly killing the radio operator. Rowe and the other remaining eight crew members decided to parachute out. I walked to the bomb bay doors, and there was one of the young men standing there, Rowe said. And I said, Raymond Newton, why in the world dont you jump? [Newton said] Youre an officer. You jump first. OK. Im not going to wait on you. So I bailed out. He froze (and went down with the plane) The airplane was on automatic pilot, but something happened to it. It made a circle and headed towards me, and I thought, Oh, its going to hit me, but then it kept swerving and I watched it crash. Of the nine-member Windy Lou crew, two were killed in action, including Kokomos Newton, and seven parachuted. The pilot was killed by civilians when he landed. The other six, including Rowe, were taken prisoner of war. Kastelic has been to the Windy Lou crash site. Every time the farmer plants seed, things still come up from the crash, she said. She uses a metal detector to find them. Shes sent some to the Newton family in Kokomo and has some herself. I go far to find everything out about what happened to them, Kastelic said. I collect things from the boys. I have a little museum in my living room. She has three-ring binders full of information about each soldier. I had no idea this was happening for years, Newtons nephew, Brad Newton, said. I was simply amazed. My grandfather traveled to the Netherlands just to see Raymonds grave, said Wes Newton, Newtons great-nephew. When my grandfather saw how well maintained his brothers grave was, it was one of the first times anyone ever saw him weep. Kastelic said, according to what she was told by her family, that years ago someone in the Newton family heard that the Kastelics were taking care of Petoskey's grave, so they asked if theyd tend to Newton's as well since they were both from Kokomo. Support Local Journalism Now, more than ever, the world needs trustworthy reportingbut good journalism isnt free. Please support us by making a contribution. Contribute The current problem was finding Petoskeys family. He wasnt married before the war. He was one of seven siblings, but only one had children. So Kastelic has struggled over the years to find any of his surviving family. She likes sharing what she knows with them, to let them know she hasnt forgotten their loved one and their familys sacrifice. Kastelic's grandfather, Guus, knew Petoskey because they drank coffee together when Petoskey's unit was stranded in Eygelshoven after giving all of their fuel to the British and Canadian forces so they could go to Aachen, Germany. Petoskey was with an M18 Hellcat tank crew in Company B, 638th Tank Destroyer Battalion. Kastelic said Guus was happy to support any Allied soldier because my grandfathers house was near a railroad. Every night, there was a train filled with Jewish people, and the train stopped. He could hear them talking, crying, as he was lying in bed. Thanks to the Americans and their allies, that eventually came to an end. On Dec. 8, 1944, Petoskey was in the tank and returning to Apweiler to rejoin the company when the tank backed into a 5-foot row of anti-tank mines stacked 3 feet high. "A terrific explosion occurred, killing all six crew members and the destroyer, according to Findagrave.com. He didnt stand a chance, Kastelic said. Kastelic has a tattoo of the Windy Lou on one arm, along with parachuting soldiers, and Raymonds name. She also has a tattoo of Petoskey's tank on her arm, as well his name. Recently, Kastelic asked members of the Indiana Genealogy Facebook page for help in finding Petoskey's family. KHCPL Director Faith Brautigam saw it and connected Kastelic to Amy Russell, head of KHCPLs Genealogy and Local History Department. Using obituaries, Census records, Ancestry.com, and the A-Z database all of which are available through KHCPLs databases and Genealogy and Local History Department Amy found Petoskey's first cousin once removed (his moms sisters granddaughter) and contacted her about Kastelic and Petoskey's grave. I found the obituary for Henrys mother, Mary Petkovsek (the name spelling changed over the years) and saw she was survived by a sister, Frances Stular, in Michigan. Then I went through the Census records and started tracing her descendants. Things start falling in place once you have a name and a location. Kastelic also tends to the graves of two soldiers from Oregon. Her grandfather, Guus, had also befriended U.S. Army Maj. James V. Johnston Jr., an Oregonian who served with 84th Infantry Division, 334th Infantry Regiment, and was stationed in Guus house. According to HonorStates.org, No one knows how many enemy combatants (Johnston) had dispatched. In one attack alone, he killed 20 and captured 88. He was in the forefront of every fight the division had. His men had begun to think of him as indestructible. His habit of walking around nonchalantly under fire made him a choice sniper target, but it took an 88 (a German 88 mm anti-aircraft and anti-tank artillery) to kill him with a direct hit. He died (on March 5, 1945) in one of the division's last battles before reaching the Rhine. U.S. Army Pfc. Lawrence Kirsch served with 8th Infantry Division, 13th Infantry Regiment. He was shot. Hes buried at Henri-Chapelle American Cemetery and Memorial in Hombourg, Belgium. Petoskey wanted to do more, so she took on a fourth grave in Belgium. The cemetery in the Netherlands is a 30-minute drive from her home; the cemetery in Belgium is 40. Kastelic has tattoos to remember Johnston and Kirsch, too. The boys, as she refers to the four men, were all so young when they died: James 26, Petoskey 24, Lawrence 20, and Raymond 20. At the age of 20, I was driving my truck and nothing other on my mind because of them who gave their lives so I can do my own thing and live my life something they couldnt do, live their lives, Kastelic said. It is all we can do they gave everything for us people they didnt know. It makes me happy. They all feel like family I never knew. Two other Kokomo residents are buried in Margraten. Others tend to their graves. U.S. Army Pfc. Henry Buckberg was born in Chicago, but by 1935, he was a Kokomo resident. He was in the 16th Infantry Regiment, 1st Infantry Division, and killed in action in Germany on March 29, 1945. He had been overseas for only five or six weeks. U.S. Army Pfc. Robert P. Coughlin, who was a member of the 310th Infantry Regiment, 78th Infantry Division, was killed in action while fighting on April 7, 1945. A couple has welcomed two-headed Siamese twins in Uzbekistan. The conjoined twins share one body with two sets of internal organs and two heads, according to doctors in Samarkand. But there is only one genital organ, believed to be male. Using medical language, these are Siamese twins, Dr Dilshod Rakhmonov told local media before then referring to a single child. The conjoined twins share one body with two sets of internal organs and two heads, according to doctors in Samarkand. Source: East2West/australscope At the moment, the baby is in the intensive care unit of our centre, he said. The babys internal organs are in double quantity, there is one genital organ, and, moreover, the newborn has two heads. This is a very rare, one in 200,000 or 220,000 cases. He said such children can live long lives up to the age of 30 or 50. But our case is a little more complicated, that is, the bodies have grown together into one. For this reason, we plan to conduct complex checks, Dr Rakhmonov said. Now the general condition of the child is not bad, measures are being taken to treat him. The doctor said blood circulation was normal and promised to take all measures to ensure that the baby survives. He said the parents knew about the possibility of conjoined twins before the Caesarean birth. They specifically refused an abortion, he said. The mother of the child is now under the supervision of doctors in the maternity ward, he said. Th parents knew about the possibility of conjoined twins before the Caesarean birth. Source: East2West/australscope Dr Rakhmonov claimed that the babys condition could be the result of a marriage between relatives or from radiation exposure. Leading medics in Uzbekistan are being consulted and foreign experts will also be contacted to help the child, he said. Despite the doctor's words, one theory behind the babys condition is that it is a case of Craniopagus parasiticus - an extremely rare type of parasitic twinning. This occurs in between two and three cases every five million births. It involves a parasitic twin head with an undeveloped body attached to the head of a developed twin. Story continues Fewer than a dozen cases of this type of conjoined twin have been documented in literature. Australscope 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. World number three Dominic Thiem said in an Austrian media interview published Saturday that he was keen to play the US Open if it can go ahead. The United States has seen an alarming resurgence of new coronavirus cases. On Friday a record 57,000 new infections were confirmed. The ATP and WTA tours are due to return next month, with the US Open starting on August 31 and the French Open beginning a month later. Thiem said he trusted the US authorities to make the right decision. "I think in the next five to seven days there will be a decision," Thiem said. "Of course I hope it (the US Open) will go ahead, but safety comes first of course. We have to follow countries' governments -- if they see any danger, they won't allow a tournament, especially such a big one as the US Open," the Austrian told public broadcaster ORF. The 26-year-old plans to play in Kitzbuehel in western Austria in an exhibition event he is co-organising next and then in Berlin, after which he said he would do "intensive training" to prepare for Cincinnati and the US Open if those go ahead. He played in the Adria Tour exhibition tournament organised by Novak Djokovic last month after which the world number one and three other participants all tested positive for the new coronavirus. The matches, where social distancing was minimal, were played in front of thousands of fans, while the players were seen partying at a packed Belgrade night spot, earning a storm of criticism. Thiem, who has tested negative for the new coronavirus since Belgrade, reiterated in the ORF interview the "huge mistake by us all". "We all acted much too euphoric. The most important is that we learn from our mistakes," he said. Dominic Thiem can't wait for the US Open 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." US President Donald Trump arrives for the Independence Day events at Mount Rushmore in Keystone, South Dakota, July 3, 2020 US President Donald Trump, shown here with First Lady Melania Trump, said little about the coronavirus during his remarks at Mount Rushmore Activists and members of different tribes block a road near Mount Rushmore as they protest the US government Few of the closely-packed supporters at the Mount Rushmove event on July 3, 2020 wore face masks American libraries have issued warnings about microwaving library books after noticing people are zapping their borrowed books because they believe it will sanitise them against coronavirus. Tampa Bay Library in Florida issued a plea to members after several ruined books were returned. Please do NOT attempt to microwave library materials as the RFID tags, located inside, will catch fire. Stay safe out there, the library wrote on Facebook. Library books are being destroyed because people are microwaving them. Source: Facebook In an attempt to assure avid readers that books were safe to borrow, the library reminded people that they follow CDC guidelines and quarantine all books for 72 hours before returning them to shelves to be borrowed again. Not only are the books being destroyed, but due to the metal security tags imbedded in the books, popping it in the microwave is a fire hazard. Largo Public library, also in Florida, posted a similar plea to book lovers after they said news articles claiming microwaves can kill coronavirus germs started gaining popularity. This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it. In light of a few recent news stories, we would like to remind you NOT to put your library books in the microwave in an attempt sanitise them! Firstly, that is not how microwaves work and secondly, our books have security tags in them that contain metal and could catch on fire in the microwave, the library wrote. The incidents have left librarians gobsmacked. "I don't know if it was something that they saw on the news that they thought maybe the heat would kill COVID-19," Elizabeth Guarino-Kozlowicz, regional manager of Kent District Library, told The Detroit Free Press. She said due to the plastic protection on books and the 72-hour quarantine guidelines, there is no need to take any further sterilisation steps. Books arent the only items people are reportedly microwaving in an attempt to remove germs. One of the most commonly asked questions from USA Today viewers is if microwaving face masks will sanitise them, according to the outlet. Story continues USA Today warned against it, stating a microwave would not kill germs and if masks contain metal in them, it could be dangerous. Instead, the outlet suggested laundering reusable face masks and cautioned surgical masks should only be used once. 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. Housing has been constructed for millennia, and while clearly our modern abodes are ever so slightly better than the elk tents we used to live in, the construction techniques behind housing today havent progressed all that much. What has progressed are prices its more expensive than ever to build a modern unit, and thats just for housing head over to commercial real estate and the numbers dont look much better. For Martin Diz and his team, thats a problem. Diz is not exactly a lifelong builder in fact, he was building proverbial rockets as an aerospace engineering PhD researcher several years ago. As he was talking to his roommate back then, who was studying structural engineering, he realized that some of the techniques that his roommates field was trying to pioneer had already been discovered by the aerospace folks decades ago. His roommate was trying to simulate an earthquake to model how the tremors would affect objects like a table inside a building. As Diz recalled, he said Hey dude, did you know that in aerospace engineering, we did the same thing for the space station 50 years ago? I learned this in grad school, you know, in our basic course because it's a very old technique. Diz is legitimately a nice chap, and totally not the kind of aerospace engineer who goes around talking about how aerospace solved everything a century ago (okay, maybe just a tad of that). But the interaction and followup conversation got him thinking about what aerospace as a field had solved, and whether some of those techniques could be used in other domains. Diz and his roommate kept talking over the years, and eventually, the two formed Tango Builder. Tangos main premise is to bring more sophisticated engineering techniques to construction, improving performance and quality while lowering costs. Its part of the current YC batch, and previously raised a small seed round, which included participation from Tracy Young, co-founder and CEO of PlanGrid. Story continues The two, plus one employee, have already worked on a handful of projects, with some early promising results. Tango helped to design a hospital for COVID-19 patients in Ecuador that saw total savings of $1 million by lowering structural costs by a third. They consulted on the creation of a justice center in Mexico, and were able to reduce the required steel in the project by 40%. And they used their platform to optimize wall thickness in a masonry home to bring total cost down by 15%. All numbers are reported by the company and have not been independently verified. A look at Tango's masonry home project. Photo from Tango Builder. A look at Tango's masonry home project. Photo from Tango Builder. There is a heavy focus on structural integrity (as there should be in construction), but Tango particularly shines around seismic modeling. While earthquakes are perhaps most pronounced in places like California and Mexico, both of which suffered major tremors this past week, earthquakes are a lingering threat throughout the world, and buildings need to be designed to handle them even if they are rare. Diz and his team want to give designers better tools to model what happens in different scenarios while understanding the trade-offs of various building materials and designs. You're building with steel stock, but it's much more expensive now, so it's up to the user or the owner to decide which of the paths he wants to take, he said. Safety is always important, but how much steel do you place in a building that might see an earthquake once a century? Thats what Tango wants to help answer. Beyond improving structural modeling, Tangos big ambition is to find additional efficiencies in the construction process by helping everyone involved with construction work together through a better workflow. Each person has benefits from the platform, the architect will get the approvals faster, the engineer can focus on the creative side of things, the contractor can bid earlier knowing what design is coming, Diz explained. Saving time in all these processes ultimately translates directly to a projects bottom line. Its very early days of course, with just Diz, his co-founder Juan Aleman, and one employee working extremely hard. The hope though is that melding some aerospace engineering techniques with a much more robust and technical platform will help push construction to better quality while saving costs as well. After all, aerospace did all this a century ago. They called the police, and then called me, the pastor. I too called the police, while church members posted on social media. Support Local Journalism Your membership makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}} Within 30 minutes of my phone call, no more than an hour and a half since the crime, a police officer pulled up to the church and got out of his car carrying the banner in his arms, like a precious child. He is the next hero of our evening: Officer Caruso. He explained that he had found a man fitting the description provided by the witnesses. The man was inebriated. Having received the banner back, without much damage, and having been reassured that the police have his information should something happen in the future, I decided not to press charges. We are a church of love, after all. I do not know what addictions or struggles this man may face. I do know that inebriation is no excuse; he could have done anything, anywhere, but he targeted our sign, came prepared with scissors, and carefully cut each tie. There is undoubtedly hate in this mans heart to steal a sign proclaiming the value of life from a church. But I also know that someone had to put that hate there. I hope that, in our small act of forgiveness, a little love will slip in. For he too is a child of God. Softbank-backed OYO has decided to make every employee a shareholder in the company, it stated in a letter to its staff. It said that the company is granting them 'deeply discounted ESOPs'. This move comes after the company announced salary cuts in April and put some staff on leave in the aftermath of the coronavirus pandemic. According to reports, these letters have been sent to employees who have been put on leave as well as those who are working. An OYO spokesperson confirmed the development and said that they have offered deeply discounted ESOPs (employee stock ownership plan) comparable to RSUs (restricted stock unit) to its employees. "This means all Oyopreneurs have been enabled to buy the stock of the company at a deeply discounted pre determined price of value and we are already seeking necessary corporate approvals," the spokesperson said as mentioned in a report in The Economic Times. "All 100 per cent of RSUs would be vested at the end of one year from the date of the grant...Our efforts are in line to reward the employees for long term as they sacrificed their salaries to support the company during tough times," the spokesperson said. OYO's letter to a junior employee stated that these RSUs will have a strike price of Rs 10 per option. "As part of the commitment, vesting would continue even if you leave your employment with Oyo which enables you to become a co-owner," as stated in the letter signed off by Dinesh Ramamurthi. The programme is subject to board and shareholders' approval. The letter also states that pursuant to ESOP 2018 and the applicable laws, the company might vary the terms of ESOP 2018 in relation to the stock options granted. The date of vesting of the RSUs have been stated as a year from the grant. OYO had, in April, announced pay cuts and 'leave with limited benefits' options for its India staff. CEO Rohit Kapoor had said that the company is asking its employees to accept a cut of 25 per cent in their fixed compensation for the months of April to July. Some employees were put on leave with limited benefits from May till August. Also read: Oyo Hotels struggles with peeved partners as losses in hospitality sector pile up The first time Sydney Fischer saw Willard Memorial Chapel, beams of light were pouring out of its stained glass. LOS ANGELESThe United States Senate Judiciary Committee gave a unanimous thumbs-up Thursday to the Eliminating Abuse and Rampant Neglect of Interactive Technology Act, better known as the EARN IT Act, which despite including new amendments that considerably dilute the proposed laws effects, still poses a threat to online communication among sex workers, and LGBTQ Americans. EARN IT, in its original form, would have largely overturned Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, the 1996 law that allows for free speech on the internet by shielding platforms from liability for content published by third parties. The idea behind EARN IT was to force online platforms to earn liability protection by following vaguely defined best practices with regard to online child sexual exploitation. But while the amended bill passed by the Judiciary Committee encourages platforms to follow those best practices, it includes no penalty for mot doing so, according to an analysis by TechDirt. But the amended bill nonetheless replaces one set of problems with another by opening the door to an unpredictable and inconsistent set of standards, according to Internet Association General Counsel Mike Lemon. For sex workers, this means that the online networks they often form to communicate about safety practices, warn of potentially dangerous clients, and link up with social and health services. The original version of the bill would have decimated those networks by allowing law enforcement to eavesdrop on private, online conversations, even those using end-to-end encryption. The amendment filed by committee Chair Lindsey Graham, a Republican from South Carolina, appear to alleviate some of those concerns, taking out the back door for law enforcement to monitor online communications. Another amendment filed by Vermont Democrat Patrick Leahy specifically excluded encryption from the lost of best practice violations that could work against an online platform. But not all critics were satisfied, saying that the bill still takes aim at Section 230, and throws the responsibility for enforcing the best practices to individual states, according to a report by The Verge. This bill could irrevocably harm the very free speech protections that enable the internet to be the most powerful communications tool in history and to serve as a primary means of commerce for countless American small business, Americans For Prosperity tech policy analyst Billy Easley told the site. The stated goal of EARN IT is to force the removal of child sexual images from the internet. But according to Association of Legal Aid Attorneys President Jared Trujillo, existing laws already allow law enforcement to combat online child exploitation. EARN IT would give the Trump Administration a sledge hammer to dismantle free digital speech and privacy as we know it, while endangering countless LGBTQ+ humans, Trujillo wrote for the site Common Dreams. Photo By U.S. Customs and Border Protection / Wikimedia Commons Public Domain 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. The Episcopal Church of the Epiphany: Bringing the love of God to all people. Vision: Reconciling all to God, so the world will know peace and justice. Worship online at www.epiphanyaz.org . Sunday, 10 a.m., with the Revs. Lynn Perkins and Janetta Beaumont, 10:30 a.m. Coffee hour by Zoom; Tuesdays 11 a.m. Centering prayer via Zoom; Thursdays 4 p.m. Flagstaff Youth Coop via Zoom; Saturdays 4 p.m. FYC Live on Instagram at @flagyouthcoop. (928) 774-2911 Christian Science Society: 619 W. Birch Ave. We host Sunday worship services and Sunday school (for children and young people younger than the age of 20) at 10 a.m. The subject of this week's sermon is "Man." We also have Wednesday testimony meetings at 5:30 p.m. each week. If unable to attend, you may dial (712) 715-7400, code 1007958# to listen to our service live, or (712) 715-7499, same code plus # a second time to hear a recording. Our Christian Science Reading Room, where you can study, borrow or purchase the Bible and other Christian Science literature, is open Wednesdays from 4 to 5:30, before and after each service or by appointment. Call 526-5982 for more church information or to make an appointment. Fourth of July festivities in Flagstaff normally draw thousands of people outdoors for parades, outdoor events and the occasional fireworks display. But that won't be the case this year. In 2020, amid heightened fire restrictions and community transmission of COVID-19, almost all of the traditional events that make up Flagstaffs Fourth of July fun have been canceled or modified. The Chamber of Commerces Fourth of July Parade and the Continental Country Club's fireworks display have both been canceled. Other events have emerged, however, and are being hosted virtually and in the community to help people celebrate. Julie Pastrick, president of the Greater Flagstaff Chamber of Commerce that organizes the parade, said she was saddened like many people that the event would not take place this year. The parade often draws crowds of 15,000 spectators witnessing more than 100 floats. Pastrick felt it was important to keep people safe in light of the increase of COVID-19 community spread. Its unfortunate for all that this disease is striking over this holiday weekend, but such is life," Pastrick said. "We are grateful that we have had these experiences in the past for so many years and look forward to next year when we hope that we all can gather again. Mesa, Yuma, Prescott and Surprise have all said they plan to move forward with fireworks shows, with various levels to restrictions, from encouraging people to watch from home or from their cars. Peoria will have fireworks -- but only on the small screen, with video of previous years shows posted online. Its part of the citys All-American Festival at Home, which aims to make festivities accessible from computer screens, mobile devices and TVs. Besides barbecuing tips and craft sessions, the all-day event promises a cannonball contest, ice cream tasting, concerts and clips of past fireworks displays. Tucson is not canceling its fireworks display, just postponing them to a later date while the city fights to keep the coronavirus in check. Tucson City Manager Michael Ortega said in a statement last week that postponing the annual A Mountain Fireworks is the right decision to ensure that we stay on track, slowing the spread and for our planned re-opening. It is our intent to hold the event sometime in the future, when we can all safely come together, to celebrate coming out of this time of crisis and our return to a new normal for our community, Ortegas statement said. COVID-19 has stricken our nations jails and prisons, leading to tens of thousands of sickened inmates and more than 500 deaths. In response, many federal, state and local governments have agreed to release incarcerated people to slow the viruss spread. The term for this trend is decarceration. Prosecutors, police and judges are now coordinating to have as few people in local jails as possible. Some state prisons are releasing the elderly, people with little time left in their sentences, and those serving time for parole-related parole violations. Some jails are releasing people who were locked up only because they couldnt afford bail. The United States continues to have far and away the highest incarceration rate in the world. Our criminal justice system has inflicted nearly incalculable harm on American families, especially in Black and brown communities. Efforts to reduce jail and prison populations are often hard to sustain because news reports of rising crime rates or isolated crimes committed by a formerly incarcerated individual can garner far more public attention than the thousands of people who return to society peacefully. The Indian Army on Saturday termed as "malicious and unsubstantiated" criticism in some quarters about a medical facility in a military hospital in Leh where Prime Minister Narendra Modi interacted with the soldiers injured in the Galwan Valley clashes. In a statement, the Army said "it is unfortunate that aspersions are being cast on how our brave Armed Forces are treated. The armed forces give the best possible treatment to their personnel." Prime Minister Modi made an unannounced visit to Ladakh on Friday, signalling India's firmness in dealing with the border row with China in several areas of the region. Modi also interacted with the soldiers who are undergoing treatment at the hospital, and told them that their bravery will be a source of inspiration for times to come. Following release of photographs of Modi's interaction with the injured soldiers, there were comments on Twitter that the facility did not look like a hospital as there were no medicine cabinet, I V (intravenous) stand, and other medical equipment. "There have been malicious and unsubstantiated accusations in some quarters regarding the status of the facility visited by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his visit to the General Hospital at Leh on July 3," the Army said. The Army further said: "It is clarified that the said facility is part of the Crisis Expansion capacity of 100 beds and is very much part of the General Hospital complex." It said the COVID-19 protocol had necessitated some wards of the hospital to be converted into isolation facilities. "Hence, this hall which otherwise was normally used as a Training Audio Video Hall was converted into a ward ever since the hospital was also designated as COVID-19 treatment hospital," it said. The Army said the "injured braves have been kept there since their arrival from Galwan to ensure quarantine from COVID areas. The Chief of Army Staff General M M Naravane and the Army Commander have also visited the injured braves in the same location." 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. Also Read: 'Groundless to view Beijing as expansionist': Chinese Embassy on PM Modi's Ladakh speech Also Read: Coronavirus: 26 new micro containment zones identified in Ahmedabad In another controversial decision, President Trump is celebrating the fourth of July with a fiery display atop South Dakota's Mount Rushmore. The decision may seem troublesome to anyone worried about things such as the uncontained coronavirus or shooting explosives off the top of a forest. But it is most certainly troublesome for the native Lakota people, who's sacred Black Hills were desecrated for the purpose of the monument. On a cross country road trip, I recently drove through South Dakota and spent a day exploring the Black Hills. The drive from Mount Rushmore to the Lakota's Crazy Horse memorial was a discouraging perpetuation of the white supremacy this country was built off of. During the 17-mile ride, I saw Trump 2020 lawn signs spread throughout the hills. At the base of the road that leads to the Crazy Horse memorial is a wild west themed tourist stop for food and souvenirs. On a street corner nearby, a man dedicated his makeshift booth to selling Trump 2020 t-shirts in every color. From a non-native perspective, it struck me as an unsettling display of ignorance towards true American history. I can only imagine how upsetting it might be for an Oglala Lakota Native living in a place that does not seem to acknowledge you or your history. The Oglala speakers I heard from at the memorial said nothing about the president and his impact. However, they did speak about the bloody history of the Black Hills and how it affects them to this day. In the video above, Simon Moya-Smith, a citizen of the Oglala Lakota nation, explains the conflict and why Native Americans are protesting Trump's celebration today. Seventy years have passed and the Crazy Horse Memorial is still struggling to be completed. If you are able to and would like to make donations towards it's completion, click here. Maddie Lee All of the BH-FP's coverage of the new coronavirus is being provided for free to our readers. Please consider supporting local journalism by s 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. 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. On Thursday, the Delhi government opened the country's first plasma bank. The bank has been set up at the Institute of Liver and Biliary Sciences (ILBS) in Delhi's Vasant Kunj area. The bank has plasma from people who recovered from coronavirus and has been made available free of cost for those who need it. Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal urged people who recovered from coronavirus to come and donate plasma. "We have not got a vaccine for Corona yet. Till the time we do not get a vaccine, plasma therapy will prove to be helpful for the treatment of Covid-19 patients. People were finding it difficult to get plasma and the situation got quite chaotic in Delhi. We hope the situation will improve with the opening of this plasma bank," he said. However, donors must keep in mind that not everyone is eligible to donate plasma. Here are a few things including eligibility and procedure that one must keep in mind before opting to donate: You can call the plasma helpline number -- 011 46300000 ext 23201 -- to opt for plasma donation. The ILBS team will call to check eligibility and make an appointment for the donation. Once done, the donor will get an appreciation letter or Gaurav Patr signed by the CM. Donors will also get pick-up and drop facility to and from their residence. They can, alternatively, avail cash for travel reimbursement. Donors must keep in mind that it would take one hour to donate plasma after the basic testing. Once done, the donor will get refreshments. ELIGIBILITY Once a person recovers, he or she can donate plasma after 14 days, provided they are not older than 60-65 years. The donor must also not have diabetes or hypertension or any chronic kidney, heart, lung or liver disease. Cancer survivors cannot donate plasma either. Donors need to be well nourished and over 50 kg in weight. Haemoglobin levels need to be over 8. Women who have been pregnant cannot donate plasma. PROCEDURE Plasma can be donated only once in every 14 days up to 2 months after recovery. Hence, a donor can donate plasma upto three times. Blood is drawn from the donor by a technique called plasmapheresis and blood cells are separated that's returned to the donor's body during the procedure. Only the antibody rich protein fluid is retained by the machine. Up to 500 ml of plasma is drawn from the donor's body in one donation. That amount is sufficient for two patients. It must be mentioned that the donor does not suffer from any weakness after the donation. Also read: Medical body urges Centre to allow export of ventilators as stocks pile up Handouts will be distributed to all students to take home. They are expected to bring pens and pencils to class that will be put in labeled pouches and kept for daily use. Classes begin at 9 a.m. and will be conducted from July 13 to Aug. 13 on Mondays and Wednesdays or Tuesdays and Thursdays at the Youth Bureau, 200 Oxford Ave. Cost is $100 for residents; $120 for nonresidents. Summer programming has been a tradition at municipal youth bureaus throughout Buffalo-Niagara, but this season many towns have found it difficult to fund programs because of the loss in tax revenue experienced through Covid-19. A few towns including Amherst, Orchard Park and Tonawanda offer a limited schedule of summer camp activities through their Youth and Recreation departments. Another obstacle this season to summer youth programming was the delayed release on June 16 of the Reopening New York Guidelines for Child Care and Day Camp and Youth Bureaus. Thats when all the youth bureau directors got to see them for the first time, and by that time school was finished so we didnt have the normal methods to convey information on our programs," said Trojanowsky. Williamsville resident Megan Witzleben has spent part of every summer near the Ontario beaches of Lake Erie since before she could walk. Her own children, now ages 5 and 7, equate summer with their grandparents' Ridgeway cottage and the beaches that dot the shoreline west of Fort Erie. That's where she saw her parents and in-laws, where her children hung out with their cousins and summer buddies, and where she got some much-needed work done while grandma and grandpa took her children to play in the sand. "It's always been such a friendly border," she said, wistfully. Not anymore. The U.S.-Canada border has been closed to non-essential cross-border traffic since March 21, with repeated 30-day extensions. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced two weeks ago that the border would again remain closed through at least July 21 as parts of the United States see another surge in Covid-19 cases. Bipartisan efforts by Congress members representing northern border districts to get some travel restrictions eased have made little headway so far. "The bottom line is, they dont want Americans over there, and neither does the European Union," Rep. Brian Higgins said Friday. Members of law enforcement are human and make mistakes. When they cant admit to an error or attempt to make amends, their lapses in judgment or abuses of power go unchecked, sometimes with deadly consequences. Two incidents reported in The News this past week were examples of officers making mistakes, then escalating situations unnecessarily and showing no signs of contrition. One was the story of Drug Enforcement Administration agents bursting into a Hamlin Park home in Buffalo in June 2019 and tying the hands of a woman and her grandson while searching the house for illegal drugs. The agents had a search warrant naming a person who, the homes residents say, was unknown to them. The other story involved a Buffalo police lieutenant calling a woman a vulgar term while she video recorded their interaction outside of a convenience store. The Police Department is investigating. In neither case did the officers involved express any remorse. Making apologies may seem like a small thing, but it points to the larger problem of agents of the law displaying arrogance and not owning up to mistakes. The people we entrust with badges and guns, who have the power to take away our liberty or end our lives, must be held to a higher standard than the average government employee. Posted 7/3/20 Reviewing my ancestral heritage this Independence Day, I have weighed the Loyalists against the Colonial Patriots and found those true to the King of England wanting.I might be unhappy with the Warren Buffett is not missing in action in the 2020 market crash, as many are saying. The greatest investor of all time has his reasons for staying away and not deploying cash. He was ready to save companies and get bargain deals, as he did in the 2008-2009 financial crisis. However, the U.S. Feds beat him to the draw. The government was swift with its massive stimulus. Buffett has sat on the sidelines since and sold more stocks than hes bought. His gut feel tells him the market is full of uncertainties. If hes not buying, are we on the brink of a second market crash? Red flag At the close of March 2020, Berkshire Hathaway had a record $137 billion in cash. The reluctance of Buffetts conglomerate to make stock purchases worries hedge-fund billionaire, Leon Cooperman. For him, Buffetts inaction is a red flag. He said, If the greatest investor in my generation cant figure it out, who am I to be bold? In Q1 2020, Berkshire made only $1.8 billion in net stock purchases, while net stock sales in April were about $6.1 billion. Everyone knows Buffett ditched his entire airline stock holdings. Masquerade Should investors watch out for another market crash because Warren Buffett is not moving? The idea of the next free fall is prominent in the minds of many due to the elevated volatility. There are circuit breakers such as the stimulus packages to deter a disaster. Nonetheless, the stock market is surging, even if the economic picture is dire. Perhaps speculators, without regard for fundamentals, are driving the market. The triggers could be a second wave of the coronavirus, bankruptcies, high unemployment, or a deep recession. The risks are genuine, and the stock market is masquerading. Whether its tomorrow, next week, next month, or later this year, no one can exactly tell when a crash or correction will happen. Glittering gold On the TSX, an $827.19 million mid-tier gold and copper production company is gaining tremendous headway. Aura Minerals (TSX:ORA) is among the best-performing stocks during the pandemic. The gold stock is outperforming the general market by a mile. Story continues As of this writing, the stock price is $195, representing a year-to-date gain of 656.4%. Investors gravitate to gold when the market is in turmoil. If you want to gain exposure to the precious metal, Aura Minerals is your best bet. Aura Minerals engages in mineral exploration and produces gold, silver, copper, and iron core. Its development and operation of gold and other base metal projects are in the Americas. The producing assets are in Brazil, Honduras, and Mexico. There is one pre-operational gold mine in the U.S. and a gold project in Colombia. Starting in 2021, the company will declare and pay cash dividends once a year based on the preceding years results. Auras board of directors recently approved a dividend policy. Shareholders have something to look forward to next year. Hallmark of a savvy investor Given the unprecedented crisis, Buffett would rather keep his cash and sleep well. Hes not a speculator but a savvy investor. He will wait for a quality investment that suits his portfolio rather than waste his money on some junk. The post Warren Buffett: Are We on the Brink of a Stock Market Crash? appeared first on The Motley Fool Canada. More reading Fool contributor Christopher Liew has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends Berkshire Hathaway (B shares) and recommends the following options: long January 2021 $200 calls on Berkshire Hathaway (B shares), short January 2021 $200 puts on Berkshire Hathaway (B shares), and short September 2020 $200 calls on Berkshire Hathaway (B shares). 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 Three-year-old girl Amelia Day gave an incredibly cute rendition of some patriotic anthems at Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming ahead of the July 4th weekend. Footage captured by her mother, Amy Bubenik, shows Amelia standing on top of a table, flanked by two US flags, as she sings a heartfelt renditions of God Bless America, America the Beautiful, and the Star Spangled Banner. The video ends with Amelia signing the opening lines of Joe Cockers You Are So Beautiful. A video of Amelia performing The Star-Spangled Banner when she was only two years old previously went viral, receiving over 480,000 shares on Facebook. Credit: Amy Bubenik via Storyful A large number of Indian-Americans chanting 'Bharat Mata Ki Jai' and other patriotic slogans staged a protest against China at the iconic Times Square here, demanding an economic boycott and a diplomatic isolation of the country for its aggression against India. Indians living in New York and New Jersey states along with the officials of the diaspora organisation, Federation of Indian Associations (FIA) - raised slogans of 'Boycott Made in China', 'Bharat Mata Ki Jai' and 'Stop Chinese Aggression' among others. The protesters, wearing face masks in view of the coronavirus pandemic, held placards that read 'We salute our fallen heroes'. Members of the Tibetan and Taiwanese community also joined the protest and raised slogans against China and called for an economic boycott of the Communist giant. They also held placards that read 'Tibet stands with India', 'Stop Chinese Abuse', 'Justice for human rights, minority religions, Hong Kong', 'China out of Tibet', 'China stop crimes against humanity' and 'Boycott Chinese Products.' The protest titled 'Boycott China' was organised on Friday by community leaders Prem Bhandari and Jagdish Sewhani. "The India of today is different from the India of 1962. We will not tolerate the Chinese aggression and its international bullying. We will give a befitting reply to the arrogance of China," Bhandari, Jaipur Foot USA Chairman and a prominent social activist, told . Bhandari said that he and the Indian community were deeply disturbed by the killing of 20 Indian soldiers during the violent clash with the Chinese troops in Ladakh's Galwan Valley last month. "We are sending a strong message to China. The Indian community around the world is standing with its homeland," he said. China shares its borders with 14 nations and is fighting with 18 countries. It shows that it is a bully. Now is the time to stop this bullying and people believe India can do that, he said. India believes in the philosophy of the 'World is one family' and while focusing on its self-reliance, it will also work for international peace and solidarity, he said. Bhandari said he is planning to bring together diplomats from various nations -- from Australia to India -- on a common unifying platform against China. President of the American India Public Affairs Committee Jagdish Sewhani said at the protest that at a time when the entire world is battling the deadly coronavirus, the "naked aggression" by China against its neighbours including India has exposed the true intentions of this "rogue Communist regime." "I say it is rogue because the way China is treating its own people in Hong Kong" and is undertaking ethnic cleansing against the Muslims/Uyghurs in Xinjiang, he said. The peace-loving people of the world want China to know that enough is enough. It immediately needs to stop its aggressive behaviour against its neighbours, including India, Sewhani said. India has always called for a peaceful global order but "this approach of peace should not be considered as our weakness," he said. Sewhani underlined that the India of 2020 is militarily and economically strong and has a "strong leader in Prime Minister Narendra Modi. India under him will give a befitting reply to the nefarious designs of President Xi Jinping of China." He pointed out that the international community can hit China on three fronts -- trade, Tibet and Taiwan. The world should boycott Chinese products, support independence of Tibet and support Taiwan. "The three Ts can be successfully handled by a global coalition led by three world leaders Prime Minister Modi, US President Donald Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe," he said. He added that today, China's entire population is under constant surveillance and now it wants to convert the entire world into a surveillance state. Its recent behaviour and action only prove this, Sewhani said. He called for China's diplomatic isolation and urged the international community to immediately start boycotting Chinese products. Sewhani said that China should be ready to pay a "heavy price" for its aggression. "It's time for the democratic and peace-loving people of the world to give a befitting reply to China. Time has come for the whole world to unite against this bully," he said. Chairman of FIA Ankur Vaidya urged the international community to unite as one to express a collective and noticeable displeasure about China's unauthorised and unacceptable extension of boundaries in breach of UN treaties and disregarding sovereignty of free countries. The Tibetan community said at the protest that it strongly condemns China's actions against India and its forces and the Chinese regime must be held accountable for flouting international law. Among the community members participating in the protest were FIA President Anil Bansal, former President of FIA Alok Kumar, Rajendra Bafna and Pritam Shah. Bhandari said that he is throwing away all made in China furniture from his house in solidarity and to show that he is walking the talk, urging others to discard Chinese products from their homes. The fact that so many people gathered in Times Square for the protest despite the COVID-19 pandemic demonstrates the strong show of support for India and against the Chinese aggression. Also Read: 'Groundless to view Beijing as expansionist': Chinese Embassy on PM Modi's Ladakh speech Also Read: Coronavirus: 26 new micro containment zones identified in Ahmedabad LONDON (Reuters) - The Church of England must review statues and monuments in its places of worship to ensure that any with links to slavery are removed or are given appropriate context, its spiritual leader, Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, said on Friday. The Anglican Church, a central part of English public life and governance for centuries, is the latest institution to reflect on its role following worldwide protests inspired by the death of George Floyd in police custody in the United States. Welby, the most senior cleric in the worldwide Anglican communion, which has some 85 million followers in 165 countries, said forgiveness was needed over issues of racial injustice, but that could only come after appropriate action had been taken. "If you just go round Canterbury Cathedral there are monuments everywhere, or Westminster Abbey. We are looking at all that. Some will have to come down," Welby said in a BBC interview. Asked to clarify if statues needed to be removed from Canterbury Cathedral, Welby said this was not his decision. "We're going to be looking very carefully and putting them in context, and seeing if they all should be there," he said. "The question arises, of course it does." Protesters in Bristol, western England, tore down a statue this month honouring Edward Colston, a 17th century merchant and slave trader who used his profits to endow schools and charities in the city that continue to carry his name. Local authorities in England and Wales run by the main opposition Labour Party have said they will review public statues and monuments. The Bank of England has also said it will check whether it still has any pictures on display of former governors who had links to the slave trade. Welby defended images of Jesus as northern European - which some campaigners say reinforce ideas of white racial superiority - but said it was now common in Anglican churches worldwide to depict him as sharing worshippers' ethnicity. "You go into their churches and you don't see a white Jesus. You see a black Jesus, or a Chinese Jesus, or a Middle Eastern Jesus -- which of course is the most accurate -- or a Fijian Jesus." (Reporting by David Milliken; editing by Guy Faulconbridge and Gareth Jones) Spanish virologists believe they may have found traces of COVID-19 in a sample of waste water collected in Barcelona in March of last year. If that is proven to be the case, it would mean the discovery was made nine months before the coronavirus was first identified in China. It is a single sample, however, and more would be needed to confirm the result, said Dr Joan Ramon Villalbi of the Spanish Society for Public Health and Sanitary Administration. He added: "When it's just one result, you always want more data, more studies, more samples to confirm it and rule out a laboratory error or a methodological problem." Despite there being the potential for a false positive, because of the virus's similarities with other respiratory infections, Dr Villalbi said the finding was "definitely interesting, it's suggestive". The research has been submitted for peer review after the sample was found by a team from the University of Barcelona, which has been testing waste water since mid-April. "The levels of SARS-CoV-2 were low but were positive," research leader Albert Bosch was quoted by the university as saying. Previously, their earliest discovery of the virus was in Barcelona on 15 January - 41 days before the first case was officially reported. Professor Bosch said early patients were probably wrongly diagnosed with common flu, and that earlier detection of COVID-19 would have improved the response to the pandemic. Sewage samples taken in Italy suggest the virus may have been there as early as December . It is thought COVID-19 may have been present in France in the same month. Spain has been one of the countries hardest-hit by the virus, with more than 28,000 deaths, and had one of the world's strictest lockdowns as residents were kept inside apart from trips for food, medicines and essential jobs. But the country has begun to reopen and even welcome tourists , with Britons among those able to visit without quarantining despite the UK still reporting hundreds of deaths each week . Samantha Stewart is delaying her dream of competing at the Olympic Games. The Fredericton wrestler still plans on competing in Tokyo, but she just see the delay as a bit of a longer hike to get there. "I understand that it's a year away, it just hasn't sunk in that that's a huge amount of time," said Stewart, who is trying to look at the positives. "It's just one more year to get better, and this is just like a moment in my career when I don't think this is like the end." Just before the pandemic cancelled and postponed sporting events across the globe, Stewart won the right to wrestle at the Olympic qualifiers that were scheduled for April, when she could have earned her spot at the Summer Olympics, which have been postponed to 2021. Submitted by Samantha Stewart Stewart has been wrestling since she was 13 years old. For her, the delay is unfortunate, but it could've been worse. "I was not planning on retiring after these Olympics, and I'm not like some of my other female athletes who are itching to start a family," said Stewart. "I wasn't planning on retiring and I don't plan on stopping to have kids. I'm more like just focused on the pinnacle of what I can achieve as an athlete." Work from home Stewart says she's doing her best to keep her mind focused on the present and what she has to do now to be better later. She usually uses cardio equipment at the Richard J. Currie Center, which had to close because of the pandemic, and all her wrestling equipment was at the Lady Beaverbrook Gymnasium, which also closed. Stewart was able to get some of the wrestling equipment to bring home, and she bought a stationary bike to stay in shape. At the start of the pandemic she still had to get ready for Olympic qualifiers, as the Olympics hadn't been postponed yet. "Basically, it was like, 'How am I going to keep training for this qualifier that's coming up with no access to the gym and no access to the wrestling room?'" said Stewart. Story continues On March 22, Team Canada announced it wouldn't be sending athletes to the Olympics if they went ahead as scheduled, dashing Stewart's hopes of competing. But shortly after, the Olympics were postponed. "That was a huge sigh of relief," said Stewart. Even if the Games had gone ahead and Team Canada attended, Stewart would've been at a disadvantage. "I live in a one-bedroom tiny apartment I don't have a home gym, I don't have wrestling mats in my basement, I'm not living with someone who is my training partner, so I had to come up with a way to still train with limited access for equipment." Stewart said the most challenging part of the pandemic was the overhaul of her regular schedule. Stewart admitted there have been hard days, when she couldn't motivate herself to do her workout. "I basically went from training twice a day, approximately four to five hours a day of training and being at the gym, to the first two months of this I wasn't able to go to the gym at all," said Stewart. "It's easy to leave the house and go to the gym and then you're there and you work as hard as you can. It's harder to stay that focused and work as hard as you can when you're in your own apartment." Eyes off the prize Stewart's journey through the pandemic reminds her of a hike in Colorado Springs that she's had to run up for training. The Manitou Springs Incline is a series of old cable car tracks. It's a popular hiking spot for visitors, but wrestlers use the steep incline as a way to test their will and strength. Instead of enjoying the hike, athletes will power their way up the hill. When Stewart starts her ascent, she isn't looking at the peak the final destination that makes the climb worth it. Submitted by Samantha Stewart Her fastest times up the incline have been when she keeps her mind on the next step instead of focusing on the end goal. "If you're looking up you can get more disheartened by how far away it is, and how much left you have to achieve, and nobody looks behind them and sees how far they've actually come to get where they are, everyone is just so singularly focused on how much is left to get to that top," said Stewart. And the same goes for the Olympics. Instead of thinking about the far off competition, she's just working on each step, and how she can make herself a better wrestler. "The Olympics being postponed is just one more year to get better and it's kind of going to be our celebration that we made it through all this," said Stewart. "I've always thought of wanting to be the best I can possibly be, and that's why I like wrestling and why I enjoy being an athlete because I want to push myself to my full potential and see what that potential is... This is just one more step on that whole constant never ending improvement." Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner Mario Dion has launched an investigation of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau over the government's decision to task the WE Charity which has ties to Trudeau's family with administering a $900 million summer student grant program. Trudeau and his government have been under fire since announcing the contract because of the charity's close association with the Trudeau family. Trudeau and his mother, Margaret, have appeared at a number of WE Day events, while Trudeau's wife, Sophie Gregoire Trudeau, hosts a podcast for the group called "WE Well-being." WE Charity said in a statement to CBC News that members of the Trudeau family don't receive any appearance fees or honoraria when they appear at WE events. Gregoire Trudeau has been reimbursed for travel expenses related to her volunteer work with the organization. Earlier today, the WE Charity and the federal government announced they were ending the partnership. Dion initiated his investigation after Conservative MP Michael Barrett and NDP MP Charlie Angus separately wrote his office asking him to examine the prime minister's conduct in relation to the contract. In a letter to Barrett, Dion said he will be investigating Trudeau under subsection 6(1) of the Act, which prohibits public office holders from making decisions that further their own private interests or the interests of another person. Trudeau also is being investigated under sections 7 and 21 of the act, which deal with giving someone preferential treatment and failing to recuse from a conflict of interest. The WE Charity was started by human rights advocates Marc and Craig Kielburger in 1995. Last month, Trudeau announced that it would administer the Canada Student Service Grant, which will provide eligible students with up to $5,000. Charities push back The grants are intended to help students cover the cost of post-secondary education in the fall. The amount of the grant depends on how much time a students spends doing volunteer work. Story continues Shortly after it was announced that We Charity would be running the program, the Liberal government came under fire from opposition parties and some people in the charitable sector. Watch: Federal government parts ways with WE charity on student grant plan: Volunteer Canada, a group that promotes volunteerism, said it would refuse to work with WE Charity because it objected to how the program was being administered and to the idea of paying students for volunteer work. Trudeau initially defended the partnership, saying WE was the only group with a nationwide network capable of operating a program on this scale for young people. Other charitable organizations have questioned that assertion. While the We Charity was tasked with running the program, it was getting only $19.5 million to cover its costs $5 million of which was supposed to be passed on to partner organizations such as Pathways to Education. Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer said that if Trudeau is confident that We Charity was the right choice, he should be willing to produce evidence to back up the decision. "There's still no explanation as to why one charity with this level of involvement with the Trudeau family was the only one," Scheer told guest host Catherine Cullen on CBC News Network's Power & Politics. "Did they do an exhaustive search? What can they point to as justification for We being the only group that can do this? Did they do an analysis? We'd like to find out this information." PMO spokesperson Chantal Gagnon told CBC that the office would "of course collaborate with the commissioner and answer any questions he may have." Opposition candidates took part in a forum organised by the NUSS and streamed online on the night of 3 July, 2020. (SCREENCAP: NUSS/YouTube) SINGAPORE Opposition candidates called on the ruling Peoples Action Party (PAP) to stop fearmongering and creating anxiety among Singaporeans about a potential change in government. Speaking at a forum organised by the National University of Singapore Society (NUSS) on Friday (3 July), the candidates were responding to a question on comments by Trade and Industry Minister Chan Chun Sing about a possible coalition government formed by the opposition after the 10 July General Election (GE). Such fears and anxieties ahead of the GE are already being heightened by the current COVID-19 pandemic, they added. Chan said during a dialogue organised by Chinese-language newspaper Lianhe Zaobao a day earlier that the three biggest opposition parties here could join forces to form the next government after the election, adding that such a scenario had happened in other countries. The four parties with the largest numbers of candidates contesting at the GE are the PAP with 93, followed by the PSP with 24, the WP with 21, and the SDP with 11. The PAP second assistant secretary-general who is contesting Tanjong Pagar group representation constituency (GRC) also said that he took issues with some proposed policies put forth by the opposition parties and expressed concerns if they were to be implemented by an alternative government. Reform Party member and criminal defence lawyer Charles Yeo, one of the participants during the NUSS forum, pointed out that the PAP has in recent years taken a more nuanced approach in perpetuating its rule. For instance, the ruling party insinuated that its so-called efficient government has provided voters with a good life and one day, it could be displaced by a motley crew of opposition parties, he said. A coalition government of the three (biggest opposition) parties is as likely as the statement (by Chan) that cotton comes from sheep, added Yeo, who is contesting Ang Mo Kio GRC. Progress Singapore Party (PSP) Central Executive Committee member Francis Yuen agreed with Yeo, saying, They should stop instilling fear before critical choices are made by the people. Theres fear lingering in people that if we vote for the opposition, the government will topple overnight and Singapore will come to a grinding halt. Story continues But Singapore will not. Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) chairman Dr Paul Tambyah similarly dismissed the impossible notion of the PAP losing a majority of the 93 contested seats during the election and being replaced by opposition. If Minister Chan Chun Sing thinks the PAP is going to lose 50 seats, I will be willing to bet him almost anything he wants, quipped Dr Tambyah, who is contesting Bukit Panjang SMC. The PAP will be the largest party in Parliament...(and) be the party that would be asked to form the government of the day. Whether they choose to go with PAP-lite, extra-lite or super-lite its going to be up to them, he stressed. Fears of the opposition taking over the government are perpetuated by the lack of political education in Singapore, added Dr Tambyah. We need a clear understanding of constitutional processes and how elections work in Singapore. This is the failure of education, even amongst the educated here, he said. The other participants in the two-hour-plus forum moderated by sociopolitical commentator and former non-constituency Member of Parliament Viswa Sadasivan were Michelle Lee, chairman of the newest political party Red Dot United; Harminder Pal Singh, chief media officer of opposition coalition Singapore Democratic Alliance (SDA); and People's Power Party chief Goh Meng Seng. During the event, the opposition candidates also spoke at length about the parties manifestos, which included proposed policies on the Goods and Services Tax (GST), providing jobs for Singaporeans, and revamping the educational system. Govt lost focus on public health, distracted by GE On the pandemic, Dr Tambyah, who is an infectious diseases expert, commended the governments early efforts in curbing its spread in January through February but said all hell broke loose in March partly because of then-emerging talks of an election. He noted that the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) had issued a statement telling employers following the cluster of foreign workers at Seletar Aerospace Height construction site that they were not allowed to bring workers living in dormitories for testing or risk losing work pass privileges. To date, 41,978 of Singapores 44,479 COVID-19 cases are foreign workers living in such residences. I have an opinion as to why that happened, I dont know for sure, that was the time they started talking about an early election. You wonder whether the (COVID-19) ministerial committee lost their focus on the public health and started thinking about the election, he added. Even today, with the cluster of cases in Tampines, the (co-chair National Development Minister Lawrence Wong who is contesting Marsiling-Yew Tee GRC) of the ministerial committee has to go to Marsiling to explain why they should vote for the PAP...he should be in Tampines trying to sort out whats going on with the outbreak. All six opposition candidates at the forum agree that the crisis election, irresponsibly called for during the pandemic, would be a watershed GE like the one in 2001, with the odds stacked in favour of the incumbent government. Dr Tambyah noted that GE2020 could result in the complete elimination of elected opposition in Singapore. We are really hoping that Singaporeans will not be intimidated and driven to a flight-to-safety kind of thinking, he said. Lee, who is contesting Jurong GRC, said, I have the same fears that it may go badly for the opposition, but for Red Dot United, where we are standing, we are new it is not so much of a watershed but a starting step. Singh, who is contesting Pasir Ris-Punggol GRC against the PAP and the Peoples Voice, said, In the post-COVID-19 situation, we cannot be the same people we have been all these while. It is time we improve the plight of Singaporeans by getting good leaders from alternative parties to come in. Stay in the know on-the-go: Join Yahoo Singapore's Telegram channel at t.me/YahooSingapore Follow Yahoo News Singapores GE2020 coverage here. Related stories: GE2020: Support government, oppose its policies when warranted WP's Aljunied candidates 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 (SCREENSHOTS L to R: Singapore Democratic Party Chee Soon Juan, The Reform Party Charles Yeo and Singapore People's Party Steve Chia speaking at a constituency political broadcast on 3 July 2020/Mediacorp YouTube channel) SINGAPORE Three opposition candidates have pledged to become full-time Members of Parliament (MPs) if they were to win at the upcoming General Election (GE) and questioned the commitment of their Peoples Action Party (PAP) opponents to serve residents. Speaking during a televised constituency political broadcast on Friday night (3 July), Singapore Democratic Party chief Chee Soon Juan reiterated his commitment to serve residents on a full-time basis, saying it is not humanly possible for an MP to have a daytime job. First there is the Town Council to run, then there are the residents needs and concerns to take care of. On top of this, you have to conduct your homework on proposed bills and speak up in Parliament. I cannot see how someone can handle all these responsibilities on a part-time basis, said Dr Chee, who is contesting again in the Bukit Batok single member constituency (SMC). The SDP secretary-general has criticised incumbent Bukit Batok PAP MP Murali Pillai, whom he lost to in the 2016 by-election, on several occasions about the issue. Murali told reporters ahead of the by-election that there was no need for MPs to serve residents on a full-time basis and give up their day jobs. They (the PAP MPs) would prioritise the needs of the residents ahead of their own. If I get elected into parliament and if ever the needs of the residents compete with my own, Ill always put their needs above mine, Murali said at the doorstop interview in April 2016. The Reform Party (RP) candidate Charles Yeo, who is contesting in Ang Mo Kio group representation constituency (GRC), said during the broadcast that voters deserve full-time MPs who are devoted to their interests. He called public service an honour not a right. The criminal defence lawyer added, Numerous residents we met on our walkabouts complained that they have not seen their MP, or only very sporadically, and this is unsurprising. The PAP parachutes in many backbenchers with heavy professional work commitments. Claims of dedication ring hollow unless one is prepared to be a full-time MP. Story continues Singapore Peoples Party (SPP) candidate Steve Chia, who is vying for a seat in Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC, said likewise that if elected, he and his fellow party members will serve residents as full-time MPs. The SPP secretary-general said, We will become MPs who will always be available to you, to attend to your concerns. We want to listen to you with empathy, and address your needs. Stay in the know on-the-go: Join Yahoo Singapore's Telegram channel at t.me/YahooSingapore Follow Yahoo News Singapores GE2020 coverage here. Related stories: Overheard during GE2020: Memorable quotes by party members, candidates GE2020: Chan Chun Sing's comment on non-PAP coalition govt fear mongering opposition parties GE2020: Pritam Singh dismisses PAP's 'fearmongering' of alternative government GE2020: PAP candidates will return as grassroots advisers even if they lose, says WP's Marine Parade team leader GE2020: Support government, oppose its policies when warranted WP's Aljunied candidates GE2020: PSP's Leong Mun Wai will reject NCMP seat if offered, proposes proportional representation GE2020: Vote us for diversity instead of PAP's '2D cutout' candidates PSP Tanjong Pagar team A Georgia man celebrated the Fourth of July by playing the national anthem in front of a large American flag painted onto hay bales at a property in Wrightsville. The flag was set up by William Sumner of MidWay Straw Company, who told Storyful he created the patriotic symbol for the second year in a row. Local media reported that anyone is welcome to stop by to check out the flag. This video shows Erik Powell playing The Star-Spangled Banner on an electric guitar in front of the flag on July 4. Erik Powells brother, Derek Powell, told Storyful they are friends with Sumner and really big fans of the hay bale flag. Derek Powell said they wanted to film a video playing the national anthem and thought Sumners creation would be a fitting backdrop. Where better than Midway Straw in front of the hay bales? Derek Powell said. Credit: William Sumner/MidWay Straw Company via Storyful Click here to read the full article. Call me a heretic, but Im someone who never gloried all that much in the comedic awesomeness of Peter Sellers. Well, okay, I did in Dr. Strangelove who would deny the delectable punch of that virtuoso hat trick of performances? But the Pink Panther films were always a hit-or-miss melange of the funny and the slapdash corny, and theres an underlying zaniness to the Sellers mystique that to me, at least, doesnt age that well. I make a point of this because theres a kind of cult for the idea that Peter Sellers was a mad genius: the guy who had no self and only came into being when he played a character, the Swinging Sixties devil who stole movies right out from under their creators. That cult is at the center of The Ghost of Peter Sellers, a documentary about the making of one of the worst movies of its time, and maybe all time. In 1973, Sellers signed on to star in a pirate comedy called Ghost in the Noonday Sun, in which he would play a lowly ships cook who winds up pretending to be the pirate captain. (Its like the setup for one of Roberto Benignis nitwit-pest comedies, though in this case made without a shred of competence.) The film was shot in Cyprus over a period of 67 days, and what made the experience a torment apart from the fact that it was marked by countless routine disasters is that the movie had a surreal script that was barely there (it came down to: Lets put Peter Sellers in a bad wig, give him control of a pirate ship, and have him do his crazy bug-eyed thing), and from the first day of shooting a kind of enervating chaos reigned. The director, the Hungarian-born Peter Medak, was coming off his acclaimed but over-the-top aristocratic satire The Ruling Class, and he knew hed rushed into production without figuring out what his movie was, so he put all his faith in Peter Sellers. Story continues More from Variety That was a big mistake. Sellers figured out early on that no one knew what they were doing, and he reacted by attempting to sabotage the production. Its certainly fair game to make a documentary about an infamous film disaster a movie like Heavens Gate, or maybe Doctor Dolittle (the sections about that one in Mark Harris Pictures at a Revolution are a jaw-dropping farce of ineptitude), or Dennis Hoppers The Last Movie. Theres a meaning to the failure of those films, to the way they reach for the stars and fall on their faces. But Ghost in the Noonday Sun was a jerry-built fiasco that barely had the benefit of ambition, which is why it wound up being shelved by Columbia. Its a film to make the Terry Gilliam of The Man Who Killed Don Quixote go, Nope! Too woozy and historically absentminded and indulgent, the kind of lurching failure that might be rejected for not meeting the standards of Mystery Science Theater 3000. So what is The Ghost of Peter Sellers? Its a record of what it was like to shoot an empty shambolic piece of junk that drained the coffers of everyone involved. Its a record of the kind of damage that a debonair misfit like Peter Sellers could cause when he put his mischievous (and maybe, in some ways, unstable) mind to it. More than that, though, the documentary is a confession thats also a piece of Hollywood therapy. It was directed by Peter Medak yes, the director of Ghost in the Noonday Sun. Still spry at 83, he interviews some of his producers and collaborators, talks at length about his own experience of making the film, and includes a great many on-location clips. , and The Ghost of Peter Sellers is his weirdly fond look back at the darkest moment of his own career. For much of the film, Medak comes on like a Christopher Guest character. No matter how wretched the movie sounds, no matter how badly the mishaps pile up, no matter how many decades he has had to reflect on this financial and aesthetic calamity, he sits there, in his cluelessly calm and unflappable Hungarian-art-history-professor way, saying things like, It brings tears to my eyes. Forty-five years later, hes still desperate to know: What caused the debacle? Why did Peter Sellers go rogue on me? Who was responsible? The answer keeps hitting us in the face: He was responsible. Ghost in the Noonday Sun is a godawful picture because Peter Medak didnt do the job of figuring out what the hell the movie was, so he and the crew were basically making up this POS as they went along. Medak, from what we can see, doesnt appear to have a funny bone in his body, so what was he doing staging a wackaholic comedy in the first place? (I know, I know: He made The Ruling Class. Ugh.) I think he thought on some level that it was a serious movie, like some Jodorowsky piece of trippy slapstick. Parts of the documentary have a rubbernecking amusement, in a whatever-can-go-wrong-did-go-wrong sort of way. On the first day, the pirate ship that had been built out of an old schooner sailed into the rocks and began to sink. Just before he arrived, Sellers, who was in the middle of his third crashing-and-burning marriage, was dumped by his girlfriend, Liza Minnelli, leaving the actor, according to Medak, catatonically depressed. The boat kept breaking down, people kept getting seasick, and as Sellers himself put it, This is absolutely fucking crazy. Its impossible to make a comedy like this. Sellers old Goon Show cohort Spike Milligan, whod co-written the script, was brought in to rewrite it, and once hed finished the film made even less sense. Sellers, after a falling out with his costar (and former pal) Tony Franciosa, refused to appear in the same frame with him. And in a story thats 100 times funnier than anything in the movie itself, Sellers, who had a serious heart condition (he would die, at 54, of a heart attack), was so desperate to get away that he actually faked a heart attack. Two days later, when everyone thought he was at the local hospital, they saw a tabloid photograph of him having dinner at Harrods in London with Princess Margaret. He then returned to the set with a note from his doctor saying that he was too sick to work. Sellers was then at the apex of his stardom, but not at his creative peak. In Ghost in the Noonday Sun, playing a character named Dick Scratcher (yes, you read that correctly), hes like a 70s-bearded Al Pacino channeling Mel Brooks, with black teeth and a vague rummy accent. His performance looks every bit as tiresome as the rest of the movie, and if you want to check it out for yourself, you can see Ghost in the Noonday Sun on VHS or DVD (after sitting in the vault for a decade, it was released by Columbia in 1983). At the end, Medak is still asking, What happened? He weeps, he hugs his associate producer, hes still honestly scratching his head in torment. One answer is provided by the films financial backer, the London production leviathan John Heyman, who says of his lead actor, Its not as if we didnt know Peter was nuts. The truth of the matter is, none of us knew how nuts. Thats one way to look at it. Another way to look at it is that Peter Sellers was the most sane person on the picture the only one who could see it for what it was. Best of Variety Sign up for Varietys Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Coal India (CIL) CMD Pramod Agarwal has appealed to his striking staff at Coal India Limited to resume their duties. The worker unions have been protesting the centre's plan to open the coal sector to private players. "Considering the Covid situation in the country and the international scenario, Coal India's role assumes all the more importance and I earnestly appeal to you to resume your duties in the larger interest of the nation," he said to his staff, according to The Times of India. In his appeal to his staff at Coal India, Agrawal said that the Minister Of Coal while addressing their Charter of Demands had reassured the PSU that the there was no question of privatisation of Coal India or the demerger of CMPDIL (Central Mine Planning and Design Institute) from Coal India Limited. "There would be no adverse effect on present or future employment on this reason and no coal block of CIL would be given away for commercial coal mining," he added, as per the daily. However, Agarwal has claimed that the Coal India's offtake, production and overburden removal has continued despite the strike by its workmen. "Amid the ongoing strike, CIL dispatched 5.78 lakh tonnes (LTs) on July 2. This is around 42% of the normal average off-take. Similarly, coal production was 4.81 LTs, which is close to 38% of the average number," CIL said in a statement. Also Read: Contactless ticketing for Delhi buses: Govt tests new e-ticketing system Also Read: Coronavirus: 26 new micro containment zones identified in Ahmedabad By Sanjeev Miglani and Nigam Prusty NEW DELHI (Reuters) - 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. (Reporting by Sanjeev Miglani; Editing by Mark Heinrich) By Tim Kelly and Akira Tomoshige TOKYO (Reuters) - As face coverings become the norm amid the coronavirus pandemic, Japanese startup Donut Robotics has developed an internet-connected "smart mask" that can transmit messages and translate from Japanese into eight other languages. The white plastic "c-mask" fits over standard face masks and connects via Bluetooth to a smartphone and tablet application that can transcribe speech into text messages, make calls, or amplify the mask wearer's voice. "We worked hard for years to develop a robot and we have used that technology to create a product that responds to how the coronavirus has reshaped society," said Taisuke Ono, the chief executive of Donut Robotics. Donut Robotics' engineers came up with the idea for the mask as they searched for a product to help the company survive the pandemic. When the coronavirus struck, it had just secured a contract to supply robot guides and translators to Tokyo's Haneda Airport, a product that faces an uncertain future after the collapse of air travel. Donut Robotics' first 5,000 c-masks will be shipped to buyers in Japan starting in September, with Ono looking to sell in China, the United States and Europe too. There has been strong interest, he said. At about $40 per mask, Donut Robotics is aiming at a mass market that did not exist until a few months ago. One aim, he said, is to generate revenue from subscriber services offered via an app that users will download. Donut Robotics built a prototype connected mask within a month by adapting translation software developed for its robot and a mask design that one of the company's engineers, Shunsuke Fujibayashi, created four years ago for a student project to interpret speech by mapping face muscles. Ono raised 28 million yen ($260,000) for development by selling Donut Robotics shares through Japanese crowdfunding site Fundinno. "We raised our initial target of 7 million yen within three minutes and stopped after 37 minutes when we had reached 28 million yen," he said. ($1 = 107.2000 yen) (Reporting by Tim Kelly and Akira Tomoshige. Editing by Gerry Doyle) ALMATY (Reuters) - Major Kazakh cities will close their shopping malls, markets and parks for a second weekend in a row, authorities said on Friday, in an attempt to curb the coronavirus which has stretched the Central Asian nation's healthcare system. Both the capital Nur-Sultan and the biggest city Almaty announced their plans on Friday and several provinces followed suit. Nur-Sultan and Almaty will also shut down public transit for the weekend and the former issued a stay-at-home order for the same period. The number of COVID-19 cases in the former Soviet republic bordering Russia and China has tripled this month to more than 33,000, with 147 deaths and hospitals filled to capacity in several cities. Kazakhstan ended a nationwide lockdown in May, but started locking down towns and villages again in recent weeks, focusing on those of importance to its mining and energy sectors. (Reporting by Olzhas Auyezov) University of Calgary researchers are leading a North American study that aims to unlock some of the mysteries around how kids spread the virus that causes COVID-19 information that could inform policy decisions around school re-openings or operations down the line. The study will involve 1,600 children who show up at 20 emergency departments for other reasons around Canada and the United States. Four hundred kids who test positive for SARS-CoV-2 but have no symptoms will be followed and compared to a group of 1,200 children who test negative. According to University of Calgary pediatrics and emergency medicine professor Dr. Stephen Freedman, children with the virus often have mild symptoms or none at all. "The challenge is these children can transmit infection and we're trying to understand how likely they are to transmit it," he said. Freedman also works at Alberta Children's Hospital, which is the lead site for the study. Dr. Stephen Freedman One of the big questions is how likely children are to spread the virus to grandparents or those with weakened immune systems. Those are the groups at highest risk for hospitalization and death. Children in the study will be followed to see whether they go on to develop symptoms, who else in their household and group of close contacts becomes sick, and what role the amount of virus detected in that initial test plays in all of it. "Finding that asymptomatic infection does or does not impose a significant risk to household members in terms of transmission will really clarify the importance and concern that we should have regarding children as vectors or a means to transmit the disease," Freedman said. "And that will then play into the policy determinants related to school, et cetera." According to Freedman, if children are passing the virus to others at school but none of them transmit it to other family members in their household, that would be reassuring. Story continues "[In that scenario] the transmission is likely not going from child to home but more likely from home to child. And that also implies that even if that transmission does happen within the school it's not too concerning for the caregivers, for the household and for the broader population," he said. If, on the other hand, children spread the virus to other kids in the school who in turn transmit it to their family members at home, that would be concerning, according to Freedman. "Now we have a propagation of the disease process that is very different. That would be very worrisome for the context of school opening and how we're managing the potential risks at school," he said. Holly Caruk/CBC Alberta Health watching research The Alberta government is expected to make a decision by August 1 about whether schools will re-open in fall. Earlier this month, education minister Adriana LaGrange said the province is aiming to return to "near normal" operations for classrooms. But school boards have been warned to be ready to pivot depending on what happens with Alberta's COVID-19 rates. A spokesperson for the education minister deferred questions about what role this kind of research would ultimately play in that decision to the department of health. For its part, Alberta Health says it's aware of this study and supports its objectives. "There is still much we do not know about COVID-19 and new evidence is emerging daily. This includes the impact of the virus and how it is transmitted by children," an Alberta Health spokesperson said in an email to CBC News. The spokesperson noted the ministry announced funding for four serology studies last week including two designed to track the spread of antibodies among groups of children in Calgary and Edmonton over the next two years. "We are closely monitoring all emerging evidence, including the spread of COVID-19 in Alberta, academic research and the experience in other jurisdictions. All evidence and information will be considered before any final decisions are made on school re-openings," the spokesperson said. The University of Calgary study is funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and is expected to start within the next two weeks. Freedman said some early data will likely be available prior to the start of the school year. The researchers will share their findings with governments as well as a World Health Organization working group. Masked battleground: While the U.S. goes to war over masks, it's apathy in these parts Alex Brandon/The Associated Press Just as the Atlantic bubble kicked into gear on Friday, business at St. John's International Airport changed in a notable way. While travel among the four Atlantic provinces has become easier, everyone going into YYT will have to wear a face mask staff and passengers alike. There was no great uproar about this news. "What took so long," one person responded to CBC's tweet on Thursday about the news, while another said, "I would have thought they were already." What an incredible difference from the U.S., where wearing masks has become intensely politicized, so much so that the very image of a face mask is now incendiary to some people. President Donald Trump has notably refused to wear one, on evident grounds that he will look weak, even though he has since early April passed on guidance from his government's experts that there are medical benefits to wearing one. It's hard to keep up with the mask news from America. Consider the case of Herman Cain, whose name you may remember as a contender for the Republican presidential nomination in 2012. On June 20, Cain attended the Trump rally in Tulsa last month and tweeted a photo of himself and others. There were no masks, no physical distancing. On July 1, Cain tweeted the latest in a series of anti-mask posts, saying people are fed up with them. That very night, Cain was admitted to a Georgia hospital to be treated for COVID-19 because his condition had become serious enough to warrant that level of care. (His office later said he had tested positive on Monday.) Cain was hospitalized the same day that the U.S. set a record for single-day cases of coronavirus: 50,203. (To illustrate how the curve in the U.S. is still escalating, it's worth noting it took the U.S. just over two months to record its first 50,000 cases.) The next day, the governor of Texas signed an executive order making it mandatory to wear masks in counties where there are at least 20 active cases of COVID-19. (This is currently about two-thirds of the state's counties.) Story continues At least 20 states now have some sort of mandatory requirement for wearing masks, and as cases continue to escalate, there likely will be more. The U.S. continues to lead the world in both cases and deaths from COVID-19. Even so, there's a ferocious public argument in the States about masks, so much so they've become locked into the same populist fury that underlines so many other issues. There are so many videos of protests and counterprotests, of furious customers refusing to comply with company requests. (The most disturbing one for me was a woman deliberately coughing in the face of other customers at a New York bagel shop.) In Canada, things are more mellow, although mandatory masks are still an issue. Earlier this week, the city council in Toronto voted to make it mandatory to wear them indoors. With more than 35,000 confirmed cases of the virus (and a death toll over 2,600), Ontario represents a third of the national caseload. Flattened curve, dwindled worry Here in Newfoundland and Labrador, things are markedly different. We flattened in April, and have been COVID-free (that is, no active cases at all) since June 18. Perhaps because of this, you don't see a lot of masks around. At grocery stores, wearing them is optional for staff, who (in my experience at least) seemed to wear them more diligently in the spring. Some retailers still require their staff to wear them; others definitely do not. Jean Delisle/CBC And then there are the customers. The majority I see do not wear masks, although some do. (As a point of disclosure, I carry and wear a cloth mask.) To a friend of mine, "damn apathy" and a relaxed thinking has made masks practically moot. It might be a nuisance for some people, and others may point to the fact that a mask will not stop a virus from getting into your lungs. The argument, of course, is about the other direction: there is excellent evidence now that shows masks stop the virus from getting out of your mouth. That is, wearing one protects those around you, in the same way you would be protected by others who wear them. Having gone day after day after day with no new cases, residents of Newfoundland and Labrador have become complacent with coronavirus even as we've seen records fall south of the border in the numbers of new cases. COVID-19 is a worsening and deepening problem in the U.S., but it simply doesn't feel that way here on the street. This disconnect bothers some people I know. One of my friends remains anxious about the lack of masks she sees. "It bothers me so much," she told me, although she said she bites her lip. She said she takes comfort in stores where staff are masked. "It means they're probably taking hygiene" measures more seriously too, she added. 'The virus is out there' Another friend isn't much bothered by people not wearing masks, and he doesn't wear one either. That may change. "I am at the point where I'm going to start, because I now feel like an irresponsible jerk if I don't," he told me. Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press He added that when he got a haircut this week, no one in the shop staff and customers was masked. Masks are of course not the only response to COVID. Physical distancing and thorough handwashing can't be beaten. But as we reopen the province and as travel between provinces increases masks are a helpful tool to keep the rate of infection as low as possible. "The virus is out there, so it will find its way back to our shores," Memorial University nursing professor Donna Moralejo told CBC last month. "We need to identify people quickly who have it and protect ourselves from those who don't know they are carrying it." At the airport, visitors to the province will be required to wear a mask when they land but only on the airport grounds. They will not be required to have their temperature taken or to answer a medical questionnaire. They will, though, be advised to call the 811 HealthLine if they develop symptoms. Read more from CBC Newfoundland and Labrador CBC There are no new cases of COVID-19 being reported in the province Saturday, one day after Newfoundland and Labrador opened its borders to the rest of Atlantic Canada. Saturday marks the 37th consecutive day without a new case of the virus and 17 days without any active cases. Active cases are the total cases minus recovered cases and deaths. According to a news release from the provincial government, the province's total COVID-19 caseload remains at 261, with 258 people having recovered from the virus. There have been three COVID-19 related deaths in the province. In total, 18,586 people have been tested for COVID-19 a jump of 230 from Friday. The province took more steps toward a sense of normalcy Friday, opening borders to Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island, with the opening of the Atlantic bubble. Downtown St. John's also got a boost Friday, with the opening of the Water Street pedestrian mall. Sections of Water Street will be closed to traffic seven days a week until Sept. 7, allowing pedestrians to walk the streets and shop in the downtown between noon and 10 p.m. Read more from CBC Newfoundland and Labrador Dry spell continues in Ontario, scorching heat expected to intensify Much of Ontario remains in a stationary pattern of hot, dry weather this week, with temperatures and humidex values expected to intensify. Heat warnings remain in place, with widespread temperatures near or above 30C expected for the next several days, along with humidex values approaching or exceeding the 40s. It may not be until Sunday that we see a temporary, short drop in temperatures, but the humidity will linger. Along with the heat comes the chance for thunderstorms on Tuesday. Details and timing, below. Visit our Complete Guide to Summer 2020 for an in-depth look at the Summer Forecast, tips to plan for it and much more WEATHER HIGHLIGHTS: Below normal rainfall in most of southern Ontario over last two months Remaining dry, hot, humid through the week Thunderstorm risk on Tuesday Keep an eye on weather ALERTS in your area STRETCH OF BONE-DRY CONDITIONS IN ONTARIO The majority of southern Ontario has received below normal amounts of rainfall over the last 60 days, with most areas experiencing 30-50 days of recorded rainfall of less than 0.5 mm. This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it. Toronto received only 70 per cent of its normal precipitation in June, and so far, no rainfall has been recorded in July. Windsor and Ottawa received 74 and 96 per cent of their normal precipitation amounts in June, respectively. The unrelenting, sweltering heat and humidity will continue this week with temperatures near or above 30C across Ontario. A humidex value of 40 or higher will become more widespread by mid-week. ONTuesTemp Tuesday will be particularly hot with the potential for many places to reach the mid-30s and the humidex approaching 40 in most of the south and parts of the Nickel Belt region. The humidity will fuel the risk of thunderstorms on Tuesday and much of the province will see the potential for active weather. While most areas will remain dry, some could see a burst of heavy rain in the thunderstorms that occur. ONRisk The hot and dry conditions have elevated the fire danger in Ontario, with more than 20 fires currently out of control across the northern regions. Story continues Thursday and Friday will likely be the hottest days this week, with most areas in the southern half of the province expected to see daytime highs in the mid-30s while humidex values hit or surpass 40. ONTempFriday Some temporary relief from the heat may occur Sunday, with daytime highs returning to seasonal, but the humidity will linger. However, the overall hot pattern will continue into mid-July. WATER BANS AND FIRE CONCERNS GROW AMID EXTREME HEAT IN ONTARIO Novartis faces key meeting in U.S. bribery scandal after settling corruption case FILE PHOTO: The logo of Swiss drugmaker Novartis is pictured at the French company's headquarters in Rueil-Malmaison By John Miller ZURICH (Reuters) - Swiss drugmaker Novartis, fresh from settling U.S. charges over alleged kickbacks to doctors, is preparing for a key meeting next week with U.S. prosecutors that could lead to the resolution of a decade-old bribery scandal. On Thursday, the U.S. Department of Justice announced a $346 million agreement from Novartis to settle U.S. criminal and civil charges that they bribed doctors, hospitals and clinics in Greece and Vietnam. While Novartis said the package resolves all its pending Foreign Corrupt Practices Act cases, another, potentially larger payment is looming: A decade-old whistleblower case in which the U.S. government accuses it of paying millions in kickbacks to doctors to prescribe its drugs. A Novartis spokesman declined comment on a possible settlement and on its meeting with U.S. prosecutors. U.S. District Court Judge Paul Gardephe has ordered a July 2 conference in that case, for both lawyers and the public, which would be the first court-ordered meeting in the matter since mid-2019 as the two sides discussed a settlement. Novartis has set aside $700 million. Novartis's deal this week brings outlays in alleged corruption cases to about $1 billion over the last decade, and is a reminder of the Basel-based drugmaker's struggles to exit an era when it regularly tangled with prosecutors over its sales force's behavior. [https://reut.rs/2BeTbqV] "This is not good for the company's momentum," said Michael Nawrath, a Zuercher Kantonalbank analyst who rates Novartis shares "overweight." "Often Novartis is the one dealing with such breaches. We'll see to what extent Novartis will be free from future violations." Novartis shares were down 0.13%, the worst performer on the Swiss benchmark index, with almost all other companies and the broader European Health Care index trading positive by 1057 GMT. Novartis Chief Executive Officer Vas Narasimhan has during his 2 1/2 year tenure had to grapple with what he has termed "legacy" ethics issues including fallout from hiring U.S. President Donald Trump's ex-lawyer Michael Cohen as a consultant and U.S. generics price fixing, which resulted in a $195 million settlement in March. (Reporting by John Miller, editing by Louise Heavens) An Oklahoma Highway Patrol officer suffered a close call with mother nature on July 2, when a bolt of lightning struck a roadway where he was helping a driver. This footage, posted on the patrols official Facebook account, shows the incident, as captured by a camera onboard the officers cruiser. According to a short statement, the trooper had pulled over to assist with some equipment that had fallen off a trailer, when the bolt hit the highway. Credit: Oklahoma Highway Patrol via Storyful Coal India Ltd (CIL) and NLC India will jointly develop solar power assets of 3,000 MW with a likely investment of around Rs 12,000 crore, sources said on Saturday. The two state-run companies had on Friday said they would form a JV to develop 5,000 MW of solar and thermal power assets across the country. "A solar JV is already in process of formation with an initial capital of Rs 10 lakh. Once the company is formed, the respective company boards will decide the final contours of the project. At present, solar capex for each MW is around Rs 4 crore," they said. The government plans to impose 20 per cent basic customs duty duty on imported solar panels to boost the domestic industry, the sources said. Solar developers have been largely dependent on Chinese equipment. The thermal power project will be taken up by a separate JV after due diligence, they said. CIL has already installed solar projects of 4.83-MW capacity and these plants are generating around 4.6 million units of renewable energy annually, officials said. "This JV aims to utilise the core capabilities and infrastructure of CIL and NLCIL for the creation of power assets to harness renewable sources of energy. "The JV company will ensure sustainable growth and contribute to achieving the ambitious solar power programme of both companies," Coal India said in a statement. Also Read: 'Groundless to view Beijing as expansionist': Chinese Embassy on PM Modi's Ladakh speech Also Read: Coronavirus: 26 new micro containment zones identified in Ahmedabad WASHINGTON/BEIJING (Reuters) - China on Friday rejected criticism by the U.S. 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. Story continues 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) FILE PHOTO: Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, wearing a military uniform, reviews scout ranger troops upon his arrival during the 67th founding anniversary of the First Scout Ranger regiment in San Miguel town, Bulacan province, north of Manila By Karen Lema and Martin Petty MANILA (Reuters) - Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte approved tough anti-terrorism legislation on Friday that rights groups condemned as a weapon to target opponents and stifle free speech. The law grants security forces sweeping powers to act to fight militants, while legal experts say broad articles could allow discriminatory enforcement, privacy infringements and suppression of peaceful dissent, including on social media. Duterte's approval comes after a United Nations report on the Philippines that singled him out for publicly inciting violence and encouraging rights abuses, mostly during a war on drugs in which he promised to kill 100,000 people and pardon police who shoot suspects dead. His opponents fear a crackdown on challengers to his popular autocracy before he leaves office in 2022, among them journalists, lawmakers, priests and activists seeking his international indictment over thousands of drug war killings. The law creates an anti-terrorism council appointed by the president, which can designate individuals and groups as terrorists and detain them without charge for up to 24 days. It allows for 90 days of surveillance and wiretaps, and punishments that include life imprisonment without parole. U.N. rights chief Michelle Bachelet had urged Duterte not to sign it. Human Rights Watch called the law a "green light to the systematic targeting of political critics and opponents" and said Duterte had "pushed Philippine democracy into an abyss". Amnesty International called it "a new weapon to brand and hound any perceived enemies of the state", which would "worsen attacks against human rights defenders." Philippine rights group Karapatan said Duterte was seeking to emulate the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos: "This monstrous piece of legislation is, without any doubt, the final puzzle piece in Duterte's Marcosian delusions," it said. Story continues ELEVATED THREAT Duterte, 75, had fast-tracked the anti-terrorism act through both houses of Congress during the coronavirus outbreak. His spokesman Harry Roque said Duterte had taken time to study it, "weighing the concerns of different stakeholders". The president made no mention of the law in a speech to soldiers on Friday. The government says the law is based on legislation in countries that have successfully dealt with extremism. Defence chiefs say it will enable a better response to domestic threats, such as piracy, kidnappings and extremism by groups influenced by Islamic State, who occupied a southern city in 2017 and are now increasingly carrying out suicide bombings. The law's approval comes as series of legal and regulatory cases move forward against journalists and media organisations. Those include top media group ABS-CBN, ordered to cease broadcasts on free-to-air and cable channels, and news website Rappler, embroiled in tax evasion and illegal ownership cases. Rappler's award winning chief Maria Ressa was convicted of libel last month in a ruling that prompted international dismay. (Editing by Ed Davies and Peter Graff) The war in Syria brought a temporary end to Mustafa Issa's dreams. Issa, now 22, fled to Canada in 2016 after two shells hit his family's house in 2013. Since then he has been paralyzed from the waist down. Issa has now been rewarded for his determination as a high school student in Regina, winning a $2,500 newcomer bursary from the Regina Open Door Society. "I feel so happy," said Issa. "The bursary was not only the money for me. But it encouraged me more . to study hard." Issa graduated from grade 12 at Allan Blakeney Adult Campus in Regina and plans to go to the University of Regina in the fall. The newcomer bursaries for refugees assist students with the costs of post-secondary education in Saskatchewan. Duncan Brawn, a support worker with Regina Open Door Society helped Issa apply for the award. "He is very motivated," Brawn said. "Perseverance, motivation and a big smile. You know he has motivated me and others at Open Door ... He is a remarkable young man." Loss and destruction during the war On the day the two shells hit his home in Syria seven years ago, Issa lost his brother Muhammad, his aunt Fatima and his cousin Nabil. "I had five shrapnel came to my body, so from that time I can not walk," said Issa in an email. Additionally two older brothers were separated from the rest of the family when they fled from the war. Issa said family has played an important role in his life while overcoming the hardships they've faced. He said his family is really proud that he received the bursary. "His family has been excellent in that they support him every step of the way," said Brawn, mentioning the importance of community connections for newcomers. "This family, from the very beginning, has been very engaged. They have come and volunteered. They have been part of all the Open Door different activities and programs They have been really engaged with the community, and that makes a big big difference." Story continues Provided by Mustafa Issa Grateful to be in Canada According to Brawn, Mustafa has also been a youth peer leader at Allan Blakeney Adult Campus in Regina, helping other students transition into their new life in Canada. When arriving in Canada, Issa didn't speak any English. Now that he has started mastering the language, he is ready for a new challenge. Issa has registered at the University of Regina where he can work toward his dream of becoming an accountant. "I would like to thank Canada for bringing us here to this country and make me to complete achieving my dreams after the war destroyed it," Issa said. With files from The Afternoon Edition A scuba diver has died following a shark attack off the coast of Queensland in Australia, emergency services have said. The 20-year-old man was injured in the seas near popular tourist hotspot Fraser Island at about 2pm local time (5am in the UK) on Saturday. It is not known what species of shark the man was attacked by, but he had been bitten around his legs, authorities said. Paramedics provided emergency treatment after arriving by helicopter, but were unable to save him and he died at the scene, the Queensland Ambulance Service said. Fraser Coast mayor George Seymour said the man's death was a sad day for the community, according to an ABC News report. "Our deepest condolences go to this young man's family and friends," he said. "The loss of a young life with his future before him is a tragedy beyond words. We share their sadness and grief." The attack happened near Indian Heads, near to the site of another fatal shark attack in April, when Queensland wildlife ranger Zachary Robba, 23, was bitten by a great white. At least four people have died in shark attacks in Australia this year. In January, a 57-year-old diver was killed off Western Australia state, while a 60-year-old surfer was killed off Kingscliff in New South Wales state in June. In the New South Wales attack, two men fought off the shark before taking the man on to the beach, where he was given first aid. However, despite their efforts the man died at the scene, police said. Mandating, not just recommending, the use of non-medical masks will help convince more Canadians to wear them as the economy reopens, just as wearing seatbelts is now the norm, some social scientists and physicians say. In Canada's largest city, wearing non-medical masks is now mandatory for people riding with the Toronto Transit Commission, with certain exemptions, to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus. A bylaw extending the rule to indoor public spaces goes into effect on July 7. Similarly, mayors in Peel Region, which includes Mississauga and Brampton, west of Toronto, and York Region to the north also plan to introduce such bylaws. In Quebec, Premier Francois Legault announced that public transit users in the province will be required to wear masks starting on July 13. Many health authorities now consider face coverings a necessity, and governments are passing laws that require them, but those laws are difficult to enforce. That's why behavioural scientists say it's so important for the public to get on board if the rules are going to stick. Virus not more powerful than collective will to fight it, says expert Kim Lavoie, a professor of psychology in behavioural medicine at the University of Quebec at Montreal, is among the experts calling for governments in Canada to consult social scientists on preventive measures like wearing masks as lockdowns lift in the absence of vaccines or effective treatments for COVID-19. "Wearing a mask is something we control. Washing our hands, staying home, skipping that party are all things we control," Lavoie said. "People forget that the virus isn't more powerful than our collective will to get rid of it, and there are things we can do. But right now, they're behavioural." Evan Mitsui/CBC Dr. David Fisman, an epidemiologist at the University of Toronto's Dalla Lana School of Public Health, said masks could help more people get back to business and "regular life." Story continues "We think it's sort of low-hanging fruit and a no-brainer," Fisman said. Why? Layering on masks on top of hand hygiene, avoiding touching your face and physical distancing helps reduce transmission in small case reports, observational studies and a preliminary model. "Me wearing a mask protects you. If I have COVID, you wearing a mask also protects you from breathing in my virus," Fisman said. While Fisman called Canada "a country of rule followers," there are people who oppose mandating masks, saying it impinges on individual rights and freedoms. But with COVID-19, one person's behaviour affects the next person the basis for secondhand smoke laws. "It's no more [an infringement] than asking you to wear a seatbelt," Lavoie said. "You're not free to drink yourself under the table and then get behind the wheel. If you don't have a PCR test at your house to test yourself negative, then you have to consider the possibility that you might be infected and not know it and be putting us all at risk." Protecting yourself a major motivator Lavoie is one of the researchers behind a large study called iCARE (International assessment of COVID-19-related attitudes, concerns, responses and impacts). Together with collaborators from Johns Hopkins University's project on cases and Oxford's policy tracker, they're regularly surveying Canadians and people around the world on how they feel about and adhere to policies. The goal of the research is to disentangle what motivates people of different ages and socioeconomic backgrounds to change their behaviour to inform health-care policy and messaging. Submitted by Kim Lavoie Based on 50,000 responses since the end of March, Lavoie said the findings to this point suggest that concern about getting infected with the virus is a major motivator. "One thing people don't realize is how contagious it is," she said. Most people recover at home, but people of all ages have also been severely sickened, some for months, says the Public Health Agency of Canada. Patients say long-term symptoms and consequences such as heart damage are coming to the fore. An urgent need While making mask wearing the norm would help prevent transmission, Fisman said mixed messaging and "dithering" by Ontario's government have hindered mask use from becoming commonplace. "Once the signal comes from our public health leaders that this is the expectation and this is how we're going to move forward, I think people will fall in line pretty fast," he said. Jonathan Hayward/The Canadian Press Wearing masks could be considered a behaviour that needs to be adopted urgently and collectively, Lavoie said. She pointed to how behavioural change boils down to three factors: Awareness of the need to wear masks. Motivation, such as protecting yourself, loved ones or neighbours who may be vulnerable to serious complications. Confidence in the ability to execute the behaviour. Cost can be a barrier. That's why Alberta's government is distributing 20 million non-medical masks at drive-thru restaurants. Shift from self-consciousness to the norm Mitsutoshi Horii, a professor of sociology at Chaucer College in Canterbury, England, studied the uptake of masks in Japan during the 1918 flu pandemic. The practice continues in Japan during flu and hay fever season, as well as during COVID-19. Horii said when the 1918 flu pandemic hit, the Japanese government prohibited traditional folk rituals around health as part of its efforts to promote modernization and to avoid colonization. "Then the mask came in and that gave people a sense of direction. When you're facing uncertainty, you want to do something. By doing something, we establish a sense of control," he said. WATCH | Canada's patchwork of mask measures: Horii contrasts that with his experience in the U.K. now, where wearing masks is not common. "Personally, I still feel embarrassed to wear a mask" in the U.K., Horii said, even though they're now compulsory on public transit in England and will soon be required in stores in Scotland. He said he thinks changing the rules would encourage him and others to overcome self-consciousness. "At the same time, I bought some masks and we're ready to wear [them] at any time. We just need a bit of a push to do it." Atlantic Canadians are now free to travel among Canada's four eastern provinces without self-isolating to reduce the risk of coronavirus transmission, but that doesn't mean the process is easy. The so-called Atlantic bubble opened one minute after midnight AT as part of the easing of COVID-19 pandemic restrictions. Travellers still had to wait to go through checkpoints, however. Prince Edward Island public safety officials reported 300 to 400 vehicles crossed into P.E.I. over the Confederation Bridge within the first 90 minutes of the bubble opening. Cars then continued to cross the bridge in waves. Not long after first light, long lineups of vehicles could be seen at the Nova Scotia-New Brunswick border, and traffic was backed up at the New Brunswick off-ramp from the Confederation Bridge. Each province has its own specific rules. New Brunswick is allowing commercial traffic to flow freely. Non-commercial travellers are being asked to show proof of residency, fill out a form, and answer health-screening questions. Travellers' contact information is also being collected. People arriving on P.E.I. are being told to print and complete a form with residency and health questions filled out in advance. New Brunswick officials are reporting that process is taking a few minutes for each vehicle. No form is required for Nova Scotia, but travellers are required to show proof of residency in Atlantic Canada. Commercial travellers are able to apply for a pass to be waved through checkpoints. In Newfoundland and Labrador, two pieces of identification are required to show proof of residence in Atlantic Canada, and travellers must provide contact information. No health screening questions are being asked. With no land connection to the rest of Atlantic Canada, things are quieter at Newfoundland and Labrador's border points. As the bubble opens, however, a petition has begun to circulate against expanding it any further. Keen to travel Story continues Rose Cooper of Wheatley River, P.E.I., was up early Friday, and heading to Miramichi, N.B. "We're going home to visit our family. We haven't seen them for a long time," said Cooper. "I'm especially excited to see my Mom. She's 87. It's going to be good to reconnect." Julien Lecacheur/Radio-Canada New Brunswick Public Safety Minister Carl Urquhart said the long queues are not a surprise in the early hours of the bubble, because people are anxious to move. "They wanted to get in and get their summer started," said Urquhart. There are currently six active cases of COVID-19 in Atlantic Canada, a region of 2.2 million people. Andrew Hawthorn/CBC More from CBC News WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. prosecutors late on Wednesday filed a lawsuit to seize the gasoline aboard four tankers that Iran is shipping to Venezuela, the latest attempt by the Trump administration to increase economic pressure on the two U.S. foes. The government of Venezuelan socialist President Nicolas Maduro has flaunted the tankers, which departed last month, to show it remains unbowed by U.S. pressure. The United States, has been pressing for Maduro's ouster with a campaign of diplomatic and punitive measures, including sanctions on state oil company PDVSA [PDVSA.UL]. Gasoline shortages in Venezuela, like Iran a member of OPEC, have grown acute due to the U.S. sanctions, and the country has undergone an economic collapse. Still, Maduro has held on, and the failure to unseat him has been source of frustration for U.S. President Donald Trump, some American officials have said privately. In the civil-forfeiture complaint, the federal prosecutors aim to stop delivery of Iranian gasoline aboard the Liberia-flagged Bella and the Bering, and the Pandi and the Luna, according to the lawsuit, first reported in the Wall Street Journal. It also seeks to deter future deliveries. The complaint, filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, also aims to stop the flow of revenues from petroleum sales to Iran, which Washington has sanctioned over its nuclear program, ballistic missiles, and influence across the Middle East. Tehran says its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes. Zia Faruqui and two other assistant U.S. attorneys allege in the lawsuit that Iranian businessman Mahmoud Madanipour, affiliated with Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, or IRGC, helped arrange the shipments by changing documents about the tankers to evade U.S. sanctions. The lawsuit says that since September 2018, the Revolutionary Guards' elite Quds Force has moved oil through a sanctioned shipping network involving dozens of ship managers, vessels and facilitators. Story continues Profits from the shipments support the "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," the lawsuit said. The ships carrying Iranian gasoline engaged in ship-to-ship transfers to evade sanctions, the lawsuit said. The Pandi, for example, engaged in such a transfer in Port Khalid in UAE to load the Iranian gasoline surreptitiously, it said. (Reporting by Timothy Gardner and Daphne Psaledakis in Washington and Luc Cohen in New York; editing by Jonathan Oatis) Now comes the hard part. Finance Minister Bill Morneau has, in the space of a few months, approved the spending of nearly $200 billion in federal aid in a deliberate effort to shut down huge portions of Canadian society so that a contagious disease could be contained. Whole new programs have been created and adjusted in a fraction of the time normally required for governments to design and implement new initiatives. While the virus still poses a threat, the goal of governments now is to restart the economy or at least as much of it as can be safely restarted. Then, at some later date, it will be time to repair and rebuild. "What I've been saying to to the prime minister and to my colleagues is that as hard as it's been over the last few months ... we'll look back and say that it was tense and and urgent, but some of the really tough choices will still be to come," Morneau said in an interview this week. "Because we'll need to think about where we invest and how we support people without creating bad incentives. So those are going to be tough, tough choices." Wake-up call in Riyadh Morneau said the scale of the crisis started to become clear to him during a meeting of the G20's finance ministers in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia in late February. "I literally watched the Italian finance minister as he got a note to his desk telling him about the outbreak they had in northern Italy," Morneau said. "Within the next hour or so, he raised his hand to say, 'This looks like it's going to be much more significant than we could have imagined.'" Morneau's office was in the late stages of finalizing the federal budget at the time; the plan was to dedicate a chapter of that budget to COVID-19 measures. In short order, however, the pandemic shoved aside all plans for a budget. Changes to Employment Insurance were followed by the creation of two new benefits to help those who couldn't work. A week later, those two benefits were subsumed by the new Canada Emergency Response Benefit. A wage subsidy to cover 10 per cent of an employee's earnings was introduced. Widely criticized as too modest, the wage subsidy was subsequently increased to 75 per cent. Story continues Both the CERB and the Canadian Emergency Wage Subsidy required the design of entirely new systems to deliver the funding. How fast is fast enough? In its most recent report to the House of Commons finance committee, the government listed 51 initiatives totalling $174 billion in direct supports for individuals and businesses. All along, there were complaints that the Liberals weren't moving fast enough or far enough. In April, the Globe and Mail reported grumbles from within government that the Department of Finance had been slow to meet the moment. "I think when we look back five or ten years from now at the story of the pandemic response, I think the story will be that we acted in scale and with speed that was unfathomable for governments prior to this pandemic," Morneau said. "There were literally midnight calls with the people at the Canada Revenue Agency [or] the people who deliver the Employment Insurance system, thinking through every possible way, including the banking system, of getting funds out." Both things could be true, of course. The government may have moved with unprecedented speed and scale and it may have been better off moving even faster. Successes and failures Asked if there's anything he wishes he'd done differently, Morneau points to the federal government's commercial rent relief program with the provinces, which struggled to gain traction. It might have been more effective out of the gate, he said, if it had been combined with "restrictions on commercial evictions for this period, which would have allowed it to to start with a bigger bang." The successes and failures of the Liberal response will be debated for years to come, but recent analysis by economists at Scotiabank estimated that federal aid at least provided a backstop for the economy turning what could have been a drop of 10.3 per cent in real GDP into a drop of 7.3 per cent. Nathan Denette/The Canadian Press Morneau will release a new official deficit estimate on Wednesday, but the Parliamentary Budget Officer has projected a shortfall of $256 billion a level of spending not seen since the Second World War. "I think the essential frame from my standpoint [is] we took on the debt so Canadians didn't have to," Morneau said. "We were in the position to take on the investments required because we had the capacity and the ability to deliver at scale that would only be possible for the federal government." Scotiabank's analysis suggests that not spending that money would have led to a weaker economy and an only slightly lower level of government debt. But Conservatives argue Morneau shouldn't have run a series of deficits in the four years leading up to the current crisis. An unlikely politician Morneau has neither the political cachet nor the record of balanced budgets of his predecessors Paul Martin and Jim Flaherty. He has stiffly struggled with the public business of politics (Conservative finance critic Pierre Poilievre continues to torment him at every available opportunity) while having to defend the deficits from 2015 to 2019. Whatever else Morneau could say about the federal government's actions, it wasn't obvious that he had put it on a fiscally unimpeachable path before the pandemic hit. His lack of political polish has been a hindrance for the government. But Trudeau has kept Morneau in place; in the last 50 years, only Martin, Flaherty and Michael Wilson have held the job longer. And Morneau has had his moments negotiating an expansion of the Canada Pension Plan, new health accords with the provinces and the purchase of the Trans Mountain pipeline. Adrian Wyld/Canadian Press Those who have worked with Morneau describe a serious and analytical minister; one Liberal source described him as a "Blue Liberal" who leans toward fiscal prudence but is not ideological. They say he's said "no" to more spending requests than he's given credit for publicly, but has also learned to seek consensus when ministers present him with new proposals. That task of balancing priorities is now a massive one. "I think the tightrope," said Mike Moffatt, an economist with the Ivey Business School and the Smart Prosperity Institute, "is getting people back to work but in a safe way." The government built a system to help people stay home. Now, with the spread of the virus tamped down, it wants to get as many people as possible working again. In theory, the CERB could act as a disincentive to work. But if the supports are withdrawn too quickly, many could be forced into unsafe work situations. Kevin Milligan, an economist at the University of British Columbia who recently joined the Privy Council Office as a special adviser, has laid out a plan that would see CERB recipients transferred to the EI system, with special attention paid to parents of young children, the self-employed and those with health concerns. Nathan Denette/The Canadian Press "Our vision is that the wage subsidy needs to continue to support businesses as they get back to work and, as that happens, the reliance on the CERB and the Employment Insurance system will reduce," Morneau said. "But we do need to continue to recognize that there'll be a significant number of people that won't get back to their previous situation immediately. "So we need to transition the CERB and the EI system so that we have the ability to support those people. How we exactly do that is something we're working on. But clearly, we want to use the existing infrastructure of our Employment Insurance system to support people who need retraining and to think about what their next steps are." A stop-and-go recovery The wage subsidy, Morneau said, could be tweaked both to expand the number of businesses eligible for it and to adjust the amount of revenue that a company is allowed to earn. "As we redesign the wage subsidy, we're thinking about broadening the number of organizations that can make use of that to get them closer and closer to their pre-pandemic revenue," he said. "And that will allow them to bring people back to work in a way that makes sense for their business without the disincentive." Moffatt said the restart is unlikely to be "linear" that parts of the economy could be turned on and off as outbreaks and new infections occur. A second wave of COVID-19 is still a significant threat. But even if the federal government manages to adjust its support programs successfully, many working parents will be unable to return fully to work if they lack access to child care and schooling services that fall under provincial jurisdiction. Ted S. Warren/The Associated Press Morneau said he's "worried" about child care. "That's why we've put in the discussions with the provinces a concern around child care, with specific dollars that we think need to be allocated to creating the necessary supports," he said. "Obviously, this is going to be something that will be dynamic, because the situation in the fall is going to be very much related to the health outcomes. And it's going to have to be collaborative between the federal government and the provinces and businesses to a certain extent ..." The rebuilding phase The federal government has offered the provinces $14 billion to cover costs related to personal protective equipment, testing and tracing, and child care. But provinces have complained about the sums being offered and the federal government's insistence on the funds being used for specific purposes. The restart should eventually set up a recovery phase, when the damage can be assessed and a concerted effort to rebuild can begin. That will present another profound challenge. Jeff McIntosh/The Canadian Press The economy is not likely to return to full power immediately. Some businesses and jobs will be permanently lost. There will be demands to address both the vulnerabilities the pandemic exposed (long-term care, child care, precarious work and income inequality) and to seize the moment to build for the future (with a focus on green investments). All that will contend with a need to show that the federal government's debt can be kept within a manageable range. Morneau talks about investing in "the gaps that we've unearthed" and paying attention to those in vulnerable positions (young people, women and those in low-paid jobs), while looking ahead to where the Liberals think the economy needs to go. "You've heard us talk about investing for a green economy," he said. "We know that'll be important." 'Selling' the recovery plan The Scotiabank report noted that Canada's net and gross government debt still compare favourably to other G7 countries, but one major rating agency has now downgraded Canada's credit rating. The task of managing and selling the government's approach to the deficit will be a significant test of Morneau's ability to project strength and credibility. "Morneau's actually going to have to really sell what he's doing," Moffatt said, "because I don't think there is going to be an obvious answer. There is going to be a lot of debate about what should our emphasis be, on reducing the deficit relative to stimulus spending and helping out portions of the economy that are still hurting." Tax increases are "not on our agenda" because they might hold back the recovery, Morneau said. The shape of future spending restraint is less clear. The Liberals came to power arguing that prioritizing balanced budgets above all else was misguided. The Conservatives presumably will argue for a harder line on the deficit, but Morneau suggested the Liberals' post-pandemic approach will be broadly in line with their pre-pandemic philosophy. "What we did with the first four years of government is we made those investments in people. We created the employment growth together with Canadians. That got us into a very strong position," he said. "We did it while being fiscally responsible, reducing the debt and the deficit as a function of our economy. "That's why we want to get back to. We want to get back to making those investments that are going to enable us to grow together and create opportunities. Obviously, we've had a huge shock but the only way to deal with that is if we get back to investing for growth and for employment and for the kind of economic opportunities that come from that. That's the recipe." That might sound easy. It won't be. Emmet McNamara is facing two weeks of quarantine but has enough memories to get him through a lifetime of solitude after stunning the racing world on Serpentine in the Epsom Derby, writes Will Jennings. The Limerick jockey piloted Aidan OBriens 25-1 shot to a historic victory on the Downs, his first winner since October sending OBrien deeper into Derby folklore with a record eighth win in the race. Not since Celtic High King won his maiden at Leopardstown had McNamara ridden a winner but this was a performance for the ages in Surrey, scorching to a thrilling five and a half length victory and leaving the field for dead. McNamara will face compulsory 14-day quarantine when he returns to Ireland but couldnt care less after etching his name into Derby folklore. Id take 14 months quarantine, never mind 14 days! the 30-year-old joked. Im sure Ill be okay, and thats plenty of time to watch replays! Ive been saving myself [for this first win since October!] Youre always dreaming of these races and think theyre possible, but its only when you start riding against these other guys that you realise how hard it is to win them. I thought to myself a couple of weeks ago this could possibly be a big year, but second in an Irish Derby and winning an English this week is unbelievable. I hope my poor old Dad doesnt die of a heart attack right now! He was extremely proud of me riding in the race today and Ive spoken to him about 40 times in the last 24 hours. I cant imagine this will ever happen again so Im going to try and savour it while I can - I couldnt care less that theres no-one here to be honest with you! This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it. Emmet, son of Irish trainer Eric McNamara, finished second in last weeks Irish Derby at the Curragh on Serpentine's stablemate Tiger Moth. But he went one better in the prestigious English Classic in what will surely go down as one of the most surreal Derbies of modern times, pushing Serpentine into the lead to set the early pace. Story continues English King, Kameko and OBriens five other raiders loomed behind but there was just no catching Serpentine, who produced a dazzling Downs display to maintain an unprecedented lead on the home straight. Andrew Baldings Khalifa Sat and fellow Ballydoyle entry Amhran Na Bhfiann looked to cut the gap but Serpentines advantage proved insurmountable as McNamara soared to Epsom glory. The mile and a half duel was just the three-year-olds fourth trip to that distance after finishing tenth in his maiden at Galway and winning his prep run at the Curragh. And partnered by McNamara - who was yet to win a Classic and had not won a race for nine months - his chances were overlooked in the build-up, as OBriens fellow raiders Mogul and Russian Emperor dominated the market with English King and Kameko. McNamara will now head to Chantilly to ride Fort Myers in the Prix du Jockey Club as he continues his globetrotting pursuit of Classic success. OBriens Fort Myers is a 40-1 shot but McNamara says he revels in riding dark horses. Im obviously surprised that Serpentine won the Derby but it wasnt a huge, huge surprise, he added. I was lucky I got on that horse - there are a thousand other lads in the weighing room who are more talented than me but they didnt ride Serpentine in the Derby. All I could hear was the horse breathing and I wasnt aware that I was a few lengths clear - he was in a good rhythm, he was relaxed and I couldnt hear a thing around me and I didnt really want to be looking! Ive just got a huge amount of thanks to Aidan OBrien and the whole of his family - Ive spent a fantastic six years there, and thanks to all the owners whove shown faith in me as I really appreciate it. The plan is now to go to the French Derby which will hopefully be another big day, so Im looking forward to three Derbies in the space of little over a week and Im delighted to be a part of it. Its a bit surreal really, and just unbelievable. 2020 Indianapolis GP: Ed Carpenter Racing IndyCar Race Recap Posted by: ASkyler on Jul 04, 2020 - 05:07 PM 2020 Indianapolis GP: Ed Carpenter Racing IndyCar Race Recap Rinus VeeKay felt he had much left to prove after his NTT INDYCAR SERIES debut last month and he did so today at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. In only his second Indy car start, the rookie earned his first Top 5 finish. Conor Daly completed the 80-lap GMR Grand Prix with only two pit stops, but the second half of the event proved difficult for saving fuel. However, he still managed a 12th place result in his first race of 2020 in his U.S. Air Force Chevrolet. VeeKay was left with the 18th starting position after yesterday's qualifications. While he anticipated having two laps at speed on a set of red Firestone Firehawks, he was only able to get one in before the checkered flag and was much farther down the order than he hoped. Daly's car came alive during his runs on red tires and he would ultimately advance to the second round of qualifications, earning the 8th spot on the starting grid. VeeKay was the first of the 26-car field to make a pit stop in this afternoon's GMR Grand Prix, bringing the No. 21 SONAX Chevrolet in on Lap 5. Committed to a three-stop strategy, he took the first available opportunity to switch from the black Firehawks he started on to a set of reds. He fell to 26th, but the early stop paid dividends as he reached the Top 10 only 15 laps later. The story was much the same after his second pit stop on Lap 31 and he immediately carved his way up through the field again. The No. 20 U.S. Air Force Chevrolet team committed early to a two-stop strategy. Daly steadily moved up the order as cars planning on three stops came in for the first time. Daly would climb as high as second and was third at the time of his pit stop on Lap 26. The only caution flag flew ten laps later and the course was yellow from Lap 36 to Lap 39. Neither VeeKay or Daly elected to pit under the caution, knowing that it would not be enough to get them to the end. Daly would take the Lap 40 restart from the 3rd position. Daly struggled to hold off the cars behind him on fresher tires, eventually having to let several pass so he could continue to save fuel. However, he held on to the 7th position until he was able to make his second and final stop on Lap 53 for a set of sticker red Firehawks. Near the conclusion of the race, the 28-year-old would have to concentrate on saving fuel once again to make it to the end. He would eventually be only of only three drivers that were able to complete the race on only two stops and finished 12th. VeeKay had restarted the race in 6th, but moved into the Top 5 by passing Daly on Lap 43. VeeKay's third pit stop took place on Lap 55 and he rejoined the field 14th. As everyone made their final stops, the 19-year-old cycled back to the front. He would rejoin the Top 5 by Lap 63, where he would stay for the remainder of the race. Despite many late race charges from the car behind, VeeKay held on to the position and finished 5th. The second round of the 2020 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season was one of firsts for VeeKay and Daly. It was the first time VeeKay had been on track at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in an Indy car on either the road course or the oval. VeeKay would earn his first career Top 5 finish in his first NTT INDYCAR SERIES road course race. The GMR Grand Prix marked Daly's first race with Ed Carpenter Racing. Daly was set to make his debut with the team in the streets of St. Petersburg in March, but had to wait until today to race the U.S. Air Force Chevrolet for the first time this year. Next weekend, the NTT INDYCAR SERIES heads to Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin. The rescheduled Road America weekend will now feature two full-length, points paying races. Daly and VeeKay will race on both Saturday, July 11 and Sunday, July 12. Road America will be the first track to welcome back INDYCAR fans and will provide all active-duty first responders with a free entry. Under the guidance of public health officials, medical experts and local, state and federal authorities, INDYCAR and Road America will observe safe social distancing practices and provide enhanced hygiene and safety precautions for all fans attending the event. CONOR DALY, No. 20 U.S. Air Force Chevrolet, Finished 12th: We had a really good start; really, a good first half of the race. I was happy with the car at the beginning, but fuel saving was tough for us. We had a bit of a difficult strategy call to make from there. But you know what, we put some points on the board, we hung with it, we're still in the fight. Happy to get Race 1 with the U.S. Air Force Chevrolet under our belts! RINUS VEEKAY, No. 21 SONAX/Autogeek Chevrolet, Finished 5th: I drove the best race of my whole career! The team just gave me a great car, great strategy to go from P18 to P5. I drove my butt off! I have never been this tired after a race, but thats what you get when you give 110 percent. Thank you to my guys and everyone at SONAX and Autogeek. Im the happiest guy on earth right now! PaddockTalk Perspective Three Colorado police officers have been fired for mocking the death of Elijah McClain in photos taken at the site of his memorial, according to the Aurora Police Association. In at least one of the images, which were taken about two months after McClain passed away, officers Jaron Jones, Erica Marrero, and Kyle Dittrich reenacted the chokehold position that led to the 23-year-old's death. Jones resigned earlier this week, while Marrero and Dittrich were fired. A fourth officer, Jason Rosenblatt, who was one of the officers that stopped McClain last year, was also fired for allegedly texting "haha" when he was sent the photo in question. "We are ashamed, were sickened and were angry," police chief Vanessa Wilson said at press conference on Friday (July 3). "While the allegations of this internal affairs case are not criminal, it is a crime against humanity and decency." This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it. Last August, an unarmed McClain was stopped by three officers, who were dispatched after they received a call about a "suspicious person" wearing a mask and waving his arms at the caller. McClain's family said he was walking to get an iced tea for his brother and was wearing a ski mask because he "had anemia and would sometimes get cold." RELATED: How to Demand Justice for Elijah McClain When the police arrived at the scene, a struggle ensued, with one officer claiming McClain reached for his gun. Another officer put him a chokehold and pinned him to the ground for 15 minutes. A fire medic assisted the officers and administered 500 mg of ketamine in an attempt to sedate McClain. He suffered a heart attack and fell into a coma, before being removed from life support six days later. The officers involved were exonerated, but after a petition demanding justice for McClain garnered millions of signatures last month, the Colorado Attorney General's office opened a new investigation into his death. The Government has published the list of 73 countries and territories that people can travel to England from without quarantining from July 10. "The exempted countries and territories will be kept under constant review, so that if the health risks increase self-isolation measures can be re-introduced to help stop the spread of the disease into England". The Foreign and Commonwealth Office will also be lifting its blanket global advisory on "all but essential travel" for a list of nations from July 4. Passengers arriving from certain destinations will no longer need to self-isolate when arriving in England, transport secretary, Grant Shapps, will set out today. Under the new rules, a traffic-light system - red, amber and green - will be used for different countries depending on their prevalence of the coronavirus. "Replacing the quarantining with a more sophisticated approach to border control is a big step forward in restarting a 30bn export industry and protecting the jobs of half a million people", Kurt Jansen, head of Tourism Alliance, an umbrella trade association for the tourism sector in the United Kingdom, told Skift in an email. It includes many popular holiday spots - which now pose "a reduced risk" from coronavirus. The BBC reports that around 60 countries are expected to be included in the list of quarantine exemptions. Last night the Department for Transport is reported to have said that Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland will be establishing their own rules and travellers should follow the laws and guidance established by their respective governments, but at the moment there is no clarification as to how that will affect someone who for example, lives in Wales, but lands in Bristol. Scotland's First Minster Nicola Sturgeon said the UK Government's decision-making on air bridges had been "shambolic". Mark Pollard, the managing director of Tony Sheldon Travel in Maidenhead, added that "it looks like progress has been made", but said it was "too early for us to really see the effect this is going to have". It was met with fierce criticism over the impact on the UK's travel, tourism and hospitality industries, including a high court action. Friday's publication of a list of countries is a first step. Sir Patrick Vallance, the Government's chief scientific adviser, on Thursday backed one of the central contentions of the airlines' claims. The UK government has put the U.S. on a "red list" of countries that will not be included in relaxed rules for worldwide travel to be introduced next week. A spokesman for trade association Airlines UK said: "It's a very welcome announcement and we're pleased UK airlines will be able to re-start services to many key markets in time for peak summer travel". The UK also named several "red" countries where quarantine-free travel is not permitted. "But this is a welcome boost for the travel industry at such a critical time". The National Crime Agency (NCA) and police has carried out its biggest ever operation by infiltrating an encrypted phone network that was being used by hundreds of firearm traffickers and drug dealers to coordinate their criminal activities. The NCA said around 1,400 criminals in London were using Encrochat and 37 of the devices have been seized. The NCA also worked closely with policing partners to successfully mitigate more than 200 threats to life by preventing rival gangs from carrying out kidnappings and executions on Britain's streets. UK Home Secretary Priti Patel tweeted that she had joined police in a dawn raid Thursday and congratulated the agency on its work. In the Netherlands, "t$3 he investigation has so far led to the arrest of 60 suspects, the seizure of drugs (more than 10 000 kilo cocaine, 70 kilo heroin, 12 000 kilo cannabis, 1 500 kilo crystal meth and 160 000 liter of a substance used to produce synthetic drugs), the dismantling of 19 synthetic drugs labs, the seizure of dozens of (automatic) fire weapons, expensive watches and 25 cars, including vehicles with hidden compartments, and nearly Euro 20 million in cash". Simon Parkes, detective chief superintendent from ERSOU, said: "This is perhaps the most important law enforcement operation to take place in the Eastern region". Police in the United Kingdom said the information had led to the arrests of 746 people in the country's biggest law enforcement operation and provided evidence to arrest known criminals who regarded themselves as "untouchable". By June 13, Encrochat had become aware the NCA had infiltrated the app and urged its users to throw away their devices because it could no longer guarantee secure communications. It said there would be more arrests and seizures in the coming weeks and months. They thought it was a secure platform, but police intercepted millions of texts which blew the criminal operations wide open. Sources said that the encrypted communication was widely used by associates of the Kinahan cartel both in Ireland and overseas. "They have openly discussed plots of murder, launder money, deal drugs and sell firearms capable of causing atrocious scenes in our communities". Police said because the criminals were unaware they were being spied on, the quality of information and intelligence they were able to gather was unprecedented. EncroChat had 60,000 users worldwide with the operators behind the service selling the special customised Android phones for 1,000 each with a six-month contract costing 1,500, said the European police body Europol. Criminals paid upwards of R28,000 for a phone like this one which came pre-loaded with EncroChat. Officers from Hertfordshire Constabulary's Serious and Organised Crime Command (SOCC) executed warrants under the force's own Operation Relentless, which was launched a year ago, targeting people with links to organised crime and drug supply networks. The group behind EncroChat operates from outside the UK. NCA Director of Investigations Nikki Holland said the infiltration of the "command and control" communication platform was "like having an inside person" in every top organized crime gang. She added: "If you have one of these devices be very anxious because we are probably coming for you". CNN's Niamh Kennedy contributed reporting. A deal struck between United States tech giants Alphabet Inc and Apple Inc to switch default search engines to Google on Safari browsers has created "significant barriers to entry and expansion" for competing firms, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said in a report on Wednesday as reported by Reuters. "Given the impact of preinstallations and defaults on mobile devices and Apple's significant market share, it is our view that Apple's existing arrangements with Google create a significant barrier to entry and expansion for rivals affecting competition between search engines on mobiles", the regulators wrote in the report. The report also indicates both limiting Apple's capacity to monetize these offers or to give users a option of research motor upon setup. Nor Google or Apple commented on the issue. Analysts estimate that amount of money has only greater in the several years considering that. The rest of the search engine operators such as DuckDuckGo and Microsoft's Bing pay Apple a fee themselves to stay as an alternative that users can manually switch to from the browser settings. Not to forget, Google is just another search engine option for Safari users. Well, if you think "at least $1.5 billion" every year in just the United Kingdom is a big amount then know that there is no official figure available publicly when it comes to how much Google pays Apple globally for the default position. Big Tech has been under the scope of regulators in both USA and Europe in recent years. Apple also received "the substantial majority" of 1.2bn from Google to secure the deal, the report said, adding that rival platforms had stated such payments were "one of the most significant factors inhibiting competition in the search market". "The scale of these payments is striking and demonstrates the value that Google places on these default positions", the CMA said in the report released on Wednesday. "Consumers primarily access the internet through mobile devices, which account for over two-thirds of general searches, a share which has grown substantially in recent years and is likely to continue to grow in the future". Regulators in the two the European Union and the USA are significantly seeking at Large Tech around concerns that the size and electric power Silicon Valley companies make them anticompetitive, while the European Union has been much a lot more aggressive with regards to truly imposing this sort of procedures and levying fines. Google added it has been working with the Competition and Markets Authority for the past year, addressing questions, providing documents, and collaborating with the watchdog's team of economists. Shaikh said she meant to go through with the terror attack, denying her own mitigation that she had got "cold feet". She was sentenced on Friday. "Your intention had been - and remained throughout - strong". Wearing a black hijab, Safiyya Shaikh, from Hayes, West London, smiled and raised her index finger in a salute associated with ISIS as she was taken to the cells. 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. "I would like to do this place for sure", she wrote. However, she later became isolated and, after apparently rejecting mainstream Islam began to follow extremists online, becoming obsessed with the extremist violent ideology of IS and other jihadist groups. The Old Bailey heard that Shaikh had suffered a "truly traumatic childhood" with a "life of pain and loneliness". 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. By 2016 she had stopped attending mosques, apparently anxious that fellow worshippers and imams were growing suspicious of her extremist views. Safiyya Shaikh, 37, had planned to leave a bomb in a bag at the cathedral and another bomb at the hotel where she would have stayed before the attack, and then detonate a suicide vest on a London Underground train, police and prosecutors said. She was also reported to the government's Prevent programme, aimed at stopping people being drawn into or supporting terrorism. She shared her plan with them online. The Old Bailey heard she carried out a reconnaissance trip to St Paul's in September 2019 to scope out the security detail and the prospect of smuggling a bomb inside to commit mass murder. Shaikh agreed to meet up with her fixer's wife, unaware she was also an undercover officer, during which she wept as she discussed her life and said she wanted forgiveness from Allah for "everything in my life that I've done". "She hoped to inspire others by sharing terrorist images on social media but wanted to go much further". Britain's first female suicide bomb plotter told police she was planning a Sri Lankan style terror attack on St. Paul's cathedral in London as she was jailed for 14 years. In court, defence counsel Ben Newton argued in mitigation that Shaikh got "cold feet" about carrying out the attack. Craig Guildford, chief constable of Nottingham's Biritish Transport Police said he expects "there will be the odd person who does not want to be locked down and fancies a day out in Nottingham", in which case it could be necessary to enforce the lockdown. It comes as ITV News has learned the city's Walkers crisps' factory saw 28 coronavirus cases in June. Asked if some aspects of the lockdown would be enforced by the police, he said: "Yes, in some cases". Leicestershire Police said in a statement: "This is a dynamic situation and we will adjust accordingly, providing proportionate policing under the relevant legislation to help keep people safe in Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland". Yesterday Matt Hancock announced that Leicester will be placed in a localised lockdown following a COVID-19 outbreak in the city. The government will review these actions in two weeks, he said. The mayor of Leicester Sir Peter Soulsby with a report from Public Health England. "Having taken clinical advice on the actions necessary and discussed them with the local team in Leicestershire we have made some hard but important decisions". The health secretary said the city had "10% of all positive cases in the country over the past week". This would mean pubs, restaurants, hairdressers, outdoor playgrounds and other areas would not reopen in line with the rest of England as planned on July 4. "We've had more testing in Leicester and it is largely the result of that more testing that we are getting more positive cases". New cases have been reported as the country has seen its lockdown measures eased, but which places could follow in Leicester's footsteps? "I've looked at this report and frankly it's obviously been cobbled together very hastily". "We have been working closely with Leicester to target testing, and we urge anyone with symptoms to get a test and self-isolate". Britain's health minister has said the government will change the law to enforce the local lockdown in Leicester. UK's Prime Minister Johnson praised the people of Leicester for their "forbearance", after imposing at least two weeks of a local lockdown. "But to make all that possible we have to remain vigilant". He said a local "whack-a-mole" strategy used to curb flare-ups in Weston-super-Mare in south-west England and around doctors' surgeries in London would be "brought to bear in Leicester as well". He added: "We do still need to know more about where it is in the community". "Information has been challenging all the way through this". The pandemic is far from over in Britain and the country still records nearly 1,000 new cases of the virus every day. On Tuesday, Leicester's mayor urged citizens to "stick together" and stay at home, following the tightening of lockdown restrictions in the city, which has a population of nearly 330,000 people. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 4) Eleven activists were arrested during a protest action in Cabuyao, Laguna against the controversial Anti-Terrorism Act, a youth group claimed on Saturday. Kabataan Partylist Laguna said its secretary-general Marife Valdeavilla was among those apprehended in Barangay Pulo while holding a "peaceful" protest rally against the law which the President signed on Friday. The group claimed that suspected members of the military approached and arrested the protesters as they were about to leave the protest area. CNN Philippines has reached out to the military and police for comment. "Hindi pa naipatutupad ang batas, ganito na agad kasahol ang ginagawa ng mga pulis laban sa kung sino mang magsalita laban sa pamahalaan," said Justin Umali, Chairperson of Kabataan Partylist Laguna, in a statement. "Hindi pa naipatutupad ang batas, ganito na agad kasahol ang ginagawa ng mga pulis laban sa kung sino mang magsalita laban sa pamahalaan," said Justin Umali, Chairperson of Kabataan Partylist Laguna, in a statement. Some netizens have voiced their outrage over the protesters' arrest, making the topic "#FreeCabuyao11" trend on Twitter. A spot report issued by police on Sunday said two of those arrested in the protest were minors. According to the report, the protesters staged an "unpermitted road side rally" and were also not following social distancing protocols. The report added members of the Philippine Army and the Philippine National Police tried to disperse the protesters, but said they resisted, and therefore were arrested. "Recovered from their possession and control were banner, placards, pamphlets, speaker and speaker which are now in the custody of this station for proper disposition," said the report. The arrest of the protesters wouldnt be the first by authorities in recent days. On Tuesday, 20 participants in a Pride rally were rounded up for allegedly violating health safety protocols. Sixteen other protesters were detained on Independence Day for the same offense. (CNN) Prominent pro-democracy activist Nathan Law pledged Friday to continue to fight for Hong Kong's democratic future, despite fleeing the city for what he said was his own safety. Law, a former lawmaker and leader of the 2014 Umbrella Movement, left Hong Kong after China's central government imposed a controversial national security law in the territory. "I think in this crucial time we cannot abandon the international front, and we need public figures on the international level to do the international advocacy work," Law told CNN in an interview from an undisclosed location. "I will continue my advocacy work no matter how threatening the government," he stressed. Law left the territory soon after speaking to a US Congressional panel via video link. The activist said he knew talking to lawmakers in Washington about the law would put him in its crosshairs. Speaking to CNN, Law rejected any suggestion he had abandoned his fellow pro-democracy activists by leaving, saying they understood the need for someone with an international profile to speak up for Hong Kong on the global stage. Following Law's testimony, the House unanimously passed new sanctions on Hong Kong and Chinese officials responsible for the security legislation, an act that was quickly followed-up on by the Senate. The Hong Kong Autonomy Act would impose sanctions on businesses and individuals that help China restrict Hong Kong's autonomy. It will now go to US President Donald Trump for his signature before being enacted. On Wednesday, Hong Kong's top official, Chief Executive Carrie Lam, pushed back against foreign critics of the law, saying it was a "crucial step to ending chaos and violence that has occurred over the past few months" in the city. "The national security law is the most important development in securing ties between China and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region since the handover," she said, framing criticism of the law as "vicious attacks." Critics say the law has stripped Hong Kong of its autonomy and precious civil and social freedoms. Glory to Hong Kong Law praised the courage of Hong Kong citizens who turned out to protest even after the new security law was implemented on Wednesday, and insisted the movement had "a strong tenacity and perseverance" even in the face of a "zero tolerance" approach by security forces. "We have to stand in different fronts, maybe with more swift, or even tougher, ways of protesting. But I don't think Hong Kong people are giving up now," he said. Law added that Hong Kongers were preparing for a long struggle and understood that the "near future will be very bleak" as the authorities seek to limit dissent. "We all understand that fighting for democracy takes decades," he said. "We have to hang on, and we have to be very persistent. Otherwise we'll be defeated by a very short-term vision on Hong Kong's future. But I think we have a long way to go, and I think Hong Kong people will hang on." The new security law dramatically broadens the powers of local and mainland authorities to investigate, prosecute and punish dissenters. Asked about his decision to keep his whereabouts secret, Law said that disclosing that information "would create uncertainties or potentially endanger my safety" and that of others. Law said a lot of businessmen and professionals he knew were also "seriously thinking" about leaving Hong Kong because the law "creates a huge insecurity, not only for political activists but for talented people in Hong Kong who enjoy freedom of speech and free flow of information, and the law will basically endanger these fundamental elements for Hong Kong's prosperity." Law ended a statement on Thursday with the slogan "Glory to Hong Kong," a reference to an anthem of the protests, which is often heard sung at demonstrations and marches, but could soon be deemed illegal. The anthem references the slogan "liberate Hong Kong, revolution of our times." Plastered across graffiti, posters, t-shirts, and even political advertisements, it has been one of the most popular slogans of the protests which began last year. Use of it going forward, however, could result in a sedition charge under the new law, the government said Thursday. "The slogan 'Liberate Hong Kong, the revolution of our times,' nowadays connotes 'Hong Kong independence,' or separating the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) from the People's Republic of China, altering the legal status of the HKSAR, or subverting the State power," a spokesman said, adding that the new law "prohibits secession, subversion of state power and other acts and activities which endanger national security." Warning to foreign media Speaking to CNN Friday, Hong Kong justice secretary Teresa Cheng denied that any phrases or slogans were being "banned" under the law. "When you say banning some phrases, that's not accurate, because one has to look at the whole context of the evidence, and how things happened, and how those words were chanted, and what was the intention behind (them)," she said. Of the 10 arrests under the law so far, made during protests on July 1, all were in relation to promoting Hong Kong independence, with people grabbed for showing flags, shouting slogans, or found with pro-separatist materials in their bags. Police said all but one of those arrested have now been bailed until late July. They are facing charges of inciting or abetting others for the commission of secession or subversion, which could carry with it a fixed-term sentence of five years in prison. The people responsible for establishing the guidelines for how the law will be exercised were appointed Friday, including a Chinese official known for his hardline policies in dealing with pro-democracy protests in southern Guangdong province, Zheng Yanxiong. Zheng was appointed by China's State Council to head the new Office for Safeguarding National Security in Hong Kong on Friday, according to state news agency Xinhua. One of the duties of the office, which reports directly to Beijing, will also be the "management of (the) organs of foreign countries and international organizations in (Hong Kong), as well as non-governmental organizations and news agencies of foreign countries." Zheng's organization will also have the power to take over certain cases, removing suspects for trial in China under the Chinese legal system. The law specifies that agents working for the office "shall not be subject to the jurisdiction of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region," and police in the city are obliged to assist in their duties and prevent anyone obstructing them. According to the South China Morning Post, when overseeing Wukan, a southern Chinese town which saw mass anti-government protests in 2011, Zheng remarked that "Pigs will fly before the foreign press can be trusted." He also accused residents of "colluding with foreign media to create trouble." Chilling effect Much about how the new security law will be applied remains unclear, and this has left many people nervously policing their own behavior and avoiding action that could step over the new invisible red lines. Many shops and restaurants that had been vocally supportive of the protest movement could be seen removing posters and slogans from their walls, for fear of potential prosecution. People have also been scrubbing their social media and deleting WhatsApp chats, and journalists have begun to face much more trepidation from sources about speaking on the record about the law. Speaking at a protest on July 1, one woman who declined to give her name said "it will be hard not to self censor when there's something like this going on." "I feel like most people would be more cautious with what they say," she added. One thing she said would change would be how Hong Kongers use the internet, adding she was planning to use a VPN and secure apps more often. Samuel Woodhams, Researcher at the London-based internet research firm, Top10VPN, said in an email that there had been a 321% rise in demand for VPNs on June 30 compared the rest of the month's daily average. Speaking to local media this week, Lento Yip Yuk-fai, chairman of the Hong Kong Internet Service Providers Association, said that companies will now have no choice but to help police if they make national security requests. "When fear comes, the first thing to retreat is speech," Zhang Jieping, founder of Matters, an anti-censorship publishing platform, said this week. "In the past few days, people have swallowed what they wanted to say at the mere thought of how horrible the law could be. And after the law became public, people generally thought it was actually worse than they could have imagined. Their hesitant fear was finally realized. Whatever words were swallowed can never be spoken." Tam Yiu-chung, the sole Hong Kong member of China's National People's Congress Standing Committee, which drafted the security law, said that "social media should not be used to incite crimes or fear or other forms of chaos and turbulence in society." He added however that fears about the law were overblown and people would not find their lives overly constrained by it, suggesting there was a need for greater "education" about the new regulations. Cheng, the justice secretary, said that "freedoms that are enshrined in the laws in Hong Kong are still going to be respected and protected." "Hong Kong will remain an international city for international businesses, international media to come and carry out their activities as normal," she added. This story was first published on CNN.com "Hong Kong protest leader Nathan Law pledges to fight for democracy in exile after fleeing city" 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) Critics of the Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020 aired their concerns online, telling Filipinos to educate themselves and to know their rights amid fears that the law might be abused in the future. Non-supporters have been sharing online materials to inform Filipinos of what the law is about, what are considered to be terrorists, and what are the penalties stated in the law. Netizens are also sharing applications that are considered to be safe when conversing online. Petitions and email protests are also surfacing online even before the bill was signed into law. Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque confirmed on Friday that the bill has been signed a day after he said that the Palaces legal team was done reviewing it. The measure repeals Human Security Act of 2007, which gives more surveillance powers to government forces. This allows suspected terrorists to be arrested without a warrant and be detained without charges up to 24 days. READ: Duterte signs into law the controversial anti-terrorism bill Critics have pointed out that there are provisions that may lead to false arrests. A senator even noted that the law is problematic and should not be passed across administrations. The Integrated Bar of the Philippines even said that the creation of the Anti-Terrorism Council under the law is unconstitutional since this defeats the role of the Judiciary to do checks and balances under the constitution. However, supporters have noted that the law is needed by the country since the Human Security Act has loopholes that cannot assure safety of Filipinos. National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon also said that the measure is clear about its definition of terrorism, and assured that there are safety nets in the law, so there is nothing to worry about. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 4) Authorities will not go on an arresting spree following the signing of the Anti-Terrorism Act, National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon, Jr. assured on Saturday. Esperon said the Anti-Terrorism Council, chaired by Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea, will first convene to review the law and draft its implementing rules and regulations. Si Executive Secretary, nag-usap kami noong isang araw na kung kamiy makakapagpulong na, ay pag-uusapan namin yung aming first and foremost, review ng signed law para magkaintindihan kami lahat. Pangalawa ay yung crafting ng ating IRR, Esperon said in an online briefing. [Translation: The Executive Secretary and I talked the order day and discussed that once we meet, we will first and foremost review the signed law so we are all on the same page. Second, we will be crafting the IRR.] In an interview with CNN Philippines, Esperon stressed that the law cannot be implemented without the IRR, which the Anti-Terrorism Council has to submit to Congress. The law mandates the creation of a joint congressional oversight committee which can summon the council and law enforcement officers over the implementation of the measure. The Anti-Terrorism Council is controversial as critics sound the alarm over expanding the powers of the executive body. It was created by virtue of the Human Security Act of 2007, which the new law repealed. The new measure adopts the provision under the previous law which gives the Anti-Terrorism Council the power to authorize law enforcement agents and military personnel to conduct the arrest and detention. However, it extends the time allowed for suspected terrorists to be arrested and detained without warrant from three days under the previous law to up to 24 days. Critics, including former Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio, said the Anti-Terrorism Act relaxes safeguards on human rights and is open to abuse, noting that it allows warrantless arrests outside Rule 113 of the Rules of Court which requires that the crime is being committed in the presence of the arresting person for an arrest to be made. During Saturdays briefing, Esperon said, Iba yung sinasabi nating warrantless arrest (What we call a warrantless arrest is different). Even civilians can do it. Senator Panfilo "Ping" Lacson, principal sponsor and one of the authors of the Anti-Terrorism Act, was earlier asked if the law should be more clearly worded to explain the processes. He said the IRR would "fine-tune" certain provisions. President Rodrigo Duterte signed the controversial measure on Friday. The next day, a petition was filed in the Supreme Court questioning its constitutionality. READ: Lawyers file first petition vs. anti-terrorism law (CNN) A Turkish court sentenced four Amnesty International activists to between two and six years in prison on terrorism charges in a high-profile trial Friday, which the human rights group described as a "travesty of justice of spectacular proportions." The honorary chair of Amnesty International Turkey, Taner Kilic, was sentenced to six years and three months in jail for being a member of terror organization, while the group's former director Idil Eser was sentenced to two years and one month for aiding a terror organization. Amnesty members Gunal Kursun and Ozlem Dalgiran were also given two years and one month sentences for aiding a terror group. The human rights group denies all the charges and said that every allegation against its members has been "comprehensively exposed as a baseless slur." Another seven defendants were acquitted. The 11 human rights activists were arrested and charged in the summer of 2017 on terrorism charges. The defendants have the right to appeal to the Court of Appeal, which Amnesty Turkey tweeted that they will use. "As we said before the trial, we will not accept even one of our friends to be sentenced. We will continue to follow the case through higher courts," it said. The four activists will not be imprisoned pending their appeals. The appeal process could take months or years. Andrew Gardner of Amnesty International said in a statement: "Today, we have borne witness to a travesty of justice of spectacular proportions. This verdict is a crushing blow not only for Taner, Ozlem, Idil and Gunal and their families but for everyone who believes in justice, and human rights activism in Turkey and beyond." "The decision of the court is staggering. During 12 court hearings, each and every allegation has been comprehensively exposed as a baseless slur. The court's verdict defies logic and exposes this three-year trial as the politically motivated attempt to silence independent voices it was from day one," Gardner added. The most high-profile member of the group, Kilic, was accused by the prosecutor of being a member of the cleric Fethullah Gulen's network, which Turkey's government deems a terrorist organization. Kilic denies being a member of the organization, headed by the US-based preacher Gulen, who Turkey blames for masterminding the 2016 coup attempt during which around 250 people died. Kilic was also accused of downloading a messaging app called ByLock used by the organization, which he denies. The other 10 defendants, including Amnesty International Turkey's former director Eser, were arrested separately at a hotel on the island of Buyukada, off the coast of Istanbul, where they were attending a digital security workshop. They were accused of taking part in a secret meeting, directed by Kilic, in a case locally dubbed the "Buyukada trial," according to Amnesty International. According to Human Rights Watch, "terrorism charges continued to be widely used" since the failed coup attempt and many terrorism trials in Turkey "lack compelling evidence of criminal activity." The practice of holding individuals charged with terrorism offenses in prolonged pre-trial detention "raised concerns its use has become a form of summary punishment," it said. It is Turkey's second recent court case involving prominent rights activists, turning a spotlight on the country's continuing detention of campaigners more than three years after 2016's attempted coup. The verdict comes just months after the prominent philanthropist, Osman Kavala, was given a brief taste of freedom when he was acquitted over 2013 protests in Istanbul's Gezi Park -- and then hours later re-arrested for alleged links to the coup. Kavala was one of several activists acquitted over their involvement in the Gezi Park protests seven years ago, which began over a plan to turn a small park in central Istanbul into a shopping mall. The demonstrations quickly morphed into larger anti-government rallies across Turkey. But the celebrations for the acquitted activists were short lived, after prosecutors announced Kavala would remain in detention. Milena Buyum, Amnesty International's Turkey campaigner, said in a statement that the decision smacked of "deliberate and calculated cruelty." This story was first published on CNN.com Turkey convicts human rights activists on terror charges Out of my fathers company of 200 soldiers, about 10% were Black. Among fellow soldiers he befriended, three happened to be Black. One of those Black friends, who would become a mathematics professor, was being harassed by a group of fellows. The ringleader, a white fellow from Georgia, named Hodges, called him racial epithets. My dad, who stood just under 6-foot-2, angrily confronted the harassers. Every one of them backed down and never bothered his friend again. But the story gets better. See, Hodges father was a connected politician in Georgia, who arranged for Hodges to become squad leader. In that position, Hodges tormented a Black member of his squad, also my fathers friend, by assigning him the worst duties. Until Hodges got busted for theft. Stolen items were found in his locker. The captain told Hodges squad they could vote for their new squad leader. They elected the Black fellow Hodges had been tormenting. As the new squad leader, he assigned Hodges the dirtiest, most awful job there was cleaning the kitchens grease pit. That sweet little piece of justice happened in 1953 11 years before the Civil Rights Act would become law. Yes. I will do my part to conserve household energy usage, even if I'm uncomfortable in my home. No. It is too hot to conserve household energy usage. I already conserve, even before ERCOT requested it. Maybe, depending on the reason ERCOT provides and whether or not I am home during that time. Vote View Results Denton, TX (76205) Today Partly to mostly cloudy. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 62F. Winds NNE at 10 to 20 mph.. Tonight Partly to mostly cloudy. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 62F. Winds NNE at 10 to 20 mph. 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. Vietnams share of world exports in textile and consumer goods has increased in the 2010-2019 decade as companies shift production out of China. The countrys share of textile exports rose from 5.9 percent in 2015 to 8.9 percent last year, while that of China fell from 38.3 to 29.1 percent, according to a report by market research firm Fitch Solutions. Some other countries, such as Bangladesh, also saw rising export share in the period. "This is a clear sign that as a result of rising labor costs in China, textiles, one of the most labor intensive types of manufacturing, is now rapidly being shifted out of China to reduce production costs," the report said. A similar trend is happening with consumer goods produced with low technology. Vietnams share of furniture exports rose from 3.3 percent in 2010 to 8 percent last year, an increase of $5.3 billion in value. Its share of fishing equipment exports rose from 2.1 percent to 3.9 percent in the period, an increase of $77.9 million in value. Its share of umbrella exports rose from 0.1 percent to 0.7 percent in the period, an increase of $18.6 million in value. Other Southeast Asian countries that have seen their share of exports rising in recent years are Cambodia, Indonesia, and Malaysia. The trend of shifting manufacturing away from China is expected to continue because of the U.S.-China trade tensions and the Covid-19 pandemic prompting companies to diversify their supply chains. Products that are going to be produced more outside of China are electrical appliances and electronics such as vacuum cleaners, electric shavers and lamps, Fitch Solutions said. There is also direct evidence that Vietnam is among the beneficiaries of production moving out of China in recent years. Major tech giants like Apple, Google and Microsoft have begun or plan to start production in Vietnam this year. The worlds largest contract manufacturer Foxconn has recently confirmed that Vietnam is its largest manufacturing hub in Southeast Asia, with capacity bigger than in South Asian giant India. Drug addict kicks his habit, gets his family into the act Vi Van Thanh serves food after cooking it for15 patients and staff at the rehab center in Hanoi. Photo by VnExpress/Pham Nga. Your father is screaming, cursing and threatening to kill you! Vi Van Thanh just laughed as he stirred some potato stew. Thanh, 32, who beat a 15-year drug addiction, was cooking in the small kitchen of a drug rehab facility in Hanoi's Phuc Tho District, when an employee rushed in and reported his fathers threat. Thanh laughed, wiped the dripping sweat from his face. He was not perturbed. "Now he is struggling with the addiction, so his mind is not stable. A few days later, when he wakes up, he will understand that I am doing this for his own benefit." The young man understands what his father is experiencing, having gone through similar withdrawal pains two years ago. Once he beat the addiction, he turned his attention to his relatives, and brought his father and two uncles to the capital city for treatment. Thanh and his relatives are members of the Thai ethnic minority community who live in Thanh Chan Commune in Dien Bien District, Dien Bien Province. The district has a border with Laos, from where a lot of drugs are trafficked into Vietnam. A 2018 survey found all 25 communes in this district having a fair share of drug addicts. When he was just a kid, Thanh witnessed his mother being beaten and tortured by his father, who was, and is, addicted to both alcohol and drugs. "Many nights, my mother took my sisters and me to my grandmothers to sleep because my father would be cursing loudly," he recalled. His fathers behavior left Thanh depressed when he was a bit older. When he went to hang out at the houses of some of his friends in the neighborhood, they comforted him, saying: "Don't be too sad. Just come here make a few sips of wine. That will make you feel better." He was just 13 then. Addiction ran deep in the family. Two of Thanhs four uncles died of drug abuse and the surviving two are heavily addicted as well. At 15, Thanh dropped out of school and followed in the footsteps of his relatives. The tears of mother and three sisters could not stop him. Things in the house, including furniture, began disappearing one after another. When there was nothing left in the house to sell, the 15-year-old boy became a thief. Once, seeing his sister accidentally leave the key in her motorbike, he drove it off and sold it to get money to buy drugs. His addiction obvious, he was shunned by people. He still remembers an instance when he gave some candy to one of his neighbors cute kid, but the mother pulled the child back and scolded it: "Why are you playing with him. He is an addict." In the neighborhood, whenever something was lost, Thanh was always the first suspect. "Whenever I went out, I bowed my head and did not dare to look at anyone. My mother did the same since she was so embarrassed," he said. His addict father taunted him, too. "My father always said: If you can quit, I will follow you," Thanh recalled. Thanh was tired of his dependence on drugs and being ostracized and discriminated against. He really wanted to quit. He even chained himself, but the pull was too strong. In a raid by Dien Bien Police in 2013, Thanh was one of many drug addicts in his commune who were taken to a rehab center. A year later, his dad came to the facility to take him home. But the first thing he did on reaching home was to ask his dad for some money to "buy wine as a gift to send to my friends in the center." The father refused and he begged his mother for it. His mother knew the truth since he kept asking for money day after day, for more than two weeks. "My mother said nothing, but her eyes filled with tears. After I took the money, I quickly turned away and did not dare to look her." Chastised by his mothers grief, Thanh returned home and chained himself. Moment of epiphany His four-year-old nephew came up to him with a piece of candy. He placed it in the palm of Thanhs hand and said: "Uncle, keep fighting." That was a moment of epiphany for Thanh. "I was enlightened in that moment, realizing that family was the only one there for me when all of society had turned its back." However, his determination faltered yet again. After 10 days, he removed the change and returned to his habit. A tormented existence continued, swinging between longing for the high of the drugs and repentance for his actions. In 2017, one of Thanhs cousins returned from Hanoi and recommended that he gets himself admitted at a rehab facility in Phuc Tho District. Thanh was afraid . He had never left Dien Bien. His sister shouted: "Now there are only two paths, either to the rehabilitation facility to find a way to live, or to stay here and die...." The cousin encouraged Thanh, showing him clips of activities that patients in the rehab center engage in. Undecided, Thanh left the house and did not return for two days. On the third day, he called his sister. "I think it is over, I want to live." At the rehab facility, Thanh struggled like others to overcome the craving for alcohol and drug. But this time, he endured the suffering. He knew that if he quit now, he would have squandered his last chance. Unconditional care Thanh was immeasurably helped by the centers staff to fight his demons. "I have never been anywhere else that people have been so kind to me. They stayed up all night massaging and giving me acupressure treatment to relieve my body aches. They kept encouraging me through my most difficult days." After five months of compliance at the facility, he was allowed to visit home for five days. Bui Ngoc Minh, manager of the rehab center, said: "Just like other people who used to be addicted, when he returned to his hometown, our staff in Hanoi waited anxiously. Although Thanh made a very good impression, my faith in him was only about 50 percent." The first thing Thanh saw on returning home was something shocking. His father and two uncles taking drugs. One of his uncles invited him: "Want to have some?" Thanh shook his head, saying: "I have given it up. I dont want to use it anymore." The polite yet definitive answer surprised the three adults. The next morning, Thanh borrowed his sister's motorbike. To test him, his sister counted some money and put it in the trunk of the vehicle. The money had not been touched when he returned in the afternoon. For five days in the countryside, he only ate meals with his family and visited relatives. On the day Thanh returned to Hanoi, his mother voluntarily gave him money for the first time, but he refused. After a few more trips back to his hometown, his neighbors started seeing that Thanh was no longer an addict. One neighbor said: "He looks stronger and more handsome lately." The woman who pulled her child away from Thanh also began trusting him. Now, his mother fondly and proudly tells people her sons recovery story. She has begun enjoying going to the market again and visits places around the village instead of going straight home with a bowed head. "Relatives in my family have seen and are praising my brother for being able to kick the drug habit," said Huan, also beaming with pride. Thanh lifts weights, demonstrating his return to good health. Photo by VnExpress/Pham Nga. Sharing the cure Thanh told his uncles about the changes that have happened to him and advised them to follow suit and regain control of their lives. After a near-death experience from a drug overdose two months ago, one of his uncles went to Hanoi. Thien, 52, Thanh's uncle, said: "After I came down here for two months, I have gained 4 kilos and am eating well. My mind is clear, too. I am older, but I am glad I listened to my nephew." If he can completely withdraw from drugs, he will encourage his children and other relatives to avoid drug abuse and if they have started, to stop it, the uncle said. A few days ago, Thanh returned to visit his family. His father had broken the promise he made to his son and returned to alcohol and drugs. Afraid that he would he would lose his father to drug addiction, Thanh urged him and the other uncle to go to Hanoi and get detoxified. His uncle agreed, but his father refused. Unable to persuade his dad, Thanh and his sister organized a trip to Hanoi to go around the capital city and visit relatives. This was a ruse to get his father admitted to the rehab center. Today, Nhut, his father, is under treatment. His mind is not alert and he often curses his son. So the manager had to move him to another facility about 12 km away to temporarily separate the father and son. Every day, Thanh asks the staff about his father's health. "Please tell him that when he is fine, I will take him wherever he wants to go," he said. Head held high Thanh is completely cured, but he has not left the facility. He is so grateful for what it has done for him that he wants to help others through their addictions. Every day, he goes to the market to buy food and cook for about 15 people, both addicts and staff. At night, according to the shift he is on, he wakes up to massage and take care for patients who are experiencing what he had gone through. Explaining his staying on at the center, Thanh said: "I want to thank the people who had saved me." He said that when he returns home for good, he would grow vegetables and raise chicken or get some vocational training, get a job, get married and have children. "I will live a better life so I will never have to lower my head when I go out again." South Korean experts arrive at Cat Bi International Airport in Hai Phong, northern Vietnam, July 2, 2020. Photo courtesy of An Ninh Hai Phong newspaper. Vietnam sent 270 LG Electronics engineers to quarantine for 14 days after they arrived in the country on Thursday. They landed at Cat Bi Airport in the northern city of Hai Phong after coming by a special Vietnam Airlines flight from South Korea's Incheon International Airport with certificates issued by South Korean authorities - which are accepted by the Vietnamese government - saying they are coronavirus-negative, Hai Phong authorities said. They have been housed in hotels. This was the fifth flight bringing LG engineers to the companys plant in Hai Phong. As of mid-June around 3,500 South Korean experts had been granted permission to enter Vietnam for work, the country's Ambassador to Vietnam, Park Noh-wan, said. Vietnam closed its borders and suspended all international flights on March 25, and has stopped issuing visas for foreign nationals since March 18. Only its own nationals and foreigners who have diplomatic or official passports or are experts or highly skilled workers are allowed to enter after a 14-day quarantine. But with many businesses needing foreign experts to operate, many localities and diplomatic agencies have been asking the government to ease the restrictions, according to the Ministry of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs. Ho Chi Minh City authorities have sought visas for 437 foreigners working for 100 companies in the city. At a government meeting in Hanoi last week Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc said Vietnam was not yet ready to open up to international tourists given the lack of improvement in the global situation and the second wave of infections suffered by several countries, including China and South Korea. But the government wants experts, investors, business managers, and highly skilled workers to come and resume work. Vietnam has gone 77 days without community transmission of Covid-19. It has had 355 infections but no deaths, and 340 of those infected have recovered. More than 40 children have been expelled by the Vietnam Australia International School in HCMC following an altercation with their parents over tuition fees. For the last three days Huong, 50, has been running between four international schools to look for a place for her two sons, now in grades ninth and 11th, next year. Just a few days ago she was informed by the Vietnam Australia International School (VAS) that her children would not be able to continue studying at one of its facilities in District 7 next year. The reason it said was that disagreements between the school and parents over tuitions during the period when students had to stay home due to the Covid-19 pandemic had caused "issues that destabilize the teaching and studying environment." It promised to hand over the students academic documents, school profiles and other relevant papers this month. Huong said for her two sons the school was more than just a place of education: They had grown attached to their teachers, friends and the school itself. It is wrenching for them since they have been studying at VAS since kindergarten, she said. "Disagreements over tuitions are normal. But it is a matter between the parents and the school. How could they let that impact the kids?" Huong is only one of over 200 people who disagreed with VASs tuition policies during the Covid-19 stay-at-home period, and like her many others have received letters from the school telling their children cannot study there next year. A group of parents carry banners at a VAS school in HCMC's District 10 to protest against the school's tuition policies during the period when students had to stay at home due to the Covid-19 pandemic, May 14, 2020. Photo by VnExpress/Manh Tung. Tuition rows According to a parent, VAS collects school fees for the full year of VND200-500 million ($8,600-21,600) including for meals, transportation and others. Disagreements first appeared in early April when the school asked parents to pay for the fourth term of the 2019-2020 school year but they said the fees they had for the third term from January to March had not been used yet since students did not attend school during the pandemic. They asked the school to refund the third term tuition and not collect for the fourth until students return to school. But the school rejected the demands, saying it had to pay for online lessons and salaries during the period. The parents in turn rejected this explanation, and VAS relented and announced on May 2 it would reduce tuitions by 70 percent. But the problem was not resolved with the parents saying despite the reduction the fees demanded by the school for online lessons were still too high since they only began in late March. Vo Huu Loi, whose children study in District 7, said: "This schools fees are already higher than at an average school. Online lessons are also not as effective as classes in school." Tran Quang Tuan, another parent, said: "We are not asking for the school to reduce fees, but for it to be transparent and treat us as the customers we are. We will only pay for the actual number of study days." VAS sent a communication explaining how the fees were calculated. The originally third-term fee for a sixth grader for January 1-March 13 was VND50 million ($2,160). The parents of one student were told children studied at the school from January 2 to 31, for which the fees were VND21 million. The students then went online from February 17 to March 13, for which the fees, following the 70 percent reduction, were VND6 million. Thus, there was a reduction of VND23 million. For the fourth-term, from May 8 to July 15, parents were asked to pay VND70 million, VND20 million higher than the original rate, despite the ostensible 70 percent reduction. Many parents expressed frustration, saying: "The school said it has reduced the fees, but it turns out that the reduction was not much. Many only got a discount of VND2-8 million for the entire year." Over 100 parents have hired lawyers to sue the Vietnam Australia International School in HCMC following disputes with it over tuition policies, May 30, 2020. Photo by VnExpress/Manh Tung. Replacement difficulty The mother of a 10th grader, who asked not to be identified and who also received the letter saying her child could not continue at VAS next year, feared while it might not be difficult for primary and secondary students to join another school, it would be much more difficult for high school students. "For those currently enrolled in a Cambridge high school program, they would have to study A-level or AS-level courses in their 11th grade. It is not easy to find another international school for that. And even if we can, it will be much further away from home." Nhung, whose two children were studying in third and sixth grades at VAS in District 2, said she was upset with the schools behavior since a disagreement between the school and parents over tuitions should not interfere with students education. "The schools action is tantamount to blackmail." The school said in a press release its tuition policies and curriculum changes were made based on instructions from the Ministry of Education and Training, and parents feedback. Discussions have been held but it still could not reach an agreement with some parents, it said. "We cannot let the children of these parents register for the new school year. We will make sure their studies are not affected, and that they end 2019-2020 on a good note." Luu Minh Sang, a teacher in the law faculty at the University of Economics and Law under the Vietnam National University-HCMC, said there are no provisions in current laws to resolve this case. The relationship between VAS and the parents is that of a service provider-consumer, and resolution would be based on agreements signed by the two parties, he said. "The two sides should negotiate to find common ground and avoid affecting the students psyche and studies." VAS is a non-public school system with seven campuses offering from kindergarten to high school. It has around 9,000 students. South Korea to train Korean language teachers for Vietnam, other countries A class studying Korean at the University of Social Sciences and Humanity under Vietnam National University-HCMC. Photo courtesy of the university. The Korean Ministry of Education will train more than 200 foreign teachers for Korean language elementary and intermediate courses this year, including in Vietnam. It is part of a support project to train locals in targeted nations to expand Korean language education in Asia. To carry out the project, the ministry has formed a partnership with seven foreign universities and education institutes, including the Vietnam National University - Ho Chi Minh City, to train 200 local teachers, news agency Yonhap reported. Similar partnerships with eight more foreign institutes are on the agenda next year, the ministry said. It has designated existing Korean education centers in Thailand, Vietnam, Uzbekistan and Russia as regional hubs for Korean education, and will dispatch Korean experts to assist them. Around 170,000 South Koreans live in Vietnam, the countrys ambassador to Vietnam said in March. 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 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 125 YEARS AGO A week ago yesterday, on South Fork, Charley Wilson was gored by a cow. She tossed him in the air and when he came down caught him on her horns, one of which went into his right hip, holding him in the air. Several men, who were helping him part out the cattle, soon released him from his bad plight. 100 YEARS AGO June 30, 1920: At a recent meeting of the Starr Valley Farm Bureau the members voted unanimously to hold a county fair in Starr Valley on the last Saturday in August, on Boulder creek where the Starr Valley school house is located. The school building will be used for exhibition purposes, one of the rooms to be set aside for the exhibition of farm products and another room for the use of the women for the display of canned good and fancy work. The grove adjacent to the school building will be fitted up for the exhibit of life stock and in addition benches and tables will be built for the public and a grand picnic dinner will be served. Sports of various kinds will be given during the day, and a saddle horse race will be held in the afternoon. The exhibits will not be confined to Starr Valley alone, but all the valleys in Elko county are cordially invited to participate. Elko county should have an annual county fair and we hope that this event will prove to be the opening wedge to establish a county fair. The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has released a new set of regulations to be followed by airports and travellers, after the federal government decided that domestic flights could resume gradually, as from 8 July. The new standard operating procedures are aimed at curbing further spread of coronavirus - particularly through passengers. New regulatory measures regulations for post-Covid-19 flights As per the new regulations all passengers must abide by the following: - All passengers must arrive at the airport with their face mask on. - Passengers must keep a minimum distance of 1.5 meters, with medical/port health personnel ensuring the proper use of face masks. - Passengers traveling with pets must get their needed clearance from Nigerian Agricultural Quarantine Services. - Passengers luggage is to be disinfected before their entry to departure halls. - Hand sanitizers to be provided for passengers before at the waiting halls/lounges and before entering boarding gates, with the passengers required to wash their hands as frequently as possible. - Passengers footwear to be sanitized and disinfected by foot mats placed on the ground across entrances to the terminal building. - Passengers are required to maintain social distance upon disembarkation from the aircraft and at the baggage claim area, with all Covid-19 protocol measures observed during customs check. FAAN is asking passengers and stakeholders to comply with the new procedural protocol set to ensure the safety of everyone. Thiago's situation at Bayern Munich seems to be coming to an end. At least now we know that he will be leaving the club - Karl-Heinz Rummenigge confirmed that the player will be moving on to Bild: "Thiago is a great guy, on and off the pitch. We were negotiating seriously with him and we complied with everything he asked, but it seems that he is looking to do something new in the final part of his career," Rummenigge explained. Thiago Liverpool Midfielder Spain Bayern don't want to let Thiago leave on a free Thiago will be out of contract at the end of next season and many observers have stated that he won't continue at Bayern. Rummenigge has confirmed the rumours: "We don't want to lose a player on a free transfer next year - I will be very clear about that," he added. As for where Thiago might end up - one of the possible destinations is Premier League champions Liverpool. Rummenigge insists he knows nothing about Liverpool's supposed interest: "We haven't had any contact at all with Liverpool; whatever decision the player takes, we'll have to deal with it when the moment comes". Ghana's president self-isolates after close person tests positive for coronavirus Ghana's President Nana Akufo-Addo will self-isolate for 14 days on the advice of doctors after a person in his close circle tested positive for coronavirus, the government said in a statement late on Saturday. "He has, as at today, tested negative, but has elected to take this measure out of the abundance of caution," the statement said, adding that the president will continue to work during the period, in compliance with Covid-19 safety protocols. The statement did not say if the close person was a staff or family member. Ghana has recorded 19,388 coronavirus cases, one of the highest number of cases in sub-Saharan Africa, with 117 deaths. The West African nation's deputy trade and industry minister Carlos Kingsley Ahenkorah resigned on Friday for violating coronavirus self-isolation measures after he tested positive for the virus. -- 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 -- The Communist Party of China, 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. 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. "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. 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. 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. 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. 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. Hong Kong residents raise a toast during a rally to celebrate the 23rd anniversary of the establishment of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and the approval of the national security law for the SAR on Tuesday. Anthony Wallace/AFP Several emphasize that Hong Kong's affairs are solely matters for China More than 70 countries have voiced their support for China's National Security Law for Hong Kong at the ongoing 44th session of the United Nations Human Rights Council being held in Geneva. The National People's Congress, China's top legislature, voted on Tuesday to unanimously pass the law. Following support for the legislation stated on Tuesday by a representative of Cuba on behalf of 53 countries, another 20 countries have spoken at the UNHRC session to express their support for the law. "Russia firmly supports China's implementation of 'one country, two systems' in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. Hong Kong's affairs are purely China's internal affairs," said a Russian representative. A Laos representative said the country welcomes China's efforts to safeguard national security by establishing and improving national security legislation for Hong Kong as well as its implementation mechanism. In Beijing, Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian expressed China's appreciation for support of the law from over 70 countries. "A small group of Western countries won't succeed in discrediting China by using it (the national security law) as an excuse," Zhao said at a daily news briefing on Friday. At the UNHRC session, representatives from Myanmar and Cambodia also said that passing national security legislation is within a nation's sovereign authority. They believe the new law is beneficial in ensuring national security and maintaining "one country, two systems". They expect that Hong Kong will continue to maintain peace, stability, harmony and prosperity and be free from foreign interference. "The national security legislation for Hong Kong is part of China's national security affairs and is an internal affair. The law will not jeopardize 'one country, two systems' and will not affect the legal rights, freedoms and interests of Hong Kong people," said a representative from Afghanistan. "Burundi appreciates China's efforts in promoting and protecting human rights and its contribution to the human rights cause in the world," said a representative from the African nation. The representative voiced Burundi's firm support for "one country, two systems" and praised the passage of the new law, saying it will effectively guarantee human rights for Hong Kong people. The Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Venezuela and Cameroon also opposed certain countries interfering in China's internal affairs and using Hong Kong and the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region affairs as an excuse to do so. Representatives from Serbia, Armenia and Chad voiced support for the one-China policy, "one country, two systems" and China's right to safeguard its sovereignty and territorial integrity. Hong Kong's affairs are purely China's internal affairs, said representatives from Nepal and Kyrgyzstan. President Xi Jinping (R) meets with Mongolian Prime Minister Ukhnaa Khurelsukh in Boao, South China's Hainan province, April 10, 2018. [Photo/Xinhua] BEIJING - Chinese President Xi Jinping said Friday that the Communist Party of China (CPC) is willing to strengthen exchanges and cooperation with the Mongolian People's Party (MPP) at all levels and in all fields to lead the China-Mongolia comprehensive strategic partnership to greater development and make due contributions to regional peace and prosperity. Xi, also general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, made the remarks in a verbal message to Ukhnaa Khurelsukh, chairman of the ruling MPP and prime minister of Mongolia. China and Mongolia are friendly neighbors linked by mountains and rivers, Xi said, adding that since the onset of the COVID-19 epidemic, the two sides have cooperated closely against the coronavirus disease, which has fully demonstrated their profound friendship of helping each other and jointly overcoming difficulties. Noting that Khurelsukh speaks highly of China's contribution to the global fight against the pandemic, Xi said the Chinese side is ready to strengthen anti-epidemic exchanges and cooperation with Mongolia and other countries, and jointly build a community of health for all. The Chinese president said he is glad to see that with joint efforts of the MPP, the Mongolian government and all sectors of Mongolian society, Mongolia has achieved remarkable results in epidemic prevention and control, maintained steady economic and social development, and successfully held parliamentary elections recently. Recalling that Khurelsukh sent a message to him not long ago on the occasion of the 99th founding anniversary of the CPC, Xi said it fully demonstrated the great importance Khurelsukh and the MPP attach to relations between the two parties and countries. Head of the Ukrainian President's Office Andriy Yermak believes that the meeting of political advisors to the chiefs of Normandy format member states, which was held in Berlin on July 3, has brought nearer the Berlin summit of Ukraine, France, Germany, and Russia. "The Berlin summit is one step closer after today's meeting," the press service of the Ukrainian President's Office quoted Yermak as saying on Saturday. The political advisors agreed on the need for practical measures to ensure the complete and comprehensive implementation of the Donbas ceasefire. "Participants in the meeting agreed that the utmost effort should be taken to ensure the complete implementation of the decisions made at the Normandy format summit in Paris. In particular, the sides agreed that practical measures were needed to ensure the complete and comprehensive implementation of the ceasefire," the press service said. The Ukrainian delegation to the meeting of the political advisors from the four Normandy format member states noted that "the agreements reached at the Normandy format summit in Paris should be fulfilled. Ukraine, as well as its Normandy format partners, France and Germany, exhibited the readiness for doing the utmost to achieve the objective," it said. Russia took a pause to prepare a response to the consolidated stance of Ukraine, France, and Germany, it said. The meeting was attended by Yermak and Deputy Prime Minister, Minister for Reintegration of the Temporarily Occupied Territories Oleksiy Reznikov, who headed the Ukrainian delegation. The negotiations lasted for 11 hours. Zelensky describes reports on Russia's demand that bill on special status of Donbas be presented by July 6 as unacceptable rhetoric No one on the world stage has the right to demand any action by Ukraine, including the adoption of a law on the special status of Donbas, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said. "First of all, no one has the right to demand any action by Ukraine, we are an independent country. I think everyone should work on rhetoric, especially as this is international rhetoric," Zelensky said at a press briefing in Yuzhny, Odesa region, on Saturday. The president was asked whether reports saying Russia had demanded that Ukraine present a bill on the special status of Donbas by July 6 were true. As for the meeting of political advisors to the chiefs of the Normandy format member states that took place in Berlin on July 3, Zelensky said he was not ready for detailed comment on the issue. "I know that the meeting was fairly good and substantive. There are no other comments so far. We will have a conference involving Mr. Yermak. We have just come to Odesa today and have not discussed the issue in detail with him," Zelensky said. Zelensky arrived in Odesa region on a working trip on Saturday. President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky has noted that various representatives of the banking sector had offered him candidates for the post of governor of the National Bank of Ukraine (NBU), and they are now being considered. "As for the candidacy for the head of the National Bank of Ukraine, I had three big discussion meetings. Within the framework of a professional dialogue, I met with all the heads of state banks of Ukraine to receive from them both candidates and their personal impression of this whole situation. They are all quite calm about the dismissal of the NBU governor, everyone does not see any risks. We have been told many times that a U.S. dollar will cost UAH 100 tomorrow. All this is some kind of fantasy," he said at a briefing in the city of Yuzhny, Odesa region. Zelensky noted that he had met with all the deputies from the current board of the National Bank and received recommendations from them, met with almost all representatives of commercial banks in Ukraine. "We are studying all three lists that these, let's say, three separate "tables" of the banking sector have suggested to us. We are also studying through law enforcement agencies in order to know what kind of people they are and what their condition is. I already got information from bankers about their professional level. We have time, there will be meetings with leaders from the list proposed for the head of the National Bank of Ukraine. I don't see any problems," he said. President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky has said that the Deputy Prime Minister for Industrial Policy could appear in the government of Ukraine in a week. "We decided to reinstate such a position as Deputy Prime Minister for Industrial Policy ... We have already seen many really professional people. Now we are choosing the best candidate. Because for us both the country's industry, the defense industry, the space industry, and all our enterprises, as one of the best candidates for this position said, is the country's development strategy. For the country to really be industrial, to be a space country," he said at a meeting with business representatives of Odesa region on Saturday. Zelensky pointed out that in Ukraine there is a full cycle at many enterprises in order to build an industrially powerful country. 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. 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. Beijing's increasing political influence in Tehran during the past five years, and the unusual growth in military cooperation and trade between the two have turned China into the biggest winner of the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran, says Iranian analyst Reza Taghizadeh. On 29 June the Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Abbas Mousavi called the document about this cooperation "a source for pride" while former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad described it as another Treaty of Turkmenchai; the 1828 agreement between Iran and Russia based on which Iran (then called Persia) ceded large parts of its territory to the expansionist northern power. Ahmadinejad referring to the vague reports on the long-term cooperation agreement with China also said, "The Iranian nation will not recognize a new secret 25-year agreement between Iran and China," and warned that any contract signed with a foreign country without the people knowing about it will be void. The Iranian public has a historic sensitivity to economic domination by any big power, as Britain found out in the 20th century. Now, many Iranians are raising the alarm on social media about a possible Chinese domination. Based on a 2013 plan, China has been furthering a project to revive the Silk Road and also open a sea route to import raw materials and expand its market in underdeveloped countries. According to Taghizadeh, the seemingly charitable plan aims at developing the infrastructure in 70 countries, but in fact, what China is seeking is a monopoly on the natural resources of these countries. Meanwhile, another Iranian analyst, Reza Haqiqatnezhad has said in a tweet that Iran's idea to boost relations with China is an old plan engineered by Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei that dates back to 2005, however, as Trump came to power, Khamenei's plans did not go any further. The reintroduction of sanctions blocked plans for Chinese investments and also brought Irans economy to a standstill. Other authors have also noted how trade between the two countries has hit a an all-time low in 2020, after continuing declines since 2019. Haqiqatnezhad quoted Iran's former Central Bank Governor as having said that Iran signed $35 billion worth of finance contracts with China immediately after the 2015 nuclear deal also called the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). But those contracts were halted after Trump pulled the U.S. out of the multilateral nuclear accord. According to Haqiqatnezhad, the document for cooperation with China was first mentioned in 2015. However, Trumps policies prevented more economic interaction between Tehran and Beijing. In an article on Radio Fardas Persian website Taghizadeh explains what Iran means for China. "Thanks to its sensitive political geography, its huge energy resources and mines, as well as its 85 million strong consumer market, Iran can be the grand prize in China's colonial plan, the One Belt, One Road (OBOR) initiative. The simultaneous launch of Tehran's Looking East policy and Beijing's OBOR, paved the way for a quick boost to Cino-Iranian relations, he added, noting that it was Iran's fragile ties with Europe as a result of U.S. sanctions, and EU's accord with Washingtons Iran policy that pushed Tehran to embrace the idea of Looking East. Now, Iran seems ever-more eager to herald its desire to rely on China, without a clear signal from the other side which is reluctant to get into a game of violating Trumps sanctions and further complicating its relations with Moscow. Khamenei on several occasions, while looking for a way out of Iran's economic crisis, suggested that Tehran should get closer to the China and Russia. Former Majles Speaker Ali Larijani played an instrumental role in trying to make the plan popular with other Iranian politicians. However, he did not have such a tough job as, the conservative figures around him and the powerful IRGC already supported the idea. In one perspective, both analysts are right. Left alone, economic relations between China and Tehran would have expanded and Chinas domination of Irans resources would have become a reality. But U.S. sanctions have made Tehran even more desperate to rely on China. James Calabrese noted recently that Washington's tough stance toward Iran has created both an opportunity and a challenge for Beijing. In an article titled The Not-So-Special Special Relationship, argued that it is tough for China to take advantage of American-Iranian tensions without "further fueling Sino-American tensions". Haqiqatnezhad wrote in another series of tweets: "During the JCPOA talks which took place at the peak of the Looking West era, Khamenei insisted on Looking East and criticized negotiators for their frequent visits to the West." Taghizadeh noted Iran's dire economic situation last year, when Iran asked for a five billion dollar loan from Russia and the International Monetary Fund. None of them gave the cash to Iran. In such a situation, China which has the biggest cash reserve in the world could be Iran's savior. Or that is what some Iranian officials think. According o Taghizadeh, Zarif has acknowledged that that the deployment of Chinese forces to Iran's ports on the Persian Gulf, using the Kish Island and fishing rights in the Persian Gulf waters for 25 years are part of the concessions Iran has offered to China against a $400 billion Chinese investment in Iran's oil, gas and petrochemical projects. Iran appears to be looking forward to China's assistance in furthering major industrial and economic projects while past experiences have not been encouraging. A previous Iran- China project to construct just a 110-Kilometer road between Tehran and the Caspian Sea region has not been completed in 23 years and the Chinese company in charge was kicked out. Meanwhile, the Iranian foreign ministry spokesman calls the Iran - China deal a source for pride, but the Iranian government is not even prepared to publish the contract. More likely, there is no signed document. It is Irans wishful thinking at the moment. The Director of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps, IRGC-affiliated Owj Media Organization has published a statement insisting that four Iranian government employees abducted, in northern Lebanon in 1982, were killed on the spot. Meanwhile, "commemorating the name and memory of the abducted diplomats," Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced on Friday, July 3, "Some evidence shows that Iranian diplomats, abducted in Lebanon, have been handed over to the Zionist (Israeli) regime and subsequently transferred to the occupied lands and territories." Although there is information about the burial place of the four Iranians, and several groups including an Iranian documentary film crew have seen the evidence of the four men's killing in northern Lebanon, the Ministry has stressed that it will continue efforts to determine the fate of abducted Iranians it claims are behind bars in Israel. According to Iranian government officials and media, a military attache at Tehran's embassy in Beirut, Ahmad Motovasselian, along with Iranian charge d'affaires in Lebanon, Mohsen Mousavi, an employee of the embassy, Taqi Rastegar Moqaddam, and a photographer for the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA), Kazem Akhavan, were abducted on July 4, 1982. Kataeb Party (also called Phalange), a predominantly Christian Lebanese right-wing party, is responsible for the abduction, Iranian officials have repeatedly maintained. Since then, there has been no official information about their fate. Nonetheless, on Friday, July 3, the state-run Mehr News Agency (MNA) published a note signed by the Director-General of the IRGC-linked Owj Arts and Media Organization, Ehsan Mohammad Hassani, claiming that the four were "kidnapped" on the Mediterranean coast by "Lebanese forces" loyal to the executive chairman of the Lebanese Forces at the time, Samir Geagea. After being kidnapped, the four were killed by a firing squad under Geagea's control, Mohammad Hassani asserted in his note, adding that the four's burial site is known. At the same time, Mohammad Hassani called the IRGC's extraterritorial arm, the Qods Force, to cooperate with the Islamic Republic Foreign Ministry and search the burial place. In another part of his note, Mohammad Hassani says, "presuming that the four are still alive," might have "benefits" for "profit-seeking pragmatic faction." This is a veiled reference perhaps to some in Irans foreign ministry who still insist the kidnapped people are alive and justify a lot of activities promising to free them from Israeli detention. Nevertheless, on May 23, 2016, the Islamic Republic Minister of Defense at the time, IRGC Brigadier General Hossein Dehqan (Dehghan), officially announced that the four were "alive" and in captivity in Israel. At the same time, the then Deputy Chairman of the influential National Security Commission of Majles (the Iranian parliament), AbolFazl Hassan Baighi, also declared that one of the four abducted Iranians, Ahmad Motovasselian, was "certainly" alive until 2008. In Lebanon, the Iranian embassy had also announced in 2008 that the four were still "alive" behind bars in Israel. However, Israel has repeatedly asserted that "the four Iranians were most likely killed by the "Lebanese Christian Phalange" loyal to Samir Geagea. Therefore, the recent note written by the head of Owj Organization is somehow confirming Israelis' claim. The interesting issue is that Owj would not have dared to say anything if a faction in Iran did not want to bring the case to a closure. Nevertheless, without any reference to the death of the four, the Iranian Foreign Ministry called on Friday to form a Red Cross probe committee to investigate the case. Despite the Foreign Ministry's insistence that the four are still alive, their death has been highlighted on social media. A controversial documentary filmmaker, Hossein Dehbashi, said in a tweet that the four were killed on July 5, 1982, and that it was expedient to "declare them alive in conjunction with the fate of a kidnapped Israeli co-pilot, Ron Arad." "The news of the martyrdom of Ahmad Motovasselian has just been made public," Dehbashi tweeted, adding, "Many, including Hamid Davoodabadi and me, and more than us, Iran's former ambassador to Syria, Mr. Akhtari, as well as others, already knew the exact location of his martyrdom and burial place in Berbara. But, whenever we decided to mention his death, they silenced us!" The Israeli government tried to find them for years and attempted to deal with the Lebanese Shi'ite militias and Hezbollah over Arad's release. Earlier, some media outlets speculated that if Ron Arad was handed over, the fate of the four abducted Iranians might also be determined. However, in September 2016, Israeli media reported that after Western mediators and Israel's joint efforts with Iran and Hezbollah in Lebanon confirmed Ron Arad's death, Christian Phalange under the command of Samir Geagea killed and buried the four Iranians. Therefore, Israel closed Ron Arad's case and stopped its efforts to find him. However, despite the closure of Arad's case in Israel, the case of the four abducted Iranians is still open in Iran, and speculations abound. BAKU, Azerbaijan, July 4 By Ilkin Seyfaddini - Trend: Cokey Systems has been actively involved in licorice processing business since its establishment in 1953 - first domestically, and during the last 15 years globally as well, Chief of International Business Division for Cokey Systems Co.,Ltd Dilshod Babayev told Trend. "We are a relatively small company, but due to our strong commitment and constant financing of R&D, cooperation with top Japanese Universities for licorice research, we have achieved leader positions in Japan for producing: Crude Glycyrrhizic Acid an extract from the licorice roots; Monoammonium glycyrrhizinate that is mainly used as a vital component to produce medicinal products, cosmetics and widely used in the food industry," said Dilshod Babayev. As he said, Cokey Systems Co.,Ltd is the only Japanese company in this sphere having joint ventures in the CIS states. The company has been successfully operating in Azerbaijan, Russia, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Kazakhstan for over the last 10 years. "From our project in Uzbekistan we get stable and high quality products that are in high demand around the world. This country has a great potential for the licorice business along with a strong government support, that makes us feel optimistic about our project's future," said Babayev. Babayev also noted, that Uzbekistan has a convenient location for product deliveries to main partners in China and the CIS states. "Our company allocates special attention to the issue of root cultivation, introducing full recycle production process and sustainability of this business in general. Furthermore, we are sharing our technological experience with the local partner to achieve best results in the licorice extraction business," Babaev noted. According to him, at this moment companys main goal is to produce high quality licorice products that are in demand on the global markets. "We plan to reach this goal by introducing an effective and sustainable business model based on the principles of natural resources preservation and expansion; producing the best quality products for our clients; contributing to the development of local economy through our joint work; introducing latest technological advances in this sphere to make our production safe and reliable," stated Dilshod Babaev. He also added, that joint venture of Cokey Systems Co in Uzbekistan has provided constant employment opportunities to more than 100 local people and is greatly contributing to the local economy by paying taxes and expanding exports and increasing area of cultivated lands. --- Follow author on Twitter: @seyfaddini BAKU, Azerbaijan, Jul. 4 By Rufiz Hafizoglu Trend: Turkeys export of leather goods to Uzbekistan reduced by 47.67 percent from January through May 2020 compared to the same period of 2019, having amounted to $2.1 million, Turkeys Ministry of Trade told Trend. In May 2020, the export of leather goods from Turkey to Uzbekistan reduced by 87.95 percent compared to May 2019 and made up $84,100. In the first five months of 2020, export of leather goods from Turkey to the international markets decreased by 28.7 percent compared to the same period of 2019 and made up $530.3 million. The export of leather goods from Turkey made up 0.9 percent of the country's total export volume over the reporting period. Turkey exported the leather goods worth $61.4 million to the world markets in May 2020, which is 62.2 percent less compared to May 2019. In this month, Turkeys leather export amounted to 0.6 percent of the country's total export. From May 2019 through May 2020, Turkey exported $1.4 billion worth of the leather products abroad. --- Follow the author on Twitter: @rhafizoglu BAKU, Azerbaijan, July 4 By Nargiz Ismayilova - Trend: Azerbaijans Minister of Energy Parviz Shahbazov and Secretary General of the International Energy Charter Urban Rusnak discussed issues related to the modernization of the Energy Charter Treaty during a videoconference, Trend reports referring to the ministry. According to the ministry, the participants also mulled measures to be taken within Azerbaijan's chairmanship of the Energy Charter Conference this year. The sides exchanged views on the positions of member states in the process of modernization of the Energy Charter Treaty and organization of the Working Group on modernization, the ministry said. Secretary General Urban Rusnak stressed the importance of adapting the Energy Charter Treaty to the modern requirements of the global energy sector and said that the first phase of the negotiations on the process of modernization will begin next week. Minister Parviz Shahbazov noted that Azerbaijan's proposals for the modernization of the Energy Charter Treaty were submitted in 2019 and consultations with state bodies are currently underway. Given the fact that decisions are made on the basis of consensus for the International Energy Charter, it is also important for the parties to actively participate in the negotiation process in order to reach a common agreement on the modernization of the contract, the ministry said. During the video conference, technical and organizational issues related to the preparation for the Energy Charter Forum, 31st International Energy Charter Conference and Ministerial Meeting planned to be held in Baku were also reviewed. BAKU, Azerbaijan, Jul. 4 By Eldar Janashvili - Trend: The Black Sea Trade and Development Bank (BSTDB) is considering the possibility of releasing the second tranche of its manat bonds in 2020, depending on the situation on the local market, BSTDB told Trend. The BSTDB will continue to support the initiatives of the Central Bank of Azerbaijan (CBA) aimed at providing support to emerging markets, as well as providing access by small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to financing in local currency, alongside the existing mechanism for financing the SMEs provided through Turan bank. The bank noted that Azerbaijan is taking measures in fighting the COVID-19 pandemic, similar to those used in other countries, such as restrictions on border crossings, strict quarantine procedures, suspension of educational institutions, restaurants, shopping centers, etc. Along with the foregoing, in order to mitigate the negative economic consequences of these restrictive measures, the government introduced tax incentives and vacations to companies to not fire workers, provided cash payments to the needy, and implemented other measures to help economic agents to overcome the pandemic and to restart their activities once the pandemic is over, said BSTDB. "Besides the consequences of the pandemic, Azerbaijan is also suffering from falling oil prices on world markets, and its difficult to separate the influence of these two factors on the economy. Unfortunately, we have recently seen an increase in the spread of the COVID-19 in Azerbaijan, but we see the governments efforts to keep the situation under control and pay maximum attention to public health problems," the report said. The bank believes that these measures will be effective and the country's economy will begin to recover soon. The BSTDB was founded by Azerbaijan, Albania, Bulgaria, Georgia, Greece, Moldova, Armenia, Romania, Turkey, Ukraine and Russia. The authorized capital of the bank is 3.45 billion euros. --- Follow the author on Twitter: @eldarjanashvili BAKU, Azerbaijan, Jul. 4 By Nargiz Sadikhova - Trend: A humanitarian cargo from China arrived in Kazakhstan, Trend reports with reference to the press office of Kazakhstans Ministry of Foreign Affairs. As part of international efforts and solidarity in the fight against the coronavirus spread, Chinas government sent another batch of medical humanitarian aid to Kazakhstan, the ministry said. The cargo was delivered to Almaty International Airport. The first two cases of coronavirus infection were detected in Kazakhstan among those who arrived in Almaty city from Germany on March 13, 2020. The total number of coronavirus cases confirmed in Kazakhstan since the virus was first confirmed in the country amounted to 45,719 cases. This includes 15,404 people who recovered from the coronavirus, and 188 patients who passed away. --- Follow the author on twitter: @nargiz_sadikh BAKU, Azerbaijan, July 4 By Ilkin Seyfaddini - Trend: Uzbekistan received the first shipment of humanitarian aid sent by US Project Hope charity organization to support the country's efforts to fight the coronavirus pandemic, Trend reports citing the Dunyo News Agency. A special flight of Uzbekistan Airways delivered personal protective equipment, antiseptic and disinfectants, about 20,000 coronavirus tests, as well as medical equipment (defibrillators and cardiac monitors) worth $600,000 to the country. In addition, two containers of medical products and more than 2,000 items from US Globus Relief organization, worth $800,000, are expected to be delivered in July. Another American non-governmental organization, the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) launched a $400,000 project to distribute food commodities to needy citizens of Uzbekistan. An agreement on providing Uzbekistan with humanitarian aid worth $1.8 million was reached during meetings between representatives of the Embassy of Uzbekistan in Washington and a number of US charities. --- Follow author on Twitter: @seyfaddini BAKU, Azerbaijan, July 4 By Elnur Baghishov - Trend: As many as 2,449 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, 148 people have died from the coronavirus over the past day. Sadat Lari added that the condition of 3,136 people is critical. The official stressed that the situation was alarming in Khuzestan, Kermanshah, Kurdistan, Hormozgan, Bushehr, Razavi Khorasan, Ilam, East Azerbaijan and West Azerbaijan provinces. So far, more than 1.76 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 237,800 people have been infected 11,408 people have already died. Meanwhile, over 198,400 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. KYODO NEWS - Jul 3, 2020 - 19:50 | All, Japan Japan has asked the United States to extradite a former Green Beret and his son accused of helping former Nissan Motor Co. boss Carlos Ghosn escape from Japan last year while awaiting trial on financial misconduct charges, prosecutors said Friday. Given the request filed for Michael Taylor, a 59-year-old former member of the U.S. Army Special Forces, and his 27-year-old son Peter Taylor is based on a bilateral extradition treaty, it is now up to U.S. authorities to decide on whether to hand over the men. "We express our appreciation to U.S. authorities for their cooperation. We will cooperate as much as possible toward their swift extradition," Takahiro Saito, deputy chief of the Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office, said at a press conference. If they are handed over, Tokyo prosecutors will arrest them based on warrants and "conduct the necessary investigation," Saito said. He said whether the extradition will take place is "at the discretion of the United States" and that he is "in no position to comment" on the timing of their decision over the matter. The two were arrested in Massachusetts in May for their alleged involvement in the dramatic escape of the fallen auto industry giant in late December. Ghosn fled to Lebanon, where he spent his childhood, via Turkey. Japan's Justice Minister Masako Mori told reporters her ministry will also work together with the U.S. side for the swift extradition of the Taylors. The U.S. authorities confirmed Tokyo's request in documents submitted to a federal court in Massachusetts. While the Taylors' lawyers have sought their release on bail, U.S. prosecutors say they are a flight risk. The court is currently examining whether to keep them detained. Ghosn, who headed Nissan for nearly two decades, faced trial in Japan on allegations he misused company funds and understated his remuneration by billions of yen for years. The 66-year-old has denied the allegations and said he fled Japan to escape what he described as a "rigged" justice system. The Japanese government has been requesting Ghosn's extradition through Interpol, but the Lebanese government has indicated it is unlikely to hand him over. Japan does not have an extradition treaty with the Middle Eastern country. Related coverage: Nissan CEO vows recovery amid shareholder anger over massive losses U.S. arrests 2 men for allegedly helping Ghosn's escape from Japan FOCUS: Nissan falls behind rivals in industry's critical transition period KYODO NEWS - Jul 3, 2020 - 20:56 | All, Coronavirus, Japan 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. Despite more workers showing interest in doing side jobs to earn extra money, companies remain reluctant to give the go-ahead, partly because of difficulty in keeping track of total hours worked by those with multiple jobs, which is required by law. The draft strategy envisages the creation of a self-report system for people with side jobs and their companies would not be held responsible even if the employees fail to report properly. Japan also plans to encourage more use of contactless and remote services that have gained renewed attention as it struggles to contain COVID-19, covering a range of fields from education to medical care. The government will explore the use of low-speed, autonomous delivery vehicles after the country saw increased demand for delivery services due to the coronavirus epidemic, according to the draft strategy. Related coverage: 308 Japanese companies affected by U.S. work visa halt: survey Tokyo reports 124 new coronavirus cases, hitting new 2-month high FOCUS: Japan single mothers, female "nonregular" workers hard hit by virus KYODO NEWS - Jul 4, 2020 - 23:54 | All, Japan SEE UPDATE HERE: 7 dead in flood-ravaged southwest Japan as rescue operations continue TOKYO - Torrential rain in the southwestern Japan prefecture of Kumamoto triggered massive flooding Saturday, leaving one woman dead, 15 people feared dead and nine others missing, local authorities said, as the weather agency warned of downpours to continue. Around 203,200 residents were asked to take shelter in Kumamoto Prefecture and neighboring Kagoshima Prefecture. A total of 109 shelters opened in 17 municipalities in Kumamoto housing at least 871 evacuees, with measures against the new coronavirus. A woman in the town of Ashikita in Kumamoto was confirmed dead, according to the local government. Of the 15 found showing no vital signs, 14 were at a nursing home in Kuma in the prefecture, near a river that overflowed. In hard-hit areas, cars and houses were submerged, leaving residents waiting for rescue on rooftops. The Japan Meteorological Agency raised heavy rain warnings in many parts of the prefectures to the highest of three levels shortly before 5 a.m., the first time it has done so for the two prefectures. The agency said heavy rains are forecast to continue through Sunday, warning of overflowing rivers, mudslides and flooding in low-lying areas. The Kuma River overflowed and caused extensive flooding, and some 20 meters of a dike of the river in Hitoyoshi collapsed, according to a local bureau of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism. Amakusa in Kumamoto had seen record precipitation of 98 millimeters per hour, according to the agency. The Kumamoto prefectural government requested the dispatch of Ground Self-Defense Force personnel for disaster relief work. Residents in Hitoyoshi, Yatsushiro and some other villages in Kumamoto have been stranded as roads were cut off or flooded. Police, firefighters and GSDF members have geared up in rescue efforts but are finding it difficult to reach some mountainous areas. Haruka Yamada, a resident of Ashikita, said nearby houses were already flooded when she woke up to the sound of rain around 4 a.m. "I saw large trees and parts of houses being washed away and heard them crashing into something. The air is filled with the smell of leaking gas and sewage," the 32-year-old said. Related coverage: Local gov'ts fret over coronavirus spread at shelters after torrential rain Images of submerged homes, cars, and rescue calls flood social media Japan's wireless carriers start disaster info service for foreign tourists Seguin, Texas (78155) Today Partial cloudiness early, with scattered showers and thunderstorms overnight. Low 72F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 60%.. Tonight Partial cloudiness early, with scattered showers and thunderstorms overnight. Low 72F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 60%. Mumbai: Even as China has indicated its unwillingness to support Indias attempt to enter the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG), the country will still go ahead with its plans to have 63,000 MW of nuclear capacity by 2032. We want to be a part of the NSG. We are in talks with the member countries as well as China. India believes there will be a positive outcome from its dialogue with China, Atomic Energy Commission of India member Ravi Grover told reporters on the sidelines of India Nuclear Energy Summit here today. When asked about countrys stand if the talks with China do not go through, Grover said, We are hopeful they will go through. But if they dont, we will continue with our plans in expanding our nuclear power capacities. At present, India has a total capacity of 6,000 MW and plans to reach 63,000 MW by 2032. Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) is a group of nuclear supplier countries that seek to prevent nuclear proliferation by controlling the export of materials, equipment and technology that can be used to manufacture nuclear weapons. To prevent Indias entry in the elite group, China has stated that NSGs rules disallow a member who has not signed the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). India, however, has already made its position clear that it would not surrender its national interest by signing the accord, but its track record of non-proliferation should entitle it to join the NSG. India was granted an NSG waiver in 2008 that allows it to engage in nuclear commerce, but deprives it of a vote in the organisations decision making. When asked about the progress in the Jaitapur Nuclear Power Project in Maharashtra, Grover said there was a consensus on all the parameters, including technical issues, but the crucial part of financing is yet to be decided on. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: US Presidential nominees Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump locked horns for one final time at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas which played host to the final presidential debate on Wednesday night (USA time) before the voting commencing on November 8. The third debate at Las Vegas was the final opportunity for the Democratic and Republican nominees to put across their political agenda's to the American voters and get them to tilt in their favour. Donald Trump's presidential race took a big blow after recent allegations of sexual harassment surfaced against him. Here is a look at the ten major takeaways from the third presidential debate which unfolded between the two presidential nominees at Nevada on Wednesday night (USA time). 1. Clinton has voters backing, stands to gain on Trump's mass deportation plan On immigration, Trump declared that we have some bad hombres in the United States. Clinton has an effective counter describing Trumps extreme mass deportation plan. Given that more than 70 percent of voters disagree with his immigration approach, this was a winning issue for her. 2. Hillary slams Trump's proposal for 'open borders' with Russia Clinton engaged Trump into a debate of open borders into a discussion of Vladimir Putin. She said that Trump would rather believe Vladimir Putin than our intelligence and military agencies sworn to defend us. Remarkably, Trump refused to specifically concede Russia is hacking Democrats on his behalf. 3. Hillary says that Trump cant be trusted with Nuclear weapons Hillary lambasted Trump over his irresponsible stance on NATO and nuclear weapons and reminded him of having to forcefully defend his comments on NATO and nuclear weapons. This is just another lie! Trump spat out. Im just quoting you, Clinton said quietly. She provided a powerful reminder that Trump is completely unfit to be commander in chief of the US defence forces. 4.Clinton attacks Trump on his 'rich tax' cut theory Given a chance to talk about jobs, Trump bizarrely reverted to a discussion about NATO. Clinton effectively slammed him on big tax cuts for the rich. Trump insisted we could grow at 8 percent because India (a partially developed country!) does. 5.Trump cuts a sorry figure when accused by females over his lewd comments on women Trump was in a spot of bother for about 50 minutes in the debate when asked about female accusers. He claimed the womens stories had been debunked. Thats a lie. He accused Clinton of putting the women up to it, and actually bragged that he had 'NOT' apologized to his wife, because the claims were not true. Clinton calmly recited his own words, rebuking him for defaming women to make himself feel big. With Trump insisting it was all fiction (but accusing Clinton of instigating violence at his rallies) and desperately trying to change the topic to Clintons emails, she plowed forward, condemning Trump for inciting violence, insulting a federal judge, etc. 6. Trump attacks Clinton on Foundation work, Clinton deflects topic to Trump's tax return falsies As the debate moved to the Clinton Foundation and potential conflicts of interest, Clinton took the opportunity to praise the Clinton Foundations work. She then pivoted to list the misconduct documented in The Posts David A. Fahrentholds reporting. When he tried to insist he had given generously to charity (and falsely denied using his foundations money to settle business disputes), he gave Clinton the opportunity to slam him for not releasing his tax returns. Trump once again defended himslef on tax evasion and seemed to blame Clinton for not taking away the tax provision he used. 7. Trump puts up a brave facade, says election rigged Trump once again refused to promise he would concede the election if he lost. I will look at it at the time, he said. Wallace sounded incredulous; Clinton blasted him and recounted that whenever things dont go his way he claims things are fixed. Hers was a calm and devastating performance. There is a certain rough justice in his pounding the final nail in his political coffin. He has always been his worst enemy. 8. Trump blames Clinton for making political gains overs Iraq and Syria When the conversation turned to Iraq, Trump tried to insist for the umpteenth time he opposed the Iraq War; Clinton pointed out he did not. He outrageously argued the effort to retake Mosul was aimed to help Clinton in the election, which Clinton promptly brushed away with a reminder that nutty conspiracy theories are nothing new for him. Later in the discussion on Syria, he seemed almost to concede the election, telling Clinton Lotsa luck with her no-fly zone plan. 9. Chris Wallace plays the moderator's role to perfection: Chris Wallace was masterful, asking more relevant questions than were asked in the other debates combined. He took on both the candidates without unduly interfering. His performance should be studied by future moderators. Actually, the debate commission might consider giving him all the debates to moderate. 10. Hillary takes a dig at Trump's mental acumen and political inexperience Clinton needed simply not to have a disaster in order to lock down the election. Instead, she was error-free and eviscerated Trump, helping to remind voters what a Trump is. She won hands down and now has a shot to win by a very large margin. Also Read: Final US Presidential debate: Will disclose my reaction on rigged elections after results, say Trump For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: A delegation comprising Filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt, Siddharth Roy Kapur and a team from Dharma Production is going to meet Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh amid threats over the release of Ae Dil Hai Mushkil on October 28. Vijay Singh of Fox Star Studios will also accompany the delegation during the afternoon meeting with Rajnath Singh. Although Director Karan Johar will skip the meeting as he is busy with the post-production of the film in Mumbai. Sources from Dhrama Productions said, We would be meeting Rajnath Singh to discuss about the safe release of 'Ae Dil Hai Mushkil'. The delegation is going to discuss the security issues and threats given to the producers and other cast of the film. Seeking to calm tempers over opposition to the release of his directorial venture, Johar had made a fervent appeal against stalling the release, saying he will not engage with talent from Pakistan in future. Already there has been a lot of ruff around ADHM over presence of Pakistani actor Fawad Khan in the film in the light of recent Uri attacks. Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) has even threatened to block the release of the film. Earlier the Cinema Owners Association (COEAI) had boycotted the release of film in four states. On October 18, a team from Johars Dharma Productions along with filmmaker Mukesh Bhatt and Vijay Singh of Fox Star Studios went to meet Mumbais top police officials to sought security and protection during the release of the film. However, The Maharashtra government has also assured safety to cinemas where the film will be screened from Diwali weekend. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: The Trace Gas Orbitor (TGO) successfully went into orbit around the Red Planet, but scientists lost contact with Schiaparelli moments before landing on the surface of Mars. India was the last country to receive a signal from the Schiaparelli lander, a tiny European craft which scientists believe may have reached the surface of Mars, but may not have survived the impact. Ground controllers waited on Thursday on the status of the lander, which is part of a $1.3 billion European Mars Mission. The "Schiaparelli" lander, a trial-run for a Mars rover was scheduled to land at 1448 GMT Wednesday (8:18 pm (IST)). Hours later, the European Space Agency (ESA) confirmed the craft came down, but it was not emitting any signal. "The lander touched down, that is certain," ESA's Schiaparelli manager Thierry Blancquaert told Agence France-Presse. "Whether it landed intact, whether it hit a rock or a crater or whether it simply cannot communicate, that I don't know," he said from mission control in Darmstadt, Germany. Blancquaert said he was "not too optimistic" of receiving a clean bill of health. This would be Europe's second failed Mars landing in a row.The British-built Beagle 2 robot lab disappeared without trace after separating from its mothership, Mars Express, in 2003. Schiaparelli had travelled seven months and 496 million kilometres (308 million miles) onboard the European-Russian Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO) to come within a million kilometres from Mars on Sunday, when it set off on its own mission to reach the surface. For all the Latest Science News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Jammu: Strongly batting for resuming India-Pakistan dialogue, former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Farooq Abdullah on Thursday visited the Zero Line along LoC and interacted with border dwellers. People of J&K cannot live in an atmosphere of animosity and uncertainty anymore. Wars havent and wont resolve inherently the political issues between India and Pakistan, he said at Gali-Maidan on Zero Line along Line of Control. The National Conference leader visited Gali Maidan, the most adversely affected region in the recent mortar shelling, against the advice of the security apparatus. He hoped that better sense would prevail upon New Delhi and Islamabad that mutual cooperation and peace is imperative for growth and prosperity in the region. Farooq interacted with border dwellers at Sabjian, Chandak and Sabjian. He expressed solidarity with the people, saying they had been facing the brunt of border skirmishes valiantly. Wars will not only cause human loss, it will also shatter the economy of the region and the costs of confrontation will be borne by generations to come, he said, adding that dialogue has no substitute. He also hit out at the ruling combine of PDP-BJP. Public anger has been the highest in South Kashmir, where PDP garnered a significant number of seats based on its lies of being opposed to the BJP, he alleged. We cannot afford to be bystanders, being the party of masses and with the legacy of sacrifices that we have made, Farooq said and urged the party cadre to meet this challenge with fortitude and dedication. The NC chief also cautioned the people against the divisive forces who have miserably failed to govern. They will try to sow seeds of hatred and mistrust among various segments of society as a diversionary tactic and the people must be beware of such attempts, he added. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: Countrys largest bank and commercial lender State Bank of India, has now advised its customers to use the banks own ATM network after the reports of major security breach of about six lakh debit cards issued by the bank. The Bank advised to use SBIs ATM network only as a pro-active measure. Meanwhile, the bank is also aiming at replacing around six lakh debit cards within two weeks. ALSO READ: (SBI and its subsidiary banks block 6.25 lakh debit cards after suspicious transactions at third-party ATMs) Reports suggested that the Hitachi Payment Services were infested with malware that helped the cyber attackers to lift personal information from the cards (once you swipe to make your transaction) thereby releasing all the personal details to make fraudulent transactions. For the Bengal circle the bank is aiming at disbursing Rs 1,000 crore towards retail credit during the festive season. To avoid any future instances of fraudulent practices, banks have been alerting the customers about the breach by asking them to change the security PIN or even replacing the cards. ALSO READ: (32 lakh debit cards affected by security breach: HDFC, SBI, Yes Bank, ICICI and Axis worst hit) For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Thane: Investigators of call centre scam informed a local court on Thursday they have identified transactions worth Rs 25-30 crore till now and that it will take a long time for them to arrive at the actual figure given the magnitude of the scandal. Several teams were interrogating the 71 accused arrested so far in connection with the scam, which came to light when police raided call centres in Mira Road and other areas earlier this month, ACP (Crime) Mukund Hatote, the Investigating Officer, told the Court of Judicial Magistrate First Class (JMFC) P D Chavan. He said police have identified transactions worth Rs 25-30 crore so far and it will take a long time to know the exact amount the victims, all American citizens, had been duped of. The ACP made the observation while seeking police custody of two accused arrested in the second case related to the scam. The first case was filed with Mira Road police and the second with Naya Nagar police. Hatote said some of the arrested accused informed thepolice two accused - Nazir Abdul Sadam Dhori (29) and Arjun Naresh Vasudeo (24)- had played an important role in the entire racket. The police officer made the submissions throughAssistant Public Prosecutor Jaishree Tatke. The Court later sent Dhori and Vasudeo to police custody till October 25. Two other accused - Jagdish Kanani, a businessman whomentored Sagar Thakkar alias Shaggy, the alleged mastermind ofthe racket, and Hyder Mansuri - were also sent to police custody till October 25 by another court presided over by JMFCA B Katte. The scam relates to Indian tele-callers forcing US citizens to part with dollars by posing as American tax officials. It operated out of nearly a dozen call centres in Thane. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Washington: Britain has deployed warships to monitor a Russian aircraft carrier group and other vessels on Friday as they sailed through the North Sea and the English Channel reportedly en route to Syria's coast. The frigate HMS Richmond escorted the aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov and its task group in the Norwegian Seanorth of the UK between Iceland and Norway. The Type 45 destroyer HMS Duncan has sailed from Ports mouth to monitor the group as heads south toward theNorth Sea. The Royal Navy regularly shadows ships, and is being supported in this instance by the Royal Air Force. Russia is one the few countries which have the capability to deploy such a force,an aircraft carrier and supporting warships. "It's a clear and military signal that Russia is back on the international stage," said Peter Roberts, a senior research fellow for sea power and maritime studies at the Royal United Services Institute. The ships are sailing in international waters, so NATO forces such as those of Norway, the Netherlands and Britain will watch them go past without challenge. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said alliance navies would monitor the Russian ships "in a responsible and measured way." "We are concerned that the Russian carrier group will support military operations in Syria in ways which will increase humanitarian and human suffering," Stoltenberg said in Brussels. The Russian navy deployment will increase its fire power inSyria, where it has conducted an air campaign in support of President Bashar Assad's army for more than a year. It comes amid an offensive by Assad's troops on Aleppo,backed by Russian warplanes, which has caused international outrage. British Prime Minister Theresa May has urged her European Union partners to unite in condemning Russia's role in Syriaand bring an end to what she called Moscow's "sickening atrocities" there. Russia announced a break in fighting in Aleppo on Friday, andthe Syrian military, using loudspeakers, called on residentsto evacuate. There was no sign of such a move. The pause to allow supplies into the besieged city comeseven as a US-backed offensive intensifies to recapture thecity of Mosul in Iraq from Islamic State militants. With turmoil in the Middle East, Russia is keen to showthat it is capable of expeditionary warfare in Syria. For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Las Vegas: Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton has won the third and final presidential debate with her Republican rival Donald Trump by an impressive 13 percentage points after a feisty fight in Las Vegas, according to a latest poll. Overall 52 per cent of those who watched the debate said Clinton did the best job, while 39 per cent said Trump was the winner, CNN said, releasing the results of its unscientific poll. As per CNN, Clinton has won all the three presidential debates. But it noted that the victory margin was narrowest for Clinton in the third and final debate in Las Vegas. She won the first debate in New York by 35 point margin and the second debate in St Louis with 23 points. Read: Ten major takeaways from third US Presidential debate Clinton also won the Breitbart online poll, according to which she had the support of 59.3 per cent of the respondents, while 40.65 backed Trump. This is interesting because Trumps campaign CEO is former Breitbart chairman Steve Bannon. Meanwhile, both the camps declared victory for themselves.Tonight, Donald Trump succeeded in reminding the American people once again that Hillary Clintons actions have disqualified her from being our Commander-In-Chief, said Congressman Bill Johnson in a statement issued by the Trump campaign. Read: Final debate, As it happened During tonights final debate, the American people again saw the stark contrast in this presidential election. Trump is an outsider businessman who is helping hard working Americans get from payday to payday, said Senator David Perdue from Georgia. The third and final presidential debate has ended, and it can now be said: Clinton crushed Trump in the most effective series of debate performances in modern political history, Vox said. The Democratic National Committee interim Chair Donna Brazile said this was Trumps last real chance to give undecided voters a reason to vote for him. Instead, he imploded, saying he might refuse to accept the results of the election if he loses, making a mockery of our democracy, she said. He threw empty slogans at serious questions, made grossly false claims about his respect for women, and sided with Vladimir Putin and the Russian government instead of accepting the facts as laid out by the American Intelligence Community. Trump is simply unfit for the presidency, Brazile alleged. Trump tweeted a Washington Times poll in which he won the debate. The Washington Times, which conducted an online poll, said 77 per cent supported Trump while just 17 per cent backed Clinton. For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: After Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) students, who have launched protests over missing student Najeeb Ahmad, cornered Vice-Chancellor M Jagadesh Kumar and other officials, minister of state for home Kiren Rijiju on Thursday reacted saying, "It seems that some students go to JNU not for studying, but for doing politics only." "It is very wrong to confine the vice-chancellor and other officials of the university. JNU is a big institution. Students should concentrate on studies. They should carry all their activities within the frameworks of law and order," Rijiju said. "I have spoken to Rajnath Singh about the incident," he added. Meanwhile, the Vice Chancellor has issued an ultimatum to students to let the administration work. "We have been confined illegally in the administration building since 2.30pm yesterday (Wednesday). We had a series of meeting with the students explaining the number of steps that we have taken in search of the missing student. However the students are very adamant and not letting us go out of this building. They said they have several demands and the administration has to concede those," he said addressing a press conference. ALSO READ | JNU student missing row: VC, other officials come out of 'captivity' after a day of confinement "One of the demands is that we should contact the police which we have already done. We have written several letters to the police and our officials are in regular touch with the police in search for Najeeb Ahmed. The other demand that was made is that the entire incident should be investigated. The chief proctorial office is already investigating and if anyone is found guilty we have assured the agitating students that they will be punished as per the university rules. Students also demanded from the administration to make an appeal to Najeeb to return which we already have done," he added. A cash reward of Rs 50,000 has been announced by the Delhi Police on any information on the missing JNU student. Najeeb Ahmad went missing on October 15 after being allegedly assaulted by ABVP activists on October 14 during a mess election campaign at Mahi-Mandvi hostel. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Bhubaneswar: With the fire incident at the Sum Hospital exposing the chinks in the system, the Odisha government has decided to conduct fire safety audit at all the government-run healthcare facilities across the state. The decision in this regard was taken at a high level meeting presided over by Chief Secretary A P Padhi and attended by secretaries of energy, health departments and director general of fire service Binay Behera. A total of 21 persons died and more than 100 others were injured in the fire that broke out at Sum Hospital on Monday evening. Fire safety audit at government hospitals in district, sub-divisional level and medical colleges would be conducted. The fire safety measures at places particularly with electrical installations will be reviewed. One month time has been given to Energy and Works department to submit their requirements after inspection, Padhi told reporters. Meanwhile, Behera has submitted his report based on an on-field investigation at Sum Hospital. He said that of about 160 health facilities in the state capital, only three or four institutions have availed fire safety permission. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Srinagar: Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti on Friday urged the police to try to bring back to mainstream the youths who have fled their homes to join militancy, instead of their being killed in encounters. In remarks which come in the wake of a prolonged unrest in the Valley triggered by gunning down of local Hizbul militant Burhan Wani, she said, "Those who have taken up arms or those who have not but are missing from their homes and want to join militancy, they are local boys. "I request the police to try to bring them back to their homes. Instead of their being killed in encounters, if it is possible to bring them back, make them a part of the mainstream, give them bats, balls and good education, instead of guns." Mehbooba, who was speaking at the Police Commemoration Day function at Armed Police Complex in Zewan on the outskirts of the summer capital here, said that such youths needed hand-holding. She stressed that ending militancy and restoring peace were a prerequisite for repealing the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) and for seeking start of dialogue process in the state. "We cannot force anyone to have dialogue on gun-point, stones or by lathis," she said adding that only when there is a "conducive" atmosphere she can go to Delhi with her "head held high". Urging local youths to give up violence, she said that "black laws" like AFSPA would be repealed from the state when the situation improves. "When the situation improves here, we will end the black laws. For that we have to create an atmosphere first. I know that today the situation is not such, but tomorrow, a year after... we have to repeal AFSPA as we cannot keep it in force forever, she said. "How can I do it today? There is infiltration, there are encounters. We have to end militancy and create peace in Jammu and Kashmir so that we can repeal AFSPA from some areas here," she said. The Chief Minister said the police should deal with militants but civilians should not be troubled. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New York: New York City declares October 19, 2016 as Waris Ahluwalia day inrecognition of the Sikh-American actor and designer for his"powerful" message of countering ignorance and advocating for religious understanding and tolerance. New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio honored Ahluwalia at aspecial reception at his official residence Gracie Mansionhere yesterday to celebrate the festival of Diwali. de Blasio presented Ahluwalia a proclamation that declared October 19, 2016 in the city of New York as 'Waris Ahluwalia Day'. Lauding Ahluwalia's talents of being a fashion designer,writer, actor and model, de Blasio said as a Sikh, Ahluwalia"proudly wears his Dastar (turban) wherever he goes and so hesends a powerful message to our city to our country ofcountering ignorance, celebrating inclusion and advocating forreligious understanding and tolerance in everything he does." Addressing a gathering of over 300-400 Indian-Americans and other people from the South Asian community, de Blasio extended a special greeting to his "Sikh brothers and sisters"and under scored that an attack on any community and individual because of their faith is an "attack on all of us." "We believe that when any community is attacked, anyindividual is attacked because of who they are, because oftheir faith, because of where they come from, the attack onone is an attack on all of us," de Blasio said. Joined by his wife First Lady Chirlane McCray, Ahluwaliaand others members of his administration on a stage erected in the sprawling lawns of the Gracie Mansion, de Blasio saidwhenever any community is affronted, the New York PoliceDepartment is present to protect that community. "Whenever there is a hate crime, we will call it a hatecrime and act on it as a hate crime, protect the people and say it is unacceptable in the city of New York to act in any bias fashion against any people of the city." Amid loud cheers and applause, the Mayor said a special Diwali guide will be distributed to New York teachers through the Department of Education to help them educate students inthe city about the "meaning" of the Indian festival of lights. Ahluwalia thanked the Mayor for the "incredible honor"and said that while Diwali has been celebrated for centuries,this year its message of triumph of good over evil is "more important and relevant than ever." He said while he has called New York City home ever since he moved here from India as a child, after the 9/11 terror attacks, "people would glare at me with anger and hate as I walked down my own streets, in my own hometown. "That was very confusing for me," he said, adding that six months after the 9/11 attacks, he was assaulted and nearly lost vision in his right eye. The Mayor and his wife began the reception by lighting the traditional lamp. The city's First Lady was dressed intraditional Indian attire of a yellow salwar kurta. India music, including popular movie songs played in thebackground. For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: After Patna High Court granted bail to Rocky Yadav who has been accused of murdering Aditya Sachdeva in a road rage case in Bihar, the family of victim has shown strong dissatisfaction over the verdict. "This is a very bad day for Bihar, I appeal to the government to take some measures to save Bihar from the jungle raj," Shyam Sundar, father of Aditya Sachdeva, told ANI. Both the parents hit out against the verdict. "We have all the proofs with us but still justice is denied, money & power has again silenced the truth," ANI quoted Sundar on Twitter. Rocky Yadav is accused of shooting Aditya Sachdeva on May 7 after verbal battle between the two. Rocky got angry when Aditya overtook his vehicle. Rocky Yadav is son of suspended JD-U MLC Manorma Devi and a historysheeter Bindi Yadav. They were also accused of sheltering Rocky. Rocky had absconded after the murder, allegedly with the help of his parents. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Patna: A day after Patna High Court granted bail to Rakesh Ranjan Yadav alias Rocky Yadav in Gaya road rage case, Bihar government decided to challenge the order in the Supreme Court. Rocky, son of suspended JD(U) MLC Manorama Devi and historysheeter Bindi Yadav, is accused of shooting dead Class XII student Aditya Sachdeva for overtaking his car on May 7 this year. "The state government is going to file an appeal in the Supreme Court challenging the bail granted to Rocky Yadav by the Patna High Court," Principal Additional Advocate General Lalit Kishore told PTI. Asked when the appeal is expected to be filed in the apex court, Kishore said, "We are trying our best to file it by next Monday." He, however, refused to divulge details about the grounds on which the state government would go in for the appeal. Police arrested Rocky from his father's mixer plant in Gaya on May 10. Rocky's parents, accused of sheltering him while he was on the run after the murder, were recently enlarged on bail. Police filed a charge sheet in a Gaya court against Rocky and another accused in connection with the murder case. They have also filed charge sheet against Rocky's cousin Teni Yadav, his father Bindi Yadav and his MLC mother's bodyguard Rajesh Kumar in the murder case. The state government had put the case on speedy trial and investigation was completed within three weeks and charge sheet filed within a month of the incident. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: BJP MP Varun Gandhi was at the centre of a controversy over allegations that he had leaked defence secrets to middleman Abhishek Verma and arms manufacturers after being honey trapped, a charge he stoutly denied. At a press conference here, Swaraj Abhiyan leaders Prashant Bhushan and Yogendra Yadav released a letter written by Edmonds Allen, a New York-based lawyer, to the PMO last month that Varun was honey trapped and compromised by Verma. He alleged that Verma blackmailed Varun, a member of the Defence Consultative Committee, into sharing sensitive information on crucial arms matters. Varun rejected these charges, saying he has not met Verma since 2004 and threatened to file a defamation suit against Bhushan and Yadav over the charges. The entire information presented does not contain an iota of proof that either I had access or shared any communication regarding sensitive information to Verma, Varun said. Allen, who was a partner of Verma, fell out with him in 2012. Verma is facing trial in the 2006 Naval War Room leak case. Bhushan alleged that despite having all the details, BJP government did not blacklist Thales, the company that sold scam-tainted Scorpene submarines, as Dassault acquired it. India recently signed a deal with Dassault for 36 Rafale aircraft. Any action against Thales may have jeopardised the Rafale deal. Moreover, contrary to previous announcements of getting 126 aircrafts, the government bought 36 aircrafts, paying double the price for individual units. It certainly appears to be the case that something is fishy, Bhushan said. However, Bhushan and Yadav did not take Varuns name during the press conference and instead asked journalists to refer to the letter. They claimed to have withheld photographic evidences pertaining to the matter. Allen wrote to the PM, Defence Minister, CBI and the NSA with all the details on August and September this year. Varun said that he last met Verma when he was a post graduate student in London at the age of 22 years. I am going to turn 37 now. I have never met him since I entered public life in 2004. The only reason why I even know of him is because his parents were members of parliament and was a respected family. I knew them as many other leaders knew them, he said. Asked if he had come across any sensitive information during his tenure on the consultative committee on defence, he said, Any MP who has been on that committee knows that not even 0.1 percentage of any confidential information is shared with the committee. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: In the wake of biggest possible financial data breaches in India where it is suspected to have compromised at least 32 lakh debit cards, let us understand how the back-end system works in ATM operations. HDFC Bank, SBI, Yes Bank and Axis Bank are worst hit. In an exclusive interview to News Nation Digital, SC Sinha, former Executive Director of Oriental Bank of Commerce, has talked about the major cyber-attack at the back-end system of a bank. Here are excerpts from the interview: Question: Can you throw some light on how the bank security has been breached? Answer: There is a switch mechanism which ATM machines use. ATM requests go to switch verification, and then it comes to banks. The total process takes 15-17 seconds. Somebody hacked the switch. There is chance that 1-2 switch have been hacked. But, it would not be more than 2. Switch was compromised. Investigation is still going on. Banks will come out with the investigation report soon. All the ATMs are tagged to switch. Due to the hacking, cloning of cards has taken place. However, the system is well defined. Question: What measures can Indian banks take to safeguard the same in the future? Answer: Banks are planning for automatic alert where change of PIN will be requested. Bank will send message to change PIN. Also, the affected cards have been blocked. They will be issued new cards. One-time password (OTP) system is also thought of. But it is very time consuming. There is generally a long queue. Best way to secure from such attacks is to change the PIN. It can be made mandatory to change the PIN in every 2-3 transactions. Question: Are a large number of third-party transactions on ATM machines of a specific bank vulnerable to malware attacks, if so can an alternative mechanism be thought-of? Answer: Switch is managed by other security agencies and they are subject for investigation. Question: From a common man's perspective, how safe is his/ her money in the Indian banks which have been affected by security breach? Answer: It is safe. Banks are making all efforts to ensure that such thing dont happen in future. The bank will be issuing another fresh new card to those who have been affected. There is a provision of insurance as well. Bank will address it and try to minimize the loss as much as possible. Question: Is there some kind of an audit mechanism whereby the banks do a periodic or random check of how safe their network systems (back-end) are? Answer: Yes, there is an audit mechanism. Audit of system is done frequently. It is a regular thing in Banks. In this case, there will be forensic audit where special agencies will be brought in. Question: How secure it is to use other banks' ATM machines? Answer: It is safe to withdraw money from other banks ATMs. There is no problem with it. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: In one of the biggest bank security breach where about 3.2 million debit cards may have been compromised, the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) has issued a detailed statement. The agency has said that it has received complaints from banks that debit cards have been fraudulently used in China and USA. NPCI stated its position as under: # The genesis of problem was receipt of complaints from few banks that their customers cards were used fraudulently mainly in China and USA while customers were in India. Apprehending that this could be a case of card data compromise, all the ATMs / PoS terminals in India and three card networks RuPay, Visa and MasterCard worked in a collaborative manner in the month of September 2016. # It was established through the analysis post such frauds were reported that there was a possible compromise at one of the payment switch providers system. Based on the analysis, NPCI and other schemes identified the period of compromise and the possible card numbers which could have been compromised during that period. Also read: 32 lakh debit cards affected by security breach: HDFC, SBI, Yes Bank, ICICI and Axis worst hit # Though there were no complaints from any of the RuPay cardholders, NPCI as a domestic utility for ATM payments has taken the lead role for proactive steps in discussing the matter with various banks and card networks. # The complaints of fraudulent withdrawal are limited to cards of 19 banks and 641 customers. The total amount involved is Rs. 1.3 crore as reported by various affected banks to NPCI. Cards of all these complainants are related to other card schemes. There is no RuPay cardholder who had lodged any complaint for such fraudulent usage. Also read: Finance Ministry seeks information from banks after reports of major security breach of debit cards # All affected banks have been alerted by all card networks that a total card base of about 3.2 million could have been possibly compromised. Out of this 0.6 million are RuPay cards. # It was suspected that a compromise was at switch level which is PCI-DSS certified. Hence, subsequently PCI Council (the international body which sets standards on for PCIDSS) was persuaded to conduct a forensic audit of the switch of one bank which is likely to be the point of compromise. The forensic study is in progress and NPCI is in touch with relevant stakeholders. Also read: SBI and its subsidiary banks block 6.25 lakh debit cards after suspicious transactions at third-party ATMs # Based on the advisory issued by NPCI and other schemes, it is gathered that banks have advised their customers to change their debit card PIN. In situations where customers could not be contacted, the cards have been blocked and fresh cards are being issued by member banks. # NPCI is closely working with all stakeholders and once the forensic investigation is over and the root cause is identified, we will issue a further set of recommendations as precautionary measures to member banks. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: Why does Kerala have such a peculiar dog bite menace, the Supreme Court wondered Thursday as a committee appointed by it warned that the excessive stray canine population will continue to pose very serious threat to public safety unless brought down to manageable level. I have been to several states. In Orissa the dog bite incidents are rare. In Assam it is rare. Why is this dog bite problem so concentrated in Kerala? Why does Kerala have such a peculiar dog bite menace. We need to know, Justice Dipak Misra said. The bench, also comprising Justice Amitava Roy, observed that if the problem was indeed grave compensation should be paid to the victims. Senior advocate Dushyant Dave, who is assisting the court as Amicus Curiae in the matter, said the problem was also severe in Gujarat. Senior advocate V Giri, appearing for Kerala said, compensation cannot be granted to every dog bite victim as there would be a huge rush for it. Advocate V K Biju, who appeared for a petitioner Jose Sebastian, whose wife died due to stray dog attack, said as per a recent report in Delhi there is a dog bite incident every six minutes. He said stray dog attacks on women and children were rampant in Kerala. The bench asked the Amicus Curiae to deliberate on issues of dog bite control, responsibilities of local bodies and compensation to be paid to the victims on the next date of hearing on November 17. It also asked the counsel for Kerala and other parties to submit what are the commonalities and differences in Central and state laws. Advocate Anjali Sharma appearing for Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI) said court has sought reply from the state governments on the module for Implementation Framework for street dog population management, rabies eradication and reducing man-dog conflict but not all states have filed their responses. She said all solutions relating to man-dog conflict, sterilization and vaccination with humane approach are provided in the module. Meanwhile, the apex court-appointed committee headed by former judge of Kerala High Court Justice S S Jagan submitted its second report to the court which raised concern about public safety due to the menance. The existing excessive population of stray dogs would continue to pose a very serious threat to the safety of pedestrians, domestic animals and two and three wheeler riders unless their numbers are reduced to a manageable level, it said. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Paris, TX (75460) Today Cloudy skies this evening will become partly cloudy after midnight. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 62F. Winds NNE at 10 to 20 mph.. Tonight Cloudy skies this evening will become partly cloudy after midnight. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 62F. Winds NNE at 10 to 20 mph. By Caroline Pailliez PARIS (Reuters) - Air France confirmed plans to cut some 7,500 jobs including 1,000 at sister airline HOP! on Friday, as staff protested over its response to the collapse in travel due to the coronavirus pandemic. The French flag carrier, part of Franco-Dutch group Air France-KLM, said it had lost 15 million euros a day during the worst part of the crisis, which also saw its revenues plunge by 95%. It did not see traffic returning to 2019 levels before 2024. As a result, it plans to cut 6,560 or 16% of jobs at the main airline by the end of 2022, more than 3,500 of which will come through natural departures, it said after union talks. Another 1,020 jobs will go over the next three years at "HOP!", representing 42% of staff at the regional carrier based in the coastal city of Nantes, which has also been hit by job cuts at planemaker Airbus . The French government - which granted Air France 7 billion euros ($7.9 billion) in aid, including state-backed loans, to help it to survive - has urged the airline to avoid compulsory layoffs, though it has conceded Air France is "on the edge." "A successful labour reorganisation is one where there are no forced departures," junior economy minister Agnes Pannier-Runacher told Sud Radio on Friday. In its statement, Air France said it would give priority to voluntary departures, early retirement and staff mobility. It did not rule out compulsory redundancies, however. The reconstruction plan will be presented at the end of July, together with a plan for the wider Air France-KLM Group. Some 100 union members and employees, from cleaning staff to check-in assistants, demonstrated earlier outside the airline's base at Charles de Gaulle airport against plans to cut staff after receiving state aid to absorb the pandemic fallout. "It's scandalous. The government is putting in 7 billion euros and the company is destroying jobs," said 62-year-old Annick Blanchemin, who works as ground staff for the airline. Story continues "They'll push me to retire but I won't get my maximum pension this way. And this is not how I wanted to leave." In Nantes, where HOP! is based, employees also erected banners in protest on Friday. The shake-up was expected after sources familiar with the matter said that at least half of the cuts were likely to entail voluntary departures and retirement plans. The government, which is being reshuffled under a new prime minister nominated on Friday, has also expressed concerns about Airbus's plans to cut some 15,000 jobs across Europe - with a third of those in France. A wave of restructuring triggered by the virus outbreak is hitting airlines and industrial firms across Europe. Under CEO Ben Smith, who joined from Air Canada in 2018, Air France-KLM has sought to cut costs, improve French labour relations and overcome governance squabbles between France and the Netherlands, each owners of close to 14% of the group. (Additional reporting by Stephane Mahe in Nantes, Sarah White and Myriam Rivet; Writing by Sarah White and Tim Hepher; Editing by Jason Neely and Jane Merriman) July 3 (Reuters) - Construction of TC Energy Corp's oil pipeline project, Keystone XL, has begun in Canada, the premier of the Canadian province of Alberta announced on Friday, saying the government has started talking with U.S. Democratic lawmakers for support. The pipeline project is supported by U.S. President Donald Trump, but faces opposition from presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden, who has said he would rescind the permit for Keystone XL pipeline if elected. "We will be reaching out, as we already have... to members of (Biden's) party, many of whom support the project," Alberta premier Jason Kenney told reporters on Friday. He said labour unions with close connections to Biden's party, trade unions, steel workers and others will be approached for support of the project. Construction of the pipeline, which would carry 830,000 barrels a day of crude from Alberta to the U.S. Midwest, has been delayed for more than a decade by opposition from landowners, environmental groups and tribes. "If there is a change of administration next January, there will have been very substantial progress on this project in three U.S. states, across the Canada-U.S. border as well as north of the border," Kenney added. The project has suffered various setbacks including the ruling by a U.S. court on April 15 against the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' use of a permit that allows new energy pipelines to cross water bodies. Earlier this year, Alberta had said it would invest $1.1 billion in Keystone XL and back TC Energy's $4.2 billion credit facility. Alberta, home of the world's third-largest oil reserves, has had to deal for years with weakened prices due to congested pipelines, and has had to curtail oil production. (Reporting by Aishwarya Nair in Bengaluru Editing by Chris Reese) The outbreak of the coronavirus has dealt a shock to the global economy with unprecedented speed. Following are developments Friday related to the national and global response, the work place and the spread of the virus. ________________________ RETAIL ROUNDUP: Big Lots is seeing the continuation of strong demand that started in mid-April, with second quarter-to-date comparable sales through fiscal June increasing well ahead of expectations. The discount retailer now anticipates second-quarter comparable sales will be up by a mid-to-high twenties percentage. Big Lots said Friday that it is in a very strong liquidity position, with current cash and short-term investments of approximately $890 million, and no amounts drawn on its $700 million revolving credit facility. Shopping mall owner Intu Properties is scrambling to avoid bankruptcy after failing to strike a deal with its creditors. The London-based company is being hammered by lower rent payments from retail clients during the pandemic. The group, which owns the Trafford Centre in England, has been trying to secure a standstill on loans and must reach a deal by midnight Friday. Intu has struggled with a 4.5 billion pound ($5.6 billion) debt burden this year. The company said in a statement that its board is considering the position of Intu with a view to protecting the interests of its stakeholders. This is likely to involve the appointment of administrators. TRAVEL & LEISURE: American Airlines will start booking flights to full capacity starting next Wednesday. The move contrasts sharply with rivals including Delta that limit bookings to create space between passengers. American said Friday that it will continue to notify customers of full flights and let them change flights at no cost. The airline said it will also let passengers change seats on the plane if there is room if they stay in the same cabin. Since April, American has said it limits bookings to leave about half of middle seats open. Delta, Southwest, Alaska and JetBlue say they block middle seats or limit capacity. United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby has said social distancing is impossible on planes even with empty middle seats, people are less than six feet from each other. Photos and videos of full flights, including ones on American and United, have drawn criticism for their lack of social distancing. Story continues United Airlines will join Delta in resuming flights from the U.S. to China, which were suspended in February. United said Friday it will fly twice a week between San Francisco and Shanghai via Seoul starting July 8. Patrick Quayle, a United vice president, called it a significant step in rebuilding our international network. Delta resumed Seattle-Shanghai service this week and plans to restart Detroit-Shanghai next month. The pandemic is wrecking airlines on-time ratings. The Transportation Department said Friday that only 55.7% of flights on the 10 top U.S. airlines in April arrived within 15 minutes of schedule, the governments definition of on time. Thats the lowest mark since the department started keeping track in 1987. Airlines canceled 41.3% of scheduled domestic flights, also a record. A year ago, the cancellation rate was 2.4% Boyd Gaming is planning to reopen its properties in Pennsylvania and Illinois. The casino operator said Friday that Valley Forge Casino Hotel in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania are reopening. Par-A-Dice Hotel Casino in East Peoria, Illinois, will reopen Wednesday. The two casinos are the last of Boyd's 29 properties to reopen. TESTING: A German meat company plans to perform daily coronavirus tests on all 5,000 workers involved in the production process amid concerns about a series of outbreaks at slaughterhouses in the country. Westfleisch, one of Germanys biggest meat processing companies, said Friday that it is already conducting weekly tests on workers, but starting next week it wants to perform them daily. Westfleisch suffered a COVID-19 outbreak involving hundreds of workers at its plant in Coesfeld in May, but that has since passed. Rival firm Toennies Group is at the center of an outbreak in the nearby region of Guetersloh that has led to a partial lockdown. CENTRAL GOVERNMENTS & BANKS: The World Bank says it will prove $374 million in cash support to 270,000 poor families in Jordan, including many who lost income due to the virus outbreak and lockdown. The bank announced the aid on Friday, saying it was co-financed by the U.K.s international development agency. The lockdown came at an enormous cost. The countrys vital tourism industry has been at a standstill since March, and many businesses that were forced to close three months ago have only been allowed to reopen in the last few weeks. MARKETS: Financial companies led a sharp slide for stocks on Wall Street Friday after the Federal Reserve ordered many of the nations biggest banks to suspend buybacks of their stock and cap dividend payments for several months. The selling this week follows a surge in the number of confirmed new coronavirus cases, a trend that has undercut the optimism for an economic turnaround that helped drive a rebound for stocks for most of the past three months. Investors are now worried that the reopening of businesses that had been shut down due to the outbreak could be set back by the rise in cases, dimming the hopes for a relatively quick economic recovery. This report is 80% complete and can be delivered within three working days post order confirmation and will include the latest impact analysis of Covid-19 in 2020 and forecast. Brazil Animal Feed Market By Type (Swine Animal Feed, Poultry Animal Feed, Ruminant Feed, Aquatic Feed, Others), By Product (Fodder, Forage, Others), By Region, Forecast & Opportunities, 2025 New York, July 03, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Reportlinker.com announces the release of the report "Brazil Animal Feed Market By Type, By Product, By Region, Forecast & Opportunities, 2025" - https://www.reportlinker.com/p05917018/?utm_source=GNW Brazil animal feed market is anticipated to witness substantial growth by 2025 owing to the increasing consumption of meat and dairy products in the country.The rising concern over meat quality and food safety is also propelling the demand for animal feed for livestock. The government of Brazil is taking measures to ensure good quality of meat and animal-by products. Further, rising per capita disposable income has led to increased meat consumption which in turn is expected to drive the animal feed market growth during the forecast period. Additionally, improved socio-economic factor and education level has created awareness among Brazilians towards food safety.This has led to change in eating pattern and made various regulatory bodies to lay out guidelines for good animal feeding practices. With the focus of government and international organizations like Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) on ensuring the safety of food for human consumption, the Brazil animal feed market is poised to undergo formidable growth in the next five years. Brazil animal feed market is segmented based on type, product and region.Based on type, the market is categorized into swine animal feed, poultry animal feed, ruminant feed, aquatic feed and others. The poultry animal segment held the largest market share in 2019 and is expected to dominate the market by 2025 owing to the increasing consumption of poultry meat like chicken in the country. Based on product, the Brazil animal feed market is segmented into fodder, forage and others.Among them, the fodder segment is estimated to undergo the highest growth rate owing to the lack of grazing land for animals in the country. Also, the high demand for meat is supporting the demand for fodder in Brazil. Major players operating in the Brazil animal feed market are Adisseo, Cargill, BASF, Alltech, Bunge, DSM, Ingredion Incorporated, Yara, Novus International Inc., Biomin and Nutreco, among others. Years considered for this report: Historical Years: 2015-2018 Base Year: 2019 Estimated Year: 2020 Forecast Period: 20212025 Objective of the Study: To analyze and forecast the market size of Brazil animal feed market. To classify and forecast Brazil Animal feed market based on type, product, company and regional distribution. To identify drivers and challenges for Brazil animal feed market. To examine competitive developments such as expansions, new product launches in Brazil animal feed market. To conduct pricing analysis for Brazil animal feed market. To identify and analyze the profile of leading players operating in Brazil animal feed market. The analyst performed both primary as well as exhaustive secondary research for this study.Initially, the analyst sourced a list of animal feed manufacturers across the country. Subsequently, the analyst conducted primary research surveys with the identified companies.While interviewing, the respondents were also enquired about their competitors. Through this technique, the analyst could include the manufacturing companies which could not be identified due to the limitations of secondary research. The analyst examined the companies, distribution channels and presence of all major players across Brazil. The analyst calculated the market size of Brazil animal feed market using a bottom-up approach, wherein data for various end-user segments was recorded and forecast for the future years. The analyst sourced these values from the industry experts and company representatives and externally validated through analyzing historical data of these product types and applications for getting an appropriate, overall market size. Various secondary sources such as company websites, news articles, press releases, company annual reports, investor presentations and financial reports were also studied by the analyst. Key Target Audience: Animal feed manufacturers/partners Sales channel/vendors/ distribution Market research and consulting firms Government bodies such as regulating authorities and policy makers Organizations, forums and alliances related to animal feed The study is useful in providing answers to several critical questions that are important for the industry stakeholders such as companies, partners, end users, etc., besides allowing them in strategizing investments and capitalizing on market opportunities. Report Scope: In this report, Brazil animal feed market has been segmented into following categories, in addition to the industry trends which have also been detailed below: Brazil Animal feed Market, By Type: o Swine Animal Feed o Poultry Animal Feed o Ruminant Feed o Aquatic Feed o Others Brazil Animal feed Market, By Product: o Fodder o Forage o Others Brazil Animal feed Market, By Region: o South-East o North-East o South o Central-West o North Competitive Landscape Company Profiles: Detailed analysis of the major companies present in Brazil animal feed market. Available Customizations: With the given market data, we offers customizations according to a companys specific needs. The following customization options are available for the report: Company Information Detailed analysis and profiling of additional market players (up to five). Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p05917018/?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 SAO PAULO, July 2 (Reuters) - Brazilian real estate company JHSF Participacoes SA has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with brokerage XP Inc on an area as big as 500,000 sq m (5.4 million sq ft) just outside Sao Paulo, according to a filing late on Thursday. Under the agreement, JHSF will assist XP in the development of a new real estate project called Villa XP in the area located in Sao Roque, a city 35 minutes distant from Sao Paulo capital, where JHSF already has an outlet mall and an airport. "The MOU was built within a broad context of relationships between JHSF and XP, being another step of narrowing ties between the companies," JHSF said in the securities filing. (Reporting by Gabriela Mello; Editing by Tom Hogue) Summary Bulgaria Cards and Payments - Opportunities and Risks to 2023 report provides detailed analysis of market trends in the Bulgarian cards and payments industry. New York, July 03, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Reportlinker.com announces the release of the report "Bulgaria Cards and Payments - Opportunities and Risks to 2023" - https://www.reportlinker.com/p05918049/?utm_source=GNW It provides values and volumes for a number of key performance indicators in the industry, including cash, cards, credit transfers, direct debits, and cheques 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 the 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 details of regulatory policy and recent changes in the regulatory structure. Bulgaria Cards and Payments: Opportunities and Risks to 2023 report provides top-level market analysis, information and insights into the Bulgarian cards and payments industry, including - - Current and forecast values for each market in the Bulgarian cards and payments industry, including debit, credit, and charge cards. - Detailed insights into payment instruments including credit transfers, direct debits, cheques, cash, and cards. 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 Bulgarian cards and payments industry. - Detailed analysis of strategies adopted by banks and other institutions to market debit, credit, and charge cards. Scope - Amid the coronavirus pandemic, in March 2020 Mastercard urged merchants to raise contactless payment limits across Europe. In Bulgaria, the limit was subsequently increased from BGN50 ($28.70) to BGN100 ($57.40). And in January 2020, Mastercard persuaded merchants to mandate the acceptance of contactless payment cards across all countries in Europe. This is anticipated to further drive the adoption of electronic methods of payments in the country. - To increase card penetration in the country, banks are introducing more convenient methods for consumers to access personal banking services. For instance, United Bulgarian Bank (the Bulgarian subsidiary of KBC Bank) offers debit card issuance via its mobile banking app. Customers can apply for a debit card directly within the app and choose which branch they want to collect the card from. The app also enables users to reschedule the repayment of credit card balances across three to 12 installments. - The entry of fintechs and digital-only banks is driving competition in the banking space, thus helping to boost debit card holding. In March 2019, UK-based Revolut launched current accounts in the local currency, the Bulgarian lev. In March 2020 it launched the Revolut Junior app to boost financial literacy among children. Reasons to Buy - Make strategic business decisions, using top-level historic and forecast market data, related to the Bulgarian cards and payments industry and each market within it. - Understand the key market trends and growth opportunities in the Bulgarian cards and payments industry. - Assess the competitive dynamics in the Bulgarian cards and payments industry. - Gain insights into marketing strategies used for various card types in Bulgaria. - Gain insights into key regulations governing the Bulgarian cards and payments industry. Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p05918049/?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 July 3 (Reuters) - 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. September futures on the S&P/TSX index were down 0.08% at 7:00 a.m. ET. The Toronto Stock Exchange's S&P/TSX rose 0.69% to 15,622.40 on Thursday. U.S. markets were closed on the occasion of Independence Day. TOP STORIES 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. COMMODITIES AT 7:00 a.m. ET Gold futures: $1787.4; -0.15% US crude: $40.14; -1.25% Brent crude: $42.62; -1.21% FOR CANADIAN MARKETS NEWS, CLICK ON CODES: TSX market report Canadian dollar and bonds report Reuters global stocks poll for Canada Canadian markets directory ($1= C$1.36) (Reporting by Sagarika Jaisinghani in Bengaluru; Editing by Sriraj Kalluvila) Cannabis media brand Higher Ground and cannabis producer Saints Joints are launching The Ballot Box this weekend. This is a box of cannabis pre-rolls that allows people to register to vote through a code in the package. I was shocked to learn that over 100 million citizens didn't vote in the last Presidential election," said Higher Ground Editor-in-Chief Michael A. Stusser. With the Ballot Box, were using cannabis as an entry point to spark engagement, and register new voters. In addition to five joints, each Ballot Box contains a QR code that immediately links individuals to HeadCount, allowing them to register to vote, and find non-partisan information about voting and elections. We see ourselves as leaders not only in the arena of legal cannabis, but as members of the mainstream community, said Lawrence Perrigo, founder of Saints. The collaboration with Higher Ground is our latest joint effort to raise awareness, and show how cannabis brands - and consumers - are doing more than getting high. Were also highly engaged in the democratic process. The Saints Joints/Higher Ground Ballot Boxes will launch on July 4th, and be available in California, Washington and Oklahoma. Racial disparities in cannabis are also reflected in the current Black Lives Matter movement. When we dreamed up this project, we never envisioned the incredible Black Lives Matter movement we are seeing, Perrigo noted. But as with so many issues, people of color are more negatively affected by the War on Drugs. Black people are four times more likely to be arrested for possession - even though whites and blacks use cannabis at the similar rates. People voting to make policy change in these areas is more important that ever. Courtesy photo See more from Benzinga 2020 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved. Summary Chile Cards and Payments - Opportunities and Risks to 2024 report provides detailed analysis of market trends in the Chiles cards and payments industry. 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 (2016-20e). New York, July 03, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Reportlinker.com announces the release of the report "Chile Cards and Payments - Opportunities and Risks to 2024" - https://www.reportlinker.com/p05918048/?utm_source=GNW 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 (2020e-24f). 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 Chiles cards and payments industry, including - - Current and forecast values for each market in the Chiles 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 Chiles cards and payments industry. - Detailed analysis of strategies adopted by banks and other institutions to market debit and credit. Scope - Following the announcement of new regulation in April 2019, the Chilean government opened up its merchant acquiring and processing space for new entrants. Since 1989, Transbank had been the single acquiring and issuing processor in the Chilean payments market. The new regulation intends to end Transbanks monopoly in this space and increase competition. As a result, multiple acquirers have started entering the Chilean market. In May 2019, acquiring solutions provider EVO Payments entered the Chilean market in a 10-year joint venture with Banco de Credito e Inversiones (BCI). Similarly, electronic payment and banking solutions provider ACI Worldwide entered the merchant acquiring space by partnering with its existing partner Transbank. - Contactless transport payments are gaining popularity in Chile. In May 2019, Moverick - an app that enables users to purchase travel tickets - launched a contactless payment system for transport in Temuco, Chile. The payment system was implemented on the citys 4A and 4B bus lines, enabling commuters to make payments using their contactless transport card and the Moverick app. Moverick also offers a discount of CLP50 ($0.07) on the total fare when it is paid via a contactless transport card or the app. Previously, Mastercard launched a contactless payment system for transport in Valparaiso, Chile in January 2018. The payment system was implemented in the metro system of the city, enabling commuters to make payments using their contactless cards or smartphones. - To offer convenience and promote digital payment channels, local and international retailers are launching self-service stores. In January 2019, Walmart launched its first 100% self-service Lider Express supermarket in Santiago, Chile. Lider Express Santiago was the first Walmart store in Latin America to operate a fully self-service system. The supermarket consists of five checkout points enabling customers to scan products and make payments. Reasons to Buy - Make strategic business decisions, using top-level historic and forecast market data, related to the Chiles cards and payments industry and each market within it. - Understand the key market trends and growth opportunities in the Chiles cards and payments industry. - Assess the competitive dynamics in the Chiles cards and payments industry. - Gain insights into marketing strategies used for various card types in Chile. - Gain insights into key regulations governing the Chiles cards and payments industry. Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p05918048/?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 China's Ministry of Commerce spokesperson Gao Feng attends a news conference at the commerce ministry in Beijing BEIJING (Reuters) - China's commerce ministry said on Thursday that it hopes India would correct its discriminatory actions against Chinese companies immediately, after India banned Chinese mobile apps amid a border crisis between the two countries. China has not adopted any restrictive or discriminatory measures against Indian products and services, Ministry of Commerce spokesman Gao Feng told reporters in an online briefing, adding that India's actions are in violation of WTO rules. (Reporting by Xu Jing, Stella Qiu and Ryan Woo; editing by Jason Neely) By Julie Ingwersen CHICAGO, June 26 (Reuters) - CME Group, parent of the Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT), has ordered The Andersons Inc , an Ohio-based grain business, to pay a $2 million fine for violating futures trading rules in late 2017, the exchange said in a statement on Friday. The Andersons confirmed the settlement in a statement to Reuters and said it cooperated with the CME's investigation. "We do not believe we engaged in any wrongdoing," it said in the statement. The 6th-largest U.S. commercial grain handler by capacity operates several Ohio grain warehouses that also serve as delivery points for CBOT wheat futures. According to CME, The Andersons registered 2,000 contracts of wheat certificates for delivery against CBOT December 2017 wheat futures on Nov. 29, 2017 - a day before the first notice day for deliveries in an effort to manipulate the spread, or price difference, between futures contracts. At the time, the wheat registrations surprised traders, and CBOT December futures fell sharply the next day, widening the price spread between the December and back-month contracts. The exchange said The Andersons placed bids in futures spreads in anticipation of the market impact of its delivery registrations. A large number of CBOT delivery registrations can signal that end-users such as flour mills are amply supplied and that there is plenty of wheat to go around. That information, in turn, can depress futures prices. "The Andersons registered the certificates with the belief that the wheat spread would widen and trade into its resting bids. The Andersons then re-purchased certificates at reduced prices," the CME Group statement said. In the month leading up to the first notice day, the Andersons sold wheat to flour mills in the Toledo, Ohio, area in order to limit demand for the grain, the CME statement said. Such a move could further support the perception of weak cash-market demand, one trader said. (Reporting by Julie Ingwersen Editing by Sonya Hepinstall) By Luis Jaime Acosta BOGOTA (Reuters) - Colombia, the world's fourth-largest banana exporter, has maintained production and exports of the yellow fruit to its largest buyers, despite the twin threats of coronavirus and dangerous fungus Fusarium R4T, an industry leader said Friday. Fungus fusarium tropical type 4, cause of the so-called Panama disease, or wilt, which attacks banana varieties including the Cavendish and the plantain, was detected last July in the northern La Guajira province, where 190 hectares (470 acres) of the fruit were eradicated. The outbreak forced producers to implement strict controls to stop the fungus from moving to other banana crops. "The banana industry is the only agricultural sector struck by two outbreaks at once. One pandemic is called fusarium tropical type 4 and the other is called coronavirus," Colombian Banana Growers Association President Emerson Aguirre told Reuters in a virtual interview. Ten workers in the northeast of the country have been infected by coronavirus despite safety measures. Colombia has reported more than 106,000 cases of coronavirus and 3,641 deaths since its arrival in the South American country in March. The industry has fulfilled its commercial contracts in spite of the two outbreaks, Aguirre said. Colombia, which follows Ecuador, the Philippines and Costa Rica in banana exports, exported 100.2 million boxes of the fruit in 2019, down 1.2% on 2018 levels due to lower production caused by drought. Exports in 2019 were worth a total of $852.8 million, down 1.8% on the previous year. Colombia has 51,227 hectares of banana crops and the principle export destinations are the European Union, the United Kingdom and the United States. The challenge in 2020 is to maintain production and exports at similar levels to last year, Aguirre added. (Reporting by Luis Jaime Acosta; Writing by Oliver Griffin; Editing by Daniel Wallis) 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. Cision View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/costa-extends-pause-for-its-cruises-until-august-15th-301088005.html SOURCE Costa Cruises House Democrats on Friday failed to override President Donald Trumps veto of a measure that would have reversed the Education Department's tough policy on loan forgiveness for students misled by for-profit colleges. The House voted 238-173 in support of the override measure, coming up short of the two-thirds majority needed to send it to the Senate. It marks a victory for Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, whose policy on student loan forgiveness was in jeopardy after Congress voted to reverse it in March. It now remains in place and will take effect July 1. A statement from the Education Department said it looks forward to implementing a rule that protects students from fraud, treats higher education institutions fairly and protects taxpayers. The measure Congress approved in March would have restored a 2016 rule created by the Obama administration. It was approved using the Congressional Review Act, which allows Congress to overturn federal rules with a simple majority of both chambers and approval of the president. While the original measure had bipartisan support, just six Republicans voted in favor of overriding the veto, while 172 opposed it. In calling for the override, Democrats said DeVos' rule made it nearly impossible for cheated students to get loans canceled. They accused her of stacking the rules in favor of the for-profit college industry, which has found an ally in the Trump administration. But Republicans said DeVos' rule is an improvement over the Obama-era policy, which they say granted loan cancellations too freely. Massive loan forgiveness has long been a Democrat objective, and the Obama rule was a giant leap toward that goal. One that also ignored the high cost to taxpayers, said Rep. Virginia Foxx, R-N.C., the ranking Republican on the House education committee. The dispute stems from a policy known as borrower defense to repayment, which allows borrowers to get their federal student loans erased if their colleges made false claims to get them to enroll. Story continues The rule was created in the 1990s but was expanded under President Barack Obama after the collapse of for-profit college chain Corinthian Colleges. The chain closed in 2015 after authorities found it used misleading ads to recruit students and lied about the success of its graduates. Students could get loans forgiven under the Obama-era rule if there was evidence of significant misrepresentation or breach of contract by the college. In cases of widespread fraud, entire groups of students could get loans discharged under a single claim. But DeVos halted the policy before it took effect, saying it had become too easy to get loans forgiven. Last year, DeVos replaced it with a new policy that she said protects taxpayers and colleges from frivolous claims. Her rule sets a higher bar for loan relief, requiring borrowers to prove their schools knowingly misled them and caused personal financial harm. It also sets a time limit on claims, giving students up to three years after they graduate or withdraw. Other changes include the elimination of group claims and a provision that automatically canceled loans for students who went to schools that shut down before they could graduate. Her policy was backed by Republicans and by the for-profit college industry, which says it was unfairly targeted by the Obama administration. Democrats and consumer advocates, though, say the rule strips protections for defrauded students. The Institute for College Access and Success on Friday said the rule will leave many defrauded students stuck repaying their loans. The rule creates roadblocks for defrauded students in the middle of an economic and a public health crisis, while imposing next to no consequences for the deceitful colleges, said James Kvaal, the nonprofit's president. DeVos has faced sharp criticism from Democrats over her handling of the policy and a backlog of loan cancellation claims. In April, DeVos said she would process more than 170,000 claims as part of a settlement in a lawsuit alleging that she illegally halted the process while she rewrote the rule. As of April 30, the agency said it has 130,000 pending claims out of 318,000 total received applications. DeVos separately changed the policy to provide only partial loan relief to many students. Her update provides full discharges only if students attended programs that produce graduates with average earnings far below those of graduates at similar programs. Other students get portions of their loans erased. The Obama-era rule provided full loan forgiveness only. Consumer groups filed a lawsuit challenging DeVos' partial relief rule in June. DUBAI, July 4 (Reuters) - A fire broke out at a power station in southwestern Iran on Saturday, Iranian media reported, the latest of several recent fires and explosions some of which have hit sensitive sites. The blaze, which affected a transformer in the power station in the city of Ahvaz, was put out by fire fighters and electricity was restored after partial outages, Mostafa Rajabi Mashhadi, a spokesman for state-run power company TAVANIR, told the semi-official news agency Tasnim. On Thursday, a fire broke out at Iran's Natanz nuclear facility but officials said operations were not affected. A former official suggested the incident could have been an attempt to sabotage work at the plant, which have been involved in activities that breach an international nuclear deal. Nineteen people were killed on Tuesday in an explosion at a medical clinic in the north of the capital Tehran, which an official said was caused by a gas leak. On June 26, an explosion occurred east of Tehran near the Parchin military and weapons development base that the authorities said was caused by a leak in a gas storage facility in an area outside the base. (Reporting by Dubai newsroom; Editing by Edmund Blair) FILE PHOTO: Ford logo is seen at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, Michigan By David Shepardson WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Four major automakers will not take a position on legal challenges to the Trump administration's decision to dramatically weaken Obama-era fuel economy standards but want to weigh in on any court fix, according to a document seen by Reuters. The Trump administration in March finalized rollback of U.S. vehicle emissions standards to require 1.5% annual increases in efficiency through 2026. That is far weaker than the 5% annual increases in the discarded rules adopted under President Barack Obama. Ford Motor Co, Volkswagen AG , Honda Motor Co and BMW AG struck a voluntary agreement with California in July 2019 on vehicle emissions rules. On Monday, the four automakers plan to ask a U.S. Appeals Court in Washington for permission to be heard in the court challenge "to ensure that any remedy imposed by this court is both appropriate and achievable," according to a draft of the filing. Last month, a group of 23 U.S. states led by California, as well as the District of Columbia and some major cities, challenged the Trump vehicle rule. Volkswagen said on Friday its "preference continues to be one set of national standards thats achieved through an agreement between the federal government and California." Other major automakers like General Motors Co, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV and Toyota Motor Corp have sided with the Trump administration on the rollback. Those companies also sided with the Trump administration in a separate lawsuit over whether the federal government can strip California of the right to set zero emission vehicle requirements. California Air Resources Board chair Mary Nichols told Reuters on Wednesday the board hopes to finalize the voluntary agreements in the "next few weeks" as memorandums of understanding with the individual automakers. (Reporting by David Shepardson in Washington; Editing by Dan Grebler and Matthew Lewis) Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - July 3, 2020) - Getchell Gold Corp. (CSE: GTCH) (OTCQB: GGLDF) ("Getchell" or the "Company") a leading Nevada focused Gold and Copper exploration company was interviewed in the inaugural edition of the Canadian Securities Exchange's "Mining Mondays" program. Host, Barrington Miller interviewed Mike Sieb who is a Director of Getchell. The segment, titled Treasure Hunting in Fondaway Canyon Nevada, can be viewed by clicking on the link above or by going to the Company's website Getchell Gold and clicking on "Investors" then "Videos". Mr. Sieb discusses the merits of the Company's active projects in Nevada with special emphasis on the extent of mineralization, the amassed volume of historical work inherited through the recent acquisition and the upside potential of the Fondaway Canyon Gold project. He also notes Nevada's mining friendly jurisdiction and the apparent strength in the gold market as a considerable positive influence on the Projects' and the Company's future. Corporate News The audited Financial Statements and Management Discussion and Analysis for the year ending March 31, 2020 have been filed and posted on SEDAR. Natasha Tsai of Malaspina Consultants Inc. has been appointed as Chief Financial Officer for the Company. The Company set the date of its Annual General Meeting (AGM) for Wednesday, September 16, 2020 at 4:00 PM Eastern. The AGM will be held in Vancouver, BC. The Company cancelled 925,000 options and awarded 1,025,000 options to directors, officers, advisors and consultants to the Company at an exercise price of $0.33. The options expire on July 2, 2025. About Getchell Gold Corp. The Company is a Nevada focused gold and copper exploration company trading on the CSE: GTCH and OTCQB: GGLDF. Getchell Gold is primarily directing its efforts on its most advanced stage asset, Fondaway Canyon, a past gold producer with a significant in-the-ground historic resource estimate. Complementing Getchell's asset portfolio is Dixie Comstock, a past gold producer with a historic resource and two earlier stage exploration projects, Star Point and Hot Springs Peak. Getchell has the option to acquire 100% of the Fondaway Canyon and Dixie Comstock properties under an agreement with Canarc Resources Corp. (see January 7, 2020 news release for further details). Story continues For further information please visit the Company's website at www.getchellgold.com or contact the Company at info@getchellgold.com. Mr. William Wagener, Chairman & CEO Getchell Gold Corp. +1 303 517 8764 info@getchellgold.com The Canadian Securities Exchange has not reviewed this press release and does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release. Not for distribution to U.S. news wire services or dissemination in the United States. Certain information contained herein constitutes "forward-looking information" under Canadian securities legislation. Forward-looking information includes, but is not limited to, statements with respect to the private placement and the completion thereof and the use of proceeds. Generally, forward-looking information can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "will" or variations of such words and phrases or statements that certain actions, events or results "will" occur. Forward-looking statements are based on the opinions and estimates of management as of the date such statements are made and they are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements or forward-looking information, including: the process underway to advance Fondaway Canyon, capital expenditures and other costs, and financing and additional capital requirements. Although management of Getchell have attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking statements or forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements and forward-looking information. The Company will not update any forward-looking statements or forward-looking information that are incorporated by reference herein, except as required by applicable securities laws. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/59110 BBB Wise Giving Alliance's new donation platform, GiveSafely.io, uses blockchain technology to enable donors to secure their data, contribute to BBB Accredited Charities and receive rewards via charity experiences ARLINGTON, Virginia, July 4, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- 80.5% of BBB Accredited charities anticipate that their 2020 revenue will be lower than expected and are searching for new ways to engage Millennials and Generation Z donors. Only 19% of people highly trust charities according to a Donor Trust Report produced by BBB Wise Giving Alliance. GiveSafely.io lists only BBB Accredited Charities and ensures donor data is only passed on with their permission. Sharing this data is rewarded with TrustTokens. All personal donor data is secured by the Ardor blockchain. Donations and donor data flow directly to the intended charities. GiveSafely.io has no access to donations, donor data and will receive no transaction fees. GiveSafely.io's rewards tie younger donors to charities' missions in fun, relatable ways as a first step of a deeper relationship. Initial participants on the GiveSafely.io launch are: Save the Children, Easterseals, Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, Population Media Center, RedRover, Wild Animal Sanctuary, Cure Alzheimer's Fund, and World Emergency Relief. All of these are nationally-soliciting charities that meet the 20 BBB Standards for Charitable Accountability. Donation platform GiveSafely.io has launched today with notable BBB Wise Giving Alliance's (BBB WGA) accredited charities including: Save the Children, Easterseals, Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, Population Media Center, RedRover, Wild Animal Sanctuary, Cure Alzheimer's Fund and World Emergency Relief. The platform aims to provide a safe and transparent space connecting the donors with charities ensuring any personal information is secured by the Ardor blockchain. Donors who agree to share their information with charities, are rewarded with TrustTokens. Story continues GiveSafely.io has been launched with the aim of reaching out to younger and more technologically proficient donors who are less likely to make donations compared to older or less technologically savvy ones. This is despite the fact that both Generation Z and Millennials indicated a higher willingness to be approached by charities to give (19% and 23%, respectively) compared to 11% for the general population. GiveSafely.io plans to engage these donors on terms more accustomed to them. The platform also aims to restore trust in the online donation model, address concerns people have about misuse of their personal data and potential hacks. All personal information is stored on the Ardor blockchain and is only accessible to charities with donor permission. Art Taylor, CEO, BBB Wise Giving Alliance: "This platform will provide new forms of engagement with Millennials and Generation Z which we believe are critical audiences for the future growth of philanthropy. Even prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, charities were facing a wide variety of challenges in how their traditional fundraising model operated, we believe this new donation platform will help strengthen donor trust in charities while also providing a bridge to younger donors seeking new forms of engagement." "We are living through a period of unprecedented technological change and disruption," states Ettore Rossetti, Senior Advisor, Digital, Marketing and Fundraising, Save the Children. "This is having far reaching impact on how traditional industries operate including non profit organizations. For charities to thrive in these increasingly uncertain times, they should look to embrace new technologies when trying to reach new, potential donors. Test, learn, innovate." In addition to strengthening trust in the online donation model, the TrustTokens people are rewarded with can be redeemed for gifts and online experiences that combine a human element with a connection to the charity's mission. These 15-20 minute experiences include offers like healthy cooking tips and a discussion of what it's like to work at the selected charity, and other conversations that connect them to the charity's mission. GiveSafely.io also enables cryptocurrency users to make donations directly to charities, responding to a recent finding that 25% of wealthy Millennials hold or use digital currencies and 31% have expressed an interest in using it ( Edelman Report, Millennials with Money). About GiveSafely.io: GiveSafely.io is a program of the BBB Wise Giving Alliance (BBB WGA). It aims to protect donors' personal data when interacting with accredited charities. As a platform GiveSafely.io seeks to enhance trust in the online donation model and ensure personal data is only passed on to charities with the donors' consent. Data passed on is rewarded with TrustTokens. BBB WGA accredited charities involved with GiveSafely.io include: Save the Children, Easterseals, Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, Population Media Center, RedRover, Wild Animal Sanctuary, Cure Alzheimer's Fund, and World Emergency Relief. About BBB WGA: GiveSafely.io is a program of the BBB Wise Giving Alliance (BBB WGA). BBB WGA is a standards-based charity evaluator that seeks to verify the trustworthiness of nationally-soliciting charities by completing rigorous evaluations based on 20 holistic standards that address charity governance, results reporting, finances, fundraising, appeal accuracy and other issues. National charity reports are produced by the BBB WGA and local charity reports are produced by local Better Business Bureaus all reports are available at Give.org. Media Contact: Ezra Vazquez-D'Amico Manager, GiveSafely.io E-mail: ezra@givesafely.io Tel.: +1-703-247-9362 Cision View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/givesafelyio-launches-as-a-secure-trust-based-donation-platform-for-leading-charities-to-incentivize-and-interact-with-new-donors-301088100.html SOURCE GiveSafely.io Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - July 3, 2020) - Grande Portage Resources Ltd. (TSXV: GPG) (OTCQB: GPTRF) (FSE: GPB) ("Grande Portage" or "the Company") is pleased to announce that it has arranged, subject to approval from the TSX Venture Exchange, a non-brokered private placement of up to 10,500,000 units for gross proceeds of up to CAD$3,150,000. The private placement offering will be at $0.30 per unit, and will consist of one common share in the capital of the Company and one half share purchase warrant. Each whole warrant will be exercisable at $0.45 to purchase an additional common share for a period of 18 months following the closing date. Mr. Eric Sprott has agreed to invest CAD$3,000,000 in the Private Placement, for the acquisition of 10,000,000 Units. Ian Klassen, President and CEO of Grande Portage, commented, "We are very pleased to welcome Mr. Sprott as a key shareholder in our Company. His investment makes him the largest single investor in the Company and is a strong endorsement of our ongoing efforts to increase our gold resource at the Herbert Gold project in S.E. Alaska where we are currently conducting a drill program." The proceeds of the Private Placement will be primarily used to expand Grande Portage's continuing exploration program at the Herbert Gold project and for general working capital purposes. Finders' fees may be paid on the offering pursuant to the policies of the TSX-Venture Exchange. All securities issued will be subject to a four-month hold period which will expire on the date that is four months and one day from the date of issue. About Grande Portage: Grande Portage Resources Ltd. is a publicly traded mineral exploration company focused on the Herbert Gold discovery situated approximately 25 km north of Juneau, Alaska. The Company holds a 100% interest in the Herbert property. The Herbert Gold property system is open to length and depth and is host to at least six main composite vein-fault structures that contain ribbon structure quartz-sulfide veins. The project lies prominently within the 160km long Juneau Gold Belt, which has produced nearly seven million ounces of gold. The Company's recent Mineral Resource estimate is quoted at a base case mineral resources cut-off grade of 2.50 grams per tonne gold (g/t Au) and consists of: An indicated resource of 606,500 ounces of gold at an average grade of 10.03 g/t Au (1,880,500 tonnes); and an inferred resource of 251,700 ounces of gold at an average grade of 14.15 g/t Au (553,429 tonnes). Story continues ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD "Ian Klassen" Ian M. Klassen President & Chief Executive Officer Tel: (604) 899-0106 Email: Ian@grandeportage.com www.grandeportage.com Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Information This news release includes certain "forward-looking statements" under applicable Canadian securities legislation. Forward-looking statements include estimates and statements that describe the Company's future plans, objectives or goals, including words to the effect that the Company or management expects a stated condition or result to occur. Forward-looking statements may be identified by such terms as "believes", "anticipates", "expects", "estimates", "may", "could", "would", "will", or "plan". Since forward-looking statements are based on assumptions and address future events and conditions, by their very nature they involve inherent risks and uncertainties as described in the Company's filings with Canadian securities regulators. 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 Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, other than as required by law. NEITHER THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE NOR ITS REGULATION SERVICE PROVIDER (AS THAT TERM IS DEFINED UNDER THE POLICIES OF THE EXCHANGE) ACCEPTS RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THIS NEWS RELEASE To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/59076 (Refiles to cut garble from headline) July 4 (Reuters) - The United States is sending two aircraft carriers into the South China Sea at the same time as China is conducting military exercises in the contested waterway, the Wall Street Journal reported. The USS Ronald Reagan and USS Nimitz would be in the South China Sea from Saturday, the U.S. news outlet quoted the strike group commander as saying. "The purpose is to show an unambiguous signal to our partners and allies that we are committed to regional security and stability," Rear Admiral George M. Wikoff was quoted as saying. He said the exercises were not a response to those being conducted by China, which the Pentagon criticised this week as "counter-productive to efforts at easing tensions and maintaining stability". China dismissed the U.S. criticism of its drills on Friday and suggested the United States was to blame for increasing tensions. Wikoff did not give the location of the U.S. exercises. The Wall Street Journal said they would be conducted by the two carriers and four other warships and would include round-the-clock flights. 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. Vietnam and the Philippines have also criticised the planned Chinese drills, warning they could create tension in the region and impact Beijing's relationship with its neighbours. The United States accuses China of miniaturising the South China Sea and trying to intimidate Asian neighbours 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. (Writing by Matthew Tostevin; Editing by William Mallard) As US President Donald Trump faces pressure from rare bipartisan US congressional support for a bill authorising sanctions against officials deemed to have eroded Hong Kong's autonomy, legal analysts are attempting to predict what exactly the American leader " who has shown a reluctance to dole out hard-hitting sanctions on China and Russia " will do next. On Thursday, the US Senate gave final approval by unanimous consent to a bill requiring mandatory sanctions on individuals found to have helped end Hong Kong's "high degree of autonomy" from mainland China, as well as financial institutions who fund them. The bill, passed unanimously by the House of Representatives the previous day, now awaits Trump's signature. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will then have 90 days to decide which officials to sanction, with Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin then having up to 60 days to identify "any foreign financial institution that knowingly conducts a significant transaction with a foreign person identified in the report". "Not later than one year after the date on which a foreign person is included in the report," the president must impose sanctions on officials that could ban them from buying US property or travelling to the country. At the same time, banks or other financial institutions found to have financial dealings with these individuals could be banned from US dollar transactions and have their own executives sanctioned. By this stage, Trump may not even be in the White House, but analysts are nonetheless parsing his recent behaviour, statements and attitude towards bills relating to Hong Kong and China and finding a leader who is not happy to go gung-ho on sanctions. At the White House's instruction, lobbyists and Department of Treasury officials worked Capitol Hill trying to water down the Hong Kong Autonomy Act, the sanctions bill, to shape it into legislation that Trump would be happy to sign, said a former US government official, speaking on background due to the sensitivity of the issue. Story continues Trump also confirmed late last month that he had declined to put sanctions on Chinese officials under the Uygur Bill for perceived human rights violations in forced detainment camps in Xinjiang because he wanted to protect his phase one trade deal with China. "Probably the more sober assessment is to take a look at the president's interests in this, take a look at the State Department's messaging and look at prior cases and try to decide if the administration would be satisfied taking action against a big name, but doing it in a small way, getting those headlines and messaging out," said Nicholas Turner of US law firm Steptoe & Johnson. Trump's track record suggests that he is reluctant to use sweeping sanctions on Chinese and Russian officials, with experts pointing to the light touch sanctions doled out in response to the alleged Russian involvement in the poisoning of a dissident in Britain in 2018. Last March, Trump belatedly banned US banks from rouble-denominated transactions in Russia, but left Russian banks untouched. Trump had been obliged to sanction Russia under the terms of the 1991 Chemical and Biological Weapons Control and Warfare Elimination Act, but did so reluctantly and not to the full extent of his powers under the law. "That fits in very well with what we've seen from this administration in terms of sanctioning. It has been something we've seen previously from this administration where they can send a message through a headline, rather than something more damaging," Turner said. Instead, analysts expect surgical sanctions targeted at relatively low-level officials, such as Luo Huining, head of the Liaison Office in Hong Kong, who was recently appointed National Security Adviser. Such sanctions would not come with the same commercial impact of those used previously on Russian oligarchs. Because they have vast networks of assets around the world, banks can face havoc from sanctions. "We would expect any future US moves to be pretty targeted. That could involve entity-specific sanctions " so against specific individuals and companies " but we're not expecting entire sectors to be cut off from dealing with China or Hong Kong," said Nick Marro, global trade lead at The Economist Intelligence Unit. "I think with the disruptions from Covid-19, the US knows it needs to tread carefully to prevent any blowback on its own economy, or the global economy." The legislation, if signed into law as expected, would impose sanctions on foreign banks who engage in "significant transactions" with Chinese and Hong Kong officials and others deemed to have eroded the autonomy of the city. But it does not specify what constitutes a significant transaction, so it is unclear whether that would apply to instances as simple as having a current account at a local branch or taking out a mortgage for a flat in Hong Kong. US Senator Pat Toomey, one of the bill's sponsors, said covered persons could include police officers involved in a crackdown on protesters in the city or Chinese Communist Party officials responsible for adopting the national security law. "It penalises banks that finance the erosion of Hong Kong's autonomy " banks that would put marginal profits ahead of the basic human rights of the people of Hong Kong," Toomey, a Pennsylvania Republican, said on the Senate floor on Thursday. US banks are not included in the legislation, but would likely close accounts and sever ties with any blacklisted officials, as they have done in prior instances where Russian or Iranian officials and entities have faced American sanctions. It can become more complicated for foreign banks that operate in the US or want to access the American financial system, particularly as the US dollar is a key currency for global trade. Among the listed sanctions, the US could bar American institutions from making interbank loans to affected foreign banks, prohibit dollar clearing activities by those banks, forbid them from owning property in the US and ban them from serving as so-called primary dealers in transactions between the Federal Reserve and financial markets. Bank executives also could face similar sanctions and be barred from travelling to the US. No Chinese banks currently serve as primary dealers with the Fed, but more than half of the 24 securities dealers who act as counterparties for the central bank are foreign institutions that could see their access cut off. Those lenders include Barclays, Credit Suisse, Deutsche Bank, Mizuho Financial Group, Nomura Holdings and UBS. However, the biggest challenge could be for HSBC, which is based in London but generates most of its profit in Asia. The lender, a primary dealer in the US, publicly supported the national security law tailored for Hong Kong, its biggest market, in June, along with a litany of businesses that depend on the city as a profit driver, including Jardine Matheson, the owner of the Mandarin Oriental hotel; Swire Pacific, the parent of the city's de facto flagship carrier Cathay Pacific; and banking rival Standard Chartered. HSBC previously ran afoul of American sanctions in 2012 and agreed to pay US$1.9 billion to the US government as part of a settlement to avoid criminal prosecution. It was accused of laundering at least US$881 million in Mexican drug proceeds through the US financial system and allowing US$660 million in prohibited transactions from countries facing US sanctions, including Cuba, Libya and Iran. HSBC declined to comment on Friday. Trump has time to make the decision, but the speed with which the bill moved through both chambers of the US Congress suggests that he is under pressure to crack down hard on China, with other legislation to punish Beijing also currently under consideration. "The US government might be looking to see what it all means: how forcefully China will implement the law, how widespread and vocal the opposition is from the Hong Kong people, the pressure from Congress, and the potential impact on US economic interests," said Kenneth Jarrett, senior adviser at Albright Stonebridge Group and former US deputy consul general for Hong Kong. "In principle, the next action should be the specifics on the visa sanctions, since that has been announced. There's been talk of some refugee status arrangement for Hongkongers, but we do not know how quickly that will move." 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 KONG, July 4 (Reuters) - Senior officials in Hong Kong said on Saturday they were "very disappointed" at Canada's decision to suspend its extradition treaty with the Chinese-ruled city and again slammed Washington for "interfering" in its affairs. Beijing imposed a new national security law this week on the former British colony, despite protests from Hong Kong residents and Western nations, setting China's freest city and a major financial hub on a more authoritarian track. "The Canadian government needs to explain to the rule of law, and explain to the world, why it allows fugitives not to bear their legal responsibilities," Hong Kong's security chief, John Lee, told a radio programme on Saturday. Lee was very disappointed and strongly opposed Canada's move, he added, as it let politics override the rule of law. The comments followed Canada's statement on Friday that it was suspending the treaty with Hong Kong in the wake of the new law and could boost immigration from the city. Canada would also bar the export of sensitive military items to Hong Kong, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told reporters. On Saturday's programme, Hong Kong Justice Secretary Teresa Cheng said she was disappointed and expressed extreme regret over Canada's move, adding that she thought it could probably violate international law. On Friday, a Hong Kong government spokesman described as "totally unacceptable" a bill passed by the U.S. Senate to penalize banks doing business with Chinese officials who implement the new law. "We reiterate that any 'sanctions' imposed under the act will not create an obligation for financial institutions under Hong Kong law," the spokesman said in a statement. He urged the United States to immediately stop interfering in Hong Kong's internal matters, adding that Beijing, as well as the city's government, could take counter-measures when needed. (Reporting by Clare Jim; Editing by Clarence Fernandez) Chairman Announces Open House Hong Kong to Prepare for the Return of Visitors The Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) hosted on 24 June an online forum titled "Beyond COVID-19: Global Tourisms New Normal" the first event of its kind focusing on the post-pandemic tourism prospects for Hong Kong, Mainland, Asia, and the world. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200626005349/en/ Dr YK Pang, Chairman of the Hong Kong Tourism Board, highlights the importance of restoring consumer confidence in his opening remarks at todays online forum "Beyond COVID-19: Global Tourisms New Normal". (Photo: Business Wire) Over 4,000 tourism industry representatives, journalists, and academics registered for the event as global industry leaders share insights into the effects of the coronavirus outbreak on travel, how the industry should respond, and the trends to expect as people begin travelling again in the post-pandemic period. In his opening remarks, HKTB Chairman Dr YK Pang emphasised the importance of restoring consumer confidence. "As an industry, our central mission must be to give every traveller the confidence and reassurance that their trip is safe from start to finish," he said. "Our cooperation must cross geographical and business boundaries. We must pool our knowledge and expertise and draw on our collective ingenuity to navigate the challenges that lie ahead of us." Dr Pang highlighted initiatives Hong Kongs tourism industry has taken to stay ahead of the curve in containing the spread of the pandemic, and announced that the HKTB would team up with the HKSAR Government and trade partners to create "Open House Hong Kong" a unique and region-leading travel platform to tell the world Hong Kong is a COVID-safe destination ready to welcome back visitors with attractive offerings and exciting experiences. He invited trade partners from around the world to support the platform by providing enticing offers for travelling to Hong Kong as a leading destination for visitors from every continent. Story continues Seven internationally-respected speakers representing different sectors discussed the latest consumer sentiments and behaviour, and gave their insights into the challenges confronting the industry. Here is a selection of their expert observations: Steve Saxon, Partner, McKinsey & Company "COVID-19 is a major humanitarian challenge. Yet there are implications for the wider economy and businesses. For instance, USD 0.9 trillion to 1.2 trillion has been lost in export revenues from tourism worldwide. While global tourism may return to previous levels in 2022, China, Indonesia, and the US stand out in optimism, with travel in China coming back to around half of the previous levels currently. However, traveller confidence is still low, and recovery is slower than expected. On the other hand, there is a major opportunity to capitalise on domestic travel and younger and family travellers, as most consumers are expecting to travel less especially internationally after COVID-19. China, the UK, and Germany are among those with greatest potential in domestic travel." Hermione Joye, Sector Lead, Travel & Vertical Search APAC, Google "COVID-19 has led to a generational shift in the way the world operates, the travel industry almost came to a halt with global interest in travel dropping 3 times of that of pre-COVID times (based on search data). As a result, there is no longer a predictable normal when it comes to how consumers behave, and this is particularly true when it comes to the way they are thinking about travel. I am looking forward to sharing trends, consumer insights and principles that could help marketers respond in the new normal." Jane Sun, CEO, Trip.com Group "At Trip.com Group, we believe it is our duty to guide travellers and the industry through this challenging period. Thats why from the onset of the pandemic, our teams have worked tirelessly to process over RMB 30 billion in cancellations, and weve given our partners over RMB 1 billion in financial support. Now, as things come under control, were seeing a rebound in demand, weve launched a USD 500 million fund for partners, and were offering flexible, safe, and discounted travel options for customers to help our customers and the industry travel on." Gloria Guevara, President & CEO, World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) "The COVID-19 pandemic has had a devastating global socio-economic impact, our recent research shows that more than 197 million jobs are at risk, which would cause a loss of more than USD 5.5 trillion to Travel & Tourism GDP worldwide. It is vital for the survival of the Travel & Tourism sector that we work together and map out the road to recovery, through coordinated actions, and rebuild the confidence that people need to begin travelling once again. Our recently launched Safe Travels stamp will enable travellers to recognise the businesses and destinations worldwide which have implemented the WTTC global protocols and will encourage the return of Safe Travels around the world. It will, in turn, enable the Travel & Tourism sector to reopen for business and move in a coordinated approach." Alexandre de Juniac, Director General and CEO, International Air Transport Association (IATA) "The revival of the travel and tourism sector is vital. Millions of livelihoods depend on it. As some parts of the world begin to reopen their economies, I have no doubt that people will still want to travel. But adapting to the realities of COVID-19 and rebuilding peoples confidence is a challenge that must be met head-on with cooperation. Aviation is a case in point. The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) developed global guidelines to mitigate the risk COVID-19 transmission when traveling by air. Now governments need to align in leading the implementation with the full support of the industry. We will only be successful by working together." Peter C. Borer, COO, the Hong Kong and Shanghai Hotels Ltd "The hospitality industry will move forward towards a new normal, with unprecedented health and safety measures in place. As leaders of the industry, we must collaborate, leave behind the paradigms of the past and look towards a new future. The hotel industry was already moving towards digitisation, artificial intelligence and robotics, and the health crisis has accelerated this trend. In the short term, we must regain the confidence and the trust of our guests and reassure them that they are safe when they stay with us. However, in the long term, the fundamentals of hospitality will not change, and guests will always appreciate personalised service." Kai Hattendorf, Managing Director & CEO, The Global Association of the Exhibition Industry (UFI) "Exhibitions and business events are the market places and the meeting places for every industry around the world. They are key to any economic recovery, and we have the know-how and standards to make them safe to attend. COVID-19 will lead to new procedures, standards, and processes. The pandemic is accelerating trends that were already shaping up around the marriage of the on-site event with online services before, during, and after the event. Business events will become more digital. But the main element that is driving success is and remains the direct exchange, the face-to-face meeting. Clicks dont discuss deals, and eyeballs dont sign orders." A recording of "Beyond COVID-19: Global Tourisms New Normal" is available for registrant to review from 8am Hong Kong time on 25 June 2020. Each registered account can view the recording on one device at a time. Video link: https://onlinexperiences.com/scripts/Server.nxp?LASCmd=AI:4;F:QS!10100&ShowUUID=ABC3688D-5064-4F68-82CA-1222C186581A Members of the media can download the press release and related photos from the links below: Press release: https://www.discoverhongkong.com/eng/hktb/newsroom/press-releases.html Photos: https://hktb.filecamp.com/s/qAYVvEizcFSohC21/fo View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200626005349/en/ Contacts For media enquiries: Miss Alice Li Email: alice.li@hktb.com Oxfam Ireland, a Belfast-based charity fighting global poverty, has received a 1 million ($1.1 million) grant to fund the next phase of a blockchain aid distribution project. Oxfam is piloting the Ethereum-based platform with benefit corporation Emerging Impact and Australian tech firm Sempo in the South Pacific Ocean nation of Vanuatu, according to an Irish Times report. The project, UnBlocked Cash, was awarded the grant from the European Innovation Council in a competition called Blockchains for Social Good to run the second phase of the pilot. In June 2019, Oxfam announced it had spent a month completing phase one of the pilot, using MakerDAOs stablecoin DAI as a vehicle for helping disaster victims. The project aims to deliver aid in the form of smart vouchers to disaster areas and uses stablecoins like MakerDAOs DAI to enable cheap cross border transactions. In the first phase of the pilot, 200 residents in the villages of Pango and Mele Maat on the island of Efate received tap-and-pay cards, each loaded with about 4,000 vatu ($50) in DAI, according to Australian news outlet Mickey. The cards were used for payments across a network of local stores and schools, with 32 vendors in total. The second phase of the pilot will include more than 5,000 participants and 100 vendors, according to the Times. Oxfam pitched the project to a jury in Brussels and was one of 24 projects picked from 178 applications, the charity said. Oxfam claims the project has cut delivery times for aid by 96% and cut transaction costs by 60%. The grant will also allow Oxfam to scale the project across the Pacific region and explore its potential in sub-Saharan Africa and the Caribbean, the Times report said. Future plans seek to address the needs of over 2.7 million disaster-exposed and vulnerable people across the Pacific Region, as well as expanding use across the Oxfam Confederation, which reached 22.3 million people, across 90 countries, in 2018 alone, Oxfam Irelands Director of Programme Niamh Carty said in a written statement. Summary Israel Baby Food 2020 is an analytical report by Global Data which provides extensive and highly detailed current and future market trends in the Israeli market. New York, July 03, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Reportlinker.com announces the release of the report "Israel Baby Food, 2020" - https://www.reportlinker.com/p05918056/?utm_source=GNW In Israel Milks dominate the baby food sector, accounting for 59% of retail sales and 46.6% of volume sales in 2019. They have strengthened their position since 2013, growing by 21% in terms of volume, above the average for all baby food. Wet meals are second, accounting for 35% of volume sales, although only 21% of value. Growth has been significant over the past two years, due to the increasing popularity of pouches. The remainder of the market consists of cereals (12.7% of volume), finger food, and other types of food including baby pasta (5.5%). Baby drinks have disappeared from sale. What else does this report offer? - Consumption data based upon a unique combination of industry research, fieldwork, market sizing work and our in-house expertise to offer extensive data about the trends and dynamics affecting the industry. - Detailed profile of the companies operating and new companies considering entry in the industry along with their key focus product sectors. - Market profile of the various product sectors with the key features & developments, segmentation, per capita trends and the various manufacturers & brands. - Overview of baby food retailing with a mention of the major retailers in the country along with the distribution channel. - Future projections considering various trends which are likely to affect the industry. Scope - The number of live births, although dipping slightly in 2019, has been on an upward path over the past decade, and Israel has the highest fertility rate in the OECD. The sector achieved overall volume growth of 15.7% in the 2013-2019 period. Retail sales were up by only 1.9% to ILS862 million (US$239 million). - Milks dominate the baby food sector, accounting for 59% of retail sales and 46.6% of volume sales in 2019. - Wet meals are second, accounting for 35% of volume sales, although only 21% of value. - Imports of milks & cereals have fluctuated quite considerably, and in 2018 stood at 7883 tons, equivalent to a value of US$56 million. Exports of milks & cereals are low and have generally been declining, standing at only 182 tons in 2018, valued at US$1.3 million. - Nestle, via its Osem subsidiary and the Materna/Gerber brands, remains the dominant supplier, with a 49.7% value share in 2019. The company leads in all categories. - The baby food sector is forecast to grow by a further 15% over the next six years to reach 15306 tons in 2025, with a retail value of just under ILS1 billion (US$239.4 billion). Per capita consumption is forecast to reach 26.9kg by 2025, 11% higher than 2019 levels. Reasons to Buy - Evaluate important changes in consumer behavior and identify profitable markets and areas for product innovation. - Analyse current and forecast behavior trends in each category to identify the best opportunities to exploit. - Detailed understanding of consumption by individual product categories in order to align your sales and marketing efforts with the latest trends in the market. - Investigates which categories are performing the best and how this is changing market dynamics. Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p05918056/?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 Eleven countries will coordinate with Interpol to track down and arrest suspects trying to tap into public money being released to rescue economies hit by effects of the coronavirus lockdowns (AFP Photo/ROSLAN RAHMAN) Rome (AFP) - Italy and Interpol on Wednesday launched a drive to stop the 'Ndrangheta, the southern Italian mafia, from cashing in on the economic fallout from the coronavirus pandemic. Eleven countries will coordinate to track down and arrest suspects trying to tap into public money being released to rescue economies hit by effects of the lockdowns. They will also try to trace attempts by organised crime to infiltrate legitimate businesses. "COVID-19, which for the whole world represents the most tragic and sudden pandemic of the modern era, could become an extraordinary opportunity for 'Ndrangheta -- and for organised crime in general -- to conquer new markets and launder money," said Italys Chief of Police, Prefect Franco Gabrielli. The I-CAN project was designed to head off that threat, he said. Police chiefs from all 11 countries met in a video conference Wednesday to begin mapping out the movement of fugitives across their borders, said a statement from Interpol. The 'Ndrangheta's vast reserves of cash mean they can offer help to businesses struggling after the coronavirus lockdowns, giving the criminal group an entry into the legitimate economy, said Interpol. "The 'Ndrangheta is an invisible threat and a dangerous criminal business partner," said Interpol chief Juergen Stock. "This is how their cycle feeds itself across more than 30 countries. A cycle we must act to stop -- now." Last month, Italian police announced they had broken up an 'Ndrangheta operation involving public works tenders valued at over 100 million euros ($110 million), including EU funds. They identified 63 people in the network, including 11 public officials. They are preparing cases for alleged public tender fraud, abuse of office, and bribery. The 11 countries taking part in I-CAN are Australia, Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, France, Germany, Italy, Switzerland, the United States and Uruguay. Story continues The 'Ndrangheta, centred in Calabria region, has surpassed Sicily's more famous Cosa Nostra to become Italy's most powerful mafia group, operating across the world. A major police sting in December against the group resulted in the arrest of 334 people, including a police colonel and a former MP. The coronavirus pandemic killed nearly 35,000 in Italy, which is only just emerging from a nationwide lockdown imposed to contain the outbreak. SAO PAULO, July 3 (Reuters) - Brazilian meatpacker JBS SA has been allowed to reopen its chicken plant in the southern town of Passo Fundo after an outbreak of the novel coronavirus among its employees, the company told Reuters on Friday. "JBS confirms the resumption of activities in Passo Fundo," the company said. According to court documents seen by Reuters, judge Vania Maria Cunha Mattos understood that halting operations until an appeal is ruled could hurt economic activities. "(It would) disrupt the entire production chain, with unequivocal damage not only to jobs - direct and indirect - but also to tax collection and leave the population in general short of supplies," the court document said. Her decision comes after an appeals court in Rio Grande do Sul state overturned a lower labor court ruling allowing JBS to reopen the Passo Fundo chicken plant on May 21 after an initial closure on April 24 triggered by an outbreak of COVID-19. (Reporting by Aluisio Alves and Ana Mano; Writing by Gabriela Mello; Editing by Chris Reese) (Bloomberg Opinion) -- July 1, the date on which Israels coalition government proclaimed it could begin annexing Palestinian territory in the occupied West Bank, passed without any land-grabbing. Though Israel doesnt appear to have made any major preparations on the ground for such a move yet, diplomatically or politically, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is unlikely to give up on his plan to seize Israeli settlements and the strategic Jordan Valley. The key figure is President Donald Trump, who is expected to make an announcement soon; his administration has not yet finalized its position on how much, if any, of the West Bank Israel can swallow before the U.S. election in November. The hesitation by both Netanyahu and Trump suggests both are still calculating their odds. There is yet time to convince Israel to step back from the abyss. Israel must consider the growing prospect of a Joe Biden presidency in January, and an American government determined to reverse the damage that Netanyahu and Trump have inflicted on hopes for a two-state solution. A weakened, discredited Trump plainly cannot and does not speak for the U.S. on this, as has been demonstrated by bipartisan calls on Israel to desist. The Palestinian leadership, meanwhile, has moved beyond its categorical rejection of the Trump peace plan, proposed in January, that paved the ground for Netanyahus annexation policy. The Palestinian Authority has formally proposed the resumption of negotiations with Israel, based on where talks left off in 2014. This gives Israel a potential off-ramp from the road to annexation, and refutes the argument there is no one to talk to on the other side. But it is essential that pressure be maintained on both parties. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas secured unanimous support from Arab and Muslim countriesincluding some Gulf Arab countries are pursuing closer ties to Israel and have strong relations with Washingtonagainst Israels annexation plan. That chorus should now press him to build publicly on the formal response Palestinians say they made privately on June 9, and make the case for new talks. Story continues Likewise, the voices that warned Israel against annexation should now urge Netanyahu to parley with the Palestinians instead of killing off the last hopes for peace. This group includes many key Arab states and most governments in Europe; over 1,000 European parliamentarians signed a letter against unilateral Israeli measures. There has also been calls for restraint from senior UN officials, and even countries that have heretofore been silent, such as Australia. But, as ever with Israel, it is American voices that will count the most, and they are hitting some unusual notes. Netanyahu can hardly have failed to notice the strong push back from normally supportive quarters in U.S. politics. Nearly 200 members of Congress, including most House Democrats, have signed a letter expressing opposition to annexation. Many of the signatories are stalwart Jewish supporters of Israel. A smaller group of 12 advocates cutting aid to Israel, should it proceed. In a letter of their own, Republican members of Congress, allied with evangelical Christian groups, have defended Israels right to act unilaterally. But this threatens to further politicize support for Israel in the U.S.just as Republican fortunes appear shaky. More striking is the opposition, or at best ambivalence, from the Jewish-American leadership. The main pro-Israel lobby group, AIPAC, has focused its criticism on the small group calling for aid cutsbut not on those who signed the letter opposing annexation. Most other major Jewish groups have made it clear they dislike the idea; while they may defend Israel in the event of annexation, it will be halfhearted and reluctant, with all the effectiveness that implies. So when Biden says he is opposed to annexation and will reverse anything Trump agrees to that threatens a two-state solution, hes not actually taking any political risks. Taken together, these voices formed something approaching an international consensus against annexation, and may have helped to dissuade Netanyahu from proceeding with his plan in coming weeks. This is no time to turn down the volume. This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners. Hussein Ibish is a senior resident scholar at the Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington. 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. If you want to know who really controls Air New Zealand Limited (NZSE:AIR), then you'll have to look at the makeup of its share registry. Institutions will often hold stock in bigger companies, and we expect to see insiders owning a noticeable percentage of the smaller ones. We also tend to see lower insider ownership in companies that were previously publicly owned. Air New Zealand isn't enormous, but it's not particularly small either. It has a market capitalization of NZ$1.6b, which means it would generally expect to see some institutions on the share registry. Our analysis of the ownership of the company, below, shows that institutions own shares in the company. Let's delve deeper into each type of owner, to discover more about Air New Zealand. View our latest analysis for Air New Zealand NZSE:AIR Ownership Breakdown July 4th 2020 What Does The Institutional Ownership Tell Us About Air New Zealand? Institutional investors commonly compare their own returns to the returns of a commonly followed index. So they generally do consider buying larger companies that are included in the relevant benchmark index. We can see that Air New Zealand does have institutional investors; and they hold a good portion of the company's stock. This can indicate that the company has a certain degree of credibility in the investment community. However, it is best to be wary of relying on the supposed validation that comes with institutional investors. They too, get it wrong sometimes. If multiple institutions change their view on a stock at the same time, you could see the share price drop fast. It's therefore worth looking at Air New Zealand's earnings history, below. Of course, the future is what really matters. NZSE:AIR Earnings and Revenue Growth July 4th 2020 We note that hedge funds don't have a meaningful investment in Air New Zealand. The New Zealand Government is currently the company's largest shareholder with 52% of shares outstanding. This implies that they have majority interest control of the future of the company. With 7.8% and 2.6% of the shares outstanding respectively, JPMorgan Chase & Co, Private Banking and Investment Banking Investments and Capital Research and Management Company are the second and third largest shareholders. Story continues While studying institutional ownership for a company can add value to your research, it is also a good practice to research analyst recommendations to get a deeper understand of a stock's expected performance. Quite a few analysts cover the stock, so you could look into forecast growth quite easily. Insider Ownership Of Air New Zealand The definition of an insider can differ slightly between different countries, but members of the board of directors always count. The company management answer to the board; and the latter should represent the interests of shareholders. Notably, sometimes top-level managers are on the board, themselves. Most consider insider ownership a positive because it can indicate the board is well aligned with other shareholders. However, on some occasions too much power is concentrated within this group. Our most recent data indicates that insiders own less than 1% of Air New Zealand Limited. It's a big company, so even a small proportional interest can create alignment between the board and shareholders. In this case insiders own NZ$13m worth of shares. It is always good to see at least some insider ownership, but it might be worth checking if those insiders have been selling. General Public Ownership With a 24% ownership, the general public have some degree of sway over AIR. While this size of ownership may not be enough to sway a policy decision in their favour, they can still make a collective impact on company policies. Next Steps: I find it very interesting to look at who exactly owns a company. But to truly gain insight, we need to consider other information, too. Consider risks, for instance. Every company has them, and we've spotted 4 warning signs for Air New Zealand you should know about. If you would prefer discover what analysts are predicting in terms of future growth, do not miss this free report on analyst forecasts. NB: Figures in this article are calculated using data from the last twelve months, which refer to the 12-month period ending on the last date of the month the financial statement is dated. This may not be consistent with full year annual report figures. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned. Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team@simplywallst.com. Haderslev, Denmark,, July 04, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- In todays globalized world, being linguistically diverse is extremely valued. Be it for career-related purposes, or for social and cultural reasons, the importance of knowing multiple languages cannot be denied. In that context, Justlearn has come up with a unique platform that connects individuals from across the world with native speakers and provides an opportunity to learn various languages from the comfort of home. About Justlearn Justlearn was founded by Philip Rossen, who is currently the CEO of the company. It is an online platform designed for language learning. It connects individuals with the best language teachers and native speakers from all around the world. The platform aims to help people enhance their linguistic skills and stand a better chance to succeed at a global level - both professionally as well as culturally. This integrated learning platform provides an opportunity for students to learn a range of languages including English, German, Spanish, French, Danish, and many more. At the same time, it also provides a passive earning opportunity for tutors, who can simply teach their native language to global citizens and earn handsomely. How Can You Start Learning Or Teaching on Justlearn? Upon signup, students will have the option to browse tutors, based on the language they wish to learn. Justlearn is equipped with an advanced booking system that allows them to book a time slot favourable for both themselves as well as the teacher. Once done the system displays a detailed calendar about the upcoming course structure and timeline. One of the other advantages of learning on Justlearn is the fact that students get to schedule personalized one-on-one lessons with the best tutors from across the world. All the lessons are designed as per the exact learning goals of the students. Justlearn has a very simple user interface using which students can start learning through five simple steps - Sign up, Browse and Choose Tutors, Pay the fee, schedule the course, and start learning. Tutors, on the other hand, are required to pass a struct verification module in order to be eligible to teach on the platform. This is based on their authenticity, teaching skills, and consistency in terms of delivering quality lessons. However, the signup process is extremely simple and hassle-free. All in all, Justlearn creates a win-win situation for learners as well as teachers. The former gets a chance to learn multiple languages from verified teachers, while the latter has the opportunity to share their knowledge and earn a passive income at the same time. While this might sound common, the fact that Justlearn is a robust online platform, all its features are easily accessible from home comfort. Justlearns Rise To Popularity The platforms unique proposition has not gone unnoticed. It has attracted more than 100,000 monthly visitors to its website on a regular basis. Moreover, as many as 472 tutors and 50K students are already active users on Justlearn. In fact, tutors have delivered more than 1000 lessons in the last one month alone. It would be fair to say that, with 75 languages and close to 500 tutors, Justlearn is well on its way to becoming the next big thing in the language learning space. Important Links: Learn Online: https://www.justlearn.com/ Teach Online: https://www.justlearn.com/teach Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/JustlearnCom/ Contact: https://www.justlearn.com/contact Story continues Philip Rossen:Philip Rossen Attachment Media Details Company: Justlearn Email: team@justlearn.com Website: https://www.justlearn.com Click here to read the full article. Lucky Brand Dungarees and G-Star Raw Retail Inc. both sunk into insolvency Friday, filing for Chapter 11 protection from creditors in the wake of the coronavirus shutdown. Los Angeles-based Lucky Brand went to court with a stalking horse asset purchase agreement that would see its operating assets sold to SPARC Group, which operates lifestyle brands, including Aeropostale and Nautica. In connection with that transaction, Authentic Brands Group, would acquire the intellectual property of Lucky Brand. Lucky Brand also signed a back-up agreement with Authentic for the intellectual property should the deal with SPARC not go through. To facilitate the sale and reduce its debt burden caused by recent challenges, including the COVID-19 pandemic, Lucky Brand has initiated proceedings under Chapter 11, said the company, which filed for bankruptcy in Delaware. Matthew Kaness, who was named interim chief executive officer last September and executive chairman in January, said: The COVID-19 pandemic has severely impacted sales across all channels. While we are optimistic about the reopening of stores and our customers return, the business has yet to recover fully. We have made many difficult decisions to preserve the companys viability during these unprecedented times. After considering all options, the board has determined that a Chapter 11 filing is the best course of action to optimize the operations and secure the brands long-term success. We remain committed to our associates, vendors, and business partners and appreciate the continued support through this process. G-Star, which is based in Los Angeles and filed for bankruptcy there, did not lay out just what sent it to court in its initial filings, but fashion retailers of all stripes were hit hard in pandemic, which forced the closure of stores across the country. The company clearly did not have enough wiggle room in its finances to survive the blow. Story continues G-Star listed its sales last year at $68 million with a $2 million profit. The largest creditor listed in its bankruptcy is its landlord at 475 Fifth Avenue in New York, owed $426,007. Sign up for WWD's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. Click here to read the full article. Brick-and-mortar retail has another casualty, with Microsoft deciding to nix its physical stores. After 11 years, the tech giant said Friday it will permanently close all 83 of its stores, except for four locations in New York City, London, Sydney and its Redmond, Wash. campus that will morph into experience centers without merchandise for sale. The company isnt planning any furloughs or layoffs in conjunction with this decision, saying only that retail employees will keep serving customers in its corporate facilities or remotely. In terms of direct sales, Microsoft will focus on e-commerce exclusively. It notes that its digital storefronts on microsoft.com, and stores in Xbox and Windows reach up to 1.2 billion monthly customers in 190 markets, according to the announcement. Our sales have grown online as our product portfolio has evolved to largely digital offerings, and our talented team has proven success [in] serving customers beyond any physical location, said David Porter, Microsofts corporate vice president, in a statement. We are grateful to our Microsoft store customers and we look forward to continuing to serve them online and with our retail sales team at Microsoft corporate locations. For years, tech company-branded stores have been regarded as something like vanity projects or perhaps consumer research labs, where companies can see how the public interacts with their products. The outlier, of course, is Apple and its high-value stores, which were raking in about $5,500 of revenue per square foot annually before the pandemic. Like most stores, Apple suspended physical retail operations due to the health crisis. The iPhone maker began reopening in May, only to re-close as many as 32 locations as COVID-19 cases spiked again. The collateral damage in all of this might be malls, where many tech company stores are located. The mall business has seen dwindling foot traffic over the years, and thats now punctuated by cornerstone department store closures. Companies like Microsoft will likely not feel much pain as it shifts more toward digital sales. Malls, on the other hand, are facing a reality of surviving with fewer anchor businesses to draw shoppers. Sign up for WWD's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. SEOUL, July 4 (Reuters) - North Korea does not feel the need to have talks with the United States, which would be nothing more than "a political tool" for Washington, a senior North Korean diplomat said on Saturday, ahead of a U.S. envoy's visit to South Korea. Vice Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui said negotiations would not work out between Washington and Pyongyang and there will be no change in North Korea's policy. "We do not feel any need to sit face to face with the U.S., as it does not consider the DPRK-U.S. dialogue as nothing more than a tool for grappling its political crisis," Choe said in a statement carried by state-run KCNA news agency. DPRK stands for the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, North Korea's formal name. U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Stephen Biegun is due to visit South Korea next week to discuss stalled talks with North Korea. South Korean President Moon Jae-in said on Wednesday that U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un should meet again before the U.S. elections in November, which would help resume the stalled nuclear negotiations. 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. Trump and Kim Jong Un met for the first time in 2018 in Singapore. They met again in Vietnam in 2019, but the talks fell apart when Trump said Kim had failed to offer enough nuclear weapons or ballistic missiles in exchange for lifting international sanctions. At their third meeting, in June 2019 at the demilitarized zone separating the two Koreas, the two agreed to restart negotiations. Working-level talks between the two sides in Sweden in October were broken off. (Reporting By Jane Chung in Seoul; Editing by William Mallard) China is braced for possible financial sanctions from the United States over the Hong Kong national security law, but still hopes to ease tensions with Washington, according to a source close to China's financial authority. "The Chinese mainland and Hong Kong financial authorities certainly have prearranged plans. We won't allow others to threaten or make trouble freely," the source, who declined to be identified due to the sensitivity of the topic, told the South China Morning Post. The official did not elaborate on China's possible responses after the controversial national security law was adopted by Hong Kong law on Tuesday evening amid international outcry. "[Sanctions] do no good to the Chinese economy and finance, so they do no good to the global and US economies," he added. "It will dampen the confidence of international market participants, and increase the systemic risks to the global economy, international markets, and particularly American financial markets." Many of the measures Washington could take would damage only Hong Kong and its own business interests, according to Louis Kuijs, the head of Asia research for Oxford Economics, but would not necessarily change the trajectory of China's economic growth. "It's in neither the Chinese government's nor US government's interest to really rock the boat," said Kuijs. An editorial on Friday by the Global Times, the tabloid affiliated with the official People's Daily, warned that China will "play to the end" regardless of any US financial sanctions. "The US is just threatening to use sanctions that will also hurt itself," read the editorial. "If the US abuses its hegemony to impose sanctions on a large economy like China, it will also be the death knell for its financial hegemony. "China's economic achievements came from the hard work of Chinese people and the advantage of Hong Kong for being a window for China won't be changed ... the future of Hong Kong will ultimately be determined by China, not the United States." Story continues On Thursday, US lawmakers passed legislation that would require mandatory sanctions against foreign individuals and banks over the erosion of Hong Kong autonomy. US President Donald Trump is expected to sign the Hong Kong Autonomy Act into law in coming days, and once signed, the US State and Treasury departments will determine which individuals will be targeted for sanctions. China would be in a disadvantaged position in any financial war with the US because of its reliance on the US dollar, the global anchor currency for its international transactions. But at the same time, China could, in theory, retaliate by selling its more than US$1 trillion of US government securities, although this is considered unlikely given the financial pain it would inflect on China itself. China authorities are well aware of their vulnerability caused by their reliance on the US dollar, noting how the US has already used access to the international US dollar payments system to punish Russia and Iran. "Such things have already happened to many Russian businesses and financial institutions. We have to make preparations early " real preparations, not just psychological preparations," Fang Xinghai, a vice-chairman at the China Securities Regulatory Commission, said in a recent speech. But even as it prepares for US financial punishment, Beijing is making efforts to maintain normal trade and economic relations with Washington. China has said that it remains committed to the phase one trade deal signed with the US in January, under which it agreed to buy an additional US$200 billion American goods and services over two years compared to 2017 levels. However, China's purchases to date are well below the levels laid out by the agreement. 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. (Bloomberg Opinion) -- Its been a long time since the Latin American Cold War. Maybe not long enough, judging by the fury over French director Olivier Assayass new film Wasp Network, inspired by the real story of a Cuban spy ring operating in the U.S. in the 1990s. Launched last month on Netflix, after the coronavirus forced the producers to cancel a movie theater debut, the feature film has reignited ideological passions across the Florida Straits. The vociferous right-wing Cuban diaspora in Miami has led a petition drive #RemoveWaspNetwork (18,000 signatures as of July 2) for Netflix to take down the film. Many left-wing enthusiasts, by contrast, have lit up social media with their encomiums to revolution and anti-imperialism. Seen. Heroes. Huge Film, Spains Vice President Pablo Iglesias tweeted July 1. Jose Basulto, the exiled Cuban impresario who inspired one of the scripts homonymous central characters, said hes weighing legal action for alleged calumnies. One of the original snitches, Juan Pablo Roque, who defected by swimming to Guantanamo Bay, called the story shit; the woman he betrothed, hoodwinked and abandoned in Miami wished the picture a quiet death. Not that the island regimes boosters were overjoyed: It was hardly a manifesto for the Cuban cause, sniffed the official government mouthpiece, Granma. In fact, Wasp Network has something to displease just about everyone. In his meandering and often rococo rendering of the tale of the Cuban Five, the Castroite intelligence operatives who infiltrated Miamis rabidly anti-communist Cuban exile community, Assayas (Personal Shopper, Summer Hours) strains not to take sides. Start with the opening story card, which reads like a disclaimer. Cuba has lived under a Communist regime since 1959. It is subjected to a brutal embargo imposed by the United States. This has resulted in tremendous hardship for the population. Many Cubans fled an authoritarian state and settled in Miami where many militant groups fight to free Cuba. Story continues Duplicitous gringo lawmen. Zombie communist apparatchiks. Right-wing zealots and criminals posing as Cuba libre humanitarians. Fidel Castro playing Fidel Castro. Pick your slimeball, this movie has them in all shades of tropical pastel. Assayass painstakingly ecumenical treatment of the messy historical context a hex on all their ideological houses is both the films charm and curse. Its talented cast includes some of the biggest names that appear on the Latin American screen: Penelope Cruz, Edgar Ramirez, Gael Garcia Bernal, Ana de Armas and Wagner Moura. Yet all this star power is dimmed by a tale riven into subplots and diversions from rescuing boat people to running terrorist missions, Cuban double agents trying to game the FBI as it games them, Central American mercenaries fueled by drug money. It might have worked better broken up into a series. Jammed into 128 minutes, what could have been a taut political thriller turns into a pinata of Cold War cliches. For all its ambitious historicizing, this movie works best when it zooms in. While the plot hews to the fate of the spies, the compelling performances come from those they step on in the line of duty and glory. Indeed, the most grievous betrayals are not to flag and country, but to home and family. When Olga Salanueva (played sublimely by Penelope Cruz) learns years later that her fugitive husband Rene Gonzalez (Edgar Ramirez) was not a gusano a traitor after all, but a patriot who abandoned her and their daughter in Cuba as part of a secret mission to infiltrate anti-Castro zealots in Miami, the wave of hurt, relief and outrage that hits her is almost excruciating to watch. And try not to wince as Ana Margarita (Ana de Armas) tumbles masterfully from blissful Miami bride to jilted dupe, discovering from a television newscast that her furtive defector husband Roque (Wagner Moura) has defected back to Havana, and that what he really misses about the U.S. is his Jeep Cherokee. Its telling that the current fury over Wasp Network misses the larger tragedy it exposes. Six decades after the Cuban revolution, Latin America still seems hostage to its cant and stuck in a negative ideological feedback loop. Even as the region faces a deadly pandemic and economic collapse, partisan grievants in leadership positions remain stupidly polarized over yesterdays conceits right-wingers bashing communists without communism, or nostalgic leftists waxing over bygone companeros who captured rents and institutions in the name of revolution. Latin American peoples are going to stand tall again, Argentinas President Alberto Fernandez commiserated last week in a video conference with former Brazilian president and Workers Party icon Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. Both rued the fading Pink Tide of left-wing leaders and vowed a triumphant revanche. We are going to rebuild the Patria Grande (the great fatherland), and we will recover that dignity that we had, Fernandez said. The revolution, however, will not be Zoomed. The Wasp Network doesnt settle any of the woolly Cold War scores it evokes. But when it chooses to focus on the victims of that conflicts overheated slogans and tangled schemes, it produces what passes for a win in these conflicted times. This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners. Mac Margolis is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering Latin and South America. He was a reporter for Newsweek and is the author of The Last New World: The Conquest of the Amazon Frontier. 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. Preface Recently I have taken CS355 (Topics in Cryptography) at Stanford. This was a comprehensive course on advanced crypto topics. Throughout the 3-month course, the instructors covered various topics that span the history of Cryptography, starting from One-way Functions, PRFs all the way to applied cryptosystems such as MPC, Zero-Knowledge, and PIR. This was really a great course to take, and Ive surely learned a lot about modern cryptosystems. In order to strengthen my understanding of these topics, Ive decided to start a series of blog posts that (gently) introduces these cool crypto topics. Ill be summarizing lecture notes and paraphrase them into my own words. Hopefully, it should be an interesting (and not obscure) read that helps you understand these topics as well. For the first series of posts, I want to talk about Fully Homomorphic Encryption (FHE), a fairly hot topic in the security industry. Note that Ill try to make my explanation as simple as possible, but still make sure that you have some security/cryptography context before continuing What is FHE? I shall begin the post with a brief introduction of FHE, or Fully Homomorphic Encryption. According to Wikipedia, the definition of Homomorphic Encryption is: A form of encryption that allows computation on ciphertexts, generating an encrypted result which, when decrypted, matches the result of the operations as if they had been performed on the plaintext. The definition is exactly right - Homomorphic Encryption is simply the encryption scheme where one can combine encrypted ciphertexts and obtain interesting computations on the original plaintext in an encrypted form without knowing the actual encryption key. An Overview of Encryption Schemes If you are familiar with crypto/security materials, you might know a few common encryption schemes such as AES and RSA. Although theres a difference between symmetric and asymmetric encryption schemes, every scheme could be generalized in the following form. graph LR; G((KeyGen)) -.- pk(EncKey) G -.- sk(DecKey) pk --> Encryption sk --> Decryption Plaintext --> Encryption Encryption --> Ciphertext Ciphertext --> Decryption Decryption --> Pt2[Plaintext] From the diagram, we can see the overall composition of an encryption scheme: There is a \(KeyGen\) algorithm that generates the key used for both encrypting and decrypting. Notice that in a symmetric scheme both keys are the same, and in an asymmetric scheme the keys are different. (One is called Public Key and the other is called Private Key) The \(Encryption\) algorithm applies encryption to a given plaintext using the encryption key. Then it produces the ciphertext, which is the encrypted plaintext. The \(Decryption\) algorithm inverts the encryption done on a ciphertext using the decryption key. It restores the ciphertext back to the original plaintext. There it is. It doesnt matter which algorithm we use (AES or RSA or something else), the overall structure is always the same. In Cryptography, we tend to always write about properties of a system after introducing it. Therefore, I should also talk about it for the sake of completeness. First, an encryption needs to have Correctness. This means that applying decryption on a ciphertext that was the result of applying encryption on some plaintext \(pt\), using the keys derived from \(KeyGen\), will always guarantee to result in the same plaintext \(pt\) as before. To capture this relation in the language of probability, we use the following expression: \[\forall pt \in PT, (k_{enc}, k_{dec}) \leftarrow KeyGen(1^\lambda):\\ Pr[Decryption(k_{dec}, Encryption(k_{enc}, pt)) = pt] = 1\] This means that the probability of applying decryption on encrypted ciphertext using the appropriate keys will always result in the exact same plaintext as before. The second property that we want is Semantic Security. Im not going to do the full proof here, but the basic idea is that, given two encrypted ciphertexts \(ct_0, ct_1\) that corresponds to the encryption of \(pt_0, pt_1\), one cannot distinguish which ciphertext is the encryption of \(ct_0\). This basically means that the encrypted ciphertext looks random and doesnt provide any hint to its original plaintext, therefore ensuring that this scheme is secure against eavesdropping. Homomorphic Encryption - an unexpected property If encrypted ciphertexts look just like random garbage to any viewers, does this mean that ciphertexts are totally useless unless the corresponding decryption key is present? Both luckily and unluckily, the answer is NO. Some encryption schemes actually exhibits an amazing property, where if you obtain the encryption of number 1 and number 2, although you have no idea what the original plaintexts are, you can simply add these two ciphertexts together, and obtain the encrypted ciphertext for \(1 + 2 = 3\). This property is called Homomorphism - where the algebraic relationship on plaintexts is also preserved in the ciphertexts. And encryption schemes that exhibits this trait are therefore referred as Homomorphic Encryption. The example we gave above is just an instance of Homomorphic Encryption. Namely, this is an instance of Additively Homomorphic Encryption, where one can freely add ciphertexts together and obtain any linear combination of the original plaintexts, in encrypted form. Of course, there is also Multiplicative Homomorphic Encryption, the counterpart of AHE. In a MHE scheme, one can freely multiply ciphertexts together and obtain any products of the original plaintexts. Pretty interesting right? However, if you think this concept is still a bit vague, allow me to provide an example. Example: Anonymous Polling We all know how polling works - for example, when a group of people want to vote on something (say whether they want to order Japanese for lunch), they could start a poll. In the poll process, everyone will submit their choice of either going (1) or not going (0) to the host. Then the host simply adds everyones share together, and compares whether this final result is larger than \(1/2\) of the population. However, the problem with this scheme is that the polling process is not anonymous. This means that anyone who can see the data traffic will know who likes and dislikes Japanese food - just by looking at everyones shares. We can convert this protocol into an anonymous one easily with the help of Additively Homomorphic Encryption. First, the host will run the \(KeyGen\) algorithm that generates a pair of encryption key \(pk\) and decryption key \(sk\). (Here, we are using an asymmetric encryption scheme.) Then the host distributes the encryption key \(pk\) to the public. Now the polling begins. Every participant will encrypt their choice (either 1 or 0) under the encryption key \(pk\) using the \(Encryption\) algorithm. Then they will all send their ciphertexts to the host. \[ct_i = Encryption(pk, pt_i):pt_i \in \{0,1\}\] The host adds up all the encrypted ciphertexts and forms one ciphertext \(\hat{ct}\). Finally the host then runs the decryption algorithm on the ciphertext and obtain the result of the poll. \[Decryption(sk, \sum_i ct_i) = \sum_i pt_i\] This might not do the full justice to the true power of HE. But this should be a solid example where HE allows us to do some kind of Secure Delegated Computation - meaning that we can delegate some third party to compute on secret inputs we have by encrypting our inputs using HE schemes. The third party then applies whatever computation directly on the ciphertext and obtains the result ciphertext that is the encryption of the computation result. Finally we can decrypt that ciphertext and receive the result. Levels of Homomorphic Encryption We should be pretty comfortable with what HE is, and what kind of application it enables us to do. Now, I want to briefly go over different levels (or stages) of HE that will eventually lead us to Fully Homomorphic Encryption. Partially Homomorphic Encryption This is the very first stage of HE. If there exists an encryption scheme that is partially homomorphic, this means that this scheme is either additively homomorphic or multiplicatively homomorphic. In other words, lets say that in the Delegated Computation example, we would like the remote server to compute some functionality \(F\). If the HE scheme we choose is only partially homomorphic (for example, additively homomorphic), it means that the only thing we can do to the ciphertexts is to obtain an encrypted linear combination of the plaintexts. Therefore, if we have inputs \(ct_0, ct_1\) that corresponds to \(pt_0, pt_1\), this HE scheme allows us to compute \(Enc(pk, c_0 \cdot pt_0 + c_1 \cdot pt_1)\) where \(c_0, c_1\) are some constants. However, with this scheme it is not possible to compute the product of the two plaintexts \(Enc(pk, pt_0 \cdot pt_1)\) or anything like that. To summarize, if the HE scheme is just additively homomorphic, then the functionality \(F\) that the third party can compute is limited to all the functions where their outputs can be expressed as linear combinations of all the inputs. This is exactly the same for schemes that are only multiplicatively homomorphic - the functionality \(F\) then will be limited to all functions where their outputs can be expressed as products of their inputs. Somewhat Homomorphic Encryption This next category brings us closer to our ideal world. If we say that an HE scheme is somewhat homomorphic, this means that the HE scheme is capable of doing both addition and multiplication to the original plaintexts but its capability is heavily limited. A typical HE scheme example would be - lets say that there is a somewhat homomorphic HE scheme where you can perform unlimited additions but only one level of multiplication to the ciphertext. In such scheme, given \(ct_0, ..., ct_2\), we can obtain something like \(Enc(pk, c_0 \cdot pt_0 \cdot pt_1 + pt_2)\), but we cannot go any further to get something like \(Enc(pk, c_0 \cdot pt_0 \cdot pt_1 \cdot pt_2)\). To summarize again, in a somewhat homomorphic scheme, the functionality \(F\) is limited to all functions where their outputs can be expressed as linear combinations of plaintexts and one-round products. Leveled Fully Homomorphic Encryption Now we are getting even closer. If there exists an HE scheme in this category, then we are able to obtain both additions and multiplications to the plaintexts freely. There wouldnt be any limits on how we combine ciphertexts together. However, the fact that this category is called leveled is because it introduces an upper complexity limite \(L\) to the functionality \(F\). If the functionality \(F\) can be expressed in a boolean circuit \(C\) such that \(\mid C \mid \le L\) (the depth of the circuit is lower than the bound \(L\)), then it can be evaluated in the leveled FHE scheme. A good way to understand a leveled scheme is to think about that the HE addition and multiplication operations inevitably introduces some noise into the ciphertext. The noise level increases as the functionality \(F\)s boolean circuit goes deeper. When \(F\)s complexity approaches \(L\), eventually the noise blows up and destroys the obsersable state of the ciphertext and we can no longer recover the original plaintext from the ciphertext anymore. Fully Homomorphic Encryption Finally, we arrived at our ultimate goal and the last category - FHE. In a FHE scheme, we can do arbitrary computation to the plaintexts by manipulating the ciphertexts. Theres no complexity requirements on the functionality \(F\). Also, a FHE scheme will always gate the ciphertext noise at a manageable threshold so it doesnt blow up and destroy its observable state. At this stage, we can truly enable Secure Delegated Computing. If we can find efficient and practical FHE schemes, then we can basically securely offload all of our computations to remote servers without compromising a single bit of data! Before we switch gears, lets give a formal definition of a FHE scheme. The syntax of a proper FHE scheme should have four essential algorithms: \(KeyGen(1^\lambda) \rightarrow sk\): This is the key generation algorithm that produces the secret key. (This might vary depending on if its symmetric/asymmetric.) \(Enc(sk, \mu \in \{0, 1\}) \rightarrow ct\): This is the bit-wise encryption algorithm that encrypts a single bit into some ciphertext. \(Dec(sk, ct) \rightarrow \mu\): This is the decryption algorithm that recovers the bit \(\mu\) from the ciphertext. \(Eval(F, ct_1, ..., ct_l) \rightarrow \hat{ct}\): This is the evaluation algorithm that combines \(l\) ciphertexts together to obtain an encrypted representation of the evaluation of functionality \(F\) under the original \(l\) plaintexts. Here the functionality \(F\) is represented by a boolean circuit on \(l\) inputs. Aside from the Correctness and Semantic Security properties that every encryption scheme needs to have, we need one more property here: Compactness. To be exact, the FHE scheme needs to satisfy: \[\forall F, sk, ct_i \leftarrow Enc(sk, \mu_i):\\ \mid Eval(F, ct_1, ..., ct_l) \mid = poly(\lambda)\] In other words, the size of the output from the evaluation algorithm needs to be independent from the complexity of the functionality \(F\). Why is this property important? In fact, without this property, I can claim that there exists a super trivial construction of a perfectly valid FHE scheme. This construction operates as the following: The \(KeyGen, Enc\) algorithms work the same as before. When we want to evaluate a set of ciphertexts on functionality \(F\), the \(Eval\) algorithm will simply output ciphertext \(\hat{ct} = (F, ct_1, ..., ct_i)\). Notice that we dont restrict the output size here, so this size can just be as large as the input plus the description of the functionality \(F\). Finally, when we want to decrypt the result ciphertext \(\hat{ct}\), the decryption algorithm \(Dec\) simply reads the description of the functionality \(F\), decrypts all the following ciphertexts one-by-one, and then apply \(F\) on the decrypted plaintexts. Now you should get the idea - if we dont restrict the output size of the \(Eval\) algorithm, then this scheme can basically just cheat by not doing any FHE computation at all. All it needs to do is to keep appending the description of the functionality \(F\) into the ciphertext and let whoever decrypts the ciphertext do all the work. History of FHE Before we proceed further into the theoretical land, Id say lets review the brief history of FHE together :) The concept of FHE was proposed back in the late 70s. In 1978, Rivest, Adleman, and Dertouzos together proposed a scheme that enables secret evaluations of plaintexts by manipulating only the ciphertext without knowing the decryption key - basically FHE! Also, this was only two years after Diffie-Hellman public key exchange was proposed in 1976. After this idea was proposed, the whole academia and industry started searching for the ideal candidate that has this amazing property. Unfortunately, people couldnt find a worthy scheme that both satisfies the FHE requirement and is unbroken by cryptanalysis attacks. It was until 2009 when Craig Gentry (a PhD at Stanford) made a major breakthrough on FHE. In his PhD thesis, he gave the first construction of a valid FHE scheme based on the assumption of ideal lattices. In this thesis, he also introduced this novel idea of bootstrapping. With this bootstrapping trick, he was able to turn a leveled FHE scheme into a complete FHE scheme. The essence of this trick is to use some black magic to somehow refresh and ameliorate the noise level of a noisy ciphertext so the noise never blows up when computing arbitrarily-complex functionality \(F\). We will come back to this in upcoming posts. After Gentrys discovery, the whole industry started the second round of massive search for ideal FHE candidates. In 2011, Brakerski, Vaikuntanathan proposed a new FHE scheme - a scheme that is based on a lattice-based crypto assumption called Learning With Errors (LWE). Later, Brakerski, Gentry, Vaikuntanathan concluded this work by formally proposing the BGV FHE scheme. This scheme is a leveled FHE scheme and is based on better lattice assumptions compared to Gentry 09. Commonly, we refer to the BGV scheme as the 2nd Generation FHE scheme. Later in 2013, Gentry strikes back again! Gentry, Sahai, Waters together proposed the 3rd Generation FHE scheme - the GSW scheme. The GSW scheme is again based on the LWE lattice crypto assumption (but slightly better) and uses bootstrapping to make itself a truly FHE scheme (capable of evaluating any arbitrary-sized functionality \(F\)). After 2013, there are a lot more follow up works in the industry to further improve the BGV and the GSW schemes to make them more practical. IBM worked on the HElib project which is an open-source FHE library thats based on the BGV scheme. Another group developed the TFHE project which is derived from the GSW scheme. Both projects are actively maintained and optimized for performance and practicality. There are also a few attempts to accelerate FHE schemes using hardware. Projects such as cuFHE aim to speed up FHE evaluations using CUDA-based GPU. There are also attempts to move this onto FPGA and ASIC chips to further boost its performance. And here we are today - standing on top of a well-paved road that are built by avant-gardes in this field. The major focus today is still about performance. With the state-of-the-art technologies, we are still looking at the unit of seconds when evaluating useful functionalities on a moderately-rigged machine. Worth-Mentioning Attempts at FHE Before we continue explaining how Gentrys FHE schemes work, I think itll be fun to go over some worth-mentioning attempts at build a FHE scheme. RSA: Multiplicative HE The very first candidate that exhibits some HE properties is RSA. If you know about RSA already, feel free to skip this intro section! But if not, allow me to briefly summarize this algorithm in a few sentences. RSA works by exponentiating a message in a cyclic finite field (or a group). It can be broken down into a few steps: First, fix a large number \(N = p \cdot q\) where \(p, q\) are large primes. Then, find a pair of numbers \(e, d\) such that \(e \cdot d = 1 \text{ mod } \Phi(N)\). Here, \(\Phi(\cdot)\) is the Euler totient function and \(\Phi(N) = (p-1)(q-1)\). Set \((N, e)\) to be the public key, and \((N, d)\) to be the private key. When encrypting a message \(m\), simply compute \(Enc(pk, m) \rightarrow m^e \text{ mod } N\). When decrypting a ciphertext \(c\), simply compute \(Dec(pk, c) \rightarrow c^d \text{ mod } N\). The correctness of this scheme is assured by the fact that \((m^e)^d = m \text{ mod } N\). Since the encryption of RSA is simply just exponentiation, we can immediate see some HE properties here. Assume that we have the encryption of message \(m_0, m_1\) which is \(c_0, c_1\). We can easily see that: \[\hat{c} = c_0 \cdot c_1 = m_0^e \cdot m_1^e = (m_0 \cdot m_1)^e\] By simply multiplying two ciphertexts together, we just obtained the encryption of the product of the original plaintexts. Indeed, we can tell that RSA is Multiplicative HE. However, we couldnt find additive HE properties within RSA. Therefore RSA is a Partially HE algorithm. Cyclic Group ElGamal: Additive HE The second candidate that people tried was the ElGamal encryption scheme over cyclic groups. There are a few well-known cyclic groups such as the Integer Finite Field and the Elliptical Curve Group. However, we dont need to understand these groups are actually implemented in detail. All we need to know is that theres a group \(\mathbb{G}\) that contains a set of elements. Inside of that group there is a generator \(g \in \mathbb{G}\) where its exponentiation results in every single element of \(\mathbb{G}\). If that still sounds a bit fuzzy, just try to think that every element \(h \in \mathbb{G}\) can be expressed as the generator raised to some exponent \(x\): \[h = g^x \in \mathbb{G}\] ElGamal Encryption is an encryption scheme that works on top of generic cyclic groups. It works as the following: First, sample a random element integer \(\alpha\) that is less than the size of \(\mathbb{G}\), and set it to be the private key. We set \(g^\alpha \in \mathbb{G}\) to be the public key. When we want to encrypt a message \(m\), we will first sample a random integer \(\beta\), and then we will output ciphertext \(ct = (v = g^\beta, e = pk^\beta \cdot g^m)\). Later, when we want to decrypt this ciphertext \((v, e)\), we will first compute \(w \leftarrow v^\alpha = g^{\alpha \beta} = pk^\beta\). Finally, we can obtain the message \(m \leftarrow log_g(e/w)\). For the sake of simplicity, Ill omit the properties and the proofs here. If we look at this encryption scheme, its not hard to spot out its HE property. Lets say we have an encryption of \(m_0, m_1\) which is \((v_0 = g^{\beta_0}, e_0 = pk^{\beta_0} \cdot g^m_0), (v_1 = g^{\beta_1}, e_1 = pk^{\beta_1} \cdot g^m_1)\). Notice that we can multiply the ciphertexts together: \[\hat{v} = v_0 \cdot v_1 = g^{\beta_0 + \beta_1}\\ \hat{e} = e_0 \cdot e_1 = pk^{\beta_0 + \beta_1} \cdot g^{m_0 + m_1}\] Then we can obtain a pair \((\hat{v}, \hat{e})\) which is the encryption of the of \(m_0 + m_1\). We can tell that ElGamal is Additive HE. We havent made much progress in finding the its multiplicative counterpart just by using normal properties of a cyclic group. Therefore, this scheme still lies in the Partially HE realm. However, it is possible to get some multiplicative HE, if we assume some non-standard properties. Lets take a look at it closely in the next section. Pairing-based Crypto: Somewhat HE After people discovered how crypto based on groups (especially Elliptic Curve Crypto) work, cryptographers went through an extensive research for plausible schemes in thie realm. Around 20 years ago, Pairings became a fairly hot topic. So what is a pairing? Actually, pairing is just a special operation that can be done between group elements. Consider we have two group elements \(g^a, g^b \in \mathbb{G}\). By applying the pairing operation \(e(\cdot, \cdot)\), we can obtain a new group element \(g_T^{ab} \in \mathbb{G}_T\). \[e(g^a \in \mathbb{G}, g^b \in \mathbb{G}) = g_T^{ab} \in \mathbb{G}_T\] Notice that the result of the pairing operation is a group element with exponent \(a \cdot b\) but in a new group \(\mathbb{G}_T\). This property allows us to compute the product of two unknown exponents \(a\) and \(b\) and can be useful to do many things. For example, if we want to see whether \(r = a \cdot b\) given \(g^r, g^a, g^b\), then we can essentially check this equality using pairings: \[e(g^a, g^b) \stackrel{?}{=} e(g^r, g) \iff g_T^{ab} \stackrel{?}{=} g_T^r\] There are many more powerful applications of the pairing operation, such as the BLS Signature Scheme. But here we will focus on the homomorphic properties of groups that allows this pairing operation. From the previous section, we already know that ElGamal based on cyclic groups exhibits the Additive HE property. Here, with the help of pairings, it takes us further - allowing us to compute multiplications of group element exponents. With the help of pairings, we are capable of computing both addition and multiplication of the exponents in the cyclic group. However, this scheme is still not FHE. In fact, it falls in the category of Somewhat HE. The reason behind this is that the pairing operation is very limited and will only work in some groups. Lets say that we find a group \(\mathbb{G}\) that we can do both ElGamal and pairings, it does not guarantee that the target group \(\mathbb{G}_T\) that the pairing operation takes us to also has a valid pairing operation. Therefore, the functionality \(F\) that this scheme allows us to homomorphically compute consists of boolean circuits that can be represented by arbitrary additions plus a few multiplications. The number of multiplications allowed in the scheme depends on the actual group \(\mathbb{G}\) that we select to begin with. MPC-based HE The last worthy attempt that I wanted to mention is MPC-based HE. MPC, or Secure Multi-Party Computation, stands for a genre of problems in Cryptography where we have a group of (possibly malicious) parties, each holding their own private input \(x_i\), and together they wish to evaluate some functionality \(F\), and obtain \(F(x_1, ..., x_n)\). The requirements of MPC is that all the parties do not want to reveal their private input to anyone, therefore every party in the end should only obtain the evaluation result of the functionality \(F\), and nothing else. MPC is actually a well-studies problem already. Starting in the last century where Andrew Yao proposed his famous Garbled Circuits approach that leverages the powerful protocol called Oblivious Transfer. After that this field blossomed with a wide set of frameworks that allows multiple parties to compute arbitrary functionalities with a fairly practical complexity. Therefore, we can easily solve the FHE problem with any MPC protocol. All we need to do is to have the user with private input be one party of the protocol, and the delegated server to be the other party. The user has its private input \(pt_i\), and the server has its private functionality \(F\). Assume that the MPC protocol does what it says, then in the end the user can receive its result, and the server receives nothing. Although the FHE problem sounds kind of trivial in the presence of MPC, but theres a critical issue with this approach - Since MPC requires interaction between the participating parties, the user has to remain online during the process of the protocol. This kinds of defies the purpose of FHE, because we would want the user to offload computation to a third party, not participate in a computation with it. Therefore, solving the FHE problem while keeping the users computation low still remains as a valid and open problem! Up Next: The GSW FHE Scheme I think we should all have a pretty solid understanding of what FHE is at this moment. In this series of posts, Ill be going over the full details of the GSW FHE scheme, since its easiest to understand and makes the most convenient set of assumptions. (Also this was the scheme they taught in class :P) Since this post is probably already long enough, I will stop writing here. In the next post, Ill start to go over the fundamental concepts that help us understand how GSW works. Namely Ill be talking about what Learning With Errors is and how Lattice-based Crypto works. Credits Most content of this post were summarized from my notes for CS355. You can locate all the awesome lecture notes from CS355 here. Thanks again to Dima, Florian, and Saba for teaching this amazing course! July 3 (Reuters) - The following are the top stories on the business pages of British newspapers. Reuters has not verified these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy. The Times - Britain's Casual Dining Group said that 91 of its 250 restaurants had been closed with immediate effect after the appointment of administrators from Alix Partners. https://bit.ly/2D5OArR - Britain is in talks with a 185 billion pound ($230.60 billion) United Arab Emirates sovereign wealth fund about investing millions into a British offer for Oneweb, the bankrupt satellite operator. https://bit.ly/2D7WUHH The Guardian - Britain has provided an emergency loan to the British arm of Celsa Steel in the first taxpayer-funded bailout under its "Project Birch" scheme for firms struggling during the coronavirus crisis. https://bit.ly/2ZBeOKc - UK's Luton airport is to make up to 250 staff redundant in the latest jobs cull in the aviation sector. https://bit.ly/2ZunUIR The Telegraph - British retailer Marks and Spencer Group Plc has revamped its Sparks loyalty scheme allowing seven million users to shop "for free" after the scheme was criticised for being too confusing. https://bit.ly/3ik0BtT - Germany's top financial regulator branded the accounting scandal at Wirecard AG a "massive criminal act" as the country's authorities face a backlash over their failure to prevent the payments firm's spectacular collapse. https://bit.ly/3gpmJkP Sky News - IT consulting firm Accenture Plc is to cut up to 900 UK jobs, blaming "additional strain" on the business caused by the coronavirus crisis. https://bit.ly/31GbkbV - Italian restaurant chain Prezzo has begun exploring a sale as it seeks new backers to enable it to survive the coronavirus crisis. https://bit.ly/2ZBgtiU ($1 = 0.8022 pounds) (Compiled by Bengaluru newsroom) NEW YORK, July 03, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Pomerantz LLP is investigating claims on behalf of investors of The GEO Group, Inc. (GEO Group or the Company) (GEO). Such investors are advised to contact Robert S. Willoughby at rswilloughby@pomlaw.com or 888-476-6529, ext. 7980. The investigation concerns whether GEO Group and certain of its officers and/or directors have engaged in securities fraud or other unlawful business practices. [Click here for information about joining the class action] On June 17, 2020, The Intercept published an article entitled GEO Groups Blundering Response to the Pandemic Helped Spread Coronavirus in Halfway Houses. The article reported details of a significant COVID-19 outbreak at the Grossman Center, a halfway house in Leavenworth, Kansas operated by GEO Groupwhich was for weeks the hardest hit federal halfway house in the country in terms of confirmed cases of COVID-19. Citing interviews with residents of the Grossman Center, The Intercept characterized GEO Groups response as blundering and reported, that the virus spread not in spite of the facilitys efforts to contain it, but because of it. According to the article, the Grossman Center continued to keep its residents in overcrowded conditions without enforcing personal protective measures even as COVID-19 diagnoses at the facility increased. On this news, GEO Groups stock price fell $1.03 per share, or 7.8%, to close at $12.17 per share on June 17, 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. AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - Royal Dutch Shell is not ruling out moving its headquarters from the Netherlands to Britain, the oil company's chief executive Ben van Beurden said in a Dutch newspaper interview published on Saturday. Anglo-Dutch consumer products giant Unilever said last month it plans to ditch its dual Anglo-Dutch legal structure and create a single entity in Britain. Van Beurden did not explicitly say Shell wants to move its headquarters, het Financieele Dagblad said. "You always need to keep thinking," Shell's Van Beurden told the newspaper. "Nothing is permanent and of course we will look at the business climate. But moving your headquarters is not a trivial measure. You cannot think too lightly about that." A Shell spokesman confirmed the CEO's comments to Reuters and said the company was looking at ways to simplify its dual structure, as it had been doing for many years. Shell has a complex Anglo-Dutch holding structure with a tax residency and headquarters in the Netherlands and a registered office in Britain. Unilever's decision to move followed the scrapping in 2018 of a plan by Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte to do away with a 15% dividend withholding tax. Shells corporate structure features the parent company headquarters in The Hague but two share classes and other arrangements to prevent the Dutch government from levying withholding tax on dividends paid to shareholders of its former British arm. The arrangement has come under renewed scrutiny after the Dutch government tried to scrap the dividend tax as an incentive to convince Unilever to unify its dual structure in Rotterdam. Rutte abandoned the plan after a popular outcry over the tax cut, which was seen as a gift to rich foreigners. Shell has consistently lobbied against the dividend tax, which it says makes financing dividends, share buy-backs and acquisitions more difficult. (Reporting by Anthony Deutsch; Editing by Alexander Smith) In-depth Analysis and Data-driven Insights on the Impact of COVID-19 Included in this Singapore Data Center Market Report. Singapore data center market size to grow at a CAGR of over 4% during the period 2020?2025. New York, July 03, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Reportlinker.com announces the release of the report "Singapore Data Center Market - Investment Analysis and Growth Opportunities 2020-2025" - https://www.reportlinker.com/p05918014/?utm_source=GNW ST Telemedia Global Data Centre (STT GDC), Global Switch, Facebook, Google, Equinix, China Mobile International, and Digital Realty are some of the prominent investors in the market. The public cloud market in Singapore is estimated to reach $2.5 billion in 2025. The digital economy is aiding in the growth of the countrys GDP by around 0.5% on an annual basis, with an estimated contribution of around $8 billion to the GDP by 2020. Singapore is one of the mature data center markets in APAC. The continuous investment by AirTrunk, Digital Reality, ST Telemedia, and Kepple is like to contribute to the incremental growth and revenues till 2025. In terms of the colocation market, Equinix and ST Telemedia add to 35%-40% Singapore data center market share in 2019. Singapore is likely to remain as a major connectivity hub in the APAC region with global cloud service providers continue to expand their presence in the country. Singapore is the fastest growing center for analytics innovations, contributing around 45% of the revenues in 2019. Several measures have been taken by the government to develop the overall digital economy and reach the goal of becoming a Smart Nation. In 2019, Singapore government launched the National AI Strategy to address challenges that affect the society. The growth in IoT and 5G network will generate the demand for edge computing data centers in the country. The report considers the present scenario of the Singapore data center market and its dynamics for the forecast period 2020?2025. It covers a detailed overview of several growth enablers, restraints, and trends in the market. The study includes the demand and supply aspect of the data center market. KEY DELIVERABLE An assessment of the data center investment in the market by colocation, hyperscale, and enterprise operators Exhaustive insights of the impact of the COVID-19 on the Singapore data center market Investments in terms of area (square feet) and power capacity (MW) in major cities in the country Data center colocation market in Singapore Retail & wholesale colocation Pricing in Singapore A detailed study of the existing market landscape, an in-depth industry analysis, and insightful predictions about the size of the Singapore data center market during the forecast period Classification of the Singapore data center market into multiple segments and sub-segments with sizing and forecast A comprehensive analysis of the latest trends, potential opportunities, and growth restraints, and prospects for the market Presence of prominent investors, construction contractors, and infrastructure vendors A transparent market research methodology and the analysis of the demand and supply aspect of the market KEY HIGHLIGHTS OF THE REPORT: The Singapore market is expected to observe the demand for both diesel generator and DRUPS systems in data centers. The increased investment in facilities will be a strong driver for server infrastructure adoption in Singapore. The adoption of all-flash and hybrid arrays will grow, especially in cloud data center deployments, as the price of SSD is expected to decline during the forecast period. A majority of facilities build in Singapore install chiller units, cooling towers, and CRAH systems. The Singapore data center market share for rack units with a size of 47U52U is likely to witness growth during the forecast period with the growth in hyperscale facilities. An increase in brownfield projects will be a strong revenue stream for local architectural firms. REPORT COVERAGE: This report offers an elaborative analysis of the Singapore data center market investments in terms of infrastructure and geography. It discusses sizing and estimation for different segments with respect to the investment in data centers. The segmentation includes: Infrastructure Type o IT Infrastructure o Electrical Infrastructure o Mechanical Infrastructure IT Infrastructure o Server o Storage o Network Electrical Infrastructure o Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) o Generators o Transfer Switches and Switchgears o Other Electrical Infrastructure Mechanical Infrastructure o Cooling Systems CRAC & CRAH Units Chiller Units Cooling Towers & Dry Coolers Economizers and Evaporative Coolers Other Units o Racks o Other Mechanical Infrastructure General Construction o Building Development o Installation & Commissioning Services o Building Design o Physical Security o DCIM Tier Segments o Tier I & Tier II o Tier III o Tier IV Key Market Participants IT Infrastructure Providers Arista Broadcom Cisco Dell Technologies Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) Huawei IBM Lenovo Inspur Mitac Holding NetApp Quanta Computer Wiwynn Construction Service Providers Aurecon Exyte Fortis Construction ARUP DSCO Group AWP Architects Hurley Palmer Flatt Gammon Construction ACME Associates Faithful+Goulds CUNDALL Support Infrastructure Providers ABB Caterpillar Cummins EATON HITEC Power Protection KOHLER KINOLT Legrand Mitsubishi Electric MTU Onsite Energy Rittal Schneider Electric Vertiv Data Center Investors Equinix AirTrunk China Mobile International Digital Realty Equinix Facebook Global Switch Google Iron Mountain Kepple Data Centres ST Telemedia Global Data Centers (STT GDC) TARGET AUDIENCE: o Datacenter Real Estate Investment Trusts (REIT) o Datacenter Construction Contractors o Datacenter Infrastructure Providers o New Entrants o Consultants/Consultancies/Advisory Firms o Corporate and Governments Agencies WHY PURCHASE THIS REPORT? o To gain competitive intelligence about the industry and players in the market. o To focus on the niche market. o To offer a presentation-ready format and easy-to-interpret data. o To enable decision-makers to make informed and profitable choices. o To provide the expert quantitative and qualitative analysis on the revenue and growth projections of the data center market. Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p05918014/?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 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 <7201.T> 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 <7211.T> 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. Story continues 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) FILE PHOTO: Smoke is seen coming out of a chimney at the Tata steel plant in Ijmuiden AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - 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. (Reporting by Bart Meijer; Editing by Edmund Blair and Susan Fenton) Turkey Trial Ghosn A police officer gives instructions to people to observe social distancing, as people walk outside a court in Istanbul, Friday, July 3, 2020, where the trial began for defendants accused of smuggling former Nissan Motor Co. chairman Carlos Ghosn out of Japan. A private airline official, four pilots and two flights attendants are on trial in Istanbul, accused of smuggling former Nissan Motor Co. chairman Carlos Ghosn out of Japan to Lebanon, via Turkey. Turkish prosecutors are seeking up to eight years in prison each for the four pilots and the airline official on charges of illegally smuggling a migrant, for helping Ghosn escape to Lebanon while he awaited trial in Japan. (AP Photo/Mehmet Guzel) ISTANBUL (AP) A Turkish court on Friday released four pilots and a private airline official from jail, pending the outcome of their trial on charges of smuggling former Nissan Motor Co. chairman Carlos Ghosn out of Japan to Lebanon, via Turkey. The court, however, barred the five from leaving Turkey and ordered them to report to authorities at regular intervals. The five are on trial in Istanbul, along with two flight attendants, for allegedly aiding Ghosn to flee while awaiting trial in Japan. Turkish prosecutors are seeking up to eight years in prison each for the four pilots and the airline official on charges of illegally smuggling a migrant. The two flight attendants, who were not under custody, face a one-year prison term each if convicted of not reporting a crime. Ghosn, who was arrested over financial misconduct allegations in Tokyo in 2018, skipped bail while awaiting trial late last year. He was flown from Osaka to Istanbul and was then transferred onto another plane bound for Beirut, where he arrived Dec. 30. He is believed to have been smuggled inside a large box. In the first hearing of their trial, the pilots and flight attendants denied involvement in the plans to smuggle Ghosn or of knowing that Ghosn was aboard the flights. The airline official, Okan Kosemen, claimed he was made aware that Ghosn was on board the flight from Osaka to Istanbul after the plane landed. He admitted helping smuggle Ghosn onto the second, Beirut-bound plane out of fear for the safety of his family. Kosemen said that a business associate named, Nicolas Mezsaroz, who organized the flights called him through a messaging app to say that the Nissan CEO was on board the plane from Osaka. I was surprised, there were two passengers on the manifest, but there were three passengers," Anadolu quoted Kosemen as telling court. Nicolas said: we put him in the music box and took him out (of Japan)." Kosemen said he told Mezsaroz that he didn't want to be a partner to such a thing." Story continues I became a nervous wreck," Kosemen went on to say, according to Anadolu. He told me that he knew where my wife worked and the name of my child's nursery school." The airline official said that in Istanbul, he took Ghosn to the second plane and accompanied him to Beirut. The Turkish airline company MNG Jet said in January that two of its planes were used illegally in Ghosns escape, first flying him from Osaka, Japan, to Istanbul, and then on to Beirut. The company said at the time that its employee had admitted to falsifying flight records so that Ghosns name didn't appear on them. The indictment against the defendants states that Ghosn is believed to have been smuggled inside a foam-covered music box large enough to carry a person. It notes a 216,000-euro and $66,000 increase in the airline officials bank accounts between Oct. 16 and Dec. 26, 2019. During his testimony, Kosemen denied receiving payment for Ghosn's escape. Asked about the increase in his bank accounts, Kosemen said they were from tips or bonuses he received for his work. It has nothing to do with this incident," he said. Meanwhile, Pilot Bahri Kutlu Somek told the court that he didn't suspect that anyone could be hiding in the box. We have carried a variety of things in the past. I was not suspicious," Anadolu quoted him as saying. Separately, a former U.S. Green Beret and his son were also arrested in the United States on charges that they helped smuggle Ghosn out of Japan. Ghosn, who has Lebanese citizenship, said he fled because he couldn't expect a fair trial in Japan. Lebanon has no extradition treaty with Japan. __ Suzan Fraser reported from Ankara. By Andrea Mandala and Valentina Za MILAN (Reuters) - UBI Banca on Friday rejected a takeover bid by rival Intesa Sanpaolo as inadequate and risky for its shareholders, while pledging to boost dividends despite cutting profit forecasts. Intesa is due to launch an all-paper offer on Monday to buy UBI and drive earnings through cost cuts at a time when the COVID-19 pandemic is set to erode already feeble returns in the banking industry. UBI CEO Victor Massiah vowed to speed up the search for an alternative, friendly M&A option if UBI remained independent. Intesa is offering 1.7 new Intesa shares for each UBI share, a ratio which UBI's board said would penalise its shareholders versus Intesa's current investors. Italy's second biggest bank made its takeover proposal in February, potentially kicking off long-awaited Italian bank consolidation. "By not including a cash component, the offer leaves UBI shareholders exposed to the risks that the transaction's strategic goals may not be reached," UBI said. It added such goals were uncertain given a lack of detail and the fact that asset disposals in the past have helped Intesa sustain its generous dividend policy. Intesa CEO Carlo Messina said in a note the decision was in the hands of UBI shareholders, adding that some of them were already supporting a merger that would help the local economy. Intesa is betting on the prospect of higher returns winning over investors and most analysts recommend that UBI shareholders should tender their stock. UBI shares trade in line with the exchange ratio, indicating the market expects the deal to go through. But a group of local UBI shareholders oppose the bid, which may limit take-up and make it harder for Intesa to succeed. The offer is valid if accepted by 50% of UBI's capital plus one share. A 66.7% take-up would ensure control of extraordinary shareholder resolutions regardless of attendance. Story continues UBI says the deal only aims to take out a competitor and would create an "anomaly" in Europe by giving Intesa a dominant domestic position not seen in other countries. Before rejecting the offer, UBI on Friday updated a three-year business plan originally released on Feb. 17, just hours before Intesa announced the bid and a few days before coronavirus contagion hit Italy. UBI cut its 2022 net profit estimate to 562 million euros ($632 mln), from 665 million, after raising estimated loan losses under the plan by more than 700 million euros due to COVID-19. To respond to Intesa's offer of higher payouts, UBI said asset sales could help it to distribute to shareholders around 840 million euros in excess capital while keeping its CET1 ratio above 12.5%. "We have hidden treasures on our balance sheet," Massiah said. Following in the footsteps of Intesa, which this week closed the sale of its retailers' payments business, UBI said it expected to raise 350 million euros with a similar disposal. Also replicating Intesa's successful business model focused on wealth management and insurance, UBI said it would boost its in-house insurance business by buying 100% of the Aviva Vita "bancassurance" joint-venture if it stayed independent. (Writing by Valentina Za; Editing by James Mackenzie and Jane Merriman) In-depth Analysis and Data-driven Insights on the Impact of COVID-19 Included in this U. S. Data Center Power Market Report. The US data center power market share is expected to grow at a CAGR of over 3% during the period 20192025. New York, July 03, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Reportlinker.com announces the release of the report "Data Center Power Market in US- Industry Outlook and Forecast 2020-2025" - https://www.reportlinker.com/p05373413/?utm_source=GNW South Eastern U.S. is one of the major contributors to the U.S. data center power market. With a power capacity share of over 40%, the region attracted high initial investments, especially Virginia, which witnessed over $1 billion in 2019. States such as Virginia, Arizona, Illinois, Nevada, California, Texas, Ohio, Tennessee, Iowa, and North Carolina have received significant investments in recent years. Colocation providers are the major investors, accounting over 50% share, with enterprises, hyperscale operators, and government entities contributing to the rest of the investments. North America is likely to dominate the global data center power market with over 50 hyperscale development projects to be operational in the United States and Canada in the coming years. The U.S. market is likely to experience a rise in edge data center computing to deliver services with low latency and high efficiency. There is a significant rise in the number of data centers that run blockchain and cryptocurrency workloads across the U.S. market. These blockchain and cryptocurrency facilities consuming hundreds of megawatts of capacity. This is likely to boost the U.S. power market growth during the forecast period. The following factors are likely to contribute to the growth of the US data center power market during the forecast period: Increasing Procurement of Renewable Energy Emergence of Nickel-Zinc & Prussian Blue Sodium-ion Battery UPS Systems Use of Fuel Cells in Data Centers Adoption of DC UPS Systems to Reduce Power Loss The study considers the present scenario of the US data center power market and its market dynamics for the period 2019?2025. It covers a detailed overview of several market growth enablers, restraints, and trends. The report offers both the demand and supply aspect of the market. It profiles and examines leading companies and other prominent ones operating in the market. U.S. DATA CENTER POWER MARKET SEGMENTATION This research report includes a detailed segmentation by power infrastructure, UPS systems, generators, tier standards, and geography. The adoption of lithium-ion batteries is growing significantly during the forecast period as their price will continue to decline. Since most vendors are offering lithium-ion based UPS systems, the market is likely to become highly competitive during the forecast period. The U.S. generator market will continue to grow because of the construction of large and mega facilities. However, with growing concerns over carbon emissions, the use of diesel generators is expected to decline, thereby providing growth opportunities to natural gas generators. The growing complexity of data center infrastructure is propelling the growth of automated switchgear technology. With the increased construction of data centers across the country, the market for transfer switches and switchgears is also expected to grow during the forecast period. The adoption of rack PDUs supporting up to 20 kW will increase with the use of high-performance computing infrastructure in the United States. Most data centers have a minimum of N+1 power redundancy configuration in their UPS systems in the South-Western U.S. A prominent vendor in the region procured UPS with Eco Mode designed flexibility to support up to 2N+1 redundant configuration. Several facilities in the Mid-western region are equipped with dedicated UPS systems with minimum N+1 power redundancy. Most UPS systems in the Western US are installed with a capacity of 500750 kVA. Data centers facilities with below 10 MW of power capacity will commonly comprise 500 kVA of capacity per unit, whereas there are facilities with a power capacity above 10 MW that will comprise up to over 750 kVA UPS units in the North Eastern U.S. The application of <=500 kVA UPS systems will be higher among prefabricated and hyperscale operators in the United States. Vendors such as Delta, Mitsubishi, Schneider Electric, Eaton, and Vertiv have a strong presence in the market. These systems are used in data centers built across multiple data halls, supporting up to 3 MW of IT load capacity per hall. Most data centers have a minimum of N+1 power redundancy configuration in their UPS systems in the South-Western U.S. A prominent vendor in the region procured UPS with Eco Mode designed flexibility to support up to 2N+1 redundant configuration. Several facilities in the Mid-western region are equipped with dedicated UPS systems with minimum N+1 power redundancy. Most UPS systems in the Western US are installed with a capacity of 500750 kVA. Data centers facilities with below 10 MW of power capacity will commonly comprise 500 kVA of capacity per unit, whereas there are facilities with a power capacity above 10 MW that will comprise up to over 750 kVA UPS units in the North Eastern U.S. The application of <=500 kVA UPS systems will be higher among prefabricated and hyperscale operators in the United States. Vendors such as Delta, Mitsubishi, Schneider Electric, Eaton, and Vertiv have a strong presence in the market. These systems are used in data centers built across multiple data halls, supporting up to 3 MW of IT load capacity per hall. A majority of under-developed projects across the US fall under the Tier III category. There were about 115 Tier III data center projects, which were opened and under construction in 2019. However, several operators are expected to shift to the Tier IV category based on the growth in rack power density and critical applications during the forecast period. There were over 15 Tier IV data center projects that either opened or under construction in 2019. All self-built hyperscale data centers are considered as part of Tier IV infrastructure. Southeastern US is dominating the US Tier IV data centers market, followed by other regions. These facilities generate more revenue for the market, with focused investment on highly efficient power systems. Segmentation by Power Infrastructure UPS Generators Transfer Switches & Switchgears Rack PDUs Others Segmentation by Generators System Capacity o <=1MW o 12MW o >=2MW Segmentation by UPS Systems System Capacity o <=500kVA o 5001,000kVA o >=1,000kVA Segmentation by Tier Standards Tier I & Tier II Tier III Tier IV INSIGHTS BY GEOGRAPHY The US is the major data center operations market. Colocation and cloud service providers are the major contributions to the market growth. Over 130 projects were identified in the US, which is likely to be operational between January 2019 and June 2020. The South Eastern US is the major location, it accounted for over 40% of the market investment in 2019, and there are around 50 projects, which are opened and under construction between 2019 and June 2020. South Eastern is followed by Western US, Mid-western US, and the South Western US. Segmentation by Geography North Eastern US South Eastern US Mid-western US South Western US Western US INSIGHTS BY VENDORS The US data center power market is witnessing an increasing competition among power infrastructure providers. The market is becoming highly competitive as power solution providers are offering innovative products with maximum efficiency and reliability. Data center operators are more open to procuring energy-efficient power infrastructure solutions. Varied requirements of operators are prompting vendors to develop innovative products that reduce OPEX by up to 50%. Key Vendor Profiles ABB Caterpillar Cummins Eaton Schneider Electric Vertiv Other Prominent Vendors AEG Power Solutions Artesyn Embedded Technologies Black Box Network Services (AGC Networks) Bloom Energy (Fuel Cell) Chatsworth Products Cisco Systems Controlled Power Company Crenlo Cyber Power Systems Delta Group Detroit Diesel Euro-Diesel (KINOLT) Fuji Electric Genarac Power Systems Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) Hitachi Hi-Rel Power Electronics Hitec Power Protection Hitzinger Kohler (SDMO) Legrand Mitsubishi Electric Corporation MTU On Site Energy (Rolls-Royce Power Systems AG) Natron Energy Panduit Piller Power Systems Pramac Riello UPS Rittal Socomec Group Toshiba Virtual Power Systems Yanmar Group (HIMOINSA) ZAF Energy Systems ZincFive Key Questions Answered 1. What is the U.S. data center power market size and growth forecast? 2. What are the factors impacting the growth of the U.S. data center power market forecast? 3. What are the leading drivers, trends, and restraints in the data center power market in the US? 4. Who are the leading vendors and what are their market shares? 5. What impact the COVID-19 Pandemic has on the market? Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p05373413/?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 MANILA, July 4 (Reuters) - Immigration records showing Wirecard's former chief operating officer Jan Marsalek arrived in the Philippines on June 23 and departed for China the next day were falsified, Philippines Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra said on Saturday. Guevarra said the immigration officers who inputted the fictitious entries have been relieved of their duties and face administrative sanctions. "The investigation has now turned to persons who made the false entries in the database, their motives and their cohorts," Guevarra told reporters. Marsalek, 40, was fired as COO of the German firm on June 18 after auditor EY refused to sign off on Wirecard's accounts. The company, once one of the hottest fintech companies in Europe, collapsed a week later owing creditors almost $4 billion after disclosing a $2.1 billion hole in its accounts that auditor EY said was the result of a sophisticated global fraud. The missing money was purportedly held in escrow accounts at two Philippine banks, which have denied any links with the Wirecard. Guevarra said it was possible Marsalek could be in the country, telling Reuters, "Notwithstanding the Bureau of Immigration report, I do not totally discount the possibility that Marsalek may be in the Philippines." "We are an island country, and there are backdoors through which undocumented foreigners may slip through," he said. Munich prosecutors obtained arrest warrants against ex-CEO Markus Braun and Marsalek on June 22. Braun turned himself in that day, but Marsalek has disappeared and his mobile number is no longer in service. Both are suspected of market manipulation, false accounting and fraud, while the circle of suspects has widened to the entire management board of Wirecard. Marsalek's lawyer has declined all requests for comment. Marsalek had oversight of Wirecard's Asian operations, which are at the centre of suspicion by auditors and prosecutors of attempts to falsely inflate cash balances, turnover and profit. Guevarra said earlier immigration records had shown that Marsalek had been in the Philippines from March 3 to 5. ($1 = 0.8890 euros) (Reporting by Karen Lema; Additional reporting by Douglas Busvine in Berlin; Editing by William Mallard) XUZHOU, China, July 4, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Leading Chinese construction machinery manufacturer XCMG (SHE: 000425) is celebrating the 2020 International Day of Cooperatives on July 4 through a retrospective of its successful partnership achievements with top global industry partners over the past year. XCMG Celebrates Partnership Achievements with Industry Partners on International Day of Cooperatives. XCMG entered strategic agreements with two existing long-term partners leading diesel engine manufacturer Cummins and leading global mining group Rio Tinto in the fall of 2019. Together, the companies have committed to strengthen mutually beneficial global activities across all areas of the product and value chain. In addition, the partners have pledged to share resources and new technologies, while continuously improving global R&D, manufacturing and service systems. "XCMG is committed to working hand-in-hand with our partners to grow and succeed together. Through active engagements and strategic local initiatives, we will ultimately create better products and services for customers around the world," said Wang Min, Chairman of XCMG. Exploring new energy solutions and premium product upgrades with Cummins XCMG has expanded its 40-year partnership with Cummins beyond conventional diesel power to include new energy solutions. The two manufacturers have jointly developed a 3.5-ton electric mini-excavator, featuring a Cummins BM5.7E battery module that can operate for up to eight hours on one charge, and has passed fatigue tests to demonstrate both reliability and zero emissions. As part of its ongoing cooperation, Cummins and XCMG prioritize high-end product strategies, strict quality control and high-efficiency/low energy consumption while ensuring maximum product reliability and stability. XCMG's milestone accomplishments with Cummins include: A super 4,000-ton XGC88000 crawler crane equipped with three Cummins QSK23 high-powered engines; A 400-ton super hydraulic excavator powered by Cummins QSK60 high-powered engines; A 700-ton hydraulic excavator featuring dual Cummins QSK50 high-powered engines. With Rio Tinto: integrating mining solutions while guaranteeing quality Story continues From cold, snow-covered plateaus to the extreme heat of open-pit mines in Australia, XCMG's mining graders have won recognition in the open-mining market for their high quality and performance. In December 2019, XCMG successfully delivered nine customized GR2605 large-scale mining graders to Rio Tinto in Australia, marking another landmark since the brand's cooperation began with BHP and Vale. According to Australian standards and requirements, the customized GR2605 mining grader was set to 35 types of welds with corresponding procedures that fully guarantee welding quality and meets the requirements of the mining market. Cision View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/xcmg-celebrates-partnership-achievements-with-industry-partners-on-international-day-of-cooperatives-301088147.html SOURCE XCMG In 1943, race-related rioting erupted in Detroit; federal troops were sent in two days later to quell the violence that resulted in more than KABUL -- Afghan President Ashraf Ghani's special envoy on economic and trade development has died from COVID19, one of his aides says. Mohammad Yousef Ghazanfar is the most senior Afghan official known to have died from the disease caused by the coronavirus. The aide, Fraidoon Elham, told RFE/RL that Ghazanfar passed away in a hospital in Turkey. Ghazanfar, an ethnic Uzbek, was a well-known businessman. As of July 3, Afghan officials have reported more than 32,324 confirmed coronavirus cases in the country, with 819 deaths. Hours after four gunmen were killed in an 8-minute shootout with the police outside Pakistans main stock exchange this week, a banned separatist organization claimed responsibility for the attack in the southern seaport city of Karachi. The attack was aimed at targeting Pakistans economy, which stands on the 72 years of exploitation of Balochistan and the genocide of the Baluch people, Jeehand Baloch, a purported spokesman for the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), a banned group, said in a statement emailed to journalists on June 29. But in another statement the following day, the BLA or its faction condemned the attack and accused the perpetrators of undermining its struggle. Such attacks only strengthen the stance of our enemy states, who are succeeding in branding the Baluch independence movement as terrorist internationally, Azad Baloch, a purported BLA spokesman, said in a June 30 statement. Now some see the controversy over the attack as exposing a widening divide among the supporters of a separatist insurgency in the restive southwestern province of Balochistan, where China is investing billions of dollars in mineral extraction, energy infrastructure, and trade routes. For more than two decades, the BLA has been a major militant group fighting for what its leaders say is a demand for a separate homeland for Pakistans Baluch minority, whose various tribes and communities form the majority of residents in the resource-rich region, which borders Afghanistan, Iran, and the Arabian Sea. Pakistan, Britain, and the United States have designated the BLA as a terrorist organization for attacking security forces and civilians in Balochistan, Pakistans largest province. Islamabad has accused India and Afghanistan of supporting Baluch separatist militants. But New Delhi and Kabul deny the accusations and blame Islamabad for bankrolling Islamist militants for attacks in their countries. Journalists from Balochistan argue that the divide within the BLA in particular and the Baluch separatist camp in general is a result of a struggle in which militant commanders from middle and impoverished classes are contesting the leadership of some wealthy traditional Baluch tribal chiefs whose families had championed the Baluch nationalist cause for decades. Kiyya Baloch, a journalist based in Norway, says the BLAs character as a militant organization dominated by members of Marri, a large Baluch tribe prominent in nationalist militant organizations since the 1970s, has changed. Today, militants fighting in the mountains of Balochistan or leading political activism in the regions cities are middle-class or ordinary people, he told RFE/RLs Gandhara website. The sardars and nawabs cannot digest this, so they are employing various accusations as they foment division among the separatist camp, he added while referring to the tribal leaders by their hereditary titles. The BLA is believed to have first emerged in the late 1990s among the followers of late Nawab Khair Baksh Marri, a Marxist leader and tribal chieftain of Marris who championed the separatist cause. They included youth and veterans of a Baluch insurrection in the 1970s. His arrest on murder charges in early 2000 prompted attacks from the BLA, which turned into an open military confrontation in 2004 following large-scale crackdowns and military operations against Baluch nationalists. His son Balaach Marri became the public face and purported leader of the BLA. But the November 2007 killing of Balaach Marri pushed the BLA to become more amorphous. While Hyrbyair Marri, one of his five surviving brothers, was often accused of leading the group, he denied any association. Living in exile in London, Hyrbyair now leads the Free Balochistan Movement, an activist group. Requesting anonymity because of possible reprisals from militants, a journalist in Balochistans capital, Quetta, said prolonged tensions between some exiled Baluch leaders and militant commanders on the ground in Balochistan have cemented the divisions within the separatist camp. The division is on the basis of class, he said. The militants on the ground have increasingly moved toward assuming a leadership role after they accused leading nationalist sardars of compromising with Islamabad. Members of the three leading aristocratic Baluch families among the Marri, Bugti, and Mengal tribes have members championing the separatist cause in exile as their relatives occupy senior government positions or lead significant parliamentary parties in Pakistan. Few among the families of the sardars have suffered while commoners have mostly faced death, forced disappearances, and exile in the years following 2007, Kiyya said. The journalist in Quetta said the division within the BLA was apparent by early 2018, when Aslam Baloch assumed operational command. He took a more radical path by reorganizing a suicide squad called the Majeed Brigade. In August 2018, he deployed his own son to carry out a suicide attack on Chinese engineers in a remote Balochistan district. The Majeed Brigade later claimed credit for botched attacks on the Chinese consulate in November 2018 and a five-star hotel in Balochistans coastal city of Gwadar in May 2019. Aslam was killed in a suicide attack in the southern Afghan city of Kandahar in December 2018. He is believed to have been replaced by Bashir Zeb, a longtime student activist. Allah Nazar, a physician turned guerilla commander, heads the Baloch Liberation Front, a major militant faction. Like Aslam and Zeb, he is not a hereditary tribal chief or linked to an aristocratic family. But Faiz Baloch, a London-based activist of the Free Balochistan Movement, sees no prominent class division among the Baluch separatists. He says the majority of sardars in the region have always sided with Islamabad. Even today, only some among the Marri, Bugti, and Mengal sardars are in the pro-independence camp while the rest are with Islamabad, he told Gandhara. Faiz says that despite being some of the most underdeveloped communities in Balochistan, members of the Marri and Bugti tribes have braved a disproportionate share of suffering in the recent years. This talk about some kind of a class division among the Baluch is a ploy to weaken and counter our movement, he said. Since 2000, tens of thousands of civilians, militants, and soldiers have been killed in separatist attacks and military sweeps across Balochistan. Violence has also displaced hundreds of thousands while families continue to protest over the disappearance of thousands of their relatives. There is still no definitive end in sight for the regions compounded problems as many among the Baluch separatists appear to be not ready to abandon what their supporters see as an armed struggle. There is no indication, either, that Islamabad is contemplating abandoning its approach toward militants. ALAMOSA The protesters, about a dozen in all, gathered early last month in the intersection of State Avenue and Main Street. Like protesters across the country in the wake of George Floyds killing by police, they were demanding police accountability and racial justice. The group occupied the crosswalk during red lights, then stepped to the curb on green. Letting traffic pass, they figured, would keep things peaceful. Some drivers honked in solidarity. Others, cranky that skinny-jeaned millennials were chanting Whose streets? Our streets in the citys main intersection, flipped them the bird. Just before 6 p.m., a man driving a Dodge Ram pickup pulled up to the red light, then accelerated into the crosswalk. A video of the scene shows protesters lurching out of the way. It also shows one protester, a white man dressed in black, pulling a gun from his waistband and shooting the driver in the head. Their June 4 run-in lasted five seconds, less than an average yawn. Thats all it took for one of Colorados sleepy protests to become its most violent. Marshall Law The shooter, James Edward Marshall IV, 27, is facing a slew of charges, including attempted murder. He knows a thing or two about what hes up against because he is a defense lawyer. The Ohio native graduated in 2018 from the University of Colorado Law School and worked for 10 months as a public defender in Durango. In June 2019, he moved with his wife, Mariah Loraine, to Alamosa and opened the office of Marshall Law. He told people he wanted to defend clients at fees they wouldnt need to sell their homes to afford. Christine Canaly, whose office is next to Marshall's, found him friendly, but also nervous and stressed out. Others say he is a loud talker whose tailored suits stood out in a town more accustomed to jeans and work boots. At Milagros Cafe, he would chat with Aaron Miltenberger, head of a local nonprofit. Recent conversations turned to COVID, Floyds killing, Black Lives Matter and police violence. Miltenberger says Marshall often vented about a criminal justice system he saw as broken, violent and corrupt. I remember feeling like whoa, James is really on edge. Marshall and his wife showed up for one of those first protests after Floyd's killing by a Minneapolis police officer who kept his knee on his neck for about eight minutes. They seemed to have come directly from work he wearing a business suit and she in office attire. She was openly carrying a pistol. That seemed really odd, said protester Jesse Marchildron. I was like 'Why are you carrying a gun at a peaceful protest?' One of the 30 or so protesters that night, Elizabeth Oxer, says Marshall was the loudest in the crowd: But, like, not in a good way. On May 29, Marshall advised his Facebook friends on How not to die while protesting. 1. Be white. 2. Carry a freedom stick slang for firearm. In the days following, he wrote several posts decrying police and National Guard violence against protesters. He described his views as anti-fascist, which he wrote is the default stance in a democracy. Four and a half hours before the shooting, on June 4, he posted: Its really hard to go to school for over 20 years, pay $200,000, pass the bar exam and swear an oath to defend the Constitution to then watch high school bullies with badges and guns trample on civil liberties in the name of law and order. Your typical Texan Danny Pruitt, the 49-year-old gunshot victim, has spent most of the past three weeks in a coma, the bullet still lodged in his brain. He grew up in Texas cow country and served as an electronics tech in the Army. A 15-foot fall disabled him, and he hasnt worked since, his lawyer says. Pruitt bought some cheap land a year ago about an hour east of Alamosa. He spent much of the past year building a small cabin where he planned to live with his 5-year-old daughter, Melody, for whom he was battling for custody. Brent Thompson, a minister and friend who lives down the hill, describes Pruitt as your typical Texan a cowboy hat-wearing, pickup truck-driving, down home, morally sound kind of person committed to a new life with his daughter in Colorado. Been here with God (a) while now. Aint no way Im leaving, Pruitt posted on Facebook in May with a selfie taken on his property. Ill raise my daughter and build things back in my life. Home this is home! Thompson says Pruitt was uninterested in the news, but Pruitts Facebook page shows he was following it closely. On May 28, he posted an article about a soldier credited with saving lives in Kansas by ramming a shooting suspect with his pickup. He previously had posted a picture of his own Dodge Ram 4x4, writing, How does it go if you cant Dodge it ram it if you cant see it well hit it. Over the next week, he shared a meme picturing Black looters and reading, I dont know about you, but this doesnt look like theyre grieving to me. He also shared a photo of Clint Eastwood as Dirty Harry with his gun drawn, and a reference to the line, Go ahead, make my day. Stoking fear The May 25 killing of Floyd, who was Black, by a white Minneapolis police officer set off a national soul-searching. Public officials across Colorado acknowledged protesters grief and frustration, some promising to reconsider their own communities' policies and practices. City brass in Alamosa said nothing. We do not have the big city issues with law enforcement officers. Our law enforcement officers care and I care about them, Ty Coleman, the Black mayor of a town with a 1% Black population. We know how to get along with each other here. The citys mix of Adams State University professors, local business owners, federal employees, pot growers, good-old-boy ranchers and the immigrants who tend their stock, big-city transplants and old-timers has learned to coexist. In years of July Fourth and Pride parades, climate action and anti-abortion marches, there has been little turmoil. But this spring was different. Alamosans, like all Americans, followed the spreading protests. They tracked the vandalism and tear gassing in Denver and Colorado Springs. In an urgent June 1 email, city Economic Development Director Kathy Rogers Woods warned civic leaders and business owners of reports about a group planning to gather on Main Street that night for what is thought to be similar activity we've been seeing in cities across the nation, of late. That group turned out to be some high-schoolers whose plans to spray paint downtown buildings police easily thwarted. Cathy Garcia, Republican U.S. Sen. Cory Gardners southern regional office director, immediately replied to Woods email: Group will be in Pueblo at 6 pm tonight. Heard from Trinidad that a group will be there sometime soon and that buses would be coming from Colorado Springs. Within hours, phones were buzzing with anxious text messages about a purported caravan of radical agitators headed to bust up the town. Managers at the Alamosa Walmart closed early that evening, barricading the doors and windows. A posse of volunteers showed up downtown that night carrying sidearms and semi-automatic rifles to protect businesses. City police officers joined them. We heard that (supposedly) that they were sending antifa down here to paint our town and terrorize our streets and we werent going to let that happen, said Larry Jack, one of the locals who stood guard. We had quite a big turnout, at least 80 of us downtown. ... There was really a buzz going on, added Eric Gile, owner of a roofing company in town. Buzz was all there was. That night and three other nights of protest passed with little more friction than a Black man insulting a gaggle of armed posse members and a white man mooning protesters with All Lives Matter written on his butt. Flashpoint Protesters started showing up at State and Main after work on June 4. They were mostly women, mostly young and white, though led by a Latina organizer. Marshall came with his wife and carried a sign reading, Murder is murder no matter BLUE did it. He was yelling louder than the others, as he had several nights prior. The video, captured by a nearby bookstore surveillance camera, shows a dark gray pickup approach the protesters as they stood in the intersection, slow down, then accelerate toward them. Marshalls wife, among others, jumps out of the way. Then there was the gunshot. Which was not great, recalled Oxer, a 23-year-old Americorps volunteer from Iowa. At first I thought it was the guy in the truck that had done it. Pruitt, hit in the back of his head by the 9 mm bullet, managed to drive 12 blocks toward the Adams State campus before passing out. Marshall ran from the scene with his Glock 43, phoned a prominent defense lawyer, drove home to East Alamosa separately from his wife, changed his clothes and shaved off his beard, according to his arrest report. Police arrived two hours and 40 minutes after the shooting. He told a detective he shot Pruitt after he observed the truck come into contact with his wife and feared for her safety, the report shows. The detective wrote: As the conversation continued I told James the video footage does not show his wife as he explained and he responded the video would be wrong. Marshalls booking shot shows him in a collared shirt, head cocked back and grinning. He is facing an attempted second-degree murder charge, among six others. His wife bailed him out the next day and the couple left town almost immediately: They dont feel safe there, his lawyer, Randy Canney, said. Aftermath Pruitt the bullet still in his brain came out of his coma this week and is recuperating at his sisters place in Alamosa. City police, still investigating the case, have questioned him. They are focused on whether the traffic light was red or green when Pruitt accelerated toward the protesters, and whether any were hit. None of the five we interviewed said they were. The city, in the meantime, has launched what it calls a public education campaign to keep protesters out of Alamosas crosswalks. About 3,500 people have over the past three weeks donated $149,000 for Pruitts and his daughters care. Conservative, alt-right and fake news outlets have been playing up the story as proof of a national antifa uprising, some going so far as to report that Pruitt died of his gunshot wound. Local law-and-order types frame Pruitt as a heroic patriot with an inalienable right to drive unobstructed on his way to grab a burger. When people are hindering (people) from getting where they need to go and blocking traffic, basically thats a small riot. Its destructive and, yes, a line needs to be drawn, added Larry Jack, one of the gun-toting volunteers in the armed posse downtown. He figures that he, too, would have tried to drive through them. I think the country in general is sick of this, the violence, the hatred, the racism from all sides. Language like Jacks implying white folks are victimized by racism and by protests against it galvanized many protesters here in the first place. But that point, several say, was lost the moment Marshall pulled the trigger. Oxer, one of the protesters, wrote a diary entry that night that reads: This whole thing just reinforces what detractors believe: That we all secretly just wanna set shit on fire and shit. Pruitt made the first provocation by driving into the protesters, Oxer wrote. So while he was the victim, he was also the instigator. But its hard to say (that) about someone on life support. Oxer hopes Marshall gets the maximum punishment and notes, fully aware of the irony, that Alamosa police seem to be doing a good job on the investigation. Mayor Coleman understands that protesters didnt mean for this to happen. But sometimes the reality and the perception are different in peoples mind, he said. And sometimes people forget what the original purposes of the marches were all about. *** This story is powered by COLab, the Colorado News Collaborative a nonprofit formed to strengthen local public-service journalism in Colorado. More than 40 news organizations share in-depth local reporting to better serve Coloradans. James Bernard, a volunteer at the Rock Ledge Historic Site, reads the Declaration of Independence to a small crowd at the park in this Gazette file photo. Colorado Springs, CO (80903) Today Partly cloudy skies. Low 51F. SSE winds shifting to W at 10 to 15 mph.. Tonight Partly cloudy skies. Low 51F. SSE winds shifting to W at 10 to 15 mph. The first phase of the Dubai 10X initiative that features disruptive projects launched by several government entities in Dubai has been completed. Dubai 10X has achieved massive leaps in disruptive government services, empowering government employees with the skills to accelerate progress. This was revealed by Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of Dubai Executive Council, and Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Dubai Future Foundation (DFF). In the first phase of the initiative, Dubai has developed a futuristic system to position itself as a leading city in introducing innovative projects and solutions that can positively transform society, a WAM report said. He said that by adapting innovative services and strategies to address rapid changes, Dubai 10X has disrupted the status quo and enabled government entities to embrace technology and future foresight. Agility, risk taking and the ability to embrace change have made Dubai one of the top cities in the world, he added. Sheikh Hamdans comments came during his visit to DFFs headquarters in Emirates Towers. He was also accompanied by Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman of Dubai Civil Aviation Authority and Chairman and Chief Executive of Emirates Airline and Group; Mohammad bin Abdullah Al Gergawi, Minister of Cabinet Affairs and The Future, and Vice Chairman of the Board of Trustees and Managing Director of DFF; and several government officials, directors and senior corporate leaders from across the UAE. He stressed the importance of following up on the efforts made through the projects and the wider initiative to build on the quality of government work. This initiative realises the vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, to establish Dubai as a pioneer among global cities in deploying emerging technologies to create advanced government services and a new model for government excellence. Sheikh Hamdan emphasised Dubai 10Xs role in promoting collaboration, knowledge sharing and best practices to accelerate disruptive projects and solutions. In doing so, they aim to enhance competitiveness across various vital strategic sectors and rely on ambitious teams to review challenges and develop projects to meet future needs. He was briefed on the progress of projects approved for the second phase of Dubai 10X. He also viewed the updated version of an online platform dedicated to monitor the progress of diverse projects in the second phase. He said: "We are proud of the efforts of all those who contributed to the Dubai 10X initiative that was launched to harness the drive and will power of our local talents and to instill a culture of innovation in government work. We have great confidence in continuing to work as one team to achieve the vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum for Dubai to become a leader among the worlds cities." During the meeting, Lieutenant-General Abdullah Khalifa Al Marri, Commander-in-chief of Dubai Police presented an update on the Oyoon project, launched by Dubai Police with the support and participation of the governmental, semi-governmental and private sectors. By deploying modern technology, the project is working to develop an integrated security system that helps prevent crime, reduces traffic accident related deaths, prevents negative incidents in residential, commercial and vital areas and facilitates a prompt response to incidents even before they get reported to the command unit. Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD and CEO of Dubai Electricity and Water Authority presented an overview of Digital DEWA, the digital arm of DEWA. The project served to showcase DEWA as the worlds first digital public utility to leverage autonomous systems for renewable energy and its storage, expansion in AI adoption, and the provision of digital services. Sheikh Hamdan had approved the first phase of Dubai 10X projects at an event held during the 6th World Government Summit in February 2018 in Dubai and directed its completion within 24 months. He said: "We commend the efforts of all employees and government entities who have successfully achieved this milestone in the Dubai 10X initiative. The race continues and the challenge is big, but we have immense faith in our teams. We will work together to achieve societys happiness Dubai." On this occasion, Sheikh Hamdan launched a comprehensive report by the Dubai Competitiveness Office, DCO within Dubais Department of Economic Development, DED, on the competitiveness of all the projects approved in the first phase of the Dubai 10X initiative. The report aims to measure the projects across 98 associated competitiveness indicators and examine their impact on enhancing Dubais global competitiveness across 11 major domains. These domains include government regulations, development and use of information and communications technology, business and trade ecosystem, education and innovation, environment and sustainability, technology and development, security and safety, and community welfare and culture. DCOs technical team held extensive meetings with Dubai 10X teams to develop a comprehensive vision and define a methodology to verify the competitiveness of these projects and measure their impact based on global competitiveness indicators. The reports authors applied the methodology and simulated the impact of each project to highlight the projects role in promoting Dubai on a global level. -- Tradearabia News Service The biggest difference though between Happy Donkey, which opened Wednesday morning, and Mr. Taco, is alcohol. Specifically tequila. At the start, Garcia said Happy Donkey has about 100 different tequila options for customers that span from Jose Cuervo Gold to something like Michael Jordan's Cincoro Tequila brand that can run as much as $1,600 for a bottle. Like whiskey, the pricing can be dependent on how long the alcohol has aged. But it won't stop there. Support Local Journalism Your membership makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}} "Were going to bring more tequila, probably 100, in the next month or so," Garcia said. "Our plan is to have around 400 different kinds of tequila from the standard to the top shelf." That's the plan. Garcia wants plenty of $15 bottles sharing a space with bottles that run into the triple digits. Enough that he can stock as much of the different tequilas available in Iowa as possible. However, there are signs that in-person campaigning will return. In her official capacity as a congresswoman, Finkenauer made an in-person visit June 22 to various locations in western Dubuque County to look at infrastructure projects. She met with masked local officials in a parking lot before individuals got into their own vehicles for the driving tour, Noble said. Republican U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst is thrilled to be able to safely continue her 99-county tour, campaign spokesman Brendan Conley said. Like other candidates, Ernst is taking precautions to prevent the spread of COVID-19, but looks forward to more events to come soon. Her challenger, Democrat Theresa Greenfield, would like to be out shaking hands in person, but right now our priority is campaigning virtually to do our part to protect public health and following the advice of the experts who stress that the coronavirus pandemic still is very much a threat, said spokeswoman Izzi Levy. Most campaigns are in a holding pattern. Even as they continue to rely on virtual events and phone calls to get their messages out, they are making plans for live events. Campaign staffers say the decision to return to the field will depend in part on what other candidates do. Theyre waiting for someone else to go first, one staffer said. Tony Banks, a commodity marketing specialist for the Virginia Farm Bureau Federation, said the market quickly became oversaturated last year with so many producers trying their hand at the product a fact that he believes contributed to the prices dropping some. "I think last year, with the crash in prices that took some of the luster off of hemp, Banks said. "I think people, theyre probably a little more guarded in their optimism than they may have been last year. Some farmers, like Pittsylvania County farmer Bob Harris, are electing to leave the crop alone for now. Due to thinning profit margins, Harris decided not to plant any hemp this year after having success growing two acres last year. When the prices came out and people started talking contracts thats when I made the decision not to grow it again, Harris said. Yet Pittsylvania County farmers like Burnett and Mills are not worried. Burnett believes the financial picture is even better this year due to contract changes and more cost-effective plants from local greenhouses. I think it will he very good," Burnett said. "I have a lot of hope for it anyway." Libertarian Party offers choice Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness. These are the values our Founding Fathers held dearly when they declared independence from the British empire. I also cherish these values and that is why I became a member of the Libertarian Party. Our philosophy is simple: that all men are equal and that the only legitimate purpose of the government is to defend our rights as free individuals. I believe most Americans agree with this and that is why the Libertarian Party is the fastest growing party in America. More and more people every day are recognizing the failure of politicians in the other two major parties to preserve our freedoms and be fiscally responsible. Some examples are the growing national debt and more and more socialistic policies ratified by both sides every day in America. Many Americans are growing tired of it. Mahesh Trivedi, TwoCircles.net Gujarat: Tormented with atrocities by high-caste bullies, Dalits in Prime Minister Narendra Modis native state of Gujarat continue to lead a difficult life. Support TwoCircles Come July 13, all 150-odd poverty-stricken members of the marginalized Scheduled Caste community living in a one-horse hamlet in Rajkot district since ages will emigrate en masse from their homeland, following constant harassment by well-heeled Darbars. Browned off by the BJP-controlled state governments lackadaisical indifference towards their memorandum narrating their heart-rending tales of woe submitted more than three weeks ago, the 45 Dalit families have decided to bid adieu to their tumbletown dwellings in Charel village of Jamkandorna Taluka where the powerful Darbars rule the roost. Though the socially-disadvantaged villagers, all farm labourers, are being treated as untouchables for many years, they have been trembling with fear ever since a young, married Dalit woman was bludgeoned to death and two of her friends were beaten black and blue by a headstrong Darbar on May 19. The man wanted to outrage the modesty of the victim and assaulted two other women accompanying her when they tried to intervene, social worker and community leader Sunil Jadav told TwoCircles.net on phone, and added that the police dilly-dallied for several days before hauling up the influential accused. The Dalits are not allowed to enter temples and cannot mingle with others during an open-for-all social event in Charel which boasts no basic amenities like public toilets and water taps, leave alone roads and streetlights. Low-caste women walking in the village must cover their heads in respect if Darbars pass by, and are compelled to ease themselves in the bushes while the voyeurs in nearby homes watch shamelessly and poke fun at them. According to Jadav, a Rajkot-based college lecturer and member of the sub-committee of the National Commission for Scheduled Castes, ten years ago, two Dalit girls were kidnapped and kept at an unknown place for three days but released with a stern warning to villagers against informing the police who are still in the dark about the incident, an open secret. Rajkot district superintendent of police Balram Meena told TwoCircles.net that Charel Dalits fears were unfounded as eight-armed policemen were guarding the village since the May 19 murder and the police protection would continue as long as they desired. We are also trying to create an environment of harmony in the village with the help of social workers and community leaders, he added. But Jayesh Kumar, member of Dalit lawmaker Jignesh Mevanis Rashtriya Dalit Adhikar Manch, said that the situation would be back to square one once the police protection was withdrawn. Also, its the limit for Dalits. Darbars are treating them like dirt and often not even paying their hard-earned dues for toiling on their farm. Dalits can no longer live in peace without jobs and security for the womenfolk, and are bent on mass migration on July 13, he explained. MLA Jignesh Mevani told TwoCircles.net that the state government lacked the political will to find a solution to the age-old social boycott in Charel, adding that it had taken no preventive measures and never sent a strong message to the tormentors. Why should any citizen live in fear? This is against the Modi regimes stated goal of sabka saath, sabka vikaas, sabka vishwaas (together with all, development for all, the trust of all),, he argued. If Kumar is to be believed, 50 years ago Charel was home to many communities, including Patels, but they all gradually left the hamlet due to Darbars bullying tactics while Dalits were helpless without any resources and have had to grin and bear it. In the memorandum addressed to the Rajkot collector, the Scheduled Caste residents have not only sought police protection during their mass migration march to Rajkot from July 13 with five-night halts but also threatened to stay put at the collectors office till arrangements are made to resettle them at one of the five nearby villages. Rajkot residential additional collector Parimal Pandya told TwoCircles.net that financial aid as mandated in law had been given to the family of the May 19 murder victim and efforts were on to find an alternative plot of land for Dalits but he ruled out the possibility of mass exodus. However, Kumar said that Dalit breadwinners had stopped going to Darbars farms after the murder and were dead set on leaving Charel at least for their childrens future and womens security as the authorities had neither given any written assurance nor approached them even after submitting the memorandum. Antifa's a laugh riot until it comes for you Email Thomas Elias at tdelias@aol.com. His book, "The Burzynski Breakthrough: The Most Promising Cancer Treatment and the Governments Campaign to Squelch It," is now available in a soft cover fourth edition. For more Elias columns, go to www.californiafocus.net Theres a debate going on about monuments, especially Confederate ones. Last Sunday I read Caroline Randall Williams opinion piece in the New York Times. Afterwards I sat on my couch stunned, staring at the wall. She was describing what I encounter almost every day with my eyes but has been invisible to me because I see the world through the lens of my white, middle-class experiences. Williams writes: I have rape-colored skin. My light-brown-blackness is a living testament to the rules, the practices, the causes of the Old South. If there are those who want to remember the legacy of the Confederacy, if they want monuments, well, then, my body is a monument. My skin is a monument [My] immediate white male ancestors, all of them were rapists. My very existence is a relic of slavery and Jim Crow. I was dazed. I sat there and lamented that people like me had never thought about African Americans as living monuments to the brutality of slavery and Jim Crow. Editor's note: This story is part of a series in which reporters check with Central Illinoisans about how their lives have changed in the pandemic. Read the series here. In the midst of a pandemic, Sara Nave and her family moved to a new home. Nave, a teacher at Dennis School, which is expanding into a second campus in the fall, had intended to teach summer school this year. That would have made moving even more of a challenge. The kids are old enough now that they don't need me as much during the day, but when I found out summer school was going to be virtual, then I was like 'No, thank you,' Nave said. Instead, while school's been closed for the stay-at-home order and now that summer break is underway, she's been a stay-at-home mom for the first time. Now that things are opening back up, there are more opportunities to do things with the kids. Last night we went to Krekel's, she said. We're kind of regulars at the west side location. We went and had food outside on their patio, so we were pretty excited. I think our day to day has kind of become our new normal. We spend a lot more money on food than I'm used to. I'm making stir fry right now for the kids, which I'm sure they won't eat. We're trying different things. The family also has memberships at Scovill Zoo and the Children's Museum of Illinois, and while the zoo has opened, the museum has not. Her husband is working full time, so they plan short trips and family excursions for weekends, and Nave said she likes to take the kids outdoors as much as possible. I used to go running and my husband and I have taken to taking the kids on walks, she said. We bought bikes so they can learn to ride. We're doing self-care things as a family. With two small children, one going into the second year of preschool and one going into first grade, Nave and her husband, Tim, are also trying to help the children understand current events. She also wants to prepare for the discussions that might arise in her classroom among her students. The shutdown has been hard for her children, ages 4 and 5. The Naves don't scare them with talk of mortality rates, instead concentrating on telling them why they have to wear masks and why things are closed. Please log in to keep reading. {{featured_button_text}} Enjoy unlimited articles at one of our lowest prices ever. "It's been rough on them. It's been rough on all of us," she said. "We have family members, my daughter included, that are high risk and so we really followed the guidelines and have not had any gatherings. Now that we've moved into our new house, we hope to have a nice outdoor celebration to celebrate her turning four and my son graduating kindergarten." Recent events have made Nave more keenly aware of how children react to news, and she's been helping her kids cope with all of it. I want to learn a little bit more about cultures that make up Decatur, she said. With the movement and the protests and everything recently, (my own) kids had a lot of questions. We have sources here to answer those questions, and I want to take the opportunity to teach them, but also teach myself and learn about the different cultures and what I can do to make sure I'm making home and classroom inclusive for everybody. Decatur schools have released a tentative plan for fall. The district could remain in remote learning only, open schools as usual, or some hybrid of the two. That makes it difficult for teachers like Nave to prepare for fall. The solution for her is to make multiple plans in concert with her fellow teachers at Dennis. Dennis is going into a big transition (with the expansion into a second building), she said. We have new staff starting. My team is specifically planning as if we're going to be starting in August with a plan of attack in case we can't. I think it's important to have a Plan B, so we're not struggling, once the school year is finalized, to get those plans in place. With no idea how things could change between now and then, Nave is taking things one day at a time. A lot of people think teachers' job is to teach and everything else is second. My job is to keep the kids safe, and once feel they feel safe, they're able to learn. How we're doing: Decatur-area residents share pandemic stories Contact Valerie Wells at (217) 421-7982. Follow her on Twitter: @modgirlreporter 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. DECATUR This years Fourth of July looked very different. Because of the coronavirus pandemic, cities canceled fireworks displays and parades. Many people eschewed large parties and barbecues in favor of small family picnics and cookouts. Concerts and performances moved online. For those activities that did continue, face masks and social distancing were in play. Still, Central Illinoisans this weekend found ways to hold onto elements of the holiday that have made it a beloved tradition: Connections with family. Hot dogs on the grill, a fishing pole in the water, sparkler lights reflected in a childs eyes. Laughter with friends on a warm summer afternoon. Appreciation for the best parts of the country whatever they are to you. The Herald & Review caught up with people on Friday and Saturday to find out how they were spending the holiday this year. Here are some of their stories. Family gatherings Independence Day most years means a large gathering for the family of Shemuel Sanders. But this year, the 46-year-old and his brother Deloyde Sanders, 55, were grilling at Fairview Park for a relatively smaller number of family members that included his children, nieces, nephews, his mother and some extended family. "We'd have over 100, it's almost like a family reunion for us on the Fourth of July," Sanders said. "But because of COVID we have to limit what we do. A lot of our family comes from out of town." Still, around 20 members of his family enjoyed time together eating grilled food prepared by Sanders and his brother. Sanders said Deloyde had been visiting for two weeks to support the family following the death of his daughter, Shemilah, a victim of gun violence at the age of 22. "He's been here to really give me that comfort, I just thank God for my brother being here," Sanders said. "He's leaving tomorrow so we just decided we'd bring the family together. Just enjoy together while we can." Family bonding could also be found Saturday at the Nelson Park lakeshore near the Howard G Buffet Amphitheater. Valerie Sevak, 28, said her two boys usually enjoy fishing and the Fourth of July seemed to be a fitting day for one of their usual trips. "Some of them ain't been here before so I'm teaching my little cousin and my niece how to fish," Sevak said. "Me and my husband come here a few times a year." Joining them were Sevak's sister-in-law, mother-in-law, niece and cousin. Getting to spend time with family over the holiday was the best part of the day, especially while celebrating a day recognizing "a big stepping stone for America." "You don't have TVs, nothing out here for them to be on, just worried about us and fishing," she said. "We had all of us together for once, we haven't been together as a family in awhile." Others like Howard Ritzert, 45, and his fiance, Sam Parkhurst, 39, were grilling at Nelson Park. The 45-year-old said cooking out and shooting fireworks later in the day is a tradition of his on Independence Day. The couple spent Saturday afternoon grilling brats next to an American flag planted in the bed of Ritzert's truck. "We need to remember what it's really about, it is our nation's birthday," Ritzert said. "People fought out there and lost their lives for the freedom for us to be out here doing what we're doing. That means a lot to me." A boost in business Kenney's Ace Hardware saw a surge in business leading up to Independence Day, said owner Terry Kenney. The hardware store on 2880 Mount Zion Road had plenty of customers looking for home improvement and grilling supplies. "We've sold a couple grills and there's couple grills we have to deliver today," Kenney said around mid-day Friday. "The Fourth of July weekend is pretty good because people are home doing things." Donovan Pena, 45, plans to get some projects finished like mowing, pruning his bushes, trimming tree limbs. The Decatur resident was shopping for water hoses so he could also water his lawn and cotter pins to repair his lawn mower, among other tools. "I have the day off so I'm trying to work and get some jobs that need to get done around the house, most of them outside. It's not raining so I'm taking advantage of that." Another business had many shoppers looking to do some weekend grilling. Kelsey Huffman, a manager of Jeffrey's Meat Market on 135 S. Oakland Ave., said the shop was especially busy Thursday and Friday, supposing the influx comes from people not having other festivities due to cancellations under COVID-19. 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}} "Yesterday was crazy and today has been very busy," Huffman said Friday. "Our brats are going to be number one with tons of bucket burgers. Back ribs are selling pretty good too." Mark Daley, 52, of Oreana said grilling has been a family-celebrated tradition on Independence Day weekend. At Jeffrey's, he purchased his longtime "favorite meat to smoke," ribeyes and fillets with sweet garlic and ultimate steak rubs for added flavor. "Beef is one of my favorite things to smoke," Daley said. "It's a great way to celebrate the independence of our country." "We'd usually go see some fireworks somewhere or a concert, but this year we're staying home," said Susan Daley, Mark's wife, noting some of that decision is due to COVID cancellations. Come to the lake Nelson Park's boat launch was full of boaters Friday looking to take advantage of warm, sunny weather over the holiday weekend. "I think it's really busy because of COVID," said Crew Chief A.J. Speasl. "Everybody's migrating to the lake. For 47-year-old Brain Gottman, Friday was an opportunity to take his boat out for a relaxing day on Lake Decatur with his girlfriend. The Decatur resident shared that he and family members have taken the boat out to watch fireworks for the last six years. "We try to come out when we have the opportunity anyway, but this weekend I actually have to work the 4th of July," said Gottman. "Today we're just going to float around and enjoy the weather." Michael Maulden, 38, said getting his boat in the water Friday was something he'd been planning for some time and hopes to get out every weekend while the weather is warm. "This is the first time I've been out all year," Maulden said. Other plans of his were to watch his daughter compete in softball and playing some of the sport himself to make the most of the holiday weekend. "I'd probably be doing something else, like a concert or a ball game, but whatever you can do to get out of the house," he said. Car cruise Around a dozen local car lovers got together Saturday morning for the All GM 4th of July Cruise, organized by the Mid-Illinois F-Body Club. The line of all General Motors vehicles did a brief route that began and ended at the Chevrolet Hall of Fame museum, followed by an hour of hanging out with club members. "We think the 4th of July is the perfect opportunity to have something like this," said Casey Janes, club founder. "And doing it as a cruise instead of a car show, if people aren't comfortable being around one another, they can socially distance while still enjoying something like this." Janes said the club was started in the winter and was originally centered around F-body and Firebird cars, but was expanded to all GM cars to draw in more members. The group hopes to put together a yearly car show beginning in 2020. "I've got motorcycles and then I bought this because I wanted something different once in awhile," said Mark Tullis of his first-year 1970 Monte Carlo, minutes before joining the line of cruisers. "I just like cruising in the old car." Independence Day: Movies to watch on the 4th of July! Fourth of July Cruise Contact Garrett Karsten at (217) 421-6949. Follow him on Twitter: @GarrettKarsten Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 6 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. At around 25 weeks pregnant with her first child, a 21-year-old Hispanic woman became infected with COVID-19. The young womans doctors at St. Anthony Hospital in Chicago were just learning more about the coronavirus as it hit Illinois in the spring, and they wanted to monitor the babys growth. But her insurance did not initially approve the growth ultrasound, her doctors said. So they had to wait to schedule a scan to check her baby. This delayed their ability to assess the pregnancy and created extra stress. There were a lot of barriers for her, said Margarita Flores, a St. Anthony midwife who helped treat her. When she delivered in June, she was diagnosed with preeclampsia -- high blood pressure in pregnancy that can lead to serious, or even fatal, complications for both mom and baby. The baby was born small. The mom and her baby, whose names were not shared for privacy reasons, are doing well now, said Flores and her doctors. The coronavirus has amplified the challenges pregnant women face. And even more so for Black and Latina women, who might be disproportionately affected by COVID-19, according to recent Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data, and who experience extra burdens of not only implicit racism within the health care industry, but also socioeconomic factors that can impact their ability to access care. Patients, especially in our area, are very high risk, said Michele Bucciero, medical director of perinatal services at St. Anthony. The hospital is located in a predominantly Latino neighborhood. At least 1,089 women in Illinois have had COVID-19 while pregnant, and of those cases, five have died, according to Illinois Department of Public Health data received Thursday. Nearly half of them, 43%, were hospitalized, although the department cant confirm whether it was related to their pregnancy or fighting the virus. Among these women, 49% were Hispanic and 23% were Black. Melaney Arnold, a Health Department spokesperson, said the reporting likely underestimates pregnant cases by about 30% because for much of the data, pregnancy status is unknown. COVID-19 brought its own set of issues around disparities, but also highlights issues that have been there all along, said Ann Borders, an OB-GYN in the NorthShore University Health System and executive director of the Illinois Perinatal Quality Collaborative. The latest data, she said, confirms concerns doctors like her have always had about pregnant womens vulnerability. It also confirms the need to be extra vigilant, she said. Unique Clay, a Black postal carrier who tested positive for the coronavirus, died a week after giving birth to her third child in May, according to a news report. Her 11-year-old daughter found her dead at home. In April, Eli Solano, a Latina mom, passed away after her battle with COVID-19 shortly after giving birth to a baby boy, according to a fundraiser from her family. The state Health Department recently investigated Roseland Community Hospital after a 31-year-old pregnant woman died from the virus there in May. The report does not list a name, but Cook County medical examiners office records of coronavirus deaths show a 31-year-old Black woman named Lolita Davis, who was pregnant, died May 15. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) cautioned that researchers are still learning about how COVID-19 impacts pregnancies, and noted pregnant women did not appear to be at more risk of death than nonpregnant women. Doctors should speak with women about their household situations, whether they live with people who are essential workers, for example, and the need to quarantine and take precautions. A lot of its risk reduction, rather than completely being able to avoid risk, Borders said. Not everyone has the luxury of being able to socially distance or stay at home. Bucciero says its always a balancing act for many of St. Anthonys patients. A lot of (our patients) are essential workers that live in multigenerational households, she said. They use a lot of public transportation, they rely on their kids being in school, they rely on the programs for meals for their kids. Mary Calderon is a doula at New Moms, a nonprofit that works with young mothers, often young Black and Latina women. Many of her clients live with multiple family members, including those who are essential workers and thus must leave the house often, elevating exposure to the virus. 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}} The issues that our community faces are just being exacerbated and brought to light during the pandemic. They have been issues for a long time, Calderon said. When a woman is experiencing chronic stress from scarcity, not having enough food, not knowing where shes going to live, being unemployed, chronic stress from racism, that seeps in on a cellular level. She and the pregnant moms she speaks to -- now over videoconferencing -- talk about finding healthy food and the impact that can have on their babies. She tells them about the importance of prenatal care and meeting with doctors. She encourages them to speak up at appointments. Arming them with information about their options just helps them advocate for themselves, she said. Paris Brown remembers being glued to the TV in March. In her second trimester, she watched as the state of Illinois shut down, worrying about what it meant for her second daughter due in late July. I would wake up at 3, 4 in the morning and wouldnt even go back to sleep, she said. While she hasnt tested positive for the virus, the pandemic has added stress to her pregnancy. During each ultrasound, she uses so much hand sanitizer that her doctor told her, Clearly, youre very cautious. She attended all appointments in person, balancing concerns about being in a hospital with wanting to hear her babys heartbeat. Doctors stress that in-person visits are often crucial, depending on each patients pregnancy, and that it is safe to attend them. Obviously I have to put the babys health first, Brown said. The CDC report found that pregnant women with COVID-19 are more at risk for hospitalization, although it could not detail whether hospitalizations were because of pregnancy or the virus, and noted that any barriers for pregnant women to protect themselves from the virus should be addressed. With COVID-19 its like, OK, now were really seeing the challenges to providing good health care to African American women, said Joy West, an OB-GYN at Roseland. She noted the closing of OB units, which made it harder for women to receive care close to home, and the disparities in telehealth. Not everyone has a computer or internet service. And when doctors try to assess vitals and weight, not every patient has a blood pressure monitor, thermometer and scale at home. High blood pressure in pregnancy, for example, can signal serious complications. We know that high blood pressure in pregnancy is one of the No. 1 reasons why there is an increase in maternal mortality in African American communities, West said. Preeclampsia, or high blood pressure, is devastating, and its very common in African American women. Black women are six times more likely to die from pregnancy-related conditions in Illinois. They are more at risk from dying from cardiovascular disease, a disparity that ACOG attributed in part to racial bias and racism in the health care system. As doctors seek to learn more about the coronavirus and its impact, hospitals have been adding precautions, such as testing women who arrive to deliver. And moms who test positive are separated from their newborns -- while a precaution, it has added extra stress and heartbreak. In normal times, pregnancy is a challenge with women at risk for a variety of potential complications. At St. Anthony Hospital, the doctors often huddle to assess cases. Now, they are waiting and watching as women who became infected with COVID-19 in March and April prepare to deliver later this summer. Its just a matter of time, Bucciero said. Theyre going through their third trimester now. WASHINGTON After Americans reacted in outrage to the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis, Republicans and Democrats in Congress promised quick action on police reform. Leaders on both sides offered a long list of ideas: a ban on chokeholds, an end to no-knock searches, and more. The the Senate deadlocked on the issue almost as quickly as it had vowed to act. Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) proposed a GOP bill with relatively mild measures that had been approved by the White House. Democrats pronounced the Republican bill so weak that it was unsalvageable and blocked it. Senate Republicans in turn refused to take up a House bill passed by Democrats. Each side denounced the other, and a once-bipartisan goal suddenly appeared unreachable. It was only one legislative failure among many; Congress reputation for gridlock has been richly earned. But this one was a special tragedy. Most of the public, reacting to the gruesome video of Floyds death, wanted some kind of legislation. Republicans and Democrats who spoke to each other a minority on Capitol Hill said they believed compromise was possible. What went wrong? Both sides behaved badly. Each surrendered to internal political pressures. That wasnt surprising, especially in an election year, but it was still disappointing. This bill could have been an exception to the rule. I called Sen. Angus King of Maine, an independent who usually votes with Democrats, to find out why the bipartisan push failed. King had voted with Republicans to allow McConnells bill to move forward. He said he thought it was a mistake for Democrats to block the bill. I think there was space for a compromise, and now Im afraid were not going to get anything, he told me. My concern was that if Democrats refused to go forward, McConnell would say, OK, I tried, and move on and thats pretty much what happened. But King also faulted the Republican leader for refusing to let Democrats participate in drafting the bill. The only way to get things done in the Senate is with a bipartisan process, he said. This was a bill on a very complex topic drafted by one party. Even as McConnell cut the Democrats out, he submitted his bill to the White House to make sure President Trump wouldnt denounce it. Thats a normal part of legislating but in the process, some measures were watered down. Please log in to keep reading. {{featured_button_text}} Enjoy unlimited articles at one of our lowest prices ever. Initially, Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.), the bills main author, said he wanted to ban or limit no-knock searches, which have led to fatal police shootings of innocent people. When the proposal emerged, it merely called on the Justice Department to collect data about no-knock warrants. The result was a bill that had broad support among Senate Republicans but fell far short of what Democrats had promised their supporters. McConnell said he would allow Democrats to try to amend the bill, but Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) said that offer fell short of a guarantee. In the House, where Speaker Nancy Pelosis Democratic majority can pass bills without Republican help, a mirror-image process occurred: A Democratic bill passed with almost no GOP participation. It included bans on chokeholds and no-knock warrants, limits on police officers immunity from lawsuits and a publicly available database of police officers with disciplinary records. On all those issues, King argued, compromises might have been possible. A bipartisan majority could agree to ban chokeholds except when a police officers life is in danger, strict restrictions on no-knock searches, and even perhaps stripping police officers immunity to lawsuits if they violate their departments policies (although police unions have long resisted any change). There was plenty of blame to go around. Norman J. Ornstein, a congressional expert at the American Enterprise Institute, pointed at the Republican leader. The way McConnell set up the process almost guaranteed this outcome, he said. If he had wanted bipartisan legislation, he could have gotten it either by turning the issue over to the Judiciary Committee (which includes members of both parties) or by forming a bipartisan group. He did neither. Frances E. Lee, a political scientist at Princeton University, said the Democrats were responsible, too. Its clear that Democrats believe that they would be better off preserving the issue for the election, she wrote in an email. A negotiated outcome would force Democrats to accept far less than what they want (and) muddle the clarity of the partys election message. There are two morals to this story one all too familiar, the other less so. The first is that in a polarized and closely divided Congress, bipartisan deals are almost impossible, especially in an election year. But the countervailing message is also striking: On some issues, if the public demands action, both parties will try to respond. That was true when Congress passed a series of bills to counter the economic shock of the coronavirus lockdowns. And it was true in Congress initial reaction to the death of George Floyd. I think it would have been better if Senate Democrats had allowed McConnells bill to move ahead, and tested his promise that they could amend it on the floor. They chose otherwise. Now McConnell can either walk away from the issue or he can try again, with a bigger dose of bipartisanship. But only one force can compel the Senate leader and his colleagues to move: loud, sustained pressure from the public. Doyle McManus is a columnist for the Los Angeles Times. Email doyle.mcmanus@latimes.com Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 HICKORY - Exodus Homes, a faith-based United Way agency that provides 73 beds of supportive housing for homeless recovering people returning to the community from treatment centers and prison, has just completed a six-year prison recidivism study that demonstrates the effectiveness of their program. The study was done by Appalachian State University criminal justice intern Lori Smith who was able to be at Exodus Homes 40 hour a week from mid-January to the end of April. Over the years Exodus has provided internship opportunities for students from many area colleges and universities but rarely have they had a student who could give so much time for such an extended period. "We realized this time we had the time we needed and the right kind of student to do this longitudinal study" said assistant executive director the Rev. Susan Smith. The project used the N.C. Department of Public Safety Research and Planning Automated Query to conduct the study. For the years 2012 - 2017 it compared the recidivism rate of Exodus Homes' residents who came from prison and stayed at least 90 days to the recidivism rate of the general inmate population who were released from prison after staying at least 90 days. No one goes to prison in NC for less than 90 days. No one thought the country could last very long. The history of republics, as some of the founders knew, were short. The constitutional framework embraced by Franklin and others in 1787, in the place where Jeffersons words were debated in 1776, remain markers for liberty-loving people around the world. And it is especially fitting to think about these things today. President Lincoln, speaking at the dedication of the new Union cemetery in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania in 1863, took his audience back to Jeffersons declaration; reminding Americans of the countrys youth. In the midst of one of the most divisive times in its history, the president came to Gettysburg to honor the Union dead from one of the most influential Civil War battles fought during the first days of July. Lincoln spoke of their sacrifice, but also spoke to the living in attendance. After reminding the audience they could do nothing to hallow and consecrate the ground, he challenged it to have increased devotion to the cause for which the soldiers fought. He hoped a new birth of freedom could come out of the carnage of war. Using religious imagery, he articulated a country eventually moving out of war into an even better peace where a government of the people, for the people, and by the people could never perish from the earth. " " Seward, Alaska, (seen here) was named for William Seward, the U.S. secretary of state who struck the deal with Russia to purchase Alaska for $7.2 million. Putt Sakdhnagool/Getty Images Alaskans are celebrating a big milestone in 2017. The year marks the 150th anniversary of the state's purchase. In 1867, Russia handed this vast territory over to the United States for the bargain price of $7.2 million, or about two cents per acre. Uncle Sam clearly got the better end of that deal 50 years after the sale, an Alaskan gold rush generated more than $1 billion in new wealth for the United States. Also lucrative were the land's abundance of timber, salmon and petroleum. Plus, Alaska became a real strategic asset for the U.S. military once the Cold War arrived. So why did the Russians part with such a bountiful region? And why didn't the country sell it to Canada, which unlike the contiguous U.S. actually borders Alaska? To answer these questions, we have to look backward to the 19th century when a Proto-Cold War emerged. Historians call it "The Great Game." And like a certain HBO series, more than a few thrones were involved. Advertisement Russia Claims Alaska From 1829 to 1907, the empires of Russia and Great Britain shared a mutual hostility. Each wanted to expand its influence in Central Asia, as well as the Pacific Ocean. Thus, a rivalry was born. The animosity sparked or intensified several military conflicts, most notably the Crimean War (1853-1856), which pitted Russia against the allied forces of Britain, France, Sardinia and the Ottoman Empire. Ultimately, Russia was defeated. By some estimates, the czarist empire suffered 800,000 casualties or more. Although this war was restricted to Eurasia, it had major ramifications across the Pacific. Among other things, it called into question the future of that magical land, Alaska. Following decades of exploration, Russia claimed Alaska in 1741. It then founded its first North American settlement there on Aug. 3, 1784. This was established by the Shelikhov-Golikov Co., one of several fur-trading organizations that operated in the area ostensibly on the empire's behalf. In 1799, Czar Paul I merged several of these into the Russian-American Co. (RAC). A powerful conglomerate, the RAC was given a trade monopoly on Alaskan resources. It was also tasked with creating new settlements and expanding Russia's New World presence. To this end, company manager Alexander Baranov had his men venture all the way down to northern California, where they set up an outpost called Fort Ross on Feb. 2, 1812. The RAC's grand vision was for this establishment to serve as an agricultural hub, one whose crops would sustain its own settlers and those up in Alaska. With their food supply guaranteed, the colonists in both locations would have an easier time harvesting the Pacific's most profitable commodity: sea otter pelts. Several times more valuable than the coveted beaver and fur seal pelts, these were the lifeblood of the Russian-American economy. Unfortunately, Fort Ross' farming output was grossly inadequate. And to make matters worse, the Russian fur trappers overhunted those sea otters so badly that the animals nearly vanished from the North Pacific. The Russians therefore gave up on Fort Ross, which was sold to an American frontiersman in 1844. " " The Alaska gold rush brought the United States billions in wealth. Here prospectors are seen starting their journey for the Yukon from Juneau, Alaska, in 1896. Bettmann/Contributor/Getty Images Advertisement The Crimean War and Its Role Then along came the Crimean War, in which Alaska threatened to become a liability. Had the British decided to invade this territory, Russia's overextended military would have struggled to protect it. No such attack ever came, as the Brits chose to stay out of Alaska during the war. Still, many in the czar's government now questioned the wisdom of clinging to a remote, sparsely populated colony whose main source of revenue was disappearing. To make matters even worse, whaling ships from Britain and the U.S. often infringed on RAC-controlled waters, further complicating the entire situation. In the late 1850s, Russia started entertaining the idea of a sale. Under different circumstances, the Province of Canada might have looked like an ideal buyer, thanks to the 1,538-mile (2,475-kilometer) border it shared with Alaska. But Canada was not yet self-governing and still resided under the United Kingdom's firm control. As such, handing Alaska off to the Canucks would have given Britain an extra chess piece in the Great Game. But fortunately for Russia, a better candidate presented itself. During the Crimean War, this Slavic empire found a surprising ally. American newspapers were overwhelmingly supportive of the Russian cause. On top of this moral support, the states also gave the czar's troops weapons and other supplies, even though the U.S. government was officially neutral. Advertisement British Imperialism Both superpowers saw British imperialism as a threat. Recognizing this, Russia allowed its foreign minister to the U.S., Baron Edouard de Stoeckl, to approach the republic's leaders with an offer to sell Alaska in 1854. The deal fell through, and the topic wasn't seriously discussed again until after the American Civil War. The secretary of state under Presidents Abraham Lincoln and Andrew Johnson was one William Seward, a talented diplomat who'd been preaching Alaska's merits for years. In 1867, he and Stoeckl struck a deal that would see the U.S. take possession of the territory in exchange for $7.2 million. On April 9 of that year, the Senate ratified the transaction (although Congress didn't appropriate the funds until 1868). On Oct. 18, 1867, Alaska formally became an American territory. Since 1911, residents of the Last Frontier have been celebrating that event's anniversary as a major holiday. Its name? Alaska Day. Now That's Interesting The United States originally designated Alaska as a military district, governed by federal officers. After the purchase, it was placed under the command of brevet Maj. Gen. Jefferson C. Davis, who held the post for three years. In case you were wondering, he had no relation to the Confederacy's only president. Indeed, this Jefferson Davis had fought for the Union. FMCG major Marico on Friday issued an overall summary of the operating performance and demand trends witnessed in Q1 June 2020. The company said it remains cautiously optimistic about the future as it unfolds, however much will depend on the extent of the spread of COVID-19 in India and overseas and how the on-ground environment evolves in conjunction with the response of respective governments. While the business environment and consumer sentiment remain volatile, the company said it is well positioned to withstand these challenging times through innovation, agile execution, aggressive cost management and its portfolio of trusted brands. Despite significant disruptions during the first fortnight of April, the FMCG major was able to steadily scale up operations to near-normal levels in June. The edible oils and foods businesses resumed operations in early april, however the hair oils & personal care businesses commenced in late April/early May. The distribution network also improved progressively during the quarter, with general trade and e-commerce channels gaining over modern trade due to heightened social distancing concerns. Marico said that while the India business clocked sales above the annual average monthly run rate of FY20 during the quarter, the reported volume decline on a year-on-year basis will be in low teens, given the very significant skew of revenues (c.31% of annual sales) and high base in the first quarter of the last year. With the Q1 top line translating into a single digit growth over the annual run rate of FY20, the company expects to bounce back to posting volume and value growth during the rest of the year. International markets have also been disrupted either due to total or partial lockdowns. The international business witnessed a mid-single digit decline in constant currency terms in Q1, but should recover in the course of the year, as it is now clocking more than 100% of the FY20 monthly average top line, led by the Bangladesh business, the firm said. Story continues While overall revenues have declined in double digits, a combination of benign input costs, aggressive cost control and rationalisation of A&P spends in few discretionary portfolios on a lower topline, will lead to expansion of operating margins compared to the corresponding quarter last year. However, for the balance of FY21, Marico expects operating margins to hold to a minimum of the previous year levels. The company concluded that it will continue to drive sustained profitable volume-led growth over the medium term, through its focus on strengthening the franchise in the core categories and driving the new engines of growth towards gaining critical mass. Shares of Marico rose 0.29% to Rs 358.60 on Friday. On a consolidated basis, Marico's net profit fell 50.62% to Rs 199 crore on 7.02% decline in net sales to Rs 1,496 crore in Q4 March 2020 (Q4 FY20) over Q4 March 2019 (Q4 FY19). Marico manufactures consumer products and services in the beauty and wellness space. Source: Capitalmarket.com Bihar Assembly's opposition leader Tejashwi Yadav lashed out at Chief Minister Nitish Kumar-led government on July 2 during an event, while also admitting the mistakes done during the rule of his father and former CM Lalu Prasad Yadav. The RJD leader said, "We were in power for 15 years, but I was not there, I was small then. No one can deny that during Lalu ji's tenure he did not do social justice. In these 15 years, we may have also done mistakes and we apologise for them" On Nitish Kumar, RJD leader questioned Nitish Kumar on the fulfilment of promises made by him over providing employment, stopping getaway and improving the condition of farmers. The father of British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Saturday defended his decision to fly to Greece even though at that time the government advice was for UK nationals to avoid all but essential international travel. Greek government officials confirmed on Thursday that Stanley Johnson had arrived, likely via Bulgaria, in the northern region of Pelion, where he has a holiday home. Johnson told reporters he was on a business trip. "I don't know what the reaction of the British public (has been), I came here to have a quiet time to organise the house," he said in comments to local reporters carried by Sky News, referring to measures to make the property COVID-19 secure for lettings. "I've just got one week to get everything organised. I've got a whole lot of instructions about how to make the place COVID-proof," he said, noting he planned to return to the UK on July 10. On Friday, Britain's foreign ministry set out exemptions from a global advisory against "all but essential" international travel, to take effect from Saturday. That list includes Greece. Johnson said photos he posted on his Instagram account on the outward leg of his trip were not put up "in a spirit of defiance or anything like that." Boris Johnson was asked about his father's trip on Friday. "I think you really ought to raise that with him," he told LBC radio. Details that emerged in May of a long road trip at the height of the UK coronavirus lockdown by Dominic Cummings, the prime minister's senior adviser, provoked outrage across the country. The southern Africa country of Botswana is struggling to investigate the reasons for the mysterious deaths of over 350 elephants in the popular Okavango Delta nature reserve. Authorities in Botswana, home to a third of Africa's declining elephant population, are struggling to send samples for analysis to international agencies to determine the cause of the deaths due to the lack of flights because of the COVID-19 lockdown in the region. The sudden mass deaths of elephants, which scientists have called a conservation disaster, were first spotted during an aerial survey in early May. The number of elephants died have since risen to over 350, most of them close to watering holes which have prompted suggestions that they might have died from poisoning. But other scientists pointed out that if the water was indeed poisoned, it would have killed other animals as well. Local experts have already ruled out anthrax as a possible cause, after about 100 elephants died of that disease last year. "Some of the elephants we observed were moving about in circles in a kind of semi-conscious way before just falling down and perishing instantly," an unnamed pilot involved in aerial surveys told local media. Scientists believe that there might be a neurological cause for the deaths because of this. Authorities have also ruled out illegal poaching by ivory hunters, something that is a cause for concern in the region, as the carcasses had their tusks intact when they were removed by government officials. Conservationists in neighbouring Namibia and South Africa, both of which also have sizeable elephant populations on the reserves bordering Botswana, have not noted any similar deaths. Botswana has the world's largest elephant population, believed to be more than 130,000. New Delhi [India], July 3 (ANI): On Asaadh Poornima on July 4, President Ram Nath Kovind will on Saturday inaugurate the Dharma Chakra Day from the Rashtrapati Bhavan and Prime Minister Narendra Modi would deliver a video address on the occasion to emphasise the teachings of Lord Buddha and the eight-fold path shown by him. The International Buddhist Confederation (IBC), under the aegis of Union Ministry of Culture, is celebrating Asaadh Poornima as Dharma Chakra Day. Dharma Chakra Day commemorates Buddha's first sermon to his first five ascetic disciples at the Deer Park, Rsipatana in the present day Sarnath near Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh. 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". This day is also aptly 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 Kovind will inaugurate the Dharma Chakra Day from the Rashtrapati Bhavan. Prime Minister Narendra Modi would deliver a video address on the occasion to emphasise 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 Prime Minister's Office in a statement. Moreover, 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 President Kovind. Minister of Culture Prahlad Patel and Minister of State for Minorities Affairs Kiren Rijiju will also address the opening ceremony. Rest of the events on this day, 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 program is being conducted virtually, like a very successful virtual Vaisakh (Buddha Poornima) on May 7 this year. The event on July 4 is expected to be witnessed by around 30 lakh devotees worldwide via live webcast, the statement issued by PMO further read. (ANI) Amaravati, July 3 (PTI): A sum of Rs 50 lakh each will be paid as compensation to the kin of the two workers who died in the gas leak incident in the Sainor Life Sciences unit at the Pharma City near Visakhapatnam on June 30. Of the total, the factory management will contribute Rs 35 lakh and the balance will be given from the Chief Ministers Relief Fund, Visakhapatnam district Collector V Vinay Chand told PTI. The Sainor management also promised a job to the eligible kin of each of the two deceased, he said. He said the committee appointed to probe the mishap was expected to submit its report on Saturday. The shift in-charge and the chemist were killed when hydrogen sulphide gas leaked while it was being pumped into the reactor in the drug manufacturing unit,official sources said. Four other workers, who inhaled the gas, fell ill and were admitted to hospital in Gajuwaka and undergoing treatment. Official sources said human error in pumping the gas into the reactor led to the mishap. 'It was hydrogen sulphide gas that leaked and not benzene as suspected.The reactors nozzle was loose while the gas was being pumped in. The shift in-charge and the chemist, who inhaled the dense gas closer to the reactor, had succumbed,' the sources said.PTI DBV BN WELCOME BN WELCOME The Worker's Party team contesting Marine Parade GRC comprises (L-R) Ron Tan, 35; Nathaniel Koh, 36; Fadli Fawzi, 39; Azhar Abdul Latip, 33; and Yee Jenn Jong, 55. PHOTO: Nicholas Yong/Yahoo News Singapore SINGAPORE Even if the Peoples Action Partys (PAP) candidates were to lose at the upcoming General Election (GE), they would still return to their respective electoral divisions as grassroots advisers under the Peoples Association (PA), said the anchor for the Workers Party (WP) team contesting Marine Parade GRC. The PAP candidates have been saying that we've been serving you, give us another chance, we want to be here with you. The reality is, even if they lose the election, they're not elected as Members of Parliament in the GRC or the division they're in, they will still be back as grassroots advisors under the PA, said Ron Tan, 35, describing what he called a win-win situation for voters. There'll be two sets of people that'll be able to write in letters for you. Because as opposition candidates, if we lose, we lose all rights to be your voice. But PA grassroots advisers can write in for you as well. So look at Aljunied and Hougang (in previous Parliaments): they've got choices. The residents have choices from both sides. So why not Marine Parade? Tan was speaking to Yahoo News Singapore at a coffeeshop in Eunos Crescent on Thursday (2 July). He leads the WP team which include entrepreneur Yee Jenn Jong, 55, and three new faces: IT professional Nathaniel Koh, 36; lawyer Fadli Fawzi, 39; and Grab driver Azhar Abdul Latip, 33. They are up against the incumbent PAP team led by Speaker Tan Chuan-jin, 51, Senior Minister of State Edwin Tong, NTUC FairPrice Group CEO Seah Kian Peng, and newcomers Dr Tan See Leng and Fahmi Aliman. In GE2015, the PAP team garnered 64.1 per cent of the vote. In opposition wards, the losing PAP candidates in past GEs were typically grassroots advisers. For example, Lee Hong Chuang, who was defeated in Hougang SMC by the WPs Png Eng Huat in 2015, is the grassroots adviser for the ward. Former Potong Pasir MP Sitoh Yih Pin, who lost twice to opposition veteran Chiam See Tong before being elected in 2011, was also a grassroots adviser in the ward for a decade before becoming an MP. Similarly, the losing PAP Aljunied GRC teams in GE2011 and GE2015 comprised grassroots advisers. Story continues Grassroots advisers, who are appointed by the government, hold considerable powers. For example, all MPs must go through them to raise municipal projects for consideration. They have often been accused of being partisan. You must be resilient Workers' Party chair Sylvia Lim (second from left) alongside Azhar Abdul Latip and Yee Jenn Jong on a walkabout near Marine Terrace Market on Saturday, 4 July 2020. PHOTO: Amir Hussain/Yahoo News Singapore Yee is the most experienced of the Marine Parade candidates, having run veteran Charles Chong to the wire in GE2011 in the now defunct Joo Chiat SMC and serving one term as a Non-Constituency MP (NCMP). He also anchored the WP team in Marine Parade in GE2015, which garnered 35.9 per cent of the votes. Given the slow pace of opposition gains in the last decade - the balance of power in the last two Parliaments remaining relatively unchanged - has Yee ever thought of throwing in the towel? The father of three demurred. If you want to be in opposition, you must personally be resilient. Because we don't come into these elections thinking that, oh, the PAP are easy meat. They have been winning non-stop since independence...it is so difficult to break them down. This is just a life that people who want to come in, you just have to take it as it is. Yee pointed to the WPs electoral victory in Aljunied GRC in 2011, which provided a platform for the partys candidates like former NCMP Dennis Tan to serve and prove themselves to residents. Without Aljunied, there is no Dennis today, I can tell you for sure, because what can I do as an NCMP when I'm just going there, knock on doors. After a while, you find that you can't really serve the residents because the government just ignores you. Dennis Tan, who gained 42.5 per cent of the vote in Fengshan SMC in 2015, is the WPs candidate for Hougang SMC, succeeding incumbent Png. Yee also stressed that voters must play their part. Singaporeans must also feel that they believe that it is important to have a Team B, that they cannot leave the PAP to have the monopoly of wisdom. If they do that, and we continue to have some grounds, then we can go forward. To run or not to run So what of the perennial fear factor: have the candidates ever felt that they missed out on opportunities or were discriminated against because of being in the opposition? Koh, who has been with the WP for nine years, said, The short answer is no. Because in the jobs that I've had, the various companies that I've worked for, I've conducted myself professionally. There is a barrier between politics and your professional life. That fear to me is unfounded. Also disagreeing, Azhar said, I think when someone chooses to fight under the banner of the opposition, that person has to understand that it will be a very tough journey. (But) my entire family, my relatives are all fully behind me. I've gotten words of encouragement from people I don't even know, who's been messaging me and that keeps me going strong. For Ron Tan, it is the culmination of a journey that began in 2012, when he faced a choice between the PAP and the WP. To be honest, I was approached by the RC chairman in my estate, on or around the same time I started with Workers Party. Today, the contracts officer has deep roots in the WP: he ran as a candidate for Nee Soon GRC in 2015 and is also married to a fellow party member. I would say that I'm aligned with what Fadli said earlier: join the underdog because it's a tougher fight. After exposing myself to how things are in Singapore, I realised that it is important to have an opposition in Parliament to really voice out for people who fell through the cracks. Follow Yahoo News Singapores GE2020 coverage here. Stay in the know on-the-go: Join Yahoo Singapore's Telegram channel at http://t.me/YahooSingapore Related stories: GE2020: Pritam Singh dismisses PAP 'fear-mongering' of alternative government No need to vote opposition as NCMP scheme ensures their voice in Parliament: Indranee Rajah COMMENT: The NCMP scheme is good for who exactly? People's Association's 'repeated' failure to communicate with WP on municipal projects leads to 'irresistible conclusion': Pritam Singh Workers' Party secretary-general Pritam Singh poses for phots with residents during a party walkabout at Marine Terrace Market during the 2020 General Election. (PHOTO: Amir Hussain/Yahoo News Singapore) SINGAPORE Workers Party (WP) secretary-general Pritam Singh has dismissed the ruling Peoples Action Partys (PAP) scenario that the three major opposition parties could form an alternative government at the General Election. The Aljunied group representation constituency (GRC) candidate has instead urged voters to put this fearmongering in historical perspective, saying that such a scenario posed by Trade and Industry Minister Chan Chun Sing during a Lianhe Zaobao online debate session on Thursday is unrealistic. I think its important to take a historical perspective to this, Singh said, when asked by a reporter for a response at a doorstop interview after a walkabout at Marine Terrace Market on Saturday (4 July) with the WPs candidates for Marine Parade GRC and WP chairperson Sylvia Lim. It took 16 years after our independence for the opposition to win even one elected seat. And 23 years after 1988, when the GRC system was introduced, for the opposition to win one GRC. So lets put this fearmongering in perspective. I hope that historical look-back is helpful in terms of how realistic this prospect that Minister Chan paints is possible. I dont think its possible at all. Singh was referring to the WPs J. B. Jeyaretnam winning the Anson seat at a by-election in 1981 breaking the PAPs dominance in GEs for the first time since Singapores independence since 1965 as well as the party winning Aljunied GRC in 2011, the first time a GRC went to an opposition party since 1988. Response to entering fray of 10m population debate At the interview, Singh was also asked by another reporter to respond to the PAP accusing him of opportunistically jumping into the fray of the ongoing 10-million population debate. In a media release on Friday, the ruling party took issue with Singh asking why the government couldnt have said earlier that the population would be well below 6.9 million in 2030, let alone a mythical 10 million. Story continues It is baffling that Mr Singh should ask this question. During the Committee of Supply in February 2018, Minister Josephine Teo had said that our population would be significantly below 6.9 million in 2030. She repeated this in the Committee of Supply in February this year. Was the Leader of the Opposition not scrutinising the Ministers statements? the PAP media release said. At the doorstop interview on Saturday, Singh said he had made his comments in response to a query from a reporter. I didnt jump into this - it was a doorstop and one of you asked me this question. Let me make the Workers Partys position clear: When we deal with public discourse, I think its very helpful, in fact its critical, that we all deal with objective information. So in that sense I think there is no disagreement between myself and all other candidates from the Workers Party, he said. He added, Population is very sensitive issue and I can understand why it has ruffled some feathers...When the population White Paper came up, there was a line which said, look were going to review the population size at the end of the decade. But when I asked the question in the Parliament this year, when is the review going to take place, the answer (from the government) was we already did it in 2018. Im not sure how many of you knew there was a review of the population policy in 2018. I think if theres more signature for the public to understand what the government is thinking, what is its way forward, I think that will be helpful. Follow our GE2020 coverage at yhoo.it/SGGE2020 Stay in the know on-the-go: Join Yahoo Singapore's Telegram channel at http://t.me/YahooSingapore More GE2020 stories: GE2020: Focus should be on overcoming COVID-19 crisis, not party interest PAP's Chan Chun Sing GE2020: Masagos mistakenly refers to Lee Hsien Yang as Singapore's PM during online rally GE2020: Hwa Chong defends email to students to refrain from posting about election on social media GE2020: Government should state position clearly, before election WP's Pritam on '10 million' saga COMMENT: Dancing around 10 million people Kolkata, Jul 3 (PTI) The Kolkata Port Trust (KoPT), rechristened as the Shyama Prasad Mookerjee Port Trust, on Friday introduced a new shipping service through the inland waterways route between the West Bengal capital and the seaside town of Chittagong in Bangladesh amid frequent disruption of cross-border trade via the Petrapole-Benapole land ports. Export of Indian goods to Bangladesh through the Petrapole border in West Bengal was disrupted on July 1 due to agitation by a section of exporters in the neighbouring country. They were unhappy over India not allowing import of goods from Bangladesh through Petrapole due to the COVID-19 outbreak. 'The 'M V Asiatic Moon' is expected to carry 300 containers of Indian exports to Bangladesh in its maiden voyage. This is the biggest vessel by size to ply between Kolkata and Chittagong till date. It can carry up to 600 containers in a single voyage to Chittagong,' Kolkata Port deputy chairman S Balaji Arunkumar said. Earlier, barges with carrying capacity of 80-100 containers were operational on this route, he said. The deadlock at the Petrapole-Benapole border continued on Friday with Bangladeshi traders and workers agitating for their demand. 'The port and shipping line is also in consultation with the Federation of Indian Export Organisations (FIEO) to make sure all exporters are aware of the new service to ease the pressure brought about by the issues faced at the overland routes through Petrapole,' KoPT Chairman Vinit Kumar said. Another similar cargo service to Chittagong will commence from the Shyama Prasad Mookerjee Port in the second week of July, he said. Meanwhile, the KoPT has commissioned an outer mooring terminal at the Haldia Dock Complex at a cost of Rs 3.8 crore, officials said. PTI BSM ACD ACD New Delhi [India], July 3 (ANI): The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Friday said that over 5 lakh stranded Indians have returned safely to India from 137 countries under the Vande Bharat Mission (VBM). "The VBM operations commenced on May 7, 2020 and in less than two months 5,03,990 stranded Indians from 137 countries, including from remote areas, have returned to their homes. Considering that the initial target to bring stranded Indians with compelling reasons was only 2 lakh, this is a significant achievement," MEA said in a release. According to the release, 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 VBM flights are from UAE (57,305), followed by Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, Saudi Arabia and USA and from Nepal (91,193) have returned through land border check posts, the Ministry said. The mission involved 860 Air India flights; 1256 charter flights and 8 Naval Ships. The stranded Indians returned by Air India were 1,64,121; Indian Navy 3,987 in 8 ships from Maldives, Iran and Colombo; chartered flights - 2,30,832 and foreign carriers - 3,969; about 60 air ambulances and 95,220 through land border check-posts from neighboring countries. "This massive operation was carried out with the active support and cooperation of Indian Missions abroad, MoCA, MHA, MoHFW and State Governments. The MEA designated senior officers as State Coordinators were at the forefront of these operations ensuring smooth coordination at all levels," said the MEA release. (ANI) Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan vowed on Friday that his government would complete the ambitious China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) at "any cost" as the USD 60 billion project is a manifestation of the all-weather friendship between the two countries. Addressing a meeting held here to review progress on the CPEC projects, Khan said it is an excellent project for Pakistan's socio-economic development and the "gigantic multi-faceted initiative would guarantee a bright future for the nation", the Dawn newspaper reported. Lauding the performance of the CPEC Authority, he said measures must be taken to improve its working as well as capacity. The corridor is a manifestation of Pakistan-China friendship and the government will complete it at any cost and bring its fruit to every Pakistani, Khan said. Khan's statement came a day after Chinese Foriegn Minister Wang Yi discussed the CPEC projects with his Pakistani counterpart Shah Mahmood Qureshi during a phone conversation. Wang called for the two countries to speed up the projects under the CPEC to help Pakistan's economic recovery. He also hoped that the Pakistani government would provide more protection for Chinese companies and citizens working in the country. The CPEC, which connects Gwadar Port in Pakistan's Balochistan with China's Xinjiang province, is the flagship project of China''s ambitious multi-billion-dollar Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). A Chinese official last month admitted that the majority of the projects under the BRI are either adversely or partially affected by the coronavirus pandemic. About a fifth of the projects under the BRI, which aims to boost trade and investment across Asia, Africa and Europe to further China's global influence, had been "seriously affected" by the pandemic, according to Wang Xiaolong, director-general of the foreign ministry''s international economic affairs department. About 40 per cent of the projects were "adversely affected", and a further 30-40 per cent were "somewhat affected", Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post quoted Wang as saying. The projects which were disrupted included the CPEC, it said. The CPEC is a collection of infrastructure and other projects under construction throughout Pakistan since 2013. Originally valued at USD 46 billion, the projects were worth USD 62 billion as of 2017. India has protested to China over the CPEC as it is being laid through Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. The BRI was launched by Chinese President Xi Jinping when he came to power in 2013. It aims to link Southeast Asia, Central Asia, the Gulf region, Africa and Europe with a network of land and sea routes. The BRI is seen as an attempt by China to further its influence abroad with infrastructure projects funded by Chinese investments all over the world. The initiative also led to allegations of smaller countries reeling under mounting Chinese debt after Sri Lanka gave its Hambantota port in a debt swap to China in 2017 on a 99-year lease. Pakistan on Friday reported that 113,623 persons have recovered from the deadly coronavirus, surpassing the number of active COVID-19 infections in the country for the first time, authorities said. According to the Ministry of National Health Services, "out of the total 221,896 COVID-19 positive patients, 113,623 have so far recovered from the disease across the country". The recovered patients have surpassed the number of active 108,273 COVID-19 infections. In Sindh, out of the 89,225 confirmed cases 49,926 have recovered, while in Punjab, out of 78,956 patients, 33,786 have recovered. In Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, out of 27,170 cases, 14,715 have recovered and in Balochistan out 10,666 cases 5,073 recovered, the ministry said. In the federal capital Islamabad, out of 13,195 cases 8,264 have recovered. In Gilgit-Baltistan out of 1,524 cases, 1,173 patients have recovered and in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir out of 1,160 confirmed patients 686 have recovered. The ministry said that so far 4,551 patients died, including 78 in the last 24 hours. Another 2,479 were in critical condition. The authorities performed another 22,941 coronavirus tests in the last 24 hours, taking the number of total tests to 1,350,773. Meanwhile, Special Assistant on Poverty Alleviation and Social Security Dr Sania Nishtar said that over 12.3 million families were assisted in the past 11 weeks under the Ehsaas Cash programme. She on Thursday briefed ambassadors, high commissioners, country representatives and charge d'Affairs from over 60 countries on the social protection response to COVID-19. Under the programme, Rs 12,000 were provided to each poor family. Jammu (Jammu and Kashmir) [India], July 2 (ANI): The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Thursday arrested one more accused, named Mohd Iqbal Rather, in connection with the Pulwama attack case in which 40 CRPF jawans were killed in an IED blast on February 14, 2019. Mohd Iqbal Rather, 25, is a resident of Futlipura, Charar-e-Shareef, Budgam, Jammu and Kashmir, read a statement. Rather had facilitated the movement of Muhammad Umar Farooq, the JeM terrorist and a key conspirator in this case, after he infiltrated into the Indian territory in Jammu region in April 2018, from the National Highway near International border to South Kashmir. Umar Farooq, along with others, had assembled the IED used in the attack. The accused had been undergoing judicial custody since September 2018 in another Jaish-e-Mohammed related case investigated by NIA. He was produced by the Jail authorities before the NIA Special Court, Jammu today and was taken into seven days NIA custody for interrogation. The statement further noted that initial examination has revealed that Mohd Iqbal Rather was in constant touch with Pakistan-based leadership of Jaish-e-Mohammed and was in communication with them over secure messaging applications. Rather was part of the 'transportation module' of Jaish-e-Mohammed terrorist organisation. With his arrest, NIA has so far arrested six accused persons in this case. Further investigation is in progress. (ANI) Putin mocks U.S. embassy for flying rainbow flag FILE PHOTO: A rainbow flag flies in support of the LGBT community at the British Embassy in Moscow MOSCOW (Reuters) - President Vladimir Putin on Friday mocked the U.S. embassy in Moscow for flying a rainbow flag to celebrate LGBT rights, suggesting it reflected the sexual orientation of its staff. His comments followed a nationwide vote on constitutional reforms that included an amendment enshrining the definition of marriage specifically as a union between a man and a woman. Putin said the U.S. embassy's move to raise the LGBT pride flag "revealed something about the people that work there". "It's no big deal though. We have spoken about this many times, and our position is clear," said Putin, who has sought to distance Russia from liberal Western values and aligned himself with the Russian Orthodox Church. "Yes, we passed a law banning the propaganda of homosexuality among minors. So what? Let people grow up, become adults and then decide their own destinies." The legislation has been used to stop gay pride marches and detain gay rights activists. Putin said during the campaign to change the constitution that he would not let the traditional notion of a mother and father be subverted by what he called "parent number 1" and "parent number 2". On Friday, the head of the Women's Union of Russia, Ekaterina Lakhova, told Putin that she feared an ice cream with the brand name 'Rainbow', as well as other multi-coloured advertising, could constitute propaganda for non-traditional values and have a harmful effect on children, the RIA news agency reported. "Even indirectly, such things make our children accustomed to that ... flag, the one that was hung up by the embassy," Lakhova was cited as saying. "It would be very good to have a commission to make sure that those values that we enshrined in our constitution are upheld," she said. Other countries have also flown rainbow flags outside their embassies in Moscow, including Britain. (Reporting by Polina Ivanova and Tom Balmforth; Editing by Hugh Lawson) Singapore, Jul 3 (PTI) Singapore authorities on Friday said they are taking a cautious approach in the country's phase 2 of reopening in view of rising infections in community areas. On Friday, the country reported 169 new coronavirus cases. Of the new cases, 158 are work permit holders residing in foreign worker dormitories, which have accounted for most of the COVID-19 cases in the country, the Ministry of Health said. The remaining 11 cases were reported from the community areas -- three are Singaporeans (citizens) or Permanent Residents (foreigners) and eight are foreigners on work passes living outside the dormitories. Overall, the number of new cases in the community has increased to an average of nine per day in the past week, from an average of four cases per day in the week before that, The Straits Times reported. Restrictions, such as limiting gatherings to groups of five people or fewer, are likely to remain despite a number of activities resuming under phase 2 of reopening, it said. With the addition of the new 169 cases, Singapore now has 44,479 COVID-19 cases and 26 deaths. Singapore's 'circuit-breaker' period began on April 7 as part of which all non-essential work places were closed and residents were barred from leaving their houses except to buy food and groceries or to exercise alone in the neighbourhood. The period ended on June 2. In an online press conference on Thursday, National Development Minister Lawrence Wong said phase two of reopening, which started two weeks back, will go on for a few months before the next phase of reopening begins. 'And what do 'months' mean? It's really hard to pinpoint at this stage, because we are just two weeks into phase 2. It's still early days,' Wong said. Although the multi-ministry task force tackling COVID-19 had said some rules could be relaxed soon in phase 2, Singapore is 'not moving to any such relaxations any time soon'. Story continues 'These sorts of things are unlikely to happen any time soon. That was the assessment earlier. It remains the same assessment today,' Wong said. Large-scale events like concerts and conferences will not be allowed and venues like bars and pubs will remain closed. Number of infections are expected to increase as more activities resume, this will require aggressive testing, the multi-ministry task force has said. If the number of cases rises sharply, some measures may be tightened. Health Minister Gan Kim Yong, who co-chairs the task force, said the current numbers have 'not fully reflected the effect of the opening' in this phase and cases may continue to go up in the coming weeks. 'We will continue to look at how we can confidently and safely continue our opening process and, eventually, we will reach phase 3,' he said. 'So, we are still in the monitoring stage, and that time will come when we may announce additional relaxations, but I think it's too early for us to discuss that,' The Straits Times quoted Yong as saying on Thursday. The war against COVID-19 'is not yet over', he said, urging residents to stay vigilant. 'We want to move very carefully, very cautiously, and therefore very gradually. So please bear with us as we progressively open up bit by bit, step by step, to ensure safety for all,' the minister said. Attractions like Universal Studios Singapore have started to reopen with fixed guidelines. Other tourist attractions, like Jurong Bird Park, River Safari and Singapore Zoo, will reopen next week. PTI GS IND AKJ IND Singapore authorities on Friday said they are taking a cautious approach in the country's phase 2 of reopening in view of rising infections in community areas. On Friday, the country reported 169 new coronavirus cases. Of the new cases, 158 are work permit holders residing in foreign worker dormitories, which have accounted for most of the COVID-19 cases in the country, the Ministry of Health said. The remaining 11 cases were reported from the community areas -- three are Singaporeans (citizens) or Permanent Residents (foreigners) and eight are foreigners on work passes living outside the dormitories. Overall, the number of new cases in the community has increased to an average of nine per day in the past week, from an average of four cases per day in the week before that, The Straits Times reported. Restrictions, such as limiting gatherings to groups of five people or fewer, are likely to remain despite a number of activities resuming under phase 2 of reopening, it said. With the addition of the new 169 cases, Singapore now has 44,479 COVID-19 cases and 26 deaths. Singapore's "circuit-breaker" period began on April 7 as part of which all non-essential work places were closed and residents were barred from leaving their houses except to buy food and groceries or to exercise alone in the neighbourhood. The period ended on June 2. In an online press conference on Thursday, National Development Minister Lawrence Wong said phase two of reopening, which started two weeks back, will go on for a few months before the next phase of reopening begins. "And what do 'months' mean? It's really hard to pinpoint at this stage, because we are just two weeks into phase 2. It's still early days," Wong said. Although the multi-ministry task force tackling COVID-19 had said some rules could be relaxed soon in phase 2, Singapore is "not moving to any such relaxations any time soon". "These sorts of things are unlikely to happen any time soon. That was the assessment earlier. It remains the same assessment today," Wong said. Story continues Large-scale events like concerts and conferences will not be allowed and venues like bars and pubs will remain closed. Number of infections are expected to increase as more activities resume, this will require aggressive testing, the multi-ministry task force has said. If the number of cases rises sharply, some measures may be tightened. Health Minister Gan Kim Yong, who co-chairs the task force, said the current numbers have "not fully reflected the effect of the opening" in this phase and cases may continue to go up in the coming weeks. "We will continue to look at how we can confidently and safely continue our opening process and, eventually, we will reach phase 3," he said. "So, we are still in the monitoring stage, and that time will come when we may announce additional relaxations, but I think it's too early for us to discuss that," The Straits Times quoted Yong as saying on Thursday. The war against COVID-19 "is not yet over", he said, urging residents to stay vigilant. "We want to move very carefully, very cautiously, and therefore very gradually. So please bear with us as we progressively open up bit by bit, step by step, to ensure safety for all," the minister said. Attractions like Universal Studios Singapore have started to reopen with fixed guidelines. Other tourist attractions, like Jurong Bird Park, River Safari and Singapore Zoo, will reopen next week. South Korea has added Gilead's anti-viral drug remdesivir to its coronavirus treatment guidelines in its first revision of recommendations since the outbreak began and urged caution in the use of the steroid therapy dexamethasone. South Korea, widely praised around the world for its handling of the pandemic without a full lockdown, has reported 12,602 coronavirus cases as of Thursday midnight, with 282 deaths. Remdesivir is designed to hinder certain viruses, including the new coronavirus, from making copies of themselves and potentially overwhelming the body's immune system. The drug previously failed trials as an Ebola treatment. South Korea's updated guidelines come after a study showed that the cheap and widely used dexamethasone reduced deaths in very sick COVID-19 patients. They advised doctors to take caution until a full study is published. "It seems appropriate to administer (dexamethasone), limited to severe cases with acute respiratory syndrome, as the doctor monitors the patient's condition," Kim Young-ok, director general of pharmaceutical safety bureau at the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, told a briefing on Friday. There was enough domestic supply of the dexamethasone, widely used since the 1960s, with the production of approximately 43 million tablets and 60 million injection ampoules a year, said Kim. Doctors in Europe will soon be able to treat patients with the drug after the healthcare regulator's endorsement put it on track to become the first therapy for the disease on the continent. "An excessive use of dexamethasone can trigger different side effects as it tamps down the immune system along with inflammation, possibly leading to even cataract or glaucoma," said Dr. Song Dae-sub, professor of pharmacy at Korea University. Korean health authorities also advised the dropping of hydroxychloroquine after a study found the decades-old malaria drug, which US President Donald Trump touted a possible treatment, did not provide any benefit. There are currently no approved vaccines or treatments for the coronavirus, which has killed more than 488,467 people globally, but about a dozen vaccines from more than 100 candidates globally are being tested on humans. Johannesburg, Jul 4 (PTI) It was third time lucky for Mumbai resident Lopa Mudra as she was among 247 stranded Indian nationals who returned home from South Africa on Saturday on one of the two repatriation flights this weekend. The third flight organised by the Indian High Commission here since last month as part of the Vande Bharat mission left from here on Saturday morning with 247 passengers. Another 203 passengers will leave for home on the second flight on Sunday. Mudra was in South Africa on an international work project with several colleagues. Her colleagues left on earlier flights before the lockdown in South Africa, but her separate flight got cancelled. The lockdown began in South Africa on March 26. Mudra could not board her second flight as part of the Vande Bharat mission because she was taken ill. Mudra, who is a diabetic, had to pay the high ticket price for the third time and there were no refunds on the earlier flights. She also lost out on an expensive hotel in Mumbai which she had booked twice for her mandatory quarantine period on arrival. Consul General Anju Ranjan told PTI that most of the passengers will transfer to another flight in Mumbai which will continue to Hyderabad, Chennai and Bangalore to repatriate many of the south Indian citizens who have been stranded in South Africa for more than three months due to the Covid-19 lockdown. On Sunday, a chartered flight organised by the South Africa Telugu Community (SATC), a humanitarian organisation of expatriates working here, is expected to take just over 200 passengers back to Delhi. We organised this flight with the support of the High Commission because our philosophy is to assist all our Indian brothers and sisters at all times, said SATC Chairman Vikram Kumar Petluru. There have been a number of flights to south India, on which many of our friends and members managed to return home, so we decided to help those from north India with his flight, Petluru added. Story continues The passengers on both flights had to be cleared first by the Indian High Commission. Because bookings for the flight only opened on Monday, some people who wanted to go back could not meet the requirements in time, said Ashish Sharma of Satguru Travels, which has been coordinating all the flights, including the three earlier flights. Sharma said the incoming Vande Bharat flight also brought back two South Africans, five Zimbabweans, and a passenger each from Botswana and Swaziland, all countries neighbouring South Africa. PTI FH NSA NSA New Delhi, Jul 3 (PTI) 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. Story continues '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. PTI RR CPS CPS Thiruvananthapuram (Kerala) [India], July 4 (ANI): Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Friday has said that that it is "unfortunate" that the trial of the Italian marines cannot be held in India and the State was not in favour of withdrawing the case from the Supreme Court. "It is highly unfortunate that the trial cannot be held in our country. What we are understanding from media reports is that India could not present strong arguments. It was reported that India could not place strong arguments in the tribunal. It is unfortunate," he said in a statement. Vijayan's response comes a day after the Permanent Court of Arbitration at the Hague in The Netherlands held that the two Italian marines, accused of killing Indian fishermen in 2012 off the coast of Kerala, will not be tried in India. The Central Government on Friday submitted before the Supreme Court that it has accepted the decision and sought closure of the case. The Arbitration Court had ruled that India is entitled to claim compensation from Italy and observed that the two marines had violated international law and, as a result, Italy breached India's freedom of navigation, under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. "What they said about compensation. The country has to take strong measures to ensure compensation. The state does not agree with closing the case, we will inform the Central government about the state's emotion in this matter," Vijayan added. The Central government, in its plea before the apex court, had pointed out the tribunal's decision in the matter was final, without appeal. The Permanent Court of Arbitration at the Hague in the Netherlands had on Thursday given its decision saying that the Italian marines - Massimiliano Latorre and Salvatore Girone -- will not be tried in India. The Arbitration Court had ruled that India is entitled to claim compensation from Italy and observed that the two marines had violated international law and, as a result, Italy breached India's freedom of navigation, under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. However, the tribunal held that the marines are entitled to immunity and precluded India from exercising its jurisdiction over them. The Centre told the Apex Court that it accepts and abides by the international tribunal's decision in the killings of two fishermen by Italian Marines. The Tribunal has ruled for a trial of Marines in Italy. According to Indian prosecution, on February 15, 2012, two Indian fishermen were killed off the coast of Kerala by the two Italian marines on-board the Italian-flagged commercial oil tanker MV Enrica Lexie. (ANI) I spent a lot of time practicing especially when I was in high school. I would practice every day. Id go to school and build a project to practice for the masonry contest every single day. Sometimes Id build two or three a day. Id go to school and Id build one and sometimes two at school and then Id come home and build another one some days and it really pays off when you win." The year 1874 also brought home delivery of mail through six carriers while citizens were urged to use street addresses instead of simply stating Omaha, Nebraska. Three years later the six carriers delivered 723,231 letters. By 1887 the population of Omaha had reached 120,000, the then 24 letter-carriers had delivered about 12 million letters and the net revenue to the local post office was reported to be $123,100, which was said to exceed that of any other city. The sheer volume was taxing the just over a decade old building, prompting a bill for a new $1,500,000 building to be introduced in Congress while a cheap addition to the present building was affected. In 1889 Sen. Charles Manderson and Rep. John McShane managed passage of a $1,200,000 appropriation for a new post office with a site to cost no more than $400,000. Two tracts were ultimately considered: the block bordered by 18th, 19th, Farnam and Douglas streets and another between 16th, 17th, Dodge and Capitol. Although the first was a higher and more prominent site, the second was chosen. A bill to increase the appropriation to $2 million passed the Senate but failed in the House. RACINE COUNTY Despite the pandemic, Racine County is still celebrating Independence Day. Following is a guide to whats happening across the county today. 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 (My 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 keep crowds from gathering. Traditionally, 4th Fests calliope, an organ that plays festive circus-type music, is always the last float in the parade. This year 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 will also feature World War II and Vietnam veterans to be honored, and the Oscar Mayer Wienermobile. KDSs application says that the medical facility will not be open 24 hours a day. The corner has the necessary infrastructure to accommodate a commercial use since the land is in the villages sanitary sewer and water service area, wrote Caledonia Development Director Peter Wagner. The proposals were deferred to July 15 since not enough notice had been given to property owners. The deadline for submitting written comments regarding the request was June 25. Letters informing the lots neighbors were mailed out no later than June 23, according to the village. At least some of the letters were postmarked on June 24. And at least one of the letters arrived after the June 25 deadline, according to Village Trustee Fran Martin. For whatever reason, the notices that went out to the abutting landowners were postmarked the 24th, but the deadline for the comments was the 25th, and werent received until the 26th, she said. 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 With concert venues shuttered and music festivals canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic, fans and musicians alike are starved for live music. But one Wisconsin-based country/Americana music act has found a creative solution: a socially distanced, private outdoor concert series on their seven-acre homestead near Soldiers Grove. The concert series, called Safe&Sound, runs on Sundays from July 12 to Aug. 23 (with one Saturday, Aug. 15) and features a virtual whos who of Midwestern touring bands including Charlie Parr, Chicago Farmer, Buffalo Gospel, Kind Country, and more. Nikki Grossman and Joe Hart, who make up The Sapsuckers dreamed up the idea after watching their entire 2020 performance season disappear overnight. COVID brought our careers to a screeching halt, says Grossman, who plays fiddle, guitar, and sings in the duo, which was nominated for Best Country Band by the Wisconsin Area Music Industry association. One day we were on our way to Saint Louis to record a new album with our brand-new lineup, and the next we were stuck at home with zero gigs. 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. If you plan on going to Lancaster Central Market today, you will have to wear a mask to enter. If you don't, you'll be provided a face shield or given the option to have someone else do your shopping. Central Market announced last week that a mask would be required starting Friday, July 10. Although masks have been a requirement since early on in the COVID-19 pandemic, people who said they were unable to for medical reasons were allowed in. The stepped-up policy shows "[Central Market's] commitment to the safety of our staff, standholders and patrons," the statement said. "We will not permit those not wearing a mask to enter the building for the safety of our staff, standholders and patrons," Central Market said. If someone is unable to properly wear a mask for medical reasons or because of a disability, Central Market said that they will be required to wear a face shield. A few sanitized shields will be available for use, the release said. Central Market also said that employees could also assist shoppers by shopping for them. "Alternatively, you may ask one of our employees to assist by shopping for you obtaining the items on your shopping list (form will be provided) while you wait outside," Central Market said. There will still be only one entrance to Central Market and three exits and people may need to wait in line as capacity restrictions are also still in place. "We all look forward to the time when things can return to normal," Central Market said to end the release, adding, "Together we can do this!" More than half of Lancaster County school districts decided not to raise property taxes this year despite unpredictability surrounding the coronavirus pandemic. With projected revenue losses in the tens of millions of dollars, according to one statewide agency, local school boards appear to have prioritized homeowners, many of whom are also reeling financially, in their 2020-21 budgets. We have a lot of people who have lost their jobs, a lot of people who cant open their businesses, and theyre struggling, plain and simple, Penn Manor school board President Carlton Rintz said. Penn Manor is one of 10 county school boards that voted against a tax increase this year. Like many districts, Penn Manor utilized a portion of its fund balance, a so-called rainy day fund, to help balance its budget instead of raising taxes. The school board in June decided to keep property taxes level by a 5-4 vote. It was a change in tune for Penn Manor, which has hiked property taxes over the Act 1 index, which sets a limit on how much a school board can increase taxes, for the past four years as it saved for its $99.9 million high school renovation and construction project. This is a rainy day, Rintz said, and the taxpayers need some relief. School districts, however, could use some relief, too. According to an April report from the Pennsylvania Association of School Business Officials, Lancaster County school districts could lose more than $46 million next year in local revenue next year due to the economic fallout from the health crisis. Pennsylvanias 500 school districts could lose up to $1 billion, the report states. To absorb some of the blow, at least seven county school boards Conestoga Valley, Donegal, Elizabethtown Area, Lancaster, Manheim Township, Pequea Valley and Solanco agreed to raise taxes. Elizabethtown Areas 2.75% increase is the countys largest. The board also approved a nearly 4% wage increase for its superintendent. Board President Terry Seiders said the district needed more tax revenue to save up for construction projects at the high school and middle school. At the end of the day, we still have an obligation to our community to be able to fund our education, Seiders said, adding that he understands that people in the community are not doing as well as they had been. At School District of Lancaster, the countys largest school system, the school board approved a 1.87% tax increase to help combat a $13 million deficit. We wanted to put the tax increase at 0% for the community during these tough times, Lancaster board President Edith Gallagher said. However, as we learned more about the longer term economic outlook, we felt that we could not, responsibly, move forward with a 0% increase. Gallagher added that the economic downturn could last several years, which could force the district to make significant use of reserve funds. Now, she said, we just have to hope that the community, the state and the country can bounce back from this economic hole. Related articles Reports of armed citizens in Lancaster Countys public spaces over the past several weeks have raised questions about when its legal to carry a firearm, and when. Some members of two groups standing watch during a Black Lives Matter protest in Elizabethtown in June held rifles as they stood on rooftops. That same weekend, a man carrying a rifle shook hands with protesters and told a reporter he was just exercising his Second Amendment rights. At another Black Lives Matters protest, a man was seen with a firearm as protesters marched as tensions ran high. Most recently, a man who carried a rifle into Lancaster Central Market prompted sharp criticism from Mayor Danene Sorace and prompted market officials to bring in more security. While it may be striking to see in public, openly carrying a firearm is perfectly legal in Pennsylvania except for certain areas. Heres a look at what Pennsylvania state law says about buying a firearm, openly carrying a firearm and carrying a concealed firearm: Who can buy a firearm? A firearm can be purchased by anyone who is at least 18 years old. Who is prohibited from purchasing a firearm? Undocumented immigrants, people who have been convicted of a violent crime, people who are declared mentally ill, are addicted to drugs and/or alcohol or who are fugitives are prohibited from owning firearms. Those convicted of three separate DUI charges within a three-year period or are subject to an active protection from abuse order are also prohibited from owning firearms. How do you purchase a firearm? There are more than 2,700 federally-licensed firearms dealers in Pennsylvania, 60 of which are in Lancaster County, according to state police data. Regardless of what type of firearm is being purchased, customers must fill out an application that asks for basic information as well as questions about their criminal and mental health history. Then, the firearms dealer will plug that information into the Pennsylvania Instant Check System (PICS) to determine if the buyer is eligible to own a firearm. There is usually a fee associated with the application process. Implemented in 1998, PICS provides instant access to background records on an individual to determine if theyre eligible to own a firearm or a license to carry a firearm. Firearms can also be purchased at a gun show from a federally licensed dealer, which would involve a background check. Purchasing from someone who is not a federally licensed dealer, however, is a little different. Someone can privately purchase a long gun, such as a shotgun or a rifle, without having to go through a background check if they buy it from a private individual. Despite not needing a background check, it is illegal to sell a firearm to someone who is otherwise prohibited from owning one, regardless of if the seller is aware of disqualifying factors or not. For private handgun purchases, the buyer and seller would need to go to a federally licensed firearms dealer to complete a firearms transfer. What do I need in order to carry a concealed firearm? A license to carry firearms is issued so a person can carry a firearm concealed on ones person or in a vehicle within Pennsylvania. If you dont have a license to carry but want to transport your firearm in your car, you would need to carry the unloaded firearm and ammunition in two separate containers inside the vehicle. Who can carry a concealed firearm? State law states that anyone who is 21 years old or older can apply for a license to carry firearms at the sheriffs office of the county they reside in. For Lancaster County, theres a $20 fee per application. Once the application has been submitted, the sheriff must issue the license to carry firearms within 45 days unless the Pennsylvania Instant Check System shows there are records that indicate the person is prohibited from owning a firearm. In accordance with 18 PA C.S. 6109, a sheriff may deny an individual the right to a License to Carry Firearms if there is reason to believe that the character and reputation of the individual are such that they would be likely to act in a manner dangerous to public safety, according to state polices website. If the PICS check is approved and the subject is of good character, the sheriff may issue a License to Carry Firearms. Once issued, a license is valid for five years unless sooner revoked. Pennsylvania State Police reports that 9,679 licenses to carry firearms were issued in Lancaster County 2019. When is an application denied? There are a number of reasons why a license may not be issued, including: An individual whose character and reputation is such that the individual would be likely to act dangerously in public. An individual has been convicted of an offense under the Controlled Substance, Drug, Device and Cosmetic Act of 1972, or adjudicated delinquent for a crime in the last 10 years. Being convicted of a crime relating to persons not to possess, use, manufacture, control, sell or transfer firearms, or adjudicated delinquent for a crime in the last 10 years. An individual who is not of sound mind or has ever been committed to a mental institution. An individual who is a habitual drunkard. Once issued, a license is valid for five years unless sooner revoked. Where can I openly carry a firearm? As long as youre a law-abiding citizen and are allowed to carry a firearm, you can openly carry a firearm in public places. State law requires people openly carrying a firearm to have a license to carry in cities of the first class, or cities with a population of over one million. The only first-class city in Pennsylvania is Philadelphia. It also generally accepted that it is not legal to carry a firearm onto private property if the owner or a representative has requested or posted that no firearms are permitted. Where cant I openly carry a firearm? Open and concealed carrying of firearms is prohibited in schools, courthouses, federal buildings or prisons. Although, a person with a LTCF (concealed carry license) may carry a concealed firearm in Pa. state parks. Can I wear a mask while carrying a firearm? While in some states it's illegal, there's no statute that prohibits wearing a mask while carrying a firearm. Lancaster County Sheriff Christopher Leppler confirmed that there's no Pennsylvania law that criminalizes carrying a firearm while masked. What to read next When: Manheim Borough Council meeting, June 30. What happened: During a virtual meeting, Manheim Borough Police Chief Joseph Stauffer told council the department has reviewed its use-of-force policy in light of possible changes from the state Legislature. Why it matters: Police use-of-force policy is under scrutiny across the United States and around the world amid widespread police brutality protest following the death of George Floyd who died in police custody May 25 in Minneapolis. Background: Stauffer said on July 2 the department reviews the policy annually with officers. He said he did the recent review to ensure it would comply with proposed changes pending in the state Legislature. He is also working with the borough solicitor during the review process. He said the departments policy is in line with changes proposed by the Legislature so if the legislation becomes law, no changes will be needed in the departments policy. Council reaction: Council members did not discuss Manheims use-of-force policy or comment on it. Black Lives Matter: When protesters took to the streets June 23 and became tense, Stauffer said the department had not been aware of the demonstration in advance. He said organizers of two prior Black Lives Matter protests the first two weeks of June, on Market Square, had communicated with the police department about their plans. Quotable: We ask that protesters communicate with us about their plans. We want to ensure the safety of all our citizens as well as protesters, he said. Whats next: Black Lives Matter organizers have announced on social media a protest at 4 p.m. July 8 in Manheim. Stauffer said after the council meeting he is meeting with organizers of the upcoming event. Also: Council approved three community events to be held later this year. The Ruth Mackley Democratic Club plans to have its Farm Show Parade float, with two candidates on board, make 10 stops in the borough, starting at 1 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 5. Council also approved two Dec. 5 holiday events including the Manheim Lions Clubs annual Santa Run starting at 8:30 a.m. and Manheim Brethren in Christ Churchs annual Christmas tree lighting from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. Next meeting: The July 14 meeting will be a virtual meeting. When in-person meetings resume, they may be held at the Manheim Historical Societys restored railroad station, 210 S. Charlotte St., or at the Manheim Farm Show Exhibition Center, 502 Adele Ave, to accommodate COVID-19 social distancing practices. Bars, restaurants pay price for California virus surge California took a big step back in reopening its economy on Wednesday as Gov. Gavin Newsom shut down bars, wineries, museums, movie theaters and inside restaurant dining across most of the state for three weeks amid troubling increases in coronavirus cases and hospitalizations. The order affects Los Angeles and 18 other counties where nearly three-quarters of the states roughly 40 million people live. The impacted counties are those seeing the most serious uptick in infections, and include almost all of Southern California, though not San Diego, which is faring better. The bottom line is the spread of this virus continues at a rate that is particularly concerning, Newsom said. ADVERTISEMENT To encourage greater adherence to health rules, Newsom also said the state is creating strike teams of state regulators to more aggressively go after non-compliant businesses. He also is limiting beach access and imposed statewide changes for religious services no more singing or chanting and at gyms, where people now must wear masks while working out. For the two weeks ended Monday, Californias confirmed coronavirus cases increased 45% to nearly a quarter-million and hospitalizations increased 52% to 5,077. About 500 more patients were sick enough for intensive care treatment, bringing the state total to 1,528 in ICUs. The states worst outbreak is in Imperial County, an agricultural center along the border with Mexico. Infection rates are 20% more than double the state average and hospitals are overwhelmed. Last week the state took the unprecedented step of ordering Imperial officials to come up with a new health order and on Wednesday the most restrictive plan in California was approved it bars nonessential gatherings of any size, shopping in stores and indoor religious ceremonies. Other states, including Texas and Florida, have also paused their reopenings after seeing similar spikes in coronavirus cases. In Arizona, Gov. Doug Ducey has ordered bars, gyms and movie theaters to close for 30 days and banned large gatherings. California authorities have said many things contributed to the increase in the state, including people not following the mandate to wear masks and gathering socially with friends and relatives. ADVERTISEMENT Jot Condi, who heads the California Restaurant Association, said the order is devastating for restaurants that have worked to put in place safety measures and reduced seating to meet the states requirements for inside dining. The changes have left many with no room to spare on revenue. This will be the last straw for a lot of restaurants, Condi said, adding the state hasnt provided evidence to specifically show dining in restaurants is helping fuel the increase in virus cases. Newsom imposed the nations first statewide stay-at-home order in March, earning praise from public health officials as virus cases were kept relatively low in the nations most populous state for more than two months. But the order devastated the economy, forcing most businesses to close and prompting more than 6.7 million people to file for unemployment benefits. As the spread of the virus slowed in May, Newsom moved quickly to begin allowing businesses to reopen across the state. Bars got the green light on June 12 and quickly images emerged showing throngs packed tightly together, many not wearing masks as required by the state. Dr. Jeffrey Klausner, an epidemiology professor at the University of California, Los Angeles, said the new restrictions could be an over response. He said the state should consider other strategies designed to keep young people away from older people, who are more at risk for the virus. It appears were playing a game of whack-a-mole. Every time there is an increase in cases we have to take a step backwards, he said. However, Klausner said when restrictions are imposed they can tell people (that) health officials are very serious and therefore people are more likely to adopt personal behavior change. Dr. Mark Ghaly, secretary of the California Health and Human Services Agency, said the new order is targeted at places where people cant wear face coverings the whole time, like restaurants where they are removed to eat and drink, or where people are likely to mix with others outside their household. Businesses not on the list, like hair salons, are able to do things in a lower-risk way, he said. 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. Ghaly defended the states process for reopening, saying officials carefully developed guidance that businesses should follow. But he noted the state has seen a sufficient number of places not following the guidance. We have always prepared for something like this, we have always been ready, he said. At Crepeville in Sacramento, owner Derar Zawaydeh cussed when informed of the new mandate for restaurants. He has a few tables outside but most are inside and will be lost. It definitely presents a challenge, he said. But on the flip side if that is what we need to do to reduce the risk of infection, then we really dont have much of a choice,. Ahead of the busy Fourth of July weekend, Newsom also closed state beaches in Los Angeles and Ventura counties to mirror local public health orders. Other state beaches will stay open, but parking lots will close this weekend to limit overcrowding in Marin, Monterey, Orange, San Diego, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Barbara, Santa Cruz and Sonoma counties. For people planning gatherings of family and friends this weekend, Newsom urged them to reconsider. In Los Angeles County, Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer says many outbreaks in the past three weeks are linked to parties and gatherings of family and friends, adding there are very real risks to celebrating this holiday with people who are not in our households. Newsoms order applies to 19 counties that have been on the states watch list for increasing coronavirus cases for at least three consecutive days: Besides, Los Angeles, they include: Contra Costa, Fresno, Glenn, Imperial, Kern, Kings, Merced, Orange, Riverside, Sacramento, San Bernardino, San Joaquin, Santa Barbara, Santa Clara, Solano, Stanislaus, Tulare and Ventura. To Save Black Lives, and the Soul of Our Nation, Congress Must Act Boldly For too long, Black people in America have been burdened with the unjust responsibility of keeping ourselves safe from police. We have been raised by elders and have been taught to pass along to future generations the understanding that every day, we must prepare how to navigate and even survive in a world where there is still no equal protection under the law and where too many officers view Black people as a threat to be protected against instead of people worth protecting. This is a fact we are reminded of every time we learn the name of another Black person who has been killed by law enforcement George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Elijah McClain, Tamir Rice, who should have been celebrating his eighteenth birthday yesterday while recognizing there are so many more whose names we will never know. And for too long, Congress has failed to require accountability and hold officers who do wrong responsible for their actions to prevent the killing of Black Americans at the hands of law enforcement from occurring again, and again, and again. ADVERTISEMENT It is important that at this moment, Congress and the country are able to recognize the truth that America has a wretched and disturbing history of Black people being killed by law enforcement. But recognizing that painful reality is not the same as taking bold action to change it. The Republican JUSTICE ACT was voted down in the Senate earlier this week after an effort by Majority Leader McConnell to push a bill through with no measures of accountability, no end to the kinds of egregious practices like chokeholds and no-knock warrants in drug cases, and no input from the civil rights organizations that have been working on these issues for decades. In short, the JUSTICE Act would have wholly failed to bring the changes needed to policing in America that will save lives. Our opposition to the JUSTICE Act was not about a Republican bill versus a Democratic bill it was about the fact that proceeding with an approach so threadbare and ineffectual and calling it progress would actually set us back in the effort to address the very serious problems we have with policing in America. A little over two weeks ago we, along with many of our Democratic colleagues in the Senate and the House, introduced the Justice in Policing Act, a bill that zeroes in on the areas most in need of urgent change: ensuring accountability for law enforcement in our courts, providing oversight of police departments and implementing transparency into their use of force. Our bill will make sweeping changes to law enforcement practices and systems of accountability and begin to address and root out deadly systematic bias and yes racism in policing. Our bill was designed with the understanding that, to address police brutality and discriminatory policing, we have to be able to hold police accountable in our courts for misconduct. We must reform the criminal and civil standards that apply to law enforcement misconduct, which includes changing the provision in federal law known as Section 242 that deals with criminal law enforcement conduct and eliminating qualified immunity for police so that we can ensure dangerous police are held accountable in court. ADVERTISEMENT Our bill will change the standard for police officers to use deadly force from reasonable to necessary, when no other reasonable alternatives are available. In addition, our bill will encourage states attorneys general to open independent investigations and expand on pattern and practice investigations, which are needed when police departments are found to have consistently used excessive force. Our bill will improve transparency into policing by collecting better and more accurate data of police brutality and use-of-force. Local police departments must report use-of-force incidents to the Department of Justice and we need a national police misconduct registry to document police abuses. Right now, the closest thing we have to a national registry are the few times these egregious acts are captured on video and make their way onto social media and the news. This is unacceptable. The bill from our Republican colleagues would have created commissions, reports and studies on the problem of police violence. It would not have reformed the impossibly high standards by which police can be held criminally liable for use of force, or given the American people the right to hold law enforcement officers accountable in civil cases for misconduct. It would not have created a national use of forced standard. It would not have created a public national police misconduct registry. It would not have banned the deadly practices of chokeholds, carotidholds, and no-knock warrants in drug cases. It would not have saved Black lives. We recognize that there is no one singular policy prescription that will fix or erase the centuries of systematic racism and excessive policing that have created this unjust reality. We need a holistic set of policy reforms to reimagine our entire criminal justice system. And we need to understand that public safety is not simply about law enforcement. We need to be investing our resources in strengthening communities not criminalizing them that means investments in healthcare, in education, and economic opportunities. Both of us grew up with parents who were part of the civil rights generation in the 1960s. They were activists who organized, marched, volunteered and participated in a mass movement to raise our national consciousness, advance our culture, and critically, change our laws. Their work grew into a multi-generational, multi-faith, ethnically diverse American movement whose activism led to some of the most important legislation in our nations history: the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and the Fair Housing Act of 1 968. Without them, we would not be writing this today, let alone be among the six popularly elected Black U.S. Senators in our nations history. Because of them, we know that today, change is possible, but it is not inevitable. Across our nation, protesters are again forcing America to confront the ways our country has failed, and continues to fail Black Americans and fall short of our foundational aspirations, that we are a nation of liberty and justice for all. And critically, these activists are calling on all of us to make this time in our history more than a passing moment, but a movement. To do that, we have to act boldly. We cannot settle on an inadequate middle ground that will simply nibble around the edges instead of making real change. If someones knee is on your neck, you cannot take it halfway off and call it progress. There is no halfway when peoples lives are at stake. We save them or we do not. The choice is still up to Congress. Editors Note: The article was originally published in the Rolling Stone. Saturday, July 4, 2020 Minyao Wang: U.S. Immigration Responses to the Chinese "National Security" Measures in Hong Kong The situation in Hong Kong is becoming increasingly dire. The latest Chinese betrayal came earlier this week when the rubber stamp national legislature, working in complete secrecy, crammed down a so-called national security law on Hong Kong. The terms of the so-called law flouted the commitments China made to the United Kingdom in 1984 when the two countries signed a legally binding treaty for Hong Kong to return to China as a special administrative region; they are also inconsistent with the mini constitution that the Chinese government itself wrote for Hong Kong. Coming in the middle of a global pandemic that originated in China, this Chinese encroachment provoked rare bipartisan outrage in Washington. With uncharacteristic speed, Congress has sent a bill to President Trump that would impose severe sanctions on global financial institutions that do business with Chinese officials and companies complicit in the suppression of Hong Kong. On the immigration front, at least two bipartisan bills have been introduced to permit the emigration of Hong Kong residents. The Trump administration, given its immigration policy track record, is not necessarily excited about the prospects of presiding over what could become the largest exodus of refugees to the United States since the end of the war in Vietnam. But given the prevailing sentiments on Capitol Hill, immigration legislation friendly to the people of Hong Kong is likely to be enacted in some form with a veto-proof margin. The first bill, the Hong Kong Safe Harbor Act, would require the State Department to admit as Priority 2 Refugees persons who have been directly involved in the historic protests that have captivated the entire world since June 2019, including any person who has been arrested, detained or convicted of a crime in connection with the protests. The designation of Priority 2 means that applicants may be processed within Hong Kong by the US consulate there. And in an unusual gesture, the proposed law would mandate that the parents of an approved refugee applicant are eligible for refugee admission as well. The bill would also dispense with the intent to immigrate presumption hurdle for protest participants, including journalists who covered the protests, lawyers who provided legal advice to protesters, and medical providers who treated protesters who were injured during clashes with the Hong Kong police. With that presumption out of the way, it would become much easier for Hong Kong residents who do not qualify for Priority 2 admissions to obtain a non-immigrant visa to enter the United States and submit an application for asylum. The second bill, the Hong Kong Peoples Freedom and Choice Act, is potentially even more significant. Its preamble language is an unabashed patriotic recitation of Americana. The bill recalls that the United States has sheltered, protected and welcomed mainland Chinese refugees after the Tiananmen Massacre of 1989. The bill notes that the United States has benefited immensely from the contributions made by earlier waves of refugees from Fascism, Communism, violent Islamist extremism, and other repressive ideologies, including in the case of Nazi Germany, the Soviet Union and Soviet-controlled Central Europe, Cuba, Vietnam, and Iran. Looking ahead to a potential long-term competition with the Chinese Communist Party, the bill notes that [a] major asymmetric advantage of the United States . . .is the ability of people from every country in the world, irrespective of their race, ethnicity or religion, to immigrate to the United States and become American citizens. The bill would enact three separate immigration programs to protect the people of Hong Kong. First, it would provide for immediate Temporary Protected Status for every Hong Kong person who is currently in the United States. With TPS, a person would be able to remain in the United States for a limited period of time with permission to work. This step does not require Congressional authorization. The Trump administration could designate this protection on its own but has not yet done so. Supporters of the bill note that President George H.W. Bush deferred the departure of all mainland Chinese nationals in the United States immediately after the events in Tiananmen. Second, the bill would create a special green card category for up to 250,000 Hong Kong families (to be spread evenly over five years). To be eligible, at least one family member must have a post-secondary degree from the U.S., a graduate degree from anywhere, or own a business with $5 million in assets or 50 employees. Third, for any person from Hong Kong who manages to legally enter the U.S. over the next five years, the bill would deem him or her a beneficiary of a third employment-based skilled worker category petition and permit an application for adjustment of status (green card) be filed, as long as the applicant certifies that he or she has a fear of political persecution in Hong Kong. The bill would also waive most of the standard eligibility requirements for adjustment of status. This program is modeled after the Chinese Student Protection Act of 1992, which was principally drafted by a then junior member of the House named Nancy Pelosi and permitted most Tiananmen era Chinese nationals to remain permanently in the United States. The second of the three programs, which targets the best educated and the wealthiest segments of the Hong Kong population, could appeal to the Trump administration. The administration has consistently advocated for the adoption of a merit-based immigration system in lieu of current law that overwhelmingly favors family ties as the basis to enter the United States. The specific criteria could be refined further (for example, to take into account an applicants job skills and adaptability to living in the United States), but what is in the bill now has the potential for becoming an experiment that would inform future permanent amendments to the Immigration and Nationality Act. Since the end of the Second World War, the United States has always responded to turmoil in repressive countries by opening its homes and hearts. There is no reason to act differently this time around. Indeed, the United Kingdom has already offered British citizenship to three million people from Hong Kong. If the special relationship between Washington and London means anything, it is incumbent upon us to share this moral responsibility to the people of Hong Kong with our closest military and strategic ally. As President Trump noted recently, on a rainy night in 1997, British soldiers lowered the Union Flag, and Chinese soldiers raised the Chinese flag in Hong Kong. The people of Hong Kong felt simultaneously proud of their Chinese heritage and their unique Hong Kong identity. The people of Hong Kong hoped that in the years and decades to come, China would increasingly come to resemble its most radiant and dynamic city. Central to the handover of Hong Kong was the legally binding Chinese promise that the Hong Kong people would be able to elect their own leaders and run their own affairs without interference from Beijing. Twenty-three years (by way of comparison, the Berlin Wall lasted 28 years) later, while most of the world basks in democracy, that pledge remains an unfulfillable and distant dream for Hong Kong. Beijing is adamant about withholding from the people of Hong Kong what they are legally entitled to. The people of Hong Kong have fought the good fight and they now deserve to live in peace in one of the Western democracies. KJ https://lawprofessors.typepad.com/immigration/2020/07/guest-post-minyao-wang-us-immigration-responses-to-the-chinese-national-security-measures-in-hong-ko.html Saturday, July 4, 2020 The world lost author Rudolfo Anaya this week -- a "father of Chicano literature," as the NYT explains in its obituary. Anaya was best known for his 1972 novel Bless Me, Ultima -- the tale of a young Catholic Latino in New Mexico and the curandera who comes to stay with his family. As the NYT describes it, "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." The book was banned by states and schools. Anaya wrote many other works over his lifetime, including The Old Man's Love Story. -KitJ https://lawprofessors.typepad.com/immigration/2020/07/rip-rudolfo-anaya.html Saturday, July 4, 2020 The Tennessee Supreme Court has accepted an attorney's consent to disbarment. WJHL News 11 reported on criminal charges in May 2020 A local assistant district attorney has been charged with bribery. William McManus with the First Judicial District Attorney Generals Office was arrested in a sting operation Thursday following an investigation by the district attorneys office and federal agents. The First Judicial District includes Washington, Unicoi, Carter, and Johnson counties. Information was received a few weeks ago concerning the possibility of Mr. McManus involvement with illegal activity concerning a prostitute, said District Attorney Ken Baldwin in a news release. Based on this information, I immediately contacted my investigators and initiated an investigation, which resulted in the arrest today of Mr. McManus and the termination of his employment at the time of his arrest. Baldwin says he has requested a pro-tem prosecutor for the case since McManus worked for the district attorneys office and it was the district attorneys office that initiated the investigation. It is not appropriate to be the prosecutor in this case, based on the fact, that I initiated the investigation and the defendant was a prosecutor at the time of the arrest, Baldwin stated. By removing the District Attorneys Office from this matter, it avoids any ethical issues that may arise, as well as, the elimination of what someone may perceive as favoritism. The investigation is ongoing. As did WVLT here Officials said a Tennessee assistant district attorney was arrested after being accused of discussing reducing criminal charges of defendants in exchange for sexual favors. William McManus appeared in Washington County General Sessions Court after being charged with bribery of a public servant. Investigators said they saw McManus arrive at the home of a female defendant who was facing charges. According to reports, while McManus was at the home, investigators from multiple agencies were able to monitor and record a conversation between McManus and the defendant, who agreed to cooperate with investigators as an informant. Investigators said McManus made numerous sexual advances toward the informant. Court documents said McManus then made plans to meet back at the home later that day, and agents monitored his movements on the way to the home. When McManus arrived back at the home district attorney investigators and FBI agents confronted McManus and read him his Miranda warning. Johnson City FBI said McManus admitted that he had been involved in a sexual relationship with the informant. McManus told investigators he had led the woman and other individuals to believe he could assist them in reducing their charges if they would give him sexual favors. McManus was arrested and his bond is set at $10,000. News Break reported that he was terminated shortly after the arrest. (Mike Frisch) https://lawprofessors.typepad.com/legal_profession/2020/07/the-tennessee-supreme-court-has-accepted-an-attorneys-consent-to-disbarment-11-reported-a-local-assistant-district-attorne.html If everything had gone as planned, Mina Lee would be in Guatemala right now. The 20-year-old American told VOA the Guatemala trip was part of a program at Princeton University in New Jersey. She began studying history at Princeton in 2018. But Lee says the coronavirus health crisis completely changed her plans for the rest of this year. Luckily, she already had a part-time job with the technology company GRUBBRR. And the company offered a solution to her problem: a summer internship. Internships have become increasingly common in the United States and elsewhere in recent years. They provide important work experience to college students. Internships also give students a chance to see what working at a given company is like before they launch their careers. A growing number of companies have come to expect college students to complete at least one internship if they want to be considered for full-time employment. Yet the coronavirus has affected the ability of students everywhere to take part in such programs. Studies have shown that half of all internship openings in the U.S. have been cut since the coronavirus started spreading. In Britain, 64 percent of the positions have been cut. Hundreds of companies, including Airbnb, Fedex, Gap and Disney, have cancelled their summer internship programs, one online database reported. The International Labor Organization noted last month that at least one in every six young workers worldwide has stopped working. The United Nations labor agency says the long-term effects of the health crisis could lead to a lockdown generation scarred throughout their working lives. That is why some companies are moving their internships completely online. Amazon is seeking more than 8,000 interns for its summer program. And while many of her friends now have nothing to do, Mina Lee has been able to work for GRUBBRR entirely from her New York home. Even if there was a feeling that something was stolen, its followed by a feeling of excitement for whats going to come next, Lee said. Yet some observers worry that an online internship may not be as useful to young people as an in-person experience. And they share concerns about what will happen to students without any internship at all. Edwin Koc is Director of Research, Public Policy and Legislative Affairs at the National Association of Colleges and Employers. He notes that 22 percent of the companies his group works with have cancelled summer internships. This is troubling for several reasons, he says. It is not just that students might miss out on valuable work experience or a chance to learn new skills. Since the recession of 2008, companies have grown to depend on internships to identify the best candidates for employment. And they also give students a chance to see if the culture of a given company is a good fit for them. It really requires the student to kind of network and integrate with the workflow of the organization, get a feel for the organization, the type of people that individual will work with, the comfort level they find working in that kind of environment, Koc said. David Jaeger adds that what is happening now is also closely tied to these young peoples future. Jaeger is a professor of economics at the University of Saint Andrews in Scotland. He notes that job candidates are more likely to hear back from employers if they have had an internship. But also, companies increasingly expect students to have more than one internship during their college years. And students are more likely to get a second internship if they have already had one. So, it takes an internship to get an internship. And the kids who are in their second or third year of university who arent going to have an internship, perhaps their first internship, this summer really could be behind the eight-ball going forward, Jaeger said. However, there some people who say the future is not all bad for college students facing an unusual summer. Rebecca Woolf is the human resources and information director of EUSA Academic Internship Experts. Every year, her group places about 2,000 students from U.S. colleges and universities in academic internships in Europe. All of EUSAs summer programs have been cancelled. And since the programs involve the students living and working in a foreign culture, it seems unlikely they will be able to move the programs completely online. But that does not mean there are no valuable life experiences students can take away from this difficult time, Woolf says. And since the coronavirus crisis is affecting people around the world, these students will not necessarily be treated unfairly. If everybodys experiencing the same barriers right now, nobodys falling behind, she said. Im Pete Musto. Pete Musto reported this story for VOA Learning English with additional reorting from the Associated Press. George Grow was the editor. We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section. _______________________________________________________________ Quiz - Coronavirus Changes Plans of College Interns Everywhere Start the Quiz to find out Start Quiz _______________________________________________________________ Words in This Story internship n. of or relating to schools and education database n. a collection of pieces of information that is organized and used on a computer lockdown n. a state of isolation or restricted movement established as a security measure scar(red) v. to cause someone to feel great emotional pain or sadness because of a bad experience excitement n. a feeling of eager enthusiasm and interest network n. to talk with people whose jobs are similar to yours especially for business opportunities or advice integrate v. to make a person or group part of a larger group or organization comfort n. a state or feeling of being at ease behind the eight-ball idm. in a bad position academic adj. of or relating to schools and education In Greenland, a 21-year-old hip-hop artist is the face of the local Black Lives Matter movement. His name is Josef Tarrak-Petrussen. Some of his music talks about opposition to colonial rule. The songs are a favorite among younger Greenlanders seeking to rewrite their history. The Black Lives Matter protests have inspired people all over the world to look at and condemn injustice and past oppression. In Greenland, the protests have fueled old tensions with its former colonial ruler, Denmark. Greenland is the worlds largest island. It sits between the Arctic and Atlantic Oceans. The island is now a self-governing territory of Denmark. For one hundred years, the statue of Danish-Norwegian colonist Hans Egede has stood in Nuuk, Greenlands largest city and capital. The Black Lives Matter protests have led to calls for the statues removal. We should do as the rest of the world is doing and remove it, Tarrak-Petrussen said. Its a part of the oppression here in Greenland and the systemic racism. Tarrak-Petrussen has a Greenlandic mother and Moroccan father. He has traditional Greenlandic tattoos on his face. In a music video filmed in front of the statue, he raps in Greenlandic about how Danes call locals drunks, Eskimo pakis and Arctic monkeys. Tarrak-Petrussen asks, Are we still a colonized people? Greenlandic lawmaker Aki-Matilde Hoegh-Dam called the statue a sign of colonial violence and suggested putting it in a museum. An online effort to move the statue gathered nearly 2,000 signatures in one week. That is more than 10 percent of Nuuks population. On June 21, Greenlands National Day, the word decolonize was written on the statue. It also got covered with red paint. A different statue of Egede, in the Danish capital Copenhagen, also was damaged. The younger generations will no longer accept the way others have written their history - they want to start telling their own story, said Ebbe Volquardsen. Volquardsen is an associate professor of cultural history at the University of Greenland. Hans Egede arrived in 1721 to spread Christianity. His arrival marked the beginning of Danish colonial rule. Volquardsen described the colonization as mostly nonviolent, with no slavery or huge riots. Nuuks mayor Charlotte Ludvigsen last month called for a public meeting to let citizens decide the statues future. Much of the criticism of Hans Egede is that he forced Christianity and the Western way of life on Greenlanders, she said. Greenland remained a Danish colony until 1953. It then became part of the Kingdom of Denmark. It was given self-governing autonomy in 2009. This included the right to declare independence. However, the island of 56,000 people is unlikely to do so anytime soon as it depends heavily on Denmark for economic aid. Many Greenlanders say they face limited chances of getting good schooling or a good job in part because of their native language and culture. Im Ashley Thompson. The Reuters news agency reported this story. Ashley Thompson adapted it for VOA Learning English. George Grow was the editor. ____________________________________________________________ Words in This Story hip-hop - n. rap music inspire - v. to make (someone) want to do something : to give (someone) an idea about what to do or create statue - n. a figure usually of a person or animal that is made from stone, metal, etc. tattoo - n. a picture, word, etc., that is drawn on a person's skin by using a needle and ink rap - v. to perform rap music or a rap song museum - n. a building in which interesting and valuable things (such as paintings and sculptures or scientific or historical objects) are collected and shown to the public autonomy - n. the power or right of a country, group, etc., to govern itself In its first big abortion ruling since President Donald Trump took office, the U.S. Supreme Court blocked a Louisiana law that would likely have closed all but one abortion center in that state. In the ruling, which took place Monday, five justices voted to block the law. Four voted against blocking it. Supporters of abortion rights are pleased, and maybe a bit surprised. People who oppose abortion are unnerved and angry. But, people on both sides agree on one thing: The upcoming election is critical to their cause. The Supreme Courts ruling is seen as an important test of the courts position, following Trumps appointments of two conservative justices: Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh. Both Gorsuch and Kavanaugh supported the Louisiana law. But they were outnumbered, as Chief Justice John Roberts sided with the courts four more liberal justices. The ruling was another major decision in which the conservative-leaning court failed to give a victory to conservatives during an election year. One recent ruling protects members of the LGBT community from discrimination at work. Another rejected Trumps effort to end protections for young immigrants. Anti-abortion leaders say there is an urgent need to reelect Trump so that he can appoint more conservative justices to the court. Abortion rights activists say it is extremely important to defeat Trump and end Republican control of the Senate. Republican lawmakers in the Senate have been able to confirm many conservative judges during Trumps time in office. Heidi Sieck is the co-founder of #VOTEPROCHOICE, a rights group online. She told the Associated Press (AP) that the Louisiana law was a clear challenge to our reproductive freedom. And it points to the urgent need to vote for pro-choice candidates from the top of the ballot all the way down. James Bopp Junior is with the group National Right to Life. He made a similar point, but from the opposite position. He told the AP, The decision demonstrates how difficult it is to drain the (D.C.) swamp and how important it is that President Trump gets reelected so that he may be able to appoint more pro-life justices. Religious leader Frank Pavone is national director of the pro-life group Priests for Life. He is also a member of the Trump campaigns Catholic voter outreach project. He noted that two of the liberal justices Ruth Bader Ginsberg and Stephen Breyer are the oldest members of the court. Nobody can predict the future, but whos going to name their replacements when the time comes? Pavone said. He added that this is a question that moves a lot of people to vote. Anti-abortion activists have made clear that Mondays ruling would not stop them from pushing for abortion restrictions through state governments. In recent years, several states have put in place near-total bans on abortion. Courts have later blocked such bans. However, the group Texas Right to Life urged lawmakers in their state to go forward with a measure that would start with a ban on late-term abortions and continue to a total ban. Mike Gonidakis is president of Ohio Right to Life. He warned against moving too quickly toward widespread bans. He noted that the courts blocked a measure last year that would ban most abortions as early as six weeks into pregnancy. Abortion rights advocate Nancy Northup, leader of the Center for Reproductive Rights, said Mondays ruling would not stop those trying to ban abortion. But she said her group would continue to fight state by state, law by law, to protect our constitutional right to abortion. Northup urged Congress to pass a bill called The Womens Health Protection Act. The measure seeks to strengthen womens ability to access abortions, even in states that pass laws seeking to restrict access. The measure was introduced in May 2019 and has strong Democratic support but no chance of passage for now because of Republican opposition. From the other side of the debate, there also are dreams of a congressional solution. Michael New is an abortion opponent who teaches social research at Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. He said some anti-abortion legal experts believe Congress could find ways to restrict or ban abortion without the courts. For example, they could establish constitutional legal protections for unborn children. But any such measures would not succeed for now since Democrats in Congress would wholly oppose them. Im Alice Bryant. The Associated Press reported this story. Alice Bryant adapted it for Learning English. Ashley Thompson was the editor. _______________________________________________________________ Words in This Story abortion - n. a medical procedure used to end a pregnancy and cause the death of the fetus LGBT - adj. lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender challenge - n. an action or statement that is against something drain the swamp - expression. to remove corruption or government waste Catholic - adj. of or relating to the Roman Catholic Church access - n. a way of being able to use or get something In the last three days, Oregon has added more than 1,000 confirmed and presumed novel coronavirus cases. On Saturday, Oregon reported four more deaths due to COVID-19 and 303 new confirmed and presumptive cases of the illness, according to data from the Oregon Health Authority. Benton County had two of the new cases, and Linn County had one. Saturday was the third day in a row that the state had surpassed 300 new confirmed and presumed cases of COVID-19. On Friday, 344 new cases of the illness were reported, and 375 were reported on Thursday. The latter was the single largest case count the state has experienced during the novel coronavirus pandemic and broke the previous record of 281 set on Wednesday. Public health officials have said that the recent surge of coronavirus cases is from community spread, and they believe the cause is increased socialization due to a loosening of restrictions related to the pandemic. The rise in cases is not solely attributable to increased testing. Oregon now has 213 deaths due to COVID-19 and there have been 9,930 instances of the illness statewide, according to OHA. No 'Kanwar Yatra' in Odisha this year due to Covid-19 pandemic Five more test positive for Covid-19 in Chandigarh; tally rises to 459 A healthcare worker checks the temperature and pulse of a resident during a check-up camp for the coronavirus disease (Covid-19), in Mumbai. The number of confirmed Covid-19 cases globally surpassed 11 million mark on Saturday as various countries recorded their highest 24 hours surge, including India, US, South Africa and Mexico. As per the latest figures by John Hopkins University, the infections tally reached 11,045,713, while the death toll was at 523,898. In the United States, Covid-19 cases rose 2.1%, higher than the seven-day average, with more than 57,000 infections in 24 hours. The rising numbers have triggered authorities to to impose mandatory face masks rule and in some states, a curfew. All of this comes as US entered somber Fourth of July weekend, US Independence Day. People are urged to celebrate their independence at home with their families. Click here for full Covid-19 coverage Brazil the second most affected country from Covid-19 after the US, recorded 42,223 cases within 24-hours and surpassed 1.5 million mark. Meanwhile, India which is at the fourth spot of the ten worst-affected countries on John Hopkins tally, recorded steepest single-day spike with 22,700 Covid-19 cases, pushing the tally to 648,315 on Saturday. The southern state, Tamil Nadu became the second state in India to cross the grim milestone of a million cases, with a total of 102,721 people infected with Covid-19 disease. Follow live updates on Covid-19 here: 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 We're sorry, but Newspapers.com doesn't work properly without JavaScript enabled. You will need to enable Javascript by changing your browser settings. Learn how to enable it. Mindy Romero is a political sociologist and director of the California Civic Engagement Project at the Price School of Public Policy at the University of Southern California. Thad Kousser is a professor and chair of the Department of Political Science at UC San Diego and a leader of the newelectorateproject.org research collaboration. Ross Marchand is the vice president of policy for the Taxpayers Protection Alliance. He wrote this for InsideSources.com. The Legal Theory Bookworm recommends Recognizing Wrongs by John C. P. Goldberg & Benjamin C. Zipursky. Here is a description: Two preeminent legal scholars explain what tort law is all about and why it matters, and describe their own view of torts philosophical basis: civil recourse theory. Tort law is badly misunderstood. In the popular imagination, it is Robin Hood law. Law professors, meanwhile, mostly dismiss it as an archaic, inefficient way to compensate victims and incentivize safety precautions. In Recognizing Wrongs, John Goldberg and Benjamin Zipursky explain the distinctive and important role that tort law plays in our legal system: it defines injurious wrongs and provides victims with the power to respond to those wrongs civilly. Tort law rests on a basic and powerful ideal: a person who has been mistreated by another in a manner that the law forbids is entitled to an avenue of civil recourse against the wrongdoer. Through tort law, government fulfills its political obligation to provide this law of wrongs and redress. In Recognizing Wrongs, Goldberg and Zipursky systematically explain how their civil recourse conception makes sense of tort doctrine and captures the ways in which the law of torts contributes to the maintenance of a just polity. Recognizing Wrongs aims to unseat both the leading philosophical theory of tort lawcorrective justice theoryand the approaches favored by the law-and-economics movement. It also sheds new light on central figures of American jurisprudence, including former Supreme Court Justices Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr., and Benjamin Cardozo. In the process, it addresses hotly contested contemporary issues in the law of damages, defamation, malpractice, mass torts, and products liability. And from the reviews: Recognizing Wrongs is powerful and elegant. It proposes that civil recourse simultaneously best explains actual tort practice and presents this practice in its best light, as part of what free and equal citizens demand from their government as a condition of recognizing its legitimacy. Goldberg and Zipursky combine a subtle appreciation for doctrine with powerful theoretical arguments. A major achievement.Daniel Markovits, Guido Calabresi Professor of Law, Yale Law School Recognizing Wrongs will be of interest to everyone who studies tort law and to many who practice it. Goldberg and Zipursky are the best in the business. This book is historically rich, theoretically sophisticated, and is bound to be a touchstone for tort theory for decades to come.Scott Hershovitz, Thomas G. and Mabel Long Professor of Law, and Professor of Philosophy, University of Michigan The positive but "under-the-top" quotes do not do justice to Goldberg and Zipursky's important book and the theoretical project that it represents. In my opinion, the most important work in tort theory in the contemporary period. If you teach or write on tort law, you really must read this book. Cabo Delgado has fallen prey to a growing jihadi insurgency. Since 2017, over 100,000 people have been displaced as a result of the killings, kidnappings and beheadings that have engulfed the impoverished northern region. Covid-19 has seen foreign investment frozen or postponed, but the insurgency has grown, with the first quarter of 2020 being the deadliest so far in terms of attacks on civilians. In 2010, when 5,000 billion cubic meters of natural gas were discovered in the Northern coasts of Mozambique, it seemed as if fate had finally smiled on the poverty-stricken country, which only managed to put behind the wounds of its previous civil war last year. The development of three LNG (liquefied natural gas) projects, standing at a combined worth of over $60 billion, in the province of Cabo Delgado, could create over 50,000 jobs and make the southern African country a gas-exporting Eldorado according to French magazine Le Point. At the moment Mozambiques ambition to become Africas Qatar is beginning to look like a pipedream. Here we are in 2020 and the countrys situation is most similar to states in the Sahel as opposed to the prosperous Gulf emirates. Ever since the discovery of natural gas fields (the 9th largest in the world) on its Northern shores, Mozambique has found itself at a crossroads. It can either become Africas Qatar or become another case study on how natural resources condemn a country to violence and conflict. Frances help could be decisive in pushing it in the right direction. The quagmire represents a challenge not only for the Mozambican government and the companies that have invested in Cabo Delgado, but for the Western countries who have major stakes in the multi-billion-dollar project. France in particular has developed a strategic interest in Mozambique, one where the lines between private corporate investment and state foreign policy is murky to say the least. Total, the French oil major, purchased the Mozambique LNG Assets of Anadarko, the U.S. energy company that first discovered Mozambiques gas reserves, in 2019. It is now the biggest player and stakeholder in the gas project alongside Italian ENI and American ExxonMobil. These developments coincide with a military rapprochement between France and Mozambique. The two share a maritime border in the Mozambique Channel of the Indian Ocean, where several French islands such as Mayotte and some of the French Southern and Antarctic Lands are located. Their sovereignty is contested by former French colonies Madagascar and Comoros, making the support of Mozambique essential to Paris if the territorial dispute were to escalate. Bilateral relations between the two have been growing since 2015. The two countries navies now cooperate on common security projects, among them tackling illegal fishing and piracy across the canal, which is a strategic shipping passage that supports over 30% of gas-tanker traffic. Paris and Maputo: A Budding Relationship Economic ties between Paris and Maputo were also strengthened by Mozambiques purchase of 24 fishing boats and 6 vessels from Constructions Mecaniques de Normandie (CMN), a private shipyard company, based in northern France. Though the purchase backfired, having been part of a wider government scandal that would rock the country. The loans that were supposed to finance the fishing project, were either diverted to the defence budget or omitted altogether. International donors and the IMF packed their bags, plunging the Mozambican economy into disarray as the country defaulted on its sovereign bonds. Despite this, French investment into the country paid no attention to the capital flight of others, drawn by the promise of eye-watering returns from the upcoming gas bonanza. However, the economic impact of Covid-19 on the oil and gas industry, coupled with the growing violence in Cabo Delgado may force a change of reasoning. Additionally, Frances role in the gas project is coming under increasing scrutiny at home: the NGO Amis de la Terre just published a damning report on its environmental impact, accusing Paris of initiating a climate ticking [time] bomb in the African nation. What Can France Do? The concerns raised by Amis de la Terre are indeed valid, but divestment and withdrawal are not the right solutions. First, if the French government were to pressure Total to withdraw from the project, the void is likely to be filled by other powers that have set their sight on the gas-rich eastern African nation. Russia, which has been pushing to extend its geopolitical influence in the continent in the past few years, has sought to gain a foothold in Mozambique. The Kremlin-affiliated Private Military Contractor, the Wagner Group, which has also been fighting in Libya alongside General Haftar, has partnered with Mozambican President Filipe Nyusi to fight the insurgency in Cabo Delgado. Second, the projects medium-term environmental impact is not so nefarious from a global standpoint: Mozambiques location in the Indian Ocean puts it in a perfect position to become a major gas supplier to India and China, who have been seeking to shift their energy policy from coal to gas (natural gas emits around 50% less CO2 than coal). While the net balance in terms of world carbon emissions is of course hard to calculate at this stage, the picture is less dire than it seems, not to mention the benefits this could bring to the countrys economy and population. Mozambique has one of the lowest GDP per capita in the world and it is still recovering from the devastation caused by two tropical cyclones in 2019. So far, Frances role has been limited to joint naval exercises with Mozambiques navy in the region, designed to monitor and ensure the security of the LNG infrastructure project. But Paris needs to change their approach. Rather than helping the Mozambican army suppress the revolts militarily like it has done in the Sahel, Paris should leverage on its strategic partnership with Maputo to make it change its militarys heavy-handed tactics and stymie its predatory impulses. These are uniquely ill-suited and do nothing but exacerbate the insurgency, which has no proven links to other terrorist groups such as IS or Al Shabaab so far. Indeed, Cabo Delgado, whose Muslim population largely adhere to Sufi Islam, (rather than the radicalism espoused by the insurgents) is also one of the poorest and most neglected regions of Mozambique. Its natural wealth has not helped. The locals, mostly fishermen and farmers, have not only failed to reap the economic benefits of the gas projects, but thousands have been forced to resettle without receiving adequate compensation to make way for the LNG plants, which receive the bulk of military protection as per an agreement signed with the Mozambican Defence Ministry, a glaring injustice considering that the same armed forces fail to protect the vulnerable population. All this plays into the hands of the extremists. What Paris can do is prompt Maputo to acknowledge and act on the symbiotic relationship between the increasing lawlessness and the pre-existing socioeconomic woes that plague the region. For a start, it must continue to provide logistic and technical assistance to its armed forces while broadening bilateral economic support to communities in Cabo Delgado via channels such as the Agence Francaise de Developpement. France could also plead Mozambiques case in the international arena by calling for forgiveness of its debt, thereby ending its status as a financial pariah. This may have been far-fetched a year ago at the height of the scandal. But now that the idea of granting debt relief to developing countries has gained traction as a result of Covid-19, success is definitely not out of sight, provided that much needed transparency conditions are fulfilled. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, the French government must pressure Total to fulfil its corporate social responsibility goals. The preservation of Cabo Delgados unique biodiversity and making sure that local stakeholders have their say in the resettlement process (among others), are more than moral imperatives, rather they are necessary strategic steps. Today, Mozambique still has the luxury of being at a crossroads: achieve Africas Qatar dream or become another case study on how natural resources condemned a country to violence and conflict. Frances help could be decisive in pushing it in the right direction. References The Economist, (2020) Jihad on Africas Eastern Shore: Mozambiques mysterious conflict is intensifying Yussuf, A., Pirio, G., Pittelli, R. (2019) The Many Drivers Enabling Islamic Extremism in Northern Mozambique, Africa Centre for Strategic Studies Strohecker, K. (2019) Factbox: Mozambique Debt Crisis - What Does the Country Owe, and To Whom?, Reuters Genoud, E. (2017) Why Islamist Attacs Demands a Careful Response from Mozambique, The Conversation Minano, L., Anderzewjski., C. Soutien aux energies fossiles: lhypocrisie de la France au Mozambique, Investigate Europe Rawoot, I. (2020) Gas-rich Mozambique May Be Headed Towards Disaster, Al Jazeera English The Economist, (2020) Gas, guns and guerrillas: Jihadists threaten Mozambiques new gas fields Relations Bilaterales France-Mozambique, France Diplomatie, Ministere de lEurope et des Affaires Etrangeres Barbier, A. (2016) Leconomie du Mozambique dans le rouge au fond du scandale Ematum, Le Monde Afrique Peters, S. (2020) Russias Latest Intervention in Mozambique Exemplifies Kremlins Ruthless Aprroach to Geopolitics, The Organization for World Peace Bensimon. C, Wakim, N. (2020) Mozambique: comment le soutien de la France a lindustrie gaziere accentue la militarisation du pays, Le Monde Afrique De LEldorado Gazier au Chaos: Quand la France pousse le Mozambique dans le piege du gaz, Amis de la Terre Rantrua, S. (2020) Mozambique: ce futur Eldorado gazier, Le Point Past Publications Tommaso Campomagnani Tommaso Campomagnani, Columnist, is a first year undergraduate student at the Menton Campus of Sciences Po Paris, specializing in Politics and Government with a regional focus on the Middle East. A London-born Italian citizen, he has been living in the Canary Islands, Spain for the past six years, where he attended a British school. At Sciences Po, Tommaso is a member of the Model Mediterranean United Nations and the Junior Consulting. He is passionate about the intersection of foreign policy and domestic affairs, particularly in the context of the Middle East and Europe. When not debating about current events in either English, French, Spanish or Italian, Tommaso can be found enjoying the paradisiac climate of the French Riviera or the Canary islands depending on the time of the year. He can be contacted at [email protected] In https://www.crossfirekm.org/articles/jihadism-gas-fields-and-corporations-can-france-alleviate-mozambiques-developmental-crisis If youve been biking around Madison this summer, you may have done a double take at some point. A man whizzes by on a recumbent bicycle. Affixed to the back of the bike is a large perch. And on the perch is . . . a parrot? Its a macaw, actually, a brilliant 7-year-old bird named Luna. And the man is Aaron Dutenhoefer, a Fitchburg software developer. Almost every day, they head out together on Madison bike paths to get some exercise, some smiles and a lot of perplexed glances. Dutenhoefer and Luna can also be spotted together at the local farmers' market or Home Depot, or even having a little picnic together in a park. On a break from their daily ride, Dutenhoefer talked with the Cap Times recently about how he met Luna, why he decided to go bike riding with her, and why, despite the fun they seem to be having together, he wouldn't recommend getting a macaw as a pet. Have you had birds all your life? No! Actually, it's funny. I got her three years ago. My then-wife had a cockatoo a number of years ago. She had lost him to cancer and decided she was ready for another bird. She was looking at maybe getting a cockatoo but decided she didn't want to, and also my son has asthma, and cockatoos shed this real fine dust. It's kind of how they like keep their feathers in shape. So that was kind of a no-go. So we found Luna on the internet. We drove down to Indiana and got her and picked her up. And it was clear this bird hated my ex-wife. No matter how many treats she gave her or attention or whatnot, she just wanted nothing to do with her. She just took to me for whatever reason. I knew nothing about birds, but she just decided I was her person. Whats the temperament of a macaw? They're kind of all over the place. Some are just really fixated on their one person and pretty aggressive toward everyone else. And it depends how they're treated. You know, she's still getting over the trauma of her first four years. Do you have any sense of what those first four years were like? Well, we got her from a bird rescue, which is code for a crazy lady in Indiana living alone with five birds. She was like owner number three. And I guess her first two owners had neglected her, not really giving her any attention and mistreated her. I named her Luna, because thats my favorite "Harry Potter" character, and also because the day we got her there was a lunar eclipse. Initially, I was the only one she would have anything to do with, but now she'll step up for strangers. She loves going out and being in the sunshine. We used to go to the farmers' market. How did you hit upon the idea of taking her for bike rides? I mentioned to my therapist that I was taking her to the farmers' market, and she told the story about when she was growing up, there was a guy in her neighborhood who used to take a bird on the bike. I was like, "I wonder if you can do that?" I started thinking about the idea. So I wanted to see how shed react, and we just took it slow. I started just going out by the bike, standing by it, just getting her used to it being there, giving her treats, letting her know it was a positive thing. Then I would hold her and walk the bike around the cul de sac a thousand times. Then I worked up to sitting on the bike and holding her and going around the cul de sac, and eventually putting her on the handlebars. Then I built the first perch out of PVC tubing and mounted that on there. We just took it slow, and now she loves it. Actually, if I take the day off and we go out on the Southwest Bike Path, where its less crowded, Ive got a longer tether thats more elastic, and she can fly about 20 feet in the air and get her exercise. Its so much better for them to be flying. Wow, because I know a lot of owners will clip the wings. When I found out she could fly, I was just "No, I can't take that away." I love the relationship we have, but I'm pretty ambivalent about people keeping them as pets. She's too habituated to people to ever go back. They're incredibly amazing animals and they're super smart, but they're just not good pets. Im sure Ive talked plenty of people out of getting them as pets. I say, Imagine a toddler that lives to be 80. Thats pretty much what youre getting into. They're pretty cheap to keep, they don't require a lot of upkeep, but the time investment is just enormous. In the three years I've had her, I've easily put 3,500-4,000 hours of training time to get her to the point where shes sociable and we can go out and do stuff. How do you know she enjoys her bike rides? You hear this with people that have reptiles too. If you're not around birds, you don't get a sense of what their expressions are. But after a while (Aaron scratches Luna, and the feathers on top of her head rise.) See those feathers? Thats how she tells me shes content. What kind of reactions do you get? When I first passed you on the bike trail, my first thought was, Thats got to be a doll, or a puppet. But then she turned her head and I was like, Whoa, thats real! A lot of people will say and I know what they mean but theyll say Is that alive? Like, I couldnt get a dead one to stick up there! Sometimes people give you a really suspicious look, but most of the time its surprise. Ive seen a lot of double takes. Some people want to stop and chat. I usually keep a bunch of her lost feathers in the back of the bed to hand out to kids. Most people are very receptive. Even the guys who are running around with no shirt on, nurturing their six-packs, are startled. A couple of weeks ago we were on the Cap City Trail and this gal passed by, she was walking. She mentioned that she had been away from Madison for a while, and one of the things she missed about being here was getting to meet these crazy characters. I said, "Honey, I could be a crazy character anyplace." Constant changes The ordinance had been ruled to be functionally identical to the order issued by the local health department, which had been overturned for being an overstepping of the powers granted to the citys health commissioner, Dottie-Kay Bowersox. The ordinance was approved by a 9-5 vote by the City Council two weeks ago. The Wisconsin Supreme Court ruled on May 13 that the statewide "Safer at Home" order was unenforceable; that order was drafted by the governor's office and Department of Health Services and was not approved by a direct legislative vote. The Safer Racine order should be treated differently because it was passed by the City Council and not by an unelected administrator, the city's legal team is arguing. No other states have seen statewide orders overturned by the courts other than Wisconsin. And rules are getting stricter in some states as spikes occur. 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. If Carlton Jenkins is chosen as the next superintendent of the Madison School District, the city would be getting an African American leader whom students of color could look up to, Jenkins told community members Tuesday. Jenkins who got his Ph.D. from UW-Madison and is currently the superintendent of Robbinsdale School District, located in the northwestern suburbs of Minneapolis said his mother had a 10th-grade education, and his father had only a third-grade education. He said he has a unique understanding of Madisons students of color who are experiencing achievement gaps. The children that youre talking about that are the most vulnerable thats me, Jenkins told those watching the Facebook live interview. I want you to look at me, and look at the children who youre seeing right now having those gaps, and know that its possible. Its possible. And if it can happen anywhere ... eliminating those gaps, it should happen in Madison. Jenkins is one of two finalists being interviewed this week for the superintendent position, which still needs to be filled after the districts first choice dropped out of the running months ago. The district conducted a new search that yielded Jenkins and finalist Carol Kelley as the top two candidates. Either finalist would be Madisons first African American superintendent. More information would be needed to make that assessment, he said, including if the number of cases could be managed in isolation and whether cases are clustered to a particular building or spreading with no rhyme or reason. Pothof added that he has not been directly involved in the universitys fall planning nor is he in a position to make recommendations to UW-Madison. Its a difficult challenge, but from what Ive seen (of their plan) they are thinking of a lot of ways to stay on top of this and make it safe, he said. Time will tell if it is enough. They may have to throw up the white flag when its time and try something new. Survey results Some instructors feel they were not consulted on the reopening plan nor should they have to make the case to teach remotely in order to keep themselves and their families safe amid a pandemic that has already claimed more than 125,000 lives. UW-Madison is working to provide high-quality instruction in as safe of an environment as possible, Lucas said. Input was gathered through online chats, emails, comments left on social media, discussions with shared governance groups and committees involved in reopening decisions. The amendment was met with scorn from conservative commentators, including Fox News Tucker Carlson, who accused Johnson and Lankford of trying to delete a celebration of the nation itself before moving on to the next item on the rioters list of demands. 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. Johnson said he appreciates the value of commemorating emancipation, but objected to the estimated $600 million cost of an additional federal holiday, which he said would be offset by his new proposal. Johnsons office did not say how much the amendment would reduce paid leave for federal workers. The Juneteenth bill, which has 51 sponsors in the Senate, was introduced after weeks of protests in Madison and nationwide in response to the death of George Floyd while in Minneapolis police custody. And the GOP will be even more stubborn during a Biden presidency because they will view their death grip on the Senate as their last tenuous hold on power, their last chance to turn back the tide of cultural changes sweeping across the nation. You think they were obstinate during Obamas presidency? They will be even more mulish about Bidens judicial nominees. They will refuse to confirm Bidens appointees for top roles in his administration. They will fight his efforts to undo the damage they have done to countless pillars of the federal government, from Justice to Interior to the State Department. A GOP-controlled Senate will also hamper Bidens efforts to dig the country out of the economic wreckage left by the coronavirus. The federal governments fiscal response should be broad and deep, targeted to middle-class and working-class families. Biden has pledged to raise the federal minimum wage substantially, to fund college tuition for most students and to expand the Affordable Care Act, which the GOP is still trying to kill. While Biden has not said much about tax increases, Congress needs to raise taxes on the wealthy and roll back the loopholes that allow them to escape paying their fair share. Republicans, of course, would vote in lockstep against any such proposals. Liability waivers are the most heavy-handed way universities are attempting to create the basis for later arguing that the school population consented to the risks of COVID-19 caused by being on-campus or by participating in school-sponsored off-campus activities. Ohio State, the University of Missouri and Southern Methodist University are among the schools requiring athletes to sign such waivers. But colleges can set up arguments from consent without ever asking anybody to sign anything. They can claim that attendance itself proves consent. To pave the way, colleges and universities will try to make it seem as though those physically returning to the school grounds are being given meaningful options other than coming to campus and that those who do come are well-informed of the dangers of doing so. Many colleges, including USC, have announced hybrid operations for the fall term that create, at least on paper, the option of remote participation in classes for both faculty and students. These schools say they cannot guarantee safety or note that they will be operating only as safely as possible. It might seem like they are acting wholly benevolently. The Philippines ranked 136th out of 180 nations on Reporters Without Borders 2020 World Press Freedom Index. And the type of repression represented by Duterte is accelerating worldwide. This is a much broader issue than what is happening to her and her newspaper. It is reflective of an authoritarian mindset that has taken over in many countries today, Jane Kirtley, the director of the University of Minnesotas Silha Center for Media Ethics and the Law, told an editorial writer. The Philippines is ostensibly a democracy. And ostensibly a U.S. ally. Its acting like neither as Duterte falsely accuses the CIA of funding Rappler, and overall flouts the values the United States espouses. Or at least used to. At a meeting with Duterte, President Donald Trump laughed when his Filipino counterpart called journalists spies, and the president hasnt said anything about Ressas and Santos convictions. As for the State Department, it could only muster a milquetoast statement expressing concern. Cant find the words? How about these, from Ressas attorney Amal Clooney: Today a court in the Philippines became complicit in a sinister action to silence a journalist for exposing corruption and abuse. This conviction is an affront to the rule of law, a stark warning to the press, and a blow to democracy in the Philippines. Asked about defunding or disbanding Madison police, Carter says: "I like to restructure." Police here "do a fairly good job," she said. "But you have to really peel off the layers. And sometimes we don't have that patience to peel off the layers. We'd rather lump everyone in the same boat." Carter cites advice from U.S. Rep. John Lewis during the Civil Rights Movement about protesting, which still applies today: "If you're going to cause trouble, make sure that trouble results in benefits for the community." She predicts body cameras on police officers in Madison "are something that will eventually happen." She hopes the Downtown Recovery Plan will clear the City Council, and lists other priorities for moving forward. Ultimately, change must come from the halls of government at the local, state and federal levels. BOISE The coronavirus pandemic is hitting Idahos prison system, but the good news is that most inmates who have tested positive are asymptomatic, Idaho Department of Correction Director Josh Tewalt wrote in an online update. Increased testing this week at the Idaho State Correctional Center in Kuna showed 103 new cases of COVID-19 out of 258 people in E block, where the prisons first three cases were found, leading to a medical quarantine for that area. Tewalts post said that all 103 do not have symptoms of the illness. Nine of the 258 tests are still pending, he said, while 146 were negative. In the prisons H block, 342 individuals were tested and 92 of those tests have come back so far, Tewalt said. All were negative. The rest of those test results are pending. The Idaho State Correctional Center houses more than 2,100 men. The number of positive COVID-19 cases there among inmates is now 119, with only 12 of those showing symptoms, according to Tewalt. The prison also has seen several staff members get infected. Tewalts update indicated that two more employees, one in security and one in a nonsecurity position, tested positive, bringing the number of IDOC staff cases to 36. A Black Lives Matter group started by two Henry County teens has joined forces with the Martinsville-Henry County NAACP to engage a new generation of activists. Organizers hope to encourage more young people of all backgrounds to join the local NAACP and continue working for racial justice. Their outreach efforts include holding membership drives during Black Lives Matter protests this summer and building a social media page for the NAACP chapter for the first time. The catalyst for the two groups to connect came from a viral video on Facebook. Local NAACP President Naomi Hodge-Muse admits she normally hates Facebook (Zuckerberg is the reason Hillary Clinton did not win, she said), but she logged on one day in early June to view her pastors sermon. While online, she happened upon a video from a protest held June 4 in Henry County. As a group of teenagers stood peacefully holding signs at the intersection of Rives Road and U.S. 220, a man in a truck pulled over and was recorded yelling and cursing at them. I saw this old man stop and curse at these babies, and it broke my heart, Hodge-Muse said. In response, she attended their next protest a few days later and offered the support of the NAACP. The First Amendment rights of petition and assembly do not give you permission to cross or occupy private property; thats still called trespassing. And as to occupying public property: Since the occupy movement a few years ago, many jurisdictions updated their policies regarding public squares, parks and such, with many outlawing overnight stays or blocking the space so that other, non-involved persons are unable to pass through it. Blocking traffic on a public street, whether an individual effort or a mass protest, likely is illegal. Again, there is no First Amendment shield against arrest, though police action may well depend on balancing the taking of protesters into custody versus clearing the thoroughfare. The rights of assembly and petition on National Park Service property have certain limitations, with permits required if a group of 25 or more, or pay attention to this the protest is likely to attract a combined audience of participants and those watching of more than 25. A court decision some years ago cleared the way for individuals to protest with no permit conditions, as long as the person was not blocking others from using the park. Granted, a recitation of the rules, regulations and legal circumstances around exercising your free speech when assembling peaceably to petition for change may lack the passion of the real thing. Tims quiet, consensus building and knowledgeable leadership style has guided the BID Board to significant accomplishments, said Dan Cederberg, who also serves on the BID Board of Directors. Tim has been a great leader and voice for the small business in our community. He always asked himself and the board What is best for BID ratepayers? when addressing issues and solving problems. His contributions have had a direct impact on improving the safety and economic well-being of Downtown. He has made a difference for Missoula, and we are going to miss him more than we can express! Last month the BID Board elected Charlie Beaton, owner of Big Dipper Ice Cream, to serve as Chairman of the Board. Scott Stearns of Boone Karlberg was elected Vice Chair. Frances departure leaves an open seat on the BID Board. Downtown property owners interested in serving on the BID Board and representing small parcels (under 20,000 square feet) in the district are encouraged to reach out to Missoula Mayor Engen. A local real estate company, Sterling Commercial Real Estate Advisors, conducted a survey of multifamily housing and found that vacancy in Missoula rose slightly from 3.63% in the first quarter to 4.19% in the second quarter. They took out a couple of big chunks of downtown Missoulas history Thursday, but dont worry. Both will be back. Crews from Loken Historic Preservation and Grant Creek Excavation carefully prepped two polished granite columns that have graced the bank entrance to the Higgins Block at a corner of Higgins Avenue and Main Street since it was built in 1889. Michael Elldrege of the excavating company waited patiently in the cab of a four-wheeled forklift until the signal came to pull them out. It took an hour per column to do the job, but there were no casualties as the large columns, each weighing several tons, were plucked from their throne. The plan, Loken said, was to put them on a trailer and go put them to bed for six weeks. His crew has been working on the corner for three weeks, commissioned by Higgins Block owners Hugh and Barbara Sheehy to remove, clean and repair the tiered cake-like granite steps and replace the broken base the columns sat on the last 131 years. A new substrate for the new step will be built. Everything in there that these stones are sitting on will be concrete, Loken said. 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. I am appalled at the chaos which is destroying America, with cities burning, lifelong businesses looted and destroyed, with mayors and governors enabling violence against ordinary American citizens. America must elect leaders willing to support Donald Trumps efforts to provide jobs and incomes for all Americans regardless of their skin color or backgrounds. Democrat-controlled cities and Democrat governors for decades have failed to address the corruption and waste that highlight their jurisdictions. Have American voters realized that the current rioting and looting is occurring in cities controlled by Democrats for decades, and yet voters return them to govern? Montana has had a few elected officials who have shown leadership in demonstrating fiscal responsibility and efficiency. During four years as State Auditor, Matt Rosendale cut the budget by 23% and eliminated a couple dozen unnecessary positions as he reorganized the agency to streamline its services. Congress needs this type of aptitude! What cannot be said above all must not be silenced, but written. These words deeply resonate with me. As a Green Party candidate for Montanas U.S. Senate seat, Im saddened and disgusted by the efforts of the Democratic Party, led by Gov. Steve Bullock, to silence me. I have been the subject of character attacks and had questions regarding my integrity and motives that are not just inaccurate, but flat-out insulting. Recently, these smear efforts culminated in a lawsuit filed by the Montana Democratic Party to try and have me removed from the ballot. As the party that claims to promote equality, inclusion and acceptance, their efforts have been no less than shameful. Let me be abundantly clear: My run for U.S. Senate as a candidate of the Green Party is about truth and transparency in our government and I refuse to be silenced, like so many others have, through either bullying or non-disclosure agreements. In fact, my resolve to run for U.S. Senate has only been strengthened by the Democrats attempts to remove me from the ballot. I will continue to use my voice to fight for greater transparency in our government the same transparency that I saw deteriorate before my eyes when I worked for the Bullock administration. 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. The Independent Carl Nassib has become the first active NFL player to come out as gay, after he made the announcement in an Instagram video. Nassib, 28, told his followers that he hoped that people would not have to make similar videos in the future and announced he was donating $100,000 to the Trevor Project, which aims to prevent suicide among LGBTQ+ youths. But until then, Im going to do my best and do my part to cultivate a culture thats accepting, thats compassionate and Im going to start by donating $100,000 to the Trevor Project. We invest in our people, Whisnant said. Not in terms of being a warrior, but in terms of being a human being first. Concerns were brought up about officers at Saturdays events having their backs turned toward the crowd of people protecting the monument, as if they felt the Black Lives Matter protesters were more dangerous and needed guns trained on them. Lowdermilk said he didnt want that to be the perception, and that he would be happy to look into it and see if theres something that could have been done differently. Another question was posed about reporting officer conduct when it is a lower-level officer reporting an officer who has a higher rank. Lowdermilk said MDPS hopes that the quality of officers they hire would report any concerns. If it went unreported, Lowdermilk said supervisors conduct weekly camera reviews so it would likely be caught even if it wasnt reported. Someone asked Lowdermilk if he felt that MDPS was prepared for future events of unrest. He said that he hoped nothing else would happen, but that the department is prepared if something else happens. He said MDPS can call for backup from other area law enforcement agencies as it did last week. The Morganton Department of Public Safety supports and upholds the freedom of expression from government interference. The right to assemble allows people to gather for peaceful and lawful purposes. Morganton Public Safety may place certain, narrow restrictions on the exercise of speech/expression rights. As such, the open presentation of deadly weapons will not be allowed during protest, assemblies and demonstrations pursuant to North Carolina General Statute 14-277.2. When citizens display deadly weapons during assembled events, a clear and convincing danger to the public exists and such conduct seeks to do nothing more than have a chilling effect on the freedom of expression. Support Local Journalism Your subscription makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}} It is imperative to protect the right to peaceful assembly, even for those with whose speech we disagree, in order to maintain the opportunity for free political discussion, to the end that government may be responsive to the will of the people and that changes, if desired, may be obtained by peaceful means, according to the United States Supreme Court. The COVID-19 pandemic is causing a mental health crisis in Napa County. Were seeing significant spikes in stress, anxiety and depression, said Rob Weiss, executive director of Mentis, Napa Countys nonprofit mental health services center. Mentis, founded in 1950, is the oldest nonprofit in the county. Most of us dont have any experience of what its like to live through a pandemic or a circumstance such as this, Weiss said. I think the hard part for so many of us is that theres a very unpredictable nature to this, because theres so much anxiety. We dont know when this is going to end or how its going to play out. In general those are conditions that are ripe for making people feel anxious and on edge. Weiss was speaking to about 35 people via teleconference in late June. Currently, 34 out of every 100 adults are showing symptoms of anxiety, depression or both, Weiss said. Thats double a baseline of 17% of adults from 2013-14. Weiss said the data was gathered from a household survey from this years U.S. Census. For five years, ever since Donald Trump announced he was running for president, we have heard allegations that he is inappropriately obsessed with Russia. Millions of Americans have dismissed such a suggestion as ridiculous. Those people should look seriously and objectively at the evidence. It is enormously compelling. For years, including the entire year and a half Trump was running for president, he tried to get Russian backing to build a Trump Tower in Moscow. He visited Russia but later denied it. When he owned the Miss Universe pageant, he held an annual competition in Communist Russia, Americas great nuclear competitor and a country determined to destroy democracy. Trump reveals his poisonous reelection strategy We now know Donald Trump's intended reelection strategy. Once again, he is going to play the race and law and order cards, columnist Ann McFeatters says. More than 20 top officials of the Trump campaign had close and/or improper relations with Russian officials. The Mueller report detailed dozens of examples but stopped short of finding direct conspiracy between the campaign and Russia. Trumps campaign manager, Paul Manafort, went to jail on charges related to millions of dollars he received from Russian oligarchs to help Russia in its war against Ukraine, while he was working for Trump. All U.S. intelligence agencies unanimously agreed that Russia worked hard to elect Trump president in 2016, from releasing stolen material from the Clinton campaign to using social media to whip up support for Trump and vilify Hillary Clinton with phony accusations. Almost two dozen Russians intelligence officials have been indicted by the U.S. government on charges of interfering in the 2016 election. Furthermore, the intelligence community is 100% convinced Russia is trying again in 2020 to reelect Trump. Trump's war on science comes home to roost This has become the most anti-science government since people believed that administering leeches cured the sick and dying, columnist Ann McFeatters says. When Trump met Russian leader Vladimir Putin in Helsinki, he said at a joint press conference that he believed Putins denial that Russia meddled in the 2016 election, not U.S. intelligence that confirmed it did. Trump refuses to acknowledge Russias illegal interference because he lost the U.S. popular vote by almost 3 million votes and resents any implication he might not have won legitimately. Trump met twice with Putin with no U.S. officials present. To this day, nobody but the Russians knows exactly what Trump said or promised Putin. Trump let Russian officials and photographers into the Oval Office with no other Americans present. Trump has never not once had anything negative to say about Putin, who amassed billions of dollars from the Russian people, intends to stay in power until 2036 (and is already the longest serving leader of any large country) and whose opponents mysteriously disappear. Coronavirus pandemic illustrates why competent government is so important And now we know, really know, why government is important. Even why politicians are (gulp) vital, columnist Ann McFeatters says. Russia killed a former Russian who was living in England, firmly rupturing ties with the British. After Putin illegally invaded and annexed Crimea, the leaders of the European Union turned their backs on him. The Obama administration sanctioned Russia. Since then, Trump has tried hard to get rid of those sanctions, stopped only by Republicans who joined Democrats in outrage to block him. Trumps first national security adviser, Michael Flynn, who had gone years ago to Russia to meet with Putin before the election and accepted thousands of dollars in Russian money, later promised Russia that Trump would get rid of sanctions and pleaded guilty twice to the FBI about improper contacts with Russia before Trump took office. Trumps Justice Department dismissed the charges against Flynn. Justice lawyers said the dismissal was ordered by Trump. Here's how Trump really could make America great again Having been around this town for two of the nation's three impeachments and the painful Richard Nixon saga, I have come to some conclusions about politics in America: It is very predictable. Trump is demanding that the armed services cut their troops in Germany by half, which GOP Sen. Mitt Romney of Utah insists would be a gift to Russia, which has long wanted a militarily weak Europe. Now we know that Russia promised the Taliban, Americas mortal enemy, bounties for killing U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan. This has been known to the White House for over a year. Since then Trump and Putin have talked six times. Russia was not punished. The information was provided to Trump through his one-page presidential daily brief and again in a much larger briefing book. Trump says he never got that message or that one agency was worried about Russia and another wasnt sure. If Trumps White House is that incompetent and he himself such a lousy manager that intelligence of such huge import was kept from him, Trump is accountable. If Trump knew Russia was offering bounties for the killing of American soldiers and did nothing to punish Russia, he is accountable. Either way the situation is intolerably ugly. A rare bipartisan show of support for 5G technology In a hopeful if small sign that there are matters of state that Republicans and Democrats can still agree on, a coalition of senators is arguing that the United States is at serious risk of losing the international race to get 5G wireless technology. The White House said it may be too late to find out the truth, but at any rate theres nothing to see here. Move on. Putin is a despicable dictator whom the president of the United States incomprehensibly admires and considers to be a friend. A man who has weakened this country in the eyes of the rest of the world, with Trumps eager help. The question for America is this: Will the damage be irrevocable? If Trump is reelected, the answer is yes. Ann McFeatters is an op-ed columnist for Tribune News Service. YEREVAN. Hraparak daily writes: Former [opposition] PAP [Prosperous Armenia Party] MP Abraham Manukyan is under arrest on the hope of testifying against [PAP leader, MP, and business tycoon] Gagik Tsarukyan. According to our information, however, the authorities' hopes have not been fulfilled so far Manukyan has not testified, either before or after his arrest. Let us remind: he was charged with aiding in vote buying. According to the indictment, in 2017 Gagik Tsarukyan called Vazgen Poghosyan, who was nominated an MP candidate by the PAP in Gegharkunik Province, and offered him to run in the elections, on the condition that he would secure 9,000 votes in the province. According to the [respective] agreement with Tsarukyan, Poghosyan applied to [businessman] Sedrak Arustamyan and [then] Abraham Manukyan to ensure the necessary expenses. The latter dealt with the financial issues of the Prosperous Armenia Party during the 2017 NA [National Assembly] elections. Vazgen Poghosyan told the law enforcement that he had received from them () a total of 90 million drams. YEREVAN. Hraparak daily of Armenia writes: [National Assembly (NA) speaker] Ararat Mirzoyan had a hard time convincing [PM] Nikol Pashinyan that the Constitutional Court [(CC)] law, whereby the powers of three members of the CC are terminated, should not be published before 21 days, as it is a requirement of the law. President Armen Sarkissian's hasty statement on the day the law was passed that he would not sign the law was Pashinyan's instruction. They agreed with him [Sarkissian] that he was announcing it, and a day later the NA president makes public, putting the law into force. But after the raised uproar, Mirzoyan persuaded the Prime Minister that he and the MPs had already participatedon several countsin the overthrow of the constitutional order, made illegal changes, to allow them not to do so. After the discussion with his own lawyers, Mirzoyan presented substantiations that the 21+5 term should be maintained. He swore and promised that he would do everything, the CC is "already ours," and no sittings will be convened until that term. STEPANAKERT. The Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) on Saturday issued a statement in which it referred to the attack by Azerbaijan on this day in 1992. The statement reads as follows: On July 4, 1992, the Azerbaijani armed units, with multiple superiority in manpower and military equipment, employing heavy artillery and combat aircraft launched a large-scale offensive in the direction of Martakert town of the Republic of Artsakh. Martakert was completely destroyed, and the Armenian population of the town of about 13 thousand people was forced to leave their homes and become internally displaced persons, finding temporary shelter in the capital city Stepanakert and in various settlements of the Republic of Armenia. Following the capture of Martakert, the Azerbaijani army continued the offensive, destroying about 80 percent of the region, looting the Armenian settlements and subjecting their population to forcible deportation. In general, almost half of the territory of the Republic of Artsakh fell under the occupation of Azerbaijan. The republic itself was on the verge of total annihilation. The humanitarian situation was even more catastrophic - by the end of the summer of 1992, more than half of the population of the Republic were refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs). The situation was aggravated by the almost complete indifference of specialized international organizations to the fate of Armenian refugees and IDPs who were on the verge of a humanitarian disaster in Artsakh. However, even in these seemingly hopeless conditions, the people of Artsakh managed to summon its collective will, mobilize its full potential and repel the armed aggression of Azerbaijan. A year later, on June 27, 1993, the Defense Army of the Republic of Artsakh liberated the town of Martakert. Those who returned to their homeland began the process of restoration and improvement of the war-torn border town, which gained even greater scope after signing the termless trilateral (Azerbaijan, the Republic of Artsakh, and the Republic of Armenia) ceasefire agreement on May 12, 1994. To this day, some settlements of the Martakert region, part of the Martuni region and the entire Shahumian region, a total of over 1000 square kilometers of the territory of the Republic of Artsakh, are under the Azerbaijani occupation, where the Azerbaijani authorities implement illegal settling and pursue a policy of destroying the traces of presence of the native Armenian population in these territories. The authorities of the Republic of Artsakh confirm their determination to seek the de-occupation of the territories of Artsakh and the restoration of the territorial integrity of the Republic. Deputy Prime Minister Tigran Avinyan, who is also commandant of the current state of emergency in Armenia due to the COVID-19 situation in the country, on Saturday posted a statement on his Facebook page, which reads as follows, in particular: The mobilization of the healthcare system and the expansion of capacity were among the [Armenian] government's key tasks since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic. In the initial phase, instead of up to 300 tests conducted per day for the detection of the coronavirus disease, up to 1,000 tests were conducted in May, and in Junedue to further development of capacity, the number of studies doubled reaching to more than 2,000 tests per day. So far, 120,245 coronavirus tests have been conducted in Armenia. Using raw materials transported from China to the Commandants Office, the Institute of Molecular Biology has begun preparing coronavirus diagnostic tests. [A total of] 5,500 [such] tests have already been provided to the MOH [Ministry of Health] National Center for Disease Control and Prevention. In total, it is planned to prepare 100,000 Armenian-made tests at this stage. More than 2,500 bedsabout 290 of which are intensive care unit bedshave been set aside since March to admit those infected with the coronavirus. The hospital medical care of [COVID-19] patients is carried out at 19 medical organizations, 7 of which are in the provinces and 12in Yerevan. So far, 15,935 people have recovered from the coronavirus disease [in Armenia]. Continued training of medical staff (...) has been carried out. YEREVAN. - Opposition Prosperous Armenia Party (PAP), leader, MP and business tycoon Gagik Tsarukyan, who is infected with the coronavirus, has isolated in his private home, and is receiving treatment at home. His lawyer Emin Khachatryan informed Armenian News-NEWS.am about this. "He is given IV [injection] at home, he is under the medical supervision (). He was running a fever () for a few days, now he is feeling well, he is not running a fever. He has signs of pneumonia nearby. He has isolated in his private home, he is more afraid for his 88-year-old mother and 92-year-old father, the lawyer said. He added that a Criminal Court of Appeal hearing on Tsarukyans case is scheduled for July 7, which will most likely take place without the PAP leaders attendance, and, subsequently, they will discuss the matter of Tsarukyan's attendance in accordance with his health condition. To note, the news about the PAP leader's testing positive for COVID-19 became known on Tuesday. Tsarukyan's eldest son is also infected with coronavirus. As reported earlier, Gagik Tsarukyan is charged with vote buying, but he does not accept the charge and says it is unlawful. STEPANAKERT. Defense Minister and Defense Army Commander Jalal Harutyunyan on Saturday chaired the summing up of the results of the tactical military exercises held from June 22 to 26, Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) Defense Army informed. The Defense Army commander thoroughly analyzed the course of one of the most important events of the 2020 army academic year. In addition to the instructions and recommendations given to the command staff on the achievements and shortcomings registered during these military exercises, Harutyunyan emphasized the preparations for the next training phase. And following the final report, the order of the Defense Army commander was issued, according to which the military units, divisions, and individual servicemen that best stood out during these military exercises were encouraged with valuable gifts and monetary rewards. Artsakh president Arayik Haroutyunyan received Saturday Armenian FM Zohrab Mnatsakanyan. According to Haroutyunyan's Facebook post, the sides discussed the latest developments over the Azerbaijan-Artsakh issue. He highlighted some points touched upon during their meeting: 'what comes to the mediation mission, the OSCE Minsk Group format continues to be the most acceptable for us' and 'it is impossible to ascertain any progress and find effective solutions without the full participation of Artsakh in the negotiation process.' The anti-constructive position of the military-political leadership of Azerbaijan and the continuation of belligerent statements only deprive the side of the opportunity to secure a real result in the process of peaceful settlement, he added. In response, the Armenian FM congratulated Arayik Haroutyunyan on his election. These elections once again demonstrated Artsakhs desire to create a stable, established independent state that builds its future under our national and universal values based on human freedoms and the strengthening of democratic systems," the FM noted. "The participation of Artsakh in the peace negotiation process is one of the most important tasks. And among other things, this is a practical task, since the issue relates directly to the Artsakh people."